The Rise of Randy

I saw comedian Aziz Ansari doing a character, Randy, in a Comedy Central special that showed standup routines Judd Apatow taped for his new movie, Funny People.

So I did a search for Aziz Randy on YouTube. What's interesting is that Ansari only wrote a few bits for his Randy character, but he tried them out in a bunch of different places. Watching the same bits over and over, you can really see how Ansari perfected these bits and the character.

Randy in Athens, GA Dec. 11, 2008
Randy in NYC Jan. 1, '09
Randy at Bonnaroo June '09 (you can also see him doing some of the same bits more or less out of character for contrast.)
Randy in two bits that showed in the Comedy Central special last week: Jacuzzi and CVS. (This one was maybe a little dirty for cable.)
Ansari discusses his process in character here.

Here is how I know I am going to end up in grad school: even when I am fucking around on the internet late at night, I am still basically doing research.