Anything can happen with Andy Richter

For years, Andy Richter was known as the funny man on Conan O'Brien's couch. Now, Richter is a star in his own right. He has his own sitcom, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," appearing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday nights on Fox. In addition to his show, Richter is featured in the new movie "Big Trouble." Here's what he has to say about stardom, parenthood and Michael Jackson jokes.\nQ: Did you find anything surprising about switching to a sitcom from a talk show?\nA: I thought that money would come in wheelbarrows, but it just comes in paper bags.\nQ: How proud are you of the work you did while working at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"?\nA: I'm extremely proud of the work I did on the "Conan" show. I didn't just sit on the couch; I was a big contributor. I helped produce the show and went through the first read-throughs of the script.\nQ: How sick are you of hearing yourself referred to as "Conan's sidekick"?\nA: I don't have any problem with it. It's something that I'm proud of. That's what you call it (Richter's role with Conan). Now that I'm doing other things, it's annoying that people just talk about the ("Conan") show.\nQ: Why did you take to the new show?\nA: I liked the gimmick. I liked (producer and writer) Victor Fresco. When I first met him, all he had was the concept… the show is more about what this guy thinks could happen than what actually happens. This is more of an office comedy than a sitcom, and that allows us to do a lot of sketch comedy. I had read some of the stuff Vic did previously; he's a really talented writer. And I try to make decisions based on things that I think are going to last.\nQ: Would you like to make more movies?\nA: That's my ultimate goal. But if I don't get a burgeoning film deal, I'll be fine. Television is where I'm the most suited and fit the best.\nQ: How is Fox different from NBC?\nA: I didn't have to deal much with NBC executives. But I think that Fox takes more chances. They know what people want to see. I thought NBC would want to keep the relationship up (with me). They had an idea to do a new "Laugh-In," but that's all they wanted me to do. So I looked elsewhere. I'm not sad about it; I'm really glad to be working with Fox. Other networks try to make it more boring, something your elderly aunt would enjoy. \nQ: Where did the show's title come from?\nA: It was originally called "Anything Can Happen." That's not the best title… Fox pushed to get my name in the title. I was like, "Do that many people know who I am?" I was one of the ones who came up with it ("Andy Richter Controls the Universe"). I wanted it to be kind of snotty. It's an ironic inside joke with myself.\nQ: Do you enjoy working with the cast?\nA: I was a little leery with working with capital "A" actors -- people who have had serious training. Most of the people I work with are improv people. I don't have training; I'm just a good bullshitter. A lot of those people have no sense of humor. Fortunately, our cast is really fun and has a good sense of performance. There are no prima donnas. They're just fun people to hang out with.\nQ: How long has the show been in production?\nA: We talked in January 2001 and shot the pilot in March. I moved to California in August. We shot the rest of the episodes in December.\nQ: You're from the Chicago area originally. Is that why it is the setting of the show?\nA: We mulled over where it would be. We sort of based the company on GE, because of the gamut of things they made from light bulbs to nuclear submarine engines. But Fox said that New York was "too NBC." They didn't want L.A.; that was too show biz. Chicago was a natural. I'm from there, so I can provide research notes about what Chicago was actually like. But I didn't want it to be "Ra, Ra hometown." They tried to put a lot of that (pennants, posters) on the set, and I got rid of it.\nQ: Will you watch the show after it premieres?\nA: I'll watch it until I get the sense that it will last a while.\nQ: Would you host a talk show?\nA: Possibly. But I've gone back on so many things I've said. It's a lot of work doing a daily show, so it's not likely. The immediacy is really great; you really work to turn out stuff. I don't miss topical humor and working in front of a studio audience. (Topical humor) is not to my taste, and not really to Conan's taste. We didn't want to do topical humor, but realized it was our best friend. It was like, "Please, Michael Jackson, do something."\nQ: Do you think you will be going for a different demographic now that you are primetime?\nA: Anybody that says they want a specific demographic audience to watch is full of shit. What we do is an art -- not highbrow, but an art.\nQ: How did your background in improv prepare you for the sketch-type comedy on this show?\nA: You work seven shows five nights a week. I had no idea what I was going to say before going on stage. People paid us to entertain them, and we didn't know what we were going to do. If you can do that you can handle anything. By osmosis you learn the basic rules of comedy.\nQ: Do you have a lot of artistic freedom on this show?\nA: Anytime you provide entertainment, the larger the audience number, the less personal it gets. If your doing it for millions, you have to cast a wide net. When I did "Late Night," it was a lot more intimate than the earlier show. Jay and Dave make America happy. We were making insomniacs, students and prison convicts happy.\nQ: You recently had a baby boy. Has he shown any comic tendencies?\nA: Babies are like little drunks. They fall down, make funny faces and have inappropriate responses. My wife is also very funny, so hopefully those genes will pass down.\nQ: You once said you were tired of talking to college students?\nA: I was going around to schools and talking about myself. It can be a real drag talking about yourself. In a way, I like to talk at colleges, that's where they like me the most. To college kids, something either rocks or it sucks. I wasn't against colleges, it's just misfortune (that I was quoted that way).\nQ: Do you have any advice for aspiring comedians?\nA: Try and have a little integrity. Even if you're doing fart jokes, you can do them with integrity. If your goal in getting on stage is to show those bastards you're actually funny, reevaluate.\nQ: Which medium would you prefer to work in?\nA: Movies. I want the show to be a real success, but I would want to do movies. It's like joining the circus. You see things blown up, and animals. I can't get over the excitement of a movie set. It's a whole little world of its own.\nQ: Now that you are on Fox, do you have any ideas for creating a new reality show?\nA: I can't think of anything better than "The Osbournes" (on MTV). Or just "Cops," which will continue to be great. You just turn on the camera and watch people get arrested.