From struggling to sell 50 tickets to selling out theaters in Denver, San Francisco, Boston, Vancouver, London, and even Chicago, Matteo Lane used his creativity, opera singing, and impressions – which he calls a natural extension of his voice – to hit success in the comedy industry.
Lane chatted with the Chronicle about his career story and upcoming third visit to Austin’s Moontower Comedy Festival, now rebranded as Moontower Just for Laughs.
Austin Chronicle: Why are you excited to perform for the Austin comedy scene?
Matteo Lane: I’m not. I’m joking, can you imagine? I mean, Austin has a very good reputation with comedy. It’s also just a fun city to go to. Audiences are pretty chill, they’re not really uptight. And it’ll be fun to be with a bunch of other comics. It’s always like camp, because you’re just there with friends you don’t get to see because we’re all on the roads so much. It’s all in all a good time. I love it.
Austin Chronicle: How does Moontower compare with other shows you’ve performed at?
ML: The circumstances at a festival are usually really fun. It’s almost like if Six Flags was all comedy, like each person’s getting a piece of comedy here and there, going on different rides. It’s also so different than a music festival where everyone is doing Molly and dressed up like a fairy, waltzing from band to band. Comedy requires you to sit down and laugh. So it’s nice that there’s a bunch of people who have wristbands and lanyards because they want to laugh.
AC: What can audience members expect to see at your set?
“[Moontower is] like if Six Flags was all comedy, like each person’s getting a piece of comedy here and there, going on different rides. It’s also so different than a music festival where everyone is doing Molly and dressed up like a fairy.”
AC: Why is live comedy important?
ML: It’s good to watch a performance when everyone’s senses are all aligned. You’re not distracted by anything, and you’re engaging with the performer. Although after the pandemic, some people still think they’re at home watching Netflix and talk straight through your act, but those are called narcissists. So yeah, live performance is a different type of energy. It’s the rawest form of performing, you know, it’s just you up there with your thoughts.
AC: How did you find comedy?
ML: I found it through Joan Rivers. When I younger, I didn’t have the opportunity to see gay men or queer comics. And there also wasn’t YouTube or Instagram or shareable social media platforms where I could go out and find these things. So I looked to a lot of women – Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Ellen DeGeneres. And the first person I saw that ever made me want to do comedy was Joan Rivers. I saw her way late in life when I was 21, I think, and it just awoke something in me. I didn’t realize it was there. And it really was kind of a calling. I’m like, that’s what I have to do. I have to do that.
AC: Describe the moment you saw yourself as a real comic.
ML: When I moved to New York, it was like a month of doing open mics. I had this opera joke where I would come out and I wouldn’t say anything. I would just sing in my falsetto. And the punch line is when I say: that’s true story of how I came out to my dad. So the first time I did it was at the Creek & The Cave, and I got called first, which was rare. So I had everyone’s attention, and I went up and started singing. I remember there were like 60 comics there. Everyone stopped and looked at me. And then I did the punch line, and everyone started dying of laughter. You don’t usually get that kind of response at an open mic, especially with a new comic. And it was like almost at that moment, I got a stamp of approval from the comedy open mic scene.
AC: What’s the secret to making people laugh?
ML: I think it’s always important to just be yourself. Every time you feel like you have to say something to impress or every time you do something, because you think that’s what a comedian should do. Comics can see straight through bullshit. So I think when people are just genuinely themselves, and they’re vulnerable, that’s when audiences respond.
Matteo Lane at Moontower Just for Laughs
Thu., April 21, 10pm at the Creek and the Cave
Fri., April 22, 7pm at the Parish
Sat., April 23, 11:30pm at Stateside Theatre
Moontower Just For Laughs 2022, April 13-24. Tickets and info at moontowercomedyfest.com.
Find all our news, reviews, and interviews from the fest at austinchronicle.com/moontower-comedy-festival.
This article appears in April 15 • 2022.