In 1990, a young adman named Jim Gaffigan left Indiana for the bright lights of New York City to find out if he could make people laugh. And it wasn’t very long before he discovered that he could.
It was a big break for Gaffigan, and it was a big break for us comedy fans. We were able to enjoy Gaffigan’s hilarious riffs about Hot Pockets, breakfast cuisine and the inner voice.
He recently released his 11th stand-up special, “The Skinny.” It’s his first special on Hulu and it is Hulu-arious.
As always, he showcases his unique Gaffiganesque comedy. He talks about his weight loss, appetite suppressants and what it’s like to raise teenagers.
So how does Gaffigan approach finding the funny in his work? WPR’s “BETA” checked in.
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This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Jim Gaffigan: For me, personally, (performing stand-up comedy) is like creating a good conversation with a friend. The people that have enjoyed my comedy, it’s upon me to make it funny and different, and I know my assignment. But also, I’m challenging our relationship, which sounds a little corny, but you don’t necessarily have to agree with a friend.
But you kind of enjoy the way that discourse occurs, if that makes sense. I went to Milwaukee for 11 years straight around Christmas break. There were people that came every year. So it prompted me to keep creating material. It’s weird because initially when I started in stand-up, with the exception of George Carlin or Bill Cosby, comedians would do one or two hours of material over their entire career.
And now, because people come to shows and because there’s streaming, that’s changed and and you have the opportunity to kind of create this kind of catalogue of material.
And for me, selfishly, I get to chronicle what’s going on in my life. When I first started stand-up, I would complain about my dad, and now I’m complaining about my children. So it’s kind of gone full circle in a weird way.
Doug Gordon: You’re looking very svelte these days. I’m not saying that you didn’t look svelte before, but you have lost some weight. How did you do that and how are you feeling about it?
JG: I did it the old-fashioned, American way. I did it with drugs. I did the appetite suppressant and I addressed that in “The Skinny.”
I think it’s fascinating — America’s relationship with this appetite suppressant — how it’s kind of cheating, but it’s also medicine.
I was pre-diabetic and now I’m not pre-diabetic, whatever that means. But there is this American kind of resistance, understandably, to suspicion and all that. But for me, it’s like, my knees don’t hurt. That’s what I like about it. I’m 58 years old. I’m not out there dating, you know? I mean, it’s just kind of for comfort.
DG: Were you skeptical about whether or not the medication would help you?
JG: When my doctor brought it up, I was like, I’ll give it a try. But I come from a family in which impulsivity surrounding food is kind of a legend. And so I didn’t imagine that it would work. It’s not like I don’t eat anymore.
I’m going to Wisconsin and I’ll be stopping at the Cheese Castle. I’m still going to eat. But I’m just going to eat like a human. My natural state is, I consume like a dog. But now I’m kind of like a normal person.
DG: Between your many comedy specials and albums and acting, writing and producing credits, one could argue you’re approaching comedy legend status. Have you begun to think about your legacy?
JG: That’s flattering. I had told myself I wanted to do 10 comedy specials as kind of a goal. But I enjoy the process of writing and some of it is the counterbalance of my time at home.
My wife’s from Milwaukee. So when I go and do shows in Milwaukee, the time during the day will be free to work on stand-up and then develop new material and put it on stage.
What I’ve discovered is I love that process of those days that are kind of filled with panic and kind of creation that I enjoy that so much. There’s not like a specific goal anymore. It’s just kind of the enjoyment of creating.
