Introducing: Savvy Munson, friendly, fearless and filthy
‘Inappropriate jokes and bad taste for your viewing pleasure’
HARK!
I hear … a dangerous debut…
It was Aug. 1, 2021. Just another blazing-hot day in the Valley of the Punishing Sun, where moans of “is this ever going to end?” applied equally to summer and the pandemic.
After taking comedy classes off and on here and in Portland, Savannah Munson decided to transform into Savvy Munson, get up onstage in front of a live audience, tell jokes and…as comics put it, be funny or die.
Even more pressure was heaped on Munson’s shoulders as she paced behind the stage of Stir Crazy Comedy Club—she also works there, so dropping a bomb would be a humiliation to face every time she clocks in for a shift.
Her pulse started racing as the master of ceremonies introduced her: “This next comedian actually works at this club. Here’s hoping she doesn’t get fired after this. Please welcome Savannah Munson!”
Polite applause from the audience as a smallish brunette walked onstage and accepted the microphone.
Ah, the nervous excitement of seeing a first-timer! Would she kill it…or fall on her face?
“All right everybody, give it up for me: I have not thrown up yet today,” was Munson’s grab-the-crowd opener.
She has the look of the shy, polite girl-next-door—and instantly (and comically) wrecked that impression.
“I just moved here from Portland, Oregon, lot of big differences,” she said. “The weather; it’s great here. Portland sucks a bag of dicks.”
Laughs at her light smuttiness.
“The other difference is the homeless population. They’re amateurs at best here.”
More laughs; OK, this lady is ready to go off-the-rails, better buckle up...
“Hate to break it to you. In Portland, these guys are the real deal. They’re building little shanty houses and putting up private property signs…
“I love that the homeless people shit on the status quo but I hate that they literally shit …I have seen people unloose the caboose on the street.”
And then she unleashes a string of synonyms for bodily function that would be a scatologist’s delight. She's an odd combination: friendly, yet fearless and filthy.
Later, Munson has the crowd eating out of her hand:
“So, I’ve been with my boyfriend for five years now— please applaud.”
The audience chuckles and obeys.
“It’s been fun. But we just think maybe my true love is still out there somewhere.”
Big laughs from those paying attention to her clever word dance.
And then came a comic crescendo:
“So, I guess you could say I’m just waiting for my great white buffalo. Or my white whale, if you will. (pause) Or black whale. Or ethnically ambiguous whales. I don’t discriminate. I love all whales. I love all Moby Dicks. Hashtag I love all dicks…”
There’s something about Savvy…Maybe she’s not quite ready for a seat at the Amy Schumer/Chelsea Handler top-shelf table, yet, but this was quite an impressive debut.
Smooth and looking highly polished, interacting with the crowd and drawing out beats, Munson delivered a tight, no-bumps 8 minute set that comics with years under their belts would have been proud to deliver.
As one commented on her Instagram page, “Great delivery 👏 like a pro!”
HARK Valley asked Tom Simes, owner of Stir Crazy, about Munson’s debut a few months ago.
“I don't remember the specifics of her material,” he replied, “but I remember she had a lot of poise and confidence for being new.”
Recently, HARK Valley caught up with Savvy Munson for a Zoom. She said she is living in Peoria, not far from the Glendale comedy club where she started working as a waitress and now helps with a variety of tasks.
She said her poised look during her comedy debut was a bluff: “I was definitely nervous. I remember thinking, ‘There’s still time for me to walk out the back door’; I definitely got scared.”
She does have a background as a musician, which helped her manage emotions. “My parents were musicians. I used to play drums and guitar onstage,” she said.
Even living in an indie music hub like Portland, she pined to fulfill a lifetime dream.
“Ever since I was little, I loved making people laugh; laughter is the best feeling in the world. I love music, but knew (comedy) was something I wanted to get involved with.”
After finally taking the plunge and doing a half-dozen or so live shows last year, “I’ve fallen in Iove with it…I keep getting signs this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
She frequently meets touring comics who headline at Stir Crazy. One established comic gave her advice she took to heart: “It’s not so much what you say—it’s how you make them feel.”
How does she describe her comedy style?
Savvy Munson gave an embarrassed snort-laugh.
“I’m still trying to figure out who I am, so that’s a tough question. I’m just a feisty girl trying to get through life, relating my experiences to everyone. I try to keep it as relatable as I can, sometimes with a little sarcasm-inappropriateness.”
She admires the likes of Handler, Taylor Tomlinson and Bill Burr.
“I’m inappropriate; I don’t know why I am the way I am,” Munson pondered, with a chuckle. “My favorites are the ones who push the envelope. Bill Burr, Jimmy Carr—the ones who say things that make you say, ‘Oh my God!’
“Unfortunately, that’s the kind of person I am.”
Next stop: Savvy Munson is part of the bill for a FREE comedy show Tuesday night, Feb. 8, at Brigett's Last Laugh.
Links
Instagram savvygirl721
https://www.instagram.com/savvygirl721/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/Cheeks721
Savvy Munson