Comedian Mitch Hedberg:
His Future's So Funny He's Gotta Wear Shades
Nolan Gawron
At first glance, Mitch Hedberg could easily be dismissed as being just one more stoner with a sense of humor. And while his one-liners and non sequiturs provide the perfect dosage of comic relief for slackers with a short attention span, the comedy of Mitch Hedberg cannot be bound to such limitations. His material is dry, subtly complex and taken from the overlooked irony and hilarity of everyday life. His act is no act. Onstage, his eyes are concealed behind long hair and a pair of tinted sunglasses. He's laid-back, but nervous; and his jokes are delivered with the sluggishness and paranoid mannerisms of someone “one toke over the line.” But his lack of eye contact is a result of shyness, not highness; and his delivery is the result of a unique Midwestern drawl. These distinct vocal intonations make his comedy authentic and unforgettable. Beyond his relentless standup schedule, Hedberg has appeared in That '70s Show and the movie Almost Famous, lent his voice to Crank Yankers and Shorties Watching Shorties, and to this day remains one of David Letterman's favorite comedic guests. Mitch All Together, a DVD/CD combo of live performances was released early this year and may be the best comedy recording of the year. The Dig caught up with Hedberg over the phone from his hotel room in San Jose.
At what point does one realize they're going to be a standup comedian? Were you the class clown type?
I was a class clown and all that, but I didn't think of standup comedy. I knew about it - I knew it existed - but there just didn't seem to be an obvious way to get into it ... but there was ... open mikes. I wish I would've started earlier. I first got onstage when I was 21, and right when I got onstage, I knew from that second this was it. It was fast, man. The evolution was like a two-day evolution from “What am I gonna do?” to “I know.”
What was your last job?
Oh, man, it was a lame-ass cooking job. I'd been a cook my whole life, but this was a hard one, 'cause it was on a stage. It was a diner, and you had to cook the food in front of people. I guess it was training for standup in a way. I had really long hair at the time, and I was embarrassed to cook people their food. I felt sorry for them. People would come in, and I would say, “Sorry, you should really go somewhere else.”
Do you have a favorite non-standup gig?
I think I had the most fun on the set of That '70s Show, but the director never said anything nice to me. The makeup lady said I did a good job, so if she moves up in the Hollywood ladder, I'm set. I'll keep my eye on her.
Is your onstage persona your real persona?
Yeah, pretty much - it's an exaggerated version, for sure. If I went onstage exactly like I am in real life, it would be even more boring than usual. You have to amp it up a little. You have to say the same things over and over. That's not natural at all. You have to pretend to relive the first moment that you did a joke as best as possible, so you have to perform to a certain degree. I know there are certain comics that basically have their onstage and offstage personas, but I gotta exaggerate it a bit - it's about five times my actual personality.
Do you wear prescription sunglasses onstage, or are they just something to hide behind?
They're something to hide behind. I never used to wear them, but one day I put them on, and I never looked back. It's something to hide behind, for sure. It's like my bangs, you know. It's hard for me to get my bangs cut.
I have the same problem. What about your tendency to stare at the ground while you're performing? Is that another example of shyness, or are you looking at notes?
I have notes onstage a lot, but I sort of look at them because of habit. I could easily do a show without notes, but it becomes a crutch to a degree. The initial reason to have notes onstage was to remind me of newer stuff I'd thought of. But it's a way to hide, too. I can't look people in the eye all that well - and that's not a good trait for a standup comedian. I don't know; I'm just not good at it. I'm just too affected by the expressions on their faces. If I was guaranteed that everyone was smiling, I'd look at the crowd, but there's no guarantee, so I just look at the stage. The stage doesn't have much of an opinion, you know?
Comics generally tend to stick together. They're in the same movies, on the same shows. Is there unity between standup comedians?
They try to make that happen. In the beginning, when you start out, it seems like it would be a fun time to hang out with other comedians. They're single guys on the road. I'm not the kind of guy who'll hang around other comics and bounce ideas off [them]. There's a whole bunch of people who do that. I try to avoid comics now. Comics don't play poker either. There never seems to be any poker games going on. I like comics and respect them, but sometimes they can be too bitter. I tend to avoid them now, but I still love them.