Comedian
1. My most unexpected moment in entertainment... I was coming out of the curtain in the middle of a bit showing the different way cool guys/dorks enter a nightclub. The visual payoff for the dork was an open fly as if I forgot to zip up… Three old ladies were in the front row and started to giggle and point, then gasped. Unknown to me, I had re-entered the stage with my fly unzipped (as planned) totally exposing myself though the fly of my boxers! (unplanned) Needless to say, the bit came to an abrupt halt and the laughter ceased… I did get three phone numbers that night though!
2. Someone once dared me... to drink and entire 12 oz. glass of concentrate lemon juice for $20. I was allowed ice to make it easier! I took a breath, held my nose and chugged it. I almost immediately barfed. I did get the money from that evil person… who was, in fact, my mother! True story!
3. Where and what joke do you recall having the most laughs and what joke unexpectedly fell flat? Most comics would agree that the best “laugh moments” are when you have something ready in the chamber and someone yells out from the crowd a phrase that leads you right into it. You feel like a rock star as the wave of laughter hits you. Most everyone will come up afterwards and say, “Was that planned?” or “Did you set that up?”
On the other hand, my show is made up entirely of characters and small sketches. I once had a crazy idea that a little boy playing in the bathtub would be hilarious. I spent weeks building a giant façade of a bathtub complete with a bubble machine for added hilarity. I pulled the giant cardboard basin onstage, ducked behind it and removed my shirt for added realism. I popped up and got a great visual laugh,.. then I realized that I had forgotten the most important piece of the sketch… to write funny material! The jokes fell flat and the bit immediately crashed and burned. I stood up and slowly put my shirt back on and pushed the monstrosity off stage in the deafening silence. The only laugh I got from the crowd was during the next comedian’s routine. He told a story that fell flat and received a few jeers. He stated, “Hey, at least I’m not up here in a cardboard bathtub!”
4. My best kiss happened... in college. I was dating a girl and we were at her apartment. She was making lunch and I was sitting on the couch watching football. She walked away from the kitchen over to me and kissed the back of my neck and went back into the kitchen. I don’t know if it was the fact that it was spontaneous or the fact that I didn’t initiate it but WOW! it was nice. However, I always feel that the second kiss of a new relationship is the best. The pressure of rejection is gone and it’s only filled with excitement.
5. Something most people don’t know about me.... I wanted to be a football player with all my heart in high school. The only problem was, I was 4”11 and weighed 95 lbs. I did get in a game once and ran my pass routes like I was Heath Ocho-Cinco! As it turned out, the coach said maybe I should wait until I grew. I reluctantly walked off the field and decided to become the high school mascot. The rest is comedy history.
6. What do you find the easiest to ridicule--politics, religion, pop culture or everyday life? Do you have a favorite to knock, and any you topics you steer clear of? I have stayed clear of most topical material. I vowed years ago to create a show that had no timeline reference to anchor it. Therefore, I’ve never had to worry about writing a John Bobbit or George Bush joke. I love to knock everyday humanity. When I meet new people, I always study them to see if there is anything I can steal like a speech pattern, facial tick, or interesting posture. I try and combine those traits into a new character or improve an old one. I like the fact that we are all different but can laugh at the little things that make us all alike.
7. What five things would you want if left stranded on an island for 30 days? My iPhone, my iPhone charger, a boat, a map of how to get off the island, and toilet paper.
Check out Heath at www.heathhyche.com for more hilarity and upcoming dates so you can laugh out loud. He even has video clips of many of his characters.
And become a fan at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Heath-Hyche-Show/174089632996