Lisa Harmon

Today I am interviewing Lisa Harmon, a comedian born in Brooklyn, NY who has been doing comedy for eleven years. To find out more about Lisa, please visit her website.


Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?

Actually I had broken up with my boyfriend and I wanted something to do to keep me busy. I was thinking of taking a swing dance class so I picked up a Learning Annex course guide. I saw an Introduction to Stand-Up Comedy Class and I took the class. This class was given by the fantastic Tim Davis, who became my mentor and coach. He gave me the confidence to get on stage and encouraged me from the very beginning to stick with comedy. I love making people laugh so much, that I've been at it ever since!

What does stand-up comedy mean to you?

Stand-up comedy means different things to me at different times. Mostly I just think of it a way for me to have fun. I love making people laugh and I also love the feeling of connecting with an audience, or even just one person. Also, stand-up is an important outlet because it is a chance for people to challenge conventional thinking or society or media or whatever it is out there that needs to be looked at a little more closely. Comedians can start a thought process by noticing something and telling a joke about it. From there people can ask more questions. And we serve a purpose by challenging every day things that otherwise might not be challenged.

Where do you keep your jokes and did you ever lose any?

I always have a few setlists with me wherever I go. I am terrible with writing jokes. I hardly write at all (very bad) and when I do have an idea I write it on any slip of paper that is handy. Sometimes I look at the paper and I can't remember what I was thinking at the time, so in that sense I have lost some ideas. But finished jokes are easy to remember. Once they're honed down into their one-line format, that will stay with me forever. One rule of thumb for me is that, if I can't remember it, then it is not a joke (yet).