Mr. Insomniac (Dave Attell) at the Improv. Photo from Marc Zawel.
Dave Attell may be best known as the boozy night crawler on Comedy Central’s “Insomniac with Dave Attell,” but just this month, the veteran stand-up embarked on an entirely new fool’s errand via a resurrected version of “The Gong Show.”
Do we really need another debatably entertaining freak show on a medium already inundated with crap? And for someone that travels as much as he does, what does Attell think of the mood the country? We spoke with him in advance of his shows at Comedy Works on Friday and Saturday to find out.
As someone that has traveled the country a lot, both for your “Insomniacâ€? show and as a touring stand-up, you get to see a lot of different cities. Do you have any general sense of people’s moods?
I’m not a politician, but I can tell people are upset about gas prices. Everything seems to be more expensive, and getting people to come out is harder and harder. In terms of the economy, things are harder and harder in general. But they say in economic trouble, comedy does well. People come out for comedy movies, and hopefully, comedy shows. But I do think that it’s the gas. It’s the getting there. Maybe carpooling is the answer…
Have you played Denver’s Comedy Works in the past?
Oh yeah, it’s a great club. Every comic agrees it is one of the best in the country.
Why is that?
It’s a little club, so you can really connect with the audience. (Owner) Wende Curtis… she’s always supported new comics and we’ve all kind of come up there together over the years. I recorded my CD there, “Skanks for the Memories.”
The new version of “The Gong Show” just debuted this month, which you’re obviously hosting. Did you watch the original growing up?
Who didn’t? It’s an icon, so (it’s) really hard to do it. It’s a little different than doing an idea that you create, like the “Insomniac” show. And it’s harder to do something that everyone has an image of in their mind.
Will people watch it?
With YouTube and all these other talent shows, it’s difficult to bring out acts and show people stuff they haven’t seen. It’s a hard show. We did eight of them, and I’d say there’s a lot of things that we can make better if we get a whack at another season.
What was it like hosting it?
Chuck Barris, the original host… I don’t hold a candle to him. He was a wacky and wild and I’m more brooding. But I try to take it a little edgier than they do in the other talent shows. There’s no better way to express your opinion than with a gong.
Dave Attell plays Friday-Saturday at Comedy Works in Denver.
