Alum takes the mic on 'The Daily Show'
Anna Gesterak
Issue date: 5/16/08 Section: Mosaic
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Austin, who graduated after Fall Semester 2007 from the university with a degree in music and a concentration in music management, recently landed a spot as an R. Kelly impersonator on Comedy Central's news program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." He says he received the opportunity to appear in a sketch on the show through a friend.
For the past two years, he says he has been a waiter at T.G.I. Friday's in Newark, but has been trying to find ways to break into the music and entertainment industry.
"I would love to just do something in music and comfortably live off of it," Austin says.
He says his friend and avid supporter since freshman year, Jen Caro, knew he could sing well because they had classes together. Caro mentioned Austin to a friend of hers, Jocelyn Conn, an intern at "The Daily Show," who helped him land the gig.
About three months ago, Austin says he received a phone call from Conn asking him if he would be interested in appearing on the show.
"I had to audition over the phone for them," he says, "so I sang the tune of 'Virtual Insanity' by Jamiroquai for the producers on the phone."
Austin says they liked what they heard and quickly invited him up for the show that was to be taped and aired the following day.
The segment did not happen. Austin says the next morning, he received a phone call from the show with news that the sketch was being cut out of the show. They reassured him that a phone call would come his way if the skit were to ever come back into the program.
Three months went by since the phone call. When Austin got another phone call from Conn, he says he was confused.
"I was a little lost," Austin says. "I completely forgot about the whole thing."
He says he headed for New York the next morning and while on the way to the studio, he was asked what his clothing measurements were. By the time he got to the studio, he had a white suit with matching white Steve Madden shoes, a white hat and a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses set aside for him.
"I didn't mind the white suit," Austin says. "The pants were a little tight, but that was whatever."
He says they rehearsed the sketch a few times in a very casual setting, in one of the studio's rooms. Austin says he recalls the script being changed five or six times throughout the day.
When Austin entered the stage, he says a crowd of approximately 500 people were present and ready to laugh.
"The hardest part was keeping a straight face because there are screens all around, so you can see what was going on," he says.
Austin, familiar with the rules of performing, says he maintained a professional attitude and made sure he was prepared to play off Stewart's comments if needed.
"You don't cut off the audience from laughing," Austin says. "You just have to give them time to let things soak in."
As the third R. Kelly impersonator to appear on the show, Austin says he tried not to let anyone down. The sketch went well and the audience was receptive.
"I tried to treat it like any other performance," he says.
Austin says he would have been kicking himself if he did not take the opportunity. After the show, he got a chance to speak with comedian and host Jon Stewart.
"I didn't want to seem starstruck," he says. "I tried to keep it professional. But inside, forget it, I was screaming, 'You're so cool, I never thought I would meet you.' "
After finishing the day at "The Daily Show," Austin headed back to Newark, where his family was waiting for him. He says he was able to watch the show with his mom and younger sister - two people he says are probably tied for his No. 1 fan. He says his dad was probably the most excited about his appearance on the show.
"My dad taped the show and drove to Philadelphia to show my grandparents and also brought it into work," Austin says. "But everyone is really supportive in the family."
Back at Austin's workplace, he says they made it a point to turn a number of the TVs to "The Daily Show" for the 11 p.m. viewing, letting people know they would soon be watching one of their co-workers.
"It was crazy," Austin says. "Between 11:06 and 11:15 that night, I got like 60 text messages from friends and family just congratulating me and letting me know they were watching and how much they loved it. It's just really nice to see that people are supportive and have confidence in you and your talents."
Two nights later while waiting on a table, he says he overheard his customers laughing about his episode of "The Daily Show."
"They didn't know how to react when I told them it was me because they weren't really sure if I was serious, so I got kind of a chuckle response," Austin says. "They ended up leaving a good tip though."
Now Austin is preparing to move to Massachusetts for the summer. Over St. Patrick's Day weekend, he auditioned for a spot with "Hyannis Sound," a 10-person male a capella group based out of Cape Cod. Austin says this is a summer gig for him, but the doors of opportunity are wide open.
"It's funny how things fall into place," he says. "It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm very grateful for that opportunity because it's one that not everyone gets to have."
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