Chances are you’ve seen actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj on “The Daily Show,” where he’s a correspondent. And now, you can see him in person when he comes to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College next week to perform his one-man show, “Homecoming King.”
We talked with him a few weeks ago about “Homecoming King” and this year’s presidential election.
Q: Tell me a little bit about “Homecoming King.”
A: It’s basically a one-man show, which is comedic storytelling in regards to true stories about my life. I developed it at the Sundance Labs, and then we had two runs off-Broadway and now I’m touring it around the country.
Q: How did you end up in Durango? Have you been here before?
A: It was one of those things where I ... I’ve never been to Durango before but wanted to take it (“Homecoming King”) to performing arts centers around the country, and one of the cool things that I thought would be really, really interesting is that there are so many places, in addition to the major markets that everyone usually tours their shows at, but there are so many beautiful performing arts centers around the country where a lot of times they might not get this type of programming. To bring that to performing arts centers and theaters around the country, and marketplaces that generally don’t get these types of shows, I thought, “No, this could be something really, really fun and interesting and awesome.”
Q: So are you on tour now? Have you started yet?
A: Yeah, I’ve been on tour since ... we started in ... was it? Yeah, uh, we started ... we’ve been going since, uh, ... when was the first one? Let me see ... I think it’s been ... oh, my God ... how long have I been on tour? Wait, one sec, hang on ... Aug. 19. It’s only been a month!
Q: So where are you now?
A: I’m in New York. So what I do is I do “The Daily Show” during the week – Monday through Thursday – and then I’ll go on tour and do the show on Friday, Saturday, Sunday in different cities around the country, so this upcoming weekend we’re doing Toronto, and then next week we’re doing Dallas and San Antonio, and so on and so forth.
Q: How many hours do you think you log a week just working?
A: I don’t even know. (Laughing) I couldn’t tell you. I’m really lucky in the sense that what I get to work on in terms of “The Daily Show” and what I get to work on in terms of “Homecoming King” it’s all stuff I’m really passionate about, so I don’t really think about the hours that I’m at work per se, I just, you know, think about ... “Oh, I really want to do this story and once I’m finished then I’ll get some food and go to sleep.”
Q: So with “Homecoming King,” is it material that constantly evolves or is pretty set?
A: It’s a hybrid where, unlike the things I do on “The Daily Show,” which are super-topical – they may have a shelf-life of, you know, maybe a week or a couple of weeks, or, depending on the election, an election cycle – these are true comedic stories from my life, so if you’re a fan of “The Moth Radio Hour” or NPR or “Radio Lab,” basically, longer-form commentary about stuff that’s happening in the world or in this country – that’s sort of what the show is about. It’s a four-act one-man show centered around four different stories from my life exploring politics, racism, and love and forgiveness and the American dream. I wanted to ground all those stories in something really, really timeless like my own personal experience growing up in America.
Q: Do you think it was a pretty positive experience?
A: I think it’s a little bit of both. I think as a first-generation immigrant in America, yeah, there – especially in the wake of this election – oftentimes, the rhetoric is centered around this idea that immigrants don’t like America, when it’s quite the contrary: Immigrants love America, that’s why they leave everything to be here. And I think every generation that’s come before us would tell you that, whether it was, you know, Jews fleeing mass persecution during the world war; whether it was Bosnians ... or Somalis – our country has been added to by immigrants for centuries, and I think that that narrative and that sort of desire to add to the tapestry that is the American dream is really, really important.
Q: Do you think this election cycle made things more divisive as far as race goes?
A: I think so. I think that under the guise of safety, the rhetoric of fear has really been doubled down upon. ...I think that stoking the flames of hatred and of fear is a really, really dangerous thing. I know it takes a lot more effort to put out fires with water – that requires TLC and understanding people and serving as an ally between communities and becoming accepting of others. That’s a lot more difficult than being like: Build a wall, get ’em out.
Q: I noticed that in “Homecoming King” you do address things such as racism and bullying and that kind of stuff. Is it hard to make that kind of ... not funny, but to take serious topics ...
A: I think it adds a level of depth to the show. And I honestly think that, look, I think that laughter and sadness are just two sides of the same coin. I’ve found that I’ve been able to be in pretty awful circumstances and still be able to find humor in them. ... I think that life is filled with so many of those moments. That’s what makes life absurd and funny.
katie@durangoherald.com
If you go
What:
Comedian Hasan Minhaj, known for his role on “The Daily Show,” will perform his one-man show, “Homecoming King.”
When:
7:30 p.m. Oct. 22.
Where:
Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
How much:
Tickets are $32/$24 and are available at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 247-7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at Eighth Street and Main Avenue.
Show content will have a PG-13 rating.
