Simon Rich: Becoming a Comedy Writer
By Ben Kharakh
Simon Rich , author of Ant Farm and writer on Saturday Night Live.
At a young age, were you exposed to comedy, were the cause of laughter,
or were referred to as funny?
When I was a kid, I watched over forty hours of television a week, so I definitely had a lot of exposure to comedy. I also had a lot of exposure to Cops, People's Court, and Prime Minister's Questions on CSPAN, which I thought was a comedy show until I was around 12.
What do you think initially motivated your desire to be funny?
I was always sad when the comedy shows ended and People's Court came on, even though I really liked People's Court and thought it served an important function in society. I wanted to keep laughing even when there wasn't anything funny on TV.
Do you think that by being funny you may be counteracting a sense of inadequacy caused by a defect of personality or circumstance, I.E. poverty or social ineptitude?
I'm not sure, but I will say this: it's hard to develop normal social skills when you're watching TV for 50% of your conscious life.
Did people think you were funny before you thought you were funny?
I thought I was funny for years before another person agreed with me and that person was my mother.
How did you learn to be funny?
I'm still learning. My current strategy is to just watch Youtube clips of Gilbert Gotfried for five hours a day until something clicks.
Was there a moment when you eventually thought, "Well, I guess I'm funny."
When I was nine I was watching the Golden Girls, one of my all-time favorite sit-coms, and I predicted a punch line. It wasn't a very impressive prediction. I think the set-up involved a furniture salesman asking the girls if any of them needed new mattresses. (Blanche did.) Still, for me it was super exciting, because I realized joke writing was a skill I could maybe learn.
When did you make the decision to make comedy your career?
That same day.