David Steinberg Talks About His New Book With Comedian John Poveromo
Robert Klein with David Steinberg Credit: Robyn Todd
Interview contributed to The Interrobang by John Poveromo, a nationally touring comedian, cartoonist, writer and actor, and the host of Dystopia Tonight with John Poveromo on TwitchTV, ApplePodcasts, Spotify and YouTube. John’s been seen on Gotham Live, written for Newsweek, and has a short film on Amazon Prime titled, “Duppet.” Follow him on YouTube or Instagram.
“Insecurity combined with arrogance is good DNA for a comedian.”
It’s lines like this…the perfect summation of an entire group of individuals who’ve chosen to devote their lives to making strangers laugh, that keep any true comedy nerd eager to read, listen to, or watch whatever David Steinberg puts out into the world. His new book, “Inside Comedy: The Soul, Wit, and Bite of Comedy and Comedians of the Last Five Decades” is a backstage, all access pass to the people who have shaped how we think comedically to this day. This is essential reading for any comic coming up in the business and anyone who is still looking to learn and laugh from the best. On my show, Dystopia Tonight, I’ve had the great pleasure of interviewing quite a few legendary guests on air. While we couldn’t get David on at the time, he was gracious enough to send me a copy of his book and do a print interview. I hope you enjoy the exchange.
John Poveromo: I absolutely loved Inside Comedy. If I was starting comedy now THIS would be the book I’d carry with me everywhere I went and read over and over again until the binding had to be held together with string. Books like this were invaluable to me as a young comic. I’d seek refuge in the wisdom of veteran comics in books like yours even as a kid. As one of the people who not only pioneered stand-up comedy, but did it extremely well and to great success, was there something or someone you looked to as a young comic that would keep you going when things got tough career-wise?
David Steinberg: I always knew that having a successful career meant there would be failures along the way.. Especially in stand up comedy you must fail often on stage in order to succeed and get better. The audience will always tell you what’s working and what’s not.
I think of some of the greats who passed the test of time, like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Alan King, Phyllis Dillar, Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason so many who I remember falling and getting up, over and over. Watching them and seeing their career journeys, being around them as they withstood the peaks and valleys and wind up as legends, that gave me the confidence to keep going and keep listening to the audience. People always think success is a direct line to the top. I always remembered that Frank Sinatra was the biggest star in the world who then had a very long spell of not working but he never gave up and made a major comeback and yet to this day many people think he was always at the top.. That more than anything kept me going through the tough times. Never give up and keep coming back.
John Poveromo: You famously made it on to Nixon’s enemies list by using your comedy as a way to satirize his administration. With the advent of social media, which seems to be bridging the gap of access between the performer and the audience, things like death threats and boycotts come straight to our phones, direct messages and emails. Was there ever a point during that time where you felt like your life was in genuine danger for telling jokes and speaking truth to power? Did you ever think you should pull back or did you always have the attitude most of us have where it’s “This is my stage, my mic, and my voice and no one’s going to take it from me.”
David Steinberg: In 1972 I was asked to perform the opening of the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. It was a big opening event. Celebrities at the time from Lauren Bacall, Neil Simon, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Orbach etc were there. It was a black tie event. I was in my dressing room about to go on stage. There was a knock at the door. Two FBI men came in and told me “a call came through the switchboard that someone in the audience said he would shoot you if you do your Nixon material.” He continued “but don’t worry, we’ll be here in the room to protect you.” He then asked me what I was going to do. I told him that I was going to do my act as planned. I was scared. But I knew that if I backed off or censored myself in any way, my career as a comedian would be over. I did my Nixon material. And I’m still here.
John Poveromo: As part of the younger generation (although thanks to the internet’s ever changing landscape I may be a bit too generous to myself there) I feel I have to ask – if you were starting today, is there a particular avenue you’d like to use to get your career going and explore creatively?
David Steinberg: That’s a hard question. I never planned a career in Comedy. I found Second City and improvising and knew I could do it. I loved it. I never thought about the next thing. When we started doing stand up in the 60’s all we wanted to do was be on stage. For example when Richard Pryor and I started out in Greenwich Village together we weren’t thinking about where this would lead us. We were working to get a good hour or more.And we loved it. Today it seems like more of a means to an end. Doing stand up to get a tv show and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a different time.
John Poveromo: You were close with two of my comedy idols, Robin Williams and John Candy. Other than being hilarious in their own ways, a commonality between the two of them that you spoke of was their empathy and ability to really connect with people. Do you think that’s inherent to most comedians or is it something that has to be honed and perfect like comedy itself?
David Steinberg: Not necessarily. You don’t need empathy to be a comedian. Like any other career, empathy is always a nice plus. But in Comedy actually no. True unexpected funny does not depend on it. Empathy is a great way to connect with humans no matter what field you’re in but not a comedic requirement. Be authentic, The audience needs to know you as much as you need to know your audience. Remember, when people laugh they’re saying we get you and you get us, you get our lives. Robin Williams and John Candy were good friends and very loving people who happened to be brilliantly funny. I was lucky to know them.
Two of my best years on the road were spent with Robin Williams (here on our plane on tour in 2014). We traveled the country and had dinner together after every show. He never stopped asking me questions. We never stopped laughing. But I remember every morning he would go out by himself and explore the new town we were in. He would walk into local shops and shock people in the stores. He was so casual about it. He was loving, unique, funny (the funniest). There will never be anyone like him. Credit: Robyn Todd
John Poveromo: Did you specifically look for the controversy surrounding the topics you were talking about when you started, or was it all about what was purely funny to you and if it happens to strike a nerve so be it?
David Steinberg: I never looked for controversy. I only talked about what I found interesting and what I thought was funny or ironic. I was living in a time when half the country didn’t agree with me about Nixon. And was followed by then FBI and on enemies lists And the country was even more Calvinistic then so my Sermons caused some trouble. They were the last straw that got the Smothers Brother Comedy Hour cancelled. I wasn’t aiming for controversy.. It just found me.
John Poveromo: You’re a phenomenal director and interviewer but do you ever miss stand-up? Especially after the past four years, did you still get the itch to write a set after watching the news and tell the world the emperor has no clothes?
David Steinberg: I do miss stand-up.Not terribly but I miss it. But I don’t miss the road and the huge amount of time and failure it takes to get there.Also, today there’s a lot more scrutiny.The freedom to fail has more consequences. Censorship and stand-up do not work well together.
John Poveromo: Your passion and love for this business flows off the pages in this book. It truly makes the reader feel like they’re you, sitting beside these other legends and digging into the essence behind their work as entertainers. Did you feel like doing this book was a way of taking it all in and feeling a sense of pride and joy for a career and life that has been so rich with experiences and memorable moments? Or does the stand-up in you not allow such things?
David: I love Entertainment. I love the career I have had. As a child I skipped school to see the Marx Brothers movies (Groucho was my idol), Singing in the Rain, Martin and Lewis… any movies over and over again. Then to go on to Second City and share the stage with Robert Klein, Fred Willard, Jack Burns and more. And then eighteen years later meeting Groucho Marx and becoming close friends. And sharing the stage with Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin, Tim Conway, Don Rickles, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Flip Wilson, Bob Newhart and Johnny Carson. The list is endless. And I am so lucky I was there.
Sharing a cigar with Groucho, as we always did. He was reluctant to come on as my co-host, but I’m so glad he did; it really meant everything to me, and the audience loved him. Credit: Courtesy of the David Steinberg
John Poveromo: I’ve asked every guest on my show this question and I’m excited to ask you. If you could go back in time and give yourself ONE piece of advice, something you know now that you didn’t then that would help you out on your journey, what would it be?
David: You will fail and it’s ok and you must keep coming back.
David Steinberg’s new book, Inside Comedy: The Soul, Wit, and Bite of Comedy and Comedians of the Last Five Decades is available now everywhere books are sold.
