The team at Seasoned Journeys did a virtual Q&A interview with Cape Town-born entertainer and stand-up comedian, Mel Jones. As spirited, vibrant, enthusiastic (and busy) as Mel is, she graciously answered all our burning questions. So, thank you, Mel, for taking the time out to answer these.
Take a quick read and enjoy!
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Bo-Kaap, in a place called St Monica’s Home and spent the first few years of my life living in Upper Bloem Street, before we had to move to Mitchells Plain, where I started school. As the youngest of 3 kids, I was the only one who didn’t start my school career yet. My older brother and sister had both already begun their journey.
I didn’t have many friends when we lived in our flat in Bo-Kaap, so the idea of moving to a place where we could meet new people and make new friends was exciting. My sister and I shared a room. I looked forward to the adventure and everything seemed so new and exhilarating. I clearly had no idea that school and chores and all of those other boring things would suck all of the fun out of the newness that I was so excited about.
Was it always your dream to become a comedian?
It was never my dream to become a comedian.
I somehow always knew that I wanted to be in entertainment, but the thought of doing comedy hadn’t crossed my mind. Comedy wasn’t a profession when I was growing up. And even less so, something that little girls were encouraged to consider or dream about.
“Comedy kinda found me.”
I went to watch a movie when I was very young and I felt really good, happy, joyful, as I walked out of the cinema. I remember thinking that this was how I wanted to make people feel. I wanted to bring them joy. And then I realised years later, in an interview, that I had come full circle without even giving it any thought on the way to becoming a comedian.
What was the defining moment in your life when you realised this was what you wanted to do?
There were many defining moments… The first one was my very first open mic spot at the Armchair theatre in Observatory, Cape Town. I walked on stage and I was terrified, as most comedians are when they’re about to do their first set. Once the audience started laughing, I thought I’d relax more, but I didn’t. When I finished, the audience was still laughing and they applauded and cheered, but I realised that I was holding onto the mic so tightly that I had indentations of my nails in my palms because I was so very, very nervous. But I knew that I wanted to do it again… and again… and again.
The other defining moment, well the other one of the many, was when I had to choose between the job I had at the time and comedy. I was getting booked more frequently and the bosses were getting a little tired of me asking for time off or to leave early, so I made the decision to leave my low paying, but a stable job for the uncertainty of a career in comedy.
One more defining moment was when I was working on radio and I had taken a break from comedy, because the radio station had concerns about my comedy brand vs the radio brand. I was miserable. But the radio station was making some changes and I had this feeling that I would be one of the changes, so I got back on stage and vowed never to leave. Which ended up being one of the best decisions of my life, because a few months later the guys at the top decided not to renew my contract at the station, so I was free to go back to my first love. Which was just fine by me. I didn’t really get along with the new guy anyway. He kinda saw himself as the funniest person in the room, and in order for that to be true, I had to leave the room. And I did so quite happily.
How would you describe your type of comedy?
My style of comedy is observational, self-deprecating and very interactive. It’s evolved over the years, as most comedians’ comedy styles do.
I started out writing material and memorising it and sticking to the script and then going back and rewriting it and fleshing it out until I was comfortable enough to move on to something new. I’m pretty sure that’s how most people start. But now I have ideas and I know where I want to go with them, but I give myself the space to play around more on stage at circuit gigs (when we have them, because circuit gigs haven’t really been abundant since the start of the global pandemic).
What has been the highlight of your career?
I can’t possibly single out one highlight when there have been so many delightful things that have made me smile and given me reason to be grateful for doing this thing that I love so very, very much. I’ve played on stages with some incredible comedians, both local and international, I’ve been able to travel because of comedy and I’ve also met some really cool people at some pretty awesome events, some of whom I’m still in touch with today.
But I think one of the things that I love most about comedy is the fact that, and this is going to sound cheesy, get to change the energy of the room. It’s almost magical. People can walk in feeling really crappy and leave feeling better. I’ve had many encounters with people who come up to me after the show and they tell me that they were having a rough week or they were going through a tough time at work or at home, but during the show it didn’t matter so much, because they were just having fun.
And laughter has that effect on people. It has the ability to make you forget, just for a little while, that life can be challenging and stressful. And that may not be the highlight of my career, but it’s the thing I remember about the encounters I have with the people who come and see the shows.
Is there anyone that you would still like to work with one day?
I’ve never had an idol or a comedy hero. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get into comedy with the intention of pursuing it as a career and because, when I was growing up, it wasn’t even something that had crossed my mind, but I didn’t feel like there was someone in the industry that I wanted to meet or be like or work with. I started doing comedy as a girl from Mitchells Plain who didn’t know much about comedy or the entertainment industry in general and the more I did it, the more I wanted to do it and the more I fell in love with and wanted to learn about it.
There were no real dreams for girls like me who didn’t feel like they were worth the time or efforts of people who were making something of their lives. I imagine what it would be like to be on Saturday Night Live and do some funny sketches with some of the most talented funny people in the business. And I imagine what it would be like to be on Taskmaster with some of the funniest and most brilliant UK comedians. And who knows, maybe one day that could still happen. They say that if your dreams don’t scare you, then they aren’t big maybe one day I’ll have the courage to dream a little bigger. But for now, I’m very happy and lucky to have met and worked with the incredibly talented people that this career has given me the privilege of meeting.
What’s the best advice you were given?
Advice? I’m terrible at listening to advice. I don’t remember half of the things people told me. Ask my mom. She still thinks my ears are ornaments.
Oh, wait… I was once told not to date that one guy when I was in my twenties, but I went ahead and dated him anyway. And then he left me when I was pregnant… So I probably should’ve listened to THAT advice. Young people rarely listen to advice and most people don’t want to give older people advice, because they think that those people think that they already know it all.
But, if I’m honest (and not being silly) the thing that made a huge impact on my life and my career was from an interview with Oprah (I think it was Oprah – I don’t always pay attention) “Know your worth”. I didn’t understand it at the time. But I do now. It isn’t just about money. People will treat you the way you allow yourself to be treated and they will value you as much or as little as you give them permission to, based on how much you think you deserve. How much time, energy, money, attention, love you believe you’re worth, is how much you’ll end up getting from who you allow into your space. And the more you believe you’re worth, the better you’ll treat yourself and people will either follow suit or fall away. It’s all up to you.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I hope to be alive. And still doing comedy. And maybe hosting a show either on TV or online. And entertaining people. And having fun and encouraging others to have fun. Because if there’s one thing we don’t do enough of as grown human beings, is have fun.
Any upcoming shows?
I do a show on Facebook live every Monday night at 8pm (sometimes I take a break) called Mel-O-Drama, where we play games and tell stories and just take some time out of our stressful, crazy lives for tomfoolery and shenanigans.
And I’ll be going to Tanzania in December to do a Comedy Showcase there. I post information about my upcoming comedy shows on social media:
MelJonesComic on Instagram and Twitter
Go and check it out to see upcoming gigs.
Who really makes you laugh?
My son. He makes me laugh because he’s hilarious – He’s also an up and coming comedian. We have a very similar sense of humour, so it’s easy to laugh with him. But I do tend to laugh at the most inappropriate times and things. Oops.
Are you looking to branch out into any other areas in the industry?
I’ve been very privileged to have been on the writing team of a comedy sketch show called Comedy Mixtape which aired on SABC 2 in June 2021 and I also got to act and perform in some of the sketches and parodies in the show. So I’m in the process of expanding into other areas. I’d love to do more writing and performing. Who knows? Maybe I get a chance to do it again if we get a second season… Would that be lovely?
What’s the best thing about what you do?
There are so many amazing things about what I do. I get to make people laugh, obviously, but I also get to change perspectives. Nothing is ever black and white. The amount of colour you add to a situation depends on your perspective. And if you see things as dark and gloomy, then that’s how you’ll react to them. But if you look at a similar seemingly dark, gloomy situation and you put a ridiculous spin on it, it suddenly becomes a little more colourful. That’s what comedy is. Changing the way you see things. Breaking down norms.
Favourite past time?
Sleeping. Naps. I love naps! I also enjoy a good snack. A snack and then a nap is a perfect day.
Favourite food?
Love potatoes. A day without potato is a day wasted. I also love sushi. If they could just find a way to combine sushi and potatoes, that would be amazing? Why is nobody doing this?
Favourite drink?
I should say water and inspire some people to be healthy, right? But it isn’t true. I love a cream soda, soda float and a frozen margarita and occasionally, bubbly.
Favourite place?
I don’t have a favourite place. I have some great places that I’ve been to that were mainly great because of the people I spent time with, but that’s more of an amazing experience and fabulous people than the place itself.
If you weren’t in this industry – what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn’t in the industry, I’d probably be so miserable that I would feel compelled to find the thing I love and do it and eventually end up in the industry.
I can’t think of a single thing I’d be doing other than comedy. Maybe I’d be a singer. Except for the fact that I can’t sing.
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