Ethiopian American comedy star Solomon Georgio got his start in the game in Seattle circa 2007, and he honed his craft like a motherfucker.
After he moved to Los Angeles in 2012, his career ascended exponentially. Appearances on Conan and This Is Not Happening, writing gigs for TV shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Adam Ruins Everything, and a strong 2017 album on Comedy Central Records called Homonégro Superior prove that a proud gay black immigrant can thrive in the entertainment industry. In your face, Trump supporters.
I spoke with Georgio in advance of his two-night stand at the Highline. Heâs as smooth and quick-witted in this context as he is onstage.
A lot of comedians use self-deprecation to get laughs. But you use self-aggrandizement. What made you decide to take this route?
For me, it was actually more difficult to be self-deprecating. I donât think people like it when I do the âwoe is meâ stuff, because I donât think so highly of myself offstage. [My jokes] are more self-affirmations. Itâs a fine line between being humorously arrogant and annoyingly egotistical. I canât say how it works. Iâm always surprised it does.
How did Seattle shape your sense of humor?
You canât pull off dumb jokes so easily in Seattle. I have had to skip the low-hanging-fruit phase in my comedy. It helped me develop my voice. It was like, âYouâve got to give us something thatâs unique and not just anything thatâs been doled by hundreds of comedians before.â
What has been the net effect of Trumpâs reign on your act?
Itâs difficult to say, because I do live in a heightened sense of fear. But Iâve not taken that many jabs at him as a whole because giving him too much attentionâitâs sort of succumbing to trauma.
Is it hard to make political activism and social justice funny, compared to other typical stand-up topics?
If comedy is the base of your experience and what youâre into, itâs not as difficult, because itâs your passion. I would find it more difficult not to write stuff that focuses on those things, because they play such a huge part in my life.
Will you be performing a lot of material from Homonégro Superior, or mostly new material?
Iâm trying to do as much new material as possible. Iâm talking about a few more personal experiences, things that happened within the last year or so, relationship-wise, life-wise, and a few critiques regarding the current state of the country. But I canât promise I wonât fall back on [HomonĂ©gro Superior material].
How do you think the Highlineâs staunchly white-hetero-male heavy-metal aura will affect your upcoming sets?
You have to understand, Dave, I have been working on spite for the last 20-plus years⊠I canât imagine me being affected by it. It just might make me stronger. I might get twice as big in the presence of it.
