Today we’d like to introduce you to Monrok.
Monrok, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My parents are immigrants from India. I was born in Sydney, Australia, and my parents moved us to the D.C. suburb, Silver Spring, MD (which felt an odd choice) when I was around 8 years old. The day I graduated college, I drove across the country to live in Los Angeles, where I could be in a similar climate to Sydney and not totally ditch my parents by moving abroad. I worked a series of jobs, first as a telemarketer (calling unsuspecting victims and letting them know their car warranty was about to expire), then eventually ended up working in Finance (every Indian’s dream). I would have trouble making presentations at work as I had an extreme fear of public speaking. A friend of mine suggested that I should take a stand up comedy class. “You’re funny, you have a unique point of view, why don’t you just try it? At least it will help you overcome your fear.” I declined, she signed me up anyway, and dropped me off, refusing to drive away until she saw me go inside. Soon after that I won California’s Funniest Female contest and carried on from there. I am now a working comedian in Los Angeles and have thankfully managed to land myself a husband, in a city where the only thing harder than becoming a celebrity is finding a mate. I have tried to quit stand up several times over the years to realize my true dream of being a stay at home person – but have continued to relapse.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Stand up, like any creative career choice, is an uphill battle. It takes around 10 years to figure out your voice, and really get into the rhythm of things. Then you have to find your following, which can take another ten years, unless along the way you happen to become a television star (I have not). Making people laugh feels extremely rewarding, but being alone all day in Boise, Idaho waiting for those minutes on stage does not. One of the biggest challenges is that stand up is not something you can practice in your bedroom. You need feedback from an audience (any audience) to put a set together, and that means countless shitty gigs. Even the A-listers can be found in the back room of a Chinese restaurant performing for 7 people — that’s just part of the deal. But it’s worth it, right? It’s hard to explain, but there is no other feeling like trying out a new joke and having it work, and that’s why we do it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the MONROK story. Tell us more about the business.
My delivery is very dry and can be quite deadpan. It’s based on my point of view, which can only be described as a general disdain for humanity and society. Stuff like, “I think we should throw vegans into the wild so they can get eaten by the animals they’ve spent their whole lives trying to save” and “When you’ve been married so long every person walking down the street is the one that got away.” Ya know, I keep it light.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’ve always believed life is entirely based on luck. Most of it is what family you were born into. I consider myself an extremely lucky person, the fact that I even have the ability to try to be a comedian and express myself freely is luck. Most people in the world do not have that opportunity. I thank my lucky stars every day that I don’t have to set an alarm to wake me up before my body is ready (11 am).
Contact Info:
- Website: monrok.tumblr.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/monrok_
- Facebook: facebook.com/monrok
- Twitter: twitter.com/monrok
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