Funny Face vs. David Oscar |Performance

Who is doing and who is being?

In a Skype conversation with a lady friend, she made a remark about how funny I was. She thought I belong on stage. That was good news because I had been deliberately trying hard to make her laugh. Well… I have heard somewhere that if you can make a woman laugh you can get her to do anything. Forget it! I am not going to tell you what I wanted to get her to do once I had succeeded in making her laugh enough to do anything I want.

The truth is that maybe when she has done what it is I want her to do; she might find out later that I am not a funny guy after all. It will be literally impossible to continue what I had started because I am simply not a funny guy. I am in fact one of those serious guys who sits behind a computer with either a blank face or a weird frown all day. Sexy- I know. Unless I have succeeded in making the woman on the other side of Skype laugh of course- that always brings a smile to my face. Anybody can tell a joke if their life depended on it. And we all try the funny guy thing with the ladies although not all of us are lucky. Nowadays you can pick up a great joke from the internet and Ghananise it for your personal use. No big deal. After all you paid for the internet… or did you?

But when my lady friend literally begged me to replace David Oscar on the VIASAT1 comedy show; laugh a minute, it suddenly dawned on me that I was not the only one who is not digging the guy and his work. I mean this guy won a national comedy competition didn't he? A feat that will make anyone with enough grey matter expect more from him than he is giving. He is after all the best we have. Or is he? Seriously if there was an international comedy competition, are we going to choose David Oscar to represent Ghana? I knew your answer before you said it.

I honestly do not recollect laughing at anything he has said or done.  More often than no I think he and his jokes have been involved in place swapping or maybe that’s just me. The company that gave us David Oscar has the biggest comedy and entertainment stages in the country and they have never featured David. They also have an entertainment channel that doesn’t feature David Oscar. How about that for the regular dose of irony needed to make an article complete. It makes it hard to explain why is on VIASAT 1.

I ran a little survey on my facebook wall. Not that the sampling was great but at least it confirmed my suspicion. Funny face is almost everyone agrees is doing a wonderful job by our not good enough comedy’ standards. Whiles he makes a lousy actor on his TV3 chorkor trotro and frankly I do not watch the show, he had done marvelously well at hosting events and stand-up comedy. Most people agree he is light years ahead of David Oscar who seems to be struggling with the whole comedy thing. Hey I have nothing against the guy… actually he seems like a really nice chap.

David Oscar graduated from the school of performing arts, a highly respected faculty in our nation’s premier university where the great Martin Owusu is in charge. Whiles I am not sure what Oscar’s major was, he is certainly in the wrong job unless he’s got some surprises coming. Somehow I doubt that. Funny face however (judging from his limited English vocabulary- an ailment I can claim I also suffer from) is a high school graduate. So what’s making all the difference? Talent! Pure natural talent!  

 

I have had the opportunity of hosting a wedding with funny face. I didn't know who he was then but the suit he wore on the day had struggling artist written all over it. That wedding would have been a complete disaster if funny face hadn't showed up. I told you before; I am just not that guy. He had everybody laughing and there was no script. I gave him a lift after the wedding and he barely said a word till he got off. The guy seemed very disciplined and incredibly focused. The next time I saw him, he was on the biggest comedy stage in the country with the best from Nigeria and he was the only one wearing a suit made by Gucci featuring Louis Vuitton and he did not disappoint. So let’s face it the guys got talent or he won’t be hanging with KSM.

These days Funny face is everywhere. Is he the new face of Ghana Comedy, I think so. Nobody seems to be paying David Oscar any attention. Oscar however seems to be doing well in an acting role in the TV3 series peeps. Of the two, Funny face is performing better in terms of the stand-up comedy but I will hand the acting over to Oscar. I mean… I have to give the guy something.

When funny face peaks, great things will happen but he has to continue in an upward trend. My little research on YouTube was showing the same jokes all the time. The Sampson and Delilah/Adam and Eve thing must go. Funny face may be the best thing since Waterproof, Fritz Baffour and the super versatile trend setting KSM but he has not hit is peak yet. If he is not lucky he will be stuck where when he has a lot of space above him is. Most people who get to this level don’t realize that this is where the work really begins. They chill and fade out.

We are a nation of pretenders- Fact! That is why so many people are in places they shouldn’t- Fact! Hey I have nothing against anybody. I am just the guy who is interested in a better performing nation. If you are going to do something, do it right. So I guess my point is made. There is a lot of hope of David Oscar. All he needs to do is find his true calling- It may involve some comedy but it is certainly not standup.

As a performance coach and advocate, I know how easy it is to believe you are gifted for something when in fact you belong somewhere else. Believe me; I have been there myself. David can be fixed and funny face can be upgraded. I am the guy who knows how. That’s another fact.

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The last time I wrote something with names in it. I got a “danduruwa shege” in return for my good intentions. It was about people with talent dropping their skirts on national television. But that’s ok. Even Jesus was crucified… lol. For a guy who writes terrible grammar with a myriad of typos, how can I complain? Feel free to have a go at me and my work. Frankly I will be honored. J Keep laughing.

 For some great ideas on how to take your performance to the next level, read my blog. http://revupblog.blogspot.com/