By Jason Pomietlasz
(Photo above: Dan Licata)

Buffalo native Dan Licata brings his act to Helium this Wednesday. Licata has written for “Saturday Night Live,” “Teenage Euthanasia,” “Joe Pera Talks With You” and was gracious enough to answer seven burning questions.

If there was one thing you could change about the current state of stand-up comedy, what would it be ?

I think more people should do jokes where they use a theoretical person’s name at the end of the punchline. Something like: “Some of us need to go to work, and not just drink Mugs Root Beer all day, Brendan!” I love this. Because now I am thinking, “yup. That is spot on. Brendan is always drinking Mugs Root beer!” But I don’t even know Brendan, but it doesn’t matter. Then this could lead to a phenomenon like Karen. I was so stoked when Karen came out. It was basically like Barbenheimer for guys like me!

You recorded your first comedy special “For The Boys” last year. What was that experience like and do you think the market is a tad saturated with comedy specials that aren’t really that “special” ? 

It was pretty surreal. I shot it at my alma mater (Amherst Central High School) for an audience of teenage boys. They all had zero clue who I was. They were very polite, but I could tell that 90% of it was going over their heads. We opted not to add any fake laughs in the edit so the viewer can really feel the awkwardness of the performance and how it actually felt in that auditorium.

I think whenever you do something experimental that plays with the form, it’s gonna alienate some people. I guess I could’ve filmed it in front of fans and friends in Brooklyn like a coward. But to your point, would it just have gotten lost in the deluge of forgettable specials? Probably. But it would have also cost about 2/3 less to make. And I could use that cash right about now, let me tell ya! (venmo: @danlicatsucks)

How did growing up in Western New York shape your comedy? 

Some of my earliest memories are from Super Bowl parties where the Bills lost, which probably affected my development to some degree, as it did with most millennial Buffalo natives, I imagine. If I had grown up in like New England, for example, I’d probably have turned out to be a comedian who comes out and sits on the stool and acts like he’s going to say something brilliant and then just goes “weed is too strong now.” Don’t get me wrong, that is an excellent and very astute observation! But we Buffalonians are humble folk and want to treat the audience as equals and not talk down to them. We also know the meaning of hard work and want to give the audience their money’s worth. I do not think I am better than the audience. In fact, I think they are better than me. I am happy the Bills are good again but it is also kinda stressful now. I don’t sports gamble because it is already anxiety-inducing enough. Also I don’t want my life turning into Uncut Gems. But for real it rocks that the Pats suck now.

How important is “the hang” for you and do you have a dream person you would want to hang out with in the green room? 

The craziest green room hang I’ve ever experienced was when I did a show with Joe (Pera) in LA and Dave England was there. He came to the green room after and could not have been cooler. He just regaled us with Jackass stories and it was without exaggeration. I was very close to meeting Chris Pontius last year and it didn’t work out, so I’d probably say him. (I don’t know if you were asking for stand-ups in particular, but I can’t think of a single one that I’d rather meet/hang with over the Jackass guys. I have met Steve-O too, for the record.)

Did you ever consider quitting comedy and if so what was your back-up plan? 

Only once. I briefly considered quitting to become a pro skater after I did a 720 melon grab.

You wrote for Saturday Night Live. Is the environment as chaotic as people make it seem and what was your best moment there? 

Yes and no. I think in the ’70s when everybody was coked out of their skulls it was probably more chaotic. I didn’t see anyone tootin lines, but I did witness Elon Musk try to impress a room full of union workers by bragging that he was texting with Vladimir Putin during rehearsals. I felt like David Byrne. I was like “How did I get here?” Also I happened to be wearing a big ass suit.

You’re friends with Joe Pera, is he your comedy soul mate? If not, do you have one? 

I would say yes, but we are an odd couple. I met Joe at a birthday party at Lasertron (shout out to Lasertron) when I was 10, so we’ve known each other for a very long time, and have been collaborating for almost as long. Man, I really should go to Lasertron when I’m in town. One time at a birthday party we ended up playing against some competitive team who all happened to be Persian Gulf War vets. So it was basically a group of military trained adults against a group of 4th graders, ha ha. We got annihilated.

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This week calls for a flurry of laughs. 

Thursday, January 23

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo
Improv Mixer, a relaxed environment to try out improv or just to watch. Sign-ups at 7:15 p.m., 7:30 start. $5 suggested or pay what you can. 

Mr. Goodbar, 1110 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, 8 p.m.
Open mic comedy on the second floor. Sign-ups at 7 p.m,  Free. 

Friday – Saturday, January 24 – 25

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. Tickets $31.99 – $48.99.
Chris Kattan, best known for his “Saturday Night Live” characters “Mango”, “Mr Peepers,” and one of the “Butabi Brothers,” brings his comedy to Buffalo for four shows.

Friday, January 24

The Stage, 8166 Main Street, Williamsville, 7 p.m. Free with a 2 item purchase.
Comedy Night at the Stage, a weekly show featuring a mix of local and out of town comics for a free show. 

Saturday, January 25

Buffalo Comedysportz, Compass Performing Arts Center (ART), 545 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, 8 p.m. Tickets $20. 
Goods and Services: Literary Edition. A show where improvisers interview a different small business each month, allowing them to showcase their industry and inspiring comedy scenes based on their stories. This month’s business is Rock Paper (Safety) Scissors Publishing & Burning Books.

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo.
Community Night, featuring home-grown indie teams “Cheese & Slackers” and “Partners In Crime.”  7 p.m., tickets starting at $5.
Musical Improv Mixer, like a regular improv jam but with singing. It’s for anybody who wants to try musical improv. $5 suggested or pay what you can. 

Monday, January 27

Tudor Lounge, 335 Franklin Street, Buffalo, 9 p.m. 
Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Sign-ups at 8. Free.

Tuesday, January 28

Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen Street, Buffalo, 9 p.m. 
Rust Belt Comedy Showcase, Buffalo’s longest running comedy open mic. Free. 

Steel Leaf Brewing, 1488 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Open Mic Night, a mixed open mic for music, comedy and poetry. Sign-ups 6:30 p.m. Free. 

Wednesday, January 29

Milkies, 522 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo. 
Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Sign-ups at 7, show starts at 9 p.m. 

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 8 p.m. Tickets $32.99 – $43.99.
Dan Licata, a New York City based comedian and a fixture of the Brooklyn alternative comedy scene, will perform one night at Helium. He was named a “Comedian You Should and Will Know” by Vulture and selected for the New Faces of Comedy at the “Just For Laughs festival” in Montreal.

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Have a comedy event you want to add, email lakeeffectcomedy@gmail.com.