Because She Says So :: Maggie Cassella Raves at Joe’s Pub
Maggie Cassella starts off - naturally - with a joke.
"Have you seen that commercial for McDonalds where all kinds of people are talking about that being their first job ever?" she queries. "Macy Gray is there, like, 'It was my first job.' Can you imagine getting Macy Gray at McDonalds?" Cassella drops into an uncanny impersonation of Gray: "'Hi, I'm Macy Gray, I'm going to be famous, give me your fucking order.'"
Cassella is anything but a typical comic; she grew up in Connecticut and became a prominent lawyer, but while hosting a show one night was informed by Lea Delaria that she was funny - and got roped into standup comedy. That was nearly twenty years ago.
"Back then there weren't a lot of queer comics," she explains. "You could really just talk about being gay and you'd get paid and laughed at. But it's odd - I had a straight person say to me last year I'm not really a gay comic, and I'm like, 'Excuse me, there's nobody more out than me!' They said, 'No, you're a comic with a gay perspective who happens to be queer, but you don't do gay comedy.'"
She pauses, then glibly comments, "The problem these days is that straight people are so fucking enlightened that they're annoying."
To a degree, however, the description of her comedy niche is accurate. Cassella's trademark brand of humor is quite literally ripped from the day's headlines; she tracks current events stories, finds those that most eloquently describe the idiocies of modern life, and points out their inherent hysterical natures. Her show is called "Because I Said So."
"It's my opinion on everything," she remarks about the show. "I don't want people to think that I care about their opinion, because I don't."
She laughs at that crack, but it's difficult to know if it's true. Cassella has performed on stage, on screen, and on the air, most notably for several seasons on Canadian television under the "Because I Said So" moniker. You'll find a CD under that name in most stores as well.
Next week, she'll appear at Joe's Pub in New York City, just before NYC Pride.
"I'll use all my favorite pride material," she quips. "You know, the scarier elements of it all - the lesbian security people, the gay guys with walkie talkies. We have to laugh at these things. Like the cop with the whistle who stepped into the million person pride parade in Toronto to stop traffic - thank you, right? And 500,000 gay men whistled right back. He tweeted and that was the last we ever saw of him."
For those who love Cassella's quick witted political commentary - don't fret. The biting condemnation of the conservative state of affairs will be present as well.
"It almost doesn't have to do with the comedy anymore. I'm mad," she explains. "We've got 'Will & Grace' and yet the Episcopalians are all mad about gay preachers. And at the same time they're debating how to make reparations to their black members for the time they supported slavery. Hello? And I'm thinking, OK look - you can pay me now, or pay me later!"
She's equally affronted by those in the gay community who fail to act.
"I never thought I'd see gay marriage in my lifetime... that totally snuck up on me," she says, pointing out that she got married to her partner the moment it became legal in Canada, where she now lives. "But there are a lot of gay people who are activists but who really are just so frightened. Gay people can't be afraid to stand up and say 'I'm fucking sick of this.'"
Assasults, rights violations, court cases: they all have airplay with Cassella, who deliberately stirs up activism in her shows. But her methodology is unique.
"I think you have to find the humor in these things," she asserts. "If you don't, then it can be debilitating. And I think that's it. That's why people sit in my audience - the people who don't like my show are the people who are uncomfortable with themselves. There's an element to this show that is cathartic to people, and that keeps me going. Comedy makes people feel better."
It makes her feel better as well; she's appreciative of her audiences. Ultimately, however, the future for Maggie's happiness lives closer to home.
"Hey, I have my partner and my health and my puppies, and clich? as it is I could live under a box with them and be ok," she points out. "I'm not in Iraq, we're very lucky in that regard. I can't dwell on the small stuff, really. When it all goes well, honestly, when you have a show and you're writing and you're getting paid stupid money to do what you love, it's pretty great.
"And anyway," she cracks, "I'm not working at McDonalds."
Maggie Cassella's "Because I Said So" plays at Joe's Pub for one night only - Wednesday June 21st at 11:30pm. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling 212-539-8778.