Will Durst vs. The World
May 19th, 2008 | Interviews, San Francisco Comedyby DNA
Will Durst is, to me, one of a withering gang of great comedians who are also social commentators. People like Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Mark Twain, Dick Gregory, Will Rogers and, the king of the class clowns, George Carlin. Durst can spin grand tales of the behind-the-scenes-double-dealings that go on in the two-party state like a card shark on a riverboat.
I had the great fortune to catch up with Durst and spend some time talking about the past and future of comedy.
Has political comedy always been a part of your routine?
Will Durst: It was an incidental part of my act but there were always jokes. What was going on when I started comedy in 1974, things like Watergate, Nixon, and the [Vietnam] war had just ended. Everything was anti-authoritarian; there was almost a comedy police if you weren’t topical.
Seems like we are in the same kettle of fish in 2008, but most people will not touch political comedy, it’s almost taboo. They think the audience is not going to “get it.”
WD: It’s not just the audience; it’s what comics see as the greased chute to the big time. Comics think they will achieve success by having “the character.” The character is going to get you the sitcom, which is what comics aspire to.
Do you find that more in comics in other cities? How does the Bay Area differ?
WD: In SF, that’s where you get your chops down. You cannot be a working comic and make a living.
You do it.
WD: I go on the road all the time. You used to be able to make a living in SF. Now you have to end up in New York or LA, San Francisco is just a middle weigh station. But, you can cut your teeth, and San Francisco has some of the best audiences in the world. The joke is, my comedy is not that restrictive, it’s for people who read or know somebody who reads. You can take a lot more chances and lead the audience. Some comics lead the audience too much and it’s like a quarterback who keeps throwing 80 yard bombs.
In 1974 where did you start out?
WD: I was in Milwaukee. I moved to the Bay in 1980.
What was the comedy scene in San Francisco like in 1980?
WD: It was incredible; there was a huge horizontal growth that was just starting. Holy City Zoo, The Other Cafe, The Punchline had just opened about 2 years earlier. In Milwaukee, before I moved out here, I had performed 6 times in a month, and a couple of those times I had to go down to Chicago. When they found out you were from Milwaukee, they put you up first or last, you were treated like cannon fodder. The first week I was out here I was on stage 8 times!
Who were your cohorts?
WD: We were part of the third wave. The first wave was Robin Williams and Jack Marion. The second wave was Dana Carvey, Mark V. McCullum, Bobby Slayton. The third wave was me, Dr. Gonzo, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno, Steve Pearl, Steve Kravitz. Kevin Meaney was close, Rick Reynolds was fourth wave along with Jim Edwards. Bobcat Goldthwait came after that, so there were waves that came through.
Is it always about performing?
WD: Some people use comedy as a springboard to writing or acting. Comics like Alex Reed or Alex Herschlag, guys who moved to LA, were never headliners and now they’re running shows and are multi-millionaires. John Riggi was never really a headliner and now he’s on another show (30 Rock), he was a writer on the Larry Sanders show. Once you get into comedy it can lead to other things. The only people still doing it are the ones who didn’t quit.
I’ve got to say, you were instrumental in me getting to the stage. I went to see you at Chico State in 1990. You were hosting a Showtime College Comedy Laff-Off. I didn’t have the $3 to get in, but I was told that if I entered the contest I could get in for free. Backstage I was freaking out because I didn’t have an act, certainly nothing ever done in front of 800 college kids. I thought “my initials are DNA, that’s funny.” I won the competition, but was so overwhelmed by the whole thing I ran out of the building and didn’t find out I had won until the next day.
WD: I remember that!
What locals do you enjoy seeing perform?
WD: Nato Green is opening for me at the Punchline and he is very funny.
Any sage words for young comedians trying to find their voice onstage?
WD: I don’t know how to explain it. You hear all these clichés, you hear there’s a closet door in Utah that you uncover and discover a bunch of clues, you open the door and bathe in a bright white light and become a stand-up comic. It’s not like that, you just do it, keep doing it and try to find out who you are, who your voice is. That’s what’s going to last. The lines aren’t going to last. The character will last and the voice will come out of the character if you keep focusing on that and being true to yourself. The hoariest of all the chestnuts, but it’s true. If you enjoy it, they will enjoy it. You have to make yourself laugh.
Catch Will Durst at the San Francisco Punch Line May 20th- 24th, or at a read and sign at Book Passage in Corte Madera during the day on the 22nd. AND order his book, The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing
