By Lisa Flores
HC: If you, David Wain and Michael Showalter were in a boy band, who would be the bad boy?
MIB: Showalter would probably be the bad boy.
HC: Who would be the heartthrob?
MIB: David would be the heartthrob.
HC: So then you would be the homosexual?
MIB: Clearly.
HC: If you had to fight either David or Michael, who would it be and why?
MIB: I would fight David just ’cause I think his nuts are big enough that a well-placed kick would incapacitate him.
HC: You’ve written and directed a movie called The Pleasure of Your Company, which is scheduled to be released this year?
MIB: Probably next year. It’s a romantic comedy about two strangers who meet and decide to get married.
HC: Who is Michael Ian Black the person, versus Michael Ian Black the performer, other than less funny?
MIB: I would agree with that. Michael Ian Black the person… Caring. Dedicated. Rowdy when he needs to be. Michael Ian Black the performer… has been. Never was. Never will be. An illusionist.
HC: Career-wise, what’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?
MIB: This…might be it.
HC: Are you doing what you’ve always wanted, or is there something else you’d like to pursue?
MIB: I’d like to use what I’m doing now as a springboard to becoming an ice cream maker.
HC: Which do you prefer: acting, directing or writing?
MIB: That’s also a tough question. It just depends; it depends on how I’m feeling on any given day. I like puppeteering, because then you get to be a little bit of everything. And with the puppet you act, but you also direct and you can also write. It’s the best of both worlds. That’s why most of my free time is spent volunteering down at the hospital, puppeteering.
HC: Do you think Comedy Central filled “Stella’s” time slot with “Mind of Mencia” because he’s obviously willing to take risks with his comedy that, frankly, you guys aren’t?
MIB: I suspect that’s the case. I think the difference between our show and “Mind of Mencia” is that people like that show.
HC: Because it’s funny?
MIB: Because it’s apparently very, very funny. I think that if Carlos Mencia had been here tonight, that room would’ve been packed.