nut allergies

DCF14: Christian Hughes

1704428Christian Hughes has been killing it all over Texas for the past few years. He's opened for people like Tone Bell and Jay Chandrasekhar. At the Festival he'll open for Rory Scovel, and have another show on Wednesday. Christian took the time recently to answer some questions about motivation, peanut brittle, and the dangers of peanut brittle.  What drove you to create comedy?

I guess the ability to make someone laugh has always been something I've respected more than any other trait. As a kid, I didn't look up to pop culture icons or sports figures or anyone like that. I looked up to comedians. Not everyone cares about good looks or how good you can throw a ball, but everyone likes to laugh. That universal enjoyment was really appealing to me and I really wanted to be one of the guys in on that action.

Who were your influences growing up, and who influences you now? Whose work excites you?

My parents were pretty cool about letting me watch comedy as a kid. I loved the mid 90's casts of SNL growing up, and I was one of the few kids in my grade whose parents let them stay up late and watch it. I didn't always get the jokes but I got a lot of insight on comedic timing and stuff like that. I'd always watch the show and then act it out the sketches in front of my friends at recess.

As far as comedians that I'm really into right now: Pretty much anyone who has been on Pete Holmes' podcast, You Made It Weird. There's a huge group of comics who I follow and pay attention to and most of them have been on that podcast at some point. I'm really excited to open for Rory Scovel at DCF too, he's easily one of the best guys out there right now and it's awesome to be on the same show as him. I'm also really digging the gal's from Broad City. That show has really been a breath of fresh air.

Do you have a motto? If not, for the purposes of this question can you make one up?

Right now my motto comes from a note I wrote to myself while half asleep a couple weeks ago that said " 25 year old Christian thinks 24 year old Christian is full of shit." It's kind of a succinct way of saying that you can always do better than last year. Either that, or my sub-conscious really hated me last year. Could be both, who knows.

What do you want an audience to feel when your show ends?

I'd like the audience to feel like I do after eating a nice peanut brittle. There's a happy feeling of the experience itself, then you have just a little bit left stuck to your teeth that reminds you about how great it was the rest of the day. If someone in the audience has a nut allergy, take a hike.

What's the best comedy lesson you learned?

The best comedy lesson I learned has probably been patience. There's been several times that I've been frustrated about material or whatever and it's always good to step back and realize that it's not a race. Everything comes in time if you keep working at it. Also, don't bring peanut brittle on stage due to the possibility of someone's nut allergy(Sorry, Chris.)

What makes the Dallas Comedy Festival Great?

DCF is amazing because it's a great slice of local comedy for D/FW. You won't find a better showcase of local talent anywhere else in the area. The people that are on the festival are really, really talented and I'm really excited to be a part of it.

Who would play you in a movie about your best friend? Who would play your best friend? Finally, what is the name of this movie.

I'd like to see Alan Rickman play me in a movie about my best friend. My best friend would be played by Daniel Day Lewis, just so we could rack up during awards season. Working title for this film would be "Dances with Wolves 2: Lost in New York".

Christian Hughes opens for Rory Scovel on Tuesday, March 18th. You can see him again on Wednesday, March 19th at 7PM.