Pauly Shore: Interviewing Barney Frank was ‘awesome’

Pauly Shore said his recent interview with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was nothing short of “awesome.”

That’s not exactly how David Gregory or Chris Wallace would characterize their sit-downs with a newsmaker. But then again, Shore is not a newsman. 

{mosads}The star of the movies “Encino Man” and “Bio-Dome” has been snagging interviews for an upcoming special for the Showtime network. And Frank was one of them. 

“Pauly-tics,” which will air this fall, is a less-than-serious take on U.S. leadership. 

“For me, I just think it’s funny, because it’s me with these people you would never expect me with,” Shore told ITK. “Like me sitting down with Barney Frank in his office and speaking with him about his soon-to-be husband is awesome … I think people will think it’s funny, too — in a cool way, not in a mean way.” 

Part of the show was taped live on Saturday in Washington at the 9:30 Club and included acts from comedians Godfrey (“Louie”), Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central) and Vidur Kapur (Stand Up for Diversity). It also featured a live DJ, a political roundtable and impersonators of President Obama, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

When it airs, the standup special will be interlaced with Shore’s interviews, which include chats with former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, former CNN television host Larry King and consumer advocate Ralph Nader. 

Shore describes himself as “part-Democrat, I’m part-Republican — I like the idea of gay marriage, and I also like the idea of saving my money.”

When it comes to members of Congress, Shore said he doesn’t think the partisan divide is as large as it appears. 

“I think at the end of the day it’s like football or basketball almost. Everyone’s wearing different jerseys for different teams, but once you take the jersey off they’re all the same people,” he said. “It’s kind of like a UFC fight; they’re fighting, but the second the camera’s off, everybody’s cool with each other.”