The sketch geniuses are starring in Comedy Central’s new series Michael & Michael Have Issues. Is the title accurate? We’ll give you one guess.

As told to Peter Rubin; Photography by Joel Barhamand Michael Showalter: When we did Stella, Comedy Central thought we would be like Dave Chappelle. It’s hard not to; the first thing that comes to your mind is: “These effeminate Jewish guys are going to do hard-edged urban sketch”…
Michael Ian Black: But I’ll tell you what didn’t go over well with the audience: blackface. Of the mistakes we made, blackface was probably at the top of the list.

Michael Ian Black: The funniest words have a “k” or a “p.” We call them “stop plosives.” So, “pumpkin,” funny. “Gourd,” not as funny. “Engorged,” though—very funny.
Michael Showalter: I have a very small box of tools. In that box are some words, some rules…
Michael Ian Black: But you also have some actual tools in that tool box. You have a socket wrench. And—watch this—you have a lathe. See? Not funny.

Michael Showalter: I get a lot of jokes from watching SNL, The Daily Show.
Michael Ian Black: Sometimes we break out the old tapes of The Kids in the Hall, In Living Color…
Michael Showalter: But it’s basically just: Watch a good show, get the jokes from it, write them down, and—
Michael Ian Black: Go from there.
Michael Showalter: Change a little word here and there so it doesn’t seem quite so obvious.

Michael Ian Black: People think comedians just sit around and laugh all day... But that’s not the case.
Michael Showalter: With me and Mike, it’s deathly serious.
Michael Ian Black: Well, the problem is that we put the office in a funeral home. It’s not us.
Michael Showalter: There are two or three funerals a day.
Michael Ian Black: And they’re beautiful, but we leave there at the end of the day just—
Michael Showalter: Drained. Drained.

Michael Showalter:The “Farting Butterfly” sketch we did was originally Carl Reiner… But his butterfly was much more Yiddish.
Michael Ian Black: It had a Yiddish accent.
Michael Showalter: Also, that butterfly was actually farting.
Michael Ian Black: The censors don’t have any rules about butterfly farts. When I wanted it to come on its stomach, though, they were like, “This might be an issue.”
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