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Dane Cook (Image via Wikipedia)
Note: This article originally appeared on the website Savvy.com as Mr. Cook was beginning his movie career.
If Dane Cook were a publicly traded stock, he would be a good bet for growth potential based on his recent performance. His HBO show “Tourgasm” had the highest demographics in HBO history for the 18-24 age range.
Now this comedic superstar has his sights set on Hollywood with several films in production.
“My fans know they can approach me, and I’ll always be open for pictures and autographs, but if you know something about me, I keep it very real and don’t try to pretend that the guy I am on stage, that I act like that all the time. If I acted like that all of the time, you’d probably want to smack me,” he told Savvy while promoting the 2005 film Waiting.
At the time, his stand-up act was the cat’s meow on Comedy Central, his growing fame built upon the success of his CD “Retaliation”, which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard magazine’s Top Albums chart as the most successful comedy album debut since Steve Martin’s “A Wild and Crazy Guy” in 1979. He was also enjoying a wildly successful website, Danecook.com, exploiting the Internet like no comic before him.
Things are continuing to look up for Dane Cook, who has been liked romantically to Employee of the Month co-star Jessica Simpson. That movie is due out in October, while his HBO Comedy Special “Vicious Circle” airs Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. Cook is also co-hosting the Teen Choice awards on Fox August 20th.
In the future, look for Cook to appear in the movies Farce of the Penguins, the R-rated sex comedy Good Luck Chuck co-starring Jessica Alba, as a wannabe serial killer in Mr. Brooks, a cameo in Transformers, and Dan in Real Life with Steve Carell sharing the screen.
Savvy decided to revisit our conversation now that the comedian has become the superstar…
Savvy: Hey Dane. Your act is heavy on observational humor, which a lot of people attempt. How do you do it so well?
Dane: The most successful comedians who touch on those topics find things that interest them, but we can all relate to. When I talk on “Retaliation” about the time I saw a guy get hit by a car in New York City, that is definitely a sick, twisted observation (on rubberneck fascination) but people relate to it because, at some point or another, they have seen something or wanted to see something in that vein. I definitely feel like the best observations come from your own personal experience.
Savvy: Watching you on Comedy Central, I see you are also a physical comedian. Why, then, did your CD sell so well? People can’t see what you are doing on stage.
Dane: It’s always been a mixed bag for me. As much as I love physical comedy, there’s always been a strong desire to be able to paint verbal pictures and use language and have that be as available to me as physical comedy. I try to mix it up. You can watch a DVD of mine and laugh at some of the antics but you can also listen to me and visualize and make it up in your own mind as you go along.
Savvy: Was Comedy Central your big break?
Dane: Absolutely. When I did the first “Comedy Central Presents” special in 2001, I thought that like anyone’s special, it would air three or four times over a year if I was lucky. What ended up happening, which was great, was they aired it every other day! It was the highest rated half-hour of stand up comedy. Therefore, they aired the hell out of it. That put me on the map in a big way because my Web site was getting thousands of hits every time it aired. My whole career took a corner after 11-12 years because of that half-hour “Comedy Central Presents”.
Savvy: What would you be doing now if you gave up a few years ago?
Dane: If someone stepped in right now and said they were taking away my entertainment license and I can never create again, I think I’ve always enjoyed doing things with computers, as far as graphic design. Cover art. It’s still within the creative realm. I enjoy really getting in there and figuring things out.
Savvy: Actually, from reading about you, I understand you’ve been quite the innovator, putting a lot of thought into your “Retaliation” cover art and spending about $25,000 building your web site.
Dane: When you buy a band’s CD that you are paying your hard-earned dollar for, you really want to feel like you are getting a great, cared-about product. There’s nothing worse than when you get a cheap, flimsy package with a CD that is just silver with the lettering on it. You want to feel like time and effort was put into it. When you open “Retaliation” and see the beautiful cover artwork and the theme to it… People don’t want to throw that jewel case away. They want to keep it forever.
Savvy: Which comedian makes you laugh? And which one should have his or her comedy license revoked immediately?
Dane: Harlan Williams always makes me laugh. I’ve worked with him at a lot of the clubs. Robert Kelly, my friend, who I started out with 15 years ago. He’s an up and coming guy. As far as who needs their license revoked, nobody right now. Once and a while someone comes along and bugs you, but I think the authorities would give everyone a pass right now.
Savvy: On your comedy CD “Harmful If Swallowed”, you talked about how you told girls you worked at the “BK Lounge”. Did you get to improv and use some of your experiences in the movie or generally in your act?
Dane: Yeah, I worked in Burger King. That was my first job. Being a comedian for so many years, you have so many different jobs that are waitering and working as bus boys or in kitchens, so I was very familiar.
Savvy: Looking ahead, where can we expect to see you?
Dane: I have film opportunities coming up now with the success of “Retaliation”. Some people are thinking of putting me in some lead film roles in comedies, to try to take my fan base and bring them into film like (Adam) Sandler or Jack Black did using their performances. And just trying to spread the word on “Retaliation”. It continues to find new people every day. First and foremost, I’m trying to build my fan base with all of the exposure I am getting right now.
Savvy: We’re sure you’ll pick up fans among our readers. We always try to offer advice to guys on how to get hot women. These girls keep telling me that even if a guy is so-so looking, if he can make them laugh, he’s got them hooked. Any advice on how guys can be funnier on a date?
Dane: Yeah, buy a puppet and learn to throw your voice because comedy is hard, man. (Laughs) If you think you can just be funny, here’s the problem: If you don’t make the right joke, you’re going to not only be ugly but you’re going to be ugly and boring, and there’s nothing worse than an unfunny, ugly guy. They say the most beautiful women in the world are the loneliest because no guys will step up to them, but if you can make them laugh and entertain them, that certainly brings up your possibilities. Other than that, I would just tell some guy to try to get on one of those “Extreme Makeover” shows and fix your face.