Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

Steven John is a hot new comic you can see performing on Friday, March 10, at 8 p.m. at the Promenade Playhouse, 1404 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica. For more information, call (310) 656-8070 ext. 17, or send e-mail to comedianstevenjohn@msn.com.

When did you first realize you could make people laugh?

I've always been funny. I was always the class clown. As far back as fifth grade I was doing schtick because I was the small, awkward guy so I used comedy to get through school.

How cut throat is the comedy circuit?

It's like anything else. There's competition everywhere but the cream always rises to the top. You just have to get through the b.s. and make your mark. I'm used to it because I played ice hockey all through college. I use a lot of my philosophy for sports in my comedy endeavors.

Can you read an audience and know what they'll respond to when you walk out on stage?

From my sports background, I go to every open mike and I look at this as practice. My coach used to say you play as you practice. As far as getting myself psyched up for a show, I use a lot of visual motivation and visualize how I'm going to be that night. As far as audiences go, you can never read an audience. Some comedians have two different sets for different audiences but I don't do that. I am myself throughout. If they like it, they like it and if they don't, they don't.

How do you bounce back when your material isn't working?

You have to just shift through it. There are some nights when you go out there and it's just dreadful. You just bomb, but you have to work through it. It's those nights, believe it or not, where you get better. You build up a resilience and become comfortable to start improvising. If you're not bombing sometimes, then you're not growing, you're not taking chances.

Since you're someone who can say, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke," and mean it literally, I'm wondering if you have comedy groupies.

Not really. There are guys who come up to me after a show and feel the need to unload their secrets and tell me they slept with a guy once.

What's your material like? Are you clean like Ellen or raunchy like everyone else?

I'm not clean and I'm not raunchy. It's very edgy, honest and very real. As a gay comedian, what motivates me is that every other gay comedian has been almost like a character. That's not me.

Who are some of your comedy influences?

George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Howard Stern. He's someone who takes risks and doesn't give a damn what people think.

Where do you get inspiration for your material?

I have a strong opinion on what it's like being gay, so that's where a lot of my comedy comes from. I'm motivated to let people know that gay isn't what they think it is or what the stereotypes are. I want to change people's perspectives. A typical one is that straight Midwestern people think all gay men are effeminate. That's the first one that I knock down.

You obviously haven't visited my office.

(Laughs.) Don't get me wrong. Stereotypes exist because there's some truth to them but I want people to see the other side. That's what motivated me to be a stand-up comedian.

You have a very wholesome, boy-next-door look. Are people surprised when they learn you're funny?

I think so. That's another stereotype that comedians aren't generally attractive ... which is true. I've been able to use (my looks) to my favor because I talk about some really raw things and I get away with it because I have a wholesome look.