Alternative idols are mostly “anti-idols”. They break the traditional mold of polished mainstream pop stardom. They sell raw energy, artistic freedom and direct emotional connection with fans, rather than the distant perfection of most superstars.
In Hong Kong, the “King of Stand-up Comedy” used to be Dayo Wong (黃子華) who already washed his hands of cracking jokes in a talk show. The “Queen of Stand-up Comedy” Kearen Pang (彭秀慧) is still on the crest of a wave in her show business. The remaining famous male duo that is able to make the audience burst out laughing every time when these two men appear on stage is the group of scene-stealers called Fama.
Fama(農夫) has been in Hong Kong’s entertainment world for almost 25 years. The tall one is “6 Wing” (陸永) and the other short guy is “C Kwan” (C君). Both are not handsome. When they do not smile or laugh, they can look quite serious and mean. Once they talk on stage, the audience immediately hang loose and vibe out to their funny rapping over old-school hip-hop beats.
The Asia-renowned “Cradle of Concerts” in Hong Kong is Hung Hom Coliseum (紅館). Many superstars were “born” there. In the past, the Government allocated a fixed ration between sporting and entertainment events to be held in this extremely popular venue. Thanks to the Government’s deregulatory initiative to boost the “mega-event economy” of Hong Kong. Now, Hung Hom Coliseum is utilized chiefly for the local concerts and entertainment events. All kinds of interesting performances start to roll out from the venue. They include talk shows, magic shows, stand-up comedies, orchestral concerts, and presently “stand-up concert” by the 2-men group “Fama農夫”. The production tries to mix “stand-up comedy” and “concert” on stage.
The beautiful thing about Fama is the lack of dirty words or foul language by them in making the audience laugh, 6 Wing and C Kwan are witty and quick thinkers. Their jokes are often not planned in advance. They simply respond to the circumstances particularly the feelings of the audience or special guests. I noticed from their concert that when the atmosphere is right, even simple jokes can cause a great deal of laughter. Let me give you 2 examples:
C Kwan said, “Isn’t money great?” 6 Wing answered, “No!” C Kwan asked, “Why not?” 6 Wing clarified calmly, “Money is almighty!”
C Kwan said, “Since our tickets are cheap tonight, shall we turn off some air-conditioners in the Coliseum in order to cut expenses?” 6 Wing thought about it and replied, “No, I don’t want to see people die of suffocation.” C Kwan smiled, “You are a very kind man.” 6 Wing closed his eyes and said, “I only don’t want us to die!”
I love the conversational part of Fama’s concert. Regarding their songs, most of them are not too popular, but they do bring us back the good memories of the 2000s! The lyrics of their songs are surely a barrel of laughs. I enjoy 2 songs: “Middle-Aged Men Are Treasures 中佬先係寶”and“Dream Girl”. The words are full of local flavour and naughtiness.
A stand-up comedian is probably the hardest job. It requires a combination of writing skill, humour, sagacity and charisma. The performer is entirely alone on stage, instantly judged on his or her demonstration of funniness, and must face the brutal reality of a crowd not laughing.
The previous show of Fama was about 16 or 17 years ago. The present “stand-up concert” is a timely quench to our thirst. We are all biting our nails and wait anxiously for the next wonderful show to come soon!
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