Rob Delaney Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 13th 2010 8:33AM by Sarah Vasquez
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Rob Delaney will be making his first trip to Austin for this year's SXSW. Using personal experiences and insight on life, his comedic routine provides an intimate conversational setting with his audience. Delaney chatted with Spinner on the phone about his upcoming performance and the one thing that could instantly disrupt it.

How did you get started?

I was an extroverted kid and performed like acting and singing. Then the older I got, I realized I enjoyed performing things that I came up with myself more and I enjoyed making people laugh more than making people cry or think. I acted. I did a lot of theatre in New York and was on TV shows and stuff. Then I just started gravitating more towards comedy, seeing a lot of comedy. So I tried it and I loved it. I never looked back.

How long have you been doing this professionally?

For about three years.

Is there anybody that influences your comedic style?

I watch a lot of comedy. I love Bill Cosby. I love Louis CK and the Upright Citizens Brigade.

And talking about your own style, what makes you stand out from the rest of the comedians? What makes you different?

I guess I would say that my personal style is more intimate. I talk about a lot of personal stuff and I almost never make jokes about topical news or anything-- so personal, intimate, conversational style where I plumb my own life, father, sex, the male/female dynamic, often crude and inappropriate but also humanistic. I like people so I want people to be happy and have fun. I'm not mean ever. But I am a scumbag but I'm just like a scumbag who's scummy to himself. I would never berate an audience member or anything.

What can SXSW attendees expect at your performance?

They will love me. That is a certainty. I will open their eyes. I will help them understand themselves and their feelings and their sexuality on a much deeper level. I'll heal them, to be honest. People report physical ailments just evaporating when they see me. What else? They're going to learn a bigger vocabulary when I'm through. They're going to realize that it's a lot easier to achieve goals in their lives after having seen me.

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

New Lionel Richie. Like Lionel Richie that you haven't heard because they don't play him on the radio. Lionel Richie's latest album I really enjoy. Peter Cetera. I don't have guilty pleasures. I listen to a lot of heavy metal, but I'm not embarrassed by anything. You couldn't find a CD that I have where I'll be embarrassed. Even if you thought I should be embarrassed, I'd say f--- you, I don't care. But yes, stuff that people would make fun of me and I would understand would be the latest Lionel Richie.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

The first time I can ever remember really feeling it in my stomach was Inspector Gadget's niece Penny from the cartoon Inspector Gadget.

How old were you?

Like 2nd grade. I'm 33 now so I was 7 maybe? I can remember being like I could never be with her because she's a cartoon and it really hurt me.

What is your biggest vice?

Coffee and coca cola.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while being on tour?

This is so gross. One time, a friend put me in his roommate's room and I went to sleep in the bed. I didn't realize that but the roommate had peed in the bed like the night before or something and it was slightly dry. So I didn't notice it before but I woke up in the bed and gradually became wetter as my body weight like squeezed the dude's piss off it. Is that gross? That might be too gross.

Did he know you were coming?

He was just like "Hey my roommate's out of town. I guess you can just stay in his bed." So he didn't even know that his disgusting roommate had done this so that's how it happened. I was going to sleep on the floor but we realized the roommate wasn't there. What else? Oh my god, a woman flashed me her boobs. Like a homeless woman came into the place that I was performing and just flashed her boobs at me and I like boobs. I want to see boobs all the time but just not when I'm performing and it was really distracting. It would have been worse if somebody had been like "you suck, you're not funny." That would have distracted me less than naked boobs right in my face. I really hope no one ever does that again.

Especially during a performance?

No, only during a performance. Otherwise it's like boobs all the time, but not during a show.

Sarah Vasquez is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.