JFL Preview! Liza Treyger: The Sweet Sting of Nasty

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Photo by Andrew Max Levy

Liza Treyger’s voice is completely unmistakable.

A real Chicago accent cannot be faked; it has a melodic attack. Impressions always can veer into Minnesota or wind up somewhere lost in lake Michigan. Although the comedian and podcaster now resides in L.A her indelible Chicago accent is as distinct as she is. It’s a bold accent meant to cut through windy winter days and lends itself nicely to say exactly what one means on any given topic.

Today’s topic? Her return to the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal for the event’s 40th Anniversary. Named to the prestigious new faces list in 2014 and Variety magazine’s 10 comics to watch in 2017, her memories of the festival are warm, plentiful and truly changed the trajectory of her career. “In 2014 I really wanted to be working with my manager so I was like I have to slay this and then she wanted to work with me and we hugged and cried and we’re still together,” she told me in a pre-JFL interview.

The festival this year as in previous years is a benchmark of growth. “I remember my first year 2014 I was looking at Nikki Glazer and we were sort of friends. She was very nice to me when I started. She was so busy and beautiful doing all these panels, podcasts and shows at the festival. Then in 2019 I had this moment where I was as busy as she was (at Just for Laughs) and I really felt like I made it.”

Busy Treyger will be. Appearing on the 8 day run of The Nasty show. A mainstay of Just for Laughs that celebrates all shades of blue material. “I am always pretty dirrty, I like gross fun jokes. Maybe I’ll push it a bit but it’s not like ohhh I have to get ready to be nasty…..it comes pretty chill to me,” she said. The Nasty show boasts some heavy hitters this year ready to take aim and make up for lost time. Hosted by Big Jay Oakerson the run features Josh Adam Meyers, Robert Kelly, Yamaneika Saunders and is expected to be a real shift in style moment for Vancouver forged L.A based Sophie Buddle….(think oops… I did it again Britney or like when Mylie Cyrus eulogized Hannah Montana). “We are all crowd work comics,” Liza said. “We all love to do crowd work so we just have to make sure we aren’t picking on the same people.”

Treyger looks forward to playing to the consenting crowd at The Nasty show but definitely has some behavior she will not tolerate. She explained. “There is a trend now at the comedy store. It’s happened twice now in 2 weeks where grown ass men put their bare feet on the stage. He was wiggling his toes when I told him to stop. He thought I was joking. It was disgusting. Like maybe if you grew up in San Diego you don’t think it’s a problem. I can’t imagine doing that in a million years then taking issue when someone says stop it’s psychotic behaviour!”

A live recording “That’s messed up: An SVU Podcast” hosted by herself and Kara Klenk will also be included in the ComedyPro portion of Just for Laughs. The conference component is dedicated to showcasing new directions for the industry. “It’s so fun to do the live podcast recordings. To get reactions while we are talking. After a few, I was like oh my god Kara we really have some chemistry.”

The part of the festival Treyger is looking forward to the most is her appearance at the Ronnie Cheng Gala.“I feel like I really put that into the universe. I looked at all the galas and thought Ronnie’s would be the only one that would pick me, then a week later I got asked to do it.”

Liza Treyger is a Comic who lives with a healthy helping of all things. This is a major ingredient to her continued rising stardom. There is an indulgent grandness to her who admittedly “Goes hard for the things I love.”

The elongated tone of the aforementioned accent is in full inviting force as she lists off her current favourite things.

“Drag Race brings me so much joy week after week. Wordle no matter how high or drunk or tired I’ll play my wordle. Hacks season 2 seeing Devon Siwa looking fine as fuck. Corgis. Old episodes of Roseanne it’s so good.” Yet in the same breath, a staccato curtness is reserved for what she hates. “I am annoyed when people I hate are successful. People who I don’t think are authentic people or performers I think are gross and not that talented….benefiting off of Incel/ white nationalist culture. I hate people I hate getting things. Inflation is out of control paying $35.00 for Shake Shack and of course cleaning my room.”

Her comedy lies in the push and pulls of these personas and whatever combination of the two arrives in Montreal in a few short weeks. Audiences are bound to listen and laugh.

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