Pauly Shore hasn’t always been a guy you would imagine taking seriously. But, his new foray into political comedy seems like a level-headed — and almost serious — approach into the highly tapped satirical raid on Capital Hill. His thoughts: Beneath all the mudslinging and promise-anything shit talk are normal guys. Beer-chugging, girl-chasing normal guys. And it’s all the more funny. Before swinging into Toledo’s Funny Bone on Thursday, October 11, the Toledo City Paper caught up with Shore to talk about Herman Cain, drinking with Obama and why Mitt Romney comes across as a sleazy used car salesman.
You recently went to Washington and interviewed Larry King, Herman Cain and Ralph Nadar. What did you take away from that?
My direction of the special is, believe it or not, is to try to make these people come across as normal — or cool. I think all these politicians are human beings like everyone else. I kinda wanted to break that barrier that they put up — that act, you know. I had them explain to me — and the audience — what is going on and why we should care and break it down so a third grader could understand. A lot of people aren’t into politics and don’t care; they just want to drink beer and go get laid. So, I kinda want to make the special for those people.
What sparked you interest in politics — or interest in making fun of politics—this campaign season?
It was mostly timing. The fact that I’m 44 now; I’m a little older. It kind of teed up nicely: My relationship with Showtime and everything. I started developing it a year ago.
Why do you think people have ability to be so enraged by public policy and so humored by it almost simultaneously?
[laughs] I don’t know. I guess it depends on whose talking about it. If it’s a comedian talking about it, mostly we make fun of it. If it’s people who talk shit about whoever it is they talk about, they probably don’t have a sense of humor about anything. It’s pretty interesting. I also think that most people realize that all politicians are full of shit and they’re just over the lies. They pretty much say whatever it is they have to say in order to get elected.
Who’s the easiest person in politics to make fun of?
Herman Cain is pretty funny.
I would imagine the sexual harassment scandals make him an easy target.
He’s a guy…he’s very smart. He used to turn over businesses and stuff like that and he’s just a guy, like everyone else: He likes girls, he likes to have drinks. So, I think that’s pretty funny.
If you could have a beer with one politician, who would it be?
For sure Obama, just because he’s the president. It seems like it would be cool to just kick it with him. He seems, whether for a politician or not, pretty level headed and mellow. And he likes to party. It seems like he likes to have a drink or, ya know, smoke a joint.
It seems like he’s trying to take over that old, ‘which candidate would you rather drink a beer with’ competition with his own home brew and speaking on craft beer.
Yeah, and Mitt Romney just seems like he has a stick up his ass. It seems like he’s a bad car salesman. Every time he waves, I think, ‘Did this guy just try to sell me a car.
Pauly Shore comes to the Funny Bone,
6140 Levis Commons Blvd., from Thursday,
October 11 to Saturday, October 13.
Tickets are $27. For more info, visit
www.funnybonecentral.com
