S01E02 Thor Stenhaug, Norwegian speaker - From Bergen, Norway 🇳🇴
- Author
- Kuan-wen Huang
- Published
- Tue 28 Jun 2022
- Episode Link
- https://rss.com/podcasts/comedywithanaccent/533088
It is not uncommon to name boys after the Norse hammer-wielding god in Norway, but it is a bit weird to use Thor as the first name but also "Odin" (Thor's father in mythology) as the middle name. It does not help that the image of Thor is hijacked by Aussie beefcake Chris Hemsworth, when our second guest of the podcast looks more like a member of a tattoo-free 90s boyband.
[The distorted sound has been fixed]
Thor and Kuan-wen talk about how some other comics feel they have the free pass to mimic and mock his accent and why he thinks he should be OK with it (Should he?); how he was heckled with "Ja Ja Ding Dong" and a new layer of Norwegian identity is added to him after he left Norway for the UK.
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Notes for international / non-UK listeners:
A Scouse accent is used to describe how people in Liverpool (Northwest England) speak. Thor did not have much of a Scouse accent, but the way he pronounces "Liverpool" shows the influence of Scouse accent. Thor studied in Liverpool. Drag Race UK season 1 winner, The Vivienne, currently on Drag Race All Stars 7, speaks with a Scouse accent on the programme. As for British comedians, John Bishop and Paul Smith are typical examples of Scouser comedians who are household names..
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Episode timeline:
00:40 Intro
01:00 All about the name - Thor Odin Stenhaug
04:37 Thor's Norwegian accent ("Big Summer Blowout!" from Frozen)
05:47 Other comics mimic and mock Thor's accent
09:11 Where "Scousers" got their name from
09:37 Viking rebranding and Hygge
10:24 A layer of identity as "Norwegian" living in the UK
11:40 Scandinavian vs Nordic countries
12:38 Eurovision movie and Ja Ja Ding Dong
13:36 Movie/TV castings that are not accurate (Crazy Rich Asians, Marvel movies)
16:08 For Norwegian people, Thor sounds British
17:43 Tag questions and the use of "innit!?"
18:37 Thor pretended to be English for American tourists
19:30 Is Thor's accent strong?
20:55 Should a foreign comedian ensure every single word they say is understood?
23:23 Thor not putting on a thicker accent impersonating his dad
26:30 "Your English is a lot better than my Norwegian"
28:16 Authenticity on stage
29:23 Being Norwegian - kind of foreign but not too foreign
32:35 Thor's social media
Thor's Instagram (@Thortellsjokes)
Thor and Freya's 2022 Edinburgh Fringe show
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Follow Kuan-wen on Instagram (@kuanwencomedy) or Twitter (@kuanwen_huang)
Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
