Stand Up Comedy: Mary Patterson Broome
I met Mary Patterson Broome a few months ago when she was on the Duke Fightmaster Show and she was so funny I asked her if I could do an interview with her on my blog. She immediately responded yes and it took me almost three months to send her the questions. This is why I will never be a top tier blogger.
The world of stand up comedy is so intriguing to me. I love watching it, on TV and live. I imagine it would be so fun to do, but find it incredibly daunting. I think I would really take it to heart if people didn’t laugh. I have all the respect in the world for anyone who does stand up, especially one as nice as Mary Patterson Broome.
1. What prompted you to go into stand up comedy?
Talking is really the only thing I’m good at. My friends always told me I was a great story teller and I’ve always loved performing - especially when I have total control of the content, which is something stand-up allows and plays or improv comedy do not.
2. What were some of your previous jobs before stand up comedy, and do any of those jobs make it into your act?
Oh yeah. I was a page (glorified usher) at CBS where The Price is Right tapes. I had to wear a red blazer with shoulder pads and a bow tie. I felt extremely attractive, as I’m sure you can imagine. Definitely have that experience in the ole’ routine.
3. What is your favorite thing about stand up comedy?
I love that it’s live and in the moment. There is no other art that gets an instant response. Of course if you’re not getting laughs, that is sometimes not the most fun aspect of it!
4. And your least favorite thing?
My least favorite thing is some of the time wasted just waiting for 8 minutes of stage time. I’m told this is part of paying your dues as a young comic but some times showing up at 7:00 PM and not getting on stage until 10:30 PM is exhausting.
5. Have you ever totally bombed with an audience? How do you handle that?
Yes. Like, the bomb.com. It’s brutal but the longer you’re a comic and the more you get on stage, the less and less you care if one set doesn’t go well. It happens to EVERYONE…or so I’m told.
6. What advice would you give to someone interested in doing stand up comedy?
Take a writing class and learn how to write a joke. Don’t just get up there and ramble because your friends tell you you’re funny. Strangers will expect you to have set-up and punch. Write as much as possible and get on stage as much as possible. Be nice to every comic you meet because they’re usually the ones that book shows you’ll want to be doing when you first start out!
7. Who are some of your favorite comedians?
I love Seinfeld and Jeff Foxworthy. I tend to lean toward comics on the clean side but I also love Doug Benson and Chelsea Handler.
8. Where do you come up with your material?
It’s usually all based on personal experience. I can usually twist any weird interaction with someone, whether it be a total stranger or a guy I’m dating, into a joke (not surprisingly, the guys I’m dating don’t so much enjoy that). I have some stuff about being from the South and my parents, too.
9. Where do you hope your comedy ultimately takes you (eg: movies, talk show, Vegas casino, comedy tour, etc)?
I’d actually love to get acting roles based on my comedy. I find that most comedic actors and actresses are basically themselves (is that grammatically correct?) in every role, with slight variations. I did a lot of acting growing up but felt more pulled to stand-up after college. I’d love to get back into acting through stand-up at some point. I would also love to do the road with my stand-up act.
10. I notice a lot of comedians use YouTube and MySpace to promote their work? How do you think the internet has changed the face of comedy?
It’s completely changed the face of comedy. A person can convince cyber space that he or she already has full-blown comedy career just by having a good-looking MySpace page! I think it’s good though because a comic can create and produce a ton of content then immediately get exposure for it. A performer can develop a fan base on the internet which sometimes really appeals to agents and managers, a great thing for performers without representation. Having said that, it’s kind of sad that these industry types can just pull up YouTube now instead of going out to a comedy club to check out new talent live.
11. How would you describe your style of comedy? Who would you compare yourself to?
This question is still tricky for me. I’d say I’m definitely clean so if someone’s looking for raunchy stuff, I’m probably not their gal. I make observations based on personal experience but sort of make fun of the fact that it’s coming from a limited, upper-middle class white girl perspective. I don’t like to compare myself to anyone. I’d like to think every comedian brings something new and different to the table.
12. Top three places in LA for good comedy?
My top picks are the Hollywood Improv, The Laugh Factory and O’Brien’s Pub in Santa Monica (okay, I really just love this bar but the comedy on Thursday and Sunday nights is free and fun!)
13. Any thing you’d like to say?
Get off your computer and go see comedy LIVE. It’s much better that way. If you live in the LA area, check out Mary Patterson Broome’s MySpace page for her upcoming appearances, and enjoy this clip:
This post contributed to Thursday Thirteen.
