After headlining countless shows across American clubs, theatres and festivals, comedian Orny Adams is bringing his latest tour to Australia. More than Loud delves deep into small but infuriating things.
“It’s about everything that frustrates me on a daily basis,” Adams says. “It’s about the little things that bother me in life and I’ve focused on those things rather than the bigger picture, but there’s an optimistic message being that we’re all more similar than dissimilar.”
Adams’ 90-minute special alters between relevant and ridiculous, discussing what’s wrong with the world.
“I get really amped up, and one of the criticisms might be that I’m up there yelling. I’m actually more than loud. If you’re yelling and there’s no substance, you’re just yelling. But I like to think that what I’m saying has some meaning. I’m texturing it, I get really big reactions from the stuff I talk about. [It’s] a textured show that had ebbs and flows and ups and downs. I think the most important thing that a lot of people lose sight of is you’re up there to put on a show.”
Performing stand-up for over 20 years means that Adams knows what he’s doing. He’s always seen comedy as what he wants to do.
“From high school, I’ve been studying stand-up comedy. I was listening to comics and counting the beats and laughs and routines. I would read about comics and I would read who influenced them, and the next thing you know I’m at the library checking out books that hadn’t been checked out since 1912. I’m not trying to sound arrogant, being a stand-up comic is just who I am.”
Comedians always seem to have an interlaced network where everyone knows everyone, and Adams is no exception. He appeared in Jerry Seinfeld’s documentary Comedian in 2002, and has written for friends Jay Leno and Garry Shandling as well as the Emmy Awards.
“You take Shandling, he’s one of the most concise writers, so true to himself. Trying to match that voice and write for that person – it’s difficult. Garry was a mentor and used to make me work really hard for him – absolutely made me a better comic.
“I’m a better comic because of every comic that is before me. There’s a great tradition within stand-up comedy for someone who’s more accomplished to disseminate information to a younger comedian. I’ve been lucky to be in contact with a lot of amazing comedians. It’s a community and it’s an honour to be a part of it.”
Adams has made appearances on talk shows in the past, including those hosted by Conan, Jay Leno and David Letterman. Known for his use of facial expressions, Adams has been involved in a host of TV shows in the past, but his real acting break was in MTV’s Teen Wolf as Coach Finstock.
“The executive producer was a fan of my stand-up comedy and wrote the part for me. So, I never even had to audition. I know it’s huge in Australia because I hear from the fans in Australia several times a day.”
Despite the similarities of performing stand-up and acting for a camera, Adams approaches these tasks very differently.
“When I’m onstage it’s 100 percent my words, I never go up there with a script. I may think I’m gonna say one thing and the next thing you know I’m off on a tangent discussing something I didn’t imagine coming out of me. Acting, you show up and somebody hands you a script. You say those words exactly. It isn’t loose, you can’t improvise – it’s a completely different muscle.”
In terms of his trip Down Under, Adams can’t wait to come back to Australia and see Australian audiences, as he was thrilled the last time he was here.
“I found [Australians] to be really smart comedy consumers that were interested in the art form behind comedy. They seemed more in tune to the nuances of what made one routine better than another routine. I’m excited to bring my latest work down to Australia and to meet the fans.”
