By Hailey Andersen
Bryan College Station is about to get a lot funnier. Open now in the LaSalle Hotel, Olly iConix is the first comedy club in B/CS history.
“There has never been one anywhere near here,” Olly iConix Owner Olly iConic says. “I believe it is marketable because laughter is very, very universal.”
After spending years doing his own open mic shows, iConic’s passion for comedy drove him to build his own comedy club in B/CS. In his search for a true comedy club experience, iConic found the perfect atmosphere at the LaSalle Hotel.
“I basically made it out of dust,” iConic says. “The 5 Knocks Speakeasy at the LaSalle Hotel, a friend of mine had gone there, and she told me that I should talk to them about having one of my open mic’s there. She described the place to me, and she told me it was underground. … So many famous comedy clubs in New York, LA even, there are just famous comedy clubs that are [underground].”
As an adopted child, iConic’s grandfather was one of only a few blood relatives he knew. According to iConic, his grandfather inspired him to pursue comedy. With a desire to stand out, iConic was also inspired by Muhammad Ali changing his name, and decided to go by the name Olly iConic. He also named his comedy club after himself.
“The first thing I learned about making people laugh was [from] my grandpa,” iConic says. “My grandpa was the first person I had ever met that was funny. … The thing that he had was that primal thing, that alpha, hold the room type thing. Just him talking in his voice, it doesn’t take hardly anything more to make me laugh.”
According to iConic, the best way to grab an audience’s attention and be a successful comic is to be yourself; when you are not yourself it’s obvious and you lose engagement with the audience.
“I talk on stage the same way I [talk on the phone],” iConic says. “That’s what comedy is right there, if you learn to let go of your ego and share your shame with anyone if it’s appropriate. … You just have to accept yourself.”
As iConic watches his own comedy club become a reality, he says he is proud to present the first comedy club to the B/CS area. He’s made the LaSalle Hotel his official “home away from home” to help get the ball rolling and continue to make sure the Olly iConix comedy club is one people want to visit.
For more information about Olly iConix and upcoming shows, visit www.ollyiconix.com.
