Stand-up comedian Glen Bo has a way with words. Especially when it comes to naming his one-man shows.
The funnyman, who has been at the forefront of building a comedy scene in KZN, will preview his new show, Release Your Inner Kudu (see what I mean about titles?) at hai.bo on November 28.
When Bo returned to South Africa from the UK at the age of 25, he performed a one-man show that he proudly called Why We Love Kurt Cobain and Hate Jerry Springer. Again with the out-there titles.
He laughs when I remind him: “It was just an apt title at the time. I had been living in the UK where you could name a show something like that and people would still come. I’m also a huge fan of Nirvana.”
So is Rihanna, it seems. The pop starlet’s been seen brandishing the House of Ladosha (a fashion label) t-shirt that copied the Nirvana font to write “Rihanna” – complete with the iconic smiley face.
“She can’t do that,” Bo protests when I tell him. “She mustn’t mess with that, otherwise I’ll find her and have a word. You know what? There will be a revolt on a major level.”
Nothing like the South African boycott against Lady Gaga, he assures: “That wasn’t a revolt. There were like four moms and their friends sitting on a stoep while someone pours them tea. That’s not a revolt, that’s a tea party.”
Bo’s show won’t have any sacred kudus, but “there are some different themes. I’m an observationalist and offer something that’s alternative, with… improv, too.”
Okay, fine, but the title?
He explains: “I’ve been thinking that the kudu is so amazing. It’s an animal with mythology attached to it from the Xhosa and Afrikaans cultures. It’s been a crazy two years for me. I did lots of collaborations and people perceive things because I’m involved with the Durban scene so much. I just thought that with Release Your Inner Kudu, I could (re)establish myself.”
And when he says people must release their inner kudu, does that mean everyone has it in them?
“No, I don’t think everyone has one and that’s the problem. But you can teach yourself.”
Or you can let him show you.
• Catch Release Your Inner Kudu at hai.bo,(ex-Beanbag), November 28. R80 at the door.