Interview: Tim Heidecker

American polymath Tim Heidecker lands at Rock City on his first proper UK tour in March to bring his blend of satire, irony, alternative comedy and music to the masses on this side of the pond. LeftLion caught up with the director, writer, actor, stand-up and musician to delve a little more deeply…

Where do we find you, Tim?
Well I’m out on the West Coast where the weather’s been a bit mixed. You’d think growing up on the East Coast I’d be used to it, but I appear to have lost the ability to handle the cold…

The tour begins on March 16 in Leeds before arriving in mighty Nottingham on March 27 – what experiences do you have of playing the UK previously?
Eric (Wareheim, comedy partner) and I did some live shows there about 10 years ago. I also played the Soho Theatre but I’ve never toured as such. I did a comedy festival in Dublin too, but that’s it – so it’s a lot of new territory for me and a sort of experimental run almost.

So, why now?
We’d just toured over the summer with the show we’re bringing to the UK and it was so fun and successful for us. It was a hypothetical idea to do half stand-up and half-music, but it worked well so we said let’s take it overseas and the band said ‘sure, why not?’. I want to do music while I’m still healthy and alive! We’ve got this great band so I’m excited.

Have you heard much about Nottingham before?
Admittedly I haven’t. I've heard it’s quite big and it has a history of a dance music scene. I don’t know the venue though. I can’t wait to get over there. I’ve heard good things about Leeds too and we're playing the Brudenell Social Club. I’ve been told by my music friends that it's a cool place to play – it’s classic and fun. I’m looking forward to jumping out the van and doing some sightseeing – hopefully the weather won’t be terrible!

You’ve been in the business for a long time so to do something genuinely new like this must be really exciting...
Yeah it is. To do it every night makes you better and less nervous. In the past I’d book one show that’s months away and it’s so stressful that you don’t enjoy the actual performance. This way is much more enjoyable. I think it’ll be different in the UK as the audience might be more sceptical and waiting to see what we do – I’m hoping not, we’ll see, hopefully they’ll be psyched.

It’s called 'No More Bullsh*t' – which is pretty no nonsense. Is there anything in particular getting you vexed?
The title’s obviously ironic and it’s hard to keep up with things as it’s all just so crazy at the moment. Everyday I’m getting sent something new and asked if I wrote it or if it’s real life. There’s this guy called Prophet Charlie Shamp who I’m really into right now and he’s like a Christian fundamentalist. He calls himself a prophet which is crazy, I think I might just call myself a prophet!  

For those who haven’t heard of The Very Good Band, what can they expect?
I got so lucky with this band – they’re so good, they’re so tasty! They come from a place of playing American roots music, The Band, Dylan and country influences. Our bass player Eli has a beautiful voice and the guitarist Connor just rips. It’s not a joke. There’s a lot of fun stuff in the show, but these guys are serious musicians who play with heart and soul at the top of their game in my opinion.

You have the Live In Boulder album coming out in June from your Colorado set at the venue. What are your memories of the recording of that show?
There were a lot of good contenders but I wanted it to feel like just one night, and not just a collection recorded in lots of different cities. The Boulder one sounded good and it was sort of towards the end of the tour so we were locked in. It represents a night, which is great. I like live albums – they can be fun to put out and I’m glad my label was interested in putting it out.

You hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania – what was life like growing up there?
It was the suburbs for me mostly. The classic big backyard, soccer and baseball. It had this very blue collar, rust belt at its core, but it had started to fall apart so there was this depressing undercurrent. My dad had a car dealership so we lived well but it wasn’t a big place, but it was one business.  

What was your first foray in comedy?
In college I met Eric and we started making stuff for fun. We had a video camera and made weird experimental films and did prank phone calls. We just started finding a voice for ourselves. After college there weren't a lot of opportunities. It was the Elvis Costello thing of taking a job where you don’t have to think so you can use all of your brain for the creative stuff, so we just took regular jobs and started sending those tapes around. The person who watched it was Bob Odenkirk (Saul in Better Call Saul). He got in touch and started guiding us. The three of us are actually having lunch this afternoon and it’s been a while, so that should be great to catch up.  

Philadelphia is only 48 miles away, which is round the corner in UK terms. What are your memories of nights out there when you first headed over with supervision?
If you go north the other way it’s only two hours to New York and that was more appealing growing up. I was big film fan and was really into Woody Allen and Bob Dylan, the folk scene in Greenwich Village, Martin Scorsese and the NYU film school there. Philly’s actually a better move though as it’s smaller and you can create your own identity there and find your own scene, learn how to be an adult. Then you can try New York.

With American politics a lot more settled since Joe Biden took over, are you finding it hard to general material without someone as provocative as Trump in power?
Yeah I’ve never needed a lot of Trump news to make material. I’ve always been inspired by his persona and his body language and phrasing and stuff – so I’ve absorbed some of that. I think it’s funnier if my references are a little stale and not exactly politically astute, they’re just excuses to deliver a pun mostly! It’s actually more fun when the other side is in power as I can use them as a target, Biden and his goons I would say. That’s easier to do as the guy you're pretending to represent is in power.

Do you keep half an eye on how the UK is at the moment politically? 
Yeah I’m starting to. I didn’t want to look too soon so it became too stale. So, from next week I’ll be opening up the BBC every day and see where things are headed. My set isn’t supposed to be what’s in the news today but I do inject a little bit of current events.

You have performed with some great American acts over the years from Ben Folds and Regina Spektor to The Lemon Twigs. Are there any bands currently which you’d be inspired to work with?
Oh man – so many! I’d love to work with Matt Berry, I mean why not? We’re both on the same path. As far as music goes, Jeff Tweedy or David Byrne – somebody like that would be great. I’m kind of enjoying having my own ship with my own band at the moment right now though…

As a father of two, do you feel you have mellowed as a performer since having children or do you find yourself getting angry and frustrated on their behalf?
I don’t think it has had that much impact. In my personal life it has. It’s affected my empathy levels and makes me a better person. I still think if I have an idea which warrants a nasty performance or an idea which is sort of sick or offensive, having kids hasn't changed me pursuing this. Getting older has made me more open to change too I think.

After the tour is finished what does the rest of 2023 hold for you?
I’m trying to write a movie with Eric, so we’re working on that. Probably some more touring, as there’s lots of places in the States we didn’t go to. Also putting the finishing touches on a new album, which I’m very proud of. It’s one of those jobs which throws things up and I’m very grateful.

Tim Heidecker plays Rock City on Monday March 27th.