Comedian Mohammed Magdi: "Not All Bearded Arab Men Are Creepy!"
Life in Shanghai for the Egyptian-born comedian Mohammed Magdi can seem like a surreal joke or a sitcom (especially when righting the preconceived notions of his Chinese friends). But instead of taking such culture clashes to heart, Magdi mines those experiences for comedic gold. And it's been working out well so far. The Pearl City-based comic was the first runner-up at the China International Comedy Festival in 2016, following that up with a Best Comic win at the Bangkok International Comedy Festival in 2017. Now he's making his way to Beijing for a standup set at Salud on Jul 21. Ahead of the show, he told us more about breaking through Muslim stereotypes in the silliest, most self-deprecating way possible, of course.
What was it like for you growing up, and how did you fall in love with comedy as a young guy?
I grew up in Egypt in a typical Middle Eastern middle-class family. I'm the middle child, and one of the first comedy shows I loved as a child was Malcolm in the Middle. You can see the word "middle" has a big effect on me.
But yeah, I would stay up late at night watching David Letterman and that's when I started obsessing with comedy, just as a fan. Then I watched Eddie Murphy's Delirious and a few other specials. I had one of those childhood dreams, like "I wish I can be like them one day." And the good news is, almost 20 years later, I'm still not.
What are your fondest memories of getting started in Shanghai's comedy scene?
The very first open mic I did, I absolutely crushed. I did so well that I thought, "Oh man, I'm so much better than these guys, I'm ready to headline." Here's the secret: everyone in the audience was my friend. I came back the week after, without so many friends in the audience, I died, and kept dying for a few more open mics until I finally wrote my first "real" joke.
Your bio (kungfukomedy.com/comedians/mohammedmagdi/) says you started in comedy in Shanghai to prove that "not all bearded Arab men are creepy." Have you achieved that goal yet?
Nope. I think by now I have proved that you can be creepy and approachable.
Have you experienced any strange culture clashes while in China that inspired great material for your act?
I once told a Chinese person my two brothers' names, Sherif and Kareem, and he was legitimately shocked because he thought that if one child is called Mohammed, the brothers also have to be Mohammeds, like it's a rule in Islam or something. I told him he was right and that we are not good Muslims. I haven't turned that into material on stage, but other stories like that are in my act.
You won the Bangkok International Comedy Festival 2017, and finished as the first runner-up at the China International Comedy Festival 2016. What are those competitions like?
They are always good for networking with comics. I got to tour seven or eight different countries through connections I made mainly through the competitions. So it's a very good opportunity for exposure, especially in a developing comedy scene like the Asia circuit.
I've also shot an episode for Comedy Central Arabia that airs this December. So after it does we'll see how I'm perceived by the Arab audience as it'll be my first real exposure to the Middle Eastern and Arab market.
What have been some of your biggest accomplishments so far?
Well, I was very inspired by the Axis of Evil tour that came out on DVD in 2007, because they were all Middle Eastern comedians and they were so successful and funny. I really look up to them.
Flash forward 10 years, and we brought one of these guys to China, Ahmed Ahmed. I did shows with him in Shanghai and Beijing, and he hosted the Hong Kong International Comedy Festival 2017 that I was also on. So for me, that was actually a dream come true. I would have never imagined 10 years ago when I watched those guys on Axis of Evil that one day I'd be sharing the stage with one of them.
What’s next for you?
My goal for now is to go to as many places as possible with my show, especially new territories. I'm waiting for North Korea to open up. It'd be a lot of fun to do a show there!
I'm also developing a show now based entirely on my experience working for the Vodafone UK call center in Egypt, dealing with angry and racist British customers. When it's ready I'll take it to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
Mohammed Magdi will perform his "Brown Mirror" set at Salud on Jul 21 at 8pm. Tickets are RMB 60 presale, RMB 75 at the door.
Photos: Courtesy of Mohammed Magdi
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