Want to Know the Real Kyle Mooney? Listen Up

You may know Kyle Mooney from his nine seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he was known for his awkward, sometimes downtrodden characters, whose disarming vulnerability and offbeat timing sometimes left keyed-up studio audiences searching for their cue to laugh.

You may also know him as a member of the YouTube sketch group Good Neighbor, where Mooney honed his signature blend of irony and sincerity in a few unforgettable sketches and characters: You probably know stoner Kyle, who loves weed so much that he’s never actually tried it; you know Chris Fitzpatrick, the bad boy down the street who wants to show you his new butterfly knife; you know sporty Kyle, who wears his devotion to Teams on the sleeve of his leather jacket; you know Kyle on-the-street, who befuddled interview subjects with his stammering questions and poorly-timed high-fives.

But if you really know Kyle Mooney, the real Kyle, you know him now as Kyle M, a totally serious singer-songwriter who burst on the scene with his debut record, The Real Me, this spring. This Wednesday, July 30, at 8 p.m., Kyle M will arrive at The Bluebird Theater to play his new record all the way through, scars and all, laying bare the tender soul behind the jester’s mask. He’ll also bring with him a few of his classic characters, I’ve heard. Maybe an opening set from legendary tri-state club comic Bruce Chandling, if we’re lucky.

If you haven’t heard the new record, approach The Real Me with an open heart and mind. What you'll find is something charmingly unpolished — the singer’s heavy breath before and after tracks is a prominent vocal feature — mostly sincere, and legitimately pretty good.

Sometimes the artist — who wrote, recorded, and produced the record on his own — fumbles or loses the tempo of his own lyrics. Sometimes he turns a phrase that really makes you think. Tunes like “Blue Car” and “I Gotta Dance Tonight” are light and groovy, while “Digital Society” and “House That’s Haunted” shed a cold light on modern loneliness and self-doubt.

Swerving from country to blues to pop-punk and R&B, the songs tread a path that leads to Kyle’s, and every artist's, holy grail: the human heart.

Here, Kyle M shares his perspective on the new album and current tour, defying expectations, and whether music or comedy has more power to change the world. Don’t miss the real Kyle M, along with a few of his beloved characters, at The Bluebird this Wednesday, July 30.

Westword: Kyle, who are your biggest musical influences?

Kyle M: I really do love all types of music. It's difficult not to say The Beatles, The Beach Boys. I'd like to think that on the album, you hear a range of influences, from early rock and roll to punk rock to R&B to electronic to dance music. But I really am inspired by whatever moved me.

The Real Me is one of the most unique records I’ve heard in a long time. Are there any albums you would compare yours to?

I hope this doesn't come off as incredibly egocentric, but I do think I'm pulling so much inspiration and from so many influences, it’s hard to think of something as varied as The Real Me — something that goes in and out of different styles, while also maintaining this theme of, you know, me, Kyle. Certainly, I could think of individual records that played a part in the different songs, but as a whole, I don't know that I've really heard a record like mine before.

A lot of people obviously know you for your work on SNL. Do you feel like this album and this tour have been a chance to prove something to people who labeled you as just a comedian, and if so, what do you think you've proven to them?

When I set out to do the project, I don't know that I was aiming to prove something as much as I was just dealing with this urge, this strong feeling that I wanted to show a side of myself that people hadn't seen, that I’ve been almost scared to share with people because I'm so associated with comedy and Saturday Night Live and acting and writing.

It was more a feeling of, ‘I need to do this for myself. I want to show myself that I can do this.’ The fact that people have been so sweet about it, and sing along to the music and are sharing the music, it's more than I really could have ever dreamed. It's just been so special to be embraced. I guess that's a lot of the fear when you put something out in the world is, what will people think of it or of you? I've just been so endeared by the response. It's actually made me feel a lot more confident as a musician.

On that note, how has the tour been? What can the people of Denver expect from your show?

It’s been incredible. One of the exciting parts of the show for people who’ve followed my career is that, while a good portion of the show is music, I also delve into some of the characters I portrayed on Saturday Night Live and in my early internet videos. So, if you’re there for some laughs, I think you’ll get some. If you’re there to hear the music, you’ll definitely be getting that.

You’ve experimented with a lot of artistic genres in your career, with characters like Chris and in your Inside SoCal poetry. It seems like music and lyrics have always been bubbling just under the surface. How did music finally break through?

I definitely experimented with music in all the things you just mentioned. I produced music as this character, Chris, and I would sometimes program melodies for these awkward interview videos I would do. But it was almost always under this disguise or this mask. I was doing it through these characters, but it wasn't ever truly me, Kyle, being myself. This is me without a wall, without any boundaries.

What inspired you to write "Digital Society," which has a powerful social message as well as a catchy hook?

I never really know where ideas come from. Sometimes it's me just being struck with something as I'm about to fall asleep or when I'm taking a shower. It's fascinating because that song is all about putting down your phone, turning off your TV, walking away from the computer screen, and at the same time, I’m complicit in utilizing technology and being dependent on it at times. I've been informing audiences that this album exists by putting out music videos through, say, my social media or YouTube. So even I still feel the need to utilize technology. I'll look at Instagram, chat online with friends, or whatever it may be.

But I do think it's important that we also remember that there is a beautiful world out there. I know it’s been said so many times, but it is important to stop and smell the roses, if you will. You know what I mean?

Definitely. What do you think has more power to change the world, music or comedy?

Nobody's asked me this before. I want to think about this because I want to answer to the best of my ability.

I'm really sort of shooting from the hip here, but I think that music likely has more power to unite the world. I think of these songs that we sing as communities, whether it be a country singing an anthem, or, singing Christmas carols, or going to a concert with 60,000 people in the stadium singing along to your favorite band. One song that comes to mind, I don't know if you're aware of it. There's a song by John Lennon called “Give Peace A Chance.” It's all about the idea of giving peace a chance, really.

I also think that comedy has an incredible amount of power, but more on an individual level. Sometimes people will say to me, ‘Your work, your videos, or your sense of humor—that was how my friends and I bonded. We spoke in quotes from your videos. It meant so much to us, and we still do to this day.’ That always is so wonderful to hear. I think it means that whatever I made was specific enough or niche in a certain way that it helped create this communication between a small group of people. That's very powerful, too. There's a lot of change that can come just from a small community. I don't know if that exactly answers your question, but that’s what came to mind.

That’s beautiful. You’d probably bring the house down with a John Lennon cover. Finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to make music or art but is afraid of putting it out there for the world?

I always say that you have to be willing to make stuff. In my experience with film and TV, and now with music, you have to just do it, and you can't be reliant on other people to get things moving for you. That's incredibly important.

But I also think that you need to surround yourself with people who are critical and who will look at your work and tell you how you can improve it, or people whose taste you trust. That's also incredibly important to me. I played this album for people I loved first. And I could tell it was working when it worked for them. Sometimes they would say, ‘I think you could have a better lyric here.’ And I would really listen and take those notes. If you have somebody in your life that you can show it to and ask them, ‘How is this sounding?’ Maybe listen to them. You might not agree with them, and that's okay, too.

At the end of the day, you have to go out there and do it. Hopefully, this album is some proof that it's okay to be yourself and to tell your stories and that there are people out there who are interested in them.

Kyle M performs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue. Tickets start around $65.