Like a lot of comedians working today, Paula Poundstone has an active social media footprint and does more than just stand-up and put out comedy CDs.
She regularly posts jokes on Twitter, is a panelist on NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" and she's an author with a new book - "Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness" - due in stores on May 9.
The live shows, CDs and books she understands. The social media stuff doesn't quite compute.
"I have like 120,000 followers on Twitter, which is nothing compared to tons of comics, but what does that mean?" she asks.
If you go
› What: Paula Poundstone› When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 28› Where: Track 29, 1400 Market St.› Admission: $29 in advance, $32 day of› Phone: 423-521-2929› Online: track29.co, paulapoundstone.com
"It's not like it's even state-by-state, so how does that help me in North Dakota?"
Still, when a funny idea pops into her head, there is a good chance she will Tweet it.
"I have no quality control," she says. "I think of stuff that I think is funny and I put it up."
Some bits do make it to her live show, but not many. That's mainly because she says her act is "kind of like going into those carnival booths where they blow money at you and you try to grab it. There are a lot of things blowing around in my head."
Poundstone has been a working comedian for 38 years and remembers the days when you performed in nightclubs or anywhere you could in hopes of one day getting on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," the Holy Grail of big breaks. A good appearance on the show could literally make you an overnight success.
There are many more working comics these days and many more avenues for success, but no one is quite clear exactly which is the right path, she says.
"I talk to promoters and venue owners all the time and my favorite topic of conversation is 'How do you get people in here?' Nine out of 10 say they have no idea. It used to be they knew which newspaper and which radio station brought them business. Now, they have no idea."
Getting fans hasn't been a problem for Poundstone for many years because she's funny.
"What moron said that knowledge is power? Knowledge is power only if it doesn't depress you so much that it leaves you in an immobile heap at the end of your bed," is one of her better lines.
Or, "It is my wish to die of unique causes, perhaps in a high-speed tricycle crash, a bizarre stapling incident, or as a result of inadvertently sucking my brains out through my ear while trying to untwist the vacuum hose."
About a third of her show is an ad-libbed conversation with the audience. She also spends about an hour after each show meeting her fans, signing autographs or just hanging out. She much prefers that to reaching them via social media, which is anything but social in most cases.
"I love doing that. It's a fun way to get to know who comes to see me."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.