As a comedian on the downtown circuit, Joe Mande's name is quickly garnering buzz. Along with Noah Garfinkle, Mande hosts a weekly show at Rififi called Totally J/K, in which he tells stories, shares videos, and invites on guest performers. In just over a year, Totally J/K has quickly become a staple in the alternative scene, garnering some of the biggest names in comedy that fly just under the radar (although don't be surprised to see powerhouses Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry and Demetri Martin drop by to work out a set, either).

Having just been named New York's top Emerging Comic by the ECNY Awards in January, Mande has honed an onstage style that combines dry, self-deprecation, personal anecdotes, and, most recently, an extensive explanation of his newfound weakness for his treasured Nintendo Wii. Without regret, Joe has commandeered the stage on several occasions to sing the praises of what is, quite obviously, his most treasured possession. In his own words, just call him "Joe Mand-wii."

Just after he returned from touring with comedian John Mulaney, psychoPEDIA caught up with Joe at his apartment in Astoria to check out a new release for Wii, Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Games So, you're a huge Wii fan?
Yes. Huge. My brain can't handle anything beyond [the original] Sega Genesis, but the Wii is a different case. It doesn't care if you suck. It's an amazing machine.

Were you a Sega kid?
Completely.

There was definitely a divide among Nintendo kids and Sega kids.
Yeah, I was late on the whole video game thing. I was old when my parents got us a Sega. I was ten...which is apparently really old.

Have you continued playing games since then?
No, not until I got the Wii. In high school, I started doing stand-up and improv and stuff.

I didn't know you did improv.
Yeah, I'm not really good at it. I always come up with the best material three days later.

Instead, you've stuck with stand-up?
I started doing stand up when I was about sixteen, but after every show, I would quit for three months at a time and pledge to never do it again. I was trying so hard to be "edgy," and I was sixteen and doing open mics at Knuckleheads in the Mall of America at 5:30 in the afternoon for housewives. It was so awful.

You seem to have found your "voice," right? You're very natural on-stage.
Yeah, you could say that. I'm lucky in that I don't get stage fright.

In your case, I think it helps that there isn't much of a difference between your on-stage and off-stage personas.
Yeah. In fact, I was telling someone a story the other day, and it was weird because it felt like I was just doing stand-up. There are some comedians that are so different in real life than they are on stage, and I can appreciate that. But I'm just being myself, i guess.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympics covers a lot of popular events. What's your favorite?
I think the Ribbon Dancing competition is it. It's so good. It's just like, 'So, this is happening?'

It would be cool if they implemented playing the Wii as an Olympic event.
Maybe. Did you know that the athletes have to wear 9/11 masks in Beijing this year?

Would you recommend this game?
No. It blows. It's like the opposite of the real Olympics. It mocks you when you lose, and the Friendship Award [you receive upon losing] is complete bullshit.

It is really confusing.
Maybe you have to be an actual Olympic athlete to play this game. Although [the event] Skeet is awesome because, you know, 'Skeet skeet skeet!' The bottom line is [that] no video game will ever be as therapeutic as Wolfenstein 3D.

What's that?
It used to my favorite game. It was exactly like Doom, except you were killing Nazis. You were running around bunkers, killing Nazis. It was bonkers! I bet I would make a good video game reviewer.

What's the final word on Mario and Sonic?
It's just stupid. I'd say there's no story line. I love when video game reviews say there's no "narrative arc." That doesn't mean anything. But seriously, there's no narrative arc in this game.

Do you play video games while on tour?
Oh no. I wish. There's no bus or anything. [John Mulaney and I] literally rented a car and drove from little college to little college. It was great. I'm just now trying to comprehend what life would be like as a stand-up. When I moved to New York after graduating [from Emerson College in Boston], I thought I could just get a comedy writing job. I had no clue - I didn't have any clips or a reel, I had this attitude that I could do anything. But then I started doing stand-up, and met all these people who wrote for TV shows and The Onion, and they were miserable. But I love doing stand up, so if I can do that without someone telling me what to do, why not?

~Eliot Glazer

Joe will be appearing at "Serious Lunch" at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater on 2/29 @ 6:30; "I Like Attention" at Sound Fix Records on 3/6 @ 8:00pm in Williamsburg NY; "Slumber Party" at Comix on 3/26 @ 8:00pm

First, second, and seventh photos by Anya Garrett via Flickr
Fifth photo by Eliot Glazer