Tag: Stand-Up

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Former Facebook VP Paul Ollinger Makes His Stand Up Headlining Debut at Caroline’s on Broadway

A lot of comedians have uncommon career paths (think Dr. Ken Jeong), but unlike Paul Ollinger, not many of them cannot say that they have an Ivy League MBA or worked at Yahoo! and Facebook. We chatted with the Atlanta-based comedian about his career transition, what his family thinks, and his brand new podcast, Crazy Money. New Yorkers can see Paul’s headlining debut at the legendary Caroline’s on Broadway this Wednesday at 7:30.

Downtown: Were you always a funny person?

Paul Ollinger: As one of six kids in my family, I only got 17% of my parents attention (rounding up). I had to fight for air time at our dinner table, so I hammed it up or said outrageous things to get a disproportionate number of eyes and ears pointed in my direction. 

Downtown: What was the decision like leaving your corporate job to try stand up?

PO: I’ve done it twice. I left Yahoo! in 2005 (when I was single) and hosted every weekend at The Improv’s Orange County clubs in California. After two years, I got engaged, and decided I should probably go back to the corporate world (my future father-in-law agreed). In 2007, I joined a 250 person company called “Facebook,” which eventually empowered me to do whatever I wanted to with my career. Comedy was still my dream, but I feared failure and didn’t know how to get back into it. I dragged my feet, but in 2014, I started back at the open mics where I could bomb in anonymity until I earned my way onto the bigger stages.

Downtown: Who are some of your comedy inspirations?

PO: Dennis Miller (yes, Dennis Miller), Norm Macdonald, Chris Rock, Gary Gulman, Jim Jefferies, Sarah Silverman, Dana Gould, Todd Barry. 

Downtown: What’s your joke writing process like?

PO: Write. Say it on stage. Prune. Re-write. Add tags. Say it on stage. Repeat 100x. 

Downtown: How did being in the corporate world help you in the comedy world?

PO: My corporate career earned me the financial flexibility to follow my dream without sacrificing any of my family’s needs. There is no substitute for putting in the reps, but I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t acknowledge how much of an advantage having a nest egg is. I can afford to work as an out-of-town club’s feature act (the middle person on the show) that pays $300, or -$600, net of travel. There are plenty of other ways my corporate experience helps, but I don’t think I’d be doing this if I didn’t know how I was going to pay for my kids’ college education. 

Downtown: What did your family say when you decided to go into comedy?

PO: I met my wife in the showroom at Caroline’s on Broadway. On our first date, I told her that I was going to quit my job at Yahoo! and pursue comedy. So it’s been there from the beginning, and – at the very least – I gave her an easy-out! In all seriousness, she has been nothing but supportive. She is okay with me telling jokes about our relationship onstage and is the first one to say “go for it,” when a new opportunity arises. 

Downtown: Does she think you’re funny?

PO: Does any wife think her husband of a decade plus is funny? 

Downtown: How did you decide to launch a podcast?

PO: I launched the Crazy Money podcast to explore how our relationship with money leads us towards or away from contentment in our careers, relationships and life in general. Having longed for wealth my whole life, its arrival was very different than I expected it to be. Awesome, but different, and I made a lot of mistakes. The show is a lighthearted approach to an important topic. I’ve already recorded episodes with Dr. Drew Pinsky (Loveline, Celebrity Rehab), three New York Times best-selling authors, and Ed Roland, the lead singer of Collective Soul. Find it on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Downtown: What have you learned about yourself through your comedy journey?

PO: Chasing your dream is a huge privilege, but it’s freakin’ hard. To get good at a new craft, you have to suck at it for a long time first. Sucking isn’t fun, especially when you’re in middle age and were pretty good at whatever you were doing before. But there’s no avoiding the suck. You have to steer into it, and blast through it.  

Downtown: What’s next?

PO: 1. Continue to improve as a dad, husband, comedian, and podcaster. 2. Be grateful for every day. 

Follow Paul on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and be sure to pick up tickets to see him at Caroline’s on March 13th!

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Culture Entertainment

Shawn Wayans on his Mar. 23-26 shows at Gotham Comedy Club, growing up in New York & more

Shawn Wayans

Shawn Wayans
Shawn Wayans

Before graduating from Chelsea’s Bayard Rustin High School For The Humanities, Shawn Wayans had made his film debut in 1988’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. He made his proper television debut in 1990 as DJ SW1 on In Living Color, which he stayed on for four seasons. Success as a writer, producer and creator would start with the sitcom The Wayans Bros. — the first WB Network series to be syndicated — and the 1996 cult classic Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood.; these and many other projects were helmed alongside brother Marlon.

However, really big things started for Shawn when Scary Movie was released in 2000, a film which brought in nearly $300 million at the box office. Scary Movie not only spawned sequels, but also single-handedly created the early 2000s craze of the parody film genre. Shawn also entered the children’s entertainment world nearly a decade ago as a co-creator and voiceover actor for the Thugaboo and Boo Crew specials, as seen on Nickelodeon.

While Shawn and other members of the Wayans family are known to regularly be working on new projects at the creative facility they call “The Lab,” Shawn has not slowed down his stand-up schedule. About 10 minutes by foot from where he grew up, Shawn is returning to Manhattan for six shows between on Mar. 23 and 26 at the Gotham Comedy Club. Shawn can be followed on Twitter via @shawn_wayans.

The Chelsea you grew up in is very different from the Chelsea of today. Does anyone in your family still live near there?

Shawn Wayans: No.

I heard a story of Eddie Murphy once visiting your family’s home in Chelsea. Was he the only famous visitor who had come by?

SW: Robert Townsend used to come by as well. He and Keenen [Ivory Wayans] were friends.

Did you do stand-up in New York City before joining the In Living Color cast? What was the first New York club you did stand-up at?

SW: Yes I did. The first clubs I did stand-up at were The Comic Strip and The Improv.

For someone who hasn’t seen you live before, what should they expect from one of your shows at Gotham?

SW: Expect a raw, insightful, funny, and physical show.

You were originally the DJ on In Living Color. When was the last time you DJ’ed?

SW: Last week.

People generally know you not only from In Living Color, but also the Wayans Bros. sitcom and your movies. A lot of different projects. Is there a project that you are most proud of?

SW: Proud of them all.

Gotham shows aside, what’s coming up for you?

SW: Right now, my focus has been stand-up. I am in The Lab working on TV and movie scripts.

Is there anything you haven’t yet accomplished in your career but still hope to?

SW: I just want to continue doing what I’m doing and enjoy doing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akEqsvbVofo

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

SW: Hanging out with my family, watching movies, and eating good food.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

SW: I like eating at The Comedy Cellar and Nobu.

Finally, Shawn, any last words for the kids?

SW: Work hard and never give up on your dreams. Remember that the formula for success is preparation meets opportunity equals success.

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Culture Entertainment

Dick Gregory on his Feb. 10 show at B.B. King’s, old New York, health food & more

Dick Gregory
Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory began his career as a comedian while serving in United States Army in the mid-1950s. His first big break came in 1961, when Hugh Hefner saw him perform and went on to hire him to work at the Chicago Playboy Club. An appearance on Tonight Starring Jack Paar followed not too long after, leading to countless other television bookings.

While “stand-up comedian” is how most people describe Dick Gregory, it is only one of the career paths he has excelled within. He was very active within the Civil Rights Movement, marching in Selma, and also being one of the notables involved with the National ERA March. He has written more than a dozen published books. He has appeared in movies and television shows as an actor, including Wonder Showzen. He has hosted radio programs. Dick has also thrived within the health food industry, founding Dick Gregory Health Enterprises, Inc. in 1984.

At 85 years young, Dick remains active as ever and will be playing at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill alongside Richard Pryor’s main writer Paul Mooney on Feb. 10. Dick spoke to Downtown by phone about his history with New York, and some highlights of that chat are posted below. More on Dick — a very smart, talkative and entertaining man, to say the least — can be found at www.dickgregory.com.

When did you play New York City for the first time? What do you remember about it?

Dick Gregory: I was scared, not because of show business, but you know coming out of St. Louis and you hear about New York. I get there and I see all these fruit stores. “Hey man, where is the Mafia? Where is the gangsters?” I say, “Wait a minute, every time you walk down the street, every corner there is a fruit store.” That was the most wildest thing in New York. It is different now because you’ve got health food stores…But then every corner, there is three or four stores with people going in buying fruits and that was my biggest thing…I still can’t understand that today, every corner there is a newsstand…Wait a minute, newspapers? I never really heard anything where everybody in New York goes to buy a newspaper every morning. (laughs)

Do you remember the first club that you played at in New York?

DG: Oh yeah, The Blue Angel, probably one of the most romantic clubs in the world. I mean, that was the elite, that was like the Rolls Royce of clubs. So you go there, you see what I didn’t understand…What I found out in New York, those type of clubs people go out to spend money…They don’t eat nothing at no damn nightclub, you go to a restaurant and eat…The average bill at The Blue Angel was about, you know, maybe $2,000, because they came in there to drink. They didn’t come in to eat or get a sandwich…I hadn’t seen anything like it in my life.

You mentioned before about people eating fruit and eating healthy. New York City is very much known as one of the first places to advocate for eating healthy and eating organic. Where did your interest in that come from in the first place?

DG: Well, let me say this…I thought good nutrition is whatever you eat did not run out till you’ve had enough. Bad nutrition is when say you were still hungry. Now even back then, wasn’t nobody talking about organic, health food stores, not just in New York but nowhere…Let me tell you one of the myths about “organic.” People with little money say, “Oh I wish I could eat organic but it is too expensive.”

Well, here is what is “expensive” is: I’ve got a 20-year old car. I’d use three times more gasoline in a new car…And so “organic” is, “I am used to eating ten potatoes and now I am eating organic, all I have to eat is two and I get more nutrition with the organic than I did with the 10.” So the one thing that the industry has done a good job of is convincing people, you eat less and you get more…

Also, remember I am 85 years old. So when I was younger, you know nobody understood nothing about nutrition…I do a joke way back in the day, I said, “I go home to St. Louis, my drugged-out cousin, he is sitting on the park bench, cocaine dust on his nose, powder all over his coat, and I wake him up and say, ‘Hey man, here is an apple.’ He says, ‘Is it organic?’”

(laughs) Right.

DG: Now here is what most folks don’t know. If I am sitting with you and I cut my wrist, I bleed, right?

Sure…

DG: Once you cut an apple and people go get fruit salad, once that fruit salad is cut in the morning, it bleeds just like you do. So by the time you eat it, it ain’t got no nutrition in it and that is why when you go to the better restaurants in the world. Or in New York City, they make the salad right there at the table…

I used to drink a fifth of scotch every day, so after I changed my lifestyle and I didn’t drink, I was called a health nut. I used to smoke a full pack of cigarettes and nobody called me a health nut…so you can have some friends and you go in a bar, and you just pick a wine and drink it like the cowboys used to do. Just drink it down, give me another one then you change your lifestyle. Then you can go in and get you a six-ounce bottle of calcium and you can drink it down and they say, “You ain’t supposed to drink that much.” I say, “Nobody told me that when I was drinking whiskey.” (laughs)

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Culture Entertainment

Paula Poundstone on her Dec. 16 Schimmel Center show, New York City, Duane Reade & more

Paula Poundstone / Photo: Michael Schwartz

Paula Poundstone / Photo: Michael Schwartz
Paula Poundstone / Photo: Michael Schwartz

Paula Poundstone began doing stand-up comedy in the Boston area in 1979. Within a decade of starting, she was a regular on television shows and the winner of an American Comedy Award for “Best Female Stand-Up Comic.” She has never stopped worked as a comic, also managing to find time to write books, work as a columnist, and act. Paula — who was ranked at number 88 on Comedy Central’s list on the 100 greatest stand-up comics of all time — also manages to be on the short-list of regular guests on the NPR mainstay Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!.

On Dec. 16, Paula makes a return to New York City with an appearance at the Schimmel Center. Paula spoke to Downtown about her upcoming lower Manhattan performance and her long history with our city. She can be visited online at www.paulapoundstone.com and followed as @PaulaPoundstone on Twitter.

What do you wish more people knew about Paula Poundstone?

Paula Poundstone: This is a bit embarrassing, because I talk so much that really I am an open book. People know far more about me than they wish to. Having said that, I do wish more people knew about Rhonda Puckett and Theodore Pie, two characters that I have posted videos of on my goofy website.

Where was your first performance in New York City? What do you remember about it?

PP: I think my first performance in New York City was at The Rainbow Room, I think that was the name of it. It was in a tall building. It was for the taping of an HBO Young Comedians special. There were large potted plants on the stage. I wasn’t that good. I was often upstaged by the potted plants.

You have an upcoming show at the Schimmel Center. Is that the first time you ever performed in downtown Manhattan?

PP: I am not good with directions, and I love New York City, but I am overwhelmed by it. I never know what part of the city I am in, except for Times Square, and I don’t know why everyone else seems to know where they are. People talk about not getting in a cab “headed uptown” if they are going downtown. Can’t the cab turn around? I wouldn’t know uptown or downtown under penalty of watching The Bachelor. I think I worked at a place near a pizza place once. That should narrow it down.

Do you usually tour with an opening act? Any idea who will be opening for you at the Schimmel Center?

PP: I never have an opening act. I have the best audience in the world. They are smart, fun, game, honest, open, caring, and silly. A couple of nights ago I had cause, in dialogue from stage with an audience member to mention the “Worried Man” Kingston Trio song. I sang a bit of it to familiarize the audience member with it, and most of the crowd joined in all of the way through the first chorus. My crowd can be counted on to join in on the “Worried Man” song.

When I used to work clubs and the shows were structured with a headliner, a middle act and an opening act, other comics loved to do my shows. Not because I’m such a stroll in the park, but because they wanted to talk to my audiences. I’ve worked alone since I went into theaters because I’m selfish. I don’t want to cut my time short, with the best audiences in the business. By the way, when I buy the “sharing” size of peanut butter M&Ms, I often don’t share those either.

Have you ever performed any bizarre corporate or private gigs in New York?

PP: Not that I can remember, but I would like to do the “Aggressive Buskers” convention if they should have one.

In general, is performing stand-up in New York different for you than it is in other cities?

PP: No, except I am often lost getting to work in New York City. Sometimes I have to hole up in a Duane Reade until I’m oriented.

Is there an accomplishment you’re most proud of?

PP: I did an editorial piece for CBS Sunday Morning News about the dangers of screen devices to our society and to the developing brains of our children.

Is there something you’re still hoping to accomplish within your career? Would you ever want to host a podcast or an interview-oriented show again?

PP: Yes, I do hope to host a podcast.

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

PP: What kind of time?

Before you made it as a stand-up comic, you were a bike messenger. Do you still enjoy cycling?

PP: I fell off my bike, while traveling into a big blue mailbox once. I’ve ridden wobbly, like Alice from The Brady Bunch ever since.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York City?

PP: I don’t eat meat anymore, but when I did, I loved having a souvlaki off of a food cart on the street. It’s still my favorite way to enjoy a can of soda.

Finally, Paula, any last words for the kids?

PP: I am continually amazed by New Yorkers. I had always heard that they were rude or brash. I must say, my experience with them is not that at all. I’ve never been spoken to with anything but kindness when I have asked directions on my visits there, which I’ve done a lot. In fact, I think it is extraordinary that so many different kinds of people can live so close together and function as well as they do. I can’t wait to play to the crowd at The Schimmel Center.

Also, I want people to know that I fell out of a tree when I was a kid and got speared by a branch on the way down. I still have a small scar.

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Culture Entertainment

Roy Wood Jr. talks Nov. 12 & 13 dates at Gotham Comedy Club, working on “The Daily Show” & more

Roy Wood Jr. / Photo: Mykeon Smith

Roy Wood Jr. / Photo: Mykeon Smith
Roy Wood Jr. / Photo: Mykeon Smith

These days, as a correspondent on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, comedian Roy Wood Jr. is best known for his work on television. However, Roy had worked extensively within other media before joining The Daily Show last year. Within the radio world, he got his start as a reporter for Hot 105.7 while attending Florida A&M University. Ultimately Roy worked his way up to producer and head writer for the Buckwilde Morning Show in his native Alabama before becoming host of The Roy Wood Jr. Morning Show for WBHJ-FM. While doing radio, Roy did stand-up, eventually getting onto NBC’s Last Comic Standing and making multiple appearances on Conan.

Now living in New York, Roy is juggling careers as an on-air personality, comedy writer, and a touring stand-up. On Nov. 12 and 13, he will performing at Gotham Comedy Club alongside Ophira Eisenberg and Rich Francese. Tickets can be purchased online for all four of those shows at www.gothamcomedyclub.com.

Downtown caught up with Roy for some Q&A about his past, present and future. Roy can be visited online at www.roywoodjr.com and followed on Twitter via @RoyWoodJr.

I first learned about you from Sullivan & Son, which was one of TBS’ first forays into the sit-com world. Was that prompted you to move to Los Angeles?

Roy Wood Jr.: The Daily Show is the main reason I moved, but I was considering a move to New York City if for nothing more than to be able to do comedy in a better market. When TBS cancelled us, my first thought was to if nothing else, get better at comedy. I really wanted to tighten up my stand-up game and hopefully start shopping myself around for a one-hour special.

Nowadays, you’re based in New York City. What do you enjoy most about living in New York?

RWJ: I love the sounds. There was a concrete saw going outside my apartment at 2:00 AM. TWO IN THE MORNING and a man is cutting cement. Sounds so weird, you forget to get mad.

One night I heard a guy scream “YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!” I couldn’t tell if it came from the street or the apartment upstairs. Either way, a man screaming that at three in the morning, they’re either about to start a fight or have sex. Either way, it’s none of my business.

It’s a city of beautiful randomness. Where one day you can see a man dressed as Elmo fighting a man dressed as a Starbucks cup. And the next day you can see a man slicing concrete with saw.

You’re originally from Birmingham, where I’d argue that most New Yorkers have never traveled to. What does Birmingham have to offer that New York City doesn’t?

RWJ: Birmingham offers politeness from strangers. That term “Southern Hospitality” is indeed a real thing. I don’t get back to Birmingham as often as I’d like to, so even now the politeness of the south throws me off. New York turns you into a type of person that you automatically process a person speaking to you as either a death threat, or a request for money. Both are met with an ice cold grill. Whereas down south, if someone speaks, there’s a legitimate amount of warmth behind it.

Also, the mac & cheese is better there. Every where in New York is determined to ruin mac & cheese with bread crumbs and truffle oil.

Prior to being on television, you were a prolific prank phone caller. Did The Jerky Boys play into your upbringing?

RWJ: The Jerky Boys are the king of prank calls. PERIOD. The funny thing is that I didn’t want to do prank calls when I first got into morning radio because I didn’t feel like I’d be good at them and I wanted to do more sketches and parody songs. Thankfully I was good at them and they helped me in ways I never imagined. Before The Daily Show, there were just as many people who knew me from my prank calls as did from my television appearances.

You also successfully worked in radio before making it onto television. Is there anything you miss from your days in radio?

RWJ: I miss all of my friends from Birmingham and the listeners. There’s something special about radio that makes it become a family. Radio is far more interactive than television. You’re out in the streets constantly meeting the listeners, you’re taking calls, etc. Television by nature requires you to be a little more distant from the people that consume your product so it’s a little less social of a medium.

A lot of people have discovered you as a result of The Daily Show. What is the most challenging part of being on that show?

RWJ: The hardest part of The Daily Show is making sure that my take is original. You can often have a funny thought or perspective on something, only to check it on Twitter and see that other people are saying the exact same thing. It forces you to be a better writer and look at current events from a different perspective. Also, there are more shows out there doing something similar to what we do so it’s important to have a perspective that’s unique.

How does your stand-up compare to what people hear from you on The Daily Show?

RWJ: My comedy is a much more “caffeinated” on stage. But for the most part on The Daily Show, the writers do a great job of capturing my energy and what I feel about certain issues. The biggest difference is that on-stage I’m yapping about a lot of stuff that doesn’t really matter. On TV I take that same energy and try to apply it to issues that actually matter to this world.

It’s been five years since you were on Last Comic Standing, and you’re arguably one of the most successful people to come from the show. Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently while on the show?

RWJ: I would’ve enjoyed it more. I spent way too much time preparing every week instead of enjoying my friends that I was performing with. One week before rehearsals I spent four hours in the mall trying to find the “perfect” outfit to wear. I’ve probably done way too much of that in my career, to be honest. But I think that’s just the way us comedians are wired. The jokes are the jokes.

The late Mike DeStefano was one of the finalists as well. He spent the days before taping riding a motorcycle in the California hills. I think having a clear mind before doing anything substantial is important and that’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten. The good thing about that show is that I learned how to do comedy in a quick and concise way that would help me for years to come doing numerous sets on Conan.

Altogether, do you have a professional accomplishment that you’re most proud of?

RWJ: The first time I got paid to do comedy was in 1999. I was paid $4. Those four dollars are framed on my wall. It was the first time I felt like I belonged. Like I could actually do this for a living. I’ll never forget that night. Or the seven people who came to the show and made me right. (laughs)

When you’re not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

RWJ: I have little free time, but what I do have left I spend with my son, or playing video games, or doing puzzles.

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Culture

Australia’s top comedian Carl Barron on his SoHo Playhouse shows, New York City & more

Carl Barron

Carl Barron
Carl Barron

Undeniably the most famous Australian stand-up comedian — and statistically the #3 comic in the world — Carl Barron has been making audiences laugh for nearly 25 years. Six years since his last live appearance in New York, Carl returns to our city later this month for a set of shows at the SoHo Playhouse. Appearing downtown on Nov. 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20, attendees will be witness to some of the most intimate shows that Carl has performed in recent memory.

In advance of his Nov. 10 show in Los Angeles, Carl spoke to Downtown about his upcoming Manhattan run and what else he has coming up. He came across as both funny and honest, which is also a good way of describing his observationally-oriented stand-up. For more info on Carl, visit www.carlbarron.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VeyNgydAY4

You performed in New York six years ago at 45 Bleecker. How was that experience?

Carl Barron: It was so good they closed the place down after I left. I guess they thought they couldn’t top it. I was nervous, but then again I usually am, even though people think I’m relaxed.

How did the opportunity to perform at SoHo Playhouse come about?

CB: We just asked.

I expect there will be some Australians in the audience at your New York shows, but I would imagine the majority of people attending have not seen you before. Do you feel any pressure to change up your material for the U.S. audiences?

CB: All I concentrate on is annunciating. I figure if they can comprehend what I’m saying they will probably laugh. I’ll try and be a little less dry and laconic as well. I guess in the end I will be unrecognizable to myself by the time I walk on-stage.

Are there any restaurants or attractions you’re hoping to visit while in New York?

CB: I like run-down places no one wants to go to. Factory walls, alley ways. I like drinking coffee sitting on a box out the back of a shop. I heard New York has lots of that kind of stuff, I can’t wait.

Photo: Jim LLE Photo
Photo: Jim LLE Photo

Other than doing stand-up, have you ever been to New York for a vacation or other travel?

CB: I’ve only been to New York to work. If the crowds don’t laugh this time, I guess next year it will definitely be a vacation. Be nice to relax.

After these U.S. dates, what’s coming up for you?

CB: Back to Oz and continue touring. That’s pretty much my bread and butter year round. I had a go at acting but they told me I was too good so I stopped. I didn’t want to embarrass anyone.

You are undoubtedly one of the biggest comics in Australia if not the biggest. Is there anything you’re still hoping to accomplish?

CB: I’d love to make a fool of myself. Sometimes I think I play it safe, so if I absolutely make an idiot of myself I know at least I’m having a go. If I had a child I would say to him or her: “I hope you grow up to be ashamed of yourself.”

Carl Barron live
Carl Barron live

The New York City and Los Angeles comedy scenes have clubs where famous comics can drop in to do short sets so they can test out new material. Is there such a thing in Sydney or other parts of Australia?

CB: There is but we never really get famous people drop in. We have lots of unknown people pretending to be hot property, though — so I guess you could say “yes, yes we do.”

What was the last comedy show you attended as a fan?

CB: I saw Billy Crystal in Sydney this year. I felt nervous like I had to go up on stage. We made eye contact. that’s what I thought.

I really like your material about “living medium” and overall dig that your stand-up is observational yet personal. Is there a routine or bit that you are most proud of?

CB: I’ve always wondered why in the middle of a really long story people suddenly feel compelled to stop and tell you they are cutting it short. Why don’t they start with the short version? I don’t know it’s the short version? I won’t be annoyed if they only told me the short version. This actually annoys me.

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

CB: Lately I have been getting up in the morning and staring out the window while drinking a cup of tea. I’ve never felt as happy as I do when I can just stare out the window without wanting anything. Except another cup of tea.

Finally, Carl, any last words for the kids?

CB: Yeah, please don’t take anything seriously. It really is one big massive joke.