Ken Cornell
Today I am interviewing Ken Cornell, a comedian born in Denver, CO who has been doing comedy for twenty years.
Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?
I knew I was going to do comedy after seeing Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live in 1978. I was in 8th grade and used to perform "King Tut" in my math class when the teacher stepped out for a smoke. I realized years later that I was being funny as a way for me to gain approval. I was an insecure kid, pimply faced and unwashed hair. But when I made people laugh I assumed they accepted me despite my looks. Years later I broke this down even further-I was seeking approval from my father. My dad was a tough laugh. If I made him laugh, I must be hysterical. Stand-up seemed like the best way for me to express myself. I couldn't sing or dance or act but I knew what was funny. And I have always felt like I've been invisible: walking through stores having to beg for help in my adult years, teen angst in high school. So stand-up was the way I was going to express myself. I would consider myself a scholar of comedy and became a student of what was funny by watching guys I thought were funny:Seinfeld (I saw his first Tonight Show), Richard Lewis (watching him made me realize stand-up didn't have to be set-up-punchline). The first record album I ever bought was Bill Cosby's Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby. So I started doing stand-up as a way to receive approval. I have since become addicted to the performance part and do it now as a way to exercise my chops, like a jazz musician does when he is asked to sit in. The adrenalin rush was great for the first 15 years or so and I still get some butterflies from time to time (essential for a good set; if you don't care if you suck, you will!) but sadly the rush isn't the same as it was when I was starting. That was a definite reason I kept on doing stand-up even if I stunk up the club. And now I consider myself more of a writer than performer and like to go to open mics as a way to reaffirm my ability to put pauses where they need to go and see if the word cocksucker will get me arrested like it did to Lenny Bruce.
What is your writing process like?
I performed my first set of comedy in 1988. I didn't develop my writing process until a few years later. A credit counselor suggested I write down all my expenses, no matter how small. I started carrying a notebook with me everywhere I went. This naturally led me to start writing everything down:inventions, song lyrics (I was trying to be a rock star too!), puns, books I should read, funny combinations of words, aggravations, inspirations. Writing became a habit. It was and is not uncommon for me to be talking to somebody and I will write something down completely unrelated to what we are talking about.
I can truly say with a straight face I write every day. I may not sit at the computer every day, but I will write something down every single day. I always have a pen and a piece of paper on my person. I put notes into my phone. I don't talk into a recorder because I find it cumbersome and, quite frankly, a little self-important. Recorders are essential for recording your performances (audio more so than video in my opinion-its easier to track the laughs) but I can express myself on paper better than any other method.
When I do find myself with a block of time, I take all my notes and transfer them to my laptop. At this time I do comedy triage: I will weed out stuff that is illegible or just really doesn't have a chance. I invariably come up with an embellishment that helps flesh out the original idea. I've read in some comedy books (Judy Carter) about having notecards with topics on them and then putting them on a bulletin board then laminating them all till they fit neatly into your file folder next to your comedy bed. It might work for some. Not for me. Its too organized. I make a folder for whatever month I'm currently in and stick it all in there. If I have a show coming up, I look to see if there is new stuff that needs embellishing. I mine older folders too to see if anything works better than the first time I wrote it down. Comedy is no different than other forms of writing: writing is re-writing. The most enjoyable part of the process for me is the re-writing, punching up. The economy of words comedy demands is its own reward. I have never had what would be considered a writer's block. I have a catalog of material that I an always go to and work on that usually helps spur me on.
What is your favorite thing to do besides comedy?
I guess I have never really thought about it but comedy is my favorite thing to do. its my passion and everything else that I like to do revolves around it. I like to write songs and play my guitar which became an offshoot of the comedy writing. I like to sing karaoke because its a way to perform when I'm jonesing for an open mic but can't find one. I actually owned a karaoke business that I started as a way to get more mic time. I recently reconnected with my kids and now really enjoy hanging out with them and all of us making each other laugh. I recently took a trip to Seattle where I took my second oldest son to an open mic. He had always wanted to try stand-up, had a three minute set and am proud to say, got him onstage. He killed and is now going to the Seattle regular open mics as well as doing small sets at regular comedy shows. I like to research stuff on the internet which usually leads to a bit. And I am a huge football fan, pro and college. During the season I watch a lot of football.
Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?
I knew I was going to do comedy after seeing Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live in 1978. I was in 8th grade and used to perform "King Tut" in my math class when the teacher stepped out for a smoke. I realized years later that I was being funny as a way for me to gain approval. I was an insecure kid, pimply faced and unwashed hair. But when I made people laugh I assumed they accepted me despite my looks. Years later I broke this down even further-I was seeking approval from my father. My dad was a tough laugh. If I made him laugh, I must be hysterical. Stand-up seemed like the best way for me to express myself. I couldn't sing or dance or act but I knew what was funny. And I have always felt like I've been invisible: walking through stores having to beg for help in my adult years, teen angst in high school. So stand-up was the way I was going to express myself. I would consider myself a scholar of comedy and became a student of what was funny by watching guys I thought were funny:Seinfeld (I saw his first Tonight Show), Richard Lewis (watching him made me realize stand-up didn't have to be set-up-punchline). The first record album I ever bought was Bill Cosby's Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby. So I started doing stand-up as a way to receive approval. I have since become addicted to the performance part and do it now as a way to exercise my chops, like a jazz musician does when he is asked to sit in. The adrenalin rush was great for the first 15 years or so and I still get some butterflies from time to time (essential for a good set; if you don't care if you suck, you will!) but sadly the rush isn't the same as it was when I was starting. That was a definite reason I kept on doing stand-up even if I stunk up the club. And now I consider myself more of a writer than performer and like to go to open mics as a way to reaffirm my ability to put pauses where they need to go and see if the word cocksucker will get me arrested like it did to Lenny Bruce.
What is your writing process like?
I performed my first set of comedy in 1988. I didn't develop my writing process until a few years later. A credit counselor suggested I write down all my expenses, no matter how small. I started carrying a notebook with me everywhere I went. This naturally led me to start writing everything down:inventions, song lyrics (I was trying to be a rock star too!), puns, books I should read, funny combinations of words, aggravations, inspirations. Writing became a habit. It was and is not uncommon for me to be talking to somebody and I will write something down completely unrelated to what we are talking about.
I can truly say with a straight face I write every day. I may not sit at the computer every day, but I will write something down every single day. I always have a pen and a piece of paper on my person. I put notes into my phone. I don't talk into a recorder because I find it cumbersome and, quite frankly, a little self-important. Recorders are essential for recording your performances (audio more so than video in my opinion-its easier to track the laughs) but I can express myself on paper better than any other method.
When I do find myself with a block of time, I take all my notes and transfer them to my laptop. At this time I do comedy triage: I will weed out stuff that is illegible or just really doesn't have a chance. I invariably come up with an embellishment that helps flesh out the original idea. I've read in some comedy books (Judy Carter) about having notecards with topics on them and then putting them on a bulletin board then laminating them all till they fit neatly into your file folder next to your comedy bed. It might work for some. Not for me. Its too organized. I make a folder for whatever month I'm currently in and stick it all in there. If I have a show coming up, I look to see if there is new stuff that needs embellishing. I mine older folders too to see if anything works better than the first time I wrote it down. Comedy is no different than other forms of writing: writing is re-writing. The most enjoyable part of the process for me is the re-writing, punching up. The economy of words comedy demands is its own reward. I have never had what would be considered a writer's block. I have a catalog of material that I an always go to and work on that usually helps spur me on.
What is your favorite thing to do besides comedy?
I guess I have never really thought about it but comedy is my favorite thing to do. its my passion and everything else that I like to do revolves around it. I like to write songs and play my guitar which became an offshoot of the comedy writing. I like to sing karaoke because its a way to perform when I'm jonesing for an open mic but can't find one. I actually owned a karaoke business that I started as a way to get more mic time. I recently reconnected with my kids and now really enjoy hanging out with them and all of us making each other laugh. I recently took a trip to Seattle where I took my second oldest son to an open mic. He had always wanted to try stand-up, had a three minute set and am proud to say, got him onstage. He killed and is now going to the Seattle regular open mics as well as doing small sets at regular comedy shows. I like to research stuff on the internet which usually leads to a bit. And I am a huge football fan, pro and college. During the season I watch a lot of football.
posted by Slava at
11:15 AM
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