Do you think outsiderdom and alienation are essential components of being funny?
How about in your experience? Yes. Most funny people were awkward loners growing up. Not all, but most. I was able to use comedy to keep people laughing long enough so that they wouldn’t notice me, if that makes sense. How did you decide on starting your comedy career in Improv as opposed to stand up? I first tried stand-up when I was 16. It was at a small club in the valley in LA called GALLAGHER’S. They agreed to let me perform only if my parents were there because it was a bar and against the law technically. I was awful, but it was kind of cute in a sick, drunk, Irish, sort-of-way. After that I laid off comedy until college, where I did some more stand-up and then joined a sketch comedy group called THE VIRUS, which as it turned out, was not the best name for a group in San Francisco. We were pretty bad, but it was great fun. After graduating, I came back to LA and started my master’s program. While in school I joined ACME and did more sketch. This was a great company, a great plac
