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Just One of the Guys: Mike Birbiglia

Most comedians know they’re funny, and they know you know they’re funny, so their ego and perception of self becomes inflated to the point that the ground on which their feet were once so firmly rooted soon drifts farther and farther out of their sight—and they look down and laugh at you. But not Mike Birbiglia; he’s a stand-up guy who’s a stand-up comedian, and he’s not in it to make you feel bad about yourself by pointing out your physical flaws or unspoken insecurities. He would rather turn the spotlight on his awkward life experiences and lay his own imperfections on the line—an offering of sorts—to tease your palate and see if you like what he’s got. A native of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and a Georgetown University graduate, 29-year-old Birbiglia is not an overnight success but has seen his star rise faster than most since he won the “Funniest Man on Campus” competition in his sophomore year at college. From there, he spent three years at the D.C. Improv before moving to New York City and getting tracked down by David Letterman and Comedy Central. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, was featured in the prestigious Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal and performed two half-hour specials for Comedy Central Presents in two years. In 2006, Birbiglia released his second CD, Two Drink Mike (Comedy Central), and stormed college campuses everywhere on the “Medium Man on Campus” tour. He shares his lifelong passion for writing with his fans through his weekly-updated blog, My Secret Public Journal, a now wildly popular diary that recently caught the eye of NBC headhunters and is being transformed into a nationally syndicated sitcom as we speak. He’s got a lot on his plate at the moment—between the approaching release (September 25) of his third CD, My Secret Public Journal Live, and overseeing the production of his fourth, Sleepwalk with Me, he’s barely got time to breathe. He’s currently making his way around the country on his 30-city “My Secret Public Tour,” and last week we were able to catch up with him and get a feel for what’s in store at the Town Ballroom on Saturday night (September 8) when he makes a not-so-secret stop here in Buffalo.

Artvoice: What can people expect from the tour?

Mike Birbiglia: It is—I mean, if they like me—it is the best show that I have ever put on because it is essentially the best of all three of my shows: Two Drink Mike was my CD that came out for Comedy Central Records last year; the new CD, called My Secret Public Journal Live, which is in stores September 25th; and the next show that I’m working on, called Sleepwalk With Me, which I’m most proud of. That’s coming out next year. Then there’s also some secret special guests on the tour. It’s a great show.

AV: What made you become a comedian?

MB: It was kind of an odd career choice, or unexpected I should say, because I wasn’t like the class clown in school growing up. I think the class clown was always the mean guy who walks in the room and was like, “You’re fat! You’re gay! I’m outta here!” You know? I was always a little fat, a little gay; I never got along with that guy.

When I was in high school I saw Steven Wright perform live, and that was the first comedian I ever saw live. I was immediately enamored by comedy and I was like, “Wow, this is incredible.” And I just started writing jokes down and eventually I sort of garnered the nerve to get on stage. So comedy kind of became the thing that I put all of my creative energy into.

It’s kind of the art form of the underdog. At its best I think it’s kind of a very honest form…there are very few outlets left where you can say whatever you think. Every TV network or radio station is owned by someone who’s owned by someone who’s owned by someone who’s pretty stodgy. With stand-up comedy, it’s really one person talking to a group of people. And you can’t really stop that. You can’t really tell people not to do that.

AV: Some comedians poke fun at people, and others talk about the familiar, asking an audience to relate instead of making them feel bad about themselves.

MB: Like the insult comics, yeah. I never understand that side of comedy. I’m always like, why would you go after people when it’s more interesting to kind of open up to the audience and tell them about your faults than it is to talk about theirs?

AV: I think it’s more intelligent also.

MB: I think so. I think we all perform the kind of stuff that’s interesting to us, and those are the kinds of comedians that I like. Guys like Brian Regan, and Jake Johannsen, and Mitch Hedberg.

AV: Who are your favorites?

MB: Those guys. Bill Cosby. Richard Pryor. Woody Allen.

AV: You’ve been likened to Bill Cosby. Do you agree with that?

MB: I’d like to. Those people are great. I think that Cosby in some ways is my favorite comedian of all time, in that he tells stories—you know, he’ll tell a 15-minute story. I saw him two years ago in Montreal at a comedy festival doing a show. It’s just really, really cool when someone can be that funny and also tell long stories that are true.

AV: What’s your crowd? The college crowd?

MB: It varies so much these days. There’s a big college crowd, ’cause I did a college tour with Comedy Central last year called “The Medium Man on Campus Tour,” which is how I described myself in college. I wasn’t the big man on campus but I didn’t have zero friends either; I was somewhere in between. I wrote a song about it actually, called “Too Busy Being Medium,” and the first lyrics are like, “I was never the guy who could hook everybody in the dorm room up with weed, but I was the guy who knew that guy who knew that guy…”

AV: Tell me about the Georgetown and D.C. Improv experiences.

MB: I went to college at Georgetown and I won the “Funniest Person on Campus” contest—that’s how I started doing comedy. And one of the judges was a manager at the D.C. Improv comedy club, and I won the chance to perform there. I actually opened for Dave Chappelle like 10 years ago—you know, long before he had a Comedy Central show and everything—but I was a big fan of his and it was very exciting. And I asked the club, “Can I perform here again?” And they handed me a mop, basically, and said, “You can work here at the door and sell tickets” and that kind of thing. I did that for three years and eventually I started being one of the house emcees and I got more stage time. Then I moved to New York and did it full time.

AV: How did you get discovered in New York so quickly?

MB: I was actually scouted by the Montreal Comedy Festival. I was asked to do the “New Faces” category when I was 23, when I just moved to New York. And from there I got scouted by the David Letterman show when I was in Montreal, so they asked me to do that, and I was on Letterman when I was 24. I started touring after that, as a headliner, so the past five years I’ve spent touring the country as a headliner. And it’s been great.

AV: What’s next for you?

MB: I’m working on a show for NBC right now based on My Secret Public Journal. And we just actually handed in the script and we’re waiting to hear back very soon, about whether or not we’re gonna shoot the pilot and all that kind of stuff.

AV: Do you feel like everything’s falling in place for you or have you taken conscious steps to advance your career?

MB: I think I have. I mean, there’s a lot of travel and I do a lot of writing. I work really hard. So it’s definitely not something that’s come out of nowhere. But I feel very fortunate to be where I’m at.

AV: Your Comedy Central specials—that was two shows in two years. What significance does that have for you?

MB: Um, the significance is that I should’ve just shot a one-hour special instead of two half-hour specials; that would’ve made more sense. But I didn’t realize at the time. It just led to a lot of exposure, and a lot of people coming to my shows on purpose, which is really sort of what I’ve always wanted. Starting out in comedy, it’s all sort of drunks and passersby at your shows, and they’re just coming to see a “comedy show” in general. And then when people come to see you in particular, it’s kind of like the audience is your friends, so it’s kind of like you’re just telling stories and telling jokes for your friends.

Birbiglia comes to Town Ballroom on Saturday, September 8. Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door (tickets.com).