Ali Wong keeps it real

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Ali Wong has been standing on stages and telling jokes for more than a decade. Shebs also an actress (bBlack Box,b bInside Amy Schumerb), a writer (for TV show bFresh Off the Boatb and a new book of personal essays, due out next year) and a new mom.Wong finally got recognized as the national treasure she is exactly one year ago with the debut of her spit-out-your-wine-then-choke-on-it-hilarious Netflix stand-up special bBaby Cobra.b Covering everything from Asian stereotypes to miscarriage to dating skaters (bsexy on the outside, malt liquor on the insideb), Wongbs material was strong enough on its own to put her in a whole new class of comedy, but the fact that she did it all seven months pregnant proved particularly headline-grabbing.

Now, the 35-year-old comedian is back on tour, baby and husband in tow, crisscrossing the country from her home in Los Angeles to a series of sold-out venues. In preparation for two back-to-back Atlanta shows at the Tabernacle on Fri., May 12, Creative Loafing caught up with Wong via email to talk sudden stardom, motherhood, feminism and thrifting in Little Five Points.

bBaby Cobrab really touched a nerve, taking you from virtually unknown to a global sensation practically overnight in a way that very rarely happens for stand-up comedians.I think most people do their hour special too soon. They get heat from some sort of Internet video or industry showcase and then get pushed by their representatives to do an hour-long stand-up special much earlier than they should. It really pays to wait, I would say at least 10 years. An hour should be curated, and it should leave out some of your favorite jokes, because maybe they werenbt your BEST jokes.Obviously youbd been putting in work for years prior to that, but what do you think it was about that Netflix special that really grabbed peoplebs attention?bBaby Cobrab was not just an hour of my best jokes. It told a story, had an arc and there was a twist at the end. The structure of bBaby Cobrab is something a lot of people havenbt talked about a lot, but I would say itbs the most unique aspect of it.What did that sudden fame feel like, especially since youbd literally just given birth?It has all been very strange. Even the fact that you know who I am, and are interested in what I have to say, is still very surreal to me.A lot was made of the fact that you were seven months pregnant on stage during bBaby Cobra.bYes, and while Ibm proud of the fact that I was pregnant, none of that wouldbve mattered if it wasnbt funny. You still have to deliver.Were you performing throughout the pregnancy, and did it give you a sense of greater power and security on stage or was it exhausting?Well, stand-up is always exhausting. Not the actual act of performing, of doing stand-up itself, but the travel logistics surrounding the gig. I will still drive up to 45 minutes for a 15-minute unpaid set, where I will lose money on gas and parking. And then the road is ten times worse. I have been doing that for YEARS. But I always loved stand-up and the process so much that it didnbt really matter. But being pregnant sent me into turbo mode. I was very determined to make bBaby Cobrab the best hour possible. When I was preparing to tape it, I was very much not a household name and knew that motherhood might make me give up stand-up all together. I already had fallen in love with my baby girl during the first sonogram. And I felt that once she was born, my instinct would be to do nothing but spend time with her. I knew that if bBaby Cobrab turned out to be a hit, that the momentum from it would force me back into stand-up. That is exactly what happened.Whatbs it like touring now at all these huge sold-out venues when youbre back to being just one person up thereWell, that is how I am used to performing, as a non-pregnant comedian. Thatbs how I started and thatbs how I spent the last 10 years on stage and the majority of my life, with no human being growing inside of me.Fair point! How has motherhood affected your material?You will have to come out to see my new hour at the Tabernacle in Atlanta and judge for yourself!Your comedy plays with the notion of feminism in a hilarious and obviously tongue-in-cheek way, but is, I think, very feminist at its core. What does the concept of feminism mean to you personally?I think feminism is much more about what you do than what you say. Look at Alicia Keys, and how she all of a sudden stopped wearing makeup. Itbs such a powerful statement. Youbve never seen a woman as famous as her, with no makeup on camera or on the red carpet. For women in Hollywood, it is so time consuming, and financially exhausting, and bad for your skin ultimately, to constantly wear makeup. And I love how Alicia Keys showed all of us that itbs a choice. We can opt out. We donbt have to spend time, money and energy on that, and can instead focus on the thing we love doing most: creating.Do your parents listen to your stand-up? Are they cool with it?Oh, I talk about this in my new hour so you have to come out and see my joke about it!Have you been to Atlanta before?Yes, years and years ago, maybe I had been doing stand-up comedy for just a year, I came to Atlanta and did a couple shows that I did NOT deserve to be on. I ate it SO HARD. People booed me off stage, and it was pretty heartbreaking. Since then Ibve been back for a handful of visits, and had a much better time.Any particular plans while youbre here?

I was shocked at how good the thrift store shopping was. I cannot wait to go to Little Five Points with an empty suitcase and leave with it FULL. Plus I have to eat chicken and waffles. Any suggestions?
$37-$58. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fri., May 12. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W. 404-659-9022. www.tabernacleatl.comB