Brian Posehn – King of Comedy

Q) What are the current projects that you are working on?

A) I have the record coming out July 11th and I am in the middle of shooting a show for Comedy Central, which is a Sarah Silverman program. She’s the lead and I play one of her funny friends, just like I am in real life. I have a comic book out. It’s doing well and the first issue just hit comic book stores last month. The second issue came out not long ago. It’s going out across the country. I’m staying really busy and doing everything I love.

Q) Please tell us about the premise for your CD “Live in Nerd Rage.”

A) I don’t know if there is an overall premise. It’s me and me talking about my life, pretty much. Nerdiness is a piece of it, heavy metal is a piece of it, my dogs and my wife. My stand up has always been telling the audience what is going through my head. It’s sort of my reaction to whatever is thrown at me. If something funny happens to me, I am going to talk about it.

Q) How do you feel knowing the CD is sold out and is being re-released?

A) That was cool! I did it on my own and I sold out of my original batch. I decided to sign with a label to get it out wider and then added these two metal songs that I recorded with my friend Scott Ian and a bunch of other metal guys. It feels great! It’s a lot of fun and exciting.

Q) What is your favorite bit from the CD?

A) Of the standup bits, my favorite is probably my story about Ernie, my dog. It has been my favorite joke for a while to tell. I almost giggle! I’ve never been one of those comedians that laughs at his own material, but I just have so much fun telling that one!

Q) What made you want to release a CD?

A) It’s just kind of always been a goal as a comedian. I got into to comedy listening to comedy albums. That was always the ultimate goal, to get a set that I was happy with that I wanted to put down and have around forever. That’s what this is. It will never go away. It might wind up in a bargain bin somewhere, but it’s out there.

Q) You have also recently published a graphic novel. Fans of “Comedians of Comedy” will recall you and Patton Oswalt being big fans of comics. Is your graphic novel Patton approved?

A) Oh yeah! He got to read the script a long time ago before there was ever art put to it. He loved it and then as I’ve been getting the art, he’s been one of the first people to see it. He has blabbed about it for me and he loves it. He’s a big fan. It definitely has friend approval.

Q) What advice do you have for up and coming comics?

A) Write constantly. Get up constantly. If you do it for a while and people still think you suck, stop.

Q) You’ve done voice work and camera work. Which do you prefer and why?

A) I don’t really have a preference. I love them both. Voice over is certainly easier. You have the script in your hand and you can’t get away with that on a sitcom. I love them both. I get satisfaction out of both. Sitcom is maybe slightly more fun than the other form of acting because you have the live audience so it’s closer to my experiences in standup. I just like being funny and I like getting checks in the mail for being funny. That’s my favorite part of it, that my bank account does okay just from being an idiot.

Q) Who are some of your favorite comedians?

A) That’s tough! On my iPod, I have Bob Newhart in there still. He was one of my first favorites. I love Steve Martin, still. He was the guy who made me decide to do what I am doing. My friend, Patton Oswalt, I think is hilarious. Dave Attell I listen to and Chris Rock is still one of my favorites. He’s not actually a friend, but he’s a hero of mine of the contemporary guys. I like Mitch Hedberg and Louis C.K., too.

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

A) Lately, I haven’t had much spare time, but my wife bought me the XBOX 360 and I’ve been waiting to get the next token spare time to sort of vegetate on that. I am a big video game player, but my life has been so busy lately that I haven’t been able to do that.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A) Thanks! I just love my fans. My fans are the coolest people, ever. I was recognized for a long time from being on different shows, but no one ever knows my name. Now, it’s starting to get to the point where they do and that’s really exciting. Someone that can actually say my name, who has done their homework, makes me really happy. Fans of mine are probably the smartest comedy fans out there.