HA HA HA!


by Christy Murphy
South Florida's own Flip Schultz is a finalist in the E! Talent Search. Schultz, who performs regularly with local comedy troupe, Comedy Sportz, has performed at virtually every place possible in South Florida from top clubs like Uncle Funny's and The Comedy Corner to Shoneys. The performer has opened for national headliners Bobby Slayton and Diane Ford, won the Seinfeld Comedy Contest and has appeared in the movie, Phat Beach.

I recently spoke with the stand-up comic/actor after his feature set at Thunder Alley. The 22-year-old performer joked about his humble beginnings, his plans for the future and his "whiffle ball theory" of comedy.

Pulp: How did you get started in comedy?
Flip: I was raised by wolves and I needed to entertain them or they'd eat me. [laughs]...Actually the thought of doing comedy didn't kick in until I was 8 years old and I won this talent show for doing stand-up. I did impressions and I sung "Mexican Radio." I won first place in my age division and it was literally at that moment that I realized I wanted to do stand-up...From 8-18 I did talent shows, a month after I turned 18, I did my first open mic at a place called In Cahoots. I look back on it now and I sucked. But I won this open mic night only because the entire audience was my family.

Pulp: How do you think of all your material?
Flip: A lot of times I drive in my car alone and weird stuff floats through my head...I do a lot of observational humor...Here's my theory of comedy. I think of every situation as a whiffle ball. You know, that ball with all the holes in it. I think of every thing as a potential bit and every situation is a whiffle ball and inside that whiffle ball is a joke. So, each hole is like a way to get to the center of a joke. Sometimes I'll go one way, and I'll hit a wall. You know, like I couldn't find the right punch line or the setup didn't work. So, I'll step back and look at it from a different angle. Sometimes I find something other times I keep it in the back of my head waiting to use it with something else...

Pulp: What are your goals as a performer?
Flip: Ultimately I'd like to make my living acting and doing comedy and get rich and famous and powerful and take over the world. [laughs] I'd be a liar if I didn't say I wanted to go all the way and be rich and famous, but my lesser goal is to make money doing this and be able to support myself.
You don't get in this business and say to yourself, 'You know I want to be scrouging out a living. I just want to get by. Yeah, that's my goal.'

Currently, Flip is touring in the play Cinderella. In February, Shakespheare fans see Schultz in "As You Like It" at FAU. He performs regularly with the improv comedy troupe Comedy Sportz in Ft. Lauderdale.