He bagan, in true Rex Navarrete-style, with a joke about his family, particularly his sister.
“My sister was on the soccer team … she would come home every day from practice slightly darker than she was the day before,” said Navarrete. “My mother would tell her, ‘Joy you’re too dark. You’re too dark, Joy. No one will marry you, Joy. Not even a blind man will marry you, because you’re darker than what he cannot see!”
To make his sister feel better, Navarrete said he customized a Barbie doll to look like his sister, so she would have a doll with features similar to hers.
“I ironed her blonde hair, dipped it in black ink. I smeared the doll with Kiwi brown shoe polish to give it that morena glow,” he said. “Then I took it by the legs, and smashed its face on the ground! To give it that Filipina nose.”
It was a teaser, a two-minute bit—but it had everyone at his press conference in Discovery Suites in stitches.
Imagine, then, Navarrete’s show on August 24 at Resorts World Manila, which will run at least an hour, according to the Fil-Am comic.
Navarrete is bringing back old characters, and will introduce new material as well, all still anchored in Filipinos’ “sensibilities.”
“We have a lot of moments when we can laugh at ourselves,” he said.
Hold on to your bladders, everyone.
What can we expect from your show that’s new?
It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I guess everything’s going to be new, but there’s going to be something that the larger audience hasn’t seen. I like bringing back my more classic materials.
Like “Tito Boy”?
Yeah, he’s appeared in so much. He’s gotten a little filthier. I gotta warn people about that. He’s going to definitely be there. And, really, more observational. I’ve been experimenting a lot, no characters, just me.
Over the years, have you changed your style, how you perform?
It’s been 22 years in the industry. Have I made any changes? No, none.
Every promoter I’ve worked with knows what my act is about and who my audience is. I try to stick to what I know and it’s nice having gone on this long without having to change the material. I would only disappoint myself, and my fans, if I wrote just to satisfy someone else’s taste.
How long does it take for you to write an act?
Wow, that could take from weeks to years. Some bits I thought I retired really need a second chance. I started doing Manny Pacquiao maybe three years ago, and it was really simple. It was under a minute or two. Now it’s a 25-minute bit.
How about “Maritess vs the Superfriends?”
Now that’s too long. It’s fun, but it’s grueling to do Maritess.
You’ve heard about performers getting stuck in a character? That was one of them—it was a blessing and a curse. There was a lot of strain, physically, to do Maritess: The timing, the breathing. That’s why I’m taking a long break from Maritess. I’m giving her a rest, because I want to start routines using my own voice.
What’s it like being a traveling comic?
When I’m on the road, it’s about the gig. You just have to learn how to pace yourself; I fly in the day before to get used to the weather, the change in time zone.
When I’m not on the road, I’m a full-time dad. I’m the yaya. My daughter, 9, knows I’m a comic, but my son is only 3, so he doesn’t know. He’s just happy to have me home. That’s one of the nice benefits of being a traveling comic—when you’re done [touring], you come back [home], and the family gets you 24 hours a day.
Where is home?
I have a lot of relatives in San Francisco, and my family’s still there, but I live in Oregon with my own family. I wanted to start my family elsewhere because it’s busy enough when I’m traveling, so it’s nice to be in a quiet place where there’s no “knock knock” on the door, and it’s your tita who needs something, which she’ll tell you after the merienda you’ll provide. (laughs) It’s nice to be away from the people you love, you get to love them more.
I have my wife and my two kids, that’s all I need.
How did you get into stand-up comedy?
I do it all in my head. I’ve always trusted my own writing staff, in my head. That’s how I started. It was so hard for me to fight for stage time at local comedy bars, because managers weren’t helpful. I had to create my own venues.
There was a time when I didn’t let my family know I was doing stand-up. Talk about risk-taking. They would ask, “Where are you going this weekend?” “Oh, some friends are doing an event,” I’d say. Two years later, I told them. They were shocked and concerned, like how was I going to make a living, that I should keep my day job.
I did, and it was totally opposite to comedy: I was working at a clinic for drug and alcohol addicts. I was running groups, one-on-one sessions, presentations in schools. After work, I’d be doing comedy shows; on weekends, I’m away for stand-up, then Monday morning, back to my clients. I did that for nine years. Then I decided to go full-time with stand-up.
Who are your biggest influences?
George Carlin, he’s dead; Bill Cosby. Richard Pryor—he’s dead. (laughs) All the good ones are dead, what the heck happened? [Also] Chris Rock; someone we lost recently was Greg Giraldo, he died just last year. The new guys I like are Bill Burr and Louis CK, those guys are hilarious, and Kevin Hart, [Dave] Chapelle, they’re funny.
Do your kids have your sense of humor?
They have their own sense of humor. You really need to develop a kid’s sense of humor at a young age, otherwise they take themselves too seriously. You gotta develop that humor now because that’s a skill you’ll need to see the world. Makes them better people, too.
“Rex@Resorts World Manila” is on August 24, 8 p.m., at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Call Ticketworld at 8919999, or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.
