The set that came to mind when you asked is that the first time I went up I think I was doing 15 minutes or something, and I was just loose. We were like let’s do that on the show to show that even when your doing well there still remains some growth that needs to happen. In fact, I did that joke for 10 years - I probably did that joke a thousand times at inumerable colleges. It’s just sort of like … anybody can laugh at that it’s not great, but anybody can laugh at that. Not even in a bad way, like an offensive way or a tone-deaf way, just sort of like, what would happen is when I did colleges I would sometimes do broader material because you’d end up doing colleges that were like the parents’ weekend or something.Īs a comedian you’re like, “How do I write a joke that the mom and the dad and the student are gonna like?” And that’s where you start getting jokes like my joke about peeing in the pool. In this season, Pete had to audition for the Comedy Cellar, and he had to do something really tricky, where he had to do well but he had to do well in the wrong way. Is there a memorable stand-up performance of yours that has taught you a major lesson about your own comedic style or how you direct the audience that found its way into this season of “Crashing” or a past episode? We opened it up to the room, and it’s sad but everyone had a story about a small aggression they’d witnessed or something larger like what Jason does. But we always look for the idea first and then we attach the message. It happened very organically - we did want to address what was going on, but we always wanted to do an episode about gender issues and sexuality issues. The initial idea was Pete and Jason and then we can should how women are treated differently in comedy clubs and then that idea continued to snowball into the worst ways. Jamie Lee brilliantly suggested what would make the stakes interesting is if they worked a weekend and not only is there tension between Pete and Ali because they used to date, but we can use that opportunity to show how things are different for women in comedy clubs. We wanted to get those two guys together. This being the third season, Judd thought it would be really funny if Pete and Jason were on the road together and in a situation where they’re stuck together because Pete is trying to be of the moment and Jason is - I like to call him a dinosaur, not without talent, but he refuses to evolve. We knew we wanted to address what was going on, but we didn’t necessarily know how. I’m glad you asked that, because it gives a little glimpse into how organic and freeform the process can be. And then at some point someone writes something down and maybe eventually someone breaks off and writes a script or an outline to show Judd.Ĭonsidering names like Louis C.K and Aziz Ansari that have fallen, how do you approach the two worlds of comedy colliding? Like we were just sort of hanging out and talking and wasting time and eating. And we just sort of open it up to the room … and really if anyone watched it, would look like we weren’t working at all. The process is just what you might imagine we talk about - let’s say we’re talking about college shows or corporate shows or relationships. I start running out of literal things that were interesting that happened to me and start branching out to the other writers in the room. And season one, I might have put more like 80 percent, but every season we go down a little bit because we broaden it to the room. It’s always real to somebody in the writers room it might be Judd … or Jamie Lee - it happened to somebody for the most part. What was your process for creating “Crashing”? Just how much of the series feels real to your life and your experiences still? The Hoya sat down with Holmes to discuss the show, his inspiration and the future of comedy in an increasingly conscious world. The show explores many of the holdups, hijinks and barriers associated with the journey of becoming a successful stand-up comedian.Įxecutive produced by Judd Apatow and starring Holmes among a cast of hilarious comedians, including Jamie Lee, Zach Cherry and Lauren Lapkus, “Crashing” has tackled topics ranging from the #MeToo movement to divorce in smart, topical and witty tones. His show on HBO, “Crashing,” which ended its final season March 10, chronicles a fictionalized version of Holmes’ own bumpy ride to comedic success. In an age of increasing interest in comedy, Pete Holmes continues to solidify his place among the best of the generation. Holmes hopes other comedians will find comfort in seeing his own failures on the way to success. PETE HOLMES | In his HBO comedy “Crashing,” based on his own comedic career, Pete Holmes, above, portrayed the ups and downs of trying to make it big in an uninviting industry.
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