Ellen DeGeneres on Her Start in Comedy in New Orleans

From: Blank on Blank
Series: Blank on Blank
Length: 04:52

"I’m driving down the street in the French Quarter and there was a sign that said “Opening Soon: Clyde’s Comedy Corner" ... But at Clyde’s there was an X-rated show at midnight every Saturday night." - Ellen DeGeneres. Interview by James Sullivan. Read the full description.

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Playing: Ellen DeGeneres on Her Start in Comedy in New Orleans
From: Blank on Blank

Ellen_degeneres_square2_small Ellen DeGeneres is an actress and her talk slash variety show is one the most watched shows on television. But before all of this she was just girl in New Orleans, growing up and looking for laughs. This is how she got her start doing standup.

INTERVIEW NOTES
- The Date: April 10, 2002
- The Scene: By phone
- The Source: Microcassette
- Related article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle

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Piece Description

Ellen DeGeneres is an actress and her talk slash variety show is one the most watched shows on television. But before all of this she was just girl in New Orleans, growing up and looking for laughs. This is how she got her start doing standup.

INTERVIEW NOTES
- The Date: April 10, 2002
- The Scene: By phone
- The Source: Microcassette
- Related article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle

Transcript

David Gerlach: You’re listening to Blank on Blank. Where lost interviews come to life. Distributed by the Public Radio Exchange. PRX dot org. I’m David Gerlach.

James Sullivan: Hi.

Ellen DeGeneres: Hi! How ya’ doing?

James Sullivan: Hi, I’m James.

Ellen DeGeneres: Hey, James, I’m Ellen.

James Sullivan: You’re Ellen. You certainly are.

Ellen DeGeneres: I’m Ellen. Let’s establish that right off the bat, because it gets confusing for me after we start talking.

[Laughter]

David Gerlach: That’s Ellen DeGeneres. She’s an actress and her talk slash variety show is one the most watched shows on television. And she did something groundbreaking in the 1990s by declaring she was a lesbian both publicly and in the sitcom she was starring in. But before all of this she was just girl in New Orleans, growing up and looking for laughs.

[CLIP FROM STAND-UP ROUTINE IN 1984]

Ellen DeGeneres: My...
Read the full transcript