Vic Alejandro performs at Comedy Works South in March.
Aurora’s cozy Fox Theatre is better known as a venue for drama (the stage kind, not the soap operatic kind), but this weekend promoter Robert Michael Sanders is bringing stand-up comedy there — part of an attempt to diversify the venue’s cultural offerings. If all goes well, expect more comedy and live music to follow.
But first things first: Denver comic Vic Alejandro will tape his new DVD at the Fox on Saturday, Oct. 24, and if his name sounds familiar, there’s a reason. Besides appearing in the book “The Complete Idiots Guide to Jokes,” alongside Jay Leno, Patton Oswalt and others, Alejandro has popped up at international comedy festivals, won comedy face-offs (including at Denver’s prestigious Comedy Works) and appeared on TV (“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” various Animal Planet shows, etc.).
We chatted via e-mail with Alejandro in advance of his “A Punch to Da Throat” set, which kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday with openers Troy Walker and Elliot Woolsey.
The Fox is pretty far outside most well-known area comedy circles. Have you ever played any venues in Aurora before? Or the Fox itself?
Yeah, I’ve played a couple of local bars in Aurora. Actually met a cute girl at one of those gigs on Valentine’s Day years ago. She looked like Anne Heche and turned out to be almost as crazy. Drunk at an Avs game she leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek which was sweet. Then BIT my cheek. Not like a nibble, but left a bite mark. In her head it was affectionate. In mine it was assault.
No, I haven’t played the Aurora Fox and it is the first time ever doing stand-up there. This is their 25-year anniversary of doing theater in that venue, but first time doing stand-up. o it’s an honor to be the first chosen to perform in that capacity and hopefully the first of a long line. The building’s been open for like 630 years or something. OK, maybe like 50, but it’s a beautiful building and such a cool venue.
What do you think it takes to make a venue successful in terms of stand-up? And what are the best (and worst) venues you’ve played?
Oh geez, how much time you have? It takes a lot of hard work for success. It takes booking the right people (and dealing with their quirkiness in some cases). It takes a lot of marketing and advertising to ensure everyone knows so and so is coming to town. And it takes the great people of Denver to come out and have a great time, which they usually do. Denver has the best crowds in the country. And I’m not just kissing up. I’ve toured all over the country and our crowds here are easily the best on a consistent basis.
Best venue -– the two Comedy Works clubs here in town. They are most definitely in the top five clubs in the country. Ask any headliner that comes through town. Dave Attell and Kathleen Madigan recorded CDs here for a reason. It’s because of the aforementioned crowds, the layout of the clubs and the amount of work they put into it to be the best. I’m lucky to have gotten my start there. Again, I’m not kissing up — I’ve been to the armpit of the country (and armpit is a kind choice of bodily locations). I’ve been all over (performed in 40 states including Hawaii). Comedy Works reminds you why you do comedy. The people here just get it.
Worst — Probably a small town in Montana, I can’t even remember the name but it was about 200 yards from the Canadian border and took forever to get to by car. The gig was in a bar/bowling alley and we had the equivalent of a Mr. Microphone in a tiny dank bar with bowling pins smashing in the background (I tried to time the punch lines with the crashing of the pins but to no avail). It actually wasn’t that bad. The small crowd that was there laughed and appreciated the show. Though I suppose they would have appreciated a colonic since it would have given them something to do in that town.
I hear you’re taping the set and shopping it to Comedy Central. Or have they already picked it up? If not, will you self-release it?
Yeah, we’ve contacted them and they gave us the wait and see line. So we’ll be shopping it to them and HBO and anyone that’ll take it. I hear the Laundry Channel is really interested. In addition, we’ll create a DVD out of it that we’ll release for sale. So people will have the opportunity to get on that video. If you’re coming be sure you’re with someone you want to be seen with in case we get a crowd shot of you. It’s just a great opportunity at a great scenic venue and we can’t pass it up.
There’s been a lot of national news to come out of Denver lately, from sports teams to medical marijuana debates to the balloon boy. How much of your material is inspired by local events, or do you try to steer clear of that?
I don’t talk too much about those subjects YET. But I don’t steer clear of anything. People always ask what my act’s about and my response is, “Anything I damn want! Gosh!” Admittedly, “gosh” is not the exact word I would use there . I honestly don’t like to paint myself in a corner on subject matter. I like talking about everything. If I find something funny or want to talk about it — I write a bit about it. People say stupid things every day. I just happen to keep a pad with me and write it down and make fun of them. So my subject matter ranges from sports, to pets, to relationships, to the crazy sayings people come up with.
What’s on the horizon for you, project-wise or touring?
Well, this show and the subsequent DVD will get a lot of immediate attention for a little while. So I’ll be staying home working that stuff out and working at the two Comedy Works clubs here in town. You can check my weekly schedule at Comedy Works on my website. Then my management team (BB Talent Management) and I will work on getting the show aired and work on a touring schedule for next year.
As a Comedy Works regular, you get the opportunity to open for the country’s best touring comedians. Who haven’t you played with yet that you’d like to?
Oh that’s a tough one. I’ve been very lucky to either work with or at least meet almost all my idols (and I have many). Dave Chappelle, Greg Giraldo, Jake Johannsen, Brian Regan, Kathleen Madigan, Kevin Nealon, Bill Burr, Dom Irerra and Stephen Wright (you young people will have to look up the last two — you won’t be disappointed). And the list goes on. But to answer your question I would love to work with Stephen Lynch, Mitch Fatel and Mike Birbiglia. I actually turned down a road gig because Birbiglia was coming to town that week and I wanted to work with him. Then he canceled because he got a TV deal and had to be elsewhere. Damn!!!
But again, I’m EXTREMELY lucky and humbled to work at such a great club with such amazing performers. And I’m honored to be the first stand-up comedian to start a long line of stand-up comedy at the beautiful Aurora Fox Theatre. I hope people will come out to see this amazing venue. Oh, and me too.
For more information on the Saturday show, visit the Aurora Fox Theatre’s website.
John Wenzel is the editor of Get Real Denver, co-editor of the Reverb music blog and an arts and entertainment reporter for The Denver Post. His book “Mock Stars: Indie Comedy and the Dangerously Funny” was recently published by Speck Press. He also maintains a Twitter feed of random song titles.
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Congrats Vic. Good luck. Kill it.
Comment by Ben Roy — October 23, 2009 @ 9:58 pm
knock ‘em dead Vic and good luck.
Comment by Rick Roos — October 24, 2009 @ 2:30 am