Comedy: Zach Galifianakis Q&A

Comedy: Zach Galifianakis Q&A
by John Wenzel on November 15, 2007

Good news: Zach found some food for you in his beard. Photo from nymag.com.

– If you don’t know Zach Galifianakis, you ought to. The mostly L.A.-based standup is part of the Comedians of Comedy, a Patton Oswalt-led outfit that tours music venues around the country instead of traditional comedy venues. Of course, Galifianakis seems to resist being labeled as a stand-up that appeals to the indie-hipster crowd, likely because tags like that reduce performers to a pithy subgenre.

– His jokes, which often split the difference between paunchy awkwardness and javelin-like punchlines, should appeal to anyone with a love of absurdist wit and a disdain for pop culture inanity. We chatted with Zach via e-mail recently in advance of his Saturday appearance at the Boulder Theater about touring, the piano, and his bizarre/hilarious Kanye West video. Have a look…

When did you start playing piano, and more importantly, when did you incorporate it into your act?

I really don’t know how to play. I am just making it up and I have been doing that since childhood. As far as in the act — for about 7 years.

Do you prefer to play theaters or music clubs over traditional comedy venues?

It does not matter to me.

Were you surprised by the success of the Comedians of Comedy, or did you have a sense that an audience existed for something like that?

Well, we knew there was an audience in New York and Los Angeles because that scene has been growing for a number of years. I think Patton (the producer) had the clever idea to take it to the rest of the country and it seemed to catch on. It has been a nice cult following of goth chicks with back acne.

Whose idea was the Kanye West video? What’s up with Will Oldham in that video?

Kanye asked me to shoot a video for him after one of my shows. I told him as long as I could do it at my farm then I would do it. It was my idea to have a hip-hop video on a farm. I like juxtaposition. Will happened to be visiting me that weekend and I asked him to be in it.

Was there ever a point where you considered becoming a musician?

No.

Will fans of “Live at the Purple Onion�? see new material at your Boulder show?

Yes.

Will Seth be there?

He is my twin. And he gets mad at me because I always forget his birthday.

Your IMDB.com profile lists a movie called “Largo.�? Is that about the Acoustic Vaudeville/Aimee Mann-Michael Penn nights? What’s your role in it?

That film is just live performances. I am just doing stand up.

What’s your favorite/least favorite thing about touring?

I hate flying. I am a nervous flier. I have started ordering whiskeys right away to calm my nerves but whiskey makes me cry. So I will be openly weeping on a flight.

Does it bug you when journalists try to be funny during interviews? I know Brian Posehn did a bit about that on the Comedians of Comedy DVD.

Yes, that is troublesome.

What have you been listening to and/or reading lately?

I just watched a documentary called “Grey Gardens” about a mother and daughter living in squalor in a beat up old mansion. They are relatives of Jackie Onasis. It is wonderful. I read “The Economist” often.