Benkharakh.com

By Ben Kharakh

What are some projects that you're involved in outside of the world of
comedy? Perhaps, in terms of moving, arts and crafts, or travel.

I am currently taking classes at "The Wizard of Art" in Los Feliz (East Hollywood). There is a Wizard and his name is Paul. He is a retired drummer who paints acrylic landscapes. So far, I have completed the following pastels: "Small Plant", "Can of Diet Coke" and "Package of Fig Newtons". My work in progress is "Sea Cows (from picture in National Geographic)". They are not for sale, but on display within a larger installation called, "The Bathroom of My One-Bedroom Apartment".

Per "the Secret", I now have an obsessive decoupage project that involves pasting and subsequently removing and then re-pasting magazine clippings on my "Vision Board". This is a piece of posterboard covered in imagery and words that "resonate" with my vision of what I'd like my life to be like. My life's vision is deteriorating quickly due to constant construction and might just replaced with a poster of Woody Guthrie adorned by TMNT stickers.

I'm actually taking a year off of long-term travel plans- only 1 or 2-day gigs for 2007. In the past, I've been to Australia and the UK for weeks, months at a time- but this year it's exploring the METRO system of Los Angeles! Go Metro!

You do a lot of voice acting. Is there anything you'd like to see
anthropamorphized and given its own feature length film?

I'd love to see Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" as played by Sea World Orlando's Shamu.

You mentioned on TSOYA that you've been doing some hosting in LA to work
on your crowd work. How's that coming along?

It's been fantastic! Each comic gets 7 minutes to only do crowd work (no pre-prepared material). Then, half-way through their set (they don't know when), they get a crowd work "challenge", as played by myself and whoever else will play a part. Some of the challenges have been "Woman with Cerebral Palsy is enjoying the show heartily in the front row, but her laughter keeps screwing up your timing" or "Drunk Bachelorette Party enters" or "Man Dies". All of these challenges are, of course, things that have happened to comics in actual shows and the show is a way to practice dealing with anything, but in a low-pressure environment. The challenges are as simple as the lights or sound going off during the set, glasses crashing or just basic heckling. It's really fun to see what comedians come up with and how they make it work. Every show, I usually have someone challenge me with the thing I have the hardest time with which is "Someone says sincerely how much they don't find me funny". It never gets less uncomfortable and it never gets old. My favorite challenge (to watch) so far has been "Bar Fight"- which was dealt with swimmingly by comedian Howard Kremer- who just stopped the show and suggested the audience watch the fight- saying, "It's better than anything I could come up with". No one was hurt.

Tell me about your Superdeluxe series. How does it compare to Plan B? Will Plan B still be released on DVD? Are there any other projects that you're involved in?

The Superdeluxe series is short segments based on my "OnePersonSitcom: Plan B", but 5 episodes and 4 more to go, has expanded past the initial story from the live show. The premise is that I've had a bit of a nervous breakdown following too much time on the road and a hard break up and so started driving cross-country in a blonde wig and a bathing suit looking for angels with a drug dealer named "Lips" and had to move back home to Duluth to get my meds and life stabilized and live in my parent's attic. From there, I'm shooting my own sitcom with just things I find in the attic and my dog, Blossom. (The actual director/editor/cameraman/grip is Damon Jones- writer/director/producer of Comedy Central's "HALFWAY HOME".

SUPERDELUXE (owned by Turner) IS MY DREAM COME TRUE. They let you do whatever you want, pay well, anyone can access it and it just couldn't be any better. Former stand-up turned producer is Dan Pasternak.

DVD is to be released in July of 2007 by Stand Up Records, but I have two CDS "Burning Bridges Tour" (2002)) and "How to Win" (2007).

I'm working on new material for my next CD and my favorite joke so far is: "I'm thinking about having kids. I have the names picked out. They're going to be "Donut" and "The Golden Hen". I know what you're saying, 'How do you know they're going to be girls?' But a mother knows..."

Otherwise, just auditioning for TV shows, writing and hoping for the best. I also have a picture of a sheep on my Vision Board- so that's coming up. Sheep, pretty gold necklaces and picture of Rigoberta Menchu on Oprah are all manifesting in 2007.