‘Last Comic Standing’ finalists coming back to Turlock

After nine seasons of perfecting the art of the laugh, “Last Comic Standing” contestants feel the show has it down to what matters.

This year’s reality competition whittled down its 100 contestants to a top five in quick succession, allowing the comics to showcase their skills along the way. The 2015 season was shorter than in the past, bypassing some of the mentoring challenges used in previous years. Instead, comics were mostly just put on stage to do what they do.

For top five finalist Andy Erikson, the change was a welcome one.

“It was more about comedians and jokes and less about trying to laugh at people for not succeeding,” Erikson said in a recent phone interview. “All the comics are pretty happy with the change. Comedy is funny in and of itself, so why not just take the funniest people and just show them being funny.”

Erikson joins the rest of the five finalists on the popular Last Comic Standing national tour, which stops at the Turlock Community Theatre on Monday, Sept. 21. The tour also stopped in Turlock last year with that season’s finalists. Appearing this year will be Season 9 winner Clayton English and other finalists Ian Bagg, Dominique and Michael Palascak.

Erikson made a splash this season thanks to her quirky style and love of squirrels and other cute creatures – real and imaginary. She spoke with The Modesto Bee about her comedy and what being on “Last Comic Standing” means to her.

Q: You have a unique comedy style. Has it been like that since you started in stand-up, or has it evolved?

A: It evolved, but it’s pretty much been similar. My first-ever stand-up set, I recorded and watched it, and it’s eerily similar. I’m laughing at my own jokes and telling weird one-liners. I’m just having fun. It’s just me telling silly jokes, really.

I never thought I would be a comedian; I was kind of a silly kid. Being in front of people and public speaking was something that scared me. But my friends told me I was funny and said I should try it. I gave it a shot and immediately fell in love. I never had confidence; I didn’t know I could tell jokes in front of thousands of people – let alone millions. But the more I did comedy, the more confidence I gained.

Q: How similar in real life are you to the person we see on the stage?

A: It’s me, sometimes. I have a lot of different me’s. Sometimes I am happy and crazy. Sometimes I’m yelling at the TV because people are saying mean things about Bernie Sanders. I can be political; I like science. I think everyone is different. Me on stage is me being the most fun. Is an enhancement of me being my most silliest.

Q: How did you feel about the show’s more straightforward format?

A: The comics have loved it. We work so hard to get one chance on TV and are all so nervous and scared – I know I am. We felt like we were stars already for being on the show. It was just a great experience. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Q: Also new was judge Norm Macdonald, who was quite the character. How did you feel about him and the rest of the judges?

A: I like the judges; they are all different and not afraid to speak their mind. They are putting on a show, too. Everyone asks me about my character – but was Norm doing a character? Is that him? I’ve been following Norm on Twitter, and you can tell Norm is just trying to do a good job.

Q: What kind of impact has the series had on comedy and comedians?

A: I think it definitely changes comedians’ careers. Now you get all this attention from different TV shows, booking agents, managers. It’s literally helping people’s dreams come true. It’s a big wish factory. It lets America see who you are.

People who come out to the show will get to see more of who I am. I don’t just tell one-liners. Come and see me when I’m not afraid I’m going to forget my jokes. We want to make people smile and think about things differently.

Q: What do you think about your fellow finalists? There seems to be a wide range of comics and styles.

A: I think they’re all awesome. We all have a lot of experience and are all very different. You will see a range of different perspectives of comedy. I think everyone is really funny. The goal for me was to get to go on the tour. It’s my dream to travel around the country with a group of friends on a big bus. I’ll try not to be too annoying, try not to create drama. Maybe we can make friendship bracelets.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 2:59 PM with the headline "‘Last Comic Standing’ finalists coming back to Turlock."