Back in January, the former Saturday Night Live (SNL) star graced the stage at Comedy Works South at The Landmark and our review about it: “David Spade Came to Denver Even Though He Didn’t Want to” sure did grab his attention. Spade was recently in a car accident and was almost too banged up to visit the Mile High City, but got on a plane anyway after the New Year to perform here for his fans. Since he loves Denver and Comedy Works so much, he gave us a shout out while he was in town performing again at Comedy Works Monday and Tuesday night and answered some of our questions.
303: What is your favorite part about performing at Comedy Works?
David Spade: Well, it’s known for having good comedy audiences and Denver in general has smart crowds for some reason. They seem to get into it. I actually couldn’t get into this club years ago and I stopped trying, and then in the last couple years, I called and they said sure. It’s really fun to come out here. We sold out quickly.
303: What is your comedic inspiration lately? Does your set change from venue to venue?
DS: My inspiration is just whatever happens in my everyday life. I try to pull something in and add it to what I’m talking about so the act doesn’t get too stale. There are some jokes I miss from 10 years ago that I might bring back just because the new ones aren’t always better. I haven’t had any complaints about doing old stuff. There’s a mixture of a lot of stuff, and I have over an hour of material, so I can always switch things around. Nothing’s really going to ever be 100 percent the same.
303: Do you ever do improv when you’re onstage?
DS: Anything about the city I’m in I just make up. The first night I go on I just talk about what I know so far which is usually only what I’ve known for about three hours since I just landed. Like the Denver airport being very far and the fact that when you get here they let you know you’ll probably get sick from the altitude. That’s a great slogan—come to Denver and get sick. They keep that off the brochure.
303: Is it nice to go back to doing stand-up tours since you originally got your start in comedy?
DS: Yeah, I mean that’s what got me into the party. Saturday Night Live saw me on a young comedian’s special, so by doing it [stand-up] again you’re trying to remind yourself if you’re any good. If I was bombing and if it was too much of a struggle to write stuff, I would just stop.
303: Any upcoming projects?
DS: We’re trying to put something together for Netflix that we’re hopefully shooting in May. I also might be going on the road with [Adam] Sandler. We’re going to be doing some stuff.
303: What can an audience member expect from watching your stand-up show?
DS: I think they should come with an open mind. Some of it’s a little R-rated but overall I never get any complaints about being too dirty because it’s sort of a fun version. There are some comics that are actually really dirty and even I’m watching and going “Oh geez!” I don’t get too rough since I know most people know me from TV and they don’t know what to expect sometimes. But I have a great time out there. It usually works out pretty well.
303: Any words of wisdom for aspiring comedians/actors?
DS: I guess I would just say if you like it, it’s not gonna take a year. It’s going to take a really long time. So prepare to dive into it. A lot of people say “If nothing happens in six months, I’m going back to whatever,” but if you really like it just realize you probably won’t make money in it for a long time. Do it because you like it and who knows? People put the pressure on like it’s going to happen overnight, but most of it is a 10-year overnight success.