In TALK's October issue, we interviewed Boston based comedian Joe Wong (Huang Xi) for 'Chinese Comedians Stand Up'.

Originally from Jilin province, Wong has been drawing lots of attention and laughter across the US. You can also get to know Joe by checking out his recent appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show , as well his his big network TV debut on the Late Show with David Letterman.

From his home in Boston,  Wong spoke to TALK about his comedy career, the Letterman show, and who he idolizes in the funny business.

TALK: How do you come up with your stand-up material?

JW: I’ll write down whatever I think is funny in everyday life, speak from my own experiences, and then try it on stage. It’s a pretty simple process, although it is a lot of work. I talk about mainly everyday life kind-of-things: marriage, animals, driving, my job, kids, TV programs…

 TALK: Did you ever imagine your stand-up career would be so successful?

JW: I never imagined this. But then again, it’s been a gradual process for me – I’ve been doing this for 7.5 years now. Stand-up comedy is tough in the US, but I do it just because I love it. All I want to do is try to make people laugh.

I feel fortunate that I was on the Letterman show, but I also think it’s something I really deserve. My material is just as funny as other comedians on the show and I’ve worked hard at it.

 TALK: Would you say you were born to be a stand-up comedian?

JW: It’s hard to say, and it’s against my beliefs to be born to be something. Everyone has potential to be whatever they want.

As a Chinese guy in America, I always feel like my English is not the best, so I’m fighting an uphill battle in terms of competition as a stand-up comedian. But this is something I really enjoy, so I just kept doing it.

 TALK: Who are your comedian idols?

JW: I would say Woody Allen, Mitch Hedberg, George Carlin, and Ellen Degeneres … she’s one of my favourites. When I was in China, I also grew up listening to Zhang Kun. He did some very innovative stuff and was different from traditional comedians

 TALK: What was it like to be on the Letterman show?

JW: I took my wife and son to the show. I still remember it was going to be taped on a Monday, so on the Saturday, my wife said to me: “Now is the time for you to be selfish, just do whatever you need and I’ll just take care of the rest.” She’s been very supportive. Then, I went to the theatre, and it’s this historic building where all these big-name performers have been; like the Beatles, Elvis, Woody Allen, and what have you. It was such a big honour to me.

The crowd was great. Rumour has it that David Letterman likes to keep the studio at 50 degrees, because he believes low temperatures makes people want to laugh more. I’m not sure – at the time I wasn’t thinking about temperature at all.

So, then they basically told me what to do before the show. I still remember right before I got on stage, I asked one stage hand, “How do I end the show? Do I just say ‘goodnight’ and leave?” The guy said, “Yeah, that’s it.” So that’s why when you watch my clip, toward the end you see me say goodbye and then David Letterman has to wave me back [laughs].

 TALK: What kind of effect did your appearance on Letterman have on your comedy career?

JW: So far, I’ve been asked to headline gigs more and people have been calling for auditions too.

 TALK: What do you think people expect from you as a Chinese guy doing American-style stand-up? How much do you try to work this into your routine?

JW: To be honest, when I started, I would do whatever on stage. I guess I might have a fresh appeal compared to other comedians. But you know, having a different point of view is one thing; to make it funny is another thing.

 TALK: What do you think about bringing your stand-up routines to stages in China?

JW: I did a show in Beijing haidianjuchang and translated some of my jokes from English to Chinese. Overall, my performance wasn’t that outstanding, but I did have two jokes that got really good responses. The jokes that play on logic usually go really well.

 TALK: Well, do you think Chinese audiences would enjoy your routine as much as American audiences?

JW: Not really, I would say they would enjoy it less. Partly because the translation is not that great. And in stand-up comedy, you have to have some rhythm to your words. Despite that, there are some jokes that went well. So, if I go back to China, I could do it in similar style in Chinese, and maybe I could achieve some degree of success. But nobody can say for sure in comedy.