Jim Gaffigan's greatest achievement isn't cracking up talk-show hosts on late-night TV, performing in the drama "That Championship Season" on Broadway or providing comic relief on TBS' underrated "My Boys." It's the fact that he and his wife, Jeannie, are raising five children, all under age 9, in a two-bedroom Manhattan apartment without going insane.
Well, maybe a little insane.
"Dad Is Fat," Gaffigan's first book, is a terrifyingly funny account of fatherhood, from the absurd nature of children's literature ("Is it possible to read a Dr. Seuss book and not sound a little drunk?") to the similarities between a daddy and the vice president of the United States. ("In your children's eyes, you mostly fulfill a ceremonial role of attending pageants and ordering pizza.")
Gaffigan, who will sign copies of his book Friday at the Mall of America, spoke to us by phone last week from Washington, D.C.
Q: You're not the first comedian to write about parenting. What made you think you had something new to add to the subject?
A: Bill Cosby really set the standard with "Fatherhood." I definitely wanted to approach it from an observational standpoint. First and foremost, I'm — just a second, I'm getting out of a car, that's the kind of multi-tasker I am — I didn't want to do a book where I hate my kids, because I don't, and I didn't want to do a book where I worship my children and Jesus. I was also aware that we live in this exhibitionist world where people want to hear about how I killed a hooker or my drunken escapades. My editor encouraged me to reveal more show-biz stuff, but I didn't want to do that. I think we know too much about people.
Q: How different was this process from writing a stand-up routine?
A: It was definitely an adjustment. Stand-up is obviously such a verbal skill. It's all about efficiently communicating ideas in a concise manner. I was surprised how much harder that was to do in an essay. You develop a lot of habits in stand-up where you rely on vocal inflections, facial expressions and an applied point of view. I struggled to get around that.
