Patton Oswalt: A “Fan” for All Seasons

The actor/comedian talks comics, getting roughed up in middle school and his new film "Big Fan."

Why are there so many awful stand-ups making tons of money? Is comedy really that subjective?

It is, you can’t argue it. If there’s a mass amount of people who like something that’s mediocre, then that’s how… then you are exactly where you’re supposed to be in your career. If you look at somebody who’s truly different, a Louis C.K. or Dave Attell, would you want them to have stadiums full of frat assholes yelling over their stuff? That’s not for them. They have theaters full of followers, they make a fantastic living, it is perfect. Would you want Wilco in a giant sports stadium [with people] throwing beach balls around, drunk and screaming at them? It wouldn’t fit. I actually think comedy is perfect right now. Everyone is where they should be. If there are mediocre people who are successful? Fine, because you look at the kind of success they have, and I’m quoting Salieri in the stage version of “Amadeus” — “I am distinguished by people who don’t know how to distinguish.” Would you want that?

Bobcat Goldthwait and I recently talked about how stand-ups can be such miserable bastards. Do you see that a common demeanor?

I think it’s as dismissive and dehumanizing to say that comedians are bitter and angry as it is to say they’re all happy and upbeat. Depending on the day and the time, they’re pissed off, they’re bitter, they’re happy, they’re friendly. They’re like anyone else — lawyers and doctors and bricklayers. It depends on when you get to them, and how you treat them.

Thanks for making me feel like a jerk.

No, it’s okay. You’re just going by what is out there in the popular media, but if you meet each one face to face…

You get the crap beaten out of you in “Big Fan.” When’s the last time you got your ass kicked?

In middle school. I got beat up a lot. That’s the last time I really got knocked around. [It's just] kids beating each other up because you’re bored in the suburbs.

You’ve done some guest spots for Steve Jones on his L.A. radio program “Jonesy’s Jukebox.” Have you ever taken call-ins?

People have called in, yeah. We talk to them, and I’ve subbed for him when people call in. It’s fun. I’m going to do Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show on WFMU.” He is the king of weirdos calling into his show. There’s no one compared to the people he gets.

So you didn’t use any of that experience as “Big Fan” research?

No, no, I basically just looked at myself and my friends and imagined if our obsessions got out of control. It was extrapolated, but it kind of worked that way.

On your previous comedy album, “Werewolves and Lollipops,” you do a bit about being hired for punch-up work on animated studio films. Were there any truly ridiculous lines you were surprised got used?

If there were, because I’ve taken their money, I cannot talk about it. I must stay silent. Everything you need to know is in that bit.

I was excited to hear that you’ll have a role in the new “Battlestar Galactica” TV prequel “Caprica.”

So am I. I like “Battlestar,” and I like Ronald D. Moore, so we’ll see what he does with this. They literally asked me the day before [production]. I think someone fell out, and they brought me up there, and there you go. That’s that! [laughs] I wish I had a better story. That’s exactly what happened.

What has fallen by the wayside now that you’re so damn busy?

I don’t get to be home as much as I’d like. I have a new daughter, so I’d like to be with her, and I enjoy being home with my wife. It’s hard to write when you’re constantly in airports and hotel rooms. I don’t get to see as many movies in theaters, which I really like to do. It’s hard to shake loose two hours. “The Hurt Locker” and “In the Loop” were the [last] two movies that really blew me away.

“Big Fan” opens in New York and Philadelphia on August 28th, followed by a limited release on September 11th.

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