Photo of Iliza Shlesinger by Marteen Deboer

By Paul Freeman [September 2016 Interview]

Of course, Iliza Shlesinger is going to make you laugh - loud, long and often. But her comedy is also going to make you think - uncommon in today’s world of stand-up.

Shlesinger’s third Netflix comedy special, “Confirmed Kills,” reflects her evolution and growth as a performer.

Shlesinger, 33, who grew up in Dallas, has known since childhood that comedy was her path in life. She took a huge leap forward when, in 2008, she became the first woman and youngest contestant to win NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” She hosted “Excused,” a reality-based dating game. More recently Shlesinger hosted the TBS series “Separation Anxiety.” And her scripted show “Forever 31,” for ABC’s digital platform, has been renewed for a second season.

Shlesinger has been a featured performer on this year’s Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival. Her book “Girl Logic” will be published in the spring of 2017.

POP CULTURE CLASSICS:
The new Netflix special is wonderful. Were you conscious…

ILIZA SHLESINGER:
Of how wonderful it was?

PCC:
[Laughs] Of it really reflecting how you’re evolving and growing as a performer?

SHLESINGER:
Absolutely. You know, it’s my third hour. And this was a chance to say something, obviously funny first, but meaningful to a large platform. And I felt I sort of owed it to the art I had created to not just do social commentary, but to sort of give an explanation and maybe defend women a little bit, while also including men.

PCC:
Do you hope to start a discussion amongst men and women?

SHLESINGER:
Ah, no. I mean, I think men and women will probably never be able to discuss anything. But my hope was to be able to say something in defense of women. And I think people respecting me as a comedian is important. You can make people laugh, but having them really want to hear what you have to say, that takes trust and time. So hopefully I’ve earned it with this special permanently.

PCC:
You’ve always been able to get them to laugh. Is it significantly more rewarding, when you know that you’re giving the audience something more?

SHLESINGER:
It is. It’s a great feeling to know that I’m saying something substantial. It also feels good to get to a place in my career where I have the confidence to say something socially important and know that I can back it up in a heartbeat. I’m not just throwing opinions out there. These are heartfelt and researched… with plenty of ancillary evidence.

PCC:
When you touch on topics like oppression and sexual harassment, how difficult is it to make the point and still make it funny?

SHLESINGER:
You know, difficult is an interesting word, because the jokes - and a lot of comedians are this way - the jokes will sort of come to me. You kind of just get on a roll in your own head and the jokes just come out. And you say it, it gets a laugh, you’re like, “Okay, there’s something there.”

The jokes are specifically worded. I take my word decision very… wow, I just had a total brain fart… I take my word decision very seriously. And if somebody’s not going to get the joke, it’s really because of lack of understanding on their part. And I think most people are intelligent enough to understand what I’m saying. And again, I’m wanting women to be heard and protected. It’s not like I’m saying anything outlandish… although, maybe for some people, that is [laughs].

PCC:
And it won’t bother you if some people do find it outlandish?

SHLESINGER:
You know, there’s always going to be people… Like I have a joke in there about how confident African-American women are about their bodies. And if you listen to the joke, it’s me saying we should be more like African-American women, because they’re so confident. And I had somebody in an audience who said, “Your black jokes aren’t funny.” And he was white, with a black date. I was like, “Okay, that tells me you didn’t listen to it… and you’re trying to be a white knight, no pun intended.”

PCC:
Do you find that, at this point, audiences tend to be hungry for material they can sink their teeth into, something that’s smart, as well as funny?

SHLESINGER:
I think women are ready to hear something empowering, that’s also funny. And I think men, can appreciate it, because it’s smart and funny… and I’m not berating them. And this isn’t nagging, as it were. This isn’t man-bashing or anything like that. This is just kind of standing up for women in a digestible way. So women come up to me after the show like, “Thank you for saying something positive.” We have enough dick jokes and slut jokes out there. I didn’t want to contribute to that cache.

PCC:
Another thing you talk about in the special - is this something you’ve found disturbing for a long time - many women confusing being sexual with empowerment?

SHLESINGER:
Every women is entitled to embrace feminism or being a woman on her own terms. I’ve never been a dirty comic. I’ve definitely been called dirty, because I’m a woman saying the “f” word. But there’s a trend in comedy, where women just say the filthiest thing possible and people reward them, because, you know, sex is funny. So I was alway a little disappointed that not a lot was expected from us. And then, once in a while, you get someone like a Tina Fey or Melissa McCarthy - just up there being funny and they’re not telling crass jokes. So I just think that women are ready to set the bar a little higher.

PCC:
You mention women accepting, even embracing derogatory terms like “walk of shame,” instead of bristling at it. Has that really rankled you for a long time?

Photo of Iliza Shlesinger by Marteen Deboer

SHLESINGER:
Well, I don’t know if it has for a long time, because I’m 33 and here I am coming out of my twenties only three years ago, doing stand-up. But it just kind of hit me that while a grown woman, you can defend yourself and say, “I own the word ‘slut.’” Or I own “walk of shame.” “I own all these things.” If we make these words okay, then someone will start saying these to 14-year-old girls. Or children will start calling themselves these things. And they don’t know about the world. They don’t know how to defend themselves. You know?

It would be like a rapper says, “I’m okay with the ’n’ word.” And then people start thinking that word’s okay. And you say it to a kid. And he doesn’t know how to digest that.

So, well, no, I’m not on a mission to save the children. But I think, the effort, on an individual basis, is slightly misguided. Let’s just stop talking about women’s sexuality on the whole [chuckles] and focus on our contributions in general… while still owning our sexuality at the same time. It’s a very precarious thing.

PCC:
And in talking about the connotations of feminism, do you wonder why there would even be a question about the value of feminism at this point?

SHLESINGER:
It’s shocking. It’s shocking that there are men who roll there eyes. I did some of these jokes for the women out there who are maybe embarrassed to say it… or don’t understand it. How can you not want to be treated like an equal? How could not want to be paid the same amount as someone else for the same job? One of my jokes deals with how people have the wrong idea of what feminism is.

Feminism honestly isn’t really even a word that I started using until recently, because without knowing it, I’ve always been a feminist. I’ve always run with the guys. I’m sure I make just as much, if not more, than some of my male counterparts. I have no problem speaking my mind. And I’m able to do it in a way that’s not, quote-unquote “annoying.” And I think the world needs to get over the fact that women are capable… and here… and funny… and smart.

PCC:
You also talk in the special about the issues of body image and self-esteem. Does that continue to grow as a problem? Are people paying enough attention now, so that it’s changing?

SHLESINGER:
To be honest, I don’t think looking at women’s bodies and judging them will ever go away, just by virtue of the fact that we’re the ones who are in charge of having children and our sexuality is more pronounced. For example, if I meet a man, I can’t tell if he has a small penis. But you can tell right away if I have big hips and big boobs. Our sexuality is more out there. We wear things to pronounce it. Women like feeling sexual. Women like to feel desired.

I think we’ve come a long way in terms of confidence. Size has become okay. Having a big butt was never okay until the last several years. So we’re getting there. It’s hard, too, because I’m an in-shape, white girl. So I would be remiss to stand here, as an in-shape white girl, and be like, “Everyone should just love their bodies.” I don’t know what it’s like to be mocked because of your skin color. I don’t know what it’s like to feel overweight. All I can do as a woman is have compassion and treat other women with kindness and allow them to just be happy and not judge them for it. I think that’s the key.

PCC:
Growing up, did you have your own self-esteem issues? Or were you always confident and good at self-expression?

SHLESINGER:
You know, I don’t think any teenager feels like amazing all the time. But I’ve always been funny. So through that, you learn self-defense and you learn witty repartee. It was a little bit different. But with being funny and with being outspoken, you get the guys that don’t like you and the teachers that roll their eyes and the boys that will physically put their hands on you, if they don’t like you. I, for sure, had that happen. So everybody has their cross to bear and everybody has their issues. But it still never once occurred to me that I’m not as good as everyone else. And that’s a gift I wish I could give to every girl.

PCC:
When did you realize you wanted to make comedy your career, your life’s path?

SHLESINGER:
It’s been my whole life. I never questioned it. It’s been since I was little. I was always going to be funny for a living and I just had to find what kind of funny.

PCC:
Who were the big inspirations for you?

SHLESINGER:
God, I hate this question. Can I skip it? Is that okay?

PCC:
Sure. So once you decided you were going to do stand-up and began doing open mics or whatever, what were the biggest challenges you faced before breaking through.

SHLESINGER:
You know, it’s a hard question to answer, because I won “Last Comic Standing” three years in. And when you’re in your early twenties and you’re working hard, you don’t realize how shitty your life is… because that’s what your early twenties are for - like being hung over and driving for two hours for 10 minutes of time. And you kind of just grit it out. I will say that, as I’ve gotten older, being a part of a cool group is important, knowing the right people - but that’s Hollywood.

Challenges I face? I don’t know. I think people look at me and think, “Well, she’s cute and blonde. We don’t want that. She’s not weird enough. There’s no hook there.” I can’t apologize that I wasn’t molested and I can’t apologize for what I look like. I won’t. I think sometimes people, without hearing me, just write me off, because of that. But that’s definitely changing. And I think, with this special, hopefully they’ll just see a really smart comic that’s got something to say.

PCC:
The stand-up world has always been very much a boys club. Is that changing at all?

SHLESINGER:
There’s more and more women doing stand-up. I mean, women have always done stand-up. And now there’s definitely more of a spotlight. There’s more avenues. You’ve got non-linear platforms, digital platforms. There’s a jillion channels. More women are being given chances. And that’s great, because then we eventually stop saying, “female comic.”

Personally, I always compete against men. When I did “Last Comic Standing,” it was me against boys. When I’m on the road, I look at calendars for theatres and clubs, and it’s usually only men. So I’ve never seen women as my competition. I think women like to pit women against each other. And I’ve always competed against men. I’m not about to start turning against other women, just so people have something pretty to look at.

PCC:
In doing the Oddball Festival, is there more of a sense of camaraderie or competition amongst all the comics?

SHLESINGER:
Oh, we all know each other. There’s no competition. The order’s all set. Obviously, you want to crush. And it would be great, if you crushed so hard, you would be hard to follow. But you know, you’re not on that show, unless you’re good. There’s no question. You don’t have to audition. You got asked. So, no, I mean, they’re all comics that I work with on a weekly basis. We’re all buddies.

PCC:
Do you feel like a rock star, going on stage in these amphitheatres? Is it challenging to play that large a venue?

SHLESINGER:
I walked on stage to a 6,000-person amphitheatre in the Midwest. My heart rate could not have been slower. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more at home in my entire life.

PCC:
Why? It’s just where you want to be?

SHLESINGER:
I was just built for this. My comedy is energetic. It’s loud. It’s intense. And it works on a stage like that. I’ve been bringing this type of energy to my audiences since the day I started. So I fit right in.

PCC:
And how much easier is it now than when you started, having fans already on your side, when you get up there, instead of having to begin from scratch each time you hit the stage?

SHLESINGER:
Well, sometimes you do. Again, I’m not headlining this Oddball tour, so there’s definitely some people out there who don’t know who I am. But lucky for me, I’ve been clawing my way to this point in my career. So winning people over is not only something I’m used to, but I’m also very good at it.

PCC:
You’ve got the book “Girl Logic” coming out, what are you communicating there?

SHLESINGER:
“Girl Logic” is my commentary on the thought process that women apply to things, I believe because of the expectation on women to be perfect. All of our decisions factor in the past, present and future. And “Girl Logic” is sort of an exploration of that. I thought it was important to do something quasi-academic and not just write a tell-all about all the men I’ve slept with… because that would be about 15 pages long.

PCC:
Do you now feel comfortable that you’ve established yourself, or is this a business where you have to constantly be proving yourself?

SHLESINGER:
I don’t think I will ever feel comfortable. And that’s part of the business.

PCC:
And is that a good thing, to not be comfortable?

SHLESINGER:
To not be complacent. But a little comfort once in a while goes a long way in terms of relaxation [laughs].

PCC:
And ultimately, where do you hope the career takes you? Where do you see yourself down the road?

SHLESINGER:
I’m developing a late-night show. That’s what I’ve always wanted, a late-night show. Late-night is my goal. I’ve written a couple of screenplays. The objective is to get to do art on my terms, bigger and better. And I think, as a comedian, that’s all you can ask for.

For the latest news and tour dates, visit www.iliza.com.