Fortune Feimster joins comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade to discuss her journey in stand-up comedy and the creative process behind her work. She shares the inspiration she draws from Carvey and Spade's iconic "Saturday Night Live" characters and the grueling cycle of constantly crafting new material for specials and tours.
The conversation explores the intricacies of stand-up, from the challenges of naming shows and specials to tailoring routines for diverse audiences. Feimster, Carvey, and Spade also reflect on their experiences overcoming tough crowds and finding their comedic voices, whether through impersonations or relatable storytelling.
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Fortune Feimster drew inspiration from classic "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade while growing up. Eager to emulate her idols, she auditioned for SNL in 2009 and 2010 but was not selected. Though disappointed, Feimster now recognizes she may have been too inexperienced, or "green," at the time, according to Spade.
Feimster highlights the intense cycle of creating new jokes and stories every 1-2 years for specials like "Sweet and Salty." She meticulously crafts new material through local shows before touring with an entirely new hour.
Spade and Feimster discuss the challenge of finding memorable names for tours and specials, with Feimster noting her tour names often differ from her special titles.
While Dana Carvey delights audiences with iconic SNL impressions like the Church Lady, Feimster's strengths lie more in storytelling humor, recounting relatable tales like her Hooters visit as a child.
Both Feimster and Spade recount times of overacting or pushing too hard for laughs when facing tough crowds. Carvey also recalls a disastrous early set where he rushed through material unhumorously.
Feimster surprisingly sells more tickets in smaller, conservative towns—whose enthusiastic audiences jump at chances to see visiting comics, unlike bigger cities. This underscores stand-ups' need to tailor material for different locations.
1-Page Summary
Fortune Feimster, influenced by early childhood memories of watching "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) and the comedic styles of Dana Carvey and David Spade, sought to turn her passion for comedy into a career. Her attempts to audition for the platform that sparked her love for humor marked a significant milestone in her journey as a comedian.
As a child, Feimster was captivated by SNL sketches, particularly those featuring Dana Carvey and David Spade. These comedians were a staple of her formative years, as indicated by her habit of recording and reciting SNL sketches to friends during her sports practice. Feimster’s early interest in performing comedy was clearly ignited by the influence of watching Carvey and Spade weave their humor into memorable characters on the iconic show.
Looking to follow in the footsteps of her idols, Feimster took the bold step of auditioning for SNL herself in 2009 and 2010. This endeavor, which she spoke of with both a sense of admiration for the platform and a reflective understanding of the outcomes, was a formative experience. Though she found it disappointing not to be selected, Feimster now sees it in perspective, recognizing why it might not have been the right time for her.
Reflecting on her auditions, Feimster shared that during her first audition, she had reached th ...
Fortune Feimster's background and how she got her start in comedy
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Comedian Fortune Feimster shares insights into the challenging creative process behind her stand-up specials.
The pressure of creating new stand-up material is intense, as David Spade and Fortune Feimster acknowledge in their conversation. Feimster highlights the daunting task of developing a new hour of material, reflecting on how she has completed her third hour in the last five years. This consistent output is a testament to the difficulty of generating fresh jokes and narratives that resonate with audiences and are worthy of a comedy special.
Fortune Feimster describes her meticulous process in crafting new comedy routines. Once she completes a tour and films a special, she allows herself time to recharge. After this short break, Feimster jumps back into the comedy circuit, performing at local shows to hone her new material. Through this iterative process of testing and ...
The challenges of writing and developing new stand-up comedy material
David Spade and Fortune Feimster delve into the nuances and challenges of naming comedy specials and tours, revealing the creativity and sometimes complexity behind the process.
David Spade discusses the tedious process of finding a name for comedy tours and specials, highlighting how the chosen name might not be as memorable to audiences as comedians would hope. Fortune Feimster agrees with Spade, stating that it is indeed challenging to come up with such names. Dana Carvey humorously offers whimsical suggestions for Feimster's specials, such as "Fortune 500 minutes of comedy" and "fortune cookie." Carvey's contributions underscore the playful side of the industry, even in tasks like naming a special.
Fortune Feimster shares her personal experience that the names of her tours frequently do not become the names of her comedy specials. Davi ...
Discussion of stand-up comedy tours, specials, and naming them
Stand-up comedians Dana Carvey and Fortune Feimster discuss their experiences with incorporating impersonations and beloved characters into their acts, illuminating the varied approaches they take to get laughs.
When Dana Carvey takes the stage, he's not alone; audiences eagerly anticipate the emergence of his beloved characters from "Saturday Night Live." Carvey himself hints at the crowd's expectation, noting that whenever he hits a familiar voice, the audience reacts with joy, essentially saying, "That's what we want." He readily acknowledges this by bringing up his well-known impressions such as President George Bush Sr., Garth from "Wayne's World," the Church Lady, Hans and Franz, and Ross Perot. Carvey even has a closer in his act that features around 50 micro impressions, including that of George W. Bush. He describes a bit in his stand-up act where he impersonates George Bush, Sr. attempting to jump off a high dive, and even says goodbye as the Church Lady, highlighting his adaptability and keen awareness of his audience’s favorites.
Fortune Feimster, on the other hand, takes a different route in her stand-up performances. She adds to her routine a well-received story from her special "Sweet and Salty" about visiting Hooters as a child. The storyline is a hit with her audience, who anticipate and join in on a particular line, showcasing he ...
Getting laughs from impersonations and characters during stand-up sets
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Comedians often encounter challenging moments on stage, and Fortune Feimster and David Spade are no exception as they delve into their own experiences with pushing too hard for laughs when performances don't go as planned.
Fortune Feimster opens up about a time on NBC's "Champions" when she felt she was overacting, pushed for laughs too hard, and found herself yelling punchlines. This, she notes, stemmed from the pressure of the new show trying to find its humor.
David Spade echoes Feimster's thoughts, relating to her experience by sharing his own stand-up encounters. He points out the classic, incorrect reactions that comics have when facing a tough crowd—going bigger with their performance, increasing profanity, or speeding up their speech in a bid to elicit laughs.
Putting a personal spin on the discussion, Spade recalls moments from his stand-up acts, such as shouting jokes about the DMV to provoke a reaction from the audience. His account stresses the desperation comedians often feel when trying to connect with an unresponsive crowd.
In a similar vein, Dana Carvey recollects a specific set at the Improv in the early '80s where he hurried through his routine and performed poorly. The exper ...
Stories about awkward or bad stand-up comedy experiences
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Stand-up comedians often need to tailor their material based on the audience and location of their performances. Fortune Feimster shares insights into this process, revealing that her success doesn't always correlate with city size or assumed political leanings.
Feimster recounts her experiences, sharing a surprising detail that she actually sells more tickets and fills larger venues in red state cities and smaller towns than she does in major coastal cities. The reason for this, according to Feimster, is that audiences in places like Mobile, Alabama show high enthusiasm for performers who make the effort to stop by their city—a stark contrast to what one might expect in larger, more liberal markets such as San Francisco.
Feimster explains that the excitement and appreciation of smaller towns and cities in red states stem ...
Planning and adapting stand-up sets for different audiences and cities
As Fortune continues to navigate the twists and turns of a professional journey, there is a sense of anticipation and optimism about what the future holds. Although the content provided does not detail specific aspirations or planned milestones, it is possible to speak generally about the kind of hopes one might harbor for a prosperous and fulfilling career.
With dedicated effort, skill development, and a touch of serendipity, Fortune's career path is poised for growth and expansion. Success is often born from a combination of hard work, continuous learning, and the ability to adapt to changing industries and new opportunities.
A thriving career may also include a positive impact on communities and industries, influencing change, and contributing to progress in one's respective field. As Fortune’s career unfolds, the hope is to achieve not just personal and financial succ ...
Hopes for the future of Fortune's career
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