Zach Galifianakis is a strange, funny man with a knack for landing jobs that don't let those traits shine. He's had small roles in bad movies (Out Cold, Corky Romano, Heartbreakers), he hosted his own funny-but-doomed sketch/chat show for VH1 (Late World With Zach), and he even spent a season and a half on a ridiculous network-TV show about a time-traveling hottie who works in a morgue (Tru Calling). His stars have aligned better in recent years, with the funny-but-cancelled Comedy Central show Dog Bites Man, a starring role in a video for his friend Fiona Apple, and some greater recognition as a stand-up. At least the Comedians Of Comedy Tour—which also featured Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, and Maria Bamford—gave Galifianakis' personality room to breathe. Galifianakis' new DVD, Live At The Purple Onion, may be the first true distillation of his comedic sensibility: It features a terrific stand-up set that veers between actual jokes, asides, audience-baiting, and, most importantly, the introduction of Galifianakis' imaginary estranged twin brother Seth, a Southern rube who believes that Zach's career path and life are essentially worthless. Galifianakis recently spoke to The A.V. Club about his past work, his farm, and his role in an upcoming film directed by Sean Penn. Then Zach handed the phone to his "twin."
The A.V. Club: Did Late World seem like a huge deal when you landed it?
Zach Galifianakis: Not really. I wasn't sitting around going, "Oh man, this is it. This is the big break." It was exciting, but it was like, "Here's another job, let me see how I can screw this up." I never really realized that I was a producer of it until later, but by then, it was too late. Also, I was eating a lot of pot cookies at the time; I could've been a little bit more professional.
AVC: It seemed to get much weirder toward the end, on the episodes where you make fun of getting cancelled.
ZG: I knew from day one, when the VH1 guys came in and said, "Don't make fun of Cher, don't make fun of Sheryl Crow." Whatever their rotation was at the time. I was like, "Well, this isn't a good marriage." We started celebrating that we didn't belong on that channel.
AVC: Is there a chance the show will ever be officially released?
ZG: I have all of the episodes in my attic. I have a feeling there's a possum in my attic, and I'm really scared of possums. So there's this one possum in my attic that's keeping me from going up there and releasing the show on DVD. If that possum will go away, then maybe I will release it.
AVC: Is this possum a metaphor?
ZG: No, no, no, no. Well, it could be. Yes. It could be something in my mind. I'm not sure if I want it to be released. There were some embarrassing things on the show that, even while I was doing them, I was like, "Oh my God, what am I doing?" So the possum is somewhat of a metaphor.
AVC: And Dog Bites Man is cancelled?
ZG: Yes. It's gone. I'm like whoever the opposite of Midas is.
AVC: Is it true that the show sometimes made you uncomfortable?
ZG: There was one time where I actually started crying. We were in a church, and this guy was so sweet. He said something really sad, and I just couldn't take it. If you're onstage and you're screwing with someone, they know that there's a comedy show going on. These people had no idea. And a lot of times, we weren't taking the piss out of people with power, we were just taking the piss out of regular folks. And we have all these fancy lawyers behind us. Sometimes it felt a little dirty. But some of the hardest I've ever laughed was on that show, because you weren't supposed to laugh, which made it kind of like laughing at a funeral.
AVC: Do you think audiences didn't realize that those were real people being interviewed?
ZG: I think that was part of the problem. People thought they were actors, and you have to know that they're real people to appreciate it. But it's kind of flattering that they didn't know. There was one episode that never aired where we went to a real KKK rally. I got to ask the grand wizard of the KKK if he'd ever seen Big Momma's House 3. Which was probably the highlight of my career.
AVC: So the new DVD—is this one of the first things you can be wholeheartedly proud of?
ZG: I just wanted to show the rawness of stand-up. A lot of times, people put out these DVDs that are just really polished, but I wanted to show some awkwardness. But I think it's good. I think people should try to sit through it. [Laughs.]
AVC: How often do you find yourself going off the rails onstage?
ZG: It has to come organically. I don't do it just to do it. It happens a lot. If a crowd is quiet and I'm not screwing up, then I won't do it that much. But if I feel bothered by something in the audience, I have to comment on it, and that happens probably more than it should.
AVC: You don't like people you know in the audience when you perform, right?
ZG: I don't like it at all. I don't know why. Sometimes it can go so badly, and I will sabotage myself onstage. And I just don't want that awkwardness after the show where a family member says, "No, it was good!" I feel bad for them, not for me.
AVC: You're about to do a tour of big theaters. To what do you credit that popularity surge? The Comedians Of Comedy?
ZG: Yeah, I owe it to Comedians Of Comedy and Patton Oswalt. If it weren't for that, I'd probably still be playing the back of a pharmacy somewhere. I never really did the club stuff; I'm really kind of a wimp that way. I just stay mostly in Los Angeles and perform in front of people wearing ironic T-shirts. That or a few goth chicks.
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