THE CENTIDAY FRIDAY FIVE: JAMIE GREENBERG
Humorist, bon vivant, dog lover.
A different kind of Friday Five this week!
Jamie Greenberg is a writer/director whose current project is “Vex Voom In The 21st Century!,” a scripted narrative comedy podcast in the style of a 1930s radio cliff-hanger. His feature film “Future ’38,” an independent comedy starring Betty Gilpin, premiered at Slamdance, where it won the Beyond Feature Audience Award.
In addition to filmmaking, Greenberg has had an extensive television career, including writing on all 5 seasons of PBS’ acclaimed “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” He co-created and produced its sister show “Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego?,” for which he received two Emmy Award nominations.
Greenberg also hosted the Object Of The Week series for History Channel Online, in which he examined and explained incredible historical treasures at the Library Of Congress.
In his spare time he enjoys writing about himself in the third person.
1. You’re a writer, performer, director, and editor. What’s the hardest role for you, and why?
I often do all four jobs on a given project and for me, acting and directing are highly social and spiked with adrenaline (and a little bit of fear). There’s a sense of excitement, even danger, to being on a busy set with all eyes on you. But the thrill of filming is bookended by the writing and editing phases, which, are very long and solitary and often pretty dreary. I guess I find writing the hardest, particularly on a long-form project like a feature film (or my current project, a 26-episode scripted narrative podcast). You could spend years writing a project, and you’re never entirely sure you’re going in the right direction. I liken it to walking for miles and miles in the dark, just hoping you’re headed the right way.
2. What’s the funniest thing in the world to you--book, movie, TV show, what have you--and why?
Without question, the funniest thing ever is the character name “Alotta Fagina” in the first Austin Powers film. It is likely the summit of human endeavor. The humor works on so many axes (meaning the plural of axis, not the chopping thing):
- It is, of course, a parody of the actual James Bond character “Pussy Galore. “
- It manages to be precisely 3% more dopey and absurd than the original.
- Like most parody it embodies the thing it is critiquing: while pointing up how crass and smutty Pussy Galore” is, it is itself very crass and smutty.
- It does manage to sound (ish) like a name, far more than “Pussy Galore”.”
- IT’S FUNNY.
3. There are many theories about humor and what makes people laugh. What’s yours?
I think (having considered this for the first time 7 seconds ago) that there are two things that make humor work: surprise or recognition. We laugh because it’s pleasurable to be surprised (X showed up without pants!) or because it’s pleasurable to recognize something (I didn’t realize X sounds like that… but he really does!). Oh wait the second option also relies on surprise. Okay there’s one thing that makes humor work..
4. Is there a philosophy that underlies your work, or your approach to life in general?
There is a grade of oil called LIGHT SWEET CRUDE. I believe, or at least hope, these three words characterize my approach to humor.
5. What’s your favorite joke that just fell completely flat?
In “Stags,” my first feature film, a supporting character originally had a B-story in which he works for MTV (which I hilariously disguised as “EMPTV”). I actually worked at MTV for years and thus concocted what I thought was a hilarious and trenchant and subversive parody of the network and its shows and its people. (Not including Duff! We never worked together.) I loved all the EMPTV stuff in the script! But despite its incandescent brilliance, the entire subplot was cut in edit… not precisely because it fell flat, but because it was indulgent and extraneous to the main plot. A very bitter lesson.
Bonus question: What should we have asked you, and what's the answer?
Q: Did you ever toss an orange to LL Cool J?
A: OMG, I did actually!