Joe Fernandez: Ask for the ‘Poop Marijuana Box’ joke

The Stand-Up Sobriety Tour showcases some of Chicago’s best up-and-coming stand-up comedians. And “sobriety” might be somewhat of an exaggeration in this case: “We all kind of fit that mold of comedians who don’t take care of themselves and go out half-lit,” comedian Joe Fernandez said of himself and tour-mates Nate Burrows, Tim McClaughlin and Matt Riggs. The Chicago quartet are all regulars at The Laugh Factory and are some of the city’s most-talked-about comics. Fernandez took a few minutes to chat with LEO about growing up Cubish (Cuban and Irish) in Texas and the tour.

LEO: How was growing up in Houston, Texas?

Joe Fernandez: Growing up, I didn’t want to be a comedian. I wanted to be a baseball player. As I grew up, I began to realize that, that just wasn’t in the cards for me. My mom and dad are both sports people, so I became a sports person, and I hate that I’m a sports person. It’s the worst curse you can have … being into sports. It’s a completely inconsequential game that can completely ruin your day. I don’t wish it on anyone. I didn’t really know I wanted to be a comedian until I moved to Chicago.

Was it an ultra-conservative upbringing?

I think it’s similar in any city. Within the city limits, everyone’s pretty progressive. Remember, Houston was one of the first cities to have an openly-gay mayor [Annise Parker served as mayor from 2010 to 2016]. Outside of the city, you get to the suburbs, and that’s where you see that stereotype of what people perceive Texans to be. And you’re like: ‘Oh, so these are the people that are affecting everything right now.’

Do you think growing up self-proclaimed Cubish affected your sense of humor?

Honestly, I think it was more my dad just raising me on stuff like ‘All in the Family,’ Mary Tyler Moore and Carroll Burnett. My father dealt with a lot of racism in his life. He’d go to job interviews, and they wouldn’t take him seriously. They just wanted to fuck around with him. He was a doctor, and people would say things in job interviews like: ‘You’re Cuban? So, do you like tacos?’ So I think his choices in humor affected mine. Especially ‘All in the Family.’ That show is one of the hugest influences on me, because my dad loved it. And he dealt with all of that racist shit, and he thinks this is the funniest show in the world. Because people forget that Archie Bunker was making fun of people who were that ignorant. Carroll O’Connor didn’t view the world through Archie’s eyes. But that show could never be made today, because people are too sensitive, and that’s really unfortunate.

What is it about the comedians on this tour that makes these shows work?

Well, Tim is not dumb, but he plays the fool a lot. Matt is probably my closest friend in the city right now. He and I sort of have a similar style, where we can approach serious topics and then turn them in a really absurd direction. I am definitely the most absurd of us all. I have a joke called ‘Poop Marijuana Box.’ Nate is a high-energy guy. He’s someone — you would think he is constantly on coffee and cocaine. Super high-energy dude and super funny. I like this group because there’s just a silly overall vibe with the show.

This article appears in September 7, 2016.