Jim Gaffigan Talks About His New Book and More In This Interview

PLEASE NOTE: The amazing photo above was taken by www.CoreyMelton. A talented photographer whose cooperation is appreciated.

By Kyle Osborne

You know that sound people make when they are yawning and talking simultaneously? On the phone, one can almost get away with it—only in the last two words of a sentence does that subtle ‘whoosh’ of air combine with a distorted pronunciation to bust the “Yawlker.”

But let’s cut Jim Gaffigan some slack—it’s 9:40 at night and the poor guy is nearly dead. And by dead, I mean that he is a father of five young children and it’s past seven o’clock at night. The man who once boastfully joked about spending his days in sleeping clothes, too lazy to even make it to the post office to buy a stamp, is now the “Vice President of a Family” (more on that in a second), with some grown-up responsibilities.

Gaffigan’s new book, “Dad Is Fat,” is a hilarious collection of essays that carefully navigates that tricky line between “Family Friendly,” a term Gaffigan eviscerates in the Foreward, and one of those stupid books where people either brag about their kids or gripe about what pains they are.

No, Gaffigan’s long career onstage as one of the best comedians of his generation, as it turns out, was the perfect training for how to take one person’s banal trip to the Family Circus, and turn it into his own gut-busting riff on the perils of parenthood. All without sounding like an annoying parent.

For 15 years or so, I guess, I’ve intermittently chatted with Gaffigan whenever he was in the Washington DC area. As he progressed from a night at the Improv to three nights at the Improv, to several consecutive sold out shows at the Warner Theatre, to a collection of bestelling DVDs, he has remained steadfastly humble, loyal and, of course funny.  So nothing has changed, except for the fact that he never—ever—ever seemed like a guy who would get married and have kids.

Kyle: What was it that changed in you? You were the least likely guy, right?

Jim: I’m not sure, except that it feels like there have been three different me-s since then. I was like the mediocre uncle who pretended to be interested, but…Hmm. Well, Jeannie (his wife) is the one who changed me.

Kyle: Did you instantly look at her and think ‘There’s the future mother of my five children?’

Jim: I just instantly saw how funny she was. We really should’ve gotten married after six months, see we’ve been together for ten years and, wait—uh, twelve years, and—no ten years—whatever, I don’t know. But the fact that we write together helps.

Kyle: Helps keep a good perspective on things, and she’s helped you reinvent yourself with this book. But I have a feeling you won’t completely change your stage act to make it match everything in the book. Or will you?

Jim: No, there are lots of things in the book that I wouldn’t do onstage. I never wanted to be the guy onstage who just talks about his wife and kids. There are plenty of comedians who do, but I was that guy in my 20’s watching comics like that, and I just didn’t want to do only that. I actually have censored or limited myself in a way, when it comes to that kind of material.

Gaffigan is currently on a cross-country book tour, his stop in DC is a bit fancy: A Q&A with NPR’s Scott Simon at the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue, instead of just a signing at a table.  Of course, if you are one of Jim’s many longtime fans, you already know about this because you already follow him on Twitter and Facebook and his website.

 

Kyle: Man, you were one of the very first to realize the importance of social media and staying connected to your fans. Genius! As I remember, you even had an email blast before Facebook existed.

Jim: What motivated me early on was, I would do shows at the DC Improv, and I’d get a bonus if I sold out. I was just trying to get an extra fifty people to a show. What I love about Twitter now is that you can have a constructive conversation. And you can engage or not engage-there’s no expectation. But I actually credit Twitter with helping me get out thoughts—this book might not have happened without that kind of outlet.

One can see how that could be true: Gaffigan’s essays are fairly short and self-contained (obviously not 140 characters short) and in each one, you can hear his actual voice coming from the pages.

An exceprt from ‘Dad Is Fat’:

“As a dad, you are Vice President. You are part of the Executive Branch of the family, but you are the partner with the weaker Authority. In your children’s eyes, you mostly fulfill a ceremonial

role of attending pageants and ordering pizza. I’m never the first choice. My kids don’t even mask it, which I respect them for. “Let’s see , the crabby guy with the scratchy beard or that warm soft lady that tells us stories for eight hours?” It’s not even close.

Jeannie is Bill Clinton, and I am Al Gore. She “fee ls their pain,” and I’m the dork reminding them to turn off the lights. I’m always Joe Biden saying the wrong thing. When I read a story to my children, I know how Dan Quayle felt when he spelled potato wrong. Most dads know they are Vice Presidents and are fi ne with it. Being “President Mom” is a position outside of our pay grade or skill set. We can’t breastfeed, and we wouldn’t know how to braid hair anyway.

Occasionally, decisions are gratuitously placed in the “Ask Your Dad” category, under the pretense that your opinion is valued, but you know better than to go against your President. “Yes, sure. Why not? It’s absolutely fi ne with me . . . unless your mom didn’t want me to say that . . . in that case, absolutely no! I forbid it.” That’s when you realize you not only have no idea what you are doing, you also have no principles. You have become the “God help us if something happens to the President” Vice President.”

Gaffigan’s tour continues throughout the summer. On the West Coast, a bus containing the whole family will make its way from San Diego to Seattle. One imagines there will be many, many stops along the way, and one hopes they become future chapters in the story of Papa Jim. But that’s for another day. Time now to turn out the lights and go to sleep.

Goodnight, Jim!

Jim?

Jim?

For Complete Tour and Ticket Information, Please Visit www.JimGaffigan.com