Mark StefanosJay London has notebooks filled with jokes, and a lot are the very best wordplay and puns in the game. But if you tried to sneak a peak and steal one you’d be SOL, because they’re all indecipherable scribbles.
London’s whole look is sort of an indecipherable scribble — long scraggly hair, a face beat up from years of boxing, stocky body, all wrapped up in vests and cute little hats. “I model irregular clothing,” he’s joked. But taken as a whole, his impressionist aesthetic makes him one of the most well put-together comedians, with a wardrobe that would shame any GRWM TikToker.
The 59-year old started comedy in his native New York, but it was here in LA where he got his breakthrough on seasons 2 and 3 of “Last Comic Standing,” becoming a fan favorite. He oened for Louis CK for his 2015 special Live at the Comedy Store, and has been a regular pretty much everywhere. Crowds love him and he should be on any standup show’s lineup.
We sat down with the word wonder at Griffith Park to get the comedy low down and figure out where he shops:
LA Weekly: Does this feel comfortable?
Jay London: It feels great. I feel like I’m in San Quentin in an exercise yard.
What brought you to LA?
I knew of a shaman, Cherokee shaman, and he told me my dreams were in the West, you know, through chanting and drums or whatever. And I came out here and here I am. And then I got lucky with “Last Comic Standing,” Jay Leno, “King of Queens.”
The shaman said to me that my medicine was bear medicine and all your dreams in the West and your goals are met in the West.
Jay London (photo: Mark Stefanos)
Do you go back to New York often?
No, everybody’s DEAD.
What was your childhood like?
Basically when I began comedy it was based on my childhood. It was pretty, it was a strong childhood. We’ll leave it like that.
What was your first job?
Well, I always wanted to be a career criminal. That was my aspiration. But you know, you learn from others. So, I’m legit. I think my first job, I think I did deliveries or something with groceries or whatever. Something on that order.
What kind of person were you in high school?
Belligerent, chip on my shoulder. Got into a lot of altercations. So, you would never think that the end product that is right now here was then at that time. Not that I suffered from any sort of mental conditions, but there were reasons for me to have my chip on my shoulder through prejudice at that time or whatever. It was for a good reason.
Were you a class clown?
I was Jerry Lewis on steroids. You know, always trying to please or trying to be funny. But it was done in such a strange way. I’m a strange person. I’m so sorry to tell this in the beginning of the interview. I’m a little strange there.
What’s your family like?
Family. They were all gone. You know, it’s just amazing. The reduction of a family within so many years, whatever. I’m fandangled by death. I felt so fandangled that I just came back from a sympathy card convention. Did I tell you? And words can’t explain.
Who’s the funniest person in your family?
My sister, Melanie. Better than Rickles. I went to her house, she lives alone. So I said, can I do my wash? “What man goes to someone’s house and asks to do a wash? Is there something wrong with you?!” Everything I do, she’s always putting me down. She is — wow, what talent.
I got interviewed from doing “Last Comic Standing.” She happened to be there. She tells the guy: “He had his chance already, give others a chance!” In other words, the camera shouldn’t be on me. She’s wearing sunglasses and it’s just hysterical. So rotten.
Jay London (photo: Mark Stefanos)
You started doing comedy in New York?
Yeah New York. I hold the record at Showtime at the Apollo, getting boo’d off. Had to be about 4.5, six seconds. Walk, rub the tree and you go out and tell your act. And if they don’t like it right away, then Sandman comes down and sweeps you off the stage.
I said, “I live in a black neighborhood. Guys call me ‘homeboy,’ that’s because I’m afraid to leave my house.” I had the audacity. I had to run out of that place.
Do you have a favorite place to do comedy?
I did a tour with “Last Comic Standing,” so we went through I don’t know how many cities. And Tampa was really nice. If they get you, it’s great. If they don’t get you — I performed in Alabama, oyn, in a theater. The word is “oyn.” Could you write that? O-Y-N. O-Y-N. Yeah. So, you know, everybody tells me I killed all the time. They had nosebleeds. Every night I do so well, they bang their head from laughing. Sociopathic nuts.
I once said, I want to do a one-man show, but I’m afraid somebody else is going to show up.
Do you remember any of your first jokes?
One of my first jokes, I said, “One Christmas, my father bought me a train set with a third rail.”
How’s your health?
How’s my health? I should be in a nursing home in about a year.
If someone were to play you in a movie, who would it be?
I don’t know today’s actors, but someone, a cutie pie. We’ll look for a cutie pie. I’m not a cutie pie, but if I had someone as far as pinpointing that character to what I am, you know, street, streetwise, not even streetwise, not even street savvy, a schmuck, a schmuck.
So from cutie pie to schmuck.
Yeah. Real quick, real quick. I used to go back and forth.
Ever been mistaken for someone else?
I got picked up for being the Son of Sam serial killer in New York. I went to a yogurt place to have yogurt. Yogurt in the late 70s, 80s was a big deal. I see this girl — I just was fixated. An ash blonde, beautiful girl.
They say there’s introvert, extrovert, ambivert. I’m really an introvert. I don’t know how to really communicate sometimes. So I said to her, Can I write you a poem? I told this girl making the yogurt. “Oh yeah, that would be great.” A day or two later, I go back to give her the poem.
“Could you hold on a second? I have to go in the back.” She calls the cops. 109 precinct in Flushing, Queens. In two minutes, they whisk me and they throw me in the back, bring me up to the precinct. After two minutes of interrogation, they told me — I don’t mean to curse — the booking detective said, “get the fuck —” You know, it wasn’t me.
Then when I first come out here, I’m extradited back to New York, letter form. I’m the accessory to a cop murder — I’m the getaway driver. I had to go back to New York. If that’s hysterical, I don’t know what isn’t. That’s hysterical. In a maddening way.
Jay London (photo: Mark Stefanos)
I went to Kennedy Airport — I got a lot of stories — and I get stopped. At that time, there was a shoe bomber. And I supposedly looked like him in some way. So I’m at Kennedy Airport, and I get stopped because of my notes in my book [they’re unreadable]. And then they brought in a top lady with a gold badge. Head of TSA. And she’s saying, what kind of handwriting is this? Hydroglyphics and this and that. And all because my handwriting. Another story.
Who’s your favorite boxer?
Sugar Ray Robinson
What’s your favorite internet trend?
What is that?
You got a favorite swear word?
You know, it’s a great, great word. Larry David uses it in his show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” And it’s, I don’t know if it’s from German, from German to whatever, you know, translated language wise. Sometimes, when I get mad, I really, someone gives me a hard time, not a hard time where it leads to anything else, but I yell to myself, “WHAT A C*****NT!!!”
Where do you get your style?
I go to Out of the Closet sometimes because they have some fashionable people that gave away their clothes. What’s on the rack? This, right? [He points to his leather vest.] How much is that, “Oh, that’s $15?” I say to myself, nah, maybe I don’t have enough.
I come back tomorrow, I’m looking at the rack and here it is again. Take it off the shelf, go in the pocket. It was $15, $15 in the pocket. Are you believing what I’m saying here? So here it is. Beautiful.
Follow Jay London at jaylondonlive.com, and read the full interview on LAWeekly.com.
Jay London (photo: Mark Stefanos)