I will be reviewing BRIAN POSEHN today! Brian is a metal-tastic, giant child, high as fuck, fart-joke a plenty comedian. He has been on metal albums, collaborated with many other funny giant children, and was on (the always delightful) Sarah Silverman Show. He looks like someone you'd want to have a beer with and possible give bear hugs to too. He always gives off the most friendly, lovable vibes but his mouth is pretty filthy. His energy is fantastic as well!
ENJOY SOME BRIAN UP IN YOU!
NOW SOME LINKS ATCHA!
Website
AND NOW FOR KEITH CAREY INTERVIEWING MR. CONOR MCSPADDEN!!!!!
Q #1: How did you get into comedy?
A: I did a top ten list a la David Letterman in 4th grade for the talent show. My closer was a story about when I swallowed a bunch of air, then farted really loud. It killed. I really started when I was 16, and I drove to a comedy club for a closed audition thingy because I didn't really know about open mics or how comedy worked in general. I lied about my age to sign up. There were seven people there, the booker, two comedians, two friends of one of the comedians, the booker's daughter and the sound girl. I did my three minutes of material I'd never done before and I got exactly one laugh. It was the sound girl. I still remember how she sounded, and I think about it almost every day. I was hooked after that, standup was everything I wanted it to be. I did standup off and on after that through high school, but I was mostly too young and too broke to drive out to open mics all the time. I got fully back into it about six months ago and I love it immensely.
Q #2: What has been your best experience doing stand-up?
A: I did a showcase at the Starlight Theater in Costa Mesa. It was my first real booked show, and my good friend recommended me to the booker and got me on. The booker had never seen me do standup and was just taking my friend on his word. I really put a lot of effort into my material, because I was finally getting to do a big boy comedy show with/for many of my peers and friends (I also didn’t want to make my friend look dumb for recommending me). I did really well, and it was cool to get to show people that I was actually capable of doing standup, as well as being assuring to myself to know that I could actually pull of this thing I’ve fantasized about since I was 10.
Q #3: How do you deal with a bad set?
A: I do another one as quickly as possible to cancel it out! I don't get too bothered by it, the thing I dislike about doing poorly on stage is when people sort of tiptoe around me afterwards. I just want to wear a sandwich board that says “I know I did bad, I'm ok with it, it happens.” I also force myself to listen to the recording of the set, like rubbing a dog's nose in its poop to show it that it did a bad thing. Then I just learn what I can and try to move on. Also I get a personal pan pizza from the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut by my house if I did really bad. It feels good to drown one’s feelings in a wash bucket of carbs sometimes.
Q #4: What inspires your material?
A: I was at a sleepover when I was a kid and “The Comedians of Comedy” came on, which is a road documentary about Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn and Zach Galifanakis. It was during Patton Oswalt's clean filth joke. All my friends wanted to change the channel but I made them keep watching. I took the batteries out of the remote and threw them outside at one point, and they all left me in the living room. That movie changed my life. Patton Oswalt is still the guy I admittedly am trying to be. I had the pleasure of seeing him live recently and he still makes me smile like a little kid and laugh so hard my stomach hurts. Besides Patton and the other Comedians of Comedy, I enjoy Pete Holmes, Chelsea Peretti, Bill Burr, and of course Louis CK to name a few more. The people that influence me the most now are probably my friends to be honest. I’m always honored to be a part of the little comedy cell that I’m in, and I try to appreciate it because I know it’ll be gone someday.
Q #5: Who are your favorite comedians?
A: I've been an avid daydreamer since I was a kid. I still spend honestly about 2-4 hours a day just thinking about stuff and imagining things. I have a very repetitive job and I end up zoning out for long stretches of time, which is my haphazard way of starting to write material. One thing I think about a lot is hypothetical situations, and consequently many of my bits are just simple premises that get really silly. I’ll just notice something or have a little thought, jot it down (often in between customers on a scrap of receipt paper), then just chew it over in my head. My favorite little brain game has always been “if I suddenly switched bodies with person x, how would I deal with it?” So if you ever see me chewing the side of my cheek and looking off in the distance there’s a good chance that that’s what I’m doing. Also many of my jokes revolve around outlandish analogies, which are something that I’ve always enjoyed since I found out that my teachers in middle school would give me better grades for using “figurative language.” It also really helps me understand things if I compare them to other things. So basically I guess I just take a simple observation, then add lots of similes, funny voices, and mythical creatures.
Q #6: Got any shows coming up you'd like to let people know about?
A: I'm doing a contest in Costa Mesa at Westside Bar and Grill on July 11th. The last one was tons of fun and this time I'm competing with some of my dearest and funniest friends.
Next Show Event Page!
iTunes Campfire Podcast
Campfire Podcast Official Page
HAVE A GOOD DAY MUTHAFUCKAS!!
