Pandji Pragiwaksono Reveals The Difference Between Stand Up Comedy In The United States And Indonesia

Pandji Pragiwaksono (IPhoto: Ivan Two Men/VOI)

JAKARTA - After decades of stand-up comedy careers in Indonesia, Pandji Pragiwaksono is known to have started to expand his wings to the United States since last year.

To prove his seriousness, he even invited his family to settle in New York.

Pandji said stand-up comedy in the United States, especially New York, was much more mature.

Although he admitted that it was difficult to enter the stand-up industry there, he still felt proud, considering that only he was a comedian from Indonesia.

"Industry is much more advanced because of the stand-up art and then the birth of it in New York. The first Comedy Club was there, then the famous camedian stand-up was also there," said Pandji Pragiwaksono when met at Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta last week.

"So, everything seems more mature, but the competition is also tougher. Maybe for me, I'm just happy to be able to build a career where comedy is born. What is certain is that it will be the only Indonesian person," he continued.

Although widely known in the country, Pandji admitted that he had to start from the bottom for a career in New York. If in Indonesia he has held big shows in many places, the father of two still appears at cafes and bars during his career in New York.

Not only that, Pandji also admitted that he had several things to change when appearing there. In addition to language problems, cultural differences are the reason for thinking harder about sorting out the materials to be presented.

"First, in complicated language. My English is not really bad, but I still think like that when I want to talk. It's not my own language, it's still thinking like that," said Pandji.

"But the hardest thing is to adjust the jockey style that New Yorkers prefer to hone. Like in Indonesia, I have a lot of stories, long, long, punch line. If there it wants to be fast. Because they are used to watching stand-up, right, so they sit down, don't have to talk about it, 'where's the funny?'," he added.

However, Pandji said he would continue to strive to succeed in New York. Moreover, his wife who has also moved also fully supports his choice.

"But at that time I was like a doubt, like what did I do here (New York), then my wife missed, 'You have to remember that I and your children have sacrificed for you. You can't be half-hearted. We have sacrificed and failed, we can't fail'. I think it's true too,' concluded Pandji Pragiwaksono.