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Chang lived his entire life in New York City until moving to Los Angeles in 2007 to launch his comedy career. 2010 was his breakthrough year, with appearances on a Comedy Central special, Showtime’s “Minority Report” and E!’s “Chelsea Lately.” He is currently on tour most of the year. He is dating but not in a serious relationship.
Goldsea: Were you always so balls-out uninhibited?
Eliot Chang: Not at all. I used to be extremely shy all the way through high school. Then when I turned 16 I just got fed up with being scared all the time.
GS: When did you discover that you had a knack for making people laugh?
EC: Once I came out of my shell at 16, I could always make my friends laugh. They always thought I could be a comedian, but I never took that seriously.
GS: How did your family react when they found out you wanted to be a standup comic?
EC: They were not happy at all, but they soon realized I was going to do what I wanted to do. And if they wanted to be a part of my life they would have to accept my career choice.
GS: Do you ever alienate your friends or family by drawing on their behavior for your comedy?
EC: No. I try to keep my private life private. I never use names. At least not without permission.
GS: Paint us a picture of the kind of kid you were in high school.
EC: As I mentioned, at first I was very shy, but once I came out of my shell I was a little bit of a maniac. I wasn’t a part of any one group. I kind of floated between all of them. Probably because I was so used to having no friends, when I starting making friends I made the choice to be nice to everyone.
GS: What are your favorite subject areas for comedy?
EC: I talk about everything. I don’t stick to any one topic.
GS: How do you go about preparing your material?
EC: I just work it out on my feet on stage. I work it out 3 times before I perfect it and then put it down on paper.
GS: How did you get into standup?
EC: I walked by a comedy club, saw the sign for an open mic in the window, and decided to give it a try. I went onstage without preparing any material. I bombed bigtime. But I kept going back because a little voice in my head told me to not give up. Next
