Letter From The Editor

I spoke with Pauly Shore on the phone mere hours after I attended a funeral.

Given the suddenness of my departure, my emotional state, and the fact that I had been staying in a small town where cell reception was tenuous, it was a tough appointment to keep. But I didn’t want to ask him to reschedule, partly because I didn’t want to miss my opportunity to talk with him before he comes out here for a show at Hawaiian Brian’s next month. But more so, I didn’t ask to reschedule because I thought it might be a nice comedic break in a long, sad stretch of days.

I remembered the Shore movies I’d first seen as a kid, like Encino Man and Son In Law, and I thought I’d be in for a call filled with “Hey Buuuddy” and Weasel noises.

Maybe it was the fact that I was ruminating on things of my own, but the conversation steered toward what you wouldn’t think to be very Pauly-like. We talked about aging loved ones, terrorist attacks, what he wished he had done differently in his career and future goals.

I’m not saying that Pauly Shore is a serious man — and he may balk at such a suggestion — but I am saying that he is perhaps a more nuanced comedian than he generally gets credit for. In the last few weeks, I’ve checked out his more recent breadth of work and what seems to be emerging is a creator that goes beyond The Weasel. In particular, I loved his documentary Pauly Shore Stands Alone, a contemplation of days gone by. (I mean, of course, it’s still Pauly Shore, so you’ll still see his more expected antics as he tries to get laid on tour and moons a live audience.)

For more on Shore, read on.