Robin meets… Comedian Kyle Shire from OUT On Stage

11th January 2019 Robin Gray

New comedy TV show ‘OUT On Stage’ premiers January 17th on Dekkoo. The show features an incredibly diverse line up including a big bear of a funny man called Kyle Shire!

Kyle Shire was raised in Chicago, IL and is now based out of LA, where he pursues a career in stand up, writing, and hosting.

At 6’5”, 250lbs, Kyle Shire is larger than life both physically and stylistically. His loud, irreverent, rant based, comedy is like if Paul Lynde and Lewis Black had an angry, hairy baby and made it watch anime for 28 years. Suffice it to say, he is not the gay friend you take home to meet your Mama. With his high energy nerd rage, he revels in playing with stereotypes and audience expectations.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the trailer for OUT On Stage for a taster of what you can expect:

Ahead of the show’s premier, I had the chance to sit down with Kyle to talk comedy and how he got involved with the show.

Robin: Hey Kyle, thanks for sparing some time for us to talk, when did you start doing comedy?

Kyle Shire: I started doing stand up in 2009 in Chicago, but I didn’t get serious about it until I moved to LA in 2010.

What made you start doing comedy?

I love stand up comedy more because I love performing and making people laugh, but I’m also a bit of a loner, which is a very common trait amongst stand up comics, I’ve found. I tried improv, sketch, acting, etc, and I enjoyed all of them, but stand up stuck with me because I only have to worry about me, myself and I. There is no compromising, no drama, internal politics or hierarchies, just me. There’s something very freeing about that. The only person I have to manipulate into doing a good job is me.

What is so important about comedy in the current political climate?

Ugh… under normal circumstances, I’d say that comedy is important because satire and parody humbles the powerful, emboldens truth, and holds a mirror to our society. But I honestly don’t know how to handle an administration that is a parody of itself. Our President is pure Kayfabe (pro-wrestling term, look it up, it’s fascinating). That said, these are difficult times nonetheless. If I write a dumb joke about my butthole and it makes some stranger working multiple jobs to support a family laugh and get a grip on reality, that’s beauty. Pure and simple. That’s why we do it.

Do you consider yourself part of the bear community?

I do happen to be a giant, hairy, gay dude that is known to revel with other giant hairy gay dudes.

Awesome! What do you think is the best and the worst thing about the bear community?

I do live for the original spirit of the Bear Community; the “come as you are”, body positive, sexually liberated spirit are the best parts of the bear community, in my opinion. Sexy comes in a million different shapes and sizes.

That said, I think some people in the bear community take “the look” and “the politics” far too seriously. I’ve seen dudes totally close themselves off to anything and anyone that doesn’t fit within the bear culture/community, and that to me is a recipe for toxicity. If you’ve ever shamed a twink for wandering into a bear bar, or told a dude he needs to “gain weight”, or shamed a dude for simply choosing to shave his shoulders, than you are no friend of mine and no friend to the bear community, in my opinion (FYI, these are all things I have seen/heard first hand).

What convinced you to take part in OUT On Stage?

THE PAYCHECK, he says hopping into a Tesla and speeding away, laughing maniacally… kidding!! It is the first all queer stand up series. It’s a ton of queer comics from all over the country, with a variety of points of view, doing what they do best. I’d be an idiot to pass on this opportunity.

What are your hopes and goals for the future?

I hope to spend 2019 working on writing a new hour of polished stand up material – a big, lofty goal that I may not achieve, but I’m gonna try! I also want to get my Twitch channel up and running and finish some pilots and screenplays I’ve had on the back burner.

I’m working on securing funding for a prototype of my table-top card game “Princess Brawl”. And I want to set up a multi-state tour by the end of the year.

Where can our readers see you next?

I’m going to be headlining Phurfest 2019 in Phoenix this April, if you’re in the SW area you should come by and party!