Joe Pera Knows You Think He’s Playing a Character

Is Joe Pera for real? That’s the inevitable question you start asking yourself after seeing him perform soft-spoken stand-up jokes, listening to his deliberately sleep-inducing podcast, or watching his exquisitely serene Adult Swim series Joe Pera Talks With You.

In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast, Pera goes deep on how he developed his very unique comedy style and responds directly to those who think his entire comic persona might be some sort of elaborate ruse. He also reflects on the end of his beloved and deeply personal show, reveals how Taylor Swift helped inspire his upcoming stand-up tour, and tells the full story behind securing the rights to The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

Unlike nearly every other guest we’ve had on the podcast, Pera politely declines to turn on his Zoom camera, saying simply, “I’d prefer not to.” It only adds to the mystique he has fostered as a Midwestern comedian in his mid-thirties who speaks and moves like a man at least twice his age.

Read more at The Daily Beast.