Toe Fu Interviews 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander

Our own Toe Fu's making a name for himself over at the-minusworld.com. He just scored a great interview with 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander. Check it out HERE and make sure you post a comment for him over there while you're at it.

Toe Fu on October 2nd, 2008

Judah Friedlander rules. Sporting his signature customized hats, super-sized corrective lenses, and deadpan delivery, this comedian always comes correct. Judah can not only be spotted in major film roles like American Splendor, Zoolander, Meet Dave, and Date Movie, but also in quality t.v. shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Conchords, and cult favorite Wonder Showzen. He can also be seen dropping farcible quips on pop culture in Best Week Ever and also on one of the last remaining survivors of the genuinely funny sitcom, 30 Rock. Oh, and do yourself a solid and check out his stand up when he’s in your area. Judah was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions for us and chat about some retro gaming.

What was the first console you had growing up? What are some of your favorite and most hated games out of the old school?

We had some kind of Magnavox, I forget which one. It was your basic 4 versions of Pong game. It was great and Pong is still great. Favorites - I’ll list some not as well known favorites. Zookeeper, Kangaroo, Popeye, Rolling Thunder, and if you were a MAN…it was all about Defender. Hated games: I’ll say Mappy just because it pisses off my friend. DigDug is not bad, just not the greatest. Most of the auto racing and sports ones suck. Video games are about spaceships and beating up aliens & monsters - not racing cars or running.

Here at the The Minus World, we appreciate and celebrate your status as World Champion. Any new victories you would like to announce? Do you hold title status in any videogames?

I have new victories on a daily basis. Just got banned from Japan for beating everyone in their country in ping pong. So they banned me. To get back at them, I took the Japan National Pom Pom Squad with me.

I hold the world record for every pre-1988 video arcade game. Except for car racing and sports games. I don’t play those on video, I do them for real. I actually broke the world records for both Defender & Q-bert at the same time. which means i was playing both games at the same time & still broke world records for both. I’m the only person to even attempt that.

Were you a dweller of the arcades, and if so, have you ever had any creepy experiences in them? I used to have this guy with a melted face named MC Stardust try to sell me mescaline and rush every weekend. It was the 80’s and sadly I don’t think they make rush anymore (true story.)

Arcades were almost always dangerous, and even if they weren’t dangerous, it was very stressful. You’d be playing a game with your one quarter, all of a sudden people come up while you’re playing, trash talk, put their quarters up on the ledge of the machine or the edge of the screen of the game that you’re playing to signal that they’re next . Sometimes there would be 7 quarters stacked up on your game, which means when your game is over, you wont be able to play again for 7 more games and someone might bump you accidentally or on purpose. And there were no pause buttons or reset buttons. All you had was that one game on that one quarter. And you couldn’t continue the game when the game was over either. And when you played, you were standing, with your back and sides open to everyone - so you really were not in a good fighting position if someone wanted to mess with you. But, yes, walking into an arcade was always exciting - because of all the video games - but also because of the danger element.

How would you pitch a reality show about avid/addicted video gamers? Don’t worry, we won’t steal your ideas and sell them to fuel our rampant alcoholism.

I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever pitched a show. I would recommend to pitch a horrible show and not a quality one because you’ll have a better chance of it getting sold.

The Uncanny Valley episode of 30 Rock was an instant classic thanks to your explanation of it to Tracy Morgan as he attempts to make the world’s first pornographic video game. You said it best in your attempt to dissuade him with “History’s greatest perverts have tried: Walt Disney, Larry Flynt, the Japanese. But they can’t do it because of the uncanny valley.” Any thoughts on porn related video games?

I agree with the uncanny valley concept and it applies to many movies that use CGI. Many times it just does not work and it’s just annoying and creepy. I’m working on some paintings that are based on the porno videogame concept. I’ll have them on my website when they’re done.

Have any of your working relationships spawned an online gaming friendship? Have you ever played Larry David in Call of Duty 4? Sniped Bret or Jemaine in Team Fortress?

Unfortunately, I have not formed any video game friendships from working with people in the entertainment industry. The closest thing was playing Ms. Pacman with a fast chip that used to be located in the bar downstairs from the Boston Comedy Club in NYC. Both the club & bar are now closed. Me & my friend Godfrey (a comic) were good - everyone else sucked.

What’s your method to get a Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge to work? I use the blow and beg technique.

You also have to shake it, and if that doesn’t work, you just give your little brother a wedgie and call him names. It doesn’t fix the cartridge, but you do feel better.

I’m a little naive to show business, can you explain to me why a funny as fuck, smart show like 30 Rock was at one time threatened with cancellation while painful shows like Two and a Half Men carry on with success? The same thing happens with video games when a low budget Puppy simulator outsells everything else. This shit blows my mind.

Most people like crap.

If a Judah Friedlander-World Champion game was in development, what kind of game would it be and what would be the objective?

I already have my own video game in the works. Whoever chooses to be ME in the videogame wins every fight and bangs all the hot chicks afterwards. If you choose to be anyone else, you’ll lose. I always win.

Required by journalistic law: desert island question. What movie, video game, book and flavor fruit-rollup would you want to be stuck with?

Starship Troopers, Moon Patrol, the novelization of The Wizard, & strawberry.

I’ve been excited and on the lookout for your upcoming projects Full Grown Men, The Wrestler, and of course 30 Rock.. any info on these releases or anything else you would like to plug?

Full Grown Men on DVD later this year or early next year. The Wrestler later this year. FEAST 2: SLOPPY SECONDS Oct. 7 on DVD. 30 ROCK: SEASON 2 DVD OCT. 7. 30 ROCK season 3 premier Thursday, October 30 930pm. And I have another movie I HATE VALENTINES DAY out next year. I’m doing lots of stand-up, check my website for details. And I promise my CD will come out before Axl Rose’s new one.