Jason Chong

Why The Bloody Hell Aren't Ya? review – Rip it Up

Jason Chong’s goal to encourage people to donate blood is highly commendable and well supported by a show that is both funny and fact-laden. Using a mixture of song, PowerPoint and personal anecdotes, Chong easily entertains and engages his audience in his drive to make a donor out of everyone. Descriptions of his various ‘donor’ experiences could have been scary but such is his ability to convey the funny in just about anything, that one isn’t put off in the slightest. Testament to this was the number of people lining up after the show to add their names to his ever-growing donors list. A bloody brilliant show for a great cause.

– Rosie van Heerde, 8th March 2009

Original article: http://www.ripitup.com.au/latest_reviews

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Why The Bloody Hell Aren't Ya? review – dB Magazine

With a little help from Mssrs Lennon/McCartney and Huey Lewis, Jason Chong sets out to convince us, the general public, to sign up and donate blood by use of the power of laughter.

Not your average topic for comedy, and Chong ably manages to blend the serious with the not so serious side of his multi-media presentation into both an informative and humorous hour long show. Beginning with a cleverly revamped take of The Power Of Love, audiences are then taken through a brief, possibly slight bit fudged history of the Red Cross, both here in Australia and around the world.

Having Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie in the same room may not be a good idea, but nor is mixing blood types we are told. And while personalities may clash are we now able to read into our own traits by knowing what blood type we are, and can giving blood then lead to a cheaper night on the booze? Chong does the math, and being Asian the sums add up and we all get to chuckle at the fainting goats. These are just a few examples of the many seemingly irreverent angles Chong engages to convey his message, and backed up by his own personal motives for being a donor he’ll have you heading straight for your nearest phlebotomy centre where, other than just a short space of your time, all you need is blood, blood, blood…

– Steve Jones, 11th March 2009

Original article: http://dbmagazine.com.au/462/iv-fringe-WhyTheBloodyHellArentYa.shtml 

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Why The Bloody Hell Aren't Ya? review – Buzzcuts

Educational comedy, laughing and learning, can it get much better? Absolutely not, and Jason Chong’s ‘blood bath’ absolutely embraces this concept. Why The Bloody Hell Aren’t Ya? is a show all about blood donation, the good, the bad and the down right bloody. Chong opens the show with the brilliant tune The Power of Blood, a hilarious take off of The Power of Love, from which point the crowd is in a fit of laughs and it seems like there is no turning back.

Chong, with only a few short pauses and stutters, takes the audience through his own personal experiences with blood donation all the while highlighting how important blood donation is but causing uncontrollable giggles at the same time. As a long time blood donor I could see where Chong was coming from; giving blood is great! Non-donors will hopefully be converted, whilst gasping for air in-between the laughs.

Blood donation is an important part of society, with one in three people needing blood in their lives, while around only one in thirty donate. Chong is approaching an important and under publicised topic while also entertaining the crowd. One can learn many facts by attending Chong’s show; from how many different blood types a horse has, to the simple fact that “emos just need a hug”.

It shouldn’t be a hard decision whether or not to donate blood and whether or not to go to this show should be clear. Why The Bloody Hell Aren’t Ya? is possibly the most hilarious lecture I have ever been to… or is it the most informative show I have ever seen? Either way it’s bloody great!

– Alicia Norton, 9th March 2009

Original article: http://www.expressmedia.org.au/buzzcuts.php?buzz_review_id=267 

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Bringing laughs to the Fringe – The Graduate article

Bringing laughs to the Fringe
by Jon Brooks

Local comedians Jason Chong (left) and Angus Hodge. UniSA alumni not only feature behind the scenes of this year’s Fringe festival, many are in the spotlight itself.

Comedians Jason Chong and Angus Hodge are both starring in Fringe shows and say their time at UniSA has placed them in good stead for the competitive world of Fringe performing.

Chong, widely regarded as a rising star of the Australian comedy scene, is now staring in his third solo Fringe season and says his degree in Marketing from UniSA has provided invaluable knowledge for the life of a professional comic.

“Doing marketing at UniSA taught me to think of my comedy as a brand,” Jason said.

“I want as many people to know and like my brand as possible, so my job isn’t simply to be funny; it’s to be funny in ways that enhance my brand.

“For me that means swearing as little as possible, talking about things most people get and finding other things that make me different from everybody else.

“There’s something like 115 unique comedy shows at this year’s Fringe, so it’s more important than ever to stand out and the lessons I learned studying marketing at UniSA have really served me well.”

His highly anticipated new show Why the Bloody Hell Aren’t Ya? is a quirky look at Jason’s experiences that led to him becoming a blood donor.

“The show isn’t just a bunch of funny gags about giving blood, I’m also trying to raise awareness of the need for people to become donors and hopefully some of the people that see my show will go out and give blood some time,” Jason said.

“That’s another aspect of thinking of my comedy as a brand – I like to spread positive messages and make a positive difference where I can.”

Current student Angus Hodge, 18, in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism at the Magill Campus, said his journalism training was having added benefits for his quirky brand of observational humour.

“I guess journalism is the art of being a good observer and a critic, and in many ways that parallels good comedy.

“The interview skills you learn at the journalism school help build your public speaking skills while the news-gathering and investigative skills you learn really help in terms of seeing anything as potential material.

“Stand up comedy is also a lot like journalism in that you have to get a clear message across using as few words as possible and in that regard my studies have really helped me as a performer.”

Hodge is making his first appearance in a Fringe this year along with six other local comics in a show called Taking the Piss.

“It’s basically stand up comedy in a pub, there’ll be beer and laughs, hence the name” Angus said.

“I’m really looking forward to it, not only as a chance to get out and be part of the Fringe but because I get to perform with five really good comedians.

“The show’s also just behind City West, so we’re hoping plenty of UniSA alumni come along.”

Jason Chong performs Why the Bloody Hell Aren’t Ya? at the Rhino Room, 13 Frome St from Feb 26.

Angus Hodge performs in Taking the Piss at the Worldsend Hotel, 208 Hindley St from March 4 and as a special offer UniSA students will receive two for one entry on presentation of a valid student ID at Taking the Piss.

Original article: http://www.unisa.edu.au/graduate/2009/FebMar/story5.asp Read More

Why The Bloody Hell Aren't Ya? review – The Groggy Squirrel

Following an illness in the family, Jason Chong made it his mission to donate blood regularly and encourage others to do the same. Why The Bloody Hell Aren’t Ya? is the next stage in his campaign, where he encouraged Adelaide audiences to do the same.

This was far from a brow beating exercise, Jason had constructed a show that, while heavy on facts, was thoroughly amusing and entertaining. He had the ability to find humour in the driest of topics and give everything a personal touch to keep it from being too clinical. The insertion of clearly falsified information amongst the facts ensured that the mood was kept light as well as keeping the audience on their toes.

Through use of PowerPoint, Jason presented the facts and myths about blood donation. Brief stories about his personal experiences and some left of centre observations were the basis of most of the jokes. His warm and friendly demeanour held the audience’s attention and the strength of the material kept them laughing.

If straight stand up wasn’t enough, Jason introduced a musical element to the show through some song parodies, changing the lyric focus to that of blood. Despite some concern on my part when I realised that he would perform the songs in their entirety, he had plenty of humourous ideas to fill the song and keep repetition to a minimum.

Don’t let the rather gruesome looking poster keep you from seeing this show. It was highly entertaining and informative show that everyone should see. Jason must be commended for bringing such a important topic to the public. It certainly gave the never-have and lapsed donors something to think about, and everyone else a warm inner glow.

– Colin Flaherty, 1st March 2009 

Original article: http://www.thegroggysquirrel.com/articles/2009/03/01/2009-adelaide-fringe/jason-chongs-why-the-bloody-hell-arent-ya/

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Minority Retort 08 Reviews

Funny Tonne, MICF Website

9/10

Another great stand up show at the Portland Hotel. This guy was witty, funny and interacted really well with the audience. It was very light and easy to watch and i thought it was absolutely marvelous. Another top stand up show.” – Brian Williams

8/10

A very charismatic and charming comedian, at first you feel a little bad laughing at the stereotypes and jokes… but he IS the stereotype and joke… so it gets easier.
I have many asian friends so I could certainly relate to a lot of his jokes and will be sure to use them myself.
Definitely worth seeing. – Brendon and Jacinta

7/10

Jason Chong’s show is similar in tone and style to this year’s popular Trades Hall presentation of Fear of a Brown Planet, though perhaps a bit less hard hitting. His jokes based on Australia’s horribly racist immigration policies of the early 20th century were the highlight for me, along with the quiz on Asians in the public eye. I could have done without the bit from the Transformers movie but that’s just my age and gender showing, the majority young male audience loved the material. Jason’s charm is probably going to take him far so don’t miss out on seeing him before he starts filling large and impersonal venues. – Barb

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Emothchong Article in Rip It Up

Rip It Up Magazine

February 08

“So yeah, I did that a hundred times and then started to collate the results, so it’s a bit like ‘Family Feud’ where I now count down the top answers,” local comedian and sometimes Nova radio personality Jason Chong explains of the survey process he took in putting together his latest show, ‘Emotichong’.

“It’s amazing, when you speak to a hundred people you find out things that near everyone thinks. Like, people who don’t give blood will usually write down why because I think that they actually feel guilty,” he supposes. “It’s kind of interesting, and I don’t want to give too much away, but with every emotion that people gave me I kind of rated it on a scale from one to ten, positive to negative, and the average score was like 5.2.

“I think people were fairly honest with me, so with those facts things turned out about fifty-fifty. But do you know what? The people that I don’t know generally seem to be happier than those I do, so I’m starting to think that I’m responsible for that,” he laughs.

“And I was actually scared for a while because there looked like there was going to be a lot of positive emotions put down, and positives aren’t really all that funny.” It’s a bit like happy songs; who actually really relates to, say, Frente’s Absolutely Kelly Street?

“Funny thing, I was actually dancing to that a couple of days ago,” Chong confesses to the haphazard instance, “and it wasn’t even on the radio. I was just singing it to myself.” Hmmm, what are the chances of that song coming up twice in the same week? “Not very good since the early ‘nineties, I would’ve thought,” he immediately calculates. “But that’s a perfect example of something that was positive, but is now a negative and that’s why it’s funny. Nobody laughs when someone wins the lottery, but if they lose the ticket then that’s hilarious,” he concludes.

“It’s been six years now,” Chong says of his time in comedy. “Which kind of crept up on me because for the first couple of years I was still new, and then when you get to three and four you’ve got the newer guys coming through and then suddenly you realise that you have been doing for quite a while. So I guess if I was going to quit, I would’ve quit by now,” he offers.

“Do you mean have I ever had a colonic irrigation?” he replies when asked if he ever Youtube’s himself. “I think that’s when you Pootube yourself,” he ponders. “I remember when Google first came out and that was the big thing to do, but I think Youtube is a lot more interesting now because the top result for Jason Chong is a guy from America who’s a dancer who danced at the Miss Universe contest. But Jason Chong is like the John Smith [or Steve Jones, maybe?] of Asia, and it turns out there’s another one in Adelaide. But the difference between a smartarse and a comedian,” he informs me, “is a comedian knows when to shut up.”

Steve Jones

Jason Chong performs ‘Emotichong’ at the Electric Light Hotel from Fri 22 Feb

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Emotichong 08 Reviews

The Messenger, Adelaide

4 stars

YOU know you’re in for a good, fun show when the star of the show declares `’I’m a little bit g’day and a little bit ah-so.”

Jason Chong, one of the state’s best rising stand-up comedians, has no qualms about anyone taking the proverbial mickey out of him – be it about his on again, off again love life or when his girlfriend inquired about his health as he looked “a little yellow”.

Chong’s new material for the Fringe is a beauty – there’s a hilarious take off of Transformers and a funny version of song My Favourite Things. A laugh fest. – Gordon Armstrong

The Advertiser, Adelaide

3 stars

JASON Chong has conducted his own one-man Census, asking 100 of his closest friends, colleagues and people in the carpark to think of an emotion.
He’s then collated the answers, crunched the numbers and written the jokes, neatly segueing off into some highly entertaining anecdotes and tips for everyday living .

From why heading off to give blood is a great idea for a first date, to his top-dressed dogs of all time, Chong covers a range of topics in a laconic, easygoing style.

The Nova funnyman showcases a surprisingly good singing voice and mime technique. He was, however, almost upstaged by Autobot Optimus Prime.

There are some standout moments, although the PowerPoint presentation could do with paring back a bit. Be warned: some of these jokes tend to test the boundaries.

Talkfringe 

“Laughed a alot. It was a very clever premise, taking a survey and then creating a routine around the results. The night we went the optimus prime thing didn’t work…rats! But still, this is what the Fringe is about…encouraging creativity…full marks for that!” – KK

“I went expecting laughs….I got them and then some. Extra points for doing the “unchained melody” mime and the Transformers piece- hilarious!!!
Great comedy from a v.funny local boy.” – Rachael

“I saw Jason again after enjoying last year’s show, and had another good laugh this time. Get in early and grab a sofa. More than meets the eye!” – Coz

“I’ve seen Jason a few times & as always NOT disappointed…  Jason is a total crack up.  Go see him FUNNY!!!” – Skye

“A well spent hour, funny” – Franky

“Jason cleverly uses the results of his survey as lead-ins to some very funny standup pieces. See this show – you won’t be disappointed!” – Catman

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