Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt is recording his audio-only special “Black Coffee and Ice Water” in New York City this weekend that will be released later this year.
“The times are so rapidly insane right now that there are times as a comedian when you’re like, this insane story that I’m going to tell in a month is not going to seem insane anymore based on what people are going through.”
Part of the project involves life with a teenager, Oswalt said while talking about his own experiences, “you really get to see, ‘oh … that’s the way that I used to be. Oh she either got that from me or some of this is in-born. How can I change this? How do we make this better?'”
Oswalt recalled how his daughter has reacted to his work, saying it’s primarily positive.
“The only reaction that I’ve ever gotten that was negative and it wasn’t even negative, she just said, ‘You got one little fact wrong here. If you could change this’ — and she wasn’t even for embarrassment’s sake,” he said.
The former “Parks & Recreation” actor said he enjoys spending time with his daughter, but added laughingly, “I don’t have the teenager that doesn’t want to hang out with me. She actually digs hanging out with me and my wife, but we do have a teenager who’s always slightly disappointed in us.”
For Oswalt, the family moments are full circle, “we’re hanging out and we’re having fun and then daddy realizes what a goofball he is or I’m realizing, oh, wait a minute … I would get just as embarrassed by my dad at this. That’s what she’s doing right now.”
When asked why he wanted to do an Audible for “Black Coffee and Ice Water” instead of on a streaming platform, Oswalt said the reason centers around nostalgia.
“I miss the times when comedians would put out an album. All of my specials, I’m doing a thing now where I’m going back I’m putting them out on vinyl,” he said. “It’s about ego … there’s just less physical media being made.”
“Black Coffee and Ice Water” will be out Nov. 20 on Audible.
