Jerry Seinfeld had it easy. In his “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” series, the superstar secured vintage wheels for cozy interviews with tasks no more strenuous than unbuckling seat belts.
Chloe Radcliffe, on the other hand, is working up a sweat. The Minnesota-raised comic’s YouTube series, “In Tandem With Chloe Radcliffe,” has her pedaling peers like Roy Wood Jr. and Ralph Barbosa around New York’s Central Park on a tandem bicycle, peppering them with questions about their mutual love for making people laugh.
Radcliffe, who has written for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and starred in Steven Soderbergh’s “Command Z” since moving to New York in 2018, is home for the holidays, taking time out to perform at her old haunt, the Comedy Corner Underground. She spoke earlier this month about her new series, collaborating with an Oscar-winning director and polishing “Cheat,” her one-woman show in which she analyzes her unfaithful past.
Q: Where in the world do you get a tandem bike?
A: I rent it. For a long time, I considered buying. I even found one on the sidewalk that had been chained to a fence, but the lock had rusted. Then I started wondering where it would live during the days I’m not shooting. And how would I get it to Central Park? I’d have to ride a bicycle built for two there by myself.
Q: Were bikes a big part of your childhood?
A: Not huge. When I was living in Minneapolis, I decided I wanted to bike to work. A friend of a friend of mine had a child’s mountain bike. It was way too small for me, but I loved it right away. I ride so much more in New York than I ever did in Minneapolis. It’s faster than the subway or a car. It’s my special “me” time. I can figure out problems or solve a joke I need to write. And I hate working out. I hate going to the gym or going to class. This means I don’t have to do any of that.
Q: Comedians aren’t traditionally known for being in good shape. How do they react to the format?