Upon first introduction, freshman Alex Perlman exudes class and confidence. He sports a collared shirt and khakis, the picture of assurance. A double major in Political Science and undeclared Business with a minor in Studio Art, Alex hails from Washington, D.C. This year, he served as a freshman senator on ASG. His other interests include photography, hiking and adventuring, and stand-up comedy.
The last interest turned out to be the main subject of our interview. As it happens, Alex will be starting a stand-up club in the fall, called SCU SCC, short for SCU Stand-up Comedy Club. Right now, they have a small team of writers, but are looking for recruits! As Alex stated, “Everyone can learn to be funny!” And even if you don’t think that comedy is for you, make sure to check out their quarterly shows. From Alex’s description, they sound like they’re going to be pretty fantastic: “we’re hoping to rent out California Mission Room, and get a brick wall and have main speakers…we plan to make it like a real comedy cellar.”
When asked about the role of comedy in our society, he mentions the importance of alleviating stress and bringing audiences to the present moment. Because comedy is so engaging, it can be a form of removal from the real world. Second, comedy can highlight hidden injustices. As he puts it: “comedy is funny because it’s true. You have to be very smart to identify these things in our society and to be humorous about them.” Well said, Alex.
Personally, I don’t really have a sense of humor (I think I had a surgery to remove it when I was a little kid), so I was impressed by Alex’s confidence and his ability to create content that both resonates with audiences and makes them laugh and think at the same time. When asked about his inspiration to join comedy, he said, “I’m a big believer that you should do one thing that scares you every day. One of my days was to write a stand-up, and here I am now.”
So Broncos, take what inspiration you can from our enterprising and comic peer. Do one terrifying (safe) thing every day, and see where your exploits take you!