Alicia Wagner Calzada | 210SA Contributor San Antonio comics (clockwise from left) Luigi Pimentel, Jose Sarduy Jay Whitecotton, James Ponce, Todd Larson agree that being a funnyman isn’t all about the laughs — it takes a lot of serious practicing and discipline.

Stand-up comics don’t just stand on a stage and tell jokes. It’s a performance, a study of the audience, weeks spent creating material and even more time spent tweaking a delivery. What to outsiders seems like a glamorous gig, one filled with late-nights and admirers — yes, there are comedy groupies — actually involves lots of travel and some uncertainty on when the next gig — and paycheck — will come. Yet many comics can’t imagine doing anything else. In the past few weeks, 210SA sat down with some local comics to get their take on what draws people to stand-up, why it’s an unappreciated art form and what’s up with the local comedy scene.

Why would people risk being unfunny onstage and continue going back even after they’ve bombed?

“I think it’s years of misery and feeling like you don’t fit in anywhere that makes people do this,” said Luigi Pimentel, an 18-year-old comic who’s been doing stand-up for a year. “This is where we can share all that and be heard. It’s an outlet.”

So, do you think most comics are unhappy people and depression leads them to the stage?

“Hands down it’s depression,” said Jay Whitecotton, 29. “But it’s the best kind of depression, one filled with hope and insecurities.”

Todd Larson, 34, said he first thought about getting onstage after “hitting rock bottom,” after a break-up and the death of his mother in 2001. Stand-up comedy provided a forum where he could sort out his feelings, and making people laugh helped him feel better about himself, he said.

What’s the biggest misconception about stand-up comedy?

“That it’s easy. That if you’re funny in class or at a party, then you’d be funny onstage, but it’s a lot more than just being funny,” Pimentel said.

Stand-up comedy involves performing, much like acting, Whitecotton said. “It’s about facial expressions, voice infliction, how you move onstage, how you respond to an audience and how they respond to you,” he said. “It takes years to get that right.”

What’s San Antonio’s comedy scene like?

“This is a beautiful city. I love this city, but it’s not a big market for comedy,” said James Ponce, a 29-year-old comic who’s planning to move to Los Angeles to test the comedy scene there. One drawback here is that there’s only one comedy club in the city, comics say. So some have started to organize their own comedy shows at local clubs and bars.

“Being a San Antonio comic is like being an abused wife,” said Whitecotton. “You know you could be treated better somewhere else, but you stay anyway.”

Melissa Rentería | 210SA contributor
 

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