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Massachusetts native and king of self-effacing stand-up Mike Birbiglia takes his new show “Thank God For Jokes” to The Wilbur Theatre for a two-night run February 14-15. We got to talk with him about public proposals, inspiration, and being funnier than ever. Or so he says.
Do you have a favorite place to grab a drink in Boston?
My favorite place in Boston is honestly The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square, which is above the Hong Kong. That place is awesome. It’s just a gem. If anyone is interested in having an authentic Boston comedy experience, that place is a cool place to check out.
You used to perform there?
Oh yea, I’ve performed there a ton when I was starting out … I have a lot of good memories from that.
And you’ve performed at The Wilbur before.
Yea, but this is exciting. The first time I played The Wilbur I had one show, second time I had two shows, this time I have four shows. Which is like mind-boggling … When I started out I would be playing at a Best Western in Virginia and it would just be like “Tonight! Comedy!” and I would go up on stage for a bunch of business travelers and they’d be like, “Oh, I don’t like this kind of comedy.” And then over the years for every one hundred people in the audience at my general audience show there was like three people who were like, “Oh, I like this guy.” And now people are coming to see me on purpose. Which is really fun because it becomes like an inside joke between me and my audience. I think it’s really special … I think the biggest way that I have picked up fans over the years is by people saying to their friends, “You’re weird. I think you’d like this.” People recommending me is always kind of an insult to the person they are recommending it to.
Is “Thank God For Jokes” all new material?
All new material, all new stories.
What would you do if someone proposed at the show, given it’s on Valentine’s Day and all.
People have proposed at my shows before.
No way?!
Yeah, A bunch of times. “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” had that effect on a lot of people. One time in Montreal I was running the show for like four or five nights and this guy came the first night and he decided he wanted to come back and bring his girlfriend. He proposed in the lobby with me just standing there. Which is a weird thing because I was like the best man of his proposal. Yeah, there is a youtube video of someone proposing at one of my shows.
Do they let you know or they just spring it on you? And their girlfriends.
I was in on it. I got an email from this guy and he said, “I want to propose at your show.” I was game for it and he seemed really nice. Although, I was nervous for him because if she said no in front of like 1,300 people it really would have destroyed that guy. And then there is another bad scenario in which she could say yes, but she’s only saying yes because 1,300 people are staring at her. And then for the rest of their mutual lives she’s like, “I dont even love you! I just said yes because Mike Birbiglia was standing there.”
How is this tour going so far?
I did a show in Salt Lake City and it went great. I think one person walked out which is a very little amount for 1,900 people.
So that’s a success?
That’s a success. Yeah, exactly.
Is the new material similar to your other stuff?
I think that it is most similar to “My Secret Public Journal Live.” So a series of awkward stories where I find myself in situations that are uncomfortable … But I think it’s funnier actually … I venture to say that I may be better at it. It’s more calibrated all the way through. Yeah, it’s a funny ass show.
Do you know when you write a funny joke or do you have to test it out with people?
It’s all testing. I write tons, and tons, and tons, of jokes. I feel like I write 100,000 words a year, and then 3,000 make it to the stage. The ratio of things that last long term is very small.
I can tell from your performances that over time you find things that work and stick with it. And not necessarily the same material, but the style of delivery.
Yeah, absolutely. Like: “I know – I am in the future also.”
Was that bit spontaneous?
The first time, yeah. Definitely the first few times. It’s just me in the moment. So much of what I do on stage is from bringing a seed of an idea and seeing how people react and then riffing along to what they are reacting to. If they are reacting to something really strongly I try to think what are some more details. What did this feel like? What did that feel like? What did it look like? That kind of thing. So much of what I do just evolves from being on stage and improvising.
Were you inspired by comedians who have a similar narrative style?
The first comic I saw live was Stephen Wright at the Melody Tent and he is very precise, one-liner joke comedian. So after, I just thought thats what stand-up comedy was and that was the only way you could do it. And I’d watch Seinfeld and think, oh that’s how it’s done. So when I wrote jokes those were the kind of jokes I would write. What happens is you start out trying to be one kind of comedian. And then you get into Richard Pryer and Woody Allen, and so you try to be like those guys. And then – if you’re lucky – somewhere along the way you realize the best thing to be is yourself. If you can get to that point, it’s a real sweet spot. But it takes years. It’s often said about stand-up comedy that it takes seven years to be yourself on stage, which is a crazy concept when you think about it. Like, I have to work seven years in failure so I can be myself, which I didn’t want to be in the first place.
You have a new movie coming out in June, The Fault In Our Stars. Do you want to get into films more?
I take it on a case by case basis. I’m really focused on my own writing and my own creations. In my career, I think I have had the most joy working on things I have created from scratch and tried to fully realize as well as I can … When I’m asked to do something by people I really respect, I’m like “Yeah, sure.” But at the same time, I don’t audition for a lot of stuff.
I’m curious: what’s the worst question a reporter has ever asked you?
“So what do you do?”
THANK GOD FOR JOKES
MIKE BIRBIGLIA
FEB 14 @ 7:30PM, 10:55PM
FEB 15 @ 7PM, 9:30PM/$35
THE WILBUR THEATRE
246 TREMONT STREET
THEWILBUR.COM.