Life in Observation
We all carry our private observations. We might write them down, or we might even share them with a close friend. But rarely do we ascend a stage and boldly state them into a microphone for a room full of strangers. And while this sort of comes with the territory for a stand-up comedian, there’s still something equally nerve-racking and thrilling in the experience for budding local comic Jerry Irby.
“Comedy is one of those places where you can say what’s on your mind,” he said. “Where it might not come out as harshly and where it’s about how something is said as opposed to what is said.”
And according to Irby, the thrill of the chase for that laugh lies in that in-between area. That gut-check of “am I out of my mind for finding this amusing?”
“It’s a nice security to know if somebody else sees this, you know? That I’m not completely crazy up here.”
The Detroit native hasn’t always considered comedy a calling, though—before his time in the Air Force led him to the Ellsworth base in Box Elder, S.D., he hadn’t made the transition from fan and admirer to full-on performer.
“I always listen to standup, and I’d thought to myself that I sort of think in similar ways to stand-up performers,” Irby said. “In Rapid (City), there weren’t a lot of comedy opportunities, so once I ended up in Sioux Falls, I found Boss’ (Comedy Club) and figured I’d try it out. The rest is history.”
An open mic or two later, and Irby was receiving very positive responses to his early attempts at the art form. But after a few of these events under his belt, March 2020 arrived, and the game changed.
But this didn’t stop Irby from gaining some respect from his peers, including twice nabbing the local “Larry Brinkman Award,” a prize bestowed on a stand-out stand-up each month in the Sioux Falls scene.
“The acceptance from other comedians here has been kind of one of the biggest things for me,” he said. “Being asked to be a part of shows has been so satisfying. Especially while I question whether I’m actually finding my funny. It’s been great.”
So when attending a Jerry Irby comedy event, what can a patron expect? Beyond his observational takes on the world around him, Irby’s writing style is rooted in taking simple, everyday situations, phrases or conversations and finding what makes them amusing.
“All the comics around Sioux Falls help each other,” he said. “I feel like we all impact each other, whether that be through validation or notes on how to improve.
“As a performer, a fellow comedian might look at a joke differently. They might look at how it was conceived, how it was written, how it’s performed—versus an audience member who is just along for the ride. It’s kind of like building a car versus going for an Uber.”
But some of Irby’s influences come from a more innate place—whether it’s his multi-talented family members boasting skills in musical performance to his time serving in the military.
“I think it kind of helped shape my comedy in a way,” Irby said. “It’s the reason I’m even in South Dakota. It gave me life lessons—those experiences that, looking back, I maybe didn’t look at the same way as I would now.
“I have to be appreciative and grateful—it altered my perception of being a citizen or simply just living.”