The Javi Luna Interview
Interview
1. How did you get started in the world of comedy?
I was working for the State of Texas as an investigator and a friend at work was putting together a charity event and as the office funny guy wanted to know if I was interested in performing a stand-up routine. He had asked me the previous year but I had declined. For some reason in 2011 I finally said yes. I looked for some local open mics to practice as I had never done stand-up before and I was hooked immediately. I started to get some work locally right off the bat and the rest is history as they say.
2. Who has been your greatest inspiration when it comes to your comedy?
Two ways to answer this question, right? If the question is who inspires my material then I would say mostly my family. Immediate, extended, by blood, and by choice. If it is which comedians inspire me early on I would say George Carlin. Not stylistically necessarily but for his approach to the craft. He was fearless. Calculated with his words but always maintained a conversational feel. He talked to the audience not at that. And that's what I strive for.
3. Who has been your greatest support throughout your journey as a comic?
My wife, both because she is siting right next to me and because it is the absolute truth. She's always got some encouragement for me when the ups and downs seem to have a lot more downs than ups. And she is good for swift kick in the ass when I am the one keeping myself down.
4.What's the most memorable moment in your career so far?
I have some great memories but the most memorable just because it was so surreal was watching the inauguration of the 45th President in a Taqueria with Pauly Shore between radio appearances.
5. How do you deal with Hecklers?
I don't want to jinx myself but it doesn't happen often. When it does I practice what psychologist call, extinction. Heckling is attention seeking behavior. They aren't trying to help as so many claim. The attention is on someone other than themselves and their ego can't stand it. They want you to respond. If you don't, the behavior subsides or they act out enough that they get bounced from the club. They get their attention and I can get to finish my show the way I want. Everybody wins.
6. What has been your biggest challenge throughout your career and how did vou overcome it?
Location. Location. Location. I 've been doing comedy from the wrong city for the entirety of my career. With a not very active scene and no established club for the first habdful of years. Somehow I was fortunate enough to make enough noise through contests and opening for acts that pass through town that I got picked up on a national theater tour when I was just 2 years in. I got to share the stage with some pretty heavy hitters and learned a lot from watching them. Plenty of them tried to convince me to head out west or at the very least a bigger scene in Texas.
I probably should have listened if I ever wanted to make it big. But I am a family man at heart. Packing up my family or leaving my kids behind was never and will never be an option for me. The only way I have been able to overcome that I would say is I had make a hard stop on buying into what anyone else defines as making it and write my own definition. Social media has leveled the playing field significantly as far as getting boticed by the masses it seems. The pandemic changed the landscape of many major scenes and scattered comedians all over the country. I cant take credit for either of those things though. But they have helped over come my location problem.
7. when was your first comedy stand up performance and how did it turn out?
April 1, 2021. It went pretty well from what I remembered. I got pretty drunk to get over the nerves and don't remember too much. It was good enough that a couple weeks later a nurse at a rehab hospital my mother was in had recognized me and told my mom how funny I was. I hadn't told my mom I had started doing comedy but she agreed with the nurse and drifted off to sleep.
8. How do you mentally prepare right before each show?
Finally an easy one. I hit a blinker and pace back and forth.
9.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
With a large enough, loyal following that I can sell enough tickets to provide a comfortable life for my family without all the extra hustles I have become accustomed to.
10. Is there any advice that you have recieved from another comic that has been very beneficial to your career?
It's become cliche now but yes. I was fortunate enough to have a headliner I respected earlier tell me of the importance of being undeniable. And it helped. I believe it is the main reason I have gotten the opportunities I have even being from such a small market.
11. What excites you the most about the comedy writing process and what discourages you the most?
The idea that literally any bit you write has the potential to become your signature. I have seen jokes I discounted, tabled, and virtually thrown away resurface years later when perhaps I am more skilled. And they become closers for me. People love them and they quote them back to you years later and you think "man that really was just a dumb conversation i had with my cousin. "
12. If you can use one word to describe your fans what would it be and why?
Loyal. They know I am not a big name and may never be. But they show up to every show they can. Some drive 100+ miles. They buy and wear the merch of a virtually unknown comedian proudly. They mention my name in the same breath as some truly great and accomplished comedians to the confusion of those around them. That's loyalty.
14.What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in stand up comedy?
Do it. Start now. Don't wait. It's the only way to find out if you love it. Don't compare your journey or your success to anybody else's.
15. What's the craziest thing that has happened on tour?
Comedy tours are fairly tame in comparison to say musicians. Unless the comics have some addiction most nights just with riffing bits at an IHOP or smoking a joint by the pool at the Hilton Garden. We did get kicked out of a hotel in Naples, FL because my roommate asked for a iron but his name wasn't on the room so the clerk called the cops. The clerk was the craziest thing about that story though.
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