Hotseat: Anthony Jeselnik

Comedian Anthony Jeselnik has been called the "Satanic prince of standup.” His deadpan sense of charm underscores his morbidity, and he has a knack for twisting normal situations into sickening epiphanies in a nonchalant manner. Jeselnik got his break writing for Jimmy Fallon, but he's perhaps best known for his roasts of Roseanne Barr, Charlie Sheen and, especially, Donald Trump.

The Pittsburgh-born, LA-based comedian performs two back-to-back sets tonight at the Aladdin Theater. WW talked to Jeselnik about morality, Robin Williams and why he loved the book American Psycho as a kid.

WW: Your comedy style has been described as hinging on the "sociopathic non-sequitur." How do you like that description?

Anthony Jeselnik: I think it's needlessly complicated. But I enjoy it. You know, there's definitely a "no rules" kind of thing when it comes to appropriate behavior. So I understand the sociopathic thing. And the non-sequitur—they're just one-liners. I'm just presenting jokes. So I get it. But my jokes have zero morality. Which I like.

Is there a process for coming up with these jokes? Do they start with punch lines, and then you reverse engineer them?

You know, it depends. Usually it starts the other way. Usually I go front-to-back, where I think of a generic situation, because I have to fool the audience. It's not just about being offensive. You really have to be smart and clever within a joke. I'm fascinated by what offends people. So I always have these topics in my head. Like, right now you cannot make a joke about transgendered people. So that's always rolling around in my brain. How can I find a way to do this, to make a joke involving them that holds the weight, that's clever enough? And then I go from there. I think of the situation—how many different ways can this go, and what's the funniest way? What's the most ridiculous, kind of evil way this can go?

Do you get a lot of backlash in politically correct markets like Portland?

Portland is a different kind of city for me. I'll tell you that. There is a little more PC to it. But there's always a counterculture. Portland's very PC. Like, I'll go perform in Salt Lake City once a year, just to see what it's gonna be like. And usually it's people who really are hungry for that, or sick of the PC culture. They come out in droves to see me. So I get a lot of that in Portland. But there will be some hushing, I'm sure, when I get to my transgender bit.

Is it hard to keep a girlfriend with so many jokes about murdering them or giving them AIDS?

Uh, that is not why it's hard for me to keep a girlfriend. Usually the people I date are very into what I do, once you understand that it's a joke. People who get offended think I'm actually that person on stage and I'm just telling you about my life. Once you realize I'm basically like an actor and writer who is performing for you, then you can enjoy all of it. You can kind of sink your teeth into it. It's like watching a horror movie. You can watch horror movies all day long. You don't wanna watch someone get killed in real life. But it's fun to get scared, and watch a gory movie.

Was there a particular childhood event or film that got you interested in the dark side?

I think I was just fascinated by what the dark side did to people. I remember as a kid, reading books. American Psycho was a big influence on me because it was just a book that got banned. And I was like, why would they ban a book? This is a work of fiction, and I'd read it and just be fascinated by the awfulness and the violence in the book and the fact that it was the written word. No one actually got hurt making this book. But people were so upset about it. What's wrong with people? Why would people not get that this is art? The fact that I've been able to dedicate my life to doing this same kind of thing is awesome. 

Still, you've run into resistance with your television material.

Sure, a little bit. I have some jokes that are TV-friendly. Even those are borderline. But most of my best stuff, I cannot do on television, which is why I don't do a lot of standup on TV anymore. In the beginning I did it a lot to get my name out there. But now I just enjoy the live shows more and keeping those jokes secret. I don't really need to burn something on the Tonight Show when I can see the audience in front of me really respond to a twist.

Do you have jokes you've written that you just can't bring yourself to tell to an audience?

There is one I wrote that I would tell to comics, and they would be like, "Oh, this is really funny, but I understand why you wouldn't tell it." It was more like a personal choice to me. There's no line for me. People always say, "Is there a line in comedy?" And I used to say, "No." And then I realized that I was wrong. Everyone has their own personal line. And I just don't care about them. I don't care what your line is. I'm going for myself. But there was one joke, where it was the language of it that I didn't really like. But I was like, oh, this is too offensive to me. I just don't want this coming out of my mouth.

Are you happier as a writer or a performer?

I need both. I couldn't give up one or the other. I write tons of jokes. Let's say I write a hundred jokes to get really five into my act. So it's a one-to-twenty kind of ratio. When I finally dig through those nineteen jokes and get to the twentieth one, it's the best feeling in the world. It's like I found like a diamond or a piece of gold in the ground and it's just mine. No one else can have it. But if I couldn't perform the joke, I don't think I would have as much fun.

Where were you when you heard the news about Robin Williams?

I was at home. I was at home that day and that was kind of a tough one for me. I'd met him a few times. But something about a guy who'd brought that much happiness to people and really enjoyed comedy taking his own life, really took a bite out of me for a couple days. You know, I'm all about making jokes when people die. And if he'd been hit by a bus, I would have been the first guy there.

SEE IT: Anthony Jeselnik is at the Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 7L30 and 10 pm Thursday, Oct. 30. $25. Tickets here.

WWeek 2015