Back in the day, Brother David Dyer (VanSlooten), Beta Zeta/Michigan State 1990, and fellow Theta Chi’s Chris Delgado (1987) and Chris Delusky (1990), were making a name for themselves in the Lansing, Mich. area touring with their band, ‘Freeman and the Chasers.’
“We did all covers,” said Dyer. “We got to be pretty good and in fairly high demand around Michigan State,” he continued. “I played drums and sang back-up in the band from 1987 to 1990,” he added.
These days, David Dyer is still touring but he’s no longer hauling around his drum set, and he’s stepped outside the borders of Michigan. These days, David Dyer is on the road playing venues all across the country as a stand-up comedian.
“I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be a comedian… 9 or 10,” said Dyer. “My dad was a huge fan of stand-up, so he had us listening to Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Monty Python and Rodney Dangerfield from a pretty early age,” he continued. “My parents were pretty supportive when I told them I wanted to be a comedian. I think my dad would have liked to see me get a job in business and do comedy on the side, but as most comics will tell you, once you enter the world of comedy, most don’t want to leave,” said Dyer.
For awhile, Dyer did maintain full-time employment while doing comedy.
“I used to work for a large communications company and just brought my laptop on the road and worked from hotel rooms, but now, I’m a full-time comedian,” said Dyer.
Dyer says that most of his material comes from observation.
“I try to come up with ideas that play out in everyday life,” said Dyer. “Those are the things I am dealing with and I think most people can relate. I do a little writing for television and that stuff is mostly topical and things that are in the news that day. Those jokes are fun to write, but I don’t do much of that in my act because the material has a real short shelf life,” he continued.
I try to put new material into my act all of the time,” said Dyer. “Most of what I write in my notebook never makes it to the stage, so if I can I can add a few minutes each month, I consider that progress. You have to write a lot to get a little” he said.
Dyer says that he often has to change his act for different events, too.
“I do a lot of clubs, but I also do a lot of private/corporate events. You really have to be as clean as possible for those outings,” said Dyer.
Even the long-time comedians tell a joke now and again that the audience totally doesn’t get.
“It happens all the time,” says Dyer. “There is no truer form of justice in the entertainment world than stand-up comedy. Something I thought was hilarious while I was writing it in the kitchen just might not play to a room of 200 strangers,” he said. “If it doesn’t, they will let you know! Either with silence or heckling! Even the greatest of comics will tell you there is nothing harder than trying out a new bit,” Dyer continued.
For new comics looking to break into the world of stand-up, Dyer has this advice.
“Get on stage, get on stage, get on stage! The ONLY way to progress as a comic is to keep getting on stage,” says Dyer. “With more stage comes more experience, with more experiences comes more confidence, with more confidence comes more work. There are no shortcuts,” said Dyer.
When asked how being a member of Theta Chi has made and impact on his life, Dyer had this to say…
“Some of the best and longest friendships I’ve had were made in college with my fellow Theta Chis. I still keep in touch with a great many of them and its hard to go to a certain area of the country without knowing one of them is in the area. I have nothing but great memories from a great time in my life,” he said.
We wish Brother Dyer continued success!
For more information about Dyer and his event schedule, visit www.daviddyercomedy.com/