Meet Kenny Gray | Character Comedian & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kenny Gray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kenny, how do you think about risk?
I would say that I am very “pro-risk” when it comes to creative things. If there’s a legitimate possibility of physical harm, like in bungee jumping or spelunking, I’ll pass. But renting a theater space to do a one-man show I have yet to write? That’s the stuff I love. Because to me, risk is just par for the course in a creative pursuit. I operate in a “quantity in the pursuit of a quality” type of fashion.

Over the past year or two, I’ve done many open mics, workshops, classes, and variety shows where I try out true first drafts of characters/bits. Sometimes, they work, but often they don’t. And as much as failure/risk can hurt, I need the data failure/success provides to iterate and build towards something bigger. I try to take as many available free risks before committing large amounts of resources and time to something. For example, I recently took a show to Fringe where I did 10 characters. But it took me a year and a half and 40+ character pieces to land on 10 I felt comfortable taking that larger risk with.

Overall, comedy is mostly just a social risk. And if you can conquer that fear of looking dumb and failing (with, of course, some healthy dollops of self-reflection and modesty), you really become free. I’m not at all 100% there and am actively working on it (shout out to clown classes), but even the small progress I’ve made has really helped me take my work to the next level.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I mostly do character/sketch comedy. And I think what sets me apart is my ability to integrate music and my non-comey life experiences into my work. For instance, I did a one-man show called LinkedOut where I lampooned LinkedIn influencers and modern business culture. I would not have been able to do that if I hadn’t gone to business school. Something that felt “boring” ended up becoming an amazingly fertile experience to mine for comedy.

I also was in a rock band for many years and (cue eye roll) was a DJ (before it was annoying, I promise!). Both those endeavors didn’t pan out professionally and I felt like a big time failure. But now I produce original comedy albums, musical characters, and integrate music into my work in a way that just feels so natural. I’m so happy I didn’t “make it” as a DJ.

And in all this, the biggest challenge has been being myself vs. being what I think people want. For about a decade I did what I thought I “should” be doing, embarrassed by the very silly clown I wanted to be. Honestly, it wasn’t until I got sober that I was able to finally let loose and go full speed. I had to let go of a fear of shame and judgment.

So, in conclusion, your honor (I’m pretending we’re in a courtroom, in order to undercut my sincerity with humor) you should always bring your whole self to your work. Do the thing that is uniquely you, even if it doesn’t “fit”. The tap dance and saxophone lessons I took as a kid felt like weird side quests, but the characters I made with those skills became the highlight of my recent Edinburgh Fringe show.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For long walks and chats to catch up: The Hungtington Botanical Gardens or Descanso Gardens

Get into nature and show them something unique: Vasquez Rocks

Have an “LA” day: catch a vintage flick with all the film nerds at The Vista and get dinner at Saffy’s

Live like the influencers for a day: El Matador & Acai Bowl at Sunlife Organics or rent e-bikes near the Santa Monica Pier and pop over to Heavy Handed for the nastiest little burgers

Dinner & Show in Hollywood: Luv2Eat Thai and comedy at UCB, The Groundlings, or The Elysian

Chill day in the valley: Homestate Tacos, Katsuya Sushi, and Aroma Cafe

Head east: Catch a show at Lodge Room and eat Joy for dinner and Donut Friend for dessert.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be where I am without educators in the arts. I truly had no idea I would end up doing comedy in the way that I am, and a large part of that has to do with teachers/directors who saw something in me I did not see in myself. Especially since I did not go to school for the arts (I have an undergrad and masters in business), those one-off workshops and comedy classes helped validate the small spark that eventually led to where I am now.

Also my wife and family have been comically supportive of my comic endeavors. Also I have two cats who really like it when I give them treats and that makes my day pretty nice.

Website: https://www.kenny-gray.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k3nnygray/

Twitter: https://x.com/k3nnygray

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kennygray9620

Image Credits
Ian Zandi & Will Gianetta