Gaffigan sticks to his comedy roots

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It's an odd life when doing one job well can make you lose another.Comedian Jim Gaffigan has had increasing success thanks to appearances on David Letterman, cartoons starring himself and Conan O'Brien, commercials seen during the Super Bowl and even dramatic roles on Law & Order.But after filming a part in a serious movie, Gaffigan's part was cut after the director saw him in a soft- drink commercial before a movie and worried that the ad might also run before his film."These are all great problems to have. But if you do commercials, how do you get taken seriously as an actor?" Gaffigan said.Stand-up remains his first love.Q: Since the last time we talked you decided to do nothing but clean comedy. How have things changed?A: It's weird. I feel like this really lucky guy -- a guy who's just doing clean comedy. I don't want that to be the whole focus, but I'm doing my thing. I'm talking about bacon and bowling and Hot Pockets, and it's just going really well. . . . A good majority of the audience don't really even consider whether I curse or not. . . . Stand-up comedy is an art form where Lenny Bruce and George Carlin dismantled the social norms to make it possible for people to say whatever they want. I'm playing against that curve. There's a small part of the audience that is relieved to go with their daughter or mom and not have to hear something really filthy. But you're not going to fill a theater just with those people. . . . I also consider myself a break from the crises of today.Q: With so much success, are you pickier about what you do?A: The commercials -- it's definitely to the point where I'm very picky and choosy. I was kind of the dopey white guy good for selling a product. It's always easy to dump on the middle-aged white guy. Now it's a balancing act with doing films and stuff like that. I'm a journeyman guy who pounds away and works hard. It's definitely a situation where I have to pick and choose what I do.Q: How do you keep inspired?A: For me, stand-up is such a never- ending personal journey, as corny as that sounds. Finding your voice, finding the topics that work for you. It's very much a conversation with the audience.Q: You've avoided politics and topical humor. Why?A: Everyone's talking about (vice-presidential nominee Sarah) Palin and these very topical items. Obviously, we live in turbulent times and I'm up there talking about heaven or bowling or ketchup. . . . It's not like the vice president can shoot someone and you get five minutes. You've got to go through the weeds and go: 'Escalators. I'm going to turn this into four minutes.' I love the challenge of taking a mundane topic and making it funny and interesting for a few minutes.Q: How do you resist, though, with everything going on?A: Stand-up is a conversation. The audience doesn't want to hear that from me. . . . To me it's a conversation-killer. I've always wanted to do a joke that appeals to everyone in the room. I don't like the us-and- them comedy -- 'How about those people?' . . . I definitely love the challenge of talking about religion in a way that appeals to the born- again Christian and a devout secularist -- dealing with it in a respectful way. . . . It's why I don't do dirty jokes either. You do a dirty joke, then how are you going to talk about ketchup for three minutes? If you do a big, huge social commentary about politics, how do you shift into escalators without sounding incredibly insincere? I know who my character is. My character is a guy who doesn't want to get off the couch, who loves good food and is trying to figure out ways to do as little as possible. A romanticizing of laziness.Q: Concerts are tanking, but comedy is doing well. Is it escapism?A: There is a certain amount of escape, I suppose, but it's also like a good conversation. We all have that friend where you go, "You know if I hang out with him at that cocktail party" -- like anyone's going to a cocktail party -- "that's going to be a good night. He's going to have a funny story. There's not going to be any tension. I know he's going to deliver." I hope I remain that good value.(Mark Brown writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver)