All roads lead to comedy for acclaimed jokester Shapel Lacey—even if they detour through a mosh pit, a cheer mat, or the sun-bleached streets of Mesa, Arizona.
At 15, Lacey was adopted by a white family, a shift that rerouted his adolescence into skate and punk culture. He played in a band. He chased the noise. He followed a crush straight into competitive cheerleading, which landed him a full-ride scholarship to the University of Louisville.
“Hardcore is what I enjoy being a patron of ... being in the pits and all that. But the performative aspect of cheerleading is what gave me the confidence to just go onstage,” says Lacey, who will perform at Wiseguys comedy club at Town Square on March 5.
What started as a teenage infatuation stretched into a 13-year commitment. He became an award-winning cheerleader, mastering the mechanics of spectacle, timing, projection and the art of commanding a crowd.
Comedy, on the other hand, started as a dare. In college, someone challenged Lacey to try stand-up. He felt the potential immediately. But it wasn’t until years later, after committing full time in 2010 and stepping away in 2013 after his brother’s death, that his calling was clarified. Friends nudged him onto a stage back home in Arizona.
“I didn’t think I was going to get back onstage,” he recalls. “They were like, hey man, you’re going up tonight. If they had asked me if I wanted to, I would’ve said no. But there was something about saying, ‘You’re going up,’ that made me attack it. When I got onstage that time, that was when I felt like, oh, this is my life. This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Lacey now lives in Los Angeles, tours relentlessly and pops up on Comedy Central and at LA’s Laugh Factory. He also guest stars on podcasts like Theo Von’s King and the Sting, Bein’ Ian with Jordan and the weekly music podcast HardLore.
“I hate podcasts. I hate it. It drives me crazy because I’m sick of talking that much,” he says. “I don’t even talk that much to my friends. I don’t mind being a guest, but doing my own? I don’t like it.”
Instead, he journals.
“I’m not writing anything funny. It’s one outlet to let everything out,” he says. “Then from that, I realize what’s interesting and take it from there.”
His comedy sets strike a balance between confession and controlled detonation, spiraling through topics of anger management and adoption. Razor-sharp crowd work brings the audience into the moment.
Offstage, he fronts the hardcore band Mad Peaceful, a side quest featuring comics and musicians embedded in LA’s scene. And you can count on Lacey’s tour stop at Wiseguys delivering the same energy as your favorite band.
“If someone’s buying a ticket to come see me, then I’m going to give it my all to make sure they have the best night that they can have,” he says. “Bands really beat themselves up onstage to give us the best performances that they can, especially in the hardcore world ... I guess I pull that into my stand-up.”
SHAPEL LACEY March 5, 7 p.m., $25. Wiseguys, wiseguyscomedy.com.
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