The stand-up portion of late night talk shows have always been a coveted position for comics, a way for comedians to appear on many a television set (or laptop more likely these days) of those outside their typical fan base. Last week on Late Night with Seth Meyers, comedian Kurt Braunohler performed his jokes in this laudable four-minute and 45-second time slot.
Braunohler, who does voice over for Bob’s Burgers, hosts the The K Ohle podcast for Nerdist, and co-hosts a weekly stand-up night in L.A. with his comedy partner Kristen Schaal, recently embarked on a jet ski adventure from the Great Lakes to New Orleans for his new Comedy Central show Roustabout. The journey wasn’t merely for jet ski kicks, but was a way to raise money to send goats and chickens to Africa.
“It really becomes a renewable resource for a family, and helps create an economy for the family,” Braunohler said. “And also, goats and chickens are the funniest animals in the world. So they have a dual purpose. We chose jet skis because it was just the dumbest form of transportation. But after [certain] moments I had to deal with the fact that, am I a jet ski guy? Do I want to own a jet ski? Do I want to live in a house boat and get divorced? Start listening to Air Supply? Am I a jet ski guy?”
After meeting jet ski gangs, hanging out at riverside bike bars, jet skiing a high school gal to her graduation, and embracing the “bucolic artery of America that you always imagine Huck Finn on,” the comedian let go of his jet-skiing alter ego, returning to his typical comedy schedule. Braunohler shared with me a glimpse into his schedule from the day he performed on Late Night, and how he prepares for the show.
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6 a.m. I was staying in a hotel in Manhattan and my wife woke up sick. She’s moaning and groaning and we didn’t have any Advil or anything. I had to leave the hotel at 6:30 in the morning and walk five block in 20 degree temperature to a Duane Reade. I bought her medicine and then brought it back to her. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t really. So, I got up and had breakfast. I had food delivered to the room. I had pancakes, eggs, bacon and croissants. It was a pretty great breakfast. I ate this alone because my wife was sick.
9 a.m. I started doing press… I went to Sirius XM radio and recorded an hour special that will air this week.
10:45 a.m. I went to Slate and did a podcast.
12:45 p.m. I went to to AOL and did what’s called an AOL Build in front of a live audience.
1:30 p.m. I went to Huffington Post and did a podcast with them. [Then] I ate lunch alone at a sushi place in the West Village. I eat every meal alone, I would say.
3:30 p.m. I went to Entertainment Weekly and shot a video piece for them. That finished up at 4:30 exactly, and that was my call time for Seth’s. Then I just walked over to 30 Rock. It’s funny. At this point, late night sets are very specific beasts. They’re difficult in a way that no one has been watching stand up for the whole show. So, you’re going to come out and you have four minutes and 45 seconds to get them use to the idea of stand-up and get them to like stand-up and actually do something that you like.
5:00 p.m. I did a rehearsal and then waited for the show to start. My mom was in the audience, so I was like, “Hi, Mom!”
I used to start off with three shorts jokes and try to get into stuff that was longer form. But with this one I first set it up that way, and then realized that I’ve never liked giving up my sets when I watch them on Late Night, so I wanted to start off with a joke that I liked that wasn’t necessarily a way to get the audience on board right away. And I’m happy I did.
After the show, I immediately went to Bell House [in Brooklyn] to do my own show. I got there after they had opened the doors and everything so the audience was already seated, so I jammed two pieces of pizza in my mouth, had a cup of coffee, and then started the show. It was a f*cking crazy day.
