Amy Dresner is a Los Angeles native, who certainly possesses the wit (and gene pool) of a standout comic. The offspring of a comedy-writing father and fashion-designing mother, she never lacked material growing up. But Amy always fantasized about being a comic, despite not immediately pursuing it. Now, she is gaining traction within and outside of California, and she is doing it by baring it ALL. Dealing with tough subject matter and laughing at herself every step of the way, nothing is off-limits for Dresner. She invited CherryGRRL to listen to her risqué and extremely funny exploration of addiction, recovery, sexuality and self.
CherryGRRL (CG): Thanks for chatting with us, Amy. First, we’d like to plug your appearance at “Comedy Night at Azul Starring L.A.’s Hottest Comics” in Palm Springs on Saturday, November 13 – because its producers, Michael Blackwell and Randal Black, are really nice people. What are you looking forward to about that show?
Amy Dresner (AD): What’s not to love? I get to do a nice and chunky 25 minutes. I love Daniel Leary (who is also on the bill). Gay men really enjoy my comedy, and Randal and Michael treat their talent like royalty!
CG: How does the audience differ when you travel from a city like Los Angeles, to a desert town like Palm Springs?
AD: In Palm Springs, half of the audience won’t be comics. And they’re more tanned.
CG: What was it like when you first made an audience, or a friend laugh at a joke? What impact did it have on you?
AD: I’ve been making my friends and family laugh for ages. It was always an easy way to get validation. But once I got on stage and made an audience laugh, it was a high. Not the greatest high I’ve ever had like some people say because, let’s be honest, I’ve done A LOT of drugs. I just felt like I’d finally found something that I was naturally good at, that I’d “come home” as lame as that sounds. I remember thinking, “Oh yeah, I should have been doing this all along.”
CG: Your father was a comedy writer. Was he a funny guy, and how much did his occupation influence you?
AD: My father is still–to this day, the funniest and wittiest man I know. When you grow up with somebody who has such an amazing sense of humor, and you see that it makes them a living, as well as making them extremely attractive to other people, you tend to want to develop it as well. On a fundamental level, comedic timing and the rhythm of words is KEY to humor and I absolutely learned that from a very young age. I grew up with it. It was impossible not to acquire it. (continued on next page)
