His debut album is being recorded all weekend at the notorious Comedians You Should Know venue, Timmothy O’Tooles. His first show is tonight at 8PM and again at 10:30PM, hosted by Danny Kallas. Then, tomorrow’s 8PM & 10:30PM shows are hosted by Jeff Steinbrunner. In this interview, Ricky discusses his days of playing college baseball, preparing for an album, and setting goals in comedy. Enjoy!
SIDE JOBS
Aside from
performing and producing, you also teach a stand up comedy class. Many comics
don’t believe in stand up comedy class. What do you have to say about these classes?
[laughs] I have
this conversation all the time. As busy as I am, and of all the commitments I
have, it’s actually my favorite thing I do. Because, I’ve taken all kinds of
comedy and writing classes, and I didn’t exactly get what I was hoping to out of
them. So, my whole thing is: Whatever your expectation is, I want to address
it. There are some basics that I think is very helpful for people to learn
early on.
How is this class
structured?
The class is very intimate, only 5-10 people. And, it’s only
5 weeks long. None of those “Level 2”, “Level 3” continuation type classes that
most other places do. The next level is to just go to mics and keep doing what
you started doing.
With everything
that you run and produce, how do you have time to also perform and have a day
job?
It’s very tough. I have been told that I am one of the most
organized people that a lot of people know. I embrace Excel documents and
utilizing my planner. [laughs]
ON RECORDING AN ALBUM
When is the right time to record an album?
The first thing would be, do you have the time? An album
should be around 45 minutes, minimum. And not just do you have that much
material, but are you excited about it? Do you love it enough to put it
together as this culminating artifact to showcase and put on display? If so,
then go for it!
For you, how did
you know you were ready to record an album?
It wasn’t as much, “Am I ready?” or “Am I not ready?”
Because, you’re always going to play that game with yourself. For me, it was
more about goal-setting. A year ago, I told myself that in one year, I wanted
to record an album. I wanted it to be a good reflection of myself, and of my
material at that time.
How helpful was it
to set a goal like that for yourself?
It was the healthiest thing I had done for myself,
comedically. Instead of worrying or getting jealous about other comics getting
things that I wasn’t getting, my main focus was just getting this album ready.
BASEBALL BACKSTORY
Before comedy, you
had a semi-pro baseball career. What was that like?
Baseball was pretty much what I thought I would be doing
with my life. I played in college as a left-handed pitcher. I figured the
demand for a left-handed pitcher is SO high, that someone might draft me, or
I’d play minor league baseball. After college, I played in a league in Chicago
and Wisconsin. It was then, that I started taking writing and stand up classes
because it hit, that maybe I won’t get drafted. [laughs]
How did you even
become interested in comedy & writing after baseball?
It’s SO random, but during my college senior year as I was
trying to figure out my life, I took a screenwriting class. And, the teacher
just happened to be the guy who wrote Revenge
of the Nerds! He taught me how to write and told me I was funny, and he encouraged
me to do stuff like that. It was the first time someone had ever told me that I
was funny.
What is it about
stand that you enjoy more than baseball?
The thing about stand up that I love is that there is no
coach who can bench you. If you want to get on stage, you can find a stage. I
love that element because nobody can stop you. Sure, people won’t book you for
a show, but you can still always find stage time.
TALKIN' SHOP
What does “Finding
Your Voice” mean to you?
Everyone always says that it takes at least 10 years to find
your voice. To me, finding your voice isn’t about finding your character, or
your act, it’s more about, “What are you passionate about?” and “Who are you as
a performer?”
Should you change
up your set or your jokes based on the type of venue/crowd you perform for?
No matter where you are, always just do the jokes that
you’re most excited about, and the most passionate about. You will always
perform those jokes better than the jokes you feel obligated to tell.
Of all the shows
you help produce, what exactly are they looking for? What do comics need to
know about getting booked on them?
We would love to get more and more people up who are great.
We want to showcase Chicago’s best stand up comics. And, we also want it to be
a big, diverse list of comics. We don’t want it to be the same lineup all the
time. At the same time, these shows are either once a week, or once a month.
And then, the cast gets regular stage time because of the work they put into
it. So, our challenge is making tough decisions and agreeing on who we book,
because we really can only book a couple new comics a week, out of a list of
about 200. We also want the comics who are doing really well in the moment,
which is why we don’t book too far into the future. Because, once we arrive at
that moment, we’d rather book someone who is really hot, at that time.
Final thoughts /
words of wisdom?
I can say a lot of clichés that people say all the time, but the best and
healthiest thing that really helped me was making a year long goal to record this
album. Now, that doesn’t need to be everyone’s goal. But, I think there should
be some type of goal setting. Something tangible to work towards. It could be
something like: I want 10 new minutes within the next 3 months. Whatever it is,
make a goal for yourself, and just focus on achieving that. When you do that,
all the outside negativity won’t drive you crazy anymore. You will push it
aside, you’ll be much happier, you’ll be more driven, and you will get better.
Contributing Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.
Contributing Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.