snmag.com

Good! I just had an agency meeting this morning...got my show at the laugh factory tomorrow night...and filming something tomorrow morning…so, I’m a little swamped...but it’s all stuff I love.

Oh, sounds good! Why don't we start with you giving me a little history of yourself?
Sure! I was born in India, in Jammu/Kashmir, my father and mother are both physicians, so I was born in my dad's own clinic, we moved around India for the first 3 years of my life, and then my dad had the goal of coming to America to raise me...so we first stopped in England for several years, and my sister was born there (Harleen), I started primary school and actually saw my first bit of comedy through 'Laurel and Hardy' and 'Monty Python'

Well, there's an important question: favorite Monty Python movie? Be careful with this one...its controversial...
Um…I don’t like picking favorites…because I usually just have preferences...I read the "Philosophy of Monty Python" this past summer, and studied at Pembroke college 2 years ago, and stayed in the same dorm that Eric Idle apparently lived in...But I currently have ‘Life of Brian’ on me. I’m just a fan of random humor/sketch humor that somehow has a message or something satirical in it, so it reaches audiences on various levels.

Ah, I see, sitting on the fence huh? Life of Brian is a good, safe position to take. So, you're at school in the U.S, were you a performer then? Did you act in school plays etc?
I started doing choirs and such when I was 9...and just fell in love with performing…or just acting silly in front of my friends - always doing impersonations. Then i picked up the cello for 3 years in middle school, along with choir.

It seems that you’re quite the multi-tasker!
I think there are two words that best describe me..."eclectic" and "eccentric", and I consider myself "a citizen of the world" instead of just one geographical area. So that’s why I guess I’m so diverse in my likings and such. Anyway, to finish my crazy background... I ended up doing many productions in school, and started getting lead roles my senior year (on my acting resume) and became president of the thespian club. I was in show choir, and even had my own band where I sang and played guitar. We had the typical oxymoronic high school band name..."upstairs in the basement".

And where did you go to school?
I applied to all the UC’s as a Bio major – because that’s the ‘typical Indian route’… and ended up at Irvine because of the location/atmosphere. I dropped Bio even before I started there. I ended up a Sociology major. I got involved in a choir on campus, and made the "UC Irvine Hindi Film Dance Team"...my first Indian performing arts experience, which launched me into a love for South Asian culture – because I was very "white washed'" you could say, growing up in the Mid-West. There were no Indian peers of my age, and I felt I had lost my culture somewhat or my awareness of it as a child – but I slowly started regaining it in college. I also became the president of our student spirit group...the CIA, or "completely insane anteaters", so I thought I was going to go into advertising/marketing, using my creative skills in that…but acting was always my thing. And then in my second year I met my buddy Pari.

Ah yes, and the duo began…
Exactly. Meeting Pari changed everything, and started pushing me further and further into where I am today.

Do you always perform with him?
For the Indian shows...we have our tandem. For standup, I perform by myself, because innately I am an actor/writer/comedian, he is a director/writer/producer. That’s why we mesh so well. We write together, perform on stage/camera together, we co-direct, but he has the best angle on it, and he edits.

What are you most interested in pursuing right now, your duo, or your individual stuff (or both)?
Both completely. We are taking our website/production to the next level and producing more than we ever have in a goal to become the premier comedic duo in the world… from a South Asian perspective. We are working on our first feature film and several shorts through a development deal. We are producing countless material every week for our website, and it is slowly becoming the online portal for South Asian comedy. We have the new "Uncle Chat" thing, "Harvin's Corner", "Spoken word with Sameer and Prakash". And I just finished doing work for a pilot on comedy central called "Not another Teen Series". My new manager, Stuart, has been booking me for a lot of gigs around the place – he works for Burbank Casting (and kissed Christina Aguilera in her last video 'hurt'), and got me a couple of projects. We just filmed something with the pussycat dolls last week. I signed Stuart as my manger through a informal contract I made on a piece of paper in the Irvine Improv. next week, we hit vegas for the HBO comedy festival

That's amazing. That's why I love LA - you never know where you're going to end up. It sounds like the only way is up from here…
Definitely. It’s a crazy City and I have a great outlook on life right now. I was in India this summer, to gain a perspective and really fell into the teachings of Gandhi. I also got more in touch with my musical side. I’ve been playing guitar for about 8 years and now really have a love for hip hop, and all the things hip hop culture does. I’ve really gotten into spoken word; I’ve always been a fairly decent hip hop dancer/beat boxer.

So, you're adamant about maintaining an Indian following....but you don’t think you're alienating the other markets?
No, not at all. I’m not an "Indian entertainer". I’m more "an entertainer that happens to be Indian". But I have a firm goal in spreading South Asian culture awareness to the world and also just spreading various messages as a public figure should.

I agree. I think any talented individual has a social responsibility. Let’s talk about stand-up – whoa that must be scary. How do you start?
Well...that is something you develop throughout your years as a comedian. I think when you start you have your preset jokes, your set list, and you follow that strictly…but slowly, as you gain comfort on the stage, room for improvisation and more crowd interaction arises.

I bet though, like me, you've seen some awful stand-up in your time. Sometimes it can be actually embarrassing when comedians go to far...
Some people just don’t have it and others try to push the envelope for laughs or just novelty. They feel by cursing a lot, or covering odd topics, they’ll get the audience on their side. I started at the laugh factory. I’ve also done a show with Drew Carey at the Hollywood Improv, and several at The Comedy Store.

So, do you hang around with Dane Cook now? Is he cool?
I’ve met him several times in the laugh factory and in Vegas at the comedy festival. He always gives me good advice and is very supportive. I really enjoy his style

How many people do you expect to be watching you on a given night at the LF?
It’s always a great crowd. I have recently been performing on college nights hosted by Skyler Stone, and also recently performed on a Latino night with Paul Rodriguez. The crowd is usually anywhere from 150-200. The Laugh Factory is legendary – a vault of comedy history. It used to be the Marx brothers' office. One of my mentor's in the industry though is Gerry Bednob, "Mooj" from ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’. Mr. "will tell you what to do to a goat". I met him on my first night doing standup at the laugh factory, and we've gotten to know each other since. I manage his My Space for him – he gives me life/comedy advice – I help him fix his computer.

Would you say you’re well and truly in now, or do you have more pushing to do? Through the metaphorical comedy door I mean
I will always be pushing. Just getting into the Hollywood circuit and comedic family is great, but I have high ambitions and will always take things further. I’m confident, happy and proud of what I’m doing, but I’m never completely satisfied.

What advice would you give to aspiring comedians then, in light of your experience?
If you truly love it...just do it. The only way to achieve your dreams is to wake up. You can’t get a feel of the industry, whether you really can "make it" or not unless you put your full heart into it.

That's true...but I think it depends a lot on location. LA seems the place to be if you want to get into a creative industry
Yes. That’s the industry. Those who want to do it, find their ways to LA or New York.

So, what will be the defining moment for you, when you can say, 'I’ve made it' (for now), SNL???
My personal definition of "making it big" is making my family, my friends, and my self proud. But as for professionally...when I know I’m working in the industry full time.

Do you have enough money to live comfortably for now?
I’m getting to that level. I hope to be self sustainable by the beginning of next year. Things are just rising exponentially right now. And honestly...as long as I can pay the rent and fill my stomach - I would do it for the rest of my life. But, obviously, I want to pimp things out too.

Ok, bit of a personal question...I like to put my victims in a corner…you're in LA, making it big, living the life...are you into the whole drug scene?
I’ve learned what the 3 vices of the industry are: sex, drugs, and money. Either/or/or all combined have taken many people down and hindered them from their careers.

So, no temptation…for any of the above???
I am very focused right now, and my main priority is taking care of myself. I do see a lot of attractive people and I like to chill out, I love dancing. But right now I’m very focused on myself, so I know a relationship can’t go down right now. It would be selfish of me.

You can catch Harvin, plus surprise guests, at the Hollywood Laugh Factory – Check out www.pariandharvin.com for the latest shenanigans from the duo Pari and Harvin, and feel free to add Harvin Sethi to your MySpace and Facebook…go on, just for a giggle.