Stand-up comedy spotlight: Brendan Jones
|
Published by Sareth Ney on July 24, 2017 at 1:36 a.m.
Updated on July 24, 2017 at 10:36 a.m. |
|
Photo credit: Steven Crawford
|
Photo: Dr. Rick Roberts
|
Sareth Ney: What inspired you to perform stand-up comedy?
Brendan Jones: I had always wanted to do comedy. I was always funny as a kid but I realized my comedy came from a place of necessity of easing tension in my family. I never realized that until later. I had performed once 15 years ago but it was a series of events that happened to me in 10 days that gave me the drive to do it. So in 10 days these events happened to me:
1 - I broke up with my GF of 12 years.
2 - I lost my apartment and 90% of my possessions.
3 - I lost an uncle (my father's brother) who was failing with cancer.
4 - I broke my leg wrestling at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gym, in an attempt to lose weight. I was over 270 lbs.
5 - I needed surgery to repair the severe ankle trauma and fractured tibia.
6 - A few months later, I lost my accounting job.
SN: What was the feeling like, when you first performed stand-up comedy?
BJ: Well the first time I performed stand-up comedy—I was taking lessons from a semi-legend, Pete DeLorenzo. I met him at a comedy night in New Jersey. I paid him $50.00 to teach me about stand-up comedy but he tended to talk more himself than teach about comedy. He threw me up on stage. I had always been a decent public figure but without written material. I really fell on my face.
SN: What are your favorite comedy specials and record albums?
BJ: I had HBO, growing up as a kid. I watched all the HBO young comedian specials and George Carlin specials. I bought a book on Lenny Bruce. I don't know what happened to that book.
SN: Which are your favorite sketch shows?
BJ: “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) back in the 1970s and 1990s. I like “MADtv” and “In Living Color”.
SN: If you could go on tour with any comedian, which one would you choose?
BJ: Probably Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr and/or Teddy Smith
SN: If you could get roasted by five comedians (past or present), which ones would you choose?
BJ: Don Rickles , Lisa Lampanelli, Bill Burr, Chris Roach and Rick Roberts (not famous but good friend)
SN: Which other forms of comedy would you like to venture off into?
BJ: Film and acting. I am a GREAT ACTOR. I have been acting as an accountant for 15 years, without a college degree.
SN: What experience would you like for your audience to take with them, after a set is over?
BJ: Well, mostly I have a shock value comedy and I am very vulnerable. I leave them pretty shocked. I want them to have thought differently and felt good.
SN: Where do you see your comedy career, in the next five years?
BJ: I see myself in film, acting, producing comedy shows or writing movies. Comedy has a dark side to it. In the darkness, you can fight the lightness and levity.
SN: Where can the readers find you online and on social media?
BJ: Joneseycomedy on Instagram and I had a blog called “Phunny Philosophy” that got shut down by blog.com. I lost 66 of my blog entries, over 8 years.
Editor's note: This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Brendan Jones: I had always wanted to do comedy. I was always funny as a kid but I realized my comedy came from a place of necessity of easing tension in my family. I never realized that until later. I had performed once 15 years ago but it was a series of events that happened to me in 10 days that gave me the drive to do it. So in 10 days these events happened to me:
1 - I broke up with my GF of 12 years.
2 - I lost my apartment and 90% of my possessions.
3 - I lost an uncle (my father's brother) who was failing with cancer.
4 - I broke my leg wrestling at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gym, in an attempt to lose weight. I was over 270 lbs.
5 - I needed surgery to repair the severe ankle trauma and fractured tibia.
6 - A few months later, I lost my accounting job.
SN: What was the feeling like, when you first performed stand-up comedy?
BJ: Well the first time I performed stand-up comedy—I was taking lessons from a semi-legend, Pete DeLorenzo. I met him at a comedy night in New Jersey. I paid him $50.00 to teach me about stand-up comedy but he tended to talk more himself than teach about comedy. He threw me up on stage. I had always been a decent public figure but without written material. I really fell on my face.
SN: What are your favorite comedy specials and record albums?
BJ: I had HBO, growing up as a kid. I watched all the HBO young comedian specials and George Carlin specials. I bought a book on Lenny Bruce. I don't know what happened to that book.
SN: Which are your favorite sketch shows?
BJ: “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) back in the 1970s and 1990s. I like “MADtv” and “In Living Color”.
SN: If you could go on tour with any comedian, which one would you choose?
BJ: Probably Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr and/or Teddy Smith
SN: If you could get roasted by five comedians (past or present), which ones would you choose?
BJ: Don Rickles , Lisa Lampanelli, Bill Burr, Chris Roach and Rick Roberts (not famous but good friend)
SN: Which other forms of comedy would you like to venture off into?
BJ: Film and acting. I am a GREAT ACTOR. I have been acting as an accountant for 15 years, without a college degree.
SN: What experience would you like for your audience to take with them, after a set is over?
BJ: Well, mostly I have a shock value comedy and I am very vulnerable. I leave them pretty shocked. I want them to have thought differently and felt good.
SN: Where do you see your comedy career, in the next five years?
BJ: I see myself in film, acting, producing comedy shows or writing movies. Comedy has a dark side to it. In the darkness, you can fight the lightness and levity.
SN: Where can the readers find you online and on social media?
BJ: Joneseycomedy on Instagram and I had a blog called “Phunny Philosophy” that got shut down by blog.com. I lost 66 of my blog entries, over 8 years.
Editor's note: This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
|
|
|
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sareth Ney is the journalist for A Quarter and Dream Pictures. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and Center for New Media from Colorado State University-Pueblo. He is a former apprentice to master of horror, Clive Barker. He is a Wu-Tang Clan inspired superhero, Wu-Man Chu. He is an award-winning short filmmaker; his goal is to write 150 articles in select time zones, inducts every article into his hall of fame, is a stand-up comedian, motivational speaker, founder and co-host of Pueblo's Independent Multimedia Podcast and is the festival director at Sareth-Fest Music and Comedy Festival.
