David Cross is a self-described “professional speaker,” but let’s expand on that bio a bit more. Cross is one of the funniest people on this planet we call Earth, and his resume is absolutely littered with iconic comedy performances — Mr. Show, Arrested development and his latest special, World’s Worst Dadto call just a few.
He’s very funny — and very busy. He currently hosts a podcast Senses Works for Over an Hour with David Cross and they organized a show, David Cross and his super friendsfeaturing artists resembling Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman and Fred Armisen at New York’s SummerStage in Central Park on August 8. Also on August 8, he’ll perform in the fourth and final season Umbrella Academyand then? He hits the road with his latest comedy tour, David Cross: The End of the Beginning of the End.
Yes, he’s very busy. But thankfully not so busy that he cannot find time to speak about the upcoming episode How success is created podcast. I used to be the second person involved in this conversation, so I can say that Cross was each funny and insightful as he detailed his journey from comedy club newbie to one of the best comedians working today.
Here are some snippets of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. Enjoy!
On creating latest material for special programs
“Like most comics, once you do something special and your stuff gets out there, unfortunately that stuff is finished,” Cross says. “Standup is the only place where that exists in the art form. That material is done. You burn it. You have to start out over every time. When I start, I do not have a specific theme in mind. I improvise a lot, and then parts of it develop and I write on stage. So what I do at the end of a tour is different from what I did at the starting. When it comes time to do something special, I all the time have to chop some of the stuff I’ve developed because I don’t desire to be there for two hours. I all the time have about 20 minutes of stuff I have never done yet that I can carry over to the latest show, so I’m not starting from scratch.
About insulting parts of the country where it occurs
“When was the last time you were in Phoenix?” Cross asks. “Because I used to be there recently and I had some really cool shows, but these people aren’t impressed that they live in a place that doesn’t suck. We know this place sucks. I have to be here for school. I have to be here for work. Look, a third of our country lives in areas where it is required by city ordinance to place out cooling water sprinklers. Otherwise, half the residents will die. Believe me, the individuals who live in those places know that it sucks.
On assembling your Super Buddies
“Super Friends “It’s going to be an amazing show,” Cross says. “We have an amazing lineup, but I’ll say it without delay: I guarantee one or two of those people are going to drop out. It all the time happens. Always. I shouldn’t say this, but something all the time comes up. It happened when I played Irving Plaza in New York for two nights. I said, ‘We’ve got some special guests because I’m home and all my friends are here.’ And then two of them called — for good reasons — and said, ‘Oh yeah, I can not do it.’ So you only have to deal with it. It’s a shame it wasn’t helpful, because then I could have made them feel guilty.”
On Being a Secret Star in Your Own Home
“My daughter Marlow just watched the clip Squirrels and said, ‘Hey, it’s Daddy.’ And that was about all the interest she showed — which makes me completely happy,” Cross says. “Honestly. She’d heard my voice in movies and shows, but she never made the connection. She probably watched Megamind five times and she watched it Kung Fu Panda quite a lot. I did it Bubble Guppies and a few other kid things, because she liked them but never made the connection. Maybe when she’s older, she’ll do it. I’m not going to sit down her down, turn on these shows, and say, “Hey kid, it’s time I showed you what daddy does.”
About the resurrection Arrested Development
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Cross says. “I just don’t. And Jessica [Walter]she’s not with us anymore, so I do not know how you are going to handle it without Lucille. And, I mean, ideally we’d have ended after season 4. Look, I loved it and I still adore it and I’m so lucky to have had that chance and I like those guys, but I do not think we must always keep doing it.
On staying motivated
“Sometimes it’s tough,” Cross says. “I’m tired; we were out until 2 a.m. yesterday, and then we had to get up and go to the airport in Spokane to connect to a flight to Oklahoma City, and you don’t fly in late, and I was just eating Fritos. But I mean, professional. You have to figure out how to prepare, whether it’s doing a lot of push-ups or whatever. One thing I pride myself on is giving it 100 percent every time I’m there. And even if the audience sucks, which is rare anymore, I always picture the 16-year-old kid in the balcony who’s at their first comedy show. And he or she wants to do stand-up. I want to do this show for that kid, because I was that kid once.”
On accepting criticism
“The people whose criticism I always listen to are my wife, Amber, Bob Odenkirk, and a handful of people, including Jon Benjamin,” Cross says. “When they give me a compliment, I know it’s not bullshit, and I know it’s coming from an intellectual standpoint. But some people like my stuff way too much. And some people just hate it. I try not to listen to those extremes. If the criticism is like, ‘You’re being offensive,’ or, ‘You shouldn’t be talking about that,’ that’s not real criticism. But if someone has a critical perspective on something, and I understand their perspective and where they’re coming from, that’s criticism that I’ll take and acknowledge. Whether I decide to do something about it is a different matter. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t.”
At the end of time
“The aliens are not going to cause the apocalypse,” Cross says. “We’re in a very, very, very, very, very, very slow, but absolutely real apocalypse. The apocalypse doesn’t necessarily mean a bunch of fireballs raining down on planet Earth and we’re wiped out in seven seconds. No. We’re going through the apocalypse now, in real time. My plan? Go on tour, sell some gadgets, and then just invest in fresh water.”