Interview: Chicago Standup Drew Michael Discusses Comedy As Art

By Matt Byrne in Arts & Entertainment on May 15, 2013 6:15PM

Chicago’s comedy scene features some very exciting, unique, and boundary-pushing up-and-comers with surprisingly refined perspectives. Drew Michael is a prime example of such a performer. His onstage persona is both ferocious and empathetic, taking social, political, and self-analysis to its most absurd, provocative conclusion. After spending five years performing all over Chicago and at clubs across the country, Michael will record his first album, Lovely, live at Timothy O'Tooles over three shows this weekend.

Drew Michael records his debut standup album tomorrow night, Thursday May 16, through Saturday night at Timothy O'Toole's, 622 N. Fairbanks Ct. Tickets are available now.

CHICAGOIST: You've been performing for several years now, what makes now the right time to record an album?

Drew Michael: Feels right, I guess. So much of this journey is based on feeling. There is no "right" time for anything really; I just feel like this is something I want to do now. I'm trying to focus solely on that idea so my brain doesn't have the opportunity to start shouting the countless reasons why this will be a disaster.

C: You’ve describe standup comedy as "a sacred medium," and that you "have a hard time watching standup exploited as a 'stepping stone.'" What is it about the art form that you find so alluring? Was this a personal discovery or were there specific performers you've witnessed that expanded your horizons, exposing you to what the form was capable of?

DM: Stand-up is freedom. Or at least it can be. I put it on a pedestal for sure, like love. But to me, stand-up is a refuge and I like to treat it as such. There were a few people, namely Louis CK, Andy Kaufman, and Bill Hicks, who, early on, made me realize, "Oh, okay. So you can do anything. There are no rules." That was a pretty powerful and inspiring realization.

Stand-up now is so marred by the digitalization of the entertainment industry. Everyone just wants to be on TV and stand-up as a way to get a foot in the door. It's somewhat embarrassing that we can't just do stand-up. You have to go to the UK for that or something. Nobody in America wants to see you unless you're on a TV show or a movie or a viral video because that's really all they know. This is what kept great U.S. comics like Patrice O'Neal and Doug Stanhope relatively obscure.

Case in point: Charlie Sheen sold out the Chicago Theater (3,500 seats). Patrice was one of the funniest people alive (before he died), but he couldn't sell 3,500 tickets in Chicago. Steve-O does stand-up. So does Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell). Celebrities (or ex-celebrities) do stand-up now as a way to cash in on the fact that people know their name or face. So, when people use it as a cash grab, or when newer comics use it as a way to get exposure so agents will be interested in reading their pilots, I cringe like I'm watching my own sex tape.

I think part of the problem is that stand-up doesn't make for compelling television, or at least marketable television. You're competing with so much more now: Netflix, DVR, torrents, YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, the most involved video games ever created, the entire fucking Internet, the list goes on. Because of that, TV and movies (along with all entertainment) are trying to appeal to the most over-stimulated generation in the history of earth. Everything is quick cuts, flashy, loud noise and colors, big fantasy worlds or what have you, so an hour of one human talking in the same shirt with a bottle of water is not going to translate to that medium very well, or at least the current expectations of that medium.

Stand-up on TV just doesn't captivate like, say, Game of Thrones, mainly because Game of Thrones was written specifically for television; stand-up is written for a live audience. It's possible that people simply find stand-up boring, which is sad because I think it is one of the greatest things on the planet.

C: You're recording at Timothy O'Tooles, home of the long-running showcase Comedians You Should Know, which you coproduce. Was it a given that, when the time came, you'd record your album there or did you consider other venues?

DM: There really isn't a more perfect fit. The performance space, management, and staff there are pretty flawless. We run our weekly show there, so everyone knows the deal. We've also done two recordings there (Comedians You Should Know & Adam Burke) so it's almost routine at this point.

Initially, this whole project was supposed to be a one-man show. I started writing a screenplay with the intention of filming a full-length feature to go side-by-side with the stand-up. Then a few people explained to me how money works, so then I scaled back down to the one-man show idea. When I was looking for venues, I realized that the set-up we have at O'Toole's is damn near impossible to beat, so I reserved a weekend there, May 16-18, launch my one man show. During the promotion process, I realized that if I'm pulling out all the stops to get people in the seats, I might as well record the thing, so then it turned into an album recording. That's the full genesis. I probably ate pumpkin bread somewhere in there as well.

C: The album's titled Lovely, which stands in stark contrast to the dark, provocative nature of much of your material. What was the inspiration behind the title?

DM: Listen to the material, then say the title sarcastically. See? Now listen to what the material is actually saying, then say the title sincerely. Do you see? DO YOU?!

C: You've performed alongside a massive amount of comics on innumerable standup shows in your time as a standup here in Chicago and beyond, who are the performers (local or otherwise) that you've been the most surprised, challenged, or inspired by?

DM: Oh, man. That's like asking me to recount all the attractive women I've seen on the Internet. Let's just keep to people who are still in Chicago:

Adam Burke makes me embarrassed that I even try to say words. Sean Flannery tells stories that make me fall over. If you get him and C.J. Sullivan in a bar together (which is the opposite of difficult), you will hear the funniest stories you've ever heard in your life. Lil Rel and Kevin Bozeman are too good to still be in Chicago.

Junior Stopka and Mike Sheehan are my favorite comedians to watch. They make me laugh the hardest. They are the only two people who are truly inimitable. Their brains work in ways that science has yet to explain.

There are so many people here that I think have a ton of talent: Ricky Gonzalez, Jeff Steinbrunner, Martin Morrow, Liza Treyger, Calvin Evans, Kenny DeForest, Katie McVay, Joe Kwaczala, Matty Ryan, Dan Friesen, Clark Jones, Charlie Bury, Chris Stephens, Cameron Gillette, Ethan Peldo, Dan Ronan... fuck, I'm getting gushy. I'm sure I forgot people. This whole scene is great. I even love the people I don't like. Does that make sense?

Most importantly, everyone in Comedians You Should Know, Marty DeRosa, Danny Kallas, Joe Kilgallon, and Mike Lebovitz, challenges me on a daily basis to get better. I would not be half of what I am without those guys.