HBO COMEDY FESTIVAL

HBO: Welcome to today's chat with the man who over the years has introduced us to an array of self-created original characters such as Ed Grimley and Jackie Rogers Jr., not to mention his dead-on impressions, including Katherine Hepburn, which generally leaves anyone shaking with laughter!

HBO: Please welcome Martin Short!
Martin Short: I'm thrilled to be here. It's exciting to talk to people who I'll never meet again!

Lindalou: Is there any possibility of you doing a sitcom anytime in the near future?
Martin Short: My enjoyment tends to come from satirizing that form as opposed to doing it. I always feel a little self-conscious comedically when being sincere, and you need an element of sincerity to make sitcoms work in prime time. People like Ray Romano are so good at it. I don't know if that plays into my strengths.

Allison: Who's your most favorite leading female actress?
Martin Short: I would say it's Jan Hooks or Catherine O'Hara or Andrea Martin or Gilda Radner.

Mark: What types of activities did you excel at a young age? Sports? clowning around? Academics?
Martin Short: Clowning around was one of my best things. If the teacher was weak, that's when I took advantage. If the teacher was strong, I was as good as gold.

Robert: Hi, Martin! Is the a website on the Net for fans ?
Martin Short: You know, I don't know! I do email and that's about it. No plans for one in the near future.

Matt789: Who is one person, famous or not, that has had the greatest impact on your life?
Martin Short: I think that might be Mike Nichols. As a kid, he had an album called "Nichols and May," and for me it was not so much that they were doing jokes, but there were doing characters and real people and creating situations. I didn't respond much to standup as a kid, but I did respond to that. That, and Frank Sinatra.

Matt789: What would you say is your favorite artist or song at the present time?
Martin Short: I like Dave Matthews - his last album, anything on it.

Larry The Scary Rex: There are so many Canadian comedians out there - you, the late John Candy, Jim Carrey, Jean Chretien (j/k!) Is there a national comedy gene, do you think?
Martin Short: I think Canada is very conducive to developing comedy spirits, because comedy is best nurtured in a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere and I think Canada provides that. Eccentrics are often appreciated, more than just "Take my wife, please!" We like Python. That's why so many comedy lights are coming right now from Canada, and have for the last 20 years.

Sarah: If you were not a comedian what job might you have right now?
Martin Short: I was going to be a social worker. I studied that in university. Maybe a teacher. Not working the Slushee machine at 7/11, but being the manager. Unless the kid didn't know how to make the Slushee!

Chat: What is the atmosphere like at the Comedy Fest this year?
Martin Short: It's very fun and loose. First of all, it's wildly beautiful here in Aspen. There are great restaurants, and people ski all day. You see people you don't see in the course of the year. Catherine O'Hara is doing a midnight lounge act, where people can get up and perform until 2 in the morning. It's good!

Bratlyn: What was your most embarrassing moment as a performer?
Martin Short: It's been a career! (laughing) But I would say I had to follow Tony Bennett once as a kid, on a TV show on Global in the 70s. That was frightening, because not only did I forget the lyrics to the song I was singing,
but I subconsciously started to impersonate Tony Bennett. It was like I'd gone insane AND I was channeling. The audience was dumbfounded. Tony came to the bathroom afterwards, and said "You did good, kid!" - and off he went.

Clouds: Hellooo, Martin! Is there anything left in your life that you feel you haven't accomplished yet?
Martin Short: I've never directed a movie. I've never directed a stage play, so I guess there's that. But I must admit I don't go through a list in my mind of what I want to accomplish. It's more like I'm just drawn to different things.
As a Canadian actor, I do three mediums at once. So you tend to do a wide variety of things, but not trying to see how much variety I can accomplish.

Cherryz: Hello, Martin! What other talents do you have that we as fans might not know about?
Martin Short: I'm afraid you've seen it all! I'm sure I've recycled everything that I've ever dreamt of accomplishing. I'd love to say I juggle, but I don't.

Comedy: How much of Martin Short is really what we see when your performing either standup or in movies ?
Martin Short: I don't do standup, never have. It would depend. When I'm on TV as myself, whether my own shows or sitting with David Letterman, that's kind of me at a party. I have 3 kids, so at times I'm the disciplinarian father, or a husband. Or I go to the home and school. There's that element of who I am. But when you're on TV, you're there to entertain.

Larry: Second City was a long time ago, but you're still recognized as Ed Grimley and Brock Linehan. How do you feel about that?
Martin Short: I think it's a compliment. It means that what you did once still entertains, and it's because of the power of reruns. If you wanted to be known as more than that, and that was all you were known for, it could be disheartening. But that's not the case with me.

Walter: Do you have a family, and what types of things do you like to do together?
Martin Short: I have a wife and three children. We like to do probably what every family does -- we go to movies and football games, and play cards. My kids love to see movies that I'm in. It's funny -- it's not new for them, but something that they're used to, that their father might be on TV or in a movie, wearing a bizarre wig. So, they're proud of it and think it's funny and fun,
but it's mostly normal for them.

NathanThurm: I'd be curious to hear what you think about "Mr. Show" with Bob and David.
Martin Short: I love that show! I think they're very talented. They have often talked about how influenced they were by "SCTV," and that show was a very creative, smart, funny show that certainly played to my sensibilities.

Never Mind: How have the tragedies that happened to you earlier in life affected your comedy?
Martin Short: When kids have some rough curves thrown to them, it's interesting how you can either become stronger or a victim, and why certain kids take one turn or another is hard to know. But I don't know if, or how, it affected my comedy. I was a jokester before, and I still am.

Ocean Serenity: How was working on "SCTV" different than working on "SNL"?
Martin Short: It was basically the show. "SCTV" was a written show that we would write for six weeks and then shoot the shows, and repeat that. There was no audience for it, and the show itself was kind of built in post-production. "Saturday Night Live" is totally live, so there's a different energy there. A six-minute scene, which maybe should be three minutes, will be longer on "SNL." On "SCTV" we could have cut it down to make it punchier. So both shows have their advantages, I'd say.

Never Mind: What career move that you've made do you regret?
Martin Short: None.

Lizzza: Which of the impersonations you do is your favorite, and why?
Martin Short: Probably Jerry Lewis, because I was such a fan as a kid and there's a part of my comedic energy that is influenced by Jerry, but there's also an innate similarity. When I'd imitate him on "SCTV" and wear the makeup and costume, there was this weird kind of channeling that would take over. It was the first time I'd experienced that, improvising as a character and feeling really loose with it.

Never Mind: What's your favorite form of comedy? (standup, sketch, improv, etc.)
Martin Short: Again, I've never done standup, so I'd say it's sketch and improv. There are certain standups I think are brilliant, but it doesn't hold my attention like Peter Sellers in "The Party."

Rodney: When I think of comedy I think of you and all the best that have been out there over the years making us laugh! How much do you feel you have molded comedy into what it is today?
Martin Short: I honestly don't think about such things. Thank you, Rodney. It's a great compliment, but I just think of doing something new and how I'm going to make it work. I don't think of myself in that way.

Bambi: What's your take on 'reality' programming on TV?
Martin Short: I don't watch it. I'm not terribly interested in it. But I don't watch a lot of TV. If I'm going to spend that time, I'll usually put on a DVD of something I like to see. More controlled television, I guess.

Armand8: What happened to your cartoon series? It was among my favorites!
Martin Short: We did it for one season, and its ratings were not high enough that NBC wanted to bring it back for a second.

Never Mind: Do you plan out your characters, or just start acting goofy and see where it leads you?
Martin Short: I'd say they're planned out. They're usually based on someone or people I've met, or types of people. They're written. So, maybe in the writing room it will start off improvising, but eventually it's written down.

Arasan: Heyla! Did you like working a lot with Steve Martin? I like it when you two collaborate in movies!
Martin Short: I adore Steve. He's one of my closest friends and a great, great guy to work with.

Disommes: What acts are you going to see at the festival?
Martin Short: Let's see...I don't know! I haven't been here long enough to really scan. I want to see them honor Bob Newhart, and Catherine O'Hara's Midnight Lounge, and I'm moderating an award to Billy Crystal tomorrow night.

Gooseboy: How long did it take to plan and rehearse that musical bit on Letterman last night?
Martin Short: Paul Shaffer and I talked about it on the phone before I got to New York, and we had two rehearsals before we started. We had one with the choir, and then another one in the afternoon before the show was taped. Not a lot of time though -- half hour rehearsals.

Never Mind: Who makes you laugh?
Martin Short: A lot of people make me laugh -- I'm an easy laugh! Every member of the "SCTV" cast. Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase -- a lot of people.

Never Mind: Is there anyone you want to do an impersonation of, but you just can't get it right?
Martin Short: You know, I really don't think of myself as an impersonator. I think of an idea, and if it involves someone, then I'll try to see if I can impersonate them. So, I'm not sitting on people, looking in the mirror, and trying to do them.

Franck: If you did direct a movie, what would it be and who would be in it?
Martin Short: I don't have a clue. I guess that's why I've never done it. I don't even have a burning desire to do it. But I hope it would be with talented improvisers. That would be interesting to direct.

Never Mind: Would you ever like to try a seriously dramatic role?
Martin Short: Yes, I'd do that. I've loved doing comedy, and I feel that to do comedy correctly, or character comedy, you really are acting dramatically and then adding a strange quirk to the character's personality on top of that to make it funny. So, I don't imagine the idea of seeing a building blow up and going "NOOOOOO!!!" is harder than trying to create a character who is three-dimensionally funny. I've always been drawn by the comedic challenge more than the dramatic one. Sometimes if it looks like you're stretching arbitrarily it looks kinda goofy sometimes.

Regis: What is the work you are most proud of?
Martin Short: You know, there's lots of things. Definitely "SCTV." Probably the work I did on "SNL." And certain movies and TV specials that I've loved. I loved working on Broadway.

HBO: This has been a blast! But you know how time flies when you are having fun, and we are just about out of time! Do you have any parting thoughts for us?
Martin Short: I'd say go and see "Get Over It," which opens March 9, and "Primetime Glick," which is a new series I'm doing with my character Jiminy Glick. It premieres on June 20th on Comedy Central right after "South Park." Beyond that, I wish I could go out and buy everyone dinner! (As long as they would pick up the tab!)

HBO: Thanks for chatting today with Martin Short. You can catch Martin Short coming soon to Comedy Central in "Primetime Glick," starring Martin as Jiminy Glick.

HBO: Join us Saturday, March 3rd at 4:30PM Pacific Time, when we present Janeane Garofalo LIVE at www.talkcity.com/events/chat/janeanegarofalo. If you're still thirsty for more comedy, visit www.hbo.com/comedy for coverage of the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and more HBO comedy!