D: How do you get together to write sketches?

MC: We meet once a week (now twice a week to prepare for the show) and I do the lion’s share of the writing because it’s tough to negotiate when you have four voices going at the same time. With so many voices, it’s hard sometimes to get through the first three lines of a sketch. But everybody’s been very vocal and therefore more collaborative. We’ll sit down, have an idea we all agree on, and write it together. Or if we’re pressed for time, I’ll write a script and bring it to the group and tweak it from there. But everybody’s been coming up with great ideas which gives us a different spin so that everything isn’t the same. The troupe as it is with me, Jeff, Tim, Joel, and Nick works out great. We have a good core, and an understanding of each others’ senses of humor.

DT: Has your writing evolved a lot since you started out? Are you able to do more now than in the beginning?

MC: The quirkiness is still there, but we’re a lot more selective of what we do now. We have sketches from the beginning we’d never put into the light of day again, but I think we’ve honed our quirkiness more. It’s more of our own voice. One of the big things is that we have an editor, Steve Immer, who does all of our editing and after effects. So we can do things we didn’t think we could do–such as a scene in a sketch called “K.I.T.E.” where Nick is pulled into space by a kite. We could never have done that three years ago. But the more you make these movies, the more tricks you learn. Anyone can go to Joann Fabrics and buy a bunch of green fabric and have a homemade green screen. And then the sky’s the limit–you can do whatever you want. So we do push the envelope more and there’s a lot more we can accomplish these days.

DT: You guys have gotten a lot of play on Daily Motion and YouTube.

MC: We’ve been really lucky that we’ve been on the front page of every major video site at one point or another. The biggest one was a sketch called “Killing Button” that got on the front page of YouTube, which is the holy grail for internet video makers–that’s where you want to be. Two Halloweens ago, the sketch we did called “Dead Girls Gone Wild” (DT note: You need to log into YouTube to view this one) got on the front page of College Humor, then someone ripped it and posted it on Break.com, where it got a million views. Then it got to EBaum’s World and actually got to the front page of Digg, which is the only time that’s happened. That was the only sketch where people were calling and texting me saying “Hey, I’m watching you on my computer screen right now!”

But without ever getting a featured spot, our video called “Homemade Porn“ is closing in on 10 million views. I think it’s because a) it’s called “Homemade Porn” and that b) the thumbnail is a girl’s nude legs in a bathroom. And yes, I know that’s why so many people have watched it. But what’s important to me is that it’s maintained a four-star rating (chuckles) and people get it, you know. YouTube doesn’t have porn on it, so I think people know what’s coming up. But it is quite an honor that when people type “Homemade Porn” on YouTube, even without quotes, that we’re going to be on the first page of results, so that’s good company to be in.

DT: (chuckling) Well, you just answered my next question. So, what sketches are you performing at The Belmont on May 2?

MC: We won’t be performing anything already we’ve already taped because our stuff doesn’t translate to stage–our sketches need people flying to the moon, or exploding, or turning into a cat, so we rely heavily on editing. That’s the format we normally work in. But we have written three new pieces for the live show, and we’re very excited about them. We haven’t done anything live before, but I’m very happy about the rehearsals and scripts.

DT: Could you give us a hint of what to expect from the new sketches?

MC: Well, I don’t want to say too much. We are having a 50/50 raffle, giving half of the proceeds to the Michigan Humane Society, and one of the sketches will have to do with that. And the closing number, I will say, is very Sea World inspired. But we will be projecting sketches from the DVD between the bands, so it’ll be a different venue to see some of our sketches, which will be a treat for us as creators.

MC: Since we started the troupe we felt like we needed a live component. It felt kind of vacuous–we’d finish a sketch and post it and then it would be over. What’s frustrating is that you tell people “I have a comedy troupe” and they ask “Where can I see you?” and I have to say “the internet.” So there’s this longing for doing something on stage, which is based on a couple of us always wanting to have been in a band. And the comedy troupe thing is what happened and we love it, but we love the Detroit music scene, and a lot of our friends are in great bands, and we spent a lot of nights asking “How can what we do be combined with what they do?” We thought there has to be a way to combine the film scene in Detroit with the music scene, which is much bigger. Maybe if film and bands come together, that could make a nice collective.

DT: Where does These People go from here?

MC: We’re going to have the show video taped, so we’ll be able show it to our fans elsewhere. We actually don’t know how many fans we have in the state of Michigan. When we posted the video about the show, we had people from Norway and New Zealand and California and Kansas writing us, asking why we don’t have a show there. Well, if they could find six other people to show up, then maybe. But this show is about connecting to Detroit and to the music fans of Detroit in particular. After this, I’d love to be invited back by the bands we’re playing with or The Belmont as an opening act. I can see a lot of potential in how film and music can marry each other. On a smaller scale, I think it would be great if we could have a These People dance party that could be sort of like what Art Fag used to be, We could show some videos, do a sketch live, and then host a dance party for the rest of the night. But after this is over, we’ll definitely keep pushing the comedy and hopefully play out live again soon.

11 Responses to “Homemade Not Porn: Detour Talks to Matt Cassatta of These People Comedy”

1. Dr. Detroit on April 27th, 2009 11:45 am

   great interview

2. Woodwards Friend on April 27th, 2009 1:39 pm

   I need to use this brilliant interview to (once again) express my outrage at MTV’s refusal to release The State on DVD. I mean, seriously, I can purchase the Growning Pains series DVD set at like any of a million Targets but why not The State.

   In honor of Catch Phrase Guy we should teabag MTV until they release their single greatest show ever on DVD.

3. Mark on April 27th, 2009 1:40 pm

   Eh, they’re kinda funny, I guess…

4. Elle Sawa on April 27th, 2009 1:42 pm

   They are probably funnier than your mom. I guess…

5. Me on April 27th, 2009 1:57 pm

   Hey “Woodwards Friend”, thanks for your “I like turtles” comment.

6. Clyde on April 27th, 2009 2:11 pm

   The State IS coming out on DVD July 14th. They changed all the music they didn’t have rights to. It’s really happening, for real this time.

7. Em on April 27th, 2009 2:17 pm

   Great interview! It’s good to see Thesepeople are finally doing a live show and getting the love they deserve! There aren’t enough hot, funny guys with excellent taste in music trying to make a difference in the world these days.

8. Elle Sawa on April 27th, 2009 2:28 pm

   I don’t know if I would call them all “hot,” but that Asian guy is smokin’.

9. Mark on April 27th, 2009 2:44 pm

   No your mom

10. averagebetty on April 28th, 2009 1:53 pm

    These People are going to take over the world!

11. Charlie on April 28th, 2009 2:14 pm

    These People LIVE? Awesome.

SHWFLYR