When it comes to comedy, everyone has their own ideas about what is or isn’t funny. Things that make you laugh might have the opposite effect on someone else. In the ongoing evolution of stand-up comedy, the number of LGBTQ comics continues to increase at a fast pace. While lesbian comedians have long dominated, gay male comics are making their presence felt, with Matteo Lane being far and away the best. Lane, who combines Midwestern and European influences in his material, has a distinctive delivery style that often has audience members struggling to catch their breath between jokes and laughs. It also helps that he’s easy on the eyes, very handsome with a hot gym body!
Lane will be bringing his Can’t Stop Talking tour to the Fox Theatre on September 22. Ahead of the show, he was kind enough to make time for an interview.
Matteo, I had the pleasure of interviewing you for the first time in 2017 in advance of your performance at the Dania Beach Casino.
I think I remember that. I wasn’t headlining, right? Was I opening for someone else?
Someone else who was not very funny.
OK, now I remember, Sam Jay and I were both opening for … [laughs] yeah, I remember that.
Since then, your social media and online presence have increased greatly. How important is it to you to maintain that?
I don’t know that I think about it in terms of maintaining it so much as it’s nice to reach out and have people reach back. It’s also a great way of letting people know that I’m on tour, so they get to see what I work on all the time, which is stand-up. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it that way, as maintaining. I just think of it more as a great opportunity to express yourself and have people enjoy it.
Your conversations with comedians are inspired and hilarious, and the ones with Jessica Kirson are a particular favorite of mine.
I love Jessica!
That face! Are you having as much fun as you appear to be having?
[Laughs] Yes! What do you take me for? I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t enjoying it [laughs]. It’s not like it’s MGM in 1935 and I have to pretend with Mickey Rooney that I’m having a good time. I’m choosing to do this!
Speaking of Mickey Rooney, do you know if Liza Minnelli is aware of your impression of her?
I don’t know. But I feel like I’ve been getting closer [laughs]. Now I’m at the point where I know close friends of hers. I don’t even think she would be offended if she heard it. I think she’s got tough skin. I think she would laugh, and probably ask me what I wanted for dinner. She seems nice. She has a memoir coming out, and at least 10 people texted me yesterday saying that I should do the audiobook.
The way the audience becomes part of your shows has become something of a trademark of yours.
They actually haven’t. It’s a big misconception. It takes a really long time to write material. I do about 20 shows a week at The Comedy Cellar in New York, strictly working on material that I’ve been writing. Twice a year, just two times a year, I record my advice special where I just talk to the audience because it’s fun and it is a skill that I have. But it allows me to also use that in place of material that I need to build for a special in the meantime. When you come to see me live in a giant theater, I don’t do any talking to the audience. It’s all well-prepared, well-written material. It is a bit of a misconception. I understand where people would get that impression. Probably 11 months out of the year I’m consistently working on new jokes, crafting them, redoing them, practicing them over and over until they’re ready for the road. When I’m on the road, I practice them and practice them until it’s ready for a special so that it’s a fully ready, well-written special. I only do crowd work literally twice a year.
Your cooking videos continue to be as informative as they are entertaining. Could you foresee doing a cooking show on the Food Network or the Cooking Channel?
I feel like at this point they would have asked me. It’s always so strange when people see a special night on YouTube and they’ll say, “Next time, Netflix!” I’m like, “But you’re watching it right now, so what’s the difference?” If I’m on the Food Network or YouTube, isn’t it the same thing [laughs]? It’s all an excuse to be funny. The cooking is secondary because I’m using it as an excuse to be very comedy driven. The benefit of not doing it for someone like the Food Network is I get to have full control and air it the way I like it.
You own it.
Yes. I guess it does look more official if it’s on the Food Network, but I don’t know, I’m enjoying it.
You are also known for your shopping videos, such as the ones at Trader Joe’s and Mall of America. Do you enjoy in-person shopping as much as you enjoy poking fun at it, or would you rather make all your purchases online?
I’m on a plane and in hotels most of my life. So, when I’m home in New York, the last thing I want to do is go shopping. Sometimes I’ll go to thrift stores if I’m on the road. A comedian friend of mine and I will go to thrift stores. Usually, I’ll just order online. I don’t have that much stuff. Besides furniture that I’ve ordered online, it’s basically groceries and that’s about it.
Do you think you might have a cookbook or memoir, or a combination of both, in you?
I think that’s definitely possible in the future.
You’re going to be performing at the Broward Center in Florida in September. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has gone out of his way to make life difficult for the LGBTQ community. Is there anything you would like to say to him?
I think he needs to mind his own business. I think we can take that night as a great celebration of how strong our community is. Let’s just use this as an opportunity to show how strong we are and how we can also laugh at ourselves and have a good time. We can still celebrate life in the face of adversity.