Eric Krug: The funniest person in Austin

Before leaving our interview a week after winning the 2008 Funniest Person in Austin contest, Eric Krug (pronounced “Kroog”) told me I could make up as many lies and fallacies about his life as I wanted. Rarely does an interviewer get such freedom, so I’ve decided to intersperse random bits of fiction throughout this intro paragraph. However, everything transcribed in the interview below is 100% true.

Eric Krug began doing stand-up comedy at the age of four in an old saloon located on one of Jupiter’s moons. He wasn’t very good back then — in fact, he mostly did racist material about the locals on Jupiter. However, this early experience honed his skills. After arriving in Austin in 2005, Eric became well-respected among Austin comics for his prolific writing, natural stage presence, and his ability to breathe fire. And although he didn’t advance in the 2007 Funniest Person in Austin contest, he did begin to start booking shows all over town, even headlining at The Velveeta Room last November. So when it came time for this year’s Funniest Person in Austin contest, Eric was ready. Ninety-nine people entered the contest, but Eric was crowned the winner after a truly outstanding performance in the finals. That Other Paper’s Bradley Jackson sat down with Eric to talk about his comedy, his future, and his favorite words.

That Other Paper I noticed that you did completely different sets during the Funniest Person in Austin contest. Was that a strategic move on your part?

Eric Krug Well, it’s one of those things where I do take pride in the fact that I’m known for writing a lot and having a lot of material, and I know it’s going to be different judges at both sets, but I also know that there are going to be people who went to both and the Comedy Central judges will most likely see both sets. And I think it’s a good way for me to have good material, but also to show people that I have different material and that I don’t just pull from the same seven minutes. Because you hear a lot of people say, “Oh, he was good, but he did the same set last round or even last year.” I just don’t want them to say that about me. It’s just a personal thing, really.

TOP You came on the comedy scene pretty quickly.

EK Like a lightning bolt.

TOP [laughs] I actually have a lightning bolt costume in my car if you want to take photos for this interview after we’re done here.

EK Oh, I brought mine too.

TOP So give me the history of your comedy career thus far.

EK I was in the Air Force, stationed in San Antonio, and I came out to an open mic night at Cap City just before the semifinals of the 2005 Funniest Person Contest. And that open mic was a lot better than most comedy shows I’d ever been to. It was like Dan Jackson, Doug Mellard, Jeremy Neal, Bryan Gutmann — and I had toyed with the idea of trying it, but I knew that Austin had the good scene, not San Antonio. I was immediately amazed at how the local guys were better than the people I’d seen on TV, and I knew this was the place I wanted to do it. And even though I lived in San Antonio I started driving here and back every Thursday and Sunday night just to do open mics. The first time I did it, it was literally after a horrendous breakup, and I knew I was getting out of the military in six months so I was like, “Well I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.” So I went up there and did my first set all about getting dumped. I managed to squeeze it out and just downed a gin and tonic in two seconds. That was my first time.

TOP How did it go from there?

EK I was pretty happy with how it was going, but I’ve never been that comfortable performing — I’ve always felt like more of a writer, and I always knew that would be my biggest hurdle. But people seem to really like my writing, and that was one of the things a lot of the Austin comics would encourage me on. I would always come to open mics with new stuff, so writing became kind of like an obsession for me. My plan was to keep hitting the open mics and then do the competition, but I found out that you can’t do the competition if you don’t live in an Austin area code, so that kind of disheartened me. And then I kind of thought about moving to LA or maybe going back to Chicago, and then Lucas Molandes coaxed me into doing one more open mic and I ended up talking to Matt Bearden that night — he gave me a lot of really good comedy advice. That was pretty much what led me to stay in Austin.

TOP How do you write best?

EK Ever since I was young I’ve been interested in film, and I think that shows in my standup because I have a lot of bits that have dialogue between people, and that’s my favorite way of writing — getting characters in your head and just having them talk to each other and just transcribing them. That’s my favorite part about writing. When you get in that zone and it takes on sort of a life of its own.

TOP So you’re interested in film?

EK Yeah, that’s still the main goal in my life — to make films, if it’s at all possible. Standup was just one of those things where I know I could do it completely on my own. So that’s why I took it.

TOP Plus, you get instant creative feedback from the audience.

EK Exactly — you’re in complete control over it. I never wanted to go to film school because I always thought I could learn it on my own, and I now realize that I probably hindered myself because now I don’t really understand a lot of the technical aspects. Now I may like what my ideas are for films, but I have no real way to make them. Standup feels like a good avenue to hopefully break into the industry.

TOP What’s next?

EK That’s the big question. I really focused a lot of energy and time into winning the competition. Now I need to parlay it into something, hopefully. It’s hard because you don’t know what’s going to happen. Right now I want to try to be as proactive as possible, like maybe videotaping sketches. I have a friend in LA who wants me to write some web-based stuff he’ll be filming out there. And movie scripts, of course. Specifically I’d also like to get a Live at Gotham showcase and feature at Cap City. Basically I want to be able to make money doing something I love. I don’t want a job that makes me want to kill myself every time I walk through the door.

TOP Do you prefer shorter or longer sets?

EK I’d say I feel most comfortable doing a 30-minute set. But that’s the thing about comedy: I feel like a lot of people can pull together a good five- to seven-minute set, but it’s the people who can hold your attention and make you laugh for 45 minutes to an hour that are the best.

TOP When did you first realize you were funny?

EK I guess I always thought I was pretty funny when I was hanging out with my friends. But I always knew there was a difference between funny with friends and funny on the stage. There’s always that joke you hear at open mics when someone’s joke bombs and they say, “Well, it was funny at the party last week.” I feel like I’ve always known a difference between those two types of comedy. So I really wanted to see if I could make something funny on the stage. And I also feel like I’ve always known if something was good writing. Although I always had confidence in my writing, I never really had confidence in my performing.

TOP How do you usually prepare for a show? Do you prepare a lot or do you like to wing it sometimes?

EK I am not the “wing it” guy. I really like to craft jokes. I like to take a lot of time with them. Those things I did for the competition, I added so many things to them just from doing them over and over and adding little bits and intricacies and places where I could add new jokes. And I love doing that. I hate improvising. I’ve never wanted to do improv. I’d hate to be at the mercy of the crowd and have no control.

TOP You’re really good at approaching offensive topics and making offensive jokes, but it’s clear to the audience that you’re joking.

EK That’s the key. They have to know that, otherwise you’re in trouble.

TOP What’s your thought process on that?

EK I feel like it’s instinctual and you have to know the difference. I’m fully in favor of jokes that poke fun at race or sex or politics as long as you know the difference between what’s in good taste and what’s in bad taste. I don’t always get it right, but I try to weed that stuff out.

TOP Do you like to do political jokes or topical humor?

EK Not really. I mean, if it’s funny, I don’t care, but I like to do stuff where people think, “I’m not sure where this guy stands.” I kind of want that sense of mystery up there. I don’t want to do jokes where it’s clear that I’m trying to make a point. I’ve seen comedians that I really like do stuff where it feels like they’re giving speeches and not telling jokes. And I feel like if you’re gonna do that you should just go on The O’Reilly Factor. If you’re gonna be on a comedy stage you should be just trying to make people laugh.

TOP Why is people getting kicked in the crotch always funny?

EK It’s not if it’s you.

TOP Why is “Yakety Sax” always funny?

EK I don’t know if it’s funny. I just find it quirky and entertaining.

TOP Why are fat guys naked always funny?

EK You know, I think we differ on what we find funny and what we find grotesque, but I’d have to say it’s because their bodies just look so weird. And they feel like mayonnaise.

TOP What do you think is the funniest word?

EK Dickbreath. That or cum-gut.