I
think this is the first time I have interviewed a professional comedian
and that led to a few problems, namely how will would his jokes transfer
to print. But either way, I was approached by his publicist and I
thought, "There are worse experiments then watching a comedian's act and
then asking him questions about it."
I think his show is quite funny and encourage you to check it out on dvd. You can probably find some of his stuff online if you search for it.
Here is my interview with him
Why did you decide to entitle your program "Brown and Friendly?" Was that to counter perceptions and stereotypes of Arabs?
I was trying to come up with a title that would encompass who I am. First I thought "From Tehran to Tiburon," which is where I was born in Iran to where I grew up in Northern California. Then I thought, "well not everyone is going to
know where Tiburon is and the city Tehran might just interest Iranians." I wanted a title that would cover a broader spectrum. Then, I started thinking along the lines of a title with the word "Brown" in it.
Even though Iranians are actually ethnically white (the word Iran comes from Aryan and we came from the Caucus mountains), it seems like we are categorized as Brown these days. Iranians, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, etc. all fall into that Brown category.And the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of good people from these backgrounds. AND on top of that I consider myself a pretty friendly guy. But you always see us doing negative stuff in film and TV. So, I brainstormed and finally came up with the title "Brown and Friendly" to counter that stereotype.
What have been your high and low points as a comedian?
I think the high point of being a comedian is BEING a comedian. I see people cleaning the freeways or stuck in traffic on their way to work and I thank god I'm a comedian. I get paid to find the funny in life. I wouldn't trade it for
anything. On a more specific basis, I would say meeting the King of Jordan while doing shows out in Jordan was quite a highlight for me. The low points might be the nights when you don't do that well, but then again, I get on stage 5-10 times a week so I don't bask on the low points too much.
One of my favorites of your bits was the one about your baby being a rockstar.
While it may lose something in the change of medium to print can you explain
HOW or Why your boy is a rock star?
- Ha! That's funny. Yeah, I say how my baby is a rock star - he wakes up at 2
In the morning, hits the bottle hard, drinks till he pukes, then yells, "Rock and
Roll Motha@!$%#a!" Then I go on to say how he doesn't really speak English, but
we've gotten him a nanny so he's learning Spanish. (By the way, all this stuff
comes from truth - he now speaks better Spanish than he does English.)
Is it difficult focusing attention on the Middle East without offending those who live there?
- Not at all. I think that any Middle Easterner who comes to my shows has a
sense of humor. I've done shows in the Middle East in English and the audiences
have loved being poked fun at. As a matter of fact, no matter where I do shows
- Beirut, Amman, Cairo, etc., they always want me to spend the first 10 minutes or
so talking about them and their way of life. All that poking fun is a way of
showing that you're accepting them and having fun with them. It's what you do
with your closest friends, and it's universal.
My favorite part, which I stopped and transcribed:
"Being a country with oil is like being a drug dealer - you got to know when to
get rid of the stuff.... What? American's coming? Oh, shit!" How did that
comparison come to you?
- I'm not sure how I came up with that. I think it came from being up at the
Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. and just riffing on an "off" night. I try to get to
the Store and Laugh Factory as much as I can, and I try to riff as much as I can
on those nights when it's not a full house (usually Tues, Wed, Thurs.). That's
how I do most of my writing, and it's great when you riff something like that.
Though I also love the idea of Iran changing its name, especially to Canada.
That came from a riff too, but was actually inspired by seeing Condeleeza Rice
on CNN saying, "We are going to bomb Iran...I mean Iraq." I couldn't believe
what I saw - and she was supposed to be the brains of the operation. The joke
kind of wrote itself.
What are you working on next?
- I've got my big "Brown and Friendly" show in LA at the Wiltern Theater on Jan.
23rd. It's my biggest solo show yet. I'm also filming a pilot for ABC called
"Funny in Farsi" directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. I also have a film I've written
called "Jimmy Vestvood; Amerikan Hero." I wrote it with my co-writer Amir
Ohebsion. Kind of like a cross between a Persian Pink Panther meets Bend it
Like Bekham. You can see more on Jimmy at www.facebook.com/jimmy.vestvood or
jimmyvestvood.com - he's a fun character and we hope that he ends up being the
first hero of Middle Eastern descent in American cinema. The tagline of the
film is "You don't have to be Amerikan to be an Amerikan Hero."
How serious is this threat Maz Jobrani: Buy my DVD or you'll see me on Idol?
Well the threat is somewhat serious. I really have thought that in order to
"make it" these days the only way is to get on American Idol. Besides it looks
like fun and I can actually sing decently well. I think I'd have a chance to go
to Los Angeles...especially since I'm already here.
And what can you tell us about this sitcom of which you are going to be a part?
The sitcom is actually just a pilot episode for now. It's based on a book by
Firoozeh Dumas called "Funny in Farsi." It's her story of growing up in an
Iranian family in Irvine in the mid-70s. The book did really well and ABC
picked it up as a pilot. Barry Sonnenfeld has been chosen to direct and the
head writers are Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes (According to Jim, Rita
Rocks, Etc.) I will play the part of the dad in the show.
It's kind of like the TV show "Wonder Years" but told from a Persian female's point of view. We hope
the network picks it up and we become the Middle Eastern Cosby Family. If that
were to happen I'd propose renaming the show to "The Mazby Show."
What's it like to be called upon to speak for Iranian Americans? Does that ever
get frustrating or is it an honor or both?
- I don't really see myself as a spokesperson for anyone. I think my first job
as a comedian is to be funny and then I end up talking about what interests me.
A big part of what interests me is Iran/America relations, politics, social
issues. My comedy heroes are the Richard Pryors, Carlins etc. who talked about
that stuff. So, if my talking about those issues makes me a spokesperson for
the community, then I do hope that I make the community proud. However, I try
not to be influenced by what others want me to say. That leads to watering down
your comedy.
I love, love, loved the section on breastfeeding and don't think I have ever
heard anyone so accurately describe some of the experiences I had with it,
especially not a male comedian! Other than providing new material, has
parenthood changed your comedy any?
Well it's changed my life. I talk about how I never used to cry. For some
reason my dad put it in my head at a young age that men don't cry. So I would
be at the most tear jerking movies - "ET", "Terms of Endearment", "The Titanic"
and right when I was about to cry a voice would come into my head and remind me
it's a film. So no tears would be shed. Ever since the boy was born I've become
a @!$%#! I recently teared up watching a Tide commercial where a dad is drying
his son with a towel. It was a very touching commercial, I swear!
I also remember watching the squiggly, hazy parts of the playboy channel late
At night, though never with grandpa. Any weird hang-ups come out of that? Do you find yourself saying, "Not now, honey. Wait til Papa gets home"?
- Ha! It's amazing how much things have changed since we were kids. If the
internet had been around back then, I could've seen the real thing in the
comfort of my own room. I wouldn't have to sneak around in grandpa's sleep
quarters/our living room and try to watch it right under his nose. He was the
coolest guy I've ever known.
I didn't get or appreciate the Iron Shiek parts (at the start and end) but i'm not really familiar with him. Can you explain what he was doing there and/or what the significance of that was?
Funny you should say that. When I watched "Brown & Friendly," I realized that anyone who's not
familiar with him might not be as entertained by those clips. Growing up, The Shiek
was the only entertainer in the West known for being Iranian - granted he was
playing the part of the bad guy, but still...More recently he's been known to
go on these very cuss filled rants on the Howard Stern show. I think one of his
more famous rants was directed towards Michael Richards when Richards used the
"N" word at the Laugh Factory.
If you haven't seen it you should Google it.
Anyway, the thought was to have this Persian celebrity from my childhood show
up and rip me a new a-hole when I almost chickened out from going on stage. The
last bit he does at the end is just fun stuff. It's what wrestlers do to one
another and I thought it would be fun to have him do it to me. I actually
wanted to set up some more outtakes of me cussing him out, but we didn't
really have the time to do it. I'd say it was all for silly fun.
I think his show is quite funny and encourage you to check it out on dvd. You can probably find some of his stuff online if you search for it.
Here is my interview with him
Why did you decide to entitle your program "Brown and Friendly?" Was that to counter perceptions and stereotypes of Arabs?
I was trying to come up with a title that would encompass who I am. First I thought "From Tehran to Tiburon," which is where I was born in Iran to where I grew up in Northern California. Then I thought, "well not everyone is going to
know where Tiburon is and the city Tehran might just interest Iranians." I wanted a title that would cover a broader spectrum. Then, I started thinking along the lines of a title with the word "Brown" in it.
Even though Iranians are actually ethnically white (the word Iran comes from Aryan and we came from the Caucus mountains), it seems like we are categorized as Brown these days. Iranians, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, etc. all fall into that Brown category.And the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of good people from these backgrounds. AND on top of that I consider myself a pretty friendly guy. But you always see us doing negative stuff in film and TV. So, I brainstormed and finally came up with the title "Brown and Friendly" to counter that stereotype.
What have been your high and low points as a comedian?
I think the high point of being a comedian is BEING a comedian. I see people cleaning the freeways or stuck in traffic on their way to work and I thank god I'm a comedian. I get paid to find the funny in life. I wouldn't trade it for
anything. On a more specific basis, I would say meeting the King of Jordan while doing shows out in Jordan was quite a highlight for me. The low points might be the nights when you don't do that well, but then again, I get on stage 5-10 times a week so I don't bask on the low points too much.
One of my favorites of your bits was the one about your baby being a rockstar.
While it may lose something in the change of medium to print can you explain
HOW or Why your boy is a rock star?
- Ha! That's funny. Yeah, I say how my baby is a rock star - he wakes up at 2
In the morning, hits the bottle hard, drinks till he pukes, then yells, "Rock and
Roll Motha@!$%#a!" Then I go on to say how he doesn't really speak English, but
we've gotten him a nanny so he's learning Spanish. (By the way, all this stuff
comes from truth - he now speaks better Spanish than he does English.)
Is it difficult focusing attention on the Middle East without offending those who live there?
- Not at all. I think that any Middle Easterner who comes to my shows has a
sense of humor. I've done shows in the Middle East in English and the audiences
have loved being poked fun at. As a matter of fact, no matter where I do shows
- Beirut, Amman, Cairo, etc., they always want me to spend the first 10 minutes or
so talking about them and their way of life. All that poking fun is a way of
showing that you're accepting them and having fun with them. It's what you do
with your closest friends, and it's universal.
My favorite part, which I stopped and transcribed:
"Being a country with oil is like being a drug dealer - you got to know when to
get rid of the stuff.... What? American's coming? Oh, shit!" How did that
comparison come to you?
- I'm not sure how I came up with that. I think it came from being up at the
Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. and just riffing on an "off" night. I try to get to
the Store and Laugh Factory as much as I can, and I try to riff as much as I can
on those nights when it's not a full house (usually Tues, Wed, Thurs.). That's
how I do most of my writing, and it's great when you riff something like that.
Though I also love the idea of Iran changing its name, especially to Canada.
That came from a riff too, but was actually inspired by seeing Condeleeza Rice
on CNN saying, "We are going to bomb Iran...I mean Iraq." I couldn't believe
what I saw - and she was supposed to be the brains of the operation. The joke
kind of wrote itself.
What are you working on next?
- I've got my big "Brown and Friendly" show in LA at the Wiltern Theater on Jan.
23rd. It's my biggest solo show yet. I'm also filming a pilot for ABC called
"Funny in Farsi" directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. I also have a film I've written
called "Jimmy Vestvood; Amerikan Hero." I wrote it with my co-writer Amir
Ohebsion. Kind of like a cross between a Persian Pink Panther meets Bend it
Like Bekham. You can see more on Jimmy at www.facebook.com/jimmy.vestvood or
jimmyvestvood.com - he's a fun character and we hope that he ends up being the
first hero of Middle Eastern descent in American cinema. The tagline of the
film is "You don't have to be Amerikan to be an Amerikan Hero."
How serious is this threat Maz Jobrani: Buy my DVD or you'll see me on Idol?
Well the threat is somewhat serious. I really have thought that in order to
"make it" these days the only way is to get on American Idol. Besides it looks
like fun and I can actually sing decently well. I think I'd have a chance to go
to Los Angeles...especially since I'm already here.
And what can you tell us about this sitcom of which you are going to be a part?
The sitcom is actually just a pilot episode for now. It's based on a book by
Firoozeh Dumas called "Funny in Farsi." It's her story of growing up in an
Iranian family in Irvine in the mid-70s. The book did really well and ABC
picked it up as a pilot. Barry Sonnenfeld has been chosen to direct and the
head writers are Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes (According to Jim, Rita
Rocks, Etc.) I will play the part of the dad in the show.
It's kind of like the TV show "Wonder Years" but told from a Persian female's point of view. We hope
the network picks it up and we become the Middle Eastern Cosby Family. If that
were to happen I'd propose renaming the show to "The Mazby Show."
What's it like to be called upon to speak for Iranian Americans? Does that ever
get frustrating or is it an honor or both?
- I don't really see myself as a spokesperson for anyone. I think my first job
as a comedian is to be funny and then I end up talking about what interests me.
A big part of what interests me is Iran/America relations, politics, social
issues. My comedy heroes are the Richard Pryors, Carlins etc. who talked about
that stuff. So, if my talking about those issues makes me a spokesperson for
the community, then I do hope that I make the community proud. However, I try
not to be influenced by what others want me to say. That leads to watering down
your comedy.
I love, love, loved the section on breastfeeding and don't think I have ever
heard anyone so accurately describe some of the experiences I had with it,
especially not a male comedian! Other than providing new material, has
parenthood changed your comedy any?
Well it's changed my life. I talk about how I never used to cry. For some
reason my dad put it in my head at a young age that men don't cry. So I would
be at the most tear jerking movies - "ET", "Terms of Endearment", "The Titanic"
and right when I was about to cry a voice would come into my head and remind me
it's a film. So no tears would be shed. Ever since the boy was born I've become
a @!$%#! I recently teared up watching a Tide commercial where a dad is drying
his son with a towel. It was a very touching commercial, I swear!
I also remember watching the squiggly, hazy parts of the playboy channel late
At night, though never with grandpa. Any weird hang-ups come out of that? Do you find yourself saying, "Not now, honey. Wait til Papa gets home"?
- Ha! It's amazing how much things have changed since we were kids. If the
internet had been around back then, I could've seen the real thing in the
comfort of my own room. I wouldn't have to sneak around in grandpa's sleep
quarters/our living room and try to watch it right under his nose. He was the
coolest guy I've ever known.
I didn't get or appreciate the Iron Shiek parts (at the start and end) but i'm not really familiar with him. Can you explain what he was doing there and/or what the significance of that was?
Funny you should say that. When I watched "Brown & Friendly," I realized that anyone who's not
familiar with him might not be as entertained by those clips. Growing up, The Shiek
was the only entertainer in the West known for being Iranian - granted he was
playing the part of the bad guy, but still...More recently he's been known to
go on these very cuss filled rants on the Howard Stern show. I think one of his
more famous rants was directed towards Michael Richards when Richards used the
"N" word at the Laugh Factory.
If you haven't seen it you should Google it.
Anyway, the thought was to have this Persian celebrity from my childhood show
up and rip me a new a-hole when I almost chickened out from going on stage. The
last bit he does at the end is just fun stuff. It's what wrestlers do to one
another and I thought it would be fun to have him do it to me. I actually
wanted to set up some more outtakes of me cussing him out, but we didn't
really have the time to do it. I'd say it was all for silly fun.
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