Janeane Garofalo Explains "Alternative Comedy" For You

In anticipation of Janeane Garofalo's upcoming stand-up stint at Comix in NYC (Fri. April 4/Sat. April 5), the tipsters at Punchline Magazine have run an interview with the outspoken comedy veteran and radio host.

Here's a nugget about the "alternative" comedy label:

"Well, that’s just because I’m older than them. The term ‘alternative’ just means alternative to a comedy club proper. It doesn’t necessarily always mean that the material is alternative or indie. But people like Demetri Martin and Patton [Oswalt] —they’re definitely more cerebral.

"They’re not as well suited for a mainstream audience as a more mainstream comedian is. Your average Saturday night crowd at a chain comedy club is probably not going to appreciate Demetri as much as he deserves to be appreciated. But it is a sort of overused phrase that inspires bitterness in certain other comics. I don’t know why but a lot of times it’s used sarcastically to mock a comedian."

Check out her feelings about Dane Cook, liberal media bias and dealing with particularly obsessive fans in the full article.