It’s been quite a bit of time since the last time David Koechner threw down on a proper stand-up stage in Boston, and since then, both he and the city have had a mutual thirst for each other’s company. Well, this weekend, we’re getting more than plenty of Koechner’s comedic splash to quench that yearning.
With a five-show run at Laugh Boston starting tonight (September 15), Koechner is bringing not only a full-fledged batch of storytelling to the Seaport, but also a cult following that continues to grow as a result of his role as the brash and obnoxious Todd Packer on The Office. Given the fact that the legendary NBC show has been off the air for nearly a decade at this point, Koechner is beyond grateful for the crowd that continues to come out as a result of that role.
Now make no mistake, he’s certainly no uncouth traveling salesman when it comes to comedy, but he’s more than fine with the fact his silver screen success in films like Anchorman and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a major driving force in bringing in crowds. However, he wants everyone to know that while he does appreciate the love of those characters, his onstage persona is vastly different from his onscreen shenanigans.
“It might bring in a crowd, but it doesn’t really affect the stand-up itself. Unless someone is yelling out ‘Whammy,’ then I realize that someone in the audience is thirsting for a line from the movie, and I don’t have a problem throwing those lines out there because people came for that reason,” Koechner tells Vanyaland. “But I am much different in real life than those guys I portray on screen. Even though some parts of my show can be bombastic, it’s certainly not in line with those characters. I’ve also never thought of tailoring my act to something like that, but that would be interesting to think about.”
He may not be channeling Packer in his stand-up spots as he discusses, but when it comes to the Office-themed trivia game that will precede his Saturday shows, Koechner will don the character’s persona throughout the duration. It just goes to show that while it may not be his main gig, the obvious mutual love both he and his audience have for the character is a nearly magical thing, but Koechner feels that it has much more to do with the show’s writing than his own comedic force.
“You don’t plan anything, but I really do feel like it’s a tribute to the great writing of the show. He’s a horrible character, but he’s impactful, like a storm that comes through and you just try and batten down the hatches and lay low until he goes away. But my hope is that people are laughing at Todd Packer, instead of laughing with him,” says Koechner. “Everyone knows someone who is despicable like him, whether it be a relative or a co-worker, and if nothing else, it reminds us that this behavior is awful and not to be lauded.”
For the past 11 years, Koechner has put his Second City-taught improv and sketch comedy chops to good use in the stand-up realm, and has enjoyed a raucously successful career in the spotlight that surely does harbor so many memories and stories that he could pull the curtain back on, but that’s not what he’s really interested in talking about. Instead, he’s loving the fact that he can talk about the life of raising five kids, his upbringing and rural Missouri roots, and making his way from the Midwest to New York and Los Angeles with his unique and vastly different perspective than what people might expect from him.
“All of that informs everything I do on stage because that’s what I go through every day. My stand-up isn’t observational in the way that other comics might consider it to be, as they comment on culture and society,” says Koechner. “A big part of mine is commenting on the life of a parent, which in turn informs us as to what is going on in society because it affects my kids, and what affects them affects me. It’s really about showing things through a certain looking glass, you might say.”
As he sets up camp for a few nights in the city, Koechner is, above everything, excited to get in deep with a Boston crowd whois showing the love of what he delivers. But while he’s here, as the old saying goes, “When in the Seaport, do as.”
“My job is to hopefully make people laugh, but If I can go get some fresh lobster rolls or fresh seafood, I’ll be pretty happy.”
DAVID KOECHNER :: Thursday, September 15 to Saturday, September 17 at Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. in Boston, MA :: Thursday at 8 p.m.; Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. (trivia), shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. :: Tickets are $25 to $30