I did play a keyboard once but basically used sound effect buttons on it. I quit every instrument I ever played: violin (age 4), piano (age 7), and clarinet (age 12-14). I hate practicing but I do wish I could play piano or guitar. Maybe I'll try someday, or not!
creatively you use all the same tools. you tend to steer towards people you like being around... you try to make it the best thing possible given your restraints... i guess framing it for people is the most challenging part
Billy Joe Dupree. Preston Pearson. Robert Newhouse. I liked all of those guys. I also liked the Cardiac Kids. I liked the New England Patriots growing up. Running back that wasn't on my team was Earl Campbell.
Growing up, I was a huge Jim Carrey and Robin Williams fan, so I knew the whole Mrs. Doubtfire movie, and definitely all of Ace Ventura. So those were my life. I would say those two–I just really wanted to be funny, so I would often impersonate them.
This was elementary school, but once I fell from a swing when I was a little kid cause some bigger kid named Forrest was pushing me too hard. He had me going way too high and the chains got loose and I fell, and I landed on my head really hard. Forrest came up and said, "Are you okay?" and I said, "WHAT DO YOU THINK ASSHOLE?" But it wasn't Forrest, it was a nice teacher named Mrs. O'Tuel. Cause I was a kid, I was dumb, and never even cleared that up with her. Oh well.
I always think about my junior high dance, everybody grinding to Jodeci and thinking about how we were all literally children and how weird that would’ve been to look at as an adult. Like, 300 children grinding to Jodeci, just the funky sweat smell in the auditorium. What were we doing? But that’s the power of Jodeci. [Laughs.]
I farted when I was born and everyone lost it.
The real moment would probably be my first play. I was in 5th grade and those laughs felt so goooood, baby.
I loved listening to John Williams music as a teenager. (nerd) I loved Oingo Boingo, X, The Specials, The Motels -- all the great new wave stuff here on KROQ in Los Angeles.
Brian rules. Back in high school we used to ride around in convertibles and hit mailboxes with baseball bats. Oh no, wait. That was the movie "Stand By Me." We were in a couple of plays together. He is actually NOTHING like Kevin and is a smart, hilarious, down-to-earth fella. And a freakishly good golfer.
I didn’t start coming into my own as a guy until I was 12 years old. I can actually remember the moment. I went to a party. I was scared to go to this party, but I ended up going anyway. And when I got there, it was like I could tell everyone was really happy I came. And then a kid explained to me, "Man, it’s not as much fun when you’re not here." And I was like, Oh, I didn’t know that. I didn’t realize that kids thought I was funny—that I had actual friends. Even at 14, when I started doing stand-up, I was always a pack animal. I’d like to be a lone wolf, but I’m just not.
Lauren Lapkus