FOR HARKES, COMEDY A TOUGH MISTRESS
Longtime entertainer talks about her new album and barriers women co
Musician-turned-comedian Erin Harkes doesn’t want fame. Having scores of loyal fans is not what interests her. She’s in it for the skill and the joy of making people laugh. Harkes is rounding off a very unfunny pandemic year with her very first comedy album, “Zoloft and Probation” produced by Toronto-based Howl and Roar records. The album showcases Harkes’ own brand of observational humor, inspired by her personal experiences. It is also her first comedy album after three solely music albums. Harkes was married to music for 20 years when she realized that she enjoyed bantering and interacting with the audience between songs. She finally took the plunge at Waterworks in Albany in 2012. As she likes to say: “Music is my spouse and comedy is my mistress.” “I always was curious to try it,” Harkes said. “But I didn’t even know where to start. And then one night, another comedian that I knew was having an open mic. And I decided to just give it a shot. And I was hooked up immediately. And that was one of the most terrifying things I ever did.” Coming from a performing arts field, moving to another performing arts field wasn’t hard for Harkes, but like with other male-dominated professions, this came with its own challenges. Sexism and inappropriate jokes run rogue and dealing with them can get complicated. “When it’s in the comedy community, it’s all under the guise of it being a joke,” said Harkes. “They’ll be inappropriate to you. And then when you defend yourself, they insult you, as a professional comedian, like saying that you can’t take a joke if you can’t put up with it.” Harkes has
found her niche in the comedy world with a strong support system of women comedians. “Some of my closest friends are other female comedians. And it’s a very amazing bond. It’s hard to explain,” she said. “I always joke that when you have an all-female lineup, they’re like, ‘Oh I had a show called “Chicks Are Funny” at the Funny Bone.’ And when people ask ‘What would you call it if it was an all-male lineup, and I said, I would call it a comedy show.’ Apart from friends, Harkes has also met a lot of close work associates at comedy shows. She met the founder of Howl and Roar, Allison Dore, at a comedy festival and today, Dore is producing her album. But while Harkes is a well-known entity locally, fame and fortune are not something she desires. In fact, she’d rather not be famous. “It’s nice to be known. And it’s nice to be well known,” she said. “But it’s unsettling sometimes when people feel like they have a connection to you. Some people lack boundaries. And I have people that refer to me as as a friend. And I get uncomfortable because I’m like, I don’t even know your name!” With the album coming out, Harkes is balancing her spouse and mistress even more. The pandemic brought a stop to live events, which meant that the comedy scene in the Capital Region almost died with it. But the difficulties with comedy existed long before that, especially since Harkes started producing her own shows. “It’s definitely lik said. “And if it’s done rig but music is just, it’s kin following, I have a good r call and say hey, come pl lars. They don’t necessar or not.” “Whereas comed thing together, I have to seat is full, I have to mak dian is ready. And there’s work that goes into it. Bu ing when you can fill a pl and get that laughter and warding.” The Capital Re Harkes. It’s where she st plans to stay. “It means t call it home, I make a rea here. And, the Capital Re great to me, which is wh with you know, sticking
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Music is my spouse and comedy is my mistress. I always was curious to try it.”
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