By Joe Evans III
I’m not going to lie and try to tell
you some big story about how I’ve actually
been a part of the New York City music scene
throughout all of the 90’s, and being
a fan of Egghead. all throughout their initial
run. I wasn’t. What do you want from
me? I was like ten years old, just some nerdy
little kid who never left the house. But ironically
enough, I probably would’ve been the
perfect candidate to enjoy them. Fortunately
enough for me, I was lucky enough to get acquainted
with them individually, having been in a band
with Mike Faloon, and then playing Egghead.’s
first New York City show in years. It was
that show where I first met John Bowie, a
now L.A. based actor/comedian with a resume
that includes work in the feature film
He’s Just Not That Into You and
CBS’s hit sitcom, The Big Bang Theory,
as well as a number of widely-seen television
commercials. Anyway, it was nice to catch
up with John, who shared some stories, as
well as just what he is up to now.
Q: Which did you get involved/interested
in first, music, or comedy?
John: What got me interested in music –
specifically punk rock – was how funny
it was. I mean, there’s the day I heard
the first Ramones record (which I bought just
because I thought the song titles were funny.)
Or the first time I saw The Dead Milkmen,
who were sloppy but awesome – these
are pivotal moments. And I’d always
been a fan of standup – we listened
to a lot of George Carlin when I was growing
up, and early Bill Cosby, and in high school
I started listening to old Lenny Bruce records
around the time I started listening to the
Dead Kennedys. They’re two sides of
the same coin really – really angry
and really funny. I guess what I’m saying
is that punk rock and comedy have always been
linked for me. A couple years ago I got to
do an improv show with Jello Biafra, and it
felt like one evening where my life was sewn
up with a tidy little bow.
Egghead
Q: When did you get started with
improv?
John: On a dare, I started taking improv
classes after Egghead. broke up, around May
of 1998. I’d seen a show at the Upright
Citizens Brigade and it had changed my view
of what improv was – like a lot of people
I was only familiar with short form, and it
scared me (still does). But there was a patience
and an intelligence to long form that really
appealed to me and looked like something I
could find in my wheelhouse. My first class
was at 9am on a really rainy Saturday with
the legendary Armando Diaz – this was
before the UCB had their own theater, so it
was 5 flights up at Solo Arts, a little theater
on 17th street. I was CRAZY fucking nervous
– but after I got my first laugh I just
felt very much at home.
I met my wife in my level 2 class, and we
performed together on and off for about two
years before we started dating. Nowadays,
we occasionally do a two person improv show
called “Married.” Provided we
can get a sitter.
Q: You’ve also written for
Go Metric fanzine for a while now. Have you
done any other writing aside from that?
John: I wrote briefly for the NYPress around
the turn of the last decade – that was
really fun. The pay was very small, but they
also NEVER messed with my stuff – they
either printed it as is, or didn’t run
it at all. Much the way Faloon runs GM. And
since I live in LA, I am required by law to
be working on a script at all times. I wrote
a couple episodes of a really cute Nickelodeon
cartoon called “The Mighty B!”
Q: What do you know about a band
called The Shelldrakes?
John: I can neither confirm or deny their
existence. All right, CONFIRM: After Egghead.
broke up, Faloon, Dirtbike Adam and I got
together and did a couple covers – sort
of as a way to fulfill Egghead. compilation
obligations. It was brief, but really fun,
as Adam is a great musician. What’s
that? The name? Here’s a nerdy story.
Faloon and I are big Billy Wilder fans, and
a lot of Billy Wilder films contain a character
named Sheldrake, and he’s always a dick
(see Fred MacMurray’s Mr. Sheldrake
in The Apartment). We thought it
made for a perfect band name.
Q: Can you talk about your recent
role on Big Bang Theory, as well
as any fans reaction to your character?
John: I had auditioned for Big Bang’s
pilot, for the role that Johnny Galecki got.
I guess they liked me, because they brought
me back in a few times before we found a part
that fit. The role, Kripke, is really fun
since he’s just a total alpha-nerd douchebag.
I love the fact that he’s a dweeb with
crippling speech impediment and zero social
graces, yet he thinks he’s the SHIT.
That’s really fun to play. There are
people out there who fucking HATE the character
because he’s mean to Jim Parsons, but
that’s kind of the point. People probably
hated Newman on Seinfeld as well.
I made the dire, NEVER to be repeated mistake
of googling reaction to the character, and
there was some comically mean things said
about me. But it’s not personal, and
you have to wonder about the person who gets
online solely to take swipes at a fictional
character.
Egghead at Insubordination Fest, photo
by Marc Gaertner
Q: Has your family been supportive
of your creative efforts? Both musical, and
comedic?
John: For the most part, yes. I studied to
be a High School English teacher. So when
you stop doing that – a pretty noble
profession -- it’s hard for your family
to say “Attaboy! Go play punk rock and
then do sitcoms!” But they’re
supportive. My mom used to come see Egghead.
close CBGBs. I remember her helping wheel
out my amp at 4AM. Can’t really ask
for much more than that.
Q: Were you in a comedy group called
The Naked Babies?
John: Naked Babies formed in 1998, when Rob,
Brian Huskey and I met Seth Morris in improv
classes and thought he was really funny. We
quickly got together and changed the world.
CHANGED IT! We still perform occasionally,
but only improv – sketch takes rehearsal
and nobody has the time.
Q: Can you talk about the series
Meet You Halfway?
John: I’d love to. Seth Morris (from
Naked Babies) and I were talking one day about
how we got along because we’d never
lived in America. He grew up in the Bay Area,
and I grew up in NYC. Which doesn’t
really prepare you for the middle of the country.
So we wrote down some ideas for a show that
was first called Meet You Halfway
in jest – it seemed like a jokey name
for a sitcom, but it stuck. They’re
weird videos – they’re a little
slow, a little Jim Jarmusch-y for the internet,
but I’m really proud of them
Q: What was the most important moment
in American history?
John: Right now. You’re reading it.
This is it. And Washingtons’ crossing
of the Delaware for the way it turned the
tide in what seemed a hopeless endeavor.
Q: Are there any specific future
Egghead plans?
John: Besides the biannual reunion show,
we’re talking – just talking –
about a new full length. There are some unrecorded
songs from the 90s, as well as some brand
new stuff. We definitely have enough for an
album.
Egghead. returns to New York City Wednesday,
June 24th at Lit Lounge, as well as the Insubordination
Records Festival in Baltimore.
