Katie Flynn Interview

Katie Flynn
Photo Courtesy of: Della Perrone

Katie Flynn is talented to the point that it annoys me. She sings jazz and cabaret, she a great live entertainer, and she can even spin a funny story. Where does this woman get off being that charming?

I recently saw Katie Flynn perform live at Big Grove Tavern in Champaign, IL and it was terrific. So much so that I'm doing two things. One, I'm going to see her again this Thursday Night (Aug 13th) at Mike N Molly's in downtown Champaign at 8pm. (Doin' the plugs right up top!) The second thing was to bug her for two months about doing an interview with us at C-U Comedy.

JT: "Alright Katie, we've gotta get to Bette, hecklers, and performing... but to people who don't know you, let's give them your comic book like origin story. You grew up in Kansas... how was that?"

KT: "If it weren't for my amazing mom, my best friend Caley, and the soundtrack to 'Hello Dolly!', I'm not sure I would've survived. My family was like most families in a small town in Kansas. We went to church, and in church, I started singing. Very sultry stuff....except not. In fact, had you told me as a little girl that I'd grow up to be some sassy, vulgar cabaret singer in Illinois, I would've looked at you like you had three heads and exclaimed, 'Where the heck is Illinois?' (I went to public school in Kansas, you understand....education just takes a wee bit longer out there)."

JT: "A church girl who ended up being dirty minded? The hell you say. When did the singing get more serious?"

KT: "In high school and college I was in choir and took private voice, but after college, I really didn't do much except waitress and I recall watching copious amounts of 'King of the Hill'." After meeting my husband and having two children, I realized that I had a little something that I thought might be worth sharing with people. I looooooooove to sing and I really do get a thrill from connecting with an audience. It's a high, what can I say. And who doesn't want to be high, hm?"

JT: "You just saw Bette Midler live, go ahead and tell us what we already know... it was awesome wasn't it?"

"The second coming is here,
dummies. She's a Hawaiian
Jew Goddess."

KF: "I just want to say that Bette Midler is actually Jesus Christ. There it is. People have been waiting for the second coming (I mean, I know some folks out there are waiting just to come once, sheesh). The second coming is here, dummies. She's a Hawaiian Jew Goddess. Who knew? The Lord does work in mysterious ways, huh? Ms. M has still got it. She's brilliant. Did you know she's 69? Yes, the magic number, yes! Seeing her live is just such an eye opening experience. You'll walk out of the concert crying, exclaiming to every passerby: "Everything I know is wrong! Long live Bette!" I promise you. Bette Midler has it all: she can sing, she can run a tight show, she is funny, oh man, is she funny. In all the right ways, too. Nothing I love better than a grown woman with a dirty mouth and an even filthier mind.

JT: "So we have Winifred Sanderson to blame for your gutter talk. Leave it to Disney..."

KF: "I only wish she and I were close friends. I sometimes think about how much fun we would have driving around in my mom's '91 Nissan Maxima, singing 'Chapel of Love' with the windows down, going to get cherry cokes, getting mani/pedis. Oh, if only. She truly is divine. She is to be loved."

JT: "Having a fictional day planned out down to the detail of getting your cuticles removed together doesn't sound stalker'ish at all. I have the same day panned out if I meet Danny Glover.

Katie Flynn
Photo Courtesy of: Della Perrone

You are funny during your live show, and talk to the crowd between songs. Do you have material (or 'skits' as every stand up performer's mom would say) or do you just kinda wing it and improv?"

KF:" First of all, thank you for calling me funny. I feel like an idiot much of the time. During my show, I sort of have material. A few days before a cabaret show, I think about what songs I'm singing and how I can work funny stories into a few of those songs. But really, I just tell stories about crazy stuff my kids do, or going shopping with my mom, or being made fun of by a group of teenagers in a CVS parking lot. No, not in high school. That happened a few weeks ago. I'm 34. Ya know what, not important. So I guess, I do a little both. I like to have things somewhat organized, but I also like to improvise. You never know what's going to happen when you're on that stage in front of the crowd."

JT: "Hecklers, let's talk about them. It's a bit different with music than it is comedy, but have you had a crowd member that, for lack of a better term, "heckled" you during a performance?"

KF: "I'm not sure if this counts, but there used to be one particular older dude who would come to a lot of my gigs and always call out songs he wanted me to sing. I mean, he'd be yelling, "Sing Satin Doll! Sing Satin Doll! Sing it!!" Jesus, I don't even know Satin Doll, and now, I'll definitely never know it.

"Fucking piss pants teenage ass hats"
- Katie Flynn

There was also one lady who was nice enough, but she'd always get really liquored up and sing along with me, very loudly, and off key. It was painful.

Oh, and how could I forget about the teenage boys at the country club who attended my Valentine's Day gig at the Country Club? First of all, I was put right by the foyer/bar area. NOT the dining room. Second of all, the folks who were in there that night were not in the mood for love songs, they were in the mood for a quick drink before their meals in the dining room. I got so dolled up for this too. But just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, in walk these yuppie teens, ordering cherry cokes and steaks and tuna tartar on their parents' accounts. In between songs, one of them called out, "Hey, is this karaoke?" Oh, it just made my night! Fucking piss pants teenage ass hats. I could've strangled each and every one of them with my microphone cable. I just put on my tough girl face and said, "What, you wanna sing, buddy?" His friends snickered and they went back to their caviar cereal or whatever the fuck. That was a definite low. But Valentine's Day sucks, we all know it. Of course, this is when I'm booked just to be background music. That's definitely not my favorite. But let's talk about that in a minute."

JT: "How do you handle crowd members that are rude, talkative, or taking
away from a performance? You don't seem like the insult type of gal."

"I say WHO, I say WHEN, I say HOW MUCH!
I'm my own pimp and don't you forget it."

KF: "Oh honey, I sing at all kinds of gigs where I'm just there to be white noise. It's the fucking worst. For awhile, I was like, 'Well, at least I'm singing.' But anymore, I try to not book gigs where absolutely NO ONE is listening and talking/texting/shaving their legs/literally doing ANYTHING but listening to me, or even acknowledging that I'm there. Sometimes that's just how it is, I'm afraid, and I'm no dummy. If a gig pays, I usually show up. No, I don't insult anyone, but sometimes I'll say into the mic after a song, 'Thank you! Wow, what a warm round of applause that was! I am overwhelmed, just completely speechless. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!' It rarely works, because no one is listening. I suppose if someone was rudely talking during a cabaret show or something, I would definitely have to call them out and tell them to take it outside. That shit is infuriating. I'm here to entertain, not to wait for someone to finish their conversation."

JT: "All performers tend to have a 'hell gig' story. We comics love to hear others pain.... recollection of your worst show like that?"

KF: "I sang at Boltini (in Champaign) for about a year and a half. It was fun for awhile, but then this new owner fellow from Florida took over. And my god, was he nasty. Just awful. He would yell at me about how sick of my songs people were and how I was either too loud or no one could hear me. He then started to tell me I wasn't allowed to sing anywhere else in town but AT Boltini. He said, 'You work for me!' I started to feel a little bit like a prostitute. In a way, I was flattered, ya know? He loved me enough to want to be totally possessive of me and act like some sort of a singer's pimp. But, I couldn't figure out how that relationship was supposed to work. So, I quit. Smart move too, I might add. I don't work for anyone. To quote Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman, 'I say WHO, I say WHEN, I say HOW MUCH! I'm my own pimp, and don't you forget it!'"

JT: "So tell me, pimp... what is it about cabaret and jazz music that made you want to sing it? Is there something more classy about it, or did you want to be a pop singer and realize you were too talented?"

KT: "GASP! How dare you use the C word. Classy? HA! Guuurl, please."

JT: "Add it to the list of 'C Words' I get in trouble for saying."

"I'm channeling Ethel Merman" - Katie Flynn
Photo Courtesy of: Della Perrone

KT: "I do like a lot of pop music but no, I never had any desire to be a pop singer. For one thing, I have never been very cool. Also, my voice has always been too big for pop music. Not big in the important context, big in the fact that it's fucking loud and it's very broad. Sometimes I hear myself and I'm not sure how it's happened, but I'm channeling Ethel Merman. Yikes. Anyway, I don't want to yammer on about pop music, or Ethel Merman. I mean, of course I do, but we all have shit to do, so let's get to the good stuff."

JT: "Name dropping Ethel Merman is always welcome here. Did you start with jazz or cabaret?"

KF: "I started out by singing jazz standards, which I LOVE. They really don't make songs like that anymore. They are a joy to sing, they are a delight to hear, and they're a beautiful way of life. They're timeless. What's really amazing and quite humbling about singing standards, is that when I used to sing to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday in my car, I would just sing along, like I was real hot shit, and thought how good I sounded. It's only after going through some life experience that I UNDERSTAND what a lot of those songs mean. I went through a pretty rough time a couple years ago, and at one gig, I sang 'Here Comes that Rainy Day', which I had sung hundreds of times before. But all of a sudden, I fucking understood just what that song was really about. I heard it. I felt it. It hurt like crazy, but man, do I know how to really sing that song now."

JT: "I feel like I'm a cabaret singer in a poorly vocal corded, lack of rhythmic soul,
comic's body. So I will live through you... when did you get into that?"

"Less is more? No, less is less.
I like a big production"
- Katie Flynn

KF: "That's a newer endeavor for me. I love showy stuff. The more the better. Less is more? No, less is less. I like a big production, I like high energy, I like applause, I like it loud, I like it fun, I like it vulgar. Cabaret is so special because no one is really doing it here in Champaign. I know it's a college town, with a lot of rock and folk, which is awesome, but I'm going to do what I can to carry the flag for cabaret. A big, sequined flag. I've always wanted to do it, because I love telling a good story, and I love sharing a laugh with the audience. What's even better, is that whether or not I'm singing a happy song, or a sad song, or a funny song, or a sexy song, I feel like the audience really does become one big family. And I'm their mother. Is that weird? Of course it is. Connection is such a wonderful thing, and connecting through songs and stories is my favorite thing. Ever."

JT: "There are so many concepts in that paragraph that I would want to put a baby in if they were people. I know it's hard to narrow down but which song is your favorite to sing?"

KF: "...The upbeat fav would have to be 'Stuff Like That There'. It's from "For the Boys", starring (you guessed it), Bette Midler. It's just about the want for all the really fun stuff that comes with being in love... it's one of those songs that you think about and say to yourself, 'Oh, yeah, good times and high fives.'

The ballad fav is a beautiful song called A Quiet Thing. It's made famous by Liza Minelli, another beloved diva. This song is something that I think everyone can relate to. It's about how when everything goes just according to what you want and the universe smiles on you, it's just...a quiet thing. We all think that there is going to be a damn parade when we get a promotion or hear the word 'yes'. But really, it's just something that walks into your heart and makes you feel a little taller and a little more loved. It's your very own. And that's beautiful."

"...sing my ass off and make people happy.
That's really all I want to do. - Katie Flynn

JT: "Is there one show you did that was so good you are always looking for the next performance that goes that well again? What was the best show?"

KF: "Hmmm, I really loved the cabaret show I put on in April at Big Grove Tavern. It was well attended, and the band I had sounded amazing. However, I remember about two years ago, I sang at Krannert with a quartet. It was for the Uncorked they have most Thursday's. The place was packed and the crowd was very in sync with me. It's an honor to have that experience. After the gig, people wanted to talk, people wanted
pictures, people were happy. The air was just a little lighter that evening and a little sweeter. I'm always looking for that kind of show again. Where I sing my ass off and make people happy. That's really all I want to do."

JT: "Make sure to go see her sing that ass off THIS Thursday Night (Aug 13th) at Mike N Molly's - if you read this after that, just check out all things Katie Flynn at www.katieflynn.com and see her upcoming dates! She's a peach and a terrific candidate to wave the cabaret flag. Support her live shows, you won't be disappointed!"

C-U Comedy in June

The month of June started off with a C-U Comedy Beach Party on June 3rd where all performers were required to wear their beach attire on stage. Some too that very seriously as we borderline broke come nudity laws. It was great to see so many people in central, IL show up with towels in hand. We could have filled a kiddie pool we guess... but that water would have gotten nasty really quick.



On June 10th we welcomed in the "Escort to New York Comedy Tour" featuring Emma Arnold, Chad Heft, & Ryan Noack. They were going cross country from Boise, ID to New York and stopped in for one night only in Champaign. It was standing room only and a great show.

On June 17th, we had our second standing room only show in a row as we housed the C-U area showcase featuring 9 different performers. We are following up with another one next week with even more performers from our area that keeps growing with talent.

On Saturday June 20th, C-U Comedy's Justin Tuttle, Esteban Gast, Chris Hightower, and myself went to Harrison Park in Danville, IL to donate our time for a great cause as The Center for Youth and Family Solutions were having a fundraiser. The set up was a bit different than we were use to as the crowd was a bit far away from us, but they were really nice people and all had a good time as we filled an hour spot between the band.

We closed out our month at Clark Bar on Thursday June 18th with the best crowd we have had in a while. They were just superb in their reactions. We started playing people off to the Addams Family Theme which really moved the show along quicker and will become a fixture there (with different, and sometimes more annoying, songs.)


Check out some pics of the month below:

I'm Not Gonna Make It

Despite what 30% of people will tell you... I'm a pretty nice guy.

Eh... that's vague and a little too self back patty. How about this: I'm a lenient person when it comes to mistakes of performers. Eh... no, that doesn't work either; it's too subtle.

Here it is: More times than not, in situation where I could be, I'm not a complete and utter dick. There... that's more accurate. (And it's a comedy blog, so a dick reference must be made in the opening few lines... or what are we really doing here, folks?)

That doesn't sound like it could create a problem, but it does. I'm sometimes politely passive to avoid being seen as someone taking the miniscule amount of power they have too seriously. That would make me no better than every Target assistant manager who carries around a clip board. I can't become that.

I've rarely cut someone's mic when they've went over. I could have. I could have turned the sound off, sent someone up with a hook, and yanked them off stage. Well... not that physical... damn frivolous lawsuits... but in that same vein. Same for when people show up late... I generally let them know not to do that, and we move along with our evenings. 

But... You decided something else came up? Wasn't feeling it that night? Decided not to write any material or talking points and gave me 30 mins heads up even though you knew yesterday you weren't coming? That's become a problem.

The problem is when people do this they have no care, understanding, or awareness on how that effects other people. It's self centered and discourteous.

Here is the series of events of what you did: You asked for a spot. You were listed as a performer and tagged on Facebook. You were sent a confirmation email roughly a week before to remind and confirm you. Then... I get an e-mail 30 minutes before start time saying, "I forgot I was on." Or no heads up at all and then contacted me a day or two later asking to be put on the next one.


Without adequate warning, we have no time to contact the people who wanted to go on stage due to the list being full. These are people who could have brought a few friends (which helps the bar/venue), plus... some of them are semi regulars with a good track record who were held off... for you. In return for us being accommodating and trying to be welcoming... we get a big ol' kick in the pants. (Sorry for the language)

So now... due to my usual laid back approach being taken advantage of too often, it's prison rules! Not... not a sexual acts for drugs trade off. We aren't going to force someone to give us... listen, never mind. I just mean we are going to make an example out of someone. That's all.

The next person who does this will never go on one of my stages again. We will proverbially have a picture of you with a "Do Not Service This Person" warning near our non-existent register. Your mentality is the same as someone who passes bad checks knowing damn well they can't be cashed... so, that is how we are going to treat you.

And I really don't want to do that... because I don't like being a dick...but unfortunately the percentage of people who don't like me is about to be raised to 31.

Soma Showcase Calendar of Events:

Wed May 6th: The second Showcase at Soma Ultralounge will be featuring students from the University of Illinois. A few are a bit newer to stand up, and a few have been with C-U Comedy for over a year now. Before they take their final they are hitting the stage along with C-U Comedy's Esteban Gast.

                                                                                     Wed May 13th, for her first time with us in Champaign, we welcome from Chicago, our feature act of the week: Reena Calm. Reena is part of one of Chicago's most popular comedy shows, Hoo-Ha Comedy, is a regular at the Laugh Factory Comedy Club, has been on WGN Radio, and performed at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. Catch her one night only in C-U! Also: Shara Keen, Sandy Ott, Alec Jones, Rich Wentz, Chris Hightower.

Wed May 20th is the the return of the popular game: COMEDY COURT. A C-U regulars joke will be defended and prosecuted to find out whether or not is guilty of hackery! Also featuring sets from Rich Castle, Maggi Mayfield, Andrew Hicks, Steve Schaberg, Mikel Matthews, Kris Gardner, and from STL: Kathy Zeman

Drift Roberts

Wed May 27th: The Hardly Legal Comedy Tour. From Peoria, IL Drift Roberts, Jeff Bailey, and Courtney Rose Bennett. Their tour has taken them through Northern, IL and through Wisconsin and are now coming through Champaign! Drift Roberts has recently opened in theaters for Bo Burnham, including a huge show at U of I's Follinger Auditorium. Jeff Bailey is a regular at The Jukebox Comedy Club in Peoria and won the 2013 Midwest Comedy Competition beating out over 70 other entry's. 

Wednesday June 10th - The "Almost Friends Comedy Tour". On their way from Boise, ID to the Limestone Comedy Festival in Indiana, then on to the Comedy Clubs in New York, they are stopping in Champaign for one night only ! Emma Arnold, Ryan Noack, and Chad Heft are all prominent in clubs and colleges in their home state and have worked with dozens of national headliners. This is a cool thing to get them to stop in to our home base, make sure not to miss it! 

Soma Showcase Opening Night

Entrance to Soma

The first 8pm show for the NEW Weekly Stand Up Comedy Showcase was held at Soma on Wednesday April 29th. After 5 1/2 years at Memphis on Main the biggest stand up comedy show in town moved to a new venue. It's a great place in downtown Champaign that we hope to make better than any of our previous shows before. 

Front bar at Soma

There is a terrific front lounge area for people to hang out at before and after the show. Soma has a rep for being a place that is expensive or snooty. $2 Mixed Wells on Wed Night, folks. It's clean, it's big, and the best part for us is it has a private show room in the back. Not to mention a secondary bar so you never have to go too far from the show!

All full for Opening Night!

 It was a packed night. Standing room only all the way back through the covey of the second bar area. There were a few small issues we will fix going forward. The picture to the right was taken from the balcony which is used as a green room for all the performers. 





After every show DJ Mike Ingram starts spinning in the lounge area. 90's and more every Wed at 9:30 directly following the show. It's a very diverse crowd that comes out to stand up comedy shows, you really get to meet a lot of new interested people hanging out post show.





We really look forward to having so many different performers in. Already have people from Chicago, St Louis, Peoria, Boise, and more coming up soon! Here are some of the performers from week #1:

Chris Hightower

Host: Jesse Tuttle (me)

Esteban Gast

Andrew Hicks

Katie Prosise

Justin Tuttle

Steve Schaberg

Mikel Matthews

The Blame Game

Last night I messed up a bit on stage that I have never struggled with before. It's a very focused memorization type thing, one I am very proud of and and have
worked hard on. It has a good track record of a strong response when I am closing. The trouble is, one slip up basically ruins all of it due to the fashion in which it needs to be said. There was a highly inebriated (drunk... just... seven ways from Sunday drunk) woman in the front row who immediately starting yelling "HEY! - HEY YOU!" over and over in an attempt to mess me up. That's right, for the first time in comedy someone was giving me the ol' "Hey batter batter, we ain't got no batter, SWING batter!" routine. Well, she cemented her spot in the bullpen, because... curve ball caught the batter looking.

It threw me off, and I had to stop half way through due to losing my place and scold her. (She was later kicked out). I understand she was a troll of a human being, and it was extremely hard to perform something like that with a humanoid chihuahua barking in my ear... but in reality... as a performer, I should have been able to focus passed that and then called her out after it was done. In that moment... even if it was a excruciating situation, I failed as a performer.

I blamed her, but for the wrong reasons. It irks me about the amount of blame performers put on the audience when things don't go so well on a general basis. The above story is an extreme circumstance, but I'm talking about when a crowd just isn't that into a set... and afterwards... the blame game begins.

A set that garners little reaction is not always your fault alone. Sometimes it IS the crowd fault and you are just in a no win situation. Other times it's like you were set up on a blind date with the audience. Both of you are fine; you two just aren't right for each other. But, if every date you go on seems to be filled with drama and a slew of reasons it didn't work out... then you have lost touch on the common denominator. Hitting a brick wall of blank faces is good for you now and then. But some people can't help but bring up reasoning's that never equate to themselves. 

"The crowd didn't like me because I'm *fill in the blank*" - Stop it. There are some audience members who may not want to laugh at you because you have a different cultural background, a different societal view point, the way you dress, your gender, have toilet paper hanging out your pant leg... and the few people who decide to cross their arms at you for that are judgmental wankers. But... why weren't the other 95 percent of the crowd laughing?

If there is a majority black/gay/asian/conservative/ect. audience, and they don't laugh at me... it's probably not because of how I look. I mean, I'm sure SOME of them get mixed feelings seeing a bald white guy with tattoos and Vodka energy shouting at them from a pedestal... which given history I understand the knee jerk reaction. Even then... they probably didn't laugh because I didn't connect with them. It's my fault, not theirs. Blaming an audience because you perceive them to have social hang ups based on first glance makes you much more discriminating than they are.

The more egregious method of this buck passing trend is the passive self compliments. "I was too smart for them." "They didn't like me because I'm good looking." No you aren't. Maybe they didn't like you because they just didn't think you were entertaining. Look who gets shows on TV, the comics who are moving up to specials, and the actors who are playing the goofy side character in movies. Most of them are a few steps away from being models. This whole new generation is being groomed to think ONLY good looking people can be funny. So your excuse of being a 7 out of 10 on the ol' looks scale is losing it's relevance.

Also, don't blame having to work clean on your lack of ability. "The audience only wanted dirty stuff!" - No they didn't, they only wanted funny stuff. Most people don't like working clean. It's not as fun. Sometimes saying a certain cuss word just makes things funnier regardless of what Seinfeld says. But if you have to crutch on naughty word verbalization to get chuckles then you are going to be hobbling for a while.

Admitting failure, even when it's easy to blame someone else, shows self awareness. Pointing a finger at yourself is more helpful in the long run then looking in the mirror flashing a thumbs up. There are sometimes when it IS the crowd's fault. But a lot of times the excuses are just showing your insecurity on being able to say, "Hey, I wasn't that good tonight." There is nothing wrong with admitting that.

Not being able to cop up to that makes you a delusional narcissist incapable of understanding that sometimes... a drunk person is going to show up, sit in the front row, and pretend they are at a Little League Game with their "Hey Batter" taunts.

Ya know what... now that I sit here and stew about that... I changed my mind, I did fine. Psh, it was all her fault.