RALEIGH, N.C. — Visitors to my home don’t have to look long at my bookshelves to find an autobiography written by a comedian.
As is the case with most books, some are better than others, but rarely, if ever, have I not enjoyed reading a stand-up comic’s life story.
That’s due in part to my lifelong love of stand-up, but I also love these stories because of the subject matter. Normal, stable people don’t usually feel compelled to become comedians and they almost certainly don’t get books about their lives published.
Next on my reading list is Forever Nerdy written by veteran stand-up
Brian Posehn, who headlines
Goodnights Comedy Club this week.
During a Thursday afternoon phone interview, Posehn and I discussed the book — which goes on sale Oct. 23 — how both of us have aged out of enjoying strip clubs, the benefits of not being greedy about stage time and more.
Tony Castleberry: I was rewatching Criminally Posehn the other night and was wondering: Is your wife’s no strip club rule still in effect?
Brian Posehn: Oh yeah. She doesn’t have a list of rules hanging in my office or anything. [interviewer laughs] It’s more just out of respect. She doesn’t dig them and it’s not fun like it used to be anyway so I just stay away from them.
TC: Like you, I think I’ve aged out of that.
BP: Yeah. I was thinking about one the other day and thought, that doesn’t sound fun at all.
TC: Did you enjoy writing Forever Nerdy?
BP: Yeah, but enjoy is a weird word because it was the most work I’ve ever done or put into anything. There’s a reason I’m a comedian. It’s because I don’t like to work very hard, but yeah, writing a book about yourself is the toughest thing I’ve done, hands down.
My son asked me why I was calling it Forever Nerdy and he said, “Is it because it took you forever to write it?” [interviewer laughs] He’s already funny at 9.
TC: Other comedians I’ve interviewed who have written books said the same thing, that it’s the hardest thing they’ve done. Is part of that just feeling like you’re never going to be done with it?
BP: It’s a couple of factors. One is the sheer amount of words. Having to come up with 85,000 words is a lot and just organizing it. (Comedians) are used to doing stories in smaller bites, you know what I mean?
TC: Sure.
BP: Then here we are dividing stories into chapters, but then it still has to tell the overall story. At the end of the day, the 85,000 words has to have an arc to it. It’s different from anything I’ve done like writing Deadpool or sketches or just writing my fart jokes. It’s totally different from any of that.
TC: Your album covers and posters for shows always look so cool. Do you design those?
BP: I don’t draw them, but every time I work with an artist, I have a concept. We keep it horror (movie) related a lot because that’s such a big thing for me. I’ll just go, “What if it’s Jason (Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies) but it’s my face.” That kind of thing. I am heavily involved in that.
TC: Has a comedian featuring for you ever run the light and if so, do you talk to them about that or let it go?
BP: Not in a long time. I’m a pretty easy guy to work for. I’m the guy that when (the show host) goes, “What do you want me to say about you?” I’m like, “I don’t care.” [Posehn, interviewer laugh] There are some comedians that go, “Here’s a list. Say it in this order. Don’t curse. Don’t do jokes about this. Don’t do jokes about that because I’ll step on it.” I have never done that to anybody because I hated when older comics would give me rules, so I try not to do that people.
If somebody was really going over and being a stage hog, then I would say something, but I just haven’t had to in a long time. The people that work with me are total pros. I’m bringing Jeremy Essig with me this weekend. He’s been out there a bunch and he knows Goodnights. He’s been to Raleigh a lot. He’s a total pro.
TC: Maybe part of the reason people haven’t run the light on you is because you didn’t do that to other people. What goes around comes around in that case, doesn’t it?
BP: I was never a stage hog as a kid. I was always respectful of the guys I was working with so I think people do the same for me.
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