London based stand up comic James Nokise started his stand up comedy career in New Zealand five years ago. His homecoming for ‘Beige Against the Machine’ gave him the opportunity to speak with DOMINIKA WHITE
Originally part of the comedy act which launched the Laughing Samoans back in 2003, James Nokise admits he was “quite cocky” when he parted ways with Eteuati Ete and Tofiga Fepulea’i before they hit the big time.
However, the Samoan-Welsh comedian is happy they went their separate ways.
“I love Tofi and respect Ete. We’ve gone in such different directions. It was a very good thing that we stopped working together,” he tells SPASIFIKmag.com in an exclusive interview.
After two years on the UK comedy circuit, the Hamilton-born Welsh/Samoan returned for his new show Beige Against the Machine for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. He returns to London after the final show in Wellington on May 3.
The 25-year-old says that the British take well to his comedy routine even though he talks about Samoa, an unfamiliar place to a lot of them.
“The cool thing about the English is that they don’t really care, they’re curious. You start talking about family, and they just relate to that,” he explains.
Nokise believes there is space in Britain for more Pacific Islanders. However, he warns, the English “make you stay on your toes a bit more”. He says the crowds there are a bit more “savvy” because of Britain’s long association with live comedy in comparison to New Zealand.
“It would be like the All Blacks playing another country that has just started rugby,” he remarks.
Nokise’s comedy is based around storytelling, the art form he thinks Pacific people do best.
“I kind of just tell stories about my life. A lot of it’s about my family as well… I’ve got a bit about travelling too. Mainly it’s about how to get along in society.”
He explains his comedy is like how he explained things to his brother when he came over from Fiji.
Nokise says his Samoan father, who hails from the village of Leusoalii, wanted him to be a lawyer - he was studying law before he switched over to a performing arts degree.
“There were years when Dad said ‘I can’t believe you’re not a lawyer’,” he adds. However he says he’s always had his parents’ support.
“Dad’s always been really supportive. (But) it’s very hard to make a living as a stand up comedian.”
Nokise says it was partly because of his father that made him switch to comedy, as he was a minister who made jokes in sermons. Nokise also believes his large extended family played a big role.
Says Nokise: “I was always a talker. I used to joke because my family jokes, that’s how we communicate. I was surrounded by people who showed affection by teasing each other.”
Nokise says nothing is off limits in his comedy and he often gives his opinion on controversial topics such as youth gangs and domestic violence.
“You’re a comic if you make people laugh. If you can slip a little message in there, a little moral, then more power to you.”
James Nokise’s final showing of ‘Beige Against the Machine’ is on Saturday 03 May at the Bluenote Bar in Wellington.
