Meet Nick Stargu

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

Hi Nick, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in central Connecticut with a Dad who would perform most nights. He played keyboard and sang in a few bands, so music was always a big part of my life as a kid. I loved being in front of the camera and goofing around. I would beg my dad to set up a video camera so I could see myself on the monitor and would record myself lip syncing to Little Shop of Horrors and Fat Albert songs. I even shot little short films that I forced my parents to watch. They were always supportive of my creative endeavors, no matter how cringey. I was lucky they were patient. I think that support gave me the nerve to try all sorts of things, like writing poetry, drawing amateur comic books, learning how to play and write music. Eventually I competed in poetry slams. Ewwwww….I know. It still hurts to watch those tapes. But my parents were there when they could be. I was lucky they were so supportive.

I was also heavily influenced by tv and movies as a kid…things like the Peewee’s Playhouse, Weird Al, Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin …it was the golden age for my developing comedic brain. You cold do whatever you wanted and anything was possible. I don’t think I ever actively thought I would get into comedy, and didn’t really consider myself funny…but all that content really rubbed off on me. Years later, I rewatch and listen to all the things that made an impression on me and it makes total sense how I got this way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think my musical comedy act is pretty unique. I have live audio sketches, songs, weird interactive video bits, and I use a lot of different tech, like Bluetooth MIDI controllers so I can get into the crowd…an electric saxophone to talk to ladies in the crowd with voice samples. There’s a lot that can go wrong! But I think I have it all dialed in pretty well. It took years of messing things up, dialing it in and experimenting. And I have every cable and connector you can possibly imagine in my rolling backpack. It’s a freaking Radio Shack in there.

I’ve been at this for 15+ years and while the act has evolved over time, I think it’s constantly moving in a direction that I’m happy with. I try to do bits that would be hard for other people to even think of, that would make me laugh. For example, I saw a stock video on Pond5 of a doctor silently giving the thumbsdown sign to the camera as a diagnosis…not looking good. Imagine that happening at a doctor visit??? It was on my list of things to write about for years and I finally put it together with a song and music video using other stock videos of doctors doing the same thing. It’s called Thumbsdown. Check that out!

I also do some very niche comedy about prog rock (a big influence on me in high school / college).. I sometimes perform King Crimson Erotic Fan Fiction, complete with original music inspired by the band and sound effects. It gets GROSS! And I have a Powerpoint about Robert Fripp and his sister Patricia.

I put out my first comedy special on Youtube called “Why Won’t You Dance With Me?”. It was over a decade in the making and I self produced it. Shout out to Dominic Mercurio for directing it and Matt Rome for his great DP work. For the love of everything holy, please watch it! It’s a great example of what my live show is like.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Before I respond, I just want to exclaim to anyone who is visiting LA, go to Osteria Mozza in LA. It is hands down the best meal I’ve ever had. And every time I bring someone new there, it’s the best to just watch their reaction to each new plate. If you haven’t had the chance, book a reservation now!!

Here’s a perfect week:

Monday:
Lunch: Clark St Diner
Sights: Griffith Park
Dinner: Osteria Mozza
Show: Stand Up and Clown at Elysian Theater (every last Monday – hosted by Chad Damiani)

Tuesday:
Lunch: All’ Antico Vinaio
Snack: Albion Garden (for a Matcha Jelly drink. Trust me, it’s good!)
Sights: Santa Monica Pier
Dinner: Tar and Roses
Show: Horse Around show at Nico’s Winery

Wednesday:
Lunch: Porto’s (Burbank) Get the Guava + Cheese pastry!
Sight: Museum of Jurassic Technology
Dinner: Girl and the Goat (Downtown)
Show: Hollywood Bowl

Thursday:
Lunch: Farmer’s Market at the Grove (Specifically the Brazilian Steak spot!)
Dinner: Greekman’s (Echo Park)
Show: Whammy Analog (Echo Park) for my multimedia comedy show, Talkies or at The Rogeuelike Tavern for my musical comedy show, The Wrong Key

Friday:
Lunch: All Time (Los Feliz)
Sight: Academy Museum
Show: Magic Castle
Late Night Snack: Dan Sung Sa

Saturday:
Lunch: Loupiotte Kitchen (Los Feliz)
Sight
Dinner: Antico Nuovo
Show: Elysian Theater – The Tomorrow Show (an amazing midnight show hosted by the legendary funnyman Ron Lynch)

Sunday:
Lunch: Hollywood Farmer’s Market
Sight: Amoeba Records
Dinner: Izakaya Osen
Movie: Egyptian Theater

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many people who I would thank from over the years for supporting me to push myself in creative ways. In high school it was my creative writing teacher Neil Cowan, who pushed me to perform at poetry slams and mentored me there. I may be embarrassed to look back on the content itself, but really appreciate that he saw something in me. That gave me the confidence to do all my other performing endeavors after that.

Post high school, when I first started my DJ REAL act, I would write songs specifically to try to make my best friend at the time laugh (Laurel Karnecki) and kind of sought her approval in a way. She wasn’t a musician but we shared a lot of the same tastes, and making her laugh was the best thing in the world for me. It was like a drug. Each song was a character with its own costume change, and when I would write, I would think, “Would this make her laugh?” She would come with me to all these music open mics and I’d feel safe knowing she was out there watching, even if it sucked. And nothing could get to me as long as she enjoyed it.

And while DJ REAL wasn’t exactly a “comedy” act at the time, I was trying to make people laugh…though I never considered myself a comedian who should perform at a comedy show. Until I moved to SF and met Patrick Bulger and Jesse Fernandez at an open mic and they suggested I perform at their comedy show. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know that I would have made that leap. And they were super supportive. I’ve made lifelong friends because of my move into the comedy world, with performers that I looked up to as a comedy fan and eventually becoming their good friends. Including comedians like, Brent Weinbach, Mary Van Note, and Drennon Davis (who I went on to perform with for almost 15 years .)

I’d also like to give a shoutout to the co-producers of a show I’m part of called Talkies. George Chen, Aviva Siegel and Land Smith. It’s a multimedia comedy show that started before me, but they asked me to be a part of it about 8 years ago and it’s still running., currently every third Thursdays at a really cool video store called, Whammy Analog in Echo Park. It gives me a creative space to get weird and try new things and it’s great to have a group of likeminded weirdos that have supported me over the years. Check it out sometime!

Website: https://www.nickstargu.com

Instagram: @djrealsmells

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

Twitter: @djrealsmells

Facebook: @djrealsmells

Youtube: @djrealsmells

Other: https://djreal.bandcamp.com/music

Image Credits
Nick at Piano – Drew “Shmoow” Steres
Nick playing EWI – Monique Hernandez
Nick at the Punch Line SF – Jim McCambridge
Nick at Cobb’s – Jason Blaylok
Nick at Piano Fight – George Checn
Nick at Roguelike Tavern – Ben French