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Interview: Gavin McInnes on HOW TO BE A MAN, Fatherhood, and Terrible Advice

Not to be confused with the Steve Harvey book-turned-movie Think Like a Man, the new film How to Be a Man stars Gavin McInnes as Mark McCarthy, a former comedian diagnosed with a rare form of cancer who decides to film a series of instructional videos in order to teach his unborn son how to be a man. Alongside a highly impressionable young cameraman, McCarthy embarks on a transformative, transgressive journey into the heart of fatherhood (or whatever he perceives as fatherhood) and takes us along for the heartfelt, hilarious ride. McInnes, who co-founded Vice, is no stranger to the sophomoric yet emotionally resonant humor that permeates the film, but his portrayal of McCarthy shows us that underneath the character’s manchild exterior lies the heart of a guy who really just wants to pass on something important to his progeny.

To take you a bit deeper into the world of the film, I caught up with McInness briefly to talk about whether the advice in the film is worth following, the worst advice he’s ever received, why you should go see the film, and more.

Nerdist: If your Wikipedia page is to be believed, you have three kids of your own. How much of the advice in this film would you recommend passing on to them?

Gavin McInnes: I would recommend it all if it was done at the right age. Your kids are going to get high and they’re going to have sex. The best you can do is bombard them with information (when they’re old enough) so they get it. Fucking is fun but getting pregnant is not. Some drugs make movies funnier, others make you die.

N: What’s the best piece of advice on how to be a man that isn’t featured in the film?

GM: Stop telling everyone everything. If you go to your doctor’s appointment 4 hours early because you fucked up the times, keep that to yourself. The world isn’t your therapist.

N: Conversely, what’s the worst piece of advice on how to be a man you’ve ever heard?

GM: Every piece of advice my dad has ever given me has been terrible.

1) Become a computer programmer because it’s really hard to get fired.
2) Drop out of school and do construction because the union has good benefits (nothing against blue collar jobs but that would have been a bad choice for me).
3) Don’t leave Vice.
4) Don’t build your own house. You will fuck it up (my house rules).
5) Go fuck yourself.

N: Why should people go see this film?

GM: They should see this film because it’s one of the only comedies out there that is as funny as it wants to be. Comedy is getting polluted by political correctness but there is absolutely no thought behind these jokes outside of, “Will this be fun to watch?” We weren’t trying to gross anyone out. We were trying to make a movie that talks the way we all talk in bars.

N: Last, but not least: What would be inside your ideal burrito?

GM: White rice, black beans, shredded beef, salsa, very hot sauce, banana peppers, jalapeños, lettuce, sour cream, cheese. La Taqueria in the Mission, my favorite place on earth.

 

How to Be a Man is out now on Netflix and VOD.

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