When I was offered the chance to interview Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, I was ecstatic. I was ecstatic in a way I would rather not describe in detail as to keep a little piece of my manhood. Let's just say it was pretty much the only thing on my mind for the week leading up to the interview.
I conducted research and wrote questions for the two funnymen and arrived at The Badger Herald office under the impression I was well prepared. However, I was not prepared for one of them to be on the phone immediately when I picked it up. The phone rang. I answered it. "Hello, this is Michael Showalter. I was told to call Mike." I awkwardly identified myself and began the interview.
Right away, I was curious where Michael Ian Black was, so I asked. Showalter told me he did not know and seemed almost offended by the question. At this point, I figured that at some time in the setting up process, there must have been miscommunication. Black was not going to be joining us. This left me with questions geared toward both of them, and I was now going to have to retool them for a single person. This turned out to be harder than I expected.
I began by asking about Stella, the comedy trio Showalter formed with Black and David Wain. The group currently has several shorts available on CollegeHumor.com, and in 2005, they had a show on Comedy Central, which was canceled, sadly, after the first season.
"What does the future hold for Stella?" I asked. He repeated the question. "Will you continue performing or create anything beyond the television show now?" I elaborated. "Never say never," he promptly said.
"Do you have a favorite Stella short?" Showalter said he likes them all for different reasons, but particularly enjoys the ones toward the end. "We just got lazy," he said, "We just pumped them out." I agreed with him. The ones toward the end do indeed possess a certain charm undoubtedly due to that factor.
I asked Showalter about his upcoming role in Wain's "The Ten." He responded with, "A small cameo, not worth talking about." Fair enough. I then asked him about his role in the upcoming "Reno 911!" movie. "A similarly small cameo, not worth talking about." I walked right into that one.
At this point, I suspected I might have pissed him off, as Showalter pointed out how none of my questions pertained directly to him, and we might as well be talking about other subjects. "We could talk about Aaron Spelling … 'Lost,'" he remarked. So I decided to play along. "How do you feel about Aaron Spelling's passing?" Showalter stated he is sad about there potentially being "no more shows about high school girls from California." I concurred.
I tried to get back on track by asking him about something he was more involved with, a comedy troupe that had an MTV series in the mid-'90s, "The State." "Is there any chance The State would reunite for a tour or a TV special?" I asked. "There's always a chance," he replied. It was vague, but not entirely bleak.
"Is there hope for a 'State' DVD?" He informed me the first season of "The State" has been released on iTunes, and if that goes well, it may increase the possibility of a DVD release. That's right everyone, hit up iTunes for episodes of "The State" and fund my shiny discs.
Eventually, I decided to get to the real reason he even agreed to do the interview in the first place, the reason being Showalter and Black's comedy show at the Barrymore Theatre this Sunday at 7:30 p.m. According to the Barrymore's website, www.barrymorelive.com, it appears as though there are still tickets left. The show is part of Showalter and Black's "2006 Stand Up Tour."
"What will your upcoming show at the Barrymore consist of?" I asked. Showalter paused for a moment and replied, "Jokes." There was another small pause. "Nudity," followed by a slight pause and then, "Competitive Eating." This time there was a much longer pause, so I began to ask the next question. "Will you and Michael–" "Racism," he added. This made me laugh for what was probably an inappropriate amount of time.
After overcoming my fit of mirth, I managed to finish the question. "Will you and Michael Ian Black be performing together?" "Yes, but not really," he said. According to Showalter, they will most likely appear on stage together at some point, but will primarily have their own shows.
"Is there any particular reason David Wain will not be appearing with the two of you?" "He's busy," he said sternly. I again feared I might have pissed him off. I also wondered why I even asked the question when I pretty much already knew the answer.
Despite some awkward moments, I am honored to have talked to Michael Showalter. He is a hero of mine and will remain so, despite my notion that I may have annoyed him with my questioning. He concluded the interview by saying, "But seriously, it'll be a really fun show. Everyone should check it out." I concur.
Mike Peters is a senior focusing on communication arts, film and business. Want to talk comedy with him? Send questions or comments his way at [email protected].
