7th Annual Global ComedyFest: Top Comedians Invade Vancouver

Though the new school year might be bringing you down, September also marks the kickoff of the 7th Annual Global ComedyFest in Vancouver. This ComedyFest runs from September 16th to 26th and is an event that is sure to raise the spirits of its attendees with its outrageously talented lineup of comedians. Joe Wong and Iliza Schlesinger are two fantastic comedians that will be performing this year.

You may recognize Joe Wong from his appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and Ellen, where he proved to be an audience favourite. Iliza Schlesinger was the winner of the popular show Last Comic Standing, season six, making her the first female to win the competition. I had the opportunity to interview both comedians about their career achievements and hopes for the future.

Joe Wong

YT: When and how did you get involved in stand-up comedy?
JW: Well, I have always loved humour. When I was growing up in China, I watched a lot of the traditional Chinese stand-up comedy called crosstalk. After coming to the United States, I read some articles by Woody Allen and I found them very funny. Back in 2001, I started to watch some stand-up comedy live, in comedy clubs, and I started in the clubs.

YT: Was stand-up comedy something that you always knew you wanted to do?
JW: Not really. Only after I got my degree and started working did I start thinking about doing something different and comedy seemed to be the most interesting thing to do.

YT: What were some of the challenges you faced when you first started doing stand-up?
JW: I think my challenges were kind of similar to a lot of other people’s when they started doing comedy. You know, trying to find time. That’s the most important thing. And trying to keep yourself inspired, I guess, because stand-up comedy is a very tough world. It takes years and years to hone your skills. So you just have to be very patient, and try to be inspired. That’s about it.

YT: You were born and raised in China, and moved to the United States for university. In what ways has your cultural background influenced your routines?
JW: That’s pretty hard for me to say, because I think my stand-up comedy is pretty much American-style. I performed in clubs in America. I think that if you are deep enough, people will find similar things funny, but people still have very different cultural backgrounds. That’s the main difference.

YT: What do you mean when you refer to yourself as an “all-American immigrant?”
JW: It’s kind of like an oxymoron. Probably 50% oxymoron. If you are an immigrant you are not American, but immigration is such an American thing. Pretty much everybody, either their ancestors or themselves, immigrated to this country. So I use that as kind of an oxymoron, but not completely.

YT: Not many famous comedians today have your type of background as an immigrant whose first language is not English, and whose major in university was biochemistry. What is it about your personality that makes you so well-suited to be a comedian?
JW: I’m fairly nice and friendly. You can say I’m witty, I guess. I think that’s pretty much it. I think I want to tell intelligent humour, instead of just making people laugh through vulgarity. I have nothing against it, but I feel that it is a little bit too easy to make people laugh just by using vulgarity.

YT: What was your reaction to being invited to perform on The Late Show with David Letterman?
JW: Oh, yeah, I was just so thrilled, because the Letterman Show is in the Ed Sullivan Theatre, and a lot of my heroes performed on that stage. I was so happy. I remember at the time I was thinking, if I get hit by a bus after the Dave Letterman show, I’m gonna die with a big smile on my face.

YT: What types of jokes do you find are the easiest to perform?
JW: It kind of depends. Racial humour is very easy to do, because you know, I’m Asian, if I do some jokes about Asian stereotypes, they’re easy jokes. But those are not usually my favourite jokes. Some jokes I have to do for two or three years before they work.

YT: Where do you get most of your jokes from?
JW: I guess everyday life. Sometimes jokes just come to me, sometimes I will have a rough idea of something that should be funny, and I keep working on it for, like, weeks or months. So it always depends. Every comedian has a notebook, and I’m the same. Whenever I have some thoughts, I’ll just write them down.

YT: What are you looking forward to the most when you come to ComedyFest here in Vancouver?
JW: Oh, I’m just looking forward to having a good time there. There’s a couple of comedians I really like and admire there so I look forward to performing there. That’s the bottom line. At ComedyFest, you get to see so many other great acts. You can always learn from others.

YT: What advice would you give to anybody who wants to have a career in comedy?
JW: Get on stage as much as possible and write as much as possible, because by getting on stage, you’ll get better at delivering your jokes, but after that, you’ll really have to rely a lot on your writing. So just keep on performing and writing. There’s no secret to it. You just have to keep practicing.

Joe Wong will be performing at Lafflines Comedy Club in New Westminster on September 19th. For tickets, go to www.comedyfest.com.

Iliza Schlesinger

YT: When did you realize that stand-up comedy was your calling?
IS: Probably from the day I started talking. I think there was a year where I wanted to be an archaeologist. Other than that I was all about comedy.

YT: When and how did you get involved in comedy as a profession?
IS: I got involved with stand-up comedy – I mean, I always wanted to get involved with comedy as a profession – when I moved to L.A. after college. I don’t know, I just kind of hit the ground running.

YT: What were your biggest challenges when starting to do stand-up comedy?
IS: My biggest challenge was getting time, because when you’re a new comic, and no one knows who you are, people aren’t always dying to give you stage time. It wasn’t so much the drive, I wanted to do things, but it was always tricky to find venues to get through stand-up. Because they wouldn’t let me.

YT: How did winning Last Comic Standing affect your comedy career?
IS: Uh, it affected it in that it gave me a career. I had been featured before, and I was going to be a headliner, but it skyrocketed me to being a headliner very quickly.

YT: You were the youngest comedian to ever win Last Comic Standing. Do you think being a relatively youthful comedian has allowed you to be more experimental and liberated in the subject matter you perform?
IS: Well, I can’t compare it to being an old comic because I haven’t been old yet, but I think there’s an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that you have the drive and the time. The disadvantage is that you lack the real world experience that an older comic has. So while you might be saying funny things, the one who has had a family, or been married, or had another job, might have a bit more perspective. And perspective is something you only gain as you get older.

YT: Comedy seems to be a male-dominated profession. You were the first female winner of Last Comic Standing after six seasons! Why do you think this has been such tough profession for females to break into?
IS: I don’t think that it’s a tough profession for females to break into. Any girl who has a shred of talent can make a decent name for herself, and in fact, if you’re a girl and you’re good, you have a greater chance of succeeding because there are less women doing comedy. So when women say it’s hard - it’s not hard, you’re just not funny.

YT: Does being a female comedian limit the sort of subject matter you can perform?
IS: Not at all. I mean it limits it in that if I get up there and tell a sexual joke, it’s a little more taboo because women aren’t supposed to talk about that. But if a guy goes up there and tells the same joke, it’s funny. It’s the same thing as how guys can take off their shirts and have gross bodies and it’s funny, but if a woman takes off her shirt it’s just gross.

YT: Where do you draw inspiration for your material?
IS: Just everyday life. My own insecurities, observations, things I like, things I don’t like. I just have a really warped way of looking at things.

YT: Aside from being funny, what personal traits does one need to be an effective comedian?
IS: Confidence. A huge ego. And an unfillable void that consumes you every day of your life.

YT: Which comedians inspire you the most?
IS: There’s comedians, and there’s comedic actors. I love sketch shows like Kids In The Hall – that was a big one for me, and In Living Colour, and Saturday Night Live. Mike Myers – there was Wayne’s World, Jim Carrey – he was just so funny, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler is huge, I think Pablo Francisco is hilarious, Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone... these are all comics that have a lot of energy, or they’re super honest, or they create amazing characters.

YT: Speaking of comedians, some people assume that when comics spend time with each other, it’s just one giant laugh fest. Is that at all painting an accurate picture?
IS: It really depends on which comics you’re hanging out with. If they’re your friends, or if they’re funny, then it’s one big laugh fest. But if they’re not funny, then it’s just people trying to be funnier than everyone else and it’s annoying.

YT: What do enjoy about participating in festivals like Comedy Fest and what can the audience expect from your sets?
IS: I have no idea what I’ll be performing yet. When you do a comedy festival, the people there came to laugh. They’re really going out of their way to make a night out of it, and they really want to be there, it’s not like someone dragged them. So I expect to have a lot of fun with everyone in Vancouver.

YT: What advice would you give to anybody who wants to have a career in comedy?
IS: Gosh, there’s so much. My advice is to do what you think is funny, do it over and over and over again until you’re sick of it, and then do it about eight billion more times. Give it 100% and expect nothing in return, then be pleasantly surprised to get something back.

Iliza Schlesinger will be performing at Lafflines Comedy Club in New Westminster on September 17th and 18th. For tickets go to www.comedyfest.com.