DA: Hey, Gary. This is Dave Arena from the New Yuck Times in Cleveland.
GG: Yeah, how are you?

DA: Good. We are an online magazine mostly for local comics here in Cleveland, so this interview will be coming from a comic's point of view.
GG: Ok.

DA. When did you first know you wanted to be a comedian?
GG: Probably in high school, maybe sophomore year. It was always in the back if my mind.

DA: You mentioned it was in the back of your mind, when did you actually start performing?
GG: Well, I started writing jokes my sophomore year in college and then I got on stage for the first time in the fall after college, so 94.

DA: Did you have any training or education or did you start writing on your own?
GG: Totally on my own. In fact, I look back at some of that stuff and it's humiliating, which is good because it shows me how you can be so bad and end up getting better.

DA: Take me through your career as far as how long it took you to MC, Feature, etc.
GG: Sure. I would MC one nighters in Boston in bars and the upstairs of restauraunts. Sometimes I would get fifteen dollars. I did that for a couple months. Then, I started getting spots at Nick's Comedy Strip, which is a mere shadow of what it used to be, but it was one of the hottest clubs in Boston at the time. Then, I would get a couple feature spots here and there. I did this for two and a half years. Then, in 1999, I got in to the Montreal Comedy Festival, so about five years in the business. That lead to a development deal with Fox and I did the major talk shows.

DA: Wow, after five years, that's a pretty quick pace compared to others that have been on the road for ten plus years.
GG: Yeah, it was.

DA: The Montreal Comedy Festival is obviously a big name, how did you get in there, did you simply send a tape?
GG: I had a manager at the time, who got my tape and submitted it. I was really anxious to get in there because I felt like I was such a newcomer that I might be able to make a splash and that's what happened. I had to bite my nails for six months before I found out.

DA: And did the development deal come right off of that?
GG: Yes, it came right from Montreal.

DA: What were you doing before Last Comic Standing? Were you on the road at all?
GG: I toured with my good friend Dane Cook for a year and a half to two years. That gave me a good chance to try new material, plus, nobody expected me to be any more than mediocre, so when I was better than that, the audience really appreciated it.

DA: You said you were good friends with Dane Cook, how did you meet him?
GG: He started in Boston one year before me and we met in 1995 and have been good friends ever since.

DA: How has Last Comic Standing changed your career?
GG: Well, it has changed everything. I couldn't even get a guest set at the Cleveland Improv before the show and now they treat me totally different.

DA: Yeah, cause now people are coming to see Gary Gulman.
GG: Yeah, it's crazy.

DA: Especially in comedy, where it's notarious for being a nameless business, people go to the clubs and say “Hey, that comic was great, what's his name”? Until you make it big, then you're a household name. You appear on NBC and everyone knows your name.
GG: Exactly. I go from an unknown to people wanting to take pictures with me in the airport.

DA: Do you have any advice for amateur comics like myself? I have only been doing this seven months.
GG: Oh, you're brand new, that's great. I think it's important to write every Day and get on stage as much as possible, at least five nights a week or make calls to get stage time, guest sets or whatever. Try and be original and don't be in a rush. Don't be in a hurry to get out there. Also, you need to be very self critical of your material. I only had about 7-10 minutes my first two years, because I kept replacing weaker stuff with stronger material.

DA: I feel it's important also to not be in a rush. Like here in Cleveland, we have a pretty good scene with the Improv and such and it's great to hone your skills here before you step out elsewhere, that seems like what you did in Boston.
GG: Yes, Boston is a great comedy town and I think it's hard to make a turn around when you have made a bad first impression in this business. You would have to really have a big turn in your act to make a difference. I stayed out of the spotlight until I thought I was really ready.

DA: I also think it is good advice to be self critical. I am very critical of my own act, in fact, if something only gets a decent response, I ask myself why it didn't get a better response. I am constantly replacing material and sometimes it feels like I'm going backwards as far as amount of time, but I know if it's stronger overall, it's better.
GG: Exactly. A lot of comics claim they have an hour of material, but it's not that good.

DA: I don't want to keep you, so in closing, what is next for Gary Gulman?
GG: Well, I've been on the road and I'm in my fourth development deal currently. I also have Last Comic Standing Season Three, so that should keep me busy.

DA: Sounds like it. I appreciate your time, I plan on coming down to the Improv to see your show in Cleveland and meet you in person.
GG: Yeah, come down and afterwards we can talk some more, maybe if there is some stuff you didn't want to put in the article, but just want to know about comedy, I would be more than happy to talk with you.

DA: That's sounds real good, I will definitely be there. Thanks.
GG: Thanks for calling.