Casey James Salengo has been shooting up the ranks of stand-up comedy rapidly, with his own Comedy Central special, debuting tonight at midnight, and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. To celebrate his special, and the arrival of his debut album, Wild Country Phoenix, he was kind enough to sit down for our twenty questions questionnaire series.
1. You walk into a bar. What do you order from the bartender?
I’m a mush-mouthed yokel so it usually goes like:
Me: “Tequila tonic please! It’s the drink of the summer!”
Bartender: “What?”
me: “TEQUILA TONIC.”
BT: “WHAT?”
Me: “A BEER.”
2. Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
My favorite Instagram is called drunkppldoingthings. It’s just drunk people falling off chairs or off boats or off roofs. I’d like to think I’m smarter than this but I’ve watched it for 2 hours straight and it never stops being entertaining.
3. What’s currently waiting for you on your DVR?
Whatever my ex-girlfriend’s brother’s best friend has queued up because that’s who I stole the password from.
4. It’s your last meal — what are you going out with?
Spaghetti and cottage cheese. A burrito that’s mostly chipotle sour cream. Any kind of cream-based mush. It’s my last day I sure as hell ain’t gonna spend it chewing.
5. What websites do you visit on a regular basis?
Honestly, Uproxx is my number one and I’m not just saying that. I get my pop culture news, my movie news, and I love Brandon Stroud’s wrestling articles although I find myself yelling at them. I also go to The A.V. Club, Wrestlezone, CNN, and Venmo.
6. What’s the most frequently played song on your mobile device?
My current song of the summer is “How Much I Feel” by Ambrosia but two songs that I will never get sick of are “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses and “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen.
7. If you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice what would it be?
“You’re not going to listen to me anyway, so just know you’re gonna fuck up a lot and I hope for both of us that you learn from it.”
8. What’s the last thing you Googled?
“Cheeto’s Pop-Up Restaurant”
9. Dogs or cats?
Cats. Love dogs too, but the excitement I feel when I see a cat is unsettling.
10. Best concert of your life was…?
John Fogerty. Dude tore it up for 3 hours, I was the only person under 30 and that’s the way I like it.
11. What book are you most likely to give as a gift?
If I don’t know the person’s tastes, probably something by Chuck Klostermann. They’re always breezy and fun and anyone can get into them.
12. What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Comics can be very kind. I had broken up with my live-in girlfriend and was going from open mic to open mic with all my belongings when my friend Will Winner, who only knew me for about a month at the time, took me into his home until I found a new place. I was going through another break-up and my friend JP McDade got us tickets to Oh Hello! (which were very expensive and he had already seen.) Basically, I go through a lot of break ups and people take pity on me.
13. South Park or Family Guy?
South Park for sure, although I’ll always be a Simpsons boy.
14. You have an entire day to do whatever you want. What would you do?
Man, I feel like I should come up with something cool but I’d probably sleep a lot, eat Chinese food, drink some beers with my buds and watch wrestling. Basically what I do most Sundays. I’m a very simple and tired man.
15. What movie can you not resist watching if it’s on?
I watched Blue Valentine every day for 2 weeks once and would probably do it again if they didn’t take it off Netflix. I feel like someone there was overseeing my viewing habits and got worried for me.
16. The sports team or teams you’re most passionate about?
Wrestling is my true passion and my favorites are Undertaker, Ric Flair, and currently Braun Strowman. I’m a Patriots fan and I love to root for them, but sometimes our dominance just feels cruel.
17. Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
My lady took me to this place called Faro in Bushwick for my birthday that really knocked my little socks off. But I’ve also had some real barnburners alone at Arby’s.
18. The last movie you saw in a theater?
A Ghost Story. It was pretty good. I like movies that are very slow and not a lot happens but make you think about the vast futility of life. Also, it was at a place called Syndicated in Bushwick that serves food and I had a chicken sandwich that I have thought about every day since.
19. Who was your first celebrity crush?
Larissa Oleynik as Alex Mack. She wasn’t the only one turning into a puddle I tell ya!
20. What would you cook if Nic Cage was coming to your house for dinner?
This site has a weird obsession with Nic Cage lately and I tell ya what, I dig it. I’m not much of a cook, so I’d probably just get some bagels and a bottle of scotch, then see if he’d want to listen to Trisha Yearwood’s “How Do I Live Without You” and throw knives at each other.
Previously: Brian Dietzen
