Why Uncool Is Cool: An Interview with Paul Feig

Interviewed by Less Lee Moore

Paul Feig is one of my heroes. In this age of cynicism, that probably sounds corny, but it’s the truth. Paul Feig has been a stand-up comedian and an actor and is currently a writer, director, producer, and author.

Paul Feig

You may have heard his name mentioned as the creator of Freaks and Geeks, the greatest television show ever made. Or you may have seen his name on the credits of Arrested Development and more recently, The Office and 30 Rock.

His books—Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence and Superstud, Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin—are required reading for anyone who was ever considered an outcast for the “crime” of being a dork.

Now that the Writer’s Strike is over, Paul is hard at work on his new NBC show, Kath and Kim, so I was honored that he took the time to be interviewed for Popshifter.

This was less an interview and more of a hilarious conversation, however. In between discussions of Rivers Cuomo, Duran Duran’s video for “The Reflex,” and our shared obsessions with Cheap Trick, I learned a lot about Paul’s experiences in the entertainment industry. I also learned that despite all of his impressive achievements, not to mention multiple award nominations and wins, he’s a super down-to-earth and humble guy.

Popshifter: I should really get the whole Freaks and Geeks fangirling thing out of the way, because it is just my absolute favorite show ever.

Paul Feig: Oh, thanks!

Popshifter: So thank you for making it possible.

Paul Feig: Anytime! (laughs) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Popshifter: I can only imagine. I was listening to your Drinks With Tony interview, which was really funny. I think it was from when [your book] Superstud had just come out.

Paul Feig: Yeah, I was on the book tour for that.

Popshifter: You said something like, “Weird humiliation from the past + time = comedy.” That’s really funny because I think that’s true of the humor of Freaks and Geeks and also your books. I actually have diaries from age 12 to when I got out of college. And I have lots of embarrassing stories in them. I’ll usually say that if you [Paul Feig] can turn that into comedy, then I can do it, too!

Paul Feig: I’m telling you! Have you read any of the Mortified books?

Superstud, Or How I
Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin

Popshifter: No!

Paul Feig: Oh, It’s great! It’s a whole stage show. They have two books out now. They basically go into to people’s old diaries and print exactly word-for-word from the diaries, people’s old poems, old song lyrics. . .

Popshifter: That’s amazing, I’ll have to check that out.

Paul Feig: Yeah, it’s really funny. It’s kinda what I did with Superstud. We both did it at the same time, apparently. They chose one of [my entries] for their readings!

Popshifter: In terms of Freaks and Geeks and the tone of the show, you also directed Arrested Development, another show that was so good, it also was canceled.

Paul Feig: I’m the kiss of death! I finally broke it with The Office.

Click to read more from Paul Feig on. . .

Directing Freaks and Geeks
Directing Arrested Development
His obsessive knowledge of laugh tracks
More on laugh tracks, plus the “comedy of innocence”
Dealing with Internet jerks
The outsider, plus embarrassing fanboy encounters
“If it’s fun, it’s fun.”
Music of today vs. music of yesterday
The Hollywood version of funny
What’s cool and uncool
Listening to “the notes”
Where television is today
The fallout from Unaccompanied Minors
His new show Kath and Kim and his upcoming book

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15