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Sami Shah
Of comedy, destructive actions and hilarious fiction
 Mag4you.com talks to stand-up comedian Sami Shah as he takes us inside the story of his podcast, How I Became A Suicide Bomber, new shows and more...
Mag4you.com: How I Became A Suicide Bomber plays on the `terrorist joke` which has been done and touched upon by Muslim comedians around the world; how is your take on it different?
Sami Shah: The big obvious difference, I suppose, is that most comedians touch upon this topic in the context of a joke. I`m trying to flesh that joke out into a novel. So if you like terrorism-related humor, my jokes is longer and with more words in it. It`s not a great selling point but it`s a start.
Actually, the way I am coming at this is a bit round-about. I had started to wonder, as we all do, why people become suicide bombers. Not "terrorists" but "suicide bombing" specifically. It`s a very definitive career choice. Not many growth prospects and the health benefits are terrible. Yet it seems to be a popular choice amongst fresh grads these days (at least from madrassah`s. I think we are still a few years away from IBA and CBM graduates entering this field). Around the same time I read a lot of articles about the disillusionment of the youth with the modern world. A series of articles and research papers point to the need young people have to find something more than just material success.
In the `60s they would go backpacking and take mind-bending drugs. These days they want to express themselves more explosively. From there I started to wonder, what would it take for a guy like me - given that I too went through my sulky, pensive teenager phase - what would it take for me to become a suicide bomber.
It`s a huge cognitive leap for me obviously. I, like all reasonable people, detest terrorism and rage against their destructive actions. But in an alternative world, if things had been different only slightly, would it have been enough to send me in that direction? I`m not sure I know the answer, but the book is trying to find out.
Plus, in literature at least, no one has explored this topic through comedy. And to take comedy in such an unexplored place is fun. For me anyway.
Mag4you.com: You say the book is semi-autobiographical - how much of the story actually is?
Sami Shah: Initially, a fair amount. Obviously, I have made an effort to blend the fiction with the biographical stuff as seamlessly as possible and as the book continues and the character develops his own voice it`s becoming almost entirely fiction.
In the writing stage, I`ve just now reached the point where from here on it is complete fiction and that`s a bit frightening to me. But, I wanted to root this book firmly in a certain time and place. I grew up in Karachi throughout the `80s and `90s. It was a time when a lot changed very fast. My own experiences helped me understand those changes and I`m trying to use that as a starting off point for the character`s biography as well. So some of the early stuff, the character`s childhood especially, is quite autobiographical (with some key bits of detail changed so that I can develop him into his own person). If you are wondering whether I ever went to Jihadi training camp or became a terrorist? Sorry to disappoint, but that stuff is all fiction and research through the interwebs.
Mag4you.com: You were supposed to perform at the Australian Comedy Festival - did you actually get rejected for a visa for being a "security threat"?
Sami Shah: I don`t know why I got rejected. Honestly, I`m not even sure I got rejected at all. They had me fill out the paperwork equivalent of a rectal probe to apply for a Performance Visa. It didn`t require me to send my passport to them though. Then I just waited and waited. Finally, four hours before the flight, the festival organizers called and said they still hadn`t been able to get a confirmation. There is nothing more depressing than unpacking a suitcase you just packed two hours before. For all I know they could still be processing it six months later.
On the bright side I got five minutes of new material out of that. Shut up. This is me being optimistic. Glass half full. Glass half full. The funny part is, I warned them four months before the festival that my being Pakistani might make the visa process more complicated.
The organizer`s said, "Don`t worry, we deal with international musicians all the time. Rock stars that have criminal records as long as your arm."
"Sure," I replied, "but they aren`t Pakistani." But they`ve invited me back this year, so let`s see. Glass half full. Glass half full.
Mag4you.com: The podcast is an interesting idea, and not one really utilized by Pakistani entertainers, how did you decide to go down that road?
Sami Shah: I find podcasts fascinating. It`s this whole thing that people in the West seem to enjoy doing: Creating content for free. Youtube shows, audio and video podcasts, all kinds of stuff that they put effort and time and care into and don`t monetize at all. I personally listen to a ton of great podcasts regularly.
I wish more people would do it here, but I don`t think our artists are at the point where they may want to give things for free. Plus, podcasting itself is not well known so the local audience is quite limited. Which is why, separate from the iTunes download, you can find How I Became A Suicide Bomber as a direct download or stream at www.samishah.com.
The idea itself came from a combination of factors. I have tried writing a book several times now and each time I lose interest or momentum after the first few pages. I decided I needed some kind of motivation to keep going. I have also recently become addicted to audio books. They are great! You can listen to a book while driving and working out and changing diapers. So I came up with the idea that every time I would finish a few thousand words I`d just record them and upload them as this podcast. If there is enough of a listener-ship then I will feel guilty about not doing it and that would push me into committing to it. The problems are that this is a first draft that I am committing to and I can`t go back and make changes because most of it is already out there. But that makes it more exciting and challenging from a writing point of view. At this point I am probably half a dozen episodes ahead of what has been released so I try to keep it tight.
Mag4you.com: How does working in the creative side of corporate gel with stand-up comedy and writing your book?
Sami Shah: It`s quite schizophrenic of me, I know. In my day job I am this pant-shirt wearing professional and at night I write about the adventures of the world`s worst suicide bomber. Plus talking about my unmentionables on stage every now and then. I suppose it`s like finding out that sweet, quiet neighbor of yours is a serial killer. "He was always so friendly!?"
I mostly try not to let things overlap at all. The day job has no bearing on the extracurriculars (as my mom used to call them). The only down side is I am perpetually sleep deprived.
Mag4you.com: Why did you decide to end News Weakly?
Sami Shah: I like to say the decision was mine, but that`s only so that I don`t launch into a bitter, invective-laden rant. The show was cancelled for a bunch of reasons by the management at the channel. As far as I can tell, those reasons were "Not enough viewership" and "The owner doesn`t find it funny."
I took their decision gracefully, not responding with "Nothing on the channel has viewership! Why single me out?" and "The owner isn`t my target audience!"
What`s upsetting is the show seems to have had a very loyal following. I still meet people who tell me how much they loved it and wish it would come back. But then Fox cancelled Firefly and HBO cancelled Rome. Not saying that my show was that great, just that one person`s dream project that they pour their heart and soul into is another person`s I-don`t-get-it.
I`m still superbly proud of what I did on that show. Writing, directing, hosting, shooting, editing, everything myself. Every week for 26 weeks. I became a better comedian because of it, got profiled on Comedy Central`s website, interviewed by a few international publications and got invited to a comedy festival (even if the visa never came). Was it a show about cooking ancient recipes in colonial houses? No. That`s probably what hurt it. Zing!
Mag4you.com: How has the response been to the podcast, as well as your recent stand-up work?
Sami Shah: The podcast response has been fantastic so far! On the internet you have to prepare yourself for sarcastic and hurtful feedback that leaves you a broken human being who questions his very reason for existence. Quite pleased to say that hasn`t happened yet. Feedback has been entirely positive (although saying this will now jinx it) and the subscriptions and downloads have been quite awesome. I crossed 2500 downloads last week, and that isn`t counting people who use iTunes to listen to it or others who stream it online. That`s a lot better than something I thought would result in a handful of "you suck" emails and then silence.
The stand-up stuff is coming along. I seem to have a small but dedicated group of people who like me. I love them for it and they, in return, pay money to watch me perform. Do I wish it was more people? Always. But then I am terrible at marketing myself so I only have myself to blame there.
Mag4you.com: What brought on the four running weeks of your recent show? Is the material different each time?
Sami Shah: I missed doing stand-up basically. 2009 was a hectic year, work wise and personally too. Plus the no-visa thing kinda depressed me so I took some time off from writing comedy. Then, a month ago, I just sat down and banged out a new hour of comedy. But I needed to get back into practice and develop my stage-presence. I`ve done 4 one-man shows in 5 years so far and there is a lot of material that has only been performed once or twice. This is me trying to clear it all out before debuting the new hour. So each week, at T2F, I cherry pick a few bits from each one of my old shows, plus some stuff that is still experimental or unfinished, and perform them. Also, all my shows have always been these big auditorium affairs. So I tried to keep them as polished as possible. I never get to just go on stage and experiment or riff. T2F gives a more personal space that attracts a friendly and open audience. These shows are more relaxed and a different experience from the auditorium shows. Yes, each show is different.
This month (May), I will debut my new hour of material. So look out for that!
 Mag4you.com: How do you go about coming up with new material - for the book, and your shows?
Sami Shah: Basically, material comes from not thinking of it. I just flood my head with information. Lots of information. I don`t discriminate. It all mixes back there, bits of info splashing against each other. Eventually, it all starts to cross-breed. Info 1 and Info 4 hop in the sack together. Info 7 and Info Beta fight it out. Chain reactions kick off and all of a sudden you have "an idea".
The tough part is actually articulating it in words. The writing down of it all. If the idea is good enough it will kick you aside and do the writing itself. Most times you have to coax it out like a frightened mouse before snatching it up and slapping it down onto paper.
There, I think I`ve mixed enough metaphors for one day.
Mag4you.com: And finally - why comedy?
Sami Shah: I don`t have the looks for prostitution.
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