Home > It's Always Funny In Austin > Archives > 2011 > November > 08
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Your mother wants you to date Bob Khosravi
Kestrel Lancaster photo
Comics are generally a competitive lot - a depressed group of smart, self-loathing people who are jealous of others’ success.
The exception to this rule is Bob Khosravi.
I honestly don’t think think any Austin comic is more beloved than Bob. He’s one of those guys who greets you with a bear hug and you think, “Man. I would probably give Bob a kidney if he needed one.”
I realize this has nothing to do with comedy, but trust me on the niceness. And besides, Bob is a fantastic comic, with a conversational, self-deprecating and genial (natch) style that largely centers around his failed relationships.
Which I don’t understand; why is a human treasure like Bob Khosravi still on the market? He’s headlining the Velveeta Room (and guest-hosting my Friday night show) this weekend, so I took the opportunity to get to the bottom of things.
How did you get started in comedy?
I heard an ad on the radio.
For serious. I have always loved hearing people laugh, but I had been told during my formative years that Stand Up was dead. Then, one day, there was a comedian doing a guest spot on the radio who mentioned that he was teaching a free class. So, I talked all of my friends into going, and then the day of I ended up at the class alone. The minute he finished his opening spiel I was hooked. I just needed someone to tell me it was a thing people could do.
You’re from Dallas originally, did you move down to Austin for the standup scene here?
I actually moved here for a job. An amazing job. A job that has been since sent to India (Bangalore, if you’re looking to apply).
I had seen a couple of the Austin guys at the Improv (and during Last Comic Standing auditions), so I knew there was a great scene here, and that made the choice of moving to Austin even easier. I was excited about the prospect of getting to play here. I have never regretted the decision (stand up wise, the job I feel differently about).
You’re known as one of the nicest guys on the comedy scene and you have a joke about how almost nothing could make you want to fight someone. Why the long fuse, Bob?
Nihilism. I dated a girl that told me I suffer from it, and it’s why we had to stop dating. I’m pretty sure she got her “isms” mixed up, but it sounds good so I’ve kept it.
Much of your material is centered around dating and relationships and that you’re perennially single. Do girls not like nice guys?
Hah! No. I think girls like nice guys. I just think they get tired of THIS particular nice guy. I used to be annoyingly considerate. There was a guy I would go out of my way to avoid because I knew he didn’t like me, and I figured why make his life more difficult by running into him. I’ve gotten better about that. I average only moderate consideration now…. How does that sound, ladies?
Did you really try to break up a 3 a.m. fight at Dennys? WHY ARE YOU SO NICE?!!
Haha, yes. It was at Kerby Lane (hope they don’t get mad), and I really had had too much to drink, and there really was an old couple sitting in front of me, and all I could think was, “if I don’t protect this old couple from this fight they may never leave the house late at night again.”
And I really was saved by a tiny, spikey haired waitress who broke it up before I got tangled up in it. So, truthfully, I just shielded an elderly couple from an impressive display of managerial aptitude.
