Comedian Alonzo Bodden of “Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!” fame and host of the podcast “Who’s Paying Attention?” will be performing in St. Louis this week at Helium Comedy Club.
On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske talked with Bodden about how the pandemic has impacted his work as a panelist on “Wait Wait” and as a stand-up comic.
“For the first four months of this shutdown, everything was being done virtually or through Zoom meetings, and that is a really weird way to do comedy,” he said. “Even when I could hear them laughing, it’s not the same as a live connection. I tell people, ‘It’s the difference between playing 'Grand Theft Auto' the video game and actually stealing a car and running away.’”
They also discussed what it’s like to develop a set during a time when reality is often stranger than fiction.
“It’s continually changing; there is no way to keep up with our news cycle,” Bodden said. “The one word that we need to eliminate from the English language is the word ‘unbelievable,’ because that doesn’t apply anymore. There’s nothing that can happen that we consider unbelievable.”
Bodden’s latest comedy special Heavy Lightweight is available now on Amazon Prime.
Related Event
What: Alonzo Bodden at Helium Comedy Club
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, and 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., Richmond Heights, MO 63117
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
