As the end to my piece on the rebirth of stand-up, I present my interview with comedian Eugene Mirman. This is the second and final interview (the previous one being with Michael Showalter) in this installment. Please be sure to check out the comedians' websites at michaelshowalter.net , eugenemirman.com , and slovinandallen.com to keep track of tour dates so you can catch their shows. And now, Eugene Mirman speaks of comedy at the age of three, gasmasks, co-sines, and the White House. Enjoy.


Andrew Porter - What was one of the first jokes that you ever remember telling? Not necessarily in front of an audience, but just in life in general?

Eugene Mirman - I think I was literally like three years old and told some friend of my parents, who was reading a book, that reading would destroy his eyes, but it was through an elaborate scheme. It doesn't sound funny now, but as a three year old I think it was very clever. Otherwise, my actual first joke that I ever wrote and told on stage was "what's the profession with the highest suicide rate? A lot of people think it's dentists, but it's kamikaze pilots."�

AP - What did you want to be when you were just growing up?

EM - I think I wanted to do something involving entertainment or comedy. I mean, I watched a lot of stand-up growing up. I don't know if it ever occurred to me that I could do that, but I think I vaguely was like "I'll be a filmmaker."� I didn't really know. I just liked playing with video cameras and things.

AP - What were some goals for yourself when you first started out doing comedy?

EM - To do comedy. My goals remain, and were, to simply make a living at comedy and do what I enjoy in terms of comedy. That obviously can account for different levels of something where you could either have a small apartment or a larger house. But within that range. Like, I don't particularly care as long as I can make stuff"¦. like comedy. Not chairs. I can't build anything.

AP - I know when you first started out doing comedy you actually did your thesis, in college, on stand- up, because it was actually your major.

EM - Yeah.

AP - Do you think that the earlier you start in comedy the better?

EM -No. Am I glad that I did it in college opposed to something that didn't interest me? Yes. If you would like to do comedy feel free to start now. Feel free to do it in ten years. Is it easier? Possibly, but I know people like Demetri [Martin] who started when he was in law school. He wasn't even thinking of doing it, so I dunno.' He's really doing very well. Umm, sure. I mean, it's like anything.

AP - I think that one of the scariest things for a lot of people who want to start out and do comedy is that they're scared of leaving their 9 to 5, steady jobs. You had a job at a web company when you started. When you left your job, were you nervous at all that you didn't really have a steady job and were going into comedy instead?


EM - No. There's nothing else I can do. I wasn't leaving something to do this. I always did this and had ways to sustain myself. When I moved to New York I had saved up some money, and then I ran up a lot of credit card debt, and then I would get comedy work, and then I had a temp job for a little while, and eventually I left it. No. It never occurred to me and it still doesn't. It's not like I don't have a choice, but I feel like this is sort of what I do. There are lots of different things [in comedy]. You can write or perform. You could make videos. Within the world of comedy I could do one of hundreds of totally different things.

AP - Do you ever get writer's block?

EM - I guess. I think of material in a lot of different ways. I'll see something that annoys me and think "I should make a video like this."� Or, I'll see something I love and think of a parody. Or, I'll have an idea and start writing. In terms of sitting down and just writing straight jokes, that's often harder for me than creating a five or seven minute weird bit about something.

AP - About something just off the top of your head that basically gets your imagination going?

EM - Sort of, yeah. It just depends. In terms of writer's block, if I just sit down to write jokes then yeah it's very difficult.

AP - Did you bomb a lot starting out?

EM - You do well and you bomb. It's back and forth. If you only bomb, you would probably stop"¦..possibly. The truth is, you do well and along the way you think of things that are funny and you think of new things. I'm sure there's things I did in college that I enjoy, but I don't really do them now.

AP - What do you think is more crucial? Do you think it's more crucial that you can laugh at one of your jokes no matter what the audience thinks?

EM - The reason I perform for people is so that people understand what I'd like them too. I'm trying to convey whatever I think is funny to people. Do I have longer bits that have some things that I, personally, think are funny and only two or three out of ten people will agree with me? Sometimes. But, I don't do them as much or they're a part of something else. I think it is important to have the audience enjoy it, but, also, I think it's important to find your audience. I don't think every audience should [go along with you], but I think you should give it a shot if you're performing for people.

AP - I know you once performed in a gasmask.

EM - I did say that at some point. It wasn't the whole set. I was doing really weird things. I wasn't around stand up. I didn't really know what it was. I mean, I saw it and would do it, but I would just do whatever I thought would be funny. I think that's the common misconception in terms of alternative comedy. What I'm trying to do, I'm trying to be funny. It's not like some crazy experiment. I'm not necessarily using conventional means, but I'm still creating set-ups and punch lines of a sort. They just involve PowerPoint.

AP - What do you think about that term "alternative comedy"�? Do you think it really means much?

EM - I guess. I mean, it's the same thing with alternative music. There's lots of alternative music that sells millions of records. It's just a genre, so if people feel comfortable putting something in a genre it's fine. I don't particularly care. Some people seem to hate it, some don't.

AP - It seems like a lot of comedians are actually coming to these rock clubs to do comedy. Why do you think that is?

EM- I think it's because that's where people go normally. Kids don't normally go to comedy clubs that often. Also, it's cheaper and comics get paid more in rock clubs, and they don't have to do seven shows in one city. You can do one or two shows and then move on. You also draw in fans of you opposed to fans of comedy in general. If you go to a comedy club, guys are there to just see comedy, but nobody ever goes to just see music. People would care if it was Ani DiFranco or Led Zeppelin. But, in comedy, there's often not a distinction. It's just comedy. So, as a result, by moving into a different venue people who want to see what we want to do come to see us.

AP - Do you think that rock venues may have open mike nights at some point?

EM- Only if they're idiots. No. Haha. Maybe. Comedy clubs are an invention of the late 70s and 80s basically. So, in New York for instance, there's tons of cabaret places and small places to do all kinds of things- music, comedy, poetry. Do those places have comedy? Yeah. Would it make sense [for rock clubs to do]? The Kaiver, for instance. The Kaiver could do that maybe, but it'd be a little rowdy. It just depends what the venue is.

AP - I know you've just finished up your CD "En Garde, Society!,"� and you've actually staged protests against yourself in order to raise awareness.

EM - Yeah. I have done that, and will at the White House tomorrow.

AP - Wow.

EM - I have a permit. Don't worry. I mean, you're not worried, but I'm just saying that I'm going to do a demonstration against myself in front of the White House.

AP - That should be damned funny.

EM - We'll find out.

AP - What else are you planning to protest? Anything else?

EM - Just myself at the White House for now. I did one in New York which was pretty fun.

AP - What can we expect from your new CD?

EM - Like it being awesome? Is that an answer?

AP - Oh yeah.

EM - There's a bunch of videos. There's commentary. There's stand up. Whimsically political things, but not really. I don't know what you want to expect from it. I hope that it's funny, but I don't know what to tell people to expect from it. Probably to have their minds blown by really inventive comedy. I don't know. You can add that I was laughing and kidding about that last part when you write it.

AP - Oh yeah. I'll put you telling me to do that in it too. If there's something that you wish you could change about the world of comedy, stand up wise, what would it be? Is there anything?

EM - Not particularly. I think that I've always just simply preferred to find my own space, do my own thing, and promote it. I find that an easier thing to do, so for me to go "I wish comedy clubs did this"� I don't care. It's the same way that I'm not mad at some shitty band. They're welcome to put out crappy things and make money and get horrible blowjobs"¦.or fine ones. But, the point is, I think there's a resurgence [in comedy] and I'm very excited that there are a lot of people doing really cool, creative things. I'm sure there are people doing terrible things, but I'm trying to remain unaware of it.

AP - Do you know of any comedians right now that may not be known too well that you really like?

EM - It'd be great if I said people way more successful than myself. "Well, I dunno if you've ever heard of this guy."� Yes. There's tons of people. There's a guy named John Mllaney, Jacqueline Novak. They're very funny New York comics. I don't know what would constitute being "known."� I might be that person. I might be a "not well-known person"� who's funny that people should know about. There's lots of comics. I think that, in general, stand up is becoming more popular again. It sort of had a death in the 80s and I think that now it's having a great rebirth. Partially because"¦"¦I don't know why. Probably because people are very funny or something? Some combination.

AP - One last question. Tangent is too co-secant as hyperbolic sine is too"¦?

EM - Co-sine? God. I'm honestly thrilled that I don't know the answer to this. And, everyone in my family is a mathematician but me. I don't know. What if I said sine? Co-Sine?

AP - That works! Yeah!

EM - Is that it?

AP - I dunno. I don't know it.

EM - Oh. You don't know what the answer to this is?

AP - It's co-sine. I guess.

EM - Is it co-sine?

AP - I guess.

EM - Oh! "Co-secant."� So it is sine, co-sine. Wait, I got it right.

AP - I think you did.

EM- That's awful. That's how much information I have, that I accidentally get math right. Yeah. I forget a lot of math, but I remember a lot of information about comedy.