Orny Adams brings his jaded sense of humor to Hilarities shows

Thanks to ‘Teen Wolf,’ people — especially those in other countries — know Orny Adams

Orny Adams is a famous person — just ask him and Siri. ¶ You may know of him from his appearance on “Teen Wolf” and his latest Showtime special, “More Than Loud,” but for some reason when the funnyman recently called for a phone interview, his voice activated Siri from a nearby iPhone. ¶ “That’s Siri’s famousperson detector,” laughed Adams, calling from Oxnard, California. “Siri is just ecstatic that you’re talking to Orny Adams. If it started playing my comedy, then I would be convinced that we should go all robot. The famous-person detector is really the way the world should go.”

While Adams may be a familiar name in comedy circles — he was featured along with Jerry Seinfeld in the 2002 documentary “Comedian” — overseas he’s viewed in a different light. The 47-year-old comic, who over the last 15 years has appeared on “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night With David Letterman” and “The Conan O’Brien Show,” described a recent visit to Australia, France and Israel as a Beatlemania-like affair.

The observational funnyman said it was an exhausting experience that truly keeps him grounded when stateside.

“People over there are hardcore fans of everything American, and that includes ‘Teen Wolf,’” Adams said. “When I was there, the crowds were young and loud. They screamed at me. It’s nice for a week, but I’m glad I don’t have it here in America where people are still discovering me, which I think is great.

“If I peaked in my 20s, I’d probably get lazy and become a guy who doesn’t do the work. For me, everything should be sacrificed to make sure my act is better. That’s my philosophy. I just love stand-up comedy that much. To me, it’s not a means to an end, it’s an end.”

Adams is working up a new act, which he’ll showcase during his Northeast Ohio return May 17 through 20 at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre.

As for newer material, Adams said he’s on a mission to provide today’s youth with a life-changing guidance.

“‘Dream small’ is my advice,” Adams said. “Lower the expectation. Don’t go for too much in life. I think that in America there’s an illness, and it’s called ‘the dream,’ where people say you can be whatever you want to be if you try hard. That’s (expletive). That’s not true. Biologically, we’re all limited to what we can really get done barring some sort of fluke or luck, which most of show business is.

“It’s luck I’ve gotten as far as I’ve gotten, and it’s luck that I haven’t gotten further. And it’s luck that I didn’t have to get a day job ever. It all comes down to that. So listen, most people shouldn’t expect much from life. They should just be content with what they have.”

And, Adams said, as he gets older, it’s important to know himself.

“So my doctor prescribed foot cream, which I don’t need, but I thought, ‘I’ll get it because if there’s an apocalypse, I can trade it for food,’” Adams said. “You have to start thinking in these terms because people are storing food and guns.

“Here’s the deal: I barely want to live now. You think I’m going to stick around when I have to go camping and fight for food and there’s no internet? You know what’s in my prep kit? A little cyanide pill and a cup to take it with my urine. That’s it.”

SUBMITTED You may recognize comic Orny Adams from the TV series “Teen Wolf.”