For "Impractical Jokers" star James Murray, comedy is about remembering his not-so-shiny moments and even those disasters that made life tough for him at one point of time.
Asked if reminiscing gags from his life was akin to scratching unhealed wounds, something that Hannah Gadsby highlights in her soul-stirring, uncanny stand-up "Nannette", Murray does not mind looking back at his "embarrassments" if it made people laugh.
"I don't know about that (wounds never healing). I, instead, like revisiting my embarrassments and failures in my comedy as it makes the audience laughs. Which is why I do what I do - to make people laugh. So that whatever half-an-hour they sit to see the show, they forget their problems.
"Also, since I do this comedy with my friends, there is this sense of trust and support, that even if they use my failures for a gag, they will not be hard on me. They will not make me feel bad on purpose. So, I'm ok with it," he told PTI in a telephonic interview from Florida.
The actor-producer, however, is looking forward to watching the Netflix Original as he has "heard lots of good things about it".
Comedians today can be called the "conscious-keepers" of the society and Murray believes in bringing people together and making them feel good has always been the goal.
"For us, comedy has always been inclusive. We take a lot of pride in our comedy which is for everyone - kids, youth and family."
The world is shrinking thanks to the social media revolution and comics have often been trolled for expressing their political views through their comedy. And Murray believes as an artiste, it is important that comics respected their fanbase.
"We are living in a unique time. It has only been 20 years after the internet has taken off and look at how closely everyone is connected today. That suddenly everyone has so much to talk about and connect with people who were so unreachable earlier. So, it's interesting.
"But yes, I believe, it is important to respect your fan base... You should keep in mind what may offend your audience. That it should not make them feel uncomfortable about seeing it on TV. I feel it's a performer's responsibility."
He says the best part about "Impractical Jokers" is that he works with his friends and pulls improv pranks on people in real-life.
The show follows Joseph Gatto, Brian Quinn, Salvatore Vulcano and Murray, the four member-friends of the comedy troupe The Tenderloins, as they dare one another into doing public pranks while being filmed by hidden cameras.
"Since ours is an improv form of comedy and we do not know the details of the prank till we start performing on strangers, it pretty much happens in real time. But, we do sit together and brainstorm ideas about how to work on the next gags," he says.
Murray also shares that the team finished shooting for the "Impractical Jokers" film four days ago.
"We are excited about it and hope to release it by next spring," he adds.
The actor-producer will be doing a Facebook Live from Comedy Central's Facebook page to celebrate Friendship's Day with the Indian audience on tomorrow at 6.30 p.m. He is also coming to India in November.
The channel will also be airing "Impractical Joker" episodes handpicked by Murray on Sunday, 10 a.m. onwards.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
