Splitsider

I don’t make it a habit to go meeting comedians, especially American ones who live far away, and especially funny ones who have the power to embarrass and slight me on my little voice recorder. But I made the exception for Eugene Mirman, a long-standing cornerstone of the New York comedy circuit. Because he was nearby, in the town of London, where I live.

As well as an actor in person (Flight of the Conchords) and in voice (Bob’s Burgers, Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Mirman is currently shooting his very own show, and will also soon be seen taking down The Dictator in Larry Charles and Sacha Baron-Cohen’s latest [...]

Sitcom fanatics of a certain age no doubt remember Ernest L. Thomas, who spent three seasons in the late '70s playing scrawny teenager Raj on ABC's breakout hit What's Happening!! Surprisingly, Thomas did not have himself cryogenically frozen after What's Happening!! was canceled in 1979, and the actor (who spent his years prior to Happening!! working on Broadway) went on to make memorable appearances in such high profile fare as Malcolm X, In the Heat of the Night, Martin, Everybody Hates Chris, and Funny People. I spoke to Ernest recently about his lengthy and varied career, one that apparently had no specific help from Burt Reynolds and will continue [...]

If you write about stand-up comic Tig Notaro, you’re obligated to mention how she used to work in the music industry promoting bands, so let’s just get that out of the way at the outset.

Thankfully for those who enjoy wry humor, Notaro found her niche once she moved to Los Angeles to give stand-up a shot. She is sharp and clever and all that stuff, and according to her bio, she’s always wearing argyle socks. The bigwigs have taken notice (can’t say for sure about the socks), as she played Officer Tig on The Sarah Silverman Program, guest starred on Community, and just shot her own pilot [...]

I recently interviewed Wyatt Cenac, and during our chat, we dove pretty deep into reality TV. Cenac is a true student of the medium, and he had some pretty great thoughts on everything from Monster Quest to Rock of Love to Carmelo Anthony and La La Vasquez's reality show. Also, his idea for his own reality show might not be entertaining, but it'd at least be honest to the name of the genre.

Amy Schumer is the Ryan Seacrest of young female comedians. She is a stand up comedian, the host of a music show of FuseTV, a writer, an actress. She’s had her own Comedy Central Presents, has opened for some of the biggest names in stand up, will be seen in the upcoming seasons of Delocated and Curb Your Enthusiasm and is co-starring in Price Check opposite Parker Posey. She is a very busy lady.

I talked with Amy about her start in stand up, body image, bloggers, hecklers, college tours and her new comedy album, Cutting, which comes out this week.

You wouldn’t expect this after seeing him perform, but comedian Andrés du Bouchet is actually, in his own words, “a fairly boring person.” Nor would you take that away after reading his bio, in which he has a lot in common with Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. Du Bouchet “does not have screen or stage presence,” according to his bio, “they have ‘him’ presence.”

Nope, it’s all part of his imagination, his extremely active, probably-startled-his-teachers type of imagination. An imagination that landed him a job in 2008 writing sketches for Conan O’Brien.

But to hear him perform his monologue-style of comedy live, you might be convinced [...]

When I spoke to Jason Gann ahead of last week's trippy first season finale of Wilfred, I wanted to know about how the folks back home regarded the prospect of remaking the cult hit for American audiences. I started with Gann's co-creator and Aussie co-star, Adam Zwar, who gave up control of the show so Gann could make the adaptation.

Rob Huebel is in high demand in the comedy world these days, splitting his time between a wide range of acting roles in film and TV, most notably on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. Huebel has also had scene-stealing turns in I Love You, Man, The Other Guys, and The Office, and he keeps busy as a writer, producer, and live performer. He has a large presence on the Internet, as well, voicing the title character in the Earwolf podcast Mike Detective and maintaining a hilarious Twitter feed. On Childrens Hospital, Rob Huebel plays Dr. Owen Maestro, a hot-shot surgeon who refuses to let basic reasoning [...]

If the alternative comedy movement had its own Declaration of Independence, Andy Kindler would be a principle architect and signatory. The LA-based comedian has been performing stand-up for more than 25 years, and has become known for his hostility toward conventional, hacky comedy. His penchant for exposing formulaic comedy led to him helping form the modern alternative comedy movement at places like UnCabaret at Luna Park, the predecessor for places like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, which has spawned some of comedy’s biggest names today.

Kindler, a recurring correspondent on the Late Show with David Letterman, is also known for his 1991 satirical manifesto “The Hack’s Handbook,” which appeared [...]

Natasha Leggero is to comedy what cocaine is to the upper class: completely indispensable, wonderful at parties, and an excellent post-ironic study in socioeconomic politics. At a recent Gatsby-esque soiree I was lucky enough to grab her ear for a second and ask her a few questions regarding her profession. She put down her tiny silver spoon, excused herself politely from the gathering of various movers and shakers, and followed me onto the crescent shaped balcony where I dazzled her with lines — not of Colombia's second finest export — but of questions.

Last week I interviewed Nick Swardson about the upcoming season of Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, which premieres this Wednesday, Oct. 5, his stand-up career and, of course, Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star.

As far as I can tell, the man does not sleep.

A few months ago, John Mulaney had the distinguished honor of meeting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. As a joke writer for Seth Meyers, who delivered the annual keynote roast at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Mulaney attended the event, and like everyone else there, got to line up for a photo opportunity with the Obamas. So what did the ace joke teller come up with when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the First Lady presented itself?

“Uh, you look lovely this evening.”

To hear Mulaney retell this story, which he did recently during a sit down interview at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, is [...]

You know someone’s having a great run when you ask them about their new television show and they don’t know which show you’re talking about.

Writer, performer and producer Jon Benjamin is a long-time fixture on the New York comedy scene, and if you’ve watched an animated sitcom in the last 12 years, chances are you’ve seen his work there as well. He provides the voice of the titular characters in the FX spy spoof, Archer, for which we was nominated for an Emmy, as well as the Fox sitcom, Bob’s Burgers. You’ll also recognize his rasp as the voice of Ben Katz in Dr. Katz and Jason and [...]

The breeding grounds for professional comedians are well known at this point: comedy performers have Improv Olympic, The Second City, Groundlings, and Upright Citizens Brigade, and the scribes have, well, The Onion. But once upon a time there was a website that was churning out powerhouse comedy writers by the dozen.

In May of 2000, Harvard Lampoon alums Michael Colton and John Aboud launched Modern Humorist, a parody website that filled the chasm between the New Yorker’s highbrow satire and The Onion’s fake news forte. The Modern Humorist brand would eventually be slapped on books, TV and film projects, but for three years you could turn to the website [...]