Jeff Garlin Always Wanted to Be the Funniest Kid in Class

Jeff Garlin’s new special, Our Man in Chicago, was supposed to be unlike the typical Jeff Garlin show. The voluble comedian (of Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs fame) is known for improvising, but because Netflix was paying him the big bucks, he felt it would be “arrogant to go, ‘I'm just going to wing it.’ ” So for three years, he developed an hour, complete with a beginning, middle, and end. All the preparation culminated in two nights of filmed shows at Chicago’s Park West theater. The first night, Garlin stuck to the script. The crowd laughed, the material worked, he was happy with it.

But that’s not what you’ll see if you watch Garlin’s special. With a good scripted show in the bag, Garlin let loose the second night. He bounced from topic to topic, following tangents and on-the-spot observations wherever they took him. It really becomes apparent that Garlin’s improvising midway through the show, when, mid-story, he locks eyes with a young man in the front row and decides to get to know him. He asks if the woman he’s with is his girlfriend or wife, and when the man responds that they’re friends from college, Garlin takes a sorry breath. “College was tough with her around, wasn’t it?” he says. “Jamie, I’ve been you only too many times. The torture of the unrequited love.”

If the two friends are a bit embarrassed for all eyes to be on them, they’re not petrified. They laugh and play along. Crowd work is often an excuse for a comedian to make themselves feel better by making a few unlucky audience members feel worse, but that’s clearly not what Garlin’s after. Instead, the bit is veiled autobiography. Tone fizzy and grin barely contained, he’s relating, not simply teasing.

Likewise, Garlin uses the word “joy” a lot. He’s not given to self-analysis, but he is extremely given to exuberance. When we meet for coffee one brisk fall afternoon, in the bar of the Crosby Street Hotel, Garlin responds to the waiter’s perfunctory “How are you?” by exclaiming, “Delightfully happy!” He asks for an iced Americano and looks at me, ready to relate.

GQ: In the special, you wear a suit. Is that Jerry Seinfeld's influence?

Jeff Garlin: Very much so. Jerry says that I look funnier because [it looks like I’m trapped]. But I feel good in a suit. I feel that the suit separates me. Right now, I'm wearing a Supreme T-shirt with Marvin Gaye on the front: black, delightful, classic, simple. But a suit is about self-respect, showing the audience respect. It's a throwback, too.

You also have a beard in the special.

I'm 57 years old and had never grown a beard before. I had oral surgery and I couldn't shave. And I got past the itchy phase and said, “Fuck it! Let me see.” And I love having a beard. I will have a beard for the rest of my life. I can't do it now because of The Goldbergs.

Were you trying to put on a new image?

I don't put on any images, ever. There was no conscious choice. That's how I felt in that moment. Believe me, if I didn't want to wear a suit—even buying the suit—I wouldn't. If I wanted to shave, I would've shaved. In that moment, I was comfortable in my beard and I wanted to wear a suit. And it was about self-respect and respect for the audience. There's never a conscious image-type decision going on with me ever. I don't have time for that.

Jerry has a suit theory. But does he have a beard theory?

He has a glasses theory. He doesn't like glasses for comedy. I don't know if he has a beard theory. I don't care. I like his suit theory. I listen to him. But I'm good.

How did you select what would be in this special?

It was just, “What are the themes? What is it about? What do I want to say?” It wasn't just “What kills?” I think most people are like, “What kills?” I don't care what kills. When an audience is done watching me, I want them to leave with a piece of me. I really do.

How did you figure out what it was about?

By actually improvising the process. The only preparation I ever do is when I'm acting. I learn my lines so I'm free to actually live them. When I do stand-up, I just trust my gut and go with the feeling. I'm not overthinking it. And I'm never thinking about what the audience would think, ever. I am completely present and full of joy, enjoying it.

Did you get that from jazz music?

I got it all from jazz. The way I learned improvisation is from Second City, which was created at the height of great jazz in the late '50s. And also the music of Theolonius Monk, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins. That influences my comedy as much as any comedy or anything. I still listen to jazz; it inspires me daily.

In the special, you tell people not to follow their dreams unless it's what you're great at. Did you always know you were great at comedy?

Yes. Maybe I had more of an ego and was more insecure about it, but now I'm confident and I'm humble for the opportunities I'm getting. But I've been the funniest kid in school since nursery school.

What kinds of jokes were you telling in nursery school?

I've never been about the jokes. It's always been about me being a funny person.

Is there a moment of making people laugh in nursery school that stands out?

No, but there's one in third grade. There was a kid everyone said was funnier than me, and I remember it bugged the crap out of me. The other kids only said that for two weeks, though. Then everyone said, “No, you're funnier.” It bugged me because I knew he wasn't funnier. I remember it meaning a lot to me that I was the funniest.

When I was 8 years old, my parents took me to see this comedian named Jimmy Boranti, and on the way home I asked if it was a job. They said yes. And I said, "That's the job I want."

Did you ever waver?

No. I thought about quitting a bunch, but I never wavered as to having something to fall back on. When my son was born and we didn't have money, I said, "I'm giving myself until a certain time, and if I don't [make it], I'm going to go work for my father-in-law," who was a tin man. But then I got a deal with one of the networks.

I've heard you describe yourself as a homebody.

I very much love being at home.

How do you get new material if you don't like going out into the world?

Because I do go out into the world. I do my grocery shopping, I go to the dry cleaner's.

So do you always have a notebook with you?

I always have my phone. I'm always writing things down. [Opens Notes app] The most recent one, I was having a conversation with a parent at his son's soccer game. And I was talking to him about how the parents would always yell so much, but how they should just let them play. He agrees with everything I say, and then he does it! So I thought that would be a great scene for a movie: A person agrees with you and then does the opposite.

[Pulls up another note] Before that, I was driving behind a smart car and I thought, I hate smart cars. It almost makes me want to ram into them and tell them, “Get off the road!" They're a sad excuse for an automobile. I get electric cars, I get small cars. But it's a cheap little bullshit unsafe car that really is a golf cart. It's very upsetting!

I know you love napping.

I love napping. I have one more interview, and then I'm going to go take a nice nap.

Do you like napping more than sleeping?

Yes. Because you can accomplish it. It's so easy to fail at sleeping. You get up after ten minutes, you failed. A nap, how do you fail? If you sleep for five minutes, it's a nap! It's a lot easier to reach success.

In the special you call ice cream "proof of God." Are you still not eating ice cream?

I haven't had ice cream in at least two years.

So what are the greatest sensory pleasures in your life?

Waking up every day is a pleasure and an honor. Laughing is my favorite thing to do. I love my dog, Sage. I love looking in her eyes. My dog from The Goldbergs is my dog in real life. Sex is also delightful.

But sweets just numbed me to feelings. I've lost over 70 pounds. People say, "How did you lose weight?" But I didn't diet. I stopped eating sugar. But what I really did is, I learned to sit with my feelings. So if I'm anxious, upset, angry, I don't eat to make it go away.

One of my favorite things you do in your comedy is: You yell a lot. Do you enjoy yelling?

It's not a conscious choice. It just starts and comes out of me. But yes, I enjoy it when I do it. It feels good. And I don't rely on it, but almost every time I get angry onstage people love it.

What was the hardest you ever laughed shooting Curb Your Enthusiasm?

The hardest I ever laughed was when Larry David pulled his pants down and he was wearing ladies' underwear. I knew it was coming, but I was not prepared to see Larry in pinkish flowery underwear. That was a lot to handle.

Do you feel like the show has impacted the way you look at the world?

Larry David has impacted me. He's about as great a friend as a guy could have. And he's taught me to be fearless. I do what I do, you hired me to do it, and either I'm going to do it or I'm not. And it's just a confidence that I've learned from him. He knows what he wants and does it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Good luck looking away!

Originally Appeared on GQ