THE JOKE’S ON HIM
The stand-up life leaves one funnyman ‘Crashing’
PETE (Pete Holmes), the endearingly hapless comic of HBO’s “Crashing,” is the kind of guy who wants to make his audience laugh with a silly joke inspired by his observations on life. He’s more Ray Romano and “Seinfeld” than “Louie.” Problem is: There isn’t much money in clean humor and Pete is broke. His wife, Jessica (Lauren Lapkus), cheated on him and moved to Tampa with her lover, Leif (George Basil). Pete spent Season 1 crashing on the couches of famous comics, including Artie Lange, who was reportedly fired from the show after a drug bust.
In Sunday’s season finale, Pete teams up with Lange again for another amusing life lesson. Holmes, 38, spoke to The Post about his show, his new romance and Season 2, which will start shooting in May in New York.
In Season 1, Pete likens pursuing a career in comedy to someone going to medical school. Is he that naive or is he really clueless?
I think comedy is a virtuous pursuit. We need to laugh. If you don’t do it, you’ll go out of your mind. There’s something healing about it that’s necessary, just like going to the doctor.
How did you recruit the comics who appear on Season 1?
Well, T.J. Miller is somebody I knew. When my real-life wife left me, he was filming a movie and had me stay in his hotel [room] for three nights. He was an obvious choice [for the show]. Artie Lange auditioned and we thought, “How crazy would it be if Pete is [paired] with somebody who is the opposite of him?”
Would you get remarried?
I’m engaged. Her name is Valerie Chaney. She works for a charity called Realgirl. My first wife married a guy who was interested in comedy, but my schedule and priorities were [all] comedy. Now I’m older and a little bit more calm. Any relationship with a comedian is a three- way relationship. You need someone who’s more balanced [than you are] to counteract potential narcissism. In the finale, Pete and Artie attend a baptism. How does that come about? Pete reaches rock bottom when he loses his job [as the warm-up comic on ‘The Rachael Ray Show’] and he’s back to square one. He goes to see his college roommate, Scully. Artie comes along for the experience and the free food. And he might be curious why Pete is the guy who keeps getting knocked down again and again, but might be the happiest person on the show.
Would you describe Artie Lange as a good or a bad influence on Pete?
He’s a good influence. Comedy isn’t having fun all the time. If you’re not careful, your life gets away from you. We look at Artie as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Is Artie Lange coming back for Season 2?
We haven’t spoken. We’ve been texting. We want to do more with Artie. No, he was not fired. It’s so clear how much he brings to the show.