S02E20 Vlad Ilich - Macedonian speaker, From Kumanovo, North Macedonia 🇲🇰

North Macedonia’s proudest export to the UK and so far the only North Macedonian comedian performing professionally on the UK comedy circuit, Vlad has appeared on BBC Stand Up for Live comedy in 2021. He took home various awards wins from Comedy Store London King Gong, Up The Creek Comedy Club’s One To Watch and The Stand Up Comedy Club’s “Get Up, Stand Up” competitions.

A sizeable chunk of the interview was given to explain why North Macedonia ended up being called North Macedonia, after years of appearing as FYR Macedonia in Eurovision, why “Macedonia” can be a tricky name to claim. Vlad explains his reluctance to spend more time on this point due to the general lack of awareness about his native land by the western word. We also explore the wider dynamics of the Balkons region and between the ex-Yugoslav neighbours and how this interacts with comedy.

Vlad also points out the double standards when Little Britain is pulled off the shelf, there is little outcry when it comes to Borat. We talk about employing stereotypes as tools for comedy and why ignorant depiction of foreigners continue to get by.

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Follow Vlad on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:40 Intro

03:09 Some introduction about Vlad’s native North Macedonia and why there is a “North” before “Macedonia”

07:03 People know little about other parts of the world why Vlad is tired of having to explain his nationality

10:46 Explain your accent at the start to build a relationship with your UK audience

15:26 The odd gig when the immigrant label irritated the audience

16:10 Could comedic exaggerations be taken as misleading factual statements?

19:22 How true are these jokes? The Serbian aunt boycotting Sex And The City joke and the Taiwanese army joke

24:05 Being the only comedian from your country on the UK comedy circuit

25:37 Is Macedonian just an extension of Bulgarian?

32:17 The Balkan discussion

34:21 Nostalgia towards Yugoslavia

37:35 The “Borat” question

44:27 Growing out of early jokes based on foreign stereotypes

48:25 Vlad’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe