Some of the country’s funniest gay and lesbian comedians will converge upon Cape May, N. J., for “Bait and Swish,” a comedy show celebrating the seaside town’s Third Annual Diversity Weekend April 10.
Out comedian and writer Adam Sank (“Last Comic Standing,” “Best Week Ever” and “Hot Gay Comics”) will host the event for the second time. The first time he hosted, in 2008, was fun and memorable.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to Cape May before but I had a ball. It’s a really diverse and wonderful audience.”
Since that first Diversity Weekend, Sank has relocated from New York City to the West Coast and back again after living in San Diego for a year and a half. But unlike most comedians that move out West, Sank said his move wasn’t for the benefit of his career.
“I fell in love with a gay sailor and thought it would be a good idea to move across the country for a brand-new relationship,” he said. “It turns out it didn’t work out so well.”
Much like his relationship, Sank’s career suffered from his relocation.
“It was tough,” he said about trying to establish himself as a comedian on the West Coast. “It would have been better for me had I been in Los Angeles. San Diego is not a comedy town, and certainly not a showbiz town. And the drive to and from L.A. is a nightmare. But I kept performing. I found little underground places to perform and wrote a lot of new material about what it was like to be a military wife.”
Sank said he’s glad to be back in the Big Apple.
“I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to New York. I feel like New York has the purest comedy scene,” he said. “I think it’s got people who do it because they love the discipline of comedy. L.A. seemed to be more about wanna-be actors trying to get stage time just so they can be seen. They weren’t interested in being comics per se. They were inviting agents to see them so they would hopefully sign them and put them in TV shows or movies. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It felt a little bit artificial to me. In general, I think New York has the best comedians in the world. I don’t think any city can compare to the talent and diversity of talent.”
He added that he’s working hard to make up for lost time.
“It’s hard,” he said of being away from the New York scene for that long of a time. “You’re sort of out of the game and then you try to get back in. I’m fortunate that I do know a lot of people and have a lot of contacts. But it’s hard. It’s like I’ve been asleep for the last year and a half and I’m just waking up now.”
Sank also got back on the road. Earlier this year, he completed a tour that took him across the country and ended at Rainbow Mountain in the Poconos. It must have been a grueling trek — evidenced by his blog, in which he stated: “God, I hate Pennsylvania.”
Sank said his hatred was directed toward parts of Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and not its people.
“I was only referring to the roads that take you from Pittsburgh to the Poconos,” he said. “I actually love Pennsylvania, but the routes always seem to be under construction. For 20 years now, it’s been under construction. It’s sort of hellish, even in the wintertime. I have nothing against Philadelphia and I especially love Philadelphia.”
Sank hosts “Bait and Swish,” featuring performances by Brad Lockle (“The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest”) and Kate McKinnon (“Big Gay Sketch Show”), at 8:30 p.m. April 10 at Cabanas on the Beach, 419 Beach Ave., Cape May, N.J.
For more information, visit www.adamsank.com or call (609) 861-1848.
Larry Nichols can be reached at [email protected].