HOW TO GO
What: Frank Caliendo
Where: Lawrenceburg Events Center 777 Hollywood Blvd., Lawrenceburg, Indiana
When: Aug. 20, 8 p.m.
Cost: $45-$105
More Info: www.hollywoodindiana.com
Frank Caliendo, the popular impressionist, has been imitating Donald Trump as part of his act for years. Needless to say, the demand for Caliendo’s Trump-voice has increased dramatically over the last year.
“It went from about 30 seconds in a given show to about 10 minutes,” he said. “Usually (with impressions), it’s a caricature, but you don’t have to do that with Trump. He’ll often say something and follow it up with, ‘and everyone knows it,’ and no matter how off-the-wall what he said was, once he says that part, people believe it. It’s like he’s using hypnosis. So I just make something up and say (in Trump voice), ‘People are now colonizing Mars, and everyone knows it.’”
Caliendo actually did a sketch with Trump about five years ago, and he described a far different Trump than what most people see or read about today.
“What impressed me most was that he knew the name of every single person who worked in that building,” Caliendo said, then added with a slight chuckle. “Unless he was making it up.”
In any case, Caliendo’s Trump hasn’t adopted a sharper edge just because he has gone from being just another eccentric celebrity to a major-party presidential nominee.
“I don’t pick sides,” he said. “I’m not Bill Maher or Jon Stewart. I make fun of everybody. My stuff is more about getting away from that stuff than trying to teach you something. If you want to learn something, I’m not the guy.”
Caliendo first came to the attention of many Americans through his comic guest appearances on Fox NFL Sunday and ESPN, where he would imitate popular sports personalities like Jon Gruden, Jim Rome, and John Madden, who was his most requested voice before the Trump phenomenon. Caliendo said this tends to skew audience preconceptions when they see him perform live.
“They’ll often think it’s all sports,” he said. “But it’s more general. I’ll go from Charles Barkley to Adam Sandler or Dr. Phil. It’s a clean show with a lot of energy. I grew up loving Robin Williams and Jonathon Winters.”
Caliendo said an impressionist show isn’t terribly different from an observational-type comedy show.
“I talk about the people I’m doing and then I act it out,” he said. “It’s not that different from non-impressionist comics, who set something up and then give the punch line.”
Caliendo also pointed out that his goal is not necessarily to produce a dead-on impression.
“It’s more cartoonish,” he said. “I’m not the greatest voice impersonator. I don’t even really care of if it’s close as long as it makes you laugh. I have people who say to me, ‘that didn’t sound anything like him!,’ yet they laughed for two minutes. That’s the point.”
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