We were lucky to catch up with ERIC DAVIS recently and have shared our conversation below.

ERIC, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

In doing shows around the world, I did a lot of interviews. In one particular show, Red Bastard, I play a provocative bouffon. A kind of impish comedy monster who sets a theme and then begins to interact with audience members around that theme. The show was very fun and funny, but also involved a lot of intense emotions, and even excitment/anxiety/ fear because the themes brought real life implications for the audience members. Sometimes audience members would take life changing actions at the show.

So- there was often a buzz around the show, but also a mystique of fear about going.

Interviewers would often come to me with questions which were quite biased, without having seen the show. These were often cliche questions.

I learned quite quickly, to never answer the question on their terms, but to reframe that question or send a statement of what I wanted to convey.

Sometimes, I learned that during the interview, I need to lead. To drive the conversation where I want to take it.

Othertimes, the interviewer would be thoughtful and listen to what I was talking about and we could have a creative conversation and even be playful.

When I have an interview, I am always prepared with exactly what I want to convey, ready to re-steer the conversation, or to be playful and go into uncharted territory.

It’s always best to be playful if you can. ;)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

What, you might ask, am I?

I am a Comedy Monster.

And who is responsible for this?
By what path does one arrive at such a strange livelihood?

Spy if you will, at a private moment of my youth-

My mother declares,
“Let’s play a game! it’s called Make Me Laugh.”

“How do we play,” I asked.

“There are only 3 rules,” she offered.
-You must not touch someone to get a laugh.
-You must not hurt anyone.
-You must keep trying until you get a laugh.

Take a moment and imagine that.
What might you do?
Play it tonight. In your living room, on the street, with a friend, a stranger, a family member…

That game is a compass.
It shows the direction of vitality.
It points toward play.
Toward connection-
Toward the territory of the unknown.
It points toward risk.
And without doubt, toward failure-
Embarrassing, un-private failure.
As well as the ecstasy and power of un-private joy.

It turns you into a natural clown.
The most YOU you can be.

There are times when I am lost.
For days, months, or even-
during the long pandemic-
what seemed like years.
I always return to that compass.
The last heirloom from my mother
Before her untimely death.
I am seeking its wisdom.
Show me the way.
Show me where I live most.
While I still can.

I hold this guide in my heart.
It has led me around the world.
I have played this game on stages
In front of millions of people.

From creating and performing in Cirque du Soleil shows
To my own critically acclaimed, creation RED BASTARD,

My mother, in that moment, made me what I am.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Sometimes one forgets what one is doing. I’ve had to try to explain, even to myself what I do.
What is the pattern that is always there in my work?

I meet an audience in a playground
I guide them,
And am sometimes guided by them,
On a dynamic journey of fun, vitality, and meaning.

As a guide,
I present myself,
Take the audience into my world,
Transform them,
And bring them back with a new awareness.

At least I try.

I am looking for ridiculousness and laughs,
But not just…
I am also looking for the uncomfortable spots.
Spots that make people say “ouch.”
Or “Oh my God. That’s me.”

I am playing with my audience.
But I am also excavating.
Digging for the roles within you.
The one who…
My hope is to make laughter,
But also to implicate.
And ask what do we do with these ridiculous
and painful things about ourselves?

These are the tools of a clown. And of a bouffon.
When I am a clown- I am the the target of the joke.
The audience can laugh at my ridiculousness and flaws.

When I am a bouffon- you and society are the target.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I’d reached out to someone to be a mentor. I’d had teachers. But the idea of a mentor is a special relationship. I was recently asked to mentor someone and it was a great experience. I’d like to do it more.

And even as an adult, Just this year, I mentioned the possibility of that. And to someone who is quite close to my age. But with a wealth of knowledge. I suppose it’s never too late to ask.
I was honored that someone asked me. And I would imagine the person I asked felt that way, too.

There is something beyond a class that I imagine comes with a mentorship. Advice, stories of biographical experience, someone to talk through challenges. Someone to guide you where to look, and someone who is investing in your growth.

As I get older, I realize I have just crossed a threshold into being an elder in the community.
So I have to own up to my experience and I am beginning to feel the responsibility of passing on any knowledge which I have gained. Not that I am a master by any way. But I have been a part of the ongoing conversation.

As my friend told me, you are a link in the chain that has gone on and (hopefully) will go on for generations to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://redbastard.com/
• Instagram: @redbastardnyc
• Twitter: @redbastardshow

Image Credits
Mandy Johnson, Steve Best Maike Schulz,