By Nathan Alexander
June Dempsey and Lucious Williams are co-headlining Good Standup Comedy in Louisville this Wednesday, August 7th! The Louisville natives are some of the regions most exciting rising stars and they’ll be at Whirling Tiger for one night only. They will be joined by Cali Botkin, Nathan Alexander, and hosted by Dan Alten.
June Dempsey is a stand up comic from Louisville. They have opened for Nimesh Patel, Geoffrey Asmus, and Sam Tallent. They’ve been a part of the Midwest Queer Festival, Middleground Festival and was named “Best of the Fest” in the Rubber City Comedy Festival as well as “Best Writer” in the Cleveland Comedy Festival. You can find them growing tomatoes in their backyard.
Lucious Williams is also from Louisville. He travels all across the country doing shows and has opened for Eddie Pepitone and Sean Patton. When Lucious is not on stage, you can find him at the slaughterhouse working or playing video games.
June and Lucious were kind enough to answer some questions for Louisville Laughs.
Louisville Laughs: Where and when did you start comedy? How has your style evolved since you started?
Lucious Williams: “I started at The Caravan Comedy Club in Louisville, KY. My style has evolved from someone who couldn’t tell a joke to someone who tells pretty good stories now.”
June Dempsey: “I started January 2017 at Kaiju and The Bard’s Town mostly. I went to a show that was promoted in the LEO as being queer and it had Reed Sedgwick on the cover. After the show, there was an open mic. It was at Kaiju and it was a packed room. I happened to be standing next to the list and an older woman was next to me and asked if there were any women on the list. I looked at the names and based on names there were not. She told me I should go up, and I obeyed my elder. Now I do not listen to people older than me – that is how my style has evolved.”
Louisville Laughs: What do you love about comedy?
Lucious Williams: “I love everything about comedy: the grind, bombing, the rush I get from performing.”
June Dempsey: “I like that there’s a community around it. I appreciate that there are people who value and strive to be the funniest they can be and put on the funniest shows they can. It is fun to be in a community with people who are working on bettering their art. I also like that I have a reason to go to a bar and not be awkward- if I didn’t have that, I would stay home all the time. I also like watching specials. I like discussing them with other comics, and people who go to comedy who are willing to actually get into what they like and don’t like.”
Louisville Laughs: Who are your favorite comedians and why?
Lucious Williams: “Earthquake because of the way he puts his jokes together and the rapid fire style of his jokes.”
June Dempsey: “Jo Firestone, she’s a true Midwest weirdo who really goes for it. I like lowkey weirdos. Her joke “Liquid Telephone” is my favorite. Michelle Wolf- I love how effortless her jokes come off, and how she combines her sharp view of the world with silliness. Mandal from Atlanta has been the most fun comic to watch live, he plays with the audience and riffs brilliantly. Brad Wenzel always brings the tightest hour of classic jokes every time I see him. Gavin Matts’s delivery and pacing is my favorite. I haven’t seen Ali Siddiq live yet, but his Domino Effect hours are, to me, the best specials coming out now. Paula Poundstone is the best at interacting with a crowd and I wish she had more specials out. Josh Johnson has been very fun to watch, especially how he’s evolved in his approach to clips/content and how he’s been able to adapt an approach to topical and political jokes for today. Atsuko Okatsuka is another lowkey weirdo whom I love. The structure of her last hour “The Intruder” is so impressive to me. Eagle Witt has my favorite Don’t Tell set.
My girlfriend’s favorite comedian is Katt Williams. She’s a dramatic. “
Louisville Laughs: This one’s just for Lucious. What makes you and your comedy different?
Lucious Williams: “My different experiences in life and the different adjustments I’ve had to make on the journey.”
Louisville Laughs: This one’s for June. In addition to standup, you also run Unhinged Louisville, which hosts game nights, speed dating, friend mixers, and bingo with a comedic, zany twist. What gave you this idea to insert comedy into other types of events and shows?
June Dempsey: “When I started comedy in Louisville, we had a much larger alt and weirdo scene. Greg Welsh used to run a show every Tuesday called “Kaijuesdays,” which was a different weird show every week. It included the still running Thunderdome, but also a storytelling show called “The Mothra” and a slideshow-based show called “Zed Talks” among others. This was my favorite part of comedy when I started, and nothing has really taken its place – a truly lowkey spot where comics can try out weird shows with very little stakes and money doesn’t matter at all. Jo Firestone is also an influence here. I listened to her talk about one of her weird shows where everyone had to hold onto the mic stand, and the last person holding onto the mic stand won. Apparently it got very competitive and went into the wee hours of the morning, and the winner used trickery to get the other person to take their hand off the mic stand. This is what I want from comedy: a competitive environment of weirdos who really want to win, but the prize is nothing (or a drawing of a bird).”
You can catch June Dempsey and Lucious Williams at Whirling Tiger on August 7th. Get your tickets here!
Follow June and Lucious on their social media pages for more opportunities to see them live!