from www.ecollegetimes.com – Dave Attell is known for his brash sense of humor that can offend, but mostly result in cackles. The New York comic is no stranger to television, either.

His Comedy Central show “Insomniac with Dave Attell” ran for four seasons. His latest venture, “Dave’s Old Porn” on Showtime, takes the private nature out of viewing pornography. Attell invites comedians and the porn legends themselves to his red couch where they view classic smutty flicks and review them. You can catch his act and discuss cinematography when he hits Stand Up Live this weekend.

College Times: You’ve been a writer, had your own TV shows, and you’ve done stand-up. How are they different?

Dave Attell: I’m a stand-up comic. I’ve been doing it for 26 years and that’s really all I do. I’m not one of those multitalented comics. A lot of people can say they’re actors or directors, but I’m pretty lucky with the gigs I’ve had. But it’s mostly about doing shows and being a good comic and coming up with new material. That’s the full-time gig for me.

Q: What is it that you like about being a stand-up comic?

I really like the freedom of it. I’m like one of the last generations of people who had a real job before they were a comic. I remember waking up every day and going to a job that I didn’t want to go to. It sucked dealing with people you didn’t give a shit about. When you’re a comic, you’re your own boss and you get to do what you want. Once you get used to that, it’s really hard to go back. Even compared to film work and TV and writing, you never get as much freedom as when you are a comic.

Q: How do you test out your new material?

On stage – that’s how comics do it. You have to bring your ideas to the stage and work it out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…. You hope for the best. New material takes longer the longer you do it, because it’s always like, “Oh, I did a joke just like that before,” you know?

Q: How is it taking your show on the road?

When you’re young, it’s a lot of fun. When you get older, it’s really a party, it’s just, you do the gig and go back to the hotel. But I have to say, audiences now are smarter and more politically correct. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but there’s a lot of groaning and moaning going on about jokes that are just jokes. I think people bring a lot of their own political correctness into comedy clubs and if you’re a dirty filthy comic like I am, it’s kind of sad to see. I’m not a political comic. I’m definitely not a family act. I try and do the smartest jokes as possible, but it’s still dirty.

Q: Tell us about your show, “Dave’s Old Porn,” on Showtime

It’s the “Mystery Science Theater” of porn. We joke around and comment on retro porn. The cool thing about being on Showtime is that it’s totally uncensored and unscripted. We don’t show penetration, but come really, really close. For people who like retro porn, they’ll kind of like it. For people who like humor, they’ll like it. It’s kind of the best of both worlds. It’s really late-night kind of thing.

Q: What are some of the elements of old porn you miss?

It’s really cool. I assume you’re a young person, but this is old, dirty porn – nothing like the porn you can watch on the internet now. This is before the internet, before Twitter. It was a different time. It was very hairy. There was no pregame; people just showed up to play, not like now where everyone’s P90X buff and tan. Back then, there were stories and cheesy dialogue – it was more charming than sexy.

Q: How have your guests reacted?

I think that everybody has been really cool about it. Nobody knows porn better than comics because they’re on the road so much and porn is like your best friend when you’re on the road. But seeing the legends watch themselves in movies they made 20, 30 even 40 years ago is pretty amazing. They’ve made so many movies, and so for a lot of them, it’s a real shock to see themselves back then and the movie itself. I guess that’s kind of cool see them watch themselves. I asked Ron Jeremy about it and he goes, “It’s a sense of amazement and bewilderment” that he made this product.

Q: Would you ever go back and watch your early performances?

That’s a great question. I guess it would be the same kind of feeling watching my early stuff, but I can barely look in the mirror; I hate myself. It must be the same thing though, just cringing because I’m a much better comic now than I was then.

Stand Up Live, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Level 2, Phoenix, Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12, 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., $15-$17