Sold out stand-up shows, upcoming television projects and donut hamburgers. Jim Gaffigan tells Scottsdale Living about his upcoming performances at Talking Stick Resort and how excited he is to be in Arizona amid the Super Bowl mania in downtown Phoenix. He also discusses his new show “The Gaffigan Show,” which will premiere on TV Land and Comedy Central this summer.
How are you doing?
I’m good, I’m good. You know, I’m excited. There are so many reasons to be happy to be going to the Talking Stick Resort. One, it’s not freezing, right? I’m in New York right now, and it’s like 30 degrees and that’s only going to get worse…It should be a fun week with the Super Bowl, right?
Yeah, I mean it is going to be crazy. They are expecting more than a million people at Super Bowl Central in downtown Phoenix. So, I saw that a fourth show was added and the other three at the Talking Stick Resort are completely sold out. Have you performed at Talking Stick before?
I have. I performed maybe a year and a half ago. It’s all a blur, but, yeah, I came through on a tour bus with my wife and kids and I think it was just one show. So yeah I have performed there but it was in the summer. So, I think there is a greater appreciation for everything Arizona in the winter.
Yes, definitely! Are you expecting anything this time as far as crowd reception?
You know, I mean the people that like my comedy are all pretty great. I would imagine that given that it is the Super Bowl so there is going to be opposing sides, which is great. I’ll probably have to figure out how I’m going to deal with that. I’m sure there will be some scandal beside “inflate gate” to talk about. Phoenix is also a huge metropolitan area, so it is amazing, but of course Super Bowl week. For anyone who is even a moderate sports fan, and it’s also in the dead of winter so it’s like “finally something!” It’s like the book I had; It’s like a national holiday for fat guys. It’s like, “I can eat whatever I want that day.”
Yeah, I mean they will probably get pretty gross with it. Deep-fried this and that, beers everywhere. Good old fashion Super Bowl food.
Oh yeah of course!
So you just came out with your second book, “Food: A Love Story,” last October. Any plans to put out third one?
You know, I had a lot of fun writing both books. I don’t know. It’s not just a lot of work. My wife and I joke around but you make maybe 3 cents per book. So, I have five kids and so there is something about doing the book or a book that is very rewarding on a creative standpoint. If I find that I have another book that I really want to do I’ll definitely do it but I wrote them, I didn’t have a ghostwriter. I wrote them with my wife, so if I found that I had something that I really want to write about yeah I’d do it otherwise I’m not going to.
I just read something about the Gaffigan show that will be coming out this year. Could you tell me a little about that?
Well, the show is going to be on TV Land this summer. They will be re-airing on Comedy Central, so it will be both networks. It’s a single-camera comedy about my life, trying to balance being a comedian with being a dad and of course eating constantly. I feel pretty good about it. We will be shooting pretty soon, like in March. It’s going to be a great time.
You made a joke about a Dunkin Donuts’ glazed donut sandwich thing? Have you had the Dunkin Donuts bacon egg and cheese extravaganza, whatever that thing is?
I was at a state fair and had a donut hamburger and it was good, but, you know, I’m just not that bored with regular food. It’s kind of funny because it started off as a joke but now Krispy Kreme does it too. I have had a version of that, but you know.
Was it pretty interesting?
It was interesting. I like a good cheddar burger. Like, I’ll get bacon on a burger, you know.
Yeah, like a normal person. So, what else going on for 2015?
Yeah, I’m really excited about working on the show. This is one of the last big stints of working on stand up. And I feel like I have tons of new material, but it will be interesting because come this summer I’ll be back doing stand up. It will be an interesting adjustment.
“White Bread Tour,” Talking Stick Resort, Jan. 29 to 31, times vary, tickets to the one not-sold-out show available here
