CollegeHumor Interview (Page 3)

So you’ve either seen them on this site, their site, or on their show on Fuse TV. Here’s my exclusive, tell all interview with Zach Cregger of The Whitest Kids You Know.

What is your writing process like? Generally we’ll all sit in a room and everyone will toss out ideas. When one sticks we’ll sit around a computer and as one person types everyone else will throw lines out. We tend to write a script and then stick to it pretty strictly on stage.

Nice, so there isn’t a whole lot of improv? Our videos have very little improv if any. We really run the hell out of our scripts before shooting so hopefully it looks natural while still hitting all the beats and points.

When you guys started WKUK, what kind of expectation did you have for the group? Honestly I think from the beginning we all had the intention of doing great things with this group. We had our eye on getting a television show for the past 5 years. The next step is getting some movies out there. We’d like to follow the business model that Monty Python set up.

Things that were funny to you in college may not appeal to the new college audience, how do you keep a sense for what’s still funny and relevant to 18 year olds? We’re all compulsive internet junkies. We’re online goofing around for hours every day, and I think that helps to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s new. Also we are all really immature so the odds are that we find the same things funny as 18 year olds, or 12 year olds too for that matter.

Ben Gleib used to write for CollegeHumor all the time. Then he went and got himself on a TV show. Which one, you ask? The Real Wedding Crashers, which premieres tonight at 10 on NBC. The always-gracious Ben took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me. Enjoy.

Hey Ben, it’s crazy that you’re going to be on this big new show on NBC. Remember when you were just another comedian and CollegeHumor contributor?
I do not remember my past. That way I can repeat it. But if I had any memories of contributing to CollegeHumor, I’m sure they would have been pleasant, and probably involved feeling that my articles and videos were inadequate compared to hot girls kissing.

Joe Rogan’s a busy guy. He just released a new live comedy CD, Shiny Happy Jihad. On the 19th, his first hour comedy special premieres on Showtime. He’s got an ongoing gig as a UFC color commentator, an upcoming DVD, and somehow he still finds time to police the comedy world. I recently spoke to Joe about the difference between fighting and comedy, getting high before Fear Factor, and Carlos Mencia.

A lot of people who know you primarily from shows like NewsRadio and Fear Factor don’t realize how long you’ve been doing stand-up.

August 7^th, 1988 was the first time I got on stage at Stich’s Comedy Club in Boston. The more I did other stuff, the more I realized what I really enjoy is stand-up. I like going to see a great stand-up more than anything else. I saw Blades of Glory last night – great movie, hilarious movie – but it’s never as funny as going to see a Dave Chappelle concert. Stand up comedy is the most rewarding art form both to perform and to watch.

Even less people realize you were a Tae Kwan Do champion. How does being a fighter translate to comedy?

I’ve been doing martial arts most of my life, longer than comedy, longer than anything. It was my whole life. One of the more positive aspects of martial arts is that it’s a vehicle for developing your human potential. You learn a lot about yourself in fighting. It translates through clarity. Learning martial arts early in life gives you a certain amount of clarity, a different way of looking things.

The people want more Sarah Schneider. And even though it’s really awkward to interview someone you work with everyday, the people get what they want. Check out my interview with Sarah!



Who is the second funniest girl on the site (You being number one) Oh, stop. Definitely Elaine Carroll. I have such a crush on her. Melanie Ethand is a close second, and Dan Gurewitch is third.

You are one of five girls in an office of forty, what’s it like being such a minority? See for yourself.

Who is the creepiest writer to work with? Probably Streeter, but only because he offers to show me his balls every five minutes regardless of what we’re working on.

He does that with me too… What’s your favorite part about your job here? Being able to wear Heelys all day.

How many people in this office have you banged? Does anal count? Jay kay, none.

How about made out with? 40.

Many of you will recognize Daniel DeSanto for two roles, one from the movie Mean Girls, and the other as Tucker in the series Are You Afraid of the Dark? Well I got a chance to talk to the former SNICK star and ask him all about The Midnight Society. So… Submitted for the approval, of the CollegeHumor readers, I call this article- The Interview With Daniel DeSanto.

What, in your opinion, is the scariest Are You Afraid of the Dark? Mine is either the one with Zeebo the Clown or The Lonely Ghost. Wow, you remember Zeebo?! you MUST’VE watched the show! For me, I have to say The Tale of the Headless Horsemen, since it was my “initiation story” to get into the Midnight Society. I just thought the whole episode was done really well. I mean, I was a fan of the show before I was cast in the 3rd Season, so to actually see a story that I told was really cool.


That pinball episode was my favorite. What’s yours? I can tell you what episode WASN’T my favorite! That one with the snake. I don’t do well with animals, even trained ones, so having that snake on the set freaked me out. But my favorite episode? I’m gonna have to be biased again and say The Tale of the Silver Sight. It was the first time that the Midnight Society was actually a part of the “story”. Letting us out of the woods (literally) was a really cool experience and we had a lot of fun shooting it.


Was there any intra-Midnight Society hookups? Name names. Well, being an awkward 12 year old when I first came on the show, I can definitely tell you that I wasn’t hookin up with anybody. The “new” cast (besides Elisha) was pretty young, so I hope the dust stayed in the pouch, if you know what I mean. I wish I had some dirt for ya, but we all got along very well, I guess we just didn’t “get along” like that.

If you are anything like me, you grew up watching Nickelodeon gameshows. Double Dare, Guts, Nick Arcade, and of course Legends of the Hidden Temple. It is without any hint of sarcasm that I say that this interview with Legends of the Hidden Temple host, Kirk Fogg marks one of the highest points in my life.

How many migraines did you get per day, on average? My head held up pretty good, it was my back that killed me. Standing on a cement floor 14 hours a day will do that- Oh wait, I forgot. Once I smacked my head going into the swamp on the day I made my attempt to get through the temple (I made it by the way.)

What made you decide to go with khaki shorts verses jeans on a given day of shooting? Well, I thought everyone could tell that the khaki shorts were the first season. After that they put pants on me. I think they were frightened by my large calves.

Why did you give away trips to Universal Studios Florida? Weren’t you all already there? TALK TO THE PRODUCERS. I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!

What happened to kids after the temple guard got them? There was only one disembowelment that I know of. Otherwise they all were sent back to their mothers, some crying harder than others.

Some of the kids must have misbehaved or been a pain otherwise. Any memorable horror stories? Let me think… Everyone was cool. I think the toughest thing was that we shot 4 shows a day doing all the moat crossings first, then the steps, then the games, then, finally, after 12 hours- the temple run. Kids were generally wiped out so keeping their energy levels up was difficult especially after lunch where they were always given pizza. I believe that slowed them down. Only one real horror story, Olmec got pissed one day and ate part of the ledges.

Many of you remember the show Salute Your Shorts. And many of you remember all your favorite characters; Budnick, Sponge, Donkey Lips, etc. What are some of these people up to now you ask? Well I have an answer. I lived my childhood dream recently by talking to Michael Bower, who played Donkey Lips. Here’s what he had to say.

Who were you closest with on the set of Salute Your Shorts? The craft service table, ABBA ZABBA WAS MY ONLY FRIEND.
 
Why the nickname Donkey Lips? You would have to ask the writers that question, but Kevin Smith recently showed us why everyone loves a good donkey show.
 
What’s your best memory on the set of Salute Your Shorts? Just being a kid and getting to film some real cool and funny scenes. So my memories are more like dreams coming true.
 
Is there an episode that you find to be particularly meaningful? The episode where I had to build bird houses, because in that episode the nerd became a CEO. Plus I went to the hospital with a head freeze disease from all those ice pops
 
Did playing Donkey Lips ever help you get chicks? Well Playboy models always say they want a man that can make  them laugh- and to this day I have never once made a Playboy model laugh into my bed (and I’m a pretty funny guy)
 
Were you friends with any other Nickelodeon Stars? Clarrissa and I  go way back but we had a falling out due to a certain hottie on Kids Incorporated (don’t want any  drama—noo no no  drama) Fergilicious -true story
 
What, exactly, is an Awful Waffle? It’s making a human waffle. Take a round tennis racket and some maple syrup, rip a nerds shirt off, force the tennis racket into his stomach creating the round waffle effect and pour the syrup. You become a human waffle and it feels awful- hence the Awful Waffle.

Paul Mecurio is Wall Street Lawyer turned comedian who has won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for his work on The Daily Show. Paul also does some hilarious stand up and is developing his own show that looks to be to Sports Center what The Daily Show was to the news.

When you graduated law school from Georgetown did you have any inkling that you might want to make comedyyour career? No, I thought I would eventually leave the law and pursue my true love of competitive Bedazzling but alas, carpal tunnel made that a mere dream.

Actually, truth be told, I had written some short film ideas while in law school that I intended to make (which I did)  once I got some money but no, I never intended to make comedy a career.

When did you decide that comedy, not Wall Street was your thing? There wasn’t a definitive moment but I started to think seriously about it after I saw Jay Leno perform one of my jokes on “The Tonight Show.”  Even though I was working on mergers and acquisition deals on Wall Street as a lawyer first, then as an investment banker, seeing Jay do that joke was the most powerful thing that ever happened to me.  I’d say that was the start of the comedy career path.

Were you a good lawyer? If by good you mean six malpractice suits … one pending … then I was EXCELLENT.

The BustedTees Girl. Everyone knows her. She lives inside the ad boxes on your computer. In fact, she’s probably in an ad on the top of this page right now. Every day we get creepy e-mails asking for her personal information. So we figured it’d be much easier for Erica’s stalkers to learn about her by doing a public interview. Here’s what we talked about:


Do you wear BustedTees when you’re not modeling them? All the time

How many BustedTees do you actually own? Every single one ever made, and some duplicates.

Do you have a favorite? I like the “second amendment” one with the bear arms. I gave the shirt to my dad and he wears it all the time. I also like “Jersey Girls Aint Trash, Trash Gets Picked Up” because it’s true.

Least favorite? “Jesus Hates the Yankees”, because if Jesus hates the Yankees, then I hate Jesus.

Medium favorite? “Stewart/Colbert”, because I would totally support it, although it makes no sense whatsoever.

Where are you from? Madison, Connecticut, hometown of THE Streeter Seidell

How old are you? 20 and ¾.

Does it ever freak you out how many people look at you every day? Not really because I don’t see them look at me. If they were to all look at me in person in one day, I might be freaked out.

Be honest, how good of a chance do our readers have of getting with you? Not very good at the moment, I’m spoken for.

Have you ever been recognized anywhere? When I first started, I got recognized a lot when I was on the nyu campus, but now people don’t really come up to me.

How did you react, was it a strange feeling, or flattering? It was strange and flattering. Someone once asked me if I wanted to look at collegehumor.com with him one day. That was strange.

What do you do when you’re not modeling hilarious t-shirts? I go to school mostly, and frequent seedy dive bars in the village. Most of the time I am just sitting on my couch watching Law & Order.

Do you ever come to CollegeHumor just to admire your ads? No, I don’t look at the pictures, I just really like to read the articles.

What’s your favorite movie? Pretty Woman, PCU, or Caddy Shack, it’s a three way tie.