What have you got going on today? I have quite a few meetings. We just wrapped up Last Comic Standing, and we just have several projects in the works that we’re gearing up. We’ve got something with MTV, we’re working on a pilot and something with LOGO and something with BET, and we have a thing with NBC. So I will be in the office today.
Is Vegas your tour kickoff? Yes. I toured up until mid-June, then I took off for the summer with the family and the kids. Now they’re back in school, so I get to head back out.
You were a mentor on the semifinals of Last Comic Standing. What was the biggest mistake you saw comics make? Not putting the set together where it flowed. Some comics just jump all over the place. Also, using too many words. When you only have three minutes, you’ve got to hurry up and get to the joke. That’s how the judges are—they’re listening, and if it’s taking a while to get to a big laugh, they were kind of hard on you. And then some comics just spent too much time on one bit. In the finals, Dominique spent a lot of time on eyelashes, and I remember sitting in the control booth going, “How long is this bit? Is she still talking about the eyelashes?” (laughs)
You’re also an executive producer on the show. What does that job entail? The biggest job for me is at the very beginning, where we cast 100 comics. That’s the hardest thing. It means I have to look at thousands of comics. I’m pretty sure I probably saw at least 2,000. Some of ’em were live auditions, some of ’em we watched on YouTube and things like that. It seemed like every day I was watching about 20 comics.
The winner this year was Clayton English. Did you see that coming from the beginning? His very first appearance he just shot out ahead of everyone and he’s just so likeable. He did have that energy that made him a standout. But also, I thought Joe Liss was great and Sheng Wang, Miss Pat, there were several comics that I was like, “Wow, we have a great cast.”
I read that you like comedy because the live show is like flying without a net. Are you a daredevil or risk taker in other parts of your life? Not at all, which is the funny part. My good friend Keith Robinson calls me By the Book Betty. (laughs) To me, in life, if there’s like a rule and I think it’s ridiculous, then of course I’ll circumvent that, but also point out how ridiculous the rule is. Other than that, if I go to a concert and my seat is Row G, Seat 12, I’m sitting in Row G, Seat 12. I don’t care if I’m with five other friends, I’m supposed to be in Seat 12, that’s my seat. I tried snowboarding, and that scared the hell out of me.
What do you do to prepare for your comedy routine? I’m constantly preparing. Material hits me, I’m always writing. I go back and listen to my shows and just prepare and put my set together. But the day-of I like to have some downtime. A nice lunch is important for me. Then just relax. Before the show I hang out with Keith a little bit, maybe have a glass of wine, then I’m ready to do the show. Mainly, it’s really the anxiety of waiting. That’s the big thing to deal with. Once I’m onstage I’m good.
I read that you don’t do a lot of political stuff in Vegas. Considering how pervasive politics is right now, do you still exclude most of that material here? I have to be socially aware; I feel like that’s my job. So I will talk about political stuff, but it’s not preachy. I kinda want to get a gauge of how the audience is enjoying it. If I see that the audience is into it, then I’m like, okay we can go there. But if I see they’re sitting back a little bit like, “Come on, I’m trying to escape the nonsense that’s going on,” then we’ll go in another direction. These days I enjoy talking about me and my family, ’cause in my world that’s what’s very pervasive. (laughs) They take over everything.
Has comedy helped you as a mother? It’s kept me sane, really. If you can’t laugh at some of this stuff that the kids do then I would lose my mind. I was getting out of the shower and my daughter was walking by, and she looked at me and she walked in and she just patted my belly and was like, “Wow, you have a big, big, big, big belly!” That’s how many bigs she said. Four! You know, usually there’s one or three, but she did four. I was like wow, she really wanted to send that home I don’t wanna say it hurt my feelings, but she saw it bothered me, and then she said “You’re still pretty, though.”
Do you repeat old jokes, or do the old ones go somewhere to retire? Once I shoot the special, those jokes, they go to heaven. (laughs). They go to the joke graveyard.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Vegas? I’m a food person, so it’s all about having that good meal. That’s my highlight. I know Giada has a new restaurant; I wanna go check that out. I’ll go there, and of course, the usual gambling and drinking, but if I’m there for just one night, I look forward to that nice meal after the show.
Wanda Sykes September 25, 9 p.m., $53-$88. Treasure Island, 702-894-7722.
