The Things recently had the pleasure of chatting with a trio of stand-up comedians, Vicky Kuperman, Kyle Ocasio, and Joe DeVito. These three break-out comedy stars teamed up to record the newly released comedy album, Three's Comedy which is available now on iTunes or Amazon. We took this opportunity to get some of our questions answered by these hilarious artists individually.
For over a decade, Vicky Kuperman has performed her stand-up routine all over the country, earning herself a legion of loyal fans. The Russian-born comedian was named one of the "new comedians to watch" by Huffington Post.
Kuperman's appearance on the Maxim Comedy Showcase has the most views of any episode in the series. She has also appeared on NickMomTV and is a regular panelist on John Fugelsang’s Tell Me Everything.
Her earlier comedy albums When I Could Feel and All Good! are played often on Sirius XM. The recently-released Three's Comedy seems to be on its way to a similar, if not larger, scale of success.
Please enjoy our interview with this very entertaining comedienne!
TheThings: How did the three of you meet and decide to team up for your 2018 comedy album Three’s Comedy?
Vicky Kuperman: We've known each other for over a decade but never thought to collaborate on something like an album until Kyle thought of the idea. She called each of us (me and Joe) separately and said "let's each take a new 20 minutes and do an album together." It was brilliant! We all talk about different things and experiences and have different styles. Plus - doing 20 minutes is a lot less daunting than another full hour, which all of us had already done.
TH: The name Three’s Comedy is very clever. How did you decide on that name?
VK: We needed something clean, fun and evergreen. I think Joe ultimately thought of it. I can't quite remember it's origin. Since it was two girls and a guy, and we're all nostalgists at heart, we loved doing a spin on an 80's classic.
TH: Do you each relate to a particular character from Three’s Company: Jack, Janet and Chrissy and in what way?
VK: Ha. Yeah, I probably relate to Jack and Mr. Roper. I'm immature and always feel like I'm saying the wrong thing but I also get annoyed when my neighbors are too loud.
TH: Can you tell us how your comedic styles are similar and different from one another?
VK: Well, we're all funny. So that's the similarity. :) We're also all edgy - but we toned it down for this album as it was supposed to be a very G/PG clean album. Our styles are pretty different..but I'm not the right person to describe them. I just know what I like to laugh at and what I like to write. So I differ to others when it comes to labels.
TH: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a comedian?
VK: Probably in 5th grade when I ordered cheese "101 jokes about..." books from Scholastic and I would torment all the kids in my class by reading them all out loud one after the other. Then I saw Louie Anderson and Wendy Liebman on TV and realized you could actually DO that!
TH: Can you tell us a little bit about your first time on stage?
VK: It was awful. It was on July 3rd, I remember that. The city was empty (thank god) and it was at a place called Maui Mic near the Empire State Building, in the basement of Maui Taco. A guy who looked like a flasher brought me on stage and there were three English tourists in the audience. They didn't even look up from their burritos. I blanked on all my material and then said "What else...what else do I have...besides Chlamydia. Chlamydia. Great word. Rolls of your tongue. That's how I got it." I ended up using that joke in my act for six months. Yikes.
TH: What advice would you have for some of our readers who might be aspiring comedians but have reservations about speaking in public/rejection, etc?
VK: It gets better once you get up there. Anticipation is the worst part of stage fright.
TH: Where do you draw inspiration for your acts?
VK: There isn't rhyme or reason to it. I just catch things that go by me - ideas float by me all the time and I take the ones I like and run with them. But if I look back on it, my first album was very auto-biographical, about my Russian family, growing up in Boston, travel. My second was more loose, a bit about politics (it was recorded 10 days after the 2016 Presidential Election), pop culture, my dog. This third work was about the troop tour I did earlier this year, a lot of stuff about cats vs. dogs, the environment, and a little bit about being an NYC woman on the verge of 40. So the through-line to my stand-up seems to be things that are on my mind or things that interest me.
TH: Can you briefly walk us through the process of preparing for a performance (writing, rehearsal, booking, etc.)?
VK: I do most of my writing on stage, with the exception of a few longer bits that I write out beforehand. So it's all about stage time stage time stage time when I'm rehearsing for something. If I'm doing a road gig where I know I'm doing older stuff, I still try to get stage time in the city to dust it off, see if I can enhance it to make it match my current POV.
TH: Do you have any funny or interesting rituals for good luck that you perform before going on stage?
VK: I used to where the same pearl necklace on every show but then I lost it and said: "f*ck it!" Remembering my act is enough work!
TH: Do you each have a favorite bit from Three’s Comedy and if so, what makes it your favorite?
VK: I love Kyle's bit about being a clueless American overseas and Joe's bit about stepping into an empty subway car. I laugh out loud every time.
TH: Besides your comedy album Three’s Comedy which can be found across all audio distribution platforms, can you tell us about any new upcoming projects you are working on or where you’ll be performing at next?
VK: I'll be performing at Bear Mountain Inn on August 18th with "Women of a Certain Age" and right now I'm starting to focus on what I'm going to record next! I have an exciting idea for the 4th go-around but I can't share the details yet. Also, my political-humor book How to Spy on Your Neighbor is on Amazon. You can also order it at your local bookstore.
TH: Finally, can you tell our readers what your favorite book is or the book you’ve most recently enjoyed?
VK: One of my favorite books is The Goldfinch. I hear the movie's coming out next year!! I also loved the book Beautiful Ruins.
It was so great getting to know you, Vicky!
You can visit Vicky Kuperman's site for more info on this chucklesome gal and don't forget to check out the group's side-splitting album on Audible, iTunes, or Amazon. It's out right now!