‘Anchorman’ comedian David Koechner shares family stories, movie lines Monday night
David Koechner, better known to audiences as “Anchorman’s” Champ Kind and “The Office’s” Todd Packer, had USC students laughing, squirming and even singing during his on-campus stand-up comedy show Monday night.
The comedian, whose appearance was sponsored by Carolina Productions, dished out his share of heckling (giving a few guys lap dances, yelling at a select group of students who were trying to videotape the show, walking up and down the aisles and striking up a conversation with a couple), but it was all in good fun. Koechner even booed himself from offstage before the show began.
Koechner’s set spanned a variety of topics, from childhood stories to USC-related humor, but anecdotes about the actor’s wife and kids played a large part in Monday’s show.
“I crossed the country to be with you,” Koechner said. “I left my house, where I have a wife and five children ... that’s the only way I can get the f--- away from my five kids.”
The comedian, who grew up in Missouri, also set the record straight on the pronunciation of his last name (he pronounces it “Keck-ner”).
“I come from a small town in Missouri and for the last 100 years, they said it like that. I don’t know why. Nowhere in the English language does the ‘oe’ make the ‘eh’ sound ... toe, oboe, shoe. Okay, shoe, that’s not ‘eh,’” Koechner said.
Other Missouri jokes included “I’m the biggest hillbilly in the room” and jabs at his own large extended family, which includes “36 first cousins.”
Koechner received an information sheet on the university prior to the show and he read the facts out, eliciting chuckles with lines like “Rival school is Clemson. F--- them!,” “The Vista. Here’s what they said: ‘grown folks bar.’ So diplomatic,” and “Hot topics: Chicken Finger Wednesday. Why is that a big deal?”
The comedian also pleased the audience with reenactments of beloved lines from “Anchorman” and “The Office” as well as lesser-known works like 2001’s “Out Cold.”
“Oh wait, do you guys want me to do the lines from the movies? I’ll do ‘em if you want. I always forget,” Koechner said.
This spurred the audience to cheer about “Anchorman 2,” which Koechner said he is on board for.
“We’ll shoot that next year sometime, January, February, March,” he told the crowd.
In an interview with The Daily Gamecock, Koechner called “Anchorman” writer Adam McKay “one of the most amazing writers I’ve ever met” and revealed that although fans think the cast engaged in crazy on-set hijinks while filming, the tone on the set was mostly serious, as each member was nervous acting in such a powerhouse cast.
“We were all so grateful to be working ... and we all felt we weren’t keeping up,” Koechner said. “Every one of us had gone home to our wives and gone ‘Oh my God, everyone is so funny in this movie.’”
The actor said being a part of the ensemble movie that has become a large part of pop culture is definitely one of his career highlights.
“When ‘Anchorman’ happened, we didn’t know it was going to be that big,” Koechner said.
Plans for an “Anchorman” sequel have been in the works for several years, and there was a time when Koechner and friends were slated to hit the New York theatre scene with “Anchorman: The Musical,” a project that got turned down.
“At one point, we were going to do a Broadway musical,” he said. “I am not kidding you.”
After giving the audience a taste of quotable lines like “I’m known for my signature phrase: ‘Whammy!’” and “It’s anchorman — not anchorlady — and that’s a scientific fact,” Koechner lead the majority of the crowd in a rousing chorus of “Afternoon Delight.” He also told the crowd that he’ll return to “The Office” as Todd Packer in the fall.
To keep up with Koechner’s upcoming projects, follow him on Twitter @DavidKoechner.