Let Dave Hill Turn You On

Dave Hill is one of a kind. He’s got a weekly podcast, The Goddamn Dave Hill Show on WFMU, a new puppy “dominating his life,” and a debut comedy album titled Let Me Turn You On. On top of that he’s hopping between New York and Los Angeles, working on a pilot alongside Rich Fulcher (The Mighty Boosh, Snuff Box) and produced by Steve Carrell. You should pay attention to Dave Hill, starting right right now.

Paste Magazine: So you have a great sense of fashion for a comedian. How important is fashion to you?

Dave Hill: I think it’s fun. I guess it is counterintuitive but I don’t really do it for anyone else. When I was a kid growing up in Cleveland there was this one dad who was better looking than the other dads, and he dressed better. He was always so put together and I thought to myself, “That’s how you do it!”

It doesn’t take much longer to dress well than it does to dress poorly.

Paste: Why do you think so many comics are into flannel?

DH: I think it’s just comfort.

Paste: Do you think they fear it will take away from their material, or distract the audience?

DH: I think if you are going to perform, give them something to look at. Like my friend Laura Craft who used to write for Colbert, she always wears nice dresses when she goes onstage and it’s cool. Act like you mean it! Some guys are twenty-four size with the old time-y tie and the cuff links and all that. I think it’s important to dress well but not get too cutesy. I am sure that it can be argued that I do.

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Paste: No, people have remarked to me that you have great style.

DH: I only war a few different designers. Even if I like the outfit, I still have self-loathing and think the outfit would look better on someone else.

Paste: You’re a comedian! So what do you think about this so-called new wave of comedy that is happening right now?

DH: Who is a part of it? I think there are different forms. People should do what they want to do but I think a lot of so-called YouTube stars certainly do not make me laugh. Making a silly face…I don’t give a shit. I don’t understand the appeal. I think it comes down to having something to say and good writing.
I think that in terms of stand-up it’s got more boring in terms of new people. I think in the UK it is much more advanced than it is in America, there is tons of horrible shit too and hack too of course.

Paste: What is different?

DH: I don’t know, I think just the average British person is a bit more open-minded.
We get a lot of good stuff here, obviously but I am more interested in people like Sam Simmons, an Australian dude who lives here now. Or Neil Hamburger who I think should be playing arenas. In my world, he should be headlining.

Paste: Let’s get back to your album. What did you wear when you performed at prisons?

DH: I could tell you almost exactly. I wore a suit and tie, because it was Sing Sing. And when I played a jail in Mexico, and there I played guitar because I don’t speak Spanish and I had to dress down. My friend who is from Mexico advised me to look as bad as I could. Jeans and a tee-shirt. I wanted to give them a show, I was not going to dress down. I thought, maybe I shouldn’t bring a nice guitar to prison and then I said, “Fuck it. It’s like everywhere else.”

Paste: How has music influenced your comedy?

DH: I am still figuring it out. For a long time, I did not combine them too much because I was figuring out just how to do it. A lot of musical comedy is about writing silly songs, and some people do it great. Like Tenacious D and Flight of The Concords. For me, I am such a rock fan and I don’t want to write silly songs. But more and more I am mixing them together and it is fun to do. I do jokes with guitar solos added, and it works.

Paste: Are there albums you like to listen to before you perform?

DH: The Smiths, and The Kinks, Buzzcocks, and a lot of old soul music.

Paste: Did you feel like you needed to be in one place to write your album? Where is home to you, creatively?

DH: New York, London and Cleveland are the three places where I like to spend my time. I would say those places feel like home. LA I like it, but it all depends. I can have a great time but if one thing goes wrong…all it takes is a bad parking garage. When I get here, my observations are of a guy visiting. I am not going to make jokes about juices.

Paste: You don’t seem like a cynical comedian at all. I am wondering how you pull that off.

DH: I am and I am not. My joke is that I am awesome. Some people think it is real and when they see me on camera or on stage they think that shtick is me. People are sometimes surprised that I am a nice guy. Comedians are all dark in some ways. An actor will make everyone else’s life hell, and a comedian will make their own life hell, I think.