The Bastion recently got a chance to chat with stand-up comedian Michael Palascak, who seems to be everywhere we turn these days. Take a break this afternoon to catch up with the frenetic activity of one of the city's power hitters.
When and how did you get started with comedy in Chicago, and was it always your plan to pursue stand-up?
The first time I ever performed stand-up comedy in the Chicagoland area was July of 2002 at Bill Brady's Barrel of Laughs Comedy Club in Oak Lawn, IL. I met some really talented comedians there -- Denise Ramsden, Brian Hicks, Ken Schultz, Brian Aldridge, Todd Glover, etc. They really helped guide me and helped me get work over the next couple years. All the shows I ever got were because of connections they made for me. That summer I also took Level A of improv at Second City.
As for was it a plan to pursue stand-up? I knew I wanted to do comedy/acting/writing -- The winter/spring of '02 down at college, I did my first play and sketch/improv show and I really enjoyed it and wanted to do it for a job. So when I came home for the summer I enrolled in the class at Second City. And then one night that summer I was at Borders and saw a book on stand-up, bought it, and did my first set a couple weeks later. And I realized that was something that I really wanted to succeed at. Then when I finished college and moved home, I realized how hard it was to get on stage as an actor/improviser -- like you had to audition and be good. But as a stand-up, you didn't have to be good. You just had to show up and you got to go on stage. And if you were a decent person, or even just not committing felonies on site, then the next time you came back, you got to do it again. And I really liked that. Like having the control to get on stage and grow as a comedian. So I realized while I may do other things, I would always try to keep getting better at stand-up.
How would you describe your style of stand-up?
I would describe my style of stand-up as "really funny."
What's a typical week's schedule of performing like for you?
Hopefully at a booked show Thurs-Saturday. And then at open mics the other nights. Or at showcases like Comedians You Should Know or Chicago Underground Comedy, if they'll have me. And then Sunday late nights there's an open mic in my living room. It's a nice non-comic my mom crowd.
What sort of representation do you have right now, and what steps did you take to get different representation?
I'm with Ambassador and Iris Talent for on-camera. I'm with Bass-Schuler for colleges. I got my on-camera agents by sending/dropping off headshots/resumes and then an audition. In the Ambassador audition, they really liked it when I performed my various farm animal noises for them, that's totally what got me in with them. And then with Iris, I had to audition with a monologue. So I put together a character monologue using my stand-up material about graduating college and it went well. Like I didn't do them as jokes as a stand-up, I did them as if it were a character in a play.
As for Bass-Schuler, my friend Stolie, a very talented singer songwriter, check out her music open mics -- www.stolie.com -- recommended me. So one of the agents and some interns came out to see me at a Mikey O Show and that went well and then they came again to Comedy Central Open Mic Fight Showcase at Zanies and brought one of the co-owners -- Chris Schuler of Bass-Schuler, and that went well. They really liked that I was funny, clean and relate-able to college kids. And they started booking shows for me a couple months later.
I just got a manager. I met a couple different managers at The Comedy Festival in Vegas in November. I stayed in contact with them and got feedback on some of my writing samples from them. Then a couple of them saw me at Gotham in March. And then when I went to LA -- as a part of winning the Lucky 21, Rachel Rusch and JP Buck from HBO set up a bunch of meetings for me with studios, casting people, and managers in L.A. -- I met with all of the managers I was interested in and picked one of them.
You've been kicking ass with the online comedy contests. Can you tell us about the Lucky 21 jackpot, that big bag of money you got, and what your secret strategy is for success with contests?
As a prize I won money, and they set up meetings for me in L.A., and I got a TV spot -- I think that was Gotham but I'm not sure. As for the money, well, according to my parents, I need to buy a new car, but I think they're biased. The one I'm driving right now works fine but I think they want it back soon.
I don't know really how I won. I think it was the result of me being really nice to people for 25 years. I know for the first round of Lucky 21, my parents voted a lot. Especially my dad. I also had a lot of help from friends and relatives and friends of friends and relatives of relatives. And then for the final round Ryan and Kevin Manno from The Manno Program at Q101 invited me to come on their radio show and promote it and that really put me over the top.
Local figures like Zanies' Bert Haas have high praise for you, and seem to expect good things from you. What would you like to do over the next, say, five years?
The next five years? Well, this Thursday May 8th I'm having a staged reading of my sitcom pilot: The Michael Palascak (Pal-a-sack) Show. The reading is at the iO Theater (ImprovOlympic) in the Del Close Theater at 7 pm. iO is at 3541 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Right by Wrigley Field but there's no Cubs game that night so parking should be available around the theater. Everyone is invited -- It's free! I'd love to hear what you guys think! And anyone coming to the reading is welcome to stay for the other improv shows at iO at 8 and 9 pm upstairs and downstairs for free, so come on out! So, yeah, one goal would be to have the reading go really really well and have it turn into a TV show on NBC in between The Office and ER or whatever medical drama exists at the time. But that's just like a short-term small goal. Five years from now I want to host a talk show on Jupiter, the planet. Ten year plan -- intergalactic. Fifteen year plan -- I want to be a really good stand-up and write novels in a house I own.
The Bastion got to chat with comedian and writer Elvira Kurt, who will be performing at the Annoyance Theatre Thursday (tomorrow). She takes the stage with her stand-em-ups at 7:30 and 9 p.m. with special guest Ben Lerman, then will play with an all-star cast of Messing with a Friend at 10:30 p.m.
Kurt is a Second City alum, originally from Toronto, Canada. She took over hosting duties from Scott Thompson on Logo's First Comes Love 2, a reality show about gay and lesbian couples having the wedding of their dreams. The network has decided not to continue the series, however, which leaves Kurt opportunity to pursue other writing and television opportunities. Kurt gave us the lowdown: "A TV show about comic books is in the works for the SPACE network in Canada and I'm soooooooooo excited about that because I am a huge comic book geek. There's other stuff for TV in various stages of development and live shows in the U.S. and Canada, but did I mention I'll be doing a TV show about comic books?"
Asked about her comedic inspirations, Kurt summed it up for us with a description of her personality and relationship: ""I tend to see the worst in a situation, not the best. I blame it on being Eastern European, even our happy is just a variation of sad. It sucks for my girlfriend because she's the exact opposite of me, she always sees the good in everything and I'm such a drag, all negative all the time. But we have an excellent relationship. Her self esteem is so low she has no idea that she can do way better than me. So as long as I keep chipping away at it, a little bit every day... we'll be together forever!"
The Bastion chatted a bit with sketch/stand-up/character impresario Ken Barnard prior to his three-in-one man show this week at the Lincoln Lodge, 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Based in Chicago, Ken has been featured at The Second City, The Improv Comedy Club, and is a fixture at Chicago Underground Comedy, The Lincoln Lodge, and Blewt! Productions. Tickets for $10 can be bought here.
So what's "Get Into It" all about? How did the opportunity for a one-man show come about and what was the writing process like?
Get Into It, at its heart, is a comedy experience centered around things that I have a deep passion and curiosity for. I'm asking people to "get into" all of these peculiar interests of mine. It's the kind of stuff that will make people's eyes widen and then they'll rub their hands together while making an excitable motor-noise from their mouths. I want the show to be like Christmas morning, but over two nights in April.
There will be jokes, oh yes, There Will Be Jokes, but the show is a more of a vehicle for my unconventional performance comedy pieces. Jokes, music, and bits, it's a 3-in-one man show!
What's the history of your comic development? Where have you studied, learned, performed?
I did plays in high school and sketch, improv, and a little bit of stand-up in college. It wasn't until I came to Chicago five years ago that I really began developing my solo act.
I'm definitely a product of the Chicago comedy scene and I'm proud of that. It's a great place to learn and experiment, and I'm still doing both. I'm learning every night. You gotta do leg work in your mind after a set. Figure out where things went wrong and where they went right, how they could be better. My job as a comedian doesn't end after the laughter subsides. That's something I've learned.
Where would you like to be in about five years, in terms of your comedy goals?
I'd like to be a full-time entertainer, no day job. You dig?
I want to have a more extensive library of on-camera work. I just did a video with Steve Delahoyde that will debut at Get Into It. So, I'm working on that one.
Doing a world tour is on my list, and not just English-speaking countries. I'd love to be able to entertain an audience despite an otherwise crippling language barrier. I think that it's definitely possible to make a group of people laugh who have no idea what you're saying. It's not always about the words.
I'd also like to have a kid. Great comedy fodder, those.
What's your favorite comedy? Who makes you laugh the most?
My favorite comedy is what I'd call "stupid" comedy. I think that stupid comedy is really smart. Weird stuff that throws the audience for a loop. They may not get it right off the bat, but as long as the performer commits to it from the top, nothing is better.
I'd say that Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman are my biggest influences and they definitely embody smart stupid comedy. I like bunches of comics; Maria Bamford is badass and Brady Novak is great (he's also in the short film that Steve Delahoyde shot which will premier on April 24 and 25. Get Into It!).
What do you do when you're not being funny?
I like chillin' out, biking around, going to IMAX movies, camping, cooking, and playing Nintendo Wii. I get some of my greatest pleasure and inspiration from other live performances. I see a lot of dance, a bit of art, and about four Elvis impersonators a year. I love comedy, but I definitely enjoy my down time.
I also, apparently, enjoy using the word "definitely". Here's one last one: Everyone is definitely invited to Get Into It on April 24 and 25. Get Into It!
SteveDelahoyde is a Chicago-based filmmaker who contributes a lot to the Chicago comedy scene. He does a lot of good work with Schadenfreude and is responsible for one of our favorite short comedy films, "Dungeons and Dragons," starring Jared Logan, Kumail Nanjiani, and Robert Buscemi. Delahoyde will be at the Hideout tonight at 6:30 as a guest on Mark Bazer's Interview Show, along with author Marcus Sakey and other guests.
How did you get roped into the comedy shenanigans here in Chicago? Aren't you a "straight" filmmaker?
With most of everything I do, I have absolutely no idea how it happened. I moved from Phoenix to Iowa City, Iowa about five years ago. My then-girlfriend, now-fiancee, lived in Chicago, so, for about two years, I would drive here and stay every weekend. So Chicago felt a lot more like home than did Iowa. She and I had met through writing for humor magazines, and she was already traveling in Chicago's writer-y circles, so I got to know a lot of her friends and they'd introduce me to other funny people (getting in good with writers is always a great idea, as you're more apt to get written about that way). Also, for years, I'd been putting up films on this poorly-built website of my own devising and that got passed around a bit somehow and I was invited to screen things here and there, and it built from there. Chicago really has such a tight-knit community, so it's easy to get to know everyone pretty quickly.
"Dungeons and Dragons":
What's your filmmaking background? Where did you learn to do what you do?
Besides a little dabbling in high school, I have no real background in filmmaking. I started off wanting to be a writer of some kind and that's really what my focus was. When my long-time collaborator, Wakiza Gamez, moved back to Phoenix from college in California, I was still doing a lot of writing, but we'd both gotten really into recording music, so we spent most of our evenings and weekends just writing and recording hundreds upon hundreds of these funny, absurd little songs to amuse ourselves. From there, I bought a little consumer camera and found it to be pretty similar to producing audio (especially the editing), so I just kind of got really interested in it (again, just to make stuff for ourselves that we thought was funny). So, I guess, instead of film school, I just spent the last few years making mistakes and screwing up and learning how to do things better. Truth be told, I still don't really have any idea what I'm doing.
"Roboclones Industrial Film":
Did you always want to be in film? Did you have an early interest? Any particular inspirations?
I don't think I had any specific ambitions, but I grew up around the business, so it probably seeped in. My dad was a voice-over actor, a newscaster, a long-time radio DJ, and was in dozens of commercials and industrials and films. So spent a lot of hours as a kid being bored to tears in recording studios, on sound stages and at auditions. And as a summer job during high school (and then for a couple of years while I push college aside), I worked at a modeling and talent agency as an agent's assistant, so I was running around a lot between big shoots and production companies and castings. I was also an actor for years, doing a lot of community theater and professional work. But beyond just enjoying working within whatever perceived glamor there is in that business, I don't think I really had any ambitions to be behind the camera as a filmmaker.
Do the comedians usually come to you with the ideas, or how does the creative process work in a group like that?
I'm pretty quiet and insular in general, so I tend to work with a lot of the same comedians or groups, just so we can get right to work and there's not a lot of that introductory process. It works out though and tends to go both ways, as I'll shoot someone's idea for them and, in exchange, I can usually get them to show up and perform in something I've thought up. While we're shooting, that familiarity also helps because it's nice to not have all your actors thinking your an idiot when you're kind of mumbling your direction or that you're a jerk for giving them line reads. It's also nice because I usually work with a stable of people I can talk to and who understand the process, knowing about when things are working and when they aren't.
"Regrets: Hobbies," starring Chicago improv legend David Pasquesi:
How long does it take to shoot a short comedy film, and how long does it take to edit?
From my short attention span to the fact that I've always got a billion things to do, I like to work as quickly as I possibly can, so I can shoot and edit a film in a hurry (those Hillary Clinton films we just made, those took a total of six hours from the first shot to having them up on YouTube). I think that's both a blessing, leading to a big pile of stuff I've put my name to, and a curse, in that I'm sure some of my work doesn't always look as polished as it could if I'd paced myself.
What's an average week like for you, in terms of work and projects?
I work during the day at the design firm/ad agency, Coudal Partners, so I'm there during the normal days and hours throughout the week. For the past couple of years, I've also been employed as an editor for mediabistro's UnBeige, so I'm required to find and write three to five news stories every night about the design industry. After that's all wrapped up, I usually spend my nights first finishing up freelance film projects (I do a lot of motion graphics work). If there's time, and sadly there rarely is as much anymore, I try and work on any fun stuff I have on the side, like short films. Weekends are a grab bag, depending on what I have going on, but that's usually when I do most of my shooting and catching up on editing.
What do you like to do when you're not doing film stuff?
I don't get a ton of time to get away from my work, but when I do, it's just nice to sit and do nothing. Strangely, I'm not a big film buff, but I'll watch movies here and there. I'm a reader, so books are where it's at for me a lot of times. With the election, I've gotten addicted to political news and blogs, so I do some of that, getting mad at the world. And after a few seasons of false starts, something finally clicked last year and Claire and I got really into golf. So when the weather's warm, we're on a course every weekend and I'm at the driving range nearly every day after work. Sadly, I still stink at it.
What are your goals and hopes for the next 5 years or so, in terms of your work, and your life in general?
I usually say that I'd like to start directing more commercials and work on projects with larger budgets, but to be honest, I really don't have a clue about how you plan a trajectory for this sort of "artistic career" I've started building for myself. I'm getting married in October and we just bought a house, so I should probably figure it out some day. But it's such a nice spot to be in right now where I can just kind of do and make whatever I want and somehow squeak out a pretty decent living at it. And I guess longevity has helped make every year better and better for me, so I figure, as long as that keeps up, I'll be happy.
Kumail Nanjiani is a stand-up comedian who recently made the leap from his comedy training ground in Chicago to New York City, where, according to the buzz, he's making all the right moves and finding his place in the comedy scene. (New York comedy linchpin Eugene Mirman called Kumail "one of the funniest comedians not enough people are aware of right now.") A native of Pakistan, he went to college in Iowa and then cut his teeth on comedy stages in Chicago, where he was one of the founding members of the Blerds collective. His Chicago comedy experience culminated with his triumphant one-man show "Unpronounceable" at the Lakeshore Theater, which he'll also be performing at the UCB Theater in New York on March 14th and 28th. As almost anyone in Chicago would tell you, Kumail is exactly the kind of guy everyone wants to see succeed -- he's friendly, sincere, hard-working, smart, creative, and funny as hell. In this interview, we hear from friends and fellow comics and the man himself.
We miss you in Chicago. There are lots of fresh faces on the scene, which is exciting, but we miss some of our dearly departed comedians. How are things in New York?
Great. I love it here. There are so many shows to do and so many shows to try and get into. I hear about new shows that I have never heard of all the time.
Kumail performing in New York's "Drink at Work" show a few weeks ago:
Do you think your one-man show, "Unpronounceable," has helped you gain traction in comedy in New York?
I actually have not performed that show in New York yet. (UCB March 14th and 28th. Come on out, friends!) It got me some decent press in Chicago, but I don't think anyone in New York read any of that stuff. What helped me here has been Chicago folks who have vouched for me and recommended me for shows, like Brooke Van Poppelen, Pete Holmes, Joselyn Hughes, and Mike Burns. All these guys were the reason that I was able to start doing shows so quickly here.
Promo for "Unpronounceable":
What's a typical week of comedy like for you right now? Where are your favorite places to perform and see others?
I try and do shows every night. I do open mics if I am not booked. The great thing about NY is you can do an open mic at 6:00 pm, by done by 7:00 and just go about your night. I like performing at Rififi, although that place closes soon. I love both the upstairs and downstairs at Comix. Piano's is a great place to perform. The Creek and the Cave has kickass shows on Wednesdays. And Kabin, also, is awesome. The UCB, of course, is sort of a magical place. Eugene Mirman runs a really great room in Park Slope by where I live, at a bar called Union Hall. I try and watch that show as often as I can. The cool thing is that so many bars in NY have dedicated performance spaces, so the people who come to the shows are people who wanna watch the shows. My first month in NY, I would try and do a show, and then watch a show every night. I went to see Sweet, Invite Them Up, and the Union Hall show every week, I think.
Kumail's girlfriend Emily Gordon, who made the move to New York with him, can attest to his progress. "I've definitely seen Kumail gain more passion for stand-up since we moved to the city," she says. "He's able to devote himself to comedy full time for the first time, and he is treating it like a full time job, which is a wise choice. Rather it being a hobby or an excuse to hang out with people or a means to get famous, this is just genuinely what he wants to do. He writes every day, whether he thinks the bits will turn out well or not, and he performs at least 5 or 6 days out of the week. When I say performs, I mean that he goes to open mics and does booked shows. No show is too large or too small. Any chance to perform is the chance to get better."
Who are some of your favorite new people that you see performing in New York?
Too many to name. The number of talented people in NY is staggering and humbling. And its at all levels. You see super funny guys at open mics, at booked shows, and then the really "A" shows like Invite and Sweet and Union Hall as well. What was cool for me was going to watch these shows every week. For $5, you could see a show with Michael Showalter and Mike Birbiglia and Demetri Martin and Eugene Mirman and... it's kind of ridiculous. It was cool for me to see all these guys, who are clearly very successful, doing shows in bars and trying out new stuff. You get to see the process that these guys use to write jokes that they then use on tv. Cool to see them working out material.
Do you see Chicago people out on the scene? Was there a welcoming committee when you arrived?
As I said, those Chicago guys really really helped me out. I see Brooke, Pete and Joselyn all the time. (Pete and I are Call of Duty teammates. For those who don't know what that is, its something really cool that very un-nerdy people do.) Burns is now in LA, so I obviously don't see him around.
Fellow comedian and Chicagoan-turned-New-Yorker Andy Ross confirms Kumail's continued hard work and smooth transition to the Big Apple. "Kumail is thriving in New York. Instead of coasting on his great material from Chicago, he's constantly writing new, even funnier bits. I think the big names in NYC have noticed that he's not just funny but also more and more creative and charismatic on stage. I know that 'kicking it into high gear' is a cliche, but so is 'hit the ground running' and 'planting his flag,' and Kumail has been doing all those things here. He must love cliches."
What's up with Blerds lately? Are you doing shows with them?
Blerds is going great. (Director) Jordan Vogt-Roberts and a bunch of the LA guys just finished a 5 minute pilot for this website. And this thing is so great. It's funny and very very pretty. I'm sure the world will see it soon. I don't get to work with those guys as much anymore, since they are all in Chicago and LA. I hope to visit LA and do another Blerds show at the UCB.
Kumail in the Blerds video "He-Man":
By some people's accounts, you are doing "all the right things" in New York to lay the foundation for a solid comedy career. We assume this means the obvious: doing lots of shows, meeting people, being your amazing self on stage, and then being your usual friendly self offstage. Are there other secret strategies you'd like to confess to us now? Drugging show bookers, hypnosis, subliminal suggestion?
I have voodoo dolls of all the bookers. Each night before I go to bed I whisper to them. "Kumail Nanjiani is the funniest." Invariably, the doll will respond with "who?"
Fellow Blerd Mike Burns, who recently moved from New York to Los Angeles, has also witnessed Kumail's ascent. "From the perspective of someone who started stand-up in Chicago, I think it's all coming down to exposure for Kumail," Burns explains. "He's always been nothing less than a fantastic comedian, although he may be more comfortable on stage now. When I first went to the Lyon's Den open mic, comedians like Kumail, Robert Buscemi, Pete Holmes, and Kyle Kinane were the reasons I came back."
Eugene Mirman recently said nice things about you. He said that you're one of the funniest comedians people haven't heard of...yet. Do you feel like you have the nod of approval from arbiters of taste on the scene in New York, and generally that you're being well-received?
Eh, I don't really try to think about how I am received, except by the audience who is present at a certain show at a certain time. Although it is nice to see that the people i look up to and respect so much seem to think I am on the right track.
Apiary contributor Keith Huang has been a fan of Kumail's for years, and recently got a chance to finally see him perform in person in New York. "It was quite clear that he brought years of experience, but more importantly, a much fresher voice to the stage," Huang observed. "From what I saw, I'm assuming that Kumail's crowd work is always very friendly and genuinely inquisitive in nature -- there's no cheap, reverse heckling by the comic with the mic."
What are your long-term goals for comedy, when you're dreaming big? Movies, books, bobbleheads?
I wanna have congregations of people, couple thousand mayhaps, reciting my bits for hours on end. And then I want them to mail me a royalty fee. That way I get paid for shows I don't even show up to.
What do you miss most about Chicago?
Of course I miss my friends and I miss my favorite shows. I miss knowing where everything is, not having to look up directions to any place. I lived there for close to 6 years, so it had become my home. And food! I miss Hot Doug's! And that shiny bean in Mill Park! Oh my God, that bean and I had such good times.
Dan Telfer, a producer at Chicago Underground Comedy (the writer of this article is also a producer there), where Kumail was a founding castmember, is keeping the door open for Kumail anytime he pops back into Chicago. "I've considered constructing an elaborate, Mission-Impossible-quality Eugene Mirman or Zach Galifianakis disguise to lure Kumail back to Chicago," Telfer said. "Sadly, I am just jealous of those two because they're doing shows with Kumail now, and that plan makes no sense. I have already pestered Kumail to let me know when he's coming back to town, and I will be flattered and excited to have him back."
What are some of your favorite things about living in New York?
Knishes. They have no flavor and an overabundance of texture. Its like deep fried/crispy/mushy air. You can flavor them with anything! Hot sauce, chili, cotton candy. Anything! Also, I love that I get to perform so much. I love performing so that's nice.
Having successfully navigated the Chicago comedy scene, what would you say to the up-and-coming newbies in Chicago about how to progress and do well there?
Um, just go up and write as much as you can. Try not to play to the back of the room. (back of the room = the other comics in the room.) Even if there are only 2 civilians in a room, play to them and not your friends who are waiting to go up. Try and do well in every single situation, and believe that you can make any crowd laugh.
Chicago stand-up comedian John Roy has been stamping out a place for himself the last few years, pursuing his craft with national performing tours and spots on Star Search, Last Comic Standing, the Craig Ferguson Show, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, to name just a few. We were able to catch up with him and chat for a few minutes on one of his recent stop-ins at home, about his thoughts on the biz, his career path, and words of wisdom and advice for those thinking about giving stand-up a go.
What were your early years of comedy in Chicago like? How and where did you get started, and what experiences do you think taught you the most important lessons early on?
My first open mic was at the Bird's Nest by DePaul. There were 13 people on the list, and 13 in the room. My friend Mick Betancourt and I wandered in and were not allowed to go up. We had no way of knowing at the time that this was ridiculous and wasn't until months later that I realized the people were just being dicks. No one who was in that room still does stand-up comedy. It was very different in 1997. There were few open mics and far fewer comedians. Stand-up was fairly absent from television. There was a scene at the Elevated, a room that was fairly full every week, though it was mostly the friends of the regulars that made it work. There were open mics at the Monkey Bar and the Morseland, but they were mostly attended by comics. The Chicago scene as we know it today had not really gotten started, but I could still see great sets by Dwayne Kennedy, Craig Robinson, Mike Lukas, Bang Balutansky, Allen Olafsen, and Greg Mills, and get a sense of where the quality was.
I think the experience of booking and hosting the Map Room over the next few years taught me to stick to my guns no matter what the audience response was, and that the number one key to the success or failure of a room is delivering good comics and only good comics every show. It's the only thing that keeps people coming back.
You've done lots of road work since honing your chops in Chicago. What are some of the pros and cons of being an itinerant comedian?
Pros -- no day job, ability to do shows every night. Cons -- no home, no feeling of continuity in your life, and difficulty in sustaining a relationship.
You've been doing more and more stand-up on TV - Star Search, Last Comic Standing, Comics Unleashed, and so on. What's it like doing a live art on tape? Are the technical challenges worth the chance to meet other comics and get your face out there a little more?
TV is essential to getting your act recognized in the public at large. It's worth all the hoops that must be jumped through to achieve it. Essentially, the fundamental difference in TV stand-up from the live act is brevity. The comedian that wins on TV is the comedian that has the best laugh per set-up ratio that they can achieve. Working within the time constraints is challenging as well, which is why I appreciate the Tonight Show's willingness to be flexible on the running time of the comedian's set. Taking the "race against the clock" out of the equation does wonders for the comedian's nerves and ability to be relaxed, and consequently, funny.
What's your writing process like? Do you keep little notebooks with random little ideas that occur to you at odd times, or do you sit down in a concerted effort to write new material?
I basically write down anything funny that I say or think, and then try to process any premises that I've written down into material which I'll try on stage. I wish it was more systematic than that, but I am at the mercy of the creative faucet in my brain, which sort of turns on and off by a subconscious process I'm not fully in control of. I admire comics like Pete Holmes who just sort of sit down and decide to grind it out, but I haven't found that process successful for me. Once I have the basis of a bit down, more and more punchlines will present themselves to me during the process of performing the bit, but I need to bring at least one fully formed idea to the stage before it can grow.
What's the comedy landscape like in LA? Is stand-up different there because of the proximity of industry?
I like the LA scene, though it is hard to get much money out of it. The proximity of industry does intrude a little on the freedom to experiment, but there are still plenty of untouched stages to develop away from the industry eye. Those who view it as a stepping stone and not as something to practice for its own sake aren't around for very long. They either achieve the stepping off point they wished for or they give up. You have to REALLY want to do this to stick with it. There are simply no other good reasons to build this into your life.
Do you audition for movies and TV shows, or do you mostly stick to stand-up?
Depends. I try to write movies and TV shows more than I audition for them, but overall stand-up is my first love.
Can you describe for us the best stand-up experience you ever had, and contrast that with the worst?
Best: The Tonight Show. Almost everything went perfectly. You can see the result on my Web site. Worst: A one nighter in the UP of Michigan. Thirty minutes of silence. My first joke was greeted with the critique, "That's not possible." Then they tried to get the headliner drunk.
You cite George Carlin, Richard Pryor, David Cross, Dave Attell, Louis CK, and Eddie Izzard as some of your favorite comedians. Have you even been a position to meet any of your idols, and what's that like?
I have met many of my idols, and made a few of them laugh. It is a surreal honor to see the face that inspired you to do comedy laugh at one of your jokes. It's a great validation that I'm doing the right thing with my life, which is a validation performers need all the time.
What would you like to be doing in five years?
Stand-up, hopefully for a group of people who came to see John Roy, rather than just a group of people who came to see "comedy." I think that's what we all desire, to build our own fan base, who appreciate what we do enough to seek us out.
What advice would you offer to anyone considering giving stand-up a whirl?
Do it three nights a week. Every week. Do that for a year and you should have a good idea if this is something you want in your life. Any level of commitment less than that is not sufficient to see if comedy is right for you or if you are right for comedy.
John Roy can be seen this Tuesday, February 26, at Zanies Comedy Club, 1548 N. Wells St.. Call 312-337-4027 for reservations; John will be featured as part of Zanies' 30 Year Anniversary celebration. Free admission on Tuesday!
He's inspired a litany of young Chicago stand-up comics (and even a catchphrase or two) with his earnest pre-show chats inside the revered green room walls of Chicago's only full-service stand-up comedy nightclub. Standing the test of time and currently adapting to 'alternative' comedy's eventual move out of rock clubs and coffeehouses, Bert Haas continues to audition and hire local young talent eager for stage time and yes, even a few bucks to perform comedy for a hungry, often visiting or celebrating audience. His is Zanies Comedy Club, where comedians of yore stare down and grin from the walls, vicious accolades scribbled across their mugs in honor of the Man in Back.
Can you give us a brief history of Zanies?
Zanies opened in November 1978. In the beginning the format included improv groups as well as stand-ups and also musical comedy acts. About 1980, the focus became more on stand-up comedy, although Zanies has always used musical/variety acts. After all, the name is Zanies.
In 1982, as the recession eased, Zanies began to use out-of-town comedians in addition to Chicago stand-ups. This has continued to this day but Zanies is proud to be part of the Chicago comedy community. Zanies does not believe that you have to be a television star or from one of the coasts to be a great stand-up comedian.
What is your job title, and what do you do from day-to-day?
My official job title is Executive Vice President. I am responsible for booking and supervising all three Zanies locations [Chicago, St. Charles, and Vernon Hills].
My two biggest tasks are booking talent and marketing the clubs.
How did you get into the comedy business, and what did you do before?
I started at Zanies in February 1980 as a waiter. I was working full time in the Loop for a market research firm but I had been accepted at the University of Regensburg in Germany for graduate studies in economics. My plan was to save some money and go back to Germany. Instead I became manager of Zanies, opened the Nashville Zanies in 1983, and then opened the four other Zanies.
Have you always been a comedy fan? Who were some of your favorites growing up?
I love comedy. I always have. Growing up I watched stand-up comedy on The Ed Sullivan show and my family always watched Red Skelton. There was one summer in the 1970s when Frank Sinatra, Jr. hosted a variety show that featured stand-ups and another network showed stand-up comedy and I can remember seeing Freddy Prinze doing stand-up for the first time (pre-Chico and the Man.) Stanley Myron Handleman (who just passed away) always cracked me up. I saw Bill Cosby in concert at The Mill Run Theatre in 1974. I can remember reading Alan King’s books in high school ("Help! I’m a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery" and "Anybody Who Owns His Own Home Deserves It").
One of the most pivotal events in my life was a Christmas gift I received when I was a sophomore in high school. My sister gave me Lenny Bruce’s autobiography, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People", published here in Chicago by Hugh Hefner and Playboy Press.
What's the demographic of a typical audience at Zanies?
Audiences vary by day and by show. Weekday audiences are usually a little younger but also include a mix of tourists. The Saturday 7:00 p.m. show is probably the oldest audience. Audience ages run from early 20s to individuals in their 70s. After 30 years, Zanies is multi-generational with the children of customers from 25 years ago now attending the shows.
What do you like best about your job?
I spend every day with the funniest people in the country.
What's the toughest part of your work?
Not being able to book everyone as much as I wish. I only have 52 weeks a year to fill.
Lots of Chicago comics would like to perform at Zanies. How do you choose from among them, and what can they do to increase their chances of working for you?
Zanies in Chicago has Rising Star Showcases on select Mondays every month. These showcases are designed for professional comedians who wish to audition for me or for working comedians who want to work on material. I attend every Rising Star Showcase and use them to see new faces.
I would suggest to all aspiring comedians that the best way to get booked at Zanies is the best way to get booked anywhere: Stay in front of the booker. I am always amazed when someone will showcase for me and then write me three months later and ask if I will book them. Book them? I don’t even remember them. On an average week (when I showcase) I will see 8-10 comedians. Then I visit each of the Zanies and watch shows so I will see another 9-10 comedians that week. I view submitted tapes. I watch Comedy Central. On an average week I see sets from 30 or 40 comedians. If you contact me 12 weeks after your showcase, I will have seen about 300-400 comedians in the meanwhile.
Stay in touch with me. I consider myself one of the most accessible bookers in the country.
On the flip side, what are big Zanies no-no's that comedians should avoid?
I am pretty explicit when I schedule a showcase.
1. Be at the club by 7:30 PM.
2. Be prepared to do six minutes of clean material.
3. Bring a promo package.
4. Invite your friends and family.
If you follow the suggestions, you will do fine. I give a talk prior to the showcase in which I explain what I am looking for, how to follow up with me, tips about the business, etc.
How often do you read The Bastion, and what do you find most useful about it? Feel free to butter us up here.
I read it every day. I check The Bastion first, then Shecky Magazine, then Punchline Magazine. Then I view the Web sites of competitors and I finish up at the Zanies Web site.
My only complaint is that I don’t think you pay enough attention to established clubs like Zanies. There is a tendency to dismiss Zanies as old school and not hip when too often what passes for hip is just inexperience.
What's the scoop on Zanies comedy classes? Who would benefit most from taking them?
Comedy classes at Zanies are taught by Dobie Maxwell who has spent years perfecting the curriculum. I think any aspiring comedian would benefit from the classes because Dobie has so much real world experience to communicate.
At the same time, I think anyone who speaks in public as part of their job could benefit from the classes – lawyers, sales associates, human resources individuals.
Finally, I think anyone who has watched stand-up comedy and thought, "I can do that", should take the class. After the four week introductory class they will know either that a) stand-up is a lot harder than it looks or b) they want to be a stand-up comedian.
Do you ever go to other Chicago showcases to scout for talent? The Lincoln Lodge, Chicago Underground Comedy, Edge Comedy?
Because I visit all three Zanies clubs every week and sometimes have to spend multiple nights in one club because of rotating talent, I do not get to see as many other shows as I would like. Zanies is only a block from Second City and despite many vows, I did not see [recent Second City revue] Barack and a Hard Place. I am so angry with myself.
I did get to the D.C. Comedy Fest last year and I met some new comedians. I have been a judge at Snubfest for the last two years.
I would hope that the best comedians from those other venues have either showcased for me or are working at Zanies.
With the democratization of media -- specifically comedians being able to produce original content and distribute it to as wide an audience as they can manage to attract -- some people speculate that Chicago comedians might be able to establish their careers without having to make a big move to LA or New York. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Dream on.
Any thoughts on TJ Miller's recent successes?
I think it is great. TJ is a hard working, great guy and I think everyone in the Chicago comedy community is happy for his success.
I'm going to give you some comedians' names, and you give me a sentence or two to describe them:
Prescott Tolk - Solid act.
Fay Canale – Very likable on stage. I think as her material grows she will become a strong presence in Chicago.
Michael Palascak - Mike had a great year last year and I expect he will continue to build on his success. As we used to say about another Michael – I Like Mike.
Pat Brice - A terrible loss. The only good to come out of his passing is that after attending his funeral I vowed to work harder and try to make a greater contribution with my life. I keep his Memorial card in my billfold as an inspiration.
Allison Leber – Allison is interesting to me because the first time I saw her she was hosting at some coffeehouse open mic. Dobie Maxwell and I were there as part of a Chicago Tribune article. We both thought Allison had a real personality and I invited her to audition at Zanies which she did. She listens and continues to improve. We also saw Jack Calhoun and two others that night. Jack listened to us and continues to improve. The other two remain new talents.
Hannibal Buress - Hannibal is doing very well and will become even bigger. He works as hard as anyone I have met. He has a unique point of view which separates him from the others.
Adam Burke - Another individual with a unique point of view. He makes me laugh.
Who are some of your favorite nationally known comedians that have played at Zanies, and what do you like most about them?
I would have tunnel carpal syndrome if I tried to list all the comedians who make me laugh.
Zanies is a short walk from Second City in Chicago. Can you speak to the influence of improv on Chicago's stand-ups?
I am always amazed at how little crossover there is between the two communities. I recommend that all stand-ups take acting classes or participate in improv as a way to improve their skill set. To date, I can think of only a few comedians who have successfully done both stand-up and improv: Jim Fay, David Pasquesi, Jeff Garlin, TJ Miller, and Nathan Craig.
Scotty Iseri is an artist and musician who periodically rocks Chicago's face off in The Big Rock Show, billed as the world's smallest stadium rock concert. He does curious things with paper hats on public transportation, offers Chicago the public service of a drunk dial hotline, and can tell you a thing or two about playing the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in size four red leather jeans. He has also just released his third album: "Scotty Iseri for President," which includes the song "I'm Sorry, Mr. President, I Just Fucked Your Daughter," and can be heard here.
For the uninitiated, what's The Big Rock Show all about?
The Big Rock Show, according to my manager, is the hit-comedy sensation that has taken Chicago, and the world, by storm. In reality, it's me and my roommate lugging a trunk full of fireworks on stage and blowing them up while playing rock songs. We call it "the World's Smallest Stadium Rock Concert". Everything you'd find in a 70 dollar ticket show like Kiss or U2, but on a budget of about 20 bucks.
Tell us about the "Legends of No-Fi Tour." We hear it was a huge international smash. How did that come together, and do you have any good stories from the road?
International? I guess Canada counts, doesn't it? It's not just "north montana" anymore. No-Fi was great. You know who loves songs about crooked CEO's getting anally raped in prison showers? Salt Lake City. Seriously! All those Jack-Mormons in Utah congregated at TBRS and went nuts over our tribute to Jerry Falwell. Of course, this is before he died (may he rest comfortably in his burning hot pool of sulfur). Best story from the road? Well, we almost got into a fight with a male model. See, Tim the roadie couldn't make the tour (rehab), so we brought out Joe the Roadie for the nation-wide tour. Joe, unlike Tim, enjoys the company of men and was staring at this dude. Since we were getting in the van, i snapped a picture. The guy pulled a Sean Penn and got all bitchy. He started screaming "do you know who I am? I'm a male model! You can't just snap my picture!" He got all up in my face, and...well, let's put it this way. When you look like me (98lbs of half-jap love) you don't pick fights much, but I coulda totally taken this douchebag. I hope he's a Bastion reader.
Is there something magical about those red leather pants, like Dorothy and her ruby red slippers, that allows you to do things you wouldn't be able to do otherwise?
They allow me to rock your face off. Here...lemme show you...:
You moved to Chicago from Oregon. How has the adjustment to city life gone, and do you have a favorite "I love (or hate) Chicago" moment or two you'd like to share?
I don't know how you people live here. It is literally negative 12 degrees outside right now. It HURTS to be outside. Who does that to themselves? Also, the CTA makes me want to give up my peaceful tantric lifestyle and bust some heads.
We hear you have a secret identity of sorts, involving the CTA and something about paper hats. Is it about fighting crime, spreading joy, frightening visiting suburbanites, or some combination thereof?
I get this a lot. There's this stunningly handsome guy that rides the subway. He gets on the train with a stack of newspapers and makes hats for everybody. Look, if I was this so-called "paper hat guy" there's no way I'd admit it. Damndest thing about secret identities. The paper hat guy is like Batman...only with fewer muscles, less gadgets, and less homoerotic subtext.
What's with all this "Japalicious" stuff you're trying to pull? Aren't you really Italian or Jewish or something?
You Clazy Amelican! Alrays denying my Japanese loots. You wouldn't talk rike this if you knew ancient Japanese secret: We all know Karate.
Iseri as all four members of a four man band:
Is the Drunk Dial Hotline (as featured on WBEZ's 848) still up and running? Does it give you a feeling of priestlike power over the hapless souls who pour their inebriated hearts out to you, or it it mostly good for a laugh?
The Drunk Dial Hotline is still available for use, but it was recently absorbed by the Scotty Iseri Media Empire. It's since expanded to include "We Hate You: The Working Class Podcast" which is a call-in hotline for employees of the service industry, "Maximum Podthing Awesometown" which is a podcast between me and Tim the Roadie about...well...it's the audio version of TBRS without the music, and "Scotty Iseri, You Can Do Anything" which is a video series in which I fight madmen and pretend to be a dinosaur. (I can't believe how ridiculous that sounds when i write it out).
You have performed at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. What's that like, and how was your particular brand of humor received there?
Here's what you need to know about Alabama: people won't say the word "black" there. They will mouth the word black. Like when you tell them what neighborhood you live in and they say "oh, that's...that's nice. Do you have any trouble with the b____s?" My first album "Live from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival" is approximately 40 minutes long. The original concert was an hour ten. You know what we edited out? half an hour of toothless caterwauling, and the sound of half-full PBR cans smacking me in the forehead. (It should be noted that there are about 5 people in Alabama that completely shattered any stereotype I had about the place, and I hope they don't read this and get mad.)
What does 2008 hold for you, and The Big Rock Show?
Well, I'm about to release the third album: Scotty Iseri for President. It's the opening salvo in my 2020 presidential campaign. It's the first full length studio album we've ever done and has a bunch of semi-famous people on it. (Shit, this isn't exactly germane, but there was a 24 hour period where i thought i might be able to get Barack Obama to shout "Scotty Iseri, You Can do Anything!"...long story). It's a lot of the hits from TBRS, but with drums and bass, and (occasionally) toy piano. Then i'm heading back out to Oregon for a 2 week run of TBRS. I'm performing Feb. 14th-28th with Fall Guy Theatre. Should be fun. It's TBRS Classic...so it's before we did Big Rock Christmas Show, Big Rock Death Show, Big Rock Revolutions and Big Rock with Lime. We're pulling a "New Coke" and going back to the classic formula. Is this where I plug the website? (Editor's note: yes.)
Can the Bastion grab a ride on your scooter to your next show? We promise not to put our hands over your eyes.
Are you mocking Eva, the Big Rock Scooter? She's a hot little number. I can zip along at THIRTY-FIVE Miles Per Hour on that baby. 25 with passenger.
Ross Hyzer is a New York-based writer and comedian who pops into Chicago every so often and seems to make a lot of friends when he does. Earlier this year he pulled off a self-booked comedy tour that spanned a lot of the US, hitting more clubs than some comics do all year. We thought it was worth picking his brain about, so we did this interview with him.
You spent several months out on the road being sort of the Johnny Appleseed of stand-up comedy. When did the idea to do a self-booked, self-planned stand-up tour of the US occur to you, how long did it take you to plan it out, and what were some of your mail objectives and strategies?
To be honest, I'd say that restlessness was the primary impetus for my trip. I've always had a bit of wanderlust in me, I've got family and friends scattered around whom I don't see nearly as often as I would like. The restlessness figures into my comedy as well - I always want to try new material, I always want to perform in new places for new audiences. So I realized that I could roll all of this into one nice long ramble into largely uncharted territory and I set to work making it happen. That's how my homemade, exploratory Jokeswagon tour was born.
It took me about a month to plan my route and book everything. Once I'd figured out which cities I'd be visiting, I started by contacting the comedy clubs in those cities and just talking my way in. I didn't pretend to be Ross Hyzer's agent or anything like that - I considered it, but I'm a pretty lousy liar so I decided to play it straight. I told them that I'd be visiting from New York and I'd love to a guest set and directed them to my clips online. Once I'd set up some of these shows, I contacted comedians in each city (either via friends or on MySpace) and asked them to direct me to some shows I should do during my visit. That's how I got hooked up with independent shows, plus it gave me some people to say hey to when I got to town.
In the end, what was the span of your adventure, in terms of time and geography, and what sort of transportation did you use?
I ended up sticking to the Midwest, because it's my native turf (I'm originally from Iowa) which means that it had the highest concentration of couches that I could sleep on. All told, I was on the road for two-and-a-half months and hit eight cities: Chicago, Madison, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines, Ames and Minneapolis. I drove myself everywhere in my ten-year-old Mazda. I cracked a wheel in Lawrence, Kansas, but otherwise it was all without incident.
Did you crash with a lot of friends and acquaintances, or how did you find lodging arrangements in each place?
I had the good fortune of staying with friends or family everywhere I went. It made the whole trip possible for me and I still owe some people a fair amount of scraping and gratitude for their wonderful hospitality. My friend who put me up in Lawrence had to deal with me a few days longer than expected while I waited for a replacement wheel to arrive from Topeka and she was unbelievably gracious about it. I thought I'd have to stay in a motel in Omaha, but a high school friend and his wife turned up at my show and let me sleep in their guest room (which, incidentally, was the best night of sleep I'd had since leaving New York). An old friend and his family were good enough to take me in while I was in Minneapolis - I spent a few nights sleeping in a tent in their back yard. There was a really incredible thunderstorm one of those nights.
How did you manage all the bookings, and contacting all the clubs? E-mail and links to online clips of yourself? Were there certain venues that were tougher to establish "e-rapport" with?
Other than what I already said above, I'll just add that some clubs unfortunately do not handle their own booking and so are unequipped to deal with "special" cases such as I was. At such clubs I was unable to even find someone to whom I could give my pitch. Thankfully, there were enough clubs open to what I was selling to give me some great spots. And of course, any independent shows I contacted were very open and responsive and represented some of the best gigs of the whole trip.
Were there some surprises along the way, where maybe you found kindred spirits in unexpected places?
I found a lot of kindred spirits along the way but I wasn't necessarily surprised. I always like meeting and hanging out with other comics and because I'd contacted a lot of people before I arrived, I already had people whom I knew I would meet and who wanted to show me around their city and introduce me to their comedy friends. That, without a doubt, was the best part of the trip - getting insider looks at the comedy scenes in all these different places. I had the good fortune of performing with Kumail Nanjiani and Andy Ross right before they moved to New York, so when I got back to town I already had two friends from the road here. Comics in Kansas City were really warm and inviting - I had lots of fun their and met so many great people, one of whom let me sleep on his couch when I didn't feel like making the drive back to Lawrence.
Were there any places where the comic sensibility of the locals felt way off from where you come from? Which is to say, were there places where people didn't "get you?"
No, I've never been anywhere where people simply didn't "get me." It's good to know how to read an audience and find ways to bring them into what you're doing onstage - of course, sometimes that's easier and sometimes it's harder. The most difficult sensibility I ran into was in Kansas City, where comics tended to be pretty rowdy and raucous whereas I tend to be pretty wry and satirical. But that was one of my favorite stops because I learned a lot about selling my wares, so to speak.
Did you make new friends along the way? Are you still in contact with some of those folks?
I made a lot of friends along the way - you, for example, Ms. McQuern! I have several good friends in New York now whom I met on the road right before they moved here (not only Kumail and Andy, but also Danny Solomon, a great comic from Kansas City). And I made other friends whom I've kept in touch with and whom I hope to see and perform with again.
What are some of the most valuable things you got out of this experience?
Other than all the great comics I got to see and meet and hang out with, the most valuable thing I got from the experience was just doing comedy in new and different places. In general, I think you gain a lot when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. This is certainly true for comedy - I learned so much about feeling out audiences, winning over audiences, commanding attention, projecting a voice, staying loose, things like that. I definitely improved a lot during my time on the road.
Do you plan to do something like this again? I have to think it would make for a very cool documentary project.
I've got nothing in the works, no, but I would love to do something like this again and document the whole thing. I'm pushing for some festivals this year, so maybe 2009 will be the time to hit the road again. Short of embarking on another ambitious expedition such as this, though, I'm eager to get back to Chicago very soon. Without a doubt, Chicago has one of the most fun, lively and inventive comedy scenes I've experienced anywhere. Lincoln Lodge and Chicago Underground are two of the best shows I've ever done and I was consistently impressed by the comedians everywhere I went in Chicago. I spent more time there this summer than I did anywhere else (thanks, Craig and Ruth, for your delightful couch) and even so, it wasn't time enough. Which is good, because I get to look forward to going back.
Recently we got a chance to catch up with improv phenom and recent Chicago transplant Amanda Rountree. We first were introduced to Amanda during the second cycle of Impress These Apes this past August, and fell in love immediately with her quirky, smart, and adorable demeanor. We hope she's having a great time in Chicago and taking everything she can from this fair city. We know it's better because she's here now!
You came to Chicago from Seattle in June and jumped directly into cycle two of Impress These Apes. Did you know anything about the show before you auditioned? Can you reflect some on that experience, as both an improvisor and a new Chicagoan?
I had never heard of the show until a friend of mine here told me about the auditions. She thought it might be something I'd like, and she was right! I'm not even sure I had fully grasped what it was I had gotten myself into until the first performance. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. Looking back, I think I was just so overwhelmed and over-stimulated from having just moved across the country. It was wonderfully surreal to be so quickly surrounded by lots of creative people, doing such a weird, fun show. There were even a few times where I'd be out on the stage, watching the intro and honestly thinking, "Wow. I live in Chicago now. I'm watching three dudes in ape-masks dance. How did this all happen?" How has your time in Chicago been enhanced by your past work with Unexpected Productions and Playback Theater Northwest in Seattle? Can you speak briefly about your work in those places?
My work and study with both UP and PTN were so rich. Those companies (and the people) affected not just who I am as a performer, a teacher, and a director, but also as a person. I'm very grateful to have learned from and worked with UP's Director, Randy Dixon. He was very good about having us work with many schools of improv -- not just Spolin, Close, and Johnstone -- but even integrating philosophies and elements of dance, performance art, music, and so on into our work. My time with Playback really instilled in me the passion I have for utilizing personal story in performance. So much of what I learned, developed, and practiced with my Playback company (and others as far away as Japan) has become infused in my philosophy of improv and theatre as a whole.
Speaking of, why DID you move to Chicago? what have you been doing (both comically and personally) in the last 6-7 months?
I was really very happy in Seattle. But there was a part of me that knew I needed to be in a bigger city to grow. Chicago just seemed right.
Ever since I arrived, I feel like I've been drunk on all of the opportunities here. I hadn't yet returned my moving truck when I auditioned for an improv team at the Playground (Damascus Steel). It was so great to get with those fun people right away. While Impress These Apes was going on, I was also doing solo-pieces in Beast Women, an all-female performance cabaret. I've been interning and taking classes at both iO and Second City. I'm also teaching and directing around town. It's funny. Answering this question makes me realize how busy I've been since I moved here. Usually I'm thinking, "Ack! There's so much more I want to do!"
Chicago is great. I love the people here; everyone is so friendly! I have met so many amazing people. I'm very grateful for the friends I'm making here. Knowing that it took coming out here to meet them reminds me that moving to Chicago was the right decision. I'm not above validation.
I feel like I've only seen a fraction of the city. I still haven't seen most of the museums. Getting lost is a skill I've been honing. I've gotten really good at it. Having the water on the east still kind of messes with my head sometimes.
You've traveled pretty extensively with UP, including overseas. Where have you been and what were the shows like? Can you tell us a story about your favorite and least favorite experiences during your travels?
I was really fortunate to have been on three different European tours with UP. We performed many different long-form improv shows (with the occasional short-form show) in cities in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Switzerland. We did a show outside of Bern (southwest of Zurich) that was in the most amazing space. It was this tiny theatre inside a fat, round tower. The building was easily over 500 years old and was absolutely beautiful. A room upstairs served as our greenroom. To get down to the stage, we had to climb down a stone, spiral, candlelit staircase. I remember we performed the long-form "Thread" there. It was a lovely show and the audience received us with such warmth. Overall, European audiences are extremely generous with their applause. It becomes commonplace to do one or two encores for every show! In Gottingen, our audience members were provided with roses and sponges. If they liked something they saw, they'd throw a rose on stage. If they didn't like something, they'd throw a sponge. After one of our shows in Vienna, an audience member approached us and said she was so touched during the last scene that she cried. It's a lovely thing to have people laugh and cry in the same show.
If I had to name something, I suppose my least favorite things were maybe sometimes sharing a room with a snorer or the occasional lack of amazing vegan options. But even then, I was touring around Europe, so life was still pretty frickin' awesome.
You're also teaching improv courses. What's this all about? How's it going so far?
I love teaching improv -- absolutely love it! I also teach straight-up acting classes sometimes. (One of my favorites is teaching Shakespeare to teens). I started teaching back in 1998. I was simultaneously drawn to it and a bit scared of it. I think I was worried that I wasn't doing it right because I always felt like I was learning more from my students than they were from me. It seemed so unfair -- like I was cheating or something. Definitely, one of my favorite bits about teaching is when I'm witnessing a person "getting it." It's also cool to create the space for them to do something awesome and then point it out to them: "Did you see that cool thing that happened in that scene?! You just did that!" I was teaching quite a bit in Seattle, so it's really nice to be doing more and more of it here. I've been teaching through a couple of theaters in the area, but have recently started offering classes/workshops on my own. One of my favorite workshops to teach to experienced improvisors is, "Keepin' It Real," a class on using one's own truths to create more sincere and dynamic scenes. Our own lives and stories are so rich. Why not use 'em? Anyhoodle, I'm teaching that workshop on February 2nd. Can I plug that here? If I can, I'll just say that interested folks can email me at playback_amanda@yahoo.com. Thanks! So, a ZOMBIE eh??? Tell us about it!!!
Oh, wow! You are very good at research! That was a music video for a local band in Seattle. It was a really fun shoot. I actually played another zombie in a short film for the same production company.
I can play the living -- but not in the morning.
What can audiences expect from the Cornservatory shows on January 19 and February 2?
My piece is part of a new variety show called, "The Final Countdown" hosted by the Accountants of Homeland Security. On 1/19 and 2/2, I'll be performing my original scene, "Amanda & Chicago," with the audience. I ask for volunteers. (Don't worry. I don't force anyone to do a scene with me. Although if you don't want to, I might take it personally). On February 9, I'll be there to perform a fully improvised soliloquy in the style of Shakespeare. All of the shows start at 11 p.m.
"Amanda & Chicago", performed for the final week of Apes.
Photos, from top to bottom: Amanda Rountree, ganked from her MySpace page.
Amanda doing a scene with Ryan Stiles.
The Playground team, Damascus Steel.
Production still from "Terry", a "zombie love story set to music".
Mary Lynn Rajskub's comedy pedigree is impressive: early in her career she was cast on David Cross and Bob Odenkirk's HBO critically acclaimed sketch comedy series, “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” Quickly thereafter, she switched to the network's “The Larry Sanders Show.” Her film roster includes “Firewall,” opposite Harrison Ford, “Legally Blonde II: Red, White, and Blonde,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Punch Drunk Love.” She also inspires a lot of techno nerd lust playing Chloe on "24," for which she and her fellow cast members won a 2006 Emmy win for Best Drama. Mary Lynn will be performing stand-up at the Lakeshore Theater in Chicago November 24. Our Dyan Flores, who is a big fan, conducted with this interview with Mary Lynn, and then the two of them saved Jack Bauer from terrorists and debugged the American military's computer network.
You said in an interview once that an unintentionally humorous performance art piece was sort of your segue into the world of comedy. Is that something that you're still active in?
My comedy has taken the place of my performance art. There was always a 'performer/audience' element to my performance art pieces. One particular piece I did was me as a public speaker, but my speech was torn up into bits of paper I couldn't fit back together, my podium was made of cardboard that kept falling over when I leaned on it and I had a pointer made of a bent hanger wire. I didn't really put it together that this was comedy! So I'm not still active in true performance art.
Your career started out with more comedic shows such as "Mr. Show" and "The Larry Sanders Show", and as your career progressed you started taking on more dramatic roles in projects like "Punch Drunk Love" and "24"; when you first got into the entertainment industry did you have mainly comedic aspirations or did you also hope to pursue more dramatic parts?
The approach to both is the same. I have never been a joke teller, I have always been more of an actress who happens to have a strong interest in stand up comedy. My aspirations have been to do the things that interest me, acting interests me and so does performing on stage by myself with material I have written. So I have pursued both.
When did you start performing stand up? What sort of topics do you like to cover and how do you come up with your material?
I started performing stand up around 10 years ago. I was very uncomfortable and would barely be able to say my name. This would elicit laughter from the audience which would prompt me to say things like "What are you looking at?" and "What do you want from me." This was my defensiveness coming out. I was defensive because I was scared and then I got laughs so I started to use it to my advantage. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was uncomfortable. For a while, I would always trip on the way up to the stage, which I thought was hilarious but people would end up just feeling sorry for me. Nowadays I still have elements of that but it is more about my personal life and observations. It is also about the way my mind works which doesn't really travel in a straight line. So it's about capturing thoughts, inner monologues, insecurities then following them and exploring what happens. Does your popularity as Chloe (on "24") draw a different fan base to your stand up shows? If so, are they ever surprised or disappointed to see a performance that is so different from what you do on "24"?
People have walked out. People have also been pleasantly surprised. I guess it depends on the people!
I have to ask, what's really on the computer screens at CTU?
There are real fake things on the computer screens. There's a whole team of people whose job is to design them, sometimes real "schematics" and sometimes fake stuff.
You have performed in film, television, and also continue to do stand-up. Is there anything that you haven't done which you would like to do? What branches of entertainment will you never delve into?
I would like to continue to do live shows and get into independent film-making.
And finally, what can we expect from you onstage at the Lakeshore Theatre the 24th?
Friend of the Bastion Mackenzie Condon, currently studying the legal nuances of defamatory fart jokes New York, tipped us off that Ben Lerman was going to swing through Chicago with his sick and brilliant ukulele comedy. Lerman will play songs from his album "Ukelear Winter" on November 25 at 7 PM at Hamburger Mary's on Clark Street in the Andersonville neighborhood. His songs can be heard here.
How would you describe your comedy and music?
I like to make fun of myself and the people around me. Since I’m a gay Jew-tard (or am I a Jewish gay-tard?), I have a lot to draw from.
How did you make the jump from living in your hometown in Indiana to pursuing "gay comedy rock stardom" in New York in 1998? Was there a college stint before then? Did you always know you wanted to head to New York?
After high school, I was an exchange student in Brussels for a year. I found myself legally drinking at karaoke bars with crazy Belgians. One time they tried to impress me by shotgunning cans of Stella Artois (the Belgian equivalent of Schlitz) and then vomiting the beer still foaming. Foamy beer vomit leaves a lasting impression. It looked like it was coming straight out of a keg, a keg made of a human body. After Belgium, I went to Washington, DC, to drop out of college and begin an illustrious career waiting tables. After 6 years I rose from the position of “waiter” to “waiter with a slightly better section.” With those successes under my belt, I knew that New York held no challenges I couldn’t conquer. Gay comedy rock stardom seems like a goal worth pursuing because there is no such thing. Here’s what I know: if something doesn’t really exist, it’s impossible to fail. So go for it, right?
What is your comedy background like -- did you study or train anywhere, or do stuff in college?
I’ve taken a couple of improv classes in New York, but improv is hard because I have OCD and I just tend to alphabetize imaginary CDs in every scene. Not so fun for an audience to watch, but highly organized. I think comedians can learn most from committing Lifetime original movies to memory. At this point, Meredith Baxter Birney and I think with one mind.
Have your parents heard you sing songs about wanting to masturbate to Anderson Cooper? And if so, are they still speaking to you?
Remember that anti-drugs commercial where the dad finds pot in his kid’s room, and the kid says, “I learned it from you, dad!” Well, it’s sort of like that. Um, just kidding. My entire family has been extremely supportive of me while simultaneously being extremely embarrassed by me. Now I’m trying to figure out what horrible thing I can say next that will test their love even more.
Is there something inherently funny about the ukulele, in your opinion? Might you have just as much success with an accordian, or a kazoo?
I tried to be a one-man kazoo band for a long time, but people complained that they had trouble understanding the lyrics. Lenny (that’s my uke’s name) is very offended by this question. He just stormed out of the room in tears. Don’t worry, Lenny is just overly sensitive because his last owner left him for a funny accordion.
We noticed that you are MySpace friends with Maya Lerman, who we're guessing is your sister - ? She's also a musician, but without the comedy component. Any theories on that? Less residual childhood psychological damage for her?
Until now my family has maintained that we are cousins. Now that you have revealed our dark family secret, she’s sure to have as much psychological damage as me.
What can people who show up to Hamburger Mary's on November 25 expect to see from you?
The should expect an answer to that nagging question, “What would happen if Weird Al Yankovic and Big Gay Al from South Park had a baby with Al Jarreau?”
After our interview a few months ago, Maria Bamford and The Bastion are BFFs. In our mind, at least. She recently came through town with the Comedians of Comedy gang, and will return to our fair city on November 16, for another show at the Lakeshore Theater. So of course we hung out at my place, where we did each other's nails, listened to the Spice Girls, and scrolled through Cute Overload*.
Your series on Super Deluxe continues to delight and amaze us. You seem to have an unending source of ideas for the show, how do those ideas evolve in your head?
It's just whatever I'm worried or mad or excited about- I'm really happy with the Halloween episode and OCD episode- those are my favorites and feel proud- but just sort of percolate and then write in my notebook and talk about with friends a little and then type it up!
Blossom has a lot of charisma for such a small dog. How long do you think it will be until she has her own show?
Blossom is a grand dame, an elegant lady, a woman of means. She doesn't need show business. Show business needs her. (She is fielding offers, but mostly from my Mother.)
You're going to be with the rest of the Comedians of Comedy gang for the Nov. 1 Chicago show at the Vic Theater, right? How are those shows going?
They are GREAT! We were in Philadelphia last night and it was awesome- our third time in Philly and it was just wonderful- the shows seem to get better and better.
You're going to be at The Lakeshore Theater on November 16, after having been there for two shows last May. When we spoke then, you said that one of the things you liked about performing there was that you liked being able to do one or two shows instead of a full week, which is what a lot of places require. Is that part of the reason you're coming back, and what else do you like about doing shows at the Lakeshore Theater?
It's a theatre and people can sit down and not have to buy drinks and they can focus and relax. Comedy clubs can be kind of stressful with all of the constant ordering and sitting with tables of people you don't know- can be odd.
Some Chicago comedy fans are wondering if you're going to be bringing Jackie Kashian with you again, because they enjoyed the combination of the two of you. Will she be your opening act?
Oof. I'm not sure. I have to check with Jackie!
Is it true that you made out with Jon "Ducky" Cryer and taught Jenna Elfman how to play the violin?
Yes (fake made out) in a show that was on for 3 episodes and once on Dharma and Greg-I haven't auditioned as much for TV shows anymore because the process is kind of a bummer (for me)- it's like temping- you go in and do a job (and the auditioning can be a bummer because I so often didn't get the job.) Stand up is more empowering- I always have the job!
Can you give our readers some idea of what to expect from your Nov. 16 show? Any special bits your fervent fans can look forward to?
Messages for my mom's answering machine from the Baby Jesus, my view of history/geography and some new stuff about traveling in the van with the guys!
*Not really.
Does your popularity as Chloe (on "24") draw a different fan base to your stand up shows? If so, are they ever surprised or disappointed to see a performance that is so different from what you do on "24"?
Friend of the Bastion 
After high school, I was an exchange student in Brussels for a year. I found myself legally drinking at karaoke bars with crazy Belgians. One time they tried to impress me by shotgunning cans of Stella Artois (the Belgian equivalent of Schlitz) and then vomiting the beer still foaming. Foamy beer vomit leaves a lasting impression. It looked like it was coming straight out of a keg, a keg made of a human body. After Belgium, I went to Washington, DC, to drop out of college and begin an illustrious career waiting tables. After 6 years I rose from the position of “waiter” to “waiter with a slightly better section.” With those successes under my belt, I knew that New York held no challenges I couldn’t conquer. Gay comedy rock stardom seems like a goal worth pursuing because there is no such thing. Here’s what I know: if something doesn’t really exist, it’s impossible to fail. So go for it, right?
After our interview 
Our brother site in L.A.,