January 13, 2009

Interview: Thomas Lennon Of Reno 911

You probably know Thomas Lennon best as Lieutenant Jim Dangle on Reno 911. What you may or may not know is that he’s also part of the all-star improv group The State, he’s been in tons of movies you’ve seen, written tons of movies you’ve seen, loves Morrissey and has his own band. He recently spoke to Buzzgrinder, and I’m still kind of in shock that he recently spoke to Buzzgrinder.

To begin, I am very nervous about interviewing you. You are pretty much a huge star. Can you tell me something to appear like you’re normal like me?
I put on my shorts just like everybody else. Over a pair of Spanx, and by jumping from the upper bunk bed.

Everyone knows you best as Lt. Jim Dangle from Reno 911, but I first remember you as Meredith Laupin on Viva Variety. Is there any chance of that ever coming out on DVD?
God I hope so. Viva Variety ran for three seasons, and had some really great sketches and great guests on it. Ben Stiller was on the very first episode and was brilliant. There’s some amazing stuff in those shows, and some of the greatest bands ever. The Bosstones, Run DMC, They Might Be Giants… it goes on and on. It was actually a hit show at the time, but it’s been pretty much forgotten. You can’t even find it on YouTube.

You’re a big fan of music, and Lt. Dangle loves Morrissey. Do you both have that in common, and what other artists do you listen to?
Dangle’s love of Morrissey is really just my love of Morrissey. I’m pretty seriously into Morrissey, and have seen him many times. But there’s a lot of music I’m obsessed with. I’m a lifelong Billy Bragg fan. I’ve seen Bob Dylan about 25 times or so. I’m a big fan of Dogbowl, King Missile, Dead Milkmen. Lately I really love The Hold Steady, and I had the chance to meet them, which was cool. I’ve also been playing a lot of The Thermals on my iPod.

People always say that music and comedy are basically the same thing, in regards to timing at least. Ever thought of starting your own band?
I actually have a band. We’re called Bad Emergency. And we’re terrible. We do the worst cover of Where is My Mind? that you’ve ever heard. We only play in my garage.

You are also a very successful screenwriter. Do you have any tips for people trying to break into that line of work?
If you don’t feel the compulsion to write constantly — skip it. If you have written a script, write two more. Ben (Garant) and I find that our ratio of scripts that we write to scripts that get made is about 8:1 or 10:1.

How did y’all come up with the idea for Reno 911?
We originally did the show for Fox, and it was intended to be on Saturday nights, right after COPS. But we never made it on the air over there, and three years later, Comedy Central picked it up. Now we’re in our sixth season.

What’s it like having one of the most successful Halloween costumes in the past few years?
It’s a nice feeling, obviously. I haven’t actually tried on one of the “official” Dangle costumes yet, but I like how shiny it is.

For fans of improv, how did you get The State together?
The State was an official comedy club at NYU that was formed by Todd Holoubek in 1988. We just never gave up, and kept at it. The trick is: don’t ask anybody for anything. You won’t get approval if you ask for anything, so don’t.

What’s the secret of comedy?
Try to be as serious as possible.

What is the meaning of life?
42

What’s next for Thomas Lennon?
Half of an Ambien tablet and the gentle sleep of the angels.

8 Responses to “Interview: Thomas Lennon Of Reno 911”

  1. On 01/13/09 12:26 PM, andy said:

    I loved the State when it was on MTV.

  3. On 01/13/09 12:51 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

    Props for the Hitchhiker’s reference. Wasn’t that in another BG interview?

  5. On 01/13/09 1:03 PM, Blake Garris said:

    The guy from 3Oh!3

  7. On 01/13/09 1:30 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

    I have an interview coming down the pike. Should I ask that?

  9. On 01/13/09 9:48 PM, Kyle said:

    i love this dude

  11. On 01/14/09 1:47 PM, Paul A Harper said:

    See how many people you can get to make Hitchhikers references for all future interviews.

  13. On 01/14/09 10:45 PM, Sean Cannon said:

    what about references to allan quatermain books?

  15. On 01/15/09 1:16 PM, Hater said:

    Great interview! I love his shorts

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