Evan Sung
A close-up of a smiling Mike Birbiglia.
Mike Birgiglia
There’s one critical difference between Mike Birbiglia’s previous show tours and the comedian’s new tour, “The New One.” All his new material has never been seen before, and it’s under strict control — with no television or online previews and strict rules forbidding recording during performance. The award-winning director, author and actor has spread his wings more than ever in the last year. His film on a New York City improv troupe, Don’t Think Twice, was a critical favorite in 2016, and he’s found acting success, landing multiple film and television roles including a recurring role in the Netflix hit, Orange is the New Black. Yet Birbiglia’s career of choice is still old-fashioned standup. Isthmus caught up with Birbiglia ahead of his Sept. 22 performance at Overture Center.
Have there been breaches during “The New One” tour? By that I mean patrons pirating and posting clips from the act?
No, I haven't witnessed that. But that's something that Chris Rock mentioned a few years ago on The Daily Show. He was sort of begging people not to video any of his shows because essentially they're seeing an early draft of something that's going to be filmed eventually. But I think the incentive for the audience to not take out their camera and video something, is that part of the magic of being at a live show is that we're all experiencing it at the same time. In some ways it’s one of the rare places left on earth where you can shut off your phone — and that's a luxury.
Why is it important to hear live standup comedy bits fresh, for the first time, especially when audiences laugh so hard at material they’ve heard before?
I actually disagree with the idea that the audience will laugh at the same joke the second time. That's something that the late great Mitch Hedberg dealt with in his last couple years. His bits became so popular that people would shout them out at shows. They'd shout out “Tide” or “Steamboat operator,” or whatever the bit was. I remember he said to me, once backstage when I was opening for him, “If I do the bits they shout they're not going to laugh. They're going to clap, and we don't go to comedy shows to clap. We go to laugh.”
What comedy record did you listen to most when you were growing up?
Bill Cosby: Himself was the first comedy special I watched. Then I watched a series of Letterman sets. I was a huge Letterman fan, so that's how I found Jake Johannsen, Brian Regan and Mitch Hedberg. Then later I found the Steve Martin albums and the Woody Allen albums when I had become a sort of comedy nerd.
With such an extensive background in improv, how often do you go off script in “The New One”?
My feeling about any kind of performance, whether it’s a movie or a live comedy show, is that you write and you write and you write and then you go on stage or roll camera and whatever happens, happens. To me that's what’s exciting about the live show. Every show is different if you're open to it being different.
Are there topic areas that you absolutely will not go into? Were their taboo subjects earlier in your career that you have no problem working with now?
I feel like when you’re younger and you get on stage you want to look cool, and when you're older you start to realize that no one’s cool and then you're able to make jokes about that — and I think those are probably the funniest parts.
What is an audience pet peeve of yours?
I'm pretty open to whatever the audience has to offer. I feel like what gets me through so many hundreds of performances on the same tour is that the audience reaction is always different. With my shows I’m really trying to make something that is simultaneously comedic and honest, and sometimes even dramatic. So the thing that I want most is for people is [for them] to listen, and when they're not listening, [that] is probably my pet peeve.
Do politicians and comics have anything in common?
Sure. They’re both willing to speak in front of groups of people, they’re both willing to lie, and occasionally they tell the truth. But what's better about comedians is that they don't have a boss so we’re able to speak a little more freely.
