Wyatt Cenac (2016)

Not that much. I stopped watching when I left. It's sort of like when an athlete quits their sport; it's weird to keep watching it.

Exactly. That's why most people usually fall asleep after about five minutes.

I know those are "hockey words," but little else.

The KOTH writers room was very laid back. I learned a lot there and got to work with a lot of talented writers who are now on shows like Bob's Burgers and Maron. By the time I got to the show Mike was living in Austin, so we would connect with him during writers' retreats and when we recorded his episodes.

I've sat at the table a bunch but I don't recall who was there the first time. It was probably Neal Brennan and Estee was there because Neal was telling her to put me up.

Story was a huge lesson. How to tell a story with a clear through line. The show runners (John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky) used to talk a lot about "drive." What drives a character from the beginning of the episode and making sure you write true to that drive.

If Hank wants to teach Bobby a lesson in act one, make sure that all of his actions for the rest of the episode are motivated by that drive to teach Bobby. It might be funny for Hank to wind up in jail, but was it justified in what his original drive was? Can you look at the end of the episode and say that all of your characters ended up where they were initially trying to get to? And if they didn't did you explore why not either as a writer or on the page in their character development?

That make sense? I'm typing faster than I'm used to.

Nope. Haven't gone back. Kind of scared to given all the shit I talked. Kind of worried a knight might try to take me out.

I only got to meet Patrice once at a club in NY called Comix. We were in the green room and so was Paul Mooney. I remember thinking Patrice was effortlessly both the coolest and funniest guy in that room and he barely said anything. He was nice to me in that one meeting. I wish I'd known him more. Whenever I see Big Jay Oakerson, I try to see if he'll tell Patrice stories.

Very true, but at the end of the day people want to eat and not have to struggle to get the next thing made. The internet has been good for opening up the landscape, but at the end of the day being able to continually make things and be fairly compensated is key. If a YouTube video gets more views than a network sitcom, but the creators make less it doesn't just feel unfair in that moment; it makes making the second and third project or developing for other people that much harder.

It will be coming out on vinyl. We are finishing up the work for that now. Hopefully in the fall. As far as going back to Charleston... I'd like to. Not sure when. I'm shooting something in Toronto for the next three months.

Conan is my favorite interviewer. Doing his show it feels like anything goes. My first time on the show, Tenacious D were the musical guest and he told me not to let them sit down. I thought he was joking at first but then I realized he wanted me to. That freedom is what I always thought late night shows would be like. Where it's a bit of a circus onstage, there are people in costumes wandering backstage and he's the ringmaster keeping it all from falling apart.

As far as who I have interviewed... it wasn't an interview but I got to be on a panel once with Richard Pryor's wife Jenny and it was very cool to talk with her and hear her tell stories about her life with and without Richard Pryor.

Have a sandwich. Sure it's a lunch food, but don't adhere to the traditional norms.

I think it starts from the ground level. It's making sure there is equal access to jobs for all people. There are a lot of direct lines to entertainment jobs that are well established that exclude a lot of people. It's making sure that people can get in and can get promoted through the system. That's a culture that has to be created.
As far as for a consumer, I think social media can be a powerful tool in that. When shows or movies are announced, it doesn't take much to tweet at networks or studios and ask them to be more inclusive in their hiring practices. If enough people hold them accountable they might feel compelled to try.

I'm not sure. I feel like people often say it's a comedian who may not have broad appeal, but makes comedians laugh because they are so technically sound but also moving in a way that they don't outwardly seem to care about fame.
DC Benny is somebody that comes to mind as a Comic's Comic. he just grinds it out and can always read a crowd and make them laugh and if it doesn't work he doesn't seem to care.

Hosting a show is a different muscle to just doing a regular set, so it doesn't really help with nerves. There are definitely shows where I still get nervous or I feel pressure. I think in those moments, I always remember the moment I step in front of the mic to just take a breath. There's no rush. If that doesn't work then a shot of whiskey.

Thanks for participating

A lot of them. It's weird because it probably doesn't get asked as much of other people, but at the same time if it helps create a dialogue beyond me then I can't knock it. Race is still such a huge issue under the surface in our society, so if talking about it helps us to understand why that particular signifier affects so much human judgement in our society than maybe it's a good thing.

Me too.

I've got no problem with ship jumping. Players do it; why can't fans? The days of a player staying with a team their whole career seems to be over. You can still rally for a city, but that culture is much more fleeting than it used to be.

It was directed by Larry Charles who also directed Curb Your Enthusiasm, so the process was similar to that. We had an outline and then we were allowed to improvise off of that.
Early on, JB Smoove and I found a good dynamic improvising off of each other. And since it is improv you're sort of trying to make Larry and the crew laugh. There's a sort of onset looseness because of that but also because of the way we shot in that the cameras were more willing to follow you, so there weren't traditional marks and blocking that you had to do. You could kind of go anywhere and do anything.

Maybe if he were running to be a D&D game master. Given his ability to fear monger, he might create a pretty intense and dangerous campaign.

Not sure how I feel. He's talented but he also needs the ball on a team where a lot of people need the ball. Will he be able to shift gears and become more of a distributor? If so, he could be a good fit and maybe stay a bit healthier.

Okay fine. Any ceremony celebrating the frightening change from teenager to adulthood.

Not in the new season of BoJack. I don't know if they just quietly killed off my character or perhaps I can make a triumphant return with some all new Buzzfeed quizzes.

Rye in Williamsburg Brooklyn makes my favorite steak.

In the writers room everybody would pitch jokes in the characters voices. Pretty much everybody could do a Hank "BWAAAA"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGcdYB8vF_c

I've not heard good things. A friend of mine went to see it last weekend and the theater shut down at a climactic moment. They kicked everybody out of theater and he seemed to think it was the movie's way of saying "you don't really want to watch this."

Norm Hiscock's episode "Bobby Goes Nuts" is pretty great. Dean Young's "New Cowboy on the Block" holds a personal connection to me because it was the first episode I worked on when I started at the show.

As far as interviews, I can't recall one off the top of my head. I had a nice conversation a few months back with Rember Browne for NY Mag that was good.

As far as comedians who explore race, I know that last year at the Montreal Comedy Fest Kurt Braunohler was doing a show that was a very funny and smart look at his privilege as a straight white guy.

I did a show at SXSW and Jessica Alba was in the audience and almost got into a fight with another audience member. At first I thought it was just two loud ladies and then I realized one of them was Mrs. Fantastic.

I would say study the shows that you like. Find the patterns that they have and see if you can't write in that style.
The hardest part is obviously breaking in, which often times you need to be in either NY or LA to try and get noticed. Going to places like UCB or iO and taking classes is a good way to start meeting and working with people who also work in those worlds. Spending time at those places can help a person get their foot in the door.

I appreciate that. And thanks for taking part in this AMA

The SeeSo version of the show has four comics with an interview or sketch-like thing in between.
The first episode is up on YouTube right now: https://youtu.be/rmhK4CXIMDo

The live show is a bit looser. We have about five to seven comedians and we might do a sketch or have an interview every now and again but not always at every show.

I think a lot of the treatment of Peggy was dependent on the show runner. I was only there when Altshuler and Krinsky and I remember conversations about wanting to make Peggy more likeable and more human because in previous seasons she had been kind of mean and sometimes a bit too crazy.
Hank is a pretty grounded character so just from a logic stand point it makes sense to ground her character a bit.
If you look at who is in the Exec Producer (show runner) credit on the show, you can see a pattern of how that show runner used Peggy and all of the characters.

No pets. Just a lot of dust mites.

I did one episode of Yacht Rock. When I was in LA Channel 101 had a bit of a legend behind it. I never had the means to make anything myself, but often thought about it. Yacht Rock and the Bu were shows that were huge among people in LA comedy circles. When I got asked to do Yacht Rock, it felt like "I'd made it" to some degree even though it wasn't paid and I maybe got lunch.

soft shell. i got old teeth.

I said sandwich! I do not recognize a panini as a sandwich. Bread should be toasted but never pressed.

That's way too kind to me. And I assume you ask same question of all of the actors in the film.

I think animation puts the focus on character. Writing for animation, you direct the voice actors and the world is being built without you. You're spending your time trying to pull performances out of people in a booth, so maybe you spend a bit more time trying to give those actors roles more depth and care.

I have worked with some good folks for all of my albums. John Vogl, Jessica Hische, Rachel Cellinese and Aaron Sechrist were all great. It's hard to pick one favorite. Aaron is doing work now for my vinyl album and it's really been fun to see what he comes up with.

As far as merch, the TBS show that I got cast in makes us sign a contract that has a clause that says our faces might appear on a slot machine. While I hope people watch the show, I hope it doesn't get popular enough to warrant a slot machine.

Night Train will still happen every week. There will be guest hosts and on the Mondays that I can sneak back I will pop in.
In the past we've had Sasheer Zamata, Seaton Smith and David Cross all host in my absence, so the shows should still be a lot of fun while I am gone.

Not sure. I haven't really been keeping up with new movies outside of what I see on subway posters.

You?

As long as it isn't paninied it can be a sandwich should it so choose.

I haven't made it up to Toronto this summer yet. It is surprisingly challenging to get to Canada for stand up. You have to get a work visa just to do a weekend of gigs. You get interviewed and they have to look everything up. It's odd given how close Toronto is to NY, it feels like it would be a little easier.

Watch Samurai Champloo... and also maybe don't vote for Trump.

I spoke about it on Marc Maron's WTF podcast. Like all working relationships there were good moments and bad moments. I am forever grateful to Jon and learned a ton from him.
On the podcast, I spoke about a particular experience at the job, which then got picked up by other media outlets and some tried to fairly represent what I was talking about which had more to do with inclusiveness in the workplace, while others cherry picked it to fit a narrative.
Not sure what you saw/heard but I'd say listen to the podcast and hopefully you'll hear the larger point that I was talking about.

Thanks. It was the Ahi Tuna Salad. It was good. I'd eat it again, if offered in exchange for jokes.

If I can shamelessly plug my SeeSo series, I'd say that there are more than 3-5 on there worth checking out. Janelle James, Matteo Lane, Natasha Muse, Michelle Wolf and Clark Jones are all great.

Outside of that shameless plug: Beth Stelling is great. Michael Che is very funny. We just had Casey Ley on the live Night Train show... which just became a second inadvertent but shameless plug

It depends. Sometimes I have an idea and I write it down immediately. Other times I sit with it for a while and months can go by and then I'll try to write it down. I hand write most stuff so I can remember it. Then I'll take it onstage and try to polish it into shape. If I'm preparing for something like a TV spot, I'll do a bunch of sets a night to really work on it.

I'm not a big horror fan. There are Tom and Jerry episodes that still give me the creeps.

I wish that I could play an instrument. I've tried to pick up some. I'll play around with Pro Tools making beats for fun. That's about as close to a musician as I get.

I used to go to more concerts. I don't get to as many as I used to. I've played a bunch of music festivals, which may have burnt me out a bit on live music.

I'll be honest. I only watched Samurai Champloo. I think the music played such an integral role in that show and made it stand out for me in a very interesting and cool way.

Gina Yashere just did the show a few weeks ago and she was great.

I'm trying to get the adidas shoe deal. I need that Andrew Luck money.

Until he decides to make me CEO of his company.
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11904296/new-york-knicks-forward-carmelo-anthony-wants-bulletproof-reputation

No bad blood, but feel free to listen to the podcast episode.
What sometimes gets lost in the story but was said in that episode is that while we had a disagreement, we had resolved it before I went on the podcast.
What I was talking about was something that he and I had already spoken about with one another. That moment was less about bad blood as it was about respect and expectations in the workplace.

One would hope we could all get along. Watch Bajillion Dollar Properties too. Kulap is a friend, so I want her show to do well... which I think fits the idea of everybody getting along.

Thanks.

Thanks. Any similarities are unintentional. Hedberg was great but I also feel like he and I are very different styles of joke tellers. I am envious of his ability to make great one liners. Every now and then I have a one-liner that works well and I think about how many great ones Hedberg had and that makes me want to get back to work.

1.) I think being funny as natural but it can also be taught. Little kids don't know humor, but they sometimes do a thing that makes adults laugh and if they like the feeling they try to duplicate it. They see if there is a formula that elicits laughter. The same is true for anybody trying to be funny.
2.) Ivy League and Smart and Driven aren't hand in hand. There are a lot of talented people who went to ivy league schools that now work in TV, but also because of that they have created a pipeline that serves a bit of a nepotistic purpose that can help others (some talented and some not) succeed. Whether you went to an Ivy or not there's a certain amount of determination one needs in TV because there are so many people fighting for so few jobs.
3.) If I couldn't do comedy, maybe I'd be an architect or something where I could build things. That or cat burglar.

Thanks. I should. I feel like that is one show that I hear a lot of people talk about that I never sat down and watched. I would see ads on [adult swim] all the time, but just never got around to it.

Not really. I did like the old green uniform Mavs and went to Rolondo Blackmon's basketball camp as a kid, so I would cheer a bit for him, Aguirre and Brad Davis. But I never really cheered that hard.
I don't mind if the Cowboys go 8-8, but I only want them good enough that it's a competitive game against the Eagles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin

Also Talde is great. And you can never go wrong with the pork buns at Momofuku.

If I was playing a flute and being followed by a bunch of rats... then yes.

How are you Scott? It's been a while. You were a great baby but also a great guy on two different sets I've worked on.

My first set, I got scared and burned through my jokes in one minute and ran off the stage. I still have the audio somewhere. Maybe I will post it to my website one of these days.
3 weeks in is nerve wracking, but as you do it more and you also get to hang out with other comics, hopefully you'll enjoy it and that will push you to keep doing it and getting better.

That was a fun episode. I really enjoyed it and watching that movie and learning about the three shells.
I've been fortunate to do a few fun podcasts. Another Round was a lot of fun. The Champs and WTF were both very cool. I did Dan Pashman's The Sporkful once and had a great time talking with him and we even asked the table next to us to join in the show.

For George Clinton.
He's a big P-Funk fan.
I assume that's what you meant.

I could build my secret escape routes into the plans. Nobody would be the wiser... except for you because now you know. That makes you an alibi. If I get pinched, so do you!

I will try. Last time I had to bribe Elliott with sandwiches.

Thanks. And thanks for sharing. It's an odd thing doing a job and also being human. Everybody has their own psychology they carry into a job or any relationship and how we all communicate with each other and be aware of those things in ourselves is a delicate dance.
Thanks for taking part in the AMA

Thanks. That's really nice of you to say.

As far as advice, I would say keep getting up onstage. That's both the easiest and hardest thing to do. When a show sucks it feels like you don't want to get back up there, but you should. When it's great you feel like you'll never top it, but you should still get back up. The more you get onstage the more comfortable you become and the more your voice starts to emerge.

I don't know if I have a favorite book but I just read Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff and loved it.

It was a huge learning experience. To put on a show four nights a week, from the ground up was a fun challenge. He is a very talented editor in the studio. If I tried to learn anything from the show it was seeing a take and learning how to trim the fat from it and find the balance of how to make something funny and informative. It is something I have tried to take with me in each of the stand up albums I've made.

Hanging out with Doug. I used to watch him all the time when I was coming up as a comic in LA, so to get to do the podcast and take turns making each other laugh is fun.

Night Train is good. You should stop by one Monday if you're free. But don't dress like a baby.

Thank you. Enjoy the book if you read it.

I've been in Prospect Heights but I also keep an army of look-alikes similar to what Marvin Gaye would do at his concerts.

https://books.google.com/books?id=BxFgf1T-5WIC&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=marvin+gaye+look-alike+onstage&source=bl&ots=zIAPBxvX2y&sig=WWu2sfD8ttHIzCl0_UCgErKMAAk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj77q_m0NDNAhUmxoMKHQjCA1cQ6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=marvin%20gaye%20look-alike%20onstage&f=false

hard shell for birthdays and bar mitzvahs

Nope. You've mistaken me for Gil Scott Heron.