Interview with Jon Niermann: Funnyman host of Asia Uncut

You’ve been in the entertainment industry for years, but mostly in a management capacity. How did this show come about?

This is a bug that I’ve had for a long time. In fact, in college I told my girlfriend at the time – who’s now my wife – that I was going to be a talkshow host. I was trying to get some action. I wasn’t good-looking, I wasn’t wealthy, so I figured I had to play the funny angle. We finally shot a pilot last May, and we found that networks were interested.

Why now after all this time?

People get sick of hearing you talk about something all the time. It’s like, ‘Dude, if you want to shoot it, shoot it. Otherwise, shut up and stop talking about it.’ So I just decided [to go ahead with it]. I always thought [Asia] was missing this late-night talk show in English. When I worked at Disney, we’d bring a celebrity out and there wasn’t anywhere to put him, in terms of a show like this.

How are you finding hosting the show?

I’m really enjoying it. There weren’t any expectations [because] nobody knows who I am. People kind of looked at me with this ‘isn’t that cute – he’s doing his little hobby thing’. Now we have to prove that it’s worth tuning into, and that it’s going to provide entertainment.

Is your show modelled on American talk shows?

Yeah, growing up I was a huge fan of Johnny Carson, and have always loved the format. What we wanted to do is take the key parts of the format but shake it up a bit. Each show, we’ve got an international guest, a regional personality, a local personality, a musician and a comedian. That’s how we’re rolling here.

Got any trademark segments planned, like Letterman’s Top Ten?

We’ve tried a few like best clip, YouTube-type stuff, and fun with the language stuff. We’re just trying to find out what the reaction is. It’s hard to say what our signature is until people respond.

You talked about your comedic side. I read that your favourite movies are Caddyshack, Airplane and Animal House. Is that the kind of humour that you’re going to be bringing to the show?

[Laughs] Pretty much. It’s certainly not sophisticated humour. My inspiration is a lot of physical stuff like Steve Martin – he was a huge inspiration [when I was growing up]. I love those goofy, inane movies that make people laugh.

Is your approach to the show largely comedic?

I’ve evolved over the tapings. Initially, there was this pressure to deliver a punchline every time I opened my mouth. I’ve learned to relax a little bit in terms of that interaction, to let the guest do a lot of the fun stuff and get them into a comfortable situation. We want to create an atmosphere that’s unique and fun for the guest. I really want this to be the destination for people coming through Asia – if you’re going to be on a regional talk show, Asia Uncut has to be that show.

Asia Uncut airs on Star World (Channel 18) on Fridays at 11.30pm.