Triple Threat

The Stella boys can't get enough of each other.

by A.D. Amorosi

(L-R): Michael Ian Black, David Wain, Michael Showalter

What do you get when you put absurdist performers, writers and directors Michael Ian Black, David Wain and Michael Showalter together? Three-headed comedy monster and one-time TV show Stella — in addition to a surprising number of other things. During their time together on The State, programs on Comedy Central, once-weekly standup shows and guest appearances throughout each other's many separate projects, they've developed a charming brand of unity. We caught up with all three before Stella hits the Keswick this weekend.

City Paper: Y'all have plenty of independent projects: movies, TV shows, books, blogs. What the hell do you need each other for?

Michael Ian Black: I think we all just like each other. We've been friends for a super long time and it's always fun to work with friends. Plus, the comedy we do together is different than the comedy we do separately. Any collaboration is fun for the reasons that it's fun. Which is a tautological response.

David Wain: I don't know what "tautological" means, but I assume it has something to do with the occult, in which case I have nothing more to add.

Michael Showalter: It sounds corny but we like each other. I know, I know, it's really corny, the whole "friends" thing.

CP: What is the decision process as to what stays and goes in a Stella routine?

MIB: We are alternately very hard/very easy on ourselves. There are times when having a loose set can be very liberating and fun, but there are other times when the lack of discipline can screw up what might have been a good show. When we're at our best, we are both very rehearsed and very improvisational. And the audience doesn't know which is which. For me, that's when Stella is really hitting on all cylinders. 

DW: I agree. The trick has always been to work our asses off on this stuff, then bury it all under the hood and make it seem like we're just goofing around.

CP: What necessitates a Stella reunion?

MIB: Nothing. It's just that we haven't done it for a while and I think the three of us miss it. When the TV show ended, none of us wanted to retire Stella permanently; it's just that we had been through a very long and difficult production period and I think we all felt like we needed a break before returning to the trio. It's all predicated on whether or not it would be fun to do, and right now it feels like fun.

MS: It's fun. It's fun going on tour and traveling and sleeping in Econo Lodges. Wait. Why are we reuniting? No, but seriously, we just wanted to tour again because it's fun and we wanted to not let a tiny little thing like being cancelled after only one season on our big TV show break to get us down.

CP: What is the one thing you have to have when on the road?

MIB: Lucky cup of jizz.

DW: Jizzy cup of luck.

MS: The Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny's.

CP: Do you patronize each other’s projects for money? Like, Michael, did you see Role Models? David, did you read Chicken Cheeks?

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

MIB: We rarely pay money for each other's work for a couple reasons. One, because we’re all at least partially Jewish. Cheap. Two, because we usually get free copies of each other's stuff, or go to screenings or whatever. There are exceptions. For example, I am going to pay to see Role Models, but I am planning on asking for a full refund after the film.

DW: Michael knows that I have given him a standing offer that I will go dollar for dollar with him on his ticket to Role Models. It's a great deal.

MS: Fake answer: Yes, absolutely. Truthful answer: Kind of.

CP: Between the black-and-white photo on your Web site and the cover shot on your DVD collection, you gentlemen look pretty grave. Not to steal a line from the Joker, but why so serious?

MIB: We've always just been afraid of "funny photos." There's nothing worse than a photo that announces to the world how hilarious you are. Inevitably, when I see those photos, I think to myself, "That guy cannot possibly be funny." So we just put on our serious faces for photos. It’s probably a bad habit because it can go too far, but overall I like the serious Stella aesthetic.

DW: The whole idea of wearing suits is part of that, too. Silly material in serious — or neutral — packaging. We've always veered in that direction, going back to the non-comedic opening title sequence from The State, which we then inverted with our "L.A. Produced Open," which was a parody of those sketch show openings where each cast member has a 3-second "funny" moment.

MS: Most comedians wish they were musicians. We all like to imagine that we’re in the band Wilco or something. It's our only chance to feel cool. The rest of the time we're making poop jokes. Also, comedians tend to be fairly unfunny in real life. We're a fairly dour lot.

CP: How has your operating process changed from your time at Comedy Central or as far back as [New York City performance space] Fez?

MIB: At Fez, it was definitely a process of getting to the show an hour or so before show time, seeing if anybody had anything, and then throwing whatever material there was onstage and hoping to God that it would be funny. It often was, and often wasn't. With the TV show, we worked incredibly hard to get the scripts to a place that told a story in unexpected ways. I'm very proud of those scripts.

MIB: We don’t hang out that much when we're not working together, but you have to understand that our work is hanging out. So when we're working, that’s our fun time. That's social for us. It’s not like we make an effort not to see each other, but David and I have families, Showalter has cats, and so it's a matter of prioritizing. Of course when we're on tour we're with each other 24 hours a day, which is usually great.

DW: It's a great thing to know that these are two lifelong friends who I know I will have these chunks of time with, because of our work. It allows us to avoid having to plan a trip with our families to Club Med or something.

Stella | Sun., Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., $32.50, Keswick Theatre, 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650, keswicktheatre.com