ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
Comedian Ronny Chieng says he doesn't think about whether a topic is taboo when he's writing his material. The "Daily Show" correspondent has a new stand-up special out now where he talks about politics, race and death. It's called "Ronny Chieng: Love To Hate It." He chatted with Rachel Martin on Wild Card, the interview show where guests answer big questions about their lives, pulled from a deck of cards.
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RACHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: One, two or three?
RONNY CHIENG: Two.
MARTIN: Two. How do you consciously try to emulate your parents?
CHIENG: Oh. Wow, that is a good question. Consciously, I try not - I don't think anything is that impressive.
(LAUGHTER)
CHIENG: That's how I mimic them 'cause they're not easily impressed by much. And so - no, but in a good way, I think. You know, they're not, like, susceptible to...
MARTIN: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it.
CHIENG: ...Showbiz, like, you know, razzle-dazzle. So I think in that way, I kind of, like - I try to see reality the way they see it, where it's like, oh, yeah, this is not that big a deal. That's not that big a achievement (laughter).
MARTIN: Did that ever cut the other way for you growing up? Like, if you did a thing, you wanted them to be proud of you, maybe you were trying for a certain reaction, and they were like, eh.
CHIENG: You know, I don't know. I don't think I was that impressive a kid. I did not have that many great achievements anyway, so I don't feel like they wronged me by not being impressed (laughter). So, no, I don't - I was like, yeah. I was like, you're right. It's not that impressive...
(LAUGHTER)
CHIENG: ...When I did stuff, so...
MARTIN: And do you find that people in your line of work are constantly - I don't know - I guess, seeking that kind of affirmation?
CHIENG: Yeah.
MARTIN: I mean, do you find yourself falling into that trap?
CHIENG: You know, my line of work being stand-up comedy, undoubtedly, we seek affirmation through a crowd response to our jokes, right? Like, that is - we are looking for a good reaction to a joke, specifically laughter. So in that way, we are - our integrity is compromised. But I also think that we don't let - we don't believe our own marketing. I think most comics don't.
CHIENG: Someone told me, like, the best comics think that their material is bad. And there's something to that, I think, as in I don't know any great comic who's like, oh, my material is the best in the world, you know? You're, like - you're always looking at other comics and going, man, that guy's really funny. I need to write a better bit. You know, it's, like, never done, you know? You never feel like you have the greatest joke in the world, you know? You're always impressed by someone else's joke. That's how I feel, anyway. Yeah.
MARTIN: OK. Three new cards. One, two or three?
CHIENG: One.
MARTIN: One. What was a disappointing experience that now feels like a blessing?
CHIENG: I couldn't get a job coming out of law school. My grades were too bad, and I couldn't get hired. But in hindsight I'm like, oh, man, I'm so glad I never got hired because I think it would've been more difficult for me to quit a job and do comedy. As it was, I just...
MARTIN: For sure. Yeah.
CHIENG: I didn't have anything to lose, so I could just do comedy. It wasn't like I had to pick between comedy and a corporate job. I never had to make that decision because I never got hired (laughter). So...
MARTIN: Ronny, why weren't you getting hired? Why were you - what was happening in those interviews?
CHIENG: I wasn't a good student. I wasn't a good law student. My grades were bad. And I think I also was, like, just not smart enough.
MARTIN: Were your parents disappointed that that didn't pan out for you?
CHIENG: No, they weren't because I never told them.
MARTIN: What do you mean?
CHIENG: I just didn't tell them I was doing comedy. They thought I was studying for the bar exam, which I was...
MARTIN: Yeah.
CHIENG: ...In fairness. But in that time, I was just doing comedy. And by the time they found out, it was almost, like, too late (laughter).
MARTIN: That's awesome.
CHIENG: Yeah. That's the secret.
MARTIN: So you just led this separate life. But you were - I mean, assuming you were in a good enough place that when they found out, they weren't traumatized. You're like, I'm a comedian, and I can pay my rent, so it's OK.
CHIENG: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
MARTIN: Is that where you were?
CHIENG: Yes. They only found out, honestly, when I got hired on "The Daily Show."
MARTIN: What?
CHIENG: Yeah (laughter).
MARTIN: Wow. Did they know what "The Daily Show" was?
CHIENG: No, not really. No. They didn't know.
MARTIN: Like, when you called to tell them I got this thing...
CHIENG: No, they didn't know.
MARTIN: No.
CHIENG: They didn't know what it was. They didn't know what it was, but they - after I told them I got hired, they didn't know what it was. And then, like, a couple of days later, they Googled it. They found out all about it. They were like, oh, you know, this is an important show. It's a very famous show. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I know it's important, yeah. They kind of trained me to be like, you know, it's just a opportunity. It doesn't mean you're good.
(LAUGHTER)
CHIENG: It just means you have a chance to do something cool, right? Like, that's what it was, so that's what I took it for. And that's really what the strength of being on "The Daily Show" is, like, more so than fame or whatever. It's, like, this opportunity to work with extremely talented people and really become better yourself because everyone at that show is so good at their jobs that you don't want to be the weakest link, and so you lift your game. So that's really the - that's why it's the best job in comedy, you know? It just makes you a better writer, performer, comedian, satirist. You know, that show is - yeah. It's like the Harvard Business School of comedy.
MARTIN: Yeah. OK, three more. One, two or three?
CHIENG: Three.
MARTIN: Three.
CHIENG: Yeah.
MARTIN: What's a quality you're drawn to but don't possess?
CHIENG: Wow. That's a really good question. People who are always able to put out good energy. I think that's very invaluable, to always be able to give good energy to other people in the room. I aspire to that. Oftentimes, I fail (laughter).
MARTIN: How do you know?
CHIENG: 'Cause I know I'm a grumpy dude. So oftentimes, I'm the one who's like, ugh, just, you know.
MARTIN: Oh.
CHIENG: Sometimes - I try not to bring the mood down, but sometimes I'm the guy who's just like, oh, I don't have any enthusiasm for this birthday party.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
CHIENG: And I can't hide it. But I admire the people who are always giving out positive energy. Like, I think that's a good trait.
MARTIN: I think it's - I know that I actually have an intolerance - this is hard to admit - for really over-the-top positive people. Like, it turns me into the not-great version of myself.
CHIENG: OK, when someone's being, like, over-the-top positive, it becomes annoying. Like, I don't - I agree with you. I don't want that. I'm just saying that there's a energy. You know, to answer your original question, there's a energy that people have which is the right amount of positive, right?
MARTIN: Yeah.
CHIENG: And that's what I aspire to, and that's something I think I don't have.
MARTIN: I think you're a very positive and lovely person.
CHIENG: Oh, thank you, thank you. Thank you.
MARTIN: But I get what you're saying, I get what you're saying.
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MARTIN: Ronny Chieng. His new special, "Love To Hate It," is out right now. It is definitely a good time. You should check it out. Ronny, thank you so much for doing this.
CHIENG: No, thanks for having me.
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LIMBONG: To hear a longer version of that conversation, subscribe to NPR's Wild Card podcast. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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