The Future Meets Comedy with Shawn Wickens

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Photo by Eli S

Shawn Wickens

Shawn Wickens

“It’s better to write down dreams in a book that says Time Machine Blueprints on the cover rather than a plain old boring notebook.” 

That seems a fair assessment by stand-up comedian and futurist Shawn Wickens of the book he has published and, in a manner of speaking, authored himself. The qualifier regarding Wickens’ authorship of Time Machine Blueprints? At least in its first edition, the book consists largely of blank pages.  

In a lively, heady email conversation, Wickens hasn’t revealed exactly what, if anything more, is in Blueprints’ second edition. But he plans to read from it, answering audience questions, and likely as not, be funny consistently throughout his time at Lion's Tooth Bookstore on Saturday May 25 at 5 p.m. in what’s billed as “Time Machine Blueprints: The Show,” a time travel comedy show and quantum physics lecture. 

“Eventually, I will put out a second edition,” Wickens promises, “but the original first edition will always be available. I like encouraging people to really use it. It's just a collection of pages but I like to think of the book as a ‘manifestation machine.’” The notion for his machine entered his mind as he was psycho-chemically altered.   

Zoned Out

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The Time Machine Blueprints by Shawn Wickens

“I’m very upfront and honest with the fact that this comedy/futurism journey started with me stoned at home simply zoned out, listening to music. In that very relaxed and receptive state,” Wickens admits. “I decided to buy the domain name: TimeMachineBlueprints.com because, ‘Shouldn’t somebody own that?’” 

After purchasing that URL, he has run with it far enough to have written (?) the book that brings him to Lion's Tooth, among other endeavors including podcast interviews wherein he expounds on the potential promises and problems of times to come. As one might surmise, the roots of Wickens’ dual fascinations with comedy and the futurism have deeper root. As with so many folks who make a living with their sense of humor, family played a part in Wickens' development comedically and overall mindset. 

“Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, my father showed me a lot of older comedy, like the Marx Brothers and the Smothers Brothers and science fiction shows like the original ‘Star Trek.’ Professionally, comedy happened first,” Wickens recalls. 

“My newfound focus in futurism came about after the pandemic, I believe, as a way to move away from the past and think even more optimistically about the present,” he coninuess. The template Wickens employs for his stand-up parallels how he desires for comedy aficionados to relate to his role as a futurist, too. 

“My long-held comedy philosophy," Wickens says, “is not to make the audience laugh but to invite them and allow them to laugh. In addition, I’m now inviting the audience to believe in even just the possibility of a better tomorrow.” 

What kind of humor can we expect at Lion’s Tooth? “Dry. Zen. Thought-provoking. Surreal. Earnest,” he insists. The subjects Wickens addresses for his listeners to laugh about, however, could find another single-word descriptor: tragic. 

“Well, tragedy plus time equals comedy, so ... at some points in our lives ... the best we can hope for is to someday view our own personal and current tragedies with a bit of humor. Someday.” He adds that anyone who can think about the future can join him in being a futurist. “There are zero barriers of entry. Anyone can be a futurist,” Wickens declares. And, like his date at Lion's Tooth “It’s free. It costs nothing.”

Considering the uniqueness of what Wickens will be undertaking, it's challenging to give any kind of preview of it. But this clip of him trying out some theretofore untested material a few years ago in New Orleans offers ample insight to his comedy and personality...

Get The Time Machine Blueprints at Amazon here.

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