Just what the doctor ordered
Jason Leong, who advocates ‘laughter, the best medicine’, tells Dennis Chua how he comes up with his comedic gems
HE has been tickling audiences with his “bag of best medicine” for eight years, and Dr Jason Leong Say Keong is now inhaling a breath of fresh air that gives his bag a boost. The one-time medical practitioner who became a full-time stand-up comedian in 2014 says the change in Government last May has heralded a more open Malaysia.
In this “new Malaysia”, comedians are less likely to offend the powers-thatbe with their harmless jokes about leaders, their policies and statements.
“Under the new Government, funnymen like me can afford to be ‘braver’ with jokes, since freedom of speech has been given a shot in the arm.
“We have less fear of incurring the wrath of politicians,” says Leong in an interview.
In fact, he welcomes Communications and Multimedia
Minister Gobind Singh Deo’s assurance that constructive criticism of Government policies, as well as good-natured humour from entertainers, will not be deemed offensive any more.
“It’s good that laws against fake news are going to end soon, and that’s great for comedians, myself included.
“I always believe that jokes make leaders humble and in a healthy democracy, they should always be kept on their toes,” he says.
Nevertheless, the change of Government has posed new challenges for Leong.
“That’s because the previous Government gave me lots of material to tap for jokes.
“There were many ‘comedians’ in it. The present Government seems to have too many ‘serious’ people,” he says with a laugh.
Consequently, Leong ribs opposition personalities more these days, since they are the former ruling party and his “treasure trove of funnies”.
“I don’t want to do that all the time, as I may now be criticised for being proGovernment and anti-opposition, which is not what a comedian should be.”
Fortunately, some statements and actions by politicians in the ruling coalition have been a “godsend” to Leong — he has an opportunity to rib them and garner laughs in his shows to a certain extent.
“But there’s a downside to this as well. A lot of people now tend to hero-worship our new leaders as if they can do no wrong, and even good-natured humour from me gets brickbats on social media.
“I’ve received my fair share of barbs from Netizens who call me
‘Barisan sympathiser’ or ‘Barisan agent’ but that does not bother me — comedians are not supposed to be politically biased, we are biased towards comedy and against stupidity regardless of politics!”
Leong admits that Malaysians, like Americans, love political jokes the most, but they are also tickled by jokes that parody everyday life and highlight the people’s bad habits, favourite pastimes, and showbusiness in general.
“One of my specialties is medical jokes, since I’m also a doctor. A lot of funny stories can crop up from a medical practitioner’s professional journey, and these make superb material for my standup shows,” admits Leong, who is married to a fellow doctor and has worked in Selayang Hospital for five years.
Leong has just completed a “comedy tour” of Malaysia, which began in the Klang Valley in March.
He recently visited the Penang Performing Arts Centre (Penangpac) in Tanjung Tokong, Penang (May 19), the National Culture, Arts and Heritage Department in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (June 8), Kuching South City Council (June 9) and Puteri Pacific Hotel in Johor Baru (June 19).
“Since March, I’ve done 30 shows, mostly corporate ones, which saw some 200 to 300 people in the audience,” he says.
On July 7, Leong — who represented Malaysia with Harith Iskander in The Funniest Person In The World competition two years ago — will be entertaining audience in Singapore. And on July 28, he will “tickle” Hong Kong residents too.
“Earlier this year, I was at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for the fourth time. I did comedy in Sydney too, back in 2014.”
Born and bred in Petaling Jaya, the 33-year-old funny man graduated from University College in Dublin, Ireland, in 2008.
He first found fame as a member of comedy troupe the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians (MACC) comprising Douglas Lim, Phoon Chi Ho and Kuah Jenhan.
He marked his debut with the MACC in Three-And-A-Half Men at PJ Live Arts in 2010. Leong grew up enjoying sitcoms such as The Nanny, The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Friends and Family Matters. He also became a staunch fan of comedians Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and George Carlin. “As a boy, I loved making family and friends laugh by coming up with my own jokes.
“My parents have always encouraged me to develop my funny side. But they wanted me to take up a serious profession like becoming a doctor.”
Leong admits it is never easy to make people laugh. “I always have to observe daily happenings around me, visit places and meet people. But, most importantly, I must also laugh at myself.”
He believes that stand-up comedians must know when to draw the line between taboo and non-taboo subjects.
“We must always be mindful that Malaysia has a multi-ethnic society and there are certain things that are out of bounds by reason of cultural sensitivity,” he says.
“However, race-based jokes which are done with affection, such as talking about your own community, are well-liked by Malaysians in general.
“My favourite cartoonist Datuk Lat does just that via his fantastic cartoons. A joke that pokes fun at Malaysian life is a good one if it is done with respect and affection.”
Leong corrects audiences’ perceptions that comedians’ jokes are off the cuff. “A lot of practice goes into every one of my jokes. There is a lot of trial-and-error before I crack a joke on stage.
“In fact, I’ve been perfecting and polishing my jokes for three years — yes, three years just to get a good, three-minute joke!”
He also says that for a joke to work, it has to be based on the truth.
“Jokes need not be too factual but there has to be some truth in them. They are parodies and innuendos that report truths in a funny way!”
When asked where he finds inspiration for his jokes, Leong says: “Funny things that make it to print and news on TV. I like to poke fun at everyday things people don’t normally think about.”
Leong, who will reunite with his MACC team-mates in a new show in September, does not plan to star in sitcoms or movies, as he is “not an actor”.
“Nevertheless, I did enjoy myself playing the repair man in JinnyBoy’s first feature film By My Side, released last year. My scene was so brief that viewers could miss me with the blink of their eyes!” he says with a laugh.