These days, Emerson grad Joe Mande — the dude behind the Tumblr-turned-book Look at This F—ing Hipster — is busier trolling famous people on Twitter than hipsters on street corners. The comedian drops by Great Scott on March 28 to get some IRL laughs, in support of his debut comedy album “Bitchface.”
Why did you decide to name your album “Bitchface?”
I have a joke in the album where I talk about how I get mugged a lot and my hypothesis is probably because I have like a bitchy face. I look like a victim, you know?
Do you think you’re probably one of Emerson’s most famous graduates, just above Jay Leno and below the Fonz?
[Laughs] Yeah, Harris Wittels and I are probably the most famous 21st century graduates.
Where were some of your favorite places to hang out in Boston?
I don’t know if it’s still there, but there was this weird Korean market place… And there’s that weird bookstore on Harvard Ave., where there’s, like, this cat living in this used bookstore. I was usually just walking around stoned in Allston.
Do you ever look back and ever regret contributing Look at This F—cking Hipster to the “hipster” phenomenon?
I‘ve definitely moved on and past it, and I’m not totally proud of it, but I wouldn’t say I’m ashamed of it. I got a book deal out of it that paid for me to live in New York for a year and not have a job, so that was totally worth it. I was just recently in San Francisco, and a guy came up to me after my show with my book. I thought he wanted me to sign it and then he opened it up to the page that he was in and signed it and gave it to me, and the whole time I was like, are you going to punch me in the face? It seemed very elaborate, like he’d been dreaming about my book and punching me in the face.
It allowed you to live in New York without a job. So, it allowed you to live like… a f—ing hipster?
Oh, for sure. I wrote the whole book in a coffee shop on Havemeyer [Street] in Williamsburg. I was aware of the irony.
And you left the coffee shop and hopped on your fixed gear bike.
Yes. Put Pomade in my mustache and drove home.
There are a lot of comedy crews out there right now: the SNL crew, the Judd Apatow guys, and you have your crew — Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, etc. If you guys all met in a turf war, like the battle between the news teams in Anchorman, who would come out victorious?
Good question. I feel like the SNL people run pretty deep — and they’re loyal. And all the writers there are amazing, and they would join in. You know, I don’t know what my crew would even be called.
What would your weapon of choice be?
I mean, a gun? I don’t know!
You’re supposed to say your biting wit.
My biting wit. No, I’m really against guns but, the problem with guns is, they’re f—ing fun. It’s so much fun to shoot a gun. You should go to a shooting range, it’s f—ing awesome. I mean, I hate guns. I don’t think anyone should be allowed to own them — but they’re f—ing cool.
Look At This Guy
By Alexandra Cavallo | March 14, 2014
These days, Emerson grad Joe Mande — the dude behind the Tumblr-turned-book Look at This F—ing Hipster — is busier trolling famous people on Twitter than hipsters on street corners. The comedian drops by Great Scott on March 28 to get some IRL laughs, in support of his debut comedy album “Bitchface.”
Why did you decide to name your album “Bitchface?”
I have a joke in the album where I talk about how I get mugged a lot and my hypothesis is probably because I have like a bitchy face. I look like a victim, you know?
Do you think you’re probably one of Emerson’s most famous graduates, just above Jay Leno and below the Fonz?
[Laughs] Yeah, Harris Wittels and I are probably the most famous 21st century graduates.
Where were some of your favorite places to hang out in Boston?
I don’t know if it’s still there, but there was this weird Korean market place… And there’s that weird bookstore on Harvard Ave., where there’s, like, this cat living in this used bookstore. I was usually just walking around stoned in Allston.
Do you ever look back and ever regret contributing Look at This F—cking Hipster to the “hipster” phenomenon?
I‘ve definitely moved on and past it, and I’m not totally proud of it, but I wouldn’t say I’m ashamed of it. I got a book deal out of it that paid for me to live in New York for a year and not have a job, so that was totally worth it. I was just recently in San Francisco, and a guy came up to me after my show with my book. I thought he wanted me to sign it and then he opened it up to the page that he was in and signed it and gave it to me, and the whole time I was like, are you going to punch me in the face? It seemed very elaborate, like he’d been dreaming about my book and punching me in the face.
It allowed you to live in New York without a job. So, it allowed you to live like… a f—ing hipster?
Oh, for sure. I wrote the whole book in a coffee shop on Havemeyer [Street] in Williamsburg. I was aware of the irony.
And you left the coffee shop and hopped on your fixed gear bike.
Yes. Put Pomade in my mustache and drove home.
There are a lot of comedy crews out there right now: the SNL crew, the Judd Apatow guys, and you have your crew — Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, etc. If you guys all met in a turf war, like the battle between the news teams in Anchorman, who would come out victorious?
Good question. I feel like the SNL people run pretty deep — and they’re loyal. And all the writers there are amazing, and they would join in. You know, I don’t know what my crew would even be called.
What would your weapon of choice be?
I mean, a gun? I don’t know!
You’re supposed to say your biting wit.
My biting wit. No, I’m really against guns but, the problem with guns is, they’re f—ing fun. It’s so much fun to shoot a gun. You should go to a shooting range, it’s f—ing awesome. I mean, I hate guns. I don’t think anyone should be allowed to own them — but they’re f—ing cool.
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