“I think it’s a little bit overblown because when you ask somebody what a woke comic is, they can’t name anybody. It’s just a little bit of a boogeyman.”
Then comes another perfectly timed punchline.
“What would you rather be than woke? In a coma?”
She also believes comedians naturally become activists—but warns against becoming political mouthpieces.
“I think comedians naturally are activists. It’s just, what are you an activist for?”
She pauses before adding, “If you’re going to somebody’s inauguration, for example, you no longer become a comedian. You’re being a propagandist at that point. You’ve got to keep your own perspective and make sure somebody else isn’t steering you.”
The parents who didn’t quite get it
Comedy wasn’t exactly the career Dana’s parents had in mind.
“I did the International Baccalaureate and they were a little depressed,” she laughs.
Her mother once asked, “‘Why did you do all those advanced programmes if you were just going to be a comedian?'”
Alexander’s answer was simple.
“I go to bed thinking of jokes. I wake up thinking of jokes. I dream jokes.”
Her mother’s response stayed with her.
“She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had something like that in my life.’ Then she just left me alone because I wasn’t borrowing money off her.”
Her father, meanwhile, still struggles with her choice of profession.
“My father still won’t watch me,” she says, laughing. “He’s only ever seen my television stuff.”
Yet love revealed itself in quieter ways.
“My mum came to one of my shows and brought 22 of her co-workers. One woman came up to me and said, ‘Your mum is so proud of you. She has your picture on her desk and talks about you all the time.’ I was shocked. I was like, ‘Wish I knew that.'”
AI? Not quite. India? Absolutely.
Alexander laughs when asked about artificial intelligence.
“I’ve always been somebody who’s very resistant to technology.”
The first time her computer started talking to her?
“I just replied, ‘Demon, come out of me!'”
Even an AI-generated promotional poster left her unconvinced.
“It looked like an Archie comic version of me. My mum said, ‘Wow, Dana, that’s a beautiful gown. When did you change your hair?’ I was like, ‘Who is this girl?'”
She has far fonder memories of performing in India with comedian Vir Das.
“I met Vir Das at the Singapore Comedy Festival and then he created his own festival throughout India. We did Mumbai and Pune. The shows were excellent.”