San Francisco Comedy Blog

by Jay Starr

San Francisco comedian Sammy Wegent has a lot of problems with the president. Not just the current one, but all of them. In his new show, Hell To The Chief (running at the Purple Onion from January 31st to February 2nd), Wegent hilariously points out why the American public has never been and will never be completely satisfied with the person running the country. Throughout this mix of stand up, satirical charts and graphs, and audience interaction, Wegent puts forth a plan on how we can actually get the leader we want in 2008, even if we have to build it, resurrect it, or take it from the animal kingdom.

Sammy performs all over the Bay Area and the country as a comedian. He is a member of the six man comedy troupe, SPF 7, and was the head writer and director of the critically acclaimed political sketch troupe, Richter Scale. In 2005, he won the Battle of the Bay Comedy Competition at the San Jose Improv along with the title of “The Funniest Person in the Bay Area.” He has performed at festivals such as the Chicago Improv Festival, DCcomedyfest!, the Toronto International Improv Festival, the Gulf Coast Comedy Festival, and SF Sketchfest.

In this interview/G-chat session, Sammy’s long time man friend, SPF 7 member and fellow comedian Jay Starr chats with him about what his new show is all about, drug abuse in the aquatic world, cocaine, and riding sharks.

Let’s talk about what the show isn’t. Why no ‘Bush sucks’ jokes?

There are some jokes about Bush, but the show isn’t about bashing the current president. It’s about bashing the way we elect the president and the patterns that have emerged over the past two centuries in the White House.

So, sort of dismantling the way we do things and taking a look under the hood?

Yes. One of the main things I want to explore in this show is how the presidency is viewed as a privilege more than an actual job a lot of times, like it’s an award that the lucky few get to win but they don’t actually deserve it. I thought it would be fun to hold the presidency up to the same light that all jobs are held up to, including what the president’s job application might have on it as well as listing off how the president actually procrastinates his duties by doing mindless bullshit- the Commander In Chief version of g-chatting all day.

Google’s greatest gift to the workplace might actually be why we’re in such a dire situation. (at this point, Jay waits for a long time for a response)

Sorry, I’m back. I was watching a video of a horse playing soccer.

You directed the sketch group Richter Scale for a while, and wrote quite a bit of their stuff. That revue was very political. Your stand up is not, however. Where does the interest in politics come from?

I lived in Washington DC before I lived in San Francisco, so I’ve always been very interested in politics and political humor. When I was in DC, I did a lot more political stuff in my act because you had to. But, I’ve started to miss doing political satire in bigger chunks when I perform. Doing material on a bunch of topics in a set like most comedians gives me political satire blue balls.

What was behind the decision of going the one man route instead of simply doing another revue like Richter Scale’s? Creatively speaking, not the obvious reasons like a shitload of expenses and coke-head producers that disappear with your funding.

First of all, the coke-head producers believe in me and I trust them. So, they can ‘borrow’ my money anytime. Creatively, I wanted to be able to do a show that I had total creative control over and I could add and subtract elements on any given night. With Richter scale, I was the director and head writer. It was very satisfying, but I missed being up there saying what I wrote. A producer from Chicago, who is still ‘borrowing’ my money, came to me a couple years ago about creating a sketch revue in the style of Second City’s work. It was a great opportunity and learning experience. What I took away from our two revues is that the city of San Francisco severely lacks a staple group to do that kind of comedy and theatre and I personally would rather do a show by myself using stand up, improv, and one person show style elements than audition people, teach them to improvise, write, and perform this kind of show every few months. Also, with less people involved, the more coke I get to keep.

I’ve known you longest as an improviser, which is often kind of free flowing and ‘lets see what happens,’ but as a stand up, you’re very structured. Where in that spectrum does working on and performing a show like this land?

It lands more on the structured side, as it’s technically a one person show more than a typical stand up show. Obviously, I want it to be very funny, but it’s not just set up/punch the whole time. There will be some interactive points with the audience, and I feel like they need to be there because the subject matter can tighten assholes. I work-shopped this show a bit in Florida in December and it was interesting to do it for a very pro-Bush, pro-military crowd. It helped me to shape and balance the show so that it’s not really targeting Bush or a political party as much as it targets the fact that our leaders are products of our country’s flaws. I also want to make the point that I’m a comedian who feels very passionately about these issues, but I don’t pretend to know what I’m talking about or what we should actually be doing differently. It is, after all, a comedy show and my solutions for how we can fix the presidency are juvenile.

Not a lot of people get the chance to workshop a polarizing show in front of both poles. The area you were working in Florida is about as anti San Francisco as it gets.

That’s why I offered to fuck them in the ass like a steroid infused sea lion after the show.

I hear they’ve really cracked down on marine life performance enhancers after that manatee smothered his kid.

And it’s a damn shame what he did to that fan boat.

A lot of performers seem to just sort of do stuff for the sake of doing it (hey, let’s do a show! why? I dunno, cause shows are awesome!), but I know you to be the anti-that, in a good way. Every project has a goal and a bigger picture for you. What are the goals with this first run, and the show overall?

One of the goals with this first run is to figure out this new structure, as I’m already writing on my next show in this form. Also, I’m going to be sending the show’s press kit off to festivals and other venues in the spring and summer. But the main goal is to get the show on its feet so I can make it better for a longer run in the fall leading up to the election. And I want to use the show as way to barter for better, more expensive coke.

If any president could tame a shark and ride it into battle like a horse, which would it be and why?

Teddy Roosevelt, because he wouldn’t be afraid of it and he was crazy. Thomas Jefferson, because he’d make the shark his slave. Or Bill Clinton because he’d fuck it into submission.

Would you be willing to share a choice excerpt from the show?

“I think that politicians are out of touch with the country because the country is out of touch with reality. The best example of this is the fact that every town in America has a diner set in the 1950’s. Sure, that was the ‘heyday’ of America, but it’s starting to fuck with our brains. We’re desensitized to what’s actually happening. Now we walk past homeless people and newspapers that tell about genocide in Africa to walk into a diner set in the time period after we won World War II and everybody still liked us. ‘Hey Jim, wanna go volunteer down at the AIDS clinic?’ ‘Nah, let’s go eat a patty melt, listen to The Big Bopper, and fantasize about fucking Marilyn Monroe.’ Only America would ignore its own problems by building time machines that make you fatter.”

Now that you’ve been swimming around in the premise of the show like Scrooge McDuck in his money bank for a few months now, have you come to any conclusions that weren’t preconceived, or that surprised you?

Well, the ending of the show surprised me. Honestly, I didn’t have an ending until about a week ago. I just had a bunch of jokes about problems with the presidency and a bunch of jokes about how to fix them. Now I feel like the show has a climax and it’s my favorite part.

So, your favorite part is the climax?

Always is, my boy. Especially when I’m being choked.

“Hell To The Chief” will run at the historic Purple Onion at 140 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco at 8pm from Thursday, January 31st to Saturday, February 2nd. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door and at Brown Paper Tickets.

For more from Sammy, visit SPF7.org.
Watch Sammy in “Low Stakes” (Sammy’s the one with the adorable moustache):

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