The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Ian Karr

Big Laughs, Big Hearts and an Ultimate Triumph for ‘Joke Man’

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I had the good fortune to watch an advance screening of Joke Man, Ian Karr’s heartfelt documentary about comic genius Jackie Martling.

Directed by Ian Karr (a long time Chappaqua resident), produced by Jonathan Jacobson and edited by Ronni Thomas, the filmmakers describe the film to a T: “Jackie Martling just may be America’s last great joke teller…

“His savant-like ability to remember every joke he’s heard since he was eight years old, combined with his lightning fast wit and infectious laugh, helped establish him as a comedy icon. Famous for being the head writer of the Howard Stern show for 15 years, and infamous for leaving that position, Jackie’s story is fascinating, funny and surprising, In an age of political correctness, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling helps us belly laugh at ourselves with a kindness and sincerity that defuses his unfiltered punch lines.”

Aside from Karr and Jackie Martling, of course, the cast boasts ‘big names’ in their own right–all passionate Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling fans extolling Jackie including Artie Lange, Willie Nelson, Mark Cuban, Billy West, Sean Young, Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Stuttering John Melendez, Steve Grillo and many other familiar faces. Those closest to Jackie, including his ex-wife Nancy and his present-day girlfriend Barbara (the two, as noted in the movie, are friends) weigh in too about Jackie’s person and career with considerable affection. If it’s a Jackie love fest, the movie also makes clear that he has earned it.

There’s priceless footage of Jackie chumming it up with Rodney Dangerfield, and of the two horsing around in Vegas. 

The film delves as much into ‘what happened’ as it does the impact that leaving as head writer of Stern’s show for 15 years had on Jackie’s life. Jackie stands plenty proud in recollecting not only the break from Stern but his contributions to Stern and the show. Footage of Jackie diving into the ocean (at the craziest hours!) for his regular swims presumably speak to at least one secret behind his resilience and continued energy and focus.

Just Between Us: I had met Jackie on several occasions, the first time as a guest to one of his stand-up gigs in the city. 70 something now according to the net (that’s all I could get out of Karr!), Jackie still widely tours and has an intensely devoted following. Some say ‘cult like,’ but you’d be surprised by his more mainstream fans, too.  So hey, there’s a side to me that you never knew, as Adele sings, and yes, I like raunchy humor, remembered Jackie’s antics from the Howard Stern show, and even teased him after his gig, too.  A lighthearted flirtation ensued, so lo and behold I was invited to appear as a guest on Jackie’s Joke Hunt at Sirius. Then finally, during a photo shoot at the Kittle House for a Father’s Day cover of Inside Chappaqua Magazine.  I included Jackie on a cover photograph with Ian and four other mega accomplished Chappaqua dads. How Jackie, who lives on Long Island, landed on that cover too, I can’t fully explain. But he did!

Me with Ian Karr and Jackie Martling on Jackie’s Joke Hunt
Inside Chappaqua cover, June 2014. Photo by Todd Shapera

I caught up with Chappaqua’s Ian Karr, director of the IKA Collective, a NYC and LA creative agency, to talk about the film and about Martling’s resilience despite the break from Stern, and of his ultimate triumphs, too. Ian has known Jackie since 2001 when he first met him at the Friar’s Club and in 2006 produced Jackie’s Joke Hunt, an important comeback show for Jackie.  “I have always been fascinated by how unique he is,” he said. “Anyone who has ever known him knows he is a one of a kind person–especially people who have listened to him.”

As Karr set out to tell the story of Jackie’s life from his earliest days to get to the heart of what shaped him, he expressed a fascination with the Stern split too:  “It’s amazing that people still talk about it 20 years later. Jackie was willing to walk away from all the money. Psychologically speaking, I wanted to know how he did that,” he said.

But Karr, I extrapolated in watching the film, had a larger goal: he also wanted to convey Jackie Martling’s essence in a way that would surpass the Stern era, and emphasize the triumphs in his life: “We’d bring people on the show and then go have epic lunches or dinners at Carnegie’s after where people could see the light in Jackie, and how much they enjoyed being in Jackie’s company.”

Joke Man, running at one hour and 14 minutes, is a chronological account of Jackie Martling’s life. It tells the story of his childhood, the trials and tribulations of becoming a comedian, and all the twists and turns that got him on the Stern show. The film visits with key people in his life who speak openly and warmly about Jackie. The film also includes an array of personal photos from the Stern show and interviews with cast members from his inner circle.

The goal is to portray a man who many call ‘the last American joke teller,’ to help preserve his unique style, related Karr.

 Mission accomplished, as I agree that it’s a touching movie with lots of laughs–a combo that Jackie, being Jackie, will surely appreciate.

 

It’s a Wonderful Life for Ian and Lauren Karr

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Lauren and Ian Karr
PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON

Ian Karr, who grew up in White Plains, always thought he’d live in Chappaqua. Lauren, his wife, was a city girl who was never leaving the city. One day in 1997 Ian came home to their 52nd Street apartment to find Lauren with the Real Estate section of The New York Times. “I’m looking for houses in Chappaqua,” she told him not long after they had visited some friends who had moved up from the city. “It was a nesting thing,” says Ian. “We had a baby. She was six months old and we felt like we needed more space and a nice place to live.”

The Karr’s story is like many who find themselves living in the town. “We liked the location. It’s close enough to the city. It’s sophisticated but country,” says Ian. “One of the big factors is the great school system,” adds Lauren. “We’ve seen the full cycle in Chappaqua from pre-school, playgroups to empty nests.”

Twenty-four years later they are empty nesters. Their baby Jayden is now 24 years old and living in the city pursuing a career in eCommerce. Their son Gregory is a Junior at Syracuse University majoring in Finance and Real Estate.

Ian is an award-winning producer and director and the founder of IKA Collective a production company that celebrated its 35th anniversary on March 11th. Ian began his career on country radio stations in New Orleans and New York, but storytelling, photography and filmmaking were in his system since his childhood. He got his first production job in 1986 with Merrill Lynch. From Merrill Lynch he took on commercial clients in the late 90s doing promos for TV clients and then in the late 2000s original content and commercials. The company has grown to include such clients as the Hallmark Channel. “We do a lot of work with Hallmark Channel,” says Ian. “We do promos, behind the scenes for a majority of their movies, bonus content with stars, and we originated the podcasts. Hallmark is near and dear, and they are incredibly nice people.” Ian kept up his radio work and joined comedian Jackie Martling for the “Joke Hunt” on SiriusXM Radio for eight years.

Lauren had a career as a Print Broker and opened her own printing business which she had for ten years. When she fell in love with Pilates after Gregory was born in 2000, she was encouraged by her instructor Lesly Levy to become an instructor herself. Lauren is now a certified Pilates Trainer and Pilates Teacher Trainer. She has worked in several studios in Westchester and has been with Breathe Pilates & Yoga in Chappaqua nearly ten years. Helping people gives Lauren great satisfaction. “Most of my clients have some issue with their back or their spine. I feel good making them feel better and strengthened.”

Once Lauren embraced the suburban life, she became involved in the PTA. She ran the Westorchard Spring Fair for many years and continued to be involved with PTA when her children were at Seven Bridges Middle School and Horace Greeley High School. She took to gardening and planted a vegetable garden. Raising chickens was always on Lauren’s bucket list so she and Ian found some Pullets on Craig’s List and set up a coop in their backyard for several years. “It was a learning experience,” says Lauren. “And they loved me because I fed them.”

Skiing bonded the Karrs and it became a favorite family activity. Since 2003 they have gone out to Utah with the family. “We really loved the feeling, the vibe of it, the people, and all the people coming from all over to be there,” says Lauren.

A love of cars created a bond for Ian and his son Gregory. “When Greg was nine years old we restored a 1965 Mustang. I wanted a fun father-son activity. Little did I know it would unlock the inner mechanic in me,” says Ian. Ian brought the car to the Auto Center at Reader’s Digest to mechanic Stu Silverman. “Stu would put it on the lift and check my work. He was very encouraging through the process–a great mentor and neighbor helping neighbor.”

The Pandemic has impacted both their careers. For Ian there is a lot less travel. “Production is a team sport, it’s a hive. So we had to develop new protocols which allowed for collaboration at a distance. Once those were in place, it’s amazing how quickly our crews adapted.”

Lauren does virtual Pilates training now. “For me it’s great because I still have the connection with the clients. It’s different in that I can’t be there with them,” says Lauren. “It’s making the best of whatever the situation is. I’m still getting that level of satisfaction of making people feel good.”

COVID-19 brought some other changes to their family. Jayden, their 24-year-old daughter was furloughed from her job at Bergdorf when NY Pause began. It was a challenging time for many young people who were without work. Not knowing what the future held Lauren encouraged Jayden’s creativity and Jayden launched ZIP’D Wear, a casual clothing line. “It took her mind off things, and fortunately in July Jayden was called back to Bergdorf,” says Lauren. Always the entrepreneur, Jayden still keeps up with her business.

The Karrs reflected on their 27-year marriage, their careers and their life in Chappaqua.

“Laughing is a huge part of our marriage,” says Ian. His advice: “Don’t take yourself too seriously and create circumstances for you to grow together.” Lauren adds, “The key is mutual respect and to be on the same page about parenting.”

“With the pace of things today, it’s easy to feel like we’re on a hamster wheel,” says Ian. “One day I watched a hamster in a pet store. You know how hamsters get off the wheel? They jump. I learned from that little rodent that if you want to get off the hamster wheel you have to take a leap, you can’t just slow it down.”

And has their life been like a Hallmark movie? “Typically, in a Hallmark movie one of the important themes is rediscovering yourself and what’s important in your life after you’ve been sidetracked or led astray. It becomes a tug of war and the characters always choose people over things,” Ian says. “The parallel for me in my life with Hallmark is I tend to choose relationships and the happiness of the people around me over almost everything else.”

As a friend once told Ian, “Marriage is like a great movie. Ninety percent of it is casting.” It looks like Ian and Lauren Karr are the stars of their own inspiring journey.