November 2022

In his latest promotional photo, Eugene Mirman is pictured standing in waist-deep water, eyes drifting off into the distance, hands chest level, with his fingers in the process of either buttoning up or unbuttoning his navy blue shirt.  “You know, l think I’m buttoning up,” the comedian disclosed during our recent conversation. “I think I'm actually like, ‘Oh, I'm late. I have to finish getting dressed, in the lake, to get to further into the lake where I would meet people.’ That’s the occasion…”  For those familiar with Mirman, absurdity is to be expected. Over the past few decades, he’s developed a reputation as one of the funniest people alive. Though most recognizable to many as the voice of Gene on the hit animated series Bob’s Burgers, his impact on the comedy world goes far deeper than his role as the attention-craving chubby middle child of the Belcher family.  The 2019 documentary It Started As a Joke, an inspired look at the decade-long run of the Brooklyn-based Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, offered a well-rounded glimpse into the founder and namesake of the festival. In the film, directorial duo Julie Smith Clem and Ken Druckerman not only captured the endless hilarity, but also the