Words by Sean Moeller//Illustration by Erica Parrott
Love it or leave it, Pitchfork – the online music magazine that’s referred to as the gold standard in criticism – is our hub. It’s the place we usually take our morning coffee or bagel for a walk in front of. It’s loud and bossy, arrogant and influential and utterly necessary for any band worth its salt to begin to scratch the surface and weasel its way, albeit tremulously, into the brighter lights. A positive rating and a flattering review can turn Little Miss Nobody into an instant starlet. They can make sure that Sunset Rubdown and Voxtrot are no longer groundlings, but hot commodities driving the industry suits bananas. They stir craze better than anyone not working for New Musical Express.

And while our good buddies Sunset Rubdown and our future compadres Voxtrot are in Chicago this weekend kicking off the first (official – in 2005 it went by the title of the Intonation Festival before a rancorous splintering helped to make the Windy City festival central this summer) Pitchfork Music Festival, there’s more to appreciate than just great indie rock bands. Ever heard of a bad ass dude named Eugene Mirman? Yeah, he’s great. Ever heard of a funny ass dude named Aziz Ansari? Yeah, he’s just as great. The New York comic was recently featured in Rolling Stone’s annual Hot List issue and New York Magazine named him as one of the 10 funniest people you’ve never heard of. That’s a bit presumptuous of New York Magazine, but Ansari is awfully funny and if it takes a little false assumption to wake up the slowpokes, we’re game. Ansari is going to be on the big screen with Billy Bob Thorton and Jon Heder in the movie “School For Scoundrels” this summer, but it’s his feature shorts created with Rob Huebel, who recently had bit roles on “Arrested Development” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” that make him the next person you’re going to be quoting, as soon as you’ve worked yourself purple impressing people with your Will Ferrell and Buster Bluth lines.

The three episodes of “Shutterbugs,” with a fourth to come in October – available on YouTube and Ansari’s own site – shows Ansari and Huebel as talent agency executives who only represent children, but talk to and treat their clients as if they were seasoned vets. They tell children to get the fuck out of their office, get fired by a little guy named Milo, who can barely speak yet but still has the power to be trained to gurgle, “I already have representation” while losing some of the unimportant syllables and do a group hallelujah when Ansari announces, “That was Jonathan Lipnicki’s parents. He just fired his agent. He wants to go with the Bugs!” The two Shutterbugs compete with a rival children’s agency that showers children with candy and considers an oral agreement being made when that bite of ice cream goes in a child’s mouth. This series of shorts would find a comfortable neighborhood if it was animated and thrust in between Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law and Sealab 2021. But it’s craftier and rather side-splitting when there are real toddlers being ripped new holes when all they’re thinking about is getting another dollop of ice cream.

This guy’s a hit with the ladies, he says what we like to hear (refer to the third question down) and he done loves Gorilla Vs. Bear and Swedish mask-donners The Knife.

The Daytrotter interview:
How did you get this Pitchfork gig? Do you read the site every day?

Aziz Ansari: I met those Pitchfork guys at SXSW and they were really cool. They were big comedy fans, so eventually we started talking about bringing some comedians to perform at the festival. I read the site with the same frequency as someone that is not a loser.

You’re performing with Sunset Rubdown and Voxtrot. This is fucking cool, right? Anyone you’re kind of dying to see at the fest or do you have to jet before it gets underway?
AA: Yeah, I’m a big fan of both those guys. There are so many great bands at the festival, I can’t remember ‘em all, the ones I’m really looking forward to are Silver Jews, Destroyer, and Tapes ‘n Tapes.

What did you think of Sunset Rubdown’s Daytrotter session?

AA: It was great! (I’m sorry, I didn’t get to listen to it, I will check it out soon though.)

You once interviewed Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel). Do you wish he would make a new record? Did you see the live shots of him in New York on Pitchfork this week? Were you at that show?
AA: Yeah, that would be amazing. I love Aeroplane just as much as everyone else. I unfortunately didn’t catch that show he dropped on, but hopefully Jeff will pop up more often.

Are you really bored (as your site’s title would suggest)? Is it boredom that led you to start making jokes?

AA: I’m usually super busy if I’m working on any film/TV projects, but if
I’m not, I’m usually just killing time in between standup gigs. During
the latter, I guess you could say I get bored at times. But I generally
like having minimal responsibilties.

Tell me about “The Illusionators.”

AA: This is a short film I did with my group Human Giant. My friend Paul Scheer and I play insane over the top magicians reminiscent of Criss Angel/David Blaine. And our pal Rob Huebel plays several characters in it as well. Our director Jason did a fantastic job with it. We’re all really happy with it, but right now we can’t put it online. It’ll be seen eventually, we’re working on getting it out to a really big audience.

Does it seem to you that comedians are getting more props from the general public these days? Is this a good time to be a young comedian?

AA: I think it’s a great time to be a comedian. I’m so inspired watching the work of all the other comics out there, especially guys like Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, etc. So many people are doing great stuff right now, I’m glad I can be a part of it.

How many copies of that Rolling Stone that you were in did you buy? One for your mother?
AA: I bought one copy for myself, and 25 mores to pass out to the ladies!
OOOOHHHH SHIT!!!

Aziz Ansari