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Joe Pera talks with you from the stage of The Egg Oct. 7

Joe Pera
Joe Pera
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Joe Pera
Joe Pera

Comedian Joe Pera's Fall Everywhere Else Tour, which follows his Summer in the Midwest and Rustbelt, is coming to The Egg in Albany on Oct. 7.

Pera’s projects include the beloved Adult Swim series “Joe Pera Talks With You,” “Relaxing Old Footage With Joe Pera,” and the book called “A Bathroom Book For People Not Pooping Or Peeing But Using The Bathroom As An Escape.”

Other recent screen credits include “Search Party” and “Bob’s Burgers.”

How's your summer been?

Pretty good, I would say. I've been mostly out on the road doing shows, which has been lovely. I got to see a lot of nice places like Bloomington, Indiana.

What's in Bloomington, Indiana?

I guess there’s a university there. We were there on one of the graduation nights. So, all the students went out. They didn't come to the comedy show. I don't know why. I guess they wanted to celebrate instead of come see a comedy show. But it was very rowdy around town that night.

Did you go see a lot of comedy when you were in college?

Yeah, and before too. I remember one of the first shows I saw was in Buffalo with Dan Licata, who's actually coming and performing on the show. We went and saw Mitch Hedberg when we were like 15, 16 years old in Buffalo. Pretty special night.

We're about the same age and Mitch was so influential on me and my friends and I have such regret that I never got a chance to see him.

Yeah, I feel lucky. It was unfortunately only a couple of weeks before he passed. As a teenager, you don't realize what's going on entirely. But he was extremely funny, but also not in great shape up there. So yeah, it was funny and it was fortunate to see him when we did but also kind of sad. I don't know. I feel lucky, though.

I've heard you talk about your comedy and how you developed early on and you said you weren't really known as the class clown. When did you start developing your own specific voice in comedy?

Dan and I started writing jokes together when we were in high school even and then when I went off to school, I started performing at the open mic night there. Then summers I would perform home in Buffalo. And yeah, kind of through that, it started to figure itself out. I kind of had an idea what I wanted to do very early on, which is not typical for a comedian. But yeah, it's kind of then just shaping and tinkering on that idea ever since.

I love asking comedians if they remember their first set. Do you?

Yes, they had a comedy night at Ithaca College. It was a dining area with a stage but also like a cafe. So, there's like, people making drinks and ordering food and stuff going on too, but it went pretty well, I think. I was extremely nervous and also, there's like a walkway through the middle of the room. So, you can very clearly see who gets up and leaves. Not too many did during my set, at least. So, that was, a lot of comedians talk about not going well and I almost feel like it shouldn't have gone as well as it did but that kind of gave me a little bit of good confidence to keep doing it.

What was the set? Did you do a lot of Ithaca College jokes?

No, I didn't, but I can't remember entirely what I did. But yeah, no, I felt that a lot of kids made films and jokes about the college experience and I felt that I didn't want to do that, even from early on. It just felt a little pandery and also kind of knew that it wouldn't work anywhere else other than the Ithaca College dining hall. So, I always tried to write jokes that were a little bit outside of that.

This tour that you're on, you'll be performing in Ithaca as part of it. Is it exciting to go back there?

Yeah, definitely. But I'm even more excited for Albany because the Erie Canal never went to Ithaca.

You're a big Clinton’s Ditch guy, huh?

Huge. I heard that they’re building a canal boat in Buffalo and they're going to actually do the trip from Buffalo to Albany when it's finished, which is something that seems like a pretty neat thing.

How long is that going to take?

I don't know. Quite a while, I think. At least a few days.

Wow.

Yeah, but it will be an exciting few days.

I guess you'll need other things to do during the trip while aboard.

Yeah, whoever is riding on the boat, the historical boat from Buffalo to Albany, will need to bring along their Nintendo Switches.

And not drop them off the side.

No.

So, when you were on the road this summer in the Midwest and the Rust Belt, what's your show day routine? I'm always interested in this because, you know, relative to the amount of hours in a day, comedians aren't onstage for that long. But what else do you do?

I usually try and not eat too much fried foods, I try and walk, maybe do a little writing and thinking about the set that night. And then when I get to the show, I'll continue to pace around. I will have perhaps one beer, one cup of coffee, and one large glass of water. And then I'll be ready for the show.

Those three things sort of even each other out.

Mm-hm. It’s a perfect combo.

Do you have stage fright?

Oh, yeah, sure. Yeah, I guess it's really at its worst when you don't go on in a while, or say, like you've had a few nights off. But I've realized that when you're doing it every night, it kind of diminishes a little bit just because you get into a routine of it so that it doesn't seem as unusual as it is like when you go up in front of, or if you go out for the first time in a long time, you realize how strange it is to just talk at a number of people for a while with just a microphone and when you’re doing more often you don't have time to think about that as much.

Have you noticed your audiences changing at all with the success of your Adult Swim profile and the late lamented ‘Joe Pera Talks with You?’

Yeah, I think a lot of people found it during the pandemic and also when it went on the HBO Max app, a lot of people found it that didn't watch it before. So, it's been very neat to see that the audience has grown at the live shows. And I guess also, it's very strange this tour. It’s like usually, when I’ve done stand-up comedy in the past, you have to really work to win over an audience and you know, especially in New York City, they're kind of like ‘show us what you got’ type attitude sometimes, which is good and that's what I think helped me develop well as a comedian, but also it's kind of nice to have people know who you are when you walk out on stage and yeah, I hope it doesn't make me a soft comedian. But, it's kind of nice for now.

It’s so interesting thinking about your comedy, because it's uniquely you. You know, you have a different speed than other people, you have a different approach to material than other people. And I think that's what probably sets you apart from a lot of different comedians. Was that something you had to work on when you began?

A little bit. I knew I just didn’t want to be, I wanted to take comedy at my own speed and not try and do it another way. So, I just had to figure out how to make that speed work and be funny the entire time. Like, when you're only telling three to five jokes in a five-minute set, you’ve got to make sure that they all land pretty well or else it’s going to be a mess.

What do you miss about home when you're on the road?

I guess my bed, that's the obvious answer. My bed and just having the routine and also I guess probably even better, I'm at the end of a leg on the West Coast. I don't know, when you know, you start drinking a couple beers at each show and go and eat some late night food which tastes great, it’s wonderful. But also, you know, at the end of two three weeks, you’re kind of wishing that you're eating some vegetables at home.

What's a real binge for you?

Ice cream.

What kind?

I had a vanilla shake from In & Out Burger in L.A. last night, that really hit the spot. But one of my, I don't want to shout out a brand, but I do stop for a lot of the Dairy Queen chocolate dipped cones when I'm driving on the road. It kind of gives me a little energy boost and it tastes great and is a fun way to break up the drives.

Do a lot of your ideas for TV come from your road trips?

Sure, yeah, I get a lot of ideas from being on the road. I've been on the road with Dan Licata most recently, but also Carmen Christopher and Conner O'Malley. So, hanging out with, I don't know, such funny people. Things naturally arise from situations that we’re in.

Fans of yours will recognize those names from your show. How did that group of people that you work with kind of come together? How'd you all find each other?

It was really just doing comedy and being attracted to the work that everyone else was doing. I don't know, I think that people can understand Conner O'Malley is so funny. It makes sense I found him funny and I wanted to work with him. But there's a lot of people. Like, Dan is from Buffalo as well. Then Conner is from Chicago. Somehow, like a lot of our friends and the people who work on the show are from the Midwest as well. Jo Firestone is from St. Louis. So, I guess it's just the type of stuff that we found funny and our approach to comedy and I don’t know, I guess maybe a little Midwestern work ethic kind of brought us together.

Are you working on a new show now? Do you have ideas for where you might go next in TV?

Oh, definitely. Right now, I'm just kind of trying to focus on the stand-up, mostly, and trying to film a special at the end of the year.

Oh, that's exciting. Are you doing an hour?

Yep. We’re doing an hour and changing a little bit each time. I keep on tinkering it to try and make it better and ready to film. But it's a fun show. And also, Ryan Dann, who does the music for my previous TV show ‘Joe Pera Talks To You,’ is coming along and we're starting to do some live music at the shows. So, I'm really excited for that. We're working on a new bit together and it seems to be going okay.

How will you know when it's done and ready to tape?

I kind of set a deadline for myself. I said I would love to film it in January and so I think that that's necessary for creative things. You kind of have to put a deadline on yourself to put yourself under the pressure. It also works out with the touring schedule, but I don't know, I think deadlines are important to get myself motivated to finish things at the level they need to be finished.

OK, a couple more things. How are you feeling about the Buffalo Bills right now? I should say they’re 2-0 as we speak.

Yeah, that was a pretty good game last night, no?

If I were a Bills fan, I would be thinking this is the year.

I want to. I want to so bad, but I'm wondering at what point this season should I allow myself to. I guess it's like, I don't know. It's really harsh to blow, it feels like, especially after week one win but yeah, I don't know, if I learned anything about being a Bills fan it’s to keep my excitement in check. You know, maybe a week after we win the Super Bowl then I could be like, oh OK, I can celebrate now, it’s over, they can't throw a touchdown against us in the last quarter a week after the Super Bowl.

Would you rather see a Bills Super Bowl or a Sabres Stanley Cup?

I think a Bills Super Bowl. It seems more likely and I don't know. It feels like that, yeah, I don't know. It would be more fun for the Bills. The Sabres have lost a couple, well a Stanley Cup, but it feels like the Bills really need it. Certainly, Buffalo would, I think, go pretty nuts for a Bills win too.

Duff’s or Anchor Bar?

Duff's, of course.

What instrument did you play in school orchestra?

I played cello for a little while. How did you know to ask that?

I listened to a lot of other interviews you did before this and you mentioned that you played in orchestra but you didn't say what instrument so I was wondering.

Oh, OK, yeah, no, good question. I played the cello for a while. I liked the sound of it but I wish I practiced more. It's hard. It's hard to get motivated as a teenager to practice classical music, at least I found. I have a brother and sister who did get much more into it but I liked being an orchestra and playing music but when it came to like grinding out practice hours outside of school, there's other stuff to do like video games. So, I did that instead.

Are you a Goo Goo Dolls fanatic like other people from Buffalo are?

They’re all right. You go to Buffalo and people are telling you that they're Goo Goo Dolls fanatics?

One of my closest friends is from Buffalo and he will stand and put his hand over his heart when they start playing and I thought it was a bit but it's not.

I should have your friend on the show. Any Goo Goo Dolls song or just the big ones?

I think it's any Goo Goo Dolls song and he goes to see them too when they're nearby.

I think they're good guys. I think they've done a lot for the city and art scene there. I respect them a lot. I would be lying if I said I put on a Goo Goo Dolls record in the past year.

The past year seems like a good amount of time.

Before that it was on all the time.

Joe Pera will be doing stand-up at The Egg in Albany Oct. 7th. It’s part of his Fall Everywhere Else tour and Joe, safe travels out there. Can't wait to see what you do next.

Yeah, thanks so much. I'm really looking forward to The Egg. When I found out that the show would potentially be at The Egg I got very excited. Not only for the name, but it seems like a very cool venue inside and out.

Yeah, for this show, they should rename The Egg the fried egg in your honor.

If you want to start a petition I'll try and get that going.

And we'll see if we can get the Goo Goos to open up for you.

I’ve got to show my respect, I would be opening for the Goo Goo Dolls.

As long as you stand for the anthem.

I mean, if the Bills go to the Super Bowl and they don't have the Goo Goo Dolls play, it would be pretty unfortunate.

Well, I wish that to you, Joe Pera and thank you again for taking all the time to speak with us.

Yeah, thank you very much for having me. I'm looking forward to the show.

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A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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