SnobTalk by Gianni Fiasche
If you’ve never heard of Sooshi Mango you might be wondering; who the hell are Sooshi Mango? The comedic troupe from down under is compiled of brothers Joe and Carlo, and their good friend Andrew, and they live for making comedy relatable to their fans around the world. Having been seen on YouTube and social media hundreds of thousands of times, Sooshi Mango is now embarking on their first ever tour of Canada, with a stop in Saint-Leonard at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre on February 10th. I had the chance to speak to the jokesters all the way across the world, and here’s what went down:
GF: How did Sooshi Mango come about?
Joe: The name came to us one night because my nephew was running around the house screaming “SOOSHI MANGO, SOOSHI MANGO!”, and we thought that was hilarious and we just stuck with it. The internet views happened when my brother posted a rant video, and it was shared so many times after the initial post. After that we decided to install a camera in the car and have it film our stupidities, we then chopped it up and posted it online and once you get all that love from people you get addicted to that feeling; it’s almost like a drug. Following that video we released one called “Italian vs. Greeks”, and that’s what put us on the map. It was viewed so many times online, it was crazy!
GF: Why do you think the videos get so much love?
Carlo: I think it’s because the videos we create are relatable to every family, every ethnicity. Our videos kicked off in Australia, but then views came from Canada, the U.S., and even Europe. It’s been a crazy journey and now we can’t wait to start the Canadian tour.
GF: Who are your comedic inspirations?
Carlo: Our heroes growing up were Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello, we really loved slapstick comedy and my Dad would have this stuff on all the time and he’d piss himself laughing. Ha-ha!
Joe: I’d also say that we loved watching Don Rickles, Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor; they are the titans of comedy. We just adore comedy in all shapes and sizes.
GF: What are your favorite movies?
Carlo: “Rocky” is without a doubt my favorite movie. Sure there are some comedy classics but “Rocky” is the best.
Joe: Mine would have to be “Grease”. It really goes to show how ethnic we are; our favorite movies are “Rocky” and “Grease”. Ha-ha!
GF: Who are your favorite bands / artists?
Carlo: I’ll jump right in and say that Michael Jackson is number one favorite artist. He’s the king. He was the best entertainer, performer and the way he moved on stage and the emotion that was put in his songs was incredible.
Joe: I love music in general, this is a tough one. Of course I love Michael Jackson, but I’d also put Elvis in that same category and I’ll stick with that. You’ve really got me thinking now and you know what; put Michael Buble in there as well, a good old Canadian boy – we love his music.
GF: What is Sooshi Mango’s ultimate goal?
Carlo: When we first started the ultimate goal we set out was to have our own TV show. We’ve done a lot of things leading up to that point, like we’ve toured Australia nationally a few times, we’re going international as well which is massive for us, but developing our own sitcom of some sort and even doing movies is the ultimate goal.
GF: Finally, what song would you have played at your funeral?
Joe: Ha-ha, oh my God – that’s a great one! Carlo, would yours be the “Rocky” anthem? For me I would say, “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra. The perfect song for your way out of the world.
Carlo: It wouldn’t actually be a song from the “Rocky” soundtrack, but the happiest song I’ve ever heard would be “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. That song could be playing and even if you’ve been stabbed, you’ll have a smile on your face.
Sooshi Mango performs Sunday, February 10th at 7pm with special guest Giuseppe The MC at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre. A few tickets are still available at cldv.ca and cost 61.50$. You don’t want to miss this evening of comedy from down under – See you there!