1. Please introduce yourself and tell us where you were born & currently live.
My name is John Olaoluwa Modupe.
I'm a Nigerian/Italian stand-up comedian, podcaster and actor.
I was born in Italy, and I currently live in the city of Parma.
2. What languages can you read, write
and speak?
I speak Italian and English fluently.
I understand a little of Yoruba and still planning to improve that.
3. What inspired you to become a comedian?
The satire lingo is, I think, the major
language I naturally spoke growing up.
My Dad is one of funniest people I know, that definitely put me in that trajectory, and becoming a comedian seemed a natural transition of my self-expression.
4. How would you describe your comedy style?
I really don't know in all honesty; I love
creating stories out of nothing and I love finding a connection between worlds
that seem so far apart.
5. How did your show “The Glory & the
Bush", a manual for bush people, originally come about?
I have no idea to be honest, I had a whole
monologue written down a week to the show, but as soon as I landed I knew from
within I had to scrap everything and write what my spirit asked me to, and so I
did, let's see what comes out.
But a key word of this show is Identity.
I'm a bit nervous but I've learnt to cope with it and appreciate it.
I've been lodging in a studio apartment in a terrifying area of London, so that really helped in redirecting any form of anxiety.
7. What goes through your mind just before you go on-stage?
I pray and thank God for another opportunity to give expression to the gift he has given me.
The first show, I was an opener to a big-time
comedian in Italy.
It was the most memorable because that's when I realized I was born to do this.
9. Please tell us a joke
My life seems already a joke, please, next question!
10. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Zita Obakponovwe & Yaourou Konaté Lehrmann attending the show at the Chelsea Theatre