Notorious is just one of the words Russell Peters uses to describe his recent birthday party. The Canadian comedian says he had quite the night on the tiles with the likes of Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick when he turned 43 just a few weeks ago, but now he's got even more cause for celebration as his comedy special and brand new documentary series make their Netflix debut.
The aptly titled Notorious sees Peters playing to a crowd of around 16,000 in Sydney Australia, which was just one of an extraordinary number of stops on a world tour that he actually has yet to complete. He joins us on the line from New York city, where he's taking some time to talk before heading off for a few gigs in the Middle East.
"I used to come to Ireland all the time" he chirps down the phone, "I used to play Cork, Killarney, Galway, Dublin, Belfast, Derry. I did the entire island. You know what comedy nights are like in Ireland, they're in little pubs and you're standing on a milk crate half the time". He first graced our shores in the 1990s so, in fairness, we'd easily believe it.
"I would have the best time because they'd usually send me out with an English comic, and an English comic would always get booed in Ireland, whether it be north or south" the comedian chuckles. "I was just like the hero and I was exotic over there, I love Ireland" he says. However, t'is a long way this lad has come since his days on our own little comedy circuit.
Russell Peters is now one of the world's most famous stand up talents, with over 60 million views on YouTube and a spot on Forbes 'Top Ten Highest Grossing Comics in the USA' list in both 2009 and 2010. On this side of the Atlantic he broke the UK attendance record for the highest number of tickets sold for an individual comedy show back in 2009, when over 16,000 fans snapped up seats for a gig in London's O2, and has also sold out tours in the United States, Australia, England, The United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Singapore, India and Canada to name but a few. Is it any wonder Netflix was eager to snap up his next special for their first ever comedy exclusive?
"Netflix is one of those companies that's ahead of the curve" Peters explains when asked what it was that made him decide to work with the streaming site. "They're the innovators, they're the kings of [streaming content]. They stepped up and they said and did all the right things. I'm not a new guy to the standup game but they knew that my popularity catapulted from the internet back in 05"
His respect for the global streaming giant is evident: He even allowed them to bring their cameras behind the scenes for a Netflix exclusive series. "They wanted to do something that was more than just a stand-up special because anybody can do a stand up special and then say it's exclusive to somebody. How do you prove that?" he laughs, "Well, here's how you prove it, we're gonna follow you around for a little bit so people don't think this is a sham".
Billed as "an exclusive, behind-the-scenes trip around the world with his record-breaking Notorious Tour, Russell Peters vs The World is essentially a backstage pass to a global comedy phenomenon. Did the cameras change the experience of life on the road for the comedian and his crew? Peters says no, before expressing his sympathy for the folks in the editing room. "The only time you get weird is when the camera first turns on. You're like HEY CAMERA, and then you forget the camera's there and you start living your life again."
"It's funny because I can only imagine how boring a lot of the footage was, because a lot of the time when we're on tour not a lot is being said we're just sitting around, waiting or tired, so the editing process must have been quite tedious I would imagine."
Of course this brand new series will introduce him to a new audience, taking his comedy off the circuit and bringing it to the wider world. How does he feel about the big departure? Well, in true Rusell Peters style, he's embracing it with boundless enthusiasm. "That's one of the key things that made me want to continue working with them", he explains. "I saw how many new people they were introducing me too. It wasn't like I was bringing everything to them, they were bringing things to me as well so, I think it was a one hand washes the other situation."
It's clear that Russell is rather excited about the big Netflix reveal but, with so much success under his belt already, we can't help but ask if there's anything else he'd like to add to that extensive list of achievements? "For me it's about acceptance, that's all I really care about" he states."I'm like do my peers accept me? I've always felt a little resistance with that. The entertainment world is like high school - if you're not in with the popular kids you're not cool and I'm not in with the popular kids, I guess I would be the loner."
"But here's the thing with a comedian, the more we're on the outside the better it is for us, so go ahead, keep me on the outside. I'm just gonna get better at what I'm doing."
Russell Peters: Notorious and Russell Peters vs The World are both available to stream on Netflix.