Tim Tayag laughs his way to success

Tim joke: "My pet, ‘Tim’ is not a ‘fighting fish.’ He’s just misunderstood and under a lot of stress. How would you feel if you lived in a shot glass?"… "Or how about: What did the boy fish say to the girl fish? There’s plenty of you in the sea!" "Or, what do the wet market and the Philippine Congress have in common? They both smell fishy….

Okay, fine. I didn’t find those funny either. But Tim Tayag, stand-up comic at 30, is still working out his fish jokes after I pressured him to making some when he introduced me to Tim, his fighting fish and current live-in partner.

"Life in the city can be lonely, even for a comedian like myself. I need a companion, who’s hassle-free. Who better fits the bill, but Tim, my fish for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, till death…he doesn’t care that we live in a studio and not a three bedroom flat with a view of the Pasig river. Above all, he’s my biggest fan and number one critic. When he likes the joke, he stares right at me, when the joke sucks, he swims away…yeah, really! You don’t believe me? Ask Tim."

Meet Tim Tayag, not the fish, but the comic. I met him in high school when he was studying at the Ateneo and I was a Scholastican. Probably in a soiree, or something very ‘90s like that. My friends and I always thought he was funny, always joking around, not so much like a clown, but more like Fido Dido. I never would have thought he’d end up becoming a comedian by profession, though. Apparently, neither did he.

Young Star: What made you decide to do stand-up comedy?

Tim TAYAG: I was living in California and working for a dotcom company. When the crisis hit the US and all the dotcom companies went out of business, I was out of a job. But, even when I had my day job, I would sideline in comedy clubs and cafes, so when I lost my job, I decided to go full-time on comedy.

It wasn’t like you grew up wishing that you wanted to be a comedian?

Not at all. I knew I was quite funny though, without trying very hard. My buddies and girlfriends laughed at me all the time. Now that you make me think about it, I’m not sure that was a very good thing. (laughs)

What was your first gig like?

It was in a café somewhere in the Richmond District in San Francisco. There were a total of six people in the audience, four of whom were my friends and two other comedians. I had to compete with the sound of the coffee machine. It was then that I realized comedy was my passion because despite the situation, I was really enjoying myself.

How do you compare US and Philippine audiences?

The US market is very open to comedy acts. They even have "open mic clubs," everywhere, that’s something like our karaoke bars, but for comedy, not singing. This is where aspiring comics hone their skills. Although the American audience is receptive to comedy acts, there’s so much competition in the US. On the other hand, the Philippine market on comedy acts is relatively new. Other than slapstick comedy we usually watch in the movies, stand up comedians are a new breed. But the market is growing. Now there are comedy clubs like Comfort Room, Laugh Line, Library, Clowns and hopefully more will open soon. Whether in the States or the Philippines, what’s important for a comedian is to connect with his/her audience.

Do you experience bad nights? It must feel terrible to tell a joke and nobody laughs?

I recall a night in Malolos, Bulacan…from that perspective, any night is better! (TSL: That’s Tim’s private joke). Comedians have what we call "laughs per minute" which we use to gauge the success of a joke or a performance. Sometimes, I record my performances and count how many laughs I get per minute. It can range from seven and up, which is satisfying, to zero, which means I bummed out! But I try to turn my bad nights into jokes for the following performances. It usually works!

How do you choose the jokes dish out?

A joke will only come to life when you actually perform it on stage. Sometimes, you think it’s funny in your head, but once you play it out in front of a live audience it bums out. That’s why I practice my act in front of Tim first, he’s a "live audience," isn’t he? To try to be profound about it, comedy is a lot like life, until you bum out, you never really know that it’s gonna work. But most of my jokes are really from personal, mundane, everyday experiences. Heck, with a life like mine, I just gotta laugh at myself!

What are the rewards of your profession?

Like they say laughter is the best medicine, when I make people laugh, I feel like some kind of "healer." I’m not trying to sound like a prophet or anything, but if I can make my audience feel as good as I do when I’m on stage, I’m happy.

What’s the secret to a good comedian?

Always tell jokes like you’re saying it for the first time!

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I watched Tim perform for the first time at the Sanctum in Intramuros, Manila, where he staged his debut production entitled Unholy Comedy. I really had a laughingly good time.