Meet Liza Treyger, hilarious comedian, and originally from Skokie Illinois!
One time, I was performing for a show of only 6 people made up of 3 couples. One couple was out of control. These two lunatics were on cocaine and kept calling me a “cheap Jew”. The situation continued to get worse and they threatened to kill me. The guy actually stood up and took hundreds of dollars out of his wallet and said: “I will pay anyone for this bitch to get off the stage.” In the end, I was escorted to my car and got $60 of that money.
Liza Treyger
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Skokie – a perfect middle between the city and the north shore!
Where did you go to School?
I started at Iowa State University then did a semester at Columbia College and then wildly I finished my college career at North Park University in the city which is an evangelical Swedish covenant Christian school (I know, so silly!).
Where are you currently spending the Pandemic?
Between LA and Skokie. Don’t worry, I do the proper two-week isolation and testing before I see my family and then before I see people in LA as well. You have to do a lot of explaining because I know how judgemental I am of people’s choices and actions that I have to be super-specific.
How do you stay motivated during the Pandemic?
I don’t!
Chicago Best Foods: The best cheese fries are from Portillos. The best hot dog is any place that serves Vienna Beef, I know that’s not kosher, I’m sorry. The best pizza is Art of Pizza. The best breakfast is the Sassy Eggs at OverEasy. The best bagels is Kaufmans. The best burger is Au Cheval. The best bar is Old Town Ale House. The best Middle Eastern is Pita Inn. The best sandwiches is The Dude at Bat 17. The best challah is North Shore Bakery. The best late night is The Golden Apple on Wellington. My favorite comedy venues are The Laugh Factory , The Hideout, and The Green Mill.
Liza Treyger
What did you do Jewish growing up?
We always did the holidays and have a lot of Jewish art around the house. We also really loved Star of David jewelry and I wanted to be different so I got a mezuzah necklace and now I just wear an eye. We love eating Jewish food. I would say holidays and my parents guilting me were the main Jewish staples of my life.
What do you do Jewish now?
Complain and eat bagels.
What do you do for fun?
I love watching TV. I love reality tv, sitcoms, animation, and crime dramas. I watch a lot of TV! Things I did for fun before the pandemic that I miss so much is going out to eat and drinks with my friends, my job being a stand-up comedian were very very fun, i loved concerts and art museums and street fests and mostly going out to eat with friends. I also really loved traveling and wasting money. I guess that’s something I still do for fun is waste money.
Where is favorite Chicago food spot?
I think the best cheese fries is Portillos. The best hot dog is any place that serves Vienna Beef, I know that’s not kosher, I’m sorry. The best pizza is Art of Pizza. The best breakfast is the Sassy Eggs at OverEasy. The best bagels is Kaufmans. The best burger is Au Cheval. The best bar is Old Town Ale House. The best middle easten is Pita Inn. The best sandwiches is The Dude at Bat 17. The best challah is North Shore Bakery. The best late night is The Golden Apple on Wellington. My favorite comedy venues are The Laugh Factory , The Hideout, and The Green Mill.
What do you do for work?
I’m a stand-up comedian. I have a podcast that’s coming out on December 8th called That’s Messed Up: an SVU podcast, about law and order SVU and the true crimes they’re based on. I write and act too! I was in Judd Apatow’s latest movie The King of Staten Island.
Do you consider yourself a “Jewish Comedian” or a “Comedian that is Jewish?”
I’m known more to be a dirty comedian or a female comedian first so maybe a dirty Jewish woman comedian.
Have you ever experienced Antisemitism while performing?
One time, I was performing for a show of only 6 people made up of 3 couples. One couple was out of control. These two lunatics were on cocaine and kept calling me a “cheap Jew”. The situation continued to get worse and they threatened to kill me. The guy actually stood up and took hundreds of dollars out of his wallet and said: “I will pay anyone for this bitch to get off the stage.” In the end, I was escorted to my car and got $60 of that money.
Tell us more about your NEW PODCAST “That’s Messed Up: An SVU Podcast”
IT IS A DREAM COME TRUE!!!! Kara Klenk, a fellow Virgo and Jew has had this idea for years and she brought it up to me knowing I was a huge SVU fan and I could not be more thrilled. She’s super funny and creative but also organized and hardworking in ways I’m not so we make a great team. I was just looking at old emails and we emailed to set up a pitch meeting as she was going into labor lol and now her baby is walking and talks so we’re just so ready for everyone to listen and celebrate SVU with us.
Our producer Hannah is also a super fan of the show which helps a lot to have someone as obsessed. Each episode we talk about an episode of the show, the true-crime it’s based on, and then have a guest from that episode on for an interview. We are getting such incredible guests and people are spilling the tea. the one constant we get from everyone is how amazing Mariska is. We try to keep it funny and light but some of these crimes are really intense and we want to honor the victims and take that responsibility very seriously.
Shoutouts:
Shout out to my sister who is an educator at the Chicago Jewish Day School.
Shout out to my nephew Danny who just had a zoom bar mitzvah.
Shout out to Exactly Right media who is our podcast network.
How can we find out more?
Subscribe and listen to the podcast on apple, spotify, or stitcher. Liza’s website is glittercheese.com and you can find her on Instagram @gliittercheese.
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