Television
Baby Talk with Jim Gaffigan
By Heather Turk, SoCal.com Movie/TV Editor |
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 Jim Gaffigan knows exactly how he’s matured as a stand-up comedian over the years.
“I’ve evolved away from microwavable foods,” he joked.
Yes, the man who’s probably best-known for his routine on Hot Pockets has moved on to bigger and better things with his latest Comedy Central special, “King Baby,” premiering this Sunday at 9 p.m. Tackling such heated topics as bowling, bean bag chairs and--Gaffigan’s newest claim to fame--bacon, “King Baby” showcases the pale comedian at his best--which says a lot considering he’s one of the most popular touring comics around.
For those who saw Gaffigan on the road last year during his sold-out “Jim Gaffigan: The Sexy Tour,” you’ll probably recognize most of “King Baby’s” material, as the special was taped during the tour at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. When asked why Gaffigan changed the television special’s name to “King Baby,” the lazy funnyman surprisingly replied that it was because some people didn’t get the fact that “The Sexy Tour” was a joke.
“Comedy Central was the sponsor of the tour, and we needed ads to support the tour dates,” Gaffigan explained, “and there were some people who refused to support anything called ‘The Sexy Tour,’ which was funny, ’cause here I am, this clean comic who just talks about being lazy and food. But I wasn’t married to the name or anything, so we just changed [the special’s] name to ‘King Baby.’ Honestly, I was tired of ‘The Sexy Tour’ concept anyway.”
Similar to Gaffigan’s previous Comedy Central special, 2006’s “Beyond the Pale,” which sold more than 150,000 DVDs and more than 170,000 CDs (“I’m told it really sold 500,000 CDs,” Gaffigan stated, “but that most people didn’t pay for their copy. I don’t even know who’s still buying CDs anymore.”), majority of the topics covered during “King Baby”--like camping, recycling and escalators--are universal, which is important to Gaffigan as a performer.
 “I always want to make sure that my material is funny, first and foremost, but then I also want to make sure that it’s universal,” he said. “I don’t want 20% of my audience not being able to identify with what I’m saying. I always have to resist having a significant amount of my material being stuff about my kids because I remember back when I was a new comic and I’d see someone talking about their kids and married life, it just didn’t have any appeal to me. Back then, I couldn’t even get a date!”
Gaffigan said that with his new special, he also intended to stay away from food jokes, having covered them before. However, once he wrote his now-classic routine on bacon and then a bit on Waffle House, he threw that notion out the window.
“I think it was just me over thinking things,” he said. “[Writing new material] when you’re an observational guy, it’s hard to start from scratch. I remember I wrote this new chunk on bologna [for ‘The Sexy Tour’] but I resisted doing it at first because I had touched upon that topic before. In the end, though, I just looked at some of my past bits--religion, cake, Hot Pockets--and asked myself, ’Did I beat some of those jokes?’ And hopefully I’ve become a better performer and writer, ’cause when you’re doing stand-up, you’re in the driver’s seat. You can’t blame it on a bad script like when you’re acting.”
Like his fans, Gaffigan admitted to having his own favorite comedy bits during the tour and said he had a “big hand” in picking what material would air during the Comedy Central broadcast. The rest of the show fans can enjoy on the “King Baby” DVD (Paramount Home Entertainment, MSRP: $16.99) when it hits store shelves Tuesday, which features “a significant chunk” of material left out of the televised special.
“The DVD has 71 minutes of stand-up material while the hour special is really only 42 minutes long,” Gaffigan said. “About a week before we taped the special, though, it became clear what chunks of material really stood out.”
 Besides more than 30 minutes of stand-up footage not seen on television, the “King Baby” DVD also comes with more than an hour of special bonus features. Included on the bonus features section of the disc is a never-aired British interview with Gaffigan, an XM/Sirius interview, two Friday Night Stand-Up segments, footage from Gaffigan’s meet and greet in Atlanta, four episodes from the very funny Web series “Our Massive Planet” and three episodes of the hit “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”/NBC.com animated short “Pale Force”--“Sidekicks,” “Land of the Robots” and “Pale Christmas”--handpicked by Gaffigan himself.
“To me, extras on a DVD are what DVDs are all about,” Gaffigan said. “[The bonus features] may not be what everyone wants, but I’d rather have stuff on there so one day if you’re bored, you’ve got it. I know when I purchase a DVD if there are no features on it, I feel ripped off.”
Those who buy the “King Baby” DVD will also notice Gaffigan’s two adorable children eating ribs on the main menu and be able to pay closer attention to the comedy special’s opening credits.
“I tried to mix in different topics I discuss in the special during the opening credits,” Gaffigan said. “So there’s my kids eating ribs, bowling, fast food…I didn’t want to make the credits 20 minutes long, though. But I don’t do one of these every year, so when I look back on [the comedy special], I want to make sure it’s of a certain quality.”
Now that “King Baby” is set to make both its television and DVD debut, Gaffigan said he’s begun the process of “weeding out” its material during his live tour. However, that doesn’t mean fans who catch Gaffigan on the road still won’t be able to hear some of their favorite bits.
 “When I only do an hour show, I want to make sure it’s great--and people get bothered if I don’t do Hot Pockets,” Gaffigan stated. “Plus, when you write such mundane, observation stuff like I do, it takes a long time to come up with new material--especially when you’re distracted by pregnancies and TV tapings (the third season of TBS’ flagship comedy ‘My Boys’ premieres this Tuesday).”
In addition to “My Boys,” Gaffigan can also soon be seen in the Zac Efron/Matthew Perry comedy 17 Again, as well as in the upcoming June release Away We Go, directed by American Beauty’s Sam Mendes. And while the comedian/actor admitted that it’s a bit of a struggle juggling the two professions (not to mention, of course, being a loving husband and father), he couldn’t be happier to be where he is today.
“I’m always amazed and so grateful that I’m doing what I’m doing,” Gaffigan concluded. “I just hope that people watch ‘King Baby’ and enjoy it so that I have the opportunity to continue doing what I love.”
“Jim Gaffigan: King Baby” airs on Comedy Central Sunday, March 29 at 9 p.m. and debuts on DVD Tuesday, March 31.
“My Boys” returns to TBS March 31 at 10:30 p.m.
17 Again opens in theaters everywhere April 17.
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