Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Spungen.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve always been a casual fan of standup comedy, but I started really getting into it while working my first job out of college at The Basement Theatre in Auckland, NZ. While I was with The Basement I had the opportunity work with a lot of hilarious comics and see A TON of great standup – so many that I was eventually inspired to give it a shot myself. Pretty much the rest was history; my first (hundred) sets were VERY rough, but I found that I loved the power of being on stage, holding a microphone, and basically forcing people to listen to me, and the few laughs I got here and there felt really, really good. After a while I decided that I enjoyed it enough to move back to Chicago to pursue it for real. Now I’m two years in and my comedy is still a work in progress, but I feel like finally coming into my comedic voice, or at least, bombing less!
Please tell us about your art.
If I didn’t make it clear in my first answer, I do standup comedy! Why is a good question – I have always been someone whose self-esteem has been inextricably tied to my ability to make people laugh, and also someone who has wanted to be involved in the arts in some capacity, so I guess for me, standup is sort of the intersection of those two things.
My process is pretty all over the place – sometimes a fully-realized “bit” will just sort of spontaneously pop into my head. A lot of the time though, I’ll get jokes or bits from funny conversations that I have. At the end of the day I like to sit down and go “okay, what made me laugh really hard today” and then write down the essence of those conversations. I find that I get a lot of material from talking to my brother especially, because when we talk, we usually end up just riffing. It’s honestly pretty annoying!
I’m not sure if I can say what the specific “message” of my comedy is, but I like to take familiar situations, phrases, objects, and/or concepts and present them in new ways. For example, I might tell the audience that I’ve had a “pregnancy scare”, and then describe being startled by a pregnant woman jumping out of a bush. Or, I might laude the band Guns N’ Roses for being the only band that has put ANY effort whatsoever into making me feel welcome in the jungle. For me, the stupider, more abstract connections I’m able to make, the better, and the overall effect is pretty absurd but (hopefully) also pretty funny.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Comedy is funny, because it’s probably one of the few art forms that is inherently hyper-social. We’re constantly hanging out at bars, whether we like or not, and so it ends up being not as much isolating as it is socially exhausting (at least, in my experience). I would say though that if you’re a comic living in a new city, or just starting out, the best place you can meet other comics is probably at open mics. I know they can be exhausting, but the more you see the same faces out and about, the sooner you’ll form connections, and I’m fairly certain, friendships. Also, if you’re a lonely artist involved in a medium that ISN’T comedy, maybe give standup a shot?
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
If you’d like to see me perform, I recommend checking out Just Us Gals, the monthly comedy and variety show that I produce and host with Clare Austen-Smith and Rima Parikh at Sleeping Village in Avondale. Every month the three of us kick off the show with a sketch (last month, to give you a taste, we “taught” the audience how to lose their virginities via bonkers Powerpoint), and then showcase a line-up of the best standup, sketch, and indie music we think the city has to offer. It’s a SUPER fun night and honestly feels as much like a show as it does a big crazy comedy party. I know I’m biased but if you’re a comedy fan, or indie music fan, it’s really not to be missed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.naomispungen.com
- Email: NAOMISPUNGEN@GMAIL.COM
- Twitter: @naomundo
Image Credit:
Two from the Hideout – Forestt S. LaFave
Two from Just Us Gals (darker background and JUG icon) – Sarah Larson
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
