Jeff Scheen Shares Rise to Comedian Career

by April Bayer

Internationally recognized comedian Jeff Scheen performed for Concordia students in Weller Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Scheen told jokes and stories on a variety of topics, including his childhood in what he referred to as the “backwoods of Michigan,” his family, dating, LARPing (live action roleplaying) and his life in Brooklyn, where he currently resides.

Scheen recently began performing for colleges after an entertainment manager approached him at a show in Chicago and asked him if he would be interested in performing at a local university. Scheen said that Concordia is the fifth or sixth college where he has performed.

Scheen was inspired to try stand-up comedy when he was 21 years old. He worked at an electronics store and would often tell jokes to pass the time. His friends and coworkers found him entertaining and encouraged him to try performing in front of an audience.

“[At my first show] I bombed, but I got one laugh. I thought ‘Oh, that’s really neat!’ so I kept doing it,” Scheen said.

Scheen primarily draws inspiration for his act from his personal experiences. He enjoys telling stories about his family or memorable life events, such as the time he got hit by a car and nearly rode the bus home instead of going to the hospital.

“[Being onstage] makes me feel present, like I’m actually being me and talking with the audience and just being open,” Scheen said. “I like the openness a lot.”

He also enjoys learning from the style of other comedians and particularly admires Bill Burr’s political humor, the sketch comedy of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and the eccentric style of Emo Philips and Lewis Black.

In December 2015, Scheen performed outside of the United States for the first time at the Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland. Until 2015, the festival included only French-speaking comedians.

Scheen was selected as one of several of the festival’s first English-speaking comedians after submitting a video audition. He said performing at the festival was a unique challenge because English was not the audience’s first language, but he appreciated the experience.

Scheen encourages aspiring stand-up comics and other performers to continually work to improve their acts and material rather than relying on raw talent.

“Do as much as you can. Don’t get onstage unprepared,” Scheen said. “Don’t try to wing it. Write stuff, and then rewrite a lot, because it never comes out right the first time.”