As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Logan Guntzelman. The Los Angeles, California native shares some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how she’s always owned the laughs.
Name: Logan Guntzelman
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA (San Fernando Valley)
Instagram/Twitter/Tik-Tok: @placesitookashitthisyear @adirtyguntz @placesitookashitagain (I have been advised repeatedly that it would be easier to build a following on social media if I made all of my handles the same thing, and I have repeatedly ignored this advice)
Years in Comedy: 8 if you count the lost year and a half of 2020-most of 2021, but technically it feels like 7.5 years.
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: Comedy Central & Don’t Tell Comedy
Comedic Influences: Nate Bargatze, Brian Simpson, Morgan Murphy, & Beth Stelling
Favorite Comedy Album: This may make me look like a little bit of a stalker freak, but anything by Nate Bargatze
Favorite Comedy Special: Katt Williams “The Pimp Chronicles Part 1” (no, I’m not kidding)
Favorite Comedy Movie: Any movie that Leslie Nielsen has been in, but mainly the movie Airplane.
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Embarrassed with my basic bitch-ass choice, but The Office. An honorable mention is Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Favorite Comedic Character: For a while, the comedian Fahim Anwar was doing this character that I was a big fan of named Lance Cantstopolis.
Favorite City to Perform In: A tie between LA and Cincinnati, OH
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Everything except politics.
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: One that is drunk, but not too drunk.
Favorite Comedy Club: The Comedy Store in L.A.
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I wish I had a story about a mind-blowing epiphany I had in my youth, but I was trying a bunch of stuff after college (writing, improv, teaching group fitness classes, trampoline aerobics, etc.) and I tried doing a standup open mic. I liked it enough that I decided to do it again the next day, and then again the next day, and suddenly that turned into roughly 8 years of standup comedy.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
I was the last comic to go up at an almost deserted open mic. It was at Flappers in Burbank. Roughly 40% of the jokes I tried worked okay for the three people in the room, and that was enough motivation to keep working on those jokes. Also, it was the day after my 23rd birthday, and I spent most of my set talking about my birthday party the night before (it was a semi-formal event at Sizzler, where everyone dressed up and then ate trash food).
How would you describe your comedic style:
Deadpan, dirty, but not gross.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
Scribbling a bunch of half thought out premises in my notebook while waiting to do a set, revising those scribbles afterward depending on how the material went, repeating this process ad infinitum. (I am not entirely sure I am using the phrase “ad infinitum” correctly).
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
A lot of people like to dump on LA because people only move here to “be famous,” but I have no other frame of reference because I started standup here. I really like the people involved, and I like that it is such a large community that there are many “scenes” within the LA “scene” (can you tell I have never really used the word “scene” to describe comedy?). There are opportunities to perform for club comedy audiences, alt-comedy audiences, and audiences that feel like the crowds you see when you’re out on the road. And yes, there are some annoying people who are just trying to get famous, but you get to know the people that truly love standup because you spend years together doing the same open mics and shows.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
All the comics who went outside to socialize (aka talk trash and smoke cigarettes), they decide to come back in the room during your set because they want to watch you perform. Also, you know, getting to make a living doing standup. I would count that as success.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
Paige Weldon, Rachel Mac, Dave Waite, Bruce Gray, Katrina Davis, Kelly Ryan, Felicia Folkes, Amy Miller, Simon Gibson, Chris Estrada, Shapel Lacey, Michael Longfellow, Rick Ingraham, Liza Treyger, Jono Zalay, Brad Silnutzer, Ron Taylor, Jenny Zigrino, Grant Lyon, Andy Peters, Amy Silverberg, Irene Tu, Chris Gorbos… I could really go on for days (Laughs)
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Man, there are a lot of things, but it would be a tie between the first time I did a long set (25+ minutes) and when I got to do Just For Laughs in Montreal. The former was a small show at a local college, but it was early in my standup “career” and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fill 25 minutes, so I was very excited to discover that I could and that I enjoyed it. The latter was in front of 600 people, so I was nervous because, y’know, that is a lot of people. But it ended up being really fun.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
Nothing in life is in our control and it is foolish to think otherwise. Less important, I learned that when I am bombing and the room is painfully silent, for some reason I start laughing?
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
Well, hopefully, their reaction is laughter. But sometimes they want to know what horrific childhood experience molded my sense of humor, and then get disappointed when I do not have an answer.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
Thrilling, frustrating, and sometimes boring. I did not think I would have multiple spreadsheets for booking shows, but here we are.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
If people are going to a show to celebrate a birthday or a bachelorette party, they have to sit in the back.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
If you’re not in a major city with a sizeable Jewish population, don’t do any of your jokes about being Jewish.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
“I Wasn’t Prepared for This” (a comedy special).
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
I was eating dinner with my dad and sister at a Cheesecake Factory in Canoga Park, and I saw Mark Summers sitting at a nearby table. I freaked out and asked Mark to autograph the bill from our dinner. He asked me if I was a fan of the show Double Dare on Nickelodeon, which would’ve made sense, but I told him the truth: I was a diehard fan of Unwrapped, the show he hosted on the Food Network.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
Any combination comedy and burlesque show. I also performed at a bar and brewery that was located in an abandoned middle school.
A Logan Guntzelman Fun Fact:
Billy Zane and I share a birthday.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I would love to be doing standup as my full-time job, and I would also like the respect of my peers.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Go to an open mic and stop DMing comedians to ask if a joke you wrote is funny.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I keep thinking people are going to stop caring about watching standup, but people keep going to shows, and that makes me hopeful.
If you could write one episode for one classic TV sitcom which show would it be and give a brief detailed sentence on the episode:
A crossover episode of Always Sunny and Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David gets stranded in Philly and ends up hanging out at Paddy’s Pub.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
Oooh this is tough. Um, The Comedy Store with Tim Dillon, Chris Rock, and Kevin Hart– I’m gonna be honest, this is just a lineup from a show I saw at The Comedy Store recently and it was a really great show.
What’s next for you:
Editing a bunch of dumb videos, honestly.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Because the only other options are soul-crushing!
Watch Logan Guntzelman on Don’t Tell Comedy:
Follow Logan Guntzelman’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @placesitookashitthisyear @adirtyguntz @placesitookashitagain
