Interview: Getting Real with Dave Coulier
By Neetu Chandak
(photo via facebook.com/coulier)
You might know Dave Coulier as Uncle Joey from the hit sitcom “Full House” and the Netflix original “Fuller House.” But there’s more to Dave than his TV career. As a little boy, Dave voiced many characters, the first being Kermit the Frog. At 19, he packed his bag, took a risk, and moved out to Los Angeles to start a career in comedy. I had the opportunity to sit down with the hockey loving, harmonica playing, stand up comedian after his show in the Statler Auditorium on April 20th 2016. Here’s what we talked about:
N: Do you have a favorite voice to act?
D: Hmmmm…favorite voice, I like to do them all [haha].
N: Is this your first time at Cornell?
D: Actually no. I came here decades ago for a charity game with Red Wings. I still remember flying into Newark and it was winter, there was too much snow, but it was still a great game.
N: I’ve noticed in your stand-up, you not only do a spot on Robin Williams voice, but you also talk about him a lot. Was Robin one of your role models for starting a career in comedy?
D: He definitely was, especially when I was doing one of my first shows in L.A. and he basically praised me. There are others I’ve also been inspired by like Larry David.
N: You have a really good sense of humor, and more importantly, you incorporated that humor with some deep issues. You must have some advice for college students and 20-something year olds?
D: Everybody is different and we need to talk about it. I’ve noticed on college campuses that there has to be a separate group for everything like a group for Asians, a group for Indians, a group for Blacks and so on. I find those type of groups as a form of segregation. Why aren’t we trying to assimilate and instead, using our energy to get to know one another?
N: I’m so glad somebody else sees an issue in this! My co-host and I discuss about these type of topics on our radio show and often find that our society places a huge weight on titles.
D: And you know, I think everybody is too focused on being politically correct. I’ve actually had to cut out acts where I talk about Caitlyn Jenner because people hear a buzzword and suddenly think that I’m transphobic when in fact, I knew that [then Bruce] wanted to make the transition almost two decades ago. I never told anybody because she was and still is my friend.
N: Does Caitlyn know that she was a part of your comedy acts and what did she think?
D: She was actually okay with my comedy regarding her since she knew it was a joke. But in due time, I think the pendulum will go the other way where people will be free to talk without worrying about being politically correct.
N: So we’re going to change subjects here. You played the harmonica extremely well on stage. Of all instruments, why did you choose to learn this instrument?
D: I can put it in my pocket! Actually, I would carry the harmonica around with me in high school because you would always have that one kid walking down the hall, jamming on a guitar. A group and I would just jam out. (You should know that Dave likes things that are easily portable. When it comes to phones, the smaller, the better…sorry Samsung Galaxy!)
N: Where do you think comedy’s place is in the world?
D: Comedy is a platform, an outlet, to address the issues that matter.
N: We’re going to end the night with one last question. What’s do you hope to cross off your bucket list?
D: Hmmmm… well, I’ve already gotten to do so many amazing things. I learned to fly a plane when I was younger, I was on Full House. Just recently, I released a children’s musical story book which is available on Itunes. It’s called The Adventures of Jimmy Bugar and many of my Full House cast mates contributed to the project. That is something I’ve always wanted to do. Other than that, I hope to learn classical piano and build an airplane.
Thanks to Cornell University Program Board for this opportunity!
