KUALA LUMPUR: It was not too long ago that Jason Leong Say Keong loved introducing himself as “Leong, Dr Jason Leong”, James Bond style.
Two years have passed since the good doctor from Petaling Jaya left his daytime job in Selayang Hospital to become a full-time funnyman in pursuit of his foremost passion - stand-up comedy.
“It was great being a medical practitioner and treating the sick, but as time went by, I realised I could only have my ‘one true love’, and it turned out to be comedy,” said Leong with his inimitable schoolboyish grin, in an interview at Crackhouse Comedy Club, Taman Tun Dr Ismail here yesterday.
“Nevertheless, I still alleviate ‘pain’ through my brand of humour. After all, laughter is the best medicine!”
The soft-spoken, fun-loving 31-year-old who studied medicine at University College in Dublin, Ireland and graduated five years ago, admits he has always been his parents’ “funny boy” and enjoyed entertaining relatives with his bag of jokes in every party and dinner organised by his family while a teenager.
“My parents are my first and biggest fans, but like all good Asian parents, they insisted that I complete my degree course first, before chasing my dream career,” he said.
For five years (three of which he entertained part-time), Leong has “tickled” his fans in various comedy shows in the Klang Valley such as Time Out Comedy, The Kings And Queens Of Comedy, the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians (MACC) Show and Comedy Kao Kao. A lot of his jokes are based on his experience as a doctor, university life, his childhood, TV programmes and daily observations.
“I grew up enjoying sitcoms such as The Nanny, The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Friends and Family Matters. As for comedians, I love Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and George Carlin.
“While I sometimes feel sad leaving my medical career behind, my ex-colleagues in Selayang Hospital have encouraged me to pursue my passion in lightening up lives,” he said.
Leong is optimistic that the relatively small stand-up comedy scene is slowly picking up since more entertainment clubs are having special comedy nights which introduce comedy fans to the newest “clowns in town”.
He will soon star in the Crackhouse Comedy Club’s new showcase Crackhouse Carnival from April 28 till May 1. Joining him in the comedy celebration are stand-up comics such as Paul Ogata, Cam Knight, Harith Iskander, Pete Johansson, Jonathan Atherton, Rizal Van Geyzel, Kristal Zweers and Matt Krishen.