Stage

Eating It Up

local comedian finds success in social media

Thom Fountain |

HEY GUYS, I’M HERE TO REVIEW SOME VINES. Jacy Catlin’s comedy on Vine (pictured) and Twitter has gained him a large following from around the globe.
HEY GUYS, I’M HERE TO REVIEW SOME VINES. Jacy Catlin’s comedy on Vine (pictured) and Twitter has gained him a large following from around the globe.

Jacy Catlin’s humor can sometimes seem a little juvenile, but mostly to great (though NSFW) effect. The comedian who is behind a number of comedy zines (and now a blog, Twitter account, YouTube channel and Vine channel) can be fairly vulgar, but also pretty hilarious through his absurdist, quick-payoff approach to a range of subject matter from product reviews to bodily functions.

“It’s like you’re in a room filled with like-minded friends at any given moment.” – Jacy Catlin on Twitter comedy

Catlin’s comedy has taken many forms over the years, starting with the zines and comics he would sell at basement punk shows, and expanding into stand-up gigs and now on the Web, where he quickly grew a substantial following on Twitter and more recently Vine ­– a social network where users post 6-second videos (yes, it’s like Twitter for video). But despite the changing mediums, his brand of comedy has stayed consistent, often ridiculous and surprising, with quick one-liners that make you awkwardly snort while reading them in the quiet of the library (don’t worry, I’ve been there).

Some jokes can get mildly disgusting, but many others suceed in their juxtaposition to those less family-friendly topics.

Catlin moved to Eau Claire for school in the early 2000s and recently returned after living in Milwaukee for a number of years, bringing his comedy career with him. He never intended to do comedy as more than a side hobby – he started making comics just for his friends in high school – but has found success on a number of social media sites recently. But even those, Catlin says he was apprehensive of at first. After some prodding, he began tweeting jokes a few years ago and his tweets began to spread like wildfire. His @IEatAndDrink handle now has over 30,000 followers.

Twitter works as a sounding board for Catlin, who says the immediacy of it allows him to try out jokes without devoting much time to writing an essay or preparing a routine. The vastness of the Internet also allowed Catlin to find a community of comedians and comedy fans who shared his sense of humor and opened up a larger fan base for him to work with.

“It’s nice as a writer to have Twitter. If you’re in the line at Taco Johns and you think of a joke, you can tweet it and by the time I get my food I’ve had a bunch of people retweet it,” Catlin said. “It’s just nice to know that there’s some other dude in a Taco Johns drive-thru in another state that read that and was like ‘Whoa, that’s hilarious!’ It’s like you’re in a room filled with like-minded friends at any given moment.”

From Twitter, Catlin moved to Vine – where he maintains a similarly hilarious presence. His quick, looping videos represent Catlin’s innate ability to land a perfectly ridiculous, out-of-left-field punch line that catches you so off guard you can’t help but burst out laughing. Catlin said he embraced Vine because it’s easy to just try something out and see if it works.

“There’s not a lot of expectation because you know it’s going to be six seconds long before you even watch it,” Catlin said. “The problem with doing video is because a lot of times it requires other people, people being able to act, props and all this stuff for a free joke you’re going to tell on the Internet. But with Vine, I could be walking to the fridge and think of a funny joke and just put it up online.”

Catlin has had a breakout year, going on the road with the Found Footage Festival (including a stop in Eau Claire last October) presenting his stand-up routine/comic/game show “The Enjoyables,” which matches his quickly scrawled line-drawings with captions. From here, Catlin said he’s looking to continue branching out of social media and has some initial plans in the works to branch out his comedy to a wider audience. And if you’ve made your way all the way back through his timeline on Twitter and Vine, you can purchase copies of the I Eat And Drink Diarrhea zine on his website, IEADD.com.

Find Jacy catlin’s comedy online:

TWITTER: @IEatAndDrink
FACEBOOK: /JacyBayCatlin
VINE: Jacy Catlin
YOUTUBE: /JacyCatlin
WEB: www.IEADD.com