Q & A Archive Q&A from 2008/2009. Enjoy!

Q&A October 7, 2009

Q: Hi Mr. Lewis! How does it make you feel to be able to bring so much laughter to people living in such an unstable world?
Elly Beiswenger
Jacksonville, FL

A: Not much makes me happier. I feel very lucky that people enjoy what I do. Its just sad that the world has to be so unstable so that I can do it.

Q: I have this pastry and cookie fetish (the sugar helps me write silly songs), and I was wondering if you might have a sweet tooth too? If so, what is your favorite snack, and when do you like to eat it?
Annie Lynn
Glenside, PA

A: I don't have a crazed sweet tooth, but I do have my moments. Big on chocolate chip cookies and of all the things, The Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Chocolate cake. Usually its late at night and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to scarf a snack down.

Q: Dear Lewis, what kind of music do you get down to? what would you recommend I listen to when I can't stand the political crap on the radio anymore?
David Thrasher
Atlanta, GA

A: I am not as up on music as I would like to be, as a matter of fact I feel like I am years behind. I do like Dylan, Government Mule, The Allman Brothers, Blues Traveler, The Goo-Goo Dolls, Jane Ira Bloom, The Stones, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Joan Armatrading............the list goes on and on and on and any and all genres. I wish there was one great radio station left in nyc.............there isn't.

Q: My husband and I both enjoy your stand-up very much and own all of your concerts on DVD. As of late whenever my husband gets angry or frustrated, he winds up doing you, without realizing it. Although this can be very entertaining for me, it is very frustrating for my husband when I start laughing at his ire. Do you ever find yourself stepping into your stage persona in everyday life with friends and family?
East Aurora, NY

A: Yes I do, as it is easy for me to end up slipping right into it, since its such a part of me and it helps diffuse the real anger I am probably feeling.

Q: Has anyone ever picked a fight with you, after your had made fun of them either from your stand ups or the daily show?
Matthew
Las Vegas

A: No one directly that I know of. I fly a bit below the radar I think. The folks I make fun of don't pay attention to me.

Q&A April 27, 2009

Q: My wife and I saw you in Joliet at the Rialto Square theater and you were awesome!! Before the show we were heading to dinner and saw you in the rear of the theater and my wife wanted to run up and see if you would sign her tits. I told her that you probably wouldn't want to be bothered and left. She still gives me a hard time, so I was wondering, would you have signed her tits?
Christopher
Joliet, IL

A: Honestly, the signing of tits has never been a bother. I must say though I am always surprised when asked. And last night in Ottawa after the show, the first lady in line asked me to sign hers. I was so stunned by the request so early in the signing, that I didn't. I'd like to take this moment to apologize to her.

Q: I've read Nothing's Sacred and am starting Me of Little Faith soon. In your first book you talk about what has entertained you over the years, but don't mention much fiction. Do you like reading fiction? If so, what kind? Or do you just find the world too fictional to begin with?
Andee DeRouen
Rogers, AR

A: I sadly haven't read enough fiction over the past ten years. I don't know if it's from a lack of time, laziness or that I have to read and watch too much news. Also, some of the fiction I have read in the past few years has disappointed me. Like you said, the world seems to be outstripping fiction and it seems impossible to top the headlines. But writers like Vonnegut, Heller, Pynchon, Salinger and others had a profound effect on me and the way I view the world.

Q: Why can't you run for office?? You've got my vote. So just try it. Every moron in the world has run and WON. And you got sense. Won't someone save this planet we're playing on? Whaddeya say LEW?!?! And come on back to the hill & the Cats Cradle.
Elwood
Carboro, NC

A: I was just at Chapel Hill last weekend but didn't make it to the Cradle as I was working at Memorial Hall at the Comedy Festival at UNC. It was its sixth year and the students, as always did a hell of a job, putting together some great programs. As for running for office......I don't need that shit.

Q: Will you marry me? Anyone that can make me laugh at the insanity of life the way only you can is well worth my time and energy. And just so that you know "it's not all about me" I am a NJ state certified massage therapist. Laughter and Massage...it doesn't get any better.
Allie S
South Amboy, NJ

A: I think the best I can do is offer you free tickets for a massage. Laughter and Massage does sound like a money maker. But many thanks for the proposal.

Q: Hey Lew, have you ever been heckled really bad before? And if so how did you react?
John Hiebert
College Station, TX

A: Early on in my career, I used to get heckled mercilessly and I just took it on the chin. Then I realized, if I just waited the idiot out and stared at them in silence, that they would embarrass themselves. Finally when I felt confident enough on stage, I had a comeback for anything the idiots tried to dish out.

Q&A March 30, 2009

Q: What sort of impact would you say George Carlin had made on your comedy, or your philosophy overall?
Andrew Warner
Gloucester, VA

A: He taught me that you could talk about anything as long as you were funny. When I was younger his comedy was certainly one of the signposts in my life in terms of the insanity around me and that there was nothing wrong with marching to the beat of a different drummer. He helped keep me sane.

Q: Question: Lewis, do you keep kosher? What are your favorite foods?
Kendra Shayna
Sacramento, CA

A: No, I don't keep kosher. It's way too exhausting. I love all foods. Seriously. A great burger to a good pasta, from a healthy salad to an insanely over the top dessert. I LOVE FOOD.

Q: As an accomplished writer/author, what tips would you have for an aspiring one? And thank you so much for signing my copies of Nothing's Sacred and Me of Little Faith for my father and I at Bookends!
Thomas Poalillo
Wall, NJ

A: You sit down and write. You write about what you know about. And when you think you are stuck, don't try to think about it, just keep writing. And remember, writing is a bitch. Good luck.

Q: Hi I have watched most of your shows on dvd, and most of my friends here in Oslo love your shows, so we were wondering, have you hosted shows abroad? Like Scandinavia? and or will it happen again?
Ole Lillejordet
Oslo, Norway

A: No I haven't worked in Scandinavia. We have tried on a few occasions to work a comedy festival in Finland but they never responded. I will be coming this summer, if all goes well, to perform in Stockholm and possibly Denmark. If so, it will be posted here on the appearance page. And by the way, my brother worked and lived in Oslo for two years and spoke Norwegian.

Q: What path do you think was more beneficial to you, your movie roles or your stand-up roles?
Chuck
Kensington, Maryland (Silver Spring)

A: I think being a stand-up created the way for every other opportunity I have had.

Q&A March 6, 2009

Q: Lewis you are a freaking genius, can't wait to see your act in Vegas! What's your favorite casino game? Slots? Roulette? Blackjack?
Jason Youngdale
Phoenix, AZ

A: My favorite is Craps. I like the speed of it and the fact that most of the time the gamblers are all rooting for the same thing, to not roll craps. Roll numbers. Hit the number. And if the luck is with you, its one of the few ways you are almost even with the house in terms of odds. (how dumb are we to gamble when the best we can hope for is almost even) I prefer to play craps with a group of friends. Will also play video poker as a team. Put a bunch of money together and then yell at the machine. Or if no one is around, I will play video poker by myself and yell at the machine.

Q: I was at the last two shows of yours at the MGM and noticed at the first show, the audience didn't seem to "get it" and it appeared to me you went back to some older material. This probably happens more than it should and I was wondering what goes through at that point and when do you decide to change the direction you were going? Thanks!
Friday
Oregon

A: Boy I wish I could hear a tape of the show, as I do so many shows I don't remember what you are referring to. But I usually never go back to old material, unless I am holding onto it, cause I get a kick out of doing it or because it seems pertinent at the time.

Q: Hey Lewis, I loved your character in Accepted. You've said your original "life-plan" was to teach. Do you think if had you followed down that career path, you would have ended up like Dean Lewis?
Quinn Libson
Philadelphia, PA

A: That's funny. I might have ended up an alcoholic for sure. And probably have butted way to many heads in the world of Academia. I think there would have been too much bullshit for me to handle. It was a lot of fun being Dean Lewis, though.

Q: Have you ever heard anyone say something just as stupid, or more stupid, since the "if it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college" splurge of intelligence that you overheard years ago?
Marion
Madison, WI

A: Much of what comes out of Rush Limbaugh's mouth as of late and certainly a lot of what came out of George Bush's while he was president. And I expect more from him as he comes back to haunt us from time to time. A classic that comes to mind, although I can't remember the exact quote, was when he said he was giving up golf for the troops until they came home and then of course a few months later he played again. I actually heard on the same night a guy say to his friend, "Remember when I fucked your girlfriend to prove to you she was a whore? Well this is just like that."

Q: When I was a 30-something undergrad at the University of Tennessee, you appeared as a guest lecturer. Have you made many other 'lecturer' appearances on college campuses? (Open invite to come on my radio show, as well...and we have NO delay)
Jay Kersting
Jefferson City, Missouri

A: Thanks for the invite. I have done a few q and a's at college campuses and its always been fun. Good luck with your radio show.

Q&A November 21, 2008

Q: What does a brilliant man like you fear -- if anything?
Margaret Shannon
San Pedro

A: I am not big on death. Nope, not a fan. Wish we all lived forever, although that might get a little boring but I'd like to try it. And lightening generally scares me, as I know someone who was killed by it when I was in college. I also try to avoid tornados.

Q: Why do you think stupidity is so rampant? This is a serious question.
Vickie Koehn
Tampa, FL

A: I think its because much of our leadership feels obligated for some reason, maybe because they are idiots, to talk down to us. It does nothing but make us dumber really. It also doesn't help that over the last thirty years our system of public education has been allowed to fall into the shitter. It is unbelievable that in such a short time, we could forget how to educate our children. I think it would also help that if you are going to hire someone to do a job, that you read their resume. (The Bush Administration didn't ever seem to think that was necessary.)

Q: Do you write all of your material, or do you get ideas from other people. Are you open to ideas from other people?
Steve Hutto
Cameron, S.C.

A: For my stand-up act I write about 96 percent of it. My opening act John Bowman contributes the rest. I would say in terms of stand-up I am not very open to the ideas of others as it really does have to start with me. There are times, though, when someone will direct me to a funny article or a website I should know of, and this is a big help.

Q: You perform with lots of people on many different shows. Out of all of them, who/which is your favorite (i.e. who do you have the most fun with)?
Bob Buckwalter
Phoenixville, PA

A: Kathleen Madigan, Dave Attell, John Bowman, John Stewart and the gang at the daily show (those who have worked there and those who now do), Susie Essman, John Pinette, Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Richard Belzer, Kid Rock, Warren Haynes, Dom Irrerra, Mike Wilmot, Jim Gaffigan, Ron White, Jim Norton, Judy Gold, Joy Behar, Greg Giraldo, All the other comics who worked on The Root of All Evil, Rusty Magee, Kevin O'Rourke, Bob Saget, Opie and Anthony, Todd and Tyler, Bob and Tom, and that's only the beginning. I could go on and on.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from to do your comedy and where do you get the drive to do it from?
Anthony Fabian
Niagara Falls, Ontatio

A: I get the inspiration from the idiots this country seems to be awash in and from anything that pisses me off. As soon as I find something that really angers me I focus on it until I understand what makes it funny. The drive comes from an audience that keeps growing and that ranges in age from 10-90. I guess they also inspire me as well. I am also driven by a desire to hopefully be a better and better stand up.

Q&A October 21, 2008

Q: With your incredible insight maybe you can tell me why our men and women in uniform are subjected to the airport screening that is supposed to be protecting us from the terrorists, After all, these are the very people that are hunting the bastards all over the world?
Dwayne Stutsman
Goshen, IN

A: If stupidity were oil, we'd be the richest country on earth.

Q: I was shorted $100 by a club owner for a performance (according to him, I "wasn't funny enough") - my question: can I now legally kill this guy, or at least leave a bag of flaming dog poop in his bar?
LordKaT
NYC

A: As shitty as what he did is.....and so wrong it makes my head explode and no clubowner has any right to short a comic, unless they don't do the time or don't show up. But you cannot legally kill any one. The flaming dog poop in his bar would work nicely, although it's just shy of the punishment fit for the crime he perpetrated on you. You should let other comics know what happened to you and the name of the club owner. A boycott wouldn't be a bad idea.......

Q: Do you remember the first time you got angry?
Don & Mila
Vancouver, BC

A: Probably when I couldn't get out of my play pen.

Q: Lewis, in the movie Accepted, did you write your own lines for the movie, and if you did, what inspired you to come up with them?
Ben McNally
Atlanta, GA

A: The way that character came into being is, they gave me the script and had me improvise off of it. They then told me what they liked and didn't like about what I was saying and we'd shoot it. It was a hell of a lot of fun. The great thing about this character is he didn't give a shit about what anyone thought of him and that he really loved these kids and wanted them to have as much academic freedom as they could handle. A lot of him was actually me, which is what the director wanted and made it easy in a lot of ways.....in a lot of ways I could have grown up to be him.

Q: Hey Lewis, sadly we are not able to get you here in Malaysia so downloading your acts illegally is the only way I enjoy your tirades about the US of A. Would you ever consider coming down to a country like ours who have democrats fighting democrats? Oh and what is the weirdest performance you ever did?
Abdul Rahim
Subang, Selangor, Malaysia

A: I would truly love to play Malaysia if there was an audience large enough to get me. Right now the closest I get to your country is Australia. As for the wierdest performance, there are a number of them. When you are just starting out, you'll do anything. Some are so strange that I am no doubt repressing them. But its always weird when someone in the audience collapses and an ambulance has to come or whenever a fight breaks out, of which I have seen a few........

Q&A May 23, 2008

Q: Would you consider yourself a Passionate man or just an Angry older Man?
Raj Balararaman
San Jose California

A: Onstage I am an angry older (I have to start getting used to that) man. Offstage I would hope that I am a passionate one.

Q: Question What was your favorite off-screen moment of Accepted?
Jacob McCoy
Hometown Man, WV

A: Whenever I had the opportunity to give Jonah [Hill] or Justin [Long] shit.

Q: I'm planning a trip to NYC in a year or so. Do you have any "lesser known" favorite places or events you would recommend? By the way, you are absolutely amazing!!
Heidi Sapp
Somewhere South of Kansas City

A: I would eat at the West Bank Cafe where I have been spending way too much time over the past twenty five years or so. The food is exceptional. The wine is excellent. It's just a superb place to hang. Young and truly up and coming Broadway stars perform downstairs nightly. And many of the actors who work Broadway and Off Broadway can be seen here, even though it is not a seen or be seen place. I call it home.

Q: What person do you find is the most entertaining to make fun of and/or yell at?
Deon Farver
Nashville, TN

A: The one who was the most entertaining to make fun of ever was Dan Quayle. I had forty-five minutes about him and even did a half hour VHS on his exploits, like a mini mockumentary that was all true. It's hard not to look around at our government and political landscape and pick someone specific. I have never seen such spectacular ineptitude by all parties involved. It's an incredible time. I sit back mouth agape at the stupidity that surrounds us.

Q: Hi Lewis- Love your work. Was watching Hannah and Her Sisters and spotted you in the that scene where you're rushing down the hall with Woody at the studio. Couldn't believe that curly hair of yours. What was it like working with the great Woody Allen? How did he find you, select you? Best, Todd
Todd Shikora
Chicago, IL

A: His casting agent, Juliette Taylor, had seen my work at the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar and told me that I would be in a Woody Allen film at some point and lo and behold she wasn't kidding. I met him once before the filming. He needed to check me out. We talked briefly and I was hired. I was close to getting a part in his new film, but as they say in this business he went another way. He was a pleasure to work with in every way. It's hard not to have fun when you are working with someone who is that funny.

Q&A April 28, 2008

Q: I would like to know what drew your interest to the CF Foundation. Is there a personal connection?
Christie
Maryland

A: I now have many personal connections. It all started years ago when I was asked if I wanted to do a golf tournament to benefit the CF foundation. I knew nothing about them. I knew I wanted to play golf. I played golf and performed. So began our relationship which has grown over the years. The event was called the Ultimate Golf Experience and I have now made it a part of my schedule every year. I think it's an extraordinary foundation as most of the money they raise actually goes to research. It is an exceptional group of people who run and support the fund raising. It has been nothing but a rewarding experience for me. I only wish that I could do more.

Q: I am currently a college student pursuing a film/stand-up career. I see how competitive it is and sometimes I think I may be in over my head. Looking back as a professional, would you say that you ever had the same feeling as a college student?
Matt Anderson
Miami, Fl

A: I am sure that I did but I never worried about the competition as I figured I would end up as a teacher. It's just that I couldn't find another option that interested me as much as my pursuit of theatre. Don't worry about your choice, if you are going to give it up, you will. If you have no other choice but to do it, you will. Either way, the fact that you pursued something you loved will serve you in good stead and you won't find yourself looking back on your life with regrets. If you stick with something you love, it will lead you to where you should be.

Q&A March 1, 2008

Q: How did you feel winning the Comedy Grammy for "The Carnegie Hall Performance", beating out one of your idols, George Carlin?
Robert
Bronx, NYC

A: I was utterly stunned. Seriously. I didn't think that I had a chance. I ended up at the Grammy's by accident because I thought I would be performing on the show. I was bumped from the line up at the last minute because the people apparently just can't get enough of Justin Timberlake. I wasn't even going to go the awards ceremony because it seemed pointless. My friends dragged me there, kicking and screaming. When they announced my name, I went into complete shock. I still stare at the award and don't believe its real.

What's the difference between being funny, and being a huge asshole? Your comedy manages to walk this line so well. I can't figure out why I laugh when you do your stuff, but I do. It's refreshing and perplexing at the same time.
David King
Pensacola, FL

A: I think that's a very good question. I don't think it's very rare for a huge asshole to be very funny. Unless they are a really stupid huge asshole and do something physical that is so dumb that it makes you laugh, but I don't know if you could call that humor. It probably ends up in the 'wow, what a dumbass' category of funny. I was told by a fan once, that they thought I was a real asshole when they saw me on t.v. but changed their mind when they saw me live. I think maybe in my case, and I am guessing, but the character I portray up there is an asshole, but what he says is funny. Now I am perplexed.

Q: So what the hell do you think of this new rebate we'll be getting in May? What are you gonna do with your $600?
Lisa Provost
Mebane, NC

A: I'll either go whole hog and buy a Wii, cause I could use the exercise or just buy a cupcake a day for a year.

Q&A February 22, 2008

Q: Would you consider entertaining at a Log Cabin meeting? We have had Dr. Laura, Phyllis Diller, Gov. Arnold, and Ben Stein. You would bring down the house.
Terry Hamilton
Pasadena, CA

A: I would consider entertaining at a Log Cabin meeting, just to find out why someone who is gay would choose to be a Republican, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Q: I have seen you in a number of movies and also some cable specials; my question is do you prefer film or live stand-up? By the way, I really enjoy your act!
Les Liptak
Cadott, WI

A: I love doing film, but its just such a completely different medium. In the end I would have to say I prefer stand-up, but I think that doing film has helped my stand-up and that doing standup has helped my acting. At least I like to hope so. And thanks.

Q: How did it happen that your parents are in the audience at many of your performances? Doesn't that freak you out (or are you so freaked out by our political realities that nothing else can freak you out)?
Paula R.
South Holland, Illinois

A: My parents have always been extraordinarily supportive of my work and the work of my friends. It has never freaked me out, even when I was a terrible comic. They also came to any play of mine that was being performed.

Q: As Development Director at the West Bank Cafe's Downstairs Theatre Bar, did your association with Alan Ball prove to be a benefit to both of you? Can you recommend an early work of Alan's that may have escaped the attention of the general public?
Tim McDevitt
Duluth, Mn.

A: I think so. Alan had the opportunity to see some of his plays and sketches produced. This is invaluable to any young writer and I was lucky enough to be exposed to his work. He worked with a company called Alarm Dog Rep and their productions were always very special. I am sure that anything Alan would have wanted published would have been published by now.

Q&A February 15, 2008

Q: What was the most influential experience of your life that caused you to become so passionate about letting your opinion be heard? In other words, what got you so pissed off about the government?
Alex Goss
Milton, VT

A: First, being born and raised around Washington D.C. so government was in my face all the time. Also, watching the nightly news with my parents and my mother would talk back to the tv and fly off the handle if something in particular upset her.

Q: Hey Lewis I am such a big fan of yours! You are truly the most hilarious person around! As a comic you are in front of huge audiences all the time so my question is has there ever been a time when you were performing and you saw something in the audience that almost threw you off track or made you want to start laughing?
Marianna
West Paterson, NJ

A: The most insane thing I ever saw while on stage was at Summerfest, years ago, when I first started playing it. We are in a big outdoor tent and there's a guy in the fourth row getting a handjob. I didn't laugh. I was stunned.

Q: When you travel to Ireland, do you go there to perform or for a much needed vacation? If it's to perform, do you change any of your stand-up routine or do the Irish just love your thoughts about the USA like we do?
Elizabeth Harbin
Dallas, TX

A:I have done both. I love it there. The audiences get it that's for sure. We are always in their faces and they can see what's going on with us and they enjoy having me make fun of just how seriously crazy we are. They have a great sense of humor.

Q: My question is this: Do you ever have high blood pressure or feel heart palpitations from your anger and hyperness on stage..I laugh so hard at your comedy but you get so wound up, I worry you will stroke out! Do you have paramedics in the wings offstage?
Lizzy Gannon
Gaithersburg, Maryland

A: No paramedics please. It turns out I have great blood pressure, which I attribute to all the yelling and screaming I do. I once was interviewed and strapped to a blood pressure monitor and the interview would try and get me wound up and my blood pressure would rise and then shortly after my tirade it would go back to normal. If I have heart palpitations I am yelling too much to notice them.

Q: Have you watched any of the 2008 Presidential Debates. If yes, who is being honest and who is lying in your opinion? And if you had to vote now, who would you vote for? Thank you.
ChiTownGirl
Southwest Suburbs of ChiTown

A: Yes I have. They aren't lying, they are bullshitting and not doing a good job at it. I haven't made up my mind. I have been watching them for so long now, that I feel like they've all been president and I am ready for a newer one to show up on the scene.

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