Eugene Mirman’s background is the first thing that sets him apart from most comedians.
The imposing stand-up’s family emigrated from Russia when he was 4 years old for — what else? — a better life in America. The 34-year-old has become a fixture on the indie comedy scene thanks to his uniquely absurdist sense of humor and ever-roaming eye.
A veteran of Patton Oswalt’s Comedians of Comedy tours, Mirman also co-created the long-running showcase Invite Them Up in his current hometown of New York City. He now runs the successor, Tearing the Veil of Maya, in Brooklyn with fellow hipster comedian Michael Showalter (MTV’s “The State,” Comedy Central’s “Stella”).
We talked to Mirman in advance of his shows in Denver this week — first on Sunday at the Larimer Lounge with Adam Cayton-Holland, and again on Thursday at La Rumba for The Onion A.V. Club’s RSVP- only DNC party with Neil Hamburger.
Q:I understand you designed your own comedy major while attending Hampshire College in western Massachusetts.
A: Lots of people will major in the history of Bolivia or whatever. I did a one-hour stand-up act as my thesis, which I wrote, promoted and produced. I don’t know if any material survived from that — maybe one joke I did on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”
Q: What was your first gig like?
A: It went deceptively well, as a lot of people’s do. There were lots of friends there (at Catch a Rising Star in Cambridge, Mass.) and I was nervous. Next time it was much worse, but by then it was too late. I knew what it felt like.
Q:You’ve played some of the best comedy shows in the country like Eating It, Tinkle and Comedy Death-Ray. Did those help you get record deals with Suicide Squeeze and the Sub Pop?
A: The person who books all my stuff (Robin Taylor) is friends with the people from those labels because she’s from Seattle. I grew up listening to comedy records my whole life, so it was something I always wanted to do. For some people a comedy record is what you do after you’re recognized, but for me it was a way of getting known, instead of a sitcom.
Q: Your do-it-yourself ethic has largely placed you outside of the traditional comedy club circuit. Was that intentional?
A: Comedy clubs are a thing of the ’80s. At least that’s the stereotype. The only way you break that cycle is by doing something that changes it.
Q:Do you think you’re helping?
A: That’s not the point of it. Ultimately all I want is a career where people come to see me. Comedy will save itself, but if I had a glowing sword it might be easier . . .
Q: What’s your new show, Tearing the Veil of Maya, like?
A: It overlapped for about a year with Invite Them Up, and now (Maya) is the only weekly show I’m involved in producing. It’s two blocks from my house, so it’s a very neighborhood-y show to me. Julie Smith books it. She also did all my stuff for (ill-fated website) SuperDeluxe.com.
Q:I’ve heard you also have a book coming out from Harper Collins.
A:I used to do a blog for the Village Voice and I got a book agent, so I went around pitching a book that was a guide to modern life. It’s called “The Will to Whatevs,” and it’s basically a fake self-help book that takes you through life. It tells people how to fall in love, bathroom etiquette and how to start a manufacturing plant.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Eugene Mirman
Comedy. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St., with Adam Cayton-Holland. Sunday. 8 p.m. $15. 303-291-1007 or .
