Sputnik: Tell us about yourself Denis- what do you do here in Edinburgh?
Denis Nikolin: I’m a comedian. I do comedy. I have a show called Bad Russian at Bar Bados every day at 2pm.
Sputnik: I see you’ve managed to slip in a bit of self-promotion already Denis, well done. You’re from Moscow. Is there a big comedy scene there?
Denis Nikolin: Yes. Especially in Russian of course. It’s huge. But we also do stand up in English in Moscow.
Sputnik: That brings me to my next question. Do you think that different nationalities have different senses of humour? Do the English have a very different sense of what’s funny to the Russians?
Denis Nikolin: I think not. I think it is very much the same. The only difference if we talk about stand up is that you guys are a bit more open. You have had stand-up in your culture for a longer time. We still can’t laugh at some things.
Sputnik: When I was in Russia, a lot of people shared with me how it is rather inappropriate to smile at one another on the metro without reason. Is that true?
Denis Nikolin: Oh, it’s absolutely true. You may go down an escalator with your friends, having a good laugh, you jump into a train, laughing. You turn around- and everybody is looking at you, like ‘Why are you laughing. This is metro. People are going from point A to point B. You know. This is no place to laugh.
Sputnik: Surely such a trait collides with the world of comedy- do Russian people tend to laugh at your stand-up events?
Denis Nikolin: Yes of course! They are eager to laugh. Just not at everything. I mean. People in Russia smile, they are just not too keen at showing their insides to strangers. First you have to know the person, then you can smile at them.
Sputnik: Do you wrap up any politics in your sketches or stand up?
Denis Nikolin: I cannot avoid that topic, can I. I usually start my sketch by showing my phone. Like I’m timing myself. Especially when I’m doing showcases, I have to time myself because I only have 5 minutes, when I could easily to 35 minutes. That’s the thing about us Russians, we overdo it. I say you can mess with the American elections as much as you want, but do we really have to go all the way? … That’s just a glimpse.
Sputnik: Have you ever had a show where you just have a deadpan audience? You’re standing up, doing your thing, telling your jokes and no one’s giving anything back?
Denis Nikolin: Oh, that’s just a normal evening with my family.
Sputnik: Haha. How does it feel being at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, competing against thousands of other acts?
Denis Nikolin: Oh, you know, it’s very hard to do comedy, very hard, when you are as handsome as me. I have no comedic value whatsoever, with all these lumberjacks, Harry Potter lookalikes in tow. I saw a girl. She was sucking on barbie dolls on the Royal Mile. That was her show. She takes ten pounds for that.
Sputnik: She was just sucking on the heads of barbie dolls?
Denis Nikolin: Yes, everything.
Sputnik: Inappropriate. Now, our listeners and readers can’t actually see you, so would you describe just how good looking you are?
Denis Nikolin: Well, imagine Vladimir Lenin. But younger. And drunk.
Sputnik: What do you think that comedy adds to society? Is it important?
Denis Nikolin: I really want to show people that we Russians, we can be funny! We are not that scary. I want to build a bridge between the nations. Even after the World Cup, people still think that we are a bit scary, and not that funny. I just hope that humour, one day, will unite everybody. That’s what I am trying to do in Moscow, and here.
Sputnik: Would you mind doing us a bit of your sketch? I know I have sprung this upon you!
Denis Nikolin: Alright ok. I dunno. Well, I’m touring here in Great Britain. I’ve been to London, Salisbury, Edinburgh.
Sputnik: Ouch, touchy subject Denis! On that note, thanks for coming in. We loved your jokes!
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