‘Every comic has their style:’ Nothing off-limits for SNL veteran David Spade, but he has his own approach to controversial material

Article content

When David Spade took the stage in Minneapolis for a show that became the basis of his first Netflix special,  his audience were still wearing masks due to the pandemic. It seemed to have a bit of a calming effect.

Article content

Which is, he now admits, not the ideal setup for a free-wheeling comedy special for Netflix.

“They were N95s, not just the masks,” he says, in an interview with Postmedia from his home in Los Angeles. “It was basically like going:  ‘Are you excited for David Spade!? Yeah? Everybody be quiet, here he comes. Just stay really quiet for the next hour, we don’t want any germs floating around.’ I’m not taking anything away from Minnesota, they were a great audience. But when you take away 60 per cent of the noise, it’s just tougher.”

From an outsider’s point of view, the audience response in David Spade: Nothing Personal doesn’t seem to lack in enthusiasm. Spade gets standing ovations before and after his performance. But, in general, it’s probably safe to say his first special for the streaming giant has had a much quieter reception than those of some of his peers. Recent comedy outings From Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais, for instance, have caused an uproar and much discussion about so-called “cancel culture” due to material about trans people that were deemed insensitive.

Article content

Spade doesn’t avoid edgy material on Nothing Personal. There are some raunchy observations about pornography and he gets graphic when talking about his own sexual escapades. He even has a trans joke about Caitlyn Jenner, albeit not really an offensive one by most measures. The only time the audience seems audibly shocked is when he briefly mentions Alec Baldwin and the investigation into the fatal shooting accident on the set of of Rust. It’s not that he shies away from anything. He says he believes comedians should be free to  make fun of anything.   But, for the most part, Spade seems laid-back and low-key in the special, often getting his biggest laughs when he’s as his most self-deprecating even when entering into some traditionally taboo territory.

Article content

 “Every comic has their style,” he says.  “I do still like being edgy or just pushing things. That’s the way most comics always have been. I try to do it my own way where I keep it clever but I don’t want it to be so offensive – it’s a fine line – where you’re like: ‘Look at me, I’m so dirty and so offensive it has to be talked about.’ I just try to keep it dry, keep it clever and do the what I’ve been writing for the past three years, four years and taking the best stuff that I liked.”

Spade will be joining  comedians of various styles when headlining the three-day Great Outdoors Comedy Festival. He is scheduled to perform Friday, June 24 as part of a lineup at Prince’s Island Park that also includes Whitney Cummings and Donnell Rawlings from Chappelle’s Show.

Article content

While it’s hard to let go of the material he polished for the Netflix special, he tries to add new bits for each show. He likes to arrive in a city a day early to soak up a city’s vibe and tailor his set accordingly.

“I just walk around and something will cross my mind,” he says. “It’s too hard to come up with good stuff about a city.  It’s usually a few throwaway jokes. It’s just whatever jumps out at you. You have fresh eyes on a city and you say ‘this is my experience here right now.’ So you might say something about this or that and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But at least they know it’s about their city.”

Spade’s first comedy special was 1998’s Take the Hit for HBO. It was released two years after he had left Saturday Night Live after a six-year stint and when he was one season into starring in the hit sitcom, Just Shoot Me! An HBO show was a big deal for a “kid from Arizona.” The network only did a handful a year and most people didn’t know that comedy was Spade’s first love.

Article content

He made a number of movies while he was still one of SNL’s Not Ready for Prime Time Players, everything from starring roles in 1995’s Tommy Boy and 1996’s Black Sheep opposite the late Chris Farley to cameos in films such a Coneheads. He has continued to be busy, often starring in films with fellow SNL alumni Adam Sandler or doing voice work for animated films. He recently hosted two episodes of the reality series Bachelor in Paradise.

While he spent just as many years on sitcoms such as Just Shoot Me! and Rules of Engagement – which ran from  he is still arguably  best known for his time on SNL. He now has a podcast with fellow SNLer Dana Carvey called Fly on the Wall that has the two reminiscing about their days on the series.  Spade most recently made headlines after the gossip site TMZ asked him to comment on the recent, high-profile exits of favourites such as Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson from the series cast. His response didn’t seem particularly controversial, he just said the show is a grind and pointed out that all four had actually lasted longer than he and many of his contemporaries did on the series.

Article content

“It’s a clickbait-y question, asking someone from SNL about SNL,” he says. “No matter what your answer is, they can get it out there. I do a podcast about it. Sometimes we ask who your favourite cast members are and that’s a question that gets picked up because people are interested. They said ‘Are you surprised they left so soon?’ And I said eight or 10 years is not soon to me. They age you in dog years. I lasted six and I still have trauma. Sandler and Farley (lasted) five. You get emotional damage just from that. It’s a lot on your body and brain. Bob Odenkirk was on our podcast today and he was talking about how it’s such an internal beating. He had a way of putting it that was so smart. That’s just the way it is. I loved it. It taught me a lot. It’s great memories. But it was tough.”

The Great Outdoors Comedy festival runs from June 24 to 26 at Prince’s Island Park. David Spade performs June  24. Visit greatoutdoorscomedyfestival.com