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The Journal
(Webster University) - January 29, 2009
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Comedian arrives to ice, creates delay
Due to the first snow day of the semester, New York comedian's show
delayed for two nights
By: Kelly
Kendall
Comedian
Evan Wecksell stands on the stage set up for him in
the University Center Sunnen Lounge on Jan. 27.
Because of snow and ice, classes were canceled at 2
p.m. and Wecksell decided to reschedule his show for
Thursday, Jan. 29 at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the
musical comedian performed at SIUE and did some
mingling at WU's campus.
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Comedian Evan Wecksell flew into St. Louis on
the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 27. When he arrived by 4 p.m.,
there was four inches of snow at St. Louis Lambert Airport. At 2
p.m., Webster University's campus closed and by 5 p.m., the event
planned for 9:30 p.m. that night was moved to the same time
Thursday, Jan. 29, in the University Center Sunnen Lounge.
Wecksell, who adds music to his show with the use of a guitar,
traveled to Illinois for a show Wednesday before coming back to
Webster Groves.
From Great Neck Long Island, New York, Wecksell graduated from
Tufts University in Massachusetts, where he studied child
development in psychology. He hoped to be a camp counselor for the
rest of his life, but now has other aspirations.
Q: Why come to WU?
A: I am performing at SIUE (Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville) Wednesday and thought "why not pack the calendar
in?" I had been talking with Katie McComb in the past about
getting out here, but nothing ever happen. It's good to be here.
Q: What will you do with the day and a half between rescheduled
gigs?
A: I'll walk around with students at Webster tomorrow (Wednesday)
and hang out and then tomorrow I'll stay at SIUE.
Q: What have some of your past shows been?
A: I'm in a frat, Theta Chi. As I moved to L.A., I started doing
shows on the road so I e-mail all the schools with frats to see if
I could come perform. All the guys love it when I make fun of
their other brothers.
Q: You've done sports, too, right?
A: I did track and cross country in high school. I'd like to run
the U.S. City marathon. I was actually on this semi-reality show
called "Chase," which got me in shape. It's basically a game show
where you and nine people try to out race these guys who look like
Agent Smith from "The Matrix." They're in these suits, but you're
wearing all this gear. It was fun, wearing the defense gear. I
ended up taking the money, but I got in great shape. I was also on
a pop-culture show on GSN hosted by Danny Bonaduce. I said I was a
teacher because I teach one girl and help with her SATs.
Q: What do you consider your breakthrough?
A: I started doing stand up and then I made a song about a male
stripper and then a song about having a baby that made no sense.
For a while, I just drove around and did open mic gigs around
town. Eventually I came across this club of screaming metal and
emo bands. I performed a song "I Wanna be Black." I haven't
performed it lately, but now (Barack) Obama's the man, and I can
flaunt it! After I told the audience I was selling CDs, I had
the biggest teen idol moment of my life - which is a great quote
- because 40 kids ran up to me.
I've been to Missouri State University. It was another all-greek
show and it ended up being much dirtier than I planned it to be.
I like it to be cleaner. It's all about the moment when you're
about to deliver that line, and it's like: Bam!
Q: Who's your inspiration?
A: I have two heroes: Jon Bon Jovi and Hulk Hogan. They are both
very extraverted and charismatic people and they know how to
hold the audiences' attention. They know how to hold a show.
When I was a kid I did have pictures of Jim Carrey and Stephen
Lynch on my walls. I actually just showed my wife "Liar Liar" -
she'd never seen it - and what he does in that is just amazing.
Q: What about the shows you worked on with VH1 and E!?
A: That was great exposure. It's great to tell people right then
that I was there. Sometimes (VH1 and E! producers) will feed you
stuff, so that you're saying crass, sarcastic stuff. I was only
on (VH1's) (I Love the) '80s and '70s shows for, like, five
seconds. This was about the time I was just starting to tour
schools. But when I came back for (I Love) Toys, we got to play
with the toys, and then they told us what to say. E! actually
found me. After that, I did something with Forbes, which was
great because they let me do my own jokes.
Q: What's the tag line "Comedy. Melody. Stupidity." mean?
A: That's from me taking a comedy class. They make you write
something like that. Sometimes my stuff was stupid in the
beginnings. Stupid people might be drawn to my early stuff. The
stuff I'm doing now is getting smarter, though.
I actually majored in child development and I got an assignment
and I always wanted to cover Bon Jovi songs. I'm actually not
that advanced of a player. I kind of like what Adam Sandler
said: "All you really need to know to make a song is four
chords." I printed out my own chords. Really, every comedian
just wants to be a rock star.
I made this song called "The All-American Corporation Guy." It's
about people who like to live in their dreams, and that's so
important. You're more yourself in college than you are sitting
behind a desk for eight hours. I really like making fun of Miley
Cyrus. I do a great Bob Dylan, but I don't know how to put it
into the show. What if Bob Dylan covered Miley Cyrus. Some
schools are more apathetic. But I always connect with a handful
of people. You have the 10 who walk out and the 10 who think
it's OK and then the 10 who might love it. Finding something to
like about someone makes life a lot easier.
Q: What can you tell me about the show Thursday?
A: I want to be really open with (the audience). I want them to
be willing to shout out. If you want to scream, then scream. If
you want to shout "what," then do it. Just don't fold your arms.
It'll be about an hour, maybe a little more or maybe a little
less. It's a feel. It depends on the rating, whether Webster
wants it kept at PG-13 or not. It's all about how you feel the
crowd. You bring it up to a point and see where it goes from
there.
Q: How can you read someone like that?
A: It's a lot of experience. I'm Jewish and a Scientologist.
There's a tone scale with every emotion a person can feel. It
has 62 emotions. I can basically look at someone and I can see
right away what that person is feeling.
Q: What's next?
A: Well, on Saturday I'm trying out for "America's Got Talent."
I'm performing a new David Hasselhoff song. It's so specific
that it only works in one venue, but basically it's about how,
because he's David Hasselhoff, he can save the world.
Q: In 20 years, what do you want your Wikipedia page to say
about you?
A: In 20 years, I'd probably like to be running for office. In
2028, I will be running for president. This last election
inspired me so much. I love Ron Paul. He's such a radical. I'd
like to be running in office, having learned the grassroots,
this kid from Great Neck, Long Island (New York). I'd like to go
from being a comedian, to a speaker, to a politician. And I'd
love to have a weekly radio show. Also, my wife and I did a show
"College the Musical," this summer in L.A. and we want to take
it on tour. Me and her play all these characters; sometimes I'm
a woman and then she's a Mexican.
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