Myq Kaplan

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan, the Meltdown, December 2011.jpg
Kaplan in December 2011
Birth name Michael Kaplan
Born (1978-10-07) October 7, 1978 (age 45)
Livingston, New Jersey
Medium Stand-up comedian
Years active 2005–present
Website myqkaplan.com

Myq Kaplan (born October 7, 1978[1]) is an American stand-up comedian. Born Michael Kaplan[2] in Livingston, New Jersey,[3][4] he is based in Boston[5] and New York City.[6]

Education

Kaplan received his bachelor's degree from Brandeis University in 2000[2] and a master's degree in linguistics from Boston University.[7] While a student at Boston University in 2005, he won its "funniest student" contest.[7]

Comedy career

Kaplan tours North America regularly and has performed over 1,000 shows at comedy clubs.[7]

He was a semifinalist in the 2006 Boston Comedy Festival and in the 2006 Seattle Comedy Competition.[7] He was one of nine finalists in Comedy Central's 2007 Open Mic Fight competition. In 2008, a reader poll by Boston's The Phoenix named him Local Comedian of the Year.[8] He took part in Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival in 2009.[5][9]

Television, internet and recordings

Myq Kaplan has appeared on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and in promotional work for the network. He has been featured on ABC News Now.

On December 16, 2009, he performed for the first time on The Tonight Show.[10] Kaplan also appeared as a contestant on the competition TV series Last Comic Standing during the summer 2010.[11] He placed fifth in the competition.[12]

He is also a frequent guest on long running comedy podcast Keith and the Girl.

Hosts his own podcast Hang Out with Me. [13]

On April 30, 2010, his Comedy Central Presents special aired on Comedy Central.

Myq Kaplan's comedy album Vegan Mind Meld was released April 27, 2010, and his second album, Please Be Seated was released in 2012.

In August 2014, Myq Kaplan's one hour standup special entitled "Small, Dork, and Handsome" appeared on Netflix for streaming.

On February 14, 2014 Myq was the first guest on Ken Reid (comedian)'s TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

Kaplan was also a contestant on the tenth season of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the Quarterfinals.

Personal life

Kaplan is also a musician, primarily as a guitarist and vocalist. He is a vegan[14] and once described himself as "atheistic".[15]

Notes

  1. Myq Kaplan at MySpace
  2. 2.0 2.1 Channon, Alison. "Brandeis comedians take smarts to the stage", The Brandeis Hoot, 13 March 2009.
  3. Wilkowe, Ellen S. "Things to do in Morris County, NJ: Last Comic Standing tour comes to Morristown, NJ, Jan. 15", Daily Record (Morristown), January 13, 2011. Accessed February 24, 2011. "One-time aspiring singer/songwriter Myq Kaplan, 32, formerly of Livingston and now of New York City, changed his tune … and converted to comedy."
  4. Yaryshkin, Slava. Stand-up Comedy 101 Interview with Myq Kaplan, 6 April 2009.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Alterman, Sara Faith. "Montreal Comedy Festival: The New Faces showcase", The Boston Phoenix, 23 July 2009.
  6. Gadino, Dylan P. Just For Laughs: New Faces", Punchline, 27 July 2009.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Laskowski, Nicole. "The Last Comic Standing?", BU Today, 8 August 2007.
  8. Readers' Pick: Best Local Comedian: Myq Kaplan, The Boston Phoenix, 2008.
  9. Borden, Jane. "Just for Laughs in Montreal: Day One", Time Out New York, 23 July 2009.
  10. Tonight Show video clip,[dead link] 16 December 2009.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. "'Last Comic Standing' crowns Felipe Esparza seventh-season champ", Reality TV World.com, August 10, 2010.
  13. myqkaplan.com
  14. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. About Myq Kaplan (archived) at his official website

External links