"Whenever I meet a pretty girl, the first thing I look for is intelligence. Because if she doesn't have that, then she's mine." This line from one of Anthony Jeselnik's many TV stand-up appearances captures his sharp, biting style of comedy. Jeselnik is known for his dark one-liners which hit audiences with sniper-like precision. The payoffs of his comic sensibility have included appearances on several late night talk shows, Comedy Central roasts, podcasts, a writing job at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a Comedy Central special, a spot on Comedy Central's Hotlist 2009, a rave-reviewed debut comedy album and more. With a schedule full of special projects and upcoming tour stops including Chicago, Jeselnik took a few moments recently to answer some questions for the Examiner about his joke-telling style, career-path and upcoming projects.
Your jokes are famous for taking on dark subject matter and pushing boundaries -- as a result of this, have you ever been in a situation which was tough enough that you were not sure how you would get out of it?
Absolutely. When I first started touring, people didn't know who I was or what they were coming to see. So I would definitely upset a lot of people. And I never wrote any softer, more crowd-pleasing jokes to get those people back on my side. There were some loooonnnngggg shows that first year. But now I've grown as a comic and I can handle just about anything after learning from those early shows.
What did you expect your career to be like before you started?
I honestly expected that I would do stand-up for a little while and then get noticed for my joke writing. At which point I would quit stand-up forever and spend my life as a television writer. That was all I wanted at the time.
How has your career been different than you expected it to be?
I didn't expect that I would love stand-up so much or that I would be able to find a unique voice that I enjoyed working on. By the time I finally got the writing job I wanted so badly, all I wanted to do was my own comedy. I still can't believe that things have gone as well for me as they have. My act is a pretty tough sell, but I like the challenge of going after a mainstream audience.
What's one of the weirdest shows you have ever done?
I once had to perform at a benefit for the Boys and Girls Club of America. I guess the guy in charge was a fan and wanted me to do it, but I kept saying no because it just sounded like such a bad fit. Eventually, I agreed and it was a total disaster. I just remember all these old people staring at me like "what the hell are you doing?" But the guy in charge sure thought it was funny as hell.
Between being funny as a stand-up comic vs. roaster vs. podcast guest vs. monologue writing, how does your approach vary and which do you enjoy the most?
Well, stand-up is more of an evolving process, where I'm always working on my act and coming up with new jokes, new tags and different things to say. But I can only really work on it by constantly performing. Roasting is just sitting down and writing the meanest jokes you can come up with in a very short amount of time. Being on a podcast, I just show up and say whatever comes off the top of my head. And monologue writing is suffering through a million different newspaper stories, trying to come up with a fresh joke on a topic that's been done to death. If I had to put them in order of what I enjoy, I'd say I love stand-up the most, then podcasts because I'm just screwing around with my friends, then roasts and monologue writing dead last.
What do you tell newer comedians who ask you for advice?
I tell them just to write and perform as much as they can. But only because that's nicer than just saying leave me alone. There's no advice you can give a new comic that they wouldn't be better off learning on their own.
What are your favorite places to perform?
I love the Comedy Cellar in New York. Largo in LA and the Upright Citizens Brigade theaters in both cities. As far as cities I enjoy on the road, I've got to say Austin, Minneapolis, Washington DC and, shockingly, Salt Lake City. I haven't really gotten to perform much in Chicago, but I expect great things.
What is your favorite movie or a good one which you have seen recently?
I've got a lot of favorite movies. Comedian, the Jerry Seinfeld documentary was a big one for me. I love The Road Warrior and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. My favorite current film is probably MacGruber. I've seen it a million times and I can't understand why it wasn't a huge hit.
What shows, projects etc. do you have coming up which you would like readers to know about?
I'm pretty busy touring right now. I'm trying to do a new hour special that I'll hopefully film in May. And I'm currently working on a TV show for Comedy Central, which is still in the early stages, but would basically be a platform where I can give my dark take on current events.
Anthony Jeselnik will be appearing at the Chicago Improv on November 17th-20th. For more info on him and his upcoming projects, visit anthonyjeselnik.com.
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