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That was always really fun because people were kind of blown away that somebodys talking like this.
And now Ive lost that element of surprise.
Now people know exactly what theyre coming to see.
Where are those moments borne from?I almost just see it as a tag to the joke itself.
And it kind of puts them on my side a little more.
Its fun to chastise the audience.
Im only thinking about getting the best out of myself.
Theres no one today that I compare myself to in terms of output.
You would think that I would be friends with guys that tell dark jokes.
My favorite comics areJohn Mulaney, Nate Bargatze guys who are completely different than me.
Those two guys I consider singular performers.
You cant really learn much from them what they do is what they do.
You worked with him for a short time onLast Comic Standing.
We didnt really talk shop like that.
Norm is more disconnected than I am, I think.
I really want a joke to get a big laugh.
I dont think its funny to tell a bad joke the way that Norm did.
Thats the difference: I may act like I dont care, but I care very much.
I thought this would be fun, but I did care about it.
So I dont think I would ever do something like that again.
I want to make it gritty.
I dont want to have to memorize a thousand jokes.
I dont want it to be easy; I just want it to be simple.
If you keep something simple then it’s possible for you to make it great.
One way that your stand-up is unique is that so much of it involves fictional situations and fictional characters.
This would presumably set up well, then, for a TV show about awful people doing awful things.
Have you spent much time working toward writing fiction?I tried it once and hated it.
I gave the money back and said no thanks.
Im really just focused on my character and the jokes that character tells.
I dont want to create that.
My interests lie elsewhere.
Now my process has changed a little bit.
Ive written so many jokes now that writing three jokes a day what am I writing jokes about?
How many jokes can I tell about these topics that Ive already covered?
I think part of it is that I dont complain about comedy.
Im never, Oh, I cant make this joke; Im not allowed to do that joke!
I just find a way to make a joke anyway.
Youve referencedSaturday Night Liveas an influence before.
I think its a much different show now than it was when I was growing up.
I know everyone says that, but I really do feel like its a different show today.
Not just because of the show itself, but because of whats around it.
Now theres a show every night doing that.
I like the show, but I dont see myself ever being a part of that tradition.
When youre performing to an audience of a thousand people its nerve-racking.
I mostly read nonfiction or drama.
I would say the best comedy book would be a book calledDaily Rituals.
He put together a bunch of different interviews with people throughout history about how they spent their day.
Would they wake up in the morning and work all day?
Would they go out with friends?
What did they do?
Everybody wants to be lazy and have it be easy.
That book was very inspirational for me.
TheMy Brilliant Friendseries of books.
Im halfway through the series and Im just obsessed with them.
Nothing to do with comedy, and I think people would be surprised that I even read them.
Its about two girls and their friends throughout their lifetime, but Im obsessed with them.
