‘America’s Got Talent’ finalist Drew Lynch returns to Flappers Comedy Club
Comedian Drew Lynch thinks back to September’s “America’s Got Talent” finals with a bit of disappointment. “In that moment, I really wanted to win so badly, because a comedian has never won before,” he says through his now trademark stutter. “It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about the show. It was just about being able to validate myself a little bit.”
Although the 24-year-old comedian came in second to ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, he’s now finding that validation. The one-time ticket-taker at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank just finished an five-episode run on “Maron,” the IFC sitcom starring podcaster/comedian Marc Maron, and he has a whole slew of upcoming projects lined up.
We caught up with Lynch on a recent Friday afternoon while he was driving to the dog park to relax a bit before doing an early set at Flappers followed by a late show at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood. “I hope you don’t mind a burst of road rage,” he quipped as he navigated his vehicle while reflecting on his career, “because I’m pretty notorious for that.”
Although he gained national notoriety on “America’s Got Talent,” he wasn’t called specifically for the role of Adam on “Maron,” one of the characters the comedian befriends in a rehab facility. “I just went in and auditioned for it,” he says. “It wasn’t something I thought I would get cast in at all. I’ve never worked with Marc before, although I am a fan of his podcast and his standup.”
There’s talk that this is the last season of “Maron,” but Lynch is hopeful the show will return and he’ll be invited back. “He likes to bring back a lot of people from past seasons,” he says, “so hopefully if he ends up doing another season, I’ll get to be on it again.”
On the set of the show, Lynch says he was warmly received by the crew. “Lots of those guys are family men and they have kids who watched ‘America’s Got Talent’ last year,” he says, “so they were all very familiar with my situation and my standup.”
He also enjoyed working with another veteran comedian, Bobcat Goldthwait, who directed some of the episodes he appeared on. As for the show’s star and namesake, Lynch is a fan who admires how Maron has been able to branch out from his career as a standup comedian to host his own highly successful podcast and star in his own TV show and comedy specials. “I have huge admiration for everything he’s been able to do with his career,” Lynch says.
During breaks on the set, Lynch was able to chat shop with Maron a bit. “We got to talking about doing standup,” he says. “It’s kind of cool to talk to a veteran comedian about some of the clubs that he’s done on the road. We’ve both been in the same places. Some of these comedy clubs have been around for 20 years, so you get a sense of history. I’ve only been doing standup for five. There’s different generations, so if you find a medium you can discuss, it’s kind of awesome.”
Lynch had to reschedule one of his club dates due to the show’s production schedule. As a joke, the owner of the club called Maron and busted his chops a bit about the conflict, saying, “Hey, you took my guy from me.”
The “Maron” storyline follows the comedian through his struggles in a rehab facility, a battle Maron and another co-star, rapper/actor Chet Hanks (son of Tom Hanks), faced in real life. Does Lynch have any such experience? “No, I’ve never had serious issues with any of that,” Lynch says, but not before joking, “Not yet. I don’t want to call it too early.” As for his character on the show, Lynch says, “I don’t think my character abuses substances of any kind, either. I think he’s just tormented by the idea that so many things in life are terrible or things aren’t as great as they once were.”
Some might assume that Lynch feels that way, too, but that’s just not the case, although he admits that his stuttering did give him pause on the set. “It’s always a stress in my mind because I don’t want to hold any one up, slow a scene down or ruin a certain rhythm they have in mind,” he says. “That could be a certain stigma I put in my own head, but between Bobcat, the writers and Marc, they never mentioned that at all. If I was ever given a redirect or whatever, it was just to try something. Bobcat was very laid-back.”
The “Maron” appearance was the realization of a dream for Lynch, who thought his plans of becoming an actor were dashed forever following a freak accident five years ago during a softball game. He took a hard grounder to the throat that left him with a stutter. “It really is” a dream come true, he says. “I wanted them to cast me because I was good and I fit the role. I didn’t want them to just cast me because [I stutter] ... People have said that even despite the stutter, it works for the character. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities in the future where people just see this is a character who happens to talk this way, rather than being a role that’s defined by it.”
Rather than let that that affliction hold him down, Lynch pursued a career as a standup comedian following the accident, laughing at his misfortune. His success in the clubs led to the spot on “America’s Got Talent,” where judge Howie Mandel awarded him the show’s first-ever Golden Buzzer, which sent him to the final live rounds in New York City.
Although Lynch didn’t win, he’s won in other ways. Aside from the “Maron” run, he’ll appear in an already-wrapped forthcoming dark comedy, written and directed by Adam Marcus, known for “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” and “Texas Chainsaw 3D,” and he has another film lined up for fall. On top of that, he’s planning to record a comedy special, “Did I Stutter,” July 7 through 9 at his home club, Flappers in Burbank. He’s hoping to land the special with Netflix. “I can’t say who it is, but there may be a special celebrity someone who has helped my career in the past making an appearance,” Lynch says. He also plans to pitch a sitcom to the streaming service. Not bad, for someone who thought his career ended before it began due to a bad hop on the ball field.
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Who: Drew Lynch
What: “Did I Stutter” comedy special taping
Where: Flappers Comedy Club, 102 E Magnolia Blvd. Burbank
When: July 7 through 9, 8 and 10 p.m. shows
Tickets: $20
More info: (818) 845-9721, flapperscomedy.com
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CRAIG ROSEN is a regular contributor to Marquee.
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