Smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit is what Paula Poundstone has become known for.
In addition to touring, radio, podcasts and TV, she's also an author.
Poundstone's second book, "The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness," was one of eight semifinalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
WUSF's Cathy Carter recently caught up with the 65-year-old comic ahead of her shows in Clearwater and Sarasota this weekend.
Paula Poundstone, when you come to Florida, do the jokes Just write themselves?
I do make fun of Florida about one thing, which is the air conditioning. It's just doesn't make any sense. If it was as cold outside as you make it inside, you would put the heat on, and I have suggested that perhaps hurricanes actually start because of the hot air outside a Denny's hitting the cold air inside the Denny's there in the entryway. I don't know enough about it whether to know for sure, but it sounds to me like that could make a hurricane take off.
Well, it's a theory, but I'm not sure it's solid science.
Boy, that's a phrase that's not going to be used for at least another four years.
Speaking of which, how are you as a comic preparing for the next four years?
Well, I'm not going to hedge and I'm not going to back away from my beliefs any longer. I mean, my goal on stage, obviously, is to tell jokes and make people laugh. That's the goal. Sometimes, I have to bite my tongue, not to, you know, lapse into some sort of moral diatribe. But, you know, a good (Donald) Trump joke is a good Trump joke. You know, it's like when you hear somebody make a joke about something, sometimes you see it in a way you didn't before, it just gives you a different perspective sometimes, which is why comedy is important.
One of the hallmarks of your stand-up show is your interaction with audience members. Was that always a part of your act?
It's mostly because I have a really bad memory, especially when I get stressed out or nervous, which you know, performing in front of a crowd is nerve-wracking. And in the beginning, I used to do open mic nights, the premise being that anybody who wants to, can go up for five minutes. And so, if you did more than your five minutes, it really pissed people off. And I think the stress of that made me more likely to go over, and the next thing I know, I'm like, well, now I don't really know where I am in the five-minute time. So, I would just blurt stuff out. I would go like, "Hey you, sir, I'd like that sweater," or whatever. And one night, it dawned on me that the best part of the night was where I was saying stuff I hadn't planned. And that doesn't mean that I don't have good jokes; I like to think that I do. But when it's more sort of free flowing and I don't have to get nervous about whether I can remember what I meant to say or not, I just can't do it anymore. I shouldn't say anymore. I couldn't do it when I was 19!
So how then do you prepare for being a panelist on "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me." Do you have to cram all of a week's worth of news the night before?
If I cram for anything, it's the news of the weird, because that's what trips you up. I mean, sometimes I choke on other topics as well. But generally speaking, the news of the weird, you know, "What did somebody smuggle in their pants through the TSA?" kind of thing, you know. It was baby alligators. Oh, it was lemurs. Those kinds of questions I sometimes am not quite up to date on, and I'm proud of that!
You have your own podcast; "Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone." How does podcasting differ from being a stand-up?
You know, the thing about podcasting is that I can do stuff because there's nobody in front of me. I can say and do stuff that I would never have the nerve to say or do on stage. I mean, just silly stuff, like I do voices, characters. Mostly as a podcaster, I sort of do it to entertain myself. But the downside of that is that if something wasn't particularly appealing to the audience that listens to the podcast, I really wouldn't know it. You know, the great thing about being a stand-up is that you are right there with the audience. And you know, it's a little bit like bowling with gutter guards. You can't go too far off because they're right there to push you back on.
Well, Paula Poundstone, we're excited to have you here in Tampa Bay, and we'll see what we can do about turning down the air conditioning for you.
Well, I mean, they shouldn't even have air conditioning now. It's winter. But they would. They really would. You know what? I'm not big on regulation, but something needs to be done.
Paula Poundstone performs at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater at 7 p.m. Friday and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota at 8 p.m. Saturday.
