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Shandling Is A Hit
Doing His Own Thing
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851.5540
ORCHARD LAKE RD. AT LONE PINE RD. IN THE CROSSWINDS MALL
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1990
I
n the beginning of his
stand-up career, Garry
Shandling used to com-
plain a lot about his inabili-
ty to get and/or keep a
girlfriend. He also talked a lot
about his unmanageable hair.
But all that schtick has
changed now, Mr. Shandling
says. "Now my hair looks
really great and I have a
girlfriend. So people don't
have to hear me whine about
those things anymore. I still
whine, but now I whine about
different things."
Mr. Shandling, who was
born and raised in Tucson,
Ariz., majored in electronic
engineering in college, then
business and creative writing
in graduate school, didn't
start out as a whiner. In fact,
after graduation he moved to
Los Angeles and supported
himself as a highly regarded
writer of TV sitcoms. For four
years he wrote for such pro-
grams as "Sanford and Son"
and "Welcome Back Kotter,"
as well as many television
pilots.
He soon realized, however,
that writing for television
was not satisfying his own
creative abilities, so he decid-
ed to perform his own comedy
material.
"I decided to do that, not
because I needed the atten-
tion as some people might
think," Mr. Shandling points
out, "but because it's the
freest form of writing. There
are no characters to write for.
No story to worry about. You
just write whatever you want
to and then get up and do it.
So freedom of expression is
really why I do stand-up. I've
written for a lot of sitcoms
and just got bored with the
strict format. I needed a
change and found that, for
me, stand-up was the answer."
But, Mr. Shandling admits,
performing wasn't natural for
him, so he still gets nervous
in front of a tough audience.
"It's more nerve-wracking
when the audience doesn't
laugh than having to deal
with hecklers," he says. "At
least with hecklers there's
something coming back. But
when the audience isn't
laughing and it's just kind of
dead out there, it's not much
fun. It's like a bad date where
At The Piano Bar • Wed. Thru Sat. Eves.
4343 ORCHARD LAKE RD., WEST BLOOMFIELD
72
RITA CHARLESTON
Special to The Jewish News
Rita Charleston is an
entertainment writer in
Philadelphia.
Garry Shandling: Writing his humor.
the chemistry isn't mixing
right."
But the mix must be work-
ing now. Mr. Shandling, who
had a hit with his comedy
series, "It's Garry Shandl-
ing's Show," writes all his own
material, most of which, he
says, is derived from his dai-
ly life.
"I'm a great observer of
what happens in my life, and
I'm a great observer of how I
function in life and the things
that confuse me. I think that's
the core of my particular
brand of comedy. And I have
a mind that, fortunately,
thinks funny," he says.
A funny mind, however, can
become somewhat of a
nuisance, Mr. Shandling ad-
mits. "I haven't been doing
stand-up in the last four
years. I was busy doing my
own TV show, so I was fairly
insulated from people coming
up and asking me to be funny.
"People do come to expect
you to be on all the time when
you're a comedian. They tend
to think you're exactly that
person they see on stage,
when what they're really see-
ing on stage is that one hour
when you choose to be funny,
not all-the other hours when
you choose to be introspective
about what's going on in your
life and in the world. They
wouldn't want to see that,
however. They want to relate
to you as a comedian and I
can understand that."
He also understands the
need for different kinds of
comedy. When he ventures in-
to the stand-up arena, most of
Mr. Shandling's routines are
meant for family audiences,
although he admits he can do
whatever has to be done.
"You just have to know
when and where off-color
humor is acceptable," he says.
"I have a theory that if a com-
edian is honest on stage and
doing the kind of comedy that
he really does in life, the kind
of comedy that's oragnic to
him, then that's what he
should do. If it's dirty, it's dir-
ty. Then people can choose to
see him or not to see him.
"But if a comedian is corn-
ing out and not being honest,
being dirty just for a cheap
laugh, then the comedy,
generally, will not work. So
I'm not put off by comedians
who are dirty unless they're
being dirty in a dumb and a
dishonest way."
Since his series ended, Mr.
Shandling is now exploring
new ways to use his comedic
talents.
"I'd like to explore acting,"
he says. "That's something I
haven't done yet. I haven't
tested myself as a comedic ac-
tor because of the rigors of my
TV show and splitting my
time writing. I've never fully
concentrated on acting, but
now I'm curious to see what
I'm capable of. So that's next.
I hope." 111