Questions and answers with Carol Leifer
Renowned comedian/actor reminisces about her time Binghamton, discusses new book
Carol Leifer is a comedy icon: an Emmy and Golden Globe winner for her work on TVs Hacks and a standup comedian who has written for such shows as Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, Curb Your Enthusiasm and 11 Academy Award telecasts.
But before all that, she was a student at SUNY Binghamton in the mid-1970s. In a conversation with Robin Kall 85, head of books for Rohm Feifer Entertainment and the host of the radio talk show and podcast Reading With Robin, Leifer discusses her new book, How to Write a Funny Speech , sharing her expertise on crafting humor that lands.
Q: What do you remember about walking onto the Binghamton campus? What was your area of study and did your experience at SUNY fuel your creative work?
A: My sister Jane had gone to Binghamton, so I was very familiar with the campus from visiting her. But when I walked onto the campus as a freshman, I remember thinking, Wow! This is now my place! I was a telecommunications major, and I got so much out of all the programs there. We wrote and produced a comedic soap opera called The Flame of Life. I wrote comedy with fellow students, among them Howard Korder, who is now a renowned playwright. I did an internship at the local PBS TV station and got to sit in the control room as they did live broadcasts. And I did a ton of theater at SUNY, which really eased the transition for me into standup. I was in Hinman Little Theatre (I hope they still have it!).
Q: Were there any situations or relationships from Binghamton that found their way into your work in standup or on Seinfeld?
A: One relationship I had that still has a big impact on me is with my friend Jim Matthews, who lived on my floor. He was a singer and had backup singers who were funny, myself among them, and performing with him really made me relax on stage.
Q: What were your favorite hangouts on and off campus?
A: I used to take the school-provided bus to Ithaca College. I went to Pat Mitchells Ice Cream all the time! The OP Bar. And we used to drive to Syracuse to eat at Danzers restaurant that had the best Reuben sandwiches Ive ever had!
Q: Favorite Pat Mitchells Ice Cream flavor?
A: Mint chip, hands down!
Q: What was it that sparked the idea to write How to Write a Funny Speech?
A: My co-writer Rick [Mitchell] and I have been to so many weddings where someone gave a horrible speech and it put a damper on the entire event. We knew together there are basics to derail that. And ways to make your speech funny. There are a lot of books about speeches, but not any written by two experienced comedy writers.
Q: What are some of the rookie mistakes people make when writing speeches and how will your book help readers to avoid those?
A: The biggest mistakes are speaking too long and using profanity in a speech. Buy our book to learn even more rookie mistakes!
Q: What was one of the most difficult speeches you ever had to write? How does the ability to read a room figure in?
A: Not too long ago, I lost my cousin to cancer and was asked to make a speech at his memorial. I was still very emotional about losing him and was afraid I was going to break down during my speech. But I find speaking at these events, especially the difficult ones, to be very cathartic. I didnt break down after all just talking about my cousin and what he meant to me was very healing in the moment.
Q: Ideal amount of time for a toast? Graduation speech? An interview?
A: For a speech, five minutes tops! Some people go on and on and its painful. An interview, well, thats up to the interviewer. If they want to ask you a million questions, what are you going to do? Its their party and youre the guest.