Jeremy McLellan: The 'gora' who can't seem to get over Pakistan
"People love seeing an outsider's perspective on their local issues." Photo: Jeremy McLellan's Facebook Page
By Abdullah Zafar
“Community here in the US is very weak. People here aren t helpful at all. When you meet someone they don t immediately offer to feed you or let you stay with them. Rude. Not sure how long I m going to last. Looking forward to getting back to my home country of Pakistan!”
Still updating his social media with memories from Pakistan, this is what Jeremy McLellan — the ‘gora’ comedian had to update his travel blog with following his recent trip to the country.
It s been a week since the standup comedian from America returned back home. But while the comic has left the country, neither could anything take Pakistan out of him — falling in love with the country overnight, nor did anything manage to lessen the love in the hearts of those who fell for the ‘gora’ and his hilarious travel-blogging updates, local references, and enthusiasm to try everything that is Pakistani.
A post by Jeremy after his return to the United States.
On popular demand, with people still wanting to hear more about the US-based comedian’s experiences as a comic and travel-blogger, who till earlier this month was roaming on the streets of Lahore and Islamabad, Dunya News interviewed McLellan after his return to the States.
For a standup comedian coming in from the US how was it like to cater to Pakistani audiences? Did you have to culturally alter your jokes so as to not offend anyone?
I didn’t need to tailor any of my material to avoid offending anyone, but I did create new material while I was there based on my experiences in Pakistan. So in that sense, it was tailored to the audience, but I didn’t censor myself.
Tell us about the idea behind the trip for you to be able to come all the way to Pakistan?
My friend Sultan asked me to come with him on his dental mission and I jumped at the chance. I had to raise my own money to come, though, because I didn’t want to use any of their Zakat money on my trip.
Photo: Jeremy McLellan’s Facebook Page
Your plan must have raised quite a few eyebrows. Any noteworthy comment or incident you’d like to mention?
Before the trip, I performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. A lot of people there didn’t understand why I would go to Pakistan. Most of them assumed I would be performing for the troops or for Americans who live here.
Honestly, how freaked out were your family and friends when they heard you were going to Pakistan?
Not at all. They knew I had a lot of Pakistani friends and fans, so it made sense for me to go. My friends and family are very encouraging of my work.
How was your August 14 experience? There were a lot of pictures of you out and about on the streets. Was this something new for you?
It was insane, I wish I could describe it. It was nothing like what we have in the United States!
Jeremy McLellan’s Facebook post from August 14.
Islamabad or Lahore, which experience did you enjoy better?
Both cities were great and the audiences and crowds at shows were about the same. But as a city Lahore is much livelier and busy, not as ‘planned’ as Islamabad.
What did you have in mind following the email from the State Department? And how was your experience - the things you may have had in mind turning out to be not so true?
Well the State Department warns everyone not to go to Pakistan, and then if you go anyway, they send you emails telling you not to go out into the city on August 14th. We ignored both of those warnings and everything turned out fine. The biggest misconception I had was that everyone would be as devout and religious as my friend Sultan, so I expected the entire city to shut down 5 times a day as everyone stopped for prayer.
Now that you have experienced being a ‘gora’ in Pakistan, how has the cultural shock been for a – well, ‘gora’?
The culture shock wasn’t nearly as bad as it would have been if I didn’t know so many Pakistanis here in the United States. But it was still a shock. The family and communities are very strong and there’s little personal space to be honest.
Biryani – now what was all that about? Are you really that big a fan of local food?
Yes, I’m a huge fan of desi food and I eat it all the time in the United States. Of course, it’s not nearly as good as it is in Pakistan.
Besides food, what else did you enjoy about your stay in Pakistan?
The music was great, loved listening to Punjabi dance music while we roamed around the city.
Charity work in Pakistan - how has the experience been?
It was awesome. The dental work that the teams from Howard University and Ripha University did in the villages outside of Islamabad was incredible. Together we provided free dental work to nearly 2,000 villagers. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of their work.
Jeremy with the dental mission team from Howard University and Ripha University. Photo: Jeremy McLellan’s Facebook Page
You arrived in Pakistan during a very politically charged up environment. How did that experience go?
Well I’m glad things didn’t get out of control. There was very little unrest. It was interesting seeing everyone talk about politics, protest in the streets, and give me their opinions about who they support. I learned a lot.
During your gigs here you cracked jokes on the ouster of former PM Nawaz Sharif. How did the audience react to the humour?
They loved all my jokes about Pakistani politics. People love seeing an outsider’s perspective on their local issues.
So now that you’ve visited Pakistan, what does the memo say about the country? Will you be risking your digestive system to another trip to Pakistan?
Yes I’d love to come back. Things have really improved in Pakistan in recent years, and if they keep improving, there’s no reason why I couldn’t come do a tour every year.
