THE MAKING OF THE PORKCHOP DUO

About the Book

This memoir paints a nostalgic portrait of the life and times of the young Choppy as he stumbled upon Porky, together creating the legendary comic tandem in the Philippines called Porkchop Duo. For thirty years, the Porkchop Duo entertained generations of Filipinos with their iconic brand of stand-up comedy, travelling to 34 countries as “Showbiz Ambassadors of Good Will” and bringing laughter and fun to countless homesick Overseas Filipino Workers across the world. Told with unyielding candor and wit, Choppy recounts his days: from being a poor Tondo boy in between jobs to make a living, a youth leader keeping a dual personality to ironically conceal his shenanigans, to a young family man winning over his personal battles—inspirations that were to become materials for their much-celebrated repertoire of rib-tickling jokes. Choppy gives us a glimpse of the landscape of the Philippine stand-up comedy, how they found their way in, and broke new grounds. He reveals how they peddled an epic idea that would make them pioneers of comedy albums in the Philippines, eventually making stand-up comedy a household name for entertainment. Then he tells a moving story of grief, when his father, and shortly his partner, Porky, died, and tells how he unremittingly continues the legacy of the Porkchop Duo despite the odds. This unprecedented Autobiographical Joke Book packed with almost 100 jokes will surely take you back to the Porkchop Duo’s world-renowned performances.

About the Author

Romeo “Choppy” Vargas is the other half of the award-winning stand-up comedy tandem “Porkchop Duo” and has been the writer for most of the duo’s materials since they started in 1979 as R n R Duet. He lives in Long Island, New York with his wife, Venus, their five children and granddaughter named Danica.