I found my life’s calling in the basement of Morrison dormitory. About 30 years ago, the Morrison RAs decided to have a talent show open to anyone on campus. They put everything they could into promoting it by hanging one 9 by 11 flyer in the lobby entrance. For me, this was the Super Bowl.
I had done stand up comedy once in high school. A friend had dared me to go up at a club during their Monday “Open Mic Night,” and I told three minutes of jokes to strangers who politely smiled in a “bless your heart” way. But this? This was different. This was five minutes of jokes in front of people who I would see over and over again in dorm rooms and classrooms. It was like the audience came home with me.
The night finally came. I went up and did… fine. I didn’t have great material, but I did have several friends in the crowd who were going to laugh at whatever came out of my stupid mouth. Carolina is nice that way.
That show was the first of hundreds of shows I would eventually do, first in buildings at Carolina, then later in buildings at other colleges, then at comedy clubs in big cities. But my performance wasn’t the most formative thing that came out of that night. What made it special were the other people also doing comedy in the Morrison basement— people who would soon become my collaborators and best friends. Because that night we formed a comedy group. We started something at Carolina that would thrive for the next seven years. This week, the Onyen is starting too.
I’ve worked closely with lots of funny people— Kenan Thompson, Dave Chappelle, Kristin Wiig and many more. And I honestly believe that some of the people at Carolina are the funniest people I’ve ever met. There are certainly outlets to be funny at UNC. You can be in a sketch/improv group on campus, make shows for STV or even take classes that study stand-up. Still, I’ve always felt that it would be nice if the UNC humor community was nurtured more, and I hope the Onyen is a great way to do that.
A while ago, I got a chance to go to the Harvard Lampoon— the legendary college humor magazine whose alumni include John Updike, Conan O’Brien and Colin Jost. They have their own building that kind of looks like a castle. The night I visited I was privy to mysterious pledges in secret rooms. We partied in a huge “Game of Thrones” style dining room that featured a one hundred-year old oak chair that had all the names of past editors carved into it. It was some real “Saltburn” shit.
The Onyen is not the Harvard Lampoon. It’s a week old, and probably meets in the back of a Bojangles. But it has something in common with that classic organization— it’s a community of writers who have come together hoping to put a smile on your face. Talent doesn’t stop just because it didn’t go to Harvard. If you’re a funny writer, I hope you’ll consider being a part of it. And I hope this launch will be the first step in a long and fruitful journey— its own Morrison dorm talent show.
All the best.
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