Comedian Myq Kaplan tearing it up on stage
By Ryan Meehan
Myq Kaplan is a comedian named Myq Kaplan (pronounced “Mike”). He is a 2010 Last Comic Standing Finalist and has appeared on the Tonight Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, Conan, and many other places that you might not care about. His CD, Vegan Mind Meld, was one of iTunes’ top ten best-selling comedy albums in 2010. The Comedians magazine calls him “a comedy machine, in the best possible way-the way that some machines vend soda or prevent other machines from killing future revolutionaries – that’s how Myq Kaplan does comedy: relentlessly, methodically, unblinkingly.” Myq enjoys words, social justice, Netflix, and comic books. Also non-comic books, ping-pong, and being great with women. And grammar and run-on sentence fragments. And of course, entertaining his demographic, which is anyone who might know the word “demographic.” In addition to all this, he’s also our guest this week in 5 Questions.
FOH: Your website says you’re an “atheistic vegan”…Does that mean you don’t believe in animal products at all, or do you just choose not to consume them?
MK: Great question. I think it would be impossible for someone to be a vegan if they didn’t believe in animal products, because I’m pretty sure the definition of a vegan is “someone who does not consume animal products.” So it would be the most zen vegan in the world for someone to just not consume, but not know what they weren’t consuming… challenge accepted! I will take on the title of most zen vegan in the world and aim to forget that animal products exist.
FOH: What’s the most unusual way you’ve ever heard someone inaccurately attempt to pronounce your name?
MK: The mispronunciations are numerous, and all my fault, just like children would be if I had them, which I might but don’t think so. So I don’t want to call anyone out as being more or less unusual. They’re ALL special to me: Mick, Mia, Mio, Moik, Myick, Meek, Mook, and more. (“More” would be the weirdest probably.) My favorite is when people spell it “MQK” I think. (Again, I take full responsibility for all of this. None of it matters, names aren’t real, and everyone can do what they want. Good luck!)
Myq on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham”
FOH: You placed fifth in the 2010 season of Last Comic Standing. Outside of that experience, do you believe in competition of the arts?
MK: No. I would say I don’t believe in competition of the arts even INSIDE that experience. Ultimately we’re only competing against ourselves. I’m always trying to be better than my past selves. And I think I’m doing it, only when I finally win, I’ll be dead.
FOH: Other than disappointment, what were your feelings upon being eliminated from LCS?
MK: Who said I felt disappointment? Was it me? That guy is a liar. Ultimately, I was happy to have made it as far as I did. I got to be a part of all the episodes that everyone else in the top five did, and there was no more prize money in coming in second than in fifth, so I guess I felt some solidarity in addition to the aforementioned happiness and alleged disappointment.
FOH: What have you not done within the entertainment industry that you would really love to do?
MK: Mostly, I am doing what I love. I have no specific, tangible goals, other than the vaguely defined desire to reach as many people who would like me as possible with my standup. Also it would be cool to write a rap song with Eminem. I would love to do that. Can you hook it up?
FOH: What do you have planned for the next twelve months?
Touring, more late night spots on TV most likely, a CD of comedy music that I created with my friend Micah Sherman coming out in September, and pooping several hundred times probably.
Kaplan and pal Micah Sherman
Official Website: http://myqkaplan.com/
Myq on Twitter: twitter.com/myqkaplan
Myq on Facebook: facebook.com/myqkaplan
Myq’s Blog: godzillionaire.blogspot.com
Myq’s album available as an MP3 download on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Mind-Meld/dp/B003DDAF5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339270537&sr=8-1
Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.
Meehan
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Meehan