44. My Friend Jamie Loftus

My friend Jamie is kind of weird. If you didn’t read the story of how she torments me and my turkey sandwich reviews, please check out that first. You’ll wonder why we are friends.

I first met Jamie when I was puttering around the ImprovBoston theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I got involved there by taking standup comedy classes and later working on staff as part of the front of house crew.

I actually saw Jamie for the first time at an open mic comedy night in Boston. I was way down on the list, meaning I wouldn’t get on until about 11 p.m. or so. She got on early in the show and did a bit about how she sought out other Jamie Loftus’s online. I don’t remember the specifics of the joke, but it was hilarious and it was the only subject I can recall from that evening, so her humor obviously had an effect on me.

We worked together for many of the shifts. She’d spend the slow parts of the night animating cartoons on her computer. I have no idea how she put them together, but they are … well, I’ll let you check them out.

You know how when you walk down the kids toy aisle in Target and everything is flashing and beeping and doing something to attract your attention? That’s the comedic output of Jamie Loftus. She always has something going. Whether it’s selling Shrek Nudes, attending Shrek the musical five nights in a row, diving headfirst in the trying to become a pro wrestling fan, or leading the (SFW) revolution at Playboy, she seems to have hit the sweet spot of crazy and cool professional output. It’s the like internet was made for Jamie Loftus content.

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t get all of Jamie Loftus’s humor. The jokes go over my head some of the time, but I don’t fault her for that. There’s a quote from my favorite podcast, Men in Blazers, that applies perfectly to Jamie. The two hosts were talking about a British comedian who sang terrible lounge songs, and they described him like this,  “You have to be really good at playing the piano to play that bad.” That’s Jamie. She’s discovered that secret that differentiates crap from really, really good stuff.

One thing I like to make fun of Jamie for is that for as good on Twitter as she is, she’s not the most prolific tweeter in her family. That distinction belongs to her dad, Mike Loftus, who has a few hundred more Twitter followers than her. You’ll get there one day, Jamie.

I think everyone needs to have a friend like Jamie Loftus. She’s weird, she’s different, and she has a wicked-sharp comedic mind that is far and above what I can comprehend. Well, I don’t see Jamie that often anymore, I’m still glad she’s making fun of my Turkey Club Club reviews. The world is quirky,weird, and wonderful. I think your friends should reflect that.