Interview with Eric Myers

Chris White: One thing you are pretty unflinching about is self-deprecation. You're definitely not afraid to make yourself the punchline of a joke.

Eric Myers: I don't have a problem making fun of myself, cuz growing up my friends and I would always make fun of each other. If you ripped on your faults first, it was like taking the power out of it and other people couldn't make you look stupid – you’ve already made yourself look silly, you've already put yourself down, so now they can’t. I guess I have that mentality where if I say it now you can't say it later, and so it's kind of a defense mechanism.

CW: As someone who has seen you perform a lot over the last few years, I'd say your act has evolved. How do you think you’ve changed and improved over that time?

EM: I think over the years I have become more confident onstage, both with my performance and with my jokes. I don't know if my style has changed that much. I can't remember to be honest. I used to be a lot dirtier. I still am dirty, but I learned that some dirty words and premises are softer and more socially accepted. You can talk about a lot of things if you just use the right words and set it up so it seems non-threatening to the crowd. It is palatable for their minds. I love dick jokes but you have to make them cute as well as over the top to make them less harsh and vulgar. If you want people to come into your world they have to want to come, so you have to make yourself and your jokes soft and appealing even when you are being harsh or talking about a touchy subject. Having a silly voice helps a lot.

Interview with Eric Myers / dcstandup.com