Born in the Philippines and raised in California, comedian JR De Guzman is an enigma: you can’t quite fit him into a definitive box.
He’s a comedian, but he’s not just that. So much more than that.
He’s elevated the art of comedy, which is difficult in and of itself.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 reasons why De Guzman is the next big thing in Filipino comedy.
1. He’s naughty and funny
With his innocent, boyish looks and bright smile, De Guzman can get away with anything. Even the lewdest jokes don’t seem to come across as rude or disgusting.
On other comedians perhaps, his act would seem offensive, but for him, it’s funny.
From the moment he comes out on stage and fakes a Filipino accent rivalling Manny Pacquiao’s, he’s got everyone hooked.
The Filipino-majority crowd was united in their reaction as De Guzman played, flirted and teased the audience with jokes about a variety of topics such as Christianity, body parts (yup, the audience did a sing-along about eherm, certain body parts) and herpes.
Gasp! Did he really just make us all chortle about herpes?
And then he redeems himself by talking about a recurring theme in a lot of his shows: the eradication of racism.
“You guys feeling that now? That’s the racism leaving your bodies,” he croons.
His solution to racism? Making interracial babies, of course.
2. He can play the guitar
De Guzman used to be a guitar teacher, so he can strum some tunes, often playing the guitar softly as background music while he tells his jokes.
He’s known as a “guitar comic”, using the guitar to enhance his comedic act. This adds another layer of complexity and genius to his shows.
Indeed, how many stand-up comedians can play the guitar, sing and write songs based on suggested words given by a member of the audience?
3. He has a beautiful singing voice
Singing comes naturally to De Guzman, and the audience loves him for it.
He sings with a deep and soothing voice, enunciating his words carefully, making sure the crowd understands his lyrics.
His high falsetto notes are punctuated often by him laughing at the absurdity of his lyrics.
4. He can make up songs on the spot
Whether or not he really can write and perform songs at the drop of a hat is debatable, but he makes it seem so easy to come up with lyrics.
It may well be an act practiced and polished through the years, where he has pre-emptively thought of potential words an audience may come up with.
If it isn’t, then he is a very talented man indeed.
His songs are witty, rhythmic, and ties up his act in a neat little package, the audience getting the punchline at the end of each short ditty.
5. He is a rising star.
With a Netflix show under his belt and sold-out shows at various locations, De Guzman is poised to be the next big star.
“This is my third world tour,” he boasts, then puts the emphasis on third-world (country) tour.
He thinks fast on his feet, reads the crowd well, is able to juggle singing, strumming the guitar, making up songs that double as jokes—he’s on a league on his own.
He’s easy on the eyes, too.
With his skill set, looks and talent, it’s only a matter of time before Filipinos know his name by heart.
