The Chronicle's Katherine Berko spoke with comedians and SiriusXM Insight talk show hosts Pete Dominick and Dean Obeidallah. The two will perform in the "Electoral College Comedy" show Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Page Auditorium. They will be joined by comedian and actor John Fugelsang in the event hosted by The Center for Politics Leadership, Innovation and Service.
The Chronicle: How did you get involved in political comedy?
Pete Dominick: I figured out at age 14 that I wanted to be a comedian. I moved to New York in the late '90s, and the first time I did stand-up in New York, Dean was actually there. All of us comedians thought Dean was too attractive to be doing stand-up.
Dean Obeidallah: I snuck into America as a young child to take over, or at least that is the Ted Cruz bio about us Muslims. I was actually a practicing lawyer, and like most lawyers, I aspired to be a comedian. People told me to do open mics in New York when I was in my late 20s. When I was offered a position as a page at NBC, I quit being lawyer. Then, I was hired to do comedy full-time for Saturday Night Live. I love being able to merge my two biggest interests, comedy and politics, together.
TC: Pete, can you describe your show, “Stand Up! with Pete Dominick”?
PD: A lot of people don’t care about important issues because they’re too cynical, apathetic or scared. Having a comedian talk about these issues is a different approach than what a journalist does. It’s like [National Public Radio] with a sense of humor. We bring experts to the show every day so that I’m not the only one preaching. I’m like the wise-ass student and my visitors are my professors. You don’t have to listen pretty long to realize I’m a staunch liberal, but I try to bring lots of different people onto the show to treat it like real life. It’s been on the air for eight years now.
TC: Dean, can you talk about your role as a co-director of the comedy documentary, “The Muslims Are Coming!”?
DO: Well, I was the first and only Muslim-American to host a radio platform. My father is Muslim and was born in what was then Palestine, while my mother is Catholic and is of Sicilian descent. I was raised in both the Islamic faith and the Catholic faith and found that, contrary to popular belief, the two religions have a lot in common. I made the documentary to counter bigotry about Muslims. Most of my guests were Muslim-American because I wanted to get people accustomed to listening to them, so they would know Muslims aren’t scary. I tried to get as many as speakers as possible for the film since people wouldn’t listen to a speech on the subject matter, but because the movie was funny and had great guests, they were enticed to watch it. I’ve had Abdullah Antepli, a Duke [Divinity] School professor, on my show at least four times in the past year.
TC: What is the process behind being a political comedian? How do you guys do stand-up? How do you prepare?
PD: It’s more about being a comedian. We want to make people laugh, and we like to make them think, as a nice bonus. It’s about what people relate to and politics is an extra layer. It’s important for us to know what’s going on and to be able to quote politicians. We should be able to say, “Obama/Cruz/Trump/Clinton said this…”
DO: I’m like a Trump supporter: I don’t read the news, I don’t pay attention to the facts. No, the more you know and study politics the more details you’ll have to tell jokes. Life experience helps you with writing jokes. My point of view is much more defined now than it was 10 years ago.
PD: You can also make fun of commentators on cable networks. Televised news makes politics more about the horse race and polls rather than the actual issues. That’s why what we do on the radio is better. We bring in experts and analysts so you actually learn. You can’t have a robust conversation in two minutes like they have on TV.
TC: Is it difficult to hide your political biases when you’re doing comedy?
DO: I’m not trying to be a balanced comedian. I do make some jokes about Hillary Clinton, but I’m a progressive. That’s where it comes from. I mock Hillary about making big money for speeches to Goldman Sachs. It’s because I’m a progressive, but I still like her a great deal.
PD: Only a couple of conservative comedians—when compared to liberal comedians—have become household names. Comedians with a more liberal bend tend to be more popular. Reasons for this include that conservatives are often more religious and tend to focus on family values. It’s been difficult to mock Obama when compared to the Clintons or Bush because Obama is a pretty normal family man and hasn’t cheated. I also send out a daily reminder email that Trump will never be president.
TC: What we can expect at your show on Monday?
PD: A big chunk of the show will be on college life: from dorm life to discipline to drinking as well as public service messaging about embracing diversity on campus. I like to make jokes about my own ignorance in college, when I met my first Jews, blacks and foreigners.
DO: I’ll probably start off with something like, ‘Hi, I’m Dean O and I want to be your Muslim friend.’ In a recent poll, only 25 percent of people said they have a Muslim friend. My comedy is very similar to Pete’s, and talks about what it’s like being Muslim in America and jokes about politics and a bit about growing up in New Jersey. My hope is the students laugh about it and learn something about it.
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