Comedian Anjelah Johnson rose to fame in 2007 following her viral video, “Nail Salon.” Since then, she has become an established presence in the world of stand-up comedy, performing at comedy clubs, joining “MADtv,” recording comedy specials and releasing a full-length album as her character “Bon Qui Qui.”
The Daily Reveille sat down with Johnson to discuss her current comedy tour and performance 6:30 p.m. tonight in the LSU Student Union Theater.
The Daily Reveille: How long have you been doing stand-up comedy, and what first made you realize it was something you could make a career out of?
Anjelah Johnson:I’ve been doing stand-up for about nine years.I took a joke writing, stand-up comedy class for fun. I didn’t really want to be a comedian, it was just because it was a free class at my church. So, I just figured I would take the classes for fun, and then one of the first jokes that I wrote was this “Nail Salon” bit that ended up blowing up and kind of catapulted me into where I am today. The doors just kept opening, so it seemed like the right thing to do, to just grow where you’re planted in the field of stand-up comedy.
TDR:What’s it like playing college shows, and how was your last performance at LSU?
AJ: I had a great time when I was at LSU last time. Great crowd, friendly students. I remember they were very kind to me and gave me a bunch of LSU memorabilia. The difference between performing at colleges and comedy clubs is, for one, there is no alcohol, so you don’t have to deal with drunk outbursts from people in the crowd. Not that I get a lot of drunk people shouting things out in comedy clubs, [colleges] just typically bring out a ruly fan base that comes to have a good time and not get too wild and crazy.
TDR:Do you switch up your material at all for college shows?
AJ:Nah. I just do me. You know what I mean?
TDR: What was it like when your “Nail Salon” video went viral?
AJ:It was unbelievable because it was before the term “going viral” was even a thing. It was so brand new. YouTube was brand new at the time, so nobody even knew what this was. It was like, if you got a video emailed to you, then you definitely watched it because it was this new thing. It was exciting and confusing all at the same time.
TDR: Does your current comedy tour feature any new material from your third special “Not Fancy” that is set to release later this year?
AJ:Yes. I’m touring right now with still a lot of the material from my third hour special, which premieres Oct. 2. But I still have a lot of that material, as I’m working on building new material at the same time.
TDR: You’re notorious for your character “Bon Qui Qui” —How did you come up with her?
AJ: “Bon Qui Qui” is a mix of a lot of people that I’ve met throughout my life. Two specific people are my brother, who is just ghetto fabulous and he doesn’t have a filter. The other one is this girl in a Burger King drive-thru in Memphis, Tennessee, about 12 years ago. She was just a hot mess and changed my life.
TDR: What was it like recording “Gold Plated Dreams?” Is this something you could see yourself doing more of in the future?
AJ: Oh yeah. We’re going to definitely do a second album. It was a lot of fun. It was interesting working with my husband in that capacity because that’s his field, so we bumped heads sometimes. While he’s directing me and things like that we definitely will clash at some points, but then in other points it’s a lot of fun.
TDR: Back to your third special. How has the nature of your comedy changed in this one compared to your previous two specials?
AJ: I am so proud of this last hour. I feel like it’s my best one yet. In my favorites, it would be this one that’s about to come out, then it would be my first hour special, and then it would be my last hour that I just did. I’m proud of the stories that I’m sharing. My comedy has evolved for sure. My style, my delivery, my pacing, my timing, I think it’s definitely evolved as I’ve matured. I think my stage presence has matured and kind of just settled into itself.
TDR: What are some things you enjoy doing off stage?
AJ: I like eating. I’m eating some popcorn right now. I eat like every meal is my last meal. I give it my all. And I like watching “Criminal Minds” and “Law and Order: SVU.”