Liza Treyger talks to Awards Daily about her new Netflix stand-up special, women’s revolution in comedy, and why men are intimidated by funny women.
Comedienne Liza Treyger, who appears in Netflix’s stand-up showcase The Degenerates, enjoys making people laugh, especially headstrong men in the audience.
“Sometimes I’m in cities where men won’t even look at me,” says Treyger. “Dudes don’t want to laugh because I’m a woman. The girls love me. But I love that by the end the dudes can’t not laugh. It gives me joy to see men who didn’t want to laugh, laugh. And then some people will say, ‘I didn’t know women could be funny.'”
Just as we’re experiencing a revolution in politics, with more women running for government positions than ever before, comedy also appears to be experiencing a female revolution. Treyger’s The Degenerates’ episode joins other notable female stand-up specials like Hannah Gadsby’s recent talking piece Nanette.
“Post-election, it was like, ‘Fuck all of you. Your approval doesn’t matter.’ I can’t speak for the Los Angeles comedy scene, but in New York, everyone started doing their own thing. You don’t have to play these games anymore. The women are thirsty for it—not just the performers, but audiences are seeking it out, too.”
The Degenerates Netflix Comedy Showcase
Treyger’s half-hour episode of The Degenerates is a slow burn toward some really timely insight about men and women. She starts off talking about the masturbatory Hitachi wands and comparing her depressed self to Willy Wonka’s Grandpa Joe in bed (only without friends), but then she reveals some truly dead-on commentary about sexual assault: The first thing she always asks a girlfriend who’s had sex with someone new is “Did you want it?”
Treyger says some of this comedy was inspired by Patrice O’Neal’s Elephant in the Room special.
“I disagreed with everything he had to say, but was still in awe. [With my own Degenerates episode], like O’Neal, I liked tricking the people, making them think they have the power, then revealing you’re all pieces of shit.”
While she’s recorded comedy specials before, this was one different when it came to the wait time. Plus, her material has changed since the filming, as she’s constantly tweaking and retooling.
“As a comic, I’ve grown since recording the Netflix special. The biggest new thing was getting off the stage and going, ‘Oh god, I don’t know how that went, and now I have to wait a month and a half to see.'”
The Degenerates was filmed in Las Vegas, which Treyger appreciated for “eating in the nice restaurants,” but of all the cities to perform in, her favorite might be the nation’s capital.
“In Washington D.C., they work hard and play hard. I assume they’re not offended by stuff because they work for the government. They’re there to have a good time.”
As one of the smartest cities in the United States, it clearly has to be filled with funny women, too.
“I think men are intimidated by funny women because they figure these women are smart and probably won’t fuck them.”
Given her hilarious Degenerates stand-up, she must be the most intimidating woman in every room.
The Degenerates comedy series streams on Netflix starting Oct. 30.
