I had the gracious opportunity to interview comedian/singer Jade Esteban

Estrada while he was on tour through the Pacific Northwest. A little back story;  while I was a theatre/communications student at Yakima Valley Community College, I had taken one of his acting workshops and learned a great deal from him. Jade made a stop in Yakima a few weeks ago playing two sold out shows at Carmen's Comedy Club and a performance for Eisenhower High School's Gay/Straight Alliance. Jade was also gracious enough to pose for a photo shoot inside the Howard Johnson Hotel Bar where he was staying that weekend.

 

        Jade has been seen in feature films, on Comedy Central's "The Graham Norton Effect," "In the Life" on PBS, "Friday Night Lights" and "30 Rock" on NBC. He was also the headliner for Seattle's Pride Festival in 2002. His music has been featured on the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning police drama "The Shield" on FX. Jade has been labeled "America's Prince of Pride" by NBC News and The Advocate calls him "exquisite."

 

Back Beat Seattle: I know stand-up comedy and acting are two totally opposite directions and a lot of people try it because they either think they're funny or their friends think they're funny. But then, they get on stage and bomb. What are your thoughts on that?

 

Jade Esteban Estrada: You have to really love it. I used to love getting up there to try new things and get out of my comfort zone...knowing my jokes and knowing my settings and then messing with myself by trying something different. That keeps you real and in comedy you really need to be connected to your audience. If you're looking over their heads and doing the "actor thing" you may only get so far with that. There will be times when you get a heckler or your audience will groove with you. You will get a night where the audience is nothing but Christian conservatives that hate you. Being a little uncomfortable keeps me real. For me, being able to use my improv experience and comedy to connect with people keeps me real. If you don't have have that hunger to be by yourself up there with a microphone, to think of something new and fresh, then your going to run in to problems. A comic has to have that love...that hunger. If you don't, then stand-up is not for you. Acting is planned out and rehearsed. Stand-up is right there and then.

 

BBS: Jim Carrey came out that he was suffering from depression. It seems many of the comedians are suffering from some sort of mental illness or many of them have problems with drugs and alcohol. What is your take on this?

 

JEE: I certainly believe the stand-up stage is perfect for depressed people. Where else can you go and talk about your problems and make light of such heaviness in your life and be loved for your honesty? When you're really honest, the audience appreciates it. The audience can sniff it out when you're being dishonest, holding back, or when you're lying. I'm reminded of some gay comics who try to play straight. The audiences will walk out and be like "Yeah, he was funny but there was something about him that I didn't completely groove with." When the truthfulness is not 100% during a performance, people know. They may not know the mechanics and they may not know why, but they sense it. It all goes back to instincts. But to answer your question, yeah, like Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey and Joan Rivers all came from places that were very dark. The only way they felt they could survive was by having a therapy session in a public forum. It seems to work for them. I mean, I'm a happier person for sharing my life on stage but I'm always thinking that I can dig deeper and go further because every day and every moment we experience something that changes us and that's worth sharing. 

 

BBS: What are your thoughts on FOX News?

 

JEE: There are some theatres in the world that devote themselves to the classics. Some devote themselves to African-American Heritage theatre or Mexican-American/Latino theatre. When I see FOX News, I see a campsite for people who think exactly like that and I applaud them because it's very theatrical. If I want to go for news, I go to the BBC. They don't seem to be one-sided or have anything to gain. There are news networks out there for liberals, conservatives and even the gay community. FOX News is what it is for people who enjoy that sort of thing. But, I look at it as entertainment rather than a place to get informed about national events.

 

BBS: So you wouldn't call it fair and balanced?

 

JEE: I wouldn't call it that. I'd call it "a great show."

 

BBS: So it would be like watching HBO?

 

JEE: More like "The Simpsons." Mainly because I'm so entertained. I often walk away going, "Wow! I can't believe they said that with a straight face!"

 

BBS: So you have an act called "ICONS." Can you explain what this is about?

 

JEE: I have four volumes of musical comedies called "ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World" and I just debuted "ICONS Vol. 4" in Tallahassee, Florida. It's one of my passions to portray historical figures of the LGBT community. In this volume, I play Plato, Virginia Woolf, Alan Turing, Dr. Evelyn Hooker, Freddy Mercury and Dustin Lance Black. For me it's doing something I love. It's like theatrical chocolate for me. I make no apologies. I love history. I love theatrical journalism. I love becoming these characters and yes, it's very educational, hence why I do so many performances at colleges. It's like classical music; I know not many people listen to it, but I like it.

 

BBS: How can anyone not like classical music? I mean, that's the foundation on how music began.

 

JEE: That's a statement coming from someone who has a musical education. Not many have that privilege.

 

BBS: So that's why so many people are fans of Nickleback?

 

JEE: I guess so.

 

BBS: Are there any comedians that you follow or look up to?

 

JEE: Steve Harvey is at the top of my list. I love people who were on the edge and were harsh like Andrew Dice Clay and Lenny Bruce.