411 Movies Interview: Pauly Shore
Posted by Tony Farinella on 01.13.2012
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Pauly Shore for an exclusive interview about his current project, Youtoo TV, his stand-up comedy, his thoughts on Tim Tebow and a whole lot more!
Pauly Shore was one of the most recognizable television figures back in the early 90's on MTV. These days, he's looking to help others get their name out there thanks to his partnership with Youtoo TV, the new social TV network that lets anyone be on TV with a few simple clicks. You can upload a thirty second "Peoplemercial," which Pauly will cover the cost of through January 30th, 2012. The winner of the funniest video gets to win a free trip to L.A. to hang out with Pauly Shore. In my interview with Pauly Shore, we talked about Youtoo TV, his stand-up comedy career, Tim Tebow, and a whole lot more. For more information on this project, please visit Youtoo.com.
TONY: Hey, Pauly. How it's going?
Pauly Shore: Sweet Tony! How's it going, dude?
TONY: Good. I talked to you about three years ago when you were doing your DVD in Miami.
Pauly Shore: Oh wow.
TONY: How did your partnership with Youtoo TV begin and what inspired you to work with them in the first place?
Pauly Shore: Just giving someone an opportunity to put themselves out there in any way, shape, or form that they want to and give them an opportunity to get whatever talent they have: singing, dancing, or comedy. I thought it was a cool thing to let them get it out there. When they approached me with this, I thought it was cool to help out other people.
TONY: What's it like for you to be able to help out someone else and give them this format to showcase their skills? Do you feel like a proud papa?
Pauly Shore: Definitely. People say, ‘What are you looking for,' and that's the last thing I want to say. You have to come up with whatever it is that you do. If we can give someone a shot and get their video out there to go viral, we can send that video to whoever we want and give them an opportunity. Also, the fact that you get to win a trip out to California is pretty cool, too.
TONY: When you were starting out as a stand-up comedian, do you wish that someone would have given you a similar format to show off your abilities?
Pauly Shore: No, because then when I did my Peoplemercials, people would think I'd be crazy because what was my talent? It was basically going woooooo. People would be like this guy is crazy. I'm just kidding. Yeah, of course. It's an opportunity. This is cool. The Internet is for the people, and I think that's what's kind of cool.
TONY: Donations from this will go out to the ASPCA. If you can, talk to me about why is this so important to you.
Pauly Shore: I have a doggy myself. I love animals, and I just think that animals, as we all know, they love us unconditionally. My dad has dogs, my sister has dogs, we are animal lovers, so I thought it would be cool to be involved with. A lot of money is going go there, so it's a positive thing. If I can go out there and save some animals, that's cool, right?
TONY: You mentioned earlier that you are not looking for something in particular, but what does need to stand out, a universal thing?
Pauly Shore: I think something that just sticks. It's not a joke. I don't think people would think it's a joke. If you watch any of the talent shows out there, there's the joke, but the jokes don't make it to the end. If you have talent, whether it's singing or dancing, or doing comedy, directing, whatever it is, I think it will stick, whatever it is. At the end of the day, it's about a video and a person and what sticks and stands out.
TONY: You mentioned that the winner will get to hang out with you for a day. What can they expect from a day with Pauly Shore?
Pauly Shore: The normal stuff that I do isn't that exciting. I'm mostly on the phone, doing my stand-up stuff, production stuff. So we won't do that. I'll definitely take the day off and just screw around in Hollywood. It will give me an excuse to play hokey from work and from my career stuff. We will film the whole thing too, which will be fun.
TONY: Speaking of the Hollywood lifestyle, you have been on the hit show, Entourage. How close does that show get to really portraying what it's like to live in Hollywood?
Pauly Shore: It's pretty right on. It's definitely a scripted show, so it's definitely an exaggeration of the truth. It's based on true characters. That was a good show. It had a good run.
TONY: Since your time on MTV, how have you seen pop culture and media evolve and change and how have you changed with the times?
Pauly Shore: Well, for me, I just evolved, period, whether it's with the times or not with the times. I'm 43 now, so I'm less persona and more kind of relatable with the stuff. People ask me what my stand-up is like. It's kind of like a stripped down version of Pauly. I'm sitting on the stool and telling stories and being more relatable. I think my stuff is more mainstream and broader than when I was younger. I'll talk about anything from the past, the present, to the future, observation stuff, stuff I've experienced.
TONY: What kind of thrill does the stand-up comedy tour bring you now compared to when you first started out?
Pauly Shore: I think I appreciate it more now than when I was younger. When I was younger, it was more about the persona of me and it wasn't about the substance. Now it's more therapeutic and it's my therapy. I feel more relaxed going up there. I feel less tired being on stage. I feel like a really positive energy.
TONY: How do modern audiences react to Pauly Shore?
Pauly Shore: I think pretty much the same way. I don't think that they expect me to come out and do the stuff I was known for. I do it a little bit, and they are cool with it. It's more seasoned and just a guy having a good time. My shows are very spontaneous and it's just a guy that likes to have a good time. If you see Pauly Shore in concert, at the clubs, let's just go have fun.
TONY: As a fan of comedy, who do you enjoy watching?
Pauly Shore: I like Daniel Tosh. I think he's funnier on stage than his show is. I think he's funny, but his stand-up is really funny. Bobby Lee is really funny. Chris D'Elia from the Whitney show is funny.
TONY: I'm sure lots of stand-up comedians ask you for advice when you are touring around the world. What's the one thing you need to have to last and survive as a stand-up comedian?
Pauly Shore: I would tell anyone to don't make it a hobby, make it a lifestyle. You can't do your other stuff and do it on the side. If you are going to do that, then don't it. It's almost like the guy who plays basketball, when he's not working, he's still playing basketball. It's not something you want to do as a hobby. You have to do it as a lifestyle. You have to have that mindset first.
TONY: One of the hot topics on social media and social networking is Tim Tebow. What are your thoughts on him?
Pauly Shore: I'm happy for anyone that gets out there in the limelight in a positive way. It's good for Denver because they haven't had a good quarterback in a while. It's someone to look into the future with. I'm happy for him. At the end of the day, it's about winning. Denver has played a lot better this year, and it's thanks to him.
TONY: Finally, what are your plans for the future, Pauly?
Pauly Shore: I have a comedy tour that I'm getting ready to do tomorrow. I leave for three weeks. My tour dates are on Paulyshore.com. When I come back in February, we're going to pick the winner of Youtoo. We are going to do some filming with that and pick the winner. I'm promoting a new movie that's coming out in March called Whiskey Business. It will be on CMT. It's like Son-in-Law meets Guido meets Cocktail. It's like Guido goes country. It's a comedy. I'll be promoting that.
