Originally posted June 15, 2012 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Aziz Ansari, a star on NBC's "Parks & Recreation," is a Southern boy at heart, raised in Columbia, S.C.
During his recent "Deliciously Dangerous" stand-up special, Ansari said when friends from outside the South find out where he's from, they pity him, thinking he endured racism as an Indian-American.
"What these people forget is the food there is delicious," Ansari said. "So growing up in South Carolina is kind of like, 'Oh, that guy said the n-word. Oh, fried chicken and biscuits.' ... I hate racism, but I love a good biscuit!"
Ansari brings such quirky, good-natured humor to the Tabernacle for two shows Wednesday.
His "Deliciously Dangerous" special, which does happen to feature a lot of food-related humor, was released in March on his website (www.azizansari.com) for $5. He was basically copying a new business model developed recently by fellow comic Louis C.K. Instead of a network commissioning a TV special, Ansari paid a production company upfront to tape the special, then recouped his costs via Web purchases.
Ansari said he made a profit and may produce another special this way. But he doesn't pooh-pooh the old-school reach of television. He sold the rights to an edited, shortened version of "Deliciously Dangerous" to Comedy Central, which aired it May 20.
"I think some people get in this bubble and think everyone's downloading stuff now and watching Netflix," he said. "But way more people still watch TV. Louis C.K. sold 200,000 downloads in 12 days. On Comedy Central, he was able to reach 1 to 2 million people."
And thanks to a recent American Express ad in which Ansari goofs around with a kayak paddle, his profile has increased significantly.
"I was touring somewhere eating by myself and there's me on TV being silly. It's crazy how much they air that commercial."
Ansari appreciated that American Express let him create the commercial with very loose parameters. He said he used the same writers from his 2010 gig hosting the MTV Movie Awards. "The kayaking bit was actually only a small part of what we did for a full-minute commercial. We shot at all these different locations. But most people end up seeing the 30 seconds of me waving a kayak paddle."
And go figure: Ansari has never kayaked. "I'm a workaholic. I don't take a lot of vacations. I love touring.
"When I have time off, I just lay low. I'm not climbing Mount Kilimanjaro."
Ansari said his upcoming visit to Atlanta will be brief, but he was just here a few months ago to visit his brother Aniz, who recently graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design. "Had a great burger at Holeman & Finch," he said.
CONCERT PREVIEW
Aziz Ansari
7 and 10 p.m., Wednesday.
$51.50 after fees. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St., Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.livenation.com.
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