Comic Jessica Kirson has what it takes
0New York comic Jessica Kirson has been tearing it up on stages across the country for just over a decade and appears to have the comedic chops needed for staying power in what's become a crowded field. It doesn't hurt that comedy seems to run in the family - her stepbrother, Zach Braff, is just part of a gregarious group that's helped inspire many of the characters she brings to life during her act.
Fresh from appearances on the Tonight Show, Last Call with Carson Daly, a television pilot and her own LOGO special, Kirson has been busy as of late, but has set aside some time to head to Chicago to help spread some Pride with her outrageous comedy.
Just before arriving in Chicago, Kirson took some time to speak with EDGE on the challenges of achieving success as an out in the comedy industry and why you've never seen a comic quite like her.
Always the class clown
EDGE: Hi Jessica! How are you? Are you excited to be coming into Chicago for Pride weekend? Get ready for a lot of gay.
Jessica Kirson: I'm actually getting a pedicure right now, can you believe it? That probably flies against a lot of stereotypes. I'm very much excited, I'm doing stand-up at a wine bar, Joie de Vine, on Friday and then hosting the Girlblast event on Sunday, after the parade.
EDGE: You've been all over the late-night shows lately and you have your special - "My Cookie's Gone" - on LOGO. How did you get your start in comedy?
JK: I'm going into my twelfth year as a comic. I started by taking a comedy class in New York City and at the end of the class you perform in front of a live audience. I fell in love with it there. I never thought I'd do it professionally, but here I am! I was always the class clown and made people around me laugh.
EDGE: What are some of your trademarks on stage?
JK: I'm very real on stage, use a lot of honesty and take each show as it comes. If a joke doesn't work, I address it. I'm very high energy and outrageous, do a lot of improvisation and crowd work, plus I do a lot of characters. I'm really a belly-laugh comic. After almost every show, someone tells me they almost peed themselves laugh and that's great. There's no other comic like me.
EDGE: Tell me about some of your characters. Who are your favorites and what inspires them?
JK: Probably the big black woman is my favorite. I love doing all the characters and I feel like they're inside of me, like a part of me. I have related to a lot of women like the ones I portray on stage, so I do love that black woman. She's very powerful, loud and assertive. I also love doing my Jewish grandmother. I've grown up around so many older Jewish women ad get such a kick out of them. It's basically me imitating what I see, making fun of how ridiculous people can be a lot of the time.
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News too depressing
EDGE: Speaking of ridiculous, do politics or news events ever work their way into your act?
JK: I'm not really the type of comic that comments on the news. I can't even bare to watch the news, really. It's too depressing. I know some of what's going on, like the oil spill, but focus more on other types of comedy. Catastrophes are too depressing.
EDGE: Margaret Cho recently said that for a woman to be successful in comedy, she basically needs to not give a damn about what straight men think and it helps a great deal to be a lesbian. Do you agree with that statement?
JK: I do agree with her. As a female comic on stage, you have to be powerful and take over the room the minute you get up there. You have to show the women and men you're in control and you do need to appeal to men. I think sometimes some female comics get into trouble because the men don't really get them, even if the women do. The entertainment business is entirely run by men, so it's very important.
EDGE: You weren't out in the beginning of your career, but are open about your sexuality as a performer now. Tell me about that decision. Did it make things easier or more difficult to approach?
JK: I kind of approach it like Rosie O'Donnell did. My sexuality isn't all of who I am. If it comes up for a show, it does, but even when I do shows for gay crowds, it's not a huge part of my act. I'm very proud and certainly don't hide it, but this is how I look at it: Once you get to a certain level, you can talk about whatever the hell you want on stage, but to get to that level, you have to play the game. It's not fair, but I do play the game. Yes, I had the LOGO special and I'm out, but it depends on where I am. For a room of wealthy older Jewish people, I wouldn't do that material because they could walk out. For a room of college kids, I can't do material about having a kid. These are things they don't understand.
In New York, you can talk about whatever, and Chicago is the same, but if you look at Rosie, Ellen and Sandra Bernhard, these women all waited until they had some sort of clout before they talked about whatever they wanted to talk about. But that said, I can't not talk about it because it's part of me and I'm not going to be ashamed of that.
EDGE: So it really depends on your room, you're saying?
JK: I did the Tonight Show for the second time last month, and they have to approve your material ahead of time. They would not have approved my gay material for that show and that's horrible, but it's the truth. And Laura Bush was on! Maybe next time they'll let me do the gay material. But this is the business. I have a ton of gay people who keep in touch with me and are so appreciative of my work, but a lot of the comics who only talk about being gay don't get television exposure. You either play the game or you don't.
EDGE: I read that you're currently shopping around your own reality television show called "The Jessy K Show." How is that going?
JK: My stepbrother is Zach Braff from Garden State and Scrubs and we'd wanted to do something together for a while. I had this idea of doing a traveling talk show with a house band and an audience where we'd interview people out in the middle of nowhere. We've been pitching it to the networks and seeing what happens.
EDGE: You also teach comedy in New York. What are some of the biggest lessons you teach your students? What do you feel is key to being a truly great comic?
JK: It's so important to be honest. Also, you need to realize getting on stage is hard work and you can't get around it. You can't be a professional dancer without busting your ass for years to learn the technique. And I like seeing a balance between humility and confidence. The comics out there who are not funny are, strangely, usually the most confident.
EDGE: What are some of the main goals you have for the future?
JK: I really want to have a television show so I can ramp up my fan base and do live comedy in a new way. There's a big difference between doing shows in front of 200 people or someone like Chelsea Handler who talks in front of thousands. That's really my dream. I do, also, want to get to a certain point in my career where I could have the power to make a difference in the world. I know that sounds kind of corny, but I really feel in my heart I'm supposed to be doing this to make change happen.
Jessica Kirson performs Friday, June 25 at Joie de Vine, 1744 W. Balmoral, as part of the bar's Pride Fling. Tickets are available by e-mailing [email protected] and writing "tickets" in the subject line. Also, Kirson hosts Girlblast on Sunday, June 27, in the parking lot of Ann Sather, 909 W. Belmont. Visit www.chicagogirlblast.com or www.jessicakirson.com for more information.
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