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| Nu Entertainment Productions |
| Nu Magazine |
When Nu Magazine asked up-and-comer Matt Lipton why he became a comedian, his response was odd, but surprisingly fitting: “So people would take me seriously…” He doesn’t do crowd work. He doesn’t pick on people in the audience. He doesn’t have to single anyone out to get a laugh or do anything that would make an audience member uncomfortable to sit in the front row. His approach to stand-up is plain and simple; he tells jokes to make people laugh. In a way, he engages his audience by not engaging them at all, but rather provides the space for them (the audience) to fill in laughter. |
But just because he won’t talk to the audience on stage doesn’t mean he won’t talk to them off stage. “That’s half of comedy, being able to relate to your audience. I was talking to this one guy before a show, really cool guy, he didn’t know I was one of the comedians, and through talking to him I came up with some improv making fun of the aesthetics of the venue. I’m mean, sure, if you want to be an asshole and pretend you’re somehow different from the folks you’re entertaining, you’re just robbing yourself of potential jokes based on real human interaction… and free drinks.” With a casual confidence gained from working some of the toughest rooms in NYC, even when his jokes fail – it’ s funny. His laidback and quiet demeanor juxtaposes an erratic excitement for joke telling; a personality that makes well-crafted jokes that much more enjoyable. The only thing he doesn’t enjoy is telling jokes off stage. “It’s impossible to tell jokes off stage. If you talk to me long enough, I’m bound to say something ridiculous that you might find funny. Some people don’t understand that. So whenever someone asks me to tell them a joke, I always tell them the same thing: ‘Go fuck yourself.’ I don’t know the reason, but it kills every time. Wait, that makes it a joke… fuck!” Playing clubs and colleges around the Tri-State Area, Matt Lipton can be seen regularly performing at Laugh Lounge, 151 Essex St., on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A resident of the “Boondock Borough” and native New Yorker, Matt Lipton, along with fellow sketchmates Steve Gantman, Chris Gentile and John Janicki Jr., comprise the YouTube-based sketch troupe Band of Hooligans. Hitting the YouTube Underground a little over a year ago, the troupe is a regular feature on the hit online comedy emporium Whip It Out Comedy. |
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