Run The Light With Hailey Boyle

In this edition of Run the Light, we interview comic Hailey Boyle

Brad: We recently interviewed Alaska native Jessica Michelle Singleton and she claims that you are in fact the funniest person from Alaska, true or is there someone else who is the champ?

Hailey: I hate to sound like an arrogant jerk but honestly I am. I mean, both the Alaska Champ and an arrogant jerk so… yeah. Jessica Michelle Singleton is my mini me and while I have no doubt she will one day surpass me, I got a head start and I’m enjoying my temporary victory. Alaska also has it’s own local comics, there’s Jerry and Glenner who are local radio hosts that put together the shows headliners do up there. One of them is super sweet, one is super jealous, I won’t tell who is who. The true Alaska comic is a guy named Ejay Buoncore. He has been doing shows up there since before I started 10 years ago and travels the lower 48 in a sweet orange van in between local gigs. I consider myself the reigning champ, but he is definitely the back bone of Alaska’s comedy community.

Brad: You recently appeared on TV doing stand up on a show called Stand Up in Stilettos, how did that go?

Hailey: Taping for Stand Up Stillettos was a very welcome milestone for me. My 10 year comedy anniversary is coming up January 28th and I was feeling a bit down about not having landed a late night appearance, or Live at Gotham so in my infinite insecurity I really needed to book that. I tend to be pretty blue and while I know I’m funny, it gets discouraging when you can’t seem to break into the business in a meaningful way. The taping itself was incredibly fun. It’s always exciting to be in a TV studio and getting your make up done, and I was on with Laurie Kilmartin who is one of my comedy roll models. Everyone was really nice and supportive, but the preparation was pretty stressful. I had to find a dress to wear that wouldn’t look crazy and I’m a hippie type so I had to buy a solid color dress. I ended up getting one at Target for less than $5 the day before. Plus I am a generally sweaty person and I don’t wear make up so I was concerned I might melt during my set but either by the grace of God or movie magic I didn’t look too crazy. When it aired I watched it with my 3 year old best friend Carter. His mom let him stay up late and he sat on my lap turning around every few minutes to grab my face and say “Miss Haiwey on TV!” so that was probably my favorite part of the whole process.

Brad: Just checked out your super cool website, you have a tag line on there that says Funny like a Dude since 1979, do you think women are measured up against men in stand up comedy?

Hailey: I do think women are measured up against men. And make no mistake, I do not think men are funnier than women. I get a lot of flack for that tag line so let’s set the record straight. You are either a comic or a female comic. Nobody refers to male comics. Nobody brings up a male comic by saying “this next comic is a guy”. Almost every time I am brought on stage I am announced as the first female comic of the night or another woman on the show. That is such bullshit I can’t even express how badly I want to punch those emcees in the nads. I am a comic. I do the same job and better than most men and my tag line is my way of saying that. I am a comic, not an actress looking to build a resume, not a comedy fan who will blow you if you act like I’m funny. I AM A COMIC, just like a dude. Some say it’s not very sisterly and they think it’s anti woman. I disagree but I can see how they could interpret it that way. I don’t blindly support all women in comedy just because we were both born with innies. I like funny comics, male female, gay, even the occasional prop or guitar comic. Now as far as men vs. women, while I don’t believe men are inherently better at comedy, I do think they are more likely to have the ingredients that make good comedy. Tragedy plus time plus a coping mechanism. Women are more likely to get by on looks in life because men are more likely to let them. Men have to be drop dead gorgeous to get away with the stuff a marginally attractive woman does. Numbers wise it stands to reason more men would be comics because they depended on their humor to get them through their awkward phase etc. That being said, I am somewhat alarmed at the volume of women dabbling in comedy today. Doing fru fru nonsense non jokes, whole acts that are really vanity showcases for their singing voices and breasts. It’s demoralizing to a comic who works hard, writes hard, and maintains their integrity like me when we get lumped in with women who are trying to get into comedy the way you would avoid a cover charge at a bar. I’m tired of people coming up to me after shows and telling me I was funnier than they thought girls could be. You’re my favorite female comic, this guy is my favorite comic. It drives me nuts. On top of that you get bookers, casting people, all sorts who act like as a woman part of the process is sexual favors and harassment. I just want to do my job without people assuming I have the same boundaries, limitations and skills as every single other person with a vagina. Is that not sisterly? There are tons of women that are comics. Jessica Michelle Singleton, Bobbie Oliver, Laurie Kilmartin, Jessica Kirson, Lynne Koplitz, Marina Franklin, Veronica Mosey, Ellen Degeneres, Rachael Fienstein, Paige Wesley, Wanda Sykes, Michelle Buteau,Felicia Michaels, and  tons and tons of comics who happen to be female that I would be pleased as punch to work with, be compared to, and support. It’s time people started seeing us the comics we are, and not just girls with jokes.

Brad: I really loved the section on your website called Facebook Fights, you doing a lot of brawling on social media?

Hailey: I do do a lot of social media brawling. I think it’s because people who don’t generally speak up get real brave being ignorant and hateful on the internet. The inspiration for the section was a fight I had with a comic that I didn’t know we were having cause he waited till he was behind his computer to tell me. Total coward in my book and he was just wrong. This guy was black and he was mad I wouldn’t sleep with him because he knew I had been with black guys. As if being with one type of guy means you would fuck any guy of that type. Well if you bone one black guy, you have to bone them all. Who’s really being racist here? Plus he kept telling what I thought and how I felt and that just set’s me right off. I have a temper and I lose it when somebody puts words in my mouth. Once I calmed down I realized how ridiculous and comical the whole thing was so I saved it. Then I had a crazy abortion argument with a guy on facebook who insisted he knew what women who had been knocked up by their rapist would want. Since I have been knocked up by my rapist I was a little tender about the topic and had a great fight with him but he blocked me before I could get a screen shot so it’s gone forever. I only have two up now, both are with comics but I have more to put up. I manage my own website and I have a Dell from 2006, very little time, and very little patience so there is more to come. And I’m sure I will keep making enemies as I do speak my mind and my mind is super chatty, passionate, and opinionated.

Brad: You seem to tour quite a bit, any cool gigs coming up?

Hailey: I will be in town here in LA for pilot season and all that plus I am helping to launch a private invite only comedy club and assisting a friend who teaches a comedy class. I am sort of the one on one editing coach. I also have some writing projects on the horizon so not a lot of travel in the near future. I did just do a tour of remote military bases that was amazing. I got to go to Greenland, The Bahamas, and Central America to entertain active duty Americans and it was soooo rewarding and like a paid vacation at the same time. I can’t wait to get back on a base, soldiers and officers are my favorite crowds.

Brad: We did a show together a while back and you gave me like 3 great tags for my crappy jokes, are you like the zen tag master or something?

Hailey: I can give you more than tags! I am a natural writer. In school i would get a 100 on an essay for a book I didn’t read. I am very socially awkward so I kind of had to learn social cues. I know that makes me sound like a serial killer, but it’s the truth and written words are so easy for somebody like me. I have learned how people hear things and since I’m writing I have all the time I need to arrange or rearrange. There’s no pressure, I don’t have to censor myself because I can just edit. So now I have gotten to a point where I can see holes and missed laugh potential in a joke like Neo sees the matrix so I can write in other peoples voices and really improve the strength of their material or right them original jokes that suit them. Short answer, yes, I am the zen tag master. Ooooooooommmmmmmmmm

You can find Hailey at:

haileyboyle.com

facebook.com/haileyboyle

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