Jay Black started his stand-up comedy career in the classroom. That's where he taught the sonnets of John Donne, the 16th-century metaphysical poet, to high school students.
Not an easy undertaking, that. But then, neither is getting a nightclub audience to laugh.
"When I first started doing stand-up, one of the things people said I was really good at was dealing with rough crowds," Black says. "I said, 'Hey, I used to teach Shakespeare to 15-year-olds at 9 a.m.'"
Black, who opens a three-night stand today at The Funny Bone Station Square, says a good teacher puts on a good show.
"I always tried to use a certain degree of humor," he says. "It wasn't like I was Robin Williams in 'Dead Poets Society,' jumping on a desk, but I tried to get kids' attention by using my voice. And that translated to the stage.
"The one thing I'd like to assure Pittsburgh audiences of is that there will be no poetry when I do my shows at The Funny Bone," he says.
Black quit his teaching job in October 2006 to pursue comedy full time. His hand was forced, his says, when he auditioned at a conference where colleges book artists to perform on their campuses. Expecting to get a few nibbles, Black got about 65 invitations to perform at various institutions of higher learning. The schedule meant he had to give up his teaching job.
Not long after he submitted his resignation, his wife, Kristina, also a teacher, announced that she was now eating for two.
"I went from having a job that was the most stable job in the world to the least stable job in the world," Black says. "I signed a new mortgage, found out my wife was pregnant and resigned from my job in the same week. I'd love to be able to grow my stomach lining back."
Now, instead of leading discussions about the symbolism in Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea," Black takes Harry Potter to task for wasting his wizard's powers on fighting the evil Voldemort instead of doing what any 17-year-old boy would rather do -- scoring chicks.
For someone who has played hundreds of college shows, Black claims to be so afraid of rejection that he won't sell his comedy CD after shows.
When he plays The Funny Bone Station Square today through Saturday, he'll tell fans who would like a copy to e-mail him through his Web site, ww.jayblackcomedy.com. He'll send them a link to his CD.
"I have really low self-esteem," says the New Jersey native. "I hate selling things and trying to make eye contact with people -- 'Hey! Buy my CD, please!' I just like to be funny. I made this CD and I never, ever, brought it to the club."
If the comedy doesn't work out, he says, he can always go back to teaching. But he'll have to tone down his language, he admits.
Additional Information:
Jay Black
With: Vinnie Nardiello
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday
Admission: $5 Thursday; $15 Friday and Saturday
Where: Funny Bone, Station Square, South Side
Details: 412-281-3130
