Steve Hofstetter and Danny Jolles team up for laughs at Alumni Hall
Spencer Van Dyk | Fulcrum Staff
NEW YORK CITY comedians Steve Hofstetter and Danny Jolles brought the laughs to Alumni Hall on Nov. 8 for a stand-up comedy show entitled “Comedy Without Apology.”
Hofstetter describes himself as a social critic who aspires to be “like Bill Hicks if he didn’t hate his audience,” while Jolles capitalizes on true stories about his life that highlight his nervousness and social awkwardness. The two met when Jolles played at Hofstetter’s comedy club in Queens, N.Y. and now have teamed up to perform at colleges and universities around North America.
Hofstetter started performing in Canada about seven years ago and has since made it a priority to cross the border at least once a year, though this was his first time in Ottawa.
“Part of why I love performing in Canada is comedy is really treated like theatre here, and it’s respected,” said Hofstetter. “In the States, there are some amazing clubs, and there are some clubs that treat us like a carnival sideshow and we’re there to sell drinks and it’s not considered art.”
Hofstetter is the original writer for CollegeHumor and has also released four comedy albums and three books.
“I was 13 years old and a cute girl told me I should join the improv group,” he recounted. “I have no spine, so I said sure, and then she quit, and I was hooked, and now she’s awful, so it worked out. I had done a bunch of improv, but I stopped for a while when I was in college because I didn’t like the cliqueness of college improv groups—which is a fancy way of me saying I didn’t make the audition—but in senior year, I decided to try stand-up. I figured I’d give it a shot, and it worked, and then I graduated with no other marketable job skills and just figured, ‘Let’s give this a shot.’ And about six months in, I realized I could do this professionally.”
Jolles developed an interest in comedy and acting when he was in middle school, and then went on to major in theatre and political science at New York University, intending to stay in the city to pursue a career onstage. Since then, he has been featured on CollegeHumor and popular humour website Funny or Die and performs regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.
“I think students are much more receptive to me than an older crowd because I’m just 25, so I’m pretty fresh out of school,” said Jolles. “They get a lot of my references, and usually they’re a bit more imaginative, so some of my jokes can get a little weird and they’re much more willing to go with it.”
Both Hofstetter and Jolles draw upon everyday life to write their material. Their Canada-versus-U.S. jokes were funny without being tired and overused.
“Come talk to me after the show,” Hofstetter said as he ended his performance. “Conversation is education, and education is how we get rid of all the stupid people.”
