?Now I only do dick jokes when I want to?: how Texan standup Kemah Bob found freedom in Britain
Kemah Bob arrives wearing a stylish ensemble: blue denim dress with lime green bag and sandals. The Texan acquired the outfit during the wild ride that is re-enacted in their new show, Miss Fortunate. In 2023, a bipolar episode led the comedian to uncontrolled spending on clothes, trinkets and holidays. One trip was to Thailand, a solo journey planned as an escape from burnout, that spiralled into a dark encounter with a would-be trafficker. The standup was spun a web of lies by someone who initially seemed like a fun travel companion. Shedding money along the way, Bob finally realised their passport was missing and that they were being scammed ?when I was trying to live my Eat Pray Love fantasy?.
Before performing Miss Fortunate at the Edinburgh fringe this summer, Bob was reluctant to reveal too much about it. Although they?ve been prominent on the UK comedy scene for nearly a decade, this year was Bob?s debut hour at the festival. ?I worried that the mental health element would deter people,? the comedian says. A whistle-stop run through the subject matter ? bipolar disorder, financial ruin, extortion ? belies how light and mischievous Miss Fortunate is, with the charismatic and reflective standup delivering a handful of songs, and guiding us through their ups and downs.
My character was addicted to PCP. I gouged my eyes out with knitting needles because rats were eating them
?Sometimes I do feel the burden of making people laugh,? Bob says. ?But it was important not to trivialise this experience.? Guided by Desiree Burch as director (?She understands the strength in vulnerability?), Bob started to probe this trickier subject matter and the shame bound up in it. ?We created something that doesn?t shy away from the darkness, while also being quite silly, quite fun. That was important ? because that?s how I am.?
Bob has a mission statement: ?To enlighten and empower through entertainment.? As well as addressing mental health in their comedy, Bob has relished talking about sex and sexuality, which felt important after their ?super religious? upbringing, and in 2018 founded FOC It Up, a comedy club for femmes of colour. It?s now less rare to be the only FOC on a bill, Bob says. ?But we?ve got a lot of road to cover! Obviously, the industry could do more.?
View image in fullscreen ?The industry could do more? ? Kemah Bob at Edinburgh fringe. Photograph: Craig Brown/Alamy
At Bob?s Texas high school, they performed as a cheerleader, but their stage debut in a play was a little different: ?My character was addicted to PCP. I gouged my eyes out with knitting needles because rats were eating them. That?s wild as a first role.? This led Bob to study drama at college, where a teacher spotted their classroom quips and directed them to improv, bringing a first taste of comedy.
After a stint in LA, they relocated to Britain to study TV production and set a goal: try standup in the city. How was it, being a Texan comedian in London? ?I felt free,? Bob says, ?because people didn?t know what to project upon me. This country has space for different forms of comedy, not just club comedy. I?ve had space to find my voice without having to do dick jokes in a basement. I do dick jokes when I want to. That?s a choice!?
They joined an ?all-femme improv group? and got involved in the cabaret scene where they created rapper drag king persona Lil Test Ease. Becoming a co-host of The Guilty Feminist podcast ?was transformative, it allowed me to hone my voice?, while Nish Kumar got Bob involved with ?some of my first, and best, writing jobs?.
Bob put off doing a full debut fringe hour at Edinburgh because their first taste ? a shared comedy show in 2018 with a different comic each night ? felt ?chaotic and intense?. Bob worried about costs, and being judged for awards and reviews, but they?ve started to see the creative opportunities of longer-form comedy. Plus, after the Thailand trauma, the comedian was low on money and work. ?That was my initial motivation ? take the charge paddles to the chest of my career.? It felt natural, even ?urgent?, to explore the incident abroad. ?Creating the show allowed me to process my experience. Now I?m able to be compassionate towards myself.?
Bob couldn?t fit all of the ?many twists and turns? into a single hour and is now exploring a book or film version, as well as writing their next standup show ?about adverse childhood experiences?. Miss Fortunate?s success has equipped them well for that challenge. ?I had to face my biggest fear, which was losing my mind. And my second biggest fear, which was being financially vulnerable. On the other side, well, I?m still broke. But you can go through dark times, make it out wiser ? and loving yourself even more.?
And there?s another silver lining. ?Initially,? says Bob, ?I was upset that I had all of the shit around me that I bought, and barely any money. But now I love my stuff. Manic me? Great taste!?
