Gary Vider hails from New York City, and thus he’s got plenty of material to draw upon, particularly related to the unmentionable things people do on the subway. But it’s turning those things into laughs that has given him a leg up in the comedy world, so we caught up with him this week to find out what was on his mind.
Talk about your joke writing process. What is that like, and how challenging is it to come up with funny material?
It’s obviously not the easiest thing, but you have to live life a little bit. A lot of my stuff comes from my wife; if she says something silly or gets angry, I think, ‘That could be something.’ It’s a lot of stuff that causes emotion, in a way.
You got to the finals of Season 10 of America’s Got Talent. What was that like?
Definitely had a lot of pressure. You want to do well and not screw up. You basically have an out-of-body experience on stage. There were 5,000 people at Radio City Music Hall, and they said there were eight to 10 million watching on TV, so you try not to think of it all. You’re only doing really three or four minutes of time. It goes by fast.
From there, it was on to Conan and Colbert. What were those guys like?
Conan was my idol growing up, and I always watched his show, so getting to meet him was a super surreal moment. Colbert, I definitely respected his show and the comedy.
What advice would you give to young comics looking for their big break?
Create. Create any way you possibly can. Make these unique videos, and they’ll get better and get more attention. That’s a way to get ahead, posting. Getting good at what you’re doing is important, so take the time get good at it.
You’re on many social media platforms. What’s your social strategy?
There are so many comedians out there, so you see what’s working for other people, but you have to market what you’re doing. What makes you stand out the most? As far as strategy, it’s consistent posting and quality clips. If you can do that, you can gain traction. Social media platforms reward you the more you post.
You want to get a take on everything Gary? Check out his socials, including Instagram and X, but the even bigger treat is his #1 Dad podcast, which you can find on Spotify and elsewhere, not to mention his 2024 standup special, It Could Be Worse.
And remember: It always could be.
Take 5: GARY VIDER