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A conversation with Jamie Kennedy
The comedian appears live at Capt. Brien’s Monday through Wednesday
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The Marco Eagle recently caught up with famous actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy to talk about his latest projects and his appearance Monday through Wednesday, at Capt. Brien’s Off the Hook Comedy Club.
Kennedy is probably best known for his role in the Scream trilogy of horror films, his sketch comedy TV reality show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, and his starring role in Son of the Mask.
Kennedy has his own production company, Wannabe Producers. He has produced, written and performed in several TV shows and movies and has written an autobiography titled Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment.
Q: What’s your brand of stand-up comedy?
A: I do characters, impressions, tell stories about my life, talk about the first time I had sex ... just different things about the kind of people I meet around the world and stuff from my life. I also like to mess around with the crowd a lot, it makes people feel more at home — it’s a bonding experience.
Q: Do you have pre-written material or is a lot of it off the cuff?
A: Dude, this is a big interview. I have material, but, like I said, I also play with the crowd because I think they’re fun, and I mix it up. Sometimes it can be improv. I just always want to make sure everybody has a good time.
Q: Are you going to perform any rap?
A: No, I’ve given that up now. I’ve wrapped up my rap career.
Q: What are some of the projects you’ve been working on?
A: Well, I finished my movie, Kickin’ It Old School, and that’s out on DVD now. I have a documentary about heckling coming out probably some time in ’08 called Heckler. That’s my first serious project. I go and interview hecklers around the country and critics and hold them accountable, and I ask them why they do what they do.
Real criticism now is much more personal with bloggers — there’s no accountability. I mean, yes, antagonism sells, but it’s different now. ... If you’re gonna criticize me, criticize my work — not my family.
Showtime and Weinstein bought the documentary, so it’ll be out in ’08.
Q: What about the persona you invented who helped launch your career — Marty Pauer?
A: Basically, what I was doing was telemarketing during the day, and doing a lot of voices to try to get people to buy things to make them feel like they were talking to a friend or a neighbor. ... Like if I was talking to somebody in New York I’d do a New York accent.
Eventually, I got really good at it, but it was a soul-sucking job.
Then I started calling people as a character pushing myself. And I still have to push a lot of my own stuff. I’d love to sit back and just let my reps do all that, but sometimes they don’t come up with the things that I want them to and I still have to push stuff myself, and I will probably continue to. I still have to do a lot of hustling ... I have to hustle for the good stuff.
Q: So, you haven’t reached your goal yet, as far as your career?
A: No, not at all. I want to be able to make the movies I want to make and branch out and do regular stuff that’s not so dramatic — a little more mainstream. I’m still like everybody’s kid brother, you know. I’m like Jamie — not JAMIE.
Q: Anything you want Marco Islanders to know before you come down here to perform?
A: Make sure you eat before the show, I hate hearing forks while I’m performing. (pause) That was kind of supposed to be funny?
And bring out your depends underwear, because you’re gonna crap yourself ... from laughing so hard.
And if they want to know anything else, visit myspace.com/jamiekennedy or jamiekennedy.com and my blogs are at jamiekennedy.net.


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