Ten Questions With A Cool Person: John Vlismas

If any of you know anything about South African comedy you'll know who the fuck John Vlismas is. Most Joburg dwellers will know him best as the more-regular-than-not host of comedy nights on Sunday nights at Cool Runnings in Melville, and may have experienced the wrath of his snappy comedy first hand.


To me he is one of the few comics that can actually tell jokes and not milk the cliché South African topics. But if you think his creativity stops there, you are wrong! John has hosted, and is yet to host, art exhibitions showcasing a whole bunch of his own art. So look out for the next one.

Here lies the speediest interview I have received yet. And for a man as busy as John Vlismas, that is something worthy of mention! Enjoy.


Cadillac (C): You are pretty much the face/man/hero of SA comedy. When did you realise you were a funny dude?

John Vlismas (JV): Hero? Face Man? Wow, I'm none of those things, but all together they sound like some cool Asia comic book figure. I've been interested in laughter since school.

C: You have impeccable style. Who cuts your hair?

JV: Miguel at PHD in Greenside.

C: What do you think your parents wanted you to grow up to be?  

JV: Happy.

C: Are you always as crazy as you are on stage?

JV: Nope, I can be devastatingly boring, quiet and sullen. But I try to save that for when I'm alone, but not always successfully.

C: Who are the easiest people to make fun of?

JV: The pompous, the judgmental and the over-confident.

C: Where's your favourite place to be?

JV: Home with family, or on stage with a mic and an open-minded crowd.

C: Is there a possibility that we'll be able to see more of your art exhibitions in the future?

JV: There will be more exhibitions, many more... Watch the press.

C: You've taken your comedy all over the world. How are overseas crowds compared to home? 

JV: The more I travel, the more I realise that we're all people, and no one crowd is different from another. Crowds are just random collections of individual personalities.

C: If there was no such thing as comedy, what would you be doing?

JV: Painting and teaching scuba, although comedy led me to both in a way.

C: What will you be doing on 21 December 2012?

JV: Watching "Extras"... again.


There we have it! If you guys aren't too lazy and live in JHB, or are in JHB for some reason, head off to Cool Runnings in Melville at 8pm every Sunday to catch SA top comics smashing faces.
This week's line-up:


MC - John Vlismas
Comics: Tumi Morake, Vittorio Leonardi, Ryan Whittal, Dillan Oliphant, Ashley Smith, Pravesh Munugaledave (line-up subject to change).

Fin.

C