How do you decide on your material? A screenwriter named Scott Burns and [director] Steven Soderbergh took a story they heard on our show, and turned it into the film The Informant! 4. It all goes as well as could be expected for a nonathletic-looking comedian: I dont have a swimmers body, Birbiglia quips. "I drove my mom's station wagon around the country," he says. Mike discusses the Broadway musical Waitress with composer and star SARA BAREILLES. You go, "Oh, I guess I don't need to say this line. Mike discusses his third album, Sleepwalk With Me Live, with longtime Ira Glass impersonator IRA GLASS. Birbiglia is really in his element when hes cracking jokes that stem from his relationships, not because its good fodder but because hes unafraid to delve into the genuine sentiments behind them and also deliver a good joke. Because you're trying to acknowledge the reality and then match it with something comedic that is just as powerful. By Ed Mazza May 5, 2022, 03:32 AM EDT One man's illness is another man's opportunity. He had an affair with Jen Stein and after a few years of dating, he married his girlfriend Jen in 2007. And I think to myself, why dont I cater my material to this specific event? He'd say: "I'm not going to have kids until I'm sure that nothing else good can happen in my life. I really dont, but I journal every few nights. Others (like Birbiglia, in my opinion) are well aware of the line, flirt with it in order to give comedy the bite it needs, but also avoids steering too far over the line and alienating an audience. Its so funny. Really, I just love it because its exactly the kind of story I love to hear and tell. Heres my opinion on all four of his stand-up specials, which can all be streamed on Netflix. I said, "No, I don't really watch movies like that; I like more independent films." It was Mike Birbiglia, who had no business being at this event. I lost so much money and didnt even finish the short, Birbiglia says. Having finally adjusted to fatherhood, Birbiglia is coasting toward middle age when a routine physical exam sends him reeling. It began kind of independently of us, Glass said at Sundance this year. Mike Birbiglia knows what hes doing: At this point, his act is baked to golden perfection. But comedians, even the most successful ones, will tell you that nobody is good when they start out. We also hear the sounds of troubled sleepers from a DVD put together by Doctors Carlos Schenck and Mark Mahowald of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. Now, five years later, I do think that sticks with me a little bit. My No. I wasn't really thinking of myself as a woman or a man. With The Old Man and the Pool, Birbiglias most immersive and theatrical performance yet, Minahj thinks his pal is expanding the boundaries of stand-up comedy. Having finally adjusted to fatherhood, Birbiglia is coasting toward middle age when a routine physical exam sends him reeling. So your expectations must be very low at this point,' " he says. ", Birbiglia's wife, poet Jen Stein, saw things differently. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. Wikipedia has kept his updated bio information on their site. Mike Birbiglia was initially reluctant to become a father, but his wife, Jen Stein, saw things things differently. Then however, Mike meets Jenny and everything changes more than he anticipates. He seems a little wired and unable to relax. And theres an upside to that and downside of that. And it gets worse. She's essentially creating these little one-act plays in real time, and it's amazing. I'm obsessed with the idea of being very clear with your language because there were so many moments when I was younger and people weren't clear, and, as a result, Id be in a situation asking myself, "How did I end up here?" "I bought my mom's car. And then he was shooting a film. I threw this one on at 2 a.m. one summer night years ago and have thought about it regularly ever since. Now, Im telling it on a national radio show. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Source: broadway (Mike Birbiglia with brother Joe and sisters Gina, and Patti) And the fact that she can do all the voices and she can flip in and out of them. It takes a tremendous amount of failure to make those stories work., EWs Sundance preview: Sleepwalk With Me, VIDEO: This American Lifes Ira Glass and Mike Birbiglia grapple with indie moviemaking, Sleepwalk With Me declares victory over Joss Whedons Avengers, From nightmares to dream project: Mike Birbiglia's 'Sleepwalk With Me'. I had sort of lived a long time as not a mom. Mike was born as the youngest child of his parents among four children. His most recent show, "The New One," ran for 99 shows at the Cort Theatre. The one where EW follows up with the cast. But then he describes being at the hospital and having his bandages removed. I was supposed to perform for 20 minutes and I probably performed for seven or eight minutes. 1 fear as a performer is that the audience will be disappointed. I was not one of them. Mike Birbiglia in his new solo show, The Old Man & the Pool, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. "What Im drawn to about theater is everybodys in the room together, and its just happening.". Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Comedian Mike Birbiglia performs his one-man show "The Old Man and the Pool" at Steppenwolf Theatre through the end of the month and he describes it as a "story that starts at my doctor's. I have no idea what I'm going to say next.". He looked over and saw the cue cards with a bullet point to his next joke, about hippos. As usual, the derision is mostly self-deprecating, though Birbiglias family is also the object of ribbing that can be infused with a touch of passive-aggressive edge. with Nicole Byer, The Three Questions with Andy Richter, May I Elaborate? Jen: I was so day-to-day, and so I started to feel like being sort of maybe over connected to the child, because it felt like any day anything could happen. In writing the book, Jen and I ended up saying things to each other that we didn't say in that period of time. He was born as a son of mother Mary Jean and father Vincent Paul Birbiglia. At the start of the show, Mike is a bachelor who, along with a friend, are strictly anti-marriage and try to convince other people to join them in it. Sept. 20, 2022. So since then I take medication. New York, new show, new podcast! You're not intended to agree with the person telling you the story or the characters in the story. Mike Birbiglia discusses great shows, comedy albums, movies, and more with some old friends. His shows, My Girlfriends Boyfriend and Thank God for Jokes, were both filmed for Netflix. So I had a joke about that: I went to the doctor and they told me there was something in my bladder, and whenever they tell you that, its never anything good like, We found something in your bladder and its season tickets to the Yankees! (Laughs) And it did not get any laughter. Mike had a problem relating his eye movement sleeps behavior disorder which also caused him accident with 33 stitches in his leg. "I was always performing by the seat of my pants.". That and money. Mike Birbiglia wants to apologize. Its a profession built on failure humiliating failure, where you either kill or you die onstage. Jen: I became a mother pretty late in life. What's interesting, though, I will say this, is from performing these stories onstage, I can't tell you how many fathers come up to me but also, I'd say disproportionately mothers come up to me and say that they felt exactly the way I did, which was very illuminating for me. If this is disappointing for you, you cant imagine how disappointing it is for me (laughs). Potentially life-threatening ailments take center stage in Birbiglias new production, which opened Sunday at Lincoln Centers Vivian Beaumont Theater after playing various other venues around the country. An earlier joke comes full circle to end things off and I just couldnt wipe the smirk off my face as he well and truly stuck the landing. I've had that realization about film recently too. Kids. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. So he gets a standing ovation and Im thinking, clearly the show is over. Hes also stubborn to a fault and that leads to trouble. This very low budget film is really robust in a lot of ways because these people believed in the project. It actually isn't essential for the story.. The appeal at the time was that comedy seemed, if not easy, at least less hard. You might recognize me from the door. When asked about a worst moment in his career, he recalled a memory of bombing on stage. I might have seated you, I might have brought you a cocktail. But then there's the counter movement, which is bro comedy, and thats a huge thing. So when someone involved in the process goes, Oh were not going to complete this thing, that we had spent all this time on. We were like, No. I think the best artists and entertainers task themselves with giving people a respite from the darkness. Or when Jenny tells him that she thinks they would make good parents and Mike, likening baby fever to a zombie virus, jokingly reaches for a shotgun and shouts You got bit! The jokes in this special never fail to get a chuckle out of me. I have a general theory, which is, "Nothing is anything until later." His other hobby includes traveling and watching movies. In it, Birbiglia tells the overarching story of how he roasted director David ORussell at an awards ceremony where the director was being honored. It's just something because I think it came to me so late in life. And I was like, "See? That's the person who I'm going to follow." For years, I could not tell people that story. Its a premise rooted in arguments that the comedy scene has gone back and forth on for years. And so the idea of holding her back at a certain point felt very selfish.". I couldnt even finish editing the film. It was grueling. Many jokes at a recent performance were met with knowing laughter, our critic writes. Similarly, chuckles erupted when Birbiglia mentioned that a nutritionist had asked him, Hows your sleep? Physicians have long loomed large in his life and comedy, so fans know he has REM sleep behavior disorder, which he explored in his breakthrough show, Sleepwalk With Me, from 2008. If this story were a report on This American Life, this would be the part where the greater meaning would crystallize, and wed reflect on what it reveals about who we are or who wed like to be. Yes, you need time, certainly from the embarrassing moment. Yeah, I was full on. I had to hold her all the time, and if I ever put her down, she would scream. Over the years, I managed to develop this comedy career, went from opening act to headliner at comedy clubs, to playing concert halls, and had an off-Broadway show with Sleepwalk With Me, Birbiglia recalls. Birbiglia asks aloud during one of The Old Man and the Pools several tender moments. I actually like some of that too. Ira produces a national radio show every week. Mike Birbiglia is a very talented guy and he has kept his all previous affair and relation secrete. Are you worried that you're going to be judged like that, as opposed to on the merits of your show? "Maybe underneath all of that was a fear that I wouldn't be a good dad. Mike Birbiglia was initially reluctant to become a father, but his wife, Jen Stein, saw things things differently. Mike Birbiglia was born on June 20, 1978, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA. This American Life put his sleepwalking tale on its show in 2008, making his story about crashing through the window the centerpiece of the program, and later brought him back to tell stories on other programs including one Birbiglia says is among his most painful memories: getting his ass kicked in ninth grade when he transferred schools. ". Because apparently diseases, too, love company, he is told he also has Type 2 diabetes and really, really must exercise and watch what he eats. But first, the special starts with a couch. Mike discusses his fourth album, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, with longtime wife JENNIFER STEIN and part time friend PETE HOLMES. Birbiglia nods his head in the direction of the kitchen. Prologue Host Ira Glass talks about his fear of sleep, and reports on other people who have very strong reasons of their own to fear bedtime. I think that encapsulates the challenge and the fun of it. I was so ashamed, so deeply ashamed. NEXT: This American Life goes Hollywood when our program continues, We started to see some of the stories be converted into films six or seven years ago. This special is as . But for literally 10 years, I didnt utter a word about that story to anyone in my life. And (the shows) got about 150 jokes in it., Birbiglia is also writer-director of the semi-autobiographical indie movie Sleepwalk With Me (about a guy who sleepwalks) as well as Dont Think Twice (about a group of improv performers). Its not the outcome I wanted, and that's beautiful also. Nov. 13, 2022. It's such an interestingly polarizing experience, that show. Why do you like that hint of optimism? He is also active in many other social networks like Twitter and Instagram. It was. Maybe just because I had a rough pregnancy and so I think I went the other way. Watch highlights, outtakes and behind the scenes footage of Conan palling around with sidekick Andy Richter, tormenting Associate Producer Jordan Schlansky and playing the latest video games on Clueless Gamer.ABOUT TEAM COCOTeam Coco is the YouTube home for all things Conan OBrien and the Team Coco Podcast Network. Birbiglias virtuosity as a narrator is very real, giving him full control over the evening and the audiences reactions. So during the day, he was gone all day. Updated December 20, 2019 at 04:13 AM EST. Comic Mike Birbiglia On His Best Failure And The 3 Rules Of Improv They agreed to have a baby, and, after a difficult pregnancy, Stein gave birth to their daughter, Oona, in 2015. And his feelings about not wanting to be a father, I didn't hear that a lot from him. This, of course, sets up a new flurry of self-deprecating comments that Birbiglia deploys in his deceptively sleepy semi-monotone, which at times makes him sound as if he were startling himself. I think there's a lot of nuance there. Mike discusses his second album, My Secret Public Journal Live, with longtime brother JOE BIRBIGLIA. Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool. No, we are. The comedian once again proves his virtuosity as a narrator, weaving a new harrowing tale in his latest Broadway show. I had borrowed money from friends and friends of my parents, and I used all the money I made from waiting tables in high school. Its sort of early days for him and you can tell. Many jokes at a recent performance were met with knowing laughter, as with the first mention of Birbiglias daughter, Oona, whose origin story, so to speak, was the subject of The New One, with which he made his Broadway debut four years ago. So I go up to the banquet room and the person in charge says, Theres going to be two speakers, and then you, and then a raffle. And I said, Well thats exciting, Ive never opened for a raffle. The first speaker goes up and he is a boy who survived leukemia and hes very inspiring and everyone is crying, including me. My only guess is some combination of weather and Catholicism. And so it's probably part of my experience that that's something that can happen in that time period, if things go that way. At the time, I was opening for Mitch Hedberg, who I thought was the coolest comedian on earth. What do you think sets The Old Man and the Pool apart from your other non-fiction works? I think that's accurate. The audience in front of me would feel bad, and you dont want them to feel bad for you. I was really inexperienced at the time and I didnt bring another outfit to get changed into for the evening. His dreams could have broken him metaphorically speaking when he lost everyones money on the ill-fated Extras short, or flopped repeatedly in his early days as a traveling comic, or he could have literally been broken when he crashed Hulk-like through that hotel window. It was more about my health and Oona's health. On Mike sleeping in a separate room and not being able to help with the baby at night because of his dangerous sleepwalking disorder. Mike Birbiglia's stand-up career began as a server at a comedy club when he was in college. The answer is as obvious as it is pie-shaped: pizza. So the way I understood marriage, the way I was taught marriage as a child, was that it was forever, no matter what. A hostile audience you can write off. Im a niche comedian. Birbiglia, 44, isn't just a comedian. A year after his debut he was also featured in Cedar Rapids (2011) and Your Sister's Sister (2011). Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. It was a scary moment in my life. ". And I think for Jen, the physical relationship was their version of talking. That was the key the act. The room sort of cleared out; half or a third of the audience left because there cant be anyone more famous than Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms. Comedian Mike Birbiglia hits Broadway with a hilarious yet profound one-man show that recounts his emotional and physical journey to parenthood. He has also made his successful appearances in movies including Sleepwalk with Me (2012), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Adult Beginners (2014), Hot Pursuit (2015), Orange Is the New Black (2015) and Trainwreck (2015). I have what I call a drowners body.. Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool,. Filmed for Netflix at the Intiman Theater in Seattle, Mike Birbiglia talks about his first kiss, his first girlfriend, his first time making a crush laugh hard, and more. In 2002, at 24 years old, Birbiglia was booked on the Late Show with David Letterman. MIKE BIRBIGLIA is a comedian, storyteller, director and actor who has performed in front of audiences worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Broadway. And one of the things is that Jen felt like she thought the marriage might end in that period of time that first 13 months with a child and I didn't know that, but I could feel it. It was just kind of shocking. Once again, the descriptions of his health issues are graphic and groan-inducing: Birbiglias body is his greatest foe and keeps coming up with new ways to betray him. Writer: Mike Birbiglia: The New One. His brother named Joe Birbiglia. Now youre a married man with a kid who goes to the YMCA five days a week. One of my first jokes was: I was an altar boy as a kid and the answer is, "No." It's making me think about what we were talking about earlier, the idea that something has to be relatable in order for you to enjoy it. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. This brings me to an important question: "Why didnt you just stay in a hotel?" The victim: beloved comedian Jonathan Katz, who the brash young Birbiglia followed into the men's room in order to unprofessionally beg the Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist star for a job. It's a parent thing. I don't feel like that was part of the experience when I was pregnant.