Six Degrees: Ben Karlin talks to Amazon.com

Amazon.com has interviewed Ben Karlin in anticipation of his eagerly awaited new book, Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me. I’m excerpting some of the bits I liked about the book, but the full interview includes details on what his days were like before he left The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, what he’s been doing lately and much more, so do check it out below, or go here to listen:

Our Moment with Ben
February 1st, 2008

. . .

Amazon.com: First question I have for you… Are you sporting a strike beard?

Karlin: [Laughs] I don’t have the ability to grow a strike beard. I can grow a series of strike patches.

Amazon.com: Have you been tuning in to see how Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are handling their return to the airwaves?

Karlin: You know, I haven’t seen–I saw a little bit. For me, I think what’s far more interesting has been not what they do in week one, but what they’re going to do in week three. [Laughs] Week one you can really talk about, My god, we’re back on the air and we don’t have writers. You have a lot of games probably stored up. But I think the real challenge is probably going to be three or four weeks into this thing how fast they can dance. I guess those two guys probably are as well equipped as anyone on planet Earth to do that.

Amazon.com: So taking us back to December 2006 when you stepped down from your dual role as executive producer on both of those shows. I’m sure your days were filled with humor–

Karlin: I was drunk. I just want you to know that. In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have done that.

. . .

Amazon.com: Was putting the collection together sort of like making a mix-tape–a literary mix-tape?

Karlin: It was… I wish it wasn’t so difficult, just the logistics of getting in touch with people and getting them to agree and working with them. Everybody’s all over the place and everyone’s really busy. It’s like putting together a mix-tape if each song was on a different computer in a different state and some were in different countries. You know? So it’s that kind of mix-tape. You have to go to Belgium to get the Led Zeppelin song.

Amazon.com: While we’re shelving this book in Humor rather than Self-Help, do you think there are any life lessons a young man can take away from this volume?

Karlin: Um… Yes. If you find yourself in a foreign prison facing charges you don’t understand, it might be time to change some of your behavior.

Amazon.com: Nothing to do with women–

Karlin: [Laughs] No. I don’t think you should be turning to this book for anything other than joy and laughter and hopefully… Laughter.

Amazon.com: Do you want to keep it away from your girlfriend or do you think, High Fidelity style, it offers a little insight into the male psyche?

Karlin: If it doesn’t then the book is kind of a failure. If people read the book I do think that they will take away either something very specific about a specific type of mind or maybe some general kind of amalgam of, like, wow, I didn’t know people thought that way, or I didn’t know that kind of behavior was interpreted that way. I hope so. I mean, I feel like, for me, the worst kind of book is one that the second you close it it’s like completely gone from your mind. All you did was fill some time, but it didn’t enrich you in any way. I would really hope on some level, besides just providing some laughs, does give someone something. Maybe the clap? Can a book give someone the clap?

. . .

Read the full interview here

Don’t forget to order yourself a copy of the book and/or audiobook here: