Comedian Myq Kaplan on His Newest Release, ‘A.K.A.’

As a stand-up comedian, Myq Kaplan has checked off all the aspirational boxes: performances on late-night shows including “The Late Show With David Letterman,” “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson,” “Late Night With Seth Myers” and Conan O’Brien’s TBS show. A finalist on “Last Comic Standing.” An appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” Specials on Amazon and Comedy Central. And a hit show at the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

It was at that festival that Kaplan performed his one-man show, “A.K.A.,” which he later recorded at Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis. He released his fifth album on May 8. 

The Journal caught up with Kaplan to chat about “A.K.A.,” his TV appearances and what it’s like doing comedy during quarantine. 

Jewish Journal: Tell us about the name of your album “A.K.A.”

Myq Kaplan: The name of the album is “A.K.A.” and [it’s based on my Edinburgh Fringe show] “All Killing Aside.” That would have been the name if we weren’t in the midst of the pandemic, so we called it A.K.A., which is short for all killing aside, but also short for “also known as.” 

JJ: Why did you record it at Acme? 

MK: It’s one of my favorite comedy clubs. They have a great setup and audience. They treat comedians and audiences wonderfully and know what they are doing. It’s a great place, city and comedy town.

JJ: What’s it been like quarantining in New York? 

MK: I’m in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I imagine in some ways it’s similar to quarantining anywhere. I’ve gone out on some walks. I live near a park and being near open spaces in nature or at least a nature-like thing where you can stay away from people is nice. I have an outdoor space behind our home. I’ve been spending lots of time in our rooms with my girlfriend and then electronically being in touch with my mother, my father and my other friends and family. We’re doing our best to make the most of our time. 

JJ: Are you writing or performing comedy online? 

MK: I’ve performed every week doing live-streamed comedy shows. There’s certainly no absence of the capacity to go on your phone or computer and make sounds and faces appear to others, though certainly, it’s without the standard response of people who are all in the same room as you. It’s enough to keep my mind at least pretending that it’s as close to stand-up as possible.

JJ: What’s it like performing that way? 

MK: Doing a Zoom comedy show is not like doing a comedy show where you can see and hear people in the same room as you. For many of my shows, my girlfriend, Rini, has been in the home or room as my only audience member, so my jokes skew toward, “Here are a few of my girlfriend’s favorite jokes” or “I love my girlfriend.” It’s a different kind of performance. I’ve heard some comedians say it’s hard without the audience. One positive spin on it is if there’s no audience responding, even if you do your best joke, you’ll get a non-response. Anything you say, whether it’s new or experimental, will all get the same response. It’s freeing.  

JJ: Why is it important that people listen to comedy during quarantine?

MK: For me, it’s valuable to be connecting with people. In a way, there’s something more special about watching something that’s happening now. It’s the closest thing to going to a live show. In these times, it’s tuning into a live stream and knowing everyone watching and participating is in the same boat and in this experience of solidarity. 

JJ: I see some Jewish themes in your comedy. Did you grow up religious? 

MK: My mom and dad are both Jewish. My dad was raised Conservative and was bar mitzvah. My mom was not a bat mitzvah. I guess it was a time when women were not as mitzvah-ed as boys were. I was given the choice and I said, “Sure, I’ll have a party.” They said you have to learn Hebrew, Torah and history and I said, “Too late, we’ve already agreed to the party.” I went to Temple Sinai in Summit, N.J., on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays leading up to my bar mitzvah. After that we moved, and during high school, I don’t think we had a specific synagogue. We went to various families’ homes for Passover seders and the High Holiday-type celebrations. We were certainly a culturally Jewish family.  

JJ: Why did you change the spelling of your name (from Mike Kaplan to Myq Kaplan)? 

MK: I changed it in my teenage years. I was at this performing and creative arts summer camp. It was around when Prince changed his name to a symbol and I said, “That guy, he’s cool. I’ll do that.” I changed my name. He changed his back because it turns out it was for a legal copyright. I said, “OK, he’s Prince again and I guess I’m alone and weird now.” I liked it. It stuck. As a comedian, it helps to not have the name Mike or Michael because there are so many and it’s a little easier to search engine optimize and get social media handles that other comedians don’t have. 

JJ: What was it like being on “Last Comic Standing” and “America’s Got Talent?” 

MK: “Last Comic Standing” was the biggest jump in my career from when I was just starting to headline clubs. It now showed millions of people my comedy every week. After that, there were millions of people who might see me, or at least hundreds of people in different towns around the country [who could see me perform]. It was exciting to be on TV every week and doing comedy. It was a little nerve-wracking that it was a competition, but I had really great friends I went through semifinals and the finals process with. 

At “America’s Got Talent,” you’re not just hanging out with comedians but also with people who regurgitate coins on command and children’s choirs. It’s like a zoo. I was grateful to be on it. Overall, those shows aren’t what I love about stand-up, which is getting to perform live. But they were valuable experiences that helped me reach wider audiences, who I can hopefully perform for later but not now. 

Myq Kaplan’s latest album is available here.