Catching Up With... Stephen Lynch

Quietly playing comedy shows for well over a decade and releasing albums since 2000, Stephen Lynch has built up a cult following with his combination of bold, raunchy humor and capable songwriting. Despite eschewing typical comedy clubs, he's starred in two Comedy Central Presents tours and co-headlined with Mitch Hedberg on the latter's final comedy tour. After taking several years off to perform as the lead in the Broadway production of The Wedding Singer, Lynch put out the album 3 Balloons earlier this year and has returned to touring steadily.

Paste: After all these years, have you thought about switching over to strictly stand-up comedy or strictly music?
Stephen Lynch: I could never be a stand-up. I have no real interest in standing in front of a brick wall, telling jokes. Truth be told, I'm not even very fond of performing. I'd much rather sit in my basement, writing songs and recording them on GarageBand. Maybe put out five albums a year and never tour again. That's my dream. Unfortunately, I'm not so prolific.  And I don't have a basement.

Paste: Have you ever thought of playing with anyone else as a comedy band?
Lynch: No, but I did have the idea to do an album of collaborations with people who are funny and musically inclined. Kind of like Frank Sinatra's Duets albums, but funnier.

Paste: Your most recent album, 3 Balloons, is a studio album but you've released a couple of live albums in the past. How have you decided between the two?
Lynch:  Magic eight ball.

Paste: You toured with Mitch Hedberg on his last tour, but since you're also a musician, have you thought about touring with any bands?
Lynch: I've only ever really toured with Mitch Hedberg, which was sort of an experiment. It was very successful, but I'm a bit of a loner when it comes to touring. I don't bring openers and I hate to share the bill. This is only because I like to do a long show, around two hours. Anything longer than that becomes a little tedious, I think. I would love to tour with a band that I like though. Like Lionel Ritchie. We could duet the shit out of "Hello."

Paste: Since you're back to working on your own comedy music, have you thought about returning to Broadway?  As a matter of fact, why were you on there in the first place?
Lynch: I grew up doing musical theatre. I am very gay in that way.

Paste: How was it playing music written by other people for a change instead of your own material?
Lynch: At first it was sort of a relief. No pressure. By the end, though, I was itching to do my own thing again. I had to resist the urge to re-write lyrics, as that was not my job and would not have been welcomed by the writers, who I thought did a great job, by the way. But I was dying to put my own spin on things. That's why I was actually pleased when we closed. One can only sing the same songs over and over again for so long.

Paste: Do you listen to much other comedy music?
Lynch: I like the D and Spinal Tap the best.

Paste: Why do you think the genre remains so small?
Lynch: Because most shitty comics who use music in their acts do it as an easy way to get a laugh. If you do it right, it ain't that easy. The music has to be good. The jokes have to be not so obvious. I don't want to hear a parody of the latest radio hit or impressions of pop singers. I want real songs. That's why not many people can do it, or at least do it well. Just me and Lionel.

Paste: If you could¹ve written any song since the dawn of time, which one would it
be?
Lynch: "Gymnopedie" by Erik Satie. No wait," Let Down" by Radiohead. No wait, "Top of the World" by Patty Griffin. No wait, "Say You, Say Me." That's the one.

Paste: How do you know when something¹s funny?
Lynch: If I'm laughing as I write it, then I assume that like-minded folks will find it funny as well. Often I am very wrong about that.

Paste: Do you need to try it out onstage or can you just listen to it and tell?
Lynch: If a tree falls in the woods, blah blah blah. You need an audience.

Paste: Do you usually come up with lyrics or music first? Or is it an idea and
then you flesh it out with an unholy combination of the two somehow?
Lynch: Most of the time it starts with a premise. Then I reach into my bag of random and unused musical ideas and try to find a match. When I do, it often results in pure genius. Or I realize I've just written "Say You, Say Me" again.
 
Paste: Are there any topics that are off-limits in your comedy?
Lynch: Not really. If I think something is funny, I'll give it a shot.

Paste: Are there any songs you regret having put out there?
Lynch: A couple songs I wrote when I was a younger man, but I won't play those anymore. I just pretend someone else wrote them.