Steve Byrne hails from Pittsburgh, which explains his obsession with the hometown hockey team and the fact that his TBS series, "Sullivan & Son," which returns for its third season Tuesday, is set in Steel City.
But in a phone conversation last week, we unearthed a number of Minnesota connections, not the least of which is a two-night stand at Acme Comedy Co. this weekend with his sitcom castmates.
Q: Your wife is from Winona. Have you spent much time there?
A: Yeah. She's in the kitchen right now. Her parents still live there with two cats, which is why we stay at a hotel down the street. Honey, what's the name of that doughnut place? (Pause) Bloedow's! I remember we went there after mass. It was no bigger than a guest bathroom and people were lined up outside the door when it was 20-below. As soon as I had one bite, I understood why.
Q: What are your overall thoughts about the region?
A: People are so darn nice, I feel like I owe them money. I've been tracking the Minnesota Wild because I'm such a big fan of Zach Parise. It was nice to see them make a dent in the playoffs, although with the talent they have, they should have gone further. I can't get over how cold it gets in the winter. I've never experienced anything like that. It's like the planet in the opening of "The Empire Strikes Back."
Q: You had a chance to meet one of our most famous figures. What was your experience with Prince like?
A: Me and two other comedians shot a promo for CBS when he was doing the Super Bowl. The premise was that we would be sitting in a boardroom, pitching him ideas for his halftime show. When he waltzed in for the taping, nobody said anything. For the next half-hour, we were shellshocked. When we were done, he walked out and shut the door. A few seconds later, he opened the door back up, looked at us, said, "You're all beautiful" and left again. We high-fived each other.
