Matt Drufke Interview

In an interview with Matt Tapia's Comedy Thoughts, Matt Drufke gave us some insight about his comedy career, advice for young guys, and who are the cats he digs these days.  So enjoy and maybe even learn a thing or two in the first of MANY interviews to come.  Thanks!

Matt Tapia Comedy Thoughts (MTCT): How long have you been doing comedy for?

Matt Drufke (MD): I've been doing stand-up comedy for seven and a half years.

MTCT: What made you want to start?

MD: I always loved stand-up comedy and stand-up comedians, and I always wanted to see if I could do it. For a while, I was writing comedic "letters to the editor", which is the coward's way of doing stand-up comedy.

MTCT: How would you describe your comedy? 

MD: I like to think of my comedy as aggressive and high-energy.

MTCT: Who are your biggest comedy influences? 

MD: I have a varied set of influences. It started with Bill Cosby but then moved to Adam Sandler and then Patton Oswalt, Right now, I'm probably the most inspired and influenced by Kyle Kinane and Pete Holmes.

MTCT: When you were young what did you find funny? 

MD: I remember always laughing at stories and comedians who could envelop characters- Buddy Hackett, Bob Newhart, etc.

MTCT: What sets the local Chicago Suburbs Comedy Scene apart from other scenes you've been to? 

MD: There seems to be a camaraderie that is missing from other cities. Comics sit and watch everyone's sets for the most part. We root for our peers; we want people to succeed as opposed from wanting to be competitive.

MTCT: What would you like to see done in this scene?

MD: I would like to see the scene grow. More open mics, more showcases. More comedians trying to find their voice in the scene.

MTCT: What do you think is some good advice for people trying to grow and expand where they do comedy?

MD: I would tell people to try and be comfortable onstage. It's not important to write as much material as you can; what's more important is to write the BEST material you have and to work on what you have over and over until it's perfect. Because when you're the most comfortable onstage is when you create your best art.

MTCT: What are your plans for your comedy career? 

MD: I don't know what my plans are. Currently, I have my son on the weekends, so I don't work the road. All I currently want to do is to create the best art I possibly know how to do.

MTCT: Do you think that there is still something to learn even after doing stand up for as long as you have or do you learn all your lessons pretty quickly? 

MD: Every set provides a learning opportunity. There is never a point where you stop learning or stop growing.

MTCT: Best Set; Worst Set?

MD: My best set to date is still on April 30, 2012, when I recorded my debut album, This Is Supposed To Be Fun.Everything clicked and worked perfectly.

My worst set occured a few months ago when I competed in a comedy contest in Lombard. I was angry at how the show was going so I got very drunk and decided to yell at the audience including wishing the entire crowd would die in a fire. There have been worse conditions in which I've performed- but that night, I was entirely in control of how I could perform and chose to react poorly and childishly and I regret how I handled myself. 

MTCT: Who do you find funny today? (Local and national) 

MD: Locally, I enjoy the comedy of Lewis Rhine and Jordan Holmes. Nationally, I love Hannibal Buress, Pete Holmes, and Kyle Kinane.

MTCT: If you could give yourself advice now from just starting out, what would it be?

MD: You'll never be as good as you think you are.

MTCT: If you could see any person in history do Stand Up who would you want to see?

MD: I'd love to see Jesus Christ try and do a tight ten minutes.