Thursday, December 10, 2009

NEW: Michael Showalter 12.10.09

Michael Showalter is 1/2 of the duo who make up the Comedy Central series "Michael & Michael Have Issues", he is 1/11th the folks who make up the comedy troupe THE STATE, he is 1/3rd the comedy troupe STELLA... but he is 100% hysterical! You may know him as writer/director of the IFC film "The Baxter" or as COOP from the cult comedy "Wet Hot American Summer", but I know him as one of the funniest people on the planet... Ladies and Gentlemen... MICHAEL SHOWALTER!

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Zach Galifianakis interviewing Michael Showalter (The Most INDIE Rocker of All Time)


POPVIEWS: Michael, Thanks so much for joining us today! I've been a big fan of The State and Stella for a long time now.

MICHAEL SHOWALTER: My pleasure.


PV: So, in my interview with Thomas Lennon, I had asked him about a STATE full length film (which I had originally heard about through Michael Ian Black's blog)... That was in Jan of 2009, are there any details you can give us about this upcoming film?

MS: Er...uh...it already seems like you might know more about it then I do. Maybe I've been kicked out of the group and didn't know it.


PV: We know and love you from TV Shows, your comedy troupes (Stella/The State), your college humor show "The Michael Showalter Showalter", the film you directed and wrote "The Baxter", "Wet Hot American Summer", etc... What have you been working on as of late?

MS: Michael Black and I made a TV show for Comedy Central called "Michael & Michael Have Issues." Which ran this summer. We're currently writing episodes for a second season. I'm also finishing a book called "Mr. Funnypants" which will be coming out in early 2011.


PV: Which, of the many ventures do you find most comfortable, personally?

MS: I like making TV shows. I like the daily grind of it. It feels more like a regular job than the other stuff. I like the other stuff too of course.


PV: I recently told my girlfriend that the things that make me laugh most are: angry eating, sad eating, and crying in the shower... What are some trusty things that always make you laugh?

MS: My cats make me laugh. My girlfriend makes me laugh.


PV: You play your iPod when you do stand-up and I heard that you DJ a bit around the NYC area... What artists/bands have been blowing your mind lately?

MS: Aaron Copeland. He's dead now.


PV: What's the best live concert you've ever attended?

MS: Al Jarreau and Chaka Khan.


PV: I asked Andrea Rosen and David Wain this question, and I can't wait to hear your answer: What do you miss most and least about doing the STELLA series on Comedy Central?

MS: Driving to work in the morning and listening to the NY classical music radio station.


PV: What is filling up your TIVO right now? Do you watch the new Stephan Seagal series "LAWMAN?" He has a cajun accent, black paint for hair, and a beer gut!

MS: "Tabitha's Salon Takeover." It's like "Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" but instead of restaurants it's hair salons.


PV: After The State ended, you and the other 2 guys in STELLA started making comedy shorts for your live shows, how do you feel knowing you guys were pioneers in the comedy short genre, which can now get people slots on SNL and can totally make their career?

MS: I didn't know we were pioneers. That's cool.


PV: What is "Night of the Living Dorks?"

MS: It's a zombie movie about dorks. It's a really funny script that I'm hoping to direct soon. Right now it's "in turnaround." That's a movie term and I don't know what it means.


PV: What would you say is the main thing people seem to most commonly misunderstand about you?

MS: People interpret my social anxiety as "asshole-ness."


PV: Michael, David, and yourself did the "Barack Rock" benefit back when Barack Obama was running for President, how do you feel he has done thus far?

MS: I'm behind him 100% He's doing great.


PV: What are the holidays like at the Showalter household?

MS: Festive; digestive; sleepy.


PV: What advice, if any, would you give to someone who is attempting to get into Comedy/Acting/Writing for a career?

MS: Work hard and stay positive.


PV: I'm a pretty big fan of what AD Miles is doing over at LATE NIGHT w/ Jimmy Fallon, how much pot do you think they go through in any given day?

MS: No clue. But just for the hell of it I'll say "a lot."


PV: I'm gonna name a couple people, and you tell me the 1st thing that comes to mind...

MS: My pleasure.

PV: Joe Lo Truglio

MS: Kind.

PV: Justin Theroux

MS: Dog lover.

PV: Elizabeth Banks

MS: Leading lady.

PV: Ken Marino

MS: Passion fruit.

PV: Michael Ian Black

MS: Saturnine.

PV: Waino

MS: Uncensored.

PV: Tom Lennon

MS: Swiffer


PV: A-Ro (Andrea Rosen)

MS: Craftswoman

PV: Zach Galifianakis

MS: Man of the people


PV: I read on your blog that you watch a lot of reality TV, would you say that you have a pretty big dick?

MS: My pleasure.


PV: Well thanks so much for spending time with us this evening, I just want to say personally how much your work has made me laugh and inspired people to keep pushing the boundaries of comedy! We'll stay tuned to Michaelshowalter.net for all of your latest news. Happy Holidays! Any famous last words?

MS: Stay cool.

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