The Funniest Tool In 'Parks' Utility Shed

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Comedian Aziz Ansari first started doing stand-up comedy as an undergraduate marketing major at NYU. Eight years later, he's playing opposite comedy queen Amy Poehler as the lovable office tool on NBC's workplace comedy Parks and Recreation.

Ansari has acted in MTV's sketch series Human Giant, and he played the part of a xenophobic fruit vendor in HBO's Flight of the Conchords.

His first comedy DVD — Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening — is out now through Comedy Central. He joins Terry Gross for a conversation about his career, his DVD and what exactly the made-up word "tatties" might mean.

Interview: Aziz

In 2009, you had one of the biggest years ever. Besides Parks and Recreation — of course — you guest starred in multiple episodes of ABC’s Scrubs; appeared in Funny People, I Love You, Man and Observe and Report; performed stand-up comedy across the country (including the taping of your Comedy Central special in July) and sold three movie projects to Judd Apatow and Universal Pictures. Why do you think 2009 turned into the year that you truly broke out into the mainstream?
I started using a really good facial moisturizer. Once I moisturized and people noticed how soft and smooth my skin was, things starting going up, up, up!

Your winter holiday was spent in Japan and then Australia, where you performed a stand-up show on January 2. Explain what that trip was like. Parks and Recreation writer Alan Yang tagged along too, right?
I’d always wanted to go to Tokyo, and Alan and I’s mutual friends James, who is very familiar with Tokyo was going to be there, so we tagged along with him to Tokyo and Australia. It was a great trip. I mainly ate a lot of food (ramen, sushi, teppanyaki, yakitori, etc.)

You’re said to be collaborating with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek on a hip-hop mixtape featuring your popular Funny People character, Randy. How’s that coming?
QUIT REMINDING ME OF ALL THE WORK I HAVE TO DO. Dave sent over a bunch of beats to me and they are really great. I’m busy with the buildup to the special so I haven’t had time to really get to work on my end, but I think it’ll be a really fun project.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s spin-off, Get Him to the Greek, is scheduled to be released this summer. Your character in the movie works for a record company headed by a dude named Sergio Roma (Sean “Diddy” Combs). It also employs guys like Aaron Greenberg, played by the consistently funny Jonah Hill. Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera play themselves, among other cameos. How hilarious of a movie are we talking here?
This movie is going to be great and people will especially be impressed with Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.

One of your good friends, Jason Woliner, directed a Parks and Recreation episode earlier this season. A few weeks later, your friend (and fellow comedian) Paul Scheer appeared on the show as KaBOOM! project manager Keef Slertner. Is this by coincidence or do you have some pull in who comes on the program?
I have zero pull man. I’ve been trying to get Nelly on the show since day one. They are not having it.

Obligatory Parks and Recreation question: Give Tom Haverford fans something to look forward to in the second half of the current season.
Here’s some teasers that should get you excited without spoiling anything: Tom’s house. Soloflex. Bowflex. Nightclub. New suits. Jamie Foxx.

Aziz stand up special drops in January

The official disc cover to Aziz Ansari's stand-up special, Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening. The special will both air on Comedy Central and be available in stores in mid-January.
Aziz Ansari’s stand-up special, Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening — which was filmed this summer in Los Angeles — will air on Comedy Central on January 17, 2010. The CD/DVD will then hit stores two days later.

In an interview, Aziz told Entertainment Weekly that “to have an hour special is really cool”:

It’s bigger than the time I filled up my Quiznos Q Rewards Card, but smaller than the time I filled up four Quiznos Q Rewards Cards.

On the whole, Aziz said filming went surprisingly well:

The crowd gave me a standing ovation after every single joke—there are 53 standing ovations. It’s a little distracting, and some people might say, “Wait a second, it looks like it was edited to look like there were 53 standing ovations,” but that’s not the case. Those were all genuine. I know people are thinking, “But there are so many great specials and that’s never happened before.” Well, I don’t know what to tell you. The material was that strong, and that’s the way those people felt they had to respond—by standing up in the exact same fashion for the exact amount of time, 53 times.

Access the full interview by clicking the link below.

Link: Aziz Ansari talks about his Comedy Central stand-up special and a strip club outing for the ‘Parks and Recreation’ gang