| StageTimeMag.com | Vol. 2 No. 1 |
Comedy news, interviews, reviews and essays
STAGE TIME | "The Comedian's Magazine"
| Cover Story |
| Home | News | Features | Interviews | Cover Story | Reviews | Essays | Anatomy of a Joke | New Releases | Archives | Feedback |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES Festival Wrap Up: New York Underground Comedy Festival Hustle & Grow: STAGE TIME Celebrates 1st Anniversary Comic Resolutions 2007 Comic's Final Progress Report 2006 INTERVIEWS Brad Stine **NEW** Careers in Comedy: Ryan McCormick PR Manager COVER STORY Shang REVIEWS Angry Bob Comedy Jump Off Doug Powell Eric Schwartz James P. Connolly **NEW** Anatomy of a Joke "Racism Damnit!" Written and Performed by Shang |
| Terms | Staff | About Us | Contact Us ©2005-2007 STAGE TIME - The Magazine That Stands Up For Comedy. All rights reserved. |
Do you remember your first killer joke?
No...It was so bad, but it worked.
What was so bad about it?
It was a dumb, stupid joke. I just thought about the Statute of
Liberty being upset at the fact that she never gets laid. I was
doing bits about why she’s standing there with that look on her
face. But it killed.
Do you remember the first time you bombed and why?
Yeah, I thought about it too much. I listened to people say,
“You gotta write everything down. You have to formulate it.”
Which venues did play in New York?
Dangerfield’s, The Village Gate, Catch a Rising Star. I used to
do a late spot there like after Dennis Miller and the heavy
hitters because I was so aggressive. I could get a following, but
the clubs were like, “No, we can’t put you on before 12am.” I’m
way less aggressive now. I know how to finesse them now.
No...It was so bad, but it worked.
What was so bad about it?
It was a dumb, stupid joke. I just thought about the Statute of
Liberty being upset at the fact that she never gets laid. I was
doing bits about why she’s standing there with that look on her
face. But it killed.
Do you remember the first time you bombed and why?
Yeah, I thought about it too much. I listened to people say,
“You gotta write everything down. You have to formulate it.”
Which venues did play in New York?
Dangerfield’s, The Village Gate, Catch a Rising Star. I used to
do a late spot there like after Dennis Miller and the heavy
hitters because I was so aggressive. I could get a following, but
the clubs were like, “No, we can’t put you on before 12am.” I’m
way less aggressive now. I know how to finesse them now.
A comic named Rick Overton taught me that. Rick Overton said, “Say the same shit and smile a little bit
more.” Lewis Black can get away with that, but I’m 6’2, 240 [lbs]
And black –
And that comes off like, “He knows his shit. We’d rather have Flavor Flav. Let’s make him a star. He’s a
good role model.”
How did you go from an open miker to passing at comedy clubs?
Killing. You have some comics who get good chuckles. They’re funny, real funny, but don’t kill and really
grab the audience by their throat and elbow them into submission. And I’ve always been that type of
comic, even when I tone down for TV. I tend to get applause breaks much faster; I have a lot of one-
liners so it’s, “boom, boom, boom, boom.” I talk real fast. So I would hit real fast even when I was doing
short sets.
Which clubs passed you?
Catch a Rising Star and Caroline’s. I did Caroline’s show on A&E and ripped. And after that, they started
giving me spots. I started to get too strong as an opener so they put me in the middle. I literally became
a headliner out of, “We can’t put you in the middle anymore. We have to close you.”
So how did you make that jump?
They made it; I didn’t make it. I was happy to feature. To feature is a great spot. You’re in the middle.
So why did they decide push you to headline?
Because I started getting a good following. My black audience was much of that “head-wrap, smell like
incense.” They come down and say, “I like what you're saying. What you’re saying is some real shit.” And
I got a lot of that following. They’re a very devoted audience. They’re not a flighty audience like, “Oh,
you’re the hot comic right now.” Like Paul Mooney has his following no matter what. That’s the type of
audience I’ve always wanted. Even if I’m not hot next year, I’m hot with them, because they know I’m
going to come up with new material and I’m going to say some shit.
more.” Lewis Black can get away with that, but I’m 6’2, 240 [lbs]
And black –
And that comes off like, “He knows his shit. We’d rather have Flavor Flav. Let’s make him a star. He’s a
good role model.”
How did you go from an open miker to passing at comedy clubs?
Killing. You have some comics who get good chuckles. They’re funny, real funny, but don’t kill and really
grab the audience by their throat and elbow them into submission. And I’ve always been that type of
comic, even when I tone down for TV. I tend to get applause breaks much faster; I have a lot of one-
liners so it’s, “boom, boom, boom, boom.” I talk real fast. So I would hit real fast even when I was doing
short sets.
Which clubs passed you?
Catch a Rising Star and Caroline’s. I did Caroline’s show on A&E and ripped. And after that, they started
giving me spots. I started to get too strong as an opener so they put me in the middle. I literally became
a headliner out of, “We can’t put you in the middle anymore. We have to close you.”
So how did you make that jump?
They made it; I didn’t make it. I was happy to feature. To feature is a great spot. You’re in the middle.
So why did they decide push you to headline?
Because I started getting a good following. My black audience was much of that “head-wrap, smell like
incense.” They come down and say, “I like what you're saying. What you’re saying is some real shit.” And
I got a lot of that following. They’re a very devoted audience. They’re not a flighty audience like, “Oh,
you’re the hot comic right now.” Like Paul Mooney has his following no matter what. That’s the type of
audience I’ve always wanted. Even if I’m not hot next year, I’m hot with them, because they know I’m
going to come up with new material and I’m going to say some shit.
SHANG - PAGE 2
