Comedian Iliza Shlesinger is never too busy for Phoenix

Steve Martin once put out a comedy record titled "Comedy Is Not Pretty." It’s a wonderful album and the title is also true. Comedy is not pretty. Comedy is brutal, ugly and truthful.

That’s why most of us love it. We love it when someone can make us laugh and we don’t care what they look like. No one will ever accuse Iliza Shlesinger of being ugly on the outside, but what she looks like is nothing compared to the substance of her character. Truth be told, the 40-something comedian, author, podcaster, TV personality, wife and mother is even better-looking on the inside and that’s no small feat.

Shlesinger says she loves playing Phoenix. During a short phone conversation, she shared her excitement about being back in the Valley for what will undoubtedly be a packed house for her Hard Feelings tour at Arizona Financial Theatre on Friday.

“I’ve been playing Phoenix and Tempe since, for any comedy fan, the old Improv was there. It's one of the markets I cut my teeth on. I have a vivid memory of bringing my own giant duffle bag full of T-shirts I paid for, my own merch, and I would run outside and sell my shirts right after my show. For me, I’m not from the area, but I’ve grown up there, career-wise, and the audiences have continued to come out and support me,” Shlesinger says.

While she eventually learned that only tourists hang out in Old Town Scottsdale, she says that “Phoenix never disappoints.” From anyone else, it would seem like this was just an attempt to butter up the interviewer, but coming from Shlesinger, it comes off as the genuine article. If anything, Shlesinger is a conspicuous truth-teller.

‘Comedy comes from honesty,” she says.

Even though Shlesinger is a new mom, don’t expect a lot (or any) baby jokes from her current set.

“I don’t really have any baby jokes or kids jokes. In my last hour, I tried to get very real and honest about miscarriage and what that means for women in society. That sounds hilarious, but I promise there were plenty of jokes. At the moment, (being a mom) is not where my inspiration comes from. She’s so little and it feels so special right now, I want to keep it all to myself,” says Shlesinger.

Even though Shlesinger doesn’t feel like there has been a lot of material that has come from her motherhood just yet, it seems like it's only a matter of time. To listen to her talk about her daughter, it’s apparent she's totally in love with being a mom.

During one of her six Netflix specials, Shlesinger did a hysterical bit in which she advises women not to talk to a man or be disappointed if he doesn’t want to have a heart-to-heart talk after they have just had sex. As she put it, after sex, men are basically a “worn-out husk” and just want to sleep.

“I was raised by the kind of mom where I saw myself as different than the boys. I try to impart some of that confidence to women. In terms of communication, I’ve never come from a place of wanting to do anything other than wanting to understand both sides. If you get on stage and you rag on your husband and you say how dumb men are, it gets tired and you lose half of your audience,” Shlesinger says.

“There’s something to be said for getting people to listen to you because you are pointing out fair points," she continues. "So a joke like that, women laugh because they’re like, 'It’s true,' and the guys feel seen, which is equally as important. If you’re constantly making fun of what you aren’t, then the other stops listening because it is tiring. So, I’m very inclusive.”

Shlesinger loves the fact there are all kinds of people in her audience and understands that she is there to help people leave feeling good, although she adds the extremely tongue-in-cheek caveat, “We’re all here to make fun of each other and leave feeling good thinking everyone else is the problem.”

Iliza Shlesinger. 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St. Tickets are available here.