Seven Year Itch

The Simpsons writer returns to the stage

by Ben Kharakh

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Published: Feb 20, 2007

"Idon't so much drop jokes as I forget them," says comedian and former Simpsons writer Dana Gould. "People quote something, and I'll go, 'Yeah, what ever happened to that? I'll do it tonight.'" So when Gould hits the stage at Helium, one of his first standup gigs in nearly seven years, ask him to tell the one about recruiting a bunch of Goths to help Vampira move into a new apartment, while her massive dog shat itself.

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City Paper: Is there anything you regret not joking about on The Simpsons?

Dana Gould: We wanted to do something about a Paris Hilton type, but her real life was so close to parody that when we tried to make fun of her, she just seemed too tragic. This is not to imply that I did not enjoy watching her have sex on the Internet. I did.

CP: Has the experience affected your comedic sensibility?

DG: The great thing about The Simpsons is [that it's] informed by the voices of the writers, and not vice versa. Its premise is elastic enough to allow different styles to emerge before they are synthesized into the fabric of the individual episodes. See how excruciatingly boring it is when you have a serious discussion about comedy? Brutal! Torture! Blech!

CP: What do you think of when you hear "Philly"?

DG: I think of the Philadelphia Flyers. Smothered in cheese.

CP: Any memories of performing in Philly that you can share?

DG: Most of them involve David Brenner, a hot tub and amyl nitrate. So no.

CP: What were "the good old days" like?

DG: To me, "the good old days" were the very early '90s. We were at war with Iraq [and] under the command of an uncaring billionaire named Bush. Crazy times.

CP: As a comedian, would you prefer that things go awry so you can write more jokes?

DG: I have enough faith in humanity's imperfections that there will always be something to talk about. Last week an astronaut in a diaper tried to kill her boyfriend's wife or something — I'm not sure of the specifics. They had me at "astronaut in a diaper." Neil Armstrong doesn't seem so cool now that you think of him coming down that ladder in puddin' pants, does he?

CP: When will we see [NBC's] Working on DVD? Can you talk about the commentary tracks?

DG: Fred Savage is laughing there because Steve Hytner, Arden Myrin and I just lined his desk drawers on the set with porn. We were all adults at the time.

CP: What do you think of every show being on DVD nowadays?

DG: I don't want to be standing at the Pearly Gates explaining why I spent my life watching DVDs of sitcoms I'd already seen. I mean, really ... do something else. Fold up old paper bags. Make a puppet. Dress like an angel and convince a wino that he's died. Something constructive.

Dana Gould

Thu., Feb. 22, 8 p.m., Fri.-Sat., Feb. 23-24, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $20-$29, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, www.heliumcomedy.com

 

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