In last week’s blog post, I mentioned some TV shows and movies Olive Oyl and I have enjoyed, and some readers appreciated it, so here’s another, along with a cherished personal story.
I first saw Zach Galifianakis at a theater in NYC around ‘03 or ’04, when he was an up-and-coming stand-up comic opening for a well-known comedian. I loved his set and thought he stole the show. I’ve been a big fan ever since. His faux-interview segments from a few years back, Between Two Ferns, are hilarious.
His latest thing is a wonderful series of short episodes on Netflix called This is a Gardening Show. It comedically mixes facts about growing food with interviews with kids and experts. It’s wonderful!
My cherished story about Zach: Around 2007, I attended the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Galifianakis was one of the many performers in the two-day festival, and I went to see one of his shows.
It took place in a small theater with a proscenium stage, cafe tables on the floor, and a small balcony with theater seats. During his show, he left the stage and wandered through the floor tables, improvising with random audience members.
After a couple of stops, he happened by my table, stuck the mic in my face, and asked, “What’s your name?” I said, “Dan.”
He said, “And what do you do?”
“I’m a cartoonist,” I replied.
“Oh really? What do you do? Have I seen your work?”
I said, “I do a newspaper comic called Bizarro.”
To my self-shitting surprise, the audience erupted in cheers and applause. That alone would’ve been enough, but it got better.
Zach said, “Oh my god. I love your work! I’ve read Bizarro for years.”
Holy crap, are you kidding me?! I melted like a schoolgirl meeting Paul McCartney in the ‘60s. I went backstage after the show and gushed over him, and he probably thought I was a dork. That’s the last time we spoke, and he doubtless has no memory of it ever happening.
That kind of public recognition almost never happens to a cartoonist, certainly not mid-level ink jockeys like me. It’s still my favorite moment of my whole career. I don’t know what my second-favorite moment would be, but it’s probably too boring to even write about.
Anyway, his This is a Gardening Show is charming and funny, and you’ll love it. If you don’t, don’t tell me.
English (US) · 