Penn Undergrads You Should Know About Vol. 4

What do you love about stand up? I love how raw and honest stand up can be. If you choose, it can be just you up there with a microphone. No character, not props, just you. I can’t think of any other performances like that.  What are you involved in that allows you to express/explore that? I’m the current Presidents of Penn’s Stand up comedy collective, Simply Chaos. We are a group of 11 stand up comedians that go to open mics, perform at charity events, and put on a big showcase once a semester. Come to our show! Shameless plug.

How’d you get started? On the first Friday of Penn for freshman the school sets up an Activities Fair where all the clubs line Locust Walk and beg you to join them. I heard a voice yelling “Do you like stand up comedy?” I figured it would be a viewing club so I went over and signed up for more information. I was then handed a flyer asking me to come up with 3 minutes of original material for an audition. No experience. Went to the audition, got called back, got in. Now I’m talking to you.

What/Who is your biggest inspiration and why? Who do you admire? From a comedy perspective, I was really inspired by what Louis CK was able to do. He’s an out of shape 40-something year old who talks about masturbating. But somehow he seems to be able to reach people from all walks of life. Young and old. Male and female. I really appreciate that. Another comic is the late Patrice O’Neal who would tackle very sensitive topics in a pretty offensive way. He spoke with such honesty and bravery though. People wouldn’t even have time to be offended. They’d be too busy laughing.

What’s your favorite Penn tradition? Fling. Without a doubt it’s Fling. I remember as a freshman I went to the quad and got chicken tenders with a few friends. Those chicken tenders changed my life. We go back for them every year.