Late World With Zach

If it's true what they say — that you can judge a man by the quality of company he keeps — then Zach Galifianakis pretty much kicks ass. Over the past few years, the bearded absurdist comic has been involved in projects with such disparate artists as Kanye West, Fiona Apple, Sean Penn and Patton Oswalt. Not that any of it impresses him, though: When asked in a recent e-mail interview to name his favorite people performing today, Galifianakis responded, "Just me."

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While the comic's answer is no doubt tongue-in-cheek, his loyal cult following would probably agree. Galifianakis has carved himself a respectable niche and devotional fan base in the alt-comedy world through his perpetually hung-over, seemingly off-the-cuff performances (typically hilarious musings with piano accompaniment and impressions such as "The Pretentious Illiterate" or "The Five Year Old Who Has a Beard"). Often used in bit film and television roles (drunk snowboarder in Out Cold, the coroner on Fox's Tru Calling), Galifianakis's standup has recently moved to the forefront of his pop-cultural repertoire, thanks in large part to the "Comedians of Comedy" series on Comedy Central and his recent DVD, Live at the Purple Onion. He's more in demand than ever before, and estimates that he's hit about 25 to 30 different places touring on and off for over a year. Not exactly back-breaking, but a heavy load for an aloof comic who likes nothing more than riding naked on his tractor in North Carolina.

"Touring is a bit lonely," he muses, "but I tend to make friends along the way with vagrants and low-wage male prostitutes, which is nice when all you want to do is have someone around to discuss the unrest in Pakistan."

See what he feels like discussing tonight at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30. Tickets, $25, are available at the box office, 303-830-TIXS or www.livenation.com. For our complete interview with Galifianakis, visit http://blogs.westword.com.
Sat., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., 2007