"THE 2,000 YEAR OLD MAN" was never intended to last one year, let alone 60.
In the early 1950s, friends and fellow comedy writers Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks started doing the routine at parties: Reiner would play the interviewer and straight man, asking Brooks a series of questions that he would answer as the world's oldest man. For example:
» REINER: What was the means of transportation then?
» BROOKS: Mostly fear.
» REINER: Fear transported you?
» BROOKS: Fear, yes. An animal would growl — you would go two miles in a minute. Fear would be the main propulsion.
Neither had experience in stand-up comedy, and neither nursed ambitions in that direction, yet the private routine became such a hit among friends and party-goers that Steve Allen and Sid Caesar pushed them to introduce the 2,000-year-old man to a wider audience. Allen even offered to pay for the studio if they would make a record. It took them ten years to go through with it.
The rest is, ahem, history.
BROKEN LIZARD'S MOVIES work because they're rowdy, vulgar and instantly quotable. With modest big-screen success, "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest" have gone on to live cult-like lives on DVD. Its members — Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske — met at Colgate University in 1990, where the group formed.
During the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, the troupe revisited its indie roots, shooting "The Slammin' Salmon" (out Dec. 11) on its own. In it, the five work at a restaurant owned by a head-case former boxer (played masterfully by Michael Clarke Duncan).
On Thursday night, Broken Lizard returns to the stage with a performance at the Lisner Auditorium. We talked to all five members in a six-way phone interview.
» EXPRESS: Where did the idea for "The Slammin' Salmon" come from?
» HEFFERNAN: A couple of the guys — Jay, Steve and Erik — waited tables together in New York City on the Upper East Side. I think from there they started collecting funny stories while waiting on tables. … We ended up putting together this plot basically because we were writing "Beerfest" at the time and we wanted to put together an idea for a lower-budget alternative movie.
TUESDAY: Oh, Dane Cook. It's always sad when a comedian who's actually funny — yes, he can be stupid and sexist, but he's got great timing — goes off to do idiotic movies about bumbling blue-collar workers and Jessica Alba's underwear. We're happy to see Cook back doing comedy on a stage, with no bimbos or shopping carts in sight. It's where he belongs.
» Patriot Center, George Mason University, 4500 Patriot Center, Fairfax; Tue., Nov. 3, 7 p.m., $33-$103; 202-397-7328.
Photo by Jonathan Alcorn/The Washington Post
THERE'S A CERTAIN disappointment journalists get when we have to conduct an interview via e-mail. Questions must be worded precisely, there's no chance to follow up and there's always the chance that the interviewee isn't actually the person answering the questions.
But when I learned my interview with Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, the comedians behind "The State," "Stella," and, most recently, "Michael and Michael Have Issues," would need to occur through e-mail, I thought, "This might not be so bad, and hey, at least I won't have anything to transcribe."
You see, Black and Showalter are as good at writing as they are at performing — both wrote for "The State" and "Stella," and have written for other television shows. Showalter's big-screen debut was co-scripting frequent collaborator David Wain's cult classic, "Wet Hot American Summer," while Black penned "Run Fatboy Run" with Simon Pegg. And if you follow either of their Twitter feeds (@michaelianblack, @mshowalter), or the blogs on their Web sites, you know the two are sharp with the written word, no matter the character limit.
The duo will be in Washington on Oct. 28 as part of the their "Michael and Michael Have Tour," which is promoting the uncertain future of their Comedy Central series. In our e-mail conversation, Black discusses depression, Showalter talks about his ski sweater and both express their mutual love — ahem, admiration — for each other.
EXPRESS: This one's for Michael Ian Black: The blog posts you wrote on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 about ticket sales slumping and battling with your own insecurities are quite revealing — are the problems you're having affecting your work at all?
BLACK: These problems ARE my work.
Continue Reading "Michael and Michael Have E-mail: Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter" »
SUNDAY: If you're a fan of "The Sarah Silverman Program," you'll want to be there when the commedienne appears live — along with fellow cast members Laura Silverman, Tig Notaro, Steve Agee and Chelsea Peretti — at the 9:30 Club. The line between unfunny, profane ramblings and brilliantly depraved humor is a thin one, but Silverman has been straddling it with skill for nearly 20 years on the stand-up scene.
Expected topics include: sexual innuendo, Jewish grandmothers, Jimmy Kimmel, Matt Damon, more Judaism and farting.
» 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; Washington, Sun., Oct. 25, 7 p.m., $30; 202-393-0930. (U St.-Cardozo)
Written by Express' Anne Polsky
Photo courtesy Comedy Central
THURSDAY: While every other comic in the English-speaking universe is yukking it up at the Bentzen Ball this weekend (see our story), Bill Burr will be garnering laughs in an intimate setting.
He's at the Improv through Saturday (there are still tickets for the Thursday late show) hawking his signature rants, the funniest of which have plenty to say about race and women. If you want to buck the crowd, this is the show to see.
Check out our article on the Bentzen Ball here.
» D.C. Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave NW; Thu., Oct. 22, 10:30 p.m., $25; 202-296-7008. (Farragut North)
WHEN TIG NOTARO first performed in Washington, at last year's D.C. Comedy Festival, she had a great time. So when she found out the festival wouldn't return this year, she was disappointed.
"I just thought, 'Maybe I'll just go ahead and put the festival together,'" Notaro said. "It just seems like a great city and it seemed like a waste, especially with how excited people have been about politics and Obama. ... It just seemed so prime."
She reached out to the people behind D.C.-based scenester Web site Brightest Young Things, who she befriended during last year's trip, and they were excited. With a Rolodex of comedian friends, Notaro began mobilizing. Getting people was easy, and organizing — thanks to Notaro's background in music promotion and with the help of BYT — was very doable. Coming up with a name for the thing, though, was a different story.
Continue Reading "Indie Mock: The Bentzen Ball Comedy Fest" »
THERE'S SOMETHING UNDENIABLY cool about David Cross. Maybe it's the gray beard he's grown to go with the bald head and thick-rimmed glasses. Maybe it's because he's probable smarter then you — dude does have a way with words.
Maybe it's because he's kind of an asshole.
Whatever it is, you get the sense he knows it, which might explain why Cross decided to write his first book, "I Drink for a Reason" (Grand Central Publishing), released in August. He's knowledgeable about politics, controversial about religion and spot-on when it comes to making fun of people. Cross doesn't mince words — it's part of his appeal.
The book's a somewhat fragmented work of essays on the various topics you'd expect from Cross, and to promote it, he embarked on his fist stand-up tour in five years.
During the break from stand-up, Cross filled his time with roles in "I'm Not There," "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Year One." The co-creator of HBO's brilliant "Mr. Show," Cross is still probably best known for his role as Dr. Tobias Funke, a former psychiatrist with delusions about his acting prowess, on the cult-favorite series "Arrested Development."
Express chatted with the 45-year-old comedian about his return to touring, health care and Barack Obama. Oh, and before you go looking for it, no, Cross has nothing new to say about the "Arrested Development" movie, which series creator Mitchell Hurwitz is currently scripting.
Continue Reading "A New Development: David Cross, 'I Drink for a Reason'" »
AS MUCH AS I respect the album format, I have to concede that there are times when individual song downloads are a better option. Comedy albums, even by performers as gifted and hilarious as the Flight of the Conchords, are not known for songwriting consistency.
The following song-by-song guide to the Concords' new album, 'I Told You I Was Freaky' (Sub Pop), should assist you in making wise track selections.
Continue Reading "Book Your Own: Flight of the Conchords, 'I Told You I Was Freaky'" »
WEDNESDAY: Do you miss Arrested Development as much as we do? Despite rumors of a movie spin-off, we doubt it'll be coming out any time soon. Sorry. If you really need your fix now, check out David Cross (Tobias Funke) at the Warner Theatre Wednesday night.
In addition to the hilarious and sexually confused, Tobias, Cross has brought us comedic gems like the 90's comedy Mr. Show and liberal radio show host, Russ Lieber, who frequents the Colbert Report. Don't worry: Cross is just as funny when he's writing his own material.
» Warner Theatre, 13th and E streets NW; Wed., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., $35; 202-783-4000. (Federal Triangle)
Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
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