Ep. 22: Comic Peng Dang tells American jokes like a native, learned English from listening to rock

Chinatown 2.0

English - November 23, 2022 22:12 - 40 minutes - 28 MB
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Previous Episode: Ep. 21: Bilingual comedian Amy Yu sees stand-up as life-changing, discusses role of AI in art

Next Episode: Ep. 23: (Mandarin) Weibo co-founder Indigo on China's startup scene, NFTs, life in Japan/Vancouver

Peng Dang is a standup comedian based in Texas. Peng moved to the US from China in his twenties, speaks absolutely impeccable English, and more importantly, tells jokes like a local pro. I find his sets funny, educational, and wholesome. I’m not sure if a comedian wants to hear their jokes described as “wholesome,” but I mean that as a compliment.

We talked about how his English got to be so good, what life was like for him in Alabama, Atlanta and Dallas, how he honed his comedic skills, his views on "freedom of safety" on China's streets, the infamous Tony Hinchcliffe incident, and more.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Feel free to like, share and subscribe!

0:00 Peng’s standup about Chinese builders

1:52 Blue material

5:54 How Peng got started in standups

6:39 Standup about Chinese railroad builders in the US

8:15 Peng learned to speak English by listening to punk rock while in China

14:37 Standup about kung-fu

15:23 Spending time in Alabama and Atlanta

21:37 Standup about the Chinese language

23:39 Gun safety and crimes in America

27:30 Standup comedy TV shows in China

29:30 Overrated comedians