As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Cole Klayman. The Los Angeles, CA native shares some of his favorite moments in stand-up comedy and explains how he always owns the laughs.
Name: Cole Klayman
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @coleklayman
Years in Comedy: 1
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: Instagram?
Comedic Influences: Louis CK, Katt Williams, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Greg Giraldo, Adam Ray, Russell Peters, Sebastian Maniscalco, Shane Gillis, Godfrey, & Aries Spears
Favorite Comedy Special: Katt Williams “The Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Wedding Crashers
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Key & Peele
Favorite Comedic Character: Frank Drebin (Naked Gun)
Favorite City to Perform In: I’ve only performed in Los Angeles, so I guess LA.
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Race and Religion
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: A mix of different ages and ethnicities
Favorite Comedy Club: The Laugh Factory
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I was always kind of a goofball, but near the end of my collegiate football career, I really leaned into making videos and writing comedy sketches.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
Being incredibly nervous, but really for no reason. Open mics aren’t nearly as scary as I thought they’d be.
How would you describe your comedic style:
A combination of thoughtful, edgy, and goofy. I try to take complex topics, often from history, and distill them in a way that simplifies it and conveys the funny as best as I can. I try my best to toe the line while also trying to make people comfortable, which is easier said than done, but if the joke is strong enough, usually audiences will give you the benefit of the doubt. Plus, the overwhelming majority of comics who talk about controversial issues are not trying to offend anyone, they really just want to make people laugh.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
I try to write every day. Usually, I will talk directly into my phone camera first, because from my understanding the way your brain speaks and the way it writes are completely different. So, I’ll often rant about a topic first before I transcribe it on paper. It keeps it more conversational and less robotic.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
I think it’s a combination of positives and negatives doing stand-up in Los Angeles. From what I understand, LA is one of the more difficult places to begin a career in comedy. The sheer number of comics and the lack of true show opportunities comparatively speaking makes it a little more difficult to get the 10,000 hours in. However, being around so many really funny and industrious people enables you to not only learn at a faster rate, but collaborate with other people who are on the same journey as you are.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
It really depends. For me, I’d love to make a career out of it. It’s what I spend most of my time doing and it’s really the only thing I think about, so it makes sense. But I think for a lot of people, stand-up is a creative outlet that allows them to get direct feedback from an audience for the weird and intrusive thoughts and ideas they have. That’s amazing in it’s own way. So, in that sense, even if you have a career and income outside of comedy, getting on stage and getting laughs consistently could be considered a huge success. It’s all relative.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
There are so many really talented comics that I love watching. The cool thing about comedians too is that 99% of the time, they’re really down to earth people, which makes being around them easy. The ones who come to mind for me that comedy fans should be watching out for are Dante Gonzalez-Abreu, Nick Durvasula, Adam Fynke, Daegen Asfaha, Kyle Naughton, Darrell Goss, Max Kestenbaum, Ally Noel, Matthew Marx, Dwight Pryde, Griffin James, Gloria Alexander and hundreds more. Seriously, there are so many fantastic comedians out here.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Getting on stage at places like the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Hollywood Improv for legitimate shows is a very cool experience. Being a fan of comedy for so long, you watch your heroes perform on stage at these venues and that scared little kid part of your brain goes, “Man, I’m not sure I could ever do that.” But then you get on stage, and you realize it truly is just like any other show. It’s just a stage, and it’s just people. But performing at places like that does give you a ton of confidence, and it feeds that overconfident adult part of your brain that goes, “Damn, I really am the shit!”
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
That they’re necessary. No one wants to bomb, but those moments are often the most valuable ones because they give you the most to learn from. Especially with the availability of video recordings of your sets now, you can usually watch your performances and critique them after the fact, which is critical to progressing in comedy. As a former athlete, it really is the exact same as film study. It’s just a part of the game.
How do people react toward you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
I’m very lucky that I have as supportive of a family and friend group as I do. They have always pushed me in the direction of comedy and have given me a ton of support while doing it. Stand-up can be a scary thing to do at first, but when people that you trust give you the confidence that you have what it takes, it definitely helps.
Describe building a career in stand-up comedy:
I wish I knew the answer to this! TELL ME!!! In all seriousness, I think being kind to people and doing the work is the best way to build a career. Comedy truly is an infinite game, meaning the success of one can multiply the success of others, so it creates a far more collaborative environment compared to something like acting, where we’d all be competing for the same part. Comedy doesn’t work that way anymore, which is fantastic for building friendships and collaborating. I will say though, thankfully I was able to understand the value of social media for building an audience pretty early on, which has helped a lot. It may be annoying at times, but there’s no arena or stadium in the world that fits millions of people in it at the same time. Not one. The internet does, and it’s something every comedian should be leveraging in my opinion. It would be foolish not to.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
Well, we’re in a bit of a comedy boom right now it seems, and with that, you tend to get a little more of a supply of comedy than what the audience truly wants. Stand-up in particularly is less of a passive medium than most other forms of entertainment, so audiences can be prone to getting burned out on it. I think the market will correct itself though, and while that may mean less opportunities overall, I think the quality will improve.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
Willie Barcena (one of the funniest comedians there is) was my baseball coach growing up, and when I told him I wanted to pursue a career in stand-up comedy, he sat down with me and gave me some of the best advice I could have received not only for writing and performing stand-up, but for life in general. He told me that every single person on earth is vulnerable, scared, and embarrassed, and as the comedian, it’s your job to own those dark parts of yourself and lay them bare for everyone to see. Anyone can write jokes, but can you truly be yourself on stage, no matter how ugly it is? That is what separates the good from the great. So much of his act are personal anecdotes from his childhood and life, where he owns up to his own shortcomings. That has been something I’ve tried to implement.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
No idea, honestly. “Cole-lateral Damage???”
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
My buddies and I met Shane Gillis when we were at a club in Vegas for the Super Bowl week. We were lucky enough to be at someone’s table, so we see Shane, we go up to him, mind you, he’s clearly had himself a fun night up until this point, and we go, “Shane! What’s up, Man!? You want to come up to our table?” And he turns to us and goes, “Dude, I have friends. No.” We all cracked up. What a perfect answer. He ended up taking a shot with us (one I promise you he DID NOT need) and doing SNL a week later. Great memory.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
Zoom. That’s a bizarre one. Pray we don’t have another pandemic.
A Cole Klayman Fun Fact:
I’m colorblind and I played quarterback in college. It made finding open receivers a little more difficult, let’s just say that.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I love comic acting and writing, so ultimately, I would love to be able to make a living doing both stand-up and acting. That would be the dream.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Learn how to bomb. There’s a way to have fun up there regardless of your performance, and the audience can feel that. There’s a way to turn almost any situation into a positive one onstage.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I think the audience for it is growing. Which is great. The world is becoming increasingly darker and more complicated, so the ability to escape through the form of comedy is something I think people really desire.
If you could write an episode for ONE classic TV sitcom, which show would it be:
I actually wrote a spec script for Curb Your Enthusiasm that I personally really like. I know the show is over now and written in outline format to enable the cast to improvise on set, but it was still a blast getting the chance to write in the voice of some of my favorite characters.
If you could choose ONE comedy club and THREE comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
This is a hilarious question because my comedy idols are so much better than me, I’d surely welcome the bomb of a lifetime. However, I’d want to do The Laugh Factory with Louis, Katt, and Dice. I’m sorry, but I’ve never laughed harder than at the old Dice footage. So ridiculous and unbelievable. He’s an all-time great comedic persona.
What’s next for you:
I’ll being doing the La Jolla Comedy Store Wednesday, May 15th. I also tend to do shows weekly in the LA area, so I’ll post those when the come in.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Because it’s the only thing that gives us our power back. We all die in the end, so the ability to laugh at the absurdity of it all makes life a lot more fun, and frees us up to be ourselves and own the weird and uncomfortable aspects of who we are.
Follow Cole Klayman comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Cole Klayman
Youtube: Cole Klayman
