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Cringe Humor: Let’s start with a brief background. Any credits you want
to highlight?
Steve Byrne: Comedy Central Presents, Late Late Show, Premium Blend, Tough
Crowd, Comic View... I could keep going.
CH: Any favorite clubs around New York?
SB: I love the Comedy Cellar. I also like the Comic Strip and Gotham Comedy
Club. Those are great. When I first came here, I used to go to all of the
clubs, but I just got sick of it. So I like to just keep it to these three.
CH: What was your first time on stage like?
SB: It was in New York. It was September 30, 1997, at Stand Up NY.
CH: You remember the date?
SB: Yeah, I remember the date. I was very nervous. I don’t remember much
about the act itself, but I remember it got a good reception. I wept like a
little bitch afterwards because I was so stressed out from thinking about it
for three days. As soon as I finished it, I was very happy.
CH: So after that you were hooked?
SB: Yeah. I was like, “Alright, that’s it.” You always hear those
stories about heroine, how someone’s hooked the first time. It was the same
with me: I was hooked. As soon as I finished that, I had to do it again. It
was fun.
CH: In your DVD, 13
or Bust, you mention that you had to “pass” the Comic Strip, and
that it was a big step for you. What was that process?
SB: The Strip was the toughest, only because I auditioned for it three times.
They have a lottery once or twice a year. And you go, you stand outside on
line, you sign up, you get a number, and then they give you a date and time.
The first few times I did it, it was just bad. I thought I did alright, but
they said, “We’re gonna pass on you this time.” The last time I did it
is when they pulled me aside and Lucien Hold [the club owner] said, “I didn’t
really care for much of your act, but you had one joke that I liked.”
CH: You went through a yearly lottery and then you had to audition... how
long did it take to pass?
SB: A year and a half, maybe two years.
CH: Wow.
SB: I sent my tape here at the Cellar and it took her [Estee Adoram, the
owner] eight or nine months to watch it. Then she finally watched it and
called me in and I auditioned. I remember I went up after David Alan Grier. I
was pretty nervous about that.
CH: She purposely auditions someone after an established comedian who
killed?
SB: Yeah.
CH: What’s the typical career trajectory for a stand-up comic?
SB: In terms of financial...?
CH: Like what are the stages they go through in performing, the venues,
things like that?
SB: I think from a comedian’s perspective, you’re gonna get shit on when
you first work, and they’re gonna take advantage of you. You’ll emcee a
lot of shows on the road, where you’re doing five to eight minutes a show.
Then eventually you want to work your way up to ten to fifteen minutes, and
you’ll start doing spots in major cities. Then eventually you want to
feature and become a headliner. So it’s just a natural progression of
developing increments of time: five, ten, fifteen, twenty-five, forty-five.
When you have that forty-five to an hour, that’s when you start thinking
about headlining.
CH: Do you think most stand-up comics want to finish off their career in
acting?
SB: I don’t know if they want to finish it off in acting. I think they want
to finish it off in terms of being a draw, and being a good actor definitely
helps in that, in the opportunities that can be given through sit-coms or
film. But there are rare exceptions with guys who are successful in just being
a pure stand-up, like George Carlin or Mitch Hedberg. I don’t think Hedberg
had any interest in being an actor, so he was working strictly on the road.
CH: His career was cut pretty short though, so it’s hard to know.
SB: Yeah, but even in his acts he mentioned it, and I don’t really think he
wanted to. I think he could have been very successful in becoming just a
stand-up act. Guys like Brian Regan do well on the road just being a straight
stand-up. But I definitely would love to go that next level.
CH: So what are your career goals for the future? [Modi walks by.]
SB: To blow Modi and open for him at some point. I just want to become a draw,
a great comic. I want some stalkers, I want the two houses, a drug problem,
eventually a wife...
CH: The whole VH1 package?
SB: Yeah, the whole E! True Hollywood Story shit. I’d love to get all
the rewards, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of luck to get to that, so
we’ll see.
CH: What’s your view on the current state of the stand-up business?
SB: I think right now it’s like a double-edged sword. I think stand up will
be just as popular as it was in the ’80s. Well, it’ll near it, but I don’t
think it’ll get quite as big as it was. I think that there are certain
comedians that have gone out and gotten a lot of exposure and have done a lot
for the benefit of stand-up in general. Now do most comedians appreciate those
comics? No. Do they like those comics, or do those comics have the best
reputations? No, but at the same time they are bringing attention to stand-up,
which is nice.
CH: What do you think about Stephen Lynch?
SB: I like him. I think he’s funny.
CH: He uses a lot of guitar in his act.
SB: Yeah, I like Stephen. I don’t like these guys that are picking up a
guitar solely to be different. I think Zach Galifianakis did that, he did
great at it, he’s very successful and I like him. But a bunch of these guys
that are picking up guitars now and putting them in their acts—I just wanna
Animal-House them. I just want to grab it and smash it against the wall, and
tell them, “Dude, what are you doing? Stop trying to be different.”
Because what everybody’s doing is not different anymore.
CH: Do you see a really unreceptive crowd as a nightmare or a challenge?
SB: I can watch Bobby Kelly perform any time of the week and watch an
unreceptive crowd. Do I find an unreceptive crowd a challenge, or...?
CH: ...a disaster?
SB: My first thought is, “Okay, this isn’t going well. How am I going to
dig myself out of the hole?” And eventually, sometimes you just have to
accept the fact that it’s just not your night, and it happens. Sometimes it
happens more than I want it to, but it’s a part of the business. Until you
can accept that and appreciate it, then you’re always going to be on the
outs. I’ve gotten to the point in the last two or three years where I really
don’t give a shit. If they don’t laugh, then I’m like, “Well, alright
then. I’m just gonna motor on through this ten or fifteen minutes here, and
then I’ll be off-stage. I’ll be here again tomorrow, so it’s not gonna
bug me.”
CH: What’s more difficult for you? A five to ten minute set or a really
long set?
SB: The only time you’re doing a five to ten minute set is when you’re
doing a showcase or The Tonight Show, or something like that. I think
that to really get your point across and let them gain some aspect of your
personality in five minutes, that can be difficult. Doing an hour, that doesn’t
really bug me, because if it’s going bad, I can just do crowd-work! Yeah,
those five minute spots are really difficult.
CH: Is doing crowd-work important to you or do you really like to focus on
the prepared bits?
SB: It depends on how the crowd is, and if it’s going bad I’ll always jump
into the crowd. I’ll jump the fuck off stage.
CH: What are your favorite show times during the week? Early or late?
SB: Obviously everybody likes a cake-walk, getting a prime spot in the middle
of the show, everybody likes that. But I honestly like it shitty. The shittier
it is, the more fun I usually have.
CH: You mean the really late, drunk crowd?
SB: Yeah, I like that because it’s more of a challenge, and it’s more fun,
and you get away with a little more. The shittier it is, the better I like it.
CH: What about shows that you do in theaters, where it’s pretty formal
and the crowd’s not drinking at all?
SB: Those shows are fun. Those shows I’ve done with Vince Vaughn [“Wild
West Comedy Show”] had about two thousand people in the audience, and they’re
extremely excited and in a great mood. Those are fun. You feel like a rock
star at the end of those. But the ones you feel most accomplished as a
comedian is when you’ve gone into a situation that’s pretty awful and you
still overcame it and made them laugh.
CH: Do you enjoy talking to the fans after the show?
SB: Yeah, I do. I wouldn’t say I’m the most outgoing guy. I am pretty
quiet and keep to myself, but anytime someone’s willing to say something
nice to you after you perform, that’s the greatest compliment you can get as
a performer. Someone that’s tapping you on the shoulder, saying “hey, that
was great.” So if they enjoyed the show, then of course I’d appreciate
that.
CH: For some guys it might even be necessary...
SB: Some guys make a point to do that. I don’t want to be overbearing. If
someone likes me, then they’re going to come over to me and say “that was
great,” but I’m not going to sell myself to somebody after a show. The
only time I sell myself is when I’m on stage. That’s my moment to prove
myself.
CH: Are most
of your friends comedians?
SB: Yeah. That’s sad. Nah
seriously, all my other friends have gone on to nine-to-five jobs and
can’t hang out when I do, and they’re all married and such. The
other comedians are a great bunch of guys to hang out with. We all
have the same things in common. I appreciate all my friends, and I’m
glad they’re all comics.
CH: Do you think that fosters a lot of competition?
SB: I’ve never seen competition out there amongst anybody. I think most guys
are very supportive of one another. Last Comic Standing is a sham
because you can’t vote for a “best comedian.” There can never be a best
comedian. There’s a comedian that’s relevant at the time, but were there
guys funnier than Chris Rock, or Richard Pryor at the time? Of course there
were, they just weren’t getting the attention. But it’s never a
competition. We all do our own thing, and I think everybody knows that. At
least I do. That’s what makes me better than them.
CH: About your DVD, what was it like filming that?
SB: To be honest, I don’t really remember much about it because it was a
blur. But the one regret I have about it is that everything went too smoothly.
It was a difficult task and it was hard to do, but the film makes it seem like
it was easy, just going from one show to another. We actually anticipated
missing a set or two, and trying to just tie the record of twelve shows by
scheduling one last back-up show at 3:00 am at Ha! or something. But it did
work out. Ten, fifteen, twenty years from now, I’ll be able to look back at
that, maybe with my kids, like Ardie Fuqua who has four illegitimate children
somewhere, and I’ll be able to show them that and say “This is what I
actually did for years at the beginning of my career in New York City.” That’s
a time capsule of my life. An exaggerated one, but still, at the same time, it
was what every night was like.
CH: So, aside from possibly missing a show, what are some other dramas that
you anticipated that night?
SB: The only dramas that I anticipated was missing a set. That’s it. Other
than that, we didn’t really have too much time to dick around, or be caught
up in anything else. Let’s just get from Point A to Point B in fifteen
minutes and do the next set.
CH: Was there anything cut from the DVD that you wish was left in?
SB: The only thing I wish I had more of was more of the interaction between
Bobby Kelly, Dov Davidoff, and Bill Burr, but we couldn’t. It was just there
to be a third of the program, because the rest was the traveling and the
performances. I think most people hate watching themselves, which is true for
me, and for me the best part was watching Bobby, Dov and Bill going at it.
CH: You once opened for Mariah Carey on her Charmbracelet tour...
SB: No comment.
CH: But...
SB: Next question!
CH: Well, I hear opening for a musician is usually horrible.
SB: Yeah. I like how I opened for Kings of Leon and Modest Mouse, and nobody
remembers that, but Mariah Carey always seems to come up... It’s hard
because these people are there in the mindset of seeing the musician. Puddle
of Mudd was the worst because it’s a hard-core grunge rock band, and the
audience just doesn’t give a shit. They want to get to the band. That’s
probably the most difficult circumstance I’ve been under.
CH:
Tell me about the Kims of Comedy DVD.
SB: The DVD itself is great. Goldhil Media, the company that’s making it and
getting it out there, they’re wonderful people. Bobby Lee, Ken Jeong, Kevin
Shea, they’re all great guys. The taping went great. The crowd was never
instructed to do anything, and they gave standing ovations through the whole
thing. They were just into it, and it was great. It’s a shame that we can’t
take it on the road because Barry Katz threatens us with legal action
everywhere we go, and he’s just being greedy. He has no legal right to even
do what he’s doing, and I can’t tell you how furious I am. He’s working
with Dane Cook, and he’s a millionaire a few times over, but he still has
the time to come out and ruin this. It’s fucking pathetic.
CH: Do you think that particular concert DVD puts too much emphasis on
ethnicity?
SB: No. You’ve got The Original Kings of Comedy, and you’ve got The
Latin Kings of Comedy. We’re four Asian comics, we’re all friends, and
we’ll just do a show for a bunch of Asians. I don’t think it’s a bad
thing at all. It’s not looping us all in together. We all just happen to be
friends, so why shouldn’t we do it?
CH: I also like Dr. Ken a lot.
SB: Ken’s the best. I love him.
CH: Have you ever experienced any of what Ken talks about, being raised as
a Korean?
SB: Yeah. My mom’s Korean, we’ve had cousins that have lived with us for a
while, so yeah, I definitely do relate.
CH: You’ve had to play the violin when you were a kid?
SB: I played the clarinet. Don’t fucking print that! [Oops.] Kenny is my
favorite on that DVD. Everybody I’ve shown it to loves him. He’s always a
stand-out, and he definitely deserves it, because I think he’s one of the
best.
CH: Is your family supportive of your career?
SB: Extremely, yes. Very supportive.
CH: Were
they always supportive?
SB: Yeah, from day one.
CH: Has doing stand up presented any problems in your personal life?
SB: Other than all the relationships I’ve ever ruined with girls? Yeah. It’s
very difficult to maintain a relationship when you do this. First of all, your
schedule is completely different from everybody else’s, and then you’re
traveling. It takes a very patient person to be understanding of that. It’s
hard, it’s very hard. It’s the kind of job where you meet a lot of girls.
I never kissed a girl when I was in high school, until I graduated. So am I
going to turn down girls coming up to me saying “great show,” and they’re
cute?
CH: Any stories from the road you’d like to share?
SB: Any stories that I have to share, I don’t want to share. You never know,
I may run for office some day, and I don’t want this stuff to come back.
CH: Any advice for newbies starting out in the business?
SB: I get a lot of emails about that. First off, you shouldn’t be asking me,
you should be asking a real comedian like Dov Davidoff. The only two pieces of
advice that have ever been beneficial to me are to write as much as you can
and to perform as much as you can. That’s it. It sounds very simple, and it
can be, but it’s the most difficult thing you can do.
CH: Do you think jokes have a shelf life?
SB: Jokes that are topical, yeah. If you’re going to read The Post
every day to write jokes, then yes, they have a shelf life for a year or two.
I was conscious of that too, because I was watching some HBO specials from
back in the day, and they were talking about “Can you believe what Reagan
did?” I’m sure at the time it was funny, and I can appreciate it still,
but I wanted my Comedy Central Presents episode to be as broad as
possible, so that maybe six years from now you can still watch it and think it’s
pretty cool—’cause six years from now, I’ll probably still be doing the
same jokes. Just kidding.
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Caroline Kim
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