DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Brett At The Groundlings

Q: What neighborhood do you live in?

A: Actually, I just moved. I live in Koreatown now.

Q: And how old are you?

A: I'm 39.

Q: You look very good for 39.

A: Why thank you, sir.

Q: What are you doing at The Groundlings?

A: I've come to see a show. There are a lot of shows here. They're really funny. A lot of famous people come through here, so it's a good time.

Q: Are you a funny man yourself?

A: I think so. That's what I've been told. I do the improv sketch comedy stuff. That's what I do.

Q: What color is your car?

A: It's slate gray, which I had to wait for. I specifically wanted the slate gray. I had to wait an extra month.

Q: How long have you owned the vehicle?

A: I'll have owned her six years come February.

Q: What's your car's main use?

A: I'm fortunate that I don't have to drive it too much because I don't have to get on the highway. My job is actually close to where I live. But I'm in this car on average about an hour or so a day. I mainly use it for commuting and errands.

Q: What's your favorite or worst part about your commute?

A: My favorite part is, like I said, I don't have to get on the highway, which is really good because it can get crowded there. What is not fun is when it actually does get crowded in the regular streets, like when they do construction. It's what they were literally doing on Highland today when I was driving to work. It just backs everything up.

Q: Do you ever use it for weekend trips?

A: Yeah. Actually, I'm going to Vegas next weekend, so I'll be using it for that.

Q: Is Vegas the farthest you'll ever have driven in this car?

A: Actually, yes, yes it is.

Q: Where's the craziest place you've ever driven to?

A: Other than Vegas, you mean? I wound up in places where I didn't know I was going, like when I wound up in Compton one day, and I didn't mean to go there. And you know, you hear all these stories about Compton. It seemed very nice when I got there. There were nice lawns.

Q: White picket fences?

A: Yeah! It was fine! I didn't know what all the shooting and fuss was all about. It seemed all right. But when I first drove past the sign, I was like, "Compton, uh-oh." But it was fine. It wasn't really crazy, but I was concerned.

Q: Do you have any rules in your car?

A: It's like you start off: no eating in my car, no smoking in my car. Then as you go along, eh, all right, you can eat...eh, all right, just open a window if you're going to smoke. The only real rule I've managed to keep going is making sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt. I won't drive unless someone's got their seatbelt on.

Q: Good for you. Click it or ticket.

A: I'm not really worried about the ticket. I'm worried about somebody flying through the windshield if something happens. That's really it for me.

Q: What do you listen to in your car?

A: Usually I'll just turn on the iPod and listen to some of my own music or listen to a podcast.

Q: What kind of music?

A: All kinds. Literally random. I have old hip-hop on there, I have some jazz stuff, some Sinatra.

Q: Any funny stares at a red light?

A: No, I have actually managed to calm it down when I get to a red light. If a car's next to you, you gotta kind of tone it down. Not that they don't understand, but unless you're really into it, then who cares?

Q: If your car had a theme song, what would it be?

A: Oh, that's a good question. I'm going to go with "Panama" by Van Halen because that's just a good overall theme song for anything. When you hear it, you're like, yeah, OK, we're moving, let's do this!

Q: What kind of human emotion would you attach to your car?

A: Cocky. It's good like that.

Q: How did you get your car?

A: I did a lot of research as to what kind of car I wanted. When I first moved here, I had a friend's car. And he said I could use it for as long as I wanted. So I had some time to research, and this one seemed like a good deal and I could afford it. It looked nice. I went to the dealership, drove a couple different cars, and drove this one. I liked the feel of it and bought it.

Q: What do you think your next car will realistically be?

A: I'm going to own this one in February, so it won't be for a while. So honestly, I can't tell you.

Q: Do you have a dream car?

A: I like the old classic cars, like a classic Mustang. If I get one like that, that would be good. Or what was it, the one they drove on the "Dukes of Hazard"? Yeah that one, but without the orange. But I like that kind of car.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about your car? Anything you're proud about?

A: It's taken some hits, but it keeps going. But it's L.A. Your car's going to take some beatings. Even the guys when you bring it say, yeah, we can fix it, but it's just going to get beat up again. It's nature's course. But it's worked fine; it's given me no troubles since I've had it. Maybe when it's February, then something's going to go wrong when it's mine and all paid up!