Office Trivia meets stand-up when Todd Packer returns
David Koechner is about as far as he can be from the source, but the odor is ruining the comic-actor’s day.
“The Canadians are at it again with their fires,” Koechner said while calling from Naples, Florida. “I’m here to warn you about the pending Canadian invasion.”
If “The Office” alum would like to take matters into his own hands, he can venture to the Canadian border before or after his dates Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club.
“I think I’ll just stick with comedy when I come back to Spokane,” Koechner said.
Koechner, 60, will deliver stand-up but the new wrinkle will be a trivia show focusing on “The Office,” slated for Saturday. Koechner will host the show as Todd Packer, his character from the hit sitcom.
“The event is a night of stand-up meeting trivia,” Koechner explained. “It’s so much fun to do this since people are so into ‘The Office.’ I’ve never been a part of anything like ‘The Office.’ The fans are obsessed with the show. I’ll be up onstage and I’ll ask the audience, “How many of you have seen all nine seasons of “The Office” 10 times and there’s always people that have done just that. People have the show on like it’s background music. It’s the wildest thing.”
When Koechner is in pure stand-up mode, the character actor, who has appeared the “Anchorman” films, “The 40-Year Old Virgin” and “Drillbit Taylor,” will wax about his five children.
“What I talk about with the kids is relatable since the audience will either have kids or were a kid,” Koechner said. “I’m a story comic, so there will be jokes inside of the stories. It’s stuff that we all go through.”
Koechner’s children range from 12 through 24 “I’m still very much in the thick of it,” Koechner said. “It’s tough since kids stop listening to you. They roll their eyes at you and often for good reason.”
Koechner will drop stories about his experiences working on “The Goldbergs,” which recently concluded in May after a 10-season run. “It was bittersweet,” Koechnersaid. “It’s a wonderful show. The writing was always strong. The actors were amazing, especially Wendi (McLendon-Covey.) She is such a pro and was great. I’ve been in so many films and shows with her. The same goes with Steve Carell and Kate Flannery, who I go back to performing (at Second City) in Chicago with in 1989. It’s so cool when your career moves forward and you keep crossing paths with actors, who have become friends over the years.”
Stand-up is what Koechner fell into after years as an actor. Koechner dreamed of being a thespian while growing up in Missouri during the ‘70s. As a child he was enamored of such comedic actors as Abbott and Costello and the Marx Brothers. “Those were my heroes,” Koechner said.
Koechner happily co-exists between the two worlds. “I couldn’t be in a better place,” Koechner said. “I get to be in all of these TV shows and films and when I have the time I love to connect with fans with stories and with ‘Office’ trivia. I have no complaints.”