HBO
Welcome! You're about to be live, up-close and interactive with Gary Gulman, one of the stand-up comics from Dane Cook's Tourgasm. The chat is about to begin - so start sending your questions now and tune in to the show - now airing on HBO.

GARY
Hi everyone, thanks for joining me because this would be very lonely if nobody showed up. So thanks for validating my existence.

HBO
Steve Ax: Hello Gary. I am a huge fan and wish you the best. I LOVE your website...it is very unique and is my favorite comic website. Can you explain the concept a little and can you talk a little bit about the 'Gulkmaniacs' (loyal fans in your forum)? Tourgasm RULES!

GARY
Some people call them Gulkmaniacs and they are a handful of people who caught me on Last Comic Standing. They come to show after show, and give me support and love, and they are priceless to my ego. We're looking to expand the minions!

HBO
Soccer Chic: When are you releasing dates for your tour? Will you be coming to New York at all (particularly Albany)?

GARY
I will be releasing dates to my tour shortly, probably in July or at the latest, August. The tour will start in September. You can sign up for my email newsletter at www.garygulman.com and I will keep you abreast of all my appearances as well as product information.

HBO
Cassie: Gary, everyone knows you are the best looking comedian in the business. Does that make it more difficult to be taken seriously as a professional?

GARY
Where were you when I was in tenth grade?? I have difficulty answering that question because I still see a sixteen year old kid with braces and zits, so I'll say I haven't noticed anything, but I appreciate the compliment.

HBO
Eric Freeman: Gary, I am a long time fan ever since I saw you on Last Comic Standing. As I am as well a fellow member of the Jewish population, do you think our comedic ways are just natural because we are a part of our religion? I ask this because my friends say to me "Eric you're so funny," and I look at the famous comedian population and there are many of our people. Anyway just wanted to know.

GARY
I think perhaps that amongst groups who have been discriminated against or oppressed, there is a coping mechanism using humor and sarcasm and irreverence, and I don't know that there are many groups that have been more oppressed or discriminated against than the Jews. I think it might be a minority thing rather than a Jewish thing.

HBO
Little Buddy: I understand you love football and you love the NFL. Did you ever play football yourself?

GARY
Yes I was a tight end at Boston College. I was the only Jew on the team at a Catholic school. And I still love football, as well as the NFL.

HBO
Mr. Connecticut: Hi, Gary! Love your CWIO CD. When are we going to get another CD with all new material?

GARY
I will be recording a new CD this Christmas in Boston at the Comedy Connection. There will be all new material, and you're invited to join me at the live taping in December. I'd love to see you there.

HBO
Holerday: What's your writing process like? If you write every day, what kind of exercise do you use to begin? Do you take a subject and look for something funny about it, or do you wait until you have an inspired idea and try to build more material around that?

GARY
It's a combination of those things. A lot of time I'm just taking jokes that already have a nugget of funny in them and trying to expand it and mine different angles. Sometimes I just sit back and try to observe or take notes on thoughts that I've had and try to expand on them. My favorite part of the business, but maybe the hardest part, is writing new material. I have countless notebooks - literally in the hundreds. There's probably a small ratio of good jokes to total jokes written.

HBO
Lorraine: Do you work a day job or are you able to travel around doing comedy?

GARY
I'm loaded!! :-) I've made a living at comedy since 1998 when I left substitute teaching at my old high school in my 20s. I've been sustaining myself on standup comedy, and I've sold a couple of pilots to networks based on my standup comedy.

HBO
Jake: When did you decide to be a comedian?

GARY
I remember in first grade saying that's what I wanted to be when I grew up. My mom would let me stay up to see Johnny Carson, and we'd watch afternoon shows like Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas that featured comics. I liked the observational comics like Robert Klein, David Brenner, Bill Cosby.

HBO
Miami Smart Girl09: Why did you decide to go on Tourgasm with Dane?

GARY
I've been friends with Dane for about 10 years now and he's been a great friend and invaluable to my career. When he asked me, I was honored that he'd invite me. We have a great time together, and I thought it was an exciting opportunity and would be a great amount of fun. I didn't realize I'd be sleeping in a coffin every night!

HBO
Teenwolf: How tall are you and how tall are you parents?

GARY
Gary: I'm 6 foot 6 inches, 215 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal. My father is 5 foot 7, and my mom is 5 foot 3. The milkman was not tall either.

HBO
NDM810: First off let me say, you are so sexy and hot! Okay, now that I got that out of the way...what do you do to make yourself so sexy? Workout? Certain clothing to wear? What is it?

GARY
I do exercise every day, but that's really more for mental health than sex appeal. I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not seeing it in the mirror! But thank you :-)

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NDM810: Do you still enjoy eating Oreos and grapes?

GARY
I eat way more grapes than Oreos. I love grapes. Oreos are delicious, but if I ate as many as I wanted to, I'd be 400 pounds.

HBO
Isaac: Do you have any kind of ritual before going on stage?

GARY
I usually say a prayer before I do a TV set or an important audition, but for the most part I just figure out what joke I want to do first or what type of statement I want to open with. I don't really believe in superstitions. I think they're hurtful.

HBO
Brooklyn Gal517: Hi Gary. I watched u and rooted for you on Last Comic Standing and I saw u at Caroline's in Manhattan! I think u r awesome and funny and I love how u include your Judaism in your standup! How has life changed for u and how do u feel about making it this big? And do u really get along with Dane and the other guys on Tourgasm?

GARY
Life has changed. I travel a great deal more and I stay in better hotels. I don't worry about health insurance as much as I once did. I get along famously with all those guys. We really have a great time and a lot of laughs. There was some drama on the show due to the close quarters, but I'd go out on the road with them again any day of the week.

HBO
Ben B: Hey Gary! Obviously you must attribute a lot of your recent explosion into the mainstream view to Tourgasm and LCS. Is there anything/anyone else that you can say helped you find such success?

GARY
I think those two things have been dramatic, especially Last Comic Standing. I was seen by millions of people who would never have seen me. Behind them are thousands of open mikes and notebooks full of jokes, but those are the cornerstones of my success.

HBO
Mandy Merzaban: How do you feel about public transit, especially those mysteriously sticky rubber loops that are somehow supposed to save you from the abrupt stops of grumbling bus drivers?

GARY
I don't know how to answer that! I love the NY subway system and I'm a big fan of the cross-town bus. But I never touch any of the poles or hand guards with my hands - I wrap my elbow around them to avoid germs.

HBO
Corph: Have you been watching Last Comic Standing Season 4, and if so, who are the ones to beat?

GARY
I have been watching Season 4, and I think that Josh Blue is the man to beat. He's very endearing, and very clever, and most importantly, very funny. I don't like Stella!

HBO
Lisa V: How has being on Last Comic Standing affected your career?

GARY
It essentially gave me a career. I was making a living by doing a lot of smaller venues, and Last Comic Standing allowed me to perform at clubs that wouldn't return my calls even weeks before Last Comic Standing aired. So it was a godsend.

HBO
Matt: Gary, what was the final thing in your life that made you make the jump to stand up?

GARY
I got a manager in New York City, a real manager. She was able to get me enough work to make up for the $45 a day I would lose by quitting my job as a substitute teacher.

HBO
Kenpo angel: What was your biggest high on stage?

GARY
I think it was doing my first Late Show with David Letterman. The audience was so responsive and so appreciative. I've never felt funnier or more talented than that night.

HBO
Kenpo angel: Who was your greatest comedy inspiration and have you gotten the chance to ever meet them?

GARY
My biggest inspiration was David Brenner growing up. I have met him, and have actually done some shows with him and had occasional phone calls and emails from him. So it's full circle from watching him on TV as a kid to sitting over breakfast and hearing him tell stories about Frank Sinatra.

HBO
Andrew Madrid: What was your last job before going full time as a stand up comic?

GARY
My final job was as a substitute teacher at Peabody Veterans High School in Peabody MA.

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iGiVtourgams: So how many episodes until we see Robert knock out Jay?

GARY
(laughing) They actually started to get along better starting with the 3rd or 4th episode, so there was never any violence between then.

HBO
Crazy Dreamer: Besides the aroma of leather tanning, what do you miss most about Peabody, MA?

GARY
Number one, I miss my Mom. And my house that I grew up in. I miss my friends that I've been friends with since grade school. I also miss Giovanni's Roast Beef & Pizza, as well as Powerfit Gym.

HBO
Holtie: What advice do you give to upcoming comedians besides trying to get as much stage time as possible?

GARY
Write every day. And never give up.

HBO
Richmond VA: Do you think getting tanked makes you more comedic? Or just that you care less and curse more?

GARY
I think it may relieve inhibitions, but it also gets in the way of thought processes. So the benefits may be a wash.

HBO
Punk Goddess03: What was one of the most insane things that happened to you while on the tour?

GARY
Let me think...that's a difficult one because nothing really insane happened. Well, I did on two occasions try to book a flight home. I was exhausted. Then I got a good night's sleep and felt better in the morning. I always do!

HBO
Dimitri: Did you or any comic you know ever have to overcome stage fright?

GARY
I've heard stories of some comics overcoming stage fright. I have been nervous going on stage, but I've never done a Cindy Brady where I couldn't remember my lines.

HBO
Richmond VA: What city of the Tourgasm has been your favorite so far?

GARY
I guess to be diplomatic, I will say Boston because I'm from there. But there wasn't one city where I didn't have an excellent time.

HBO
Drink Songs: What started your infatuation with cookies?

GARY
I've had a sweet tooth since I was a little kid, which my Mom indulged. I played football and always had a hard time gaining weight, and I found that a large package of Double Stuff Oreos had a remarkable number of calories. And adding a half gallon of whole milk really brought the weight gain on. It was out of necessity originally, and then I became addicted to the sandwich cream goodness.

HBO
Drewm 55: Hey Gary, big time fan. Where do you get the inspiration for your material? Or is this a secret you can't really reveal? Comics say you just have to write and write, is that how you go about it?

GARY
I get inspiration from certain sparks in my head that connect two things that ordinarily wouldn't be connected or things that seem odd or contradictory or hypocritical. For instance, I find it vexing that in America gay people can't get married but people can go to Disney World and dress up like Micky and Minnie and walk down the aisle with a priest dressed as Jiminy Cricket.

HBO
Tulip: Gary, given your larger-than-Hollywood stature, do you think you might have trouble getting film or TV roles? I mean, Sean Penn would come up to your kneecaps.

GARY
I think it may be an obstacle, but guys like Brad Garrett and Vince Vaughn have had successful careers, so hopefully I'll be able to follow in their footsteps.

HBO
Gary, thanks for taking time to talk with us tonight! Our time's almost up - any last words of wisdom for us, before we have to close?

GARY
If it looks too good to be true, it's a handicapped space :-) But mainly, thanks for joining my tonight. You made my day, and please come and see me at a live show. My tour dates will be available by subscribing to my newsletter at www.garygulman.com

HBO
Thanks for your questions. Now that you've heard Gary's take on the cross-country comedy tour, tune in to see what happens when "Dane Cook's Tourgasm" hits the road next - Sunday, July 2nd at 11pm - only on HBO.



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