Writing Jokes with Michael Brumm (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert)
Honestly, after a while, it is kind of fun to bomb.
[@mbrumm on Twitter]
When did you realize that you could make a career in humor?
I still haven’t quite realized that. I remember listening to a radio interview with Harry Shearer and he said he only thought he’d be in the business for a little while and then move on to something more stable. Even though I’ve been doing this for 10+ years, I still kind of feel the same way. The panic of “this thing can disappear at any moment” still looms over me. Some people are more confident with their career/lives. Those people are my heroes.
What is it about Chicago that makes for such funny comedians?
This may have changed over the years. But when I was doing improv in Chicago, it seemed like people just did it because they loved it. They weren’t doing it to get famous; they were just doing it to have fun. And there’s something pure about that. There’s something about just doing something for the sake of it, without trying to achieve anything, that frees you up to be funny.
What were the series of events that led you to writing for The Colbert Report?
It was mostly through improv and dumb luck. I knew this improviser named Ali Davis (great person), who worked for this company called Jellyvision, which makes the game You Don’t Know Jack (great game). Anyway, she told me about a writing position opening at her company and I applied and got it. It was there where I worked with Allison Silverman (another great person), who would later go on to be the head writer and executive producer for The Colbert Report. We stayed in touch over the years and, well, she was generous enough to give me a chance to apply for Colbert. So, to amend my opening a bit, I got my job mostly through improv, dumb luck, and the generosity of friends.
Are there any differences in writing for a cable network vs. writing for a nationally broadcast station? If so, how do they compare?
They’re both kind of wonderful in their own way. While we were on cable, it felt like we were kids who were putting on a show. There weren’t a lot of rules or adults around. We were just running around having fun. Broadcast is a little more adult, a little more corporate and buttoned-up. But you have access to bigger guests and bigger budgets, so you can do a bit more. So yeah, in my experience, they’re a little different, but they’re also both a lot of fun.
What advice would you give someone who wants to write for TV?
I would say embrace the crooked path. You don’t have to go from college to LA to super stardom. Take the crooked path. Get a shitty job, go to grad school, get another shitty job that gives you insurance. Just keep trying along the way to get what you want. But if it doesn’t happen right away, don’t stress. Those shitty jobs and tangents along the way will give you material later on.
What’s the hardest part about coming up with jokes everyday?
It’s getting used to the emotional roller coaster. You’ll have good days and bad days. One day you’ll pitch something that everybody loves. The next day you’ll pitch something that really just unbelievably bombs. It’s just getting used to that feeling. Knowing that when you’re down, you’ll go up, and when you’re up, you’ll go down. But you get used to it. And, honestly, after a while, it is kind of fun to bomb, because those are usually the craziest, wildest pitches.
If you weren’t a writer, what do you think you would be doing?
I’ve always fantasized about being a bike messenger. Whenever I see those guys get in the elevator, with their pants leg rolled up, their tattoos, and their shades, I always think, “Man, I wish I was that was me.” So yeah, probably a bike messenger. Or maybe just someone who creepily ogles bike messengers in elevators.
What makes a joke funny?
Fart sounds?
Michael is a Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer and infrequent Twitterer
For more on humor, follow @jokewriting on Twitter.
Interview by Zuri Irvin (@withzuri)
