Matt Ruby

Today I am interviewing Matt Ruby, a comedian born in Yonkers, NY who has been doing comedy for three years. To find out more about Matt, please visit his website.

Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?

I started doing stand-up because it felt raw and cool and interesting and something I hadn't tried before. I like trying things. And I like the truth and people who say the opposite of bullshit and I saw that was happening in comedy more than anywhere else I could find. I still remember the first time I saw Chris Rock's "Bring The Pain" and being blown away by it. Just the impact of it. I was really attracted to that energy.

Then later I got into Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberg, The Comedians of Comedy guys, etc. I moved to NYC from Chicago and really enjoyed going to shows at Rififi and UCB and decided to give it a try. I dug it and thought I had potential so I kept at it. Also, I work from home and wanted an excuse to get out of the house other than consuming alcohol in public and found comedy to be a good thing to have to do in that sense. Oh, and performing is fun too. And making people laugh. And having a forum to say what's on your mind.

Also, did I mention the rawness of comedy? I love how it's just you and your voice and the people and there's this obvious primal metric (laughter) where everyone in the room has the exact same instant knowledge of how well (or poorly) you're doing. Instant real-time feedback like that is pretty rare in life. No phony, fake shit. So I like that there are no layers or filters. It's just you and this thing and that energy of the room and you try to make it work.

How did you get invited to perform at the South by Southwest festival?

There was a post online that they were looking for submissions. I sent something. Then a few weeks later I got the nod via email. Maybe the fact that I have a decent web presence helped out? Not sure. I think they want to have a combo of big names and "up and comers," like they do with bands there too. Obviously, I fit into the "big names" category.

Do you have any advice for beginner comedians?

Well there's the usual stuff like get onstage as much as possible, learn how to be funny not just how to write jokes, and other things you can hear people say on the "On Comedy" CDs (Seinfeld and Woody ones are great) or listening to CK interviews (the one on his new DVD is super).

Here's one I don't hear a lot: Learn how to listen. The audience is having a conversation with you. They're talking back to you. They're just not using words. So you have to gauge that energy and how they're feeling and if they're with you or not and steer the ship accordingly. I think a lot of new comics just spit stuff out at the crowd and they're surprised when they don't get something back. Slow down and have a conversation. Comedy, especially in small rooms, is more like harmonizing with the crowd. You have to hear what note they're singing back to you and then use your words and timing and inflection to get on their wavelength and vice versa. If shit ain't flying, turn conversational. Just tell the truth about that moment. Being in the moment and unfunny is way better than reciting a script and being unfunny.

That's kinda namby pamby. How about something more concrete? Try different stuff. When you're starting out, I think it can be healthy to try one liners, longer bits, characters, and other things. Exercise those different muscles. See what hits. What feels comfortable (and not). Sometimes stretching yourself will lead you to places that other people wouldn't go. That will make you more interesting than other comics. Most comics are boring. Don't be boring.

Oh, and go see good comics perform. I see a lot of new comics who only go to open mics and that's it. That's like trying to learn physics from a bunch of lab rats. Go see a master and you'll learn a ton you'd never learn on your own.

One final thing: I think comics are like magicians, but with words. There are too many out there just doing card tricks. Try to saw a woman in half.