SP-Podcast #39: Gagan Gopal about finding oneself

Munich-based stand-up comic Gagan Gopal
Munich-based stand-up comic Gagan Gopal
Munich-based stand-up comic Gagan Gopal (Collage: s/p)

Gagan Gopal is a stand-up comic born in the Indian city of Hassan and now based in Munich. He performs in both English and German and, together with Mustafa Gaja, organizes the (now again paused) weekly open-mic Medium Rare. We listen to a bit of Gagan at the Comedy Factory Munich from autumn 2020, in-between lockdowns. There Gagan talks about how he tried to find his true inner self by doing some yoga and meditation. But what if during introspection you find out you’re a piece of shit? Gagan walks us through the process of forming and honing the joke: how he started with a creepy setup and punchline that got no laughs and how he turned it into something more relatable for the audience.

Gagan dives into why telling a joke is a bit like hatching an egg: Not only is it crucial what’s inside. You also have to treat it right to find out what’s inside after all. The best joke will suffer if not told correctly. And even the best presentation can hatch a monster. He also talks about why comics shouldn’t put all their efforts into self-deprecation on stage. In the end, we also like ourselves, don’t we?

Listen to podcast on Spotify | RSS feed | Subscribe to podcast on Android

Gagan Gopal on Instagram

Gagan’s weekly open mic Medium Rare Comedy

Comedy Factory Munich, where Gagan is co-host

About the Podcast

Why do we laugh after all, can we agree on that one? Possibly not. Sometimes it’s just easier to talk about why we are not laughing right now. Setup/Punchline is a podcast about stand-up comedy as a craft. In each episode, comedians talk about one of their comic bits, that is a short topical sequence of jokes. By doing so, they explain how they found their topics, how they arrange punchlines and breaks, when they are loud, when they are acting reserved. Which lines do never get laughs? And why are they still sticking to them? Here you can find all episodes.

Prone to comedy? Click here to subscribe to the biweekly Setup/Punchline newsletter.

Schreibe einen Kommentar

Deine E-Mail-Adresse wird nicht veröffentlicht. Erforderliche Felder sind mit * markiert