Humble even in victory, local comedian Seth Lee had to preface his win at this year’s “Kingpin of Comedy” competition by saying that it came as a complete surprise; and while he feels great, he felt bad knowing that there were many others in the competition who work harder than him.
“There’s, 10 or so locals that are lightyears ahead of the rest of us,” Lee said. “And winning Kingpin puts my name next to some of theirs, and that has been humbling.”
The creation of legendary longtime local comedian Brian B. (aka Brian Borbot), the annual “Kingpin of Comedy” has showcased some of the best standups in our area year after year. This year’s competition ran weekly from July to October, at the Spectrum Entertainment Complex (5656 Clyde Park Ave. SW) in Wyoming.
“This was my third time doing the Kingpin competition,” Lee said. “Last year, I went out in the first round and swore off comedy. But when I received an email to be in this year’s competition I told myself to try again and just do better.”
Having always loved making people laugh, Lee first started doing open mic comedy about 15 years ago, having grown up admiring the likes of Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and George Carlin.
“I was a hyper kid and found the stage and performing was a good outlet,” Lee said. “Years later, after some encouragement, I signed up for my first open mic which subsequently was at Sunday Night Funnies at the Radisson Hotel on Ann Street, hosted by Brian B., and I bombed bad. But I kept coming around and getting up on stage when I could. I really liked spending time with the other comedians and watching them work on their craft.”
Although Lee was around when the Kingpin of Comedy competition started, he said he was nowhere near where he needed to be to compete with other locals back then. Although he did go on to host an open mic at Rocky’s Bar about five years ago, and had previously competed in both Kingpin of Comedy, and the Funniest Person in Grand Rapids competition at Dr. Grin’s, he explained that his commitment to the local scene has been pretty minimal in recent years, typically only doing two or three open mics a month at best.
Over the months of this year’s competition he said he put more into his comedy than he has in years.
“Winning Kingpin was a real honor,” Lee said. “It was a great feeling going from last, last year, to first this year. I worked hard these past few months doing more open mics than I’ve ever done before, really taking some time to write new stuff and try to develop it in front of an audience. I’m thrilled to have the title of Kingpin. I’m very proud to have my name next to some of the other fantastic comedians who have also won the competition.”
In addition to taking home the title of Kingpin of Comedy, Lee won $500 cash, and a prize package from Craig’s Cruisers, Midtown (formerly The Listening Room), Spectrum Entertainment Complex, and LaughFest. He’s also slated to take part in Sunday Night Funnies’ annual LaughFest event next March.
“All of the prizes from winning the competition were awesome,” Lee said. “With the prize money, I immediately went to the casino, won a little more, and bought a new phone. The LaughFest show is a real treat for me. I have never been a part of LaughFest, and I feel honored. I’m nervous, but also very excited.”
For those yet to see Lee perform, he takes on everything from the personal to the political.
“My jokes are mostly meant to be topical, clever, and inclusive, meaning I’ll poke fun at everyone,” Lee said. “Because we’re all different, which means there’s something uniquely funny about everyone. Things that make me laugh are cats, political humor and people who are able to laugh at themselves.”
And as for the Grand Rapids comedy scene, he reiterated that he feels like he hasn’t been a big part of it recently, but still holds the community with the highest respect.
“The Grand Rapids comedy scene is a lot of things: it’s underrated, rough, exhausting, and rarely financially rewarding,” Lee said. “However in the past two years it, to me, it has really started to be something special. There’s some real talent in this town and a very solid group of welcoming, motivated and helpful people that want others to succeed. Open mics have opened up all over town, and some venues are starting to see pretty regular crowds, which for us has been fantastic.”
