Above: Self-portrait by Erin Nekervis
Comedy fans in the know recognize the name Erin Nekervis. Erin was one of the first photographers to document Chicago’s alt-comedy scene. This “tiny do-it-yourself comedy scene … produced some of the most successful and influential stand-up comedians of their generation” during the late 1990s to early 2000s, according to Mike Bridenstine, author of the definitive chronicle, The Perfect Amount of Wrong. Those comedians include Kumail Nanjiani, Beth Stelling, Brian Babylon, Cameron Esposito, Pete Holmes, Kyle Kinane, Matt Braunger, Nick Vatterott and TJ Miller.
Many of Erin’s photos are enshrined in Mike’s book. They pulse and glimmer with each comedian’s personality. Erin has a knack for capturing pivotal moments. Her photos are so exquisitely timed and framed that the comedian’s posture and expression tell you how well a set was going. Her evocative composition flawlessly conveys all the moods and magic.
Erin is completely self-trained. She grew up in the Midwest where her family moved between Wisconsin, Ohio, and Chicago. She lived in Chicago from 2003 through 2013 and now resides in New York City. Her photos have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, WBEZ.org, the New York Times, MsMagazine.com and more. When I started interviewing comedians for the Chicago Tribune’s TribLocal, Erin generously granted permission to use her work. Her portraits were an invaluable component of every story.
Erin and I finally met “in person” on Zoom recently. She kindly shared the secrets and insights behind her artistry. I could see immediately why she is always a welcome presence. Yes, it’s her technical expertise, but also much more. She has a calm and beautiful charisma. She conveys a profound integrity, empathy and understanding of human complexity, all of which shine through in her transcendent work. How does she do it? Please read on.
IN THE BEGINNING
Teme: How did you become a comedy fan?
Erin: It goes back to being a small child and my dad letting me stay up to see who was on the Tonight Show. My grandmother had a lot of Shelley Berman and Tom Lehrer albums. Later it was discovering Eddie Murphy with the strong parental warning, “don’t let your grandmother know you have that cassette, go listen in the car with the windows UP.” So a permissive parent, really, is where it started. And of course, Steve Martin at the time for kids was huge. Lily Tomlin would go to Sesame Street and do her shtick. Then all the variety shows with Carol Burnett. Comedy and variety shows were the staple of ’70s entertainment.
Teme: How did you learn about photography?
Erin: I received my first Kodak instamatic in the 2nd grade, and I was hooked. After high school I wanted to go to school for photography, but it was too expensive. I mean at the time the cameras, gear, film and developing supplies were all in addition to regular tuition; it seemed so out-of-reach. I got a degree in literature. For that, all I needed were books and paper. So I just did photography on the side when I could.
Teme: So self-trained?
Erin: Yes. I had a lot of technical help from my college roommates who were enrolled in the graphic design program. I remember seeing a stand-up show on campus featuring Bertice Berry and Marc Price and I was so disappointed not to have a camera. Anyway, DIY is also the story for most comedians. You can take a comedy class, but you still must show up with most of the gear in your head.
THE ROOM WAS ON FIRE
Teme: How did you first connect with the Chicago comedy scene?
Erin: I started photographing shows at the Lincoln Lodge and later, Comedians You Should Know in Streeterville. At the time, I was working as a research coordinator at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I was working in HIV research, and I really wasn’t prepared for how heavy duty it would be. It was very depressing, and I needed something. I couldn’t just go home at the end of the day. My boyfriend at the time saw a little ad in The Reader for Mark Geary’s Lincoln Lodge in early 2005, just at the beginning when he first secured the space at the back of the Lincoln Restaurant in North Center. Northwestern was paying me very little at the time, and The Lincoln Lodge show was something like $5, so I was in the right place. Comedy in Chicago is very accessible. It wasn’t too far away from where I was living at the time, so I went.
Mark told me after we got to know each other that the Reader ad was very expensive. He had been sitting on the fence about whether to place it. But a lot of people did show up and I was one of them. Robert Buscemi hosted the first show that I saw. Kumail [Nanjiani] was the first act. I remember it so clearly. I thought, “This is unusual. There’s something special here.” It was like the room was on fire. I’d never seen something like that before, and I’ve seen a lot of comedy, but not like that. Everything in Bridenstine’s book is true.
Teme: Mike’s book captured that magic so well. The liberation of spirit and people being original and completely themselves.
Erin: It was extremely original. It was magic from the get-go. It was this lack of pretense that added to the ability to laugh. What I notice now in New York is the audience is almost afraid to be expressive. It seems like they’re afraid to be judged for laughing. Maybe it’s because we’re in the social media age now, but everything is up for consideration, including audience reactions. You have to behave in a certain way when you go out. You can’t just be the audience anymore. At the time we were free from all of that, all constraints. When we knew Kumail, he was the Webmaster guy at the University of Chicago Lab School. Nobody was famous yet.
Teme: How did you go from being an audience member to being a key photographer?
Erin: Even I don’t know exactly how that transition took place. I’ve always been a shutterbug. I just started doing it and nobody told me that I couldn’t, which is another thing about the scene. The wonderful producer of Chicago Underground Comedy Elizabeth [McQuern] had a comedy/theatre blog bellarossa.blogspot.com and Kristy [“K-Rock”] Mangel ran her own Chicago comedy site The Five Drink Minimum and together they produced the Chicago-centric comedy blog The Bastion. On these blogs they posted their own photos, and they weren’t at all intimidated when somebody else started taking photos too. It was fine. In 2010 Kristy Mangel and Michelle Raz started a print magazine called REGARDING COMEDY A.K.A. “RE:COM” and Kristy asked me to contribute some photos. I remember being shocked that somebody noticed my work. Because of Kristy I felt more like a participant than an obsessed fangirl observer. They produced about seven magazines before the digital age was upon us and print was no longer affordable. It was a joy to be part of that. Pretty soon some of the comedians like Bill Cruz and Sean Flannery asked me to do some photos, and I was off and running. So in short, Chicago’s comedy scene was very welcoming, and I think that’s really all a person needs.
Teme: Who was the first comedian you photographed?
Erin: It was Brian Babylon the “Prince of Bronzeville” at the Lincoln Lodge in 2005. Now he tours internationally and produces [National Public Radio’s] Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
In the beginning I went out with my father’s Canon AE-1 using almost-expired 400 ISO film I had bought in bulk at The Columbus Camera Group in Ohio in 2005 the dawn of the digital age, when camera shops started selling off their film in bulk, and I remember the Columbus Camera Group were selling film by the pound and had laundry baskets on the floor loaded with canisters. I went digital in February 2007 with an Olympus E-500 and a professional account on Flickr.
Back then, there were more than a few venues – Mike touches on all of them in his book. I photographed at the Lincoln Lodge, Chicago Underground Comedy at The Beat Kitchen, Zanies, Red Bar, Adam [Burke] and Cameron’s [Esposito] Wednesday show at Cole’s Bar, Jokes and Notes, The Mayne Stage, Comedians You Should show at Timothy O’Toole’s in Streeterville. I remember Ever Mainard had a showcase somewhere in Wicker Park and Kristy Mangel started Crown Comedy at Crown Liquors in Logan Square. I’m probably leaving some out, and I’m not even touching on the improv venues like The Annoyance and Playground Theaters – they are wonderful too. It was like an addiction. There’s something otherworldly about being around funny people. You never not want to be around them once you get a taste of the real deal – genuine, thoughtful comedy. Uninhibited. It’s very liberating to have people like that in your life. You just want to end every day having that moment.
Teme: Were you going out every night after work to take photos?
Erin: Yes, pretty much. It came to that eventually. Happily. Besides the many comedy blogs, another incentive at the time was submitting photos for consideration to The Gaper’s Block and Chicagoist. Sadly, they are both kaput.
Teme: What is your favorite memory from those years?
Erin: I have so many. Listening to TJ Miller laugh in the back of the room at whoever was on stage. He just dropped in, even if he didn’t have stage time. And of course, the late, great Steve O. Harvey. Steve was naturally funny all the time. I miss him. And Prescott Tolk. His story about taking his dad’s car into the city remains one of the funniest bits I’ve ever heard.
I remember one night at Lincoln Lodge, the actor Jerry O’Connell showed up with his wife, the supermodel Rebecca Romijn, and asked, “Can we get a table?” In desperation, Mark Geary came over to our table and asked if we would make room. I think they sat for maybe 2 minutes before getting on stage themselves to take audience questions and talk about Hollywood. I got some great pictures that night. Turns out, TJ Miller invited them.
There was a St. Patrick’s show maybe in 2009, Joe Kilgallon was on a 20-minute break from his bartending gig somewhere in the Gold Coast and managed to cab it over to CYSK for the tightest, funniest set. He ran over the light by a few minutes, and the audience was literally on their feet cheering him back to his waiting cab to finish his shift.
In 2010, the Just for Laughs Festival was at Lincoln Lodge. Marc Maron, Janeane Garofalo and a couple other heavy hitters were there. That was an amazing night. The local pride was through the roof.
Erin: I remember Bill Cruz doing a man on the street for the Lincoln Lodge when the notorious Lincoln Towing came by and started towing audience members’ cars. It could have ended there, but Bill kept up the interview throughout the hook-and-tow process and then ran after them as they were driving off.
The comedy scene in New York is amazing even though there’s nothing like Chicago. I feel that much of the New York scene’s energy is from Chicago comedians or Chicago-trained comedians. Like Matteo Lane. He’s a legend. People think he’s a New Yorker. He’s very sought after here. It’s like a salon, the way he approaches his audience. When he takes the stage, he naturally conducts more of a group discussion. That’s Chicago coming at you.
When you have a Chicago comedian, you’re going to have more of a risk-taker in your environment. In my experience, Chicago comedians don’t automatically consider the corporate side. They’re true to themselves and they just take the mic and go. It spices things up enough so that patrons feel part of it, and not like members of a test audience.
UNIQUE CHALLENGES
Teme: How do you overcome challenges like holding a camera and composing a beautiful shot when you’re laughing?
Erin: Well. I have no formal training or education in this mind you. But, I take a stance and create a “zone” where I hunch forward forward to eliminate shake – the usual camera shake combined with shake from laughing. When you really follow comedians, you actually watch them write their routine. You’ll notice the beginning of a bit being worked out at a 5-dollar room and follow that comedian as they keep working on it at different rooms. So hopefully you can get all your laughs out and minimize that risk of shake as the bit progresses into a tight set. Unfortunately, that’s not always a guarantee though, because some people are always funny no matter how many times you’ve heard them. I’ve seen Nick Vatterott drop that broken guitar more times than I can say, and each time is better and funnier. All these memories.
Did you ever go to Ed Debevic’s? That’s where Steve O. started his thumb wrestling schtick. He got heckled a lot, and he would take it down a notch by thumb wrestling the heckler and winning every time. He brought that to The Lincoln Lodge and took down hecklers routinely.
Teme: I never went to Ed Debevic’s. I’m not up for that. I’m very thin-skinned.
Erin: I am, too. That’s why it’s good to be behind the camera. I have such stage fright. I could never.
Teme: Wait – you do?
Erin: Oh God, it’s awful. It’s so much better to crouch in the corner and be close to it, but not in it.
Teme: I totally understand that! How do you overcome feeling that way? When you’re a photographer, you’re really putting yourself out there.
Erin: I don’t overcome it. I am second guessing myself before I even get out of the house, but I just go, and I won’t listen to that little voice. Then I shoot, but I don’t stay. I don’t stick around for the afterparty or poker games. I just leave because I’m too terrified and shy. The daytime barbecues at [Sean] Flannery’s old apartment were better for me because I’m not built that way either, honestly.
Teme: As a photographer you’re a pretty prominent person in the venue. So how do you get comfortable with putting yourself out there?
Erin: I don’t know. I don’t think about it really. Sometimes I wonder if people remember me.
Teme: I’m sure they do! The photographer’s a really important person, and besides looking super cool, you’re going behind the scenes to preserve the record with those gorgeous photos.
Erin: Preserve the record, yes, but I never stick around for long afterwards. Often afterwards, the hangers-on and even drug dealers show up and make things weird. But the conversations keep going. We’d go to Reza’s, which was next to Lincoln Lodge. The night keeps going. There was a time around 2011 when executive producers for reality TV were sort of snooping around in Chicago looking for victims. At some point you have to exit yourself. I think it’s important to stay separate.
Teme: What other challenges come with photographing Chicago’s comedy scene? Like lighting. Do you work with a venue to adjust their lighting or do you adapt as you find it?
Erin: I adapt. I’ve never asked anybody to change the lighting but as you know, in a lot of Chicago places the lighting is “DIY.” In the beginning, Mark Geary would hide the lights inside the ceiling during restaurant hours. All the gear was up there. It’s all different now that [Lincoln Lodge] has its own home. As a photographer, you have to be mobile. You have to crawl around on stage. You have to be able to squat and find the right angle. Even when the lighting is good, some comedians move around maniacally and you’re going to have to find the pause and/or bump the shutter speed way up. Then there are comedians like David Angelo, for example, who don’t move at all, but he takes the mic stand and puts it on his foot, and then he starts tapping his foot. So that mic stand’s going to come up and down. You have to watch for shadow drift. It’s important to get to know your subject and then move around accordingly.
Teme: You’ve mentioned the lighting at Beat Kitchen. What made it especially good?
Erin: I don’t know who was in charge there. I’d love to shake their hand. They had beautiful light and gels, the right kind to make any skin tone pop. They’re professional. The gels aren’t going to come floating down onto the stage halfway through the show. You free up a lot of brain power when you know that the room is top-notch.
The professionals (which I am not) have a 3-light set up, so when the subject steps onto the “X” on the stage at Beat Kitchen for example, they’re lit perfectly. There is a picture of Cameron [Esposito] in Mike’s book. That was the Beat Kitchen. You can see how the light is on her just perfectly set. That photo was from her show called Side Mullet.
Teme: I saw that show at the Wilmette Theatre! It was great.
Erin: When I showed up to that show, I realized I hadn’t prepared very well and was wearing a skirt, and I needed to have some bike pants underneath because I had to crawl around at the edge of the stage. I had to RUN like hell to the store nearby to get bike shorts and make it back before start time.
Teme: When you return to Chicago, which shows are you sure to see?
Erin: Well, Comedians You Should Know, of course. It also depends who’s in town. In Chicago there’s so much comedy to see. If only I had no reason to work, I could do all the stuff! At times, I’ve seen comedians [working as tour guides] on Chicago’s architectural boat tours and I go, “Didn’t I see you at the Lodge a couple of times?”
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE SHOT
Teme: What makes a comedian fun to photograph?
Erin: It’s the joy. There’s this level of understanding, a moment where the comedian sees that you get them. It’s like a silent agreement. Once Liza Treyger got mad at me because my shutter was too loud, but that’s the only time that’s happened – so far. Generally, comedians are happy to be captured doing that thing, however you define that thing – bringing the laughs. It’s important to capture it, especially the early career moments because it is fleeting.
Teme: How do you know just the minute to capture? Do you take many photos or are you waiting for one moment?
Erin: It depends on the comedian. I get to know their routine. I know when they’re going to lower the mic and when the mic may cast a shadow. I may be searching for half of a half of a second. Thank God for the digital lens. You can take 400 shots and find the one that has that moment. Finding that precise shot was more difficult, and more expensive using film before 2007. Good equipment does a lot of the thinking for you. I’d be lying if I said that’s not part of the precision.
Twenty years ago, photographers had to carry such heavy gear, including a bulky light meter where now it’s built in, more automated and user-friendly. And equipment is less likely to be stolen too, I might add. When everything was huge, you might have to put down the kit and flash gear to go talk to somebody or go to the bathroom, like, I can’t wear all this gear all over me. Today it’s somewhat more compact and that’s good.
Teme: When we see one of your beautifully framed photos, what went into it that we don’t know about?
Erin: Oh, that’s a good question. It’s hours of editing and choosing. It took a long time. You have forty-seven photos and then you choose ten. Then you look at the ten. Then you pick the one. In the old days you had an editor, but those days are over. It’s all on the photographer and that’s the hard part. That’s the part that you don’t see. After a show you go home. It’s two in the morning. You have to get up early to get your photo work started, then go to your day job, then come home and go back to it.
Teme: Once you’re looking at all the photos, how do you choose?
Erin: I have one of Lauren Vino. I photographed the Anatomy of a Joke from start to finish. It’s about fifteen continuous shots of her delivering the punchline and all her [facial] expressions. I try to find the one that I know the comedian will like. I don’t want to use one where I know they would probably be embarrassed. Often, it’s the moment where I remember laughing the most. It’s not just how they look, but it’s the part that was most enjoyable or where I noticed the audience reaction reflected on their face. Even if it’s a microsecond of acknowledgement that it’s going well, if you can find that, that’s the one.
WISE WORDS ON LAUNCHING
Teme: What is your advice for someone who would like to start photographing their comedy scene?
Erin: First of all, A.B.C. – ALWAYS BRING YOUR CAMERA, because you never know what might happen ….
…or who may arrive unannounced, especially in New York. Just show up and look like you know what you’re doing. Don’t ask. I know that sounds controversial, but do not ask management if you can take pictures. Just go in. If they have a problem with it, okay, you have to go. But if not, you’re good.
Secondly, don’t get bent out of shape trying to find the perfect camera. Most digital SLR’s and mirrorless cameras are great. Get a camera that makes sense financially. If you can afford it, buy or rent a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 lens to shoot in low light, and have six or seven batteries charged and ready. Get yourself an external solid-state drive and some quality editing software – I like Adobe Lightroom and Topaz.
And finally, if you’re like me and have no formal training, get to know some people who do. Go to some photo meetups and ask questions. I met some awesome professional and recreational photographers in Chicago.
When I first moved to New York, I met Louis Mendes outside the Javits Center and got my portrait done hoping that would give me some time to pick his brain for advice. He said “don’t be afraid to use your flash.” I took his pic that day too and look at his classic gear and flash bulb.
ONE MORE QUESTION
Teme: What question would you like someone to ask you?
Erin: What would I do if I could do it all over again? I would have gone the professional route if I had the money for school at the time. That is the better choice. When you’re young, you don’t realize there are scholarships. There are foundations. I had no clue. I would have done this professionally, but we find our way to where we want to be.
Teme: Absolutely anything else we should add?
Erin: For the shy people out there, comedy is one of those things you can go to alone. You don’t need a group or a date. You can just show up because it’s dark and the chairs are individually spaced and they’re always looking to fill that last chair. You’ll find there are a lot of people who just go after work by themselves just like you. So don’t think it’s not for you because none of your friends want to go because they don’t “like comedy”. Just go. It is for you. There’s a place for you there. Trust me.
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Follow Erin at Flickr
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Related content: Mike Bridenstine speaks with Comedians Defying Gravity here.
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