As a former runway model, Valerie Jean Garduno was used to shedding her clothes between turns on the catwalk. Now she's shedding her inhibitions-and her act has never been funnier. Here, she talks to us about using her newest best asset, her brain.
Q: You were just 17 when you moved to Paris, modeling in the shows of some of the biggest fashion labels: Dior, Valentino, Calvin Klein. From there you traveled to Milan, New York and other glamorous fashion capitals. Comedy offers some decidedly less alluring venues. Do models and comedians have anything in common?
A: They both spend a lot of time alone, living out of suitcases and holding the attention of inebriated men.
Q: Does being attractive work for you or against you in the world of comedy?
A: Being attractive doesn't hurt. Maybe I get some attitude or sometimes I'm not taken seriously, but I always get a free drink!
Q: Getting up on stage to do stand-up for the first time is a sheer act of bravery. Lots of comedians cringe at that memory. What do you know now that you wish you could have told yourself then?
A: The first time I did stand-up I had an out of body experience; I didn't remember a thing. I wish I could have told myself to stay in my body a little bit longer.
Q: What are the best and worst aspects about doing stand-up?
A: The worst thing is the pain I feel when a joke bombs. The best thing by far is the kismet with the audience when you're on that ride together and the whole room is laughing. There's nothing like it!
Q: How do you come up with material?
A: Material is there everyday, you just have to make the effort to find it and present it in a funny way even though it comes from the places that hurt.
Q: Do you worry about revealing too much of yourself in your act?
A: I don't really worry about revealing too much. Sometimes I'll try a joke and feel so naked that I'll never try the joke again. But being able to express it at least once opens the doors to more possibilities.
Q: What do you do when the audience isn't going along for the ride? When a heckler is ruining your groove?
A: I've really only had one heckler who got to me. He shouted out a sexual reference within the first minute I got on the stage. Honestly, I somewhat froze. But when I got home, I wrote 10 different comebacks so now I'm ready with plenty of ammunition. Bring it on!
Q: How do you deal with creepy groupies?
A: Gently.
Q: What's the quickest way to build a fan base? How are you getting people out to see a performance?
A: I use Facebook to post fliers for shows and blast out shows I'll be performing at. It's the best tool in the world for comedians!
Q: Tell me a joke you've heard somewhere that you'd like to steal.
A: I saw a comedian do a very physical act out and he was so hilarious.
It was about a drunken girl downloading music. I thought to myself, I wish I wrote that, I would have had such a blast performing that bit!!! Why didn't I think of that!
Our favorite Valerie Jean Garduno joke: "Once, when I was on a photo shoot in Africa, a starving Ethiopian woman offered me a piece of bread. I was like, 'thank you, but I'm on a no carb diet.'"
Teresa Palagano of http://www.etalentshowcase.com/ is an award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience. She regularly writes about entertainment and lifestyle topics. eTalentShowcase is the place for Talent to get discovered.
No comments:
Post a Comment