Aisha Tyler is a practical girl. When asked what three things she would want if she were stuck on a deserted island she replied, "A boat, a boat and a BOAT!"
Who is Aisha Tyler? Maybe you've seen her on E!'s Talk Soup. Tyler was the first woman to host the now-canceled Emmy-award-winning comedy show that poked fun at daytime talk TV. The witty humorist followed the likes of Greg Kinnear, John Henson and Hal Sparks.
If you missed her on cable, then you may have seen her as Charlie Wheeler, Ross' paleontologist girlfriend on Friends.
And yes, "David Schwimmer is a good kisser," she admits.
And if you still don't know who I'm talking about, pick up some back-issues of Esquire, Maxim, Glamour or Jane. She's the lofty African-American beauty who looks more like a gazelle than an Eddie Murphy.
The comedienne is visiting the Tempe Improv Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.
"My material is edgy, but it's not Def Comedy Jam," Tyler says. "It's almost like the kind of conversation you would have with your friends at the end of the week over a couple of beers."
The San Francisco stunner went to an arts high school, where she used to cut class to sneak into Improv comedy sessions. Growing up a vegetarian on a tofu-and-celery diet, which appears to have had an affect on her growth hormones, Tyler stands at an awesome 6 feet.
But the girl doesn't have green mush for brains. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where she studied political science.
"I loved college. I was a snowboarder, and I sang in an a cappella group I had co-founded, but I also partied a lot. I totally followed the philosophy of 'work hard, play hard.'"
After a brief post-graduate stint as an advertising executive in San Francisco, the wise-cracking Virgo started working the club comedy circuit.
"The thing about comedy is that you can just do it - you don't need to audition, you don't need an agent. You just need people to listen to you."
But don't think that comedy was a loophole into the entertainment world for her - comedy is Tyler. After auditioning "a thousand times" for Talk Soup and finally landing the full-time position, she went on to host numerous awards shows and has made multiple appearances on the late-night show circuit, all the while polishing her stand-up skills.
"I really admire Chris Rock. He is very unflinching and unafraid to say anything, but his material is always on this bedrock of thoughtful ideas," Tyler says. "I also like Dave Chapelle and I admire Conan O'Brian - he's also got that Ivy League background but he's not afraid to be completely silly."
Tyler always has received the utmost support from her parents and college-sweetheart-turned-hubby, lawyer Jeff Tietjens.
"I was raised to think there wasn't anything I couldn't do," Tyler says.
Although some people had told her that she would never be as funny as male comics, being a woman doesn't seem to affect Tyler. In fact, she says, more guys come to watch her show than girls.
"I just try to appeal to everyone. I don't see the challenge as having to be funnier than male comedians - I just try to be funny."
Intelligent, funny, and gorgeous - what is this girl not good at?
Aisha Tyler at the Tempe Improv, northeast corner of University Drive and Rural Road in Tempe. Thursday through Saturday. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster's web site.
"My father is a photographer and my mom is an artist, but I can't take a picture or draw one to save my life." We've found the kryptonite. "Well...actually, in college, when I was studying abroad in Africa, I took a lot of pictures...and now that I think about it, those pictures turned out pretty well. I guess I can take pictures, but I just don't have the time to perfect the skill." Grr....
Although she is not on an official tour - she's just on break from Friends - she will begin a tour in January for her book Swerves: Reckless Observations of a Post-Modern Girl, which contains personal stories and insight on everything from partying to hip-hop videos; although she stresses that it's not a biography. She also soon will be on the silver screen in The Santa Clause 2 and Never Die Alone.
If Aisha couldn't have the boat, she would want to be stuck on a deserted island with a knife, a lighter and her IPod. Although, with the spotlight on this rising star, Aisha Tyler won't be deserted by her fans anytime soon.
Reach the reporter at rekha.muddaraj@asu.edu.
