WatchMojo.com had the pleasure of interviewing multi-talented Dane Cook. Continue reading to learn what Dane does on-stage, on-tour and on his down time.
Veronica Delfino: Hi Dane, this is Veronica.
Dane Cook: How are you?
Veronica Delfino: Good. Thank you so much for joining us for this interview.
Dane Cook: Absolutely, my pleasure.
Veronica Delfino: One of the first things I just want to address is that where you are it is 09:00 a.m., right?
Dane Cook: Yes it is, yeah.
Veronica Delfino: I do interviews with comedians every week, and this is the first time I think I have ever interviewed a comedian in the morning.
Dane Cook: Oh, we are hilarious. 09:00 a.m. is when you are catching any comic in his prime.
Veronica Delfino: Oh really?
Dane Cook: And, the peak of entertainment is 9:00 a.m. I’ve always considered myself breakfast humor.
Veronica Delfino: Oh, so we have the best spot then today.
Dane Cook: I go very good with egg white scrambled I’ll tell you right now.
Veronica Delfino: Now, let’s talk about your touring with your show ISolated INcident.
Dane Cook: Sure.
Veronica Delfino: Now, this is a little bit different than your other acts, is that right?
Dane Cook: In the sense of, there are a lot more personal experiences that I touched upon. Certainly that was the approach of this album in tour was to let fans see it a bit more, get to know me a little bit better. And, although I am always going for a big, big laugh, I wanted to be able to, you know, share some of the highs and lows of the last few years.
Veronica Delfino: And, aren’t you also using a lot of riskier material than you usually do?
Dane Cook: I think I have always had a bit of a dark side in my comedy, even in my first album like Harmful If Swallowed. People always say oh, that was so much sillier than the material you are doing now, and I’ll tell them to give it another listen. And, there is a lot of twisted observations in there that I think I get away with because I am a pretty approachable guy. And, in my regular life when I am offstage I am, you know optimistic upbeat guy. I am not a dark soul, so you don’t look and go oh yeah, that matches the tone of the material. The reason why I think this is a bit more apparent or in your face is because when you are coming right out and talking about, you know cancer or you are talking about, you know suicide and those are not trigger words that you would think right away would possibly evoke some kind of laughter. And yet, everybody has a story, and everybody has the ability to find humor and lightness so that you can release. You know, if you couldn’t release at some of those hardcore topics then, you know we would all end up catatonic in a bed, you know just depressed 24×7. You have to laugh, you have to find those lighter moments. So, I think that’s what I’ve done is just take in some of the old style and put it on, you know brand new perspective.
Veronica Delfino: I find that it’s always the charismatic comics that can get away with using the darker humor or dirty humor. Do you have a trick to win over the audience as soon as you get on stage so that they are going to laugh with your rather than be like oh, it’s too much.
Dane Cook: It’s not so much a trick as it is just embracing the truth. And, embracing the truth means even if it’s silly, you know whimsical, or a reverent joke, whatever it might be; you have to come at it with belief in your heart. I won’t do, I don’t want to do a routine or joke that I don’t really care about, just because it gets a reaction, shock value, or any kind of laugh. That doesn’t make me feel good and that translates to a crowd. So, if I am up there and I am doing a joke that’s vulgar, or I am doing a joke that’s squeaky-clean, they would both come from this, they both emit you know truth, and I think that’s what most people when you are speaking about, you know charismatic performance, what you are really drawn to is considered something real about them. And, real people are also happy people, so you might see it as hey, they are kind of charming and charismatic. But, you are actually getting a closer look at what they truly enjoy doing, and I enjoy what I do, I love what I do.
Veronica Delfino: That’s great. This is the second phase of your tour, right?
Dane Cook: Yes.
Veronica Delfino: And, you are having the chance to perform in cities that you’ve never been in before. So, are you doing any research on the city so you can work the crowds more?
Dane Cook: You know I do that less and less because what I find is a) people really want to hear, you know the material they want to leave there and feel like hey you know what, if I wanted to, if already your jokes are about where I am from and what I see everyday, you know I’ll hit a local comedy club. I would like to experience something that comes through town and whips us up into a frenzy,
05.01 and then when it leaves where we are like wow, what was that you know, the same way you would see a concert. You know a big band comes through town and you certainly don’t want them to come in and you know sing about main street; you want them to come in and rock the house, and that’s what I would like to do as well. So, there might be maybe a glimpse of the mirror coming up, and you know especially if it’s a place that’s very remote. You might want to talk about that and be like wow, we are in the middle of nowhere here you know, and talk about like some of the experiences that you might have had. But, to be truthful, it’s very little of that. It’s about, I want to bring you a show that I’ve been working on for, you know a couple of years now, and you know give you a great time with me and my friends.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah. I’ve gone through some footage and your touring schedules this side a couple of times. They are always so on and alive, how do you keep it new for the audience every time it’s, as though you are doing it for the first time?
Dane Cook: Well, I suppose it’s like theater. You know you are telling a story and you are obligated to bring life to the characters that you play. And, there are a lot of characters in my set, in my story you know talking about, you know ex-girlfriends or you know family, or you know bosses. You know there is a lot of moving parts. And so, why bring that out if you are not going to embrace it and give it everything you’ve got. That coupled with the fact, it’s not hard at all to stand backstage in front of, you know sometimes on this tour upwards of 15,000 people to 20,000 people, it’s not difficult to feel that it trundled in flowing through your system and wanting to get out there and do something that is bigger and better. You know I said this year I want to show people that I am the heavyweight comedy champion of the world. And that, I am sharp, and I am focused, and I am having the best time with my fans, and I am thanking my fans for keeping me on the map for probably years longer than what is the norm, what’s expected, you know the shelf life of an entertainer. It’s tough to be one of the few people that are still here, you know twenty years later in an industry that’s pretty brutal about you know, chewing you up, and who is the fresh flesh, who is next? But, I am here almost twenty years later, started doing it when I was a kid, and I can still fill arenas. There is no faking it, you know you are seeing me absolutely beaming and excited when I get up there.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah. Well, you are doing a really great job at staying on top. Now, you have the stardom of a rock star, and you know how girls really like funny guys. Do you think that a funny guy has more sex appeal than a rock star?
Dane Cook: Great question. I mean I think anybody in the spotlight, has their level of sexuality, I guess is upgraded because there is that same thing. But, having you know done bunch of films and stuff and worked with some, you know great actors, it’s seems like most of them, even some of the iconic ones will say gees, I wish I could do that, I wish I could do; I wish I could get up there you know. And, friends of mine that are in bands you know say yeah, I wish I could do standup or I wish I could tell, it’s incredible how many of them look at standup as, you know kind of sexy and cool whereas I’ve always been like oh wow, you know I do standup, but wouldn’t it be cool to be a guitarist, or you know the lead in this big film, and thinking that’s where, you know you get that kind of attention from especially the female fans. But, it seems like a lot of people look at standup as a great road to kind of being appreciated and touted.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah, that’s how you get the ladies!
Dane Cook: Yeah, that’s like the very classy way that I just presented that that’s where the girls are.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah, I know. I was expecting a different answer.
Dane Cook: Yeah, I know. I am trying to keep it nice and clean, you know come to this show if you want to get the real answer, you want to get a little bit of a raw you come to the show, but…
Veronica Delfino: Okay. We’ll keep it clean for this.
Dane Cook: We’ll keep it more presentable here for family hour.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah. Do you have any pre-show rituals before every show that’s something for good luck?
Dane Cook: I have sex with somebody.
Veronica Delfino: Oh, now we’re getting the real Dane! (laughing)
Dane Cook: (laughing) Pre-show rituals, I have an Xbox, sometimes me and the guys we, you know play some videogames just to, you know just to have something
10.01 deal with each other and challenge each other. But, it’s pretty simple you know, we work out a little bit, you know grab a little food, get some chicken, get some vegetables, you know it’s pretty simple. I am there for the show, so there is not too many distractions.
Veronica Delfino: And, what about after the show, where can people usually find you?
Dane Cook: Well, you know the thing about this tour that’s maybe I guess unfortunate is there are so many dates and there are so many places that need to be promoted, that we are pretty much on that plane, you know within an hour after the show ends. And that’s, you know the good and the bad thing of it , you know we are off to the next city and that’s exciting. But, you know sometimes you lose the opportunity to really get up close and personal with the fans which if you know me pretty well, I’ve always hung out in that arena. You know it’s, I’ve always liked to do a big meeting greet; I’ve always liked to, you know shake hands, and you know it’s like politics with me. And, I want to continue to be elected and let the people know that I am thankful that they, you know spend their hard earned dollar on me. So, sometimes it’s tough driving away from that venue knowing there are people there that want to meet you or get something signed, and yet I have to conserve my energy and keep healthy for the next show. So, the ying and the yang of it is that, you know it all comes out on stage because even more so that’s my thank you, that’s my show and the meeting greet, everything wrapped into one. But, we always have a little time, and so we’ll hangout back stage after, and we’ll meet some cool people, and hopefully they’ll tell everybody else I said hey.
Veronica Delfino: Okay, that’s great. And so, your shows are available on DVD, on CD, and people can watch them online. So, what’s the difference of your live show, what’s the reason they should go?
Dane Cook: Yeah, I think that, you know there is that with live music. I am a music enthusiast and always finding new bands, you know I love to listen to music, any kind. But, I will much rather watch that artist onstage in front of me, you know finding the moment with their drummer and their guitarist and seeing it become something tangible, something that is literally moving people from the moment that first beat hits to the end. And, you can have that with standup, you know you sit in a room, and you know you can have a few drinks, or you know whatever it is that you are doing to unwind and listen to comedy with some friends. You might be a little distracted or you might laugh about and be talking over this or fast forward this moment. It’s very rare that people sit through an album, you know in this day and age, you know track one all the way through, and yet people still, you know come out and see a band or support a comedian, and that’s your moment to share the entire experience with them. So, you just can’t beat it you know, if you said to me you could make this much money by just putting out albums or a lot less by you know touring, you would always take the touring. You would say I would rather be out there and come alive in front o people instead of just recording something in a room, you know with few sound engineers; that’s an ugly thought to me. The great thought is you know, swinging through a new spot or place like Montreal that, you know has always been very supportive of me through the Just for Laughs years. And, now I am going to be able to stand there, and you know look people literally in the eye joke after joke, story after story, and they are going to sense that moment with me like wow, you know we are growing up with this guy. And, you don’t get that from listening to something on an MP3 player.
Veronica Delfino: Yeah. I think you just get everyone to go and buy their tickets if they hadn’t already.
Dane Cook: That’s very cool of you Veronica, thank you.
Veronica Delfino: Now, you know we have a global audience. So, if people who are listening want to find out when you are going to be in their town, they can just go to www.danecook.com.
Dane Cook: Yeah, that’s the same website. It’s always been me; it’s you know real time updates from me; you know there are tons of ways to follow me. You know you could name all the Twitters, and the Facebooks, and MySpaces. I have always been a part of those, and continue to update and let people know where I am going to be, where you know secret shows are popping up, and certainly post show wrap ups. And, I always have a little fun time of breaking down live band and little stories that happen from place to place. So, you know it’s really, if you are checking in with me online or coming to the shows, you know you have to know your part of a bigger dream come true for me which was to take this tour out and meet the people up close and personal. So, jump on, be a part of it, and hopefully have a night that you are going to remember twenty years from now when you are thinking back on the funniest nights in your life.
Veronica Delfino: That’s great. We really can’t wait to see your show live now.
Dane Cook: Well, perfect.
Veronica Delfino: Thank you so much.
Dane Cook: Thank you so much Veronica.
Veronica Delfino: Thank you!
Dane Cook: Alright lady.
Veronica Delfino: Bye.
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WatchMojo NewsletterHere is a list of the nominees for the 67th Golden Globe awards which are broadcast live on Sunday, January 17th. Some interesting picks, and odd exclusions for sure:
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Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
