“Sick and brilliant ukulele comedy.”

Underground comedy heroes the Bastion somehow caught wind of my Chicago dates, and did a little interview with me. I am not sure exactly what they do, but I believe they are the Underground Comedy Railroad. I haven’t completely connected the dots on how they found me (they never reveal their identities for their own protection), but I believe this train stopped at Jessica Delfino Station and was then guided safely to the Bastion by Underground Comedy conductor McKenzie Condon.

Click here to read the interview written by Elizabeth McQuern, a young lady who sold her stage fright on eBay for $102 so she could become a stand-up comic. Seriously, follow the link to her site and listen to the Chicago Public Radio interview with her. Now she is the producer of “arguably the hippest room in town,” Chicago Underground Comedy.

Back to my continuing saga, where I was drawing a parallel between my own struggle for stage time with that of African-American slaves struggling to stop being human chattel, Elizabeth is the Harriet Tubman figure of this little train wreck. Much thanks to Elizabeth and the Bastion and all of the faceless people in the night who helped my comedy dreams gain their freedom in Chicago. I’ve pasted the interview below, or go to the Bastion and see me there. Please don’t

November 15, 2007

A Chat With Ben Lerman

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketFriend of the Bastion Mackenzie Condon, currently studying the legal nuances of defamatory fart jokes New York, tipped us off that Ben Lerman was going to swing through Chicago with his sick and brilliant ukulele comedy. Lerman will play songs from his album "Ukelear Winter" on November 25 at 7 PM at Hamburger Mary's on Clark Street in the Andersonville neighborhood. His songs can be heard here.

How would you describe your comedy and music?

I like to make fun of myself and the people around me. Since I’m a gay Jew-tard (or am I a Jewish gay-tard?), I have a lot to draw from.

How did you make the jump from living in your hometown in Indiana to pursuing "gay comedy rock stardom" in New York in 1998? Was there a college stint before then? Did you always know you wanted to head to New York?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketAfter high school, I was an exchange student in Brussels for a year. I found myself legally drinking at karaoke bars with crazy Belgians. One time they tried to impress me by shotgunning cans of Stella Artois (the Belgian equivalent of Schlitz) and then vomiting the beer still foaming. Foamy beer vomit leaves a lasting impression. It looked like it was coming straight out of a keg, a keg made of a human body. After Belgium, I went to Washington, DC, to drop out of college and begin an illustrious career waiting tables. After 6 years I rose from the position of “waiter” to “waiter with a slightly better section.” With those successes under my belt, I knew that New York held no challenges I couldn’t conquer. Gay comedy rock stardom seems like a goal worth pursuing because there is no such thing. Here’s what I know: if something doesn’t really exist, it’s impossible to fail. So go for it, right?

What is your comedy background like -- did you study or train anywhere, or do stuff in college?

I’ve taken a couple of improv classes in New York, but improv is hard because I have OCD and I just tend to alphabetize imaginary CDs in every scene. Not so fun for an audience to watch, but highly organized. I think comedians can learn most from committing Lifetime original movies to memory. At this point, Meredith Baxter Birney and I think with one mind.

Have your parents heard you sing songs about wanting to masturbate to Anderson Cooper? And if so, are they still speaking to you?

Remember that anti-drugs commercial where the dad finds pot in his kid’s room, and the kid says, “I learned it from you, dad!” Well, it’s sort of like that. Um, just kidding. My entire family has been extremely supportive of me while simultaneously being extremely embarrassed by me. Now I’m trying to figure out what horrible thing I can say next that will test their love even more.

Is there something inherently funny about the ukulele, in your opinion? Might you have just as much success with an accordian, or a kazoo?

I tried to be a one-man kazoo band for a long time, but people complained that they had trouble understanding the lyrics. Lenny (that’s my uke’s name) is very offended by this question. He just stormed out of the room in tears. Don’t worry, Lenny is just overly sensitive because his last owner left him for a funny accordion.

We noticed that you are MySpace friends with Maya Lerman, who we're guessing is your sister - ? She's also a musician, but without the comedy component. Any theories on that? Less residual childhood psychological damage for her?

Until now my family has maintained that we are cousins. Now that you have revealed our dark family secret, she’s sure to have as much psychological damage as me.

What can people who show up to Hamburger Mary's on November 25 expect to see from you?

The should expect an answer to that nagging question, “What would happen if Weird Al Yankovic and Big Gay Al from South Park had a baby with Al Jarreau?”