Meet Leslie Liao | Stand Up Comedian

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

Hi Leslie, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Born and raised in Orange County by loving immigrant parents, so I have that perpetual double life syndrome. I wanted my parents to feel proud of me, and I wanted to feel respected by American kids and know that I belonged here. That whole struggle was frustrating, but hilarious to me…and I now have this strong urge to be authentic, ignore stereotypes, and make fun of everything. I’d say I’m somewhat reclaiming my identity through writing and performing stand up.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Doing stand up is not easy, it’s often pure chaos and stress. But I can’t help how much I love it. I’ve mostly said yes to every show, whether it’s in a hostel or an alleyway, I saw it as an opportunity to get better. I now see comedy as a sport, and treat myself like an athlete. Giving myself a strict schedule of protein shakes/performing/writing/mics/admin and treating my body and mind with care. I am the LeBron of comedy, which I mumble to myself daily.

Naturally, I’m hard on myself, so what keeps me in the game is the encouragement from other comics, producers, friends, and new fans. People say the nicest things to me after my shows that nearly make me cry and give me the reality check I need…that I could actually succeed at this.

A lesson I’m learning is to not compare myself to anyone else. Instead, just get inspired, not anxious. And if I don’t believe something I write is funny, the crowd won’t either.

I’m proud of selling out two back to back shows of my special taping only five years into doing stand up, headlining international comedy festivals with comics I love, and meeting fascinating people after my shows that I would probably never cross paths with in another setting.

My comedy aspiration is to be so honest and vulnerable that it makes people laugh as much as it makes them reflect. I want my sets to remind us that we’re all messy and unhinged, but everything will be fine.

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.
We’d catch a show at Largo, Improv, Westside Theater, etc. I love live music/dancing so we’d hit an outdoor festival or see who’s playing the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek Theater. We’d dance at Apotheke Downtown or at Club Tee Gee (they have Friday Disco nights which is heaven),  Hopefully, Cinespia would be playing a good movie, and we’d bring wine & sandwiches from Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese (my neighborhood) and some guava cheese strudels from Porto’s bakery (drooling). For day time, we’d grab delicious smoothie bowls from Green Table Cafe after a long hike, or wander to a cute casual vibe like Everson Royce Bar in the Arts District. I love sweet treats so we’d get cinnamon cake from Erin McKenna’s Bakery or pastries from 85°C Bakery, and ice cream from Mashti Malone’s. For an adorable and not generic dinner outing, we’d go to Foodshop LA- a beautiful pop up dinner party hosted in Venice with curated menus that are consistently delicious. Basically, if you’re hanging with me in LA, we’re eating treats in the day and dancing it off at night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

If it weren’t for a lovely man named Gerry Katzman, I don’t know that I’d have as good a relationship with stand up as I do. Gerry runs a stand up writing workshop, and through that course…I’ve met some of the smartest, funniest, badass and dreamiest people who challenge me and give me opportunities I still don’t think I deserve. I just filmed my first special with Heather Pasternak and Chris Bryant, both talented and generous angels/comics.

I’d love to shout out a special venue – Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. They don’t care that I don’t have millions of followers and a trilogy of Netflix specials (yet), but they’ve kindly welcomed me on their amazing lineups of comics I have professional crushes on. They treat comics so well and I’ve never left a show without making a fan or a friend.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieliao/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSXv0F7eCyobyCLUVmD7YYQ

Image Credits
Andrew Max Levy (https://www.instagram.com/justoffthesix/) Carlos True Morales (https://www.instagram.com/theeverydaycomic_/)