Arts: Questions for John Mulaney

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Interrogation Questions for John Mulaney The Saturday Night Live writer talks about his stand-up special, New in Town. By Jessica Grose Posted Friday, Feb 03, 2012, at 04:32 PM ET In his stand-up special New in Town, which premiered last weekend, Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney begins by emphasizing his preternaturally boyish looks. "When I'm walking down the street," Mulaney quips, "No one's ever like, 'Hey look at that man.' I think they're just like, 'Whoa, that tall child looks terrible!' " It's this innate guilelessness that makes Mulaney so appealing. When he impersonates Ice-T from Law and Order: SVU saying awful things like, "Looks like the victim had anal contusions," the contrast with his Dennis the Menace 'do makes it even funnier. Slate spoke with Mulaney about New in Town, which was released on CD and DVD this week, his old-timey sketches for Saturday Night Live, his fear of roving packs of youth, and why he doesn't believe in five-year plans. Slate: I noticed that in New in Town, a lot of the humor is based around your fears—of teenagers, of random homeless guys pushing you in the street, of driving. Do you work through your anxiety in your performance? John Mulaney: A little bit. It felt cathartic to talk about teenagers making fun of me, because it's like a thing, when you walk around New York, when you see a group of eighth-graders or high-schoolers on the street, it just scares the hell out of me. Not that they're going to beat you up, just that they're so merciless and good at making fun of people. I had a ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Yglesias: The Even Better News Buried in Today's Fantastic Jobs Report Whoa! Did Obama Just Casually Declare Victory in Afghanistan? See All of Bill Belichick's Best Hoodies	Advertisement
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