EUGENE MIRMAN ON STAND-UP

“It’s depressing to be in a comedy contest. But also, it’s fine. My advice is to not do it, but also, it’s fine.”

Eugene Mirman’s been keeping busy ever since he left Boston as the press-anointed “poster boy for alternative comedy.” The Russian-born, Lexington-raised, charmingly goofy comedian played landlord Eugene on Flight of the Conchords, stars as mobster Yvgeny Mirminsky on Adult Swim’s Delocated, Gene on Fox’s Bob’s Burgers, hosts an award-winning weekly comedy night in Brooklyn, is opening for whistler and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird’s upcoming tour and (deep breath) will be

performing to a sold-out crowd at Mottley’s Comedy Club for this week’s Magners Comedy Festival.

This is your first time at the Magners Fest. What should audiences expect?
I think you can expect about 45 minutes to an hour of stand-up, and some video. I might play a little video. I’m gonna hold up cards and say jokes. And talk about Western Mass once.
How big is this festival?

It’s a huge five-day festival at a bunch of venues leading to a stand-off between amateur comedians.
Oh, there’s a contest? Oh, good.

Do you like comedy contests?
It depends on what the format is. But it’s fine, I don’t like or dislike them specifically.

Do you have any advice for the competitors?

My advice is to do very well and then leave and be successful.

But it is a fairly irrelevant thing. My advice to people is to not do it because it’s depressing to be in a comedy contest. But also, it’s fine. My advice is to not do it, but also, it’s fine.

Solid advice. You’re also touring with Andrew Bird in February. What’s the dynamic like between indie rock and your stand-up before the show? Do you take into consideration that it’s a different kind of audience?
It was by his request that I’m doing it, and I’m imagining that his audience will like the material. In general, I used to tour more with bands. Now I don’t do it as often. It can be harder to open for a band than to just do comedy.

How is it harder?
People are there to see music. So in one sense, it’s more unique, and in another sense it’s a little harder because they’re there for a different art form. It just depends. I think Andrew Bird, specifically, will have a very nice audience and is probably just a quieter thing.

They’re not out to mosh in a big pit and throw up on each other.

You’re also working on a pilot for Comedy Central.
I am working on a pilot. They’re screening it tomorrow and I should hear back in the next few weeks or months. It’s very exciting—I’ve never done anything like it before. The premise of it is I have my own television network, so it’s basically a sketch show with lots of different fake TV shows. It’s like Oprah has her own network, so it’s sort of like that, except it’s with me. A lot of oddball sort of stuff.

What’s the name of the network?
“Eugene!” With an exclamation point.

EUGENE MIRMAN
MAGNERS COMEDY FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 1.28.12

MOTTLEY’S COMEDY CLUB
61 CHATHAM ST.
BOSTON
877.615.2844
8PM/21+/$20
SOLD OUT

@EUGENEMIRMAN
MAGNERSCOMEDYUSA.COM