Jakarta. Actor and stand-up comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono is on the road for his third world tour, dubbed somewhat pragmatically the "Pragiwaksono Stand-Up Comedy World Tour," which will go to seven cities overseas and six cities in Indonesia.

Pandji's previous world tours were 2013's "Mesakke Bangsaku" ("My Poor Country") and 2016's "Juru Bicara" ("Spokesman").

"This tour is self-titled because it's more personal. People are used to seeing me talk about social and political issues. But now, for the first time, I talk about my personal life," Pandji said during a media visit to the BeritaSatu office in South Jakarta on Friday (19/10).

The comic's comedy routine on this tour is set up like an autobiography, beginning with stories of how Pandji, a Muslim, was sent to a Catholic school when he was a kid, followed by the painful stories of his parents' divorce, his formative university days at the elite Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) during the early years of Reformasi and then ending with his experiences as a husband and a father.

The tour began in Manila in July. Earlier this month, Pandji went to Makassar (South Sulawesi), Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Pandji will go to Europe to perform in Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Köthen and Amsterdam next week.

The tour will wrap up in Indonesia, with performances in Surabaya (East Java), Yogyakarta, Palembang (South Sumatra), Denpasar (Bali) and Jakarta.

Pandji organizes his overseas gigs with the help of Indonesian Students’ Associations (PPI) in the cities he visits. Any PPI branch willing to organize his show can sign up for the tour.

"They don’t have to pay for travels or accommodation – we get money for that from our sponsors. But I tell them to sell tickets to 'filter' the crowd. When people don't pay, they won't stay till the end," Pandji said.

He said his best-selling show was in Melbourne during the Juru Bicara tour.

For his local shows, Pandji waits for offers from local event organizers.

The comic has limited the number of cities he visits on this tour because touring for too long takes a heavy toll on his health.

Indonesian All the Way

Pandji said he always performs in Indonesian, even on his overseas tours. He doesn’t agree with the idea that as a stand-up comic you have to speak English to "go international."

He said although the majority of his audience overseas are the Indonesian diaspora, there are always locals in the crowd.

"If you think you have to perform in English to go international, that shows your inferiority complex. There’s nothing wrong with using our own language. And there are always locals who come to my shows [overseas] because they either study Indonesian, run a business in Indonesia, have lived here before, got married to an Indonesian, or have a parent who’s Indonesian. Also, believe it or not, there are people who are simply obsessed with anything Indonesian," Pandji said.

The comic pointed out that singing in Korean never stops K-Pop singers, girl bands and boy bands from dominating the world stage.

"Some people say with music it’s different, because you can enjoy the songs without understanding the lyrics. With stand-up comedy, you have to understand the jokes. But if you watch my YouTube videos, you can see the non-Indonesians in the audience laughing at my jokes," he said.

Pandji said his overseas fans often express surprise that he incorporates sensitive topics such as religion and human rights in his routine.

But the comic stressed he is not anti-English, in fact, he's making time on this tour to learn how to do his stand-up comedy in the language.

One of his biggest dreams is to take part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, following on the footsteps of another local comic, Mo Sidik, who performed there last year.

Local Content

Pandji performs on stage for two-and-a half hours each night on his current tour.

He has opening acts in almost every city, local comedians who make sure the tour stays on topic.

In Surabaya, Pandji will perform with Mamat Alkatiri, whose materials will touch on the Surabaya church bombings.

Mamat said his comedy routine involves observations of racial and religious issues, especially his experiences as a Papuan Muslim student in Yogyakarta.

"Pandji lets me do my own stuff. We don’t have to agree on everything just because he’s our idol," Mamat said.

All-Male Lineup

Pandji said he selects comedians with strong work ethics as his opening acts on his tour because traveling to different cities is physically and mentally demanding.

Those opening acts are all men, including Mamat, Rigen, Yudha Khan, Indra Jegel and Fajar Nugraha.

Pandji said this is unavoidable since Indonesia is "short of female stand-up comedians."

He nevertheless threw effusive praise to #PerempuanBerHak (a double entendre meaning both "Women Have Rights" and "Women Wear Heels"), a collective of female comics who performed last year after a three-year hiatus.

The group includes the Indonesian-speaking "Bule Bandung" Alison Thackray, Ligwina Hananto, Jessica Farolan, English-speaking Sakdiyah Maruf and Fathia Saripuspita, and Pandji's wife, Gamila Arief.

"There are other female comedians – Arafah, Boah Sartika, Aci Resti – but I’m not really into their style," Pandji said.

What’s Next?

Pandji’s current tour is sold out in several cities, including the final gig at the Jakarta Convention Center’s Plenary Hall, which has a capacity of 5,000 people.

Pandji said he will keep touring until he achieves his dream of performing solo at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Despite a hectic schedule, Pandji said he still tries to write jokes every day like his idol Jerry Seinfeld.

"Raditya Dika [stand-up comedian, actor, director] asked me once, why go on world tours? Isn’t it exhausting and stressful? Yes. Do you make money from it? Sometimes not. Why do it then? Because I’m happy doing it," Pandji said.

"It’s not about the travels or being in a foreign country. I’m happiest when I’m on stage. If I can keep doing it as many times as I can now, then I will…. I can rap, write screenplays, act and direct films, but nothing feels as liberating as being on stage. If I don't do it, I think I will get sick, stressed or go crazy, because this makes me so happy," Pandji said.

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