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Welcome to another episode of the Comedic Pursuits podcast. I’m your host, Seth Payne. This is the show where I sit down with comedians to talk about their beginnings, their processes, coming up in the comedic scene, and their general adventures so far in the comedy world.
I am so stoked to give this episode to you guys. I was able to sit down with someone who, if you’re a fan of stand-up comedy and have been paying attention to it for the last 20 years, you’ve definitely heard of.
I’m talking, of course, about Dane Cook.
Highlights from my interview with Dane Cook
I was first introduced to Dane Cook’s material in high school when he released Harmful if Swallowed, an incredible comedy album. He later came out with Retaliation, Vicious Circle, Rough Around the Edges, and Isolated Incident. He’s been in such movies as Mystery Men, Waiting…, Employee of the Month, Mr. Brooks, Good Luck Chuck, and My Best Friend’s Girl, to name a few. In 2014, he directed, wrote, starred in, and produced his own special, Troublemaker.
We’ll talk about Dane’s beginnings in Boston and moving to New York City and then eventually LA, and it is fascinating. He’s such a charismatic, down-to-earth dude. The stories he tells are hilarious, and it was such an honor to be able to talk to somebody I’ve looked up to for so long.
He’s going to be on tour again for the first time in a while with material he’s been developing for the past three years. It’s kind of a big deal. It’s called the Tell It Like It Is Tour, and it’s launching on February 20, in Huntington, New York. He’ll be in DC on February 23, at 7pm at DAR Constitution Hall. If you haven’t bought your ticket already, you should because this is gonna be one for the books.
I hope you guys enjoy this interview as much as I did. Without further ado, Dane Cook.
Some parts of this interview have been edited for clarity. To hear Dane’s full responses, listen to his podcast episode.
Early influences
I found myself, even at a very early age, watching comedians and studying them. I was more interested if I knew a comedian was performing somewhere on television than in doing my homework. Early, early on in my career, I got ahold of some comedy albums and was listening to everybody, Carlin and Pryor and old Cosby stuff and Newhart.
I loved physical comedy,
