A very smart person once said that in America politics are downstream from culture. I would like to add that stand up comedy is even closer to the source. By the time you see a famous stand up comedian do a one hour special on television or Netflix you are seeing an end result. They have gone too far down the river, and they are not telling The Truth. That's why you have to see great performers like Erin Lampart to understand how people really feel about life right now.
Live stand up comedy is 300% more awesome when you see it in the flesh compared to film, TV or the Internet. I interview unique comedians that I've seen IRL like Lampart because she is the future. Performers like her and other comedians I've interviewed and admire from the Los Angeles area like Matt Ingebretson, Barbara Gray, and Dave Ross are the people you should check out now because they are the current cutting edge of cool with ideas, jokes, talent and stories that will inform, as well as entertain, all of us for many more decades.
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In a town like Hollywood, being pretty,
smart and tough isn’t always enough, but a sense of humor can give
you the edge to cut past the competition. Erin Lampart has these
qualities, as well as a personal style that is “…kind of dark, a
little dirty…I like to be weird. I like to do silly things.” Her
material includes concepts like work, dating and family, infused with
a twist that is as sardonic as it is comedic. “I guess a lot of
times I take bad things that have happened and turn them into comedy.
I like putting sunshine into the gray.”
Lampart rocks the mic.
Although originally from New York, her
family moved to Pennsylvania, she says, “…after a series of
unfortunate events. I’m sassy but still a country girl.” Lampart
started performing for a living after taking summer acting jobs when
she was 11 years old. “I was always a theater kid.” After growing
up one day the talented lady had enough of, “…daydreaming at a
country club and moved to L.A. I started doing Second City Improv,
but it wasn’t until I saw Rory Scovel perform that I decided to do
stand up. I was single and alone, so I had plenty of time.”
Aside from being a successful comedian,
she is also a seasoned film and television actress. Lampart has
starred in an as of yet unreleased independent horror film, a
yet-to-be named but soon-to-be-released Comedy Central series, a
television series called “GayCare,” and in the documentary 100
Jokes, where she expertly performed the role of herself. She
feels that film is certainly easier than stand up. “I love taking
direction. I’m into details and I listen very well. With stand up
you have complete control. You can do what you want.”
Lampart acting.
But just like the Force in Star Wars,
comedy has a dark side, and every comic is aware of it. What’s the
worst part, for Lampart? “The constant self doubt. You can keep
having great sets until you have a terrible set.” This makes some
comics stop, or even quit, paralyzed by the fear of failing. Lampart
believes that all artists struggle the same way. “I live with and
date a painter. He goes though the same thing.” She still believes
that the bright side is worth it. “I love making people laugh. I
love making people happy and forget their pain for a little while. I
love connecting with people and making them feel good.”
You can see Erin Lampart perform live
comedy at Sauce, Fridays at 8 p.m. at DeSanos Pizza, 4959 Santa
Monica Blvd., in Los Angeles. (www.facebook.com/Saucecomedy).
Feel free to follow her on Twitter at ErinLampart@ThatsSoLampy). Her personal website is also here.
