The Art of Stand-Up Comedy With MoDi

            Very few people have the courage to follow their passion.  The majority of people go through life with wishful thinking and “if only” being the closest they come to living out their dream.  Moderchai Rosenfeld, famously known by his stage name MoDi, ditched his investment banking job on Wall Street to pursue stand-up comedy, and has not looked back since.  When taking the elevator up to his apartment on the Lower East Side, I was understandably nervous to interview a Top 10 NYC comedian according to many news outlets, including the Hollywood Reporter.  I can honestly say I am not the same person who went into his apartment.  I learned a lot about pursuing your passion, connecting with people, the amazing energy of New York City, and the beautiful healing process that stand-up comedy brings to so many people around the world.  I learned that stand-up comedy is more than a job.

 

MG: Can you tell me a little bit about your childhood and upbringing?

 

MoDI: I was born in Israel, came here when I was seven years old.  We lived in the Five Towns – which I’m sure you’re familiar with.  I graduated Hewlett high school, I went to Boston University, and I moved to Manhattan and live here.

 

MG: You were on Wall Street before stand up comedy. Did you enjoy that?

 

MoDI: When I finished college my first job was in finance, international banking, I liked it very much; it was a lot of fun.  I used to imitate the secretaries all the time.  My friend said, “You should do it on stage.” He brought me to an open mike, he set the whole the thing up.  The guy who owned the club said I was great and should keep at it, that’s where I caught the bug.  I was doing banking and comedy at the same time for a while and then left banking, and now I do full-time comedy.

 

MG: So what made you go to full-time comedy?

 

MoDi: I was doing well enough, making a living, and I knew I had to go either all the way or no way.  You have to go completely into it or not, you can’t do it half and half.

 

MG: Do you have any comedians that are influences on you?

 

MoDi:  Mostly old-school comedians, like Alan King. I was very fortunate to catch the tail end of the Catskills.  I got to see some amazing comedians up there that no one ever heard of.  Old school Catskill comedians that were just great.  Helped me get from a comedian to a performer.

 

MG: You spend a lot of time in mostly New York and Los Angeles; can you describe the different vibes between each place?

 

MoDi: New York is amazing.  The energy in New York is so much more amazing.  The only way you can appreciate New York is if you leave and come back.  I lived three years in LA and when I came back I was just so appreciative.  New York has amazing comedy clubs, and they’re always packed, so you can always go up and try new material.

 

MG: You spoke about trying new material, how hard is it to come up with new stuff, how do you stay creative?

 

MoDI: Coming up with a new bit is like giving birth.  There’s a premise and you go with it. I’m not one of those comedians that sit in front of a computer and type it all out.  I need to be in front of an audience and feel it out with them.  You know, try different names, different scenarios.  There’s a beginning there’s an end, and in the middle there are tags.  You want to get as much fat trimmed out of the tags before it’s a complete bit.

 

MG: So when you’re up there on stage, do you view yourself as an artist?

 

MoDi: Yeah I’m a performer, artist.  It’s a craft; it’s definitely a craft.  Stand up comedy is a craft.  Art you think something physical like a sculpture or a painting, but this is a craft – an artistic performance as I see it.

 

MG: A lot of people view a stand-up comedian as having the hardest job in the world because they must practice public speaking and making people laugh.  Individually those are extremely tough and you must combine both of those.

 

MoDi: Right.  I look at a guy drilling a hole in the street at five in the morning and that’s hardest job to me.  For me it’s a very natural thing to go up and speak in front of people.  I don’t know maybe it’s my DNA, or my astrological sign they tell me, is very prone to that, but I don’t see it being the most difficult job.

 

MG: What’s your favorite bit that you’ve done or moment on stage – what was your favorite on stage experience you’ve had?

 

MoDI: The bigger the audience the better.  I did a show in Anaheim for 10,000 people, which was a lot of fun.  The Montreal Comedy Festival is always great, a very known festival.  They have big gala shows I’ve been on with 4,000 people.  It’s much easier to perform for a big audience than a small audience – for me.

 

MG: How far do you see stand up going, is it something you want to do for the rest of your life, or an avenue to a different type of comedy?

 

MoDI: Well I can’t imagine stopping doing stand up, I’m hoping it leads to bigger and better things and it is.  It’s moving along, every year it grows with more jobs and more fun events, different types of venues and audiences so it’s always constantly growing.  As for stand up itself, the art and form of stand up is always there.

 

MG: What’s the ultimate goal?

 

MoDi: Ultimate Goal?  Hosting the Oscars, what do I know?  To be able to reach as much of a critical mass as possible.  Because comedy is a calling, it’s more than just a job.  You can really help people.  I get emails that are absolutely mind-boggling “We haven’t laughed in a year and a half.” “We just lost our son , and it was so good to laugh.”  “Our son had cancer and I saw him laughing for the first time.” Just beautiful things like that and when people reach out to you – it’s more than a job.