by SARAH ROWLAND

At the peak of Boston's comedy craze, Bobcat Goldthwait's live shows would sometimes only consist of him sobbing mournfully while he read a Dear John letter, or screaming neurotically as he gutted fish on stage. His Andy Kaufman-inspired antics coupled with his instantly recognizable ear-piercing shrill landed the 20-year-old a spot on Late Night With David Letterman. You'd think that attracting that kind of national attention could only benefit Massachusetts' flourishing stand-up scene. Yes?

No.

In When Stand Up Stood Out, a compelling documentary about the early '80s comedy explosion in Beantown, filmmaker Fran Solomita singles out Goldthwait's guest appearance as a turning point in the demise of authentically raw stand-up. As the competition for talk show gigs, high-powered agents and movie deals grew more fierce, performers and club owners started turning on each other. Goldthwait hasn't seen the film yet, but he remembers how he was treated by some of his colleagues who were jealous of his sudden success.

"I was very aware that people were upset with me," he says over the phone from Richmond, Virginia. "And it hurt because some of the guys I dealt with, I thought were my friends. I'd walk into a room and they'd all be quiet like I did something wrong. It was just really creepy. In hindsight, I don't know what I should have done - turned it down so their feelings wouldn't have been hurt?"

Comedy karma

Well, he didn't take other people's sensitivities into account when he decided to direct his latest project, Windy City Heat, which he will present at Just for Laughs' Comedia along with When Stand Up Stood Out.

The demented Hollywood satire is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of an action comedy that was never released. The catch is the whole production is an elaborate practical joke played on an insane comic named Perry Caravello, a Sam Kinison-wannabe who has been the laughing stock of the L.A. comedy circuit scene for more than a decade. Everyone is in on the gag except Caravello, who thinks he's making a blockbuster directed by Goldthwait. However, Caravello and the rest of the cast are so over-the-top, it's hard to believe that the real joke isn't on viewers. Goldthwait's used to that reaction.

"It's like the Blair Witch Project in reverse," he says about people doubting the validity of the film's premise. "Trust me, it's real and if you spend any time at open-mic nights at comedy clubs, you're gonna run into quite a few Perrys. Put it this way: if we faked this thing, then it's the world's worst Christopher Guest movie."

Caravello's sidekicks Big Lou (Don Barris) and Mole (Tony Barbieri) - who have been toying with their co-star's unworldly ego in real life for over 10 years by staying in character - approached Goldthwait with the idea of a feature. But having been at the receiving end of comedic cruelty himself, Goldthwait was apprehensive about making fun of Caravello.

"I knew what the deal was - the way people fuck with him - and I've never really been into that kind of stuff," recalls Goldthwait. "But then I met him and he was so obnoxious, I was like, ‘Okay, I'm in'. He's very interesting. He has the ability to insult somebody within the first few minutes of meeting them."

It's true. Caravello is a homophobic, sexist and all-round repulsive human being who admits that he would do anything to be famous. Yet Goldthwait couldn't shake the feeling that his own role in the merciless hoax was going to guarantee him a spot in hell. At one point during production, he even thought of quitting. But executive producer Jimmy Kimmel convinced him to finish the film so that Caravello would get his 15 minutes.

Fears of a clown

With his guilty conscience satisfied, Goldthwait carried on orchestrating the most ridiculous gags without ever worrying about his beguiled victim ever catching on. He was concerned, however, about Caravello's temper. For one particular scene - where Caravello is told that the film's financial backers pulled out because Mole knocked over the catering table - Goldthwait hired extra security on set.

"Perry's out of his fucking mind," says Goldthwait. "My biggest fear was violence. I really thought that he was going to hurt somebody."

The Windy City Heat star never did resort to violence. And now, thanks to Goldthwait and co. (and some sort of built-in delusional survival mechanism), Caravello finally has the spotlight that he so craves.

Bobcat Goldthwait and Fran Solomita present When Stand Up Stood Out Saturday, July 24 and Goldthwait presents Windy City Heat Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24 at Cinéma du Parc

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