Adam Pally in HBO special 'An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally.' Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text I don't know if Adam Pally liked this interview. I think he did, but I can't say for sure. At one point - maybe two - I inadvertently insulted him, but I think we're cool. Adam Pally is everybody's best friend. On Friday, Pally's (The Mindy Project, Happy Endings, Sonic the Hedgehog) first-ever comedy special, An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally, premieres at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max. "Equal parts stand-up, documentary and rock concert, Adam Pally plays with the truth - and his guitar - in a one-time-only performance," the logline reads. Related Stories TV TV Ratings: 'The Chair Company' Scores HBO's Best Comedy Premiere in Five Years TV John Oliver Warns Viewers to Keep a Close Eye on CBS News in Wake of "Alarming" Bari Weiss Hire Pally's schtick is not quite stand-up, and though he dons a guitar for most of the live performance, it's not what you think. There are no silly songs, just earnest covers strategically placed throughout the set to move along its storytelling. And it probably accomplished that for the 200 audience members at the live taping at the Bell House in Brooklyn. For the vast majority of people who will ultimately consume the Pally performance at home, it won't be the same experience. Pally and the documentary's director Brent Hodge failed to get the rights to, well, any of the cover songs Pally plays. (Pally, the son of lounge singers, is a legitimate musician; when we spoke via Zoom, no fewer than six guitars were visible. So that's where the Mindy money went!) Their legal failure doesn't mean viewers won't find enjoyment in those muted moments, however, as the inability to gain clearances becomes part of a running joke that serves the documentary. That's kind of the special in a nutshell. Pally goes with the flow as well as anyone, which puts an interviewer at ease - as that's when inadvertent insults can happen. It's chill: Adam Pally is my friend. I think. You decide; read our Q&A below. *** I didn't know what to expect from this special, which seems like partially the point. The trailer suggests the performance may have been a shitshow - but it was, in fact, a good show. I guess then I've done it. I've set the expectations for something I've made so low that people are surprised that it even exists. In some ways, I take that as a huge compliment. I don't know if I have a brand - a comedic brand - or anything like that. But I think a lot of the times I've gotten the chance to do something like this, I tend to do something self-effacing or meta or talk about the actual thing I'm doing, which some people like or some don't. So this felt kind of on brand, I guess for me. The special has a bigger point, this theme of truth. I wonder, though, because of your casual, affable style, if you don't get credit for the depth. I feel seen in this interview - I feel like you get me. I think I'm always grappling with how much someone's attention is worth, and whether I'm worthy of that attention. I don't take it lightly that people would be paying attention to it. I think that leads to a lot of thought, and if you're not thinking about that then you're truly an A-grade narcissist. But you have to sometimes be like, "Is my voice worth it? Is my opinion worth it?" It's OK to have an opinion, but to put it out there, to do your work in public, is there a reason for it? I struggle with that a lot, because making people laugh is sometimes viewed as a less-than-honorable pursuit. Like the idea that a joke is cheap. To me, a joke is high art. A great joke is something like a great album, and a great comedian is like a great musician or great artist. You can hang "Who's on First?" in a museum, right next to the Mona Lisa. To me, they're equal parts cerebral and artistic and genius. Is [this special] worth something to someone? I don't know. Or is it just what I do? This is something that I felt compelled to do. I think all those thoughts went into making this, and all those thoughts go into a lot of my comedy. They tend to kind of run the gamut of, "Why?" It can be a lot of work to look like you're not working hard. Sometimes people say good style is when you're wearing something that looks like you've worn it for 30 years. I do try to do that. I try to make everything feel lived in. I toured this concept in this show for a long time, and really perfected it. I was all over in small places, really small venues. Not purposely, it just felt like that's where I could book. That led to every night being different. I'm a child of jam bands. I love the Grateful Dead and Phish and and Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam - I love a new set every night. I came up through improv. Stand-up comics have to do