Matthew Brian Cohen is a writer, currently living in Los Angeles. His writing has been seen in and at the UCB Theater (both NY and LA), McSweeney's, The Onion, Honest Trailers, and Weekend Update. He runs a humor magazine called Janice, and writes and produces the podcast Scarytown. Check out his new book, Nein Stories, and follow him on Twitter @TheMatthewCohen.
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GB: Matt, thank you for taking time to talk. Can you share a little bit about yourself? Any background info worthy of noting for the readers?
MC: Thank you for having me! I grew up in New Jersey, went to college there, and moved to Astoria, Queens in my mid-twenties. I got involved with the UCB Theater in New York and started taking classes there and then wrote and performed there until I moved to Los Angeles in 2014, where I’ve been ever since. I recently got married and I have a dog.
GB: You wrote a book and you also do comedy. How do the two inspire each other? What impacts does that have on your writing?
MC: I think all creative arts come from the same place. Genres and forms are just tools to help express an idea, and often the first hurdle in writing is trying to figure out the best way to articulate what you’re trying to say – is this a short story, or a poem, or a novel, a standup joke?
Being a comedian has made my writing more straightforward. Screenwriting is all about dialogue, so you don’t really need to go into paragraphs-long descriptions of a chair or some shit like that – the audience is going to see the chair. I hate when I’m reading a novel and I see that sort of stuff. This is a story about people and how they relate to one another, not about a living room. Get to the point.
I also think one of the most wonderful things about being a comedian and a writer is that no one takes you seriously, which lets you get away with saying all kinds of shit. And by that, I don’t mean being “offensive,” or “dirty,” but being critical of long-standing social and political institutions. People are much more receptive of radical ideas when they think you’re just kidding.
Being a comedian has made my writing more straightforward. Screenwriting is all about dialogue, so you don’t really need to go into paragraphs-long descriptions of a chair or some shit like that – the audience is going to see the chair. I hate when I’m reading a novel and I see that sort of stuff. This is a story about people and how they relate to one another, not about a living room. Get to the point.
I also think one of the most wonderful things about being a comedian and a writer is that no one takes you seriously, which lets you get away with saying all kinds of shit. And by that, I don’t mean being “offensive,” or “dirty,” but being critical of long-standing social and political institutions. People are much more receptive of radical ideas when they think you’re just kidding.
GB: What other artistic genres do you experiment with? Why?
MC: I’ve always loved playing music. I play bass guitar and I played with some bands in high school and college. Nowadays, I just noodle around by myself. It helps me get away from literary and literal thinking and gets me thinking more abstractly, about rhythm and hooks and flow. I like getting to a place where I am just as concerned with how words “feel” as how they “mean.” Good writing is primal. Take that last paragraph from The Great Gatsby, for example - “the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us.” Literally, there are better ways to communicate that idea. But this way, the metaphorical way, is unarguably the most evocative, and gets the point across far better.
GB: What's your creative process like? Any obstacles you've had overcome recently?
MC: I don’t really have a rigid creative process – it differs from project to project. Mostly, I try to feel compelled to write, rather than sitting down at 8am every day where it feels like a chore. Writing is already annoying enough. Deadlines help immensely – nothing makes me want to write like the fact that I promised someone I would give them writing. Believing in an idea helps me write, too. For my short story collection, I really liked all the stuff I was writing and felt passionate about what I was saying, so it was easier to keep going. I find editing is easier than writing, so I like to overwrite. Cutting out huge chunks is very satisfying, and makes you feel more productive than what you’re actually doing, which is just highlighting a thousand words and hitting the delete key. The only thing I like to keep in mind is that I want to write the kind of stuff I would like to read. If I saw my stuff in the world, would I buy it? The biggest obstacle for me in terms of writing is fighting the creeping feeling that I suck and I’m terrible at this, and the general embarrassment I feel when I put creative work out in the world. I don’t know how to overcome those things, other than closing my eyes and doing it quickly.
GB: Is there any advice you have for someone looking to start their career in comedy?
MC: I can’t stress enough how important it is to be born into privilege. Connections are everything in comedy. Ask your parents if they are rich and successful Hollywood actors. Maybe your uncle directed a Stridex commercial? Follow up with them if necessary. Barring that, go to an Ivy League school! Everyone I know with an Ivy League education is doing great – financially speaking, anyway.
Outside of that, I think the UCB Theater is one of the best programs in the country for teaching you how to create improvised and written comedy. Take classes there, especially if you like the structure of school and the idea of just wandering around a big city doing standup terrifies you, like it did me.
The other thing that’s helpful - remember why you are doing this. I think for most people, they were inspired by some really good pieces of comedy they saw, and have been chasing that feeling ever since. Others saw a slew of mediocrity and thought, “I’m funnier than that.” Whatever is is, you have to hold on to that feeling, lest you be consumed by the industry. A career in comedy is truly a punishing grind – the entertainment industry is chaotic and arbitrary, full of predatory people with terrible taste. I’m not trying to be cynical, or doing that bullshit, pseudo-hazing thing where it’s like “don’t do comedy unless you REALLY want it”. All I want is more good people in comedy – and by good, I mean not just in terms of taste, but in terms of morals. Good people, please come and do comedy and outnumber the bad people – just make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process.
Outside of that, I think the UCB Theater is one of the best programs in the country for teaching you how to create improvised and written comedy. Take classes there, especially if you like the structure of school and the idea of just wandering around a big city doing standup terrifies you, like it did me.
The other thing that’s helpful - remember why you are doing this. I think for most people, they were inspired by some really good pieces of comedy they saw, and have been chasing that feeling ever since. Others saw a slew of mediocrity and thought, “I’m funnier than that.” Whatever is is, you have to hold on to that feeling, lest you be consumed by the industry. A career in comedy is truly a punishing grind – the entertainment industry is chaotic and arbitrary, full of predatory people with terrible taste. I’m not trying to be cynical, or doing that bullshit, pseudo-hazing thing where it’s like “don’t do comedy unless you REALLY want it”. All I want is more good people in comedy – and by good, I mean not just in terms of taste, but in terms of morals. Good people, please come and do comedy and outnumber the bad people – just make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process.
GB: If you could list one word or phrase to describe your message and what you are trying to provide for the community, what would it be and why?
MC: This is a very interesting question that I don’t know the answer to. My gut is telling me to say “quality.” One of the things that’s stealthily harming society is the surge of “content” - the commodification and devaluation of art. Unlike art, which gains quality due to the passion and skill of its artist, there’s no such thing as quality content – it’s inherently churned out, made to generate as many clicks and attract as many eyeballs as possible. Anyone can make content, but not anyone can make art. I want to be clear - art should not be this elitist thing that only the sanctified few can bestow upon the masses, but it should be skilled. There is a craft here, and while learning that craft should be open and accessible to anyone, it’s not easy. To me, quality art doesn’t mean objectively the best art, but art where there was thought and passion put into it. I want to see more artists and less content creators.
GB: What does "success" mean to you?
MC: In order from least to most important: 1) The respect of my peers other artists I respect. 2) The ability to financially provide for myself and my family off of my art. 3) Making someone, especially a young person who is discovering who they are and what they care about, feel less alone and more understood.
GB: What's next for Matt Cohen? Got any forthcoming projects we can keep an eye out for?
MC: My serialized fiction comedy podcast “Scarytown” is coming out with a second season near the end of October/early November. The first season had a singular narrative; this one is a collection of sketches that loosely tie together. It’s very silly, unlike this occasionally overwrought interview, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. It’s part of the Campfire Media podcast network and you can listen to it on whatever platform or device you’d like. That’s podcasting, baby!
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