The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Back on the Dane train
One of first comics to embrace the internet, Cook made a huge splash — and then needed a break
It was the early 2000s, and the internet was quickly changing the way we do, well, everything. Dane Cook was a young, budding comedian who had everything going for him, except an audience.
It’s never particularly easy for comedians to get their brands up and running, but the pre-You Tube era of comedy was especially daunting. Today, if you’re mildly funny and can operate an iPhone camera, you may end up with your own Netflix comedy special within a few months.
Cook is the pioneer of making the internet go to work for you. It occurred to him one day while watching a stranger pass out flyers for his band. Cook recalled the incident in a Google+ interview a few years ago. Watching this poor guy hand out papers with only his band name on them, someone finally pointed out the flyer didn’t include a date.
“Well, we don’t have a gig yet…”
It hit Cook at that moment there should be a place to distribute your work without awkwardly approaching strangers with papers.
He found the answer in MySpace — basically the precursor to Facebook. While some comedians resisted sharing their material on the internet during the early days, Cook figured if his stuff was shared, he’d build a community of fans and a steady following. It worked. By 2007 Cook became the second comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden.
His colorful observations and high-energy performances attracted a young audience that had been largely ignoring stand-up. Cook bursting onto the scene suddenly made the artform a mainstream interest for younger crowds.
After reaching astronomical heights of commercial success through stand-up and movies, Cook is back out on the road.
He hits the stage at Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park May 11. When the show quickly sold out, Cook added a second performance immediately following the first, and there’s still room to join.
He fills us in on what he’s been up to in a recent phone interview.
“This was supposed to be, like, a sneaky tour initially,” Cook says. “It wasn’t like a full-fledged, and it’s (still) not ‘Here’s the title and here are the 50 cities.’ This was really like, OK, let me creep back out on the road, do some cool gigs and see how the two and a half hours of material that I’ve been working on for about two and a half years in L.A. connects with people. My stand-up is continuing to change.”
Cook has had an intimate relationship with his fans dating back to his MySpace days, and they’ve never held back on sharing feedback.
“Fans are brutally honest. When you don’t deliver on something, they’ll tell you.”
This modest tour without a name appears to satisfy both new and longtime fans, Cook says. He seems to live for pleasing his fans as much today as he did when he started out in comedy 28 years ago.
“When the opinions started coming in on the new material, I was so thrilled because people were saying, ‘Hey, I’ve seen you over 20 years now, and this is my favorite set.’”
He gushes, “It’s just been an outpouring of validation. It’s great to still feel that excitement and relevancy all these years in.”
If you don’t frequent L.A., it’s probably been a while since you’ve seen the guy. His last Cleveland stop was in 2009. That is because, according to Cook, you can only live on the road for so long.
“I got burnt out after being on the road for about 15 years straight. I never stopped. I never used to take a Sunday night off to just relax or go on a date.
“I sacrificed so much that as I started getting closer to the second act of my life and career, it became about, OK, if I slow down and I really kind of internalize, how can I then hold a mirror up to that and make it performance? It felt like the right time to kind of dip out, and now it feels like the right time to come back with a fresh take.”
So who has comedy been kinder to? Is it easier to break into the scene today or was it a better environment almost 30 years ago when Cook got his start?
“I think absolutely there’s new rewards and new challenges in the internet age. I mean there is a lot to sift through” he says.
He suggests information overload has potential to drive fans into the arms of other artists.
“It’s easier for fans to pick and choose, but then, on a whim, pick and choose somebody else.”
The perfect formula for Cook involves keeping the curtain a little bit closed.
“I think it’s still about keeping some mystery and about keeping some of your life behind the artistry. We overshare now so much, and I think there’s a bit of a fatigue that comes from the reality television of it all. You get a little bit bored with so many people doing so much stuff all the time.”
Rather than being another overexposed name, Cook says he’s content with narrowing his focus.
“I feel like for where I’m at now in my life and career, I wanna just focus on a few things that are meaningful to me, and I don’t wanna overextend.”
What is there to add to your itinerary after you’ve crossed off fame and fortune from the list?
“I did everything I ever wanted to do in stand-up comedy, I honestly accomplished every goal. Now, I wanna have that Rolling Stones mentality, which is standing the test of time. People know what they’re gonna get when they see them ‘cause they’re always gonna deliver. I wanna be able to play any size venue because it’s not about the venue anymore — it’s just about the way I can connect with people in that environment.”