Tonight at 8 p.m. comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan will perform at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Gaffigan has been on \The Late Show with David Letterman"" 10 times, and has appeared in ""Sex and the City,"" ""The Ellen Show,"" ""That '70s Show"" and ""Ed."" He also had roles in the films ""Super Troopers"" and ""Road Trip.""
What sort of topics do you touch on in your stand-up? Is there anything that sets your comedy apart from other comedians?
I'm pretty much an observational guy. It's point-of-view driven. I talk about the manatee or Hot Pockets. My comedy is very silly-I have an inner monologue where I talk for the audience in my show. It's kind of a hard question to answer ... what kind of stand-up you do. I'm not rallying against Bush or anything like that.
What makes college campus, places like Madison, an appealing place to come and perform?
On college campuses, there's a certain energy that's contagious
and is fun for a performer. There's an attitude and energy that has less of the cynicism you'd find in a club atmosphere. It's less driven and you're less likely to find flat-out drunk people-hopefully. I'm excited to go to the UW. My wife is from Wisconsin, my sister-in law goes to Wisconsin, so it's fun. I'm from Indiana, so some of it is I understand the Midwest thing-not that it's unique, but it's not like I'm going to a foreign land.
Any college experience of your own that makes you want to perform?
Well, I went to college. I mean, UW is a culturally kind of rich area. On college campuses, you know they came here to learn, so they're not looking for dumb jokes. It's a learning environment, so there's a greater likelihood for an intelligent audience.
Are there any acting jobs you've taken on that you've really enjoyed?
I definitely enjoy all kinds of acting. ""Super Troopers"" was definitely a blast, we had a strong sense that it was going to be a cult hit. As an actor though, I'm thrilled with every acting job, and the bad experiences you black out.
Is there anything you've done that wasn't released?
I've done a fair amount of indie films ... there's a chance they can make it, but there's an even bigger likelihood that they won't. I did a movie called ""No Sleep 'Til Madison"" which was about this guy that was obsessed with Wisconsin high school hockey league championships. It never got released. I did one movie, ""The Great New Wonderful""
that we thought was going to get into Sundance. It's frustrating because you pour your heart into [indie films] and there's a fair chance nothing'll happen with them.
Why keep doing it-stand-up, acting, everything you do?
Coming up with a new joke, climbing into a new character-it's really fun ... something that's highly addictive ... coming up with a new joke is rewarding. It's a fun feeling- making people laugh.
--Interview conducted by Les Chappell
