Interview with Stand Up Comic winner Michael Tocci

Watch Michael Tocci perform his winning stand up comedy

MAS: What’s the story behind the video clip you’ve entered in the Make A Star contest?

Tocci: When I was booked for this show, I didn't realize I'd end up being in a contest. I was just responding to a craigslist post about a show in the Belly Room of the Comedy Store. It had been a while since I performed there, so I responded and got booked. It wasn't until the actual night I was given the option of submitting my performance to Make A Star. Though I'm still not sure why the video was cut off. I promise, I had a good 3 or so minutes left!

MAS: Perhaps you were too funny for the camera and it needed a laughing break. Tell us how you got started as a stand-up comic.

Tocci: Always wanted to try it. Didn't think I had what it took. Eventually, I became good friends with a stand-up. I went to see one of his shows. He was fantastic, but the majority of the other comics made me stare and say - and I hate to sound conceited - "Well I can do better than that." Then I just started calling up the clubs/bookers and asking for slots.

MAS: How do you feel when you are on stage as a comedian?

Tocci: Pretty comfortable - sometimes too comfortable. I usually can't tell if I'm doing well cuz I'm too busy being lost in my weird head. Also, I've yet to deal with a heckler. It's just gotta happen eventually. I've seen incredible comedians get heckled. There's no reason I should get away forever.

MAS: Point noted, I am sure all of your fans here may be willing to comply- just for the fun of it. How do you write your jokes and put together a routine?

Tocci: I find that the best stuff comes when I'm not trying to write material. If I ever sat down to write jokes, I would fail. Inspiration for me comes from weird and random places. A billboard. A TV ad. A conversation I'm eavesdropping on. Oh, and I've done a lot of writing while driving. I mean, not with a pen. I'm in LA, so I drive a lot. It's a great time to say material out loud, then say, "well, that's no good," and try it again in a different way. And again. And again until I can tolerate it. And an entire bit is written with each word in place, and I didn't have to fall back on that wrist-killing crucible of writing crap down.

MAS: Have other people compared you to any other comics?

Tocci: [after 10 minutes of thinking] Nope!

MAS: Who are your comedy heroes that have influenced your style?

Tocci: I'd like to say Carlin and Pryor and Cosby, but stylistically, I'm nothing like them. That is, I just don't think I'm as deep as them. Some of my current faves are Patton Oswalt, Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan, and Brian Regan, just to name a few. Since, so far, I've just performed at clubs where anyone gets stage time, and I do mean "anyone" as a pejorative, I've lately been pursuing more clean, PG-rated comedy. Not that I don't love edgy and raunchy. But when you're at clubs like this, that's all there is for 2 to 5 hours! Except it's usually edgy and raunchy minus the funny. It's comics who think that if they keep up the f-bombs, compare the female genitalia of different ethnicities, and cap it off with something about AIDS, it must be funny! Cuz it's EDGY! In that kind of environment, it's almost more daring, and definitely more stimulating, to forget about crudeness and just try to look at something in a strange, hopefully clever way. I listed those 4 comics above because (though Oswalt and C.K. in particular have given us great moments in vulgarity) they're very much about looking at something in an interesting way, and that's where their comedy comes from, whether or not they say "poop."

MAS: Very well said, you definitely have an interesting spin on things- enough to win the $100 cash prize. What are your career plans for the year ahead?

Tocci: Career plans? Wow. I should try to have one someday. I still think I'm a writer at heart, but that's feeling very stagnant. I suppose what I need to start doing, especially as a stand-up, is aggressively put myself out there. That's just something I've never been good at, the whole letting-the-world-know-I-exist thing. That's a skill in itself. Also… I should experience more. My stand-up is still in its infancy cuz my life is kinda in its infancy. I need to have some serious relationships… ooh…. and maybe father a bastard child. Then I'll be a real comic with hard sh** to talk about. (I mean, sure my brother had a kid on accident, but the only joke I got outta that was that society doesn't seem to care when relatives play tickle games with their 1-year old's bare butt). So, if any single ladies out there want a guy with $100 dollars in his Paypal account, and can allegedly make them laugh, let me know. We will need to break up after a while to help with my on-stage angst, so even though it won't be a long-term relationship, maybe I'll drop your name in my set, and you just might meet Bill Dwyer in a parking lot!

Does that answer the career question?

MAS: Hahahaha! Indeed it does. What is the best and worst part about being a stand-up comic?

Tocci: BEST: That it's all mine. I mean, I write it, speak it, and I know it all came from me. I didn't need permission to say anything, nor was I given notes to follow. There's so much freedom.

WORST: Asking friends to come, especially when they're poor and there's a drink minimum. Heck, tuna no longer being a $5 foot-long at Subway was a huge financial blow for me.

MAS: What is the best and worst part about the industry for comics today?

Tocci: I still know nothing about anything. So I'll just go with the obvious for "worst" and say making a name for yourself. That's the obvious cuz it's something that every kind of artist needs to do. But the best? We have the internet now. And I don't just mean we can post our videos online; my Facebook invites played a significant role in my victory in this contest!

MAS: How does MakeAStar.com compare (good or bad) with other talent websites?

Tocci: Don't really know about any others… except that they never gave me $100. Yeah, MakeAStar is better.

MAS: We’ll take it. Tell us something completely random.

Tocci: No matter how old and overweight she gets, I will always be cool with doing Carrie Fisher.

MAS: You are off to a blazing start and we definitely hope to see more of you . Congratulations Michael Tocci for winning the July Stand Up Comedy Contest!