Page 124 - Katherine Ryan press pack

EMMA BROWN: When did you realize that other people found you

funny?

KATHERINE RYAN: I think I was aware earlier that

people didn’t find me funny, which is just as important and

empowering. There’s always going to be both groups—you can’t

please everyone, and that’s fine. I think I found it fascinating that

people at school—other kids—didn’t think I was funny. I was

certainly not a class clown; I confused and angered a lot of people

with my sense of humor. Not to say that it was sophisticated or

anything, but it was more sophisticated than a six-year-old’s toilet

humor. I really loved making my mom laugh, and I knew that she

thought that I was funny. It was really valuable in my home growing

up to be able to have a chat and participate in a conversation and

be funny. Whatever I could do to make my mom laugh could either

get me out of trouble, or just get me more attention, or get me

respect in the house. So that was the only place that I was funny: in

the house.

BROWN: How did you start doing stand-up?

RYAN: I started doing little amateur nights at the comedy club that

was right next to the restaurant that I waitressed in when I was in

university. I was probably 22 years old. I didn’t do it with any

intention of making a career out of it; I had just always valued

comedy. I kind of did it the way that you do at the Soulcycle class: I

thought, “Oh, this will be this fun, amateur night every Tuesday.” I

went on for five minutes, and I didn’t tell anybody I was doing it.