The Delightful Jim Gaffigan
Lazy? Not really. Loves food? Definitely.
By Mark J. Lucas |
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Perhaps what makes Jim Gaffigan so appealing to watch is that it appears the Fame Gods, who generally only allow gorgeous people with an air of superiority to be on TV, seemed to have been looking the other way and let a regular guy take the spotlight.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan
Photo courtesy of Martin Crook
Gaffigan has a way of tapping into that which is most common, while still leaving room for the imagination. He's been making folks laugh for almost 20 years, and on February 27th, he will take the stage at the Ohio Theatre.
As he gears up to bring his tour to Columbus, Gaffigan shared a few witty remarks with (614) about his life, his methodology, and his affinity for our fair city.
Was there a point where you realized you'd 'made it'?
Performing on Letterman. Being from Indiana and seeing the influence he had on me, going on there was pretty huge. You have an idea about what you want to do when you're 26. I was so thrilled that I liked my job. It's literally something I enjoy. I'm not going to look back and say, "I wish I'd done something I enjoy" . . . I feel some safety in that, that I won't encounter that.
When you're coming up with these bits, are you actively sitting down to write them, or do they just come to you?
It's definitely always evolving. It's interesting, because I talk about food so much. I think, "I can't talk about desserts so much." The 'inside' voice that I use has gone through parts where I use it a lot or I use it a little. After doing [the voice] for ten years, I feel I've figured it out more. I was [telling jokes for] twelve years and I said, "I'm going to get rid of the curse words." I tried to write different jokes. There're different challenges that you have. Writing so many jokes about food and laziness, [the audience] expects that. "Go back to the Donatos stuff! Don't talk about narcissism." It's ever evolving. I have jokes about being in a hotel, which sounds really boring, but if I do it in a fresh way, that gives you a lot of credit. The freshness is a key motivator.
If an idea comes up, say I tried Kobe beef for the first time, some other ideas might come up. I'll try those on stage here in New York, but I don't know where some of the ideas come from. I did a bit on the Nigerian guy that had a bomb in his diaper. I said, "If having a bomb in your diaper makes you a terrorist, then my kid's definitely al Qaeda." If I think of whales, it might make it into the whale chunk. It's trial and error. It can start with one joke and expand. Some topics may start with one or two jokes, but then I can't go anywhere else with it. I remember being the 24 year old kid in the comedy club hearing "Well, my wife . . ." jokes and not getting them, so I have a few of those, but I want the jokes to appeal to everyone.
The whole country is in an economic downturn. Has this affected you and what you do, proportionately?
It's not doing as gangbusters as it was. For me, to go to Columbus and perform in a theater for two shows is still an amazing opportunity. I definitely see the effects of the economy, but maybe when it comes to entertainment, it's about escaping. People may not get a new car, but they'll go see a show on a Saturday night. It doesn't seem, compared to other industries, that it's as destroyed. Compared to the automotive industry, it's doing all right.
You write a lot of jokes about being lazy. Are you actually lazy?
When you have three kids, it's impossible to be that lazy. Time management - there's a lot of laziness in there. I feel like, you go to lazy. You go to check your email and you happen on a website and follow a link about how to waste two hours looking at things on the Internet. I always feel like I could be working harder. I kind of romanticize. We can't always be the guy who's 20, sitting on his couch eating Fritos, but there's a nostalgia for that at times. The cold weather makes you lazy, too. "Well I guess I'm not going to empty the trash. I'm not going out there."
What's the worst experience, the worst show, you can remember?
The worst show? There's plenty of them. Doing standup - particularly when you start - you kind of have to close the door on those. You have to close off that memory in your mind and move on. The worst show . . . the first time you bomb is really brutal. They're just looking at you with utter disgust. You have to have resiliency, the desire to press on. There are always opportunities to tell jokes again. If you do a play that gets a horrible review, you might not have another show. The advantage to doing a theater is that everyone is there to see you. People are excited for the night out. A theater show is like someone lobbing you a softball and you have an oversized bat. They're familiar with your point of view and your sensibilities.
What's the audience going to see at this show? Is it all new stuff?
I do like an hour and fifteen minutes [on stage]. I've got 55 [minutes] of new stuff. I'm always weeding things out that aren't strong enough. There are some jokes people come to hear, like "He's gotta do that hot pocket joke, or that bacon joke. I drove an hour to hear that joke, so he'd better tell it." Fortunately, [companies] keep coming up with different products, so that keeps it fresh.
The majority of your jokes involve food. When you come to Columbus, where do you like to eat?
I remember having really good hummus in Columbus. I don't know if Columbus is known for its hummus or not. Maybe that was one time. I feel like every city has a food. You going to St. Louis, people say, "You gotta try fried ravioli." Go to Cincinnati, "You gotta try the chili."
Do you look forward to telling jokes in Columbus?
Columbus is a great comedy town. I've always enjoyed playing in Columbus. They have a great comedy scene. There are certain cities where you're like, "This is a bunch of fun." I know this sounds like pandering - I also like Ohio State. Go Bucks! Any town where they like references to laziness and food. Columbus is one of the good ones.
Jim Gaffigan Performs @ the Ohio Theatre
39 E State St.
February 27th
www.jimgaffigan.com
Originally Published: February 1, 2010
