Sean Patton on ‘Making People Laugh’

×

Expand

Photo by Seth Olenick via meseanpatton.com

Sean Patton

Sean Patton

Sean Patton may not ask much out of life. But he gets demanding when it comes to his comedy. 

“I’m not trying to get anyone to agree with me,” Patton concedes. But, “I’m trying to make everyone laugh. The key word there is make. Not beg, pander, trick you into, or strike a bargain. To make you laugh. Those are the best laughs for us That “all” includes himself, as he’s in on the jokes he shares and his shared experiences with the audience. 

“I celebrate the beauty of human flaw. It’s the one thing that every human being has in common. We are all flawed. I talk about my flaws, as well as society’s flaws, and I believe that if you can laugh at mine, then you can also laugh at yours.” From that mutual bond of fallibility, Patton has a greater goal for his artistry. “If we can all laugh at society, then maybe we can figure out a way to fix it.”

Patton brings his contribution to fixing society through humor that recognizes human fallenness to The Laughing Tap for three shows on Friday Jan. 5 and Saturday Jan. 6. And anyone in attendance will get what he wants them to have.

He explains, “I do not believe in giving the audience what they want. I don’t think any performer should do that. I believe in giving the audience what I want. And what I want is to truly express my thoughts in a purely comedic way. I’m not trying to get anyone to agree with me.” Fortunately for him, enough comedy aficionados find Patton agreeably funny enough for him to make a living from his stand-up.   

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something larger than life,: recalls Patton. "Once I knew it was stand-up, I just started and never looked back. I wasn’t thinking about making money or it being my profession. I was completely focused on being good at it. That’s all I cared about. I was pursuing it because I love doing it. That’s it. It only became my full-time profession because I love it.” 

From his own story, he articulates broader principles that give the impression that he not only already has had a couple of stand-up specials in him—"King Scorpio” on YouTube and its Peacock-exclusive predecessor, “Number One”—but he may have at least one self-help book, too. “I believe that the secret to success at anything is you have to love it first. Everything else will come in different ways and at different times, but you have to love doing it, whatever it is.” 

Crescent City Upringing

What Patton loves doing from stage with a mic in his hand has its origin in his early life in New Orleans before moving to New York to pursue his comedic muse. Evidence of his having immersed himself in the Crescent City’s famed nightlife, with the kinds of beverages that fuel much of it, is evident in the frequent profanity of his act. “A lot of my early personal experiences were alcohol—and debauchery—fueled shit shows. But that’s where I found my voice, within all the madness of the nightlife. Which is also why I’m so foul mouthed.”

Patton isn't reinventing the wheel when it comes to nasty talk in comedy. But the deftness of his pacing gives it an individualized spin. “I don’t let myself overthink the timing part. I find that becoming too aware of your personal timing will throw it off. My timing is very erratic, and I never wanted to change that because it’s my natural timing and it works for what I do.”

However, Patton cautions aspiring comedians looking to him, or anyone else, for inspiration to not go so far as duplication. “Don’t try to be the next anyone else. Be the first you.” If that reads like more advice for the self-help book he maybe ought to write, Patton still wants to off his aid from comedy club stages. 

“Our sense of humor is our coping mechanism. A lot of people don’t realize they have one. I try to show everyone they do.” 

From “King Scorpio,” here Patton theorizes on the possible connection between our romantic lives and how we treat our bodies ...