JUST CONRAD’s grandmother wanted him to become a priest, while his parents wanted him to study medicine, but neither paths became his long-term calling. Instead, Conrad chose comedy. As he prepares for his first comedy special, The Underdogs, Conrad talks with Quick Talk about his childhood, the pressure to fulfil his family’s expectations, and how he discovered his talent for making people laugh. Thank you for your time. Thank you too for giving me this opportunity. Please tell Quick Talk your real name. I go by Just Conrad. But Just is not my birth certificate name. I use it because it’s a name I got from my grandma. I grew up with my grandma and she gave me one name, Conrad. So every time people were asking what is the other name, she would say, ‘it’s Just Conrad’; so, I grew up using it. I got the other name – Ankunda – when I was heading towards P.7 registration. Bro, that is some dotcom grandma! It is usually grannies that give surnames… She’s not even dot-com, but she knew some English. She wanted to give my parents the chance to decide on a surname, although they delayed. She was like, okay, let me call him Just Conrad. Tell Quick Talk about your education background. I went to St Mary’s School for both primary and O’level; it is in Bushenyi. For A’level I went to St. Mary’s Kitende, which is also a Catholic school. See, my grandma wanted me to be a priest [Bambi! Maybe she should have enrolled you in a seminary, instead!] She made sure she took me to Catholic schools until one time in high school they brought for us girls from another school and we had a “kadanke” [school dance]. What I saw in that main hall…! I was like, you know what? God can wait. We still have a lot of time. And here you are doing comedy; how did it come up? I studied clinical medicine, by the way. I’m a clinician by profession, but not practicing. I did the clinical medicine for my parents because that’s what they wanted. But after that, I was like now I’m going for comedy because that’s what I wanted. It’s what I am doing full time. Hmmm, you are like the fourth mediccomedian I have met so far… [We need doctors too, guys!] I think medical school is so traumatizing that after you have graduated, you are like, you know what, I need to relieve this stress. But I will speak for myself. Truth is, I went to medical school for my parents; they were paying the school fees and I did not want to disappoint them. Remember, I had already disappointed my grandmother who wanted me to be a priest but also after graduating from medical school jobs where not really forthcoming.I was like, after all, I did not love medical school that much. I started doing comedy But comedy is not something you just wake up and do. The truth is, I was a very quiet child. I was a loner. But at campus, there’s one day I had an event. It was a cultural ball at campus. And somehow, I found myself on stage with a mic in my hands. I was cracking jokes. And people were “dying”. That memory of just talking and people having a good time, stuck with me. It’s what pushed me to go back and do comedy, because I realized I’m funny. Which year did you start out officially as a comedian? 2023 is when I said, you know what, I’m not doing anything else for now. Let me first give comedy 100 per cent. I was 23. That’s when I first got my first five minutes. Those first five minutes are very important. They are the ones that push you. Before you know it, you have an hour. So, since 2023, I’ve built some good material. And this month I’m doing my first special, I’m calling it The Underdogs. How was your first experience on stage? The first time is always weird. I had some good material because after campus, I got employed by my uncle at a pork joint. I was managing it, but I ate the business until it collapsed [hahahaa… eh, musawo!] So, at my first performance I was just talking about that experience. What has been the biggest challenge faced as a young comedian? I think we have a very big problem of stage. We don’t have that much stage. For example, we have one comedy club in the country. That is the Laughing Marabou Stork. That means you have a chance to perform once a week. And you’re many, meaning not every week you’ll be performing. You get it? Yeah… but how about Comedy Store. What’s the difference? Comedy Store is a cocktail. It has skit performers. It has musicians on stage. It has stand-up. So, it’s a lot. But the Laughing Marabou Stork is purely stand-up comedy. That’s the difference. Oh, I see. Where do you see yourself in the future? Next year, I want to tour Africa. I want to start with Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. I already have friends on the ground who are willing to help me make it happen. What should your fans expect from The Underdogs? My fans should expect a very good time. I’m opening up. This is going to be like therapy to me. I’m talking about my life stories. This is going to be a healing time for me. I’m bringing out all the jokes, all the stories, and it’s going to be fun. I’m ready for it. devonssuubi@gmail.comThe post Granny wanted a priest, parents a medic, but Conrad chose comedy appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.