Jim Gaffigan not just the 'Hot Pockets' comic

Jim Gaffigan is one of those comedians that seems to show up everywhere.

In addition to numerous comedy specials and late-night talk shows, Gaffigan has appeared on Broadway in "That Championship Season" and in TV shows and movies ranging from "Law & Order" to Mike Myers' "The Love Guru."

But for many fans, his claim to fame is a riff on Hot Pockets from his 2006 album "Beyond the Pale."

amNewYork spoke with the comedian.

Your Wikipedia entry says you're known for talking about "being lazy and eating food." Is that an accurate description? Lazy and obsessed with food seems about right. I've been described as romanticizing the life that everyone wants to lead but can't.

Has Hot Pockets become your version of Mick Jagger singing "Satisfaction" every night? That's a flattering comparison. The Hot Pockets thing is weird. I appeared on CNN because a portion of the proceeds from my new download is going to the Woodward Foundation, and they called me Jim "Hot Pockets" Gaffigan. Would I love to be known as not just the Hot Pockets guy? Yes, but I don't think people are coming to my theater shows just to see the Hot Pockets joke. That would be ridiculous.

Did you make a conscious decision to keep your act relatively family-friendly? I eliminated curse words when I was doing a lot of TV spots on Letterman or Conan. For me, it felt like I didn't have to curse when talking about bacon or camping.

Is it hard to go from comedy to dramatic acting? I always had a split personality. ... There's major part of me that just wants to be a comedian. But there's a separate part that wants to be actor. I think acting is an insane pursuit. People think it's crazy to go onstage and make strangers laugh. That feels more normal than spending hours preparing for an audition, then walking into a room and being told you have the wrong hair color. Acting is so fun, but process of getting an acting job is profoundly humiliating.

If you go: Jim Gaffigan is performing on Saturday at 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. at the Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St., 212-253-5300, $43.50-$73.50.