Close friends have heard me talk about Owl for years. I actually looked up the bit in an old journal; it’s been five years since I came up with Owl with Josh Kushins. Tonight, Owl went live.
So, what is Owl? Owl is an owl stand-up comedian. Owl tells owl jokes, and then botches it’s way through “human jokes.” Examples include:
Owl Joke:
“I just flew in from the forest, and boy are my wings tired.”
Human Joke:
“Now that the cold war is over, whooooo’s an enemy?”
“So, whooooo takes the 405? (Pause.) More like a parking lot. (Pause.) I should have staaaayed at the mall. (Pause.) Not a lot of drivers here, huh?”
The bit is simple: Obeservational Comedy by a total, ignorant outsider. Owl has been to comedy clubs, but doesn’t understand what is funny about Human Jokes. Still, Owl wants to break into human comedy, and tries to work his/her way into clubs with people humor. Matt Jones was once on tap to do a bit with Owl, where he played a retard who wanted to play with the large, confused bird. Josh was once going to play a heckler who shouted simply, “Tell a joke, Owl!” Over the years, Owl has been through a lot of different iterations, but only tonight was Owl actually tangible.
To a sold-out crowd at I.O., I did Owl as part of a variety show. In a full Owl costume, up to my neck … large white circles over my eyes, a yellow beak, and glasses. And the audience loved it. Owl has been really, truly born into the world tonight, and my apartment has the feathers to proooooove it.