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Comedy X: Zombie Smut, Circus Poodles and the
Secret of Jon Bon Jovi
By Debra McCorkle
Comedians Evan Wecksell, Dave O’Gara and Spanky – one name, like
Madonna – are heading to Georgia Southern on September 16th. They will
appear onstage at the Russell Ballroom as the Comedy X troupe – billed
across campuses of America as 13 Colleges. 24 Comedians. 17 days. 1
Tour.
I don’t have cable anymore, but these days the internet is as crucial
to an up-and-coming comedian as an appearance on Comedy Central.
Wecksell, O’Gara and Spanky have resumes thick with television
appearances – from HBO to VH1 to the Discovery Channel. However, they
hang around their computer websites like everyone else. According to
Wecksell, “we (comedians) spend too much time on MySpace and YouTube”.
In fact, when I wanted to ask O’Gara a few questions for this article,
I found him on his MySpace page. He appeared to be “Online now!” every
time I checked. It’s a good thing, too, because both comics were eager
to share their thoughts about the world of comedy.
Evan is the clean-cut kid in the striped shirt. He performs parody
songs about everything from lesbian envy (“Dick Evan Dyke”) to black
envy (“just give me the rhythm I lack… I wanna be black”). He states
on his website that his influences include Hulk Hogan, Jon Bon Jovi
and Melissa Etheridge. I had to ask Evan why he claimed such disparate
influences.
Evan explains it this way: “The way Jon Bon Jovi and Hulk Hogan are so
energetic and so aware of their audience is what influences me. They
appeal to everyone and are the standard in their type of live
performing. And Melissa Etheridge is the bomb - emotional, passionate,
personal. I do the same thing as her, just funny. I also wrote a song
about wanting to be a lesbian - one of my more risque ones, called
‘Dick Evan Dyke’.”
Wecksell began his comedic career after college. He took a post-grad
sports marketing class at NYU. He says that “during the final group
presentation, I was so funny that not only did we get the best grade
in the class, the teacher told me to just get on stage. A month later
I started stand-up class at The Comic Strip in NYC. Here I am 4 years
later”.
When asked about the demise of comedy clubs across the country,
Wecksell admits that the climate has changed regarding standup. “Last
Comic Standing re-energized the genre a little, but it's becoming a
lost art. Everyone loves the idea of instant fame so they'd rather
stay home and watch American Idol or America's Got Talent rather than
go to a comedy club. Last spring, someone walked out of one of my
shows just to watch ‘The Real World’!”
Dave O’Gara also got into standup via a local comedy club. He explains
that “a friend of mine was doing a contest at the comedy club he
tended bar at. I went in to watch him, and he was terrible. But even
still no one through anything at him and he still managed to get some
laughs. I knew right then that I had to get into this. Two weeks later
and only my second time on stage I won fifty dollars in that very same
contest”.
O’Gara has had his share of odd jobs before becoming a comedian. Dave
once “worked for the Phils Brothers circus in PA and NJ. I drove a
prop van, helped set up the big top, and moved the little slide the
trained poodles went on. No gag, I really worked for these guys. I
also had a couple of character building jobs at lots of places that
deal in grease, and a troika of soul-crushing telemarketer jobs.”
O’Gara’s MySpace lists his interest in, among other things, Smut and
Zombies. I asked him whether he knows of the existence of Zombie Smut.
Not missing a beat, Dave answered “as far as zombie smut goes, there
is so much bad plastic surgery and good crystal meth in the porn
business, I would say about half of all smut is zombie smut. Have you
seen (adult actress) Bunny Bleu lately?”
When asked why there was only one woman out of 24 comedians on Comedy
X, Dave was quick to answer. “My guess is, and this is only
conjecture, is that she's a slut. I mean everyone knows that women
aren't funny, but every tour needs a party girl to jiggle things up
now and again…actually, I don't know why there isn't much diversity on
the tour. I'm sure the woman in question is a very nice and funny
lady. I didn't put the tour together so I don't know what marketing
ideas went into it.”
Wecksell’s comedic heroes include Dave Attell and Will Ferrell. For
O’Gara it’s Bill Hicks and Dave Cross. He believes that “they are the
perfect comedians in that everything about their acts, their premises,
their take on things even their delivery is/was eye opening and
innovative”.
Finally I asked both Evan Wecksell and Dave O’Gara whether the comic
world was making them rich. Wecksell claims that “it can be as
profitable as you want it to be. You can't make a living unless you
work the road, i.e. college and club gigs. There's more upside when
you bring your comedic skills to acting on TV, commercials, etc. I'm
not after a sitcom, but I put time into my acting and auditioning for
TV and commercials.”
O’Gara summed up his career by saying “I am rich with the laughter of
drunken rednecks, and that's the best kind of rich there is”.
They’re young, they’re funny, and they’re live on September 16th. I
recommend that you turn off the TV, unplug yourself from the computer,
and go see Comedy X on Saturday night.
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