NY Based Comedian Miller Rogue Hits BJ This Weekend (Nov 17-18)
Since performers from abroad have been able to tour China again, this year has seen a welcome return of a whole range of acts from bands to singers to comedians and more. This Friday (Nov 17) and Saturday (Nov 18) will see one such act: The Rogue (aka Miller Rogue) a New York based comedian.
Currently based at Governor's Comedy Club in Long Island and Comedy in Harlem in New York, he’s been touring since summer 2022 performing everywhere from cities across the US, and all over the world, from Mexico to Finland. He's excited to have the opportunity to tour in his home country. Ahead of his show, we reached out to Rogue to find out more about his comedy journey.
Q
Can you tell us a bit about how you got into comedy and where your comedy stage name “The Rogue” came from?
A
The name “The Rogue” comes from the 2007 movie War which features Jason Statham and Jet Li. I was a Chinese student who studied in the US and was lucky enough to find a corporate job, but all of that bored me to death. I started comedy when I did my first internship in New York back in 2016. I fell in love with a Brazilian girl who didn’t drink or smoke and we used to go to comedy clubs together to hang out. I was encouraged to do stand-up and I did it and liked it, so I persisted and now here we are.
Rogue has been performing comedy since 2016
Q
What sort of topics do you cover in your comedy?
A
My comedy circles around breaking the stereotypes around Asians and Chinese and helping the world understand that not every Chinese is good at math or bad at driving. My comedy digs deeper into my own life revolving around my life in New York, doing comedy, traveling, marriage, divorce as well as societal concerns such as Asian hate crime, homelessness, climate change, etc.
Q
You're originally from China, but where is home for you?
A
I have lived in New York for over ten years, it’s where my kid lives. Hence, New York is home for me.
Q
What’s it like performing at home vs. abroad?
A
To be honest, to answer that question, let me rephrase it this way: performing in New York vs. outside New York. Because of the diversity of cultures that clash and coexist in New York, the New York crowd is much tougher. However, that doesn’t mean the crowd elsewhere is necessarily easier. Take Detroit for example, they are not going to laugh at the subway jokes because there are no subways in Detroit or take Helsinki, they are not going to appreciate jokes about Latinos because they are not exposed to that culture at all. All in all, comedy is about relatability, as long as audiences find you relatable, they want to hear more.
Rogue believes comedians need to adapt their comedy for the city they're performing in
Q
What have been your best and worst moments since doing comedy?
A
The best moments would usually be road gigs because of the experiences you have on the road. One time a few comics and I did a show at a bar near Cornell University. It was a killer show. On our way back to New York, our car ran out of gas. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere for at least two hours and it was snowing outside. This kind of unexpected experience is materialized into comedy.
My worst experience in New York would be producers ambushing patrons in bars and trying to force a comedy show.
Q
What comedians would you say have influenced you the most?
A
I was first exposed to stand-up in 2011 when my roommate asked me to watch Russell Peter, I was fascinated. When I moved to New York City in 2012, I actually watched him live in Atlantic City. What has inspired me to write is seeing comedians such as Ronny Chieng, Joe Wong and Jerry Seinfeld joking about stereotypes and social phenomena.
Rogue is impressed with how quickly the comedy scene in China has grown in recent years
Q
What do you think about the growing comedy scene in China who are some of your favorite comedians?
A
Dr. Dee is great, I have booked her on my own shows at least three times. I have also hung out with Joe Wong in the Green Room and watched his set live. Lately, I met Tony Chou and saw his set. I believe there are a lot of opportunities for Chinese to do comedy in English, especially because it’s accessible. The scene has grown fast and I was honestly surprised that I was able to do comedy in Shenzhen when I was visiting my mom. My first time seeing a Chinese stand-up comedian on TV was Wang Zijian who hosts his own one-man show in Shanghai. I'm glad now that shows are flourishing in other major cities in China. Thanks to Donnie Fan building up the comedy scene I’m sure China can even have its own comedy festival soon.
Q
Any advice for other budding comedians out there?
A
Write daily. Get your first five minutes solid then build it up to ten, 15, 30, 45, an hour. Try to do at least two open mics daily if you’re able to. Tape your set and see where you can improve. Network with experienced and professional comics, half of a comedy career is built on networking.
Miller Rogue Live From the Middle Kingdom will be taking place on Friday, Nov 17 at JinShangYuan at 7.30pm and Saturday, Nov 18 at La Maison Lyonnaise at 7.30pm. Early bird tickets are RMB 135 (available until Nov 14) and standard tickets are RMB 175 and can be purchased by scanning the QR code in the poster above.
JinShangYuan
20 Xinyuanli West, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新源里西20号
La Maison Lyonnaise
44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区光华路44号
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Images: courtesy of Miller Rogue