The Quick and the Ted
Interview by Paul Oswell
Ted Alexandro has been a comedian for twenty years and has performed on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, The View and has two half-hour specials on Comedy Central. He opened for Louis C.K. at Carnegie Hall and has performed in Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Jakarta, England, Holland, Israel, South Africa and Qatar. Time Out NY called Ted “One of the funniest comedians working today.” He recently co-created the award-winning comedy webseries “Teachers Lounge”.
Shandy Pockets recently saw Ted do a killer show in New Orleans, and wanted to ask him about life as a successful, traveling comedian. The rest is...right here.
Shandy Pockets: How much time do you spend on the road these days and has that amount changed much over the years?
Ted Alexandro: I'm on the road maybe 20-30 percent of the time. I like being home in NY, where fortunately the comedy scene is one of the best in the world. Earlier on in my career that number was probably closer to 40 percent but after 20 plus years of doing the road, I've cut back. Now, I try to keep it to cities I want to travel to, clubs I have a good relationship with or venues that other comics have recommended.
How does the road comic experience change as you become more successful? I imagine you start out on friends' couches and in terrible hotels....does it get much better?
When I started doing the road it was all pretty new and bordering on romantic. Although I'd grown up in NY, I was a Queens kid and pretty sheltered. So comedy really afforded me my first opportunity to see the country and later, the world. But yeah, you start out with crappy hotels or the dreaded "comedy condo" that the club owns in order to save itself money on hotels. They put up the headliner and feature act at the condo, so you are rooming with a stranger you've just met. It's intriguing at first, then tolerable then it reaches a point where if there's a condo involved, you just say "no" to the gig.
Are there any original jokes left to be made about hotel life or have we reached peak hotel humour? Insert personal worst hotel experience if appropriate.
There was one in Milwaukee that was literally next to a crackhouse. That stands out. You really wondered whether you would get shot on the walk home from the club. A lot of them in the early going were just really bad and grimy. But when you're first headlining, you can't believe you're being paid to do comedy and travel around the country so your tolerance level is much higher.
What about air travel comedy? Is that done? What IS the deal with airline peanuts? Did anyone ever nail that down?
Yeah, comedians travel a lot so the airline stuff can't be helped. Seinfeld became the caricature of the 80's comic saying "What's the deal with the peanuts?" But I think everything is fertile terrain. Just because a lot of comics have talked about something shouldn't preclude you from delving in if something strikes you as funny.
What's the most annoying thing someone sitting next to you on a plane can do?
Ask what you do for a living. I lie most of the time. Because once you get into that conversation, you can predict some form of the next 5-10 questions. Sometimes you're not in the mood to prove you're a working comedian. Or to answer whether you know so and so.
Bill Hicks always talked about his 'flying saucer' tours - appearing in front of rural yokels and doubting his own existence, etc. What are some of the weirdest towns/pockets of America (or the world) that you've experienced as a comic?
Florida is always kind of weird. I still haven't figured out exactly what the hell is going on down there. I don't think most residents have, either. But sometimes stereotypes can be unfair. I just performed in Meridian, Mississippi and the crowd there could not have been more receptive or attentive. So I've learned not to go in with preconceptions.
Do you have anything unusual that you always pack? I mean, like, sachets of your favourite hot sauce, or photos of your cat or a houseplant you can't sleep without?
No, I'm a minimalist when packing now. I take the clothes and toiletries I'll need and not much else. Other than that, I figure I can buy whatever I need on the road. It took me a long time to figure that out.
What's your experience of international travel? (as a comic or as a civilian) Any countries you love/hate? 'Why', is the obvious follow-up to that.
In the past five years or so, I've done a ton of international travel. Hong Kong, Seoul, Jordan, Jakarta, Bali, Australia, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, the U.K. Again, it's really life experience as much as the comedy aspects of it. I never dreamed I'd visit all these places, much less perform there, so I try to take advantage and see the sights. I loved Singapore. The people were very welcoming and enthusiastic hosts. But that's really true of basically every place I mentioned. I go with the attitude that I want to learn.
Is there anywhere you want to go that you haven't been to yet?
Maybe Hawaii. Russia would be interesting, I suppose. Not sure what the comedy scene is like there.
We met in New Orleans recently - had you been to New Orleans before?
Yes, I actually got arrested in New Orleans about 15 years ago on a Mardi Gras trip. My friend and I made a vow to drop our pants on Bourbon Street, which we did. No sooner were my pants down than a police officer grabbed me and handcuffed me. My friend not only got away but took pictures. It was messed up but I got about ten minutes of material out of it.
Find out more about Ted Alexandro at his WEBSITE
His award-winning web series, Teacher's Lounge, can be found online HERE.
Shandy Pockets recently saw Ted do a killer show in New Orleans, and wanted to ask him about life as a successful, traveling comedian. The rest is...right here.
Shandy Pockets: How much time do you spend on the road these days and has that amount changed much over the years?
Ted Alexandro: I'm on the road maybe 20-30 percent of the time. I like being home in NY, where fortunately the comedy scene is one of the best in the world. Earlier on in my career that number was probably closer to 40 percent but after 20 plus years of doing the road, I've cut back. Now, I try to keep it to cities I want to travel to, clubs I have a good relationship with or venues that other comics have recommended.
How does the road comic experience change as you become more successful? I imagine you start out on friends' couches and in terrible hotels....does it get much better?
When I started doing the road it was all pretty new and bordering on romantic. Although I'd grown up in NY, I was a Queens kid and pretty sheltered. So comedy really afforded me my first opportunity to see the country and later, the world. But yeah, you start out with crappy hotels or the dreaded "comedy condo" that the club owns in order to save itself money on hotels. They put up the headliner and feature act at the condo, so you are rooming with a stranger you've just met. It's intriguing at first, then tolerable then it reaches a point where if there's a condo involved, you just say "no" to the gig.
Are there any original jokes left to be made about hotel life or have we reached peak hotel humour? Insert personal worst hotel experience if appropriate.
There was one in Milwaukee that was literally next to a crackhouse. That stands out. You really wondered whether you would get shot on the walk home from the club. A lot of them in the early going were just really bad and grimy. But when you're first headlining, you can't believe you're being paid to do comedy and travel around the country so your tolerance level is much higher.
What about air travel comedy? Is that done? What IS the deal with airline peanuts? Did anyone ever nail that down?
Yeah, comedians travel a lot so the airline stuff can't be helped. Seinfeld became the caricature of the 80's comic saying "What's the deal with the peanuts?" But I think everything is fertile terrain. Just because a lot of comics have talked about something shouldn't preclude you from delving in if something strikes you as funny.
What's the most annoying thing someone sitting next to you on a plane can do?
Ask what you do for a living. I lie most of the time. Because once you get into that conversation, you can predict some form of the next 5-10 questions. Sometimes you're not in the mood to prove you're a working comedian. Or to answer whether you know so and so.
Bill Hicks always talked about his 'flying saucer' tours - appearing in front of rural yokels and doubting his own existence, etc. What are some of the weirdest towns/pockets of America (or the world) that you've experienced as a comic?
Florida is always kind of weird. I still haven't figured out exactly what the hell is going on down there. I don't think most residents have, either. But sometimes stereotypes can be unfair. I just performed in Meridian, Mississippi and the crowd there could not have been more receptive or attentive. So I've learned not to go in with preconceptions.
Do you have anything unusual that you always pack? I mean, like, sachets of your favourite hot sauce, or photos of your cat or a houseplant you can't sleep without?
No, I'm a minimalist when packing now. I take the clothes and toiletries I'll need and not much else. Other than that, I figure I can buy whatever I need on the road. It took me a long time to figure that out.
What's your experience of international travel? (as a comic or as a civilian) Any countries you love/hate? 'Why', is the obvious follow-up to that.
In the past five years or so, I've done a ton of international travel. Hong Kong, Seoul, Jordan, Jakarta, Bali, Australia, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, the U.K. Again, it's really life experience as much as the comedy aspects of it. I never dreamed I'd visit all these places, much less perform there, so I try to take advantage and see the sights. I loved Singapore. The people were very welcoming and enthusiastic hosts. But that's really true of basically every place I mentioned. I go with the attitude that I want to learn.
Is there anywhere you want to go that you haven't been to yet?
Maybe Hawaii. Russia would be interesting, I suppose. Not sure what the comedy scene is like there.
We met in New Orleans recently - had you been to New Orleans before?
Yes, I actually got arrested in New Orleans about 15 years ago on a Mardi Gras trip. My friend and I made a vow to drop our pants on Bourbon Street, which we did. No sooner were my pants down than a police officer grabbed me and handcuffed me. My friend not only got away but took pictures. It was messed up but I got about ten minutes of material out of it.
Find out more about Ted Alexandro at his WEBSITE
His award-winning web series, Teacher's Lounge, can be found online HERE.