As part of their Pride month programming, Hulu is airing out gay comedian Todd Glass’ 2012 stand-up special, “Todd Glass: Talks about Stuff.” The 45-minute set has the Philadelphia native getting laughs from his cockeyed view of the world. He finds humor in his observations on dinner parties, infomercials and even his dyslexia.
Glass can also currently be seen in the new Netflix documentary, “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution,” about LGBTQ+ comedians. In the doc, he recounts coming out after suffering a heart attack with poignancy and humor.
PGN talked with Glass about “Talks about Stuff,” being an out comedian, and his career.
What do you think when you look back on this 2012 special, “Todd Glass: Talks about Stuff”? How do you process your act now?
I would always see my old work — and this is a positive — and be embarrassed by it. I asked my friend Gary Gulman, “When am I going to stop being embarrassed by my old work?” And he said, “Hopefully never, because it means you are growing.” He’s right. I don’t want to say, “My best work was ten years ago!” That special — and if I can boast a little — I put a lot of hard work into it. I’m proud of it.
I appreciated how angry you are in your comedy. I like your points about honesty, how people are wrong or dumb, or outraged. You find humor in people’s foibles. Can you talk about that approach to your act?
It’s funny about the angry thing. I’m a pretty joyful person. I’m affectionate with my friends. I think angry looks worse when you are angry at the wrong thing. In the present, no one thinks they are angry at the wrong thing. Even comedians are speaking what they believe to be true. Who decides who is angry at the right thing or angry at the wrong thing? History. And history is getting shorter.
I get angry, but I try to get angry at the choices people make, and not make fun of them for who they are as human beings. I get angry at stupid, mundane things in life. I just really want the answer to things. They make double stuffed Reese’s cup that did very well. They did double stuffed Kit Kats and Oreos that did very well. What is Pop-Tarts waiting for? I can make fun of it, but someone email me and tell me, “Here’s the reason…” Have they thought about it? Have they never thought about it? I want an answer.
As opinionated as I am on certain things, I try to find that line of accepting people. I am not upset if people do or don’t like pineapple on their pizza. Or why people get mad at pumpkin spice. Why do you give a shit? That may seem contradictory to who I am, but I guess I am contradictory to who I am sometimes.
I also related to much of your observations. How do you determine what anecdotes from your life, like eating too slowly, or your difficulties with directions, become part of your stand-up?
I was on the phone with my ex the other night, and he made a sandwich. I asked, “How many bites are you going to get out of that?” He said, “6 or 7.” I am like, “Vinnie, God bless you. For me, 3 realistically, and 4 if people are watching so I don’t jam the last too big piece in my mouth.” The direction thing — do you know how hard that is? People don’t believe your limitations. I’m bad with directions. Before cell phones, they would all get out their highlighters. I wanted to shove it up their ass. That is not going to fucking help me! If you tell me “The southwest corner,” I don’t know where that is — and I don’t want to know!
That said, you don’t talk much about your personal life in your routine. You have referenced your sexuality in talking broadly about your relationship. Can you talk about being a gay comic?
By nature, I’m a little shy. When you put your word out there, you dot your i’s and cross your t’s. People who tell sexually explicit jokes, when it doesn’t hit, it is that much more uncomfortable, as opposed to a joke about a dog that doesn’t get a laugh. They can be brilliant or bad. Usually when I talk about relationships, it’s about the minutiae of dating. In the special on Hulu, I was in the closet still, so I had a lot of jokes about my “girlfriend.” People think that must have been hard for me. It wasn’t. I just changed the sex. I was telling jokes about a guy [my boyfriend] for 20-plus years. Relationship jokes are the same. There are differences, for sure, but it’s about two people who love each other trying to live together or date. Usually when I talk about being gay, it was the process of coming out, as opposed to my boyfriend or my ex-boyfriend. I’m going to talk about that in my next special, in the sense of relating it to a story, not coming out.
Yes, I think Bob Smith and Robin Tyler were pioneers telling gay jokes before most comedians were out as “Outstanding” shows. Can you talk about being an out comedian?
The longer you go back, once you talked about being gay, you couldn’t then talk about skydiving. You couldn’t say “gay” and move on. Now you can. To all those who did it back then, I have a lot of admiration. Robin Tyler’s jokes stand the test of time. A lot of us felt that way. I talked with Joel Kim Booster [on the set of “Outstanding”] and we both felt folks should know who she is, and now, thanks to this documentary, we do.
Years ago, when I was young, I met a guy who was gay, and we had a secret friendship. We decided we would meet a girl with terminal disease, and she would die — it’s not a well-thought-out plan, but when you are in the closet, this shows the desperation of being petrified anyone would find out — they would say, “Todd never got over Rachel.” I would go to my death and that would help me. It was not lost on me. Thank the universe that [“Outstanding” director] Page Hurwitz put me in this film and handled me with tenderness and care. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in a gay documentary ten years ago. Now I am excited and proud to be in it.
Looking ahead, what are you working on now?
I’m looking for a benefactor for “Todd Glass: Event of a Lifetime.” It is stand-up comedy backed by a huge band. And I will be back in Philadelphia for 10-11 shows in November.