Can you tell us a little bit about the experience of partnering with Netflix and what you are hoping for from the deal? (This week, the streaming site debuted Peters’ Notorious, its first original standup show, as well as a four-part, behind-the-scenes documentary.)
I’ve licensed all of my specials to Netflix, from Outsourced to Red, White and Brown and The Green Card Tour. Netflix has opened me up to new fans who didn’t know me from either the original broadcast on television or from YouTube. I liked the idea of working outside the system again. What some people don’t realise is that I’ve been working independently since the beginning. I’ve been self-financing and doing my own distribution for the past eight years. I’ve partnered with Warner Brothers and Comedy Central, but it’s always been my money. Netflix is working outside the system and I really liked that about them. I’m happy with my new special, Notorious, and the documentary series lets the fans see me in a lot of different ways – with my daughter, playing arenas, playing small clubs, hanging out with my DJs and with my mom and my brother.
When you first started (before you became rich and famous) your humour appealed to the common man. While the common man still loves you, how has your approach to stand-up changed now that you are breathing slightly more rarefied air?
I am the common man. My mom worked in a Kmart cafeteria and my dad was a meat inspector. I was flat broke as recently as 2004. I haven’t forgotten that. I still hang out with the same guys I’ve always hung out with. It’s my job to stay connected and to pay attention to the world around me.
Which cultural stereotype do you enjoy highlighting the most and why?
There’s so many, it’s hard to say. I really like to know what I’m talking about when I talk about a group of people. And I’ll only talk about them if they’re in the room.
My favourite thing is when I talk about a stereotype and then right there in the front row is somebody who embodies that stereotype. I love that.
Is there anything you can do on stage in this region that you wouldn’t be able to get away with in North America? And vice versa?
Nope. My act is the same globally. People think that I do different material when I travel, but my fans want my real act. They don’t want me to change.
Can you describe the volume and types of hate mail you receive from people who don’t get your brand of comedy?
Comedy is subjective. There are always people who like you and don’t like you. You can’t worry about it. I know that there are comics in the States and Canada who don’t get what I do. I know that there are people in Hollywood who don’t get what I do.
If you’ve never dealt with different cultures or faced racism or maybe you don’t come from an immigrant family, you may not get my material. I do what I do and that’s what my fans respond to.
How do you make your daughter laugh?
I don’t think my daughter actually knows what my real voice sounds like, because I always talk to her in this high-pitched excited voice that makes her laugh. Mind you, she makes me laugh more than I make her laugh. She’s hilarious and the funny thing is, I think she knows that she’s funny. She has that twinkle in her eye when she says or does something funny that I recognise all too well.
Any thoughts on the growth in Canadian culture catching on here in the desert? (First it was Tim Hortons, now Dubai has a Canadian deli and a French-Canadian restaurant … no telling what’s next!)
You never know with us Canadians. We’re much more low-key than the Americans so we kind of sneak up on you. Next thing you know, the national sport of Abu Dhabi will be ice hockey.
• Russell Peters will perform at the du Arena, Yas Island, on Wednesday. Tickets cost Dh250 for General Admission, Dh350 for Reserve, Dh450 for Gold, Dh550 for Platinum and Dh650 for Diamond categories at www.ticketmaster.ae, and are also available at select Virgin Megastore outlets across the UAE
artslife@thenational.ae
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs%20
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20V8%20twin-turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E630hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20Tiptronic%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh599%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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The%20Specs
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)