Dane Cook reaches out

Dane Cook

Consol Energy Center

Wednesday at 8… Dane Cook

Consol Energy Center

Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Tickets $36.50-$73.25

In recent memory, there have been few comedians more visible — or more divisive — than Dane Cook, whose plainspoken stand-up antics and television and film appearances have earned him innumerable followers and more than a few detractors. Cook, however, said he pays little attention to critics — to him, all that matters is his fans.

The Pitt News had the opportunity to speak to the out-of-character comedian before tomorrow’s show at the Consol Energy Center.

The Pitt News: How did you develop an interest in stand-up comedy?

Dane Cook: My parents had stuff like new hard albums or Bill Cosby stuff, so I had an early affinity towards stand-up comedy and pretty much decided in elementary school that that’s what I wanted to do.

TPN: Do you draw inspiration from your family members and personal experiences?

DC: I mean, I think that I’ve always had kind of a bit of a blend. I like observational humor, but I certainly like stuff that’s absurd and random, kind of in that “Napoleon Dynamite,” over-the-top world. I’ve always appreciated the Steve Martins who would go up there and be just so crazy and all over the place but still could have a lot of heart, and that’s what I always aspired to do. It’s like, can I tell stories, can I be a real person, without having to be some kind of guy that dresses up in a character? Can I be as crazy and random and wild as possible but still have perspective and heart?

TPN: How do you think you’ve managed to garner so much success in a stand-up comedy field that doesn’t typically produce mainstream icons?

DC: I really do believe that, for me, it was like that constant kind of connection in engaging people earlier in my career and doing meet-and-greets and hanging out with fans [to] let them know that, you know what? I’m here for the long hall. I’m here to hopefully be a bright spot when things are tough and when things are great, you know, I’m [in] a place where you can come and kind of celebrate it with me as well, and I do believe that kind of fortitude and that belief put [me] at the upper echelon.

TPN: How much of your shows are improvised and how much of them are planned routines?

DC: When you’re putting shows together of this caliber, you want to make sure you’re going in with at least that hour-plus that you’ve slaved over in a club, and that people are going to identify with. But I like to keep it loose. I like to keep it in the moment, and I think that in recent years it’s been more about delivering new material than going back and revisiting the greatest hits, so to speak. I think that there’s a place for that, but if people want to listen to that, pick up that CD and relive those moments. But I think when you go to see a live show, you want to experience something new.

TPN: How do you continue to produce fresh material, without it seeming redundant?

DC: What you really do is you work that out in the small clubs before you take it on a national tour, so that you can kind of weed out the stuff that might feel like it’s a clone to something else. To some extent, you’re an identity as a comedian and people fall in love with a certain cadence and a certain tone and a certain style and a certain truth that comes from you.

TPN: Besides comedy, what has been your favorite professional pursuit?

DC: I do have a production company, and we’re developing film and television now. What I’ve really found a lot of excitement [in] in recent years has been helping other artists develop and find their fans and be collaborative. I get excited sitting around that conference table with a think tank and trying to develop their ideas as well as mine.

TPN: How do you respond to critics of your work?

DC: You don’t. You try not to even read it, you try not to read even the good stuff. All I try to do is listen to the fans. It’s [about] respecting your audience. They brought you there, they believe in your talent, but they also have certain moments that they want to embrace. I don’t read into [critics] because if I did, I would have quit after a year.

TPN: What are your plans after you close out this tour?

DC: I’ll release the greatest hits CD [“I Did My Best — Greatest Hits”] in November. To be able to put that out with some unreleased material  — it really is kind of a thank you to all the fans  — and to new fans coming in, it’s like, “Hey listen, here’s the highlight moments if you’re just jumping on board.” Beyond that, I think more than anything, what I’d like to do is to be able to look back in five or six years and see a more definitive line where my TV and film visibility increases. I think that I’d like to entertain people in a myriad or a complete potpourri of different styles and genres in film and TV.