The C/U Stand Up Spectacular: A Night Of Stand Up Comedy takes place Friday at 9 p.m. at the Canopy Club. Cover is eight bucks. Eight stand-up comedians (Trey Mowder, Ryan Nallen, Sirifax, Lane Pieschel, Drew Michael, Ryan Walker, Sam Norton, and Collin A. Bullock) will do their best to make you laugh. In the interest of introductions, Pieschel, Bullock, and Nallen answered a few of our questions below.
LANE PIESCHEL
Smile Politely: So, could you introduce yourself? Maybe a quick joke or one-liner?
Lane Pieschel: Sure, My name is Lane Pieschel and I just moved up to Chicago from Florida in August. I did stand-up in college there for a little over 3 years. I love doing it and I’m starting to get involved in video sketches. Me and a few friends are working on one right now that will probably not be up before the show.
But yeah, I started stand-up in college and have kinda based most of my decisions since then on how to pursue it as a career (“it” in this context being comedy in general). I’d love to write for TV or movies someday.
And a quick joke:
-How is it that I can’t seem to get fired from bad jobs? Back in college I worked at Subway. I stole sandwiches by the yard. Never even a warning.
Smile Politely: What’s the biggest misconception about stand-up comedy?
Lane Pieschel: I think that people think it’s way easier than it actually is. On any particular night you might be watching years of work go into somebody’s 10 minute set. It’s an incredibly slow process that mostly revolves around trial and error and (hopefully) good instincts. And it’s very humbling. It happens a lot where you throw out a new “joke” that you’re excited for and people are just kind of staring at you. That’s when you realize “Oh yeah, this is just an idea. In maybe a month or two I’ll get it right.”
I think another misconception is people think that comics are naturally born funny. Certainly there are some people that understand what they think is funny at an earlier time in life than others, but comedy is a learned skill just like any other profession. In most cases it takes way longer to develop as a comic than another career because you’re working on your act for 3-5 minute increments over and over for years. It’s a tough grind.
Smile Politely: The Tonight Show debacle: discuss.
Lane Pieschel: I don’t know, I think that Leno took a beating in the public eye, but ultimately people (I mean celebrity people, the best kind) still need to promote movies, TV, and music. While late night TV is not what it was a decade ago in the ratings department, it’s still very viable, so now there’s going to be a lot of people playing nice with him like nothing ever happened. The fact is Leno is going to be the guy on late night for another 10 years and then hopefully Jimmy Fallon does a good job with it.
Let it be known I was on Team Lopez.
Smile Politely: Who’s your hero from a comedic standpoint?
Lane Pieschel: That’s a tough one because the answer has changed so much over time. My original comedy dream was to be like Mitch Hedberg. I always found him so funny. Over time though I stopped doing one liners and started doing longer bits. That kind of came about after watching a lot of different comedians, but mainly Jim Gaffigan and Patton Oswalt. But now it seems like anytime I like a comedian I just found out about I start to suck up their style a little bit like Rogue from X-Men.
Smile Politely: What was the roughest show you ever played? How come?
Lane Pieschel: I don’t know if I should count the first year (maybe two) of comedy since I was still very very very very (print all those “verys”) rough. The whole process of finding your voice and refining it is so tedious that if I watched myself on a random night from any of those days, I probably would be very confused as to what I was doing. And I’m sure that in two years, I’ll have the same opinion of myself now, but at least now I feel like I’m getting into a healthy rhythm and really working towards something.
For the story’s sake, I did 3 minutes of stand-up for a Homecoming show in the Grand Ballroom at UF. I don’t remember how long I had been doing comedy; maybe six months to a year. I didn’t have any real bits, nobody was paying attention and they didn’t even really announce me or even turn the houselights down. There was a step show going on in front of the stage that I think I disrupted by coming out on stage. Nobody liked me, most people didn’t know I was there, and afterward I left, ate a huge sandwich and fell asleep. The sandwich helped out a lot, but the show was so embarrassing.
Lane Pieschel Stand Up from Lane Pieschel on Vimeo.
COLLIN A. BULLOCK
Smile Politely: So, could you introduce yourself? Maybe a quick joke or one-liner?
Collin Bullock: Hello, my name is Collin A. Bullock. I’m a stand up comic, originally from Champaign and now claiming residence in Chicago, IL. I miss Champaign sometimes, but only because I never got a chance to eat at that place that served a 7 pound sandwich. I always heard they would deliver you beer late at night too. I feel that all choices I make at 3 in the morning, especially those involving drinking and 7 pound sandwiches, tend to be good ones.
Smile Politely: What’s the biggest misconception about stand-up comedy?
Collin Bullock: I think the biggest misconception about stand up comedy is that you get paid for it. Also that it’s easy. Sometimes people say “Hey, you’re okay at this stand up thing, you’re kind of funny. You should get one of those HBO specials. Yeah, that’s where the money is.” Thanks, I’ll look into that.
Smile Politely: The Tonight Show debacle: discuss.
Collin Bullock: As far my opinions about The Tonight Show Debacle, well, I could rant for days but let me try and condense it for ya. First off, whenever someone tells me about how Conan O’Brien was “screwed”, I just think about how much more “screwing” I would take for a 45 million dollar payday. “What’s that, Jeff Zucker? Unlubed prison rape? Well, I did cash the check…”
I, mean, of course Jay Leno is an unfunny douche who has no desire to do anything new or interesting with the Tonight Show and instead just wants to continue cracking mediocore jokes about Judge Ito, or whatever it is he talks about nowadays, so he can keep working on his cars like a millionaire hermit. But, quite frankly, Conan wasn’t a good fit for the Tonight Show. He’s too weird and unique for the old folks to fall asleep too. So, basically, the elderly in middle America get their jaywalking back and Conan is now free to do whatever dream project he’s passionate about. I, for one, am eager to see what that project is.
Smile Politely: Who’s your hero from a comedic standpoint?
Collin Bullock: My comedic heroes are legion. Among them are Dave Attell, Doug Stanhope, Louis C.K. Patton Oswalt, Woody Allen, Chris Rock, Hannibal Burress, and many others. But, really, my comedy hero is some unknown road soldier doing a one nighter in Licketskillet, Ketucky or wherever. Keep on keeping on, brother!
Smile Politely: What was the roughest show you ever played? How come?
Collin Bullock: I was playing a tiny, dimly lit bar in Chicago recently and I was talking to the crowd, asking some questions, and a woman just stands up and yells “Hey, why don’t you write some jokes, instead of just relying on the audience to be funny.” I asked her her name, and she simply replied “Lauren, but it doesn’t matter because you suck.” I replied, “Listen, mam, we’re all angry that you lost your job at the Cinnabon, but let’s just calm down here.” She then said, “Yo, that was the only laugh you got tonight. I’m the best thing that ever happened to you!”. My response: “I agree. Are you single? I’ve been looking for a harsh, judgemental woman to marry so that I can really get into drinking.”
RYAN NALLEN
Smile Politely: So, could you introduce yourself? Maybe a quick joke or one-liner?
Ryan Nallen: I’m Ryan Nallen and my jersey shore name is NastyNally. I’m a senior at the University of Illinois and I really wish I could grow facial hair, but I look like a 10 year old girl.
Smile Politely: What’s the biggest misconception about stand-up comedy?
Ryan Nallen: That it’s easy to do stand up if you’re funny. It actually takes a process of sitting down and writing good quality material. You need to be able to organize your material and be willing to try it out on people. Not to mention overcoming the feeling of stage fright and putting yourself out there.
Smile Politely: The Tonight Show debacle: discuss.
Ryan Nallen: I’m a Jay Leno fan all the way, but that red headed fire fox sure is something.
Smile Politely: Who’s your hero from a comedic standpoint?
Ryan Nallen: That’s definitely going to have to be Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. They base their comedy off of everyday things that you observe and in my opinion THAT’S FUNNY. It’s the everyday stuff that you observe that everyone is familiar with that gets the laughs.
Smile Politely: What was the roughest show you ever played? How come?
Ryan Nallen: I was doing a show once on the Millenium Falcon when that damn squid king Admiral Ackbar waltzed in and screams, “It’s a Trap!” The audience immediately took his cue and ran out of the room except for that goddamn C3PO who insisted that I finish the show.