Even with a loyal audience, Cook decided he needed to ramp up his career by getting the word out via the Internet. Cashing in his savings to create the interactive website DaneCook.com, as well as making his mark on MySpace, Cook stayed personally connected to his fans using blogs and video diaries. He also used the sites to notify fans of his upcoming record releases which have in the past skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard charts. His sold-out tours can be seen on Comedy Central as well as on HBO in his shows "Tourgasm" and "Vicious Circle." In the last year, Cook could be spotted on "The Tonight Show," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "MTV Movie Awards," and "Saturday Night Live" which he hosted twice.
The appeal of Cook's comedy isn't in sight gags or the usual comments on current events. Audiences catching any of his comedy shows are often treated to an onslaught of relatable pop culture references which include retro cartoons, commercials and cult classic films. Some of his favorite films he likes to use include the Star Wars saga -- often referring to his unfinished apartment as the Death Star or his trashed bedroom as the Sarlacc pit.
"I like to give a nod to Star Wars in my act with silly metaphors or whatever I can throw in there, but it's usually never planned; my brain will just go there," Cook explains. "I remember one night I was being heckled by this haggard girl who was really, really drunk and completely out of it. She looked like a pirate's wife. And she was relentlessly insulting me and it got to the point where it wasn't funny anymore. So I finally looked down and I said, 'You look like an Ugnaught!' And maybe 20 people in the audience got it -- but those 20 people lit up when I said that and probably thought 'Oooh, it's so true!' It's that same small number of us fans that know that IG-88 almost destroyed the Death Star himself. The best thing about Star Wars references is that they work pretty much anywhere. People all over the world know what the Death Star is or what an Ugnaught might look like."
"These pop culture references make us who we are and what we can relate to as a generation," Cook continues. "For me, this is the environment that I grew up in and this is my truth and these are my experiences. For example, that act about the Kool-Aid mascot is real. When I was a kid I was terrified of the Kool-Aid guy thinking a giant pitcher of fruit punch would come busting through my wall at any moment. I took television so seriously at that age and thought these people and characters really existed. In fact, my dad is a huge practical joker and he would come in to my room and tell me that he just drove by a house down the street that a big pitcher-shaped hole in it. And I would be horrified."
In addition to his successful career as a comedian, he also caught the acting bug, starring in the short-lived ABC series "Maybe This Time" and the Comedy Central puppet prank show "Crank Yankers," as well as guest spots on "Suddenly Susan" and "The Man Show." His film credits include Buddy, Mystery Men, Simon Sez, Stuck on You, Torque, Mr. 3000, Waiting and London.
