M
Ü
L
S TO U T COM
JANUARY 7 2011
COMEDY
Born Funny 1
Dana Goldberg baptizes
PDX with tears of
laughter
M
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BY ERIN ROOK
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at IHth 503.231.9959
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A IN SW O R TH H O U S E & G A RD EN S
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SO NG S
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THE
DIVÌDE
Dana Goldberg is sort of, well, funny. But
don’t hold it against her, she was horn that way.
Finding and relating the humor in everyday
life is as much a part o f Goldberg’s DNA as is
being a lesbian or being Jewish.
“My kindergarten teacher told my mother 1
was the funniest 5-year-old she had ever met,’’
says the New Mexico native.
As she got older, the audiences just got larg
er. Goldberg made her stand-up debut as a
high school senior with a 10-minute set at the
school talent show. It was also so natural, she
found herself working the crowd before she
began.
“Let’s hear it for the emcee!”she remembers
telling the audience. “I didn’t even know who
the emcee was.”
After high school, Goldberg set aside
dreams of comic stardom for what seemed like
more practical ambitions— a degree in physi
cal education and a career as a P.E. teacher.
But eventually, the desire to do comedy
nagged at her once more and she decided to
give it three years. I f she didn’t make it in com
edy by the time she turned 30, she would rele
gate it to the category of pipe dreams. A wealth
o f material combined with a unique skill relat
ing to all kinds of audiences put Goldberg on
good footing, and she made it.
“I was raised by a Jewish mother in a single
parent household in which two out of three
kids are gay,” Goldberg says. Fortunately for
Goldberg, her family is okay with the fact that
so much of her comedy is drawn from their
interactions.
In one variation on a recurring joke, G old
berg, 34, tells the story o f how her mother
knew she was gay. Her mother looks at the re
ceipt after going to the grocery and sees “homo
milk.” Suddenly, she understands why two of
her children are gay, but the third is not: She’s
lactose intolerant. Goldberg follows up with,
“[It] turns out, that’s the only thing my sister
won’t swallow.”
After a successful first performance in front
of some 700 lesbians (at 2002’s Lesbians for
Change comedy showcase), there was nothing
stopping Goldberg.
“I killed it,” she recalls. “I could literally see
my heart beating through my shirt. I didn’t
want to touch the mic because I was afraid I’d
turn it into an amplifying vibrator.”
Before long, Goldberg was performing for
Olivia cruise audiences, appearing on Logo
and named one of the top five funniest lesbians
by Curve magazine. Her talents, coupled with
her passion for nonprofit work, have even
landed her on stage between Barack Obama
and Lady Gaga.
Goldberg was invited to provide comic in-
ln on© variation on a recurring
joke. Goldberg tells the story
of how her mother knew she
was gap. Her mother looks ot
the receipt after going to the
grocerp and sees "homo milk."
Suddenlp. she understands
whp two of her children ore
gap. but the third is not: She's
lactose intolerant. Goldberg
follows up with. "[It] turns out.
that's the onlp thing mp sister
won t swallow."
terludes between speakers and performers at
the 13th Annual Human Rights Campaign
National Dinner in October 2009, a gig that
put her on the same bill not only as the presi
dent and the pop diva, but also with Jane
Lynch and the cast o f Glee, Kathy Griffin, Por
tia de Rossi and Kathy Najimy.
But she’s not letting any of it go to her head.
W hen Goldberg’s not earning her keep behind
the mic, she lends her ability to elicit laughter
to a wide range of charitable causes, especially
those involving H IV /A ID S or LGBT rights
work.
Goldberg co-produces the Southwest Fun-
nyFest in Albuquerque, a comedy fundraiser
for New Mexico AIDS Services that marked
its fourth year in 2010 and has raised more
than $10,000. She says she chose recipients
such as NM AS because it played a vital role in
her early career.
“I t’s important to me to give back to the
communities that support me,” Goldberg says.
She also lends considerable support to the
Human Rights Campaign— helping to raise
more than $200,000 during performances and
live auctions in Seattle, San Francisco, Wash
ington, D.C., Cincinnati, Austin and Palm
Springs— and plans to tour with the H RC
again in 2011.
But it’s Portland that gets Goldberg early
this year. Aside from small local shows in her
new home base o f Los Angeles, Goldberg’s
Portland performance marks her first major
date of 2011, as well as her first ever in Stump-
town. New year. New city. New funny.
Belinda Carroll Comedy Presents: A N ight
with D ana G oldberg ; Jan. 22, 8-11:30p.m.;
The Hawthorne Theatre, 3862 SE Hawthorne
Blvd.; $12 advance, $15 door; danagoldherg.com.