A-LISTS theatre by tim parks STEVE BYRNE’S COMEDIAN IDENTITY CRISIS Have you ever stopped to think that maybe all of the Disney Prin-
cesses of yesteryear, such as Snow White, were just “lazy bitches” with their “someday my prince will come” mindset? How about the fact that while a majority of the red neck variety of men, who enjoy country and western music and don’t always see eye-to-eye with gay people, end up riding “John Deere all day and have Jim Beam between their legs?” Thankfully, comedian Steve Byrne has taken these ques- tions into consideration with his very wry comedic observations, as is evidenced on his new DVD, The Byrne Identity, that was filmed for his second Comedy Central special—which aired on the network last month. The half Irish/half Korean comic revels in social satire, all but begging viewers not to laugh at a wide range of topics, despite the fact that they aren’t too terribly P.C. He even mockingly chides the crowd at his taping for clapping at a rape joke. While the 36-year-old is not a rainbow flag waving member of the LGBT community, his astute commentary on everything from the hot button topic of race to be- ing single, certainly resonates with everybody. Besides, he caps off his performance by assembling together a boy band named “Sausage Party,” which includes re-christened audience members “Prison F**k Toy” and “Romeo Horsec**k,” okay?
The Rage Monthly: What is your first recollection of someone telling you that you were funny? Steve Byrne: I remember I was in fifth grade, and I was just such a smart ass to my
teacher and I was always trying to say stuff to irk him or whatever. And, I remember him kicking me out of class one day and saying, “If you think you’re so funny, why don’t you join the circus and be a clown?” For some reason that always kind of bugged me, but I guess that was the first time anyone referenced me and humor.
Rage: Seeing as your new Comedy Central Special/DVD is called The Byrne Identity, and you’ve spent a great deal of your life dealing with labels, do you feel the need to pigeonhole yourself into any specific comedy genre? SB: I don’t know that I would pigeonhole myself as one type of comic. I always thought of myself as—especially now with this new material and the stuff I’m working on for the new one (third special)—a very well-rounded comic. There are certain comics you’ll see who are “set up, punch line” the whole night, so
they’re constantly setting up a joke and giving the payoff, and you’re like, “Oh, here we go.” And it’s a routine, and you’re trained to laugh at a certain point. But my stuff is very physical and animated, some jokes are cerebral, some require
acting. And especially in my live shows now, I try to give the audience the best live show that I can think of, where I incorporate audience participation and improv.
Rage: Is there any subject matter you would consider too controversial to discuss during a routine? SB: I try not to be controversial; I just know that sometimes you’re going to ruffle
feathers, you’re not going to be everybody’s favorite. There are going to be some things you say that are going to upset people. Right now, there’s a joke I’m working on about slavery, and I thought, “Boy, this might be a little rough to do.” But, it’s my true opinion and something that I’m passionate about. Even when I say it, and it’s a sore subject matter, I try to keep it positive—the end
result is a positive way of looking at things.
Rage: What has the experience been like to open for musical acts like Mariah Carey and Kanye West? (He didn’t try to take the mic away from you I hope)! Were the crowds receptive? SB: It was impossible for him to do that, because he showed up 2½ hours late for the
show, and he only did two songs and then he split. It’s a totally different type of beast when I opened for Mariah Carey, they’d literally be
like, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mariah Carey,” and the place would go crazy. And then they’d announce, “And now, Steve Byrne,” and I thought, “You couldn’t even say I was a comedian? Are you kidding me?” I was put up for the slaughter. It was a hell of an experience, though. I filled in for seven or eight shows near the end of her Charmbracelet Tour, because the other comic had quit, and I never met her once.
Rage: In The Byrne Identity, you say that we as a nation have gotten too P.C. To what do you attribute that? SB: I think it’s almost like the soccer mom white guilt that’s going around; to me it’s
really, really nauseating because no one wants to offend anybody and nobody wants to be offended. And I think that it’s time to start offending people. I do believe that everybody should have the right to make fun of everybody else in a
playful way. When it comes out of hate, that’s when I draw the line. To see Byrne in his equal opportunity offender glory, pick up a copy of The Byrne Identity today.
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RAGE monthly | SEPTEMBER 2010
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