Michael and Michael Have E-mail: Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter

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THERE'S A CERTAIN disappointment journalists get when we have to conduct an interview via e-mail. Questions must be worded precisely, there's no chance to follow up and there's always the chance that the interviewee isn't actually the person answering the questions.

But when I learned my interview with Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, the comedians behind "The State," "Stella," and, most recently, "Michael and Michael Have Issues," would need to occur through e-mail, I thought, "This might not be so bad, and hey, at least I won't have anything to transcribe."

You see, Black and Showalter are as good at writing as they are at performing — both wrote for "The State" and "Stella," and have written for other television shows. Showalter's big-screen debut was co-scripting frequent collaborator David Wain's cult classic, "Wet Hot American Summer," while Black penned "Run Fatboy Run" with Simon Pegg. And if you follow either of their Twitter feeds (@michaelianblack, @mshowalter), or the blogs on their Web sites, you know the two are sharp with the written word, no matter the character limit.

The duo will be in Washington on Oct. 28 as part of the their "Michael and Michael Have Tour," which is promoting the uncertain future of their Comedy Central series. In our e-mail conversation, Black discusses depression, Showalter talks about his ski sweater and both express their mutual love — ahem, admiration — for each other.

EXPRESS: This one's for Michael Ian Black: The blog posts you wrote on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 about ticket sales slumping and battling with your own insecurities are quite revealing — are the problems you're having affecting your work at all?
BLACK: These problems ARE my work.

EXPRESS: You're writing about taking anti-depressants and feeling like the best days are behind you — why come out with such honest and open posts?
BLACK: Because I feel like there's, especially around all things involving show business, that there's such a high level of bullshit out there that I wanted to write about what is actually going on. Yes, ticket sales have been slow and yes I've been depressed. All the more reason to come out to the show and see a bipolar guy get funky.

EXPRESS: Why do you attribute to the sales slump?
BLACK: Two main reasons: the first is the economy. Obviously when you don't have a job, going to see a couple of jerks from Comedy Central isn't going to be high on your to-do list. Also, I suspect a lot of people aren't familiar with our new TV show that we're promoting, "Michael and Michael Have Issues." It came out this summer and I think people haven't had a chance to find it yet, so they might not be real tuned in with Showalter and myself.

EXPRESS: "Michael and Michael Have Issues" paints you two as having a complicated relationship: you're always arguing and antagonistic toward each other — does this happen in real life?
BLACK: Constant. Unending. Circular. Yes.
SHOWALTER: I wouldn't call them arguments. I'd call them tiffs.

EXPRESS: Where does the conflict stem from?
BLACK: Primarily the conflict comes from two distinct people with slightly different sensibilities trying to make the best show they can make. Our arguments are never personal. They're always about trying to do what we see is best for the show. Comedy can make people pretty angry. At the end of each day, we always have a big hug. (Not true.)
SHOWALTER: Since we're both playing versions of ourselves on the show there's a lot of times when one or the other of us will say, "I wouldn't do that." This usually leads to a long debate.

EXPRESS: You both seem to be the constants in each other's lives. As a pair, you two are a vehicle you can always return to. What has kept you two working together for so long?
BLACK: First and foremost we have a long friendship dating back 20 years. So we are very comfortable with each other, we have a real shorthand and we still make each other laugh. Showalter is a very, very funny man, and I like to work with funny people.
SHOWALTER: We're both Jersey boys. As different as we are there's also a ton of middle ground. Mike has always made me laugh. Though it kills me to say it, I respect his talent. Ugh.

EXPRESS: What's the status of the second season of the show?

BLACK: We're still waiting to hear. The network says they love the show so we're optimistic they'll bring us back. But we also know that people sometimes kill the things they love.
SHOWALTER: They ordered new scripts. This is sort of like a girlfriend telling you that she "still wants to see other people."

EXPRESS: Do you want to keep it going?
BLACK: We both feel like we're just getting going with the TV show and we'd love to keep it growing. I think it's one of the best things we've done and it would be a shame for it to end before it's really found its footing.
SHOWALTER: I love doing television. We have a great production, not just me and Mike, but our writers and cast and our producers and crew. We get to make a show in New York. I'd be very happy to keep this job for a long time. It's a step in a new direction too for us — a scripted, grounded, character-driven show — so it's creatively challenging and I think we're only starting to figure it out.

EXPRESS: Is the stand-up tour an extension of the exaggerated caricatures of yourself you play on the series?
BLACK: Not really. We're more ourselves on stage. There's less bickering and back-stabbing, although we do make fun of each other a lot. Showalter has been wearing a horrendous sweater lately that's been getting a lot of attention.
SHOWALTER: It's a great sweater. It's a "ski sweater." It has reindeer and snowflakes on it, which apparently is shocking to people.

EXPRESS: How does the stand-up tour, "Michael and Michael Have Tour," differ from the show?
BLACK: The show is situational; the stand-up tour is just a couple of guys goofing off onstage. Less plot, more jokes.

EXPRESS: Do you guys find it harder, or easier doing collaborative stand-up?
BLACK: It's a lot easier in the sense that we know every night is going to be different. We can try things out and see if it works. If it does, great. If not, we can try something else out the next night. With TV, you basically only have one shot to get it right and that raises the stakes considerably.

EXPRESS: What kind of concessions do you have to make as a duo?
BLACK: I make the hotdogs. He makes the hamburgers.

EXPRESS: What kind of opportunities does doing stand-up as a duo offer that solo performance doesn't?
BLACK: I would say that performing as a duo is its own unique experience. Working by yourself you obviously have unlimited freedom to say or do anything that strikes your fancy, but when you share the stage with somebody you have to be mindful of what's going on with the other guy and make sure you're pulling your weight. Not doing too much or too little.

EXPRESS: This is the third time you're returning together in some capacity to Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in Washington. Is it a bit unnerving to do stand-up in a synagogue?
BLACK: The first time was very freaky. Because it's an actual synagogue. Like a full-on temple. But it's actually a room that's pretty cool. It's intimate and the audiences are always respectful. Because they're in a house of God, I guess.

EXPRESS: Does it give you the urge to riff on Judaism?
BLACK: It's impossible for me not to read long stretches of the Torah.

EXPRESS: Does it make you want to tone your act down at all?
BLACK: You would think it would, but no. I just make fewer Nazi jokes.

»Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW; Wed., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $30; 202-408-3100. (Gallery Place)

Photos courtesy Fernando Leon and Martin Crook