(Above: Shaun Muphy. Image via comedianshaunmurphy.squarespace.com).

By Jason Pomietlasz

Standup comedian Shaun Murphy returns to his home town to perform at the Kenan Center in Lockport on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Murphy established himself in the Buffalo comedy scene before moving to the Big Apple so he could start the process all over again. 

Murphy has two free specials on YouTube, “Neal,” and “Long Story Thin,” the latter of which was directed by fellow comic Mark Normand, who Murphy has been opening for on the road. When he’s not traveling, you can find him at Comedy Cellar, working out jokes for German and Australian tourists.  

Since he’s a hometown hero, Google his Buffalo BIlls jokes. I asked him twice as many questions as I usually do and he was nice enough to answer them all. 

JP: “You’re more of a traditional set-up, punch line type comic, feel free to correct me, so how much material did you write for your first open mic?”

SM: “It’s tough to say because when you first start out you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing haha. It was definitely a mix of some stuff that was way too long and other stuff that was super undercooked. But if you can get on stage that first time and not crap your pants – that’s the win.”

JP: “And how did that first set go compared to how you expected it to go?”

SM: “Shockingly, I remember the first set being OK. It was kind of a blur so I don’t have many memories from it. I know I drove with a friend to do one in Rochester so I could bomb far away from home. But then my next set was a comedy class graduation show and it went really well. I didn’t quite put together that everyone does really well at these shows since you’re in front of friends and family that are rooting for you. The next ten years ended up being a rude awakening!”

JP: “How did starting comedy Buffalo, where audiences can be tough but also like borderline humor sometimes, affect your comedic sensibilities?”

SM: “Buffalo is a great place to start – I think a lot of cold weather medium sized cities produce good comedians/good comedy audiences. It’s a good mix of demographics and income levels and then you’re so close to Canada so you’re able to go over there and get another completely different experience.”

JP: “You’ve been hanging out with Mark Normand some, what have you learned from him and how important is it for established comedians to help lesser known ones?”

SM: “He’s a joke machine, loves writing and tinkering until a joke is as good as it can be. We definitely have that in common. And it’s extremely important not only for my own career but most comics are such comedy nerds with very strong opinions so they often want the business filled with people that they like and know can do the job. So when you get the seal of approval from someone at his level it’s always super meaningful!”

JP: “How many years in comedy were you before you moved to NYC and what was the transition like coming from Buffalo?” 

SM: “I think I had done comedy in Buffalo for around ten years… the transition was very tough, starting over is never fun but it teaches you important lessons. I think the best comics do a bunch of different types of rooms and take little lessons from all of them. New York not only has the best comics in the world but it has a lot of different types of rooms where you often have to get to your punchlines QUICK.”

JP: “What’s the best career advice you received and what would you tell someone thinking about moving to NYC for comedy?” 

SM: “DON’T! No I’m kidding – my advice would be to make sure something in your life is going OK before you move. It doesn’t have to be much but whether it’s a stable relationship, good job, money in the bank, decent place to live, good friend group, etc. It’s important because comedy (especially in NYC) is gonna kick your ass and you can’t go through all that while eating dollar pizza and sleeping on a futon. I mean, you can, but you’re not gonna last long.

The best advice is hard because I’ve gotten a lot of good nuggets throughout the years so let’s go with a classic “don’t burn bridges.” It’s almost never worth it. Except for any club that stops booking me, of course, they all stink!”

JP: “How important is the “hang” to you and do you have a dream green room “hang.”’

SM: “In some sense, the hang is the most important. That’s not to say you have to be the life of the party (in fact, you probably shouldn’t be) but if you’re a jerk or too needy or too unreliable then no comedian or club is gonna want you.”

JP: “What was your favorite open mic when you were in Buffalo?”

SM: “Any one that had an audience – when I started it was Tuesday at Nietzsche’s and now it’s probably Goodbar or Helium when they have one. Comics can fall into this trap of making each other laugh which is not only not the job but oftentimes comics are laughing at the exact opposite thing most regular human beings would find funny.”

JP: “Would you rather be stuck in an elevator with an influencer who does comedy or Matt Rife or the person who invented pop-up ads and why?”

SM: “Definitely the first two – they can give me tips or we can swap stories! You’re not tricking me into talking crap publicly! Did you not just read my ‘don’t burn bridges’ advice? I’m sorry but because of this question, you’re uninvited from my dream green room hang Jason!

JP: “Is there anything you want me to mention that I didn’t ask?”

SM: “Come see me in Lockport on Sept. 11 and for heaven’s sake, watch my two YouTube specials and follow me on Instagram, @iamshaunmurphy, If I get popular enough maybe one day we can be trapped in an elevator together! Go Bills!”