[00:00:00] Pam Uzzell: Do you believe art can change the world? So do I! On this show, we meet artists whose work is doing just that. Welcome to Art Heals All Wounds. I'm your host, Pam Uzzell.
This season, I've been asking for listeners to share their stories of belonging in a voicemail to the show. I got a great one to share right now. It's from podcaster and standup [00:01:00] comedian, Rabiah
Coon.
[00:01:01] Rabiah Coon: My name is Rabiah Coon, and I have a podcast called More Than Work, but before that I've been working in IT for 20 years.
I'm still doing that. And I'm also a standup comedian. And I think, oddly enough, in standup comedy, I've found, I've found a sense of belonging in a way. That I didn't expect to find because though there are a lot of other aspects to being a comedian and, and working with different people and like any other coworkers, some of them you get along with and some you don't, I've found various people that I've connected with and we've become friends as real people, we've become acquaintances at gigs, just depends on the person.
But one thing that's great is being able to walk into a gig, and usually it's in a basement or some kind of not great space. I'm in London, so a lot of [00:02:00] basements. And you see the face of someone you met at the previous gig and you enjoyed their set. Or you just liked what they had to say or they were just supportive of you or something.
And you have this connection. And it's a connection to someone you wouldn't have connected with if you weren't doing the art, the comedy. I think it's nice because especially as a female in comedy, it's a little bit tricky. It's a very male dominated space, like a lot of spaces. And there are some great guys that I'm friends with and that I've bonded with in comedy, but there's something about there being another woman on the bill, too, because sometimes you're the only one and then you don't feel like you belong because you're the only of a type and you get introduced on stage as the woman on the bill or the girl on the bill sometimes.
So even then, there's a sense of belonging when there's more. Some friends of mine founded the [00:03:00] Queer Comedy Club in London, and that's been a place I've seen even more belonging. And as someone who does identify as LGBTQ, really the B, but also as someone who has always been an ally, I found that to be a space with the most belonging.
And again, as a comedian, walking into... the room, recognizing people, being part of really a team of acts, getting the night done, and getting on stage and trying to make people laugh and supporting each other. I think that's where I'm finding it too. I do have one story though that I really like, I was doing gigs on Zoom over the lockdown periods and it was awkward.
I mean, you're sitting in your living room, possibly not hearing anyone laugh, which can happen in a club too, but you're just by yourself and you're talking to a camera and you're hoping someone on the other side is getting it and you kind of just do it with confidence as though it doesn't matter what's happening, they're laughing, you know.[00:04:00]
And I met this, this comedian. I, well, I saw this comedian perform and she was great. She was so funny and I hadn't seen her before. And I, I just thought she was really cool. And we had a gig again, later on in lockdown, like a week later, probably. And I, quote unquote slid into her DMs, um, in Zoom. I just went in Zoom and messaged her and said, Hey, I really think you're funny.
I really like your stuff. I just wanted to tell you. And it felt like awkward because you don't know how people are going to take it. She said, Oh, you know, she liked me, my stuff too. And that her boyfriend also thought it was funny. He happened to be in the background. And we said, let's meet for coffee when she was back in London and we were safe to go out.
And I said, okay. And we did, we actually did months later, probably could have been six months or a year later. I don't know. We met, we ended up teaming up and performing together and we've been really supportive of each other. And we come from two different places. I'm from the U S she's from the UK. We have two different backgrounds, um, [00:05:00] different experiences, but we both perform authentically things that are true to us and
also some things that are just nonsense as comedians are. But again, it's a place she's someone who I just, I feel like when we're in the room together, like I do feel a sense of belonging, like I'm somewhere I'm supposed to be. And I think the whole thing is with comedy, you're storytelling, you're trying to make people laugh, but you're also telling stories.
And you're also then connecting on a human level with people, because you, when you're up on stage, there's nothing going on, but being on stage. But after that, you've got your whole life and. And I think that it's really special for me just to be able to tell stories in this way that makes people laugh and connects with them, but also to be able to connect with other acts and just be friends.
And I think, yeah, I've just felt a sense of belonging when I'm on stage, but also when I'm off in a lot of cases. And I really like that. And if I hadn't stepped on stage for the first time, I wouldn't have that.[00:06:00]
[00:06:12] Pam Uzzell: Thank you so much, Rabiah, for sending this voicemail. If you want to share your story of belonging, just go to my website, arthealsallwounds. com. I'd love to feature your story on a future episode.