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Glick's Comedy Lounge: Joe Scrocca
23 Plays5 days ago
Welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge!! Tonight Glick hangs out with comedian Joe Scrocca for an entertaining conversation packed with stories,laughs,unexpected detours, and the kind of Nonsensical fun you've come to expect from The Nonsensical Network. Pull up a chair,join the conversation, and enjoy another night inside the Lounge. Comedy unleashed!! Like,subscribe, and join the madness
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Transcript
Welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge
00:00:38
Speaker
Comics and friends, yeah, the mic's turned on.
00:00:43
Speaker
Half the jokes planned, half totally wrong. Backstage stories, things we shouldn't say, we're gonna laugh about them anyway.
00:00:53
Speaker
Hey, welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge, where the jokes go wild and the laughs get loud.
00:01:04
Speaker
Pull up seat, stay all night long Tell crazy story, sing along to the song Tell us how it went down At Glace Comedy Lounge
00:01:30
Speaker
Guests on the couch with wild tale to tell From the road, the stage, or a barroom, hell The crowd's getting loud and the stories get strange Every single night the chaos rearranges No scripts here, just the truth and the laughs And maybe a roast if you cross Glick's path Hey, welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge Where the jokes go wild and the laughs get loud
00:02:07
Speaker
Pull a seat, stay all night long. Tell a crazy story, sing along to the song.
00:02:49
Speaker
Late nights, news nights, stories all around.
00:03:06
Speaker
Hey, welcome to Glick's Comedy Live.
00:03:21
Speaker
Pull a seat, stay all night long. Tell crazy story, sing along to the song.
00:04:09
Speaker
Whoa, whoa, hey. What's going on, guys? Happy Wednesday. Oh, my God. Shut up, yo, done. I got all kinds of new buttons down there I can play with. Anyway, sorry, squirrel. but but but What's going on, guys? Happy Wednesday.
00:04:25
Speaker
Welcome to the nonsensical network and Glick's comedy lounge a little comedy unleashed if you will if you guys aren't already go ahead check us out everywhere we're on all the socials you can check out the shows live on YouTube Facebook and X and you can listen anytime wherever you listen to podcasts that end up we'll have you guys know 100% completely up to date with the exception of tonight's show which will hopefully go up as soon as I'm done ah That's my goal. We'll we'll see what happens ah But you can find us everywhere bio dot link slash nonsensical Network give us a follow give us a like give us a share don't forget We got super chats on and in the building if you guys want to help support the shows you're more than welcome to Not required but greatly appreciated because this shit ain't for you
00:05:10
Speaker
Damn it. What's going on, Scorpio, Daniel, and J-Devil in the building? What's going on? i see you guys. But enough about me, enough about us, enough about you. We're here for the comedy. I'm not a comedian.
00:05:24
Speaker
Never claimed to be one. Don't want to be one. I don't want to stand on stage and try to make people laugh. I don't like getting in front of public and speaking. But I do have a guy backstage who is very good at it.
Meet Joe Scaraka: From Nap Time to Biker Gangs
00:05:35
Speaker
And we were having fun laughing before we even came up here. So I imagine we're going laugh some more. Mr. Joe Scaraka. And I fucked it up. I got in my head. No, you didn't. that Perfect. Perfect. Thank you so much for having me.
00:05:48
Speaker
Yeah. Appreciate you coming up and hanging out tonight. I know I'm going to keep you up a little bit past your bedtime tonight. that's all You know what? I get funny past my bedtime. So God knows in the nine o'clock hour, what the hell I'm going to say. A lot of people ask me for the link, and I send them the link, and they all said, hey, the link's giving me the finger. I said, it's the Jersey hello. It's the it's just a greeting. you know Don't be offended, for God's sakes. It's you know it's just a hello.
00:06:16
Speaker
I guess I should soften up the network logo. No, no, I like it. I like it. and And I like confronting people that give me crap about it. Yeah. That was a design on purpose. We went through a little, ah I mean, we still have our haters, but they've they've gotten real quiet lately. But we went through a phase where the haters were coming in and trying to start all kinds of crazy shit on a regular basis. So, you know what? i'm going to create a logo that gives them the old double-brother logo. That's it, man. Exactly what we think about shit. And and and that's that's a smart thing to do. I mean, people were laughing about it, but I joked about it.
00:06:53
Speaker
But, yeah. Yeah, but but i'm I'm here, I'm in New Jersey and I do stand up. ah There's nothing to fear getting on stage, man. I get up there, I could care. i mean, I want to make people laugh, but I mean, I just go up there and do my thing. And ah you know people laugh, but I don't worry about it. If I don't make them laugh, I i still get paid and and I still get booked. But it's, now usually make people laugh. A very few times, I did i did a show at a ah retirement center on a Sunday afternoon at 1.30. And the show time coincided with nap time.
00:07:29
Speaker
And the entire audience was asleep before I even got to the stage. So I i can say I didn't put them to sleep. They were already asleep. they And to verify they were asleep, I started reciting the Gettysburg Address. Four scores, seven years. ago Nobody flinched. So thinking these people were either dead or asleep.
00:07:45
Speaker
So um that's not my kind of show. Yeah, no, I agree with that. that That's such a weird – that's such a weird – i mean, I guess if you do clean comedy or a maybe, you know, whatever, um it's just such a weird concept to me is bringing a comedian into a retirement home.
00:08:04
Speaker
You know? You know, it's – look, it's an activity. The people enjoy it um You know, the bottom line is is is the bottom line. I mean, they they pay well. they You go in there for an hour, hour and a half, and they you know you get you get paid well. But it's it's, you know, I have to feel energy from a crowd.
00:08:23
Speaker
And that was probably the only time I ever felt negative energy because I'm not kidding. They were asleep. They were napping. Yeah, that's like, and that's nothing you did. They were just, it was their nap. Yeah, they were asleep. I walked in there and they're knotted out. They're drooling. Some people were getting CPR. It was really, you know, oh, this is exciting.
00:08:40
Speaker
yeah I'd rather go into a comedy club and have people that are there. They're coming to laugh. They're awake. They're alert. You know, I'd rather get heckled and than then do comedy to a sneaking audience.
00:08:51
Speaker
Some sleeping, some dying, some sleeping, some doing, and we don't know. I mean, it's it's great that they do those activities, and I work in that type of environment, um and I love seeing all that the fun activities that they do, and it's like, man, I can't. I'm like 10 years away from being able to come live one of these places. This is terrible, bro. Not this one, but, you know, like somewhere on a beach somewhere, maybe find a retirement home on a beach or something like that.
00:09:19
Speaker
Well, that's, you know, I just ended up talking to them, asking them, you know, the few people that were awake, you like this place? I'm getting up there. I'm going to be 65 in April. So I just turned 65. And they said, oh, it's very nice. And how expensive. I just started talking to them about the facility. It's like they clearly weren't understanding any of the jokes or awake, you know, and I'm like, I'm like panning and I'm saying,
00:09:41
Speaker
it's like It's like somebody let off, like, sleeping, ah you know, sleeping guests or something. These people all just passed out. But apparently 1.30 was their nap time, and they decided, hey, 1.30 would be a good show time.
00:09:54
Speaker
They are on the good stuff. Annette Forte. That's my girlfriend. Well, hello, Miss Annette.
00:10:03
Speaker
Leave it to her ah to to to put that one out there. But, yeah. But, yeah.
00:10:11
Speaker
But anyway, um yeah, so we were talking and, you know, you tell me where you're located and I did some shows out in that area and it's ah it's a fun area. it's um I traveled all over the country doing stand-up and the one place that I really was blown away by was Nebraska.
00:10:28
Speaker
I mean, it is boring, boring. to the point where those people need comedy because, you know, they'd shoot themselves if if they didn't have comedy. They need something because it was, I mean, I never saw such a ah desolate area.
00:10:45
Speaker
It's it's just's just, no, it's, Don't get me wrong. I have made the comment several times. If I ever hit the lottery, I'm buying like at least a minimum of 500 acres in the middle of nowhere. you but This was like 500,000 acres. in the minute I mean, you just drive for hours and it's like, you know, when's the flying saucer going to land?
00:11:06
Speaker
Yeah. No. Yeah, I mean, Ohio's not bad. I mean, you're in Jersey, like we were talking backstage. You're in Jersey. You know my biggest complaint. It's the winter. Plus, our weather is so goddamn bipolar, it doesn't know what it's doing. You know, one day it's 90 degrees. The next day it's 30 degrees, snowing. same Same thing here. Same thing here. And it's really interesting that, you know, we're having – we're still, like,
00:11:36
Speaker
we went from winter to but summer and then back to winter. And then there was no spring, there was no warmup, which they went from hot to cold cold to hot and then back to cold. is So, but but yeah, that and I joke about that sometimes about the weatherman is such a good job or meteorologist on the news, such a good job. you could be wrong all the time, could be wrong all the time. And when you don't know what the hell's going on, you use the three models, the American model, the European model, and I don't know what the fuck is going on model.
00:12:05
Speaker
yeah I say that all the time. Like, I need that job because if I fuck up one, maybe two times in my job, I'm done. um'm um I'm standing in the unemployment line. but Yeah.
00:12:18
Speaker
Yeah. But meteorologists, oh, they can always be wrong. You know, it's like, oh, we forecast a snowstorm, but it didn't come because our prayers were answered. yeah You know, so they they have that out.
00:12:30
Speaker
but Yeah, but but um um I went through Ohio, I think I told you, I went i went did a show Crackpots in Macillan. And then I was supposed to be there second night, but the headliner on the second night brought his own people. So I ended up going to Payne'sville and doing a show there. It was like in the bottom of a restaurant, I want to it was a Red Rocks or some rocks or something, but it was a nice nice venue. And then I shot over to Chicago and did the Laugh Factory and then drove back to Jersey with my check engine light on the whole way, wondering,
00:12:59
Speaker
Am I going to break down? I mean, I'm not a mechanic or anything, but I just assume all that light means is to get out and check and make sure your engine's there. So I've done my job. Everything's Yeah, i got I popped the hood at the gas station.
00:13:15
Speaker
I got my hammer out. I clunked a few things. The light didn't go out, and I kept driving. It ended up as a hose. It wasn't anything serious, but it was like, you know, there's nothing scarier than leaving Chicago, having to drive back to Jersey, and the first thing you see is, you know, check engine light, pull over, stop. you know No, I can't. I'm in Chicago. I have to get to New Jersey. Yeah.
00:13:36
Speaker
You know, I've been to Chicago a few times in my life, and I understand that fear right there. oh Yeah. i It's like once you get past the skyway, you can breathe sigh or a leaf. But then again, you're in the middle of nowhere. You're going through Indiana. um ah But yeah, it's it it was a lot of...
00:13:55
Speaker
it was It was a lot of fun though. lot ah New markets. First time I played Ohio. First time I played Chicago. And first time I played Nebraska. And, ah you know, it's funny because my stuff, you know, I'm Italian. And I don't do the – the ethnic Italian stuff. i don't I don't do anything like, oh, I'm from Jersey. i don't do like the East Coast because it doesn't land in other parts of the country. you know, people, you know, you go up there in Philadelphia, do a show, you hey, yo, cuz, you know, all right, they might, you get Nebraska, yo, cuz, cuz, are we related? we don't get it. So I don't try
00:14:32
Speaker
Yeah. And unfortunately, most people in Nebraska have never been outside of Nebraska. I don't think they know they can leave, in all honesty, in Nebraska. so i There were a couple people I would have taken with them.
00:14:43
Speaker
I'm sorry, Tina. A couple beautiful women that were there, I would have maybe said, hey, you want to see the real world? Then Tina would have killed me, and then she would have show them the real world. Yeah, exactly. No, um...
00:15:00
Speaker
how long How long have you been doing the comedy? how long I've been doing stand-up for two and a half years. And I had no background at anything in anything, any entertainment, any comedy, anything.
00:15:11
Speaker
I tell this story on stage, but it's the it's the God's honest truth. In December 2023, I woke up and I said, I'm sick of dating crazy women. I want to do something fun.
00:15:22
Speaker
Let me try stand-up comedy. And a friend of mine owned a comedy club in in my town, Wildwood, New Jersey. And I would go to see comics. And I thought, you know what? Let me ask him I said, can I get five minutes? He says, well, tape yourself.
00:15:34
Speaker
Send to me. If you're funny, I'll give you five minutes. I said, tape myself doing what? He said, trying to be funny. i said, okay. So I taped myself telling a couple of stories. He said, you're hilarious. You got your five minutes. So that's, what that show was Friday, December 15th, 2023.
00:15:51
Speaker
oh yeah yeah Who am I dating now? Anyway, but um, the, uh, I had to do ah an open mic because I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never been on stage before. i Didn't know how to stand on stage, talk in a microphone, any of that stuff. So i found an open mic. They canceled it the day before the mic. I found another open mic.
00:16:15
Speaker
Ended up being ah a venue that was a club for a Notorious New Jersey Motorcycle Gang. And my first you know my my first show was in front of a group of people wearing vests that scared the shit out of me. and Because I know these people and I know what they've done. I read about them on the internet. well I was going to in the paper, that's how old I am.
00:16:36
Speaker
But yeah. But, you know, I got through it and I was hooked and I've done probably over 250 shows plus festivals, plus, you know, open mics, things like that. And it's just a lot of fun. I've been in two independent movies. In fact, earlier today, of a friend of mine, um is a car salesman, and I had no idea. it was He just says, hey, I want you stop. want to say hi to you. And he ended up putting me in a couple of videos that he promotes his car sales on on YouTube. So we just kind of no script, just kind of winged it.
00:17:07
Speaker
So I'll see see how that goes. I told him, I said, if anybody says, hey, i'm buying a car from you because Joe's video, I want a commission. Yeah, you slide a little, you know, you got to slide a little my way, you know? Yeah. But, but yeah, but it it was just, it was a weird journey. um You know, cause people always ask us if something they always wanted to do. And honestly,
00:17:29
Speaker
Did not cross my mind till that day in December. And I'm like, I just, you know, and when people say, oh, you know, how weird were the women? I mean, there was a woman I gave over eight years, decided to stand up on the couch, pull her pants down and piss on me.
00:17:44
Speaker
And I'm like, what the fuck? And I thought you would like it. I said, what in eight years did I ever say or do to make you think I would like getting pissed on?
00:17:56
Speaker
And then after her, I dated a girl that ended up being a heroin addict, but she had me convinced their track marks were cat scratches. And after about two weeks, I realized she didn't have a cat. She didn't have a litter box.
00:18:08
Speaker
So I just said, I'm i'm done. Now I'm dating Tina, Annette. And and she ah she's probably one of the craziest of them all, but she supports my comedy. I love her. She's fun to be with. And, um you know, we we just have a lot of fun together.
00:18:22
Speaker
But, ah you know, there were some doozies out there that were like, you know, there's one girl. I went out on one date with her. We made ah a date for a second date.
00:18:34
Speaker
And she dear John's me by text and said, listen, I really can't go out with you. I have to rake leaves in my yard. And I'm thinking, listen, you know, say I'm ugly. Say you don't like me. Say I have bad, but raking leaves, that's got to be the first dear John.
00:18:51
Speaker
like Somebody getting broken up over over raking leaves, doing yard work of any kind. And the easy thing is, control a girl that i go to the gym with,
00:19:03
Speaker
knew where she lived, and she passed by that Saturday, and damn if she wasn't out there raking leaves. hey Well, at least she was honest with you. She was honest, but who the hell gives up going to a nice dinner with a handsome, funny guy like me for doing yard work?
00:19:20
Speaker
Her loss, Joe. Her loss, man. No question about it. And she worked at the post office. I don't think that she liked it when I called her Newman. but Seinfeld reference for those of you who don't know.
00:19:32
Speaker
Yeah, that might ah that might have that might have that might have struck the chord a little bit. you know, if she doesn't have a sense of humor, don't want to be with her anyway. i You know, I know that's right. And i you know I think we can all say we've had horrible dating escapades. Unfortunately, in the last several years, all of mine have played out right here on this lovely network that I have. So everybody has got to see all my trials and tribulations when it comes to dating mishaps. Well, mine are on stage, so I don't have the i don't have the medium that you do, the form that you do, but state to state to state as I travel and tour, oh, they they hear, they hear. One day people are going to see me somewhere and say, that's the guy that got pissed on. is just That's not what I want to be remembered for, but you know what? If they remember me, maybe they remember me, and I'll that i'll take that.
00:20:18
Speaker
i can I can happily and proudly say that's never happened to me, but I think I'm right there with you, Joe. I think it's going to be 100% a deal breaker. It's time to grab your stuff and go. but You know, I just – I mean – she i mean It was shocking. She just did. It was the last thing in the world that i expected. The only thing worse is if she would have taken a crap on me or thrown up on me. That would have been even worse. But any bodily fluids, bodily material, I don't want it.
00:20:49
Speaker
i just I got enough of my own, and i don't like it. I'm grossed out it. That said, people are going to start start believing you, Derek.
00:21:02
Speaker
Um, it happened. Annette. Yeah. But, but, um, so, so you interview comedians, but you don't want to do standup. What, what's your apprehension?
00:21:15
Speaker
I, um, I Scorpio, stop it. Kayla's going to find out and then she's going to be mad. Um, I am, uh, well, I, uh, um i am ah well i yeah I don't do, I don't like public speaking for one. ah and That's, that's something I've never gotten over, which is funny because I do this, but as I tell people, um I'm in my bedroom. If I have a shit or if I'm not feeling it, I can just simply reach up and close my laptop game over. And if it's really bad, I can delete it, you know? but but but but um
00:21:49
Speaker
But I don't, I don't think that I'm built to, to get up on, on stage and, and write, you know, I got stories for days. I mean, I grew up a poor kid in the country and I've got a million stories for days, but I just don't think I have it in me to do jokes. Everything I've, everything like my, my funny, I guess comes right off the top of my head.
00:22:13
Speaker
And it's usually from interactions with people or, um, and I don't want be there. You know, we, you you You should you should ro write it down and note it because you too may have like a a senior moment, go out of your mind and say, shit, I'm going to do stand-up comedy like I did.
00:22:32
Speaker
yeah And what's crazy is there are lot of comedians. You'd think that, oh, you know this guy, what the hell? There are a lot of people in their 50s and 60s that just literally – now a lot of them took courses ah or they'd written comedy and just never performed comedy.
00:22:49
Speaker
Hey, Weirdo and Joe. thought you said Weirdo Joe. But you could call me Weirdo Joe. um That's fine. that what yeah yeah um my daughter sister she's a yeah not at light drop But, My sister, when I was a little kid, stabbed me in the arm with a pencil. I've had that same piece of graphite in my arm for years. So now I contend that I didn't deserve it. My sister swears that I deserved it And it was all over an argument about a friend of hers that was staying over for dinner.
00:23:23
Speaker
And I'm sorry, listen, don't think less of me for this. I've matured a little bit since then, but the girl was really ugly. And she was staying over for dinner. And so I got one of the dog's Gainsburgers and put it on a plate. I said, Stephanie, that's where you're going to sit.
00:23:39
Speaker
My sister went ballistic. She chased me through the house, pinned me down, stabbed me in the arm with a pencil, looked me right in the eyes with this evil, evil look, and made sure she snapped that point and made sure it stayed in my arm. was 15. I'm 65 now. So, yeah. that's a – i was fifteen i'm sixty five now so yeah yeah it's that's a I got stabbed by a pencil too. was 13. Actually turned out to be a kid who wound up being one of my best friends growing up through high school and stuff like that. On the bus, little guy. Do you still have the lead or the... No, I do have a sweet little scar that actually looks like a birthmark because he stuck that pencil about two inches into my stomach. Oh.
00:24:19
Speaker
ah So, little guy, he started mouthing off on the school bus, and I kind of mushed him down in the seat. And next thing I know, he went right into my stomach. so Oh, that was more painful than what she did to my arm. But mine's still there.
00:24:32
Speaker
People sometimes look at it and say oh what, but do you have pen on here? No, that's 50-year-old graphite from when my sister had. 50-year-old graphite, yeah. Oh, yeah. The little battle scars, battle scars for Dave. Oh, i have I have plenty of battle stories.
00:24:47
Speaker
ah Can I tell you another battle story? Absolutely. I'm here for you. All right. In the second grade, back in the days when we walked home from school for lunch, I was walking home from school, and this kid, Billy, was behind me, and he was pushing me and giving me crap.
00:25:01
Speaker
So I saw a piece of paneling in the street, and i picked it up, and I smashed it over his face. That was a piece of paneling. wasn't two by four. So I go back to school, and the teacher had the classroom set up as a courtroom. She actually put me on trial for hitting the kid with a piece of paneling.
00:25:19
Speaker
Now, I go home and tell my mother. Now, I don't know if you have many Italian people where you're at, but an Italian mother, she went in there. She ripped this lady a new asshole to the point where I could have not showed up for the rest of the year and got straight A's. It was like it was traumatic for a little second grader. Yeah, am I guilty? Yeah, I'm guilty. He was pushing me. I defended myself. I smashed him over the head with a piece of paneling. And so, yeah, so that's another battle story.
00:25:50
Speaker
um'm i didn't get into too many fights, but but that's one that stands out. My sister stabbed me, obviously. i so I have the memory of that embedded in my arm. um What else? ah Yeah, I can't remember too many too many fights. i was always i was just I was the one being bullied, usually. Wow.
00:26:11
Speaker
I went through that where I was bullied, but I think I, I, when I finally learned that I'm bigger than most kids, I'm bigger than most adults at 12, 13 years old.
00:26:23
Speaker
i don't have to be bullied. Like, and so yeah, I, I had that size advantage going for me most, most of my life. So that's listen, that's, that's a good thing. I mean, I'm like a little sawed off Guido. I'm like five, five, you know, just you know, but, but you know, You work with what you have, right?
00:26:43
Speaker
Yeah. but You got to what you got to do. We're talking about his sister's waterboarding him with ah Italian vinaigrette. Just don't get it in your eyes. Yeah. You know, you could choke on it but don't get it in your eyes. well i yeah But else?
00:27:02
Speaker
What else do you want to talk about? My sisters and I were, well, my my one sister and I, we used to have all out. wars like growing up. I don't know how, don't know how we survived. I don't know how she survived in all honesty, but. Well, we had this indoor rock garden at the one house we lived at. I don't know why, but we did. And when I pissed my sister off, she'd just pick up a handful of rocks and wing them at me. um I think definitely some brain damage.
00:27:29
Speaker
i did I did get um chased by a girl who chased me to my house and hit me over the head with a hammer. that might People ask me, have I been dropped on my head? No, but I was hit on my head with a hammer. So I think that's an equivalent traumatic blunt force to the what little brain I might have. so little What little brain power way that you have. I run with one brain. Hit the right spot. She beat the odds. It was like those arcade games.
00:27:58
Speaker
Yep. Exactly. She defied all odds and came out on top. That's right. She didn't get a prize, and I got a concussion, but, you know. Yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker
Well, speaking of, like, jokes and stuff, it sounds like you got stories for
Crafting Comedy from Life's Moments
00:28:13
Speaker
days. Are you more of a storyteller? That's exactly. That's it that's what I tell stories about my life, you know. i still And, you know, some stuff's embellished. Some stuff is ah right on. Like, you know, i usually open with the same thing every every show, which is – You know, I love doing stand-up comedy. I love working with all these funny comedians that we have on the lineup tonight.
00:28:34
Speaker
But a couple weeks ago, I worked with a comedian that told a story about finding his father's stash of pornography, and they bonded over that moment. And that brought back a childhood memory because when I was nine, I found my father's stash of pornography.
00:28:48
Speaker
Now, we didn't bond over that moment, but that's when I discovered my father was gay. And then I go on to say, you know, Johnny does the catching is is not a baseball film. after The third time I watched it, I just didn't see any baseball. And then, you know, it just so stuff like that. And that's, you know, part true, part embellished. And then there's one that's exactly true. So i I refer to my wife as my ex-wife, but she passed away 12 years ago because I found that dead wife jokes don't really cut it. So this happened exactly the way I say it is, ah I say, you know, one of the reasons I'm divorced from my wife is she made me do stupid shit like take her to the doctor's appointments.
00:29:27
Speaker
So one day we're the gynecologist, I'm in the exam room with her, I'm holding her clothes. and the doctor's under that little vagina tent doing whatever the hell he does under there and he zips out and he looks at me and before he could say a word i looked at him and i said saw your shadow six more weeks of no sex and i said that to the doctor my wife cracked up and i looked at the doctor i said listen don't look at me with that straight face you know that's funny you're going to use it you better give me credit yeah So, you know, it's just it's just stuff that's happened or just observation.
00:30:00
Speaker
You know, everybody observes. right I think when you start doing stand-up, you observe things in a different way. So, I mean, I'll hear things or see things, and I'll record it right into my, you know, phone voice recorder, put it in notes.
00:30:15
Speaker
And then what I used to do when I first started, I used a whiteboard. And what I did is I would write out the story, use black ink but red ink for words that had to stay in there, read it, narrow it down, cut it, change it, whatever, and then get it to where, okay, this is what I think will work.
00:30:32
Speaker
And if it worked, great. If it didn't work, come back and rework. you know this Writing is a continuous process and and and you know the stories have a a life of their own. and you know I was just telling the guys when I was doing the little,
00:30:48
Speaker
little the videos for the car dealership um about how like early on I had this story about, used to say, I'd like to tell you huge story about the first time I had sex with a prostitute. And it took about a minute and a half, two minutes. And I thought, OK, it gets a good laugh. There's a couple laughs in there. But I can narrow this down to like 25 seconds. And I narrow it down and just say, hey, has anybody ever gotten a blowjob from a prostitute? Because I want to tell you a story about the blowjob I got from a prostitute.
00:31:15
Speaker
I wanted to say, hey, I'm protected. you know, finished in her mouth. She spit, she rinsed, turns around and tells me to have a blessed day. Does anybody else find that weird?
00:31:27
Speaker
you know and that kind of is the summation of that you know of the prostitute joke so you know but it's it's everything you know everything lives in and and and breathes changes and i'm always trying to put new stuff in and uh you know sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't and But, you know, like that.
00:31:52
Speaker
i don i like that I don't know if you've ever listened to Comic Mind with Jeff Foxworthy. It's on Sirius XM. He has a station on it. been Sirius XM couple times, yeah. and and And I love that show because it's basically just shop talk between Jeff and other comedians.
00:32:09
Speaker
And they they they just talk about, you know, everything – comedy, how they got started, how they developed their writing process, everything. And one thing, the common, if there's any common denominator that i find in that show is it's like, don't ever throw jokes away.
00:32:24
Speaker
you may You may have something that absolutely bombs, put it aside, rework it, and in two years, you may have something that it ties into, and now it's a great joke to have. And I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. So I never throw jokes away, but I'll pull them from my set.
00:32:41
Speaker
and I'll say okay i got to give that a rest and maybe you know rework it um but it's it's really and again I was never a writer uh I was terrible in English and in school I used to write the way I speak which is everything's grammatically incorrect that way right 100 feel you all that I have told people a million times I have abused and beaten down the English language for the last 45 years and there's no stopping me. Yeah. And, and, and, you know, so I'm not like, Oh, well, you know, you write so well, you write this, you write that. And you know, it's funny. I did a, I did a show. was like a competition, but it was show in Maryland about a year, little over a year ago at that point, I guess I was, know, was doing standup maybe 14 months, 15 months. uh,
00:33:29
Speaker
and They said, how long are you doing stand-up? I said, about 14 months. And the one judge looked at me and said, it's it's amazing you're only doing this 14 months because you're writing ah style. You're writing abilities at at a five- or six-year level. And I thought that was a cool compliment because I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't have a workbook. I don't have any any guidance. I don't have any – I mean, i I work a lot of stuff, you know, with my son.
00:33:55
Speaker
But – It's not like, oh, I have a playbook. how you know i just yeah I just wing it. yeah and And so to get that compliment, that was pretty good because I have no idea what I'm doing.
00:34:07
Speaker
I really don't. I can't appreciate that because I'm the same way. I have no fucking idea what I'm doing. But I'm doing pretty well. I think that makes for the best comedy because it's obviously not scripted. It's not scripted.
00:34:23
Speaker
Something that you go up to. I don't do the same set night after night after night. I change it up. um and And, you know, but but, you know, I've had i've had some, i'veset you know, in the two and a half years I've been doing this, I've had just some very lucky and very amazing opportunities. Like ah my day job is a mortgage broker.
00:34:43
Speaker
And I i yeah have a ah wholesale rep that I work with. And she I told her I was getting into stand-up comedy. She says, well, you know, I have a guy in PA who's a mortgage broker, who's one of my clients. It's Steve Trevino's best friend.
00:34:57
Speaker
i said She said, Steve likes to bring new comics on stage. um send him Send me a tape, I'll forward it to him. couple days later, she says, listen, he's going to tell Steve to to bring you on. And I ended up opening you know for Steve Trevino at the Kirby Theater in Wilkes-Barre, PA. It's about 900 people.
00:35:14
Speaker
And that was like four months into doing stand-up. And people said, oh my God, you know, where you're shitting. No, I was laughing because I opened the show. They introduced me and people are cheering.
00:35:26
Speaker
They don't know who the fuck. But man, that when you get, you so get so hooked when that spotlight captures you and you go to the center stand it's following you around. and you have 900 people laughing at you, that's where I think the term roar of laughter, because it does say, when you have 900 or most of the 900 people laughing, it sounds like a roar. It really does. It was so cool. That was one of my best experiences. And then February of 2025,
00:35:54
Speaker
I was doing a ah new comic showcase at Gotham in New York City. And, you know, just 11 new comics. Nobody you've ever heard of, except me, of course. And I was number six to go on.
00:36:06
Speaker
Five was on stage. Jim Gaffigan comes strolling in. Host comes up to me and said, hey, listen, Jim's going to do a set. After his set, you'll go on. I'm thinking, oh, great. I'm doing this maybe 13 months. i have to follow the hottest comics in the world. No no pressure. yeah So five minutes into his set,
00:36:24
Speaker
Host comes back, says, hey, listen, Jim's going to bring up a friend. You're going to go up pay after the friend. friend's going do a set. Okay. you're all right, maybe some friend from New York. Jerry Seinfeld. Oh, Jesus. So now I have to follow a combined 40 minutes of Gaffigan and Seinfeld and make people laugh, which I did. But they they cut my opening out. I think Jerry Seinfeld wanted it cut out because I said, hey, yeah, I'm a first-year comedian. Jim and Jerry open for me all the time.
00:36:51
Speaker
and you know got a good laugh but they cut it so if you ever see my whole video from gotham they introduced me and i'm like in the middle of a set in the middle of story so it it got cut but when i was going on stage seinfeld was coming off and i looked at seinfeld and i said great you know first you're a comedian no pressure having to follow you he starts laughing punches me in the arm and says you're going to do great and i did i i had a very good i had a very good set uh wasn't but no I was nervous, but I didn't show my nerves. And after my set, I ran out from the street and dry heaved.
00:37:23
Speaker
because it was like It's like a surreal moment. yeah To have one of those people on the stage that you're on, let alone both, and have to follow them.
00:37:36
Speaker
It just was like, okay, you know I could do this. And i I did it. Man, my guts were my guts were twisted. My guts were twisted like somebody was rolling them like a rubber band.
00:37:48
Speaker
yeah i just Yeah. I mean, that's i mean but whether you like him or not, Jerry is an absolute legend. He's an icon in the comedy world. No question about it. And being that new, you know you're a little over a year into it. It's just like,
00:38:05
Speaker
yeah Yeah, you It does leave you dumbfounded. And, you know, the next day I'm like, did I dream that? Did that really happen? And people were posting all over because, you know, I had some people the show. My son was the show. a couple of other people that I know were the show. They were like, oh, my God, you did phenomenal. I mean, people were coming up to me after the show. Now, this is New York City, a place where you couldn't run into the same person, if you you know even by accident.
00:38:30
Speaker
Yeah. And I'm in the hallway after the show and people are exiting out. This girl and her ah boyfriend, her husband, says, oh, my God, i'm so good seeing you again. je Oh, we saw you at Broadway.
00:38:42
Speaker
We loved you. You're very funny. We follow you. We'd love to see you perform again. I'm thinking to myself.
Family Feedback and Personal Growth
00:38:48
Speaker
You know, it's just it's cool it's cool when people tell you that, but it's like, I don't yeah i just you know i don't like people. I don't want to be recognized. Leave me alone.
00:39:00
Speaker
You're in the wrong field for that, my friend. um I've been trying on wigs just in case. you no and and and the glasses with the big nose and fake mustache. Yeah, there you disguises. Andy asked in the chat, does your son ever tell you no to a joke or does he just roll with it? He'll, he'll um you know, he'll, he's my biggest critic. So he'll tell me,
00:39:26
Speaker
um you know, to change something up or to change rework it or he'll come out and say it sucks. And I listen to him, but I still I'm stubborn, so I'm going to try it. And if it if I bomb, I say, you're right, it sucked. It bomb notes out.
00:39:44
Speaker
yeah And like joe I run everything by him. and i Again, true story, when I was seven years old, my mother bought me a diary. Now, I didn't ask for a diary. I had no idea what a diary was. She explained to me it's a book where you know what happened you during the day, your thoughts, whatever.
00:40:00
Speaker
So I'm seven years old, and I make two entries in this diary, and that's it. Never again. This thing's almost 60 years old, two entries. Same day. The first one is, my ass is itchy. I don't think I wiped too good.
00:40:13
Speaker
The second one, yup, wiped again, more fudge. but yeah I tell this to my son, and he said, you know, something very similar was on Family Guy. And I said, well, you know what? I was seven years old. This was 1968. This isn't a diary that I still have. There was no Family Guy. So if anybody wants to say I'm a hack and steal it from Family Guy, hey.
00:40:35
Speaker
Hey, here you go. but I wrote that down in 1968. And so, but yes, my my son is a very, very big help.
00:40:47
Speaker
um and And he's my biggest critic and he doesn't pull punches. But when he tells me um that he's proud of me and is amazed at how far I've come in such a short time, um he's ah he's a study of comedy.
00:41:03
Speaker
So he knows, you know, he, I mean, he'll say, Oh, have you listened this podcast? I said, what's that? And he's like, you know, you're a comedian. You should be listening to all this stuff. I said, why? I don't even think of myself as a comedian. I just think, okay, people me to go up on stage and make them laugh. Okay.
00:41:18
Speaker
I do it. I mean, you know, I guess by definition I'm a comedian, but I don't, I don't think I'm a comedian and in a traditional sense where, um, you know, it wasn't a lifelong ambition. I didn't come from the entertainment field. I don't want to, I don't want to use this to parlay it into acting or other stuff like that. Even though I've been in two movies, I've been in two indie movies.
00:41:40
Speaker
I've, they asked me the first one I thought was a prank. I got a, uh, phone message from a producer called, his name was Steve Oakley. And I thought, now this is bullshit. Somebody's pranking me.
00:41:52
Speaker
So I reverse checked the phone number. Yeah, Steve Oakley. So then I Google Steve Oakley. He's an award-winning producer. Produced a lot of reality TV, won awards for reality TV, produced a few films. So I called and said, what can I do for you? He said, I found on social media. I think you're funny and I think you'd be right for this part.
00:42:13
Speaker
Okay. So I was basically, they missed they spelled my name a little different, and that was my character. And the movie is Steinberg Plays Peoria Part 2.
00:42:24
Speaker
And then the other one was ah Paul Halsey, who's a New York comedian, who's a friend of mine, asked me to be in the movie he was shooting over the summer. And I said, sure. And I said, you have no budget, so what's my wardrobe? He says, jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt. Fine. He says, no, I think your character Ivan should wear a flannel shirt. So I don't have a flannel shirt. I said to him, listen, the only people I know who have flannel shirts are lumberjacks and dykes, and I'm neither.
00:42:51
Speaker
And so i bought ah I bought a flannel shirt. I'm walking through Manhattan with a flannel shirt in August. It's 110 degrees. I got there. He says, oh, you're sweaty.
00:43:03
Speaker
um yeah the Outside, you see what I'm wearing? Ivan's wearing the flannel shirt. So we did the shoot. It was good. It was a lot of fun. And, uh, I went in the bathroom, I saw myself in a flannel shirt, and I thought to myself, I do make a really cute dike.
00:43:20
Speaker
It was worth the $65 I paid for the flannel shirt. Well, now I just want to thank you because i own flannels and I wear flannels, and it's already bad enough that these assholes in the chat make fun of me for them. So now I'm going to get even a lumberjack. You can get away with being a lumberjack. I can't.
00:43:38
Speaker
i Can't a little a little five five sort of we go from New Jersey carrying acts. I'm going to jail. I'm not going to the forest You're the brawny guy so I'm glad that I could pull it off because I get these clowns ammunition and Got a little boy they they don't take They don't miss an opportunity to make fun of me in the chat when they get one. Well, listen, it's it's nice that you're that popular. You would you would be upset if nobody did that. so ah yeah We do it to each other.
00:44:16
Speaker
They love me. They hate me. Either way, they're here. I don't care. But at least they're watching you, for better or for worse. Right? 100%. I can see why you have the success you're having so fast and so quick. you have a larger than life personality.
00:44:36
Speaker
you're You know might be a little guy. i'm trying I'm trying to lose some of that largeness, but thank you. um I'm on Manjaro. yeah But thank you. Thank you very much. i just You know what? i i i just I just love having fun. I love living life. That's one thing I love about being with Tina. We laugh together. We have fun together. We don't, you know, no drama, no bullshit. And 12 and a half years ago, I suffered the loss of my wife and it was hard to be married, 31 and a half years.
00:45:07
Speaker
And you know it's something that stays with you forever, but you have to live your life and move forward. And I think, you know and my wife's watching from somewhere.
00:45:18
Speaker
She's saying, what the fuck is he doing? And she's, you know, and you know, the irony is if she was alive, I'd never, I mean, she was, she was not, she's one of the few women I know that wasn't crazy.
00:45:29
Speaker
She was a lawyer. She was brilliant. She was well-respected the legal community in New Jersey, but, um, you know, I would have never made this journey. So it's kind of, you make lemonade out of lemons.
00:45:41
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. You, you know, you just, Try it. Like you said, man, I appreciate that. I'm the same way, man. I'm just, we're not here for a long time. I want to have as much fun as I possibly can. Right.
00:45:52
Speaker
You know? Yep. And, and, and, you know, we don't know, Hey, I could be on stage yeah this weekend and God forbid drop dead. don't want to, but if you know, yeah, yeah.
00:46:03
Speaker
No regrets. You can't live life with regrets. That's why I'm telling you, keep your notes. One day you might say, you know what? I'm goingnna i'm going to take Joe's advice. I'm going to get up there. I don't give a shit if they laugh, they boo, they heckle, they tell me fuck off.
00:46:18
Speaker
You know what? The bottom line is, it's something you want to do, do it. And then people up to all the time, oh, I really want to do it. Do it. Don't. What's the worst that could happen? what there's nothing you know There's nothing that will change your life for the worse, and it could possibly change your life for the better.
00:46:36
Speaker
and i mean, I can't believe I'm doing the shit I'm doing. I'm playing the stages I'm playing. I mean, people ask me, how that you're doing this two years, two and a half years. How the hell are you playing Gotham and Rodney's and Broadway and and Laugh Factory and touring all over yeah i I think I've been 12 or 13 states. I mean, I want to go everywhere. to tour everywhere. It's just, you know obviously, with the price of gas right now,
00:46:59
Speaker
for now its its its because i I do prefer to drive. I mean, I will fly if I have to. I flew to Nebraska. But I mean, I could drive and just make a tour. I pull out my... Paper book Atlas. And I plan my logistics and I know where I'm going. And I love it. I prefer to drive because, you know, you meet people. You run to crazy people. You pick up material. You're not going to pick up material on a plane. That's exactly what I was just thinking. You know, but every time you go pump gas or go get a coffee somewhere, there's a character. And, yeah, I get my phone. I start talking to it.
00:47:37
Speaker
You know, they don't know. there What's he talking to himself? Yeah, whatever. You know, him I'm making a joke that you helped create, you know. And, and and know but you know, I should say, you know, planes are are interesting.
00:47:53
Speaker
um You know, I... yeah I was flying a year or two. I'm in an aisle seat. There's somebody two rows ahead of me in an aisle seat watching a movie on a laptop.
00:48:05
Speaker
Now it wasn't like a porno flick, but the people were definitely fucking. And there's a little kid walking down the aisle and just stopped. And he's looking and I'm thinking to myself, Oh God, I wouldn't want to be this guy when the parents find out what this kid stopped to watch. you And it just,
00:48:23
Speaker
that just it's It's just crazy. And then, ah you know, I used to fly Spirit Airlines, RIP Spirit Airlines, but they used to have those pocket cards. And I decided, let me look at this pocket card. And Spirit's pocket instruction card was different than other airlines. I looked at other airlines, and they don't have this one thing that scares the shit out of me.
00:48:46
Speaker
They had a drawing of a stick figure sitting in a seat holding up what was apparently a cell phone that was on fire yelling help. And I'm thinking everybody on this plane has one of these devices, maybe more than one if they have a laptop, a tablet, and a phone.
00:49:06
Speaker
This, why would they do this? This scares the shit out of me, you know? And there was no instructions. It didn't say, hey, if this happens, call for help. It was just ah a stick figure holding up a cell phone on fire yelling help. Okay, that makes me feel real comfortable. The other thing in there in their booklet was, you know how they say, you know how you brace yourself if you're going to be in a crash, in a water landing, this. Well, you know they have pictures of it.
00:49:33
Speaker
Their planes are going down like this. I said, there there's no brace. You're dead. what you here Why would you even but why don't you put it like this? Chances are if you're crashing, you're not going down like this. But why do you have to put the drawing in the instructions to scare the shit of everybody in the plane? I mean, it's not like, oh, well, you know, if it's not going to go down like that. It's going to go down.
00:49:55
Speaker
You know, just they I think they went the wrong. I think Spirit was their own worst enemy. Because number one, the cheap flights attracted crazy people.
00:50:07
Speaker
like yeah And then those booklets were like, or those pamphlets were like, come on, are you out of your mind putting this shit in here? People don't want to get on board. They'll follow along with booklet. What the fuck is this? you know you know Especially for a guy like me, I've never flown.
00:50:25
Speaker
i'm scared Ever? Never, ever flown. The only fear I have in life, and I don't know why what it is, is heights. I'm terrified of heights. I'm not afraid of any man walking this earth, any creature walking this earth, fires. like I'm not afraid of anything.
00:50:41
Speaker
But heights is like, that's my kryptonite. So I've never flown. I have no desire to fly. sit in an aisle seat, tell the person at the window to pull the shade down, and you don't even know you're you're off the ground. Now, I will tell you, I'm sort of afraid of heights. I do CrossFit, and they used these to try to make me do rope climbs. Now,
00:50:58
Speaker
I'm an old man. As I'm trying to climb up this rope unsuccessfully every time, the one thing that's going through my head is Humpty Dumpty. Because if I fall, they're not going to be able to put me back together. I swear to God. And I said that to the coach. And she said, oh, you're just being a baby. I said, really? I said, if I'm up even halfway up and I fall, so I get almost all the way to the top and I swing my left hand over and I miss the rope.
00:51:25
Speaker
and that scared the shit out of because i was ready to let go with my right hand i i had rope burns for a month i couldn't jerk off for a month because my my rope burns that's the real travesty right there that's right so you know its I had to solicit favors and pay dearly for them. But, you know, like really, i'm I'm afraid of heights too in that sense. But when I'm on a plane, I don't think about it. First of all, I fall asleep. I put my headphones on, I fall asleep.
00:51:55
Speaker
And I snore. And I don't give a shit if I'm disturbing other people. I don't want to be awake for... for most trust like i said but i will i won't I won't travel to Europe. I mean, the flight, in because of the flight, I'd love to go to Europe. But the the flight, the the length of time and how much time you're over water, I just think to myself, okay, you know, it's not it's not like we have any place to land yeah if there's a problem.
00:52:26
Speaker
And it's not like they have like little aircraft carriers for jets to land in the middle of the ocean if there's a problem. I mean, you're screwed. Yeah, you're just fucked. Yeah. And and so right into the ocean that's why.
00:52:38
Speaker
Now, if I were to get a gig in Europe, I probably would take a ship. I would probably, and you know, take a ship. You know.
00:52:49
Speaker
I don't know that I could fly for six or seven hours straight. yeah i get I mean, fly Florida, I could do it two and a half, three hours. Nebraska wasn't bad because it got broken up. Philly, Chicago, Chicago to Omaha. And they were both like an hour flight.
00:53:04
Speaker
So that was good. But to do more than three, four hours, I'm just, it's, it hey, can we land this thing? I want to get off. I'm done. yeah I'm done. It doesn't work like that.
00:53:19
Speaker
Yeah, I've never had a need to fly. i but I love road trips, man. I'll drive. I'll drive everywhere. You already could you are in a good location where, you know, you're close enough to Chicago. You're close enough to Michigan. You're close enough to New York. You're close enough to the East Coast.
00:53:38
Speaker
You know, I mean, it's not. i mean, it took me 12 hours from Cleveland to New Jersey. when That was my last leg. I went Chicago to Cleveland when drove back. And then Cleveland back to New Jersey. And door to door, it was about 12 hours.
00:53:53
Speaker
couple of stops. You know, so it's really, I mean, you can drive it. um As long, you know, as as as long as you, you know, you know you just take stops. That's all. Take stops, take breaks. I mean, I think from Ohio down to Florida. We went down to Florida back in March.
00:54:11
Speaker
Where did we go? Cape Pearl, I think it was. um and It was about a 16, 17-hour drive. What part of Florida? I think it was Cape Coral. Okay. no south phone down Down a couple hours south of Tampa.
00:54:26
Speaker
Yeah. um But I think it was 16, 17 hour drive. We split it up in two days. We drove, think we drove like, like 10, 11, 12 hours the first day and stopped and got a hotel. And then the last four or five hours the second day. And it was, it's you know as long as you have enough time to spend in florida on vacation or you know and and you get there and you feel good because you have your car you don't have to rent a car you know it's it you know it it I don't mind driving, you know, but sometimes yeah like last summer i I was selected to do a spot on the world series of comedy in little rock, Arkansas.
00:55:04
Speaker
And I was so excited and I was flying out of Philly and American canceled five different flights. I didn't get there. And I thought, had I known it was this difficult to fly out of Philly to get to little, I would show i don't care. 12, 14, whatever was, I don't care.
00:55:20
Speaker
But, you know, I thought, well, let me fly. I'll get a rental car. be nice. You know, just, you know, and, uh, so that, that was disappointing. And, uh, I, I got asked again for all series comedy, but every time the dates, I already had stuff booked because now the more I'm doing, I'm getting booked.
00:55:40
Speaker
Um, you know, 45, 60, 90 days. And I've got stuff booked into October right now. Yeah. know, we're not even in summer. we're already talking about the fall.
00:55:51
Speaker
So, you know, um and I'm not going to say no. not going say, well, something might come up and then lose, not something come up and lose the gig. So, you know, burden the hand. So it's a shame because there were a couple, there were are a couple world series of comedy dates I would have loved to done, but,
00:56:08
Speaker
they just I was already booked. And I didn't want to commit. And I didn't i and i did that last year, and um I regret it. I had a show booked, and I said, listen, I don't want to be an asshole.
00:56:19
Speaker
I don't want cancel, but this is a really good opportunity. It's a world series of comedy. And he understood. The booker understood. But I don't like to do that to people. yeah I don't like to do that to people. because you Well, you never you never know. you know whether they you know To you, personally, they might be like, yeah, you know we get it. That's okay.
00:56:35
Speaker
But you know, once you in that phone call or you, you walk away from that conversation, they go, cross that guy off. He's not allowed to go. And I, and I, and I would being a business person also, I wouldn't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't blame them. So, you know, if I'm booked, I'm not going to cancel the booking.
00:56:55
Speaker
and And I'm a big, and I'm a big believer in, you know, whether it's comedy or music or even doing podcasts and you never know who's going to stumble across your,
00:57:06
Speaker
your show or your music or whatever the case may be. You don't know what ears or eyes it's going to land on. And that could you know that could be one of those those golden opportunities where the right person is in the audience at the right time.
00:57:20
Speaker
And they're like, oh, hey, Joe, we're going to put you on tour with, you know ah I don't know why I'm drawing a blank for comedians right now, Gabriel Iglesias or something like that. you know i Yeah.
00:57:32
Speaker
and and and And, you know, that's why whether it's it's it's musicians or whether it's comedy or any live entertainment, it doesn't matter how many people in the audience. You're there to perform. You're there to give them a great show no matter how many people are are in the audience. Because you know what? they Even if it's a free show, they took the time to come out.
00:57:55
Speaker
to see you and they deserve 110%, 100% of the time. And I've always been a firm believer in that. And again, you know, my my business background, I think, you know, I've always lived by, you know, early's on time, on time is late, late's unacceptable. You know, you there's certain business ah traits that I take from the non-entertainment area into entertainment because it is, ah in the end,
Professionalism in the Comedy Business
00:58:23
Speaker
it's a business. yeah And I treat it like a business and I network like and it's a business. and it's it's ah And I've always talked to, ah you know, comedians and said, listen, I i know you're not making any money at this. and lonie's tight
00:58:37
Speaker
But at the least go to Vistaprint, spend 30 bucks, get some business cards, be able to say, hey, here's my info. phone number, my email, my social media sites, you know, have have something to give out, you know, and I think that the more professional you present yourself, I mean, obviously you have to be funny. First and foremost, you have to be funny.
00:59:00
Speaker
But if you don't have a professional ah presentation, if you don't have a professional way about you, like every show, every single show I have, day of or day before I reach out to the booker,
00:59:14
Speaker
what time do you want to arrive what's my set length is there anything you know i need to know in terms of material or anything and they appreciate that and i um i think that you know i could probably teach a course on it i mean i taught a course uh this uh friend of mine has an open mic in asbury park joe brisada nice guy um and he did the uh open mics at his studio in in Ocean Road, which is by Asbury Park.
00:59:46
Speaker
And you know he asked me, said, listen, I would love if you could come into one of my open mics and just talk about how you're getting booked because you're all over the place. We don't know how you're doing it we' And I came in I basically said, this is You ask, but you ask in a professional manner.
01:00:02
Speaker
You have a professional reel that you send people because they're not going to appreciate looking at, you know, ah shitty reel with shitty sound, with shitty, you know, audio video.
01:00:14
Speaker
And so, um I made sure that when I started to approach people, I had the the package and, you know, I, use videos that I get from like, uh,
01:00:26
Speaker
When I did Rodney's, they did a professional video. Broadway comedy did a professional video. Gotham did professional. And everything was tied into the soundboard. So it's really good. You're not working off the PA. You're working off the soundboard. So everything is good.
01:00:39
Speaker
And so i just, um I try to convey to people, number one, you're not entitled. They'll never go into it. don't care who you are, how many people, you're not entitled.
01:00:51
Speaker
You always ask, you don't demand. And I have a basic email that I send out to people. Hey, you know, I introduced myself, Joe Scribner, a Jersey based comedian. I'd like to opportunity to get in a spot on on an upcoming show. I'm attaching a video on my electronic press kit. Please reach out.
01:01:06
Speaker
you have any questions, any more information, can provide any available dates you can offer me.
01:01:12
Speaker
Email, cell phone, attach a video, attach my electronic press kit and it's there. and And, and, you know, all that's nice and professional verbiage, but if what they're watching isn't funny or doesn't fit and you know, it's, it's 70, 30, 70% rejection or no reply and 30%, you know, you're, you're, you're booking and that keeps me busy 30 for the amount of reaching out that I do 30% keeps me busy. I can book, I could book even more shows, yeah um you know, but I don't want to burn myself out. I mean, I,
01:01:46
Speaker
10 to 15 a month is a strong month for me. You know, five to eight is a good month. um But then, you know, you need to you need to re reset. You need to recharge because I find myself towards the end of like 10 or 12 15 show month that – show month that I'm feeling it, you know, I'm not i'm like, i'm I'm not as energetic.
01:02:11
Speaker
I'm not and and it's not fair to the audience. So I want to make sure and it just it's it's just a matter of, you know, wear and tear on the body, the mind, you know, and and but, you know, it's like anything else, like working out, you build, you know, you build endurance. with doing stand-up i have to build endurance to be able to regularly do that many shows you know if i want to keep climbing the ladder which i i do but i do this for fun if it really becomes a pain in the ass i you know i refuse to you know kiss anybody's ring or kiss anybody's ass i won't do that there's you know there's there's too many places
01:02:53
Speaker
you know, that I could perform to have to, oh, say, oh, you know, get down on one knee and say, oh, please, you know I'm not going to beg anybody. I don't have to do this. I don't do it because I love it. I have fun.
01:03:05
Speaker
And, you know, if you think I'm funny, book me. If you don't, fine. But I think that there are so many people who feel, because they've been doing it so long and aren't funny or aren't that funny,
01:03:22
Speaker
they feel entitled well i pay the dues well i don't believe in any of that pay the dues because i've had another comment coming in oh you're jumping the line you're not paying the news first of all what line is there and what news am i am i paying you know what ah i'm i'm doing this all on my own i'm not buying my way on i'm not you know i basically just market the shit out of myself. Yeah. And let your comedy, but you could do that as much as I do, but not be funny and not get booked, but don't cop an attitude.
01:03:54
Speaker
Like there's comedians that I've said, they bitch. Oh, I tried during when you looked at your stuff. Is it, you know, is it stale? Is it, you know, is it something you need to, or it's a lot of crowd work bookers don't. I mean,
01:04:09
Speaker
Bookers can get anybody in there to do crowd work. They want people with material. They want to see how you write. They want to see how you perform, your stage presence, your you know your overall ability to you know present yourself on stage. so you know And I feel bad because, look, I respect every comic out there because anybody has the balls to get up behind that microphone and do what we do, I don't care if you're the biggest asshole in the world, I don't care if you're the least funny comedian in the world, I respect you because I know what it takes to get up there every single time.
01:04:42
Speaker
Yeah, I've said it a million times. I mean, it is it is it is truly an art to get up and put yourself out because you're by yourself on stage in front of you know anywhere from 20 people to over 1,000 people. you know And you're putting yourself out there. It's not a band where you if you if you're a guitar player and you screw up a note, like you may not notice it because the drummer is absolutely killing it or the singer is on fire that night. People may not notice. If you fuck up a joke or if you screw up a line, you're there by yourself. And everybody in ah in the audience is going to... I got nothing but respect for anybody who's
01:05:24
Speaker
Again, like I said, I'm not a comedian. I've never had a desire to be. enjoy what I do here, and it gives me an opportunity to be funny from time to time. And you are. But I don't get the hell out of what you guys do because don't got the balls to do it. I'm not working on myself.
01:05:46
Speaker
it's To me, it's a challenge. To me, it's it's it's an addiction and it's a challenge. um you know yeah every every Every show is a different show. It's a different group of people. um And sometimes something that worked the night before that killed will bomb. And you know I have my little,
01:06:02
Speaker
you know, things i you like like I'll say something. And if it doesn't get much of a laugh or if it bombs, I'll say, I guess you had to be there. And that usually brings them back right away, you know, because the worst thing you want to do is show fear. Oh, they didn't laugh. I'm sucking. I'm bombing on this. You're in the headlights type of thing. You're going to smell that blood in the water. Exactly. And and let me tell you, in new york well I did my very first New York City show.
01:06:31
Speaker
I was maybe two months in and I had a showcase at Rodney's, the old danger fields in New York City. And I'm thinking to myself, I am going to get my ass handed to me. They're going to eat me alive, but I got to do it. i have to get out there and do it.
01:06:45
Speaker
They loved me. yeah they they I mean, people were, I mean, it was it was crazy. And I'm thinking to myself, maybe I am good at this. Maybe I know what I'm doing. Maybe I am funny. I mean, I just, I just get up there talk and I talk i tell stories and, and, and it was, it was pretty cool. And then I think it was my sixth show it was in January, 2024, like weeks after I did my first open mic.
01:07:12
Speaker
Um, I did a comedy that was a predominantly African-American crowd. And my son said, listen, they're going to eat you a alive. Probably to day, one of the best crowds I ever performed. Um, um And I find that funny is funny.
01:07:28
Speaker
I mean, if you don't get offensive, if you don't yeah try to you know be hurtful to anybody and and and you just bring the funny, it's funny. And it does it it crosses every boundary.
01:07:40
Speaker
I mean, if you come out to laugh, you know then you're going to you're going to find that you know the stuff that I do will probably make make you laugh. And if it doesn't, I apologize. I failed. But, you know...
01:07:55
Speaker
i'm i you know I'm pretty good is in terms, like I said, that that up it wasn't a nursing home. It wast it was an old age ah retirement place. That was probably the most uncomfortable I've ever been because they really were they were asleep.
01:08:11
Speaker
And i was like, what am I doing? I drove all the way up here. Yeah, I'm going to get $150 for doing this, pay some expenses, make a couple of bucks. But it wasn't fun for me. It wasn't fun for me. It certainly wasn't fun for them because they weren't conscious. And it wasn't like, you know, that's, I mean, I, I, I want to, I, I need the energy.
01:08:30
Speaker
i yeah And I'll tell you, I've had crowds of three that had great energy. I've had crowds of 20 that were just sitting there like, you know, sticks in the water. And, you know, and and again, if I, if I feel like stuff's not hitting and I'm not getting a laugh, I'll just be, you guys do speak English, right? You know, try to you know, try to wake them up, get a little chuckle out of them, something. And, you know, um but I, I,
01:08:56
Speaker
So far I'd have to say over 90% of my shows I've gotten the laughs or more than the laughs that I expected. yeah And it' it's, again, it's an addiction. they'll let get You know, going out there and saying, hey, I am betting myself I could go out there and make this group of strange people who have no idea who i am laugh.
01:09:18
Speaker
And, you know, they look at me, you know, a 65-year-old bald Italian guy with a beer belly, even though I don't drink beer. And by the end of the show, you know, a couple of them peed their pants. And that's fun. yeah I've always wanted to get a sponsorship from Depends.
01:09:36
Speaker
The tagline, you know, Joe Scaraka comedy, making audiences piss their pants since 2023. You know? Probably a little too vulgar for it for them. But I think it would work.
01:09:50
Speaker
everybody Yeah, probably would. yeah if If Procter & Gamble had a sense of humor, yes they probably don't. Very serious. I'm pretty sure they're the ones that make the pens.
01:10:02
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I mean, for you, where you are, you know, you kind of, you jumped right into the fire because for as far back as I can remember growing up or even before that, New York's always been kind of the spot for New York and l LA.
01:10:20
Speaker
You know, like you're going to make or break your, it's either going make or break it if you can perform well. And, you know, I don't know that's good, bad, or indifferent being where you are and you're you're just essentially. yeah i Well, you know, listen, it's a big world out there and, you know, I want to perform on as many stages as I can.
01:10:42
Speaker
um But if I were restricted to a 200 or 300 mile radius, I'm probably in the best place in the world. I've got Delaware, Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut.
01:10:59
Speaker
Ohio is probably a little outside of that range, but you know, cheat a little bit. I've got at least the Eastern part of Ohio. So, you know, Utah. All right. So you've got, 12 or 15 pretty big cities in New York. You've got, you know, Philly, Erie, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, you know, and in PA.
01:11:19
Speaker
Ohio, you've you know, you've got Delaware, you know, you've got Wilmington, you've got the the Eastern Shore area. You know, Maryland, you've got Baltimore, you've got, um you know, again, the Eastern Shore beach areas. So there's there's probably,
01:11:39
Speaker
thousand plus actual comedy clubs. There's other venues, all than comedy clubs doing comedy, but ah actual comedy clubs within my 300 mile radius. So like I said, if I was stuck in in a certain range, this is a good place to be.
Comedy Scene Insights and Career Transitions
01:11:57
Speaker
Yeah. If you you get down into the Florida area, I know Tampa's really the last several years, they've, they've started to make kind of a name for themselves in the comedy world. um i I performed, ah back, I must say it was April, in Punta Gorda at the Library Comedy Club in the Sheraton, War Point.
01:12:18
Speaker
Great club, great group of people. It's fun. You know, and again, you feel good when people talk after the show. Like, I was walking out to my car after the show, and people were pulling out, hey, Joe, you're really funny. Good job. We hope to see again. like, wow, they remembered my name.
01:12:32
Speaker
Yeah, right. You know, it's like, it's like, I just, I, again, A lot of comedians came from something, drama, or or or improv, or acting. and I had no entertainment background. I mean, I was a mortgage broker. yeah so i got My education's accounting and tax law.
01:12:54
Speaker
I mean, and there's nothing funny about any of that stuff. I mean, as much as you, well, there's one funny about the mortgage business. One funny thing I'll tell you. Can I tell you the story? Yeah. Yeah. i right so but he a your yeah You you were got the whole stage, man. but So,
01:13:10
Speaker
um I worked for a mortgage company and they got an invite to do this live calling local mortgage show. ah And my boss said, you do it. You're outgoing. You do. Okay.
01:13:21
Speaker
So the studio literally was in a parking garage in Atlantic city, New Jersey. Now it was enclosed and all, but it wasn't in a parking garage. So I've never done TV. I've never done live TV.
01:13:33
Speaker
And it was summertime, and I'm sitting there. So we're on. We do a 30-minute show, live call-in show. Somebody calls in. They ask a question. I start to answer. Well, there's this little gnat flying in front of my face, and I take a breath in, and it flies down my throat. I start choking.
01:13:50
Speaker
no I finish answering the question. Now, finally, the camera goes off me. I had no idea when the camera's off the mic's still hot. I said, I just swallowed a fucking fly.
01:14:04
Speaker
Live on TV, people are jumping like this. They're saying, oh, my God, you can't say that. what do you do you you And so I made a joke about it and said, yeah, and obviously I was never asked to be back on the show. What was even more hurtful was all seven viewers wrote in to say ah they didn't appreciate my vulgarity.
01:14:24
Speaker
but you know but that that That really happened. And that's probably the only funny story I could come up with about being in the mortgage business. And it had to do with being on a TV show about the mortgage business. Yeah. It's just one of those kind of boring nine to five jobs you know type deal.
01:14:45
Speaker
and And in accounting, I have i have a funny story. I was in Atlanta. I lived there for six months. I worked for H&R Block. This is before we had computers to do the returns.
01:14:56
Speaker
So we ran out of forms. I had to go to the federal building in downtown Atlanta to pick up some forms. And I'm in the line. And I'm dressed in a suit. And I look like everybody else. This crazy lady comes up to me, not anybody else, starts addressing me as Rainbow Division.
01:15:10
Speaker
I have no idea what this lady is talking about. Rainbow Division, stand at attention. Who the fuck are you talking You, you range your Rainbow Division. And then she puts her her hands over her ears and goes, boom, and walks away. I'm thinking,
01:15:27
Speaker
Why do these people? cause There's eight people in this line. Why me? I wasn't in the front. I wasn't in the back. I was like dead in the middle. Probably the least person or that would would have been targeted. She was attracted to me. So like I kind of embellished and made a little story about that and said, and then the marshals came in and they threw her to the ground and arrested her as they're walking out. She says, what about rainbow division?
01:15:50
Speaker
When they come over to me, put me in cuffs, take me to interrogate me. They realize I'm not, Rainbow Division, now have to go back to work and tell my boss why I'm late. My boss says, well, you have to be relieved that you aren't detained. I said, relieved? There's some crazy person that looks like me named Rainbow Division walking around Atlanta. But the rate that the a big part of that happened.
01:16:12
Speaker
And it's like, you know, so and this happened decades ago, but all the shit's in my head. So I say, you know, how can I make that a funny story? Just the Rainbow Division thing in the boom, it can't end there because it's not really funny. But if I can embellish a little bit and you just that's how.
01:16:31
Speaker
Yeah. That's how I became me on stage. And that's how comedy works. Yeah. ah Yeah. I mean, I tell a story about getting a titty whipping in a, in a strip club, which is a true story.
01:16:44
Speaker
Um, And I'm done. So the the end of the story is like, you know, ah this woman comes up and he says, I think you need a titty whipping. And like a 3D movie, these boxing gloves, she knocked me out with her tits. So the next thing I know, I'm waking up on in the ambulance and they're going over my injuries.
01:17:06
Speaker
you know broken nose a dislocated jaw i really think this is why my wife divorced because when she saw the police report she said you got knocked out by a pair of another woman's tits you know and so but the titty whipping really did happen and and and i i wasn't even there i don't go to strip clubs i'm a nerd i have a coin collection i uh but uh know my family owned a diner and The head cook, my mother pissed him off, and he stormed out. I said, oh, shit, if this guy doesn't come in tomorrow, going have to do his job and my job. have to find him. I tracked him down to the a strip club, and he's getting his lap dance. I'm just talking to him.
01:17:44
Speaker
So he says, all right, I'll be in the morning. The stripper gets up, starts walking around me. I said, look i'm I'm just here to talk to him. He says, I think you need a titty with me. And I mean, my glasses went flying. i had hair at the time. look like George Costanz in that episode where he wanted to see Elaine's Christmas card. She just puts them in between her tits. and that's yeah it's almost It's almost like they saw what happened to me and said, yeah, let's make this a science episode, but a little different twist on it.
01:18:14
Speaker
But it's just, um you know life is strange. And I think everybody lives crazy shit. They just don't want to share it with people. Yeah. And um or they don't know how to tell the stories.
01:18:27
Speaker
Yeah. um But I guess, you know, i for some reason, I woke up one day in December 2023 said, I want to fuck my entire life up and tell all my secrets and all my whatever and see if I can make people laugh. with And so no regrets, man. No regrets. It's, it's, it's, it's, I like what you said earlier and in in the show where you were saying, just, just, just do it. Don't, you know, that's something that I say all the time. Don't talk about it.
01:19:01
Speaker
Just be about it. Like, You can sit on the couch all day long and go oh, I want to do this. Oh, I want to do this. I wish I would have done that. don't Just do it. No regrets. you know go Do it. you know there's There's nothing bad that will come out of it. So maybe maybe if bomb and you're embarrassed for an hour, who gives a fuck? yeah you know who gives You know what?
01:19:23
Speaker
By morning, nobody's going to remember you. Nobody's going remember that it happened. nobody know you know You're going to dwell on it if you feel like that. But, I mean, you know, and when people say to me, well, how did you do it? How did I do it? I was in front of a frigging murderous...
01:19:39
Speaker
ah motorcycle gang. And I did it because I couldn't back out. i know it oh gee I'm a pussy. I can't tell jokes in front of these guys. And and you know and again, I have a story that I developed from that. I tell the story about that was my first gig. And I said, after the scene, I was worried I wasn't going to get out alive. But obviously I did because I'm here. But, you know, afterwards the head guy came up to me, put his arm around me, said, hey, Joe, you're a funny guy. But the next time you play our venue, you're going have to wear one of vests. He hands me a vest. On the back of the vest, it said Rocco's bitch.
01:20:12
Speaker
So he was going to say I haven't been back. yeah So, you know, I try to take, you know, everything. And if it doesn't have that punchline, but it's a good story, I'll find a way to embellish and create that punchline. yeah but But do it. You know, anybody out there?
01:20:29
Speaker
You know, and and I'm talking to you too, Blake. Do it. Because you may say, hey, it sucks. I can't do it. over you know But at least say I tried.
Comedy as Therapy and Social Commentary
01:20:40
Speaker
And I'm glad I did it because I'm having the ride of my life. I really am. i like this I mean, who the fuck goes into a new comic showcase on a Tuesday night in New York City in February and ends up having to follow Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffey? I mean, it just doesn't happen.
01:20:57
Speaker
yeah You know? But it's it's cool that it did. and And it's like, you know you never know, you never know in this business where you go. You don't know when you turn a corner. Like you said, you never know who's going to say, hey, I like this guy Let's reach out to him. And the next thing you know, you know, you're doing four minutes on Jimmy Kimmel.
01:21:17
Speaker
Yeah. You know, you just never know. And I think it's – And I don't do it for that. i do I do it to have fun. I do it. And I will tell you, people have come up to me on on occasion said, hey, look, you were really funny. You made us laugh. We're having a really shitty time. You know, family's sick. My father just died or whatever.
01:21:37
Speaker
But I came out and you made me laugh. And that really makes me feel like, okay, you know, to me that's because I lived that when Renee passed away. It's like, okay, i'm her, her,
01:21:49
Speaker
Memory and her spirit is with me because she said, Hey, you gotta be funny tonight. Cause you have to uplift these people. Cause they've got, they've got some pain and they're going through some bad shit. And so, you know, it's, um, you know, it's something that that I always, you know, try to make sure that, you know, and, and, uh,
01:22:09
Speaker
you know If they're out there, and even if they don't come up, you know if I made you laugh and and it it helped you through through to the next day, listen, I'm grateful that you came out.
01:22:22
Speaker
yeah That was kind of the idea and the concept. when i so I've always i've i've got probably close to 15 years at this point, like doing like live streaming and stuff like that. Well, ah five years ago after talking about it for years, because this is my passion. This is what I want to do. I want to be successful enough at this where I can quit my nine to five job and just spend all day, every day doing podcasting related stuff in some form or, you know, and,
01:22:49
Speaker
And if you get that point, you'll never work a day in your life because know you'll be having fun. Yep. And that was my whole idea behind it was there's enough bullshit in the world with the politics and this, that, and the other thing. And COVID started up like right after we started our first show. And it was like, I want something that's going to give people an escape from the bullshit.
01:23:12
Speaker
And that's why we still do the Saturday Night Show. That was the show that started it all. And it was just me and a couple of my buddies just hanging out, talking about whatever the fuck came up. did three nights a week.
01:23:23
Speaker
And taking you notice an outlet for people to watch and hey, let me see what these three knuckleheads are doing. Right? and and and And your audience builds from there. But, yeah man you know, the world's on fire. And if i could if I could take people out of that for, you know, an hour, do 10 20 or whatever, you know,
01:23:40
Speaker
set yeah it's you know it makes It makes me feel good. makes me feel better. it makes me feel like there's an actual purpose to this other than me just going up there and saying, I'm a funny guy. you know yeah so you know it's um It's just that the you know people need laughter. and People need to lighten up. people can't get People can't get insulted. um you know i mean There are comics that go out there you know ah and they they intentionally go out to
01:24:11
Speaker
you know insult people or just be assholes to people. To me, that's not even comedy. you know That's somebody getting in front of a microphone saying they're a comedian, but they're not a comedian. They're just being an asshole. um But you know i do I do some gay stories and gay jokes and things, but nothing's offensive. And I've had gay people come up to me and everyone said, love your stuff. Love your stuff. Keep doing it.
01:24:31
Speaker
You do it in a loving, funny way. There's nothing malicious. There's nothing you know vitriolic about it. And you know it's it's nice to get that because um i don't, i if I cross a line, I want to know why crossed line, and I'll apologize for crossing. But but i I think that there are people that intentionally cross a line, or just they they start from the other side of that line, and yeah, it's not cool. And I've been on shows with people, and I'm like, that's not cool. That's not cool.
01:25:07
Speaker
You know, regardless of what you thought of Charlie Kirk, you know, the man was murdered. He was shot. He's got two little kids. He's got a wife. You know, there's nothing funny about talking about him or, you know, how he was murdered and and and and whatnot. And, you know, eighty you know, I don't follow shit like that. I don't follow, you know, i you know, I, I make up my own mind. I don't let people steer me or guide me or what, but, you know, there's certain shit that you just, you know, but again,
01:25:41
Speaker
You have carte blanche to do it, but if you get canceled, you live and die by your own material. And I'd never tell somebody you can't do it or say it or whatever, but if you get booed or people beat the shit out you after the show, you know, that's of your own making.
01:25:55
Speaker
Yeah. and yeah i've had the the the I've been very lucky with this with this show because this is still a new show that I just came up with. And y'all came out, man. It was like somebody opened up the floodgates. I put one post out.
01:26:09
Speaker
I've got comedians booked all the way till October. I finally had to start reaching out to people going, hey, I'm booked till October. Let me get to like August or something. And I'm going to start booking again. You know, I'm booking guests and whatnot. But I see your comments. I see your messages. Just let me let me get through some first. I don't want to keep book booking people so far out.
01:26:27
Speaker
But ah one of the things that a lot of the comedians are saying that that do maybe are a little bit decisive, you know, maybe their materials, you know, one way or another, ah know your room.
01:26:39
Speaker
know where you're at because you do a lot of right-leaning jokes and you're in that that area, it's not going to fly. you that You're going to bomb. Like like i said earlier, but you know before we started the show, you know you know you kind of put that the ground rules. I don't do that stuff anyway. I don't do politics, religion, any racial stuff, anything. You know anything you know what? Because i don't I don't find it funny.
01:27:06
Speaker
I don't. I mean, you know i see. i see so many comics doing the same impression of Donald Trump, ah you know, you know, all right, you know, be original, be original. I mean, I've seen somebody do the same thing, 10, 15, 20 different comics doing basically the same thing.
01:27:25
Speaker
yeah You know, maybe ah some of it's a little bit funny, but be original, you know, but you know, you want to do an impression, do a, do a, do good and I don't do impressions, so i don't I don't have to worry about any of that. But, yeah um you know, I just, ah you know, i think there's the the world.
01:27:43
Speaker
The world is full of material that you could find and discover and write about and joke about that isn't going to offend anybody. Exactly. and And this is my opinion, and and and I believe that no matter if it's comedy or everybody's allowed to, you're allowed to have your opinion, you're allowed to voice your opinion, like,
01:28:02
Speaker
all that, but I feel like whether it's comedy or streaming or podcasting and whatnot, politics are they're a low hanging fruit. They're clickbait, you know, and and it's easy to get views and likes and dislikes or whatever you're going for, but it's it's it's a low hanging fruit and you you don't have to be very good at it. Also, immediately, you split your audience in half.
01:28:27
Speaker
Right, and not and and and And you burn out. You eventually burn out because there's also so much. And that's it's not funny anymore. and And, you know, I'm always writing. I'm always adding new stuff to my my sets. I'm always changing things up.
01:28:44
Speaker
um But it's stuff like, I mean, you know,
01:28:52
Speaker
had this bit about ah my colonoscopy. So I had to get a colonoscopy last year. and i'm in the doctor's office, you know, getting the pre-colonoscopy exam, getting all this stuff, the prescription for the night before and all.
01:29:07
Speaker
And while i'm sitting there, I came up with this joke. So I told it to him and to the girls in his office and they peed themselves. They said, you just came up. And I said, yeah. So I said, you know, I, uh, I'm getting older and you have to do things when you're older. and Last year was colonoscopy time. If you know what colonoscopy is, it's where they take that mile-long hose and shove it all the way up your ass. So when i was getting the procedure, they didn't put me all the way under. They gave me that twilight anesthesia. And in the recovery room, the doctor said, listen, you were doing a lot of talking while we did the procedure and you were making us laugh.
01:29:40
Speaker
I said, really, what did I say? said, the one thing you said that made us all laugh is he said, come on, fellas, one at a time. And I just, you know, I made it up like that yeah in the doctor's office.
01:29:54
Speaker
And, you know, it's just, I mean, it's funny because, you know, a lot of comics are getting older. They talk about old age. They talk about different things. They talk about colonoscopy. I mean, i think i I take it in a direction that nobody sees it coming. And it's just, but it's, ah ah again, it's it it's playful humor. It's not offensive humor. It's not, you know I mean, if anybody got offended at that joke, i will
01:30:25
Speaker
what is offensive mean are you are you a doctor that does colonoscopies i mean that's about me and my doctor laughed his ass off when i told him yeah if if somebody got offended by that jesus who hurt you you know and yeah and so so there's definitely you but you know and yeah i i do believe There are a very, very, very tiny, tiny group of people that go out just to be offended, just to be able to try and get somebody cancel just because they have ah a shitty life or a bug up their ass. And instead of coming out and wanting to have fun and laugh, they want to come and try and destroy somebody's life or career and whatnot. And, you know, it's, you know, get a fucking life.
01:31:03
Speaker
You know, get dont don't if you're not coming out to laugh, if you're coming out to try and hurt somebody, that's not cool. and I mean, see videos now where people get offended.
01:31:14
Speaker
Stuff that's not really offensive. They come up on stage and they want to they want to hit the comedian. The security has to come up and grab the people throw them out. I mean, that just happened to Carmen Lynch. i don't know if you know Carmen Lynch. Very funny comedian. She's very funny. And that just happened to her. I don't know when it happened, but the video I just saw maybe last week.
01:31:33
Speaker
She's up there talking and some guy comes up. doesn't attack her, but pushes her aside, grabs the microphone, and just start starts talking gibberish. People thought it was part of her set, and it wasn't until the security came and you know basically wrestled the guy and got him off, and then she came back onto the stage, and you could see she wasn't acting. She but she was scared. So, you know, it's a public service announcement. For anybody coming out to a comedy show, come out to have a good time, lighten up, leave your shit at the door, keep an open mind, you know, and
01:32:06
Speaker
We're comedians, we're we're we're joking. and We're not assholes. They're jokes. They're jokes. they like here's You embellish your stories. So some of the story some of it's not even real. it's It's made up. It's make believe. And and and you know I tell you this, like'll obviously your audience, but you know I don't like to pull the curtain back you know too much because you know I want people to think, did that really happen? Could that really happen? What part happened? What part didn't happen? and i leave them I leave them guessing. you know
01:32:44
Speaker
you know Obviously, some of us some of the magicians' yeah secrets came out tonight. but yeah and Sometimes it's in the way that you tell it. um It sounds believable. you know We...
01:32:57
Speaker
We got a thing going on that, you know, one of my best friends who does, he's on Saturday nights and he a lot of scenes and he'll be doing a show here soon. Hopefully.
01:33:09
Speaker
ah You know, we started this thing where him and I have beef. And the first night it happened, all these goofy asses. It happened.
01:33:20
Speaker
We're in the chat. Whoa, wait a minute. Is this real? Are they really, like, going after each other? What's happening here? Look, we yeah like magicians create illusions, you guys create your scenes and your things there. and you know like Make people think. you know Don't pull the curtain back and let them you know let them let them think. is it did Did we really see something? But, you know, it's it's ah it's justs it's it it anything.
01:33:53
Speaker
Now, having started this at such a late age, I could see anything in entertainment really being enjoyable and fun.
Late Bloomers in Comedy: Embracing the Journey
01:34:02
Speaker
um But, you know, like I said, I didn't do this as ah as a a starting point to jump off into acting or anything like that. I have no desire. I have no desire. I mean, the two movies I did, they were little indie movies. Probably a dozen people saw all them.
01:34:20
Speaker
You know, I did them just because I thought, okay, it's fun. So if somebody's going to ask me to something, I have a hard time saying no. I just enjoy doing things, experiencing different things. But, you know, I'm not doing stand up to say, oh, I hope I get a sitcom or I hope I get a part in a movie or it's it's not even on my radar. I never did drama in school, never did any, you know, I i just was not.
01:34:46
Speaker
any i had i mean i was like you know i was a dork i was a nerd i was a businessman you know just do a briefcase you know let me do your taxes okay you know let me do your mortgage yeah that's who i was yeah i i love i love the fact that that you just woke up one morning like yeah I'm going to be a comedian.
01:35:10
Speaker
And you're doing it. and And you're succeeding. I mean, like you're you're and you're knocking it out of the park. I love that. Because you you hear you hear ah so many people go, this is what I want to do. this is this is I've thought about it my whole life. And they're still struggling. And they're like, oh, you know, I'm doing...
01:35:28
Speaker
Sweet Betty Lou's diner, you know, for the tenth time this this month, you know, but I really want to go on the road. It's just I can't do it because I still have this stupid nine to five. Listen, ah only you are holding you back.
01:35:42
Speaker
So anybody out there, you know, no excuses. You can do it. You don't have to travel. you don't have to invest any money in anything. I'm sure you have some scrap paper home that could write your stuff on or a phone you could write your stuff on.
01:35:57
Speaker
And I'm sure there's an open mic within 20 miles of where you live. You know, ah unless you're in Nebraska, then it might be a little. Yeah. It sucks to be you. You know,
01:36:11
Speaker
if I could give anybody advice ah about this is don't waste another day. Just do it. Go out and do it. Nothing bad will happen. Nothing bad can come of this.
01:36:23
Speaker
and something that you may find your calling, you may find something that you truly love doing um and wish you had done it sooner. I don't wish I had done it sooner because it wasn't even, it wasn't on my radar. It's not something, oh, I wish I would have done this 20 years ago. No, I might not have been funny 20 years ago. I'm, you know, a different person.
01:36:43
Speaker
um So, but, but, you know, you're You're in the present, in the now. Do it. you know Don't say, oh, I should have done it. I wish I didn't. I thought about doing it Do it.
01:36:54
Speaker
It can't hurt you. And a little bit of embarrassment, who gives a shit? They can't chase you with pitch works and set you on fire, right? All they could be more first they can do is not laugh, boo, heckle.
01:37:06
Speaker
And who gives a fuck? Yeah. you know um You wake up the next morning, you go back to your life and said, that really sucked. I'm not doing that again. but Maybe I can make it less sucky and I'll try again. And that would be even more impressive.
01:37:23
Speaker
but i My advice to anybody, and then I guess this goes for anything life, but as a stand-up comedian that wasn't a stand-up comedian three years ago, you've got to do it.
01:37:39
Speaker
Practice in front of the mirror. Practice your stuff. Go to an open mic. Work some stuff. Go to an open mic to watch a couple times before you go and do it. Just kind of see you know how You know, how they work, how the comedians interact with the audience, how they move, how they hold the microphone. Everybody's different.
01:38:05
Speaker
And i um I don't think there's a right way or a wrong way. I used to laugh because I didn i did that show Rodney's. And I was still pretty new. So I took the mic out of the stand and I didn't move the stand behind me. It's just something to do because you don't want to block it. And I sent that video to a booker.
01:38:22
Speaker
Now, mind you, I had people in New York City laughing for six, almost seven minutes from start to finish, and they were laughing at my stuff. And the booker said, well, you didn't move the mic stand.
01:38:35
Speaker
I said, thought you were fucking – I think I said, are you retarded? Yeah. Do you hear the laughs? there's a fuck I could shove it up my ass for all that matters. It doesn't matter where the mic stand was. I made a New York crowd laugh for six minutes, seven minutes.
01:38:51
Speaker
And, you know, where the mic stand is, it doesn't matter. So it won't look very amateurish. Okay. So I was an amateur that had a New York crowd eating out of my hand for six and a half minutes.
01:39:03
Speaker
So fuck you. Could you do it? No, of course not. That's why you're dissing on me. Yeah. The mic cord. So, you know, there's, and you know, and there are those people, I would say very small minority. I mean, they just can't stand people being successful and they won't do anything to help you. That's fine. I listen, you know what? I, I don't have to do this and I don't need people. If they don't want to help me, I'm not certainly not going to kiss their ass or beg them.
01:39:31
Speaker
Yeah. And you know, um I'm still getting plenty of bookings. Yeah, no, I would, I would much rather go through life. knowing that I tried and maybe failed, then going, well, I wish I would have, you know.
The Challenge of Comedy and Industry Dynamics
01:39:49
Speaker
You know, that's regret, you know, and why go through life with with regrets? You know, you sit because you can't change it. There's a point where I'm going to be too old to do this. I know, you know, thank God I'm at 65. I'm still, you know, I'm as healthy as I can be. But, ah you know, there's going to be a time where I i can't travel. I can't, you know, you know, i I just can't be away from a certain doctor. You know, shit happens. and And, you know, so I want to get it as much in as I can while I can get it in.
01:40:20
Speaker
and it and And hopefully it'll last longer than I have, you know, but one day at a time. And I'm going to keep doing it until it's not fun anymore, until I can't do it anyway. Yeah. And crazy thing about it, that one, that booker that was a douchebag to you.
01:40:36
Speaker
You know, going to come back down the road and go, hey, man, you want to, you know, I'd love to. But I'm a little busy. Listen, if the money's right, I'm a businessman.
01:40:47
Speaker
a businessman. If the money's right, i ah you know, I hold grudges, but in a certain way. If you're going to pay me what I want to do your show, even though you are a real asshole or a douchebag to me,
01:41:01
Speaker
it's My favorite color is green. Yeah. Uh, that's that, uh, that's that, uh, you know, kind of told you so moment, gotcha moment where you can go back and go, well, my, uh, my fee is. Exactly. And if you're willing to pay it, sure.
01:41:17
Speaker
And if you're not, Oh, well you had me, you had me when you could have had me for 25 bucks and he told me I didn't move the mic stand. So I, I joke around all the time about, uh, Joe Rogan, not liking Joe Rogan. Uh,
01:41:30
Speaker
And what not? I give respect where respect is due in the podcast world. Joe Rogan is the godfather of podcasting. And if the man called me tomorrow was like, hey, we want to put you on our on our brand, on our label, on our network, whatever the case may be, we're going give you 100 million dollars.
01:41:47
Speaker
Because he's taking that $100 million. dollar You know, business is business. You can't, you know, like in The Godfather, it was business. It wasn't personal. It was business. It's, you know, yeah the price is right and the opportunity is right. I don't give a shit. You have been an asshole to me for 100 days.
01:42:08
Speaker
As long as you give me the right opportunity at the right price, um'm I'm there. And I don't know nothing about Joe Rogan. i just like I'm just a shit talker. Yeah. And look, I'm a new podcaster. you know I'm trying to get my my name out there. I'm trying to get my attention out there. So I'm going to go out for the biggest dog in the yard. Listen, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, you know that it's it's you know you're doing what I'm doing. I mean, I just get my name out there. I try to get you know interviews. I try to get podcasts. I was on a television in Fox, Philly on Mike Jarek's show.
01:42:47
Speaker
um I saw that he was interviewing comedians, so I reached out. I reached out to his producer, told them him who I was, told him my story. said, oh my God, we want I was in Florida and they wanted me in on the show. i said, I'll be back in the state. and Come in the studio. This is where it is this time. Park right in front. The police will take care of your car. fine Go in there.
01:43:05
Speaker
And he loved he loved the story. Mike, I mean, and it was cool because, I mean, you know I was on you know i was on you know local, regional television.
01:43:15
Speaker
And, you know, again, you never know what's going to – somebody's going to see and say, that guy looks interesting. let's Let's have him on. Let's bring him on. And it's all about being the right place the right time, not taking shit personally, not holding grudges.
01:43:30
Speaker
And I respect bookers. You know, you don't want to book me, that's fine. You want to be an asshole to me? That's a different story. I've had to go, you're not funny. you may In your opinion, you may think I'm not funny and that's cool. But I've got video that proves differently, so fuck off.
01:43:45
Speaker
Well, that's a great thing. Comedy is subjective. And, you know, you you you might kill in a room, you know, and then you go, like, you you might kill in New York, then you go to Nebraska.
01:43:57
Speaker
And they're like, eh, we're not really feeling it. Okay, well, that doesn't mean that you're not funny. That just means that that crowd doesn't find what you do funny. You know, i but you might have one out of 20 crowds that are like that, you know. And it's part of the business. it's it's It's part of the business. And sometimes it could be my fault. Maybe I'm off. Maybe my timing is off. Maybe I forget parts of the, ah you know. um I mean, I try to be tight. I try to be spot on every night. But every once in a while, you know, you're tired, you fatigued, and you just, you know, you're
01:44:33
Speaker
you're not doing it intentionally. It's just, you know, it's part of life. You know, you just have bad nights and I've had a couple, but not, not many, but you know, I think they make you stronger.
01:44:46
Speaker
absolutely. those things right I think the people that are looking for a way out, use that as a reason to get out. And the people that say, Hey, you know what? I, thought so I did a I thought it was a show and ended up being an open mic in, in, in North Jersey about a week and a half ago.
01:45:03
Speaker
A couple of comics I know put it on. Very nice. Very funny. And this place was like the mic was right in front of a window air conditioner that was on full blast. They had the Stanley Cup playoffs on. There was a guy that was just talking right back at me. And I thought, you know, i could take this as just a bullshit show whatever.
01:45:24
Speaker
this this helped me work through distractions, which you're going to have from time to time. And I did. I did my set. I got through it. And I said, I just want to say, okay, I've got this blaring air conditioner blasting on my head with the noise and the cold air. I got this guy just at the top of his lungs, drunk off his ass.
01:45:47
Speaker
And you know what? i i You just power through. And you say, okay, i I did it. And I did it through those distractions. And it it it makes you a little bit better. Yeah. You know, we talked a little bit about that before we started the show. You know, those, those curve, those unexpected curve balls and those technical difficulties, you know, last week I was talking back to back Tuesday and Wednesday night, my internet was dog shit. I wound up on my patio on my phone, you know, doing this show, but I had to do it.
01:46:16
Speaker
You know, thank God I had great guests. Um, but you know, I had to do what I had to do to get through the show and yeah and make you better at what you, I believe you can either give up and throw in the towel and walk away or you can go, you know what, I'm going to get through this.
01:46:32
Speaker
want to be better next round. Yeah, that's an, and there are things that, you know, you, you muscle through and, and, and say, you know, that made me a better podcaster because that made me a comedian musician, whatever. And, you know, but I just enjoy – I still make people laugh.
01:46:53
Speaker
um I had fun. um I got an empanada, which was nice. Nice. I'm a big guy. Free food is always a win.
01:47:09
Speaker
But, it you know, um it's just, you know, but every show is a challenge because you don't know, know, the crowd. You don't know. I mean, and like you said, you have technical difficulties. I don't know if we said this on the show or did before the show, but I've, I've done the shows where the mic goes out.
01:47:27
Speaker
I've done shows where the lights go out and you just muddle through it. You just say, Hey, you know what, you know, ah I do comedy better in the dark. You don't have to see my ugly face or my fat face, you know, whatever. And then, you know, and and that gets a laugh. or You know, if the mic goes out, you know, don't need this mic. I'm Italian. i I talk louder than what you give me on this mic anyway. You know, those Sunday dinners where just to get some meatballs, you know, you had to be like a loud speaker.
01:47:54
Speaker
So, you know, it's, it's, so been um and I like a challenge. it if It becomes too easy and too streamlined. you I think you start to get a little complacent, a little arrogant, and I don't i don't want to be that guy.
01:48:09
Speaker
and And so I like some of the shows where you have to work a little bit harder and know, hey, you know what? ah This material isn't a gimme with every audience. I've got to work through this and see what I can do to make these people laugh. A little bit of reaction. I'm person who would like to be an entertainer. You have to have reaction.
01:48:30
Speaker
I get a little bit overconfidence. But the reality check from time to time goes a long way. yeah yeah or that it like Like you just said, all right, I got to go back to the lab.
01:48:44
Speaker
I got to rework some things. I got to figure some things out. But it makes you better in the long run if you if you allow it to. Yeah, and and and again, i I hear people that I've worked with for two years, and they're doing the same set.
01:48:59
Speaker
over and over and over. I work with comics that don't want to leave, you know, the Delaware Valley, you know, South Jersey, Delaware, Northern Delaware, Eastern PA. They don't want to leave that area. You're never going to grow.
01:49:11
Speaker
You're never going to grow. i mean, I want to go, I don't, I want to go into a market and audience where I don't know if they'll think I'm the biggest idiot, but if I don't take those risks and if I don't accept those challenges,
01:49:27
Speaker
you know, and then I'm the one saying, Hey, I have regrets because I didn't go to Atlanta because I was afraid that my shit wouldn't, I want to know. i want to know. I'd rather bomb and know my shit doesn't fly in an area than say, gee, I wonder how I would have done in that area. That's the worst thing for me anyway. And I think for a lot of people is, you know,
01:49:48
Speaker
Gee, I wonder if. And I don't want to wonder if I want to do it and say, hey, I did it. I sucked. I did it. i was I was mediocre. I did it. I was fantastic. You know, whatever.
01:49:59
Speaker
But when you can say that you did it, at least you did it and and know what you did. And and and and and it it makes you stronger, makes you better as an entertainer. Again, podcast, comedy, music, acting, whatever.
01:50:14
Speaker
yeah i think I think the hurdles and the challenges need to be there. I think otherwise, if it if it gets too easy, like I said, you just get complacent, and that's bad. I don't want to stop writing. i don't want to sit there and say, well, I've got my set, and this is going to my set for life. Because eventually I'm going to get bored talking about this stuff. People are going to see I'm bored talking about this stuff. And if I start touring over and over again, going to oh, it's third time we saw him. He hasn't changed up his act yet. We're going to go there there for a fourth.
01:50:44
Speaker
You know, you always keep some stuff in and mix it up. But, you know, you always have to be fresh. You always have to be ready to, you know, take chances with new stuff.
01:50:57
Speaker
Yeah. any Anybody, any bookers or venues that may may hear this, Joe's ready to hit the Listen, I'd love to.
Broadening Horizons and Building Community
01:51:07
Speaker
i'd love yeah I would love to fill up August.
01:51:09
Speaker
i would Anybody out there want do August, I would love to do another tour. i I actually am trying to book shows, but i don't have any commitments yet because it's too early.
01:51:21
Speaker
Every booker told me. I'm trying to do the Southeast. I'm trying to do um Maryland, Virginia. the Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida. I'd love to get 15 or 20 shows and just wrap it all through there and then come back here um in in September um and do what I've got up here in September. And then maybe in November, go back out your way, try to do.
01:51:47
Speaker
I'd love to have you come back to Ohio. We would definitely get back out. Yeah, crackpots, Great club, great, great people, great audience. Again, those people, you know right away if people came out to laugh or if they're just, oh, I'm out on a date that I don't want to be and I feel like that. And those people were there to laugh. I got a great response. A lot of great people in Ohio and the other place too.
01:52:15
Speaker
and And that was just very kind that they added me to that because I lost the second Crackpot show. because of the the headline of bringing his own people. And I was scrambling and Monty rump lompkin is the booker.
01:52:28
Speaker
Great guy. If you ever see his name, go see a show. He's very funny, he puts on a good show. And he was very kind and put me on and even paid me a few bucks, which I wasn't expecting. I just was happy to have a show before I had to head out to Chicago. Yeah.
01:52:44
Speaker
The great thing about where i'm I'm located in Ohio, I'm in central Ohio. So everything. East, West, North, South. Yeah. For me. So, you know, we're always looking for music or comedy. My girlfriend and I to go, especially now that it's like summer or, you know, even in the fall, like on the weekends when the kids aren't here, I, I'm a,
01:53:08
Speaker
I'm a wanderer. You know, I get, you know, I, I want to, um I've been on her lately. I'm like, I got an itch. I just want just want go like Cleveland, two hours away, Cincinnati, two hours away. you know I just want to go somewhere for a day or two and get away from home, you know? let Listen, you know, and it's, it's, it' it's a short, cheap vacation getaway. I mean, it's a, you know, just, just to travel a couple hours, um you know, not like that long 17 hour drive to Florida. And, and so, you know, you go in and, and ah drive a couple hours and, and,
01:53:48
Speaker
you're in your own, you're still in your state, but you're in a different city. And, you know, you really feel like, you don think I mean, I'm like 20 minutes from Atlantic city and Tina, I go to and then I go to Atlantic city um and stay two, three times a year, one night, two nights. And it just feels nice. You know, yeah I'm 20 minutes from my house, but yeah I feel like I'm on vacation. here And, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm blessed with this show and and my music show that like, I tell, i tell my guests, you know,
01:54:17
Speaker
three-hour, four-hour max window. If you're somewhere in that circle and we have the opportunity, going to make the trip. I want to come see you guys live. I want to come and support you guys in person you know and and have that opportunity to to be there and and and be like, yeah, we're on the show. Of course I'm going to go see them. You know what I mean? That's great that you support you know entertainers, musicians, comedians with the show. And then, like you said, with you going out and supporting the live shows. and that you know That's important because um
01:54:49
Speaker
you know i hate to go to a show and people say, oh, can you draw? I said, look, I can't promise anything. i mean, I've got a decent fan base, but I can't force them to come out, and I'm not going to beg people to buy tickets. yeah I mean, if they if they come out, they come out. If they don't, I'm sorry you know if you want to cut my pay.
01:55:09
Speaker
um But I know one thing, whoever's here, don't let it. They'll have a good time. and And, you know, I always do my best up to promote my shows.
01:55:20
Speaker
um I always try to put asses in the seats. But, you know, sometimes, you know, i get there and there's maybe six or eight or ten people that came to see me. And other times, there's nobody.
01:55:33
Speaker
I mean, there's people in audience, but nobody came to see me. So it's really, you know, there's a lot of people, oh, we'll come see you. When are you going to be? Oh, I can't be there that day. Or I'll try to make it. And they keep bugging me. When are you going to here? Well, you know, I'm a professional touring comedian. Just because live in South Jersey doesn't mean I'm doing a shitload of shows in South Jersey because I'm not.
01:55:54
Speaker
You know, I'm going to be on the road for maybe two weeks, three weeks, and be yeah nowhere near New Jersey. And, you know, I don't think people get it. I think they still look. Oh, this is our friend Joe. He goes across it with us. or This is our friend Joe. He lives in South Jersey.
01:56:09
Speaker
Joe's a professional touring comedian. I haven't made much money at it. It costs me more than I've made. But, you know, I get paid for for for shows and I'm doing shows well outside of my my home base market. So, um but, you know, it'll grow. It'll continue to grow. I mean, like i said, I've only been doing this two and a half years.
01:56:31
Speaker
The fact that I've done as much as I've done and have any fans whatsoever is amazing and i appreciate it and i appreciate that's another thing i do and you'll see this on my my post probably on sunday is every sunday i thank everybody for on a podcast for putting a show and i appreciate it i want you know i appreciate it i want i want people to know hey you know what these are good people They they were kind enough to put me on their podcast. kind enough to put me on their show, give me a spot on their show. And I want to thank them. And I think it's only right.
01:57:09
Speaker
And I don't see any comedians doing that. And I'm thinking myself. And everybody says, oh, I like to post, I like to post, I like to post. Why don't you do it? Why don't you do it? Because you know what?
01:57:21
Speaker
Your spot's not guaranteed. You can't take this for granted. And you don't show appreciation and respect for the people that are taking the risk to put you up on their show, yeah they don't owe you a damn thing.
01:57:34
Speaker
Yeah, they don't. they don't now that's that's you know we We shout out our chatter's box. I love those guys when they're feisty. On Saturday nights, I had a crazy idea a couple years ago. I'm like, I'm just going to drop the link and whoever it wants to come up and hang out with us on Saturday nights, we can have 10 people on our panel.
01:57:53
Speaker
Yeah, that's good. good And it's been fun, like, where it was like, Saturday night's a six-hour show. And I was like, I used to have a co-host, so it was like, we'll do an hour of our show with our banner back and forth, and then we'll drop the link. Now it's like 10 minutes in, and I'm dropping the link, and they're...
01:58:12
Speaker
and bit And that's like a fun way that we can be like, Hey, you know, we love you guys. So come up here. You guys spend the week with us. Come hang out with us on a Saturday night, you know, and that everybody and anybody's welcome. like a jacket and That's great. It builds loyalty. It builds community and lets people know, Hey, you're a real person and you really appreciate them, you know, and making them a part of the show. And that's, that's, that's cool.
01:58:35
Speaker
And I always, you know, I, I hang around, talk to anybody who wants to talk, take a picture, um and and talk. A lot times you don't even talk about comedy. You just talk about life. just Oh, where are you calling? What do you do? How long do kind of you do comedy? What's your family life like? Because you really seem fucked up. You know, they don't really want to talk about. why don't i have nothing to hide. I've i've lived a good life.
01:59:02
Speaker
And like I said, don't. I talk to everybody. and I'm an open book about every everything. I think as fans, and and I'll speak for myself in this instance, as a fan, ah we we we we love that. We appreciate the hell out of that. I was fortunate enough to meet one of my favorite comedians of all time. I've watched him since I was a kid, Christopher Titus.
01:59:29
Speaker
so Oh, God. Love the guy. my favorite bit. is the bit about taking the kids with the nail gun to the priest that molested them that's okay timmy you could do it god's fine with you the kids with the nail gun that i If I hear that, I will pull over because I'll crash if I try. A a couple years back, he was on the funny bone. you know yeah Comedians hang out, especially the big ones. They hang out, 20 bucks. You get your picture taken with I'll sign my little picture for you.
02:00:06
Speaker
and we had had a I had had a couple interactions with his girlfriend or fiance. She was his opener. When she was out, i had a couple we were front row. And I'm not that guy. Like, I don't want to be a part of the show. I'm just here. Make me laugh.
02:00:19
Speaker
Just make me laugh. I don't want to be a part of the show. So when he came out, he was automatically looking for me because we her and I had a good interaction. um And then him and I had a few interactions throughout his show. He was talking about divorce and kids and this, that, the other thing. And I kind of went through a similar thing. ah So after the show, I'm standing that line. He's like, hey, I got close. He's like, hey, do you mind doing me a favor and go back to the end of the line? I want to talk to you for a few minutes more.
02:00:46
Speaker
yeah you um know like after his show after he went through everybody took all the pictures and did everything him and when i we probably chit-chatted for like 10 minutes he took couple we took that fun pictures together he signed my little thing didn't charge me for it which i thought was really cool uh you know it just had a really good experience with him um and it's like people say don't meet your you know don't meet your idol not that he's my idol by any means he's just one of my favorite comedians yeah and but it was a great experience. And it was one of those moments. he was a man and like He's a real guy. You know, on the ah you know you small most meians are I mean, I, I'm i'm ah opening for that fan in July.
02:01:28
Speaker
And I remember sitting in my living room watching, ah you know, watching that fan win the first class comic stand. he beat out ralphe may And now he lives in New Jersey and he asked me to open a show for him on was July 11th. I'm thinking myself, I'm opening up a show for a guy I watched on TV. when the It's just, you know, so like I said, there's all these opportunities that you just never know where they're going to come from.
02:01:56
Speaker
and it's just really, it's it's just really cool. But you're you're right. I mean, any, like Steve Trevino was great.
02:02:06
Speaker
I mean, Nice guy. um i've I've opened for Don Jameson. Nice guy. Tony Woods, fantastic guy. um you know So there's some people that I've opened for. And I've got to say, people talk shit about Seinfeld.
02:02:26
Speaker
he He could have been an asshole to me. He could have just passed by me and just kind of gave me a look. He stopped. He laughed. He punched me in the arm and told me I was going to do great. He didn't have to do that. yeah he didn't And I wouldn't have thought any less of him for not to. But I think a lot higher, I hot think I'm in a higher standard now or higher pedestal now because he took 30 seconds to do that.
02:02:50
Speaker
and And, and, and, and again, it created a moment that I'll never forget. So I get Alzheimer's and then, yes and, uh, but, but yeah, it's just, I think they're all, um,
02:03:05
Speaker
Anybody in entertainment, I think, is is ah i do a good number of them i won't say most of them, but a good number of them, they're real people. yeah they you know and They don't mind saying hi, signing something, taking a picture.
02:03:20
Speaker
Just don't bug the shit out of them. yeah You know Dom Herrera? My family owned a diner in Waldo for 41 years.
02:03:32
Speaker
And One of the places where Dom started before he ever you know blew up and took off is a place called Casbah Comedy Club, which isn't there anymore, which is in Wildwood. And it was across from the diner.
02:03:44
Speaker
And I saw Dom was going to be there. And said, all right, we've got to go see Dom. We saw Dom. That was good. So the next night, the diner closed. But I was waiting outside with the one of the cooks. He was waiting for his wife to pick him up. And people were still inside cleaning up. Dom comes walking across the street.
02:03:59
Speaker
I said, oh, they're closed. I said, what do you need? I can let you and get you something. My family owns a place. He said, I just want a cup of tea. My mother's sitting at the counter. She and Dom instantly bonded to the point where he talked about her on The Tonight Show.
02:04:14
Speaker
Oh, nice. And and um he ah they just always, um they did i don't know what it was. And it was it was really, really, ah a cool thing to see my mother having no idea who this guy was blinding them and then just have him talk about her all over the place. It's just, it was, it was so, I mean, I can't say about bet, any bad experience with um headliners. Eddie Yift. Have you ever heard of Eddie Yift? He's from the East coast, but he's out California now.
02:04:51
Speaker
That name sounds familiar. I might not Yeah. Nice guy. So I did a show in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. I opened for Eddie and he was from the area. So the audience was all his people. So he finished his set and it was in a movie theater, had a big stage. It was nice, nice theater.
02:05:10
Speaker
And I was just sitting in a seat off to the side in front of the stage. And he finishes, say he comes off stage and all his friends are coming over and he makes a beeline for me, gets right, leans over said, dude, you're very funny. That was a great set.
02:05:25
Speaker
ah you know and you know, again, he didn't have to say anything and I wouldn't have thought any less of him, but the I think so much more of him because he took that 30 seconds or a minute to stop and come right to me.
02:05:39
Speaker
And then, you know, he and his friends all, you know, but it was, it's it's cool to work with people. And it, you know, not that I need validation. Cause like i said, I do this for fun, but it's cool when comics of a much higher level,
02:05:55
Speaker
give you give you compliments and and and validate you. And I think really the best validation is the audience. If you get if you do a set and that audience laughs, that's the validation. But when professional comedian who, you know, they don't laugh at much, so you were funny, you made me laugh, yeah that's like, wow.
02:06:14
Speaker
So it's, I know what you mean when you say, you know, when you meet Chris Titus. I would imagine just knowing from him, from seeing him his deck, would be a cool guy and wouldn't be, you know, an asshole.
02:06:27
Speaker
But, um you know, and and and i think and that's great that you got to meet him. Hopefully, you know, you get him on the show. Hey, maybe one day. like i yeah but and i And I told my girlfriend, I've always, I've been a little, because I do the music show, and that's all about independent artists and and whatnot.
02:06:49
Speaker
and uh then i started doing this show and and i've always been timid you know because i know we're a small podcast we're a network that's coming up and we're still growing and and i know like with the social media a lot of people that's what they look at numbers and stuff like that so i've always been a little timid on who i reach out to or who i'll i'll message or whatever and i started doing this show and i seen how quickly i was getting responses from comedians And it's all walks of comedians who've been doing it for years. People like you that are new. I had a young lady on not too long ago. She literally just started like six months ago.
02:07:27
Speaker
And it was her first experience doing a podcast. So she didn't really know what to do or what to expect. And I said, just just follow my lead. I got you. Don't worry. yeah you know um But i I started reaching out to bigger names.
02:07:42
Speaker
And I told her, i said, you know what? Screw it. a I miss 100% of the shots that I don't take. And who knows? Everybody wants the exposure. It doesn't cost them anything. and I mean, you know, it's a ah Wednesday night. Most comics aren't performing on. It's usually Thursday to Sunday.
02:08:01
Speaker
You know, maybe Thursday to Monday. Most comics are free on Wednesday night. You know? i bet you could get a lot of people on this show. You know, i bet you Mark Norman would do it.
02:08:13
Speaker
Mick Kaplan might do it. um you know I'd reach out to Carmen Lynch, she's very funny, very nice, very funny, tall as shit, she's like over six foot.
02:08:24
Speaker
But but but um you know i think you could get you know comics that are, you know the tour that sell out clubs, sell out theaters, have specials on on on television, you hear them on Sirius XM.
02:08:44
Speaker
You know, we're, you know, we're, we're attention whores, but we're also business people looking to expand our brand. And, and, and, you know, I mean, I don't care how big of a comedian you are. I mean, I'm sure there, and back in my day, some people didn't know who George Carlin was or who Richard Carlin was. Very sweet people. Yeah. But, you know,
02:09:05
Speaker
I think anybody in in entertainment is always looking to expand their reach, to expand their fan base. And it it it can't hurt. I mean, unless they Googled you and found out, you know, that you're you're somebody that could hurt their career.
02:09:18
Speaker
But you're a cool guy. You've got this show. All you're trying to do is boost your brand, boost your podcast, and help entertainers boost their brand through your podcast. So I don't see why there'd be any objection.
02:09:31
Speaker
Yeah, say right? So I think Yeah,
02:09:41
Speaker
happy yeah I mean, you know, ah like you said, yeah ah you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So I would definitely, you know, i I'd reach out and just start doing – they're all – you know, you can reach them all through social media.
02:10:02
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I mean, i've I've reached people through social media wanting to open for them. And they said, hey, check your stuff out. You're funny, but we're all we're all set. You know, like Vic DiBenedetto. I reached out to Vic. Vic got right back to me.
02:10:16
Speaker
And he took the time to view my video. um I forget this other kid's name. He's really starting to to to get up there. um But he reached out, you know. So they'll they'll respond to you. It might be with a no, but keep trying, you know. But um I think – Most comedians would would would be happy to do it especially in midweek when they're not doing shows.
02:10:38
Speaker
When they're not doing anything. I've been been lucky. I didn't realize when I scheduled that I've had three comedians so far that have been on Kill Tony. And, like, I mean, that's kind of a big thing right now. So it's like, that's cool. didn't realize that, you know.
02:11:01
Speaker
yeah you know, there's there's no bad time, but you know, midweek on a Wednesday for comedians, it's perfect. Cause like could look at shows, there's very few comedy shows on a Wednesday night, maybe a lot of mics, but you know, these upper level people aren't doing mics. I mean, they might do from time to time to work out some new stuff. but For the most part, they're, they're sitting in a bar having a drink on a Wednesday night.
02:11:26
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Um, I don't want to be too late. I'm going to go ahead get ready to wrap this up. But before I let you go, um any upcoming shows you got coming up or or where can people? Yes. So on Friday, I'm going to be in Merchantville, the Camden Comedy Collective, this Friday the 12th.
02:11:46
Speaker
um Then on next Friday, I'm going to be at the basement at Tommy's in Bergenfield, New Jersey for a comedy competition. And then next Saturday, the 20th, I will be at Strange Loves in Philadelphia. And then ah the big show coming up is July 11th at Give a Hoot Comedy Club in Berlin, New Jersey. I'll be opening for Dat Fan, who was the very first winner of Last Comic Standings.
02:12:12
Speaker
And my socials are just this. See this name right here? this this Let me see. that There, right there behind my finger, front my finger. Joe Scaraka Comedy.
02:12:22
Speaker
That's all my social stuff. So you go Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok. And i try I'm trying to get better at posting more stuff because I know it's important to do that. But, you know, life gets in the way.
02:12:38
Speaker
Yes, it does. i'm I'm well aware of that. I'm on media and I need to be better. i know, but I'm doing three to six shows a week ah and then working. And I hope you hit your goal. So this this will be the only job that you have and you're super successful at it. And like trust me, if that happens, you'll never work another day in your life because you're just going to have a shitload of fun making money.
02:13:04
Speaker
Yeah, yeah that is that is the goal right there. um that Joe, it was a pleasure meeting you. I had a great – I could talk to you all night, man. I really did. I will definitely, as long as you're open to it, I definitely want to have you back down the road. Oh, of course. Anytime.
02:13:21
Speaker
I love bringing guests back, you know, to see what they're doing, how things are going. Yeah, absolutely. and And by the time you have maybe some openings – in in In the fall, i might be I might be scheduled to do some stuff back in ah in Ohio.
02:13:35
Speaker
And I'd love to be able to say, hey, yeah I'm going to be there in two weeks or three weeks and maybe get ah get a good crowd out and get you out and, you know, have some fun and and and meet you and let me pet that beard.
02:13:46
Speaker
Everybody wants to pet the beard. It's not a gay thing. It's just, you know, it reminds me of so many little puppies I had. yeah yeah You'll have to get permission from my girlfriend, but I think she'll be okay. I'll buy her dinner and drink. You've got to buy both dinner and drink, and hopefully she'll say, okay, one pet. one pack just one there's one I think she'll be okay with it. i don't think she's going to worry about you a a short little Italian guy from Jersey. Yeah.
02:14:20
Speaker
ah All right. Well, thank you so much for having me. I had a blast. I can't believe I made it past my bedtime relatively alert. And that's not a cup of coffee sitting here. Yeah, right. Joe, I appreciate it so much. You're welcome to drop down if you want. I got to do my my little spiel to close the show up.
02:14:38
Speaker
a I appreciate it, man. Best of luck to you. And I look forward to watching your journey continue and all the success. All right. Thank you so much. um Let me figure out how to get out. and My son got it set up. and Oh, there we go. Leave studio. All right. Take care. Talk to you soon. Thank you guys for watching. As always, shout out to Joe Soraka.
02:15:01
Speaker
He was awesome. What a great guest. I just had a feeling about him. I knew he was going to be good. I knew we were going to have fun. I could have literally talked to him all night long.
02:15:13
Speaker
If you guys aren't already, go ahead and check him out on all the social medias. Like he said, Joe Scaraca. Comedy, real easy to find. And if you don't find it, I've tagged him on our Instagram posts, our Facebook posts.
02:15:28
Speaker
um He's tagged across the board. So, guys, you know what to do. Go give him a follow. Give him a like. Check out his schedule because he might be performing near you. And jump out there and go support him and tell him Glick sent you. Okay.
02:15:43
Speaker
But tune in tomorrow night for Speedway Stories. I think wa Wally and Johnny are just, it's a free chat, man. They're hanging out in the garage. They're going to talk about some upcoming races, what's going on in the motorsports world. It's in full effect. We are spring, summertime now. So all the guys are out there. They've got the vroom vrooms, and they're going fast, and they're getting muddy. And all the things that I don't understand.
02:16:09
Speaker
I know. I know, ah you know, but it's, it Johnny and Wally are doing some really cool things with Speedway Stories. So check them out tomorrow night. um I think Friday night might be a dead night. maybe we'll ah Maybe we'll jump on and get the Lazy Shaman show streaming on the network for you guys. If you're not already following them, we'll get it streaming on the network so you guys can check out Lazy and Shaman do their Friday night shit if we're not doing anything.
02:16:39
Speaker
Here on Friday nights. And then, of course, Saturday, Cash and I will be back for Cash's Corner. We got the Clash in Italy to talk about. um And then wrestling shit in general that we got to talk about, which means I'm going to get yelled at because I didn't watch wrestling last Friday and I haven't watched wrestling for Monday yet. So maybe I'll do that tomorrow night.
02:17:00
Speaker
Get caught all up on the wrestling stuff. And then, of course, Saturday night, nonsensical nonsense, doing our thing, acting all crazy, acting all out of pocket, and letting you guys come up and hang out with us. I'm sure Rock Lee will be there.
02:17:17
Speaker
Rock Lee, check out EDM Combat's EDM. Why have I forgotten it? EDM Combat Remixes on YouTube. All kinds of new stuff there that Rocky's been playing around with. We've got a new video on our channel, and I got a new video coming out very soon as well. Rocky and I are having a lot of fun playing around with some music and AI stuff and just just having a good time with it.
02:17:43
Speaker
So check us out, bio.link slash nonsensicalnetwork. All of our links are there for all the social medias, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. I promise you guys I'm trying to get better, posting more. I'm working on it, just trying to find the time. And then the shows are live all the time on our Facebook, our YouTube, and our x channel. We are back on X, going live over there. So shout out to our people on X, formerly known as Twitah.
02:18:11
Speaker
And then of course you can listen to anytime, any place, wherever you listen to podcasts that, and they are 100% fully up to date with the exception of tonight's show, which I'm going to try to get up there before I go to bed.
02:18:23
Speaker
So that'll be up there. And yeah. So thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for supporting us. Appreciate it. it We are still in the top five of the top 100 podcasts in all of Ohio. I think we're sitting at number four right now, or we've kind of been hanging out there for the last few weeks, but still nonetheless, um,
02:18:41
Speaker
Yeah, don't forget we've always got the super chats going. if you guys want to support the network, support the shows, the Cash App and the Venmo and the whatever, they're all in the bio link.
02:18:53
Speaker
um So, yeah. Thanks for hanging out on Glick's Comedy Lounge right here on the Nonsensical Network.
02:19:03
Speaker
Remember, guys, laugh loud. Live loud. Laugh hard. Just be nonsensical. Ain't no shame in having a little fun and laughing at all the bullshit and like, I'm out of here.
02:19:17
Speaker
Oh, before I hit the buttons, my guests last night, Thistle and Oak, we're going to end the show with their song, Last. So check them out as well. A special huge shout out. Thank you to Paul and Lindsay Ann for coming and hanging out, Thistle and Oak.
02:19:32
Speaker
And here's their song, Last.
02:19:49
Speaker
I was down to my last cigarette Staying past last call Drinking to regret Nothing works how you want it to Ain't that the heartproof truth?
02:20:04
Speaker
Swear I had nothing left You sparked life into a dying heart, dying heart You showed up before was too far gone I'll give this one last shot.
02:20:20
Speaker
I'll give it all I got. Cause I got nothing to lose. Look already or not. You look like all I want.
02:20:31
Speaker
Seen it all, but this feels new. So I'll go forget my past. I'll give this one last chance.
02:20:42
Speaker
Cause this might, this might, this might last.
02:20:58
Speaker
I was down to my very last dime That didn't change your mind Good love is hard to find You gotta lose some Ain't that the truth?
02:21:11
Speaker
I had to walk that road They got it led to you I give this one last shot I give it all I got Cause I got nothing to lose
02:21:32
Speaker
I'll give this one last chance.
02:22:09
Speaker
This one last shot, I'll give it all I got Cause I got nothing to lose