By Chris Thayer

Whether he’s talking about the 13 state medical marijuana tour with Doug Benson, entertaining the military in Afghanistan and Iraq or punishing mic stands with his karate skill as a 2nd degree yellow belt, comedian Graham Elwood is a comedy storm. A storm that rages in
“The Comedian’s Got a Boo Boo,” his brand spanking new debut comedy album produced by Rooftop Comedy Productions. Graham was kind enough to give Rooftop a few minutes of his time before a recent show at SF Sketchfest.
There’s a lot of onomatopoeia on the album. I heard “BOOM”, “BA-BANG BOOM”, “BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA” and “BING-BANG ON THE PIPE” to name a few. Are you a fan of the original Batman TV series? Is that where the influence for that have come from?
[sarcastically] Yes, absolutely! [laughs] Also, comic books in general and Mad magazine with their “thwack” and “thup-a-thu-bump”.
There is some physical comedy on the album (Track 3 “Yellow Belt”). Was this a conscious marketing tool to get people to come see it live, to behold the “Palm “Strike” in person?
[laughs] I’d people to come see me live, but really, I’m a high-energy physical act. That’s why my first project was a DVD (”Live from Afghanistan”), but I made a conscious effort–those sets, that weekend–to do more of my written stuff.
Where have you lived throughout your career as a comic?
I started when I was a student at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. I did the Dorito’s/Sticklets Gum Comedy Competition that was MC’ed by Judd Apatow. He had a mullet and acid-washed jeans and I have that on tape. I can verify that. Tucson, Chicago, and L.A.
What effect do you think each of these cities had on your comedy and your career?
I think Tucson had an effect in that…I started doing stand-up in Tucson at Laff’s Comedy Club and just going to open mics. Then I joined a college comedy group that’s still in business today called Comedy Corner which is every Friday at Noon in the Student Union Cellar at the University of Arizona Student Union. Folks, check it out! That was cool because it was an hour sketch show that we would write and I met a lot of funny comics. That was great because that’s what first got me into writing sketch and stand-up in college. We would do an hour of live show every week. That just sort of “lit the fuse”, so to speak, in Tucson.
Chicago is amazing. It’s where I became a professional, because when I moved there, there were about fourteen full-time clubs in the Chicago area. There’s always been strong comedy that has come out of Chicago, and when I was there in the early 90’s, it was really solid. There were a lot of clubs, and within a 6-hour drive you could basically work every weekend. That’s just how you got better. That and I took some Second City classes, but really by being a road comic based out of Chicago. And the comics there, there was such a pool of talent. Paul Gilmartin, that’s where I met Jimmy Pardo, Jimmy Dore, Mike Schmidt, Mike Siegel, Mike Toomey, Bill Leff, they were all there working and, as is the case with anything, when the level of talent is that high, it just makes you better. That really influenced me, and Chicago is a sarcastic ball-busting city. It’s a tough town, the weather’s tough, everybody’s blue collar, and everybody busts your balls. If you can bust balls back, you get respect.
You said this was early 90’s. Was this at the end of the comedy boom or after the boom?
I started doing comedy at the end of the boom, so as I started progressing, clubs were closing and being tougher and tougher, so then you really had to be funny. If you worked a week at a club from Wednesday to Sunday, and if Wednesday you had a bad show, you might be fired by Thursday. So, you had to be funny.
Did that affect your decision to leave Chicago?
Well, I always knew I wanted to get into film and TV, so I knew I would end up in Los Angeles. Chicago was great, but working the road I just knew that there was a kind of ceiling…at that time. Now, this was pre-YouTube, and Facebook and all that stuff, so the road was a little more limited back then.
And what effect did LA have on your career and your comedy?
Well, LA is such a different animal on your comedy because stage time is so hard to come by—It’s not like New York where you can get onstage 3 times a week. Living in Chicago, I was on the road doing 6 shows a week, and then LA you’re doing one a week and it’s a ten minute set, not a half hour or 45 minutes. But again, you just have to learn how to be funnier in shorter sets. LA influenced me for TV, you know, learning to do a 5-minute set for late-night TV. Also, you meet a lot of people who are wannabes there, but there are a large portion of the people there who are really good. Being in a place where everyone is creative and everyone is really working on stuff—that to me was the best thing in the world. Even in Chicago—if you’re a stand-up—you’re an outsider kind of, because it’s not a real profession in the eyes of many people.
Does that also have something to do with the fact that Chicago is more of an improv city?
Well, yeah. At least when I was there, there was definitely a rift. The improv people thought that all stand-ups were banjo-playing hacks and all stand-ups thought improv people were…you know, backrub-giving. I don’t know what it’s like now, but that’s what it’s like when I was there. In LA, you can do whatever you want. I think LA has had mostly positive effects. Most of my good friends are comics who I have met in LA. To me, the comedy scene in LA, especially the alternative scene, is like a community. It’s like a bunch of friends hanging out. To start in LA though is a difficult thing. I don’t know how people do it. Starting in LA, I think it’s easy to develop a lot of bad habits.
Like what?
Playing to the back of the room. Or these “bringer” shows where you’re just trying to make your buddies laugh and doing inside jokes. Or doing too many showbiz inside-jokes. Like “I auditioned for this thing…”, “The casting director said this”-kind of jokes, literally the nuts and bolts of being in Hollywood. And then, when you go on the road as an MC or a middle act and you’re dicking around, taking up too much time or whatever, the club owner comes up to you and says, “If you go long again, you’re fired”. LA…the MC’s in LA are the worst, the ones who started there. They talk forever, they do 10, 15 minutes between acts, and they don’t know what they’re doing. Even the alternative people who start in LA are just doing a version of their favorite…Louis C.K. or Paul F. Tompkins. I think you have to start somewhere else and figure out who you are onstage and then come there. But there are plenty of examples where I’m wrong—people who did start there and were funny. But again, what really solidified them was when they went on the road, because you have to perform in front of different audiences in different cities and see what jokes work where. That’s the only way to truly become a comic.
What percentage of stand-up comics do you think are actually banjo-playing hacks?
The thing that has been really great about being on the road, heavy, for the last two years is that the number of wacky variety acts that were out there in the early 90’s aren’t out there. They’re gone. I think audiences in general have gotten more savvy and I think the internet has contributed to that.
What negative effects do you think the internet has had on comedy?
You could make the argument—I notice this as someone who directed short films and took ‘em to festivals—because of technology now, the great thing is anyone can make a movie. The bad thing is anyone can make a movie, so there’s a lot of bad stuff being made. But, that’s always the case. The percentage of people who are actually good is gonna be 10 percent at the most. But, I don’t think there has been that much downside. Honestly, the internet has kind of revitalized the art form of live stand-up because people now will call up the club to find out who’s there and look up video clips to see if you’re their cup of tea.
How long was your time performing for troops in Afghanistan?
I’ve gone there three times, I’ve been to Iraq twice. Each time it has been about 10 to 12 days.
What’s the most grueling part of performing out there?
The time change. Always being tired. Also, it’s physically and mentally grueling. You’re wearing a 40-pound piece of body armor and lugging your own gear on and off of helicopters going from base to base to base. The last time I was in Iraq was in October of ’08 and we were doing 3 shows a day. I was literally falling asleep on a Blackhawk helicopter. That’s when you know you’re tired, but the shows are the best. Going to some small firebase in the middle of nowhere and doing a show in front of–I did a 15 minute show in front of 12 marines. There were 3 comics and we all did 5 minutes each. It’s shows like that–a lot of these soldiers are in their early 20’s so, so when they thank you, it’s especially humbling. That’s the best part.
Graham Elwood’s album ” The Comedian’s Got a Boo Boo” is now available on RooftopComedy.com and for download on iTunes. You can also check out his site ComedyFilmNerds.com and the Comedy Film Nerds podcast on iTunes.
January 26th, 2010
Categories: Interview