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Posts tagged as interviews

Talking to Kurt Metzger About Starting Out in Comedy, Patrice O'Neal, and Standup Controversies

If you’re a person who believes that comedy has any sort of social mission, Kurt Metzger probably isn’t the comic for you. But if you’re a fan of funny for funny’s sake without any punches pulled, he’s your guy.

Metzger is a veteran NYC comic who in recent months has found himself at the center of some of the stand-up world’s prevailing controversies. He publicly called bullshit on the Upright Citizens Bridgade Theater’s practice of not paying comics for shows that charge admission, which sparked some heated philosophical debate about the business of comedy that went viral and eventually drew a response from the UCB’s founders. He also [...]

Talking to Adam Scott About 'The Greatest Event in Television History' and Other Stuff

As if starring in Parks and Recreation and Party Down wasn't enough to establish Adam Scott's comedy nerd cred, he's also, for the past year, been working on a series of 15-minute specials for Adult Swim under the name The Greatest Event in Television History. The first one, in which Scott and Jon Hamm recreated the opening credits to cheesy '80s detective show Simon & Simon shot-for-shot, aired in October and racked up hundreds of thousands of hits online. Tonight at midnight, Scott's second Greatest Event special, featuring himself, Amy Poehler, and Horatio Sanz, airs on Adult Swim. I recently had the chance to talk to Adam Scott [...]

Talking to Lil Rel Howery About 'The Half Hour', Staying in Chicago, and 'Legions of Goons'

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy [...]

Talking to Mike Lawrence About 'The Half Hour', Constantly Creating, and Potential Podcasts

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy as well, branching [...]

Talking to Colin Quinn About His New One-Man Show, 'Tough Crowd', and Being the King of Twitter

There have been many chapters in Colin Quinn's career since he first appeared on MTV's Remote Control in 1987. The former SNL castmember went on to host the short-lived but brilliant Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central; more recently, his unique Twitter persona caught the eye of the New York TimesFollowing on the success of his Broadway one-man show Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, his "history of the world in 75 minutes," Colin Quinn's new show, Unconstitutional, aims to tackle "226 years of American Constitutional calamities." I caught up with after a preview performance of his show to talk about constitutional conventions, comedy nerds, and how sincerity infuriates people.

What was it about the Constitution [...]

Talking to Andy Haynes About 'The Half Hour', Hecklers, And Hitting the Road

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy [...]

Talking to Jay Roach About 'Austin Powers', 'Meet the Parents', and Directing Big-Budget Comedies

Jay Roach's first major break as a director was comedy gold. Granted, when your muse is Austin Powers it's not entirely surprising. In addition to directing the Austin Powers trilogy, Roach also went onto direct the Meet the Parents franchise as well as The Campaign and Dinner for Schmucks. He's also branched out into drama and directed HBO's two most watched films, Game Change and Recount, both of which earned him Emmy Awards. Roach also produced Borat, Charlie Bartlett, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and former Bangles front woman Susanna Hoffs and their two sons. Roach and I sat [...]

Talking to Trevor Noah About Race, South African Comedy, and Going with the Flow

South African comedian Trevor Noah's life story doesn't immediately scream comedy. His standup explores his complicated relationship with racial identity, having grown up mixed race in apartheid-era South Africa, where neither his black mother nor white father were allowed to acknowledge their relationship with him in public.

He was a major hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer, and now his first American solo show, Born a Crime, has just extended its run in New York through the end of June. It's not his first time in the States — he appeared on The Tonight Show last year, and toured the country with Gabriel Iglesias. I recently sat down with him in New York to [...]

Talking to Jared Logan About 'The Half Hour', Dramatic Acting, and Pop Culture Hate

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this [...]

Talking to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar about 'Freeloaders' and the Chevy Chase N-Word Thing

Jay Chandrasekhar made a name for himself acting in and directing movies like Super Troopers and Beerfest with his comedy team Broken Lizard, whose most recent produced project Freeloaders came out last week. In addition to his movie work and standup, though, Chandrasekhar has guest directed episodes for a handful of critically acclaimed fan-favorite TV series including Arrested Development, Undeclared, Happy Endings, and Community, where he's directed some of the series' best episodes ("Mixology Certification") and one of the most talked-about moments (Chevy Case emitting the N-word on set).

In light of Freeloaders' DVD and online release, I talked to Jay Chandrasekhar about ensemble comedies, the difference between directing [...]

Talking to the Creators of 'Venture Bros' About The New Season, and Playing Fuck, Marry, Kill With Their Favorite Characters

Animated series were never just for kids, and the evolution of the adult animation genre has seen some intriguing spikes of growth over the years. But no cartoon-for-grownups has quite the flare of The Venture Bros., a wacky little comedy/superhero saga/occasional heartfelt drama created by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer with more active characters at one given time (over 70) than most shows accumulate in their entirety (of course, not having to pay live actors helps).

To honor the show’s return from a two-year hiatus (airing its fifth season Sundays at midnight on Adult Swim), we talked with Publick and Hammer all about the trials of adding another season [...]

Talking to Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts About His New Movie 'The Kings of Summer'

Chances are, at some point while you were in high school, you wished you could run away from home. And chances are, your escape fantasy was just that: something you spent your time planning and never carrying out. But…what if you did? The Kings of Summer – a uniquely comedic coming of age story that’s become one of the season’s most anticipated indie releases – imagines exactly that.

The film’s director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, is well-known for his collaborations with comic T.J. Miller. Most recently, the pair teamed up on Comedy Central’s sketch/stand-up experiment Mash Up, and their 2010 short, Successful Alcoholics, showcased the director’s ability to blend dark comedy [...]

Talking to Mike Birbiglia About Performing 'My Girlfriend's Boyfriend' For the Last Time and Adapting it For Film

After 13 years in comedy, Mike Birbiglia has reached his ultimate goal. This coming Sunday, he'll culminate his 70-city tour of My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend on the apotheosized stage of Carnegie Hall. His story goes that shortly after moving to New York City in 2000, he saw Jon Stewart play the venue, laughed his ass off, and decided that he would be on that stage some day too. Now after countless ups and downs in his life and thousands of comedy shows under his belt, Birbiglia has made it to one of the most highly regarded theaters in the world. I caught up with Mike to hear about why he’s [...]

Talking to Todd Barry About His New Podcast, 'Delocated,' and Doing an Hour of Pure Crowd Work

This podcasting thing must be here to stay because Todd Barry has one now. And Todd Barry is no Johnny-come-lately who’s going to fall for the latest fad. He’s far too much of an amazing and highly regarded comedian for that.

Barry launched The Todd Barry Podcast last month on the Feral Audio network. The format is nothing new – it’s essentially Barry interviewing his comedian friends in his New York apartment – but it’s great to hear him be sincere for a moment and break character from the Todd Barry World Famous Comedian he plays on his must-follow Twitter feed.

Barry has long been a staple [...]

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