Oh, he’s very much alive, thank you very much. But in his latest movie, Pauly Shore is Dead, he’d like us to believe he’s dead so he can become famous once again.
As the son of comic Sammy Shore, who opened for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas in the 60s and 70s, and Mitzi Shore, the powerful and influential owner of L.A.’s The Comedy Store, the goofy and deliberately obnoxious Pauly Shore shot to fame on MTV with his popular show Totally Pauly in the late ’80s , and later moved his established “Weasel” persona into feature films, including Encino Man and Son-in-Law. But after a string of box office duds and a failed TV series, Shore dropped out of the limelight for awhile.
But now he’s back and raring to go with his direct-to-DVD release Pauly Shore is Dead, which follows him as a fading actor trying to revive his career–by faking his own death. His best-laid plans, however, are thwarted by a distraught fan. The film also includes appearances from celebrities such as Sean Penn, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller.
Hollywood.com spoke with Shore about his new film, what he’s learned in his time off and what the term “comeback” really means to him.
Pauly! Where the heck you been, buddy?
Pauly Shore: Just hanging up at the house. Wearing my hat and some boxers, sitting outside.
Sounds nice. So, tell me about your new movie.
The one that took five years to make? The one I wrote, directed, starred, produced, paid for and did what you’re not suppose to do? Basically, the premise is I fake my own death to become famous again. Because I haven’t been around for awhile, people in the entertainment business immediately think you’re dead, you know what I mean? So it’s me admitting the fact things aren’t happening. Which they are, but it’s kinda of like when Bill Clinton had oral sex with the girl and the first time, he’s like, “I didn’t do it!” Then we were all like, “F*** him!” and then he said, “I did do it!” Suddenly, he’s the nice guy again. You know what I mean? So it’s like that.
There are definitely some interesting celebs making cameos in the movie: Sean Penn, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller, Ellen DeGeneres, to name a few.
Yeah, and some of them are more than cameos. The thing that I really like about the movie is that there’s a story there. You watch it as a movie, as opposed to all these celebrities popping up. They fit within the story, they make sense. Like when Rico Suave is selling oranges by the freeway. Or Todd Bridges is giving me career advice from jail. It’s all played very real, not goofy at all. It’s very dark. Like people who are dumb might see this and go, “Did that really happen?” Cause it’s played that way.
But there is some truth to the film…
Definitely. It stems from me not being wanted anymore. It definitely stems from the fact the phone stopped ringing, from the fact that I started believing all the s**t people were saying about me.
What does the term “comeback” mean to you then?
I don’t know, maybe readjusting my head and ready to do it again. My head is together and I’ve got another point of view. I’ve taken some time off and grown up a lot. But it wasn’t like I was sitting around, picking my butt. This project took five years, constant massaging and developing, rubbing and squeezing and prodding.
What hard lesson have you learned?
To be more anal on stuff. Suffering the consequences. It’s almost like someone stealing a candy bar, you know what I mean? You’ve gotta take things more seriously, understand the repercussions. People should want to find a job that they can see doing when they are 60. At the of end of the day, our jobs become who we are, whether we like it or not. Sure you can go boating on the weekends, but 99 percent of your time is work. So find something you want to do.
Growing up, were there any serious moments in the Shore household?
I guess maybe when my dad went swimming in the pool naked, with his a** going up and down. I mean, that was serious. Put some f***ing clothes on, for christ sakes. Or maybe walking down the stairs at 3 a.m., telling my mom to shut up because I had school in the morning.
Why a weasel?
It just kinda happened naturally. It’s not like I sat down with a pen and pad and made a list of rodents to see which one I liked best. But now that I’m older, I think I’ll be a badger.
What’s up next?
Well, Pauly Shore is Dead comes out on DVD [Jan. 25]. We are doing a contest where you can win a trip to L.A. and come hang out with me. We’ll put you up at the Hyatt House on Sunset. Go do the comedy circle, have some food, hang out, you know? Keeping it real. Going on a 10-city tour with the film. Then after that, I’m doing a reality TV show called Minding the Store about me and my mom and the Comedy Store.
