What do your parents/children (delete as applicable) think of your job?
My Aunt definitely thinks I’m more financially successful than I am. She’s always circling the drain about “being on my payroll.” Meanwhile I’m buying batteries with a credit card. My Mom loves coming to my shows, having a Cosmopolitan and falling asleep halfway through my set. But she likes that I have a job which doesn't make me miserable. She’s proud of me for pursuing a dream and making good on a gamble.
What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?
One, travel is tiring. I think people have this idea that comedians have a fancy, jet setting lifestyle. But that’s reserved for only a few comics. The rest of us are waking at 8am to take a crowded flight to Winnipeg. And two, the uncertainty of a paycheck. We’re not on salary, we live gig to gig. So when we don’t have any upcoming dates real nerves kick in and I’ll start fantasizing about less thrilling jobs which offer stability. There’s definitely been moments as a working comedian where I’ve looked at Home Depot employees breaking their backs to lift heavy crates above their heads and thought to myself “you lucky fuck.”
I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?
I think I’m getting there as a comedian with room to grow. But that’s part of the fun with the nature of such a profession. There are moments where I’ll listen to an older set and find real differences. I hear someone who had ideas they didn’t know how to execute. And I know that’s how I’ll find the present when a few years pass. I’m excited to see how this more thematic Fringe solo show affects my next stand up hour.
How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn?
What I earn fluctuates but post-pandemic, I probably bring in the same amount of money as your average 8 year old. I’d like to earn as much as a 9 year old. I don’t care so much for extreme wealth, my dreams read like another person’s needs. I don’t fantasize about owning property, just new AirPods.
How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks?
Luck is super important and I think that supernatural element helps alleviate some pressure. I’ve had a series of lucky breaks since I started. A booker from one of the best independent shows in NYC so happened to be one of the first spots I ever did. So I was booked on that long before I should have. But my luckiest break came from my first TV set. I performed on a super obscure channel called AXS TV. I didn’t think anyone was watching. But the next day I woke up to a tweet from an account “@Train” which read “saw the funniest comedian I’ve ever seen last night, this guy Anthony DeVito.” When I went to reply, I realized the account belonged to the lead singer of the band Train (Drops of Jupiter, Calling all the Angels etc). Since then, we’ve become friends and I’ve even felt so comfortable as to send him a picture of myself on the toilet with the text “just listening to your new album.”
Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into third category?
I think I vacillate between both categories. After my first writing job, I bought a hammock. Most comics would immediately work on how to snowball such a gig into another. But I was content to sway in my backyard with a Tiki drink in my hand. But when I’m locked in, I’m pretty damaging to myself. I’m so internally inflicting that my therapist has made me name the voice inside my head to take the gravity away. I call him Kevin. When I told her, she said “Kevin is a good name. You don’t want a ‘Bruno’ in there.” But, more often than not, Kevin feels like Bruno.
Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians?
And I can’t name ex girlfriends so Adele is out of the question. Not sucking up to the UK but I do admire David Attenborough, only because he’s clearly so close to death but still trying to save the planet. At his age, he could be like “bring on the weed and hookers.” But instead he’s at “Exit Glacier” like “this magnificent ice rock is in grave danger.” But I bet he fucks.
Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response).
I’m unsure if you mean drawers as in my underwear or drawers for my clothes so I’ll answer both. The cleanliness of my underwear depends if I have a reason to shower. If I don’t have a show, I’ll let a few days slide between showers so things can get scary in there. As for my clothes drawers, they’re clean in comparison to my fiance who is an outright mess. Her clothes are everywhere, like landmines on a battlefield. For me, half the drawer is neat and the other half is sloppy. A real yin and yang situation.
Anthony DeVito: My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito: Just he Tonic Mash House, Bottle Room, Aug 4 - 28. Tickets here.
