David Koechner
Photo by Mandee Johnson

Waking up Funny

In Do, November 2022 by Anna Beth AdcockLeave a Comment

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The “Packman” David Koechner is bringing the funnies to Goodnights pop-up this weekend. 

Who has two thumbs and is a comedy legend?! None other than David Koechner (of The Office, Anchorman, SNL and The Goldbergs fame—NTM 120 other movies and TV shows)! Now, the actor, writer, producer and comedian extraordinaire is bringing his hilarity to Goodnights pop-up in the Village District Dec. 1–3—and each performance is sure to be a whammy (IYKYK).

Everyone’s fave traveling salesman (aka Todd Packer) will also be hosting a trivia event on Saturday—looking at you The Office superfans—with behind-the-scenes stories and tidbits from the show (frankly, we want to know if he and Steve Carell are BFFs in real life too). Raleigh Magazine got the exclusive chance to chat (and share a laugh!) with Koechner ahead of his shows, and we can attest that he’s no doubt gonna make you howl with laughter. Here’s what he had to say…

The City of Oaks is excited to have you! When’s the last time you visited Raleigh? 

I’ve been to Raleigh several times. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been. … I’m excited to check up and see how Raleigh is doing, ya know? I love performing all over the country, and so I’m privileged when people show up and we all get to have a fun time. Plus, there’s a couple people in Raleigh who’ve reached out who I haven’t seen in years, so I’m looking forward to seeing them too. 

What sort of sillies can people expect at your shows? 

Fireworks?! It’s a comedy show—it’s all planned, but there’s room for improvisation in every show. I would say that no two shows are 100% alike; there is always something fresh and new in each one. And I’ll check into Raleigh happenings and see what’s going on and throw that into my set if there’s something funny that strikes me. 

And how do you prep for your performances?

I wake up in the morning… and that’s it. 

Give us a sneak on The Office trivia show? 

It’s a matinee show on Saturday. I come out as Todd Packer and do a bunch of lines from The Office. It’s a trivia show, but I also tell stories from the show and stories from my career, how I came to be on The Office, and my relationships with Steve Carell and Kate Flannery since I’ve known those guys since the ’80s. 

Catch us up on your current projects. 

I continue to recur on The Goldbergs, and I just finished shooting an independent project.  It’s a really intense drama, which is gonna be fantastic. It’ll come out next year. I also just completed filming for Half Baked 2, which was a riot. And I’m almost done touring for the year. … I’ll have these Raleigh shows and one more stop in Kansas City. 

You’ve been in the biz for a while now–any characters/projects stick out to you? 

I love working, so every one is a favorite—and it’s also up to fans if they have a favorite. There are so many that I’ve been very fortunate to have played. Obviously the big ones are fun, but there’s a little movie called Cheap Thrills, and—write this down—this is not for children. It’s a dark twisted thriller with comedic undertones, but it’s a great little movie. Also, it is Christmastime now, so we all must watch Krampus. I love Krampus—I’d never heard about that legend until I did the movie, and I love that more and more people discover it every year. 

Humor me here… do you have a favorite kind of comedy? 

The funny kind. There’s subtle comedy, there’s broad comedy, there’s relationship comedy, silly comedy, gag comedy… and you get better every time you do it. It’s muscle memory; it’s mental gymnastics; it’s timing; it’s everything—and it’ll never be perfect. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect set. I do stand-up; I do improv; I do plays, movies, TV shows, voiceovers and cartoons—I do all kinds of stuff. I’m blessed that I get to have this career.

*Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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