Interview: Comedian and Performer Matt Braunger
PLEASE don't say you said it was good to see a black person in there...
In honor of the annual Portland-based Bridgetown Comedy Fest that’s happening this weekend (May 8-11, 2014), our own Roy Coughlin exchanged questions and answers with Bridgetown co-founder Matt Braunger.
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NAILED MAGAZINE: You co-founded the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland in 2008. How has the festival changed in the last six years?
MATT BRAUNGER: The festival’s become a monster, really. In a good way. Starting out we couldn’t get many people interested because no one understood what we were trying to do. “What’s the hook?” was a response we got from a local paper on why they should cover it. “Uh, it’s the first comedy festival in Portland, a town known for its love of the arts?” Now it’s a thing everybody looks forward to, both local fans and comedians from all over the country (sometimes the world). We’re also a lot more organized and focused. Most (all) of the weight used to weigh on Andy, but now we’ve got a team of people who work on making it amazing. Short answer, it’s gotten better.
NAILED: Portland has had local comedy for a long time, but have you witnessed a shift in the scene here as a result of the Bridgetown Festival? Does Portland have a different image in the national scene now?
BRAUNGER: Portland always had comedy, it’s just now more focused and funny people are more comfortable going onstage because it’s become more inclusive. Bridgetown has helped with that by giving local comedians a goal. We love putting on Portland comedians because it’s their town, and it makes people that live here proud. I don’t know if Portland has a different image, but we definitely put it on the map as a destination. We’re basically the godfather to a ton of other grass roots comedy festivals, which is awesome to think about. Especially as someone who grew up here.
NAILED: For the last year you’ve had your own podcast called “Ding-Donger With Matt Braunger.” Is the podcast just a creative experiment for you, or has podcasting become another of the tools that comedians are expected to use to promote themselves?
BRAUNGER: Creative experiment. I’ve got a lot of down time between doing shows, auditioning, writing, etc., so it’s fun to have a dumb outlet to send out into the ether every week. My thing is I’m hitching a ride onto your ipod, car, what-have-you for 30 minutes and I’ll entertain you for 30 minutes. Then I hop out. Comedy, to me, is there to take your mind off of whatever’s fucking with you that day, so hopefully I do that. I know the market is flooded, so I never looked at it as being very promotional.
NAILED: You originally trained to be an actor, and you’ve done both acting and stand-up. Is stand-up comedy always going to be something you do, or can you imagine yourself leaving it behind for good at some point?
BRAUNGER: Nah, I really can’t see leaving it behind. As much as I was a “serious” actor (or thought I was) growing up and all through college and in my early 20s, I never saw stand-up as a way to “break in.” I honestly loved it. Still do.
NAILED: Is there a comedian or show this weekend that you’re excited to check out that you’ve never seen before?
BRAUNGER: I’ve seen them all! However, I’ve only seen some of them once or twice and want to see more. Offhand: Janine Brito, Doug Smith, Tom Sibley, Rhiannon Archer, Steven Wilbur, Andy Erikson, so many more. Also the themed shows new to Bridgetown like “Baron Vaughn presents: The New Negros” (sorry), “Voodoo Donuts Recordings Presents,” and “Best Kept Secret.”
NAILED: When was the last time you NAILED it?
BRAUNGER: I did “The Pete Holmes Show” live at SXSW this year with Jim Breuer, Andy Haynes, Nicole Byers, and Thomas Middleditch. Andy was telling a story about the last night he ever drank. I won’t get into it because it’s going to air and it’s insane, but it begins in a bar and ends with him in jail. He’s drunk in a bar in Lake Tahoe, sees a black person, then goes up and drunkenly says how nice it is to see a black person in such a white place. After that, he leaves the bar, gets into some shenanigans, and gets arrested later on. The same black gentleman is in jail with him. At that point in the story I leaned over and said, “Andy, PLEASE don’t say that you said it was good to see a black person in there.”
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Find out all you need to know about the comedy events taking place this weekend at the Bridgetown Comedy Fest website, and more specifically about Matt Braunger performances at the fest.
Matt Braunger was raised in Portland, OR. A headlining comedian since 2007 and an actor since childhood, Matt’s comedy has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,and Live at Gotham. He is a regular panelist on “Chelsea Lately” and Comedy Central’s “@Midnight.” Matt’s half-hour special on Comedy Central was released in 2009, and his hour special, “Shovel Fighter,” was released in 2012. In 2008 he won “Best of the Fest” at the Rooftop Festival in Aspen and in 2009 he was named to Variety’s “Top 10 Comics to Watch.” He has released two albums, “Soak Up the Night” and “Shovel Fighter.” Matt has performed at a variety of prestigious comedy festivals including the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and Chicago, SXSW, Bumbershoot, and in 2007 he co-founded the Bridgetown Festival in Portland, OR. Matt’s television credits include a recurring role on NBC’s “Up All Night,” a series regular on “Mad TV,” and roles on “The Michael Fox Show,” “Happy Endings,” HBO’s “Family Tree” “Blue Mountain State,” “The United States of Tara,” and “Pushing Daisies.”
[Featured Image Slider Photo Courtesy of Comedy Central]