Comedy has always been a major part of the people living in Washington, Seattle, and of course, Bellevue College. With all the rain crowds and gray mornings, we kind of have to be. For one student at BC however, comedy isn’t just used for the lack of sunshine. Yogi Paliwal is a standup comedian who performs across the state, and he’s beginning to gain quite the crowd of fans.
What made you first get into standup?
I got into standup when I was eighteen, and the reason I got into standup was because I played drums before I performed standup comedy, and I was in five different bands, and they all crumbles, and they all failed. Persuing standup was something I knew that I’d completely control, so that’s why it appealed to me at first.
What kind of shows have you been in and what would you consider to be your perfect crowd?
I’ve been everywhere, from bars to county clubs. I like comedy clubs. The easiest and most fun crowds are college age crowds, because I’m their age, and we just mesh – it’s easier for me. But I do love a harder crowd. I like to win over a crowd, but college age kids are definitely my favorite.
What’s one really wild experience you had during a show?
girl gave me her number once? That was pretty cool. She had her friends come up and say, “Hey, my friend wants your number”, because I’d talked about being single on stage that night.
Where do you take your inspiration from?
Honestly, just everything. Everything that’s around me and that I have a certain opinion about. I’m not some ‘very intellectual’ comic who likes topics that are real heavy, political, or very economical really. I’m not someone who’s comedy is society-influential – I like fun things. I like things that are simple, and I like things that are enjoyable. Because I think, you know, whatever class you’re in, you [should] enjoy it. So in one hand I like to be able to hit the biggest demographic, but at the same time I like to do my own thing.
How do you get ready for a show?
When I started out, I would prep an hour for each minute I was on stage, because I didn’t have a lot of time on stage since I was under twenty-one. But now, since I’ve done all that work, I don’t have to do too much prep depending on the show. But if it’s a serious show I will prep for each minute on stage.
What is the process for you when you’re up on stage?
Right now I’m in a weird phase, but when I started out I definitely opened, had a middle, and had a close. So basically that means I have an opener that I know works, it’s easy, it’s safe. Then in the middle I’d play around as much as I wanted to, and close with something I’d think was stronger.
To find out where Yogi performs and more, visit his website at standupyogi.com to find out where he performs each week