Comical alumnus moving up bit by bit

2008 Temple graduate Pat House decided to follow his heart and pursue a career as a comic.

He’s 24, a Temple alum and the new “It boy” in Philadelphia’s comedy scene. For the past five years, Pat House has been performing at local venues like the Trocadero Theatre, working when and wherever he can and honing his comedic skills and timing in the hopes of making it into the big leagues of comedy. (Think Comedy Central’s Live from Gotham.) House took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to with The Temple News.

The Temple News: What made you want to be a comedian?

Pat House: I really got into comedy back when I was in high school. I saw two of my favorite comedians live, Dave Atell and Mitch Hedberg. I saw them live and that really made me want to try it, and then I did, shortly after that.

TTN: How would you describe your comedic style?

PH: I just talk about my life. I talk about experiences in college, and drinking, and pretty much about my life being a 24-year-old guy.

TTN: Are you active on stage or more of a monotone sarcastic?

PH: Yeah, I’m sarcastic. I’m a little sarcastic. I’m not really high energy. I like to engage people. I like to feel like the audience and I are having a conversation, but I’m the only one doing the talking.

TTN: Where do you draw your material from? I mean, have you ever just been sitting on a park bench and find something funny passing you by?

PH: Yeah, with something like that, I would do that joke that night. I’m weird with things like that, like, if I see something funny in the mall, I’ll do something that night about it if I can think of anything. But usually I don’t do stuff like that.

TTN: There are two famous Temple alumni who are comedians, Bob Saget and Bill Cosby. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. What can we expect from you in the next five years?

PH: I don’t know. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, and there are definitely a lot of other comedians that went to Temple. Some are still on the Philadelphia scene, and there are others that are out in Los Angeles and up in New York doing stuff right now. I know probably 10 to 15 comics. But I would love to get on Comedy Central. I’ve actually done a few auditions for them, and they know who I am. So, that’s kind of nice.

TTN: Are you planning on doing a special with Comedy Central, or were you working towards getting a show?

PH: Well, they have a show called Live at Gotham. Gotham is a comedy club they have in New York City, and they have a deal with Comedy Central. I did a few live shows for Gotham auditions in Philadelphia, and then I went to a Comedy Central event in New York and met some of the important people. I would love to get on that show, because that’s what people in my level of experience are on; just people who have been doing comedy for a few years, [and are] just getting out there now.

TTN: Is it hard to find gigs, or do they come to you?

PH: It can be. You know what? It’s like peaks and valleys. This was the driest summer I’ve ever had. I barely had any gigs in May, June, July, August. But then in September, I haven’t stopped performing. I’ve been on stage maybe once a day. I’ve done about 27 this month. It’s all over the place. It’s a hustle. You really got to get out. It’s a struggle, but a struggle in a fun way. You really have to hustle to get the gigs and put yourself out there. Sometimes the gigs come to you, but there are dry spells for weeks and weeks at a time. It’s totally fun. It keeps you active, it keeps you engaged. [You can’t] let yourself get into the groove of not performing. I just had to go out and find the gigs and send the e-mails, make the phone calls.

TTN: As a comedian, what’s funny to you? What really cracks you up?

PH: Oh man, that’s a really good question. I’ve never been asked that before. I pretty much find everything funny, I really do. My friends make me crack up all the time. My friends aren’t comics. They make me laugh. [If I’m] just walking down the street or driving in my car and someone has road rage or if I overhear something ridiculous. I just find everything funny.

TTN: Any words you want to leave our readers with?

PH: Have fun, and make sure you do what you want to do. I’m not using my college education, but I’m having more fun than I could ever even imagine. I’m not sure if that’s the best thing to put in a school newspaper, but I mean, just have fun, and do what you want to do. If you have a goal, if you have a dream, do it because you only come around once.

Lauren Williams can be reached at lauren.williams2010@temple.edu.