Looking back on his past work, Sean Patton remembers it fondly. But with his third album out in the world now, he’s feeling even better about it — albeit, a bit differently.
With his latest album King Scorpio, Patton strayed from the path a bit by substituting his usual storytelling approach for a more bit-centered set. While he does admit that it was a tad more difficult to put it together in the end, with the final product pulling from five shows at Helium Comedy Club in Portland, Oregon, Patton’s excitement towards the album has more to do with what it represents, rather than the material that can be found on it.
“If I had to put my feelings about this album into words, I’d say there is somewhat of a maturity to it,” Patton tells Vanyaland. “I know that sounds fucking ridiculous since there’s a giant chunk of material in there about the sounds that dudes make when they come, and how stupid they are, but I’m still someone who does not believe that maturity or intelligence lies in the subject matter, but rather in the execution of that subject matter. If someone can do a bit about diarrhea, but make into a whole analogy about the human condition, then who cares about the subject matter, as long as you deliver it with intelligent execution?”
While he is flattered by the compliments he receives on his storytelling abilities, Patton wanted to not just change things up with this batch of material, but also really challenge himself to not get stuck in the box of being a solely “storyteller comedian.” Make no mistake, the storytelling aspect is his favorite way to do comedy, and it does shine through a bit in the new hour, but more in the way of a number of small “journeys” that pay off in the end with as much dedication to their delivery as the work he’s become known for.
“This album was a challenge for me, because I don’t think anyone ever just wants to be one kind of comedian. The moment you start focusing on that one thing, you’re robbing yourself of any other paths, when they should feed each other,” he says. “Maybe everyone has a predominant style of comedy, and mine would be storytelling, but at the same time, I don’t want to rely solely on that to the point of getting on stage and then immediately breaking into a fifteen-minute story, because that means that you’ll eventually start making mountains out of mole hills.”
Another aspect of this album that Patton was adamant about was mostly avoiding the topic of the pandemic. While he’s never been a topical comedian to begin with, the Louisiana native didn’t want to dwell on the topic while audiences are often looking for an escape from the headlines, and at the risk of being “preachy,” that perspective helps him to keep things fresh and funny, as opposed to having his material aging poorly.
“I like to write stuff that’s evergreen, but I don’t really even try to make it evergreen. I just try to write about the human condition. That’s my whole focus,” says Patton. “The whole idea of my writing mission is to expose the beauty of human fault, and I think it’s beautiful because it’s the one thing that truly unites all of us. We all have flaws, and if you can laugh at my flaws, then maybe you can also laugh at your own.”
Being of the belief that the presentation of hating yourself as a comedian is overdone, especially after admittedly subscribed to the vibe for years, Patton is just looking to present himself in as honest of a fashion as he can possibly muster. While he acknowledges that the former has worked for those that can pull it off in a creative way, he’s just looking to show people that he’s not perfect either, and that it’s okay to have flaws and, more importantly, that’s it helps if you can not only laugh at the flaws he’s putting under a microscope, but also your own in the process.
“Sure, you can present yourself like a miserable fuck, but I did it for years, and I realized that it doesn’t really get you anywhere. It’s not what makes you funnier, but rather just something to hide behind,” says Patton. “Instead, just have some confidence and self-respect. I’m not saying you should be a cocky asshole walking around like god’s gift to comedy, because nobody likes that fucker either. The person that people want to be around is the person who can go ‘I’m not perfect, but I like what I do, and I’m presenting it to you with my chin up and a slight smirk on my face, because I know you’re either going to love this or hate this, and either way, at least you felt something.’”