Judah Friedlander brings a special kind of confidence to his stand up. Sure, he may look like Steven Wright's even more stoned younger brother. But he belies his schlubby appearance with a level of comical arrogance that is not at all offensive but hilariously self referential.
Nicknamed (by himself) "The World Champion," the "30 Rock" star returns to Atlanta for the first time in several years for three nights at the Atlanta Improv November 13 to 15.
His last stop here was at the Punchline around 2008. "It's nothing personal," he said. "I am allowed to go to McDonald's and Burger King."
Here are some meandering topics, some serious, some not so much, that we addressed:
What he learned on "30 Rock": Friedlander played a randy writer on the fictional show on "30 Rock" who always showed up with a new trucker cap. As a stand-up guy, he enjoyed hanging out with a group of sketch and improv artists. (He declined to comment on poor Tracy Morgan given all the legal mess going on after the Georgia Wal-Mart trucker ran into Morgan's limo earlier this year and severely injured him.)
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
His next big TV role: He is on Seth MacFarlane's mid-season animated series on Fox called "Bordertown." Based in a fictional Texas border town called "Mexifornia," he plays the son of a border agent. He can't get into too many details on his character but "I'm definitely a complete moron, a complete delinquent. A nice guy but no the brightest guy."
Indeed, confident Friedlander added, "he's not an athlete nor a role model like me, not the next president of the United States like me. "
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Shifting his focus on stage: "I'm doing a lot more stuff involving social and political satire as well as stuff about U.S foreign policy and human rights in a ridiculous and absurd surreal funny way. I'll be satirizing the love of our country and how foreigners perceive us. I'll be serious and not serious at the same time."
I then asked him a bunch of random questions:
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: If you were a cannibal and your potential meal was
Tina Fey
or
Alec Baldwin
, who do you think would be tastier?
A: I'm going with Tina because she loves food so much. I figure that since she is such a foodie, she'd taste good, too.
Q: If you were forced to wear the same trucker cap every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A; World champion. I still have the title!
Q: How long do you think you'd last in a zombie apocalypse?
A: I think dentistry is the key. You have them remove the zombie's teeth and they'll just gnaw on you with their gums. It'd be like a great massage! Bottom line: dentistry would be the key to world peace. I'm solution based. I'm a deep thinker whose here to save the world!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: What's the dumbest TV show you watch on a regular basis?
A: I don't have a show I watch on a regular basis. Once in a while I catch "Blue Bloods" and I like it. It's filmed in Queens. I like that.
Q: So you are obsessed with Tom Selleck?
A: It's more Donnie Wahlberg. Gotta call it like I see it!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: What's the strangest place you've done stand-up?
A: I've had a lot of weird ones. Twenty years ago, I did a 3:30 a.m. show on a really crappy boat circling Manhattan with prom students. Prom students didn't really want to hear jokes at 3:30 in the morning. And it took me three months to get paid!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: As a die-hard New Yorker, what is your favorite song about New York?
A: Off the top of my head? I'll go with "Nights on Broadway" by the Bee Gees. Let's face it. That's a great song!
Q: With ebola all the rage, do you feel more paranoid hugging people? (He was the "hugger" in a Dave Matthews video "Everyday")
A: Nah... I am not worried about ebola. This country has got to toughen up. We've gotten all wimpy and scare of everything.
Q: Wrestler Mick Foley is doing a one-man show the day after you at the Atlanta Improv. What do you think of Mick?
A: He's a friend of mine. He's a great guy. I helped him out when he started. I took him around the comedy clubs and helped him with a bunch of sets. His fans love his show. He's awesome!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: There's a downtown place called Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium. Lady Gaga, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller and Susan Sarandon have all played ping pong there. Do you try to play wherever you go?
A: I do. I travel with my paddle. Those are all cool people I can beat! It's the second most popular sport behind soccer.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Q: How is your ping pong play as you get older?
A; I've been defying science. I keep getting faster!
Comedy preview
Judah Friedlander
The Atlanta Improv
Thursday, 8 p.m. $20
Friday, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m., Saturday 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m. $25
56 E Andrews Dr NW, Atlanta
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