An Interview with Comedian Mike Birbiglia

I don’t see a lot of difference, actually. People often ask me about that. I think that must have been more noticeable in the 60s and 70s in comedy- these regional differences. I find that so many people’s points of references are the same now because of TV and internet ubiquitousness.

From those we have talked to about Sleepwalk with Me, we hear it’s incredibly entertaining but quite a departure from your standard routine. Can you talk a bit about what is was like to make the jump from stand-up to more of a traditional Off-Broadway one-man show set up?

I think in standup, the jokes are first, and the story is secondary. But with the theatre, the story is first, and the jokes are second. It was hard to get used to that. It took a lot of reassurance from my director Seth Barrish that the audience was with me even in blocks of the show where the laughs were lesser. Ultimately, though, I think doing a show like that made me a better standup, and a better writer. It was a good exercise.

Many have been exposed to your work through your appearances on This American Life. How did that arrangement come about? And as a comic storyteller, does knowing of that potential avenue for material affect how you compose your newer content?

I had performed one of my sleepwalking stories on a live storytellers show (and podcast and now radio show) called “The Moth” in New York City. It was something I thought “This American Life” might be interested in, so I asked them to consider it. They aired that piece on their episode entitled “Fear of Sleep” and since then I’ve done a lot of work with them. I’m really in awe of what they do, everyone who works on that show, and particularly Ira. It’s a fascinating group of skills that staff has: writers, editors, reporters. It’s a thrill to work with them. The fact that I’ve worked with them doesn’t inform my writing process as much as it just makes me think, “This isn’t working as standup, but might work in my book or on TAL” or “This story has no point but is hilarious, so maybe I’ll work it into my standup.”

Critics and fans often point your skill as a storyteller as one of the key elements that sets you apart from your peers. How did you first begin honing your skills as a raconteur and what made you decide to try your hand at comedy?

As a comedian, I actually began with more quick punchlines. I emulated comics like Steven Wright, Mitch Hedberg, Dave Attell. My album “Two Drink Mike” is really different from what I do now. I spent years on that album, and people came to the shows, and they had heard it, and they wanted more stuff. Around that time I was writing comedic road-journal updates to my email list and eventually called those vignettes entries in “My secret public journal.” I was also writing the first incarnation of “Sleepwalk with me.” So I started throwing entries from my SPJ and excerpts of Sleepwalk with Me on stage, and I found they resonated with people even more than my stuff from Two Drink Mike. Sometimes I think it takes a while to figure out what you do best. I probably still am.

More and more, entertainers are embracing social media as a way to connect with fans and generate interest. How would you explain your use of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and the like?

Yeah, I do that stuff. I actually set up a channel called Birbigstube.com and made some animated shorts, which are good for people who don’t listen to comedy CDs, b/c basically we’re just animating pre-existing tracks. As for social networking, it’s a good way to keep in touch with people who like what you do. It’s like an online dating service for comedians and musicians, except without the dating.

What comedians would you cite as some of the most influential to your style?

I’ve always looked at a lot of Richard Pryor’s and Bill Cosby’s work, as well as Woody Allen’s standup. Early on Hedberg and Steven Wright.

What active comedians are you most into at the moment?

I did a show with Zach Galifianakis in Arizona recently and he makes me laugh really hard. Nick Swardson, Maria Bamford, Doug Stanhope, Henry Phillips, Auggie Smith, who is opening the show in Seattle. A lot of people.

What are you most looking forward to doing with any free time in Seattle?

Finding bad movies on pay per view that I can fall asleep to. That’s my new hobby. “No reservations,” anyone? Also, I hope to see Dan Savage. He and I did “This American Life LIVE” together in the spring.

When thinking about it more broadly than just a stop on your tour, what do you associate most with Seattle?

I always think of Marty Riemer, who for years played my stuff, and got my name out in Seattle. I’m a big fan of his. I also love the people in Seattle. It’s kind of like it’s own country the way Texas is, but in a different way. (wink, wink)

As comedians are notoriously harsh self critics, how do you feel increased exposure to criticism of others (i.e. blogs, twitter, blog comments and awareness through google alerts as you’ve mentioned in your routine) affects those who are doing comedy today in contrast to those who did comedy before the advent of such forms of "individual expression"?

It can be a lot to take, instant feedback on shows through twitter, Facebook, emails. I try to take everything with a grain of salt. Sometimes online critiques and reviews make valid points that cause me to re-think things, sometimes I discard them. You can’t spend too much time on it.

I recently worked with some young animators on animating some of my first album for the web. I thought it would be a fun project. And they post the videos on this animators site, called Newgrounds.com, and the same video gets called, “the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, I laughed uncontrollably for 3 minutes,” also gets a comment like, “these people should die.” I’m just like, “There’s gotta be some middle ground, internet lunatics, because I totally plan to continue living.”

What else do you have planned after the tour?

I’m finishing my book for Simon & Shuster, “Sleepwalk with Me and other stories.” Also I’m working on a screenplay adaptation of Sleepwalk with me that I hope to shoot in 2010. Also, the material I’m doing on the tour right now I’m shaping into a new one-man show that I hope to open in 2010 or early 2011. I’m planning the 2020s next week.

Any last words to Seattlest readers/subscribers to "Mike Birbiglia" Google Alerts?

Thanks for sticking with me all these years. Seattle was one of the first places where people started coming to my shows “on purpose,” so it means a lot that people keep doing that.