The comedian-actor-screenwriter's new book, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, could be described, fittingly,
as an essay--poem--graphic novel--comedy memoir. He talked to TIME about writing, movies and
fatherhood.
What's the meaning of the title?
Based on my own experience, when you're going through adolescence, you don't know how the world
works. You can't set a story in the world you live in, because you don't know what a utility bill is or how to
budget your paycheck. So you either set it in a zombie apocalypse, a wasteland or a spaceship. I think
which one you choose decides the adult you become.
One of the chapters is a list of punch-up notes for what seems to be the most ridiculous and obscene
movie ever made.
I've had consultancies at a couple of big movie studios where you go in and you punch up movies and do
rewrites, and I'd get notes from directors and studio heads. If you only had the notes and not the script or
the movie, you would imagine the most insane piece of art--just based on notes like, "When her pants
catch on fire, she should already have jumped off the motorcycle and be chasing after the pig."
A lot of your earlier comedy mocked parents, but now you are one. Will you let your daughter read this
book? She's only 20 months old. But, of course. I would let her read any book she wants to read. I would
probably let her watch any TV show or video game. I would let her watch Keeping Up with the
Kardashians as long as I could talk to her for 15 minutes after and go, "You realize those people are
horrible, O.K.? Just please don't act like that." |
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