Sultans of Satire

Audience Feedback to Sultans 20, 1/30/08

2008-02-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

"Thank you. It was a great show...Mike and Peter were very funny. We had a good time, especially two of my friends who were new to stand-up comedy. Keep up the good work." —Zari Shayegh

"The show was awesome. I couldn't stop laughing...even on the drive home!!! An encore very soon, please!!" —Samira Kermani

"My wife and I had a good time and we'd like to go again." —Victor Kozaski

"Thank you—we all had a wonderful time. Please don't forget to let us know about the next Sultans show!" —Mike Fatorechi

"It was a great evening! Enjoyed the comedians, who were quite good. I believe that comedy is a wonderful way to cross barriers (making fun of ourselves) and it creates tolerance. Keep up the good work!" —Sharon Malca

"Each one had their high moments, but we liked Peter the Persian the most, then the Jordanian Catholic guy. Apologies if the rest is not that enthusiastic. Rochelle and I used to go to various comedy clubs, but two things stopped us. We saw Robin Williams, and he was so much better than the others, that they became hard to watch. Plus, the jokes about sex, drugs, and LA got tiresome. Some of that still appears to be the case, and the vulgarity no longer seems very cutting edge or even funny to us. Maybe we are just too old for it since the crowed seemed to like it, but for us it must be 45 years since Lenny Bruce did this kind of humor and the world has moved on.

"Personally, I would love to see some humor, of which there was some last night, which skewers the rich and powerful. If Groucho could do it in his movies and Raymond Chandler could do it in his detective mysteries, then I am sure good comedians can figure out how to do more of it the current period. Plus Mort Sahl (sp?) can do it with today's newspaper." —Dick Platkin

"It was much better than I expected. Bravo! The comedians were good. The atmosphere was nice and friendly. Your intro was brief, funny, informative and to the point. I will certainly spread the news (I already have). Keep up the good work." — Jahan Ardalan

"My friends and I really enjoyed it – everyone had a positive experience I think. We definitely liked Peter the Persian the best (as did most people there I’m guessing), and we also all felt bad that Shereen wasn’t given more time. The only thing we were unhappy about was that we were not told in advance about the two item minimum. I don’t think it would have changed anyone’s decision to come, but we felt taken by surprise by it. But overall it was a wonderful event and we were glad to come." — Ahilan Arulanantham

"I was slightly disappointed by the show. There was an overload of *#@&)$(*&%)*! language, too much on sex. I needed more jokes or fun about politics, cultural differences, peace and so on. That a what makes us different from Americans and that a what I am attracted to. The last show I saw, in Irvine, was more about the culture etc..." Sabine Gemayel

2007-10-24T22:54:00.001-07:00

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SULTANS 18

Hi - My sis & I had trouble catching many of the words. The mike was not the best. It would have been better sans mike for us. Esp. when Noel was on - because he talks too rapidly, his best line was lost - about the one-man cultural train wreck. (I quote him often.) And remember, both of us were born in the US. For the immigrants it must have been that much harder. So, Noel, slow down...I am anything but a puritan, but Batayeh's obscenity ain't funny. He is misusing his talent. US audiences promote this perversion of humor by laughing nervously at every four-letter word. We liked the Black Swede a lot - talented! What's her name and will she stay around? (When champion linguistic mimic Peter yelled out each name, the name itself was nearly lost.) Gulden is intelligent - she can convey sexual ideas sans being crude. I wouldn't mind learning that her boy-friend is a fantasy. Lookers are handicapped as comediennes. Lust and laughter don't go together, Lysistrata notwithstanding. I missed the name of the Tennessean too. She has potential—elsewhere. I think she has African blood. —Tony

LOL BRAVO BRAVO

Let me begin by apologizing in advance should anyone take any umbrage from what you are about to read. In addition, I truly believe that everyone has the right to his/her opinion on any subject matter and I wholeheartedly respect and support that inalienable right for all.

Let's start this square dance by addressing my "talking too fast." Unfortunately, that's what happens when someone runs the light for 20 minutes and no one does anything about it, only then to get bumped (apparently for no good reason at all) and are left knowing that your time will be cut short. So sometimes, as unfortunate as it may be, you have to speak just a little bit faster so that the 12-minute set you were slotted to do fits into the shitty 8 minutes you end up getting.

As far as profanity goes, ah the immortal question "to curse or not to curse, that is the question." Well most of you know my stance on that, to use one of comedy's greatest examples of this, there's a reason why Richard Pryor never did the vaunted Tonight Show 4:20, he simply chose not to filter himself and to be honest and forthright with his audience by speaking to them from his heart through his material, in the very same manner he would respectfully afford them in person or in an intimate setting. Which coincidentally is also the same reason why he is considered to be one of the greatest stand-up comedians to have ever graced this planet, if not THE greatest...I will leave those that are steeped in the history of stand-up comedy and are truly passionate about comedy and it's purity to explain to those that do not understand what I'm talking about.

We live and perform in a city in which double talking and backstabbing are all too often the norm, while ideals like artistic integrity, honor and common fucking human decency are rare endangered animals. Mike Batayeh, like Richard Pryor, chooses not filter himself and neither do I, at least for now while I'm still a nobody. I hope that I am always strong and never succumb to the Hollywood sycophants that use phrases like "Industry Clean" and other bullshit boot licker's terminology. For like the Gladiators of old the only thing that we as comedians should truly be concerned with is the roar of the crowd, the love of our audience, the integrity of our material and survival.

As far as singular and isolated critiques of this nature go, well I answer with a variant of an old axiom of American birth such as myself - "You can make some of the people laugh some of the time and you can make all of the people laugh some of the time, but you can't make all of the people laugh all the of the time."

As always I humbly vow to endeavor to refine my performance and material as much as I can before the next time, if after sending this there is a next time, but I will not filter or suppress my comedy without clear, feasible and prudent reasoning.
—Noel

Sultans of Satire 17

2007-09-29T00:24:00.002-07:00

"I absolutely loved it. I originally thought to myself, well, I know some of these people and they're super talented, but Middle Eastern stand-up? Could be redundant, which it wasn't AT ALL. Every single comic had a distinct routine. You have great info on your site...I'm wondering how you think the tide of Middle Eastern humor is headed in our post 9/11 society? What I really want to know is...do the comics ever have heated political debates amongst themselves? Comics are always the most opinionated people and rightly so. Any funny anecdotes would be great as well." — Vida Ghaffari

"Overall, the show was a lot of fun. It was different than any other comedy show I know. Even though I'm not immediately of Middle Eastern descent, I felt at home. The audience felt mixed, but the same—so in that respect, I guess the show was a success! I generally like going to shows with a number of comedians, so that if one isn't terrific, you know it's not forever. It works well obviously with the theme. Max Amini stood out for me as being the act where I laughed the most. He was energetic and put his whole face and body into it...I did enjoy Elham since I don't get out to see many comediennes, and I'm always up for girl power. I liked Peter and appreciated his gig. I like when people study something (like accents/languages) and use it in their act." — Sapphira

Sultans of Satire 13 at the Barclay Theatre

2007-09-29T00:24:00.001-07:00

"Samar and I are still laughing! Thanks for inviting us to Sultans of Satire. We laughed hardest at the bit regarding the father who loses patience with his son, rather than teaching him how to use tools correctly. (My rather administrator-style description is not funny, but our young man—the Jordanian comedian Mike Batayeh— sure drove home the contrast between the American father’s coaching and the Middle Eastern father’s expecting that no coaching is necessary. We have been witnesses to that phenomenon.)" — Barbara Al-Bayati

Sultans of Satire 10 at USC's Bovard Auditorium

2007-09-29T00:21:00.001-07:00

"I just want to congratulate you and the Levantine Center on a fantastic event. It was unbelievable to see faces from so many cultures joined together in joyous celebration. I’ve attended 100s of fundraising events put on by organizations representing the entire spectrum of causes, and I would put the Sultans of Satire up there with the best of them. I can’t wait for the next one." — Mike Johnson

"Great job on an outstanding show this past Saturday!! We all had a blast!!" — Roya & Babak Poormand-Eskandari

"I very much enjoyed the Sultans of Satire comedy benefit. It was hilarious, smart and refreshing. I was very happy to support an event that brought out Middle-Eastern talent and positivity. You did a very good job. Wishing you all the best." — Rana Alamuddin

"Well done with the Comic Relief. We really enjoyed the show. I congratulate you on this successful turnout." — Andy Terani

"Congratulations on the show! The comedians did a great job and the audience was amazing." — Kat Haydarzadeh

"To the Man in the White Suit: Can't decide whether the turnout was comfortably heartwarming or thrillingly inspiring. You've qualified to walk on clouds for a while.

Judy and I ran out of steam at 10:45, the middle of the intermission, and headed for home. But we're looking forward to the next Sultans. The lineup of talent was really interesting. And I made a sociological study of the disapproval of the rough language by a minority of the audience. You had to be over 30 to be bothered by it--over 30 and not familiar with standup comedy as it is today, i.e., not requiring network (read 'family') exposure to thrive. The standards of the Bill Cosbys are a thing of the past. HBO has no restrictions so young comics take the language of the street and the college dorm onto the stage. For those who don't have cable and don't hang out with an under-30 crowd, walking in on a show like this can be a culture shock. So that component of your audience last night had to have come up a notch or two in their social awareness." — Don Bustany

"Congratulations! Excellent show." — Todd Becraft

Sultans of Satire 7

2007-09-29T00:18:00.002-07:00

"Hello!! I attended the comedy event Friday night. I wanted to congratulated you! It was wonderful through and through. Of course, the Iranian comedians were outstanding Elham, Maz and Pete hit it home for most I talked with afterwards. Also, I really appreciated your loud response "WE ARE ALL PALESTINIANS" in connection to your last comedian's joke about simple fear of the Palestinian individual." — Tina

Sultans of Satire 6

2007-09-29T00:18:00.001-07:00

"We had an absolute blast, and, of course, will be back over and over again for the comedy in particular. Aron and Peter and Max have gotten better every time I've heard them, and I loved the Persian Princess!! We liked the venue a lot, perfect place for this kind of show. I brought eight people, because I think your comedy shows are so good...All in all, we loved it. I know that the people I brought will all be back for the next one." — Greta Hughes

Sultans of Satire 5

2007-09-29T00:16:00.002-07:00

"The comedy show at Club Fais Do-Do last night was a great success. What a fun crowd of sophisticated Middle Eastern folks! And your performers were top notch. Elham Jazab's stand up comedy was brilliant, piercing, and had the audience in belly laughs. I hope to attend future events you organize. Keep up the good work." — Bassel Fares, Boeing 747 pilot

"My initial reaction to attending a two-hour comedy show focused on Middle-Eastern comics was one of skepticism. What would the token white boy get out of a rash of jokes with the punch lines in Arabic?

What I found was that the worst of the comedy was not the comedy that focused on cross-cultural issues and “other” ness. The worst of the comedy were the dick-and-tits jokes. The comics that explored the divisions, imagined or otherwise, between Middle Easterners: Jews and Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, Egyptians and Jordanians, etc… succeeded in both entertaining the primarily Middle Eastern crowd as well as me.

In fact the best of the brood had enough genius in them to begin to cross-over. I mean that in the way that Richard Pryor’s stand-up got black stand-up comedy out from being just black stand-up. He got it out into the “white” community without losing any of its integrity. I mean “cross-over” in the way that George Carlin transcends stand-up and involves even a level of didacticism and epistemology. I mean “cross-over” in the way that Bill Hicks used comedy (“Chomsky with dick jokes”) to ask us to laugh but also to change who we are and why we are…

At the top of the food chain were the comedians Peter "the Persian" Shahriari (http://peterthepersian.com) and Maz Jobrani (http://mazjobrani.com). Both men have enough talent to re-define the way North Americans think about the Middle East. They challenge assumptions and hypocrisies in ways both hilarious and thought-provoking. I adore stand-up comedy of this ilk—if stand-up comedy does have a higher purpose then folks like Lenny Bruce, and Hicks, and Prior were on the front edge of that purpose’s blade. These comedians, Shahriari and Jobrani, understood that.

I imagine someone at a place like Comedy Central is going to figure out, eventually, that a small fortune is to be made on the backs of these mavericks. But that is of no real consequence to me. What interests me are people willing to listen/speak the truth though it may make them wince whilst they laugh. I think it was Hoffer who said that laughter is disguised growling. And while I understand his intent, laughter is also a bit like magic—the prestidigitator calls attention to the funny bone while the wound heals.

I suppose the grandest surprise was how un-angry this LA crowd was with each other and with the world. When the media insists no Jew and no Palestinian could ever break bread—to see a couple of this composite holding hands and laughing reminded me of a lesson I’d already learned. Live true. No one else defines your life for you—not the media, not your friends, no one: live true." — Matthew Schmeer

Sultans of Satire 4

2007-09-29T00:16:00.001-07:00

"This was one of the best comedy shows I've ever seen...Overall, your progressive events have so much potential. It's great that you are doing this—bringing together all Middle Eastern cultures...with a good laugh! Instead of the FOX-NEWS/CNN take on the Middle East, these comedy shows can give non-Middle Eastern Americans alternative ideas about the people and the culture." —Sayeh Rad

Sultans of Satire 3

2007-09-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

"I attended John Cleese's performance the night before, titled 'Seven Ways to Skin an Oncelot', and I can tell you for sure that I laughed much more with Peter the Persian! Peter's act was a brilliant lesson in powerful observation and in studied body language." — Ahmad Zahzah

"I loved it." — Pari Soomekh.

"Wonderful show. Great crowd." — Joel Levey

"I laughed a lot." — Hamid Mosavi

"The show was wonderful. We enjoyed it greatly and I will definitely recommend it to my friends and come to the next one." — Katrin Mizrahi

"I loved the performance. I found myself laughing and fully entertained. I love the cross cultural stuff, the flow of different languages." — Joan Lachkar

"I thought the show was an absolute success. You had a fantastic line-up, and the place was packed." — Kat Shoa

"I thought the event was a great success. I had been to first comedy show and really enjoyed that one. This time I brought four friends and they absolutely loved it as well." — Samaan Assefi

"Loved the comics, the place, the food, the girls, the networking opportunities, the vibe, the mixture of so many cultures, ages..." — Daniel Sogomoso

"I enjoyed the show and found it illuminating — and entertaining." — Scott Haller

"Congratulations on a successful event. This was my first time to attend an event by your organization, and I hope to attend more in the future—and bring along some friends. I really liked the cross cultures in the audience and on stage. We need more of these events out there!" — Eman Abohebeish

"The comics are great and so is the audience." — Liz Gordon