At The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, Greg Wilson is slaying the crowd with his infectious mixture of playful jabs at the audience and material that he has compiled and reworked over the years. Like a skilled lock-pick, every phrase he utters is made to pull the little levers in people’s minds. The result is undeniable. People are helplessly amused as laughter fills the club. Not just any comedian can conduct this type of electricity into the crowd, and Wilson is a veteran who knows the craft inside and out.
A different ambience is unfolding at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf off of Ventura Boulevard and Woodley Avenue. Jason Brain is preparing for his weekly performing art showcase, ‘Soapbox Sessions,’ where different poets, musicians and other performers gather to showcase their acts. Although just starting out, Brain is meshing the urban and beatnik scenes with a mixture of music and mirth.
Both are on opposite ends of the entertainment scene, but they share a common passion: performance art.
When Wilson is on stage he commands attention. His presence pushes aside boundaries and drives home amusing anecdotes about everyday life and his unique appreciation of the human condition. He is fearless, unapologetic and brash. This is a winning combination that has propelled Wilson into the role of national headliner.
“Comedy is a life’s choice. It isn’t something like, ‘I’m going to do it for three years, see what happens.’ Quit. Go spend that time doing something that you really want to do with your life,” Wilson said. “It takes as long as it takes.”
Brain, on the other hand, was first exposed to the open mic experience at the valley’s iconic Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park.
“That’s where I learned that an open mic exists, that these things exist at nights behind the scenes that people don’t see,” Brain said.
At ‘Soapbox Sessions,’ poets are finding a place to practice their prose with other folk. Brain knows how hard it can be becoming an established poet. Going through the rigors of searching for a good publisher, Brain decided to get his own publishing house started after writing his book ‘Mixtape Collection.’
“The name is ‘Poetry In Motion Publishing House,’” Brain said. “We’re trying to promote other artists as well in the area.”
Those who are just getting established can network through communities like Brain’s to get exposure. This might land a performer an industry gig.
Wilson remembers his anxiety about being featured for the first time on Vh1, before he became famous.
“I couldn’t watch it. I was too nervous. So I’m out just roaming around my neighborhood, just walking around,” said Wilson, reminiscing. “My manager’s calling me and he goes, ‘You just got a major part. They just used one of your punchlines, and you’re on the bumper going out and the bumper coming in.’”
Wilson said that was a turning point for him, where he had “pierced the veil.”
On the other side of the big break, Wilson can appreciate where he’s at now.
“That’s when it’s magical. It’s when it’s swirling in and out,” Wilson said. “It’s almost out of control but in control at the same time.”
Once he gained strong footing in the industry Wilson saw a need for up and coming comics seeking a shot at the big time. He developed a workshop that has accumulated a steady flow of students seeking to learn the tricks of the trade. Wilson shows newbies need-to-know techniques that veterans hone over years of ups and downs.
Wilson’s workshop had humble beginnings, but today he has several classes covering all the major dynamics of stand-up comedy.
“I’d never seen a good comedian teach,” Wilson said. “And so that really bothered me that there was no quality stand up education out there.”
Back in Reseda, Brain knows that it’s not always easy to find success. Only after bouncing the idea off his boss was he able to establish what’s becoming a regular part of the Encino nightlife.
“Knowing we had the beautiful space here at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the perfect venue to do this, I mentioned it to my manager kind of in passing, and he liked the idea,” Brain said. “So thankfully we had people who were there to see it succeed, who wanted to see it happen.”
Some businesses are built on the model of dinner and a show.
At Ventura Harbor Comedy Club, co-owner Randy Lubas has been a patron to the arts for many years. He provides a platform at his club and as a talent coordinator he’s focused on helping up-and-coming college students break into the scene.
Lubas is glad to have Wilson headlining his club.
“The audience loves what he does,” said Lubas. “That’s one of the best things you can have going for you as a comedian.”
At home onstage, Wilson’s performance seems to have captured it’s own life, a sort combination of riffing and material. Wilson is really ripping into the audience now. He’s found the members of the crowd who stand out and they become a part of the show. The half-Irish girl is confronted by Wilson whose spot-on impression of an Irish grandmother makes her and everyone else laugh. Since it’s
“Latino Night” at the comedy club Wilson proclaims he’s half Mexican and will bus your table right now if you don’t believe him. Taboo or not, people are cracking up.
“There are shows and there are magic shows, magical performances,” he said. “And that’s when the material and the riffing are weaving in and out of each other in it’s own thing. It’s happening on its own, you know, and I’m just kind of riding it. I’m not creating it, I started it, but now I’m just riding. And those shows, it’s like a 90 minute orgasm.”
