The Best of Trevor’s Accents - Between The Scenes

You're listening to Comedy Central. How do I do it with the accents?

I'll be honest with you, like I never thought I was good at it or anything, but I think it's because I grew up like that.

I have a mixed family.

Like everyone in my family has a different accent, you know, so my dad, my dad's family, my mom, my mom's family. Everyone has like like a hybrid because everyone moved around a lot, so whenever you go to a different house, it's just easier to speak to them in their accent than to try, you know. Because it was weird as well, Like because I went to a private school, like myself and my cousins, we were all lucky to go to like at the time, they called them Model C schools.

In South Africa, so it was like.

The first generation of black and white kids at the same schools. So we have different accents to our parents. And then like your parents were happy to send you there.

That was the funny thing. It's like your parents.

Would be like, you must go to that school and you must learn to speak good English. And then you go to the school and you'd learn the English, and then you'd come home and then like your parents be sitting with them watching TV or something, and then like your your dad would be like put volume, put volume, and you'd be like, do you mean increase the volume?

Be like, hey, I'll increase or decrease your life. Don't act smartire put volume. You don't come here with that English. And it's like, yeah, but that's what you told her.

So then it became easier to just like speak the you know what I mean, speak in the accents of the people. It changes, like you might find you do the same thing. Do you live in New York or do you live in Haiti or you live in Haiti? Okay, if you live in New York.

I know. I've got friends from Haiti who do that.

Like in New York they sound like half Haiti half New York. And then when they go to Haiti, I can't understand a word that they're saying. Like like, if I FaceTime a friend of mine who's in Haiti when he's in New York, you'd be like, yeah, man, you know, you know, and I hear a little bit of Haiti. And then when he's in Haiti and I'll face time with him and I'll be like, yo, what's up?

Vince? How are you doing? You'd be like why why you? Why are you? Why are you? And I'm like what what? Everyone everyone? So I think that's where I got it from.

I just you know, yeah, just having mixed people, you just speak to them and it becomes easier otherwise, you know, like my grandmother, I'm not gonna repeat the same thing six times. I'm just gonna speak to my grand in her accent.

And then she's just like yeah.

And then my grand I think that's why I'm actually my grandmother's favorite grandchild, because all the other grandkids speak to her in like the accents they learned at school, and then with me, she's just like he's never forgotten these roots. What is my favorite accent to do? It depends on the day, I'm not gonna lie, it depends.

On the day. Sometimes I'll choose an accent for the day.

If I'm on vacation, genuinely, I'll just walk around and now like just be on vacation. Some days, like like I'll just be like, oh, I'm Australian for the day, and I'll just walk around and I'll just be Australia. You know, the great thing about an Australian accent is that you always sound happy because always what it doesn't matter what it is, but always got zapp and it's like really exciting, you know. It's got that thing like even even in Australian gave you bad news, it always sounds good.

It's like, Hi, Mike, your mom's dead.

It's just oh yeah. One of my favorite things to do, though, is sometimes because I don't really impersonate general accents. I'm personally people. So the Australian that I do is a friend of mine from Australia. And then like the like if I do like a Nigerian accent is a friend of mine from Nigeria. And because I can't because people all have different accents, do you know what I mean? So I don't know what an Indian accent is. I know what my Indian friend sounds like, so I just

Were and then I was like, yo, you talk to him, that's how he sounds.

And then they shot on him because he's on like Instagram and stuff, and they're like, dude, what happened to your accent? Why are you talking like He's like, guys, I haven't lived in America. I've lived in America for a long time, and like, it's not my thoughts. I didn't try to change my accent. They're like, you needing Trevor Nor wrong, You're not speaking nowhere.

It's a horse. So I'm just like I just do people. That's all I'm doing. Well. Who else do we have from? W Yes? Egypt? Oh? Very nice? That's cool, cool and exotic? Yes, how things going over there?

Just blink if it's good, and blink twice if it's bad.

I won't say your name. I won't put you on camera. You can go back.

Your president doesn't have to know you were here.

Things are good in Egypt.

When you when you watch Donald Trump, does he remind you a little bit of Egyptian leaders?

Yeah? A lot.

Yeah, it's just like just without the Arabic. It's just like say agin they're also what oh they are friends?

Yeah? Yeah he is. You can see that be cool if.

Like, I feel like Trump will be exactly the same, even if he spoke Arabic.

It would be like the same thing.

Oh lakla, but the goda la la, the lailoa yalla yo la.

I tried to start learning German because my dad is Swiss German, right, and so I was like, I want to learn his language because I never learned it growing up. And then someone was like, why don't you learn Swiss? And then I heard Swiss and I was like, no,

I was like, I'm speaking German. He's like, no, it's better if you speak English.

No, no, no, this is no, this is this is He's like, it's better if you don't speak German at.

All, It's fine.

But then now I could speak a bit of German. So I was excited to go to Germany and stuff and practices. Then you know, I'd had a lot of fun until I found out that my the way I spoke German sounded a little bit like Hitler, Yeah, which no one told me on this side of the world because we don't know how he really spoke or anything. But I would be in Germany and apparently the way I would hit certain inflections would freak people out. And

You know what I mean?

So I would do that, like I'd go in places and then i'd like order food and like someone would be there and be like, wouldn't talk, that's russel you haven And then I'd be like if you ly in climb watch and haven't.

Be the sun.

With the sinking, and the people would like, people won't look at me. And then when we left, my friend was like, I was like, why would they look? Did I say it weird?

Like wrong, wrong words?

She's like, no, you sound a little bit like like hitler yeah, and she's like and the people are really frightened about that, and you know, and I was like, so I spoiled their day and she was like, yeah, you did.

You know?

And I was like, well that brings me a lot of shot in fire. Spain was fun as well as well. I was trying to learn Spanish, and the weird thing about learning Spanish is I found out in Spain that my Spanish is flawless. The problem is I only speak like seven words of Spanish, but those seven words are flawless, which doesn't help me in Like, so I'll start conversations with people, like in the morning, someone will see me and they'll be like.

Oh lah, and then I'll be like, oh la, come is that And they'd be like, oh go mobian it too.

And I'll be like, oh oh I got yea and they'd be like, oh this is cool, you know. And I'll meet people be like hey, come amas, and they'd be like, oh me numbre sonya.

I'll be like oh.

Yeah, you know, and I get into a vibe and I'll.

Be with the people. I'll be asking people's stuff, I'll be giving.

Directions and then I just run out because I only learned as much as I can.

Learn, but you don't know when you're gonna run out, do you get what I'm saying? So so I would.

Be like, I'll be like, don't know at the Dora, and then the people are like, oh, look at the Doral, and then I would be arguing like okay, I know that, and I'll give direction.

Then someone would ask me where's the cathedral.

Then I know how to start the direction, so I'll be like, oh, in Docentros Metro and then people are like cool. And then the person goes don't know the city, and then I'm like, oh, sorry, no.

No a blah me no no a blah.

And then the worst thing is like even the way I'm saying, because I'd be like no, no, no me, no a bleas spaniel, no bless spaniel, which is weird because you should say me no abla in the worst way you can, which I didn't realize because I should have been like, oh me, no abla espaniol, but instead I was like, oh, no a blah me no o bles spaniel, no o bless spaniel, which is basically like the equivalent of meeting like someone and they came up to you and they're like.

I'm sorry, I didn't speak any English.

I apologize, No, I speak no English whatsoever.

I must apologize not a word of English. I'm so sorry. Did I hear somebody?

Was there a French person who has had a fiance?

Is that very cool? My congratulations? It was nice.

It was weird because I was listening to you when you're speaking, and I was like, it's weird because fiance is French, isn't it?

Because I know this sounds weird, but in my head you said, oh yeah, no, and this is my fiance. And then I was like, what's the French for fiance?

Is that a little bit weird to you that in English you have to say some French words every now and again, right, because like that that's the thing, like we do that.

We'll be like we'll be like fiancee.

Entrepreneur, you know, like like think about we do that like touchet. We just say that to each other in conversation as people. Someone will say something, you say something and you're like, oh, touchet. But like I don't think French people, do you guys do that with English? Or like French people just hanging out with each other, and it's like literally.

And I was told her, ah, you touch me, you do that? You don't, right, it's just weird. It's totally weird to me. We just use other languages in our language. That's really straight. That's exciting. Man.

So, Sagan, French fries are not French. I like you said that were passion and French fries they are not French. Trevor arrived to tell you all of these secrets. The French fries are not French, but do you eat them in France?

So why you complained? That's why you guys? Also like, where are these French friends from?

They say they're from France, Jeanpierre these years.

No they're not, Michelle, this is your friends. No, they're not their friends.

Who are the fresh from They said they are French frist but no French person knows where they're from.

Oh man, what.

Made you move from France? What you said seventeen years you've lived in Detroit. What made you move, Sagan? Atlanta?

Sorry? Yeah, Atlanta? What you just walked? Oh shit? Did you say work?

Oh sorry your accent because you said no, I walk?

And then I was like, god, damn I was like, wow, that's one hell of a journey, my friend.

Just like one day I was working, I was working by their fort.

Hour, and I said, I've seen this before. I've seen all of this before. I'm got to walk a little further. And then I walked and I walked, and I walked some more.

And then a few years later, I was like Atlanta.

And then I was tired, so I stayed there's no reason to go back. Oh wow, that's fine.

And then you fell in love with Atlanta and you stayed.

No what happened? Oh wow? Oh man, so you go.

To Atlanta, the recession happens, so now you're stuck in Atlanta.

That is so dope. I feel like I should make a TV show about you. Man. That's like a fun story.

It's like, I ended up in Atlanta and now this is my life.

How did you make money? I became a rapper.

In the at and I became the only French trap rapper.

So wow, total o'clock, said Tonkey said Tony tell o'clock.

I wanted to share this little story with you.

I I got into a little bit of trouble with the French governments. I know the French governments. So what happened was, let's start at the beginning, uh, France won the World Cup.

And so and so on the.

Show, I uh we we we celebrated that, and I had this joke where I said, I said Africa won the World Cup.

Yeah, And I was shocked at how angry a lot of French people got, like genuine a lot of French people were angry, and they were like, oh, Trevor, how can you say this?

Why we say these things? You know? This is horrible? And I was like, Okay, I get it.

Like not everyone likes every joke that you tell, and I get that, but this was interesting. I got a letter from the ambassador, the ambassador of France, and I'll read it to it.

It was about that joke, and he says, I'll try to read it.

How I hope he wrote it, which was he says, Sir, I watched with great attention your July seventeenth show when you spoke of the victory of the French team at the twenty eighteen Fifair World Cup Russia final, which took place last Sunday. I heard your words about an African victory. Nothing could be less true. Now, first of all, I think it could have been less I could have said there were Scandinavians.

That would have been less true.

That would have been less true, says as many of the players have already stated themselves. Their parents may have come from another country, but the great majority of them, all but two out of twenty three, were born in France. They were educated in France, they learned to play soccer in France. They are French citizens. They're proud of their country France. The rich and various backgrounds of these players is a reflection of francis diversity. France is indeed, now

How did you guys become French? Like how did your family start speaking French? Oh?

Okay, all right, I'm gonna say here, he says A. Indeed, their cosmopolitan country, but every citizen is part of the French identity, and together they belong to the nation of France. Unlike in the United States of America, France does not refer to its citizens based on their race, religion, or origin. To us, there is no hyphenated identity. Roots are an identity, Roots are.

An individual reality.

By calling them an African team, it seems you are denying their frenchness. This, even in jest, legitimizes the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French. So now here's the thing, all right, First things first, I understand what he's saying because I read up on this.

Afterwards, right, I take criticism.

I'll listen to what somebody says to me, you know, I genuinely believe you should. And what it turns out is, in France, a lot of like Nazis in that country use the fact that these players of African descent to shit on their French you know. So they go, you're not French, You're from Africa, go back to where you came from, You're not French.

They use that as as you know, as a line of attack.

Now, my thing is, my opinion is coming from South Africa, coming from Africa, and even watching the World Cup in the United States of America, Black people all over the world were celebrating the africanness of the French players, right, not in a negative way, but rather in a positive way, going, look.

At these Africans who can become French. You know what I mean? It's it's a celebration of that achievement.

And so this is what I find I find weird in these arguments is that people go, they're not African, They're French.

Then I'm like, why can't they be both?

Why?

Why is that duality only afforded to a select group of people?

Why can they not be African?

So what they're arguing here is in order to be French, you have to erase everything that is African, because what they.

What do they mean when they say that our culture, our this hour?

This is like so, so you cannot be French and African at the same time, which which I vehemently disagree with. I go, if you've seen those players, I love them, Paul Pogba, Angolo Conte, I've watched all of them, Like, I love those players, and I love how African they are and how French they are.

Don't take their frenchness away. But I also don't think you need.

To take their Africanness away, you know, And that's that is what I love about America.

America is not a perfect country, but what I love.

About this place is that people can still celebrate their identity in their americanness. You can go to a Saint Patrick's Day parade in America celebrating that you are Irish. You can go to a Puerto Rican Day parade in America still celebrating the fact that you're Puerto Rican and American.

At the same time.

You can celebrate Judent Teams as a black person and be like, yo, I'm African American.

Which is the duality of the two worlds. But here they're going, no, you are only French. And here's here's why it vexes me to be honest.

This is what I find interesting, is like when I read stories from Africa and when I watch what politicians say, especially in France, about African migrants when they are unemployed, when they may commit a crime, or when they are considered unsavory.

It's the African immigrants.

When their children go on to provide a World Cup victory for France.

We should only refer to them as France.

And we even saw it with that African man who climbed the building to rescue the baby. Do you remember that we watched him climb that building, he rescued the child, and then they gave him French citizenship. They said, you are now French. So now I'm going so, is he now no longer African? Is that what you're saying. So when he was on the ground, he was African, and then he climbed up and as soon as he rescued

I'm not joining the attack.

And I know, don't get me wrong, I know there's like, you know, we live in a world where like nuance is something that is in short supply, and so you will find, you know, in America, for instance, the alt right saying that's what we've been saying. They're not French, and we're saying it's like but if Trevor says it, it's not racist, but if we say it's racist, like yeah, yeah, I'll say yeah, you know why, because I believe context

Yeah, there's a big difference.

When I'm saying the African I'm not saying it as a way to exclude them from their frenchness, but I'm rather using it to include them in my africanness. I'm saying, I see you, my French brother of African descent?

Do you know what I'm saying.

That's what I'm trying to say. When somebody else says it the other way, you can use the same line in different ways. People like so it's different. Yeah, yeah, it's different. It can be different. It's like somebody's saying, oh, so if you play with your naked child, that's.

A problem, but if I do it, I'm a pedophile. Yeah. Yeah, there's a big difference. There's a huge difference.

So I will continue to praise them for being African because I believe that they are of Africa, their parents are from Africa, and they can be French at the same time. And if French people are saying they cannot be both. Then I think they have a problem and on me.

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