Does Bobcat Goldthwait Really Talk Funny

Those who have freeze-framed Bobcat Goldthwait as that screechy-voiced comedian from the '80s have a lot of catching upwards to do.

His "Law Academy" days are long over, and he'south moved on.

Goldthwait now spends a lot of time behind the camera, as a television director and filmmaker.

He nevertheless does standup, but he appears on stage basically as himself: a 53-year-old entertainer with stories to tell in his real vocalism.

That's what audiences tin expect during his four appearances Friday and Saturday at the One-act Club of Jacksonville.

"I know that doesn't really sound that exciting," he said in a recent telephone interview from Los Angeles. Only he said he found he was much more content in front of a oversupply afterwards he "jettisoned that character" and could just be himself.

"I think the one-act evidence I practice, people seem to enjoy," Goldthwait said. "I'm not good at self-promoting, but information technology does seem to become over with crowds."

He's also finding approval as a moviemaker. Critics particularly liked two dark comedies he wrote and directed - "Globe'southward Greatest Dad" in 2009, with Robin Williams, who was a close friend, and "God Bless America" in 2011.

His latest film, "Call Me Lucky," is likewise getting positive reviews. The documentary about comedian Barry Crimmins - a mentor and longtime friend of Goldthwait's - was a hit at this twelvemonth'southward Sundance Film Festival.

Now in limited release, it's opening in Jacksonville the same weekend Goldthwait brings his standup human action here.

Goldthwait, who in one case concluded upwards in court afterward he gear up a guest chair on fire on the "Tonight Show" in 1994, was low-key and occasionally self-deprecating every bit he continued to reply questions virtually his career.

And so why did you stop playing the manic guy with the high-pitched voice that we met in the '80s?

I'chiliad happier when I'thousand simply existence myself or doing what interests me versus existence a nostalgia deed. That actually collection me out of standup for a while, the expectations that people would accept that they were going to see this persona and human activity from the '80s. I got really sour towards comedy. But once I pushed myself to just become up and be myself and tell stories and do an human action that I'm happy with, then I enjoyed doing standup once more.

Practice you lot still have to deal with audiences who want the old persona?

I still become people yelling out, "Do the voice." … But I'thousand non going to compromise who I am. I know that's unfortunate for some people if it's promoted in a way where they think they're going to encounter a guy doing the aforementioned act from 30 years ago. Simply that's why I love the immature audiences that take discovered me as a comedian … because they're fans of a picture. When that happens, at some venues where I'm performing, that group shows upward and that's really heady. I don't even have to bargain with any those preconceived notions of what I do.

When did you and the old Bobcat pause up?

At least, officially, where I wouldn't do even like a hybrid version, was probably like nearly 15 years ago.

And didn't you denote about ten years ago that you lot were retiring from standup?

I didn't announce, I just said I wasn't doing standup anymore because I was directing the Jimmy Kimmel show, and I think it concluded up on Wikipedia that I retired from standup, which, yous know, I'm sure the nation mourned that groovy loss, merely we all got through it.

Did y'all worry that audiences wouldn't take the new version of y'all?

Yeah, but I have to say, the people I disappoint I kind of actually don't want as fans. I mean, that's merely the truth. If you tin can't watch somebody and go, "Oh, he's doing something else," and if they don't like what I'grand doing, that's cool, I get that. But if they don't like what I'm doing because it's not the other matter … there's plenty of that stuff on cablevision, or on YouTube, or other places for people who take a soft spot for that.

Then you discovered you were happy working behind the photographic camera?

I'm really happy behind the camera. I love making my ain movies, and so I also really enjoy directing for other people that I respect, folks that I like. I love directing other people's television shows. And I'm really happy that I get to make a movie virtually every yr, every year and a half.

How much fourth dimension do you devote to standup at present?

Information technology's kind of, in that location'southward really no rhyme or reason to my schedule, it's not like I sit down and nosotros've just got to decide, "Well, this is going to be the bout, and this is going to be the film." The nature of how I make a living, it's very scattered. I'thousand commonly doing all these dissimilar things at the aforementioned time. Right now I've been editing Marker Maron'south new one-act special, I'm editing Brian Posehn's special, I just wrapped directing a TV show last week called "Those Who Can't," and at the aforementioned time, I've been promoting "Call Me Lucky" and been doing some standup. Then I only kind of do it all at the same time. It'south important for me to make a living doing things I that I don't feel are compromised, so I don't feel bad about what I'm doing. I don't make a living off of the movies I make, I brand a living so I tin can keep making movies.

"Call Me Lucky" is tough to explain in a audio seize with teeth.

Yes, there'due south no elevator pitch, at that place'south no quick way to say it. Information technology'south a motion picture about my friend Barry Crimmins, who was a chip of a mentor to me and a bunch of other comedians, who he either helped get started or mentored or were influenced past him. A comedian's comedian is the all-time way to describe Barry, because he's not necessarily well-known outside of comedy circles. In the early '90s, Barry disclosed on stage about his rape when he was a child, when he was 4. And while he was processing that, and trying to find other survivors, he went online and on AOL, he simply discovered that there were pedophiles [in conversation rooms exchanging child porn], and when he went to AOL, they turned a deafened ear, and he went to the law, and they didn't fifty-fifty have computers in their offices. So Barry got all this testify against AOL and them took them to the floor of the Senate during a judiciary hearing. In the process, not only did he change other people's lives and help other people, which he continues to do, I saw a big change in Barry, where a lot of his anger kind of macerated, and he became a niggling more open, and definitely happier.

You spoke of him as a mentor.

I met him when I was a teenager, he ran a comedy show in Skaneateles, N.Y., which is outside of Syracuse [Goldthwait'southward hometown]. Tom Kenny [best known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants] and I went to his open mic and that was the showtime fourth dimension we were getting to perform on stage in a club that was doing comedy. When Barry left and moved to Boston, he started The Ding Ho, I moved to Boston and followed him.

How did he influence you as a comedian?

He did it for me, and a lot of people. In Barry's bear witness, if anybody is being derivative in their persona, or derivative in the textile, he would call them out on information technology. And he wouldn't book them in the room if they didn't change. He was kind of … even though he was a comedian himself, he was a bit similar a gatekeeper and a charabanc. He started this order that was very pop and he had very loftier standards on what went on on phase. I call back because of that there were so many dissimilar kinds of acts, Paula Poundstone and Kevin Meaney and Steven Wright and myself … and being original, there was a big emphasis put on that from Barry.

You originally conceived of information technology as a narrative?

Yeah, considering I didn't want Barry to have to relive this mess, you know. And so I envisioned it as a movie in which someone else would be playing the office. And and so every bit time went by, the reality of getting that kind of movie going was drying up, and and then … Robin Williams was my good pal, and he suggested I make information technology every bit a documentary. He didn't fund the picture, but he gave the initial money that started the filming.

On a completely different subject: Do you know what happens when you type in "Bobcat Goldthwait sets" on Google Search?

"Bob Goldthwait sex"?

No, I'chiliad pitiful, "sets."

Oh. No.

"Bobcat Goldthwait sets tonight show on burn down" comes upwards.

Oh, it'southward not something I'm not uncomfortable talking about. I'd rather talk nearly that than "Constabulary Academy."

After your court advent, the L.A. Times wrote, "Goldthwait is believed to exist the first guest of the 'This night Show' to be charged with a crime, co-ordinate to NBC."

I'm sure that there have been other guests on talk shows that take been charged with crimes, but they would more probable be on "Jerry Springer" or "Geraldo."

David Crumpler: (904) 359-4164

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Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/local/2015/09/10/bobcat-goldthwait-finds-his-voice-leaving-trademark-high-pitched/15679256007/

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