Not every former alt-weekly intern gets a Q&A when they return to the Northwest. But Andrew Michaan has more than made a name for himself in recent years, with Podcast But Outsideâa video medium show where he and fellow comedian Cole Hersch sit behind a folding table and offer passing strangers $1 to be interviewed.
Now living in LA (described on his site as âis the only comedian / actor / writer in Los Angelesâ), the 2010 editorial alum has appeared on countless festival stages, in roles on Adam Ruins Everything and I Think You Should Leave, Â and most recently on the Late Late Show With James Corden. We didnât even know he had been a Mercury intern [The Mercury is our sister publication, in case you have never scrolled down to the bottom of our site. âEds.] until he wrote to say he was coming through for a short two-city tour with Brent Weinbach, another very funny stand-up. Would we interview him because of nepotism? No! Would we interview him because heâs very funny? Assuredly.
Michaan got on the phone to catch us up about his podcast, his dogs, and his several-year stint as an Oregonian.Â
THE STRANGER:Â Are you from Oregon?
No, I just went to Reed and lived here for a few years afterward.
What drew you to Reed College?
To be honest, I was really into skateboarding in high school, and Oregon had the best skateparks.
In Portland, or the greater state?Â
In Oregon. Newburg had a really good skatepark. So did McMinville, Lincoln City, Aumsvilleâon the way to Three Poolsâhad a great skatepark. Iâm sure there are more now.
What did you study at Reed?
Religion.
Whatâs your favorite religion?
Iâll say whatever beautiful faith the person reading this practices.Â
What did you write your final paper on?
Actually, on the Catholic Church and their opinions on extraterrestrial life. And theyâre chill with it.
With your paper?
No, Iâm saying theyâre chill with extraterrestrial life. Theyâre kind of like maybe, yâknow? If the aliens show up that doesnât mean the bible isnât true. Donât freak out; that doesnât mean the bible is all fake. Weâll just have to figure it out together.
Are you going to hit any of your favorite skate spots when youâre in town?
No, I donât skate anymore due to some injuries. Iâm going to get a tattoo of my dogâs face.
Bluetooth? Man, your âconnect to Bluetoothâ jokes about your dog really got me through the pandemic. Your dog has an incredible, silly face.
I just got another shih tzu named Spinach.
What do you like about shih tzus?
Well, theyâre very sweet and very peaceful. Theyâre playful, but not too high-energy. And theyâre Christian. Itâs a deeply Christian breed, which I think is very cool.
Are you Christian?
Iâm an atheist, but I like to surround myself with good Christians. Hardcore Christians. I like the Christian right and what theyâre doing to this country.
I feel like I need to add a â/sâ to every answer you give.
You can just note that Iâm sarcastic in the intro.
How would you describe your comedy?
I can be a bit dry, kind of deadpan, but I donât see myself as a cynic. I try to share funny takes on relatable aspects of the human experience.
Your tourmate and co-headliner Brent Weinbach is also pretty deadpan, right?
No, Brent is more absurdist. His comedy has essentially nothing to do with him or his life. I tell stories about my life, and with Brent you can watch 40 minutes of his stand-up and come away with nothing. Brent is honestly the most innovative and hilarious comedian Iâve ever seen perform. And Iâm not bad.
The star power between the two of you seems like a pretty big draw. The poster says âONLY $20 (wow).â Do you generally charge more for shows?
Usually around that. A lot of the fans of Podcast But Outside are young, so I would never want price to be a barrier.
I didnât know how much you wanted to talk about Podcast But Outside because this tour is sans your co-host Cole Hersh, and youâre doing stand-up. How different is your stand-up from Podcast But Outside?
My stand-up material now involves more crowd work than it used to because I realized thatâs exactly what Iâm doing on the podcastâand what Iâm doing wellâso Iâve started to do less structured bits. I mean, I would say theyâre mostly structured, but whatever skill set Iâve grown from doing the show has transferred over to the stage. Iâve been able to embrace the fun, uncontrolled aspect of riffing.
Does your set have a beautiful overarching narrative?
I donât have that right now, but Iâm trying to work in that realm.
There are some comedians who hate the beautiful narrative device.
Itâs quite popular right now, and I think I understand why. The world feels really bleak, so cynicism is a little done and people want earnestness. If you can show some connection with humanity, I think people appreciate that. And thatâs kind of why people love Podcast But Outside. We go out and talk to strangers, talk to people on all sides of the political spectrum and itâs funny but we also have some earnest conversations with people that we would never otherwise meet. I think the earnestness weâre seeing in stand-up right now is a function of where we are as a society.
Andrew Michaan and Brent Weinbach perform at the Crocodile Tues July 26 at 8 pm.