MONTPELIER, Vt.—Take his committee assignment -- please!
Seriously, folks: Didja' hear the one about the Vermont legislator who moonlights as a standup comedian? Jason Lorber has.
Lorber, 41, a member of the state House of Representatives, does standup gigs, produces comedy shows and runs improv workshops when he's not making laws.
"A lot of people say `What's the difference?' When I first came here, people said `You're the first comedian to come to the Statehouse.' I say `I'm the first PROFESSIONAL comedian to come to the Statehouse," he said.
As a gay, Jewish politician who has a civil union, a 19-month-old son and all of Vermont to make fun of, he doesn't lack for material. And he isn't shy about mining it.
On why he got into politics: "The real reason for me, why I ran: I wanted to spend less time with my family."
On his partner: "The thing about my partner is he's gay. Which I'm fine with. Growing up, I never pictured myself being with a gay guy. Now, I've come to realize that I could never be happy being with a straight guy."
On driving in Vermont: "I'm used to directions based on what street you're supposed to turn on. In Vermont, directions are based on landmarks that burned down 15 years ago."
Born in Philadelphia, Lorber grew up in California and studied rhetoric at the University of California at Berkeley before getting an MBA at Stanford University and establishing a public relations consulting company. He moved to Vermont in 2002, when his partner got a job at St. Michael's College.
A lifelong actor and performer, Lorber -- a Democrat -- got into politics in 2005 when he ran for and won election to a House seat in Burlington, despite being a "flatlander" -- or non-native Vermonter. In the Legislature, his colleagues say, he has distinguished himself as an advocate for prison reform and a supporter of increasing the minimum wage.
He says legislating and performing are both passions for him, but that they're separate worlds.
"I don't see them as linked, per se," he said. "Politics is about changing society and trying to make the world a better place. And performing makes me feel so alive. I love the creative aspect of it."
If anything, he says, he has to suppress his comic instincts when wearing his lawmaker hat.
But on stage, everything is fair game -- including himself. He jokes about politics, parenthood and Vermont idiosyncrasies, his comedy veering from groan-inducing one-liners ("I saw this guy walking a dog in shorts, which threw me for a loop, since I've never seen a dog in shorts") to wry barbs to zingers about Southerners, British people and his peers in the Legislature.
On his recent gig before a garden group: "I'm not comfortable performing in front of people who grow their own tomatoes to throw at me."
On keeping warm in Vermont's chilly winters: "I have a regimen for keeping warm: I get up, I put on a tank top, T-shirt, flannel shirt, sweater, jacket and scarf. Then if it dips below 50, I put on more clothes."
On dog-eat-dog life in the Legislature: "There's like 150 people in the House, and they're so nice to you, they show you around, tell you who to talk to, who not to talk to, and then if you don't look closely, they'll stab you in the back. To me, that's what family is all about.'
On former Gov. Howard Dean's unsuccessful White House bid in 2004: "He didn't make it, but he certainly was within shouting distance."
In a 30-minute set Wednesday at the Black Door bistro in Montpelier, Lorber -- dressed in a suit, with no tie and an open-necked shirt -- told the crowd it was his "Obama" look. "It's better than my Hillary look, because I'm more feminine than she is."
His comic productions include "Moo Jew Comedy," a night of Jewish comedy he put on with two other standups at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas and "So ... Jew live in Vermont," an upcoming show themed around well-known Vermont Jews.
While standup comedy isn't exactly big business in Vermont -- the state has no comedy clubs -- Lorber is making a mark, one gig at a time.
"It would seem that he has a gentle touch, but then he throws in a real stinger," said fellow comic Kathleen Kanz.
Fellow lawmakers, meanwhile, say Lorber's making a mark at the Statehouse, too.
"Anybody who can stand up in front of a group of people and try to elicit laughter, maybe being a legislator is the easy part of his life," said state Rep. Floyd Nease, D-Johnson.
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On the Web:
Jason P. Lorber: http://jasonplorber.com/index.html
