We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful MK Gannon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with MK below.

MK, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

This is an interesting topic. I have not thought much about what I want my legacy to be but here I am wondering, ultimately, what that would look like. To have a legacy means what am I hoping people will remember or know me for? When I think back on what my path as a stand-up comedian has been, I see myself as someone who lives on the outskirts or fringe of what is typical for comedy in a southern city within a primarily male dominated industry. While I am very much involved in the community of the local scene, the style of comedy I gravitate towards and hope to emulate is would fall under the “indie” or “alternative” umbrella. While my goal on stage is always to make the audience laugh, I like to experiment by putting out an edgier topic and involving the audience through crowd work. I want them to laugh because the joke is good and I also want them to feel like in that moment, they helped create that joke or laughter in the room. When you do crowd work you can feel the energy in the room rise because now they are involved. This can be considered an experimental style and strays from traditional set-up punchline but I always want to incorporate a balance between the two. I hope my legacy is seen as someone who took risks and stayed true to their identity. I also hope to be known for kindness and generosity, as a hard worker, and as a comedian that looked at stand-up comedy for the art form it is.

Comedians I am influenced by: Dave Attell, Chris Rock, Sam Morrill, Zach Galifianakis, Fortune Feimster, Rosebud Baker, Nicole Byer

MK, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I moved to Nashville 11 years ago from upstate New York. After graduating from Syracuse University, where I had pursued a photojournalism degree, I came to the city in hopes of immersing myself in the live music scene as a way to freelance. The warm weather was also a perk. While I worked as often as I could with photography, I had always someone considered funny and a writer. I wanted to get into improv and stand-up so I began looking for classes and open mics around the city. When a person wants to start doing stand-up comedy, the advice given is 9/10 times that you have to do just do it. Writing jokes and premises is the first step but ultimately working up the nerve to attempt your first open mic is the make or break. Some people are excited and confident, some like myself had to find it within me to get out there. My first open mic was at the East Room in East Nashville. I walked in and was intimidated but there I was ready to signup. The open mic experience can be overwhelming for many years because every comedian in the scene often turns out to get up and work out material. I recall it going as good as it could have gone and I was hooked. This was over 9 years ago and I have now been to hundreds of open mics – even hosting several myself. I got into stand-up to make people laugh and also provide a perspective that is unique and interesting. Pursuing stand-up takes courage and tenacity. Every great comedian also knows the immense amount of hard work that goes into having a career in this industry. I am proud to have made it this far in and the viewpoint I have brought to the Nashville comedy scene. As a producer and host of shows, I also want to create opportunities for other comedians in bars and venues that are known for their strong live music showcases. I am lucky to live in a city that has so many options to help bring stand-up comedy to the general population. I have hosted shows over the years at The Dive Motel, Lipstick Lounge, Drkmttr, 5 Spot, The High Watt, The Bowery Vault, and many others. I believe the live aspect of stand-up is the most powerful way people experience it. I look forward to the next decade of working towards a career in this industry and eventually get to a point of opening a venue in this city.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

“Bombing.” Maybe you have heard this word before. In stand-up comedy it means to have a terrible set. This happens when a comedian is not perceived as funny by the audience – often times making the comedian nervous and the audience tense. It happens to every comic – even the great ones. There are many factors that can go into why a comedian is bombing – 1) of course, they are not funny 2) the audience is fatigued or has already seen comedy that show they did not enjoy 3) the room is rowdy or inattentive 4) there are hecklers and the comedian loses out to them 5) the comedian turns on the audience and cannot get them back and a million other reasons.

My anecdote about this experience happened when I was spending a few weeks doing shows in New York City. I had spent many weeks and months over the years out there working out material and building connections. In February 2020, I felt like I had finally figured it all out. I was confident and secure in my path moving through the scene to bigger shows. I was so confident that I even inquired about a well known roast battle at the world famous The Stand Comedy Club. Perhaps you’ve seen a roast in your day or maybe you’ve never heard of it but a “roast” is when comedians come together to hilariously make fun of one another typically for a charitable cause or in this case, to see who was the top roaster in all of New York. NYC invites a grittiness in performers and roasts up there are considered some of the best in the country. I had been on several roast shows over the years – even winning a title in 2016 – and felt ready to take on a bigger challenge. Roasts typically require a comedian to do some foundational research on their opponent as to make the roasts as personal as possible. I, however, was so overly confident that I thought I could come up with some without having to get to know my opponent. Boy was I wrong. The night came for the show and I walked into The Stand – a comedy club I had only dreamed of performing at – and an earlier show was wrapping up on the main stage. In NYC, it is typical for elite comedians to pop into smaller shows and test out material. As I watched Bill Burr get announced to the stage and the audience go wild, I suddenly felt my stomach drop. I was amazed that Bill was on the same stage as I was about to be and also completely terrified. Was I really ready for this stage? The early show wrapped and our roast began and one round after another, comedians got up and brought their A game. Some killed and some not so much. It was finally mine and my opponents turn. We got up there and traded roast for roast and when I tell you they were terrible, I mean they were truly awful. Even my opponent was failing the assignment. When we finished our back and forth the audience sat silent – even stunned – as a panel of judges told us that we needed to do one more each. We did an additional roast and yet they sat there as if they were waiting for a bus. Then one by one the judges went down the line roasting US. I was humiliated and panicked but I laughed along to what was being thrown at me. The second we finished I walked off the stage, grabbed my coat, walked out the door and down the cold NY street silently crying to myself. What a colossal failure that had been. I was devastated by my bad performance and frustrated that I had missed the mark. All the years of hard work felt like a waste. I went back to my apartment, ordered a lot of takeout, cried some more and began the mental journey to remind myself that it was just one show and I couldn’t let this bomb define me. The following day I got back up and went to a different show in a different neighborhood. The bomb was behind me. I flew back to Nashville the following day thinking I would be back up in a month or so but a once in a lifetime pandemic had other plans. 2 years later, I finally returned for a show and that roast bomb was just a distant memory. I overcame the pain of those feelings and came back stronger than I’d ever been.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The reward for being an artist comes from an audience experiencing the magic of live performance. I toil away in the open mic scene and in coffee shops writing and re-writing jokes and when you can bring that work to a stage and to have an audience laugh at what you’re saying – there really is no greater feeling. Everyone needs laughter – especially now – and to bring that brief joy to someone who may be having a bad day or going through a tough time, you have taken them away from their worries to a place of happiness. I also look at stand-up as a way to create community and through that community, we are able to support charitable and activist causes. To become a great performer with a career is the ultimate goal but to also contribute to social change is what puts the entire experience into perspective. I have a microphone and a voice and I want to use it to bring awareness to organizations and communities I believe in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/eastsidecomedy
• Instagram: @mkultra615 @eastsidecomedy615
• Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-at-the-dive-motel-tickets-335793365997

Image Credits
@suncatstudio Lindsey Morgan