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Usually they are based around an attitude. Years ago, a friend of mine was flying to L.A., and his girlfriend hadn't flown much. I remember her saying, "I was so excited. I was trying to figure out what I was going to wear on the plane, and I changed my outfit three times." I was 26, and I found that being that excited about something that was so commonplace was kind of engaging. That kind of spirit becomes Ed Grimley [on Saturday Night Live]. If the phone rang, before he answered it, he'd turn to the camera and say, "Gee, I love the phone. There's always such a sense of mystery." It's the ultimate glass-half-full approach.
When you meet fans on the street, is there one character they ask for the most?
Sometimes people get passionate about the obscure ones. These four people arrived in the fourth row the other night [for a preview performance] in black T shirts that said WHERE'S MY PUDDIN'? I looked at them for a second and thought, "What is that phrase from?" There was a special I did in 1995. I played an old woman--in one scene with Phil Hartman--and all she'd say is "Where's my puddin'?"
How about the line from the new show, "If you need nightly stroking, do a one-man show." Has your wife ever said that to you?
No. She hasn't had to say it. She's just done it with a look.
So you're back where you started in 1972--onstage. What's changed?
Better per diem.