Opportunity LOL's Spotlight Interview: Comedian and Podcast Host Jeff Rubin

Published: September 2nd, 2011

If you have an interest in all things "nerdy" and are not aware of Jeff Rubin, I expect this interview will introduce you to someone whose work will occupy your spare time for quite awhile. Jeff writes articles for CollegeHumor, stars in their CH Original videos, and has his own podcast - The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show. This comedian, actor, and podcast host went from CH properties Bleep Bloop to Nerd Alert as host of these video game/nerd interest shows to breaking out into his own show with the freedom to talk about whatever he wants. My favorite episodes to date: Game of Thrones, interview with The Daily What editor Nitzan, and Summer Movie Revue w/ Pat Cassels - an eclectic mix of topics right? Don't expect to have an easy time explaining this show to your friends when you urge them to download it. "Well… it's a podcast about topics Jeff Rubin finds interesting." To be fair though, Jeff Rubin has great taste and is such a fantastic host that he can carry any topic in a funny and entertaining way. Enjoy the following interview with this multifaceted talent!

What were your motivations for creating the Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show podcast?

Jeff Rubin: "I was never into podcasts, but Marc Maron's show really opened my eyes to the potential of the medium. I was listening to it and I realized that I was enjoying it as much as a great TV show or a well-written book, but in a totally new and different way. It really stuck with me - I could remember where I was when I listened to certain episodes. I thought that was exciting."

As a big Earwolf fan, I was thrilled to hear you on The Wolf Den w/ Jeff Ulrich. How are you approached for interviews and how do you approach others for your show?

Jeff Rubin: "Every Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show guest that I don't already know has been booked through Twitter. @-messages are really the great equalizer. From the mightiest king to the lowliest pauper, everyone checks them. The only person I haven't been able to book through Twitter is Drake, who I want to interview about Degrassi (not rap)."

I've been really enjoying your interviews/conversations on The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show. Nitzan of The Daily What was really great. What process do you go through when researching and developing questions?

Jeff Rubin: "It's all about booking. If the guest is interesting enough, and so far they all have been, it's absolutely no effort to think of questions. I'm actively trying to interview people who, when I hear about their work, dozens of questions immediately jump to mind. For instance, I've always wanted to talk to someone who was on Legends of the Hidden Temple, so when the opportunity came up I was ready to go."

Summer's lack of good TV caused me to give HBO's Game of Thrones a try. I absolutely love it and I'm now slowly reading the books. You seem to have embraced that show just the same. Given you're really busy writing for CollegeHumor, prepping your own show, and advancing your career - how do you find the time to read 1,000 page books?

Jeff Rubin: "Sorry books, but videogames are really the tough medium to keep up with. If there's a movie everyone's talking about you need to commit 2 to 3 hours to get up to speed. Some videogames ask for 30 to 40 times that commitment. Mass Effect is like three Game of Thrones books. Not that I'm complaining."

Can we expect more podcast episodes based on popular television shows? May I suggest one on The Wire?

Jeff Rubin: "I called it "The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show" so that the subject matter would be limited only to things I like talking about, and I love talking about TV shows. There will definitely be more podcasts in the future about shows that deserve to be talked about for an hour. I'm talking about series like Breaking Bad and, of course, Degrassi.

I would happily do a The Wire episode if I could think of an angle that hasn't been covered. It's a few years old now, and has a really passionate fanbase, so it's pretty thoroughly strip mined. I saw a great article the other day about "Strategic Errors Made By Stringer Bell." The Wire is so influential and looms so large on the pop culture landscape that, even without devoting an episode to it, it still comes up all the time. We compared Game of Thrones to The Wire at such depth that I had to include a Wire spoiler warning. In another episode we interviewed the writer/director of the porno parodies of Friends, Seinfeld, Tron, and many many more. I asked about making a porno for The Wire. Apparently the problem is that there's too many characters, and not that it would be wildly inappropriate to make a porno parody of The Wire."

How often do you perform stand-up comedy? Do you have aspirations tomake a career out of it?

Jeff Rubin: "The podcast has more or less replaced standup in my life which is okay because, frankly, I think it's a more exciting place to be right now. It's so new, and there's still so much room for growth. I still find myself on stage with a mic about once a month, though for stand-up that's almost like not doing it at all. I love performing and still do shows around the city and at colleges with CollegeHumor, but you have to really commit to it to get better and I'm not sure I have time for that right now. It's not currently a focus."

Could you talk about the evolution of Bleep Bloop to Nerd Alert and now to your own podcast? I assume the first two were CollegeHumor properties. Is your podcast owned by CH?

Jeff Rubin: "The podcast is owned and operated by Jeff Rubin. The most difficult part of making those shows was getting them short enough for the web. The idea of making episodes about whatever I wanted to, and making them as long as they need to be, was very appealing to me."

What are your duties for CollegeHumor? How much time does this take and does it pay well enough you could live off of that work alone?

Jeff Rubin: ""Is this really your full-time job?" is a question comes I ask all the time on my show, so it's fun to see it from the other side. Being the executive editor of CollegeHumor is my full-time job, and that's how I've paid the rent for nearly seven years."

You maintain an active blog, Facebook, and Twitter account. What are the coolest things to have come out of being social online?

Jeff Rubin: "This isn't really related to comedy, but I love this story anyway - the house I lived in my senior year of college had a third floor that was locked off. One day we broke in (duh) and found that the walls and ceilings were all covered in ornate psychedelic paintings. We obviously had a lot of fun up there, though we never knew where the paintings came from. We put some pictures of the front of the house on Flickr and someone commented saying that they had lived there too. We got in touch and I finally learned where everything had come from. The actual explanation was significantly less exciting than what we had imagined, but it's still probably my #1 "woah, Internet" moment."

Do you know something that you could teach someone in the comedy world within 1-3 paragraphs? Please educate us :)

Jeff Rubin: "The only advice I ever give is to just start doing it. If you're want to make comedy and you're not writing or performing or shooting or something, you don't actually want to make comedy.The barrier for entry is so low, you really have no excuse. The sooner you start the sooner you can start getting better."

What can the Opportunity LOL readers look forward to from Jeff Rubin in 2011 and 2012?

Jeff Rubin: "When I started the Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show I wasn't sure if I would like it, or if anyone would care. I had a mental commitment of doing 10 weekly episodes, which I promised myself I'd get through no matter what. I'm almost there now and I'm happy to report the Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show has been mentally renewed for at least the rest of the year, and probably well beyond that."

Interview with Comedian Howard Kremer	Interview with Writer and Comedian Streeter Seidell	Best Comedy Podcasts	Interview with Radio Host Jesse Thorn

©2010-2012 Opportunity LOL
Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: This website may contain views, opinions and statements of various third party individuals and organizations. Opportunity LOL neither endorses nor makes any representation or warranty whatsoever regarding the views, opinions or statements provided by any third party or any user of this website. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, opinion or contents available through the website and to seek appropriate advice of professionals, as appropriate.