Jon Stewart: Seriously funny

Courtesy of http//www.lookup.com Jon Stewart

I was lucky enough to be welcomed backstage at the Temple of Music and Art. Jon's opening act quickly began pumping me for information about Tucson: Who's the basketball coach? Where are all the strip clubs? When were the first black players allowed on th e basketball team?

When I proved to be a poor source of basketball trivia (something I'm not particularly ashamed of) he moved on to an intense discussion with Jon about what material he was going to use: "Should I do the Denny's bit? Or the grandma joke? What about the, yo u know, the Kentucky thing? Yeah, the Kentucky thing! Or are we too far South?" Stewart sat there and smoked up a storm, nodding and giving advice. The atmosphere was a little tense; a tableful of Twinkies and jawbreakers (a joke snack provided by one of the Com Central staffers) went untouched. Stewart remarked that he was more nervous about this show than he would be anywhere in New York - he'd come West with the impression that Tucsonans still wear spurs and often run New York Jews (as Stewart repeated ly referred to himself on stage) out of town on a rail.

Adding to the slightly surreal atmosphere was the presence of a full stage set - a magician's lair, complete with arcane machinery, astrological symbols, and a huge hanging ring. Both comedians used and abused this set (prepared for the upcoming play "Ill usions," opening at the TMA on Friday) as much as possible in their routines, showing a professional's flair for improvisation.

The evening went pretty well. Jeff is a tremendous voice talent, and his impersonations were worth a chuckle or two. I was gratified to hear him use some of the information I gave him. Jon tried out some Tucson-specific material for about ten minutes and then launched into some very funny, if somewhat dated, material. Dated isn't the right word - more like "timeless." Masturbation always seems to be a ripe humor topic for repressed American audiences. In any case, a good time was had by all.

Wildcat: You seemed to try to make localized jokes and tie your routine into the audience; I assume this is business as usual?

Jon Stewart: I think any comedian has a responsibility to the local audience, to try to touch base with them. You've got to make it interesting and give people a stake in what they are hearing. I try to give myself 15 minutes to ramble about local stuff, then if that's not working I go into my material.

W.C. Your "material" - your pre-rehearsed act seemed very solid and well though out, and universally funny. How often do you change it around?

J.S. I've got to change that stuff constantly, re-think the material all the time. Remember it can get tedious for the performer as well as the audience . . . I've heard all the jokes before, right? I think words get old fast, they are more fragile than music or fashion, because they hit you more in the head than in the gut.

W.C. Were you inspired by any parts of your improv routine tonight? Will it make it into your "material?"

J.S. Well, that's rare, because most of the time the jokes are local - there's not one word I can use again about Tucson that will work in Jersey.

W.C. How do you feel about Comedy Central as a venue? (Jon got his start as a host for Short Attention Span Theater)

J.S. It's another avenue for young performers, and an important one - not everyone can make it onto Leno or Letterman.

W.C. You're supposed to be writing a book (Jon laughs) and possibly working on screenplays for Miramax: how's writing compared to performing?

J.S. It's all on the same wavelength, it's not that different for me. Acting's not that different either. It's easier - you don't have to die onstage, in front of an audience.