Volume 53 Issue 1 Article 9

October 2001 The Laugh Track Justin Kendall Iowa State University

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Recommended Citation Kendall, Justin (2001) "The Laugh Track," Ethos: Vol. 2002 , Article 9. Available at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ethos/vol2002/iss1/9

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Story by Justin Kendall "Because the Midwest isn't always a hot spot for entertainment or 'big city life' we have to create our own fun, which is always the best kind. Also, I think Midwesterners are humble and polite, which makes for some great self-deprecating humor." - Carrie Seim "Because the Midwest isn't always a hot spot for through his wavy, dark mane. His right hand entertainment or 'big-city life,' we have to create is fixed chest-high, clutching rhe mic. His tan, our own fun, which is always the best kind. Also, moon-shaped face contorts inro various exag­ I think Midwesterners are humble and polite, gerated and animated expressions. His eyes which makes for some great self-deprecating bulge. humor. "- Carrie Seim "I was reading the Daily, so I know a little bit about what's going on now," he begins. "I was "People from the Midwest have a very wry, sar­ busy just before rhe show fabricating my sexu­ donic sense ofhumor, different from a lot ofpeo­ al ass a ulr." ple I've encountered in . What I've Laughter and applause erupts from the noticed most is that a lot ofpeople not from the crowd. Standing center stage, he is surrounded Midwest don't get sarcasm, which I find hilarious. by the usual equipment: silver stand with It's fun to mess with them. "- Leana Benson microphone, wooden srool and rwo 20-oz. bot­ tles of water. Johannsen is on, mining the crowd for laughs and basking in their approval. 'Ar far as performance style or my sense of "Yeah, I'm thinking bigger - like six humor goes, I feel mine is very self-deprecating, women," he adds ro another roar. which seems to be representative of the Midwest This is how Jake Johannsen makes his living, for me. People seem to have more of a sense of chasing laughs rwice a month at comedy clubs humor about themselves in the heartland. " - across rhe counrry. He is arguably Iowa Stare Mark Leiknes University's biggest claim ro show-business fame, bur a growing crop of recent grads is "There are easy basic stereotypes that work well attempting ro change rhar. Some are linked ro for non-Iowa audiences. In a comedic arena, I Grandma Mojo's Moonshine Revival, ISU's no-boundaries group. Some present myself as one of the enlightened few who stumbled into rhe business. Bur a drive ro made it out ofhick-infested Iowa. In reality, it has amuse and the rush of performing link all. And been my experience that people from Iowa are each has a sense of humor shaped by their equally if not more enlightened to the general Midwestern roots and ripe with self-depreca- masses. " -josh Bryner rion and sarcasm. ****** "Iowa is kind of isolated and removed from Jake Johannsen has successfully conquered most ofthe stuffthat happens in the country, so we rhe stand-up circuit. With more than 30 always seem like we're outside, looking in on appearances on Late Show with David things. we have the ability to have a removed per­ Letterman, Johannsen might as well own the spective on every situation. "-jason Taylor sear next ro Dave. He had his own HBO spe­ cial, This'll Take About an Hour, which People Magazine dubbed one of 1992's 10 Best TV The Stephens Audirorium crowd is rrans­ Shows and TV Guide routed as one of rhe 50 ftxed on Jake Johannsen. They hang on every Funniest TV Moments of All Time. That's nor word rolling off his sharp rongue. As the roo shabby for a former honors student who words pass by his lips, Johannsen's lefr hand bounced along rrying three majors - veteri­ moves constantly. Ir weaves each joke, then nary medicine, chemical engineering and slides inro his lefr-pants pocket or brushes advertising- before dropping out in 1982.

photos by Eric Fatka october 2001 ETHOS 25 Jump to earlier in the day, before his back on his shifts at the restaurant. "After four Stephens performance. Johannsen is relaxed. years it was like, 'I have to quit my day job Sprawled our on patio furniture, he's munching because they're going to fire me for nor show­ on sandwiches, sipping a Diet Coke and field­ ing."' ing questions about life as a comedian. Little Movie roles aside the likes of Mathew things tell you Johannsen is a natural and prac­ Broderick would follow. Bur even Jake strug­ ticed performer: his quick wit, his animated gles with the notion of success. "A lot of people hands and his grip on an ice cream bar, which don't get that you can have made a nice life for resembles his mic grip. yourself in show biz without being famous," he "S tand-up is like being a hit man," says. "Nor a lor of people know who I am, bur Johannsen says. "You fly in somewhere and I've got a really sweet life." you're the guy. You show up, you stay in a hotel, you do the show, and then you get back ****** on the plane and leave. " Three former ISU students are based in Los "People want to know how you know that Angeles, trying to carch the same breaks rhar you can do ir," says Johannsen on his decision eventually came Johannsen's way. Carrie Seim, to make comedy a career. "You know that you Leana Benson and Mark Leiknes are studying want to and so you try. " at The Groundlings School of , Lunch ends, and Johannsen's ready to tour which boasts all-star alumni including Lisa Ames for the first time in about six years. He's Kudrow of Friends, Paul "Pee-wee Herman" fee ling nostalgic and remembers rending bar at Reubens and several cast Aunt Maude's, where he was ripped $100 for members such as Chris Katran, and his politically incorrect Halloween costume, Ana Gasreyer. "Blind Bob." "People would order a drink, and When Seim moved to , one of I'd stumble around behind the bar and I could­ the first things she did was audition for classes n't make it," he recalls. "I could have gotten with The Groundlings. "I was jusr kind of itch­ into a huge amount of trouble, but luckily the ing to be a part of i r, " she says. "Ir was very manager of the restaurant thought it was scary to audition because I'd never been to a funny." professional audition. Everyone rhere had "There is something He stares out the passenger window as the resumes and head shots and had starred in this Blazer rolls around Elwood Drive. One thing is soap opera or this episode of that. Lors of pro­ so magical about per­ certain: Johannsen's hands are in motion as he fessional actresses are rhere just trying to add speaks. His hands reflect his cerebral nature, another skill to rheir resume." forming in front of a constantly churning like his mind. Johannsen While growing up in an Omaha suburb, recalls his decision to leave ISU at age 21 and Seim's desire to perform and entertain was evi­ move to to try stand-up. Ir was dent. Now it's snowballed. "There is something live audience. It's nor easy. Or sane. so magical about performing in front of a live "That was crazy to drop our," he says. "If this audience," she says. "It's this amazing mutual this amazmg mutual doesn't work out, you're waiting tables or you're experience that is unlike any other. You give your energy to the crowd, and they give it back to you tenfold." Bur it wasn't until Seim's freshman year at experience that is ISU rhar her short-lived stint in rhe engineer­ ing college suffocated her creative energy, which she says forced her to feed her creativity with something. Thar something happened to be MoJo's, a newly formed sketch comedy unlike any other. troupe. "I was so miserable in engineering," she You give your energy trying to figure our how to get back into col­ recalls. "It was morivarion to audition for lege. " Mojo's, to find a creative escape from rhe inces­ to the crowd, and they His parents had reservations, but ultimately sant studying of calculus and chemistry. it was his decision. "There's basically nothing Similarly, I think the funniest people I know they can do bur support you because if they get come about their humor our of necessity." give it back to you mad at you, you're just going to do it anyway The MoJo's aluma aced her audition and has and hare' em. They gave me advice not to drop progressed to the fourth level of Groundlings tenfold " our, bur once I said I was going to they tried to class work, the writing lab. After a one-year ' be really supportive." wait to get into the lab, she's back taking class­ - Carrie Seim Supporting himself by waiting tables and es. "The closer you get, the more you want it," bartending, Jake worked open-mic nights in she says. his free rime. Slowly he made a name for him­ It's at The Groundlings Seim recently self, earning a few paid gigs his first year and bumped into Leana Benson, when the two refining his act by watching and working spoke for the first rime. Thar wouldn't be alongside Dana Carvey, Ellen DeGeneres and unusual if they hadn't been living seemingly Bob Goldrhwait. parallel lives. Jake was earning half his income doing Both graduated from ISU with journalism stand-up by the end of the second year and cut degrees and lived in Miller House on the third

26 ETHOS october 2001 floor of Oak-Elm Hall without ever meeting. was rhe jump from Iowa ro California. Bur the Encourage Him, at Norrhwesrern College in "Ir's crazy because I think we lived rwo doors move was berrer than wondering "what if?" Orange Ciry, where his wife arrends school. "I down from one another," Benson says. Leiknes says. "LA is prerry much my first big­ always tell people rhar it's all rhe srories about Benson never inrended ro do comedy when ciry experience. Ir was very rough initially ro your family rhar you're nor supposed ro tell," she moved ro California. After being passed get adjusted ro ir and of course nor knowing he says about the show he wrote for a 1998 per­ over by rhe Iowa Deparrmenr of anyrhing or anyone, bur I'm our here giving formance at ISU's Fisher Theater. "Really crazy Transporrarion for a job she was hoping would something a try and I can't really fault myself stuff, like I cur my brother's finger off I acrual­ be hers, she was at wit's end. At her cousins' for rhar." ly did. To me, rhar's rhe funniest parr of rhe urging, she packed up and headed ro Studio show." Ciry, Calif. "I thought rhe DOT was going ro ****** While his brother's finger was sewed back on offer me a job and they didn't, so I was jobless," or everyone headed west for comedy suc­ after a trip ro rhe emergency room, he isn't rhe she admits in a soft, whispery voice. cess. Mojo's co-crearor Josh Bryner is on rhe only family member who's made ir inro Taylor's Working as a corporate communications East Coast pursuing a theater career and work­ show. Taylor's grandma, whose leg was lost in a writer for LaserFiche, a sofrware company in ing in the adminisrrarive offices of the riding-lawnmower accidenr, is also a rarger. Torrance, Calif., hasn't made Benson rich. She's Shakespeare Theatre in Washingron, D.C. His "Strangers would e-mail me and say, 'My uncle had ro sacrifice some of life's simple pleasures. love of sketch comedy still lingers. "I definitely lost his leg in a car accidenr and all those srories "Milk is $2.50 a gallon, which is insane," she wanr roger back ro ir," he says. were hilarious,"' he says. "Ir's really near ro be says. "So I sropped drinking milk." Bryner realizes he's at rhe age when many able ro move people ro rhar poinr where they While Benson hasn't got milk, she's gor a would-be performers quir. "My pure goal is ro leave rhe rhearer reflecting on their own lives blossoming stand-up career. After badgering force myself ro stick with ir because I know and srories." friends abour wanring ro rry comedy, they some people will give up, and I know some finally rold her ro try ir or shur up. So Benson people who have given up on ir," he says. "I ****** began raking an improv class and later a srand­ think you've got ro pay your dues and stick Passing by Mary Greeley Medical Cenrer, up comedy class with Pauly Shore's sister, Sandi with ir and evenrually something's going ro Jake Johannsen talks about failure. "I always Shore. The class with Sandi led ro an in at come up if you have any ralenr at all." think rhar 'didn't make it' makes it sound like Hollywood's most famous comedy club, The Some have already quit once. His peers will someone fired them from show business," Comedy Srore, owned by Sandi's mother, Mitzi tell you he's one of rhe most ralenred perform­ Johannsen says. "All of those people who didn't Shore. ers they've ever seen, bur former Mojo's mem­ make ir, nor ro rake anyrhing away from them, "I actually gor ro perform in rhe main room ber Jason Taylor quit comedy his srudies at The bur rhey all gave up." of The Comedy Srore," Benson says. "Ir wenr Second Ciry in Chicago after rhree monrhs. "I Seim says she won't give up. Bryner says he OK, bur I was super nervous because Mitzi was remember thinking rhar compared ro Mojo's won'r. Taylor already did once. Life as a come­ in the audience." rhis was nothing," he says. "I didn't really feel dian isn't easy. Johannsen just makes ir look That same nervous feeling coupled with rhe like I had a future there. Ifl had a furure, it was rhar way. arrenrion motivates Benson ro conrinue per­ going ro rake a lor of long, hard struggling, and His hands are moving, guiding the words forming. "Ir's rhar momenr righr before you I would much rather go do something rhar I from his mouth. "I had thoughts about, 'Gee, walk our on stage, and you're absolutely perri­ would have fun doing." I might have ro go back ro school,' bur I quit fied ," she says. "Then rhar feeling of being So Taylor returned ro Iowa, moving ro Rock my day job after four years," Johannsen says. onsrage and gerring your first laugh and being Valley where he became a youth pasror at the "The question is how bad do you wanr ir. " able ro completely let yourself be. Ir's rhe best First Reformed Church. "''d kind of given up high." comedy, bur since coming here, rhe least likely Justin Kendall is a senior in journalism Ideally, I wanr ro get paid ro do stand-up and place, in the middle of Podunk, Ia. , I kind of and mass communication. He is managing rravel. Ir can happen ro anybody, so I figure got sucked back inro ir. " editor of Ethos. why nor me? Why can't I be famous?" Taylor has revived his one-man show, Don't An obsession with enrerraining brought Mark Leiknes ro The Groundlings. Leiknes' passion ro perform was left unfulfilled after graduating from ISU and leaving Mojo's, which he helped create with former ISU sru­ denrs Josh Bryner and Becky Wirr. "I just wanred ro rry and rake ir ro the next level," Leiknes says. Leiknes says enrerraining is his passion, one rhar might have deep, psychological roots. "As a child, I'd pur on lirde comedy shows for my family so I wouldn't have ro go ro bed so early," he says. "Maybe rhar's ir. My desire ro en terrain comes from a deep-seeded fear of having ro go ro bed early." The Groundlings inrroduced Leiknes ro improvisation, which he feared initially. "You're our there and you have no idea what you're going ro say," he says. "They reach you rhar our of rhar gray area, which is like rhis no man's land where you really don't know what the hell is going on, can come some of rhe funniest sruff." Just as improv was scary in the beginning, so