Comedian Ricardo Quevedo: "The easy joke is almost never the best joke"

The Jameos International Humor Festival (FIHJ) expands its international dimension with the incorporation of Colombian comedian Ricardo Quevedo, who will present his show 'Caer con estilo' exclusively for all of Spain at 8:00 PM on September 5, at the Auditorio Jameos del Agua. In an interview, the comedian talks about what he expects from his show in Lanzarote and what characterizes his humor.

1. Jameos del Agua is a natural stage, inside a volcanic cave. What does it mean for you to perform on such a unique stage? And how does your humor adapt to a space so different from a conventional theater?

Performing in a volcanic cave sounds like something I would have invented myself in a joke ten years ago and no one would have believed me. It's a huge honor, because one is used to theaters with chairs, lights, a curtain... and suddenly they tell you "no, this was made by a volcano." That immediately lowers your ego: the real protagonist there is the stage, one is only interrupting the silence of nature with jokes about family and WhatsApp.

As for adapting humor, the beauty is that comedy fundamentally doesn't change format: if the story is good, it works in a theater, in a bar, or inside a cave. What does change is the energy: a place like this forces you to be more present, more honest, because the space itself is already spectacular and one cannot compete with that, only accompany it.

2. You are one of the Colombian comedians with the greatest international projection. What do you think Spaniards and Latin Americans have in common when it comes to laughing?

I think we laugh at the same things: family, relationships, those habits we all have and that no one admits out loud until a comedian says them on stage. The accent changes, the vocabulary changes, but the embarrassment of recognizing oneself in the joke is exactly the same in Bogotá as in Madrid or in Lanzarote. In the end, everyday humor works because it touches something universal: we all have a mom who calls us six times a day or a friend who never pays the bill.

3. Is there any joke or material that you have had to adapt when coming to Spain, something that works differently here than in Colombia?

Yes, there is material that needs to be adjusted, especially when the joke depends on a very Colombian word or reference: an idiom, a brand, a character from there that nobody knows here. There you have to find the equivalent or simply explain the context without it feeling like a geography lesson. The curious thing is that the joke that does work the same on both sides is the one about family: that has no borders.

4. Your humor is characterized by addressing everyday situations and turning them into material for comedy. What things still make you laugh after so many years on stage?

The usual things, honestly: family, couples, those people you see on the street acting as if nobody is watching them. After so many years in this, you develop a kind of radar for the everyday absurd, and that never runs out because people continue to be wonderfully ridiculous every day. Now that I'm a dad, I also have new material that I didn't even know existed before.

5. Has the way of making humor changed in recent years? Are there topics that are more difficult to joke about today?

Yes, it has changed, and I think for the better in many ways: today one thinks more before making a joke, one questions more where the laughter comes from and at whose expense. That doesn't mean there's less freedom, but rather that you have to be smarter when telling things. I don't avoid the most sensitive topics, but I do try to find the right angle for them, because the easy joke is almost never the best joke.

6. What would you say to someone who is still hesitating to buy a ticket to see you on September 5th at Jameos del Agua?

I would tell them to go for it, because they won't see just any show: they will be inside a volcano laughing at their own lives. They won't be able to tell that story twice the same way. And if I promise you anything, it's that you'll leave there wanting to call your family... even if it's just to annoy them with what you heard.