New Jersey Stage December 2014 | Page 95

the line where if someone isn’t paying attention that closely they may think Graham just made a racist remark. Graham says nothing could be further from the truth. “Really I’m spinning it and turning it around to the people who are saying it,” he explains. “Two of my grandchildren are Puerto Rican so I can’t be racist — I wouldn’t be able to have Christmas!” Graham says he generally starts out his set with a little crowd work (when a comedian inter- acts with the audience) and then works into his material. If he finds himself having a hard time selling his material, he’ll return to crowd working. “Crowd work is individual and it’s new,” explained Graham. “It’s almost instantly new and audiences are quicker than you think. They can recognize when something is spontaneous. There’s just something in the air. And if they feel you have thought an original thought just for them, you’ve Stage NEW JERSEY Post your events For Free! NewJerseyStage.com/calendar