Doogie Horner
written by Tabitha Vidaurri (photos by Mike Reali)
Donning a suit and tie, with a big, bushy beard and trademark nasally voice, Doogie Horner has a distinct approach to comedy. “I’ve noticed my style is kind of different. Sometimes people say ‘You’re just standing there talking! You’re not doing anything!’ I don’t tell people when to laugh.”
Doogie, 29, has been doing stand-up in Philadelphia for the past two and a half years, and in that short time he’s created his very own niche of strange humor – “Do you ever feel totally alone, like you’re the only person in the world who thinks “Teen Wolf Too” is better than “Teen Wolf?” Jason Bateman’s performance was wolfier.”
I recently met up with Doogie on a rainy evening at Skinner’s, a hole-in-the-wall sort of place in the otherwise ritzy neighborhood of Old City. The beer is cheap and there’s wood paneling on the walls, and to complete the atmosphere, there were a couple of flies buzzing around us.
As a graduate from Tyler School of Art, Doogie’s creative resume includes illustration, screen writing and filmmaking, but he eventually decided to try stand-up comedy. “I still really love writing, and I think I’m better at it now and that’s partially due to stand-up. You’re out and you’re interacting with people and you’re getting instant feedback, and even if you are performing in front of twelve people, you know those twelve people heard you. But with writing, it’s so hard, you have to give it to your friends and they have to read it and you ask them ‘What’d you think?’ So I love the immediacy and simplicity of stand-up.”
“I don’t talk about real life very much,” Doogie continued, “just because my life’s not funny, and I find the day to day world boring. I talk about a lot of fantastical things. I enjoy that. That’s fun. Maybe some day when I’m a submarine captain I’ll stop making jokes about it. But until then, I don’t see any need to talk about being a graphic designer on stage.”
The alternative comedy scene in Philadelphia is very new. For years, the only venues available in the downtown area specifically dedicated to comedy were the Laff House on South Street and Helium in Center City. The other venues were not the places where you’d expect to see comedy. “I’ve done a bunch of strange, one-time random gigs. I did a back room of a pizza shop, opened for a hard core band, did a hoagie shop. Like, ‘Hey, we’re a hoagie shop we have a hundred dollars – want to come do comedy?’ It was for their grand re-opening. I got the least laughs I’ve ever gotten. But I got a free hoagie.”
There is a sense of camaraderie in the Philadelphia comedy community, and the comics are especially supportive of one another, despite any difference in style. “Doogie is going off the beaten path,” said Chip Chantry, a fellow Philly comic and friend. “His comedy is absurd, which is a nice break from reality every once in a while.”
It became apparent that the scene was growing, and comics were pushing for performance spaces. As a result, many of the local comedians created their own shows, at a variety of different bars and small theaters. “There’s more of a scene now then there was when I started,” said Doogie, “Some people started shows and I’m not sure what the impetus for it was, but I think it was a snowball effect; you go see one show and you think, oh I can do that, and then somebody else starts a show, and then somebody else starts a show…”
The audience in Philly has noticeably grown as well. “I think, in general, young people are more receptive to stand-up now then they were. After the boom of the 80’s, there was like a glut and then the 90’s were so cynical, it was totally the wrong atmosphere for stand-up. I think maybe it’s a cyclical thing, people are coming back around to the idea of stand-up.”
In addition to performing open mics at Helium and the Laff House, Doogie also helped put together the Ministry of Secret Jokes, a monthly stand-up showcase at Fergie’s Pub in Center City, which includes a rotating cast of comics, videos and games, all tied together with a Masonic-inspired theme. “We have a lot of games and stuff like that so we can involve the audience. In a bar like Fergie’s where its really casual, people are getting up and getting drinks, so I put some games in there so they can participate.”
During a student body election held at the Ministry of Secret Jokes, two of the comedians campaigned against one another. They debated on whether to serve Red Bull or Monster energy drinks in the school cafeteria, why last year’s prom was lame, as well as the economy and war in Iraq. Following the debate, the crowd got to vote. Doogie served as the Secretary of Jokes for the duration of the election.
The most recent Ministry show involved an FDR fireside chat, old-timey radio reenactments and a Yo Mamma battle. “It’s hard to come up with games for the comedians that aren’t sketch or improv,” said Doogie, “I try to keep it about stand-up. Just cause there’s a lot of really good sketch venues and there’s not too many alternative stand-up venues.”
Rob Baniewicz of the Philly sketch comedy duo Meg & Rob, offers some insight into Doogie’s process. “One thing I love about Doogie is the obvious attention to detail and preparation that goes into his shows and performances. Everything in his stand-up and the Ministry of Secret Jokes is well thought out with an impeccable attention to detail throughout, and it always shows.” Regarding Doogie’s on stage performance, “The first time I heard him deliver the lines from a trucker poetry slam, I was jealous. It was such an hilarious, well-delivered and out of left field piece I knew he was working on some crazy other level than the local comics I had seen.”
It makes sense that Doogie’s influences are of the non-traditional variety. “I didn’t watch stand-up before I started doing it. I’ve always liked old comedians like Groucho Marx, WC Fields and Bob Hope. I like those old guys. I don’t know if I have any strong stand-up influences.” Doogie, however, admits to a love of William Shatner. “I like the way he speaks, I like orators like him. Winston Churchill, I like the way he talks, too. He talks like he’s drunk. He probably was drunk.”
But Doogie’s talents aren’t limited to stand-up. “I did the whole Ministry of Secret Jokes website and the promotional materials. I wanted some excuse to make some really cool posters.” Doogie works professionally as a graphic designer and wrote the First Timer’s Kit, which is a comprehensive guide to the safe and effective way to lose your virginity. (quirkbooks.com)
Doogie has also written a series of “Literary Adventures” for Comic Vs Audience, a website devoted to Philly comedy. These adventures are first person accounts of his involvement in famous novels. “In the first one I wrote, I was eating a ham on rye sandwich while I was reading Ham on Rye, and guess what happened? Hijinks!” Examples include building a time machine to go back in time to watch H.G.Wells write The Time Machine, and discovering A.A. Milne’s long lost erotic Winnie the Pooh story. Doogie also wrote “The History of the Beloved Children’s Book Series The Berenstein Bears”, which was published in the McSweeny’s humor anthology, The Joke Book of Book Jokes.
What’s the secret to Doogie’s success? Part of it may be due to the fact that he is willing to take his humor in a different direction, and more importantly, the audience is willing to follow him. And in a place like Philadelphia, where people tip over cars to show they are proud of their city, this is a pretty major accomplishment. “Comedy is evolving to be a little more sophisticated and ironic, subtle and intelligent. But then also I think people are a little more willing to be honest and laugh. I hate to keep talking about irony, because everyone says how ironic our generation is, but its true, watching stand-up comedy is a pretty unironic thing to do. It’s pretty honest and it can be a painful experience sometimes too, especially if the person does badly, that’ s very awkward for everybody. It’s a very real experience. I don’t know, people have problems with that kind of stuff these days. People have problems just talking to each other in person.” Upon completing his sentence, Doogie catches a fly in his hands.
For more on Doogie, visit MinistryofSecretJokes.com.
Tabitha Vidaurri is a writer from Philadelphia.