The Almost Perfect Podcast

Not many people in comedy have an engineering degree to fall back on (they're usually doctors), but Céline Tshika is, uh, built different. You probably know Céline from her viral musical sketches that have skyrocketed her to online fame, but those videos are the culmination of years of experimenting and growing as a multi-faceted artist. After making her parents happy by earning an engineering degree, Céline ventured to the Cape Town of USA, Los Angeles, and studied acting, where she created, wrote and starred in her award-winning comedy web series, Jess Goes West. Now she's back in the Los Angeles of SA and combining her love of theatre, music, and comedy with her debut solo show, Bad African.

In this episode, we hear how things literally changed over night for Céline and discuss the pressures of delivering a great live show when you've built an audience online. We get into Céline's journey with religion and the anxiety of talking about it on stage in a typically conservative country. And we learn about the realities of going viral on the wrong parts of the internet. Enjoy.

Keep up with Céline on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celinetshika/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/almostperfect

Buy tickets to Bob's WIP performance of It's Not The End of the World: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/307177-its-not-the-end-of-the-world-bob-perfect/#/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite being called a "gimmick act" by older comedians early in his comedy journey, Phil de Lange has had a career many of them would be jealous of. He has a Comics Choice Award under his belt, performed as part of Trevor Noah's Nation Wild tour, and regularly headlines shows all across the country. All that while producing the breakfast show on Smile FM, and putting together his podcast, Petty Crime South Africa, which won the SA Podcasting Award for best comedy podcast. As an alt music scenester from a small city, Phil and Bob share many similarities, which makes Phil the perfect guy to give Bob tips on how to navigate his recent move to Cape Town.

In this episode, we hear how Phil and Bob were both at the same small punk festival in Bloemfontein, we discuss the surprisingly controversial topic of musical comedy and whether or not Phil sees his ukulele as a crutch, and we gush about our mutual love of Marc Maron and audio-only podcasting. Enjoy.

Keep up with Phil on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeyourphil/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Di Frost is one half of the team behind Comedy on Kloof, a queer and women friendly weekly comedy gig in Cape Town that recently celebrated it's second birthday. She's also a creative strategist and content creator who helps other creative types with their online presence through Frost Creative. Oh, and she's double jointed, which, oddly enough, helped her when she was having a stroke. She'll explain how on the podcast.

In this podcast we get into the highs and lows of running a queer and women friendly gig in a typically masculine industry, we get some tips and tricks on how to make your TikTok pop, and we learn how she found out that her closet was more of a glass cabinet. Enjoy.

Follow Di on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/difrost_/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know what they say, it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. Comedian and actor Jaryd Pillay is living proof of the adage. With a decade of performing stand-up comedy under his belt, Jaryd finally had a breakthrough year in 2024 where everything he'd been working on started to click into place. He won the Jive Funny Championship after years of not making it past the first round, which saw him performing to hundreds of people at the Baxter every night for nearly a month at the Jive Comedy Festival. He's also crafted his solo show The Passion of the Curry to a point where standing ovations are a regular occurrence, and his weekly gig at Ground Culture is one of the most popular in Cape Town.

In this episode, we hear about how he got dumped on the way to perform at the National Arts Fest, his disastrous Durban debut and triumphant return, and how he became the Ferryman in the Resident Evil TV series. Enjoy.

Keep up with Jaryd on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatraaj/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Anyway, I'm moving to Cape Town.

See you soon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Loopy is a local legend. If you spent any amount of time at The Winston Pub in Durban, or Lefty's in Cape Town, there's no doubt Loopy would have hustled a sip of your drink at least once. Loopy has fully lived the skollie punk life, engaging in debauchery and crashing on couches around the country as a member of one of Durban's most chaotic bands, Fruits & Veggies. These days, she passes for a respectable member of society with a journalism degree under her belt and a writing portfolio established at The Lake.

In this episode, we reminisce over the glory (citation needed) days of Durban's alternative scene and The Winston Pub. We hear about the rise and fall of Fruits and Veggies. And we learn how Loopy became the unlikely manager of Lefty's. Enjoy.

Keep up with Loopy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/looptroop021/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know Nina Hastie. You've seen her on TV, Netflix, social media, and you've no doubt her voice in countless ads and voice overs. She's been everywhere and done everything, yet she feels like she doesn't have a concrete body of work to point to. This has lead her putting all her focus on developing a new hour of comedy that tells the world exactly who she is.

In this episode, we get into managing ADHD, addiction and recovery, why you should do a S.W.O.T analysis on yourself, and having a 20 year plan. Enjoy.

Keep up with Nina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatninahastie/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nate Levinrad is a comedian and one half of the That's Not Funny team putting on gigs in Cape Town. He also occasionally dabbles in music journalism, although he picked the worst time to get into that industry. Nate calls himself a "loud Jew " who advocates for a free Palestine.

In this episode, we get into growing up Jewish in a small town, how his parents inspired his political activism, and how his history in the music scene gave him the skills to organise successful comedy shows. Enjoy.

Keep up with Nate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natevuyolevinrad/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024 Comics Choice Newcomer Callum Hitchcock has had an unconventional career in the three years he's been doing comedy. In his first five gigs he opened for Khanyisa Bunu, put on a gig where he made more money than some headliners, and did a one-man show at the National Arts Festival. Turns out being from PE was a blessing in disguise.

In this episode, we hear about his journey starting comedy in a small town in between lockdowns, we learn about the advantages and pressures of winning an award so early in his career, and we get into the joys and pains of being a Hotspurs fan. Enjoy.

Keep up with Callum on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callum_hitchcock/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and podcaster Simmi Areff is the go-to-guy when it comes to podcasting in South Africa. These days he's the co-host of the hilarious Badvice podcast and founder of the All Ears podcast network, although he started out hosting Lesser Known Somebodies and built his CV as a producer through POC Podcasts.

We get into the business of podcasting, how to network as a misanthrope, and why he believes in magic.

Follow Simmi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simmiareff/

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/almostperfect

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.