Kenny Sebastian Interview | Professor of Tomfoolery about standup and music

If you’re watching Kenny Sebastian’s show on YouTube and your parents come home, you don’t have to worry about quickly closing your computer window. His clean humor and sharp wit fill the living room and stage with laughter that everyone can enjoy. Kenny says this was a conscious move on his part. His decision to maintain a clean image in his comedy was both personal and strategic.

“I want my father to sit down and enjoy the show. I want my shows to be family-friendly and accessible to all. I have performed at schools like Bishop Cottons and St Joseph’s, interacted with 10th, 11th and 12th grade students in Bengaluru,” says Kenny, “The advantage is that I can connect with families and corporate audiences, which I enjoy. However, the challenge of evoking the same level of laughter as someone else who is performing more unfiltered material is much tougher. I wouldn’t say clean humor is better than unfiltered jokes; it’s just a personal preference. I love unfiltered jokes, but I choose to focus on clean humor. The edgy nature of unfiltered jokes can be difficult to compete with.”

Kenny’s ongoing tour, Professor of StupidityPresented by entertainment platform Paytm Insider, he has been captivating audiences both in India and abroad with his unique blend of comedy, music and personal anecdotes. In a telephonic interview ahead of his show in Hyderabad, he spoke candidly about his creative process, the challenges of standup comedy and the inspiration behind his latest show.

Exposing everything

Professor of Stupidity This is different from his previous work. “I discuss serious topics like family issues and therapy in depth. I am 33 years old, now married, and have 14 years of experience. I felt it was time to present all of this on stage. Despite the heaviness of these topics, this particular program has been well received, with viewers appreciating my unique approach. Many have even returned to watch it a second time with their families. To keep the tone light-hearted, I approach it like a fun-loving professor, explaining complex concepts factually. By confidently discussing family dynamics, I help the audience relax and connect with the material. This method has made this show my most satisfying to date.”

Travelling around the world has taught Kenny the importance of consistency. Unlike earlier tours, where he would adapt his material for different audiences, he now presents the same show verbatim, whether he is in Chennai, Delhi, Toronto or Germany. “Why do people travel to see you? They don’t want you to dilute the material for them,” he says.

“Many standup artists mould their performances to connect with their audience, often by referring to their own backgrounds and experiences.” Although Kenny is Malayali, he connects with a diverse audience, blending his cultural roots with his experiences in Bengaluru.

“My background is a bit unique,” ​​he says. “My father was in the Navy, so we moved around frequently. I never identified myself with any particular state until we settled in Bengaluru when he retired. Growing up, I was surrounded by people from different parts of India, and this diversity was ideal for me. As a child, Bengaluru gave me a sense of stability and identity. However, I didn’t realise that I had developed a Bangalorean accent until I moved to Mumbai. People there noticed my accent, which was a surprise to me. Even though I now refer to myself as being from Bangalore, I still feel like I am Indian just because of my varied upbringing,” says Kenny, who highlights his Malayali heritage and Bangalorean identity in his show.

Kenny said that when he started his career, he received a lot of support from North India. “Mumbai felt like a great city. It’s a city where everyone is an outsider in some way or the other, so there’s not a huge north-south divide. I appreciate that about Mumbai. It’s a place where people from different backgrounds mix, which reflects in my comedy as well.”

Brutal response

When Kenny was asked about his favorite episode from his vast repertoire, he shared insight into the writing process. “The standup writing process is the most brutal,” he said. “You get an idea and you’re so excited, but if the audience doesn’t like it, you have to drop it.”

He explains how some of his most loved sets, such as the bucket bath and the ostrich joke, received a lukewarm response from the audience despite his high expectations. Yet, sets that he considered merely ‘okay’, such as the one about a middle-class family in a restaurant, became crowd favourites. He states that this unpredictability is an intrinsic part of the nature of standup comedy. However, his extensive experience in theatre, music and improvisation has prepared him to handle unpredictability on stage with ease. “Comedy is a part of our personality and it is the only profession where 50% of the performance is the audience’s laughter,” explains Kenny. Unlike music or acting, where the performer can perform freely, comedy requires immediate, honest feedback from the audience

Combination of music and humor

Kenny’s musical background plays a key role in his standup routines. Recalling his early days as a singer in small bars and clubs in Bengaluru, he explains that the response of his friends inspired him to incorporate humour in his music. “Eight out of ten members in the audience were my friends, and I realised I was very funny with music. My friends used to say I talk more than I sing,” he explains. This unique combination helped him stand out in the comedy scene initially and is still a powerful element of his performances today.

Growing up, Jerry Seinfeld had a huge influence on Kenny. “His clean humor and the universal appeal of his jokes influenced me; even as a kid I would watch him Seinfeld On Star World, I was amazed at how I connected with his humour despite both of us having such different backgrounds. Seinfeld’s ability to craft jokes around fundamental human experiences rather than specific cultural or pop culture references inspired my writing style,” says Kenny, who now idolises his colleagues like Abish Mathew and Kanan Gill. “Whenever I feel a bit confused, I look at what they are doing, and it helps me find balance and inspiration”.

The Evolution of Podcasts

Kenny’s podcast Simply Ken launched in February 2020 with four episodes, and then in March, when COVID hit, it inadvertently became a documentary of a man going through COVID. Now, the podcast is back to the original concept of Kenny interacting with his comedian friends.

Simply Ken was an interesting venture because it contradicted the popular notion that the younger generation has a short attention span. “About four years ago, I saw the emergence of niche podcasts, which typically run for at least an hour. In the YouTube business, everything has to be efficient – ​​videos have to be four minutes, eight minutes or even just 60 seconds long. On the platform too, the jokes have to be efficient. I wanted to explore a more unfiltered, non-efficient form of content, which is where podcasting started. A podcast is just one person talking; it doesn’t have to be funny. I wanted to see if I could find an audience for it, but I wasn’t attached to any particular outcome. I also wanted my audience to see a side of me that wasn’t funny.”

Next Professor of StupidityKenny is embarking on a new special focused entirely on music. He plans to give the audience a taste of what’s to come by playing two songs at the end of each show, much like a Marvel post-credits scene. “It’s a fun way to combine my music and comedy,” says Kenny. With 18 more songs to create, he’s looking forward to taking on the challenge and sharing his musical journey.