Bob Saget is probably the only man alive who could pull off a fundraiser for a debilitating disease one night, and sing a tune like "My dog licked my balls" the next. In both capacities, he kills. It's all part of who the comedian is: a wonderful walking contradiction.
Saget's arguably best known to family audiences as fun-loving dad Danny Tanner on "Full House" and as the good-natured host on "America's Funniest Home Videos," but everyone knows by now that away from family-friendly TV and nut shots, he's one of the dirtiest comedians ever. On Monday, Nov. 9, the comedian will continue his split-personality street cred by dropping F-bombs and drawing laughter for a cause that hits close to home.
That evening, he will host the Schleroderma Research Foundation's "Cool Comedy -- Hot Cuisine" Fundraising Gala at Carolines on Broadway. The comedian will be joined by fellow funnymen Jeff Garlin, Seth Myers, and Colin Quinn as well as Dana Delany, James Smith, and the always-beautiful John Stamos.
The Scleroderma Research Foundation was founded in San Francisco in 1987 by scleroderma patient Sharon Monsky, who Saget befriended. Monsky lost her battle to the disease seven years ago. This marks the 20th year that the event will take place (there are three a year- for more on the event and disease, check out www.bobsaget.com), helping raise funds for medical research and improved therapies for the hard skin disease. "I've had friends I've lost, and my sister...it's a hard disease," Saget said earlier this week. "We want to help. A young lady who was at the event last year is gone already. 'Im sorry, I wish it were funnier."
It's not, but he is. After the fundraiser Monday, Saget is embarking on an all-new tour. I spoke to him about that as well as new television projects he's working on.
Geez, this is a serious interview.
Sorry, I'll turn it around.
Can you fart into the phone or something?
My farts don't make a sound. My friend Dave Coulier said a fart is nothing more than holding a piece of poop in your hand and blowing air across it. That's disgusting.
That is. I have to ask are you the same off stage as you are on?
Actually, I speak only in Polish. I change my entire personality. English is my third language.
Do you think there are still people out there who don't know you are the way you are on stage?
I think they have an idea now. I don't even think of myself as dirty. It's so funny. It's just because I was Danny Tanner, and it was like watching "Mrs. Doubtfire" for eight years. Then you look at the video show which is clearly a blooper show that puts people in your living rooms. It's just the shock of a guy you don't think is going to be there doing that. Now the shock is gone so now I just have to be funny. I think they've seen enough stuff whether it's being roasted on Comedy Central, my hour-long HBO special, or doing another "Entourage" [episode.]
Seeing your standup, and your "Entourage" appearances, I always envisioned you doing a more "Curb Your Enthusiasm"-type show centering on your specific comedic style...
You're dead-on to be honest. That's kind of the newest thing I'll be working on, which is just me. I'm 53, I go to therapy...I mean I was on the 'video' shows and 'Full House' that alone will put you on the couch. I hesitate to say I'm doing it. It's strictly a developmental embryo right now, but I want to have that voice and that dynamic of my life. How I have three daughters, and I want to date, and I work hard... I work hard to meet women and a lot of them are young. It's a strange mix. It's a schizophrenic existence: one minute it's almost a 'Full House' moment without the synthesizer strings coming in like I'm talking to my 16-year-old daughter for an hour then I do an improv show and sexy young girls go up to me afterwards are like "oh my god I grew up watching you...come here."
It's a very interesting thing and very fun to play. I've been courting this for years. I also have a new show on A&E that I'm very excited about. We shot it in the Ukraine, and it's a documentary-comedy. It's another outside-the-box kind of thing. It doesn't look like something I've done before. My energy is more real.
Did you say the Ukraine?
The A&E show is a really bizarre thing. The whole show is about subcultures. It's me in the Ukraine, talking to people. It's my Bill Maher/Michael Moore kind of thing but it's completely real. Each episode will be different.
I've spoken with several "Full House" castmembers throughout the years, and they all say you're all still tight like a family. Is this true?
It's really interesting. We all have different relationships with each other. You go through different ups and downs, but there isn't anybody I don't talk with. I mean I changed [Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's] diapers. I just changed one and put them on the other ones. I don't want to see that in print but you've got to do your work and I can't stop you from doing your work.
We hear you on "How I Met Your Mother" each week, can we ever expect you to be on the show?
It's a wonderful show. They don't know who the father is. They get cute with it. If I was Colby Smulders' husband on the show. If it turns out I was the reason she had a baby I'd like to do a scene with her where we actually do have sex with each other in the street.
Let's get to the stand-up itself. How do you switch it up night after night?
The new stuff I've been working on -- it's been a couple months. I know it'll evolve into something. I do change it up though. I become a chameleon for wherever I am. I don't censor myself but I don't want to force my sick-skewed version of world either. If I go off on a young guy in the audience telling him he shouldn't be doing anything physical with animals and I hear people gasp in horror, I'll probably [pauses] take a couple more shots at it and go away. I don't want to dive too much into the belly of beast though. My job is to entertain people. I really love making people laugh. It's a relationship I've been doing 35 years. It's a real thing, why not enjoy it?
