S01E30 Denis Chuzhoy (Dan The Stranger), Russian speaker - From Kursk, Russia 🇷🇺

When your host messaged Dan about the interview at the start of this year, he replied that he was still on the move after leaving Russia. He could not be sure where he will have a legal paper to stay.It's a weirder-than-ever time to be a Russian comedian, especially one who dared to joke about Putin's height in his comedy special. Dan followed his instinct to become a 'travelling comedian'. Travelling or exiling, depending on how you see it.In deciding to leave Moscow, Dan ditched a successful career as a stand up comedian back home. Even though it was still possible to continue to perform in his mother tongue for the overseas Russians, Dan decided to convert himself to an English stand up performer. He did have to start over again but in his own words, it is a chance to re-invent himself from Денис Чужой (Denis Chuzhoy) to Dan The Stranger.Dan talks about this extraordinary journey and his comedy choices - why he'd shy away from hack Russian stereotypes and how Mike Birbiglia inspired him with comedy story-telling.---------------------------------Follow Dan on InstagramHis stand up special (in Russian) released in September 2021 that was mentioned in this episodeFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email [email protected]:48 Intro02:47 From a (domestic) Russian comedian to an exiled/travelling Russian comedian performing in English07:30 Declaring his view on the war is a must09:21 Infrequent English performances prior to the exile10:53 Conversion to a new language to make a living14:04 A chance to re-invent yourself16:00 Continue to learn English from an App18:20 The journey out of Russia20:49 How have Dan’s audience changed after he left Russia?21:48 Russian overseas do not stick together24:22 Hack jokes based on Russian stereotypes30:51 90% thinking in Russian and 10% thinking in English32:13 Dan’s special in Russian released in 202133:29 “Russian comedy”?37:01 Police knocks of the door for his jokes40:25 Dan’s atypical comedy choice as a Russian comedian42:33 Writing jokes inside a story---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe