Truly one of Gen X’s funniest character actors and stand-up comedians, if you think David Cross’ ongoing legacy of absurdism is somehow obscure, you may not have heard of Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Umbrella Academy, Grand Theft Auto, Kung Fu Panda or (fair enough) the Alvin and the Chipmunks multiverse.
Every fan has their favourite Cross pollinations — it’s hard to say “Pit Pat” without hearing that piercing nasal voice — and being known for specifics is a thing we get into as the New Yorker walks down Sunset Boulevard from Echo Park into Silver Lake.
Q: Can you talk about why it’s fun to play somebody kind of dumb or clueless, because you’re, uh, really good at that?
A: I mean, it’s such a burden being so smart (laughs), and it’s nice to let go every once in a while and taste the other side.
Q: I imagine there’s a rush when you’re being really silly or loud and the crowd gets into it. Is there a sense of crowd surfing?
A: Oh, it’s the best! It’s just like in real life when you’re having a conversation when you meet a girl and for whatever reason, you can’t put your finger on it, but everything is just clicking, you’re in their sexual energy, everything you say is funny — that cool feeling is similar to having a good set.
And I don’t really stick to the script, as it were, and it’s a trite thing: but the more fun the audience is having, it’s cyclical and I’ll have more fun, and the shows tend to be special and unique.
Q: So the show’s evolving with all the cool daily news coming out of Trump world?
A: I was off for about, gosh, several weeks, then did a round of about five shows that addressed the situation, but I haven’t gone out of the country since Trump took office. So that’ll be different. It’s like eight gigs in Canada, and then I go to Europe, so it’s going to be interesting.
Q: You’re coming to Edmonton, which is going through the biggest collective moment of people turning on Gretzky here since he ran off to L.A. in ’88 as he’s been wearing MAGA hats and was at the inauguration.
A: He was? Oh wow. Well, maybe when Ovechkin scores those last few goals that’ll dissipate.
Q: Was there much improv happening on Arrested Development?
A: There was, but it was such a dense show and the scripts were long. And every year we got less and less time because they put more commercials in.
So even though you can see a little bit more in the first season, and it wasn’t discouraged, it rarely made it in because you spent half a day shooting a scene, and it would be cut down to a person answering his telephone.
Q: Compare that ensemble work versus going at it alone.
A: I remember when we’d be in the thick of it on Mr. Show, and there was no downtime — you’re wearing five different hats as producer, writer, actor, editor, doing all that stuff, music. And, you know, it’s a democracy, and it’s collaborative.
And that would make me really appreciate, like, oh, I’m gonna go on stage and it’s just me. Nobody’s gonna tell me, “What about more this? What about less that?”
And then being on the road can get a little lonely and sometimes depressing, and so you miss that kind of thing where other people are making you laugh.
So they’re both important parts of a bigger puzzle, and I appreciate both.
Q: You and Bob Odenkirk ever razz each other about your back-and-forth successes?
A: No, I mean, we’re good, close friends. We saw each other last week. I’ll see him again when they go back to New York. Yeah, we’re great.
Q: I still quote Shangy — “Digital!” — probably because it’s so easy, but what do strangers regurgitate at you most often?
A: It’s either Tobias, “I’m afraid I just ‘blue’ myself,” or I’ll get f—ing Scary Movie 2, or sometimes they know to make it more obscure, and I do appreciate that.
And sometimes, not often, but sometimes I have no idea what they’re talking about. I know they’re trying to reference something, I get that part of it, but I just don’t have any clue as to what they’re talking about from that movie you did 25 years ago, that I actually never even saw.
Q: Was there ever anything Mr. Show-turned-J6er Jay Johnson and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes had in common that could have been warning signs? You were close to those guys, right?
A: Yeah, I mean, Gavin especially. There were definitely red flags everywhere with Gavin. A lot of it with him was like, it’s, joking, it’s a joke. But the thing with Gavin specifically is because he was really funny, you know, but — and this is well before Trump ran for office— the humour was not there anymore. Slowly but surely, it was less funny and just “me,” right? You know what I mean?
And I think Jay and Gavin both have that, you know, they’re the victims. Which is absurd. And I think both subscribe to the white man is the saviour of civilization thing. And we’re being, you know, victimized, and we can’t get a fair break.
Q: I think back to that Mr. Show episode, and, I mean, you know, it’s just a skit or whatever, but I mean that whole Independent Nation Games thing you’re seeing Jay up there on the cross bars. It was prescient, in its way. Can you talk about how comedy — I’m thinking Mad Magazine — is a good way for kids to get to understand the world? What did it for you growing up?
A: Oh yeah. Well, Monty Python and different stand-ups and various bands that addressed social issues. George Carlin, on top of people who were just silly, like Andy Kaufman or Steve Martin. And then there’s early SNL and National Lampoon, all that.
Q: For your Senses Working Overtime podcast, how much research do you tend to do interviewing people?
A: Oh, very little, if any at all. And that’s intentional, because I just tell people, look, we’re gonna have a conversation, and the less I know, the better. Just imagine we’re sitting next to each other pub or next to each other on an airplane.
Q: I love that your daughter gets to ask a question on the podcast …
A: I love the observation she made of, ‘Why is there always pizza at birthday parties?” and, “If the street was clean, could you lick it?” I guess?
And I just like some are just sort of science-based that she just can’t understand. Like, “How come the lava in a volcano doesn’t melt the volcano,” right? You know, like, things that a seven-year-old or whatever would come up with and truly want to know the answer to.
Q: I love that she’s asking that of whoever you’re talking to who is in no way an expert. Speaking of, in terms of your own social media flow, how are you staying sane?
A: I have a presence on there so I can tell people about things, but I’m not on Twitter, I’m not on Instagram, I’m not on Facebook. I mean, I never go on those, ever, never, ever. Maybe maybe when Musk bought Twitter was the last time.
But I just use that as the straw that broke the camel’s back, as it were, and just going like, all right, enough’s enough — it’s not healthy. It’s not good for me. I’ve got better things to do, and I’ll play a f—ing game on my phone.
And that’s better for my head than this just awfulness out there, just really mean, mean, base, sadistic people.
Q: One last one: Did you ever play that GTA game you were in? That section actually made me quit. It was too hard.
A: Oh, I cheated. I have a real pride in not cheating, but I could not listen to my f—ing whiny voice berate me, and I hated it, and I got a cheat code, and I just f—ing plowed through it so I would never have to listen to it again.