Neal Brennan is the comedy whisperer.
Over the past 25 years, he's helped famous friends punch up their material, usually without much fanfare. "Chappelle's Show"? He co-created it. "Inside Amy Schumer"? He directed 10 episodes. Seth Meyers' blistering takedown of Donald Trump during the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner? Key member of the writing team. Ellen DeGeneres' "Relatable," which marked her triumphant return to stand-up? Consulting producer.
But Brennan, 48, is a formidable talent all on his own. That'll be evident to anyone who catches his latest one-man performance, "Unacceptable," Friday and Saturday at the Parkway Theater.
He spoke by phone from his Los Angeles home about his past contributions and his future dreams.
Q: "Unacceptable" and your previous stand-up show, "3 Mics," were both huge off-Broadway hits. How difficult is it to take the act on the road?
A: It's not hard in general. Traveling is hard. It's like running for president. Portions of the show I had to change. There was an element about New York that involved a wall that I don't do on the road because I can't move the wall. But you still get the funny parts. It generally doesn't matter where you perform. There are certain jokes like my takes on marriage and kids that work in New York and Los Angeles, the heathen cities. But when I did them in Phoenix, the audience only got half of it. People there are really invested in marriage and kids.
Q: I wonder if you have the perfect amount of fame. You're recognized by those who really appreciate comedy but don't have to deal with the hassles of being a major celebrity. What do you think?
A: People don't really care about writers. They care about Larry David now, but that's only because he's the star of his own show. I'd like be more popular as a comedian so I can get on more talk shows. I would like it to be easier to sell tickets. But I don't want to get to the level of Dave, Chris [Rock] and Ellen where people cry when they see them. What good is that? People don't see the downside of being famous. It's such a hassle to enter front entrances at places. They have to go through the service areas, which stink of garbage.