HBO
Thanks for joining. You're about to be live with Dane Cook, the man himself. You've all seen him on Dane Cook's Tourgasm. Now's your chance to pelt him with questions while you tune in to the final show - now airing on HBO.

DANE
The key to life is figuring out oneself through the course of questions being asked, so I'm looking forward to being interrogated with inquiries!

HBO
LasVegasChick27: If you do a Tourgasm 2, who will you take on the road with you?

DANE
If I did Tourgasm 2, I'd love to take the same guys. It would be fantastic to create an ongoing documentary of where these careers have gone. That was the premise of Tourgasm: to take four guys at various stages in their professions, and see where they've ended up. So it would be cool to see these guys - Gary, Bobby, Jay and me - and see how we used Tourgasm for our benefit.

HBO
Dany Heatley: Does it ever surprise you how famous you have become?

DANE
Sometimes it's like a dream, you know. Sometimes I think about being in ninth grade and all these fantasies I had about what my career could be. So to look back over 16 years and to have accomplished so many things that I desired, I feel very blessed. So it's a surprise, but when you will something into fruition, there is a wow factor.

HBO
SurvingTheDays: I know you grew up with a large family, mainly sisters. You say that you were the quiet one of the bunch, so do you think comedy was your way of setting your mark in the family? A way to come out of your shell, set yourself apart from the rest, in a way?

DANE
Yes. I think my family and I dealt with the lowest lows through humor, and we celebrated the mountaintop moments with comedy as well. This really taught me to embrace that side of life no matter what the situation. It keeps your ego in check when you can laugh at yourself and others. I think I was more of a sponge in terms of I enjoyed watching my family entertain one another, and as I got older, I participated and found my own funny bones. And they're still the funniest people I know.

HBO
Rosetownbaby: Ever feel like it was too much being that close to 3 other guys all the time?

DANE
(laughing) I think too much is putting it lightly! You have your five senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing) and a new one - get the f**k away from me! I didn't know I even contained that sense! So yes, it was overwhelming at times. We felt like we were in a womb together, like four kids in our infancy in that bus because you learn so much about yourself and the others being that close. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. And who knows, we may...

HBO
Mulletman: Did you have any reservations about the 24/7 cameras after Tourgasm started?

DANE
Yes! After the first couple of days it got easier, but I'd never had cameras in my face like that. The first two days were a real adjustment - you wake up, and there's this camera in your face. So you know this is your life now. I told these guys and myself that anything that comes out of our mouths for the next month could potentially be part of the show. It's such a study of human behavior - how you react, how others are affected around you. Then when you see interviews of when you weren't around, how that affected you. Yet it became pretty commonplace and we adapted to it, which is a good and a bad thing. It's good because you get comfortable, but it's bad because you say things you might not say if the camera was just going to be there for an hour. So it touches the best and the worst of you.

HBO
Corckle: What did you guys talk about when the cameras were off?

DANE
Pretty much what we talked about when they were on. The show fairly represents everyone. It was not re-shot like some reality shows to create drama. What happened, happened. These are the personalities, and how they are when cameras are not around. That fight that Jay and Bobby had on the third day was part of the cameras being there. Jay was still not used to the cameras, so he wasn't being as honest about his life. He was too aware of being filmed and documented, so it took him longer to adapt. So Bobby called him out on it, and that started that whole fight.

HBO
Nash: I want to become an actor/comic but I don't know how I'd get into the business. Can you throw some tips into my face please?

DANE
You know, there's really no rhyme or reason to the entertainment industry, and the more I'm in it the more grateful I am. If there's a standard response, it's that you take some acting classes with a reputable organization. And it is about connection, so through that class you might meet someone who works on Broadway or TV. You don't know where those relationships are going to be found But I do know the only thing you can guarantee is that nobody will work with you if you're not working on your craft. So take those classes, write, do improv, make home movies, learn to direct, read books on film and TV to prepare for the day when you're going to meet that key to the next step. I wish you great luck, and don't give up on it. That's for sure.

HBO
Danesgirl: Dane, you said something on your site, "I've got a few more surprises but don't wanna drop that info yet." Are you ready to tell us what else you have planned for September?

DANE
Oh, I wanna tell you so bad but I don't have complete permission from the higher-ups at this point. But let's just say I'm really excited about September. They've been calling it Danetember, with "Vicious Circle" at the end of the month, "Employee of the Month" opening the beginning of October, and this one other factor. Stay tuned!

HBO
Lalalalexi: How long did it take you to develop your specific style? Sort of get it down to a science?

DANE
It takes a lot of years to find your point of view as a comedian. Being alone on stage, there's nowhere to hide - there's no band, no other actors with you. It's immediacy, play by play, moment to moment. Being on the cusp of "what if?" constantly. I think the key to becoming a successful standup comedian is knowing what makes you funny and appealing to people, and that takes many years, many shows, and a lot of failure to find that. The key to finding what works is knowing what doesn't. There's no benefits in comedy for a lot of years. I remember getting a toothache in 1993, and I couldn't get it fixed until 1995. It's a grind. But at the same time, when it works and you do that show and you get the right laugh in the right place, I think that's what it must feel like to be a pitcher and throw a no-hitter. How impossible is it for a man to pitch to that many players and nobody can hit the ball? You'd think it can't happen, yet it does from time to time. I think comedy and pitching are a lot alike. You're on your own. One good joke doesn't make you a good comic, and one good pitch doesn't make you a good pitcher. It's a constant honing, and therefore it's one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs on earth. Next to Alaskan crab fisherman.

HBO
Francie: Could you have real personal conversations with people from home?

DANE
Yes. As an entertainer I don't take the show with me. When I'm not on stage or living in LA, I still feel like a regular person and that's what kept me sane and invigorated to get to work, because I don't live in work all the time. I love show business and turning on that switch to step on stage. But when I step offstage, that switch goes off almost immediately. When I 'm around my family or old friends, it's just regular Dane hanging out. I still find myself listening more than talking all the time, even though people have more questions for me now about my exciting life. But nope, I empty the trash like anyone else and I don't consider my life that strange at all.

HBO
Pulverized: What have your parents said about the show so far?

DANE
My dad loves it. He's beaming. My dad's like a tough old-school guy, and it took a lot of years for me to melt his heart with this livelihood. He didn't quite get it at first, but now he's on the Dane Train like everyone else. He still lives in Arlington, Mass. where I grew up, and he's become a sort of celebrity there now. He's getting kudos for the path he took because he brought such a great family into the world. So it's nice to share that with him. I tell him he needs to get some head shots so he can do autographs - "George says hi." I get more of a kick out of that than my own success. Sometimes life can be mediocre, and we look for those highlight moments, so I love I can bring that to my family and friends. That's what I watch. I don't watch my own success; I just do my thing. I like to keep it up with those other guys, and the reactions from my friends and family. My mom - God bless my mom. She just passed away, and I think my fans know through my website and podcasts. She loved it. She just glowed. She was really my champion, and from moment one when I looked up at her and said, "I love making people laugh," she said, "Well, you should and I support you a million percent." So it's been really wonderful with the fans reaching out about my mom, and I'll cherish the letters always. My parents feel very proud, and that makes me feel very accomplished that I could show them that I'm a man of my word. I said, "You support me, and I'll make it." End of story.

HBO
Viki: Do you consider all of the other guys that were on the bus your best friends now?

DANE
These are my brothers. Gary and Bobby have been in my life for my entire comedy career. Jay Davis has been in my life since things went to another level 6 years ago when I did the website and started hearing directly from the fans. So they're more than friends. We're road dogs now in every sense of the word, from the tour bus to our own lives. I've been through heaven and hell with Bobby. We've fought and we've encouraged. We have a very unique friendship that just makes me feel so secure to have a friend like that. Gary too. He's a man of his word. And Jay - he's got a good heart and a great family. I love his parents. They're like the coolest people. I feel that they're like my second parents. So these guys - we're lifers. They're going to be around me forever.

HBO
Velvet: I know that you probably have had a dozen people ask you this, but I see the energy overflowing from you and was just wondering what you do before the show to give you that extra 'oomph' for your stand-up to make your material so unique?

DANE
Nothing. I do nothing. I don't even stretch out. When I'm not on stage, I rarely think about what I'm going to do when I reach the stage. So if I have any rituals or things I must do, it's just distancing myself from the show. My comedy is improv, so I like to hang out and talk about anything except my show. About a minute before I go on, I think about something funny that may have happened during my day. So I take the germ of an idea, go up there, and mold it with the audience. People are always thinking I go on a pogo stick, hop for 18 minutes, then drink a Red Bull with heroin and cocaine in it. But nope, it's a simple equation - open the door, go on the stage.

HBO
Pogostick: Is there anything you wish you could redo from the tour, do-overs?

DANE
I'd take that go-kart race back and stay away from Jay Davis, that's for sure, Other than that, no regrets. I think the show definitely shows a dual personas of all these guys. There's light and dark in everybody, and that goes for you people watching. There's people who watch and people who judge. And even for those who judge, you'd make slips of the tongue too if you had cameras on you 24 hours a day. That's part of what made this such a fascinating project - seeing comedians in this environment. So I'm not ashamed of anything and I stand by everything. But I would still put that trophy between my butt cheeks every few days - the one that Bobby kissed every night!

HBO
Bahston: Which college has the best comedy fans?

DANE
I can't really pick. I played hundreds and hundreds of colleges over the years, and I never walked out of any of them thinking they didn't like comedy. In Tourgasm, Penn and Kent had the wildest fans. In terms of scale, those shows were huge, and that has a lot to do with it. But I've been to a lot of colleges. Club shows are different. Sometimes depending on where you are, you might get a really drunk crowd but these colleges are so appreciative of the entertainment that they're very gung-ho. But at the same time, they're the hardest audiences to make laugh because if you don't come in with the show they expect, they'll give you a hard time. It's easier to get laughs in a club where there's a broad mix of people - tourists, locals. But a college is one demographic, evenly split male and female, and if you don't get them in the first minute and they don't get you, it's a long show. College shows are the hardest to do, and that's why I chose colleges for Tourgasm.

HBO
Its Curtains: Did any of the college girls give you their numbers or invite you to sorority parties? Did you go?

DANE
Yes, there was also quite a bit of boobage. There were boobs and asses being signed. Girls wrote their numbers in lipstick on the tour bus door. Made me feel like a Beatle - but with a better haircut :-)

HBO
Chrissy: On last week's episode, Bobby said that from an East Coast perspective, when people are overly nice they're being fake. As an east coast man yourself would you agree with that? And if so, have you ever had that experience?

DANE
Dane: I think that Bobby and I come from different sides of the tracks. He grew up in a tougher part of Boston where people had to manipulate more to get what they need. I didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth - we had our welfare years and food stamps. But we still lived in an area that was a little bit easier. So Bobby encountered more people like that - if it's too good, something's got to be wrong. That's why Bobby and I had a harder friendship in the first few years, because I'm a pretty positive person and I go into something with a "glass is half full" outlook. He learned to trust that there are people who want to see you do well, who aren't just setting you up for the takedown. But there is definitely some truth to Bobby's statement.

HBO
King0ftheass: Who was your favorite comedian as a kid when you were growing up?

DANE
I never had one favorite that I latched onto, but I used to love watching Johnny Carson. I loved to stay up late to watch him for his command of that nightly audience. What makes you funny in comedy is what makes you likable, and Johnny knew how to do it: use movement, use sarcasm, camera takes, when to be broad. I learned a lot from him and implement a lot of that into my own performance. But there were so many. I loved Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor. The first time I saw Andrew Dice Clay on HBO, I thought it was brilliant. He was like the captain of a pirate ship! He gave them what they wanted, but he was in control. There are only a few rock'n'roll comics, and Dice and Steve Martin are the guys who did it bigger than anyone. Bill Hicks too. Love Bill Hicks. Raw and real.

HBO
Mike Winters: How did you land a cameo in "Transformers"?

DANE
I met with Michael Bay a few months back, and I'm a huge fan of his. We sat down and talked about "Transformers" together. He knew I was a big fan, and he was a fan of my comedy and wanted to know how we could work on something together. I came up with an idea for a cameo that would stay true to his vision. It didn't need to be comedic, since as an actor I thought I could bring something that would heighten the action. So we found a middle ground, and I should be going in and filming it in about a month. I will say this: I have a scene with a transformer. I have to have interaction with that transformer. Very exciting. Can't wait.

HBO
Kaylee: What is one of the most embarrassing things that has happened to you?

DANE
I went to a dance in 8th grade and I had like velour pants - these really bad pants my mother bought me. They were black, like a black suede-ish material I was a wallflower, still very shy. I didn't dance but my friends dared me to go dance because the dance floor was empty. Prince's song "Let's Go Crazy" was on, so I did go crazy. My fly must have broken with my flailing around. Not only did I have the blackest pants on, but I had the whitest new underwear, some neon Fruit of the Loom. My entire white codpiece was sticking out of the black pants. Looked like a little white spaceship floating on the dance floor. Every time the light hit me, I looked like a beacon of puberty. Everyone was laughing, but I thought they were just laughing at my dancing. Oh...so embarrassing. I'm still embarrassed by it. I' m sitting here telling you about it, and I'm still waiting for Michelle to call and say, "Your underwear is sticking out!"

HBO
Morgan: Do you read all/most of your comments from myspace? It means a lot to us fans!!

DANE
Let me tell you something right now - I'm reading comments as I do this interview! I spend at least 2-3 hours a day where I go in and shuffle through comments. People say, "How are you so successful?" Because I'm on the pulse of what my fans say. I'm an artist. I don't pander. I love many forms of creativity. So what I'm able to do is keep an eye on what my fans are interested in, find out through that what interests me, and continue to create content that jazzes me up and delivers to the masses. People request a lot of things from me that I don't partake in. People get disappointed if I don't do a movie or TV show like they want. But it's a give and take, like any relationship. My fans and I do have that back and forth. I get a vibe to what they want. That's how Tourgasm happened - fans wanted clips from shows that I 'd taken on my camcorder. So Tourgasm was born in my mind, but raised by my fans. And yes, I'm actually reading comments as I'm waiting for the questions to be typed out here. I'm just pulling one out now - it's a great letter from a kid Andrew who's in the hospital and he's saying how my CDs and DVDs are keeping his spirits up. He's 16. These are the letters I get. These are the letters that make me feel like what a good friend of mine said about a recent episode. He said, "How does it feel to look back 16 years and know that every decision you made was right?" That makes me appreciate these letters and how much of my drive was based on these meet and greets, knowing I was part of the fabric of peoples' lives. I was making them laugh when times were possibly dark, and when they were wonderfully high. The same things I did with my own family I'm now doing with these people and their families. Not a bad way to live a life.

HBO
Katie: Hi Dane. Why were you so competitive in all of the activities during Tourgasm? Were you really THAT pissed off?

DANE
(laughing) I don't fly off the handle that often, but that was one of the times those cameras captured a unique snowflake. I'm not that competitive. If I'm competing, I don't need to be in first place, but if I'm going to be in 8th place, I'd better have earned it. With the cameras on, things would get more dramatic sometimes. But I guess I come from that quote - I'm not the horse that looks back to see how fast the other horses are running; I just run as fast as I can. But Jay Davis is still a dick for cutting me off!

HBO
Mia: Dane, I saw your show in Boston for the taping of "Vicious Circle" and the new comedy is great! What can we expect from the HBO special and how does it feel to finally achieve your goal of a comedy special on HBO? SU-FI always!

DANE
Su-Fi right back at you Mia. Doing "Vicious Circle" was not the end of a chapter, it was the end of a book of my 16 year journey. Every time I took the stage, it was for that journey to the point where I could do an HBO event. I'm calling it an event because it's 90 minutes and has a look and feel unlike any comedy special ever. I wanted to share something with my fans that was as unique as my comedy and our relationship. What can people expect? I think people are just going to be in awe of the size. We're talking about 18,000 people. A show in the round - it's like a gladiator, surrounded by a sea of fans. I'm at the top of my form with some of the best material I've ever created. At the end of it all, it comes back to the material and I think the material and the environment I'm in, on HBO, is going to be a night to remember. It was a night to remember when I filmed it, and I think it will be a night to remember when the world gets to see it.

HBO
EddieCebz: Is it true that you have a AIM screen name that you go on sometimes?

DANE
I have not logged into my AIM screen name because there are so many people on my buddy list that it's almost impossible to manage. The first time I put my AIM name on my website, I had a couple of hundred people that I would chat with. I have a folder on my computer with the first 15,000 emails I ever returned. I was right around 13,000 and it was getting to the point where too many people knew me, but I said I'd keep going with replies and make it to 15,000. When I get letters from troops overseas, I always write them back. But I let my fans know that I communicate with all of you through my website, my podcasts, my comedy. I still have the same feeling in my heart as I did when I got the first emails. So I still do it all myself, and I will until it's just impossible. I hope it's always possible. I hope it's always possible to have a system to keep in touch with my fans. Maybe I'll invent something so I can just lie in bed at night and think and it will automatically broadcast over Bluetooth while I'm sleeping. Somebody invent that please, so I can do that!

HBO
Mexicanapplethief: Do you ever feel you ever get burned out?

DANE
The last year has been the toughest year of my life and career. With my mom being ill, I think I could say it was the best time of my career, and the worst time of my life. Not to say that my mom and I didn't have great times - she was very strong and the funniest she'd ever been until she passed. But it's still so hard to deal with a time limit on your relationship with your parents or anybody. So that was pretty heavy. I was also doing things like SNL and getting Tourgasm together and doing "Employee of the Month" and "Vicious Circle" coming together, so I burned the candle at both ends for a year. But I take care of myself - I eat right, don't drink or get high every night. I like to be creative and that means you don't look at the clock a lot. It will be five films I've done this year, as well as "Vicious Circle" and the editing of things, so I know what it's like to be on the brink of exhaustion. But I love it, and I find time to soak it all in. I take a nice hot bath, every Sunday. Take out my fingerpaints.

HBO
Acklenackle: So what's the school that shall remain nameless?

DANE
Let's just say this: If I had to live in a village, I'd drive a Nova. It would be my Village Nova. If I had to eat an ice cream, I'd eat vanilla as I watched a star become a supernova.

HBO
Stephbamf: Have you learned who your real friends are throughout your career? Are there some who expect you to pay, etc.?

DANE
This is an industry where you want to keep that core group of people that you trust close. I've got a small but sturdy base of friends and family. Many great acquaintances, tons of time spent with creative entities, but a small but tight-knit circle.

HBO
Dane, thanks for being with us tonight, and answering so many questions! Do you have any final thoughts before we have to close?

DANE
It's been like a roller coaster during an earthquake during the past year. It's been an unreal, unforgettable ride. Realizing as you look at the whole 16 years leading up to it that it all leads to "Vicious Circle." I want people to watch it and embrace it, because it's really all because of the fans: the fans, not just that night, but the ones who showed up for 16 years. That's where the name comes from - everything's a circle, and I came back to Boston to perform in the place were I first stepped on stage. There's a new book being written - "Vicious Circle" after the first 16 years, and I look forward to reading the first page. God bless and Su-Fi!

HBO
Thanks for your questions. Now that you've heard it all from the horse's mouth, tune in to see Dane's stand-up performance when "Vicious Circle" airs next month - Monday, September 4 - only on HBO.



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