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July 17, 2006

Inside With: Bob Wiltfong
By: Keith Huang

Image Hosted by ImageShack.usBob Wiltfong is a living testament to the importance of pursuing that which makes you happy. A longtime broadcast news-talking head, Wiltfong in 2002 left that underpaid, oftentimes soul-depleting industry to write comedy. His decision bred opportunities he never could have predicted: a gig on The Daily Show, a whole bunch of TV commercials, and consultant work on Rebecca Romijn's Pepper Dennis. Today, the thirty-something Wiltfong is still busy, taping episodes for a new Discovery Channel show while also hosting a weekly news webcast called NewzViewz. You can catch Bob in Adult Contemporary with fellow comedy writer Matt Oberg at The People's Improv Theater. Or just keep tabs on all things Wiltfong at his blog. Be sure to read the final question & answer.

Okay, where does the name Wiltfong come from?
It comes from your Momma's pants! Snap! (I always like to start interviews with Yo Momma slams)

The first time I saw it, I thought "an Asiatic name that somehow got written down incorrectly at Ellis Island."
I've actually checked the roll-calls at Ellis Island and, alas, my relatives never came through there (I'm pretty sure they were smuggled in the trunk of somebody's car south of the border). Wiltfong is German. It's supposed to be a derivative of Wolfgang. And I've been told, in German, it translates into two possible meanings: "wild one" or "royal blood." My dad (God rest his soul) liked to think it was the latter translation that was accurate. However, given the behavior of my family I'm highly doubtful.

When people haven't met me in person, they often think I'm Asian because of the "fong" in my last name. But, as you can see, I'm as white as they come.

In your Daily Show package about "sexy cheerleading" in Texas, you coined the phrase "chanteuses of desire." Here's your chance to coin another phrase. Have at it. Also, please name your three favorite Daily Show packages that you produced.
Alright. Here you go. I've given it a lot of thought. I'm going to go with "That's hot." I think that has a lot of potential -- and it's original -- which I like. It sounds like something a smart person would come up with, don't you think? I would like to take credit for "producing" my Daily Show pieces but I cannot. Regardless...my three favorite Daily Show pieces are probably:
1.) Oprah Car Give-Away
2.) How to Overcome a PR Fiasco
3.) Dr. Phil Adopts a Town

Besides the money and, of course, the people who suddenly realize they recognize you, but are not sure from where, what's the best thing about appearing in a nationally televised commercial?
Easy. The incredible amount of tail you score.

Quick -- I'm looking for speed over accuracy -- recite any line from any Smiths song.
My go-to Smiths song lyrics. Easy. "It's so easy to laugh. It's so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind." Are there any better song lyrics ever written I ask you?! I think not. That, my friend, is not only a beautiful thought but a motto to live by and -- out of the mouth of Morrissey -- also extremely depressing.

How often do you get together with Neutrino these days? Also, if Neutrino survived a plane crash in the Andes and to survive you would have to resort to cannibalism, who would you eat first? And why?
Sadly, not very often. The fact that I'm a new father and have had some jobs that have kept me pretty busy doing other stuff, I've kind of fallen out of touch. Ahhhh, life... We hope to do some new gigs together this fall.

I would probably eat Donnelly first. He's meaty. Kurt's big and meaty too but his extremely low-hanging balls would make me vomit what I had eaten.

You and your comedy-writing partner Matt Oberg are performing "Adult Contemporary: Super smooth sketch comedy jams" on Thursday. Please give me a teaser for the show.
I blow myself while Matt gives me a reach-around. And then a whole bunch of hot, horny women have sex with you. It's awesome, man.

Seriously? It's sketch comedy. It's funny. Come see so you can tell your friends "I saw those guys in a little theater before anybody knew who they really were..."

True or false: Winning a fourth Emmy is sweeter than winning the third.
False. The sweetest part is paying for a rented tux the night after losing in all seven categories you were nominated for in your last go-around as a legitimate TV news reporter.

Are your Emmys on a shelf somewhere in your home?
One (my first) is at my mom's house. Two are on our fireplace mantle (at a slight angle -- per the Academy's instructions). The final one is tucked behind some crap near my home computer. All of them are "G--damn dust collectors!" -- according to my wife.

I heard you're a dabbler in the standup. Do you still scribble down notes for potential material? Can you give me something you've seen or heard recently that struck you as potential standup material?
Couple of things I've written down recently... 1.) Signs that I'm getting older: I'm using the phrase "riff-raff" to desribe the younger generation; I think those tennis shoes with wheels on them are dangerous; I look for all available exits when I enter movie theaters. 2.) You are NOT truly part of the computer generation if: you played the original Pong and thought it was AWESOME; you remember when TV programming wasn't 24-hours, around-the-clock; you had to change the channel by hand.

Tell us something about Jon Stewart that will make us go, "Huh, that's not interesting at all."
He's kinda short.

Please do the same with Rebecca Romijn.
She's tall, skinny and very nice.

I would describe NewzViewz to someone who's never seen it as a melding of the community-driven nature of a message board/chatroom with real-time news broadcasting. How would you describe it? And who's on the short list of "guest comedian friends" who are going to be on the show?
I would describe it as the future of news and entertainment programming now. Totally interactive and totally of the people. Basically, it doesn't suck.

Some of the funniest and smartest comedians I know -- or have worked with -- are people many have never heard of. They don't have the credits (yet) that make them house-hold names, for whatever reason. I'm looking forward to giving them a forum on the show to be seen and heard -- by a large audience -- for the first time. Heading that list are Negin Farsad and Alex Zalben. More to come. More to come...

And finally, most people who are involved in comedy in some way can cite siblings or their parent(s) for helping them form their sense of humor. Was that true in your life? And are you, or do you have plans, to push comedy onto your own son?

Yeah, my dad loved to joke around. He also loved to debate current events. Those two things have, obviously, been a big influence in my life.

His sense of humor was strange though, man. For instance, he was a veterinarian and, growing up, his kids all took turns working at his clinic during the summer months. And with each child (I'm the youngest of 6), he pulled the same practical joke:

He'd pull a dog from a cage and tell you to hold him while he went to get something. In the meantime, you'd pet the dog, bond with it, you know. Then he'd come back in the room and instruct you, "Now, hold the dog tight. I'm going to give him a shot." You'd hold the dog tight. He'd give it a shot. And then, suddenly, the dog would collapse in your arms. He'd turn to you and say, "What did you do? You held the dog too tight!" When he saw panic come over your face, he'd then laugh and say, "It's O.K.! I just put him to sleep!"

That was my dad, ladies and gentlemen. No wonder, I'm a little off, huh?

As far as my son goes...I hope his life is filled with laughter and, no matter what he does , I hope he goes about it with a smile on his face and joy in his heart -- unlike too many "comedians" in my opinion. For a profession built around making people laugh, there are far too many of us "professionals" who are a-holes and take ourselves far too seriously.

I'm out to change that by God!!!

Keith Huang is a regular contributor to Gelf Magazine. He swears he's currently working on an article about one of his favorite Adult Swim shows, Squidbillies.

Posted by The Apiary at July 17, 2006 2:22 PM

Comments

I love you ian you are my bitch

Posted by: sheldon at January 23, 2007 4:04 PM

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