June 11, 2024 • 53 mins
Joy is all around as Brian hangs out with comedian Joyelle Nicole Johnson, who confesses to talking to herself on the streets of New York, advocates for the value of truth in comedy, and looks forward to getting on her Meryl Streep shit as an actor.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, Happy birthday. I'm gonna did you do that to me?
I don't know. I didn't do that to you. I'm old,
I don't know how to work technology.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh you just said wait, hold on, you just said
happy birthday.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Did I say happy birthday? Someone said happy birthday? I
think you had to have sent happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And if you're listening, literally we're looking at each other,
and balloons just started streaming on my face. That is
so bizarre. That is literally never happened. It's not interesting
to anybody else, but that was so weird.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hi. My name is joy il Noo Cole Johnson, and
I love therapy and I think you should get a
therapist too.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Hi, everybody, what's up? Thanks for joining me here for
another episode of Off the Beat. I am your joyous
and ready to laugh host Brian Baumgartner. My guest today
well is not only joy full, she is Joyelle Nicole Johnson.
(01:14):
Joyelle is a hilarious stand up comedian. You may have
seen her on Late Night with Seth Myers, The Tonight
Show starring Jimmy Fallon, or maybe even lucky enough to
catch her live at a festival like Bona Rou San Francisco.
Sketch Fest, New York Comedy Festival, Bumber Shoot. She's amazing
(01:35):
and she's also a talented comedy writer who's worked on
shows like Broad City and Pause with Sam Jay. Recently, however,
she has begun a new venture. She started an Only
Fans and believe me, Yeah, she's gonna let it all
out her jokes. Of course, she's gonna let you hear
(01:58):
all of her jokes. That's what I was saying. She
just aired her new episode on l M aof the
comedy showcase on OnlyFans TV. It is absolutely hilarious. Yep,
Joy is in the air today and she is here
in your ears as well. Here she is Joyel Nicole Johnson.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Bubble and Squeak, I love it, Bubble and Squeak, Bubble
and Squeaker.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Cook get every more over from the night before.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
What's up, Joyelle?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hello? Brian? How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I'm good? How are you?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I'm fantastic. I like being joined with another person that
has an alliterative name.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes, just just mumble a bunch of bees. You'll figure
it out. It'll be It'll be good. Uh are you
down in the at L I.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Am up in the buk Baby, I moved. I left Georgia,
so hopefully they will still handle it this election. So
now I'm voting in New York again.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Oh so you're out. So you grew up in Jersey,
you're now in New York. You're in the Brooklyn? Is
that the b K?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Okay? Fancy pants? Then that's all I know about Brooklyn. Now.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
It's just and the fanciest building I've ever lived in.
I love it so much. I guess I'm the problem.
I'm probably a gentrifier. I'm living with them, but I
love it.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Sorry you so you were in it? How long were
you in Atlanta? I'm from there, by the way, that's why.
That's why of a special interest to me.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Amazing, which part.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Kind of Sandy Springs. Yeah, speaking of fancy I don't
know about that. It's probably fancier not well now, I
don't know. I think the city extends out to where
we didn't even It was like cows and farms when
I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
My parents live in Stone Mountains, so that that's where
I was born. Were you born at Stone Mountains?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I mean not literally on the mountain, but yes, that's
where I That's where I was that's where I deliver from.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
They deliver babies on top of the mountains.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, they do a light show they do, right, the
con themed light show on the face of Stone Mountains. Yes,
good old do they they do? They still do it.
They don't still do it, do they? They do?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So still do it. They still have Confederate flags flying
on Stone Mountain. And it's so funny because Stone Mountain
is one of the richest black communities in America, the
top ten most affluent African American communities, and just the
Confederate flags flying on top of the mountain and the
(05:20):
soldiers etched in the side, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
All, well, yeah, so I was gonna you know, I've
been gone a long time. But remind me and tell
so Stone Mountain is the largest piece of granite, right, Yeah,
the largest piece of granite, which is therefore a mountain.
It's not like the Rockies, but it's a mountain.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It is a mountain. I climbed it many times.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Me me as well when I was a kid and
etched into the mountain instead of the presidents in the
Dakota what's that called again? The thing Everest? No, not
mount Everest. No, where the where the President, they're in
the Mount Rushmore. I was like, it's not Everest, No,
it's Mount Rushmore. So similar to that. Into the granite
(06:08):
there is a carving. Is it Confederate? Is that what
it is? Is it Confederate?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Don't get me to lie, but I was always under
the impression it was Confederate soldiers. Let's get a fact
check or diego what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
All right, Well, we we're gonna fact check this and
if I'm not. But but the point is this, there's
a light show like every night in the summer, and
there's like laser show at least is what they ca
They still do this, right, they still do the laser
show and you sit outside and then the etching on
(06:41):
the mountain comes to life. Yes, and they guiding. They
the horses start galloping away. Wow, they haven't thought about
that in a long time. Yes I have, nor have
I been there in a long time. But yes, I
grew I was. I didn't grow up there, but I
was born there. Okay, Stone Mountain area. All right, So
(07:02):
enough about the Confederacy.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
It's nothing like starting off a conversation and with the Confederacy,
what part of Jersey are you from.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I'm a Union, New Jersey girl. I went to Union
High School.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Okay, so not far from New York City, not at all.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, twenty minutes, baby. That's why I was always looking
to the city. I was like, I'm moving there.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I can't really was that a dream for you? Early on?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Absolutely? I was going to New York. My mother would
let me go take acting classes by myself on the
bus when I was like thirteen years old. Really yeah,
and it was that was what Hell's Kitchen was, not
the fabulous gay bastion of wealth it is now. That's
when it was like before Rudy Giuliati, it just all
(07:50):
drugged out. And she showed me how to get to
the acting class. I had to walk from port authority,
and she was like, if you want to do this,
you got to do it on your own. And I did.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And you wanted to do it that bad.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
So this is thirteen. So when did you kind of
decide that this was what you wanted to do around then?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I think before then I was always looking to My
mother would take me to place. She'd take me to
all the cultural things, and I was like, whatever this is,
I want to do it.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
She was a nurse, right, did she have a creative side.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yes, she was always obsessed with like the piano. She
was one of those people that just like wishes she
could be like a concert pianist. I think that was
like my mother's in her head heart dreams. So she
put me in piano lessons. My mother used to be
a dancer. She put me in dance lessons and all
that stuff. And I was like, I want to get
on the stage. She was like, all right, let's put
you in classes.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
So New York and your proximity to the city and
all it had to offer and classes. Do you feel
like that that influence? I mean, you had an idea,
you wanted to do it, But what talk to me
about what the city itself like that gave you at
a young age and your exposure to these plays and
(09:05):
experiences that you had.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I just love. I mean, a lot of people are
averse to the congestion of New York City and I
love it. It feels like a blanket to me, like
I'm temple granding and all of the human beings that
are walking by, and I just loved it. And I
knew I wanted to be places where it's like everybody
is different diverse wise. You know. She moved us to Union,
(09:31):
New Jersey, which was the suburbs, and it was a
very white suburb in New Jersey. So I was like,
I go to the city. I see all people that
look like me and people who don't look like me,
and they all look like they're having a good time.
That was my kid brain, right. I didn't think about
paying rent, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, yeah, I mean that's a whole other thing. I
was just there last week and I will say this
though here here's I love the city as well, and
the energy and the people again, just like everybody being out.
Here's the thing when it it was like the first
nice day of the spring and everybody came out. Everybody
(10:10):
that's too much, Come on, everybody go back.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It's like going to Coney Island on Memorial Day.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah. I just don't do this. Yeah no, But it's
just the streets. It's just like third and twenty seventh.
There's one thousand people outside. It's like like because people
talk about la like nobody works, Like where why are
all these people in a coffee shop? You walk around
New York on a on a nice spring day, it's
(10:37):
like where, Why don't you have to be somewhere?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
That's every time I see a kid out and I
think it could be like Saturday at noon, I'm like,
why aren't you in school? Why aren't you outside?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
And if you're not, as you should be in camp
to be somewhere.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
We should be somewhere. Why do you walk in the streets.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I read that you moved to LA with your sister.
She was in a writing program at USC. Is that right?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Yes? Okay, to the writing program there?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, So how old were you then when you when
you moved to LA.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I graduated from Boston College. Okay, and it was the
summer I graduated. I was like, let's go.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
So you just wanted to be in LA or was
it because she was there?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I think it's because she was there. It was also
because of acting, like having the bug and wanting to
just go see what could happen out there?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
When did you start doing stand up?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I started in two thousand and seven?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Okay, but you know I'm not good at math, So
how so when is this like? In? Is this after?
This is after college?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes? Yeah? I graduated two thousand and three and moved
out to LA.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So you were just trying to be an actor, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
And you know, back then it was just like a
lot of background work.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
And I also would do PA work too, So I
was like, I just want to be involved in any way,
shape or form. Uh, So I would do PA jobs.
I worked on a lot of reality shows and I
did transcribing, where I'm like typing what the actors are
saying for the reality show. So I just did like
every little job I can do out there.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Did you did you PA for for scripted shows too?
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I paid No, I didn't pay for any scripted shows,
music videos and reality shows, because it's like, once you
get in a niche, you just keep getting hired by
the same people exactly, which is why I was like, Okay,
I can't. It's like I don't want to be in
this this particular rat race.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So are you aud So you're auditioning, You're you're you're auditioning,
You're finding odd jobs and and and doing background work
and uh and and PA, what made you start to
want to or what made what made you get on
the stage and try stand up for the first time?
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I think I had smoked a joint and I was
but no, I was. I had been going. So my
sister and I would go to the Laugh Factory and
Sunday nights was the black night, so it was called
Chocolate Sundays. It's still there. And we'd go like once
a quarter, you know, right, and then we were like
(13:23):
once a month, and then I started going by myself
like once a week. And I had always loved George
Carlin and loved stand up and stuff, but I was
just like, I'm scared. That seems scary. But I looked
at it. I was like, it looks like I can
do it, but I'm just scared. So I just kept going.
And then I joined a group that was doing a
Wednesday night show at the Laugh Factory.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Okay, So was it like this was improv or.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, they were doing improv but also stand up in
between the improv, and it was it was called Kevin Hart.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Was okay, So that's.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
The Comedy Playground.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah, comedy Playground. It disbanded fairly quickly.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It was why did disband.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Because Kevin was too busy. He was like, I gotta
go do every other thing. I don't have time for this.
So everybody was like okay, and everyone's prolific.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I heard. I heard he does a lot of projects.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I've heard too.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
I've heard that that man okay.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That man will work okay, and so yeah, So he
left and everybody in the group was a stand up comic.
So my one friend, Candice Thompson, was like, do you
want to do open mics? And I was like okay,
and we just started doing open mics together.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Was she helping you? Were there people helping you write material?
Or were you just writing your own material?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Just writing your own material that start of stand up
where you know, you're like roaches. Let's talk about roaches airplane.
We all on airplane's.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Is that what you're doing though? Are you trying to
find a universal idea or an idea that everyone has
an experience with?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Absolutely, because you think about what has been funny your
whole life, you know, and I think it's like, you know,
I didn't have money at the time, I had an
okay apartment, but you know it's like roaches. Everyone has roaches.
So just trying to be as relatable as possible.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, So you start doing open mics, how is it going?
Are you finding success right away?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
No? Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Not?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Okay, this is what I want to hear about.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Oh yeah, it's the grind of first of all, paying
to do an open mic. We would sometimes have to
pay shout out to the Bliss Cafe. That was the
one where it would be like five dollars to perform.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
You had pay five dollars.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, you had to buy something, so oh you.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Had to buy You didn't have to pay literally five dollars,
but you had to buy something.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Something at least five dollars worse.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
That's just rude. I mean, look, if you if you
if you're gonna charge I mean, these are hypothetical numbers.
But if you're gonna be like, Okay, we're gonna charge
you one hundred dollars or we're going to charge you
a thousand dollars to perform this, I understand. Five dollars
it's just insult. That's just like we're just doing this
(16:28):
to make you feel like a warm bag of shit.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Yeah, I have to break your twenty so it's like
and then you're getting up there and it's too absolute
dead silence. I mean, every comedian knows the slog of
open bicing. You're performing in front of other comedians who
are just worried about their own jokes, so they're not
paying attention, and I honestly think it's a step you
(16:54):
cannot skip. You know, it really gets you used to silence,
and that's a huge thing you got to get used
to doing stand up.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
So what do you what do you? What do you do?
Do you acknowledge it? Like, do you acknowledge the silence?
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I mean, I mean when you like back then, for sure,
you'd be like, oh, none of you are listening to me,
like because you're nervous. So but now I'm like, I
know you're listening, but you know, but this is I'm
doing professional shows now, So when people are quiet, that
means they're listening. Back then, no one was listening. So
it's just like you're quiet and not listening.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Right. Well, things have certainly changed for you now the
(17:53):
past few years. You've done a number of your own projects,
recorded a comedy album Yell Joy, an hour long special
love Joy. I get it. We're playing with the joy Joe, trying.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To put some joy in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Uh. You've also been writing and producing these projects yourself.
Now do you consider yourself now? And I know you've
done some acting stuff and we can talk about that,
but do you consider yourself now a writer, an actor,
or a performer or in that order, I guess because
you are all three. So that was a dumb question.
(18:32):
But do you know what I'm saying, Like, where is it?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Where do you feel like your focus is? Now?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Okay? So it's funny because it's like, how do I
answer that question when people in certain situations, So like recently,
I was filling out a form and I forget what
the forum was for, but ask profession and I just
put a writer because sometimes that's what's easier, because it's like,
once you say you a comedian, it's like, yeah, a comedian,
my favorite person is? It starts somebody I hate. Now
(19:02):
I have to like have a conversation with you. So
like if I'm being asked in a kind of situation
where I don't really have to talk to somebody, I'm like, writer,
I'm just a writer. But I consider myself a stand
up just because stand up is so specific, right, and
it was the first thing I really started to get
(19:23):
good at, you know, And so I would say I'm
a stand up and a writer because I write my
own stand up who acts okay and wants to be
a better actor. And wants to like, really, you know,
study the craft.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah, it's an interesting and I don't know if it's
only interesting to me. I feel like people don't get
what I'm saying. But I am often referred to or
introduced as a comedian, and I am not that. Like
I can be a comedic actor, but I don't. I
(20:02):
don't consider myself a comedian in any way. And I
don't know why it Like it makes me feel like
an impost or something, or like I'm trying to be
something that I'm not. I don't know. It's it's a
very complicated thing for me. But I love that you
or say like that's what I like, that's what I am.
I mean to me, stand up is a comedian, right,
(20:22):
like that's yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I just fell in love with you, Brian, because I
loved you before this. But this happens with comics where
people like I don't know if you knew who Patresea
and Neil.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Of course, oh my god, no, I worked with him, yeah, no, no, no, no,
but no no no, yeah, and in fact I saw
Patrese do some open uh open mic nights uh before
that we work together.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
But yeah, so he he was like one of my
you know, just I followed him around like the last
year of his life, and I moved to New York
and I was just like, he'd let me open for him.
A couple of times he would bully me and also
just like give me advice that I would just sit
there and take. And the first time I met him
was back in two thousand and eight, and I was like, Hi,
(21:14):
I'm a comedian and he was like, no, you're not.
And I was like what And he goes, I'm a
comedian and you and I are not the same thing.
And I remember like getting my little feelings hurt. But now,
you know, almost twenty years later, I'm like, I get
it now. When somebody will be like, I'm a comedian,
I'm like, you're not. I don't see you anywhere. You
(21:34):
don't hang out where I hang out. Like how many
shows have you done? How much have you gotten paid
to do these shows? How many times have you bombed
your ass off in front of your family? Like tell
me what you have done to say you are a comedian, right,
And when certain comedic actors they'll say comedian, I'm like,
they're comedic actors. So I really appreciate that you said that,
(21:56):
and a lot of comedians would also appreciate that you
feel that way.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Well, yeah, and it's a weird thing like because then
it sounds I don't know which way it's pretentious, but
like I never correct people because then it just seems
like what what you know, They're not going to understand
what I'm saying any Anyway, when people ask if I
do stand up, my response is kinda but I know
(22:21):
that for me now, and I'm saying that this sounds
like a weird humble brag, but I'm trying to. I'm
trying to get to the root of it. I know
for me now it's cheating, right, Like I know now
all I need to do are a few things and
they're they're absolutely going to laugh. But they're not going
(22:41):
to laugh because what I'm saying necessarily is funny or
well crafted, or that I have I have I have
framed a point or an argument in a certain way
that is is good. They're going to laugh because they
know who I am, which is very, very different from
what you do from being a comedian and being out there,
(23:02):
because they may show up if they know you, if
they've heard you, if they've heard your album and expect
to laugh. But I still think if you, if you,
if you don't have it that night, they're gonna give
it to you. Right, Oh?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
And yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Also, the funny thing about fame is kind of like
I've heard this before. I want to say, It's like
Chris Rock might have said it where he's like, the
fame will lash you are good maybe five maybe ten minutes,
but after that, people really do want to hear jokes
if you're at a comedy club, Like if we're sitting
here right too, drink minimal, I'm gonna use some jokes, Bryan.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yeah, yeah, no, but I get what you're saying. Yeah,
I don't ever go over the alloted time. I guess
I just keep to what I know. Yeah, that's very
very interesting to me. I want to tell you this story.
I can't. I don't know that I've ever shared this
on you, but I went very early on. Did you
(24:04):
ever know? I don't even know if it's still open
the m bar is that are they still doing? Yeah?
Are they still doing stand up stuff there?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
I mean, I haven't been in comedy in LA for
so long.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Okay, so this this was not It's not a comedy club.
It's a it's a bar, and they used to do
like an open mic situation, and I went and these
this was this was sort of it. This was an
open mic, not like you had to pay five dollars
to get in. This was an open mic. Like in general,
(24:38):
established comedians would be trying out new material, right, So
like I went one night and Sarah Silverman was and
this is a long time ago, so they weren't like
who they are now. But David Cross there were a
number of people showing up and I saw this young
comedian behind a piano, Robinson, get up on stage move
(25:03):
you know, there's a whatever seven to twelve minute break
while he puts his piano, sets all this stuff. I'm like,
what the what the hell is this guy doing? And
I'm telling you, it was the funniest twelve minutes I've
I had ever seen, and like blew everybody like beyond
out of the water. And that was my That was
(25:24):
my sort of my first experience with seeing you know,
seeing a bunch of like established people and they were
trying stuff so that let's be fair, and this young
guy comes up and just crushes it. Do you have
an experience or a memory from your own life where
there was a night that everything hit for you and
(25:46):
it just like Boom went went nuts.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Oh yes, so many. But also Craig. I absolutely love
Craig And have you met his brother Chris? Yes, as well,
you know the Nasty Delicious and Chris, Chris and I
hang out a bunch like that's one of my that's
one of my best ties. And it's funny because it's
like Chris is like I would say seventy percent music
(26:12):
and thirty percent comedy, right, and Craig, I feel like,
is the seventy percent comedy? You know? Thirty percent maybe
forty five fifty percent music? By the way, I mean
absolute geniuses.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Both of them.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I'm like, what was going on in your mother's UTERUSM?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
But that's a question you're not supposed to ask.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But anyway, so I think you're supposed to ask that.
But I think the first time I really felt it
because Chocolate Sundays would have an amateur night right before
the main show started and I would watch this. They
gave us three minutes and so that was the show.
I kept going to this see because I was like,
I want to do the sandmatetur Knight. I want to
(26:52):
do the Samature Knight. First time I ever got on stage,
I bombed my ass off. But I was working up
to do this amateur night and the first time I
did it, I crushed, and I was so freaking proud
of myself because I was so scared, right, but finally
getting the last in that room. And also, to make
(27:12):
you know, black people laugh is you know, a feat
in itself. So to get that, especially also in Hollywood, Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Shows not funny, not funny, Nope.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
No, because they're all like I could be on the
stage too, bitch. So so to make like a Hollywood
black crowd laugh just felt so freaking good. And that
was probably my first year. So I had been doing
all those open mics and working up to doing that
amateur night and did a good job. So I was like, Okay,
(27:45):
I can't quit. I have to keep going.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
What's your what's your process for writing a joke? Like
how do you how do you get it from roaches
to like a fully fleshed out idea.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Well, now I'm more confident in myself after doing it
for so long that I know it's going to be funny.
So one of the best pieces of advice I got
when I first started was that if I'm having a
conversation with somebody and they laugh, that's a potential for
a joke. So I can tell now if I'm like,
you're not gonna believe what happened to me yesterday and
(28:21):
the person starts laughing, I can also bring that on stage.
So that's what I've done with Like a lot of
the stories I tell really happened to me, you know,
true things that actually happened. But now I can just
know how to make it funny. And my joke writing
process now is very much like talking to myself. I
love talking to myself in the shower. I'll be talking
(28:42):
to myself, you know, walking down the street New York.
Best place to talk to yourself openly in the streets
and nobody will blak it. And you know, so that
way because I can feel like the rhythm of what
it's going to be like on stage. And so I'll
talk into my voice recorder or I'll talk in so
it's like now I know where to tell the story
(29:04):
because I'm a storyteller. Now I've picked that up. I'm
not I'm not what's the thing about roaches that's not
my my vibe.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Right, right, Yeah, when you have a story that's happened
to you and I don't know, I mean, I'm I'm
thinking about like I don't know, for me, maybe the
best in the business right now. Oh, I'm about to
say a name, and you're gonna be like, I hate them.
But Chappelle, I think about his stories, right, and then
(29:36):
you there gets to a point when you you know
that what he's saying is didn't actually happen, right, So
for you, how do you take a story that happened
to you and decide or figure out like, because obviously
things will be exaggerated, things will be manufactured for comedic effect,
Like for you, how do you figure out, like, I
(29:58):
don't know, like what percentage that's That's a dumb that's
like such a dumb question. But I mean, like, for you,
how much of it is real and how much of
it is it is invented on top of something funny
that happened.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I am a proponent for truth in comedy. So it's
like I was told, comedy is truth plus exaggeration. So
for me, seventy seventy five percent true, okay, twenty five
percent exaggeration and the exaggeration is going to be on
like the third beat. So you know, it's like comedy
(30:32):
has the rule of three, and I'll say the truth
is the one funny thing, second truth, and then the
third truth is an exaggeration that is like, Okay, that's
just silly, but you can take it there at the end.
But I want everything to be as truthful as possible.
So everything that I do say on stage did happen
to me. But there might be one little beat at
(30:54):
the end that you're like, Okay, that was silly. But
I also I'm just not a silly I'm not a
silly billy. Yeah, I can't be silly billies. But I'm
too realistic. My mother grew up in the projects of Brooklyn.
I really I'm way too realistic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Right do you do you believe in the rule of three?
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah? Absolutely, in life just in general. You know it ego,
super ego. We're also you know, the Trinity, Holy Trinity,
it's all of life is the rule of three.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Wow, that's very No, that's very interesting. I don't I
believe in the rule of three as well. I also
think you know, this podcast is called off the Beat
because someone taught me at a very young age that
comedy that occurs off of the expected beat is often
(31:52):
way more satisfying longer term than giving people exactly what
they expect. So it doesn't necessarily change the rule of three.
But finding ways to alter what people's expectations are I
think is really important and ultimately brings greater comedy. What
(32:15):
do you think about that?
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I completely agree with you. I do think there's something
musical about comedy. I did have this conversation once with Chappelle.
There's a comedian named T. K. Kirkland. He's an awesome
he's awesome, but like if you watch him, he is
almost he's like a conductor conducting. And so Dave was
talking to me about the cadence that he uses. And
(32:40):
you know, I have my musical background. I was in
the marching band.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
All that stuff.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
So when you have a certain cadence on stage, people
are going to laugh at a point, maybe when you
didn't even say something funny, but they're used to like
da da da da da da da da da laugh
da da da da da da da da da laugh.
That can be broken up into different times sing, which
is just like music. So it's like three four four
(33:04):
four whatever you're doing. So, yes, it's not always gonna
be on three, But yes, I agree with you that
it's not necessarily always gonna be on the third beat.
It might be on the second beat. That's the funniest
thing because I like to say something after a joke
that'll be like for the comics.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Right, is there anything you don't that's off limits for you?
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Not for me, because I like for me, I just
certain things. If somebody tells tells somebody that something is
hurting them, hurting a community, you know. I do think
Dave is an example of this right now with the
trans community. Like, if somebody's saying they're being hurt, I
would stop, right, you know, I would just be like,
(34:08):
I don't. I don't need to go into that. You know.
I have a bit. I talk about abortion on stage
a lot, and my abortion joke is that I got
pregnant on the floor of an Amtrak train in the
handicap restroom, which is a true story, like fully true.
But somebody from the disabled community came up to me
and she was like, can you please not say that?
Can you say something else? Can you say accessible restroom?
(34:30):
Can you not say handicap? And I was like, huh,
I never thought about it in that way, And sure
I can do that. I can change it. I mean
accessible is a lot of syllables and weird syllables that
I need to practice accessible. But you know, if somebody
(34:51):
just came up to me, it was just like, look,
that's not that that made me feel a certain type
of way. I want to I want to change it.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So, yeah, I heard it was a conversation. We don't
have to debate whether you're a fan of his or not,
but I thought that the conversation was very interesting. It
was with Bill Burr, and the conversation was about Blue
Comics and the question and it was actually Dan Patrick.
(35:18):
I don't know if you know who Dan Patrick is.
He deals a lot in sports. But the question for
Bill was, you know, how do you figure out or
where do you sort of you know, stand on Blue
And Bill's response was people used to think like that
was bad words, Like I say bad words a lot.
(35:38):
That makes me a Blue comic, and some people think
that's cheating. Some people think you have to keep it
very clean. But he said the problem with that is
now there are topics that you can get into that
are also considered blue, whether or not you're saying bad
words or not. So like the idea of like controversy
(36:03):
equalling like blue equalling like you you can't say that,
you shouldn't say that. I guess that's my question to you,
just because just because I'm interested, like for you, where
do you stand on that or how do you who
are you creating your act for? And how willing are
(36:26):
you to go blue whatever that means to you.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I've never even thought about it that way. So there's
a city in this country right now that is a
bastion for like white boys that want to say the
end word and kind of like a level of I mean,
I would definitely say misogyny. I heard a lot of
gentlemen on stage talking about punching women in the face.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
These are stand ups you're talking about, Yes.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Yes, And it's it's a weird situation where I never
thought about that as blue, and that is blue to me,
Like I I have heard white boys do funny in
word jokes. Neil Brennett actually has a pretty good one,
but to pursue it, to me, it just it's just
(37:17):
like why why do you have to pursue that? So
for me, and that's why I talk about stuff that
actually has happened to me. So if you're telling a
story about something that happened to you, sure, But if
you're just trying to find a way to make the
in word funny and to be able to say it
on stage, I don't really I don't really have respect
for it personally. So that's why I try to stay
(37:40):
as true to myself as possible, because you know, I
did get pregnant on the floor in the handicap restroom,
so it's like that actually happened to me. But if
you want me to rephrase my words, I'll do that,
you know, But I'm not going to stop telling the bit.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Because that's truth and being as.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Absolutely it's about being. It's about being.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
That makes a ton of sense to me.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Yeah, for me, Like those are the people that I
look up to and love their comedy, where there's an
authenticity that bleeds off of the stage. You know, I
can tell when people are lying on stage. I can
tell when a comic is lying, like I you know,
sometimes people will lie about having kids and tell bits
about being a father, and I'm like, what do you
You don't have enough kids? And they're like it was
(38:26):
just for the joke. I'm like, just for the joke, say.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
The head word. Oh that's amazing. Well, so you've said
you're a stand up, you're a comedian, but you don't
just write jokes for yourself. You're a you're a TV
writer also an actor. You wrote for a season of
(38:50):
Broad City. You were in the writer's room there, Now, one,
why did you do that? And two? Did that help
you in your stand up? That experience of working on
the writer's run?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Absolutely, we did. We did the punch up room. So
the punch up room was after they had written all
the scripts and they gave the scripts to a bunch
of comedians and then we did a room of punching.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Up the scripture.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
And I think I got spoiled in that situation because
that room was led by two women who let everybody talk.
It was. It was a very beautiful situation. And I
just think keeping your brain going, it's kind of like
doing sudoko. How you say that word sudoku sudo, It's
(39:43):
like doing those puzzles to offset dementia, Like you gotta
keep your brain move in different directions. So, yeah, looking
on the paper and figuring out how you would make
that joke funnier, which is why I can't watch TV
anymore because it's ruined now where I'll be like, oh,
that would have been funny if they said this, like
I'm an asshole. So I absolutely it totally helped me
(40:08):
also be more confident in myself and what I think
is funny when you have to pitch it out to
a room that's scary.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
That's yeah, that's kind of that's kind of the genesis
of my of my question. Like, so, now you're in
a room with a bunch of other writers slash comedians,
and this is not you, you know, talking to yourself
on the street or in the shower or in your
apartment or whatever. You're now like, hey, guys, what do
you think of this?
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Oh? Terrifying, terrified.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
It's got that silence. It's got to be worse.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Oh yeah, and it's crazy because like every situation, there's
always got to be something that's gonna make you more nervous.
That's what I realized. It is never going to stop.
I was with the fantastic George Wallace, that's my uncle.
He takes me out with him. He took me to
mask the Square Garden, with him, and right before he
got on stage, he was like, I'm nervous and I
(40:57):
was like, you're nervous and he's like, yeah, I have
you been on stage like a week and a half.
And I was like, so it never ends, and he
was like, no, it never ends. It's never going to end.
I was like, thank you Purgatory for the rest of
my life. So that's a different type of scary of
saying a joke in front of a room full of
comedians who are just staring at you and giving honest
(41:19):
reactions because if nobody last, they're like, next do you?
Speaker 2 (41:24):
So you get nervous.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Oh absolutely, Oh my gosh, absolutely every time. Well it
depends now, so it'll be bigger. Like when I first
did seth Myers was my first late night set that
I felt like I was jumping out of an airplane really,
But by the time I did my second tonight show,
which was my third late night set, I was much
more calm because you know, I had done it twice before,
(41:48):
so it's like I've done the Beacon theater. My second
time doing the Beacon was not as nerve racking as
my first time, So it'll just be you know, things
just keep getting bigger and grazier.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Right, I don't even know if for me it's nerves
I get, I get amped. There's like another switch. I
don't it's hard to describe.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
That's what I'm trying to change it to. I'm trying
to be like I'm excited instead of I'm nerving.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Yeah, I get very externally still and calm and then
but like like inside it's like ooh, there's the switch,
Like I can feel that. It's weird.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
It's an example of that for you now, Like what's something.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
That well, I do shows. I mean I don't do
I wouldn't call it stand up, but I do shows
at colleges and I appear on stage. It's it's weird
because I I came from the theater, right, So that's
what I used to do, and that like yeah, of
course there was like nerves and you know that like
oh I have to pee. Thing that goes mysteriously goes
(42:50):
away the second like you enter the curtain, it just
goes away. And it's weird. Now like I don't have
any nerves, Like I don't get nerves. I'm not, like
but I I do have that like kind of have
to pee like like I like that happens. So there's
something in there. That's why I say it's a switch, like,
it's not nothing. It's not like I'm playing part cheesy
(43:12):
like you know, I don't know why why. I don't
even know what parcheesy is, but that was what I know.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
That word.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
I don't know how the game, right, it's a game. Yeah,
I'm not playing parcheesy. I don't know. That must have
been like in my dream last night or something.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Sitting there waiting to come out.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
More recently, you wrote you appeared on Pause with Sam Jay.
How'd you get involved there?
Speaker 1 (43:40):
Yeah, they hired me for that show. I've known Sam
Jay for a very long time, like over a decade
of pursuing this stand up comics. So there were a
lot of friends in that room that thought I would
have some fabulous things to contribute.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
Do you prefer I mean, you prefer to be yourself? Right?
Is there anything that you still meaning as opposed to
playing a character? Like what does that give you? I mean,
I guess they just put words in your mouth. But
I'm going back to what you said, like that you're
a stand up you're a comedian, right, and so you
(44:21):
are playing a version of yourself when you're on stage.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Yeah, I mean even if you're authentic and real, you're
still playing a version.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Now I have a question for you. So, I think
most actors are playing versions of themselves.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
Have you seen my work?
Speaker 1 (44:40):
But listen, I think there's like ten actors. I think
there's like ten actors, and everybody else is playing a
version of themselves that is fitting into a situation. So
I think, no matter what character I am going to play,
it's going to be a version of myself until I
study enough of the craft to actually do some mal
(45:03):
streep shit, god to do some you know, William H.
Macy shit.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I get what you're saying, So you consider it a
version of yourself, regardless even if someone else has written
the words, even if it's a different name. I got it.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Yes, Yes, just being honestly authentic. And how would I
respond in this situation and it's like, hello, happy birthday.
I'm gonna did you do that to me? I don't know.
I didn't do that to you. I'm old, I don't
know how to work technology.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
Oh you just said wait, hold on, you just said
happy birthday?
Speaker 3 (45:37):
Did I say happy birthday? Someone said happy Birthday. I
think you had to have sat happy birthday and balloon.
If you're listening, literally we're looking at each other and
balloons just started streaming on my face.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
That is so bizarre. That is literally never happening the tape.
It's not interesting to anybody else, but that was so weird.
I get what you're saying. Do you like acting?
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Love? Love? That was my first love? No?
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I know that, yeah, but I was just like, Oh,
are you just over it now?
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Oh? No, I haven't done enough of it yet. I mean,
I've done stage. I did an off Broadway play last year,
you know, but I mean television acting. I just I
want to be one of those lucky people like you
who got a dove ass character and was able you know,
to ride that beat.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Well, thank you. No, it is a lot of fun,
and for me, that's yeah. For me, it is about
creating that other character. That's the thing that I love about. Yeah.
I saw that you're on Only Fans ew uh, not
exactly like you might think. You're doing stand up on
(46:50):
their comedy show l m aof How did it go?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
I think it went great. I was at home, I
was at the gutter Bar in Brooklyn, which is a
place that I perform at often, and I just had
a fun time. And that was one of those things
I wasn't nervous, I was excited for because they were
just like, we're trying to open up the platform, two
different things. So I was like, sure, I'll join.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
So this is a new this is a new experiment
for them, going going in, going in and doing comedy.
And so how long is it my set? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (47:28):
Ten minutes?
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Okay, and you crushed? And do you think this is
something that they're going to continue to explore and do.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
It's looking like they are. I mean, they're trying to
get people to have like a you know, the content
where you come there for that, you know. And of
course sure do I have people in my dms saying
some things, Yes, I do, Oh you do do, but
they tip as long as your tipping, baby, let's do this.
(47:59):
But yeah, they it's it's been funny. It's been fun
for me to try to get on this new platform
and start making money. I mean.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
Money, that's no, that's awesome. You know what I have found.
I'm going off the rails here slightly, but I want
to hear your opinion. Are you on all Are you
on all social media's?
Speaker 1 (48:21):
I'm on Instagram and Facebook and I guess formerly x.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Which Okay, it's going to be over soon. Yeah, that's
kind of done. Okay, that's it. Well, let me tell
you this. I just, and I mean just, I'm always
very late to the game. I just joined TikTok Now,
let me just say this, so you so you just
are now having a new experience. They're on the only fans,
(48:47):
do you know what? It's crazy? Someone someone I worked with.
I'm going to give a shout out to someone I
worked with without saying their name. They told me like
five years ago to go on OnlyFans and I was like,
I can't. There's no chance. There's no chance. Like they
I think that they saw the potential here in terms
(49:08):
of what you're doing way early. So that's just I
don't know, that's just fascinating to me. Here's what I
was going to say, because you talked about the comments.
Comments on social media are so dramatically different from platform
to platform, And what's weird is you know that it's
the same people that are on those platforms, but you
(49:32):
talk about playing a character. The tenor and tone and
content of their comments are so different on the different platforms.
I you know, like I'll roll my eyes at comments
on something I got on TikTok and I was like,
I got I can't read I can't read these.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Like what, like, we shouldn't you shouldn't read them.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
No, it's hard not to.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
It's like it's like the sadomascism scratching it it. I
try not to, but it's almost impossible not to.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
Uh, what what do you have coming up next?
Speaker 1 (50:13):
What do I have coming up next? Oh? So this summer,
I am literally I'm taking an acting class. Okay, I'm
taking dance classes. Yes, yes, I have a dance class tonight.
So I am really going to be studying this summer
because I had a crazy first half of the year
where I was traveling all over the country and I'm like,
(50:34):
let me stay put for a couple of months and
just be in the city. But yeah, I'm also doing
stand up. I'll be doing stand up all summer at
the Comedy Seller.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
At the Comedy Seller, Sellar. Congratulations, you're very, very funny.
I look forward to your next appearance on Only Fans,
And I mean that in the purest way possible. I'm
glad that you're exploring that platform because I think there's
a lot of potential for people and a way to
(51:07):
one connect with fans and two to be able to
I mean, for you try out new material and be
able to control that in a way. I think that's
really super awesome.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Yes, thank you. I appreciate that. It's lovely to meet you.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Very nice to meet you. Thank you so much, Joyelle.
I uh yeah, I'll be watching all right.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Awesome, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (51:31):
Thank you, Joyelle, Thank you so much. You know what,
it was a joy to have you. Thank you for
making me laugh. I needed that today, folks. If you
(51:56):
need a dose of laughter, watch her set on the
latest episod out of l M aof on oftv dot com,
find her hilarious special Lovejoy on Peacock, or stream her
album Yell Joy well wherever you get your albums. As
for me, I'm going to be back here soon with
(52:19):
more joy and another episode of this fine podcast. Until then, everybody,
have a great week off. The Beat is hosted and
executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer
Ling Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers
(52:43):
are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris and Emily Carr. Our talent
producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Ali
Amir Sahed. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by
the one and only Creed Bratton in
Hello, Happy birthday. I'm gonna did you do that to me?
I don't know. I didn't do that to you. I'm old,
I don't know how to work technology.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh you just said wait, hold on, you just said
happy birthday.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Did I say happy birthday? Someone said happy birthday? I
think you had to have sent happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And if you're listening, literally we're looking at each other,
and balloons just started streaming on my face. That is
so bizarre. That is literally never happened. It's not interesting
to anybody else, but that was so weird.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hi. My name is joy il Noo Cole Johnson, and
I love therapy and I think you should get a
therapist too.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Hi, everybody, what's up? Thanks for joining me here for
another episode of Off the Beat. I am your joyous
and ready to laugh host Brian Baumgartner. My guest today
well is not only joy full, she is Joyelle Nicole Johnson.
(01:14):
Joyelle is a hilarious stand up comedian. You may have
seen her on Late Night with Seth Myers, The Tonight
Show starring Jimmy Fallon, or maybe even lucky enough to
catch her live at a festival like Bona Rou San Francisco.
Sketch Fest, New York Comedy Festival, Bumber Shoot. She's amazing
(01:35):
and she's also a talented comedy writer who's worked on
shows like Broad City and Pause with Sam Jay. Recently, however,
she has begun a new venture. She started an Only
Fans and believe me, Yeah, she's gonna let it all
out her jokes. Of course, she's gonna let you hear
(01:58):
all of her jokes. That's what I was saying. She
just aired her new episode on l M aof the
comedy showcase on OnlyFans TV. It is absolutely hilarious. Yep,
Joy is in the air today and she is here
in your ears as well. Here she is Joyel Nicole Johnson.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Bubble and Squeak, I love it, Bubble and Squeak, Bubble
and Squeaker.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Cook get every more over from the night before.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
What's up, Joyelle?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hello? Brian? How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I'm good? How are you?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I'm fantastic. I like being joined with another person that
has an alliterative name.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes, just just mumble a bunch of bees. You'll figure
it out. It'll be It'll be good. Uh are you
down in the at L I.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Am up in the buk Baby, I moved. I left Georgia,
so hopefully they will still handle it this election. So
now I'm voting in New York again.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Oh so you're out. So you grew up in Jersey,
you're now in New York. You're in the Brooklyn? Is
that the b K?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Okay? Fancy pants? Then that's all I know about Brooklyn. Now.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
It's just and the fanciest building I've ever lived in.
I love it so much. I guess I'm the problem.
I'm probably a gentrifier. I'm living with them, but I
love it.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Sorry you so you were in it? How long were
you in Atlanta? I'm from there, by the way, that's why.
That's why of a special interest to me.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Amazing, which part.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Kind of Sandy Springs. Yeah, speaking of fancy I don't
know about that. It's probably fancier not well now, I
don't know. I think the city extends out to where
we didn't even It was like cows and farms when
I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
My parents live in Stone Mountains, so that that's where
I was born. Were you born at Stone Mountains?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I mean not literally on the mountain, but yes, that's
where I That's where I was that's where I deliver from.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
They deliver babies on top of the mountains.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, they do a light show they do, right, the
con themed light show on the face of Stone Mountains. Yes,
good old do they they do? They still do it.
They don't still do it, do they? They do?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So still do it. They still have Confederate flags flying
on Stone Mountain. And it's so funny because Stone Mountain
is one of the richest black communities in America, the
top ten most affluent African American communities, and just the
Confederate flags flying on top of the mountain and the
(05:20):
soldiers etched in the side, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
All, well, yeah, so I was gonna you know, I've
been gone a long time. But remind me and tell
so Stone Mountain is the largest piece of granite, right, Yeah,
the largest piece of granite, which is therefore a mountain.
It's not like the Rockies, but it's a mountain.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It is a mountain. I climbed it many times.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Me me as well when I was a kid and
etched into the mountain instead of the presidents in the
Dakota what's that called again? The thing Everest? No, not
mount Everest. No, where the where the President, they're in
the Mount Rushmore. I was like, it's not Everest, No,
it's Mount Rushmore. So similar to that. Into the granite
(06:08):
there is a carving. Is it Confederate? Is that what
it is? Is it Confederate?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Don't get me to lie, but I was always under
the impression it was Confederate soldiers. Let's get a fact
check or diego what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
All right, Well, we we're gonna fact check this and
if I'm not. But but the point is this, there's
a light show like every night in the summer, and
there's like laser show at least is what they ca
They still do this, right, they still do the laser
show and you sit outside and then the etching on
(06:41):
the mountain comes to life. Yes, and they guiding. They
the horses start galloping away. Wow, they haven't thought about
that in a long time. Yes I have, nor have
I been there in a long time. But yes, I
grew I was. I didn't grow up there, but I
was born there. Okay, Stone Mountain area. All right, So
(07:02):
enough about the Confederacy.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
It's nothing like starting off a conversation and with the Confederacy,
what part of Jersey are you from.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I'm a Union, New Jersey girl. I went to Union
High School.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Okay, so not far from New York City, not at all.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, twenty minutes, baby. That's why I was always looking
to the city. I was like, I'm moving there.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I can't really was that a dream for you? Early on?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Absolutely? I was going to New York. My mother would
let me go take acting classes by myself on the
bus when I was like thirteen years old. Really yeah,
and it was that was what Hell's Kitchen was, not
the fabulous gay bastion of wealth it is now. That's
when it was like before Rudy Giuliati, it just all
(07:50):
drugged out. And she showed me how to get to
the acting class. I had to walk from port authority,
and she was like, if you want to do this,
you got to do it on your own. And I did.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And you wanted to do it that bad.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
So this is thirteen. So when did you kind of
decide that this was what you wanted to do around then?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I think before then I was always looking to My
mother would take me to place. She'd take me to
all the cultural things, and I was like, whatever this is,
I want to do it.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
She was a nurse, right, did she have a creative side.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yes, she was always obsessed with like the piano. She
was one of those people that just like wishes she
could be like a concert pianist. I think that was
like my mother's in her head heart dreams. So she
put me in piano lessons. My mother used to be
a dancer. She put me in dance lessons and all
that stuff. And I was like, I want to get
on the stage. She was like, all right, let's put
you in classes.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
So New York and your proximity to the city and
all it had to offer and classes. Do you feel
like that that influence? I mean, you had an idea,
you wanted to do it, But what talk to me
about what the city itself like that gave you at
a young age and your exposure to these plays and
(09:05):
experiences that you had.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I just love. I mean, a lot of people are
averse to the congestion of New York City and I
love it. It feels like a blanket to me, like
I'm temple granding and all of the human beings that
are walking by, and I just loved it. And I
knew I wanted to be places where it's like everybody
is different diverse wise. You know. She moved us to Union,
(09:31):
New Jersey, which was the suburbs, and it was a
very white suburb in New Jersey. So I was like,
I go to the city. I see all people that
look like me and people who don't look like me,
and they all look like they're having a good time.
That was my kid brain, right. I didn't think about
paying rent, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, yeah, I mean that's a whole other thing. I
was just there last week and I will say this
though here here's I love the city as well, and
the energy and the people again, just like everybody being out.
Here's the thing when it it was like the first
nice day of the spring and everybody came out. Everybody
(10:10):
that's too much, Come on, everybody go back.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It's like going to Coney Island on Memorial Day.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah. I just don't do this. Yeah no, But it's
just the streets. It's just like third and twenty seventh.
There's one thousand people outside. It's like like because people
talk about la like nobody works, Like where why are
all these people in a coffee shop? You walk around
New York on a on a nice spring day, it's
(10:37):
like where, Why don't you have to be somewhere?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
That's every time I see a kid out and I
think it could be like Saturday at noon, I'm like,
why aren't you in school? Why aren't you outside?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
And if you're not, as you should be in camp
to be somewhere.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
We should be somewhere. Why do you walk in the streets.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I read that you moved to LA with your sister.
She was in a writing program at USC. Is that right?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Yes? Okay, to the writing program there?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, So how old were you then when you when
you moved to LA.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I graduated from Boston College. Okay, and it was the
summer I graduated. I was like, let's go.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
So you just wanted to be in LA or was
it because she was there?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I think it's because she was there. It was also
because of acting, like having the bug and wanting to
just go see what could happen out there?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
When did you start doing stand up?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I started in two thousand and seven?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Okay, but you know I'm not good at math, So
how so when is this like? In? Is this after?
This is after college?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes? Yeah? I graduated two thousand and three and moved
out to LA.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So you were just trying to be an actor, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
And you know, back then it was just like a
lot of background work.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
And I also would do PA work too, So I
was like, I just want to be involved in any way,
shape or form. Uh, So I would do PA jobs.
I worked on a lot of reality shows and I
did transcribing, where I'm like typing what the actors are
saying for the reality show. So I just did like
every little job I can do out there.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Did you did you PA for for scripted shows too?
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I paid No, I didn't pay for any scripted shows,
music videos and reality shows, because it's like, once you
get in a niche, you just keep getting hired by
the same people exactly, which is why I was like, Okay,
I can't. It's like I don't want to be in
this this particular rat race.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So are you aud So you're auditioning, You're you're you're auditioning,
You're finding odd jobs and and and doing background work
and uh and and PA, what made you start to
want to or what made what made you get on
the stage and try stand up for the first time?
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I think I had smoked a joint and I was
but no, I was. I had been going. So my
sister and I would go to the Laugh Factory and
Sunday nights was the black night, so it was called
Chocolate Sundays. It's still there. And we'd go like once
a quarter, you know, right, and then we were like
(13:23):
once a month, and then I started going by myself
like once a week. And I had always loved George
Carlin and loved stand up and stuff, but I was
just like, I'm scared. That seems scary. But I looked
at it. I was like, it looks like I can
do it, but I'm just scared. So I just kept going.
And then I joined a group that was doing a
Wednesday night show at the Laugh Factory.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Okay, So was it like this was improv or.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, they were doing improv but also stand up in
between the improv, and it was it was called Kevin Hart.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Was okay, So that's.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
The Comedy Playground.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah, comedy Playground. It disbanded fairly quickly.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It was why did disband.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Because Kevin was too busy. He was like, I gotta
go do every other thing. I don't have time for this.
So everybody was like okay, and everyone's prolific.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I heard. I heard he does a lot of projects.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I've heard too.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
I've heard that that man okay.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That man will work okay, and so yeah, So he
left and everybody in the group was a stand up comic.
So my one friend, Candice Thompson, was like, do you
want to do open mics? And I was like okay,
and we just started doing open mics together.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Was she helping you? Were there people helping you write material?
Or were you just writing your own material?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Just writing your own material that start of stand up
where you know, you're like roaches. Let's talk about roaches airplane.
We all on airplane's.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Is that what you're doing though? Are you trying to
find a universal idea or an idea that everyone has
an experience with?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Absolutely, because you think about what has been funny your
whole life, you know, and I think it's like, you know,
I didn't have money at the time, I had an
okay apartment, but you know it's like roaches. Everyone has roaches.
So just trying to be as relatable as possible.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Right, So you start doing open mics, how is it going?
Are you finding success right away?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
No? Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Not?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Okay, this is what I want to hear about.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Oh yeah, it's the grind of first of all, paying
to do an open mic. We would sometimes have to
pay shout out to the Bliss Cafe. That was the
one where it would be like five dollars to perform.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
You had pay five dollars.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, you had to buy something, so oh you.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Had to buy You didn't have to pay literally five dollars,
but you had to buy something.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Something at least five dollars worse.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
That's just rude. I mean, look, if you if you
if you're gonna charge I mean, these are hypothetical numbers.
But if you're gonna be like, Okay, we're gonna charge
you one hundred dollars or we're going to charge you
a thousand dollars to perform this, I understand. Five dollars
it's just insult. That's just like we're just doing this
(16:28):
to make you feel like a warm bag of shit.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Yeah, I have to break your twenty so it's like
and then you're getting up there and it's too absolute
dead silence. I mean, every comedian knows the slog of
open bicing. You're performing in front of other comedians who
are just worried about their own jokes, so they're not
paying attention, and I honestly think it's a step you
(16:54):
cannot skip. You know, it really gets you used to silence,
and that's a huge thing you got to get used
to doing stand up.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
So what do you what do you? What do you do?
Do you acknowledge it? Like, do you acknowledge the silence?
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I mean, I mean when you like back then, for sure,
you'd be like, oh, none of you are listening to me,
like because you're nervous. So but now I'm like, I
know you're listening, but you know, but this is I'm
doing professional shows now, So when people are quiet, that
means they're listening. Back then, no one was listening. So
it's just like you're quiet and not listening.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Right. Well, things have certainly changed for you now the
(17:53):
past few years. You've done a number of your own projects,
recorded a comedy album Yell Joy, an hour long special
love Joy. I get it. We're playing with the joy Joe, trying.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To put some joy in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Uh. You've also been writing and producing these projects yourself.
Now do you consider yourself now? And I know you've
done some acting stuff and we can talk about that,
but do you consider yourself now a writer, an actor,
or a performer or in that order, I guess because
you are all three. So that was a dumb question.
(18:32):
But do you know what I'm saying, Like, where is it?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Where do you feel like your focus is? Now?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Okay? So it's funny because it's like, how do I
answer that question when people in certain situations, So like recently,
I was filling out a form and I forget what
the forum was for, but ask profession and I just
put a writer because sometimes that's what's easier, because it's like,
once you say you a comedian, it's like, yeah, a comedian,
my favorite person is? It starts somebody I hate. Now
(19:02):
I have to like have a conversation with you. So
like if I'm being asked in a kind of situation
where I don't really have to talk to somebody, I'm like, writer,
I'm just a writer. But I consider myself a stand
up just because stand up is so specific, right, and
it was the first thing I really started to get
(19:23):
good at, you know, And so I would say I'm
a stand up and a writer because I write my
own stand up who acts okay and wants to be
a better actor. And wants to like, really, you know,
study the craft.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah, it's an interesting and I don't know if it's
only interesting to me. I feel like people don't get
what I'm saying. But I am often referred to or
introduced as a comedian, and I am not that. Like
I can be a comedic actor, but I don't. I
(20:02):
don't consider myself a comedian in any way. And I
don't know why it Like it makes me feel like
an impost or something, or like I'm trying to be
something that I'm not. I don't know. It's it's a
very complicated thing for me. But I love that you
or say like that's what I like, that's what I am.
I mean to me, stand up is a comedian, right,
(20:22):
like that's yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I just fell in love with you, Brian, because I
loved you before this. But this happens with comics where
people like I don't know if you knew who Patresea
and Neil.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Of course, oh my god, no, I worked with him, yeah, no, no, no, no,
but no no no, yeah, and in fact I saw
Patrese do some open uh open mic nights uh before
that we work together.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
But yeah, so he he was like one of my
you know, just I followed him around like the last
year of his life, and I moved to New York
and I was just like, he'd let me open for him.
A couple of times he would bully me and also
just like give me advice that I would just sit
there and take. And the first time I met him
was back in two thousand and eight, and I was like, Hi,
(21:14):
I'm a comedian and he was like, no, you're not.
And I was like what And he goes, I'm a
comedian and you and I are not the same thing.
And I remember like getting my little feelings hurt. But now,
you know, almost twenty years later, I'm like, I get
it now. When somebody will be like, I'm a comedian,
I'm like, you're not. I don't see you anywhere. You
(21:34):
don't hang out where I hang out. Like how many
shows have you done? How much have you gotten paid
to do these shows? How many times have you bombed
your ass off in front of your family? Like tell
me what you have done to say you are a comedian, right,
And when certain comedic actors they'll say comedian, I'm like,
they're comedic actors. So I really appreciate that you said that,
(21:56):
and a lot of comedians would also appreciate that you
feel that way.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Well, yeah, and it's a weird thing like because then
it sounds I don't know which way it's pretentious, but
like I never correct people because then it just seems
like what what you know, They're not going to understand
what I'm saying any Anyway, when people ask if I
do stand up, my response is kinda but I know
(22:21):
that for me now, and I'm saying that this sounds
like a weird humble brag, but I'm trying to. I'm
trying to get to the root of it. I know
for me now it's cheating, right, Like I know now
all I need to do are a few things and
they're they're absolutely going to laugh. But they're not going
(22:41):
to laugh because what I'm saying necessarily is funny or
well crafted, or that I have I have I have
framed a point or an argument in a certain way
that is is good. They're going to laugh because they
know who I am, which is very, very different from
what you do from being a comedian and being out there,
(23:02):
because they may show up if they know you, if
they've heard you, if they've heard your album and expect
to laugh. But I still think if you, if you,
if you don't have it that night, they're gonna give
it to you. Right, Oh?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
And yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Also, the funny thing about fame is kind of like
I've heard this before. I want to say, It's like
Chris Rock might have said it where he's like, the
fame will lash you are good maybe five maybe ten minutes,
but after that, people really do want to hear jokes
if you're at a comedy club, Like if we're sitting
here right too, drink minimal, I'm gonna use some jokes, Bryan.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yeah, yeah, no, but I get what you're saying. Yeah,
I don't ever go over the alloted time. I guess
I just keep to what I know. Yeah, that's very
very interesting to me. I want to tell you this story.
I can't. I don't know that I've ever shared this
on you, but I went very early on. Did you
(24:04):
ever know? I don't even know if it's still open
the m bar is that are they still doing? Yeah?
Are they still doing stand up stuff there?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
I mean, I haven't been in comedy in LA for
so long.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Okay, so this this was not It's not a comedy club.
It's a it's a bar, and they used to do
like an open mic situation, and I went and these
this was this was sort of it. This was an
open mic, not like you had to pay five dollars
to get in. This was an open mic. Like in general,
(24:38):
established comedians would be trying out new material, right, So
like I went one night and Sarah Silverman was and
this is a long time ago, so they weren't like
who they are now. But David Cross there were a
number of people showing up and I saw this young
comedian behind a piano, Robinson, get up on stage move
(25:03):
you know, there's a whatever seven to twelve minute break
while he puts his piano, sets all this stuff. I'm like,
what the what the hell is this guy doing? And
I'm telling you, it was the funniest twelve minutes I've
I had ever seen, and like blew everybody like beyond
out of the water. And that was my That was
(25:24):
my sort of my first experience with seeing you know,
seeing a bunch of like established people and they were
trying stuff so that let's be fair, and this young
guy comes up and just crushes it. Do you have
an experience or a memory from your own life where
there was a night that everything hit for you and
(25:46):
it just like Boom went went nuts.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Oh yes, so many. But also Craig. I absolutely love
Craig And have you met his brother Chris? Yes, as well,
you know the Nasty Delicious and Chris, Chris and I
hang out a bunch like that's one of my that's
one of my best ties. And it's funny because it's
like Chris is like I would say seventy percent music
(26:12):
and thirty percent comedy, right, and Craig, I feel like,
is the seventy percent comedy? You know? Thirty percent maybe
forty five fifty percent music? By the way, I mean
absolute geniuses.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Both of them.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
I'm like, what was going on in your mother's UTERUSM?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
But that's a question you're not supposed to ask.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But anyway, so I think you're supposed to ask that.
But I think the first time I really felt it
because Chocolate Sundays would have an amateur night right before
the main show started and I would watch this. They
gave us three minutes and so that was the show.
I kept going to this see because I was like,
I want to do the sandmatetur Knight. I want to
(26:52):
do the Samature Knight. First time I ever got on stage,
I bombed my ass off. But I was working up
to do this amateur night and the first time I
did it, I crushed, and I was so freaking proud
of myself because I was so scared, right, but finally
getting the last in that room. And also, to make
(27:12):
you know, black people laugh is you know, a feat
in itself. So to get that, especially also in Hollywood, Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Shows not funny, not funny, Nope.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
No, because they're all like I could be on the
stage too, bitch. So so to make like a Hollywood
black crowd laugh just felt so freaking good. And that
was probably my first year. So I had been doing
all those open mics and working up to doing that
amateur night and did a good job. So I was like, Okay,
(27:45):
I can't quit. I have to keep going.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
What's your what's your process for writing a joke? Like
how do you how do you get it from roaches
to like a fully fleshed out idea.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Well, now I'm more confident in myself after doing it
for so long that I know it's going to be funny.
So one of the best pieces of advice I got
when I first started was that if I'm having a
conversation with somebody and they laugh, that's a potential for
a joke. So I can tell now if I'm like,
you're not gonna believe what happened to me yesterday and
(28:21):
the person starts laughing, I can also bring that on stage.
So that's what I've done with Like a lot of
the stories I tell really happened to me, you know,
true things that actually happened. But now I can just
know how to make it funny. And my joke writing
process now is very much like talking to myself. I
love talking to myself in the shower. I'll be talking
(28:42):
to myself, you know, walking down the street New York.
Best place to talk to yourself openly in the streets
and nobody will blak it. And you know, so that
way because I can feel like the rhythm of what
it's going to be like on stage. And so I'll
talk into my voice recorder or I'll talk in so
it's like now I know where to tell the story
(29:04):
because I'm a storyteller. Now I've picked that up. I'm
not I'm not what's the thing about roaches that's not
my my vibe.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Right, right, Yeah, when you have a story that's happened
to you and I don't know, I mean, I'm I'm
thinking about like I don't know, for me, maybe the
best in the business right now. Oh, I'm about to
say a name, and you're gonna be like, I hate them.
But Chappelle, I think about his stories, right, and then
(29:36):
you there gets to a point when you you know
that what he's saying is didn't actually happen, right, So
for you, how do you take a story that happened
to you and decide or figure out like, because obviously
things will be exaggerated, things will be manufactured for comedic effect,
Like for you, how do you figure out, like, I
(29:58):
don't know, like what percentage that's That's a dumb that's
like such a dumb question. But I mean, like, for you,
how much of it is real and how much of
it is it is invented on top of something funny
that happened.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I am a proponent for truth in comedy. So it's
like I was told, comedy is truth plus exaggeration. So
for me, seventy seventy five percent true, okay, twenty five
percent exaggeration and the exaggeration is going to be on
like the third beat. So you know, it's like comedy
(30:32):
has the rule of three, and I'll say the truth
is the one funny thing, second truth, and then the
third truth is an exaggeration that is like, Okay, that's
just silly, but you can take it there at the end.
But I want everything to be as truthful as possible.
So everything that I do say on stage did happen
to me. But there might be one little beat at
(30:54):
the end that you're like, Okay, that was silly. But
I also I'm just not a silly I'm not a
silly billy. Yeah, I can't be silly billies. But I'm
too realistic. My mother grew up in the projects of Brooklyn.
I really I'm way too realistic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Right do you do you believe in the rule of three?
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah? Absolutely, in life just in general. You know it ego,
super ego. We're also you know, the Trinity, Holy Trinity,
it's all of life is the rule of three.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Wow, that's very No, that's very interesting. I don't I
believe in the rule of three as well. I also
think you know, this podcast is called off the Beat
because someone taught me at a very young age that
comedy that occurs off of the expected beat is often
(31:52):
way more satisfying longer term than giving people exactly what
they expect. So it doesn't necessarily change the rule of three.
But finding ways to alter what people's expectations are I
think is really important and ultimately brings greater comedy. What
(32:15):
do you think about that?
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I completely agree with you. I do think there's something
musical about comedy. I did have this conversation once with Chappelle.
There's a comedian named T. K. Kirkland. He's an awesome
he's awesome, but like if you watch him, he is
almost he's like a conductor conducting. And so Dave was
talking to me about the cadence that he uses. And
(32:40):
you know, I have my musical background. I was in
the marching band.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
All that stuff.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
So when you have a certain cadence on stage, people
are going to laugh at a point, maybe when you
didn't even say something funny, but they're used to like
da da da da da da da da da laugh
da da da da da da da da da laugh.
That can be broken up into different times sing, which
is just like music. So it's like three four four
(33:04):
four whatever you're doing. So, yes, it's not always gonna
be on three, But yes, I agree with you that
it's not necessarily always gonna be on the third beat.
It might be on the second beat. That's the funniest
thing because I like to say something after a joke
that'll be like for the comics.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Right, is there anything you don't that's off limits for you?
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Not for me, because I like for me, I just
certain things. If somebody tells tells somebody that something is
hurting them, hurting a community, you know. I do think
Dave is an example of this right now with the
trans community. Like, if somebody's saying they're being hurt, I
would stop, right, you know, I would just be like,
(34:08):
I don't. I don't need to go into that. You know.
I have a bit. I talk about abortion on stage
a lot, and my abortion joke is that I got
pregnant on the floor of an Amtrak train in the
handicap restroom, which is a true story, like fully true.
But somebody from the disabled community came up to me
and she was like, can you please not say that?
Can you say something else? Can you say accessible restroom?
(34:30):
Can you not say handicap? And I was like, huh,
I never thought about it in that way, And sure
I can do that. I can change it. I mean
accessible is a lot of syllables and weird syllables that
I need to practice accessible. But you know, if somebody
(34:51):
just came up to me, it was just like, look,
that's not that that made me feel a certain type
of way. I want to I want to change it.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
So, yeah, I heard it was a conversation. We don't
have to debate whether you're a fan of his or not,
but I thought that the conversation was very interesting. It
was with Bill Burr, and the conversation was about Blue
Comics and the question and it was actually Dan Patrick.
(35:18):
I don't know if you know who Dan Patrick is.
He deals a lot in sports. But the question for
Bill was, you know, how do you figure out or
where do you sort of you know, stand on Blue
And Bill's response was people used to think like that
was bad words, Like I say bad words a lot.
(35:38):
That makes me a Blue comic, and some people think
that's cheating. Some people think you have to keep it
very clean. But he said the problem with that is
now there are topics that you can get into that
are also considered blue, whether or not you're saying bad
words or not. So like the idea of like controversy
(36:03):
equalling like blue equalling like you you can't say that,
you shouldn't say that. I guess that's my question to you,
just because just because I'm interested, like for you, where
do you stand on that or how do you who
are you creating your act for? And how willing are
(36:26):
you to go blue whatever that means to you.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I've never even thought about it that way. So there's
a city in this country right now that is a
bastion for like white boys that want to say the
end word and kind of like a level of I mean,
I would definitely say misogyny. I heard a lot of
gentlemen on stage talking about punching women in the face.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
These are stand ups you're talking about, Yes.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Yes, And it's it's a weird situation where I never
thought about that as blue, and that is blue to me,
Like I I have heard white boys do funny in
word jokes. Neil Brennett actually has a pretty good one,
but to pursue it, to me, it just it's just
(37:17):
like why why do you have to pursue that? So
for me, and that's why I talk about stuff that
actually has happened to me. So if you're telling a
story about something that happened to you, sure, But if
you're just trying to find a way to make the
in word funny and to be able to say it
on stage, I don't really I don't really have respect
for it personally. So that's why I try to stay
(37:40):
as true to myself as possible, because you know, I
did get pregnant on the floor in the handicap restroom,
so it's like that actually happened to me. But if
you want me to rephrase my words, I'll do that,
you know, But I'm not going to stop telling the bit.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Because that's truth and being as.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Absolutely it's about being. It's about being.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
That makes a ton of sense to me.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Yeah, for me, Like those are the people that I
look up to and love their comedy, where there's an
authenticity that bleeds off of the stage. You know, I
can tell when people are lying on stage. I can
tell when a comic is lying, like I you know,
sometimes people will lie about having kids and tell bits
about being a father, and I'm like, what do you
You don't have enough kids? And they're like it was
(38:26):
just for the joke. I'm like, just for the joke, say.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
The head word. Oh that's amazing. Well, so you've said
you're a stand up, you're a comedian, but you don't
just write jokes for yourself. You're a you're a TV
writer also an actor. You wrote for a season of
(38:50):
Broad City. You were in the writer's room there, Now, one,
why did you do that? And two? Did that help
you in your stand up? That experience of working on
the writer's run?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Absolutely, we did. We did the punch up room. So
the punch up room was after they had written all
the scripts and they gave the scripts to a bunch
of comedians and then we did a room of punching.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Up the scripture.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
And I think I got spoiled in that situation because
that room was led by two women who let everybody talk.
It was. It was a very beautiful situation. And I
just think keeping your brain going, it's kind of like
doing sudoko. How you say that word sudoku sudo, It's
(39:43):
like doing those puzzles to offset dementia, Like you gotta
keep your brain move in different directions. So, yeah, looking
on the paper and figuring out how you would make
that joke funnier, which is why I can't watch TV
anymore because it's ruined now where I'll be like, oh,
that would have been funny if they said this, like
I'm an asshole. So I absolutely it totally helped me
(40:08):
also be more confident in myself and what I think
is funny when you have to pitch it out to
a room that's scary.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
That's yeah, that's kind of that's kind of the genesis
of my of my question. Like, so, now you're in
a room with a bunch of other writers slash comedians,
and this is not you, you know, talking to yourself
on the street or in the shower or in your
apartment or whatever. You're now like, hey, guys, what do
you think of this?
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Oh? Terrifying, terrified.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
It's got that silence. It's got to be worse.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Oh yeah, and it's crazy because like every situation, there's
always got to be something that's gonna make you more nervous.
That's what I realized. It is never going to stop.
I was with the fantastic George Wallace, that's my uncle.
He takes me out with him. He took me to
mask the Square Garden, with him, and right before he
got on stage, he was like, I'm nervous and I
(40:57):
was like, you're nervous and he's like, yeah, I have
you been on stage like a week and a half.
And I was like, so it never ends, and he
was like, no, it never ends. It's never going to end.
I was like, thank you Purgatory for the rest of
my life. So that's a different type of scary of
saying a joke in front of a room full of
comedians who are just staring at you and giving honest
(41:19):
reactions because if nobody last, they're like, next do you?
Speaker 2 (41:24):
So you get nervous.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Oh absolutely, Oh my gosh, absolutely every time. Well it
depends now, so it'll be bigger. Like when I first
did seth Myers was my first late night set that
I felt like I was jumping out of an airplane really,
But by the time I did my second tonight show,
which was my third late night set, I was much
more calm because you know, I had done it twice before,
(41:48):
so it's like I've done the Beacon theater. My second
time doing the Beacon was not as nerve racking as
my first time, So it'll just be you know, things
just keep getting bigger and grazier.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Right, I don't even know if for me it's nerves
I get, I get amped. There's like another switch. I
don't it's hard to describe.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
That's what I'm trying to change it to. I'm trying
to be like I'm excited instead of I'm nerving.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Yeah, I get very externally still and calm and then
but like like inside it's like ooh, there's the switch,
Like I can feel that. It's weird.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
It's an example of that for you now, Like what's something.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
That well, I do shows. I mean I don't do
I wouldn't call it stand up, but I do shows
at colleges and I appear on stage. It's it's weird
because I I came from the theater, right, So that's
what I used to do, and that like yeah, of
course there was like nerves and you know that like
oh I have to pee. Thing that goes mysteriously goes
(42:50):
away the second like you enter the curtain, it just
goes away. And it's weird. Now like I don't have
any nerves, Like I don't get nerves. I'm not, like
but I I do have that like kind of have
to pee like like I like that happens. So there's
something in there. That's why I say it's a switch, like,
it's not nothing. It's not like I'm playing part cheesy
(43:12):
like you know, I don't know why why. I don't
even know what parcheesy is, but that was what I know.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
That word.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
I don't know how the game, right, it's a game. Yeah,
I'm not playing parcheesy. I don't know. That must have
been like in my dream last night or something.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Sitting there waiting to come out.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
More recently, you wrote you appeared on Pause with Sam Jay.
How'd you get involved there?
Speaker 1 (43:40):
Yeah, they hired me for that show. I've known Sam
Jay for a very long time, like over a decade
of pursuing this stand up comics. So there were a
lot of friends in that room that thought I would
have some fabulous things to contribute.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
Do you prefer I mean, you prefer to be yourself? Right?
Is there anything that you still meaning as opposed to
playing a character? Like what does that give you? I mean,
I guess they just put words in your mouth. But
I'm going back to what you said, like that you're
a stand up you're a comedian, right, and so you
(44:21):
are playing a version of yourself when you're on stage.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Yeah, I mean even if you're authentic and real, you're
still playing a version.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Now I have a question for you. So, I think
most actors are playing versions of themselves.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
Have you seen my work?
Speaker 1 (44:40):
But listen, I think there's like ten actors. I think
there's like ten actors, and everybody else is playing a
version of themselves that is fitting into a situation. So
I think, no matter what character I am going to play,
it's going to be a version of myself until I
study enough of the craft to actually do some mal
(45:03):
streep shit, god to do some you know, William H.
Macy shit.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I get what you're saying, So you consider it a
version of yourself, regardless even if someone else has written
the words, even if it's a different name. I got it.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Yes, Yes, just being honestly authentic. And how would I
respond in this situation and it's like, hello, happy birthday.
I'm gonna did you do that to me? I don't know.
I didn't do that to you. I'm old, I don't
know how to work technology.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
Oh you just said wait, hold on, you just said
happy birthday?
Speaker 3 (45:37):
Did I say happy birthday? Someone said happy Birthday. I
think you had to have sat happy birthday and balloon.
If you're listening, literally we're looking at each other and
balloons just started streaming on my face.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
That is so bizarre. That is literally never happening the tape.
It's not interesting to anybody else, but that was so weird.
I get what you're saying. Do you like acting?
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Love? Love? That was my first love? No?
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I know that, yeah, but I was just like, Oh,
are you just over it now?
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Oh? No, I haven't done enough of it yet. I mean,
I've done stage. I did an off Broadway play last year,
you know, but I mean television acting. I just I
want to be one of those lucky people like you
who got a dove ass character and was able you know,
to ride that beat.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Well, thank you. No, it is a lot of fun,
and for me, that's yeah. For me, it is about
creating that other character. That's the thing that I love about. Yeah.
I saw that you're on Only Fans ew uh, not
exactly like you might think. You're doing stand up on
(46:50):
their comedy show l m aof How did it go?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
I think it went great. I was at home, I
was at the gutter Bar in Brooklyn, which is a
place that I perform at often, and I just had
a fun time. And that was one of those things
I wasn't nervous, I was excited for because they were
just like, we're trying to open up the platform, two
different things. So I was like, sure, I'll join.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
So this is a new this is a new experiment
for them, going going in, going in and doing comedy.
And so how long is it my set? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (47:28):
Ten minutes?
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Okay, and you crushed? And do you think this is
something that they're going to continue to explore and do.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
It's looking like they are. I mean, they're trying to
get people to have like a you know, the content
where you come there for that, you know. And of
course sure do I have people in my dms saying
some things, Yes, I do, Oh you do do, but
they tip as long as your tipping, baby, let's do this.
(47:59):
But yeah, they it's it's been funny. It's been fun
for me to try to get on this new platform
and start making money. I mean.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
Money, that's no, that's awesome. You know what I have found.
I'm going off the rails here slightly, but I want
to hear your opinion. Are you on all Are you
on all social media's?
Speaker 1 (48:21):
I'm on Instagram and Facebook and I guess formerly x.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Which Okay, it's going to be over soon. Yeah, that's
kind of done. Okay, that's it. Well, let me tell
you this. I just, and I mean just, I'm always
very late to the game. I just joined TikTok Now,
let me just say this, so you so you just
are now having a new experience. They're on the only fans,
(48:47):
do you know what? It's crazy? Someone someone I worked with.
I'm going to give a shout out to someone I
worked with without saying their name. They told me like
five years ago to go on OnlyFans and I was like,
I can't. There's no chance. There's no chance. Like they
I think that they saw the potential here in terms
(49:08):
of what you're doing way early. So that's just I
don't know, that's just fascinating to me. Here's what I
was going to say, because you talked about the comments.
Comments on social media are so dramatically different from platform
to platform, And what's weird is you know that it's
the same people that are on those platforms, but you
(49:32):
talk about playing a character. The tenor and tone and
content of their comments are so different on the different platforms.
I you know, like I'll roll my eyes at comments
on something I got on TikTok and I was like,
I got I can't read I can't read these.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Like what, like, we shouldn't you shouldn't read them.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
No, it's hard not to.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
It's like it's like the sadomascism scratching it it. I
try not to, but it's almost impossible not to.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
Uh, what what do you have coming up next?
Speaker 1 (50:13):
What do I have coming up next? Oh? So this summer,
I am literally I'm taking an acting class. Okay, I'm
taking dance classes. Yes, yes, I have a dance class tonight.
So I am really going to be studying this summer
because I had a crazy first half of the year
where I was traveling all over the country and I'm like,
(50:34):
let me stay put for a couple of months and
just be in the city. But yeah, I'm also doing
stand up. I'll be doing stand up all summer at
the Comedy Seller.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
At the Comedy Seller, Sellar. Congratulations, you're very, very funny.
I look forward to your next appearance on Only Fans,
And I mean that in the purest way possible. I'm
glad that you're exploring that platform because I think there's
a lot of potential for people and a way to
(51:07):
one connect with fans and two to be able to
I mean, for you try out new material and be
able to control that in a way. I think that's
really super awesome.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Yes, thank you. I appreciate that. It's lovely to meet you.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Very nice to meet you. Thank you so much, Joyelle.
I uh yeah, I'll be watching all right.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Awesome, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (51:31):
Thank you, Joyelle, Thank you so much. You know what,
it was a joy to have you. Thank you for
making me laugh. I needed that today, folks. If you
(51:56):
need a dose of laughter, watch her set on the
latest episod out of l M aof on oftv dot com,
find her hilarious special Lovejoy on Peacock, or stream her
album Yell Joy well wherever you get your albums. As
for me, I'm going to be back here soon with
(52:19):
more joy and another episode of this fine podcast. Until then, everybody,
have a great week off. The Beat is hosted and
executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer
Ling Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers
(52:43):
are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris and Emily Carr. Our talent
producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Ali
Amir Sahed. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by
the one and only Creed Bratton in
Host
Brian Baumgartner
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