Everyone is born with certain character traits; some people are athletic, intelligent, musical, or artistic for example. One could argue that humor, and the ability to make people laugh are no exceptions to this list of natural talents, you’re either born funny or you’re not. One person who stands as an example of this innate humor, is this week’s campus celebrity, Dayton Flannery.
A sophomore PLS major in Keough hall, Dayton has a knack for comedy and storytelling, which he proved this past week at his first stand-up comedy performance at Legends. Despite reporting some pre-performance butterflies, Dayton energetically threw himself into his routine, addressing the crowd with the ease and confidence of a seasoned comedian. Within minutes of his first stand-up show, Dayton had the group roaring with laughter at his different impersonations and humorous interpretations of Tinder, Harry Potter, and even Father Jenkins. Listening to his charismatic performance, one would never know this was his first time doing stand-up. I sat down to talk with Dayton about his pre-show jitters, comedic roots, and other interests, which include but are not limited to running, twitter, and perhaps most importantly, terrifying his roommates.
It is evident from last Thursday’s comedy show that Dayton has the ability to make people laugh. However, stand up is a new hobby; just something he has made time for between PLS classes and track and cross country practice. “My other interests are Pokemon, and scaring my roommate Michael Huckner. It’s all about the element of surprise, and I think I’ve perfected the art of jumping out behind doors at the exact moment. So yes, I would say that the art of scaring people is a hobby of mine.” His favorite spot on campus, he reported, is the track table in South Dining Hall, “I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite spot, but I do spend a large portion of my free time there, either with people or alone.” And while sitting at this table, there’s a good chance he’s eating his favorite on campus food, “The Asian stir fry by Kim, that man makes a mean stir fry.”
So what motivated this track runner to exercise his funny bone and try some stand up? “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but have never actually gotten around to doing, because it’s intimidating. The only thing I can really equate the feeling to, is asking someone on a date. You know you want to do it, and if you never do, you’ll always keep wondering what if. The scariest thing is the vulnerability and uncertainty of it all. There’s no handbook for comedy, you’re either funny or your not. What is so intimidating is that if things start going bad, you don’t have an exit strategy. You can’t just walk off stage mid joke if no one is laughing. You have to commit to it and just keep going with your routine,” Dayton shares.
Luckily for the crowd at Legends, Dayton decided to confront this challenge head on and stand up to Stand up. “I think what finally made me decide to perform was when I realized that I needed to seize the opportunity while it was there. When else besides during college, do you have the chance to go and try stand up in front of your peers? Initially I was nervous to tell my friends that I was performing, but in the end it was great to have them there supporting me. My assistant track coach even showed up, which surprised me, meant a lot to me. It was great to have that type of support and energy in the crowd. Joining the club, I met a lot of great people as well, who are similar to myself. We just are all just a bunch of goofballs who like to joke around.”
Besides the great energy during his performance, a large component of his successful show was his relatable material. You could hear the crowd laughing in agreement as he made fun of things like Tinder, and presented bizarre views of Harry Potter. All of this material comes from everyday thoughts and ideas. “To put together material, I went back and looked at my Twitter account, and used some of my older tweets. I also started to keep a note on my phone. When I think of or see something funny, I’ll just write it down on my phone and add to it later.”
While he finds his comedic material from everyday life, Dayton attributes his sense of humor to his large family. “Growing up with a big family, we were always just making fun of each other and goofing around. Joking and telling stories with my siblings and parents helped me to develop a sense of humor. We would sit around the dinner table, telling stories, making fun and joking around with each other. That’s definitely where I learned to do impressions of others and develop my sense of humor. Besides my family, I think I learned a lot from early comedians like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. They’re original stuff is great, it’s pretty raunchy but really entertaining.” In addition to these two comedians, Dayton looks to comedians like Aziz Ansari, Louis CK, Robin Williams and Dimitri Martin. “
Joking with his family, and growing up watching these comedians has certainly had a noticeable impact on this aspiring comedian. Throughout the show, Dayton improvised and interacted with the audience, bringing the crowd to their feet. “As a group, we (the comedy club) run jokes by each other before the show, to get feedback. The practice helps, but we don’t rehearse each word verbatim. You have an idea of what you want to say when you get up there but it’s not, completely planned out.”
Given the success of his first show, it’s obvious that Dayton has a passion for comedy. “In the future I’d love to be a comedian. I know that entertainment is an incredibly tough business, but it’s something I’m really passionate about. For now I’m going to keep doing shows with the Stand-up club, and just see where it goes from there.” And with a little bit of luck, Dayton’s comedic talents could take him a long way. Perhaps one day we will all be saying that we knew him when, before he joined the ranks of Azis Ansari and Jim Gaffian, enjoying life as professional goofball.
Want to read some of Dayton’s tweets? Follow him at twitter.com/MyNameIsntDaden.
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