Dane Cook is everywhere these days.
With upcoming performances in Las Vegas, a recent HBO special and the wildly successful debut of comedy album "Retaliation," he debuts as a leading man on the big screen in "Employee of the Month," which opened in theaters Friday.
Having his hand in so many stews, how does the star feel about his career as a whole?
"I've had the luxury of 'dipping my toe' into several different facets of media," Cook said. "I think that in some respect that if you're an entertainer, especially coming from of the world of [stand-up] comedy as a storyteller, you want to tell different kinds of stories in different ways."
"Movies are just a way of telling stories in a way that I can't when I'm on stage alone," he added.
But Cook is doing more than just telling stories. He seems to have become a cultural phenomenon. Whether it's his trademark "Su-Fi" (or the "super finger" for the uninitiated) or his ear-catching wordplay (i.e. "the BK Lounge" or "chicken sangwich") it seems that Cook's mannerisms and quotes are becoming part of today's pop culture.
"I remember when Bill Cosby had his one-hour special called 'Himself,'" Cook said as he harkened back to his own stand-up inspiration. "It was the biggest thing to hit my junior high school. ... Everyone quoted him."
Further on the topic of his quotability, Cook went on to mention a particular instance where one of his own quotes caught him off guard.
"I was in the mall the other day and this guy sneaks up behind me and whispers in my ear, 'You're a silly bitch, Dane Cook,'" Cook said.
Cook went on, pouring love and gratitude out to his fans, mentioning them in nearly every question and his appreciation for them, making sure to note that they're the reason "he has rent for the rest of his life."
While speaking of his fans, notably college students, Cook said, "College students today are sharper than when I started [performing] in 1990. It seems like it's just a more mature younger audience. They're more interested than just getting hammered and showing up."
As for staying on his game and remaining successful, Cook has no "master plan."
"The fact that people have caught on to it, it's quite a feeling of accomplishment," he said. "I'm not too good at much else."
Reach the reporter at Shaun.Capehart@asu.edu.
