Andrew Searles – Comedian with a cause

Ever wonder what that strange sensation is when you feel your legs getting numb and your cheeks hurting? That’s comedian Andrew Searles taking control of your body through his telekinetic powers instructing you to destroy mankind.

Seriously it’s probably a tumor; you should have it checked out… On a related issue, you may be wondering who Andrew Searles is? You may have seen him perform at the 25^th Just for Laughs Anniversary, his stints at Comedy Werks or heard his routines on XM radio. Andrew is a favorite at college campuses and regularly tours Montreal’s CEGEP’s and Universities, it was through his college tours that I first came across him more than 5 years ago. Andrew is one of Montreal’s brightest and fastest rising comedians and has already opened for world renowned comedians such as: Joey Elias, Sugar Sammy, Russell Peters, Al Lubel, and tons more.

Varying from life experiences, to growing up as an African-Canadian (his “Kill the Bwoy” is a must see), to celebrity impersonations; Andrew proves time and time again that keeping material fresh is key to success in the tough market of comedy. With the tons of comedians coming out of the woodwork, how can any comedian make it in such a tough industry? Here’s a few of questions Andrew answered for me:

Andrew’s technique and delivery has been developing for over 5 years ever since his friends dared him to go on stage at a John Abbott College talent show in 2002. I’ve had the honor of being at that gig and let me tell you, things have certainly improved since then.  His mannerisms (like the many impersonations) are now uniquely his instead of what was once a mixture of original and emulated technique.  I definitely get a sense of Eddie Murphy while watching and listening to Andrew but I don’t see it as being a bad thing because he’s growing as a comedian and he’s also turning what he’s learned into his own style, which is the important part.

To get a better idea of what guided and still directs Andrew to make people laugh the way he does I asked him a few questions:

What was your first turning point which made you want to become a comedian? How did you first start writing your material? Was it trial & error or did you modify jokes you’ve heard before?

I’d say the turning point began in early 2001 in my final years of Riverdale High School, and I’ve always loved doing Drama class. I did a Bill Cosby impersonation which the fellow students loved and begged me to do all the time. Few months passed by and a friend suggested I join the school play. It was a small one-lined role, but in between rehearsals, there was a bar set so I would get behind the bar and do impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy, and Keanu Reeves all being bartenders to help pass the time and entertain others while we weren’t doing anything. Just watching people laugh, the joy, and the pleasure I got from doing that definitely felt euphoric, and something I wanted to further pursue in.

Starting off writing was hard because I had no base or prior experience to start off with, so it required a lot of watching other comedians perform like Joey Elias, Russell Peters, Eddie Murphy, and analyzing why their telling the joke , how they delivered the joke, and more importantly, the punch-line. Then it was a matter of taking what I learned and applying it to my own experiences. Finding what I think to be funny, and then the process of writing, writing and more writing, until I had the setup, and the punch-line. Definitely required a lot of trail and error until I had the finished product; A great joke.

Where did you get your first big break? Were you scared, if so how did you deal with the pressure?

I was taking a summer class in 2002 with a buddy of mine, and on the last class for of the summer session, he made me do impressions in front of the class, which the students and the teacher loved. Since we would be starting John Abbott College together in the fall, he dared me to try it then stage. So Fall 2002 came, first semester of John Abbott and I performed for the first time on stage on October 1, 2002, opening for Ryan Wilner and Joey Elias. About 300-400 people in the crowd, and it was a success! People loved me and I guess I was an instant celebrity in the hallways of Abbott. I was pretty calm about performing in front of a crowd that size. Sizes of the crowd never really fazed me, just remembering and doing what I had to do is something im more worried about.

Time and time again we see comedians spring up, have an amazing boom and then fizzle down slowly because they are unable to come up with relevant and up to date routines. How hard do you work at coming up with new material, or is it something that comes naturally (ie. Talking to yourself in the car to work and BOOM, awesome joke)?

That’s pretty much the entertainment business. Everybody has their 15 minutes of fame. But to me, it’s a matter of what you that decides how fast (overnight success to a nobody) or slow (popular for a long time) those 15 minutes go by. You see it in the acting industry, music industry, and comedy industry is no acceptation. It’s only by being constant and staying true to who you are, not getting too caught up in the glitz & glamour when success happens. Reinventing yourself is a good way to ensure you don’t disappear into yesterday’s news forever. That way you’re always fresh and new each time.

New material is hard to develop but fun to play with when you have it. Sometimes I’ll notice something that I find funny, and I’ll be somewhere just repeating it to myself when suddenly it all becomes clear and *pop*, a new joke is born. It’s just waiting to get that *pop* in your head, that’s where it becomes a real mind job. Many times I’ll have the great premise, great setup but nothing for the punch-line. My joke on Viagra took me 4 years to get it the way it is now through years of rewrites and then one day it *popped* in my head, I finally had a punch-line that I was very satisfied with. But I’d definitely say repeating jokes to yourself and looking like a crazy guy in public is one way for a joke to suddenly be born.

Coming up with material is one thing, but delivery is another. How did you learn to properly deliver a joke? Is it an ongoing learning process?

Definitely an ongoing process, no question. We all know the saying “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”, well that definitely defines comedy. A lot of it is a play on words. Emphasizing one word and deemphasizing another in the punch-line can definitely decide if you get a big laugh or not. Even intonation plays a huge role. Saying the punch-line in a happy tone as opposed to a low monotone, or vice versa can really decide if you get an applause or not. When you’re starting off as an amateur comedian, you will definitely go through a phase of figuring out what kind of delivery you should have for your material, but the more experienced you get, the more you’ll know right away of “I should say it this way, and not that way. And stress more on this word, etc”

How cutthroat is the comedy industry? As a new guy breaking in, did you have a hard time being taken legitimately? Are you taken legitimately now or do you still have to fight for air time?

I find Montreal is definitely not as cutthroat as other cities (from what I hear). I heard in other cities, comics will set on each other just to get stage time, and stab each other in the back (not literally, I hope) to get stage time. Hearing this really scares and very much distasteful for my liking. I’m very happy that I’m doing comedy in Montreal. I find here we’re friends on and off of stage. We help each other for shows. One comic invites me to do one show, the next time I invite him. We’re scratching each other’s back instead of sticking a knife in them. But you still need a little competition, keeps everybody on their toes.
New guys and even I at one time had to shine a bit extra harder just to show we actually have potential and not an “I only have 5 minutes of jokes” kind of image.

But once you’re in, you get a good amount of respect and stage time. Sometimes it feels like I’m fighting for stage time. But the clubs operate on a rotation, just so the audience doesn’t see the same comedians all the time. Which is clearly understandable, but sometimes you get that comedy itch to get on stage but you can’t scratch it because you’re on a rotation. It sucks but it’s got to be fair.

Do you have a manager? Any advice on how to pick a manager, what to expect from one and how to move on from a failing one?

Right now, no. But unless you’re a superstar like Sugar Sammy where you’re in constant demand, I’d say you definitely don’t need a manager (not yet anyways). But if you happen to find one that will get you a lot of gigs, why not. Go for it!

Tough crowds are killer and can ruin a novice comedian in an instant. How do you deal with the jerks in the crowd, hecklers, people walking out on you and the people not paying attention?

Luckily I’ve seen and dealt with very few hecklers in the crowd, so the thought never comes to mind when I’m about to hit the stage. But the only way to do it and deal with them (especially if you’re a novice) is to just keep going and completely ignore them. The second you go after them, you draw more attention to them and that’s what they want. It’s like a showdown at the O.K. Corral. You versus them. The audiences want to see who has the bigger gun.  So if take that approach, its best you have a quick joke that will burn them. Otherwise the show goes into a downward spiral. The heckler will talk and talk, the comic will feel horrible if not insulted, and the audience will get annoyed as the show is ruined by the heckler. But I’ve seen shows where the heckler goes after the comic who’s a pro, and wow, the comebacks that the comic throws out is just incredible. Destroys the heckler, wins back the crowd and the show goes on.

I’ve done shows where I’m on stage and people are eating, talking, walking about. Not really a great feeling. If they got the jokes, if they didn’t, it’s not your problem and certainly not your fault. In either of these cases, just ignore the obstacles and just focus on doing what you were hired to do.

When can we see Jerry Seinfeld opening up for Andrew Searles?

Hahaha. I spoke to Jerry today; he said he’ll open for me when I have a sitcom that can do 10 seasons on the air, Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and wins. And maybe then, he’ll try not to run me over with the 200 Porsches he has.
We hope you’ll take a look at Andrew and support a local up and coming superstar through his many websites and upcoming events:

http://www.andrewsearles.com/
http://www.myspace.com/andrewkomic
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2376805311
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ANDREW-SEARLES-Comedian/60934552864

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