Don’t be fooled; he’s not Clay Aiken

Tired of the “American Idol” mania? Confused as to why a skinny, goofy-looking boy is… Tired of the “American Idol” mania? Confused as to why a skinny, goofy-looking boy is appearing on magazine covers at the checkout line? Well, Clay Aiken hit fame on “Idol” earlier this year, and if you are fed up with this, then check out comedian Eddie Ifft. He’s a Clay Aiken look-alike, but holds no special liking for the new singer.

Eddie Ifft has built a major part of his career on jokes about Aiken, which come easily to him given that they could be identical twins. Ifft ridicules everything from Aiken’s dainty appearance to his shrill vocals, and then some. Ifft says he barely even knows who the singer is, but knows that the two look alike. During a routine on “Last Comic Standing,” Ifft made a reference to Aiken, and the letters started coming.

“I had these letters from 70-year-olds who said they were not going to sleep with me anymore if I continued making fun of Clay.” Ifft laments jokingly, mostly astonished that senior citizens apparently make up the majority of the singer’s fan base. Ifft says he does not really care whether Aiken has talent or not; he just thinks the visual similarities are amusing enough. Luckily, he has avoided more trouble from what he dubs “Clay Nation” by having a broader spectrum of material. While Aiken may be his most famous comedy cargo, it is not his favorite.

“I love making fun of lesbians,” Ifft laughs, knowing he will catch backlash. “In college, there would be gay and lesbian protests, and I never knew what they were protesting. Nobody I knew had any problems with gay people, but they still protested.”

That college would be Pitt, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He admits he was not cut out to be a student, though. In fact, he says the most amazing thing he found about Pitt was the architecture and design of the Litchfield Towers. “Whoever dreamed of the pie-shaped rooms was a genius. They certainly weren’t meant for feng shui.” He says his favorite memory of Pitt is the Police Blotter, where “There will be a report on a stolen pen on the 15th floor of the Cathedral [of Learning].”

After a brief internship in Senator Arlen Specter’s office, he knew it was time for a career change. “You are not allowed to laugh in politics. I once told Arlen to have fun at a congressional vote, and his aide told me never to mention fun around him again.”

He began touring through various cities, finding the strongest crowds in Europe. “My favorite place has to be London,” he said. For now, he lives stateside in Los Angeles, but frequently shuffles between home and New York. As to why he chose the former as home, “They have bigger boobs in Los Angeles.”