Comedian Brian Regan reveals the importance of word choice

Brian Regan began his career as a comedian after graduating from Heidelberg College with a… Brian Regan began his career as a comedian after graduating from Heidelberg College with a degree in accounting in the early ’80s. He began touring the country later that decade and, since 2005, has made appearances in more than 80 cities each year with about 100 performances across the nation. He will release his second stand-up album, All By Myself, on Nov. 25. Regan, who has made appearances on Late Night shows with Conan O’Brien and David Letterman, will be performing Sunday, May 20, at Heinz Hall. Earlier in the week, he spoke with The Pitt News about his career, comedic style and inspirations.

The Pitt News: I wanted to talk about the beginning of your career. How did you get into comedy?

Brian Regan: I went to college thinking I was going to be an accountant, and after a number of weeks of accounting classes, I knew I didn’t want to do that. I remember talking to my head football coach at Heidelberg College and he said you’re kind of funny on the football team, and recommended the communication and theater arts department. I changed majors, and that’s when I decided to be a comedian.

TPN: Had people always known you as a funny guy?

BR: I wasn’t the class clown. I was more like the small-circle-of-friends clown. I was funny, but I wasn’t super outgoing. It wasn’t even on my radar that I could be a comedian — it was something that I decided on my own while I was in college.

TPN: Comedy requires a lot of intelligence. Your stuff is observational humor, and that takes skill and a lot of intelligence.

BR: Certain kinds of comedy that some people just chalk up as silly — like a Steve Martin or a Jerry Lewis — I don’t think people really understand what’s going on there. There’s an intelligence to it. It’s more thought-out than you might think.

TPN: It’s not something you can just do on a whim, is it?

BR: You can work for a long time on a bit, honing words and changing little moments. You want to get to where it looks like it’s effortless.

TPN: On average, how long would you say it takes for you to come up with a bit?

BR: Sometimes you come up with a new idea and you try it on stage. Let’s say it does work, then you could spend as long as a year honing it. You find a word that works 1 percent better or a moment that works 1 percent better. You take a little pause here, a little pause there, a little eye gesture that from night to night makes it a little bit better.

TPN: It’s that intricate? A simple word can change everything?

BR: Words and the lack of words are crucial. I had heard years ago that Rodney Dangerfield used to take his jokes and take a black magic marker and scratch out every single word that wasn’t absolutely crucial to the joke, and I think about that when I’m doing the bit. Sometimes I feel like my act is an accordion: Sometimes you’re stretching it out, and other nights you’re like, let’s squeeze this baby together and see how tight I can make it.

TPN: There’s a lot of your peers out there selling their routines online. Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari both streamed their shows live. How do you feel about pirating and how it affects your shows and sales?

BR: There’s a benefit to people out there trying to become fans, whether they’re buying it or not buying it, but I don’t completely condone pirating. What bugs me is when I look in the audience and I see a little red light on and they’re videotaping a bit in its infancy and then they can post that, and I don’t want that version out there. I don’t want someone to see a bit and be like, “well that’s not funny.” Well, it’s not done!

TPN: In regards to your newest work, All By Myself (exclusively on a CD available on your website), do you worry about people pirating and releasing that?

BR: One reason I got into comedy is because I love it, and I try not to let it get to the point where I replace the love with fear or worry. People are going to do what they’re going to do. I like the philosophy in comedy and in life; you can control what you can control and the rest you let go. It isn’t something that I lose any sleep over.

TPN: For a comedian like yourself, everyday experiences are your research.

BR: They say a formula for comedy is “comedy equals tragedy plus time” — tragedy meaning anything awkward or uncomfortable. It’s like you’re changing a tire in the rain. At the time, you’re furious and you’re cursing at the wind and then after some time passes you’re telling the story and everyone’s laughing.

TPN: It’s funny that you say “cursing at the wind” because most of your stand-up is completely clean.

BR: I like doing clean comedy. It’s fun for me. I like dirty comedy — I love Dave Chappelle, I love Chris Rock. Richard Pryor may be the greatest stand-up comedian who ever lived, and he certainly worked blue. So, different strokes for different folks, that’s all.