Jiggy aka Mark Jigarjian is a young, adventurous comedian hailing originally from Massachusetts but currently living in New York City and opening up for the Impractical Jokers every chance he gets. He is also coming out with a new music/comedy video on YouTube on February 17 titled “Tinderella.”
So I hear you like to manscape.
Listen, manscaping is very important. You gotta make sure you take care of your business.
I agree.
If you ever get to show it to someone, which is a rarity, they can be impressed.
Well, I hope you get to impress a lot of people. So tell me, what’s going on with you now?
I’m a standup comedian. I live in NYC, and I’ve been doing stand up for about seven years. I moved to New York about a year and a half ago. I’ve been the national opening act for the Impractical Jokers for about a year and a half. I have a podcast weekly out of the city. Also, I’m working on my own television pilot right now as well.
So then maybe you’re funny after all.
One day hopefully I can be like one of those funny guys.
So do you get the Impractical Jokers leftovers?
Well, you’d be surprised. I’m a 28-year-old guy. I do pretty good for myself. Sometimes they’re looking for my leftovers.
Maybe it’s that manscaping.
Yeah, I take care of myself, so…
So I understand you have something to say about Long Island girls’ accents.
Well, I’m on Tinder and every dating website there is. One of the worst dating experiences I had was a girl from Long Island, so you weren’t well represented.
OK tell us.
I met a girl from Tinder, and she said she was from Long Island. Immediately the biggest barrier I had with her was her accent. It was literally like dating Fran Drescher from “The Nanny.” Within about five seconds of meeting me, she told me that her mother told her that she’d never get married, and I immediately saw why, and she told me that she’s been on seven Tinder dates the past weekend, so…
So you were desperate?
Yeah. It was the middle of winter. Everyone’s desperate in New York in winter. You need someone to keep you warm.
What’s the funniest fan encounter that you’ve had?
This is a true story. I don’t know if it’s funny; it’s probably creepy. I had a fan who created a fake show somewhere in Wisconsin that they wanted me to come to because I think they wanted to get a piece of me. They found my cell phone number and left me all these voicemail messages, trying to get me to do a show in the middle of Wisconsin. It turned out it wasn’t a real show. God knows what they wanted to do to me. I probably would have been chained to some radiator and held there for the winter. I don’t know if that’s funny; it’s more scary.
Hey, maybe you should have taken the opportunity. Then your winter desperation would have been satisfied.
But if I was chained to a radiator I wouldn’t have been able to manscape for weeks on end.
So you’ve been around a little. Where might we have seen you?
I’ve been doing stand up for seven years, and I’ve been working the road for most of that. I’ve been in comedy competitions up and down the East Coast.
Did you win any of those competitions?
I did win a few, not that any other comedians showed up for. I’ve been lucky. I’ve shared the stage with the likes of Charlie Murphy.
That’s Eddie Murphy’s brother, correct?
He is. He’s actually Eddie Murphy’s older brother. He’s a very funny guy. I’ve actually done a show with Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfield.
What’s your craziest celebrity encounter?
Charlie Murphy is pretty much up there. I can’t say which country, but I was asked by a princess of a Middle Eastern country to go back to her country and live with her. It seems like the good life if I could learn Arabic. I declined, but I think about that every day.
Well, is it harder to learn comedy or Arabic?
Probably comedy at the end of the day, but she promised me a Maserati, and that’s a step above the Citi Bike I have right now, so.
What’s the chocolate raspberry story about?
That is 100% true.
Well, I haven’t heard it, so… Well, I might have heard it when I saw you with the Jokers, but I really wasn’t paying attention to you.
Welcome to my life. You just wrapped up my entire comedy career. I’m used to it. The chocolate raspberry “ball” sauce story came from one of my very first online dating experiences. I was on a website called OK Cupid, and I went on a first date. We went out, she matched the profile picture really well, the date went well, I took her to dinner and we went back to her apartment. That’s when things got a little slippery, no pun intended. She immediately wanted to get hot and heavy with me. She brought out this little jar, and it was chocolate raspberry “ball” sauce. I proceeded to get sauced. The whole apartment smelled like a banana split, and it was the most bizarre thing anyone has ever done on a first date. And it wasn’t even a new container. That threw me off a little bit.
You haven’t been out much. I’m sorry for you.
Maybe the “ball” sauce is pretty common on Long Island.
What would you want me to know about you that no one else knows?
I’m a musician as well as a comedian. I do comedic songs as well and music videos. I’m actually releasing a video for a song I wrote called “Tinderella.” I’m pretty excited. I actually was a radio host in Orlando, Florida. I had a hip hop radio show, if you can believe that.
If you were a superhero, what would your powers be?
I would want mind reading capabilities, cause I’m always wondering what people are thinking.
What happens when you’re on stage and nobody laughs?
It’s weekly for me. Comedy is the most honest form of entertainment. It’s just you, a microphone and an audience. So you’re getting the purest form of entertainment, so when the audience doesn’t laugh, they’re giving you their feedback. They’re basically telling you that you need to go back to the workshop and work on your jokes, which is obviously all you have. I record all my shows so I can hear back what needs to be improved.
So you must listen a lot?
That’s part of the daily routine, trying to hear where the laughter is and isn’t.
What’s your favorite color?
Blue.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
No.
So what is it like opening for the Jokers?
Oh, I love it. I’ve opened and worked with a lot of people in my career, but one thing I’ve noticed is that not every comedian has to be nice to you. They treat me like a little brother, in a good way. I get the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of people in some of the biggest theaters around the country. It’s a great opportunity, and the Jokers are great guys to work for and with.
Do you get nervous before you take the stage?
Oh, every comedian gets anxiety. I don’t get nervous. Nervous is about failing, and I’m never afraid of failing. I’m confident.
What celebrity would you most like to go to bed with?
Ariana Grande.
What else would you like to promote for yourself?
I definitely want people to check out my weekly podcast called Jiggy & Jon on iTunes and my new music video “Tinderella” on YouTube.
