In recent times, Alex Giampapa has come to realize a few things when it comes to his comedy. One thing, in particular, is that he works better on stage when both he and his material feel loose. Another is that his approach to stand-up has evolved into focusing more on creating a “lightning in a bottle”-type of experience.
With his debut stand-up album, Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself, which dropped late last week, Giampapa showcases those principles as he dishes largely on topics of the day in a pre-shutdown America in an unfiltered and unpolished manner. Now, while the set certainly captures the feel of an album recording, what was just supposed to be a loose workout set at Craft Brew Underground in Auburn, Maine later became much more of an unexpected result than the Burlington (MA) native anticipated — but he’s not complaining about it.
“I went into that night not thinking much of anything, really, because I didn’t know that I was going to use it,” Giampapa tells Vanyaland. “My plan was to record an album in August, and put it out in September, but the live entertainment industry collapsed, so it was a matter of looking at what I had recorded and trying to figure if there was any way that I could release it without following the rules of releasing an album, and still have it be something that someone would listen to. So, that night was especially loose, especially low key, and that made it especially fun, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
While the album turned out to be somewhat of an unexpected surprise that Giampapa was pleased with, there was still a bit of a nervous approach to releasing it, as the weight of what it means to him, as a comedian, to have the opportunity to release his first album was not lost on him. However, those nerves were eased as support and enthusiasm, from both the Comedy community and the digital audience he’s garnered through social media and digital content, began to pour in following the release.
“I think people expect the instant reaction to be excitement,” says Giampapa. “But when you look at the amount of pressure that comedians put on themselves in general, and you’re able to deliver something that’s tangible, it really validates what you’ve been doing.”
The way Giampapa sees it, the context of time in which material is performed is important — and this album is no exception.
Recorded on March 5, Giampapa’s outlook on the future may not have been 100 percent accurate, but when looked at in the context of COVID-19 knocking on America’s door, and the Democratic primaries still having more than one candidate, it makes more sense. But looking back on it now, while it adds to what makes the album so special to him, Giampapa admits that possibly predicting the future wasn’t exactly a celebratory moment for him.
“There’s a weird thing that happens with conspiracy theory people where when you’re right, no one is happy,” says Giampapa. “No one congratulated me for knowing that once we had a pandemic on our hands, that it would collapse to a degree, but when I was able to express that in March and now I can look back on it and say it aged fairly well, that’s something I’m proud of, and I consider myself lucky for having it come out that way.”
While the recorded set was loose and riff-heavy, Giampapa knew from experience that getting into some hot-button topics, like abortion and general political issues, would cause somewhat of a stir with the crowd. With those anecdotes sprinkled in throughout the set, in turn, the decision to not play from a partisan standpoint really made for an interesting experience.
“When I do those jokes, half of the audience is genuinely mad that I’m there and that I’m bringing it up, but the other half is more thrilled than they were the entire time, and when you give them a little bit of both, you’ve created an experience that goes all the way in both directions,” says Giampapa. “It’s like a rollercoaster, and I know I sound insane when I say these things, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I have that instinct to back off of something, I’ve worked on teaching myself to lean back into it.”
Being a comedian is all Giampapa has ever wanted to do. While he enjoys just being able to make people laugh, having the ability to speak out about things that affect our daily lives when others feel uncomfortable about doing so themselves, and being able to make a joke about it, makes the journey all that much more exciting for him. His goal in comedy has always been to not only reach the people who think he’s funny and appreciate his work, but also build a lasting connection with them — and he’s feeling good about how this album can extend that mission.
“My biggest thing about this album is just wanting to put it out there for people who would enjoy it,” says Giampapa. “And if they do enjoy it, hopefully they like it enough to come out to a show when we can do that again,” says Giampapa. “And [I’d also want] people to know that Jeffrey Epstein absolutely did not kill himself.”
