Jim David

Last updated

Jim David
Born
Asheville, North Carolina
Alma mater Furman University, Southern Methodist University
Occupation(s)Stand-up comedian, playwright, novelist
Years active1986–present
Known forSouth Pathetic
Website www.comicjimdavid.com

Jim David is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is originally from Asheville, North Carolina, and lives in New York City.

Contents

David has released five albums on Stand Up! Records, most recently 2021's Gay Jokes For Straight Cruisers, which reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart. [1] [2]

Early life

David was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. [3] [4] His parents were heavily involved in local theater, and as a youth David appeared in many shows at the Tanglewood Children's Theater and Asheville Community Theater, starting as a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. [5] [6] [7] He graduated from Furman University in 1976 with a degree in drama. [8] He began graduate school at Southern Methodist University, but left to pursue acting in New York City. [9] Before turning to comedy full-time, David was a high school drama teacher in Long Island, sold office supplies, and, he told one interviewer, "I did singing telegrams dressed as a chicken or a pink gorilla." [1] [10]

Career

David began performing stand-up in 1986, [6] after several years as an actor in mostly Off-Broadway shows in New York. [3]

Describing David's comedy style, critic Richard Lanoie of The Serious Comedy Site said that his "forte is everyday observational comedy with a penchant for the absurd", [11] and praised him as "a bit of a chameleon" for his ability to create and inhabit different characters. [12] While his material is not heavily political, David does not avoid political topics, such as abortion, religious fundamentalism, and LGBT issues. [13] [10] [3] [6] [1]

Television and film

David came out onstage in the 1990s. In 2000, he became the first openly gay male comedian to have his own Comedy Central special, with his appearance on Comedy Central Presents , which aired December 10, 2000. [3] [14] [6]

From 2002 to 2004, he was a regular guest on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn . He was a comedy consultant in 2004 on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy . [9] He has also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , The View , HLN's The Joy Behar Show, Star Search , A&E's Evening at the Improv, AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live, BBC America's The World Stands Up, Bravo's Great Things About Being..., and on MTV, Showtime, and VH1. [3] [7] [6] [15] [16]

He appeared in the 1994 George Lucas-produced film Radioland Murders . [17]

Stage

David made his Broadway debut in the 1994 musical The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public as the Las Vegas emcee, listed in the credits as "Comedian." [18] [19] He appears on the Varèse Sarabande Original Cast Recording. [20] David wrote most of his own part, drawing on his stand-up experience. [1]

In 2010, David wrote, produced and starred in the one-man show South Pathetic, about a doomed production of A Streetcar Named Desire at a small Southern community theater, in which David plays himself and 10 other characters. [6] [3] He has performed the show across the country, including the New York International Fringe Festival, [21] and the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival. [14] [18] [22] The New York Times called the show "rich with Southern flavor" and David "a tirelessly gregarious trouper." [21]

David won a Bistro Award in 1998, honoring his work as a cabaret and comedy performer. [23] He is a three-time winner and nine-time nominee of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets' award for best stand-up comedian. [24]

Other work

In 2012, he released a novel, You'll Be Swell (Trumbull Press), about a struggling actress who falls off a cruise ship, which begins a chain reaction that makes her famous. [4] [25]

He was a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post and The Advocate . [26] [18]

From 2011 to 2014, David hosted the podcast Jim David's Icons, a series of conversations with people from the worlds of theater, comedy and politics. [27]

Albums

Gay Jokes was recorded in March 2020 on a tourist cruise ship to Spain. [1] The Interrobang called it "intimate, international, irrepressible comedy [that] stands up for comedians' rights to say what they want." [14] The Serious Comedy Site's Lanoie called it "an absolute blast". [28] Bobby Patrick of BroadwayWorld called it "a crazy quilt of hilarity" that showcased David's rapport with his audience. [29]

David has released four other albums on Stand Up!, including expanded versions of his self-released discs, Live From Jimville and Eat Here and Get Gas. Lanoie called Live From Jimville "very enjoyable" and reminiscent of Rodney Dangerfield. [11] Jake Austen of Roctober magazine, reviewing his first three albums, was slightly less positive, calling David "a confident, veteran comic" but stating he found his material "charmingly lame". [30]

Personal life

David has been with his husband for more than 30 years. [4] [6] He lives in New York. [1]

See also

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lea DeLaria</span> American comedian, actress and singer

Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. She portrayed Carrie "Big Boo" Black on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). She also starred in the Broadway productions POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive in 2022 and the 2000 revival of The Rocky Horror Show. She was the first openly gay comic to appear on American television in a 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand-up comedy</span> Comedy style where the performer addresses the audience directly

Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehearsed scripts but often include varying degrees of live crowd interaction. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, observations, or shticks that can employ props, music, impressions, magic tricks, or ventriloquism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comedian</span> Person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly, or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Gaffigan</span> American comedian, actor, writer, and producer

James Christopher Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using little profanity in his routines, although he does use it from time to time. He has released several successful comedy specials, including Mr. Universe, Obsessed, Cinco, and Quality Time, all of which have received Grammy nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Hollenbach</span> American comedian and actor

Shawn Hollenbach is an American comedian, writer and actor, based in New York City. He worked at Comedy Central in the programming department. As a comic and actor he has performed around the country and throughout New York. He is an energetic and upbeat performer and self-deprecating humorist focusing on LGBT subjects and a "style that capitalizes on the myriad incidents and accidents that befall us all in the midst of our human existence". He currently works at Logo, Viacom's channel that appeals to the LGBT community and their allies as the social media manager for the channel and its most popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race.

Darryl O’Flynn Lenox was an American comedian who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Tim Harmston is a stand-up comedian from Minneapolis. He competed on Last Comic Standing in 2014, and has performed on The Late Show With David Letterman and Comedy Central's Live at Gotham. Star Tribune critic Jay Boller wrote that Harmston combines "the cadence of Brian Regan and the observational absurdism of Jim Gaffigan." He has released two albums on Stand Up! Records, The Most Bees Ever and The Whim of Tim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Daniels</span> American comedian

Chad Daniels is an American comedian. His albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard comedy charts three times: No. 2 for 2017's Footprints On The Moon, No. 6 for 2019's Dad Chaniels, and No. 7 for 2014's Natural Selection. As of 2019, his albums have been streamed more than 700 million times. Footprints on the Moon also reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hinchcliffe</span> American comedian and writer

Tony Hinchcliffe is an American comedian who hosts the live comedy podcast Kill Tony, which is a showcase of professional and amateur comedians who take turns doing one-minute sets. Hinchcliffe is known primarily for his roast comedy. His one-hour stand-up special One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016. He has been on the writing staff of the Comedy Central Roast series. He also appeared as a roaster on the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016 and The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024.

Mike Bocchetti is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer from Staten Island, New York. He is most notable for his role as the announcer on The Artie Lange Show from 2012 to 2014, and has acted frequently on film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Shubert</span> American stand-up comedian and Actor

Jimmy Shubert is a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia now living in Los Angeles. He is known for being part of Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy," as a 2014 finalist on Last Comic Standing, and for acting roles on shows such as The King of Queens, Entourage, and ER, and movies including Go and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen McGee</span> Canadian stand-up comedian

Kathleen McGee is a Canadian stand-up comedian from Edmonton, Alberta. Her performance at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival was nominated for a 2019 Canadian Comedy Award. Her debut full-length album, 2019's Deliciously Vulgar, was produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel for his label Stand Up! Records.

Daniel Lobell is a Los Angeles–based American stand-up comedian, podcaster, and comic-book writer best known for his podcast Modern Day Philosophers. Comedian Marc Maron credits him with creating the first podcast focused on stand-up comedy, Comical Radio.

Doug Mellard is an American stand-up comedian.

Clifton Freeman Cash is an American stand-up comedian from North Carolina.

Dwight York is an American stand-up comedian and writer originally from Wisconsin.

Johnny Taylor, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster from Sacramento, California.

Adam Quesnell is an American stand-up comedian and screenwriter from Fargo, North Dakota now living in Los Angeles.

Dave Losso is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and comic-book artist from Chicago now living in Seattle.

Jake Flores is a Mexican-American stand-up comedian and podcaster from Texas now living in New York City. He has released two albums on Stand Up! Records: 2014's Humours, and 2021's Bad Omen.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mosher, Stephen (May 10, 2021). "BWW Interview: Jim David of Gay Jokes For Straight Cruisers". BroadwayWorld . New York City. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ Stand Up! Records [@StandUpRecords] (April 22, 2021). "For five whole days, @ActualJimDavid was #1 on the comedy chart at the @iTunes store. When that happens, your album shows as the representative 'face' of the genre. Mazal Tov, Jim! All this and a #cindyadams mention in the @nypost!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 10, 2021– via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Neal, Dale (June 10, 2016). "Laughs and equality: Comedian Jim David comes home to Asheville". Asheville Citizen-Times . Asheville, North Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Aber, Ian (September 4, 2013). "Comic Jim David primes his gay wit for Atlanta". Project Q Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. ↑ Terrell, Bob (December 3, 1981). "What Is a Turkey?". Asheville Citizen-Times . Asheville, North Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Neal, Dale (June 12, 2016). "Yes, You Can Come Home Again: Comedian and Asheville native Jim David is back for a one-night benefit". Asheville Citizen-Times . Asheville, North Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Kiss, Tony (May 7, 2004). "Asheville comedian plays ACT". Asheville Citizen-Times . Asheville, North Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  8. ↑ Moore, Vince (June 10, 2016). "Laughs and equality". Furman University News. Greenville, South Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Condran, Ed (February 13, 2004). "His craft is a many splendored thing". The Record . Hackensack, New Jersey. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Lancaster, Lindsay (March 9, 2007). "Jim David is laughing his way through life". Hendersonville Times-News . Hendersonville, North Carolina. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Richard Lanoie (April 9, 2018). "Jim David – Live From Jimville". The Serious Comedy Site. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  12. ↑ Richard Lanoie (April 9, 2018). "Jim David – Eat Here and Get Gas". The Serious Comedy Site. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ Burke, David (January 12, 2006). "Being gay just another part of comic's act". Quad-City Times . Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 "The 5: Jim David's Five Most Unforgettable Cruise Destinations". The Interrobang. April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  15. ↑ David, Jim (February 2, 2016). "Comedian Jim David on Gotham Comedy Live". HuffPost . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Stand Up Against Domestic Violence April 10 with Jim David, Mark Riccadonna & Jason Salmon". Prweb. March 27, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  17. ↑ John Willis; Barry Monush (February 1, 2000). Comprehensive Pictorial and Statistical Record of the 1994 Movie Season. Hal Leonard. pp. 130–. ISBN   978-1-55783-233-7.
  18. 1 2 3 Dolen, Christine (January 30, 2011). "Comic's solo show 'South Pathetic' is anything but". Miami Herald . Miami, Florida. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Jim David". Playbill . New York City. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  20. ↑ Theatre World 1993-1994 , p. 66, at Google Books
  21. 1 2 Webster, Andy (August 17, 2010). "A One-Man Show Rich With Southern Flavor, and Humidity". The New York Times . Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  22. ↑ Archer, Greg (August 3, 2009). "The Darker Side of 'Desire'". San Francisco Examiner . San Francisco, California. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  23. ↑ "2019-1985 Recipients". Bistro Awards. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Jim David". Manhattan Association of Cabarets. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  25. ↑ "You'll Be Swell by Jim David". Bleeding Espresso. March 2, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Contributor Jim David". HuffPost . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Jim David's Icons". Jim David's Icons. Podomatic. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ Richard Lanoie (April 7, 2021). "Gay Jokes for Straight Cruisers – Jim David". The Serious Comedy Site. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  29. ↑ Patrick, Bobby (May 5, 2021). "BWW CD Review: Jim David, New York's GAYEST Comic, Emerges From The Pandemic & Moves Out To Sea On Board His New Album: GAY JOKES FOR STRAIGHT CRUISERS". BroadwayWorld . New York City. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  30. ↑ Austen, Jake (August 2013). "The Stand Up! Records Listener's Guide". Roctober. Chicago.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.