NEW YORK COOL

Interviewed By Evan Sung

The stage was set at Bowery Ballroom for the official release party for downtown comic Eugene Mirman's first full-length comedy album, “The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman” (Suicide Squeeze records). Some of New York's smartest and most successful comics were on hand to fete the launch and give the crowd a taste of their peculiar brand of stand-up. For those who don't know him yet, Eugene is one of the most gifted of a very talented crowd of comics and writers who are doing their damnedest to eliminate bad memories of painfully cheeseball 80's-style stand-up comedy, set against a drab brick-wall, in a places called the HaHa Hole or the Chortle Chateau. On hand were writers for Conan O'Brien and SNL, members of the “experimental” comedy troupe Tinkle and regulars of the comedy showcase “invite them up!” at Cinema Classics/Rififi co-hosted by Bobby Tisdale and Eugene Mirman himself.

It would be unfair to lump all these performers together, because well, its already been done so often before. But they do all avoid the flat-out joke, preferring instead a kind of free-associative, absurdist, and some might say postmodernist (to toss out a completely bankrupt term of no real descriptive value) take on the familiar and everyday. How to explain Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin coming on stage to throbbing techno as “The Wine Boys,” milking the bizarre sight of these two men toasting the living shit out of their wine glasses for much, much longer than anyone would ever think necessary? There is no explanation. But the effect is to start funny, become strange, then annoying, then right through annoying, out the other side to funny again. Demetri Martin brought out his guitar and performed his stoner-musings to a loop of his own chord strumming. Hosted by the comedy duo Slovin and Allen, whose version of “Crossfire” involves debating whether George W. Bush is a “fucking asshole” or a “total fucking asshole”, they kept things lively and rolling along. Even NPR's Sarah Vowell dropped by to get into the act.

In honor of Eugene's hilarious concert album, I sat down with Eugene for an interview. Well, actually, I sat down, and wrote some questions, and Eugene wrote back with some very insightful, and yes, funny, answers. I can not, in good faith vouch for whether or not Eugene was actually sitting when he responded. He may well have been kneeling. But, I can say with confidence that you should run out and pick up your copy of “The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman.” And while you're at it, check out www.eugenemirman.com, to hear haunting renditions of your favorite classic rock hits by a baby Eugene! On to the questions…


Eugene Mirman

NYC: So Eugene, after all the clamoring of fans, how did you know you were ready to release your own comedy CD? And what pressures were there in having it be your first?

EM: It's something I've always wanted to do, and a record label approached me about putting one out. I felt a huge amount of pressure, but I imagine that anything that is permanent and public would create that feeling (which is why I don't think I would have sex on television for cash, people would judge me on it forever).

NYC: Now, you are a pretty major figure in an influential circle of NY-based comics that includes Jon Benjamin, the Stella and Tinkle folks, and the regulars at "Invite Them Up". How would you describe this comedy movement, so that I don't have to expend brain energy coming up for a neat little label to categorize and pigeonhole you with? Kindly pigeonhole yourself.

EM: First, Jon Benjamin is one of the Tinkle folks and that means you've counted him twice. It's fair though, because I do a lot of stuff with him. Anyway, pigeonhole? Okay, I'll try. A lot of the people you're talking about are pretty different, though we have a similar comedic chi. (By “chi” I mean we all drank some sort of liquid homosexual, Chinese spirit that gives us exceptional comedic power). For myself, I think comedy needs to be Absurd, Passionate and Sincere. I think there is a certain sincerity, ridiculousness and joy in much of things we all find funny. Midnight Pajamajam is a good example (hosted by Jon Benjamin with sidekicks Scott Fellers and Lumpy, two puppets voiced by John Glaser). You don't know what will happen on the show. It's genuinely surprising, which is something I think a lot of comedy lacks. It's a great show. It's hard to label the whole scene though. I've always disliked the notion that “alternative comedy” (a sort of stupid term, let's just call it Modern Rock instead) has no punchlines. Much of it does. Does everything need a label? Do people go to see bands and go “This is great, but what do you call it?” Yes. All the time, actually. Most notably in the movie Back To The Future (it was called Rock and Roll). So to try and help out, here are some names for the downtown comedy scene: Sincere Self-Hating Assholes (S.A.S.H. - wrong order, I know, but we don't have any rules!), The Surprisies!, The Racist Yeah Yeah Yeahs (not to be confused with the similar titled, but un-racist band), SDS (Students for a Democratic So-highety), Downtown Comedy Explosion (or S.A.S.H. - still no rules!), Shonali Bhomik, Indie Rockmics (if anyone ever uses this term you are a duechbag).

NYC: Seriously, you seem to be performing everywhere, every night around town, Pianos, PSNBC, Invite Them Up, do you feel like this kind of comedy has really found its audience? Does it seem to have a momentum that it didn't before? What could you attribute that to?

EM: You just named three venues within 10 blocks of each other. So, yes, I think the people in the east village really, really like it. But there is a momentum of sorts. There are a handful of things that contribute to this. There's the television aspect: Conan, The Daily Show, Mr. Show, UCB, The State, Wet Hot American Summer, Dr. Katz have helped make both various comedians and styles of comedy popular. Also specific people. In terms of standup, I think David Cross has personally helped make it something that is more respected and exciting again. I think the UCB theater has helped enormously. Stella has done a lot to showcase a certain sensibility and countless comics. There's also a merger of filmmakers, writers, musicians and comedians that has helped expand the scene. That's one thing that's great about playing with a band on the road. I get a lot of people telling me they haven't seen live comedy before. And what they see is antithetical to the stereotype of the eighties comic. They're often genuinely surprised they enjoyed it.

NYC: You are also touring widely with great indie bands like Modest Mouse and the Helio Sequence. How did you get connected with that scene? Did they seek you out?

EM: I performed at Tinkle a lot and after the booze cruise, a rock booking agent asked me if I wanted to open for The Shins. I did. After that she asked me if I had anyone booking me live, and I didn't, so she became my agent. Demetri Martin, Leo Allen, Andy Blitz and I toured in rock clubs already with our friend Shonali's bands (Tigers and Monkeys and The Neverlands) and I toured with Stella and really enjoyed it. Modest Mouse wanted to do something different, and my agent works with them and Helio Sequence and set up that tour. But also, I go to a lot of music shows, and a lot of musicians come to comedy shows. That's how I ended up touring with Yo La Tengo. Bobby Tisdale and I often have a musician close the show. At first we had Langhorne Slim (who I saw perform and loved) close every show. And then we started booking other people. We've had The Trachtenberg Family Slide Show Players, John Wesley Harding, Connor Oberst and countless others. I think it's a nice way to end a show.

NYC: What is it like performing for a rock audience as opposed to a comedy audience? Is there any difference for you?

EM: It can be hard, but it also reaches a whole new group of people. And when it works, it's super fun. Opening for Stella in rock clubs are some of the most fun shows. There's lots of people who don't really go to comedy clubs, but constantly go to rock clubs, so it makes sense to bring comedy there. Rock clubs often have a more natural feeling environment. Comedy clubs can be antiseptic. Have you ever been walking around New York and had somebody say to you “Do you like music? Want to buy tickets to Irving Plaza?” No. But people are constantly stopped and asked “Do you like comedy? Want tickets to see standup?” Would you want to perform for people who have been tricked into seeing you? There are some really great comedy clubs of course. But many comedy clubs are expensive and cheesy.

NYC: Given that New York is your home base, do you like going on tour spreading your magic, or do you prefer performing here and "pumping up your base?" Are there a lot of swing states that are just on the fence about you?

EM: I enjoy both. I like being in New York the most, but it's nice to get away and tour. I learn a lot from traveling. Did you know that it would be awful to live in Florida? I do now. Though St. Augustine is beautiful. I hadn't really seen that much of the country until I started touring. I love Austin and Seattle. And I bet people in Swing States would mostly dislike me.

NYC: A topic that's hard to avoid no matter what you're talking about these days: politics. You've made short films parodying the Swift Boaters for Truth, and with people like Jon Stewart taking CNN hosts to task for political theater, comedy has become very political in these months and weeks before the election. How important is that for you to affect or deal with the political climate in your standup?

EM: Somewhat important. Mostly what I do isn't political. I prefer doing comedy that is either odd stories/ jokes, weird social satire, or simply ridiculous. However, I think humor can be very powerful corrective tool. I think Jon Stewart leveled the Crossfire guys. It's hard to fight against humor. If you can make fun of something in a way people really connect with, there's almost no rebuttal, except something funnier. And it spreads. Countless people e-mailed Jon Stewart on Crossfire to each other. Our media has become crappy over the last decade or two, ever since it went from being largely public interest focused to profit motivated. And now people are talking about it more. And Jon Stewart is one of the reasons. And The Daily Show is one of the only shows that challenges the stupidity of both the media and politics. The idea of a “freedom hater” is simply stupid. It's the stupidest thing I've heard in years. That's not a way for the president to talk about terrorism. Basically, I think Bush is a frightening president. And if I can think of a way to make fun of him or his agenda in a way that can spread, I will. So far, the Swift Boat video and a bunch of benefits are all I've done. If I had a great joke about America's policy of sexually humiliating and raping detainees in Iraq and Gitmo (that's what the Army and I call Guantanamo Bay) I would tell it. All I have though are a few slogans for the Kerry campaign:

1) Hey Wing States: New York City Has Been Attacked By Terrorists and We're Voting For John Kerry Because He Won't Get Us Blown Up, Also, What About Schools?
2) Vote Kerry: He Will Deceive and Rape You Much, Much Less, Maybe Not At All.
3) Jonh Kerry: He Will Kill As Many Terrorists As Bush, With Only Half The Fear

NYC: Releasing your own CD is a pretty big milestone in a comic's career, what are your next ambitions?

EM: I'm slated to take over for Letterman in 2035.

NYC: Part of the Mirman mythos is your star turn as the Arsonist on Third Watch. Do you feel like a whore when you go out for acting gigs? Is it fun being a whore? And how much for handjobs?

EM: I don't feel like a whore. Being on Third Watch was really fun. However, it is depressing being at auditions. Also, I don't call it acting. I call it Pretending. If you have a chance to check out my pretendings, you should. And to answer your other question, a handjob isn't about money, it's about the job. And if you have even a little pride or marginally believe in the protestant work ethic, you would do it for free. Me, I would charge $250,000.

NYC: [In hushed, Barbara Walters tones] Eugene, "sexy," what is it? You've described it in your "Ask Eugene" column as "Laughing at the wrong time, and throwing shit at people." Any second thoughts?

EM: Like anything, sexy is a game. A game in which you play to win. Where else do we play to win? The War On Terror. To be sexy you must understand things in a post 9/11 context. The post 9/11 woman, to be sexy, must be three things: beautiful (our nation's media subtly lets women know that already), confident, and passionate. And no, putting on a camisole and crappy ass-revealing jeans isn't sexy, it's disturbing. Cut that shit out. A post 9/11 woman understands that sexy is a smell, a gesture, something you yell at a child. Or to put it another way, sexy is when you make 70 cents to the dollar and then smile and give him a good time in bed anyway. That's sexy! For a man, it's sexy to be vindictive, polite and tall.

NYC: And in conclusion, as a Mirman, what is it like to be able to breathe and function both on land and in the ocean?

EM: Thanks for asking. I have an army of fish, so it's cool.