Photograph courtesy of 3 Arts Entertainment.
In many ways, Hannibal Buress is just a regular guy. He goes to NBA games. He likes sitting around playing Xbox in his apartment. And, like many about-to-turn-30-year-olds, he thinks about things like eating healthier and investing his money. But he’s also a prolific standup comedian with two albums under his belt (2010’s My Name Is Hannibal, 2012’s Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace), as well as credits on several TV shows, both behind the camera (writing for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock) and in front of it (Louie, 30 Rock again, Adult Swim’s The Eric André Show).
Buress performs at the Hamilton this Friday; we caught up with him by phone a couple of days before Super Bowl weekend—and his 30th birthday—to talk about writing for TV versus for standup, getting older, and why he doesn’t like the national anthem.
So what do you have going on this weekend?
Today I’m going to the Brooklyn Nets versus Bulls game, then I might go watch hip-hop karaoke, and tomorrow I gotta clean my place. I live in squalor. I had a cleaning lady, but she quit. She got out of the business; I don’t know if it was because of me. She would clean [my place] while I was on the road, but I don’t trust other people. I don’t have a place that looks really bad, but I got an Xbox and that’s way more fun than cleaning. So I gotta give away a bunch of clothes, do a purge of stuff, and then I’m hosting a Super Bowl party on Sunday and doing a show after the party. And then Monday I turn 30.
How do you feel about that?
It’s fine—I’ve been taking vitamins leading up to this, just to ease myself into healthiness. I’m eating more salads, chicken Caesar salads, and trying to increase my Naked juice intake, stuff like that. All the other stuff I’m fine with, but it is weird—that’s a grown-up age. I remember when I wasn’t.
When you were 15, did you think this is where you’d be in your life at 30?
I don’t know. I don’t know how much I thought about being 30 when I was 15; I was just focused on trying to smoke weed or just trying to be cool in high school. I think I wanted to be rich when I was that age—“By the time I’m 23 I’m gonna be rich.” That was my goal.
Anything you haven’t done that you wish you had?
There’s not much else I can do. I’m happy with where I’m at; I’m just trying to get healthier, invest, and find another business, a side business, to try to grow.
What kind of side business?
Eyebrow threading. I’m seeing a lot of those shops pop up.
Would you thread eyebrows yourself or just oversee the place?
I don’t have time for that; I’d just oversee it, kinda just run the joint, host it, be a presence. Also maybe a children’s book or clothing—people are always going to have sex or have kids, so if you could make a solid kids’ product, that seems like a way to go in life.
You used to write for 30 Rock, which recently had its series finale. Did you watch it?
I haven’t watched the whole season, but I did watch the finale. It was really funny. You could tell they put a lot into the scripts—it was really dense, lots of crazy jokes, a real fun episode, and a great sendoff for the show and characters.
Between writing for that show and SNL, which did you prefer?
I think 30 Rock was a little more fun. I already had experience writing. SNL was kind of nerve-racking since it was my first job; 30 Rock is more stable. It’s steady hours for the most part; sometimes you have to stay late, but it was mostly 10 to 6. And it was very collaborative. SNL was really fun, too, but on 30 Rock I got the opportunity to be on camera.
Do you like writing or performing more?
I like doing both. I like to perform—I’m a standup, so I perform my own ideas, and when I’m acting or performing that builds my standup. If I’m acting on a show, that kind of brings people to see standup more than writing.
Who do you think is the funniest person working today?
The funniest person working isn’t even in comedy—it’s probably just a person that works a regular job who’s hilarious all the time . . . probably some dude working at Jimmy John’s and nobody knows it except for him and his coworkers and people in their college town. Rick at Jimmy John’s in Ames, Iowa, is the funniest person working right now.
Well, how about among comedians?
I like Louis CK—he’s killing it. Kevin Hart; I saw Kevin Hart at [Madison Square] Garden. Aziz Ansari is doing great work. I could name names all the time.
Ellen DeGeneres receiving the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center. Photograph by Scott Suchman.
David Rubenstein, coming out to introduce the 15th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last night at the Kennedy Center, seemed to sense many people might have their attention elsewhere. “Yes, we did know the presidential debate would be this evening,” the Kennedy Center president and Carlyle Group cofounder said. “But many months ago we consulted with Mark Twain, and he said, ‘Don’t worry about the debate. Honor Ellen DeGeneres.’”
By the time DeGeneres herself, dressed in a tailored black suit and a blue shirt, took the stage—following introductions and performances by Jimmy Kimmel, Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Hayes, Jason Mraz, Loudon Wainwright III, Jane Lynch, John Krasinski, and more—most of the assembled audience seemed to have forgotten the night’s other event entirely. The performer, 54, a pioneer for both gay rights and women comedians, was feted by Rubenstein for “her quick wit, her engaging personality, her extraordinary talent, and her charming honesty.” Segments of the show were interspersed with video clips from her past performances, showing DeGeneres spooking Taylor Swift, persuading Jenna Bush to call up her father on live TV, charming Johnny Carson on her Tonight Show debut, and, most memorably, coming out to the world as a lesbian on her ’90s sitcom, Ellen.
Anjelah Johnson will forever be known for two characters: an impossibly rude fast-food employee, and the nosy, business-savvy Vietnamese nail technician whose YouTube videos helped make Johnson famous. (That particular video currently has more than 28 million views.) The former NFL cheerleader and MAD TV star performs at the Warner Theatre this Saturday; we caught up with her to talk about Internet fame, secret talents, and the real inspiration behind Bon Qui Qui.
What do you do to prepare for a show?
When I’m already at the venue and in the green room, I like to play music—any kind of music that makes me dance, or that I can sing along to, because it loosens me up a little bit. I’m not very big on having a lot of people around me right before a show; I like to just be very minimal. Sometimes I’ll do meet-and-greets, but I make sure they end about 15 minutes beforehand so I can just be by myself.
Where do you get inspiration for your characters?
You know, everyday life. I meet so many different people, and people are so unique and so interesting, and then there are the people I spend my time with—my brother and my husband. I watch and am observant around them, and I incorporate things. Bon Qui Qui is like a mix of my little brother and a bunch of people I’ve met, but more specifically my little brother. He’s just so ghetto fabulous, and he’s one of those people who’s everybody’s alter ego, and he has no filter. He just says whatever he feels like saying. He’s funny, and he’s a trendsetter; people like the way he talks, and he’s a fun guy.
Lewis Black. Photograph by Cla McBride.
Lewis Black is best known for his apoplectic style of standup, but he spent his early years as a playwright. The 64-year-old comedian grew up in Silver Spring, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Yale School of Drama. He appears regularly on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and was nominated for an Emmy for the HBO special Red, White, and Screwed, which he filmed at DC’s Warner Theatre in 2007. Black returns to the Warner for three performances September 27 through 29; we caught up with him to discuss reality television, Washington audiences, and what he’d do if he were President for a day.
What was it like growing up in Silver Spring?
Not like growing up in Silver Spring now, now that it’s a city. It was real suburbs, and it was kind of the American Dream in a lot of ways. There was no ADD, no ADHD, and PTAs actually did stuff.
Did you go to comedy clubs?
No, there was barely a comedy scene when I was growing up. It was all cabaret. There was a place called the Casino Royale, where my parents would go. I watched comedy on TV, Ed Sullivan and all that stuff.
You worked in theater in New York for many years. What made you switch to standup?
I was doing standup on the side, and I’d always been fascinated by it. Standup was a way I could keep writing and actually get a sense of what I was doing. The problem with playwriting is if you get two shows done a year you’re really lucky, and most of the time you’re locked up writing. By the time I was 40, I got tired of banging my head against the brick wall that was theater, and I was completely broke. People seemed to be interested in my standup, and that was the door that opened.
Your act seems to be inspired by everything being totally messed up. What would you make jokes about if everything suddenly got fixed?
I’d go back to what I used to do. When I started out, 90 percent of my act wasn’t about politics. It was about the weather, and stuff I dealt with, and how there was a Starbucks across the street from the Starbucks, and how that was even possible. Observations. But what was always the impetus behind my act was what got me angry, and politics became bigger because it’s what really angers me.
If you could be President for a day, what would you do?
I’d probably get on Air Force One and just ride around. No, I’d probably just spend my whole day dealing with education, because that’s where it all starts. If everything’s education-centric, then we move further down the road.
How would you describe yourself when you’re not onstage?
Probably low-key, a little shy, and tired.
Who do you think is the most evil person in America?
That’s a tough one. Whoever invented reality television.
So you won’t be on Dancing With the Stars any time soon?
They asked me. I said no. I find that show immensely silly.
Do you think comedians have a social responsibility?
I think it’s important not to be mean-spirited, or racist, or demeaning. But people get all in a hoo-ha about what a comic says, and we’re not that important. We’re comedians. I have a limited audience, and I have no interest in talking to people whom I’m going to upset.
What are Washington audiences like?
They’re great. HBO is re-running the show I did at the Warner, and I think the reason that was one of the best shows I’ve done is the audience. They’re smart, they’re bright, and they get it, because all of this stuff is right there in their faces the whole time. It’s why I don’t live there.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done professionally, and what’s the most satisfying?
The hardest thing I’ve ever done was probably the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2005 with Dick Cheney to my left and Mitch McConnell to my right. And the most satisfying? That I can help raise funds for charities, especially in these times, simply by showing up and doing my standup. That’s really the best thing.
Lewis Black performs at the Warner Theatre September 27 through 29. Tickets ($49.50 to $75) are available via the Warner’s website.
This article appears in the September 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.
Pauly Shore with Ralph Nader. Photograph courtesy of the 9:30 Club.
If you were a teenager (or older) in America in the 1990s, Pauly Shore probably needs little introduction. He (and his alter-ego, “the Weasel”) is best known for starring in such classic slacker comedies as Bio-Dome, Son-in-Law, and Encino Man, and for hosting MTV shows such as Totally Pauly. In the aughts, Shore released several films, including his debut work as writer/director/producer, 2003’s Pauly Shore Is Dead, and the 2010 mockumentary Adopted. This Saturday he appears at the 9:30 Club to film a politically themed standup special that will air on Showtime this fall, Pauly Shore—Pauly-tics. A couple of weeks before he came to Washington to film B-roll for Pauly-tics, we caught up with Shore to talk about the inspiration for the special, his career then and now, and whether people ever confuse him for a certain Jersey Shore cast member.
Steven Wright. Photograph by Jorge Rios.
If you’re into comedy, you’re probably familiar with Steven Wright. Even if you haven’t experienced his trademark barrage of deadpan, absurdist one-liners—and with two Grammy-nominated standup specials and iconic roles in films such as Reservoir Dogs, Half-Baked, and Canadian Bacon, it’s hard not to have—if you’ve ever watched the comedic stylings of Demetri Martin or the late Mitch Hedberg, you’re at least acquainted with his influence. Wright has been doing comedy for more than 30 years, starting with standup at a Boston comedy club/Chinese restaurant and snowballing into regular appearances on the late-night circuit, TV shows, and the big screen. Before his show at the Warner Theatre this Friday, June 22, we chatted with the Academy Award winner (after a slight delay due to scheduling conflicts) about stage fright, odd jobs, Twitter, and the phenomenon of DC Cupcakes.
Sorry about that, my last thing ran long.
No problem. Have you been doing a bunch of interviews this morning?
Not a ton, but a bunch of ’em. Where do you live?
I live in Virginia.
I don’t even remember the layout [of Washington]; I don’t know if that’s closer or farther out. Washington’s a good city; it’s very interesting.
When were you here last?
I was there eight months ago. I did some show, a private show; I always stay near Georgetown, and I don’t get to walk around much. I didn’t go to see monuments or anything. We don’t have enough time to do that.
So you didn’t wait in line at Georgetown Cupcake?
No. I’ve never heard of that. Is that a famous thing?
The unlikely pairing of Pauly Shore and Michael Steele. Photograph by Tanya Pai.
When it comes to politics, Pauly Shore will happily tell you he’s no expert. “I don’t want to say I’m dumb, but I’m pretty dumb,” says the comedian and actor. “I don’t have a college education, I didn’t go to Harvard. I represent a lot of America.”
Shore, best known for his roles in ’90s movies such as Encino Man and Bio-Dome, is in Washington this week to film segments for his upcoming Showtime special, titled Pauly-tics. “What I’m trying to do with the show is educate me and the audience about politics,” he says. “I’m trying to get people to speak English. Because [politicians] really speak Chinese, and you got to say, ‘Dude, slow it down, speak so normal people can hear what you say.’”
So far, Pauly-tics has filmed at the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument, as well as in the President’s Hall at Madame Tussaud’s. Yesterday, Shore met with activist and author Ralph Nader, presumably to discuss the finer points of corporate whistleblowing and nuclear counterproliferation. This morning, Shore visited Georgetown to shop at Everard’s Clothing with television talking head and well-known clotheshorse Michael Steele, former head of the Republican National Committee. Shore says he thinks Steele is hysterical, as well as well-dressed: “When I first started watching him, I thought he was straight-up Republican, but he’s more in the middle. He’s entertaining.”
Brian Regan performs at the Warner Theatre this weekend. Photograph by Brian Friedman.
Growing up, Brian Regan planned to become an accountant. But after a change of heart in college, he switched to standup--and is now one of the busiest comedians in the United States. His everyman personality and riffs on quotidian subjects, such as shipping a package with UPS or those gross peanut-butter-and-jelly combo jars--plus his notable lack of profanity--make him appealing to audiences across the board. He's now got three CDs, two DVDs, and a whopping 24 appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman under his belt. We caught up with the Miami native, who performs two shows at the Warner Theatre this weekend, to chat about his comedy style, performing on TV, and the question he hates to be asked.
Photograph courtesy of Howard Theatre Restorations. Rendering courtesy of Marshall Moya.
Near the corner of Seventh and T streets in DC's Shaw neighborhood was once an incubator of great music. Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, the Supremes, and Marvin Gaye all played the Howard Theatre early in their careers. Built in 1910, the Howard was known as the "theater for the people," highlighting emerging stars of vaudeville and jazz, then big band, rock, Motown, and comedy. But in 1980 the stage went dark.
On April 9, the Howard reopens after a $29-million restoration that has turned the landmark into a state-of-the-art venue and revived its architectural glory. Taking the stage this month are Yasiin Bey, formerly Mos Def (April 14), comedian Wanda Sykes (April 13 through 15), the Roots (April 15 and 16), Chuck Brown (April 21), Taj Mahal (April 22), and Meshell Ndegeocello (April 25). Tickets ($27 and up) through ticketmaster.com.
April 12, the venue hosts a grand-opening fundraising gala honoring Motown founder Berry Gordy, with names including Smokey Robinson, Al Jarreau, Madeleine Peyroux, and Savion Glover (no individual tickets; tables start at $10,000; 202-588-5595).
