Paul Ogata a superhero
for young comediansSuccess was a long time coming
for the "Amazing Asian"
Being a "celebrity" can have its drawbacks, stand-up comic/actor/radio personality Paul Ogata explained earlier this week, even if some of his misadventures provide him with material for his comedy or his morning show slot with Kid Leo on 102.7 "Da Bomb."
For instance, last weekend a woman who enjoys "Da Bomb" walked up to him after a nightclub performance and started talking. Ogata thought he was just being polite in talking to a fan. His wife thought otherwise.
"I guess (she) listens to the show and wanted to see me, so she came to a show and (touched my arm) and everything, and I got in trouble," Ogata said. This was after he and Leo had devoted much of the morning to discussing male/female relationships, and womens' advantage in relations between the sexes.
Frank DeLima, Andy Bumatai and Paul Ogata
Trio will stage a Mother's Day comedy showWhere: The Palace Showroom, 227 Lewers St.
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $45; includes buffet dinner
Reservations: 923-7469
Also: "The Amazing Asian Show Live," starring Ogata, will screen at Dave & Buster's, 1030 Auahi St., at 7 and 9 p.m. May 27. Admission $15. Call 589-2215.
"We were reading the news and there was a story of a guy who set his house on fire after he had an argument with his girlfriend. To me, that just proves how stupid men are ... and 99 percent of the people -- men and women -- agreed with us.
"One women (who called in) thought we were being misogynistic and she couldn't pronounce the word. We weren't, we were talking about how stupid men are, and my story seemed to fit in."
Ogata says that whatever a listener's opinion may be, callers can make radio seem more like working a club and less like talking to yourself in small room, and the show is a good place to test ideas before trying them out on paying customers .
"Doing radio was weird at first because there's no instant audience, but a lot of times I'll break new stuff on the air and then try it in the club; if Leo is laughing that's a good sign that it'll work.
"The (radio) format we're doing is really the pulse on what's hot -- the music, the movies, the clubs," he says, too modest to mention that "Da Bomb" has jumped from No. 11 in Arbitron ratings, to a tie for No. 4 with KCCN/FM100 for listeners ages 12 and older, and that he and Leo have Honolulu's fourth most popular morning show out of a field of more than 20 radio stations.
Paul Ogata aims for laughs at 102.7 "Da Bomb," where he practices some of his stand-up comedy on morning radio listeners. He'll be joining veteran comics Frank DeLima and Andy Bumatai on stage Sunday, and will make his film debut later this month as the superhero "Amazing Asian."
MAY IS THE start of a busy season for Ogata, and he's working the next few weekends in Waikiki. He joins Frank DeLima and Andy Bumatai for a special "Mother's Day Buffet" show Sunday evening at the Palace Showroom on Lewers Street. He and Bumatai are also working the Palace in an early evening double-bill at 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 22. On May 27 Ogata and Bumatai will be over at Dave & Buster's for two preview screenings of Ogata's new movie, "The Amazing Asian Show."
Ogata plays Amazing Asian, "AA" for short, an "under-appreciated superhero" who must save the world from the dreaded Waianae Man. Bumatai, Gerard Elmore, Shawn Felipe, Brian Lentz, Cathy Tanaka, and the Hawaiian Guy from Molokai, have supporting roles and will perform before each screening. The event is a fund-raiser to help promote the movie outside Hawaii.
"Gerard came up with the idea of having a superhero battle Waianae Man, and it sprung from there. He had an idea of what the story should be and so there was a plot outline and we all wrote it as we went along," Ogata said.
"We've shot everything and Gerard is scoring it and adding the special effects. I still haven't seen the finished project yet. I'd like to see it before the 27th so I'll know whether to show up or not."
Anyone who's followed Ogata's career over the years recognizes Waianae Man as a character in one of his early bits poking fun at local crime news. The focus on Waianae Man leaves the path open for a sequel in which "AA" takes on another local super villain, Nanakuli Youth, and then perhaps will move on to tackle similar super-criminals such as Local Male and Additional Suspects.
"And Unidentified Man, who can make off with an "undisclosed amount." It's writing itself," Ogata said.
In June, Ogata goes to Los Angeles for several "tune-up performances" at the Laugh Factory before he guests on CBS's "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" on June 15. After that, Ogata's off to New York to film a show for the new WorldAsia Television network, an opportunity he won by taking first place at the TakeOut Comedy competition here in March.
IF THIS SOUNDS like "overnight success," think again. Like most "overnight successes" in the entertainment business, Ogata has been paying his dues for years -- 15 to be exact. He released a full-length comedy album, "Mental Oriental," in 1998. Betcha don't remember it.
Ogata learned early that doing stand-up -- even for local audiences -- wasn't easy. He quit for a year or two, but discovered that not doing comedy was more difficult.
"There's something inside you, if you're gonna do this, that won't let you quit for a long time. It's like Al Pacino says in 'Godfather III': 'Every time I try to get out it pulls me back in.'
"That's what happened ... but it certainly took a long time for me to get the point where somebody wants to put me on a national talk show."
But now they do, and Ogata's accomplishments will inspire younger comics the same way that Andy Bumatai did back in the early '80s. Bumatai reigns as the grand old man of Hawaii's stand-up comedy scene, but Ogata's 15 years in the business, and ever-increasing visibility, is making him an inspiration and mentor as well.
"I see a lot of young comics coming out now and I'm really impressed by the progress they're making. They just have this commitment and this dedication to their craft that I envy.
"I wish I'd had that before, but it's like your 10th year high school reunion. You think, 'Am I that far removed from high school?' I envy them for their enthusiasm, and the progress they're making, and as much as I can I give them advice and support."
He adds that a "growing appetite" for comedy here is giving the new generation of comics more opportunities and places to work than existed 10 or 15 years ago. Whereas before there were "comedy clubs" that survived or failed with nothing but comedy, the scene now includes nightclubs, restaurants and showrooms that open their stages to comics one night a week -- Brew Moon and All-Star Hawaii are among them -- allowing experienced comics to share the stage with promising young stars and novices taking a stab at stand-up.
"There's more than just one place to perform now instead of the way it was back in the Eddie Sax days (of the '80s and early '90s). Open mics are popping up around the place, and I envy them that too and the opportunities that they have. But maybe I'm just trying to justify what it's taken me so long."
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