The very first German speaker invited to this podcast is not from Germany, but from Austria - a relatively small country that produced a range of household names from Mozart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joseph Fritzl, Hitler to Conchita Wurst. This small country is also the remnants of the once mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Hubert explains why the loss of the empire creates a visibly darker sense of humour - as opposed to Germans - that is shared amongst Austrians, and how this in his cultural DNA shapes his edgier and darker choices of subjects in his comedy.

See Hubert's performance at Comedy Store

Hubert and Kuan-wen also discussed whether Hubert's incredibly deep voice, coupled with his mild but noticeable German accent, is rather soothing, creepy or manipulative in his comedy delivery.

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Hubert's Instagram and Twitter

Follow host Kuan-wen on Instagram or Twitter

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Episode timeline

00:46 Intro

01:44 How to pronounce Hubert Mayr in German

02:59 Being a German speaker but coming from (the lesser known) Austria

05:51 "Not a bad accent"

07:25 Austrians having a milder accent speaking English compared to Germans

08:60 Austria v. Bavaria v, the whole of Germany

10:36 Placing Hubert's accent

11:46 Why does Hubert describe his accent as CREEPY?

14:06 Hubert's deep, low voice and its potential manipulative quality

21:05 Hubert's darker jokes - comedy coming from a place of pain

22:14 Austrians having a darker sense of humour

24:35 An off-track chat on schlagers

26:03 The empire hangover and WWII shaping Austrians' sense of humour

29:45 "The Sound of Music" and Kuan-wen singing "The Lonely Goater" in Mandarin from his boys choir days

33:39 The shaping of modern Austrian identify as an insignificant country after the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

36:47 Hubert's autobiographical comedy and why he refrains from criticising the British people

38:42 Laughing at his own (dark) jokes

39:57 Jokes about being Austria or famous people from Austria; jokes based on a nationality

45:57 The catholic upbringing

49:36 Hubert's social media

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Hubert mentioned two Austrian films: Indien - English title India - and Muttertag - English title Mother's Day.

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe