Jeff Lawrence

Today I am interviewing Jeff Lawrence, a comedian born in New York, NY who has been doing comedy for over two years. To find out more about Jeff, visit his website.

Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?

I had spent years rapped up as a depressed pothead, drug addict and drug dealer. I was always too paranoid to do stand up so I sang in a Rock band for many years. I also did some acting but could never remember my lines. I had the good fortune of touring internationally and dabbling in music comedy in the early 90's by accident. I was taking requests at a gig in Greece and someone yelled out "Bohemian Rhapsody"! It was just me and my acoustic guitar. So I put the guitar down and did an acapella trading off lines with the audience.....it was a riot. That is when I whet my appetite for making people laugh. When I got sober, 2 and a half years ago I decided to devote the rest of my life to stand up. I figure if everyone around me is laughing I'll probably be OK. That is why I produce shows as well, it gives me great satisfaction to see a crowd laugh all night long, not just at my set.

I wanted to talk about my life, and be open about my sexuality which I wasn't when I was in Rock and Roll. I wanted to make a difference and show people that we're all alike....even though we're not it makes for a decent act. I never really felt as a gay man I fit into gay culture. Hell, I'm a sports fanatic, an ex sportswriter, I despise Madonna, and Sunday it's J-E-T-S.... NOT E-G-G-S Benedict! And I know I'm not alone. Sometimes gay crowds don't care for me but there's always guys that will come up to me and say they totally relate. It was stand up comedy or politics for me. I went to NYU and had a work study job with this really cynical guy. We shared the same desk. We had a lot of laughs...I went into Rock and Roll, he went into comedy. His name was Dave Attell. I always thought I could do that too!

Do you have any tips or tricks for writing or performing you could share?

Well, having done stand up for a little over two years, i don't want to offer too much advice. It is a craft of experience. All the comics I know doing this for 5 to 10 years can generate more consistent laughs than most comics who are fairly new. It takes a long time to develop "A" material that is going to get a crowd going each night. But I am definitely more of an autobiographical comic and I think when comics really reveal themselves through their work and take risks I relate more. I write all the time, and have weekly writer's groups at my place downtown. I had trouble meeting people who want to write together, and couldn't afford the high price of comedy schools so I started my own group and it has been awesome! I think comics should write all the time and always be pushing themselves for bigger and better laughs.

I think it's really important to be out there in the clubs and know what other comics are doing. I can't tell you how many times I hear a comic do a joke that gets a laugh and I have to tell them that they are the 5th comic I've heard do the same joke. It is so important to be original. That's why I write about my life. No one else is going to talk about my 400 pound coke dealer in Bed Stuy named Pumpkin other than me! I also like to write really short setups, 2 or 3 lines max. I find many comics, especially new ones can get to their punches much sooner. It took me a long time, and of course I'm still a work in progress, to find the essence of every joke with an economy of words. And every time I look at my jokes on paper there are almost always words that can be cut. Someone once taught me "show...don't tell". So I go for a lot of act outs and facial expressions and try and cut words when possible.

On performing, I always try to remember it's not about me. The audience paid their money and a lot of it, and I just want to make them laugh. And that's the hard part...to not come across that I'm desperate for their laughs even though I am. When I bomb I only feel bad that I couldn't get through to that particular audience for whatever reason. It's not an ego thing, bombing is part of the business. ALL of my pro comic friends that have National TV credits tell me they bomb all the time. Bombing is essential to learning, and if you don't bomb, you're probably playing it safe!

I have a joke about the Catholic Church making people gay. Half the time it sucks the life out of the crowd and the other half of the time I get an applause break...go figure! But I've learn to save it and have fun with it, and that not every crowd is going to be fans of mine. An audience loves when you are having fun. That's the trick to performing, love it, do it a lot and build your fans one by one. If just one person approaches you after a show and says "you were great", the show was a success in my book. Get a number or e-mail addy and let em know where you will be.

What is the worst question you have ever been asked?

I finished a show in Midtown and this guy followed me out of the club and said to me on the street "you're not really gay are you"? I thought "dude I'm not that smart of a comic to fabricate an entire life story, turn it into a persona, memorize it, and convince an audience of my lies night in and night out.....am I?"