Bradley Jackson

Spider House

Woman “I have to smoke a joint when I wake up. Otherwise I have headaches.”

Her friend “Yeah, I definitely prefer drinking.”

Related links
Andrew W.K.’s website Andrew W.K.’s MySpace

Before speaking with Andrew W.K. I knew one definitive fact about him: The guy likes to party. With such songs as “Party Hard,” “Party ‘Til You Puke,” and “We Want Fun,” Andrew has established himself as a unique voice in rock ’n’ roll. But in the past few years he’s extended what it means to be Andrew W.K. by going on tours and speaking on the beauty of partying and pure love. Most interviews only last 20 to 30 minutes, but Andrew talked with me for an hour and a half about everything from the meaning of life to the joys of wearing lipstick. He even gave me my very own personalized motivational speech. Don’t miss his show at Emo’s on July 4, and check out his production skills on Reggae legend Lee Scratch Perry’s new album, which hits stores August 19.

That Other Paper What is the worst question you’ve ever been asked in an interview?

Andrew W.K. I don’t know — I’ve probably blocked it out. Actually, the questions over the last couple of years have just been getting better and better. I always thought that interview questions were good no matter what the question was, and that it was really up to the interviewee to come up with novel answers. I always understood the idea of people getting a little angry at interview questions, but I thought it was a little perverse, because why would they be doing the interview then? And this whole idea that it’s all up to the interviewer to make a good interview didn’t gel with my vibe. So I really get into doing interviews and have grown to love it very, very much.

6th and Congress

Woman to her huge biker dude friend “I can’t believe you don’t sail anymore!”

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.

Timely! Check out this musical parody of The Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones,” all about our favorite whip-slinging hero, Dr. Jones! If you see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at the Alamo Drafthouse, you’ll probably watch this video before the show starts.

Former Late Show writer and stand-up comedian Dan French will be teaching a free class centered on developing people as stand-up comedians starting this Sunday from 5 to 7:30 at Cap City Comedy Club. Everyone is welcome, and it’s FREE!

Also, be sure to check out our recent interview with Dan.

Dan French has performed standup all around the country, been nominated for an Emmy, and written for The Dennis Miller Show, The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn, and The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Now he wants to bring that professionalism to the Austin scene.

Local comic John Todd Ramsey sat down with That Other Paper writer Bradley Jackson to talk about his thoughts on the Austin comedy scene, Dane Cook, and why he doesn’t tell dirty jokes.

Reservation Road, the newest effort from Hotel Rwanda’s writer/director Terry George, is a film that should be amazing.

It’s about a sex doll, and it’s also one of the most moving films of the year.

Simply put, Into the Wild is the type of film that will inspire and change those who are searching for truth. It’s a bold statement backed up by a bold film.

Check out this great new SNL Digital Short featuring Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Pay extra close attention for a special cameo at the end, too!

Bradley Jackson bled to see Arcade Fire’s Austin City Limits taping, and it was more than worth it.

Superbad’s hilarious characters, quick one-liners, and outrageous physical gags will soon invade the cultural landscape in the same way all iconic comedies do.

While the plot of the movie might seem generic and clichéd, it’s the characters and comedic set pieces that refuse to be defined.

For those of you who have seen the Michael Bay’s latest masterpiece Transformers, you most likely witnessed a supremely amazing teaser trailer before hand for a movie without a title (Currently named after the theatrical release date). What essentially starts out as an innocent home video becomes rather sinister within a few moments. The film (which apparently has the codename Cloverfield) is from Lost and Alias mastermind JJ Abrams and is rumored to feature all unknown actors and to be shot entirely on hand held DV cameras.

Not sure if this is true, but check out this behind the scenes video of Arrested Development’s Michael Cera throwing a hissy fit on the set of the hilarious upcoming comedy Knocked Up starring Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. Did Cera really get kicked out of the lead role for this film, thus paving the way for star Seth Rogen to take over? Who knows. All I know is this video is pretty interesting (and hilarious).

Bradley Jackson reviews Knocked Up and falls in love with Judd Apatow all over again.

It’s called Hot Rod, and you can check out the teaser trailer below!

It’s been a goal of mine for the past few years to find up and coming comedy stars who are likely to hit it big. Two of my more obvious choices over the last year have been Andy Samberg and Seth Rogen. However, there’s a New York comedy troupe called Derrick Comedy who’ve been putting out some truly hilarious sketch comedy. The troupe is composed of three dudes (Dominic Dierkes, DC Pierson, and Donald Glover) who are each hysterical in their own rights.