Joe Kwaczala will be performing at The Difficult to Name Reading Series on Friday, March 6 at York Manor in Highland Park. Photo by Rob Mainord.
American Comic, the feature film that you wrote, produced and starred in, has had an amazing film festival run -- and it's still going -- winning awards at multiple festivals and screening all over the country. What sort of perspective have you gotten on the film after showing it to so many different audiences?
I'm in a bubble. We all kind of are, but especially in Los Angeles and within the comedy community and my specific group of friends, I often feel that I'm speaking a hyper-specific kind of language. And so my work obviously is going to reflect that; I think to try and go against it would be inauthentic. All that is to say I was worried that American Comic might be a little inside baseball, and the stories and jokes might not resonate with the broader, general audience. But I'm happy to report that the movie has played well everywhere. We've taken this film all over (St. Louis, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Washington state, northern Idaho, Williamsport, PA to name a few disparate locales) and it gets laughs! We have engaging conversations after the screenings! And I think that confirms for me that the themes we're dealing with in the film really are universal ones that speak to the human condition versus just being esoteric references to the world of stand-up comedy.
You've made numerous hilarious shorts over the years in addition to your stand-up comedy. Do you have a preference between performing live or filming things?
They both really provide their own kinds of reward. Having a good set on stage will fill you up, turn your day around immediately. That's a high. But it's fleeting! Yes, you can film it for a professional special or even for a TikTok clip but you lose something magical when you take a live performance and put it on screen. What I really appreciate about making films is you're creating something more permanent that can travel further. I like that it can live on. And especially with making a feature film, I like that I have a Filmography (capital F) now.
The weather is usually really nice around here, but with spring coming in April, do you have any favorite spring activities in the L.A. area?
I'm very lucky to have a group of sweet and funny people that comprise my friend group. A few of us have yards, and I love a good yard hang. I guess that's year round, but my girlfriend and I both have Spring birthdays, and nothing beats a yard hang on your birthday.