The New York Story's Colin Quinn Reveals His Trainwreck Past, His Conclusion About Cosby & Why Comedians Are Lucky

Brooklyn native Colin Quinn is obsessed with three things: comedy, cultural stereotypes and New York City. This trio comes together in his new solo show The New York Story, directed by Jerry Seinfeld at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The SNL vet is having an exceptionally busy week: he's preparing to open his off-Broadway show just as the new movie Trainwreck, in which he plays Amy Schumer’s straight-talking, philandering dad, hits theaters. Still, the comedian took some time to have a phone chat with Broadway.com. In the wide-ranging conversation, he attacked political correctness (“It’s a bunch of humorless people deciding what’s comedy”), had a field day with the Bill Cosby scandal (see below) and complained about New York City ("It’s so damn loud here, I’m going into the subway station for quiet”) Read on to see Quinn calling ‘em as he sees ‘em.

How did this show come about?
I wrote The Coloring Book because I wanted to convey to people how New York is different now. People say it’s changed, but I wanted to articulate what has changed. I’m fascinated by it. The show came from that.

Do you feel like you’re standing up in front of New Yorkers every night telling them their city is dead?
That’s exactly what I’m doing. Nothing wrong with that.

What’s it like to walk around your old neighborhood in Park Slope and see artisanal this and that everywhere?
I remember when they put a Haagen Dazs store in. We were like, “Oh my God! Haagen Dazs!” We liked it at the time. What’s funny about the response to gentrification is you get meaner about it as time goes on. When it first happens, everyone’s like, “Yay! Our neighborhood’s not going to suck anymore.” Then suddenly, you’re like, “Hey, this is bullshit.” I’m sure this is happening in Bed-Stuy right now.

Where should young people who once flocked to New York City for opportunity and edginess go now?
Philly. Or just go to the Bronx. Nothing’s edgier than the Bronx, no matter what year it is.

You’re taking a deep dive into ethnicity and race in The New York Story. Are you getting any pushback?
No. People in the theater understand. The rest of the world is on this positivity trip—and it is a trip—and it annoys me. Comedy is supposed to be negative. Everything in comedy comes from a negative place. It’s not a positive thing! Positive people are nice, but they’re not funny.

Is it hard to talk about race?
Yeah, but it’s only going to get worse unless people talk about it, right?

Do current events make you hear your material in a different way?
Yeah. I definitely hear it in a different way. If people want to dissect a line, they can do that. I’m not trying to be slick; I’m trying to be funny. I’m joking, but I’m also being serious. Nobody can “catch” me because I’m not trying to get one past you. I’m coming right out and saying what I feel, and making it funny—hopefully.

Are you worried people will take you out of context and distort your intention?
Everybody takes everybody out of context. I don’t care. The whole thing about comedians is that most comedians talk about this stuff, but people don’t see it. Most comedians say whatever they want, and that’s how it should be.

You’re active on Twitter, where a joke can fly around the Internet very quickly, does that make you hesitate before you press send?
No. On Twitter I’m just being ironic and trying to amuse myself. Twitter’s never going to be a problem for me, I don’t think. Famous last words.

What is it like having Jerry Seinfeld direct you?
Jerry understands the flow of things in a way that I never would. I’m very sloppy, so it’s a nice yin and yang. When you’re doing a show, you have to abide by certain rules. That’s the price you pay for not doing stand-up clubs. I want to do theater because I want people to pay attention to what I’m saying. I work hard on this stuff, and I want people to understand it. I mean any comedian has had those experiences where you’re in the middle of a joke and suddenly one table that was well-behaved a minute ago starts singing, “Happy Birthday” and brings in a cake.

You and Jerry seem like opposites. Do you ever drive each other crazy?
We’re the odd couple, but it doesn’t matter because we both love comedy. I mean you take a guy like Chris Rock, a guy like Jerry—they still go to comedy shows and watch other comedians. They love stand-up. That transcends everything else. People who are really comedians love the game, for lack of a better word. Even though me and Jerry are opposites in many ways, we love the game.

Jerry caught a lot of flak for saying he wouldn’t play college campuses. How do you feel about that?
Just the fact he caught a lot of flak for that is crazy. Everyone knows college campuses are like that. So many people act like he said something obnoxious or outrageous. It’s crazy his statement became an issue. He’s just telling the truth, and that’s what a comedian is supposed to do.

You work with a lot of young people, especially on Girls. How do you avoid being that guy who’s always talking about how it used to be?
I think they all know I’m that guy anyway when I show up. That’s the thing about being a comedian: everybody knows your personality. So when you start saying whatever, they’re like, “That’s him doing his thing!” They get to see the act one on one. That's one way comedians are lucky: Everyone expects us to be the way we are.

Now that Trainwreck’s a hit, are you prepared for everyone asking you about your own drunken antics?
My own trainwreck-booty-call-type stuff? Yeah, of course. I had so many. I was a trainwreck like few have seen. 

Who would have thought you'd be in a movie with LeBron James?
Right? I never met LeBron. I still didn’t meet him. I was sitting right next to him at the party, but I didn’t even get up and shake his hand. I was the cool guy…that he never heard of. 

Was it fun on the set?
It was fun because I’ve known Judd [Apatow] for a long time. I love working with him and Amy [Schumer] because they love comedy. Sometimes when you’re working with a director, they think they like the idea of working with a comedian, but then when you’re there, they’re like, “OK, that’s a little too comedian-y.” But actual comedians are like, “Hahaha! Yeah. Say that again, but this time make the guy die.”

Is it true you made an appearance on The Cosby Show?
Yeah. [Laughs.] I was on The Cosby Show in like ’86 or something. My friend got me on it. I played a Sam Kinison-type guy.

It seems like a lot of comedians are heartbroken by the Cosby scandal because they looked up to him.
Not me. He wasn’t one of my idols. I looked up to [Richard] Pryor and [George] Carlin. I made my decision on Cosby when he was first accused and had a lawyer speak instead of coming out on every TV show and saying, “This is ridiculous! This is outrageous!” Obviously, he’s a rapist, you know? World’s funniest rapist. Want to hear my profile? Here it is: He knocks them out because that’s a fetish to him, but also because if they didn’t witness it and nobody else witnessed it, it didn’t happen in his mind. He can continue thinking of himself as a great guy. No one’s denying he's a great iconic comic, but what he did was brutal. Look, if people accuse you of sexual impropriety in the ‘60s and ‘70s at the Playboy Mansion, do you know how bad you had to be? That’s the bottom line right there. You made a bunch of coked out people in the middle of the ‘70s running around half naked and having orgies uncomfortable. What does that tell you? Only a rapist could do that.

Would you ever leave New York?
I don’t know where I would go. When I lived in L.A., I liked it, but I don’t think it’s good for comedy for some reason. No. Sadly, I’ll never leave. I just can’t. Although, it’s so crowded and loud now, it drives me crazy. 

Do you want to bring this show to Broadway?
Yeah, if somebody would cough it up. I have a love affair with the Helen Hayes Theatre going back to ’98, when I did Irish Wake there. I’m like sentimentally attached to it now. I have a thing with Helen.