Dan Dion Interview
October 11th, 2007 | Interviews, San Francisco Comedy
Dan Dion is the world’s foremost photographer of comedians. He is the house photographer at the Punch Line Comedy Club and Cobb’s Comedy Club, and his work has been exhibited at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gotham Comedy Club, and the Hollywood Improv.
How did you decide to focus your photography on comedians?
I’ve always been a huge comedy fan, especially stand-up. All through college I worked in the portrait photography world, becoming a professional shooter when I was just 19. I was also my campus comedy director at Santa Clara University, which led me to work at the Holy City Zoo when I graduated. VERY fun to be working at a comedy club at 21. Most comics didn’t take me too seriously about my photography until I landed a killer job as assistant photographer for the SF Giants baseball team. Instant credibility. It wasn’t long before comics were asking me to shoot their promo shots.
Have you ever attempted to perform comedy yourself?
I like to write humor, and have been published in SF Weekly, and the mother-of-all humor mags, the now-defunct Realist.
How do comedians compare to musicians as photo subjects?
Comics are great because they’ll do anything you ask them. I try not to be too proppy, and just go for an honest, dynamic portrait. If you can make a comic look cool, they’re your friend for life. Many of them positively HATE to have photos done, ironic because their whole art is based on “LOOK AT ME! LISTEN TO ME!” Rock stars can be fun to shoot if they’re mellow, but they’re so concerned with looking cool and detached, that it’s hard sometimes to get a really intimate shot. Plus they’re often surrounded by management, publicists, etc., and that can get very disruptive.
What’s the story behind your photo of Jim Gaffigan lying in bed with his shirt off? [see it here]
That was something that Jim wanted to do, being in bed, naked with a hat on. Don’t ask me why. I found the crucifix hanging on another wall and the juxtaposition was just too juicy to ignore.
Is there anyone that you’d really love to photograph, but haven’t had the opportunity?
The biggest? Steve Martin, definitely. His LP records are burned into my permanent memory. They are absurdist masterpieces, and I hope to one day get to shoot him. Woody Allen, as well, I’d love to get someday.
Who are some of your favorite comedians that you’ve watched develop in San Francisco over the years?
Local favorites- there’s so many of them: Bob Rubin, David Feldman, Will Durst, Dana Gould, Blaine Capatch, Robert Hawkins, Jim Short, Arj Barker. Younger cats like the Sirofs, Ryan Stout, Jasper Redd…..
Are you still involved with comedy at the Purple Onion?
I recently did a one-off show that was taped for a Sony internet site, Crackle.com. It is being edited still, but will be posted soon. I was able to bring in an amazing group of talent- Jim Short, Hawkins, Tom Rhodes, W. Kamau Bell, Sheng Wang, Charles Ezell, and Karla Klayy. I may be doing some more shows with them in the future. I can’t, however, do weekly shows like in the beginning, because most of my efforts right now are going towards getting my book out, which was bought by Berkley/ Penguin and will publish in the Fall of 2008. It is called ¡Satiristas! and will include my portraits of satirists [including George Carlin, Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black, and Janeane Garofalo], with interviews by Paul Provenza, who created The Aristocrats.
To view Dan’s work, visit dandion.com.
