By Matt Byrne. Byrne is a freelance writer based in Chicago, IL. He runs The Steamroller, a blog about the alt/not shitty comedy scene.
Yes, hello, it’s time for another Funniest Human of the Week, nice to see you again! This week’s human: Joe Kwaczala. He’s a Chicago-trained standup comic and writer who moved to LA last summer, and is responsible for some of my favorite goofs both online and off. Joe was the host and co-creator of The Late Live Show, a very funny live late night talk show that started here in Chicago and occasionally peeks its head out in LA (the show just recently appeared at the Comedy Central stage and wrapped up a run at iO West late last year).
The lighthearted absurdity and off-the-cuff-ness of The Late Live Show always reminded me of the 90s-era Late Night with Conan O’Brien, which was wildly influential on my sense of humor. Here’s a desk piece from LLS that helps explain what I mean!
Like I said before, Joe’s also a standup comic, with extremely well-crafted, very silly jokes, using personal and observational material as a jumping off point for smart-dumb flights of fancy. Let’s watch a clip from his recent appearance at Los Angeles’ Comedy Palace showcase together.
Joe’s the type of guy that’ll churn out a silly conceptual YouTube video if the mood strikes, like this video which features clips of people getting hit in the balls to the sounds of Bastille’s hit single “Pompeii”:
Speaking of web goofs, here’s a clip from a very funny but short-lived webseries he produced called You Gotta Try It, appearing alongside standup comic Dan Ronan!
Joe’s real funny on Twitter, one of the few people who can make sort of topical jokes about the events of the day without making me want to rip my eyes out! Like just a few days ago, when Kate Bush announced her return to the stage:
Kate Bush is doing a concert for the first time in 35 years. I hope she plays my favorite Kate Bush song: Kate Glycerine.
— Joe Kwaczala (@joekjoek) March 21, 2014
Just like all my fav Twitterers, he’s also great at non-sequitur-y joke-jokes, like these:
I guess you could say I’m an old soul 😉 What? Yes, that also means ghost. I am a ghost.
— Joe Kwaczala (@joekjoek) February 21, 2014
Everyone’s buzzing about who will play eBaum in the upcoming biopic.
— Joe Kwaczala (@joekjoek) November 21, 2013
THE FOREIGN GUY SAID “MY WIFE” THE FOREIGN GUY SAID “MY WIFE”
— Joe Kwaczala (@joekjoek) March 3, 2014
He also moonlights as social media manager for pop star Huey Lewis, helping the News-man stay relevant in today’s fast-paced web environment:
That TV funnyman Jerry Seinfeld doesn’t like answering questions about diversity? Well then maybe he oughta go… back in time
— Huey Lewis (@ImHueyLewis) February 4, 2014
Everybody’s talking about these Google Glasses. So now it’s the cool thing to wear Star Trek frames?! I guess it really IS hip to be square.
— Huey Lewis (@ImHueyLewis) April 5, 2012
Hey now, I’m just hearin’ the scoop now! Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are calling it quits? Sounds like they didn’t have… the power of love
— Huey Lewis (@ImHueyLewis) July 12, 2012
And finally, a thing that Joe did that’s very close to my heart, as it was hosted on my website, The Steamroller. He was (totally unfairly) kicked off of OKCupid because he unwittingly broke some arcane part of their terms of service. Before his profile was shut down, he was able to take a few screenshots, thankfully, which I’ll leave with you as a parting gift.
