Comedian David Koechner joked about topics ranging from Emory’s campus activities to his own children yesterday as part of the Student Programming Council’s (SPC) Swoop’s Week.
Koechner is best known for roles in the movie “Anchorman” and the television series “The Office.”
The performance was held at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Administration Building (WHSCAB).
“He’s pretty popular, like people know the face even if they don’t know the name from ‘Anchorman,'” SPC Homecoming Co-Chair and College senior Ashley London said.
According to SPC Homecoming Co-Chair and College senior Chris Alfonso, people were already lined up for the event an hour and a half before it started.
A row was reserved for graduate students and alumni in the middle of the auditorium.
The audience consisted mostly of undergraduate students, though Swoop’s Week events are open to all students. Koechner also poked fun at Emory’s alma mater and women’s soccer.
“If you can get from 16 to 26 without getting herpes, that is the f–king greatest decade of your life,” he joked. The audience responded with laughter.
In the past, the comedians for Homecoming Week performed in Glenn Memorial Auditorium. This year, due to past complaints, the venue was changed, according to SPC Vice President and College senior Graham Brooks. He said that SPC wanted to take precautions and not risk offending anyone.
“As irony would have it, my set is one long prayer,” he joked.
While Koechner stayed away from the church, he made jokes about other potentially controversial subjects, including the usefulness of a linguistics degree, the benefits of wearing a burqa and an impression of his gay neighbor Roy.
SPC also wanted the performance to have a more professional feel with an auditorium and a packed house, Brooks said. Usually, the balcony area of Glenn Memorial is mostly empty at these types of events. Glenn Memorial holds around 1,000 people whereas the WHSCAB holds around 500, according to SPC President and Goizueta Business School senior Raghvi Anand.
The opening act for Koechner was comedian Nick Rutherford, founder of sketch comedy troupe “Good Neighbor.” The audience laughed at Rutherford’s set, which included jokes about electric hand dryers and a run-in with a police officer while he was drinking alcohol in his car.
Some even said that they preferred him to Koechner. “I thought this guy wasn’t even trying that hard. I liked the opening one better,” College sophomore Laura Flint said.
Flint also said she enjoyed last year’s comedian, Amy Schumer, more than Koechner.
College freshman Kevin Yang said he thought Koechner was pretty funny and especially enjoyed his pop culture references.
SPC’s Homecoming committee begins compiling a list of potential acts months in advance in preparation for Swoop’s Week.
According to Alfonso and London, this year SPC was able to obtain its top choices for the comedian and the two concerts, which will feature DJ Danny Avila and rock band Dispatch.
– By Rupsha Basu
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