Deep Fried Man out to heat up Lyric

PETER FELDMAN

Trading under the name Deep Fried Man, he is the son of political analyst Prof Steven Friedman and though he admits that his interest in politics rubbed off from his father, he handles the subject in his show in a different and entertaining manner.

“I play it for laughs. And in the process you sometimes simplify a complex issue,” he told SA Jewish Report.

Deep Fried Man’s new show, In Good Taste, will be staged at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City Casino, this coming weekend and according to Daniel comprises all new material.

He said: “Because it’s in a bigger space (the first time he occupies a major stage in such a solo show), we are putting together a host of collaborations, and there will be visuals and an impressive set – it’s basically my usual show but on steroids”, he said tongue-in-cheek.

“I don’t want to give too much away because I’d like to maintain some surprise factor, but the show will feature artists from a range of genres including classical music, hip hop and bluegrass, who will join me on stage.”

Deep Fried Man said the content of the show is political satire. “I usually focus on South African politics and social satire and while that will definitely be in the show, there will also be a lot of international politics (featured).”

Asked about the title, In Good Taste, he explained that, in the first instance, the show will be “a very tastefully done production”, adding that he sometimes tests the bounds of what is in good taste and jokes about it.

The material covers topics such as Islamic State, apartheid and “even my song on how to end the conflict in the Middle East. So I like to take topics that aren’t funny and try and find the lighter side to them.”

Over the years Deep Fried Man has won awards, performed on some of South Africa’s biggest stages, been part of three Comedy Central TV specials and contributed to Emmy-nominated television shows such as Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola and ZANews: Puppet Nation.

He admits that there is no topic he won’t tackle in his comedy routines and is prepared to take audiences to places that many of his peers are afraid to venture.

Being a creative soul, Deep Fried Man finds inspiration from the everyday world and his songs and humour reflect this.

The new venture is certainly a challenge because he hopes the show will be more visually exciting than anything he’s done before. “One can expect video visuals, looping machines, audience participation, improvisation and musical accompaniment provided by my sidekick, the enigmatic El Niño.”