If you think Drake’s neurotic lyrics are worth a laugh, that drunken girls are annoying or that angry, British people make no sense, Chris D’Elia’s humor is right up your alley.
The off-the-wall comedian will be performing live at the Orpheum Theater Friday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
I spoke to D’Elia Tuesday afternoon while he was on the road, just long enough to get his true feelings out about Kanye West. Given the choice of doing a collaboration album with anyone in the world, D’Elia would put Yeezy at the top of his list.
“We could do like an album where he raps about why something is the way it is and then I’d rap about exactly the opposite,” D’Elia said. “He would rap about how he’s the shit, and then I’d rap about, like, ‘What about that one time you weren’t the shit?'”
The star of NBC’s “Undateable” is notorious for his completely random yet organic monologues that will produce laughs you didn’t even know you had in you. His over-the-top and wacky delivery style has made him a Vine celebrity and a Comedy Central mainstay. The channel recently released his new comedy special “White Male, Black Comic,” a label given to him by fellow comedian Erik Griffin, who stars in “Workaholics.”
“[Erik,] who is a black comedian, would always say how I was more of a black comedian than he was,” he said. “He would say I would do well in shows at, like, the Apollo and stuff, so that’s where it came from.”
Infamous for his love of hip-hop and his ability to poke fun at both hip-hop artists and their work, D’Elia says whatever is on his mind at any given time, never pausing to censor himself. When I asked him what celebrity he would punch if given the opportunity, D’Elia decided to take a shot at Pharrell Williams.
“Oh boy, that’s a good one,” D’Elia said. “I don’t know. I’m not really a violent person, you know? I wouldn’t really punch someone. I would just, like, put them on blast on Twitter or Instagram or something … I don’t know. Pharrell’s gotta stop wearing that hat. That’s for sure.”
D’Elia’s take on popular culture and society have endeared him to audiences because of his ability to take the monotonous and turn it on its end. While he’s given audiences many reasons to love him, they’ve given him many reasons to hate them. What annoys him most: well, many things.
“Probably when people take themselves too seriously,” D’Elia said. “Also people who don’t listen or just want everything to happen because they think they deserve self-entitlement. I hate that shit. Or like when I post a picture on social media saying like, ‘I’ll be in Madison in two weeks,’ and someone will tweet back, ‘When is the show?’ Just check the fucking website. I really don’t like people who try and film me on stage. Like, this is how I make money, by people coming to the shows.”
So don’t do anything that will piss him off, or he’ll kick you out of his show.
“I am not a badass, he said. “Every once in a while I’ll throw people out of the show. That’s kind of badass, I guess?”
Given his hilarious but thoroughly demented style of comedy, it’s amazing D’Elia is as successful as he is. The comedian recently got to meet Justin Bieber, and he envies the pop star’s ability to keep his shit together despite his massive fame.
“It was just kind of cool to meet [Bieber],” D’Elia said. “I know he’s been in trouble lately but, you know, he’s a young kid and he’s got the whole world on his fingertips so — if I had the whole world on my fingertips I would’ve killed at least eight or nine people so far.”
Buy tickets for D’Elia’s Friday show here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI5LZEn0qEU
