Ever seen Super Troopers? Or Beer Fest? Well, if you haven’t, then you’re not quite out of meow luck. If you have, then you understand who meow Jay Chandrasekhar is and why I’m meowing in the middle of my sentences. Yes, the Indian guy from those movies is coming to Gainesville. He’ll be in the 352 ready to tell some jokes for a stand up comedy performance on June 30th at The High Dive. I was able to have a few words with the meow man himself.
What was your “dream job” when you were younger?
Believe it or not, I actually wanted to be a garbage man. I really liked their trucks; those things were huge. I just really wanted to be the guy driving those big trucks. But as I got older I decided being a garbage man wasn’t for me so I wanted to be a doctor, but as soon as I got a C+ in Organic Chemistry…that sort of went out the door. Then I wanted to be a lawyer, because fu** it, all my friends were going into law, why shouldn’t I? Well, once I realized that wasn’t for me, I was 19 in Chicago doing my first stand up act.
What do you do when you bomb a joke on stage in front of everyone?
Well, it really depends. When I was a rookie, it was different. When I would make a bad joke it would seem like the world was over until I realized I had 10 more minutes on that stage. At that point, I realized that if I was lucky enough to be on that stage, with that mic in my hand, with that spotlight pointed at me and with all of those eyes gazing at me, I didn’t care anymore. I made it into a situation where I could joke about myself and how not funny that joke was. After having a few movies out, like Super Troopers and Beer Fest, and the experience of having my first film make it through Sundance, I am a lot more established with a non-rookie crowd.
What are you currently working on for new material?
Currently I am in the process of submitting my 12th draft of Super Troopers 2 to FOX [television network]. We’re [Broken Lizard] (Jay’s comedy team) also working on a new film where we play a bunch of minor league umpires. It should be pretty funny.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Stick around. Keep working. Keep trying. You’ll never get anywhere you want in life by giving up. If you stick around and you keep working at what you love, eventually you’ll get where you want to be. I started out doing stand up comedy, got my first film into Sundance Film Festival, and next thing I knew, Super Troopers had blown up and here I am today. Never give up.
Any advice for me and anyone my age before we see you at The High Dive?
Decide what you want to do for the rest of your life early, the earlier the better. Yeah, you can spend a few years trying to “find yourself” but then you’re only that much farther behind the person who started before you. Look, the last thing you want is some 25-year-old telling you what to do when you’re 30 just because they were smarter than you and started earlier. Figure out what you love and go after it.
Jay is a hell of a funny dude. I’ll be at the High Dive on June 30th laughing my ass off on that Sunday having a few drinks and enjoying some great company.
The show starts at 9:00pm and tickets are $15 so get them now!
