Comedians need to be rock stars, goes an outdated truism, and rock stars need to be comedians. Take into consideration the entire comics — Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon, Margaret Cho, Jack Black — who love nothing greater than grabbing a microphone, guitar or each to dwell out their rock-and-roll goals. However the reverse can be true. Listed here are 5 musical superstars who not-so-secretly lengthy to be comedians…
Justin Timberlake
So it wasn’t sufficient to be in one of many world’s greatest pop bands, after which change into a number-one-selling solo artist? Apparently not for Timberlake, who’s spent a lot of the previous 20 years attempting to persuade us he’s a comic book cut-up. He’s hosted Saturday Evening Reside 5 instances, contributed supporting turns in SNL-adjacent comedies like Pop Star: By no means Cease By no means Stopping and The Love Guru, and took main spots in Unhealthy Trainer and Pals with Advantages. “If I wouldn’t have been fortunate sufficient to have the occupation I’ve,” he advised Leisure Tonight, “I in all probability would have gone via improv comedy troupe and faculty Upright Residents Brigade and tried to change into a forged member on SNL.”
Aimee Mann
Within the early days of the Comedy Bang Bang podcast, one may usually hear Mann hanging out with the likes of Paul F. Tompkins and Kumail Nanjiani. She’s nonetheless a part of that very same crowd at Largo, the hipster L.A. membership the place the icons of alt-comedy take the stage. To advertise her vacation present, Mann groups up with comedic kindred spirits Tim Heidecker, Michael Cera and John C. Reilly to be taught the true that means of Christmas.
David Byrne
Talking of Largo, comply with its Instagram account to see which cool comics are hanging out on any given night time. Simply final Tuesday, Fred Armisen was chilling with Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney and… the Speaking Heads’ David Byrne?
It shouldn’t sound so bizarre. Byrne’s musical fingerprints are throughout comedy tasks like Mulaney’s Sack Lunch Bunch particular on Netflix — and nearly every part Mulaney-related over the previous few years.
Alanis Morissette
Morissette’s comedian profession started when Kevin Smith dialed her as much as play God in his non secular comedy Dogma. “It was fairly humorous for me,” she advised MTV. “It enabled me to faucet into one thing, faucet into part of me that I haven’t been capable of. My music, quite a lot of instances, tends to be fairly critical, however there’s part of me that’s not critical in any respect.”
She’s saved honing these comedy chops on reveals like Curb Your Enthusiasm, spilling secrets and techniques to Larry David and crooning for charity occasions in a neck brace.
Prince
There are sudden laughs in all of Prince’s motion pictures, however he actually obtained to point out off his comedy abilities when he guested on New Woman. This wasn’t stunt casting — Prince not solely requested to be on the sitcom however labored on the present’s script as properly. Spin referred to as His Royal Badness’ efficiency, during which he provides love recommendation, performs desk tennis and serves up some scrumptious pancakes, “pure gold.”
