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Lashonda Lester: Imported from Detroit
Lashonda Lester photo
Detroit native Lashonda Lester has been on the Austin comedy scene for a few years now. But before that, she worked in all manner of jobs, from professional wrestling manager, publishing and even politics.
She’s wrapped all those experiences into a one-woman show, which she’s bringing to this weekend’s Ladies Are Funny Festival. You can catch her show, “Shondee Superstar: This (Stuff) Really Happened,” at 10 p.m. Friday at the Salvage Vanguard Theater.
I chatted with Lester about her life and her beginnings in comedy:
You’ve had a variety of jobs, suffice it to say, over the years - what led you to comedy?
During my political phase, I was a regular caller on the Mike Malloy Show, which at the time was still on Air America Radio. I would call in weekly to give my opinion on the war and foreign policy topics. I wasn’t calling in trying to be funny, I was serious, but I used to crack Malloy up all the time. Which was hard to do, because he’s such an intense guy.
I started receiving fan mail from some of his fans asking if I was a comic and if not, I should be. I was still pretty new to Austin and figured trying comedy would be a great way to meet new people. From that, it just spiraled out of control and now I’m a comedian.
What gave you the idea for this show?
My friends have been telling me for years that I need to write a book about my life. I’m not really a “writer” in a sense that I can sit down and hammer out a novel. That’s not what I’m comfortable doing. However, I am a storyteller and thought doing a one woman show would be the best way to share my life stories and experiences with people.
You’re originally from Detroit, what brought you to Austin?
I was ready for a drastic change in my life. I was tired of dealing with the long, depressing winters, the fact that my business was losing clients regularly due to the economic downturn, crime, etc. I had been looking at other cities but, Austin was #1 on my list of possible places. I read the Austin news online everyday to see what was going on and if the economy was stable. What finally sealed the deal was in Oct. 2003, Gov. Jennifer Granholm introduced her Cool Cities Initiative and said that Austin was the model city they wanted to emulate. She gave such a glowing review that five months later, I flew down and paid for my apt, flew back to Detroit to get my car and everything I owned and drove here.
Does Detroit get a bad rap in the media? What SHOULD we know about your hometown?
I believe so. We have journalists and bloggers from all over the world who specifically come to Detroit to take pictures of “The Ruins”. Yet they won’t come back to cover something like the whole urban farming movement using those same ruins to feed the community fresh vegetables. It has to be a balance and for years it doesn’t seem like there is. Detroit is not all bad. There’s plenty of good that has come from the city. We’ve contributed more than our fair share to pop culture and history. We put the world on the road and gave you music to listen to while you drove around. That’s gotta count for something, right?
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