Q&A: Kyle Dunnigan

Standup comedian Kyle Dunnigan is known for his work on “Reno 911!,” Comedy Central and a variety of late-night comedy shows.

This weekend, he’ll bring the laughs to the Carrboro ArtsCenter as part of the center’s series featuring professional comedians. He will be presented by Funny Business Live!, a local entertainment agency.

Staff writer Mary Stevens spoke with Dunnigan about his comedy background and dirty jokes.

DTH: How did you get your start in comedy? Did you always want to be a comedian?

Dunnigan: No I didn’t always want to be a comedian. I wanted to be an actor for a while, and I was doing improv and sketch in New York, and there just is no money in that. So, I kind of looked at the standup as something that I could do to get in to other things. It turned out that I really liked doing it. I’d never thought about being a comedian.

DTH: Where do you get your inspiration for your jokes, and how much of your material is based on real life occurrences?

Dunnigan: Most of it’s based on things that really happened to me, and stories about my family. My mother is a character that I use in my act a lot. I have a lot of humiliating things that have happened to me, and I kind of use those in my acts. So, my pain of humiliation is a lot of my inspiration.

DTH: Do you have a particular process for writing your jokes?

Dunnigan: I don’t have a set time that I write every day. Things have come out of goofing around with friends. I can kind of tell now when it will work onstage or something that won’t. It’s a weird thing because most things are just funny with your friends; it’s rare that something is funny with your friends and also something that you can take onstage and talk about in front of strangers.

DTH: What is your favorite thing about comedy?

Dunnigan: I like the community of it, the connection with the audience. When you feel like they’re relating with what you’re saying, it just makes you feel connected to people.

DTH: If you weren’t a professional comedian and actor, what do you think you would be doing?

Dunnigan: I would be a really good waiter. No, I probably would be a psychologist. I like to hear people’s problems and try to figure them out…. I think that’s why I do characters; they usually come from people I observed.

DTH: What is your favorite joke?

Dunnigan: Uh…This is a little dirty….What is this paper for? Kids?

DTH: It’s for college students.

Dunnigan: I guess I like dirty jokes….Sarah Silverman has a joke, she says, “My boyfriend says I smell like a peach down there. A peach, a peach tree. A peach tree dish.”

DTH: Do you have any projects you’re working on right now?

Dunnigan: I just got a deal with Comedy Central to write a show, and I’m working on that right now. And, I produced a show last year, which we’re waiting to hear if that gets picked up. They have until late November, so if that gets picked up, I’ll be working on that, too.

DTH: There’s a growing interest in comedy in Chapel Hill. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming comedians?

Dunnigan: I would say, try to be exposing of yourself and not judge yourself early. Be exposing to a point where you’re almost really uncomfortable with sharing what you’re going to say, and just do it. And, no matter how it goes, don’t beat yourself up or judge yourself until you’ve done it for a couple years, then you can start judging.

See Kyle Dunnigan perform at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.