Comedian Winston Hodges has a funny way of getting laughs. Rather than delivering jokes from a well-honed, stand-up routine, he likes to freestyle, chatting up audience members and riffing on topics he’s solicited in advance. “ I always have a lot of fun when I work the crowd and improvise,” says the Catersville, Virginia, native who’s been making the rounds in area clubs like DC Improv, Hotbed, and the innovative Don’t Tell Comedy circuit that’s hosts comedians in unconventional venues.

Recently, Hodeges has been bringing humor to The Art League with The Art of Comedy, a series of performances that open with fellow funny men and women doing stand-up with Hodges’ improvisational style as the main act. Here, the jokester talks about who makes him laugh, his brand of comedy, and joke-telling as an art form.

Love at first laugh.

The first stand-up comedian that I remember watching was Sinbad when I was seven- or eight-years old. He was the funniest thing that I’d ever seen, and I was like oh, people can just be funny for a living. His jokes were really good, but he was also such a physical performer. His physicality made him enjoyable to me as a child and years later, when I better understood what he was speaking about, I enjoyed him on a different level. 

Comedic Inspirations

I used to really like Bill Cosby. He would just sit down and tell a story and I was enthralled the whole time. Norm McDonald, Patton Oswalt, and Dave Chapelle are the three that have had a huge impact on me. They were all really popular when I was a teenager. The teen years is when I think that people’s sense of humor becomes fully formed.

Class Clown

I was a class clown. Whether or not I was funny depended on which teacher you asked. English and history teachers thought I was pretty funny, but the science and the math teachers weren’t really big fans of my antics.

Comedic Style

My style is conversational. Even when I’m not doing a fully improvised show and using pre-written material it doesn’t feel like I’m just delivering jokes. I pride myself on being able to talk about sensitive topics like politics, race, religion, and geopolitics in a way that even if you don’t agree with me, you will think it’s funny. I like taking sensitive subjects and finding a way to speak about them. People have described me as having Southern charm with an edgy wit. 

Since moving to D.C. I do more political comedy because, well, it’s D.C. Coming from a rural, conservative background to a diverse city like D.C. gives me a unique perspective. I see things  from both sides and find a way to speak about them. I see so much abrasive political comedy. I try not to make people feel like they’re being talked down to, even if I disagree with them. I think there’s a way to speak about issues that doesn’t belittle anybody. But at the same time, when I’m on stage you know exactly what I believe in. There’s no compromising my values.

Stand-up vs Improv

Traditionally, stand up is all pre-written. You write your jokes and you perform them, and you perform them ad nauseum until they’re perfect, or “ bulletproof.” Stand-up comedians give their perspective, or what they want you to hear. I do improvisational stand-up which is all about getting to know the audience, doing a little crowd work, talking to people, finding their interests, and then using their interests or topics that they give me. It’s a more free-flowing  idea exchange. I feel like when you just have a conversation with someone you can find what tickles them. Also, I really enjoy meeting new people and comedy lets me do that.

The Art of Comedy meets The Art League

I thought it would be unique and interesting to present a comedy as art where the first half of a show features  stand-up comics doing their best material, like going to an art gallery and seeing the finished works of artists. The second half, the improvisational set, is like seeing an artist in process. I wanted to showcase it in an art gallery or school and The Art League came up in a Google search, and had positive things to say about the classes they’ve taken there. Then I learned about the fundraising for your impending move and pitched my show idea as a fundraising event. Partnering with the Art League gives credence to stand-up being an art form.

The Takeaway

The Art of Comedy has something for everybody. I always pick comedians that I really respect and have a different point of view than I do.I hope you laugh and love it. I hope you think it’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen, but even if not, I hope you walk away having a better understanding of stand-up comedy.