Funny Man: Rising Indie Comedian Aziz Ansari Comes to Washington

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WHEN IT COMES TO COMEDY, NBC must have stolen King Midas' golden touch, because the network just can't be stopped. Thanks to established shows like "The Office" and "30 Rock" NBC is now the kind of contender that can go out on a limb and commission more quirky, irreverent shows to round out its sarcasm-heavy lineup.

And that generosity means we get to benefit from acting turns by comedian Aziz Ansari, the kind of guy who says Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. reduces him to the actions of a "little girl at a John Mayer concert" (check out the YouTube video with Eugene Mirman; it's hilarious) and who remixes Jay-Z's song "Hate" from "The Blueprint 3" by yelling over it and musing about how much he wants a sandwich.

As disgruntled government employee Tom Haverford on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" Ansari is the show's jaded, bitter lifeblood. And while the comedy returned for its second season last Thursday, Ansari is bringing his stand-up to Washington this weekend. We spoke to him before his show Saturday at Sixth & I Synagogue about how he got into the business.

» EXPRESS: How did you get started in comedy?
» ANSARI: I just started doing it in college, when I was going to NYU. I just enjoyed the live performance of it — I didn't see it as a way into acting; I just thought it would be a fun thing to do with my friends, and it was. It was pretty standard, too — I did open-mic nights, and it just went from there.

» EXPRESS: Where do you get your material and inspiration from?
» ANSARI: It's mostly just personal experience. I don't do political stuff; I talk about my own life and what I've done and been through. And as for inspiration, I really liked early Chris Rock specials, like "Bring the Pain" and "Bigger and Blacker" And now, I've gotten to know and become friends with people like Patton Oswalt, Eugene Mirman and Louis C.K., and they help inspire me, too.

» EXPRESS: You've gotten more exposure from films like "Funny People" and now from "Parks and Recreation." How are scripted things similar or different to stand-up?
» ANSARI: It's two totally different things; it's apples and oranges. I mean, obviously, if you're on a network show, it's cool to be able to reach a bigger audience. It's the same kind of smart humor and it's not wattered down, so in that way, it's similar.

» EXPRESS: What should people who are coming out Saturday expect from your stand-up?
» ANSARI: I don't know what they should expect, but I hope they enjoy it. Anyone that comes, I will give them a giant bag of Snickers. That's guaranteed.

» Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW; Sat., 8 p.m.; sold out; 202-408-3100.

Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi
Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images