UTPA student doubles as stand-up comedian
Despite the popularity of female stand-up comedians, such as Kathy Griffin and Joan Rivers, Jessica Muchow believes that comedy is largely male-dominated, with women not as equally represented.
“It seems like a bunch of women in the business are more of a niche than anything else,” she said. “I’ve also noticed that a lot of them gain notoriety because of their raunchiness, but I try to keep my act as clean as possible.”
Muchow is a UTPA student and an award-winning comedian. The 24-year-old communication major burst to the local comedy scene a few years ago, but she has been involved in several big local shows. Among these performances was opening for comedian Pablo Francisco July 12 at the McAllen Civic Center.
Muchow won the opportunity to open for Francisco when she took part in the 2013 RGV Funniest Comedian Competition in April at Casa Havana in McAllen. The winner was selected by the audience and the top prize included, among other things, opening for comedian Dustin Diamond in April (Screech from the 1990’s TV sitcom Saved by the Bell) and then Pablo Francisco.
Muchow beat out 15 other comedians to win the top prize. She fondly recalled the experience with much elation.
“I was on Cloud Nine when it happened,” the 24-year-old UTPA BroncLine Call Center operator said. “I went in thinking that I’d be myself, but wasn’t thinking I’d win. I felt so wonderful when it happened. Opening for Screech was such a new experience for me.”
Muchow was nervous about the night leading up to the event, but was able to dissuade her anxiety.
“At first, I was scared of what would happen,” she said. “Then I remembered, I’d won the slot to do this. I deserved to be here tonight.”
Muchow’s shtick is composed of funny life experiences, which she talks about in a sarcastic, witty manner, often modeling her humor after her idols, Jerry Seinfeld and Roseanne Barr.
“Whenever I tell someone that I go to UTPA, they always ask me, ‘What are you taking?’” the communications major said during her performance. “I answer ‘Xanax and Zoloft.’ And then I realize that that’s not what they meant.”
After her performance, the Orange County, Calif. native admitted how much she thrives on performing on-stage.
“The laughter was overwhelming,” she said. “I couldn’t tell how many people were in the audience until I heard the laughter. I felt at home; the laughter was so disorienting, it excited me.”
Muchow admitted that she never saw herself as a stand-up comedian, but decided to try it to challenge herself.
“I can make my friends laugh, but no one told me, ‘You’re so funny, you should do stand-up,’” she said. “I decided to do it to see if I could make a bunch of strangers laugh.”
Muchow saw comedy as a way to express herself, also finding it a source of therapy.
“I needed an outlet, something to focus on to use as a release,” she said. “Musicians get lost in their music. I get lost in the lights, the energy that I feed off while performing.”
Another reason Muchow went into stand-up was the sudden death of her father, a victim of a heart attack in January 2011, which impacted her tremendously. She even has a tattoo of a clock with the time of his death on her left forearm.
Muchow first tried out as a comedian when she saw a flier for Cine El Rey’s weekly Wednesday Night Comedy in fall 2011. She decided to enter as a birthday surprise for her mother. She approached Cine El Rey Manager Bert Guerra, and begged him to allow her to perform.
“They took a leap of faith with me because I was an unknown, and the guy gave me five minutes to perform before the headliner,” she recalled. “I was so nervous, but the crowd liked me and I’ve gone from making guest spots to hosting local comedy shows.”
Geraldine Barrios, a close friend of Muchow who attends Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, described how Muchow’s love of stage led to her becoming a stand-up comedian.
“She’s loved being in front of people onstage since our high school One-Act Play and improv class," the McAllen native said. “She’s not afraid of being in front of a large crowd and she’s always so vivacious and hilarious.”
Muchow even includes her family in her routine, using a discussion between her parents in her routine.
“My parents used to always debate over who I used to like the most, as if I was going to get a prize or something,” she said. “Finally, my dad settled the debate by saying, ‘She looks nothing like me or her mother, she’s ugly.’”
She called her mother an inspiration and has a tattoo that serves as a tribute to her, of a microphone with a quote from the 1995 Tracy Chapman song “Give Me One Reason” on her left bicep.
Even if Muchow doesn’t reach mega-success, she said she’s still content with what she’s doing and will continue to entertain.
“I just want to keep doing this until it stops making me happy. And if that never happens, then I’ll gladly keep doing it,” she said.
