Nick Naney: Yeah, there's gonna be an early show and a late show, uh, just to get like cause I'm gonna put this out online and I wanted to get like, you know different takes or you know just kinda make it as best as I can.
Jesse: Uh huh, so you're gonna film both and then you will probably mash them up somehow?
Nick: Somehow, whichever one's funnier, whichever one gets more laughs that'll take uh, you know, or maybe I'll make a version where no one's laughing. That might be interesting.
Jesse: That might be, yeah. Maybe you can add the laughter, even.
Nick: That's true.
Jesse: If you want.
Nick: There's so much to do with technology, with editing.
Jesse: With like the internet too. Yeah, so like you practically live at Union Hall.
Nick: Yeah, like they don't really know that yet, but like I do have like a - there's like a little compartment under the stage and I do live there because I'm going through kind of a rough patch in my marriage and so they don't really know it but like during the daytime if I'm ever out and about, have to take a shit or whatever, I found this janitor's outfit, this wig and like so if anybody catches me, I just pretend I don't speak English. I just say I don't speak English and then I just do what I need to do. It's come close a couple of times but yeah, I have been living there for awhile.
Jesse: Oh, I mean I was just referring to all the shows you do there.
Nick: Oh, yeah yeah yeah, oh geez. I mean obviously, I'm joking. I don't live there. That would be weird and pathetic. I mean I'm joking. I'm a comedian. I mean cmon. But yeah, I do a lot of shows there. It's really great. I mean the worst is when you're trying to sleep under the stage when there's a show going on. It's like Jesus guys, keep it down. But yeah, other than that, it's a pretty great place
Jesse: Is this like your first hour?
Nick: Yeah, I think the most I've ever done on stage is like a half hour. Never, yeah, I've been doing standup for over ten years. Never done an hour and uh, yeah, so a little daunting but I think I'll get through it somehow. I might have to bring some snacks onstage to you know, keep me energized but you know, I think I'll power through.
Jesse: Yeah, you should be able to. Just bring some Kind Bars, or Cliff Bars.
Nick: See, you're thinking smart. I was thinking of cheese puffs or like candy bars, stuff like that. That's just, that's just me, uh, yeah, But I should be thinking like some Kind Bars or fruit, vegetables of some type.
Jesse: You could also do, like, you know, what I always go for is the beef and cheese stick combo.
Nick: Beef and cheese stick combo? Wait, is that like those little beef sticks?
Jesse: Yeah.
Nick: Omg, I've never done that. I've done a Slim Jim before. But the cheese sticks, that seems so like Idk, that's uh, that's uh, tricky, I think.
Jesse: It's pretty clutch.
Nick: It's cush?
Jesse: It's clutch, like it def gets the job done.
Nick: Maybe I'll do that.
Jesse: Do you drink Red Bull?
Nick: No, not unless I have to. Not unless it's a really desperate situation. I'm usually just coffee and water. And pure vibes, you know what I mean?
Jesse: Yeah, definitely like I've seen it. What's it called? So like Nessun Dorma, I did a little research on the title and it said that for football fans especially it's a particularly poignant piece to play at a funeral.
Nick: What, really?
Jesse: Yeah.
Nick: Oh my God, I had no idea.
Jesse: Yeah, it means "no one sleeps." So what inspired that title?
Nick: Basically, I had been listening to that song Nessun Dorma a lot and I had assumed that it was part of the opera Pagliacci, the story of you know the famous opera Pagliacci, where it's about a clown that's depressed. And you know so I was like that would be a great name for the special because there's this sorta introspective side of it where I'm exploring like you know in a sense the persona I do onstage is sort of a sad clown so I was like okay, great, so I'll just, this'll be like a little reference to that. But then as I started promoting the show, I found out it's not a part of that opera. It's part of another opera. And uh but I still liked the title so I kept it. And I think it adds, so I still think it's connected to the show in sorta this, Idk. There are some themes of opera. Idk, it's very bullshit tied to what my show is but you know we're figuring it out here. We're working out the kinks.
Jesse: Well I felt like based on past performances I've seen you do between open mics to like an evening of hella to what I've seen you post, I was just interpreting it like maybe it's just titled that way because he's hella hype.
Nick: That's one way to look at it.
Jesse: Like nobody's sleeping at my show.
Nick: Yeah, I would hope not. There's no pillows or blankets allowed. Everybody has to be wide awake, and I'm going to make sure of that. I'm going to, you know, if you're in the direct line of fire of my gaping mouth, then you are, you know, you'll never need a Red Bull at one of my shows. So I guess, yeah, that works too.
Jesse: Nobody's allowed to sleep at Nick Naney's hour, Nessun Dorma.
Nick: Nobody, nobody, yeah. I will sue you if you sleep at my show this Thursday night at Union Hall.
Jesse: Like I imagine if anyone does that in your line of sight, you're gonna go for it.
Nick: Of course, they're gonna wish they were never born.
Jesse: That would be what I anticipate.
Nick: Yeah, some comedians have hecklers. I have sleepers. These sporty wankers counting sheep. Trying to sabotage my magnum opus and I'm coming to get em, you know.
Jesse: You're coming to get all the sleepers.
Nick: Yeah, I'm like a version of Freddy Kruger. If you fall asleep, I'm gonna get you.
Jesse: That's terrifying.
Nick: It is pretty terrifying. I scared myself just thinking about it.
Jesse: Would you say the clown theme is gonna be like a bit of a departure from what I've seen you do?
Nick: No, no, so the clown thing is just because Pagliacci's a clown. But Pagliacci represents more of a comedian. I don't consider myself a clown. What I'm gonna do up there is very related to what you've seen me do. I'm gonna be doing a lot of those bits and uh, yeah, it's like a performance piece but it's mostly standup based. So I'll say that.
Jesse: How long have you been working on this set?
Nick: Technically, I've been working on it for 13 years. The show is kind of a culmination. I mean I'm over-dramatizing it if that's a word, but it is kind of a culmination of all my years of doing standup and there's some jokes in there that're like seven years old and stuff that I've been working on but I think in this incarnation I think like I've been building towards this special specifically for about six months now or that's around when I started getting the idea to do this because I kinda feel like covid slowed me down a lot and then I was like kinda lost like what am I doing? Am I even a comedian? What's going on? And then I just like wasn't even really sure if I was even feeling it anymore. Then over the summer I just sorta got back into it and was like I've never done a special before. I should really do it. Originally I was like maybe I'll do an album. But then I thought like I think ppl gotta see what's going on. It's not just an auditory experience. There's so much in my mug, I feel that it would not translate unless we add someone like one of those things where they translate movies for the blind, like you know the titanic just hit an iceberg. Maybe I could do that with the album. Maybe that's something I wanna look into.
Jesse: You definitely should. So when you like come up with these jokes, like what's your idea of a joke, like when do you know you have one?
Nick: My idea of a joke, I mean my jokes are very very loose and you know they kinda, sometimes they're born outta making fun of lame jokes. Sometimes it's just like making fun of the structure of a joke. Sometimes it's me making fun of me for getting mad at something really stupid, like I'll get angry about really really stupid shit so when I go on stage I feel like I'm just really making fun of that anger and uh, you know, I think. Idk, I feel like a lot of my humor is born out of hanging out with people and goofing around. I really like the structure of inside jokes to be quite honest with you. I love when you're like with friends and you have this inside joke and it evolves and it mutates and it's so hard to explain to people like what this reference is, why it's so funny and I really like Idk. There's something just so spontaneous about it, and I really like trying to recapture that in my standup. I really like to sorta recapture this incredibly silly energy around an inside joke that's sort of almost like non-sequitur in a way. Wow, look at me. I'm talking all fucking smart now. I think for me if something makes me kinda laugh, I write down the keyword and I mostly figure it out on stage. I mean that's where I really figure things out if I sit down with a pen and paper, I'm not really gonna come up with much.
Jesse: Are you gonna be doing any of the James Bond material?
Nick: Yeah, that's gonna be in there, and they better get the fucking tech right. If they don't get that tech right, I'm gonna be so fucking mad. I might not even release the special. They better have that fucking song ready. I might walk off the stage. I've been emailing them, making sure they have that song. So hopefully - not even hopefully. They better have that fucking song when I start the show.
Jesse: Yeah, cause I remember at mine. I mean, I didn't get the email.
Nick: You know, I don't think we really need to bring this up, but yeah, I was disappointed at your show because, you know like that's a huge bit, and you know, like to get ppl really into what I'm doing, you know I need to have that song. I guess I forgive you, is what I'm saying.
Jesse: Thanks, man, that means a lot. How many jokes would you say you have for it?
Nick: In the thing? Probably, there's probably 12-14 jokes in there. There's
gonna be like a little turn in the middle of it. Then it comes back into the stand-up.
Jesse: So how have you been rehearsing it?
Nick: In my living room, just to my dog.
Jesse: As a takeaway, what would you say your show's about?
Nick: My show is about the life of the party arriving after the party's ended. I think it's about lost artistry, and what else? It's about being ashamed of your own genitals. What else can I say? I think that's about it.
Jesse: Sick...
Watch Nick Naney's live standup special Nessun Dorma this Thursday 12/08/22 at Union Hall at 7:30pm, 10:00pm, or when it's posted to YouTube
