If you haven’t heard Chris White ’06 sing “The Banana Song” much lately, it’s because he’s been a bit busy. With a stand-up comedy act, the sketch comedy group Lunchbox, his band Fecal Fun Bag, a role in the play “Line,” and a string quartet thesis, it’s a wonder he has time to perform at all. Here, the comic singer-songwriter talks about music, typecasting and his sick sense of humor.
Dana Wollman: How’d the stand-up show go?
Chris White: I decided it would be another thing I could do. I ended up chickening out and singing songs.
DW: What jokes would you have told?
CW: Probably Joker jokes. I like the Joker a lot. I think there’s something inherently funny about a guy who runs around and kills people.
DW: So you have your own Facebook group.
CW: Some girl started that, who graduated. She was a friend. I did sort of freak out when she did that.
DW: It’s sort of like the “Make Jesse Young Cry” group.
CW: I dismantled that. I thought it would be really funny. I have a really sick mind.
DW: Most guitar players I know were bent on joining bands their freshman years. How did you get into performing solo?
CW: I’ve never been good at working in groups. I like to do my own thing and not worry about other people. I think my guitar-playing style is meant to accompany my singing.
DW: Where did you get the idea for the “Banana” song?
CW: I started writing, I remember I was in my basement. I had the first verse and then I thought, ‘What could I say that would be weird?’ So I said the word banana over and over again and then the story popped into my head.
DW: Of the songs you’ve written, do you have any favorites?
CW: Usually whatever I’m working on at the moment. “Banana” and “Ann Coulter” also because they’re popular.
DW: And how’s being a senior?
CW: Ooh, it’s weird. I feel really popular. I feel like I’m better than everyone else.
DW: I heard one of your housemates complaining about the house.
CW: My room is better than the other people in the house.
DW: That seems to be a running theme for you.
CW: [Laughter] I do feel bad for my housemates, though. They don’t get to have rooms like mine.
DW: So you’re always the villain in your plays. Is that a choice?
CW: I am always the villain. I think I was typecast after sophomore year [in “Outlaw Barber”]. I did play Judd in Oklahoma in high school, so that was similar.
DW: You were in both of Eliot Fisher [’05]’s musicals, “Outlaw Barber” and last year, “Wesley Gulch.” Do you prefer one over the other?
CW: They were both good in different ways. The first was stronger, more structured, but the second was funnier. There were inside jokes that the audience could laugh at in a different way.
DW: Tell me a bit about Lunchbox.
CW: Lunchbox is awesome. We have three new members this year. Willie [Gould ’06] and Owen [Albin ’07] were the people who came up with the idea. They approached me and Eric [Wdowiak ’06] and asked if we wanted to join.
DW: Did you ever audition for a comedy improv group?
CW: No, and I regretted it. And then I got the opportunity to do Lunchbox and it was all okay.
DW: For you, how is improv different than performing sketch comedy?
CW: I like writing sketches. I wrote a bunch of them over the summer. They were all pretty offensive.
DW: Offensive?
CW: I don’t wanna give anything away. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of bathroom humor involved.
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