With so many fingers in so many pies, one has to wonder where Jon Stewart finds the time.
At the moment, the comedian is working on a book. He’s also hoping to start soon on a movie co-starring fellow standup Janeane Garofalo. He does a number of guest-starring roles on television, including one as himself on HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” which should begin shooting new episodes either this month or next.
Stewart is still a fill-in host for Tom Snyder’s late-night CBS talk show, and does standup whenever he can find the time. All of which makes him quite a renaissance comedian.
“I’m trying to fail in all forms of media . . . I could be the first, so I’m very excited about that,” jokes Stewart. “I’m trying to do a bunch of projects that actually never get off the ground. It’s a brand new show business tradition that hasn’t yet been tried.”
In part, that’s a mocking reference to Stewart’s failed attempt at a talk show a few years ago. But he hasn’t let that setback slow him down. In fact, Stewart seems to be more in demand than ever, which gives the New York native the opportunity to let people see him in several arenas.
“Admittedly, at some point I’m probably going to have to settle down and sort of pick a discipline and stay with it for a little bit of time,” says Stewart, 34. “But right now it’s kind of nice to be able to float around and do a bunch of different things.”
The thing that got Stewart all the other things, standup comedy, is something he doesn’t have a lot of time for these days. He does dates here and there and is set to go on the road for a tour sponsored by Comedy Central. (He’s doing a separate gig Friday at Harper College in Palatine; call 847-925-6100 for more information.)
But Stewart doesn’t miss standup very much, partly, he says, because “I don’t have time.”
“The only thing I regret is sometimes I have trouble juggling the variety of things, so I end up not being able to work on this or that for too long a period of time,” Stewart says. “I prefer to get into something and obsess about it. Which, by the way, is wonderful for healthy relationship-building.”
Right now, Stewart is particularly obsessive about his book, which he hopes will be out this time next year. It isn’t the usual comic-writes-his-act-down-on-paper tome.
“I wanted to do something that I could be more abstract (with) and play around a little bit,” explains Stewart, a comic for more than 10 years. “I didn’t want to just sit and talk into a tape recorder and then have some guy come in and recycle the material and put it out there.”
For example, Stewart wants to do a takeoff on artist Leonardo di Vinci’s fanciful drawings of machines that did not then exist, like the bicycle and the helicopter.
“I’m doing his lost drawings of things,” Stewart says, “like the hat (that has drinkable cans of) beer on it.” Stewart wants to call this little future best-seller “Naked Pictures of Famous People.”
The standup lineup
Here’s the comedy action this weekend. Current sets are scheduled to run through Sunday; all new acts begin on Thursday unless otherwise noted. Lineups are subject to change.
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– Not only will you get to see 10 standup comedians compete for a $10,000 grand prize at the 1997 Canadian Mist Comedy Challenge Saturday, but hilarious D.L. Hughley also is the host. The event, proceeds from which will benefit the Chicago Urban League, will be held at the Regal Theater, 1665 E. 79th St. Call 888-807-8080 for more information.
– Rubber-faced Jeff Altman, known for his crazy characters, two well-received Showtime specials and many sitcom appearances, headlines the Funny Bone Friday and Saturday (1504 Naper Blvd.-Tower Crossing Shopping Center, Naperville; 630-955-0500).
– Bright and sharp-witted Wendy Liebman, known for jokes that contain two punchlines for the price of one, is making special appearances this weekend at Zanies’ Vernon Hills comedy club (230 Hawthorn Village Commons; 847-549-6030).
– Headlining at All Jokes Aside (1000 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-922-0577) through Sunday is Mo’Nique Imes. She has appeared on “Uptown Comedy Club,” “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” and “Def Comedy Jam.”
– Standup comedy/variety show Chicago Comedy Works is holding court Sunday at the Cubby Bear, 1059 W. Addison St. (call the CCW hotline, 312-409-2181). CCW co-founder Carl Kozlowski plays host to five comedians and special guests comedy troupe Stir Friday Night and poet Maria McRae.