Listening to comedian Gilbert Gottfried's signature voice during his act is like taking a cheese grater to the spinal cord -- certifiably cringe-worthy. Self-billed as "the most obnoxious Jew in the world," offstage Gottfried is surprisingly quiet, demure and almost gentlemanly, a stark contrast to his trademark high-volume persona. "When I'm offstage, it's like a Bing Crosby Christmas special," he said in a telephone interview from New York.
And when asked about rumors that he and longtime girlfriend Dara Kravitz were married earlier this year and had a child in June, he said, "It's about as true as that whole Tom Cruise story about him belonging to Scientology." Gottfried will perform Friday and Saturday at Bart Reed's Comic Strip, 9515 Gateway West. Gottfried was initially scheduled to perform at the club in mid-June, but was bumped so comedian Damon Wayans could perform.
Wayans walked out on a sold-out crowd midway through a four-day run in the city, alleging racist treatment. "Now that I see it's an option, I might walk out during the introduction," Gottfried said. "To think I've been an idiot all this time.
" A "Saturday Night Live" alumnus and "Tonight Show" regular, Gott fried is probably best known as the voice of Iago the Parrot in the 1992 Disney feature film "Aladdin." Recently, he has gained notoriety for his work as Digit on the PBS Kids Go! show "Cyberchase" and as the duck from the AFLAC insurance commercials.
"He's one of the most recognized voices in television and movies." The comedian said he has no regrets being known as the voice of the AFLAC duck, though he fears he may be unfairly typecast in bird roles and hopes to expand his repertoire. "I'm hoping to play a worm or something," Gottfried said.
Recently, Gottfried said, he had a run-in with Canadian immigration authorities while traveling to Toronto for a project. He was detained for three hours because of paperwork problems and then deported back to the United States. "They pretty much threw me out of the country.
I caused an international incident with Canada." Gottfried, who is known for his risqué sets and his particularly vulgar rendition of "the world's dirtiest joke" in the 2005 documentary "The Aristocrats," says his comedy often involves finding a delicate balance between his traditional comedic roots and his more public, "clean" image. "I've always said that my career walks the tightrope between early morning children's programming and hard-core porn," Gottfried said.
Kirk Cooper may be reached at 546-6137. Listening to comedian Gilbert Gottfried's signature voice during his act is like taking a cheese grater to the spinal cord -- certifiably cringe-worthy.
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