Comedian Myq Kaplan says luck is bunk

? Myq Kaplan originally got his start in comedy while trying to make it as a musician 13 years ago. Now he preps to bring some of his latest wordplay-heavy material to Laughing Skull Lounge in a four-night residency starting Thurs., Dec. 3. CL got in touch with Kaplan to chat about comedy and his life path thus far.
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? When you were younger, did you ever think to yourself, “Hey, you know, I’m actually pretty funny,” or was your entrance into comedy a more sudden, random development?
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? Well, as a kid, I watched a lot of “SNL,” so I knew that laughing was a thing, certainly. When I was a teenager, I had a group of friends from summer camp who liked to tease each other and joke around, but none of us were ever saying, “We could make money from this!” Or, “How can I capitalize off the joy I’m having?” And that’s good, you know? All my life I was told, ”Oh yeah, you’ll grow up and get some sort of job to make money and buy a house and have a family ...”
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? So, yes, as a kid I definitely had no sense that I would want to, as an adult, professionally make people laugh, but it was certainly a thing I enjoyed doing.
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? ??? I was planning to ask you if you see a higher purpose, so to speak, in doing comedy, or if — at the end of the day — it’s just another job that pays the bills and can be fun sometimes. But from what you’re saying, it sounds like it’s a dream.

? It is definitely a joy almost all the time, but like anything, there are ups and downs. Sometimes I have to wake up early, sometimes I have to work with people I wouldn’t choose to spend time with otherwise, but like I said, you can find that in any job.
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? I will say that some people just don’t like their job, but there are also those who really put care into being a carpenter, a plumber, a doctor, a journalist, or whatever. There are all sorts of people I’ve met who do their work lovingly, and are able to transcend this concept of “work,” and for me, I’m definitely lucky that I get to do a thing that is objectively and subjectively fun.
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? Obviously, there are pros and cons to every aspect in life — like, sometimes dreams are bad! Sometimes dreams can be nightmares! But overall, I feel fortunate that I get to do what I do. 
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? You’ve talked about your process before, in terms of coming up with new material, but I wanted to focus on your use of wordplay, which you’re particularly known for. I imagine your MA in linguistics has contributed to that, but do you think of yourself as having this natural way with words? Or is this a sort of thing that mainly comes through in your comedy?
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For a lot of comedians, this all does come naturally. But even then, we’re not always “on” all the time. I heard this interview with Chris Rock on NPR once, and at the time I didn’t even realize it was him because his speaking voice was so quiet — and a marked contrast from his louder, more aggressive stage persona. That’s not uncommon with comedians, generally.
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? Yes, I think this “way with words” has always been within me in some form. I always enjoyed grammar and the rule-based forms of language, and so in undergrad, I studied linguistics. Then I went to grad school for it — so I think that was always a thing that resonated with me and was what led me to make the kinds of jokes you’re talking about and be interested in linguistics. And certainly these things complement each other now, but it was never that, “Oh, I’m going to get a degree in linguistics so I can go make these word-related jokes.” 
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? You have a good amount of name recognition and a bit of a following now. How does fame feel to you? Does it weigh on your conscious mind much?
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? Fame comes in different levels. ... My biggest jump in exposure, though, was after I did “Last Comic Standing” in 2010. Millions of people were watching that show every week and so I went from having not much of a following at all to having a couple people recognize me on the street every week and say hi. 
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? The next biggest jump was probably this summer when I was doing “America’s Got Talent.” Actually, one day my girlfriend and I were at the airport, and she got recognized from having been on an episode with me — but the person who recognized her didn’t realize I was also in the episode.
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? I actually first met my girlfriend after she heard me on a podcast and wrote me a fan letter. After I wrote back and we had struck up a correspondence, we met in real life and got to know each other better — and now we’re in love! So I’ve certainly benefited in many positive ways from my level of success, and from people knowing and liking the things I do. ... I definitely don’t conceive myself of being “famous,” but I realize I’ve been doing comedy for 13 years now, and that I resonate with tons of people.<!——————EndFragment——————>
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? Yeah, it’s got to feel nice when people appreciate your work.
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? You know how people say that if you see a penny on the ground, you should pick it up because it’s good luck? Well, another thing that people say is that you should only pick up a penny if it’s heads-up, because a heads-down penny is bad luck. If it makes yourself feel extra good by thinking of the penny situation in terms of heads-up luck, then go ahead. But for me, a penny is a penny. A penny has the value of a penny. And, in a way, the initial idea generation process has just as much value to me as the laughter and recognition that comes later — that’s just a bonus, the heads-up part. It does make me feel good, but ultimately, a penny is a penny.
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? I think I know what you mean. You’ve got to be confident in your art or there’s no point.
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? On that point, I have one final analogy. I have a friend that’s getting married next year to this girl who he’s been with for somewhere between eight to 10 years now. They’ve been living with each other for a while, they know they’re going to be with each other forever, they love each other — so, for them, their love for each other is the penny. That’s the most important thing. But getting married — having that “audience,” so to speak, that’s just a bonus. If the audience didn’t want them to get married ... it shouldn’t matter, because they love each other. And that’s the important thing.
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? But yes, you eventually get to a point where you’re like, “This is what I’m doing, and I like it. I hope others will like it as well, and I’m sure that some people will, but I like it — and that’s ultimately what matters most.”
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? Myq Kaplan starts a four-night run at Laughing Skull Lounge Thurs., Dec. 3. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.