Misery Loves Comedy Page #4

like, I f***ing hung out in

I could hung out forever

because people were laughing.

And that was, like,

every Sunday or every Friday

or every time we would have,

like, a big meal

where everybody was there,

for some reason,

they would always be laughing at me

and I would be telling stories about...

Sometimes it was like, you know,

terrible things, you know, like,

I got beat up a lot when I was a kid

and, like, my sister thought

it was hilarious, you know?

I remember one time

and she was like, "Oh, my God,

how many times did Dominic

Dipento kick your ass this week?"

And I'd be like,

"It's not funny, all right?"

And I'd start to cry

and then I'd turn into a joke,

and then, like, it would turn

into, like, a bit or something.

I don't remember a lot...

making the family laugh.

More that I would laugh a lot

at the family, you know?

I would laugh a lot

at my uncle's jokes

and comedy shows

and things like that.

And it was the feeling of that

- that made me interested in comedy, I think.

- Right.

It was quite a while before you consciously

made the decision to try to make...

To make a joke, yes.

How much later? How old...

My first joke was...

I was a late joker.

My first joke was at 21.

Seriously?

No, no, no, no.

That was great.

I just like telling stories.

I would have my family sit

around and I would be like,

"Guys, I have this story,

you have to hear it."

And they'd be like...

I would just make up a story

as I went along,

a horrible story,

just about, like, fake...

Animals, I'd be like...

"So this rabbit

just was in the forest."

And they were just like,

"We know you're making this up

as you go along

and it's not good."

And... but... and my dad would

film it and then we'd watch it

and I'd be like, "Oh, my God,

this girl is gonna make it."

So it was definitely

for me, personally,

'cause I really don't know

about kids on purpose,

but for me personally, I...

My narcissism

and thinking that I

deserved attention

was... was reinforced

by my parents.

Every kid makes up

knock-knock jokes,

but it takes kids

a long time to understand it.

- They'll still try it.

- Right.

They'll make up their own rules,

and they're funny

because they've got

the idea wrong.

You know, I actually

was a very, very shy kid.

I don't think I was funny

until after... until I left home.

And so that's why my parents

are still surprised.

They're like, "What is...

what is happening?

Why... Why are you

on Letterman?"

There's something about

family, that connection,

and then to have

that secret kind of

sense of humor together,

where the same goofy sh*t

makes you laugh.

Like, everyone loves

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