Jared A'd me something

TL;DR - "How did you get on Comedy Bang! Bang!?"

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Hi Jared,

As it happens, I recently taped my NINTH episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! - an unlikely tenure for a certified non-comedian.

In 2011, during a short stint in LA, our tour manager forwarded me an itinerary for some press obligations. I’d never heard of “Comedy Bang Bang” but I’d certainly heard of Sarah Silverman.

What followed was puzzling. Sarah and Nick were there, but as Erma and Bobby Bottleservice. They did not break character and very little explanation was given. Periodically, the host Scott Aukerman would ask me to play a song. My offerings were overtly melancholic and non-comedic, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Afterward, when I asked how on earth I was chosen for this engagement, he said my publicist Brendan Bourke had mailed him my latest CD, Oh Fortune.

Scott Aukerman, Sarah Silverman, Nick Kroll, a confused Dan Mangan

I was too Canadian to ask for anybody’s contact information, so I presumed I’d never see any of them again. Then, in 2014, Scott responded to a tweet:

I slid into his DMs. We kept in touch loosely, and in 2016, Sarah tagged me in a tweet:

Scott then invited me to join a live taping of Comedy Bang Bang in my hometown, Vancouver. I met many wonderful people that night, but after dinner, Lauren Lapkus’ boyfriend Mike Castle joined me for short detour to a coffee shop. We quickly discovered a love for the same albums and novels, texted nearly every day for months, and he remains one of my best buds.

In 2018, Lauren and Mike asked me to perform the song A.M. AM by Damien Jurado at their wedding.

I fell in love with Damien’s song and eventually released my own cover recording in 2024:

In total, I’ve done four episodes as a (not so) surprise guest at CBB live-tapings in Vancouver, and five in-studio episodes while on tour in Los Angeles.

CBB has fostered a fleet of pals in the LA comedy scene, and a whole lot of delight in my life. Frequently, listeners will mention that they discovered my music on CBB.

SIDEBAR:

Some time ago, my friend Coralee gifted me a bundle of REM memorabilia from the 90s (she used to work with the band). I knew Scott was a fan, so I shipped it down to him. He said the tour-crew bomber jacket was too small for him so he passed it along to his buddy Adam Scott. I used this as an ice-breaker when my wife spotted him walking alone in Manhattan.

Taping CBB is also “feet to the fire” panic-inducing mayhem. These people are impossibly quick and experienced improvisers, and though I may have some sense of humour, they are professionally funny. Often, at the end of a session, my abs hurt from laughing.

I have learned some things over the years:

• Don’t try to be funny, just treat it like a playful conversation. Try to be relevant to the flow and let Scott drive the bus.

• Comedians perform as characters, but I’m always a non-character participant. As such, it’s a bit of a tightrope:

  • If I’m overly reserved during the between-song banter, it’s weird.

  • If I take up too much space, it feels thirsty and desperate.

MY PROUDEST CBB MOMENT:

During a taping in 2019, Will Hines’ character Randy Useless had made a big deal about En Vogue’s song My Lovin’ (Never Gonna Get It). He liked how the MC alerted you when it was time for a breakdown.

To close the show, I played my song Peaks & Valleys. I was just about to proceed with the song’s instrumental “breakdown” outro when the heavens opened up and I realized my moment had arrived.

I stopped the song abruptly and pointed at Will. His face contorted for a terrifying moment, and just before my gag fell flat on its face, he jumped into action:

“AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR A BREAKDOWN!”

I played on. Scott lost it. A truly cherished memory.

I’m extremely grateful to Scott for inviting me back so many times and including me in his community. What a whirlwind.

x
Dan

794: Sloppy Firsts with guests Lauren Lapkus & Ryan Rosenberg (Feb 5, 2023)

594: Now It’s Time For A Breakdown with guests Jon Mackey & Will Hines (Mar 27, 2019)

426: True Russian Facts with guests Riki Lindhome, Natasha Leggero, & Craig Cackowski (June 13, 2016)

125: Wine in the Whirlpool" with guests Sarah Silverman & Nick Kroll (Oct 3, 2011)