Comedian Bill Burr will perform at the Houston Improv next week. | Courtesy of Bill Burr
Bill Burr, the comedian famous for his recurring parts in skits on Chappelle’s Show and his comedic assault on the Philadelphia Hecklers, will be at the Houston Improv from Feb. 26-28.
In an interview, the fast-talking comedian jokingly switched topics from finding left-handed guitars to the Perry Mason television show.
Despite his notoriety for taking on hecklers, the quality of Burr’s material has catapulted him into an incredible comedic career.
He recorded two CDs and has appeared in several episodes of comedy specials on Comedy Central and HBO. He was also the first comedian to perform on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Most importantly, his recent interview provides insight into his early career, how he writes jokes and how he deals with critics.
“In the beginning, I was more shy and reserved … I was one of the kids in grade school who used to get nervous for book reports,” Burr said.
With the same honesty and simplistic attitude that he brings to the stage, he also has advice for those who want to become comedians.
“The only way to learn is to get on stage,” Burr said.
Burr also discussed the process of writing material for his hour-long standup.
“I ask myself one of three questions: What is bugging me, what am I afraid of, and what is in pop culture?” Burr said.
The real technical side to Burr’s work is all about finding out which jokes work.
“You just drop the weak ones,” Burr said. “If you make a joke about someone in the audience, they’ll go crazy. Then it is jokes about sex, and then it is well written ones,” Burr said.
Burr is no stranger to responding to criticism of himself and peers. In 2006 after comedian Dom Irrera was booed off stage in Philadelphia, Burr took the stage and berated the audience members for 11 minutes.
“What you really want to do is throw the mic at them,” Burr said. “There’s nothing worse than being called stupid by some dumb guy who thinks that they’re right.”
With advancements in technology, heckling is no longer something that is found solely on the stage.
“I got trashed on Facebook,” said Burr, explaining the criticism he received when someone in his audience claimed that he was using canned laughs for recordings.
However, Burr said the audio technician was trying to get the correct sound levels for audience responses.
“That’s not creative criticism; that’s slander,” he said.
These critiques don’t just come in through the comment section on social networking Web sites. When talking about an e-mail he received, he said, “It ruined my day, and I had to go for a walk.”
But these comments don’t seem to bother Burr any more. He comes at them with the same strength he uses when he is on stage.
“You have to find a way to toughen up,” Burr said. “It is worse when you’re starting out … but as your confidence grows, it gets better.”
Burr also recorded a Monday morning podcast that features his standup and other audio clips.
