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Tree Sanchez
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Yale Hollander
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As we move through a year of featuring locally-based stand-up performers—as well as those who cross into improv or other styles of performance—we pause for three folks who’ll each be presenting their own events during the month of May.
While that full info is in the last question below, we’ll note here that Yale Hollander’s bringing back his monthly mic, Comedy Penthouse, to Brennan’s on Sunday, May 21. Kelsey McClure hosts a storytelling gig called Mom Show at Blueberry Hill on Saturday, May 13. And this week, Tree Sanchez is bringing back Happy Tree and Friends: An Adorable Comedy Showcase, with a Thursday appearance at the Way Out; we caught up with her during a move out-of-town.
As always, we bounce the same seven questions past each of the three and find interesting overlaps and complete differences in the responses. Links to all of our comedy interviews for 2017 can be found at the end of the piece.
What types of mindset are ideal for creating good comedic bits? Do you work best with deadlines? Do you write best under pressure? Or do you work more productively when life's playing nice? Have you worked something that's happened that day into a set?
Hollander: In most cases, my ideas for bits strike without warning. I can’t just sit down and say, “OK, time to write the jokes,” which is why I almost always have a pocket notebook and a pen on me or close at hand. When an idea pops up, I’ll write some kind of a prompt down so I have something to work from during those times I do set aside for writing. I haven’t yet felt pressure to write other than my own internal voice telling me I really need to create new material. I haven’t yet worked a same-day event into a set, but that’s largely due to the fact that I’m still pretty new at this and like to have new material pretty well structured to avoid me rambling on stage—not that this doesn’t happen anyway.
McClure: The funniest people are those who latch onto an idea or premise, and spin it to their own extreme. I’ve found my best jokes have come from two extremes; approaching something incredibly narrow-minded or from free-form writing where something just spills out of me. When life plays nice—which is when I find myself right smack in those two aforementioned extremes— I’m a terrible writer. Well no, I just tend to write jokes I don’t care about. Do you think “Under Pressure” was written under pressure? I create deadlines for myself. Writing is one of the few things in my life that I need to know how and when it’s going to end. It’s like controlling your fate. When an idea isn’t working, kill it and see what reincarnates from it. Could be a brand-new thing, could be a mirror image. Focusing on one joke or idea for too long makes me feel like I’m in an unhealthy monogamous relationship. Why should I be focused on this one thing when I could be experimenting with new ways to fail?
Sanchez: My usual mindset for writing bits is when I am feeling introspective, think about my past and where I was emotionally, then how I've grown. I always try to stay within a couple dates of my deadline, sometimes I'm a day or two late. I often forget to prep for shows and end up winging it, which can be exciting yet terrifying. I have just enough confidence to play off the cuff or add a line to a joke just before my name is called to grace the stage. When my life is chaotic I tend to be more introspective, thus I write more material that eventually turn into decent comedic bits.
Similarly, describe your experiences with open mics and how important (or not) they are in how you shape a set, or incorporate new material?
Hollander: Open mics are absolutely vital, especially for newer comics like myself, and I try to make time to do at least one or two per week. Not only do they present opportunities to work material out in front of a live audience—even if it’s just comics and the bartender—they are also incredibly valuable opportunities to learn and network. I’ll watch as many sets from other comics as I can and make notes on mannerisms, stage presence, what audiences react to. Open mics are also a great place to meet other comics and get input and advice. This is an extremely friendly and generous community of comics. You can ask for honest feedback and get it. Everyone seems very invested in making the St. Louis comedy scene vibrant and diverse. There are also a lot of local comics running showcases and quite a few of them have been kind enough to give newer talent like me an opportunity to get more stage time than the traditional four minutes one gets at an open mic. And, yeah, open mics are a crapload of fun from both sides of the stage.
McClure: Open mics are essential to the development of a polished set. It’s a comic’s band practice. I’d much rather write and polish a joke in a dark room with a bottle and record, but that process, while not completely useless, is futile. I write to amuse myself and also my friends, so the open mic lets me know if my jokes are worthy of a different audience or not. If it hits at the mic, it goes to the show. If not, it goes back to the bar, porch or anywhere friendly ears are open.
Sanchez: My experiences with open mics have overall been positive, a great percentage of them being an experience within itself. By that I am referring to the time I watched a comedian who was also an ex-wrestler put an aggressive drunk in a headlock, watching eccentric individuals given freedom to express their insane ideas, and meeting fascinating people I would have never met in any other circumstance. When on-stage at an open mic, it can be beneficial even if the audience isn't paying attention. If the audience is interested they will pay attention, if not, then I concentrate more on my wording, structure of ideas, and theme of each joke.
Do your sets involve topical humor, i.e., based on the news, politics, current events or "now" pop culture? Or do you enjoy working with more evergreen types of material?
Hollander: I do a little bit of topical humor, but it isn’t a huge part of my portfolio, since it has such a limited shelf life. I usually save that stuff for Facebook and Twitter. That said, I did tear off a pretty good stream of very well-received Facebook posts on the doctor who got the living daylights beaten out of him on a United Airlines plane, and I did a whole open mic set of that material two days later. Even then, I was pretty concerned that I was dealing stale goods. The set was fine, but not exactly a defining moment in my career. As for pop culture, I just turned 49, and I’m a good 10 to 25 years older than most of my peers on this scene, so when I do reference pop culture in my act, it’s usually from the perspective of an old fossil who doesn’t really get it. Observational stuff and absurd narrative are my meat and potatoes.
McClure: Yes, but I didn’t write them that way. I do have one political joke I wrote as a political joke, and it’s terrible that hardly ever hits, but I love doing it and I’m proud of it. I was going to retire it on election night but unfortunately, it’s still relevant. I have Planned Parenthood material that I suppose you could now call political, but that’s not the way I intended it to be. I much prefer evergreen material. I still find new jokes in stories that happened years ago. I’d prefer to develop an experience I can share with you rather than deliver a one-liner. I think the goal though is to be able to relay an entire experience in a single line. Also, the egomaniac in me (I refer to him as Andre, he’s also an insomniac) would tell you that every one of my sets is topical because everything relates back to me. Or as Salinger much more eloquently said it in Franny and Zoey: “Always, always, always referring every goddam thing that happens right back to our lousy little egos.”
Sanchez: My material rarely reflects current tabloid headlines. My opinions usually are reflections on my own personal experiences instead of expressing judgement on politics or pop culture.
Any recollections of your first set? Went smoothly? Better left in the past? What stands out weeks, months, years later?
Hollander: The very first set I did was in 1985. I was 17 and doing the talent show at Missouri Boys State. It was a total wing-it deal—I was grossly underprepared, and attempting to riff off the top of my head. I was booed off the stage 3 minutes into a 6-minute set. It took 31 years for me to get back behind a mic. That was last July at Helium, where I did 3 (much better) minutes at their old Bucket Mic and then another 4 at the regular mic. Both went better than expected, and I haven’t looked back since.
McClure: I could probably recite my first set word for word, and I don’t ever want to. It was awful. Painful. Embarrassing. I feel a weird gross fiery knot in my stomach thinking about it now; like when you see a dog killed on TV. I cried a lot after. What stands out years later is something Reena Calm (Chicago-based comic that is on the fast track to becoming a household name) recently said: “Don't say stuff people think is funny, say something funny nobody's thought of yet.” Nothing has resonated with me more. When I first started out, I said what I thought would get laughs, and I bombed a lot. I still bomb, but I like to think it’s because I’m challenging myself.
Sanchez: My first set: I made sure to project my voice, announce my words clearly, and stay on one idea. I didn't like my ideas back then, made me look naive. I've grown into my persona since the first time on stage.
If given the choice, would you prefer to: deliver a technically solid, polished, rehearsed, all-cylinders-firing set to a middling-into-it audience; or would rather offer up a loose, spontaneous, messy, circus-wire performance to an appreciative audience?
Hollander: The latter, and it’s not even a close call. Yes, comedy is an art, and there has to be a certain degree of technical proficiency in order to have consistent success, but this is also entertainment, and if everyone is having a great time, technical proficiency be damned. In my experience, those moments of communion with an audience that’s really into it are few and far between. When it happens, ride the hell out of that wave!
McClure: If given the choice I’d deliver a technically solid, polished and all-systems-go set that felt like a loose, spontaneous, messy, circus wire performance. The audience would appreciate it in the same way they appreciate the theatrics of the way the bad guy runs from James Bond. It would look like he just happened to swing from a clothes line to a terrace, double gainer off the rooftop, and land perfectly into a sponge factory’s dumpster but in reality, it took a team of mathematicians and years of training to calculate each step.
Sanchez: I would rather offer a spontaneous-fueled performance, which makes the experience unique, and memorable for the comedian to build on in future shows.
The set's over. People are milling around the room. What's the best way to compliment a performer's set? What's the best comment that you've heard of late, whether it be a compliment or a smart observation? How much do you wanna hear from patrons, as opposed to other performers?
Hollander: There’s nothing wrong with “That was a great set,” so long as you’re being sincere about it. If there was one joke in particular that you really enjoyed, by all means, say something. As far as best comments go, there are two that come to mind. The first one followed a disastrous set I had at Wild Card Wednesday at The Crow’s Next. I unloaded a slapdash, hastily assembled set full of stuff I hadn’t really put enough thought into. I slumped back to my seat and muttered, “Well, that was a huge waste of four minutes.” Nathan Orton, who was sitting behind me, looked at me and said, “No it wasn’t; it was terrible, and now you know.” That was an extremely helpful comment, and I appreciated his collegial candor. The second incidence that comes to mind was a few months ago after Fitz’s Comedy Open mic. Christian Lawrence pulled me aside and showed me a text message he had received that said, “Do you know a Yale Hollander? I saw him last night and he has really been tearing it up lately.” I still have no idea who texted him that, but I thank whomever it was! As far as whom I’d rather hear from, there’s really no preference. I consider it a huge win whenever I can make an experienced comic genuinely laugh, but it’s also a huge rush when a perfect stranger compliments you after a set.
McClure: One of the best compliments I’ve received is from Neil C. Luke who co-hosts Venice Café’s open mic. He said, “You come in, and you do the jokes you want to, and when you’re done, you’re done. You don’t ask how much time you have left. You just do the jokes you came here to do.” Which I suppose is an observation that I took as a compliment. I always want to hear from patrons and other performers. If a joke sucks, tell me. If it’s good, tell me. Also, expect for me to ask why. The best way to develop your idea is to have it challenged.
Sanchez: The best thing that happens after the show is when someone says you're funny. Sometimes the more extroverted types will beg you to let them buy you a drink and hang out for the rest of the night. A lot of times the performers will talk about techniques, exchange comedy horror stories, success stories, or begin bragging different comedians they've met.
When are your next, planned public performances?
Hollander: I’ll be performing at Helium for the “Comics Against Humanity” show on May 7 and the “Laughs and Lots of Love” benefit on May 10. I’ll be doing some sketch comedy at “The Catalogue—Live!” show at the Heavy Anchor on May 19, and I’ll be hosting my own monthly open mic and showcase “The Comedy Penthouse” at Brennan’s on May 21.
McClure: Mom Show! Saturday, May 13 in The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill. It’s a storytelling show that celebrates Moms. Think Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me meets the dining room table. I’m co-hosting the show with my Mom, so it’ll be PG. Meme Le Uke’s Giggle Box, Friday May 19 at 10 p.m. at The Monocle. It will not be PG (nor G). I’m not doing anything on this show but telling jokes and I cannot wait.
Sanchez: My next show is called Happy Tree and Friends: An Adorable Comedy Showcase at 9 p.m. on May 4 at the Way Out Club (2525 Jefferson, at Gravois). I always put on a great show with high energy and fun comedians. It’s a free show.
January: Carolyn Agnew, Rima Parikh, Angela Smith
February: Sarah Bursich, Kenny Kinds, Stryker Spurlock
March: Tina Dybal, Justin Luke, Ken Warner
April: Eric Brown, Ella Fritts, JC Sibala
