Browse by
Find a post
Posts - Page 14
The hours. We work on each show FOREVER. Another thing I didn't expect - how good EVERYBODY is at their job. Like, EVERYBODY.
Literally, just walked into Lorne's office and he said, "Hey, we're just going to make you into a cast member." And I said, "...who?!"
It was the first sketch I ever did. I got confused with stage direction, and literally did not know what color I was on the cue cards, so I just froze! Hey people, it's live TV, and the experience has made me a better performer. AND took away the fear of being in sketches!
I always think about my junior high dance, everybody grinding to Jodeci and thinking about how we were all literally children and how weird that would’ve been to look at as an adult. Like, 300 children grinding to Jodeci, just the funky sweat smell in the auditorium. What were we doing? But that’s the power of Jodeci. [Laughs.]
There’s a youth hostel in L.A. where they would do shows. I went there when I was still new to stand-up and not very good, and it was dollar-beer night. Kiv and Jorm actually came with me to be sweet and we hung out. The hostel had me on last and I got hammered before I ever got on the stage. Finally, they called me up and I was just eating shit and I looked down at the audience and in my drunk mind it was like, “They don’t even understand what I’m saying! They’re all just from other countries!” I was the fucking asshole on stage like, “Does anybody speak English?” The cardinal rule of comedy is, if no one’s laughing, it’s your fault, not their fault. I was so hammered and bombing so hard th...
It certainly didn’t debunk the myth. He was super charming and nice but he still came across pretty cool and badass and on the wind. We finished and walked off and he shook my hand there on the stage and was like, “Pleasure doing business with you.” And then he was gone, like Keyser Söze. [Laughs.] He left and I was like, “There goes the motherfucking man.”
The advice we always give to anyone is, if you want to make comedy or any other kind of film, or TV, or whatever you're interested in, the best advice we can give is to just start doing it, and don't wait to have people give you permission to do it, or wait for huge budgets, or huge crews. You can shoot on your phone now, and edit on your laptop, and start getting whatever is your style is, going. And that seems to work really well for people.
I don't really like to focus on barriers because I don't like giving them that kind of power. But I will say that going on the road, as a female stand-up, is rough. Mostly because I'm just scared of my safety sometimes when I'm all alone in a shitty hotel. Also most women can't just eat a twinkie at a gas station like some men can.
By far Steve Yeun. He plays Glenn from The Walking Dead. The day my special started streaming on Netflix, he tweeted out his followers, that they should watch it, that it was so funny, with a picture of the billboard on Melrose and I JUST ABOUT DIED. I think his character and how he's chosen to play it, has been such a milestone for Asian Americans without trying to be.
Louis CK once told me to never let go of a bit. I tend to throw away a lot of ideas if they're not working, but now I think I'm going to go back to stuff I once believed in, and see if I still find it funny and can maybe re-shape it into something good.
Eddie Murphy - for his energy and rawness Patrice O'Neal - for his honesty Dave Attell - for his incredible economy of language
I don't know- I have an extremely limited perspective- I am a white, older, well-off (now) lady and I try to wake up, but I know there is no way I am not going to make mistakes as a result of my cultural ignorance. If someone is hurt by something, they are hurt and I think, it needs to be addressed- that it's an important part of being a human being- to acknowledge the experience of others. People can then agree to disagree, but to say someone's wrong or too sensitive for not liking something also is irresponsible.
Every few seconds. Yes, of course. OF COURSE. What helps me is community- which means I belong to several 12-step groups, I call people, I've learned the name of every barista at the coffee shop (Brooklyn, Jeremy, Sarah, Angel, Gabby, Lydia, Anja, Matt) and I ask my friends for help A LOT. I need to "bookend" (checking in with someone before and after doing a task) in order to do the simplest 5 -minutes of rehearsal. For reals. It is sometimes setting a timer for 5 minutes, calling my friend Alex and telling him I'm going to rehearse and then rehearsing and calling him again when the timer goes off. It is sometimes EXCRUTIATING to get myself to do things and then, even when I do things, I am...
Just reading Tiffany Haddish's LAST BLACK UNICORN- beautifully written and hilarious. I love memoir- so, Mary Karr. Graphic Memoir- Allison Bechdel (sp?) Fun Home and "Marbles" by Ellen Forney. Madness by Marya Hornbacher, anything by Kay Redfield Jamison. I also like For Dummies- Personal Finance for and Bipolar Disorder for.
I love all types of Hu-MORE! I like a joke that is well-written and thoughtful, but I also appreciate a fall into a bramble.
Well, obviously, I don't really know about jobs I didn't get. And entertainment is much more lenient, liberal and understanding about mental health issues than any other industry. (My manager said when I called him from the psych ward- "Oh! I have two other clients with bipolar- call me when you feel better!") If it has, I don't care- I didn't have much to lose by being open about it and it turns out, weirdly, it's been a cash cow, haha.
I love peanut butter and diet coke. A scoop in the morning with a cold DC straight from the fridge is a real wake-up call.
Sometimes, things get so bad, that nothing can really make you feel "better", but I know asking for help (even from strangers- phone operators, suicide hotlines, delta airlines representatives) can be oddly helpful in a pinch.
Popular categories
Foam corner
Making a show
Inside baseball
Filmmaking
Favorite books
Favorite comedians
Coming up with ideas
Relationship with other comics
Advice for aspiring comedians
Childhood
General life advice
Writing
Favorite movies
Acting
Relationship with fans
Working with other comedians
Styles of comedy
Performing
Podcasting
Comedic influences
Saturday Night Live
Favorite memories as a comedian
Favorite music
Reflecting on own work
Fan stories
Favorite jokes
Creativity
Finding your voice
Yuks
Screenwriting
Leslie Jones