Earle Monroe in _Foreskin (I want you Back!)

 EARLE MONROE

“I think that we can laugh at almost anything and we should.”

If you’re an American male, chances are you’re missing something. That’s right, most of your parents made the decision (without your permission) to have you circumcised when you were born.

Well, comedian Earle Monroe is heartsick over his missing fold and he isn’t going to go quietly. Instead, he created the new comedy song, FORESKIN (I WANT YOU BACK!), as part of his recently released debut EP, WITH ALL DUE DISRESPECT….

Taking it a step further, Earle created a video for the tune, featuring his long-time friend actor Gary Anthony Williams (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Now that his video has been released into the world, Earle Monroe found some time for an interview:

How did you come up with the idea for “Foreskin (I Want You Back!”)?

EARLE: I wrote the song on a dare. I think of myself as sophisticated but I also never lost touch with that teenage, fart joke appreciating, side of myself. A friend challenged me to write a crass song and put my own spin on it. Which I guess I would describe as also being interested in the underlying issues of human insecurity; in this case what it means to be a man. You know, deep stuff. My friend dared me to write a deep song about my penis, so I did. I think it addresses something that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention in the past – men’s body issues – and how that conflicts with our need to be manly, macho, and tough.

Does writing a comedy song come naturally to you?

EARLE: When I was a teenager I tried to write a song, which I imagined to be a perfect fit for some pop/rock star on the radio, and it was bad. I couldn’t express something heartfelt without it being corny and cliche. So I went snarky instead. It’s like I could ONLY write a funny song. Meanwhile, I am often singing my thoughts, creating little ditties and “theme songs” for businesses I drive by (Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, I’m waiting for your call…) and all of these things kind of combined to make comedy songs a natural fit for me. Maybe someday I’ll be able to write a serious song, we’ll see.

Earle Monroe Album Cover Release

Lyrics first or the tune?

EARLE: For this one they emerged together, with maybe the lyrics being a little ahead of the tune. I let my mind wander around the idea of masculinity, sexuality, bravado, and overcompensation for insecurities. I would scribble down interesting thoughts, funny words and rhymes, while trying out sounds, styles and melodies that might fit.

With this song I wanted to challenge myself to not fall into the trap of sounding like the same old folk/rock song with 3 chords, so I tried an early version of the lyrics in a funk style. It didn’t work overall, but there was something interesting in it, which eventually became the bridge of the song, which Gary Anthony Williams appears in. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for people who haven’t listened/watched yet, so I’ll just say that it is a nice “left field” surprise that I hope people will like.

Do you also create the ideas for your videos?

EARLE: I am definitely involved in the process. My wife (Arianna Ortiz) directed the videos. Because she knows me so well, and understands my comedic point of view, she had a strong sense of how to create videos to support my material. She knows what I’m capable of, and also what my comedy is not about (we scratched an idea that involved a penis puppet) so that the tone works for my material. She knows that I have a very serious side and she knows how to use that to our advantage. By coming across as very serious I can point out the absurdity of how seriously we take things, and that becomes funny.

Earle Monroe in _Foreskin (I Want You Back!)_-5

What was the hardest part about writing something funny on the page and then delivering that to audiences?

EARLE: There’s always a period of working out the kinks when getting something on its feet. I come from an improv and theatre background, so it’s important for me to connect with an audience live and test drive material. We all know that self-confidence and commitment go a long way to making success (sometimes even making up for weak material) and that’s not automatically there when I’m putting the first pass at something on its feet. Not every joke will land, things will need to be cut, moved around, reworded, or I may even discover that a song that I love just doesn’t make the grade and gets retired. Not every puppy in the litter is going to make it to the Westminster show; some of them will be runts.

How did you get into comedy?

EARLE: I was always a class clown, but more as an oddball than a prankster. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer or a businessman, and continued to study economics and prepare to go to the business school in college, even while I began doing theatre and joined the student sketch troupe. Somewhere in there I realized I just wanted to pretend to be a lawyer, and accepted that I was a performer at heart. I still like doing drama, but comedy is like a comfortable home for me.

Gary Anthony Williams and Earle Monroe in _Foreskin (I Want You Back!)

Are there any topics that are off-limits?

EARLE: I think that we can laugh at almost anything and we should. There are places I won’t go, but it’s more a matter of tone than topic. I do think that laughing at ourselves and our world is extremely valuable, but laughing in a mean-spirited way divides people instead of bringing them together. I have an ability to get people to laugh at off-color topics, and also to laugh at themselves. I think this is because people can tell that I’m also laughing at myself; I’m laughing with people and not at them. It’s like the Firesign Theater said in their comedy album “I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus.”

Who do you consider your biggest comedy influences?

EARLE: Steve Martin for the way he combines silliness with intellectual and philosophical topics. Andy Kaufman for his edgy, no apologies weirdness and desire to stretch boundaries without feeling any need to explain himself. Jack Lemmon for his warmth, vulnerability, and relatability as an actor, and the way he brought elements of drama to his comedy, and vice versa. And of course the incomparable Stephen Colbert, for so, so many reasons.

We can’t let you go without asking…what makes you laugh?

EARLE: So many things make me laugh. I love physical comedy, pratfalls and gags. I love wordplay and turning the ordinary on its ear to create something unexpected. Like in the classic story of The Emperor’s New Clothes, I love when comedy is used to undermine people’s self-important egos. I love recognizing that we’re all just stumbling and bumbling along in life, making is up as we go and trying our best, with no real idea of what we’re doing.

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