“Last Comic Standing” winner Josh Blue will be in town next week for a good cause.
Blue, 38, who lives in Denver, will be in Durango on May 19 to perform at the Durango Arts Center for the VHL Cancer Fundraiser. VHL is a rare genetic condition that can result in the growth of tumors in a person’s body throughout their lifetime.
I had the chance to talk to Blue about how far is too far in stand-up, advice for comedians just getting started and the night things went pretty bad.
Q: How did you get started with stand-up?
A: I started in college. I went to a little hippie college in Washington state, and you could create your own courses and majors, and I actually put together a course where I studied stand-up.
Q: Why do you think comedy is important?
A: I think it’s very important. I think it’s one of the only avenues that you can actually speak the truth anymore.
Q: I was watching some of your shows, and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot that’s off-limits to you.
A: I’m not afraid to broach the subject at hand or whatever needs to be talked about. Obviously, there’s a line to this stuff, and the key is knowing where the line is so you can go right to it.
Q: Do you gauge the audience as far as that goes? Are some nights different than others?
A: Yeah, I mean, every show is unique to itself, and as a performer, I try to play – it’s a weird game of, “I know what you’re feeling,” or I try to play off what you’re feeling, but at the same time, I try not to curtail or dilute what I’m saying, and just maybe kind of say it in a different way where you can hear it.
Q: Where do you get your material?
A: I get it from a plethora of areas, but first of all, it just comes from my own unique perspective and way of looking at life and the way that people look at me as a disabled person, I guess. But also, I have a strange energy about me that usually draws random (stuff), you know? I’m also just really hyper-aware; I just have a very good sense of … I see it all, it’s weird, it’s almost a curse … I think that energy or whatever that is has really created the person you see on stage. And life, I guess, because the truth is I’m not really that different on stage.
Q: You have cerebral palsy. Has that affected the way you do stand-up?
A: It’s a tough question because it’s all I’ve ever known. So I don’t really know. I can definitely tell you it has a lot to do with what I’m doing. I think I’d be a successful comedian without it, but I think the key to it is that if I didn’t have cerebral palsy, I’d just be another goofy white guy. But now I’m a goofy white guy with cerebral palsy.
Q: What advice do you have for comedians just starting out?
A: My general advice is don’t bother, I’ve got this (stuff) covered. (Laughs)
Q: Was it hard for you to get started?
A: No, I was really fortunate. I did kind of have a fast, I won’t say entrance to it, but I started at open mic nights at college, not like the rough comedy club crowd.
The key, I think, there’re so many rules to being successful at this, but I think No. 1 is: if you can go to as many comedy clubs and shows as possible, then be a fly on the wall, and learn the inner workings of a comedy club – from the wait staff to the door guys to the sound guy to how the whole machine works, and then figure out how you fit into this machine. Because to me, a lot of times, people are like, “I’m atomic, and I come in and I’m the star,” when in fact, the servers carrying drinks for an hour and a half have a lot harder job than you do. To me, stand-up is easy; I couldn’t carry a tray of drinks like they do. I just have so much respect for the other people that are running the show.
I also think that a lot of times young people don’t realize how much say a server has on your success, you know? If a server likes you, there’s no bigger, better compliment in the business because they see everybody – they see more than the owner (and) the managers, because they’re on the floor constantly, night after night. So if you can get a server to give half a (expletive) about you, then you’re doing well. And they’ll go back and tell the manager, “Hey, this guy is consistently funny, he stays out of my way, he tips well and he’s nice to us off stage.” That’s probably the best compliment you can get in your career.
Q: Have you ever had any nights go really bad?
A: There are a few horror stories here and there. My worst one was a 70-year-old woman’s birthday party – it was bad. It was real bad.