BY MUNYA VOMO
We called it when we listed Trevor Noah among the African A-listers who should be considered to host the MTV Awards Music Awards (Mamas) on Saturday.
Two days after we discussed the people who should front the awards, the announcement was made and Noah was confirmed as the host, becoming the first African to do so after a number of Americans had handled the job in the past. The host of The Daily Show is not only confident on stage, but has presented the South African Music Awards and did a stellar job.
Of course, this is bigger showcase, but Noah is not intimidated; he has had years to prepare.
“I always try to be myself on stage, or a version of myself that is best for the show. I think at The Mamas the same will be true,” he said.
We will stick with the assumption that the Mamas heeded our call and gave the funnyman a nudge with the job offer. He, in turn, explained why he agreed to drop everything and fly home for this event.
“It came through like any other request that I get to host things, my default answer is generally ‘no’, because I live in New York and film daily. However, MTV and Comedy Central are siblings and part of the same family, so it made sense,” he said.
As a comedian, you know we are in for a free show of off- the-cuff jokes that you haven’t seen on his DVDs, but Noah also promised to stick to the script.
“Auto-cue has been part of my life for many things I’ve done before The Daily Show. I’m very comfortable with it. Obviously, that doesn’t come close to when you’re on a stand-up stage and a joke comes to you on the spot, that feeling is amazing,” he said.
Noah has been an indirect part of the Mamas because while he’s never been to the showcase, he was a winner in the Personality of the Year Category last year. Although he was not there to accept the award, he watches the ceremony when he can.
“My thoughts are that anything that showcases African music and achievement is amazing. I’ve not been to a Mamas, but always kept an eye out for them,” he said.
For someone who’s been around the world, Noah would know where we stand as a continent as far as the quality of production is concerned. “We have some great awards shows in Africa and some not-so-great ones, which is exactly how it is in the world. Africa is doing amazing things and developing in all ways at an amazing rate,” he said.
The Mamas could have taken place anywhere on the continent, but the deal was sweeter for Noah because they will be held in Joburg, his home town.
“I understand that this is the first time they’re in Jozi and that’s amazing considering Joburg is such a big part of the music scene, financial scene and generally a huge influence on what happens in Africa. I love coming home, so that’s always special,” he said.
We took the conversation to the Rob Lowe Roast where the unpopular social and political commentator, Ann Coulter, took a dig at Noah. Coulter said to Lowe: “Giving you a roast is the worst decision Comedy Central’s made since they replaced Jon Stewart with a South African child. That’s a Trevor Noah joke, the one immigrant I’m most excited to see deported.”
Noah, who is not new to Comedy Central’s roasts, brushed off the diss. “In a way, I love getting criticism because then you’re worthy of criticism. The tallest trees get the most wind. Worse than criticism is people being indifferent. In my job, we need to illicit reactions from people. I think Ann Coulter is very used to criticism, like I am,” said Noah.
Among some of his projects this year is a book which the comedian has published, entitled Born a Crime. This will speak more to his upbringing in ways you haven’t heard before. “I have been fortunate to live a fun and interesting life, I have shared a lot of that on stage in my comedy, so the idea of the book was to delve into the detail of my life growing up through a collection of short stories. I am excited to share these with the world,” he said.
The Mamas, at the TicketPro Dome, Joburg, Saturday. R250 at TicketPro.
