Jack McBrayer has just returned New York after spending a chunk of time in Hawaii, working on Judd Apatow’s forthcoming Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He says it was the best gig ever. “I’ll tell you what. I was up at 9, and by 10 I was on the beach with a Corona Light in my hand. It was like a month-long Corona commercial.”

If you can’t picture 30 Rock’s naïve page Kenneth with a beer, you’ve tacitly given McBrayer a compliment. Bobbing and weaving with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, and Tracy Morgan on the NBC comedy, the Georgia native brings a blend of innocence and jutzpah to his role of bumpkin-in-the-big-city.  Along with other titles 30 Rock’s first season is now out on DVD. We spoke with McBrayer about Kenneth and the rest of the cast.

VH1: Tracy Morgan is going to host VH1’s upcoming Hip Hop Honors show. What should we expect?

JM: Oh my god. You’ve seen the episode of 30 Rock where he has to host “The Source Awards,” right? He’s wild as usual. I love working with him. It’s like having a kid brother - and I’ve never even had a kid brother. I’m actually going to see him this Saturday - we have a publicity thing to do. It will be like a homecoming – a very dysfunctional ghetto homecoming.

Jack talks about Charm, Conan, and recurring dreams…
VH1: Do you watch the show at home on TV?

JM: We’d be working on Thursday night and I wouldn’t see the episode that came on. NBC is weird about its ownership and distribution stuff. I sometimes have to smuggle a copy from the editing room just to see what I have done.

VH1: Do you take it home for laughs, or are you a big self-scrutiny guy?

JM: No, I’d grab it just to see what made it on air – sometimes there are whole scenes that don’t show up. It’s not [self-scrutiny]. I’m still not comfortable hearing my own voice on TV. I still do the hands-over-the-face routine when I hear it. Same thing with my face. “Okay America, it’s a fact that I have a double chin.”

VH1: One of the extra clips on the 30 Rock DVD set is a silly mock talk show, “Evening With Kenneth.” Is the real Jack glib enough to host a talk show?

JM: No, never. I used to work on Conan O’Brien, too, I wouldn’t even want that job. It’s a lot of work There’s real trouble if it’s going poorly.

VH1: Are you Type A, a person who is the life of the party?

JM: I have a knack at putting people at ease. I’m not a threat to anyone appearance-wise or intelligence-wise, so I come with open arms letting people know I’m here for the party.

VH1: Jay man or Dave man?

JM: Leno, of course, because of his history as a stand-up and also he’s on NBC. But Dave sometimes because he so hilarious.

VH1: Kimmel or Conan?

JM: I’d better say Conan. But I’m actually supposed to be on Jimmy Kimmel’s show soon, and I don’t want any trouble.

VH1: During the “Evening With Kenneth” skit you also play a second banana character with a saxophone, Dr Funk. Does the real Jack have a little cool-guy in him?

JM: Yes, or at least I think I do. I’m not as welled traveled as some people I’ve come across, but I can fake it pretty well.

VH1: Got any recurring dreams?

JM: I always get the flying dream, which I like a lot. I catch the wind just right and take off. It’s kind of like when you swim underwater and glide like a dolphin.

VH1: Comedy club or music club?

JM: Comedy. I love it. Here in NY I perform improv all the time – every Sunday. Standup is too scary. I go to music shows every now and then, but mostly comedy.

VH1: TV or Movies?

JM: Yeah, there’s lots of good programming these days. And I have a shorter attention span, so TV works for me, it’s more accessible. There’s quality stuff out there.My recent favorite was the Flavor of Love girls in Charm School. That was destination television for me back in April and May. I was working on movie, and every Sunday night I’d end the week with it. Had to see what Larissa would do next.