Image via Facebook / Milwaukee Improv
“What COVID has done has impacted attendance for sure,” Steve Byrne notes of his chosen profession of stand-up comedy, adding, “but what makes up for it are the people that come out. They want to be there. They want to laugh, and because of that, the laughs are louder and more meaningful.
“It certainly makes me appreciate my job and that connection between performer and audience. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Byrne becomes the inaugural comic to headline the main room of the newest location of the famed Improv Comedy Club chain at The Corners of Brookfield (20111 W. Bluemound Road) for five shows from Friday August 20 to Sunday August 22. The pandemic and attendant lockdowns delayed the opening of the club for over a year, but to hear it from Byrne, it’s been worth the wait.
“This may be one of, if not the, nicest clubs in the chain. It’s absolutely stunning,” Byrne says of Southeastern Wisconsin's latest dedicated comedy venue. He knows of what he speaks regarding Improv locations, too. “I’ve had the pleasure of doing all the Improv comedy clubs across the country. They are the gold standard, not only in venues and how they treat comics, but also the experience for the audience members. They have it down to a science.”
Singular Outlook
Another application of science germane to Byrne’s act is genetics. The ethnic backgrounds of his mom and dad have given him both a singular look and contributed to the outlook reflected in his material.
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“My parents and my unique background certainly are a big part of my act, so much so they truly helped provide the basis
for my own sitcom, “Sullivan & Son” (which ran on TBS from 2012 to 2014). My father’s Irish side provides the outgoing and storytelling side, and my Korean mother is the blunt part of my act. She does not BS around,” Byrne observes of his lineage.
Proud as he is of his roots, though, he’s not one to hyphenated his identity. “My viewpoint has always stayed the same on trying to be inclusive as an American,” Byrne offers in not wanting to be pegged as Korean American nor Irish American. “Unfortunately, what's changed is the perception of Americans as Americans due to the polarizing and politicized nature of the country.”
Middle Ground
Standing in the political middle allows Byrne an objective stance. “As a centrist, I feel both sides of the spectrum, and their news outlets have enough hypocrisy to go around. I’ll continue trying to be a conduit of appreciation for this country and hopefully, via comedy, helping to get both sides to laugh with and at each other,” Byrne pledges, adding, “My jokes are as well received in Houston as they are in San Fran'. I take pride in that. If it’s funny enough that a diehard leftist or rightist can accept the joke, it’s a badge of honor these days.”
Doubtless an even greater honor for Byrne is being the father of two grade school-age children. That distinction impacted his work, too. “My whole outlook on what I’m communicating via stand-up has changed now that I'm a father,” Byrne reckons. “I’m trying to write material that my kids will one day watch and be proud of. A few years ago, I was on all fours doing doggy-style jokes, and now I’m talking about my kids, so, yeah, there’s a pendulum swing there for sure!”
His children may not be old enough to get into an Improv yet, but Byrne effuses a youthful giddiness when speaking of his past experiences opening the chain’s locations. “It’s fun to get caught up in the euphoria from the staff and the audience, who may have never been to a comedy club before, and as a comic, you feed off of all of it. It certainly makes the weekend stand out from a normal run on the calendar.” He urges anyone dissatisfied by Zoom shows and streaming services’ comedy specials to get caught up in the same excitement.
“You can Netflix and chill anytime. Get off the couch, take a damn shower, and laugh your ass off.”
Here Byrne breaks down how one’s taste in music can change with age; in his case, it has gone from hip-hop to country...
