Earlier this afternoon, Rob Delaney descended into the belly of the Internet to do a Reddit AMA. He answered silly questions and serious questions and everything in between. Here are the best quotes.
On if he’s worried about being known as “The Twitter Guyâ€:
I actually don’t. And if I were known that way, that’d be fine too. I’m 35, married, a dad, sober; I’m VERY boring in real life. That I can make a living by telling jokes, be it online, onstage, on TV or wherever the hell makes me very, very grateful. If I complained AT ALL, it would be fair to call me a stupid-headed cop-butt fingerer.
On if he’d rather fight a horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses:
The horse sized duck because I would feel terrible killing a bunch of adorable little angry horses. The big duck though I would attack with ferocity as I tried to not be killed by its big beak.
On the difference between making fun and harassing celebrities:
My sort of M.O. with that stuff is to make ME look like the weirdo. I also ONLY do it to INCANDESCENTLY FAMOUS people, for whom “getting attention from weirdos†is part of their job description. That said, if I EVER found out it actually bothered them, I would instantly stop. I do NOT want to harass people (unless they’re nefarious or having what I consider to be a negative effect on the world [which, let us remember, is MY OPINION, not fact]) nor do I want to make it seem to those who follow me that actually harassing people is ok or even cool. Again, I’m not perfect and I DO try to examine and reexamine my motives and I appreciate questions such as this one.
On the joke he wished he could take back:
One time I joked that I hoped your genitals wouldn’t dry up and fall off. I really regret that. Let it be known I hope they rot, then fall off.
On his fave books:
Moby Dick, Beloved, and Mysteries by Knut Hamsun.
On his fave movie:
Probably “In the Loop†by Armando Iannucci. Not only is it HILARIOUS throughout. It’s also about important things.
On doing more personal material in his act:
The more standup I do, the more I want to talk about things I truly care about. Am I afraid of it? I should talk about it. Is it “controversial� I should talk about it. I am generally finding it results in bigger laughs and a more enjoyable evening for the people who were kind enough to come see me.
On why he tweets about Mitt Romney so often:
I find him to be very, very silly and since he’s always in the news, he’s always in front of my face and eyes. So I usually think “Hey there’s that silly guy†again and make a joke.
On how he feels about his wife or kid reading his tweets:
Um, if my kid sees my tweets, he’ll probably be horrified if he just reads 3 or 4. I feel like if he read 30 or 50, a more nuanced picture of a non-terrifying weirdo might emerge and he wouldn’t be afraid anymore. My wife is very very funny and as long as my jokes aren’t lazy, which they sometimes are, she is ok with the content.
On balancing being an edgy stand-up and his feminist ideals:
Honestly, I don’t really pause about saying things about women since I know and trust enough women and their intellects/hearts to form their own opinions. I can’t “tell†people what to think. Much more useful than me outlining my motives or whatever is to just try and live my life in a way that is reflective of someone who cares about women (and men) and their best interests. I can only hope that comes across in my comedy. If it doesn’t, then, in a just world, I will fade into obscurity and be used as an example of a “shit person.â€
On balancing the demands of being married and being an artist:
Wow, this is the big one. I don’t know. Do the fuck out of both? Like I hit comedy HARD then when I’m home I try to be SUPER attentive and giving and available to my family. Carve out touchstone blocks of time for your gf that comedy can’t touch and communicate with her upfront about your upcoming weekly/monthly schedule so there are no/few surprises? These are all just ideas. I know for me I wouldn’t be HALF as funny as I am if it weren’t for my family, so they are definitely 2 wings of the same bird. Also: don’t “hate†this issue. Live with it, try to work with it?