Stairwellblog

Many will tell you that when you boil it down, the stand-up comedy scene belongs to men; an underground world in the dingy basement of some bar festering with beer and fart jokes. The ratio of men to women performing stand-up may be a bit heavily weighted to one side, but that doesn’t give one gender full reign over the funny world. Take, for example, (drum roll please!) Cameron Esposito. She’s a Chicago favorite, and she proves that it doesn’t really matter what sex she is. She’s funny. And without the fart jokes. Plus, she prefers whiskey.

Although Cameron got her start in comedy doing improv in college out in Boston, it was with her return home to Chicago that she connected with the stand-up scene. That was only three years ago. In that short amount of time she’s been titled Best Comic at Chicago’s 2008 Snubfest, runs an open mike at Cole’s Bar on Wednesdays, was just recently named as one of Chicago’s Top 20 Stand-Up Comedians by Comedy.com, and is recording her first album “Grab Them Aghast” with Rooftop Comedy in December. Perhaps her success has something to do with how she finds a unique intersection between her sharply smart observations and her almost whimsical punch lines that follow suit. The overall effect amid the hilarity (even in her reaction to hecklers – check out the YouTube link below), is her delightful and charismatic charm.

Cameron is the whole package: smart and funny. She also has really great hair. Thus and thus, the questions I asked her (except for a couple, but I’ll let you try to detect which ones) are based around this premise: Borrowing the lens Billups Design uses to navigate the world, I figured there’s no better person than Cameron to ask whether there can be any kind of union between live stand-up and the internet.

Here are her answers:

1. Why stand-up? Many people will tell you they’d prefer jumping into a tank of great white sharks over public speaking. What does it take for you to get up by yourself in front of an audience, and what does it take to keep their attention?

Yes, people say this to me. I’ve never had a fear of public speaking. Doesn’t bother me at all. The question of keeping an audience’s attention, that is where I have had to hone my standup skills. Laughter is such a specific response to try and get from a group of people. Poetry can elicit tears or anger in the same piece, but with standup, it’s always about laughs. Confidence if laughter ebbs, perfect timing, concise writing, an eye for detail – these are things a standup must work toward.

2. What do you make of comedy and Facebook, Twitter etc.? Do you utilize these networks for comedy? Do you see them as pseudo-open mikes?

Yes. I consider myself an artist, but also see the need to look at my stage persona as a brand and a saleswoman. I’m selling my comedy as a product. For this reason, I believe it’s important to interact with folks where there are at – on Facebook, Twitter – to create the fullness of my brand. Also, I like looking at photos of old high school boyfriends…so social networking is good for that, too.

3. You have a blog, you’re on YouTube; you utilize Facebook; you tweet…What is left for the stage? If people can get your comedy watching their iPhones while sitting atop camels in the Sahara, why see it live?

The live performance is what I consider to be art. I have been some short videos I’m very proud of, and written things I really get behind, but I am a live, verbal artist. No iPhone app can replicate the connected and infectious energy of a live show.

4. Comedians have an indispensable relationship with their audience, but also one with fellow comics who help critique each other’s work and provide support at open mikes. Has the internet facilitated communication between comics? Do you see this for the better or worse?

I see social networking and email as being very important to maintaining my ties to other performers. My fellow comics are really my co-workers, except we work in bars and these bars span the country. Lacking a more traditional workplace, Facebook is our break room.

5. Can a comic make it today if they ignore or are just completely oblivious to the Twitterverse, Facebookalaxy or blogosphere?

Hmm…I’m sure there are people who are doing it. Standup has taken a big turn away from standard, brick-walled comedy clubs in the past decade and toward a more DIY aesthetic – Chicago offers comics a multitude of alternative showcase rooms in bars, diners, and theater spaces and only one full-time comedy club. For this reason, the standard formula for roadwork isn’t the same…the power to book shows is less centrally located in the hands of a few older, seasoned vets and instead is evenly spread amongst a wide array of experienced and green comics and bookers. And much of my booking process gets done over email and Facebook.

6. You’re recording your first album, “Grab Them Aghast” in December. How do you prepare for a show that is usually live for something that will be “set in stone”?

Sharpen your stone carving tools. Actually, I feel like every set I’ve done will prepare me for the recording. Also, thank you, editing.

No Cameron, thank you. And also, thank you, YouTube, because if you click here, you can see what Cameron’s performance is all about!

For tickets to Cameron’s December 3rd and 4th album recording show – that’s right, you can get your laughs recorded in history! – purchase them through the Lincoln Lodge.

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