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Steve Byrne is part Korean, part Irish, and all funny. The funnyman is starring in his own Comedy Central special on March 3, but if you can't wait for that there is his latest CD, Little By Little, and a documentary on a one-night humor crawl through Manhattan called 13 or Bust. Both are available at his website, SteveByrneLive.com.
A veteran of The Late Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Chappelle's Show, and The Howard Stern Show, Byrne is finally ready for his close-up with Mr. Skin. He shares his sexual misadventures with groupies as a touring comic, whether he goes Korean or Irish when it comes to the ladies, and why he never got to get busy with Mariah Carey.
So what can we expect from your upcoming Comedy Central special?
An incredible jaw line. Broad shoulders, such broad shoulders that you'll ask yourself at home, "Does Steve swing an ax?" I don't. God given. Honestly, just a great time. I really had a blast filming the special, and I didn't concentrate on the cameras or Comedy Central, I treated it like a big gig. I just honed in on the audience that was there. I just wanted to make them laugh, and if they did, if they had fun, if I had fun, then all that would translate to the folks at home watching on the tube.
Being half Korean and half Irish gives you a wealth of ethnic jokes to choose from; how else does it prepare you for a life in comedy?
Being a half-breed, it does help in a life of comedy. Half the time you spend trying to separate yourself from the pack by doing something different, delivery, observations, etc. I fortunately already have that alone in my appearance, so it's a nice benefit. I would like to now take the time to thank my parents for having sex thirty-one years ago to give me a leg up in the comedy world.
When you toured with the USO did you fear that soldiers might heckle with firearms?
The thought did pass my mind. Once I got there, though, the more intimidating thought was that some insurgents would try to shoot me. We did a show where we performed on a flatbed truck where above the stage was a platform with two snipers, constantly overlooking the city beyond us to make sure no insurgents would do anything, like try to kill the performers. I was the first one up, so it was a bit weird knowing that I have snipers to protect me in case someone wants to shoot me. I can only imagine all the jokes the other comics would say if I actually got killed by enemy fire. The boys and gals that serve our country were the greatest audience I have ever performed for, EVER. They were the best, so grateful. Single handedly the greatest experience I have ever had as a comic, hands down!
Describe 13 or Bust.
13 or Bust is a documentary I did about two years ago and we finally got it prepared and available. A lot of comics will set up a camera in the back of a club and sell a DVD on their site. I wanted to have something for people that dig me, but I wanted to do something different. So I found out that the most shows in NYC done by a comic in one night was twelve. I wanted to film me attempting to do thirteen sets in one night at all ten clubs in Manhattan. So people can see what a night in the life of a standup comedian can be like in New York City. I wanted people to see the frantic pacing of it all, getting in cabs, all the clubs and how each one has its own personality, the different clubs, good shows, really bad shows, the whole nine. It's a warts and all kind of film. It's a great, great film, and anyone that is a fan of standup should check it out. It's the one thing I have done in standup that I am most proud of because I did it on my own.
You've opened for a lot of musical acts, including Mariah Carey (Picture:1). Did you try to hit on her?
I have opened for a lot of bands and music acts. I have no idea why, but I have ended up there. I did spend a summer opening for Mariah, which believe me you is not something I brag about to my buddies. I did it two years ago and still get made fun of for it. Here is the deal: Do I think she's gorgeous? Of course. Would I try to flirt with her? You bet. Did I do about eight shows with her? No doubt. Did I ever even meet the Queen Diva herself? Nope. I actually never met the woman that I opened for. That kind of bugged me, but to be honest, I was never really surprised by it.
Do comics get groupies?
The short-term answer to the question is yes. Let's just face it, women love a man with a sense of humor. We are up on stage baring our souls and talking about our failures in life. To be self-degrading is an attractive asset. Chicks dig it and I dig chicks. It's a great job and, yeah, it's a great platform to meet ladies. You know you haven't made it in show business until you've got the nice house, six cars, three assistants, a trophy model wife, and at least a baker's dozen of stalkers. Loads of stalkers. Nice.
OK, so please share your sexiest backstage experience.
Comedians don't really have a backstage, and it's not really like we're rock bands. I did, however, meet a girl in North Carolina at a club called Charlie Goodnights. We hit it off and were drinking after a show. She invited me back to her "house". We had been driving for about twenty minutes and we slowly started leaving civilization. We ended up on a dirt road and then in the woods--like Jason Voorhees woods. Next thing I know I am in a trailer in the woods making out with a girl. I hear a banging on her bedroom door. Her girlfriend was warning us that her boyfriend, who was a Marine, was pulling in the "driveway". I did the old-fashioned pulling up of the pants and I was out the window in the woods. I went into stealth mode and crept along until I got to the dirt road and ran about three miles to a main road. I walked until I saw a gas station and hailed a cab. Not a sexy story, but a real one, and it just goes to show you the lengths a guy will go to hook up.
Since this is Mr. Skin and we like to relate questions to our site's bottomless pit of movie reviews, what do you consider the best comedic female nude scene in film?
Any glory hole film. Those things make me laugh more than turn me on. Just a chick in a booth. "I am so bored. Nothing to do in here. Oh, a strange dick, guess I'll put it in my mouth." It's really funny to me.
How about recalling for us the first nude scene you saw in a mainstream movie as a kid growing up.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I saw Phoebe Cates (Picture: 1 - 2) get out of that pool and I was locked into my sexuality as a man. Sure I was six, but I knew that that was it for me. Other than that, Benny Hill. I used to love watching that show. Hot British chicks in lingerie. Those are my first real experiences of seeing woman not as, "she'd be a good babysitter," to there is something about her I like!
We also have a huge reserve of actress profiles, so who's your favorite movie sex symbol?
I have always loved Claire Danes (Picture: - ). I saw her latest movie, Shopgirl, and she is so unbelievably naturally sexy to me. She could be up at 9 A.M. in sweats and look just as good to me as if she was dressed up to go to the Oscars. Of all time, though, Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot. No, for reals, I love Mrs. Robinson [ Anne Bancroft (Picture: 1 - 2)] in The Graduate. She was gorgeous, sophisticated, and unbelievably sexy. She did it for me when I first saw it and still does.
How about Korean or Irish girls?
I usually go for Irish gals 'cause they can hang with me or try to outdo me when I go to a pub. I am not shy of a pint or two, so definitely the Irish. When I want to marry a gal, maybe I will go Korean. It would make my mom happy, but I honestly will date any gal, no matter the race, just as long as she is cool and I am into her.
More specifically then, are you a breast man or a leg man?
Legs. If a girl has a great set of legs, she is always on the go or athletic. I like that. I like girls who do things. A big set of tits can go one of two ways, nice or once you pop open the bra they can get lazy on you, but regardless, gravity will always win at some point. So, legs, definitely legs.
What's next in your up-and-coming career?
Just hawking my wonderful documentary, 13 or Bust, loads of road work, and the Comedy Central Presents. Then an episode of MTV's True Life. It's a making of my Presents special. They followed me around NYC for a bit while preparing for the special.
Finally, what is always funny?
A good donkey punch will always get a room going. No, honestly, failure or admission of failure is always funny. It's truly the one thing that will bind us all together in a comedy club. Admission of failing and getting it into the open is respected and funny. Tripping is failure. You trip, we laugh at your expense. It's the same train of thought. It's the basis for most of my comedy.
images of Steve Byrne all courtesy of SteveByrneLive website
A veteran of The Late Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Chappelle's Show, and The Howard Stern Show, Byrne is finally ready for his close-up with Mr. Skin. He shares his sexual misadventures with groupies as a touring comic, whether he goes Korean or Irish when it comes to the ladies, and why he never got to get busy with Mariah Carey.
So what can we expect from your upcoming Comedy Central special?
An incredible jaw line. Broad shoulders, such broad shoulders that you'll ask yourself at home, "Does Steve swing an ax?" I don't. God given. Honestly, just a great time. I really had a blast filming the special, and I didn't concentrate on the cameras or Comedy Central, I treated it like a big gig. I just honed in on the audience that was there. I just wanted to make them laugh, and if they did, if they had fun, if I had fun, then all that would translate to the folks at home watching on the tube.
Being half Korean and half Irish gives you a wealth of ethnic jokes to choose from; how else does it prepare you for a life in comedy?
Being a half-breed, it does help in a life of comedy. Half the time you spend trying to separate yourself from the pack by doing something different, delivery, observations, etc. I fortunately already have that alone in my appearance, so it's a nice benefit. I would like to now take the time to thank my parents for having sex thirty-one years ago to give me a leg up in the comedy world.
When you toured with the USO did you fear that soldiers might heckle with firearms?
The thought did pass my mind. Once I got there, though, the more intimidating thought was that some insurgents would try to shoot me. We did a show where we performed on a flatbed truck where above the stage was a platform with two snipers, constantly overlooking the city beyond us to make sure no insurgents would do anything, like try to kill the performers. I was the first one up, so it was a bit weird knowing that I have snipers to protect me in case someone wants to shoot me. I can only imagine all the jokes the other comics would say if I actually got killed by enemy fire. The boys and gals that serve our country were the greatest audience I have ever performed for, EVER. They were the best, so grateful. Single handedly the greatest experience I have ever had as a comic, hands down!
Describe 13 or Bust.
13 or Bust is a documentary I did about two years ago and we finally got it prepared and available. A lot of comics will set up a camera in the back of a club and sell a DVD on their site. I wanted to have something for people that dig me, but I wanted to do something different. So I found out that the most shows in NYC done by a comic in one night was twelve. I wanted to film me attempting to do thirteen sets in one night at all ten clubs in Manhattan. So people can see what a night in the life of a standup comedian can be like in New York City. I wanted people to see the frantic pacing of it all, getting in cabs, all the clubs and how each one has its own personality, the different clubs, good shows, really bad shows, the whole nine. It's a warts and all kind of film. It's a great, great film, and anyone that is a fan of standup should check it out. It's the one thing I have done in standup that I am most proud of because I did it on my own.
You've opened for a lot of musical acts, including Mariah Carey (Picture:1). Did you try to hit on her?
I have opened for a lot of bands and music acts. I have no idea why, but I have ended up there. I did spend a summer opening for Mariah, which believe me you is not something I brag about to my buddies. I did it two years ago and still get made fun of for it. Here is the deal: Do I think she's gorgeous? Of course. Would I try to flirt with her? You bet. Did I do about eight shows with her? No doubt. Did I ever even meet the Queen Diva herself? Nope. I actually never met the woman that I opened for. That kind of bugged me, but to be honest, I was never really surprised by it.
Do comics get groupies?
The short-term answer to the question is yes. Let's just face it, women love a man with a sense of humor. We are up on stage baring our souls and talking about our failures in life. To be self-degrading is an attractive asset. Chicks dig it and I dig chicks. It's a great job and, yeah, it's a great platform to meet ladies. You know you haven't made it in show business until you've got the nice house, six cars, three assistants, a trophy model wife, and at least a baker's dozen of stalkers. Loads of stalkers. Nice.
OK, so please share your sexiest backstage experience.
Comedians don't really have a backstage, and it's not really like we're rock bands. I did, however, meet a girl in North Carolina at a club called Charlie Goodnights. We hit it off and were drinking after a show. She invited me back to her "house". We had been driving for about twenty minutes and we slowly started leaving civilization. We ended up on a dirt road and then in the woods--like Jason Voorhees woods. Next thing I know I am in a trailer in the woods making out with a girl. I hear a banging on her bedroom door. Her girlfriend was warning us that her boyfriend, who was a Marine, was pulling in the "driveway". I did the old-fashioned pulling up of the pants and I was out the window in the woods. I went into stealth mode and crept along until I got to the dirt road and ran about three miles to a main road. I walked until I saw a gas station and hailed a cab. Not a sexy story, but a real one, and it just goes to show you the lengths a guy will go to hook up.
Since this is Mr. Skin and we like to relate questions to our site's bottomless pit of movie reviews, what do you consider the best comedic female nude scene in film?
Any glory hole film. Those things make me laugh more than turn me on. Just a chick in a booth. "I am so bored. Nothing to do in here. Oh, a strange dick, guess I'll put it in my mouth." It's really funny to me.
How about recalling for us the first nude scene you saw in a mainstream movie as a kid growing up.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I saw Phoebe Cates (Picture: 1 - 2) get out of that pool and I was locked into my sexuality as a man. Sure I was six, but I knew that that was it for me. Other than that, Benny Hill. I used to love watching that show. Hot British chicks in lingerie. Those are my first real experiences of seeing woman not as, "she'd be a good babysitter," to there is something about her I like!
We also have a huge reserve of actress profiles, so who's your favorite movie sex symbol?
I have always loved Claire Danes (Picture: - ). I saw her latest movie, Shopgirl, and she is so unbelievably naturally sexy to me. She could be up at 9 A.M. in sweats and look just as good to me as if she was dressed up to go to the Oscars. Of all time, though, Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot. No, for reals, I love Mrs. Robinson [ Anne Bancroft (Picture: 1 - 2)] in The Graduate. She was gorgeous, sophisticated, and unbelievably sexy. She did it for me when I first saw it and still does.
How about Korean or Irish girls?
I usually go for Irish gals 'cause they can hang with me or try to outdo me when I go to a pub. I am not shy of a pint or two, so definitely the Irish. When I want to marry a gal, maybe I will go Korean. It would make my mom happy, but I honestly will date any gal, no matter the race, just as long as she is cool and I am into her.
More specifically then, are you a breast man or a leg man?
Legs. If a girl has a great set of legs, she is always on the go or athletic. I like that. I like girls who do things. A big set of tits can go one of two ways, nice or once you pop open the bra they can get lazy on you, but regardless, gravity will always win at some point. So, legs, definitely legs.
What's next in your up-and-coming career?
Just hawking my wonderful documentary, 13 or Bust, loads of road work, and the Comedy Central Presents. Then an episode of MTV's True Life. It's a making of my Presents special. They followed me around NYC for a bit while preparing for the special.
Finally, what is always funny?
A good donkey punch will always get a room going. No, honestly, failure or admission of failure is always funny. It's truly the one thing that will bind us all together in a comedy club. Admission of failing and getting it into the open is respected and funny. Tripping is failure. You trip, we laugh at your expense. It's the same train of thought. It's the basis for most of my comedy.
images of Steve Byrne all courtesy of SteveByrneLive website
