Phillyist Interviews... Christian Finnegan

Standup comedian Christian Finnegan, who has the benefit of being both hilarious and adorable, will be appearing tonight through Saturday at Helium Comedy Club. You might know him from VH1's Best Week Ever, or perhaps from his spots on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, or you may have the pleasure of knowing his stand-up from his albums, Two for Flinching and his latest, Au Contraire.

Phillyist had the pleasure of chatting with Christian before he hit town.

You were just in Philly back in May (we did a giveaway for your DVD). What made you decide to come back so soon?
I was actually scheduled to do this weekend before I was scheduled to do that show. This weekend had been on the books for a long time, and at the last minute, I said, "Hey, why don't I do a little DVD release tour?" where I did 15 cities or something, just one-night shows. So this is kind of more like a legit, full weekend.

I would come back to Helium as often as they'd have me. I really like that club and I really love Philly.

While you're in Philly, what are some of your favorite things to see or do?
Even though I've been to the club three or four times, [and] I've spent a lot of time in Philly—I filmed my DVD there—I've still never been to the Mütter Museum. So I feel like I kind of have to do that. I would like to get off the beaten track a little bit. I usually get stuck in the area of the club, or going down to South Street. I would like to see a little bit more of the city.

You talk about fashion trends a lot in your act (mullets, vests, putting on outfits). What's the most appalling trend you've seen recently?
I am on a crusade—I wouldn't say it's a one-man crusade 'cause I know other people feel the same way—against the Ed Hardy t-shirts. I really hate them, and listen, you know, if people out there want to wear Ed Hardy t-shirts, it's fine, as long as you acknowledge that you are wearing the Member's Only jacket of this generation, and that 20 years from now when you have kids, there's going to be a reckoning when they're flipping through the photo album, and they're saying, "Daddy, why were you wearing a purple spangly dragon on your chest?" I definitely feel like in the comic-book world that you would always know who to avoid, 'cause like, "OK, that guy has on a black cape and a cast-iron face plate. He's probably an asshole." It's the closest thing we have to know that you're about to interact with a prick in the real world is the Ed Hardy t-shirt.

You also talk in your act about Strunk & White, as well as font jokes, which, as a group of editorial types, is why Phillyist adores you so. Do you have a biggest language annoyance? Also, do you have a favorite font?
I really can't stand that instead of "Excuse me?" or "Come again?," people are now saying, "What happened?" That just infuriates me to a degree that is way out of proportion. It's so enraging. It used to just be a New York thing, but now I go other places and you'll be at Rite-Aid, and say, "Excuse me, where would I find the shampoo?" and [they'll say] "What happened?" Nothing happened. I just want to know where the shampoo is. And at this point, I don't think kids are necessarily being rude when they do that. In their head, they're thinking "Excuse me?" but just that's the way they say, "Excuse me." But the implication of "What happened?" is: "Surely something must have happened, because otherwise you wouldn't be bothering me like this." It implies that I don't have a right to be talking to you.

[As far as fonts], I'm a big Century Gothic fan. Tahoma, I'm sort of fond of. I don't like the overly rigid-looking ones, like the Times New Roman.

We read on your Twitter that Jeff Dunham is perhaps not your comedic cup of tea. Who or what does make you laugh?
I sometimes feel bad about that whole Jeff Dunham thing. It's just I don't know what to say, because people think that if you're in comedy, that you must love all comedy. And not only is that not true, it's quite the opposite. It makes you much more sensitive to the things you don't like. I love Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Jesse Joyce is a young comic who I'm really fond of. Who else? You know, 30 Rock. Oh, Tom Scharpling, who hosts The Best Show on WFMU, broadcasting out of New Jersey. WFMU is, like, a free-form radio station, it's all listener donations and it's a really great comedy show that they do once a week, which I highly recommend to everyone, it's such a great way to spend a couple hours. I listen to it on podcasts. I'm a big fan.

We follow your Facebook and your Twitter—what effect, if any, do you think social networking sites have had on your career?
I think it's just sort of part and parcel. You have to do it; it's like having a cell phone. If you want to be a comedian now, it really kind of comes with the territory. I'm not as involved with it as a lot of other people are. I do a lot of updating, but I don't really deal with Facebook beyond that much, like I'm not posting videos and vlogging and things like that. I don't know what the effect has been. I mean, I think on the one hand, it's been great, it's made comedy a lot more egalitarian. The gatekeepers aren't the same as they used to be, you don't have to impress some guy who books some show. You can create a fan base all on your own and then the powers-that-be kind of have to catch up. You look at a young kid like Bo Burnham, they had to come after him. So it's been great in that sense. I wish it had been around when I was a lot younger, rather than having to adjust to it as a guy in his 30s. A lot of these younger comics now, they just eat, shit, and breathe the stuff. They don't need it explained to them; they just get it. They instinctively understand this technology, whereas someone like me, I'm doing with it what I can, but for me it's pretty much just like, "Oh, here's a way to post a dumb joke I thought of 30 seconds ago."

Can you tell us a little about your appearances on Countdown with Keith Olbermann? How did that come about?
I've been doing it probably about a year and half or so. It came out of Best Week Ever, originally. At the end of the [Olbermann] show, the number-one topic is always something goofy, something of lighter fare, so to speak. It used to be a segment called "Keeping Tabs," where they would talk about tabloid news, Lindsay Lohan, Desperate Housewives, crap like that. Then as the election got into full swing, it started being more about the lighter side of politics. I was brought on originally just to talk about pop culture stuff, and I don't know if it was just good fortune or what, but I was able to convince them that I do read a newspaper, occasionally, and if you ever need someone to make Blagojevich jokes, I'm around. I don't really know why they keep having me back. I'm very fortunate, and obviously, my checks have cleared. I really think that's when Countdown is at its best, when it is a mixture of sort of fire and brimstone and comedy. For me, that's what made me love the show to begin with. Before I was ever involved with it, I used to watch it all the time, 'cause I was like, "Oh, this is like a news show, but with a very urbane wit," which at the time felt very new.

Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to pimp out while you have our admittedly limited attention?
I will be on Chelsea Lately the Monday after I'm at Helium. Just the DVD...you know, Daddy needs to pay his rent. I don't even have any kids, but...

Christian Finnegan
Wednesday through Saturday, 9/23/09-9/26/09
Shows @ 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom Street
All shows 21+
Tickets: $10-$30