You know, it’s Michael Ian Black.  You Wrote It You Watch It, The State, Viva Variety, Wet Hot American Summer, Stella, Ed, Tom Goes To The Mayor, the main reason you watch I Love The 70s/80s/90s.  He just released his first comedy album I Am A Wonderful Man last Sept, and will be performing Feb 2nd at the 6th & I Historic Synagogue with cohort Michael Showalter.  If you haven’t seen these guys do their thing before, do yourself a favor and get a ticket, it’s brilliant. Or wait, just comment below and say you want them and we’ll give you a pair. Well, at least two of you.

Brightest Young Things: Can you tell us a little about your role in Cults: Saying No Under Pressure from the early 90’s?
Michael Ian Black: Sure. I played a hapless young teen who was suckered into joining a cult. To prepare for the part, I briefly joined a Satanic cult, ate a couple babies, etc. An interesting piece of trivia about that “film,” is that it was hosted by Charleston Heston, so I can honestly say that I was in a movie with Charleston Heston, which makes it far easier to use my name when playing “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

BYT: How did you team up with Simon Pegg?
MIB:I wouldn’t exactly say we “teamed up.” David Schwimmer became attached to direct a film I wrote called “Run, Fat Boy, Run,” and HE teamed up with Simon Pegg because those guys are buddies. Simon rewrote the script to make it more Anglophilic (I don’t think that’s a word), and I have to say, he did a great job. I’m a fan of Simon’s and was pleased that he agreed to star in the film, but we definitely didn’t team up.

BYT: According to Wikipedia Run Fatboy Run has earned over £10.5 million to date, how much of that do you get?
MIB: 93%.

BYT: When are you going to make an appearance on Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show?
MIB: I’ve spoken to them about it. The problem is that I live on the East Coast and those guys are on the West Coast, which makes it hard because my teleportation machine has been in the shop for months. Apparently, it’s an older model which they don’t make any more, so they had to send to Korea to get a part, and you would think being in the teleportation business, they could just teleport the part, but that’s not the way it works. They sent it by steamship. I didn’t even know steamships still existed, but apparently they do. Anyway, long story short - I don’t know when I’m going to be on the show. But I think those guys are great.

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BYT: When I was much younger I had sort of a creepy obsession with The State, I would tape episodes and re-watch them over and over and over picking up every nuance of each performance. I always thought that you and I would be friends in real life. Do you think we would be friends in real life?
MIB: I feel like we already are friends. The fact that you’re even willing to communicate with me means that you are closer to me right now than almost anybody else in my life. This is probably a direct result of my glue sniffing “problem.”

BYT: Seriously, what the fuck is the problem with The State DVD? I mean the third season of Hawaii Five-O is already on DVD. Can you just take all the money you make off Run Fatboy Run and buy the rights to all the music?
MIB: I’ll do that.

BYT: Can you tell us anything about The State movie that we haven’t heard already?
MIB: I’m surprised you’ve heard anything about the State movie. The State is reforming to make a movie for Comedy Central. Because of the Writer’s Strike, however, the writing of that movie has largely been put on hold. Hopefully the strike will get resolved and hopefully after that we’ll be able to pick up where we left off and make a fantastic State movie.

BYT: Is Stella ever going to be performing again?
MIB: Stella will undoubtedly be performing together again. We’re hosting an event for Barack Obama (he won’t be there because he doesn’t like dildos) in a week or so and we’re also talking about touring again sometime this year.

BYT: Did the DVD’s sell so well that Comedy Central might bring it back a la Family Guy?
MIB: Not going to happen.

BYT: Any New Year’s resolutions and/or did you make any lists, like top 10 favorite albums or top 5 favorite euphemisms for masturbation?

MIB: I made a list of my Top 10 New Year’s resolutions Stop referring to my wife as “my little homunculus.”  Fewer rampages. Start using Axe Body Spray. Learn typesetting and harmonica. Either develop scoliosis or quit talking about developing scoliosis. As far as scoliosis goes, this year is definitely “shit or get off the pot” time. Give panhandling a real chance Stop relying on my salt lick to get my daily allowance of salt. It grosses people out and there are definitely better ways to get my iodine. Note: this may increase my chance of contracting goiter. Taste and rank every Jelly Belly flavor according to how much they taste like what they are trying to taste like. Compile into a definitive list. Sell each copy for a hundred dollars. Sit back and watch the money roll in. Stop saying “zygote” when I mean “fetus.” Put up that birdhouse.

BYT: I asked Jim Gaffigan who would win in a fight between you and him, he said
“Verbal fight, Michael would win. Physical fight, me with my arms tied behind my back.”
Do agree with this assessment?
MIB: I agree that he would kill me in a physical brawl. Verbally, he might be right too, but only because he’s so weird looking. I’m not afraid to hit below the belt.

BYT: Speaking of Jim, did the Holiday Hawk seem like a funny idea at the time?
MIB: Honestly, not at all.

BYT: I also asked Eugene Mirman if you were just as dreamy off camera, he said “He’s very sweet, but he’s also a non-stop fuckmaster (when touring we would have to stop in small towns, so that Michael could run into a deli or Dunkin Donuts and fuck ladies. It generally added a few hours to our trip.) If People Magazine had the balls to make a list of America’s Top 10 Fuckmasters, guess who would be #2? (Cuba Gooding Jr. is #1 obviously.)”
So is Eugene just as awkward off camera?
MIB: Eugene has surprising élan off camera. He’s light on his feet and uses that crazy Russian of his to pick up very old Russian men. It surprised me that he’s into that. When I asked him about it, he said that he’s actually not that into Russian men, but he takes what he can get. The other interesting thing about Eugene is that the only thing he eats is mayonnaise.

BYT: Are you going to feel uncomfortable making dick jokes while performing in a synagogue?
MIB: I will, and as a result, I will probably make extra dick jokes to compensate. I’m also holding an optional Nazi rally afterwards. Very informal. It’s not going to be one of these “fire and brimstone” Nazi rallies, just a relaxed environment for Nazis and proto-Nazis to get together in a convivial atmosphere and talk about our ideas.

BYT: What is one thing you wish fans wouldn’t ask you after a show?
MIB: What’s the deal with the State DVD.

Once again, if you want free tickets for this, just comment below: Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter February 2, 8:00 p.m. $20 Sixth & I Historic Synagogue 600 I Street, N.W. 202.408.3100 http://www.sixthandi.org/ http://michaelianblack.typepad.com And from now on, ask about the Viva Variety DVD

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