You know him as the drummer for Bridget Everett’s band, The Tender Moments. What you may not know is that CARMINE COVELLI has been applying his talents in front of the camera lens as well. His new series People Are Detectives stars the drummer/dancer/actor/writer and long time pal Neal Medlyn as two detectives working the beat from inside a squad car. OK, these detectives may not be solving crimes, but we sure get to know a lot about them through their rib-tickling words. Watch the first episode of the season and learn a little more about the series’ multi-talented creator. (WARNING: Adult Content)
COMEDY CAKE: What was the inspiration behind ‘People Are Detectives’?
CARMINE COVELLI: I wrote the show four years ago, and it was mostly born out of conversations I have with myself while doing mundane daily activities like washing the dishes and driving my car to Home Depot.
But this show isn’t really about detectives. It’s more about conversations that come up after you have been working in close proximity with someone for long periods of time. In our case, we are in a car on a stakeout for eight to twelve hours and so I tried to imagine what two people would talk about after all that time next to each other doing very little. I chose detectives so that I could have the added joke of the over-the-top action sequences.
CAKE: Is it difficult to make the jump from music to writing and acting? Which discipline do you enjoy most?
CC: No, it’s not super difficult. I studied acting when I lived in San Francisco from 1997-2000 and moved to NYC to get into theater and film. I went on a lot of auditions during my first year in NYC. I was almost cast in a ton of stuff. Almost.
Bass Ale, Sopranos, lot of car commercials, a men’s handbag commercial in which I had to wrestle another grown man for the bag. Very odd audition. It was basically a UFC fight for a handbag performed for a 25 year old casting director’s assistant that ended in ripped shirts and a lot of sweat. I did not get the part. My official last audition was the day I got rejected for a part as I walked through the casting office door. Then they asked me to come back the next day to audition for the part of the dishwasher, which sounded like minimal screen time to me! I never went back.
After that I got into experimental dance theater and met a lot of fantastic performers like David Neumann, Stacy Dawson, Adrienne Truscott, etc. That is how I met Neal Medlyn. We were both in a dance theater piece that Adrienne choreographed called “they will use the highways”.
For me it’s a smooth jump from one to the next – writing music to creative writing, performing in theater to playing music on stage. They both require different practices but they both seem to use the same part of the brain. And timing in both is very important.
CAKE: What are the challenges of creating a rapport with your co-star that convinces the audience you’ve been on the beat for years? Who are some of your favorite detective duos from screen and television?
CC: No challenge at all. I’ve known and performed with Neal for years. We are close friends. He wrote an entire theater series based on pop stars like Phil Collins, Prince, Lionel Richie, Britney Spears, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson. And a show inspired by Insane Clown Posse called “Wicked Clown Love”. I performed in all but the Michael Jackson show. And Kenny Mellman from The Julie Ruin performed with us in the Prince show.
That said, I love a good cop duo. The dudes from Chips were always amazing. Jon and Ponch.
CAKE: What live performance skills come in handy when filming a web series?
CC: Live performance is totally different in terms of blocking and delivery. In live settings you need to do certain things like project your voice to the back row, make sure you face a certain direction when speaking, bigger gestures, etc. In a filming situation, it’s more about knowing where the camera is (and not looking directly at it!), realistic gestures, repeating the same action so continuity between shots is locked in, etc. In our case, we shot with three cameras simultaneously so we didn’t have to worry about repeating things, we just went with whichever take had the best feel and best performance. I was pretty strict with staying on script and the timing of the delivery of the dialogue.
CAKE: Are you currently watching season two of ‘True Detective’? If so, who do you believe is the ‘True Detective’?
CC: I am not. I watched the first half of season one, but haven’t gone back yet.
CAKE: I still have no clue.
CAKE: Which comedians and comedic actors on the scene do you admire and why?
CC: Tig Notaro because she is so deadpan and her jokes are what I call, “slow burn comedy”. Patton Oswalt because he’s good at pointing out ridiculous things and his vocal quality cracks me up. Sarah Silverman because she is totally off the wall and doesn’t hold back. Louis C.K. because he seems like a good person and can be funny and wicked smart about his joke writing. Larry David makes complaining fun. Bill Hader is a total weirdo and seems like someone you call when you are down, like a friend who’s always there for you. Melissa McCarthy because I just laugh as soon as I look at her.
CAKE: Do you see yourself writing more comedic material in the future? Might you incorporate some music the next go round?
CC: Yes. I have more episodes of PAD in the works, some containing musical sections. And I’m thinking about expanding the series into People Have Jobs, which would take the same kind of abstract conversations from PAD and put them in various job settings where two people are in close proximity. Like on a factory line, at a deli, or airplane pilots.
CAKE: Who would be your dream performer to work with?
CC: Hmm. John C Riley.
CAKE: Did Bridget Everett get a sneak peak of the new series? What were her thoughts?
CC: She did. She was excited to see more, which I think is a good sign. Right?
CAKE: Always.
CAKE: What projects can we look forward to from you in the future?
CC: Great question. I’ll be writing more web series ideas soon. Plus, I’m open to any and all offers to work in a creative writing or performing realm. Comedy, drama, Paul Rudd buddy flicks, any movies about space or artificial intelligence. And I’m trying to get back to finishing a documentary I started with Adam Horovitz about Peter Schjeldahl, head art critic for the New Yorker magazine, and his obsessive love of fireworks.
Mentions: Catch new episodes of People Are Detectives every Thursday at Subvoyant.