Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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124 It makes sense when you consider the spiritual seeking that led Holmes, now 39, to Gordon College in Wenham. ere, this native of Lexington relished the sequestered sanctity of a Christian college in the woods. He also performed in the college's first improv group and wrote a cheeky weekly newspaper column, in which he made fun of mandatory chapel. is was before the long and arduous trek to real adulthood—the path that involved marrying in his early 20s, and divorcing before 30, and navigating the foulmouthed toxicity of the New York City comedy scene, all the while remaining an extremely nice person. I caught up with Holmes for a phone con- versation about his favorite topics—comedy, his gurus, how bad things can lead to good things, why it's OK for guys to have a femi- nine side, and why football sucks. Below is an edited version of our conversation. Q: I've been swimming at Gordon College. It's swim toward the cross and turn. Except I can't do turns. Did you swim there? A: In a lot of ways, Gordon kept us from growing up too quickly. We used to go to that pool and just, like, horse around. We didn't swim laps. We would literally go and splash each other and put each other in head- locks. Like a bunch of grown children. At the time, I enjoyed how buffered and safe it was. Q: How did attending Gordon College help with your career in comedy? A: It was good training. Comedy is often like breaking away from something and commenting on it. Which is why a lot of come- dians aren't religious, a lot aren't married. We If you haven't heard of Pete Holmes, maybe you're just not listening. Try tuning into his podcast, You Made It Weird, where you can take in more than 400 deep conversations with fellow actors and comedians. Some of which last three hours! Check out his heady cartoons in The New Yorker. Then watch his hit HBO comedy series Crashing, produced by Judd Apatow, which features a character named Pete Holmes. Soon you'll start catching on. Pete Holmes is something of a guru for those seeking connection beyond Alexa, Google, and the vibration of the next text. Gina Gershon, George Basil, Pete Holmes, Artie Lange, and Judd Apatow at the HBO screening of Crashing at the Avalon in Hollywood. PHOTOGRAPH BY KATHY HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK