NH (Continued): And let’s face it, a lot of those stories, that everybody loves, that gets these guys the Grammy awards, and that sort of thing, a lot of it is pure filler. They may as well be reading out of a phone book. They’re just killing time to cover up the fact that a lot of these guys have about three jokes to their name.

JCS: So you didn’t approve of Louis C.K. winning the Grammy?

NH: Well no, I’m happy with him winning the Grammy. I’m not going to say the ones I’m not happy about. But normally these comedy Grammy’s are going to people like Bill Clinton for reading books on tape, and these guys who are out there struggling, and working themselves to death are never recognized. And with a Grammy, that’s something that if you had one, you’d be best melting it down and doing something else with the metal. Although I do believe, from what I’m told, it’s mostly plastic anyway.

JCS: With your first couple of records, you started off talking more about your personal trials, things like a divorce, poor health, traveling. I feel like—maybe with a higher profile on shows like Fox’s Red Eye and comedy podcasts—you’ve spent more time talking about pop culture. On your Twitter feed you’ve spent a lot of time taking jabs at popular products and popular people. What do you think has spurred that move from quick, personal jokes about your divorce to taking stabs at Michael Jackson and Kraft Foods?

NH: You’ve got to change with the times. And also, the boredom of it all. A lot of those early recordings you’re referring to, I mean this is a long, long time ago. As time passes, you try to get better and better and change things around to keep ourselves from feeling utter despair and misery. And also, you adapt to the audience. When I started out, most of my gigs were in the lower-level-pizza-parlor circuit and that sort of thing. And now a days, I’m playing more of these rock ‘n’ roll type of clubs, where these kids come in souped up on god-knows-what, and so it’s more of a fast-paced environment, so I’ve had to adapt to that. And also you have certain things that at one point in your life are annoying, and then as you get older, become an almost insurmountable annoyance and you do feel the need to speak up and to make your voice heard in the midst of entertaining.