Erikka Innes

Funny girl Erikka Innes is as cute as she is nerdy. Her highly-anticipated stand-up special ‘Smells Like Nerd Spirit’ was released yesterday, and we’re officially in love.

As ‘Commander of the Nerd Legion,’ Erikka creates supervillain seductresses with names like “Harriet Herpes,” explains a video game system called the ‘G-Spot 4,’ and battles pirates, all while on a quest to find out what fake boobs feel like, as she adjusts to life in LA. We’re on that quest too, but in a different way.

Despite all of those adventures keeping her pretty busy, she sat down with us to fill us in on the mission.

Congratulations on the release of ‘Smells Like Nerd Spirit!’ Is it a followup to ‘Sex With Nerds?’ What can we expect?

It is a follow up! There’s a bunch of new stuff on it, as well as some older material It’s also a DVD/CD combo, so you’ll get both! You can find it on iTunes.

So, you’re the self proclaimed ‘Commander of the Nerd Legion,’ which we love. Have you heard about the whole “fake geek girl,” meme?

It’s kind of weird! I was a pretty nerdy kid, and at that time no one really wanted to be a nerd, so it was a really welcoming community. It was fun, because you got to learn about science or be around other people who shared your interests. Now it’s weird that there’s all these angry people who are like “stop faking!” I think it’s difficult to deal with, because instead of being yourself you have to be ready for a test all of the time. I’ve just been like, “I’m not gonna do this, I’m just going to be myself,” you know?

It seems like it doesn’t make much sense, as a strategy.

None of it makes any sense! Let’s say someone is faking; that means they’re trying to be appealing to nerdy men, which means that they want a nerdy guy to like them. Nobody complains when women wear a lot of makeup to look pretty — I don’t see why people would be angry about other people being interested in what they’re doing. When I was younger and hanging out with people who played chess and ‘Magic the Gathering’ I was one of the only women. Guys were like “This is cool, we can play these games with a girl” and now it’s like “We hate you, go away!” Who are they going to get it on with?”

It could be the extinction of the male nerd species!

It will be like the Shaker religion! They were like “No sex, it’s bad, even if you’re married” and now there aren’t any more Shakers. They made really great furniture and then died off, because who wants to be a part of a group where you can’t have sex?


Kevin Giffin
Tell us about the comedy night you run called “Freaky Geeks.”

I run that at Improv Comedy lab, with my co-producer Nina Daniels. We try to bring in comedians who have nerdy or geeky sensibilities, and combine it with people who do interesting variety acts. We recently had a really great acoustic band on called ‘Naked and Shameless;’ they play outrageous comedic songs mixed with stage games that involve the audience. We also had a juggler who put his whole body through a backpack, it was really interesting. [laughs]

WHAT?

He kept moving the straps until he was wrapped inside of it and then put his whole body through the straps; it was crazy!


Kevin Giffin
You mentioned that you were into ‘Magic the Gathering’ when you were young; what other nerdy games did you play?

I played a little D&D and I did some larping; actually I would just watch my friend play larping games. They would all wear these costumes that were a mix of “Goth” and ‘The Matrix;’ I imagine everyone in that neighborhood was like “WHAT is going on?” because there were 40 or 50 of us running around in sunglasses at night, as a part of a vampire game. There was some stuff that I always wondered why we didn’t get in trouble for — Once we all had to gather in a parking lot for a bomb to go off — an imaginary bomb that was a part of the game — but if you heard someone talking about it, it probably didn’t sound fake.

What is your nerdiest current hobby?

I love original series Star Trek!

Who are some of your favorite comedians right now?

As far as people who have been around for a long time, I have always love Margaret Cho and Patton Oswald. Right now I’m really into Natasha Leggero and Louis CK.

Are you watching any YouTube series that you love?

I like “What the F***’ a lot!

Do you have plans for a national tour?

Yes! I am working out tour dates for later this year, which will include east coast dates.

Tell us about Pool Pirates, your first film.

It’s about pirates that are shipwrecked and have to live in a swimming pool. The owner of the house finds them and is pretty unhappy about the vagrant pirates living in her backyard!

So uh…Are you attracted to nerdy guys?

I’m not into the ones who don’t like women being nerdy, haha! But yes, I do really like nerdy guys — most of the time I end up dating engineers. We have the same interests so we can go to a museum or watch sci-fi together. They also g - Guy Speed

Funny girl Erikka Innes is as cute as she is nerdy. Her highly-anticipated stand-up special ‘Smells Like Nerd Spirit’ was released yesterday, and we’re officially in love.

As ‘Commander of the Nerd Legion,’ Erikka creates supervillain seductresses with names like “Harriet Herpes,” explains a video game system called the ‘G-Spot 4,’ and battles pirates, all while on a quest to find out what fake boobs feel like, as she adjusts to life in LA. We’re on that quest too, but in a different way.

Despite all of those adventures keeping her pretty busy, she sat down with us to fill us in on the mission.

Congratulations on the release of ‘Smells Like Nerd Spirit!’ Is it a followup to ‘Sex With Nerds?’ What can we expect?

It is a follow up! There’s a bunch of new stuff on it, as well as some older material It’s also a DVD/CD combo, so you’ll get both! You can find it on iTunes.

So, you’re the self proclaimed ‘Commander of the Nerd Legion,’ which we love. Have you heard about the whole “fake geek girl,” meme?

It’s kind of weird! I was a pretty nerdy kid, and at that time no one really wanted to be a nerd, so it was a really welcoming community. It was fun, because you got to learn about science or be around other people who shared your interests. Now it’s weird that there’s all these angry people who are like “stop faking!” I think it’s difficult to deal with, because instead of being yourself you have to be ready for a test all of the time. I’ve just been like, “I’m not gonna do this, I’m just going to be myself,” you know?

It seems like it doesn’t make much sense, as a strategy.

None of it makes any sense! Let’s say someone is faking; that means they’re trying to be appealing to nerdy men, which means that they want a nerdy guy to like them. Nobody complains when women wear a lot of makeup to look pretty — I don’t see why people would be angry about other people being interested in what they’re doing. When I was younger and hanging out with people who played chess and ‘Magic the Gathering’ I was one of the only women. Guys were like “This is cool, we can play these games with a girl” and now it’s like “We hate you, go away!” Who are they going to get it on with?”

It could be the extinction of the male nerd species!

It will be like the Shaker religion! They were like “No sex, it’s bad, even if you’re married” and now there aren’t any more Shakers. They made really great furniture and then died off, because who wants to be a part of a group where you can’t have sex?


Kevin Giffin
Tell us about the comedy night you run called “Freaky Geeks.”

I run that at Improv Comedy lab, with my co-producer Nina Daniels. We try to bring in comedians who have nerdy or geeky sensibilities, and combine it with people who do interesting variety acts. We recently had a really great acoustic band on called ‘Naked and Shameless;’ they play outrageous comedic songs mixed with stage games that involve the audience. We also had a juggler who put his whole body through a backpack, it was really interesting. [laughs]

WHAT?

He kept moving the straps until he was wrapped inside of it and then put his whole body through the straps; it was crazy!


Kevin Giffin
You mentioned that you were into ‘Magic the Gathering’ when you were young; what other nerdy games did you play?

I played a little D&D and I did some larping; actually I would just watch my friend play larping games. They would all wear these costumes that were a mix of “Goth” and ‘The Matrix;’ I imagine everyone in that neighborhood was like “WHAT is going on?” because there were 40 or 50 of us running around in sunglasses at night, as a part of a vampire game. There was some stuff that I always wondered why we didn’t get in trouble for — Once we all had to gather in a parking lot for a bomb to go off — an imaginary bomb that was a part of the game — but if you heard someone talking about it, it probably didn’t sound fake.

What is your nerdiest current hobby?

I love original series Star Trek!

Who are some of your favorite comedians right now?

As far as people who have been around for a long time, I have always love Margaret Cho and Patton Oswald. Right now I’m really into Natasha Leggero and Louis CK.

Are you watching any YouTube series that you love?

I like “What the F***’ a lot!

Do you have plans for a national tour?

Yes! I am working out tour dates for later this year, which will include east coast dates.

Tell us about Pool Pirates, your first film.

It’s about pirates that are shipwrecked and have to live in a swimming pool. The owner of the house finds them and is pretty unhappy about the vagrant pirates living in her backyard!

So uh…Are you attracted to nerdy guys?

I’m not into the ones who don’t like women being nerdy, haha! But yes, I do really like nerdy guys — most of the time I end up dating engineers. We have the same interests so we can go to a museum or watch sci-fi together. They also g - Guy Speed

From the random salute to James Bond to the non-sequiturial “Chicago” revival to Seth MacFarlane’s predictably fratty but unpredictably tedious stint as a host — dear Rob Lowe and Snow White: All is forgiven — this year’s Oscars were even more tumefied and wearisome than usual.
Thank goodness for Twitter.
Once upon a time, viewers had to endure Hollywood’s big night of bloated self-celebration in relative silence. No longer. Thanks to the popular social media service, the Academy Awards are the target of a snarky, catty and altogether delightful virtual peanut gallery, a flurry of quips and wisecracks that typically are more amusing than the show itself. Particularly when Mr. MacFarlane is hosting, actress Kristen Stewart is sulking and actor Russell Crowe — God bless his bulldogish effort — is signing Broadway show tunes. Herein, our favorite Oscar Tweets:
The red carpet
• From actress/comedian Sandra Bernhard, @SandraBernhard: “Your dress will be beautiful when it’s finished.”
• From writer Tad Friend, ?@tadfriend: “Halle Berry came as an art deco theater”
• From comedian Erikka Innes, ?@nerdgirlcomedy: “Re: Anne Hathaway’s dress… IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES TIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE”
• From Atlantic Wire writer Richard Lawson, @rilaws: “George Clooney is starting to look like a small college theater professor.”
• From anonymous humor writer Pour Me Coffee, @pourmecoffee: “In Hell, Ryan Seacrest interviews your tormentors in front of you before they begin.”
• From writer/critic Matt Singer, @mattsinger: “As an actor, Robert De Niro can play almost anything except interest in an interviewer’s questions.”
• From Harper's Bazaar editor Laura Brown, @laurabrown99: “What happens when Kristen Chenoweth sucks on a helium balloon?”
• From Breitbart.com writer Ben Shapiro, @benshapiro: “‘Zero Dark Thirty’: This is the weekend Obama didn’t play golf #AlternativeMovieSlogans”
• From New York Times writer Dave Itzkoff, @ditzkoff: “The people of South Africa are going to be so thrilled to see #OscarMystery trending.”
The opening number
• From Time Out NY film editor David Fear, @davidlfear: “So wait, Peter Brady is hosting the Oscars?”
• From basketball writer Bethlehem Shoals, ?@freedarko: “I would hire Seth MacFarlane to do some voiceover work if I were making something I hated.”
• From Mr. Itzkoff: “‘There’s no wrong answers in brainstorming’ — someone who hasn’t seen this year’s Oscars opening yet”
• From Mr. Lawson: “The best thing about Seth MacFarlane is that you can never tell when he’s setting up a joke. The guy is seamless.”
• From Atlantic Wire writer Jen Doll, ?@thisisjendoll: “real words said in my apartment: ‘i miss Billy Crystal‘ “
• From film critic Lou Lumenick @LouLumenick: “Rob Lowe has sent MacFarlane a thank-you note for the boobs song.”
• From humorist Lee Papa, @rudepundit: “Tonight, we are all Tommy Lee Jones.”
The ‘Jaws’ cut-off music
• From screenwriter/playwright Patrick Hume, ?@patrickhume: “Playing people off to “Jaws” is a snarky joke you make on Twitter, not something you actually do.”
• From advertiser/cultural blogger Rick Liebling, ?@RickLiebling: “The next guy who goes long should get either Keyboard Cat or the ‘whee whee whee’ from the Psycho shower scene.”
• From Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, ?@RichardDreyfuss: “I always dreamed that the score of one of my films would be used to play people off at the Oscars. We did it, Steven!”
• From anonymous Twitter poster The Happy Feminist, ?@HappyFeminist: “What would have made Jaws cutoff perfect was having 70s SNL landshark come out and tackle the guy.”
The show, part I
• From Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay, ?@jasonWSJ: “I would say I feel bad that Robert DeNiro has to sit there for two more hours, but I saw ‘Meet the Fockers.’ “
• From Thinkprogress writer Zack Beauchamp, @zackbeauchamp: “On a scale of one to Wille Nelson, how high are Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy?”
• From the website TVWithoutPity, ?@TVWithoutPity: “#ChristophWaltz has now won more #Oscars for Tarantino movies than Quentin Tarantino. Though the night is young.”
• From Grantland writer Brian Phillips, ?@runofplay: “I don’t THINK I’ve seen Christoph Waltz’s boobs, but I’m writing an exploratory ballad to find out.”
• From author Walter Kirn, ?@walterkirn: “The worst is when the stars cover their faces with their hands while laughing to hide the fact that they aren’t really laughing”
• From author Joyce Carol Oates, @JoyceCarolOates: “Should initiate a tradition in which losers bitterly denounce associates … family & God who’d botched their chances.”
• From Esquire writer Chris Jones, ?@MySecondEmpire: “This cinematography guy is like what would happen if Robert Downey Jr. had played Gandalf.”
• From GQ magazine editor Devin Gordon, ?@Devingo913: “To all the people complaining that these Oscars are awful so far: have you never watched the Oscars before?”
The Bond tribute
• From Deadspin writer Timothy Burke, ?@bubbapr - Washington Times

From the random salute to James Bond to the non-sequiturial “Chicago” revival to Seth MacFarlane’s predictably fratty but unpredictably tedious stint as a host — dear Rob Lowe and Snow White: All is forgiven — this year’s Oscars were even more tumefied and wearisome than usual.
Thank goodness for Twitter.
Once upon a time, viewers had to endure Hollywood’s big night of bloated self-celebration in relative silence. No longer. Thanks to the popular social media service, the Academy Awards are the target of a snarky, catty and altogether delightful virtual peanut gallery, a flurry of quips and wisecracks that typically are more amusing than the show itself. Particularly when Mr. MacFarlane is hosting, actress Kristen Stewart is sulking and actor Russell Crowe — God bless his bulldogish effort — is signing Broadway show tunes. Herein, our favorite Oscar Tweets:
The red carpet
• From actress/comedian Sandra Bernhard, @SandraBernhard: “Your dress will be beautiful when it’s finished.”
• From writer Tad Friend, ?@tadfriend: “Halle Berry came as an art deco theater”
• From comedian Erikka Innes, ?@nerdgirlcomedy: “Re: Anne Hathaway’s dress… IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES TIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE”
• From Atlantic Wire writer Richard Lawson, @rilaws: “George Clooney is starting to look like a small college theater professor.”
• From anonymous humor writer Pour Me Coffee, @pourmecoffee: “In Hell, Ryan Seacrest interviews your tormentors in front of you before they begin.”
• From writer/critic Matt Singer, @mattsinger: “As an actor, Robert De Niro can play almost anything except interest in an interviewer’s questions.”
• From Harper's Bazaar editor Laura Brown, @laurabrown99: “What happens when Kristen Chenoweth sucks on a helium balloon?”
• From Breitbart.com writer Ben Shapiro, @benshapiro: “‘Zero Dark Thirty’: This is the weekend Obama didn’t play golf #AlternativeMovieSlogans”
• From New York Times writer Dave Itzkoff, @ditzkoff: “The people of South Africa are going to be so thrilled to see #OscarMystery trending.”
The opening number
• From Time Out NY film editor David Fear, @davidlfear: “So wait, Peter Brady is hosting the Oscars?”
• From basketball writer Bethlehem Shoals, ?@freedarko: “I would hire Seth MacFarlane to do some voiceover work if I were making something I hated.”
• From Mr. Itzkoff: “‘There’s no wrong answers in brainstorming’ — someone who hasn’t seen this year’s Oscars opening yet”
• From Mr. Lawson: “The best thing about Seth MacFarlane is that you can never tell when he’s setting up a joke. The guy is seamless.”
• From Atlantic Wire writer Jen Doll, ?@thisisjendoll: “real words said in my apartment: ‘i miss Billy Crystal‘ “
• From film critic Lou Lumenick @LouLumenick: “Rob Lowe has sent MacFarlane a thank-you note for the boobs song.”
• From humorist Lee Papa, @rudepundit: “Tonight, we are all Tommy Lee Jones.”
The ‘Jaws’ cut-off music
• From screenwriter/playwright Patrick Hume, ?@patrickhume: “Playing people off to “Jaws” is a snarky joke you make on Twitter, not something you actually do.”
• From advertiser/cultural blogger Rick Liebling, ?@RickLiebling: “The next guy who goes long should get either Keyboard Cat or the ‘whee whee whee’ from the Psycho shower scene.”
• From Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, ?@RichardDreyfuss: “I always dreamed that the score of one of my films would be used to play people off at the Oscars. We did it, Steven!”
• From anonymous Twitter poster The Happy Feminist, ?@HappyFeminist: “What would have made Jaws cutoff perfect was having 70s SNL landshark come out and tackle the guy.”
The show, part I
• From Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay, ?@jasonWSJ: “I would say I feel bad that Robert DeNiro has to sit there for two more hours, but I saw ‘Meet the Fockers.’ “
• From Thinkprogress writer Zack Beauchamp, @zackbeauchamp: “On a scale of one to Wille Nelson, how high are Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy?”
• From the website TVWithoutPity, ?@TVWithoutPity: “#ChristophWaltz has now won more #Oscars for Tarantino movies than Quentin Tarantino. Though the night is young.”
• From Grantland writer Brian Phillips, ?@runofplay: “I don’t THINK I’ve seen Christoph Waltz’s boobs, but I’m writing an exploratory ballad to find out.”
• From author Walter Kirn, ?@walterkirn: “The worst is when the stars cover their faces with their hands while laughing to hide the fact that they aren’t really laughing”
• From author Joyce Carol Oates, @JoyceCarolOates: “Should initiate a tradition in which losers bitterly denounce associates … family & God who’d botched their chances.”
• From Esquire writer Chris Jones, ?@MySecondEmpire: “This cinematography guy is like what would happen if Robert Downey Jr. had played Gandalf.”
• From GQ magazine editor Devin Gordon, ?@Devingo913: “To all the people complaining that these Oscars are awful so far: have you never watched the Oscars before?”
The Bond tribute
• From Deadspin writer Timothy Burke, ?@bubbapr - Washington Times

As we all know, the fifth law of thermodynamics states that if a girl has a sense of humor then she is automatically attractive. Now if you consider that Erikka Innes is a seriously funny comedian and add to it her vast encyclopedic brain of nerdom than you would have to guess that the Internet is in love with her.

But alas, the Internet is what breaks the second law of thermodynamics so it turns out that reality is more or less a farce and in this glitched Matrix of a world I have been tasked to spread the gospel of Erikka, who is surely underappreciated.

In true Nerd Fashion, Erikka’s CD “Smells Like Nerd Spirit” was recorded at Rooster T. Feather’s in Sunnyvale California, the same place where Al Alcorn invented the video game Pong. Establishing the theme of the CD on the first track Erikka remarks, “Growing up I read a ton of comic books…I remember getting really upset I was like ‘Really? That’s how big my tits have to be if I want to fight crime?’”

But instead of pandering to these predilections she takes a detour into her very comic upbringing. For example she grew up in a Christian household with a pot growing mother who decided that her daughter was gay. Her mom would compound the latter with dropping hints that it was okay if Erikka was gay. “Some people, they love bananas. Other people prefer fish tacos…some people really like chocolate and some people like chocolate…that’s gay.”

Her family really defies convention. She paints her dad as a man with no filter. He responds to her request for teenage romantic advice by asking, “Have you discovered the miracles of alcohol yet?” Erikka reminisces about her practice of asking difficult to answer questions. When asking her dad if she was a mistake, he apparently replied, “You were planned and I still don’t know what we were thinking.” This proves once again that funniest things in life often have little to no foresight to them.

The entire CD serves as a pong ball bouncing between the two paddles of pop-culture and Erikka’s personal life. She remarks on how Facebook, for her at least, has become less about staying in contact with close friends and more about stalking exes and people she hates. She proposes a new video game console called the G-Spot 4, “with a controller that just baffles men.”

The CD can be bought on iTunes and Amazon. You can also check here to see if she’ll be touring in your area. Follow Erikka on Twitter at the appropriately named @NerdGirlComedy. - America's Comedy

As we all know, the fifth law of thermodynamics states that if a girl has a sense of humor then she is automatically attractive. Now if you consider that Erikka Innes is a seriously funny comedian and add to it her vast encyclopedic brain of nerdom than you would have to guess that the Internet is in love with her.

But alas, the Internet is what breaks the second law of thermodynamics so it turns out that reality is more or less a farce and in this glitched Matrix of a world I have been tasked to spread the gospel of Erikka, who is surely underappreciated.

In true Nerd Fashion, Erikka’s CD “Smells Like Nerd Spirit” was recorded at Rooster T. Feather’s in Sunnyvale California, the same place where Al Alcorn invented the video game Pong. Establishing the theme of the CD on the first track Erikka remarks, “Growing up I read a ton of comic books…I remember getting really upset I was like ‘Really? That’s how big my tits have to be if I want to fight crime?’”

But instead of pandering to these predilections she takes a detour into her very comic upbringing. For example she grew up in a Christian household with a pot growing mother who decided that her daughter was gay. Her mom would compound the latter with dropping hints that it was okay if Erikka was gay. “Some people, they love bananas. Other people prefer fish tacos…some people really like chocolate and some people like chocolate…that’s gay.”

Her family really defies convention. She paints her dad as a man with no filter. He responds to her request for teenage romantic advice by asking, “Have you discovered the miracles of alcohol yet?” Erikka reminisces about her practice of asking difficult to answer questions. When asking her dad if she was a mistake, he apparently replied, “You were planned and I still don’t know what we were thinking.” This proves once again that funniest things in life often have little to no foresight to them.

The entire CD serves as a pong ball bouncing between the two paddles of pop-culture and Erikka’s personal life. She remarks on how Facebook, for her at least, has become less about staying in contact with close friends and more about stalking exes and people she hates. She proposes a new video game console called the G-Spot 4, “with a controller that just baffles men.”

The CD can be bought on iTunes and Amazon. You can also check here to see if she’ll be touring in your area. Follow Erikka on Twitter at the appropriately named @NerdGirlComedy. - America's Comedy

Erikka Innes really was a nerd before it was cool. She started comedy seven years ago as an awkward, weird-dressing, cute nerd and watched as that suddenly became cool. From her throwback dresses and nerd glasses to her sincere enjoyment of comic books, Erikka’s personality and persona were just waiting for pop culture to catch up, even if she is a little ambivalent about accidentally becoming the flavor of the week.

AmericasComedy.Com caught with with Erikka to talk about her experience with the L.A. comedy scene and her latest album, “Smells Like Nerd Spirit.”

AC: So, let’s start with the basics – you started comedy in the Bay Area?

EI: I did, yes

AC: When was that?

EI: I’ve done comedy about 7 years.

AC: How long were you up there and when did you come down here [to Los Angeles]?

EI: I’ve been here about a year.

AC: What was it that made you say, “Now is the time to move to L.A.?”

EI: I guess it was that I felt like I’d done as much as I could in the Bay Area and I don’t mean by that, “I was amazing and it was time for me to go to a bigger pond.” It was just that the way things were set up, I’d done all I could. And then I got here and I was like, “Holy shit! I have to get waaay the fuck better.”

So that was exciting, to come here and go, “Oh *that* is what works in clubs regularly.” So, luckily when I came, I had a good idea of who I was comedically and as a person. I didn’t want to come to L.A. without a sense of that. Like, you know those stories where you come and someone tells you, “Wear this one hat” or, “Do this one routine” and you’re like “Sure… oh this isn’t me.” I wanted to be where I could come and someone looks at you and goes, “Oh, I get what you’re doing, let’s make that better.”

Last year was just tons and tons of sets trying to be as good as what I was seeing.

AC: Who are the people you see that inspire you?

EI: That’s tough, it’s a lot.

AC: I know, it’s an unfair question.

EI: I’ll just say, I’d go someplace like the Improv and watch the show and everyone on it who works regularly, I’d just watch and think, “That’s what I have to get to.” Or the Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, any of that stuff.

I can reel off lists of people, but every week, every month, there’s someone new I want to be as good as. I mean, recently, someone I’ve loved seeing perform is Eric Andre.

The Nerd Army

AC: So, you are a super nerd. Because you are legitimately nerdy and right now that’s a whole scene, did that help a little bit?

EI: It’s actually weird, when I started, it wasn’t massively popular, it was a niche. So you really could market a show that way. Now it’s, “Oh, you’re nerd show and there’s 50 other nerd shows just like it.” So you have to do something new to be creative. I just keep doing my thing.

The nice thing about it is that certain topics are more accessible for a joke. There was a time when you couldn’t start with, “So, I was reading this comic book…” or “I was playing this game…” What’s funny is that I’ve had people tell me I know a lot about pop culture and it’s more like I know a lot about shit that wasn’t popular 3 years ago. I don’t mind it, but then they’ll ask me about some other area of pop culture and I don’t know what they’re talking about.

AC: So, are most of your fans of the nerdy persuasion?

EI: They typically tend to be nerdy or weird and a lot of them are sarcastic or smart-asses. Like a lot of people on Twitter.. when I post a joke and they’re my followers already, they’ll get that it’s supposed to be sarcastic. But other people who are new won’t get that and they’ll be like, “Oh, I feel that way too!” I’m really sarcastic, but I want everyone to get it. I’m not trying to fuck with you.

AC: You have a fairly engaged bunch of followers on Twitter, how did that happen? Are they people who you’ve met in real life or just that they found you and tuned into your comedy?

EI: It really just came from getting the hang of using Twitter. When I started, I’d just post jokes and they were not popular at all. And it’s almost worse to bomb on Twitter. Say you’ve even only got 200 followers and you post something and it doesn’t get a response, in your head you feel like, “Oh, nobody thought that was funny.” But in reality, maybe 5 people saw that. They’re in different time zones or they have jobs – they’re not just glued to Twitter.

I just constantly try to think of ways to engage with people and they got excited about it. I just think if you post consistently in whatever your voice is, it works.

Smells Like Nerd Spirit

AC: So, on to the album itself, where did you record it?

EI: I recorded it at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale. That’s the club I got my start at when I was terribly awkward and had severe stage fright. They gave me a chance, so I really got to develop there. And it’s cool to see how it’s grown. Amy Schumer just put it on a list of top 10 clubs to perform at.

Another cool thing is they develo - America's Comedy

Erikka Innes really was a nerd before it was cool. She started comedy seven years ago as an awkward, weird-dressing, cute nerd and watched as that suddenly became cool. From her throwback dresses and nerd glasses to her sincere enjoyment of comic books, Erikka’s personality and persona were just waiting for pop culture to catch up, even if she is a little ambivalent about accidentally becoming the flavor of the week.

AmericasComedy.Com caught with with Erikka to talk about her experience with the L.A. comedy scene and her latest album, “Smells Like Nerd Spirit.”

AC: So, let’s start with the basics – you started comedy in the Bay Area?

EI: I did, yes

AC: When was that?

EI: I’ve done comedy about 7 years.

AC: How long were you up there and when did you come down here [to Los Angeles]?

EI: I’ve been here about a year.

AC: What was it that made you say, “Now is the time to move to L.A.?”

EI: I guess it was that I felt like I’d done as much as I could in the Bay Area and I don’t mean by that, “I was amazing and it was time for me to go to a bigger pond.” It was just that the way things were set up, I’d done all I could. And then I got here and I was like, “Holy shit! I have to get waaay the fuck better.”

So that was exciting, to come here and go, “Oh *that* is what works in clubs regularly.” So, luckily when I came, I had a good idea of who I was comedically and as a person. I didn’t want to come to L.A. without a sense of that. Like, you know those stories where you come and someone tells you, “Wear this one hat” or, “Do this one routine” and you’re like “Sure… oh this isn’t me.” I wanted to be where I could come and someone looks at you and goes, “Oh, I get what you’re doing, let’s make that better.”

Last year was just tons and tons of sets trying to be as good as what I was seeing.

AC: Who are the people you see that inspire you?

EI: That’s tough, it’s a lot.

AC: I know, it’s an unfair question.

EI: I’ll just say, I’d go someplace like the Improv and watch the show and everyone on it who works regularly, I’d just watch and think, “That’s what I have to get to.” Or the Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, any of that stuff.

I can reel off lists of people, but every week, every month, there’s someone new I want to be as good as. I mean, recently, someone I’ve loved seeing perform is Eric Andre.

The Nerd Army

AC: So, you are a super nerd. Because you are legitimately nerdy and right now that’s a whole scene, did that help a little bit?

EI: It’s actually weird, when I started, it wasn’t massively popular, it was a niche. So you really could market a show that way. Now it’s, “Oh, you’re nerd show and there’s 50 other nerd shows just like it.” So you have to do something new to be creative. I just keep doing my thing.

The nice thing about it is that certain topics are more accessible for a joke. There was a time when you couldn’t start with, “So, I was reading this comic book…” or “I was playing this game…” What’s funny is that I’ve had people tell me I know a lot about pop culture and it’s more like I know a lot about shit that wasn’t popular 3 years ago. I don’t mind it, but then they’ll ask me about some other area of pop culture and I don’t know what they’re talking about.

AC: So, are most of your fans of the nerdy persuasion?

EI: They typically tend to be nerdy or weird and a lot of them are sarcastic or smart-asses. Like a lot of people on Twitter.. when I post a joke and they’re my followers already, they’ll get that it’s supposed to be sarcastic. But other people who are new won’t get that and they’ll be like, “Oh, I feel that way too!” I’m really sarcastic, but I want everyone to get it. I’m not trying to fuck with you.

AC: You have a fairly engaged bunch of followers on Twitter, how did that happen? Are they people who you’ve met in real life or just that they found you and tuned into your comedy?

EI: It really just came from getting the hang of using Twitter. When I started, I’d just post jokes and they were not popular at all. And it’s almost worse to bomb on Twitter. Say you’ve even only got 200 followers and you post something and it doesn’t get a response, in your head you feel like, “Oh, nobody thought that was funny.” But in reality, maybe 5 people saw that. They’re in different time zones or they have jobs – they’re not just glued to Twitter.

I just constantly try to think of ways to engage with people and they got excited about it. I just think if you post consistently in whatever your voice is, it works.

Smells Like Nerd Spirit

AC: So, on to the album itself, where did you record it?

EI: I recorded it at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale. That’s the club I got my start at when I was terribly awkward and had severe stage fright. They gave me a chance, so I really got to develop there. And it’s cool to see how it’s grown. Amy Schumer just put it on a list of top 10 clubs to perform at.

Another cool thing is they develo - America's Comedy

“I just had a CAT scan. They found cats.” — Paula Poundstone

“I’m really good in bed. I can sleep for like 10 straight hours without waking up once.” — Jen Kirkman

“Growing up in Louisiana you could always tell the ‘fashion forward’ Klansmen, because they wore the fitted sheets.” — Theo Von

“I know I’m not mentally qualified to own a gun, because at least five times a day I think, ‘I wish I had a gun right now.’ ” — Jim Norton

“I was watching ‘Annie Hall’ on TV, and my girlfriend came home and started complaining about her office drama. She asked me, ‘Are you tuning me out for ‘Annie Hall?’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Was your story nominated for seven Academy Awards?’ ” — Sam Morril

“Working in politics for 10 years has taught me one thing: Together, we can do amazing things. But we won’t.” — Jeff Maurer

“I used to read comics as a pre-teen and get really upset. I was like, ‘Really? That’s how big my boobs have to be if I want to fight crime?’ Holy crap! I better start drinking milk!” — Erikka Innes - NY Post

“I just had a CAT scan. They found cats.” — Paula Poundstone

“I’m really good in bed. I can sleep for like 10 straight hours without waking up once.” — Jen Kirkman

“Growing up in Louisiana you could always tell the ‘fashion forward’ Klansmen, because they wore the fitted sheets.” — Theo Von

“I know I’m not mentally qualified to own a gun, because at least five times a day I think, ‘I wish I had a gun right now.’ ” — Jim Norton

“I was watching ‘Annie Hall’ on TV, and my girlfriend came home and started complaining about her office drama. She asked me, ‘Are you tuning me out for ‘Annie Hall?’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Was your story nominated for seven Academy Awards?’ ” — Sam Morril

“Working in politics for 10 years has taught me one thing: Together, we can do amazing things. But we won’t.” — Jeff Maurer

“I used to read comics as a pre-teen and get really upset. I was like, ‘Really? That’s how big my boobs have to be if I want to fight crime?’ Holy crap! I better start drinking milk!” — Erikka Innes - NY Post

Calling all nerds

L.A. Comedy Underground in Santa Paula

Comedian Erikka Innes embraces the “n” word (the less controversial one) proudly: The Stanford University graduate’s Twitter handle is “@nerdgirlcomedy.” Innes, one of six comedians who will perform tonight in Santa Paula as part of the L.A. Comedy Underground show, described her routine this way to zoiksonline.com: “My act is observations about life from the perspective of someone (me) with the mind of a teenage boy trapped in the body of a smart, attractive woman (still me).”

The “teenage boy” part means many of her tweets aren’t printable in a family newspaper, but she deserves to be a “Top Bay Area Comedian to Follow on Twitter,” according to the SF Weekly. Sample tweet: “In real life I’m rewarded for being hard working & pleasant. On Twitter I’m rewarded for being anti-social & implying substance abuse issues.”



Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/04/theater-classical-music-and-cultural-stage/#ixzz2Qn3ejpve
- vcstar.com - Ventura County Star

Calling all nerds

L.A. Comedy Underground in Santa Paula

Comedian Erikka Innes embraces the “n” word (the less controversial one) proudly: The Stanford University graduate’s Twitter handle is “@nerdgirlcomedy.” Innes, one of six comedians who will perform tonight in Santa Paula as part of the L.A. Comedy Underground show, described her routine this way to zoiksonline.com: “My act is observations about life from the perspective of someone (me) with the mind of a teenage boy trapped in the body of a smart, attractive woman (still me).”

The “teenage boy” part means many of her tweets aren’t printable in a family newspaper, but she deserves to be a “Top Bay Area Comedian to Follow on Twitter,” according to the SF Weekly. Sample tweet: “In real life I’m rewarded for being hard working & pleasant. On Twitter I’m rewarded for being anti-social & implying substance abuse issues.”



Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/04/theater-classical-music-and-cultural-stage/#ixzz2Qn3ejpve
- vcstar.com - Ventura County Star