| Debriefer:
Comedian Liam Sullivan
You may not know the hilarious
Liam Sullivan, but chances are you have had a close relationship with
his alter-ego, Kelly, the shoe-obsessed, gonna-get-what-she-wants betch
who has sung/screeched her way into our hearts. LiamShow.com is overflowing
with various off-kilter videos and sketches. You can also catch him
in unpixelated form as both Liam and Kelly on the Beautiful Tour with
comic-maven Margaret Cho when they hit the road in March.
We're going to imprison you
in the city of your choice for the rest of your natural life. You can
do anything you want there, but you must stay in that city forever.
Where would you choose?
L.A. Slam dunk! I already live here. The rest of my unnatural life I
would like to spend in New York City, of course.
Why would you live in this city forever and not somewhere else?
My friends are all here. I could live with my good friends in Schnecksville,
PA, but I might hit a deer.
In what part of the city
would you reside?
Los Feliz is where I'm at now and I like it. It's place for vegan yoga
instructors, hipster screenwriters, and Armenian mavens. And me.
Where and what would you
eat?
I eat at: Tub Tim Siam for takeout Thai food, Fred 62 for diner food,
Vinoteca for cheese, the Dresden for cocktails, the Coffee Bean and
Tea Leaf for coffee, and Trader Joe's barbecue chicken pizza for when
I'm editing my videos at night. I also like tuna fish sandwiches from
Gelson's.
What would you do for fun?
I work for fun. I write, act and shoot videos for fun. There are so
many talented actors, writers, directors, cinematographers etc. here
to work with, I feel really lucky. I'm doing a show with my friends
at drama34 this weekend and I can't wait. We call the show A.S.S. Don't
ask what that stands for. Hell, this is just my life. Should I have
picked a different city? Like Paris, or Hawaii?
Where would you go for a
night on the town?
A night on the town would involve a permanent stop at the Sub Standard.
That's my girlfriend's apartment. She shares it with two guys. I played
Guitar Hero there for about 3 hours during a party once; that gave me
the spins. That and about 9 pounds of whiskey. A raucous game of Celebrity
or Catch Phrase would last until 3am. I really don't need much more
fun than that. People say L.A. is full of superficial jerks. I have
found lots of non-superficial jerks and I love just being silly with
them no matter where we are. Unless it's raining; then I stay home.
What kinds of shops are worth
going to?
I love going to Goodwill and picking out weird costumes for my characters.
The Apple store is always fun to visit and stare at the grown-up toys
and drool.
And on the flip side: What
city would you never, ever visit again, if you had a choice?
I don't want to insult my wonderful, intelligent, hard-working cousins
in Worcester, Massachusetts, but I think I just did.
Kelly
has become nothing short of an icon for shoe-obsessed betches everywhere.
How on earth did she come to be - was it an organic process, or an immediate
caricature? Do you have to be all dolled-up to really take her on?
Kelly is a lot of women's voices in one. I don't have to be in costume
to play her, but it does help.
Your characters are so outrageous - are any of them based on real people?
Care to name names?
I signed a gag order with myself, so I can't do that. But yes, some
of them are based on real people I know or have had a doctor's appointment
with.
Much of your comedy is music-based, from "Text Message Breakup" (featuring
a cameo by always-amazing Margaret Cho) to "Relationshit" and the infamous"
Shoes." Do you have a background in music?
My extensive background in music includes the sexiest instrument of
all: alto sax. I was "Saxman" (no one called me that) in the King Philip
Junior High School concert band, lead singer in the totally amazing
"Sign of Life" rock band in high school, and student to my friend Todd,
who taught me six chords on the guitar. I took piano lessons somewhere
along the line, but am terrible at all those instruments, including
singing. But I can do comedy, and music is kind of similar to comedy
because they both have a rhythm usually. I think that's why they put
them in the same category for those award shows.
You seem to have an amazing
ability to keep blinking at an absolute minimum, as witnessed in the
hilariously repetitive "Muffins"; what's your secret to get the best
lockdown look?
Commitment, specificity, and something to look at. |
