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Glick's Comedy Lounge; Chad Smith
15 Plays28 days ago
Welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge!! Tonight the laughter gets rekless as comedian Chad Smith pulls up to the lounge to talk comedy,stories from the road,and whatever other Nnsense falls out of our mouths.No scripts,no brakes,just jokes and absolute chaos. Pull up a seat and remember...you're not just watching the how. You've got the unofficial backstage pass on The Nonsensical Network
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Transcript
00:00:13
Speaker
We'll be right back.
00:00:35
Speaker
Comics and friends, yeah, the mic's turned on.
A Night at Glick's Comedy Lounge
00:00:40
Speaker
Half the jokes playing, half totally wrong. Backstage stories, things we shouldn't say, we're gonna laugh about them anyway.
00:00:51
Speaker
Hey, welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge, where the jokes go wild and the laughs get loud.
00:01:02
Speaker
Pull up seat, stay all night long Tell crazy story, sing along to the song Tell us how it went down At least comedy loud
00:01:27
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 Welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge Where the jokes go wild and the laughs get loud
00:02:05
Speaker
Pull a seat, stay all night long Tell a crazy story, sing along to the song
00:02:46
Speaker
Late nights, lose mics, stories all around. You're hanging out tonight at Glick's Comedy Live.
00:03:07
Speaker
to Glick's Comedy Live.
00:03:18
Speaker
Pull a seat, stay all night long. Tell a crazy story, sing along to the song.
00:03:52
Speaker
What's going on everybody? Happy Wednesday. Happy hump day. Welcome to Glick's Comedy Lounge, the place where the microphones are hot, the jokes are questionable, and the nonsense is always on tap.
00:04:05
Speaker
Tonight we got a comedian who watered into the lounge earlier and at this point just feels weird to make him leave. Chad Smith. Hanging out with us tonight.
00:04:16
Speaker
Grab you a drink, settle in get ready for laugh stories and whatever chaos decides to pop up on the show tonight. Because here on the Nonsensical Network and Glick's Comedy Lounge,
00:04:27
Speaker
It's your official back unofficial backstage pass to the comedy world. Mr. Chad Smith, what's going on? What's going on here, guys? im We're actually back. um I had to kind of hit pause to us talking because we were already cracking before we started getting recorded here. So, no, i'm I'm glad to be on here.
00:04:45
Speaker
um And I want to give you got well two things here. Two things. I'm going to be kind of selfish and say I'm a huge James Bond fan. So whoever created that photo that I used for the thing behind me, thank you.
00:04:58
Speaker
um It's a great backdrop. this first time i'm actually doing that. So... If guys don't know, count them, and we'll figure it out. But of that, no, I was enjoying the intro song, especially music in my background. i'm sitting there going, I'm like, is that a telly, or is that a strap that they're playing? But that's just my nerdness behind the scenes. That is, I am by no means, I am not a musician, ah just like I am by no means a comedian, but...
00:05:28
Speaker
AI has become my friend. I have I did write right like 90% of the lyrics for that and then just as like hit me with an edit because I Abuse the English language on a daily basis. So but but but You know help me with an edit and then once I had the edit with the lyrics I slid it into a little AI thing and told it what I was looking for the vibe I wanted and After a few tries, I was finally happy with with that. in so well on I looked at the photo. I'm like, damn, I got some arms. I do i do work out, but I'm like, that photo was a nice photo. so I know. I was like, this kind of looks like Chad.
00:06:09
Speaker
but But it'll work. It'll be a little little little more slicker going in the summer here. I started, i have to slowly train for a kid's running club coming up here. So I sounded like an old man trying to run with cement feet today. Just clunk, clunk, clunk going down the road here. So, you know, I saw the photo. I'm like, all right, here we go.
00:06:32
Speaker
No stress. Throw me to the wolves right away. Yeah, now now you got now you got something that you got to you gotta to try to you gotta try to achieve. but but otherwise Otherwise, people are going to call me a liar.
00:06:48
Speaker
That's not that.
00:06:51
Speaker
This is not the guy. Oh, I think we lost you. Your audio.
00:07:05
Speaker
Might be on your end.
00:07:13
Speaker
I maybe nothing yet. How about now? There you go. All right, we'll take these off here. I'll lean in. serious are you are you on Are you on your phone?
00:07:26
Speaker
We're on the phone. We're going to go. You know, this thing about comedy and business and all that stuff, sometimes it doesn't go to plan, but we'll make it work here. So we are rolling. it it It happens man like I told you before I told you backstage It's it's not a nonsensical network show or a show that I'm hosting for that matter unless there's some kind of technical difficulty Well, and I mean, honestly, it goes on the comedy thing, right? So, I mean, and to be truthful, and a lot of us that do shows, we we have our jokes written down. And, yes, I'm that same person that does bring the list on stage. i know people are like, don't put the paper on the stage. That's not professional. And I'm like,
00:08:07
Speaker
Yo, like I drink way too much in my past. So yes i have wick a h g so like I need a, some sort of a starting point. I mean, there's no girls in the front row that distract me. I mean, sometimes if there is, there is, and then I need to focus.
00:08:23
Speaker
Absolutely. But no, it's um yeah. i'm I'm having a blast, man. It's, it's, I don't want to like overtake your show here, but I'm, I'm having a blast doing it. I came from a business background.
00:08:36
Speaker
And it's it's an outlet like many that once you fall into it, even if you don't make it on stage, being around the people, it's it's a never ending laugh fest.
00:08:47
Speaker
Yeah, and don't feel like you're taking over the show, man. This show is all about you tonight. And I know I'm going to feed right into you right it You're a comedian. If you guys have egos, you know, i have I have plenty of friends that are in the comedy world. and But, no, I mean, ultimately, these shows are all about my guests and getting to know you guys and, and you know, not only what you're doing, but as a person, too. ah So, you know, we just kind of let the conversation free flow.
00:09:13
Speaker
Uh, right off the bat, we can jump right into this. How long have you been doing comedy
Chad Smith's Comedy Journey
00:09:17
Speaker
now? I know you said earlier you got business background and you know, you fell over this a little bit of that. Yeah. So, uh, let me see here. July, 2024. Absolutely.
00:09:28
Speaker
or absolutely I think, yeah, it was July, 2024. So I'll be rolling in my third year this summer. Um, I was kind of suggested it a few years prior just to kind of go test out an open mic.
00:09:41
Speaker
um and And to me, it just it not say it wasn't for me. It just wasn't the right time. Yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker
Yeah. The fucking story about that. Right. So at that time and, you know, I'm OK with the situation what happened. Obviously, you know, two people are completely different path now. But nah I kind of.
00:10:02
Speaker
did it as kind of a payback to get back at, you know, a certain person that I dated all of a sudden in and the stage name actually came from it. So I will give you guys exactly the stage name from that. So, um, her mom would always call me Chadwick all the time. And I got super pissed at the time with what happened. So I'm like, you know what, screw it. I'm going to use my, use it a stage name.
00:10:25
Speaker
And, um, I still use it all the time. it' It's, uh, But to me, like, I used my regular name for a while, and it just kind of wasn't quite, you know, fitting the character. And then someone, actually a month ago, they were like, hey, dude, weren't you named this?
00:10:41
Speaker
I said, yeah, it's still my name. yeah They're like, no, that's your separator. Like, we know you as that. So, no, it's just kind of like framing, don't want to say framing the character, but just kind of keeping that person personality and kind of, don't know if it's going to like the sarcastic, musculine you know, musc masculine,
00:11:00
Speaker
you know, Midwestern guy, person, I don't know. We'll we'll kind of develop a little character that i kind of want develop to develop and do and of flip that switch when I'm on stage. Oh, absolutely. Oh, see, here we go.
00:11:13
Speaker
I'm still here, but like my camera decided to take a nap. Yeah, it's he's kind of like like the Mortal Kombat game. He just went into Outer World there, and then the kind of little finger.
00:11:31
Speaker
Look at me. I'm going to Florida. Fuck you in which bo you. said no but that's up Oh, yeah, this is awesome. I don't want to go to my actual camera camera because it's bad.
00:11:47
Speaker
That's why I bought this other one. well we'll just Well, we'll keep rolling with it. just keep yeah People can hear me. That's all that matters at the end of the day. You know, honestly, Rolfie Mae would have been... There we go.
00:12:00
Speaker
Live with that photo, he would have had so much fun with the finger blasting thing with the... You know, we've... That's an old school... ah all ah We've had many variations of network logos.
00:12:15
Speaker
ah And that's that's one from last year. And I was just really in a kind of an FU mode, so to say, towards the world and towards a lot of people. Yeah.
00:12:27
Speaker
No, that that attitude actually came back, and I'm not going to do a tour of my office here in the side room, but I got Bob Dylan, um you know Johnny Cash, Ozzy, kind of like just that little outlier, kind of f you type people on the wall. yeah And to me, it just it's the older you get, right? So like obviously comedians are different off the stage just because it's working on work and non-work, right? But to me, I always had that little edgy, even growing up, like a little edgy kind of alter ego.
00:12:55
Speaker
and And to me, I feel creative when I look at these guys. I kind of, you know, press the limit a little bit, kind of pushed outside the box and and just a little old world here. So, but yeah absolutely. and There's nothing wrong with having.
00:13:09
Speaker
You know, having like a stage alter ego or you know, when you, I do it on here. You know, we we do a Saturday night show that's just complete chaos and we open up the panel and, you know, on the show from time to time, I've got an ego.
00:13:25
Speaker
I'm an egomaniac. and And that's just, that's just to kind of amp it up a little bit and give a little extra something on Saturday nights in real life. I mean, I got a little bit of an ego.
00:13:37
Speaker
but for the most part, I'm pretty humble, but I think that being an entertainer and you, you may or may not agree with this year and entertain it yourself. You know, you gotta have a little bit of arrogance and a little bit of an ego to kind of keep pushing forward and not letting the littlest hiccup go.
00:13:53
Speaker
well, well, my camera died. Screw it. We're not, we're done. I'm turning the show off. You know? ah Yeah. We're, we're just nuts. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it it's, and, and I, and,
00:14:06
Speaker
and obviously we're to about the show earlier here, but like, kind of got booed on kill Tony because I said, I'm an ultra runner. Well, ultra runners are actually nuts too. It's like a whole different world. So with that, um, yeah, it's like, we're just, I don't know. I just like wearing, you know dressing up, going to go do like a 50 K randomly.
00:14:24
Speaker
Yeah. Like they're going up on stage. Uh, yeah. mean, mind you. Yeah. I'm not perfect. There's shows. I suck. Like last night I ate a whole bag of, you know, ah bag of shit, but, uh,
00:14:36
Speaker
find It's open-minded, right? And that's the thing. And it goes like the, you know, Tom Brady practiced what it is, right? and and And I'll be open, and and ah the boys that are on here, contests are there.
00:14:50
Speaker
You know, I just came back from Austin two weeks ago, and we're going to talk about that. But, like, um you know, it's starting to slide in some of that material.
00:15:01
Speaker
It's starting to slide in some newer material. Obviously, um you know, the Kill Tony. know i had a bill cosby joke on there that i kind of twist you know ended where it would be right so at that moment on a national level i might bring it back a little bit later but we reworded it because you know like monday don't know if you know but the national news kind of listed his court so we were sitting there going i'm like okay that's a gimme because can we twist a joke and to add that up and obviously we everyone knows what he did right it's not oh yeah it's not a secret yeah so to me it's it's one of those that um you know you're looking at it's like okay this punch can be a little bit better and and i worked with i got some great i mean local comedy here man we got um we call him grand you know grandpa or pops or whatever but he was out at uh he's retired he was out at san diego i think or l la or one of
00:15:59
Speaker
there for a while. um Ended up being in the club at the same time. i think he hung around with Hennison a little bit um that were out there. So, you know, to me, it's, we have a wide range of people. We have, we have a phenomenal mentor, James.
00:16:14
Speaker
I mean, I, James Bo, I mean, we can go down the list of everyone that's kind of helping everyone out. You know, if you're, if you're willing to be helped and you're, and you're humble enough to be helped, um everyone wants everyone to succeed.
00:16:27
Speaker
And, you know, we're looking at like we're talking about, right? So, um you know, I'm i'm up here in, you know up northeast Wisconsin, but, you know Appleton, which is a ah city of like 300,000, give or take. Oh, wow. We had 15 people at that open mic. Damn.
00:16:45
Speaker
And then, um obviously, tonight, Skyline, um which would be the the official comedy club up here. That's the biggest one in the whole state when it comes to, like, northeast Wisconsin.
00:16:56
Speaker
And we have 18, I think we have 18 lined up and I think 19 counting Kat if she's closing.
The Thriving Local Comedy Scene
00:17:02
Speaker
ah And you still get like, you know, if you're on the lineup, you get four minutes. if you're in the bucket, you get three minutes and then closing, I think six or seven. I think they let you stretch a little bit just to kind of end the night. yeah And, you know, on a Wednesday night, we have our 18 people are on top of like five or 10 that try to slide in to get the bucket spot. So, you know, that place sits, know,
00:17:26
Speaker
I'm going to say 200. I could be off a lot because I don't work there. But, um yeah, open mics. seven and We're getting half a room, three-quarters room. and those yeah that's ah That's a decent-sized venue for, you know, if you're getting 100 or so people in there on an open mic night. night That's not of bad that's sort a bad – it's nothing to complain about at the end of the day.
00:17:48
Speaker
Yeah, we – I've been at one, and I know we can call it – a couple times because I know there's one I missed and someone posted they like, yeah, it was a rocking place tonight again. But there were people all the way to the back and people were standing.
00:18:03
Speaker
And that was a I mean, if you look at like a standup comedy night, that's a, that's a sellout. And it gets, what obviously, you know open mic, we can stretch a little bit. People are learning something and the rules are a little bit different. They don't want you to, you know, a lot of these clubs are not,
00:18:20
Speaker
when I'm starting to learn, especially reaching out to some of these clubs, they don't want you to do crowd work as much. They just want to go up there and enjoy the show. um Obviously, if someone feeds into it, you can kind of poke the bear a little bit, but they don't want like a consistent, hey, you know, talk to the front person. Like they want someone to come up and do a show.
00:18:38
Speaker
um Brian Callen was there a couple, I think when I see him in July, this one went off. And he was, I mean, she was feeling good.
00:18:50
Speaker
already. Um, and she was already going off on the middle act and he was, he was playing into it. Like it was, it was fun play. It wasn't like bad play. And he kind of poked the bear a little bit too, just with her. But, um, no, she was cool, man. Like you get, you get the good ones that poke and, and they're a little loose. And like I said, I'm sober, but if you're however it is to get you relaxed in the crowd to get you laughing having a good time, whether you're the you know person in the room or not.
00:19:17
Speaker
Um, those are good nights, man. Those are fun nights on stage. Yeah, no, I was going to say, I'm sure, I'm sure, like, especially with the open mics, when you guys are getting three to four minutes or something like that, you really don't have a lot of time to do crowd work. You know, you're trying to get your material out there. You're trying to, you know, whether you're trying new stuff or, you know,
00:19:39
Speaker
like you, you know, you're still kind of newish to the, to the, the standup world, you know, you're trying to find that, that rhythm, that, that flow and everything. You don't really have time to, you know, address the crowd. Like, but I would love to chat with you, but I literally have two and a half minutes.
00:19:56
Speaker
ah Yeah. And, and with that, and, and we can, you know, go into the Austin thing here too. So that's a 60 minute set. So when we were prepping for that in the separate room, um,
00:20:08
Speaker
you know, guys are like, you know, and there's three or four of us that were kind of at the table, like, oh, what do we say? What do we do? If you start getting a little bit of the rhythm, because I i took off a little few weeks before that, because was getting burned out, but I knew in my mind, I'm like, okay, joke one is going to be 30 seconds, joke two would be 15. Like, if you're a certain routine, you know, it can slide. And I think I slid in like three of them or something or whatever it was.
00:20:32
Speaker
But the number one thing that you know, our mentors, you know, James is telling straight out. He's like, and he goes, I want you guys to go up there and don't say a word for a minute. He's like, sit on for a minute.
00:20:44
Speaker
and And he goes, cause you guys are all, and and he was nice about it. He's like, you guys are afraid to have that room silent. And he, and he's trying to teach us, not, not trying to teach us, say like kill the room. Not that you're like, okay,
00:21:01
Speaker
you know, let's say, Oh, I, you I slept with Bill Cosby, whatever. Obviously there's going ripple effect of, of the laugh. Right. And he's like, just let it soak. Like, shut up, let that laugh and eat and and whatever. So he's doing great. And in many, it's right. Bo and, and, you know, Caleb, and I can go through a whole, like, like I said, we have, um,
00:21:23
Speaker
locally in green bay and here i'm probably gonna guess probably so when we went to green bay we'd open mics in green bay we would to have 10 people 10 to 15 sign up um so if we add you know the three spots you're probably looking 24 35 you're probably 40 to 50 ish people that are kind of crossing the stage ah in a month of like sign ups and moves up and stuff so And a lot of us, a lot of us, and and I was telling, you know, the guy that hosted Mike yesterday, I'm like, a lot of us are hitting, you know, two, three, four years.
00:21:56
Speaker
And I'm like, if if we get, if we put in the time and and we're a crew, like we're a family, like it's the same every time, you know, we get everyone that starts putting in the time on stage and getting the rhythm down and stuff. I'm like, it can be real fun in a couple of years.
00:22:14
Speaker
Oh, yeah, absolutely. you you build that you You build that community and you you kind of compete off of each other and bounce off of each other, you know, as one's coming off stage and one's going on and yeah you kind of get a feel for everybody and and know, like, all right, here we go. You know, it's... it's Yeah. Oh, go ahead. Sorry. i was to say, that you know, if you've got that same group, I mean, you could almost stagger it and set up a lineup, ah you know, almost like ah like a batting order, you know, in baseball.
00:22:44
Speaker
Yeah, we have we have ah some wonderful bookers here in town. You know, and we got Matt, which is the one I work with a lot. he He does a lot of great things, a lot of groups we have. Obviously, we have Skyline. We have, you know, another comedian named Brandon who does a lot of stuff around here. And then we got some larger stuff.
00:23:02
Speaker
you know, in the town I'm in, um, south of us and and I'm a give or take an hour, hour and a half from Milwaukee and Madison. Okay. Yeah. So that's a whole different animal too, to begin with.
00:23:14
Speaker
Um, and we're not even tapping into like the, the Madison market the Milwaukee market and people don't, I think Milwaukee is kind of that quiet hidden gem because you have Chicago within 45 minutes away.
00:23:31
Speaker
or an hour, give or take. So you got Zany's, which is down there. And you got all those clubs in Chicago, and then you can kind of whip up to Milwaukee. And, you know, the big stuff, there's the casino or like the amphitheaters or or the stadiums, like Adam Ray and some of those larger stadium guys will kind of come through. yeah But then you have, yep for not I mean, like all the clubs here that I have been in or like the new places are picking up, it's it's getting healthy again.
00:24:00
Speaker
It's not Austin healthy where like everyone's got a lot of people in um it's it's
Austin vs. Hometown Comedy
00:24:07
Speaker
healthy. and And when I was there two weeks ago, to be truthful, and I told everyone this when I came back, I'm like, I loved i loved Austin. I loved the mothership. I loved everyone that was in that whole scene. um But to me, like I'm watching some of those newer cats down there, right? It's a different stop down there.
00:24:25
Speaker
and And to me, I'm just like the, the group and the, the quality of people we have up here. Um, we just need the spotlight more to kind of get up here and, and kind of bring, ah um, you know, like I said, I got two girls that I know in my circle and I'm probably going to shooting myself in the foot for some other ones I'm missing. But, um,
00:24:44
Speaker
You know, we got one in Green Bay. was phenomenal. She's a sister to us. She can close the house down. If you choose getting real close to and I'm not going to be public with it, but she could probably go 30 minutes to an hour and and and and she's great at it. Obviously, I said we have the the newer one that we're working with last night. That's here locally. um She I don't know what happened and um I'm going to be truthful on this.
00:25:10
Speaker
Like she was very quiet for a while. And then all of a sudden at a about a year, she kind of hit her, her, hit her groove of like, Hey, this is who I'm kind of going to be. And he liked the last two months. She's just, and she doesn't know it, but like she flipped the switch and she's just up there going like, just like she's been doing it for 10 years. It's just all just whatever clicked it's clicking. And like, like I told her last week ah or a couple of weeks, so I'm like, you're on fire. It's,
00:25:40
Speaker
and she won't she doesn't notice it because i think she's she's a very humble person but like last night i'm looking at the booker i'm like dude like something like she's just she's on like she's got it yeah she's got something yeah and um it to me it's cool watching that because he looked at me straight out he goes yeah she's rolling like she's on fire um and it's no breathing no nothing like it's transition to transition to transition and Um, I'll just say she's probably doing reps, you know, outside of here. She's doing a lot of local bar shows, um, like a good professional with it, like a very good person. to kind
00:26:17
Speaker
Um, but like I said, you know, a little bit opposite of our, our, you know, political, I don't care, man. That's, that's a wonderful comedy world. Yeah, no, i don't ah i don't I don't worry about all that, man. Just make me laugh. I'm at a comedy show. you know i don't I don't care about your political beliefs. Just make me laugh at the end of the day.
00:26:37
Speaker
We do have a live chat, so if anybody's watching and you want to ask Chad anything or you want to throw your two cents in, or anybody new, and know we got our regulars in the chat right now, but anybody new that's watching the chat is why I don't put the chatter's box. Mandy asks, is it easier to just do your bits or work in the crowd?
00:26:56
Speaker
Oh, what we were talking about a few minutes ago.
00:27:00
Speaker
It's easier to do the bits because I, I have wicked 80 and for me, um I can flow. if if I'm on and I'm not tired, I can pick the ball up and go. um And I actually kind of enjoy it. But with me, it's, it's, I'm, I'm the, the do bits type of guy. Like I know what I want to do on the stage. And then if I,
00:27:25
Speaker
Obviously there's are going to suck, right? Everyone's got those kind of jokes. To freestyle on stage, I think I tried it one night. I tried to write a whole night of just straight Ziploc bags.
00:27:40
Speaker
I didn't care. It was a booster of just saying, hey, you know what? going throw it against the wall and just completely throw a curveball. Yeah, and that's the great thing about the open you know the open mics is you can you can do that. And if you you know if you eat if you eat shit, you know oh, well, yeah it's an open mic. I'll be back next week or I'll be back in a couple of days and we'll we'll do something different.
00:28:06
Speaker
and And I have ate enough to where there are times I Gary, my own mouthwash.
00:28:17
Speaker
Perfect comedian guys. Like, uh, I, I just enjoy what I do and I have fun with it. Um, I've got my, uh, girlfriend and awesome producer in the background over here. She's throwing up your social media links. So for anybody out there, if you're watching and you're not following Chad already, go ahead and check him out on the social medias. He's out there.
00:28:37
Speaker
Um, No, man, it sounds like you guys are have a solid group. And and i love hearing that because it's always, you know, my music show, Interviewing Musicians, it's always one of my big questions because you always hear the horror stories about um entertainers and what we'll say entertainers as a whole that if you're in a you're you're in a and a community or in a scene or whatever,
00:29:05
Speaker
you only hear the horror stories about, well, I mean, it's cut through. They'll throw their own grandma in front of a bus if they can, if they can get a stage over you. um But I love hearing that that the the community and everybody's coming together and you guys work together and and not all, you know, and feed off of each other and are able to have that like,
00:29:24
Speaker
boost each other and and help support each other. Because at the end of the day, you all want the same thing. You all want a stage, you all want a crowd. And much like the internet, there's enough to go around for everybody.
00:29:35
Speaker
Not everybody's meant to be on stage or in front of a crowd, but that'll, those people will weed themselves out as you guys go. Yeah. in it And it, and kind of, i mean, it's, I've been through enough in life to not really man don't like i have ego too like i'll be truthful like there's times like if you're gonna throw my group under the bus i'm not gonna talk to you but when it comes to in general of like i think it's just the respect for the boys is boys and girls i mean sorry girls but um
00:30:07
Speaker
ah But when it when it comes to just in general, looking at it, right? So I have a huge entertainer that that's in my bloodline. He's like fifth, sixth cousin, long time ago, passed away long time ago. But when you look at it, his opener was Barbra Streisand. And he brought her out to Vegas.
00:30:26
Speaker
And then obviously he was out in Vegas and then Elvis came out and kind of learned from there. And And once you start just kind of seeing the ripple effects of some of these entertainers, so, and going to use Jeff Foxworthy, for example, right? So Jeff Foxworthy and Larry, which is Pete, was it Pete Whitney? Pete, I think his original name or his name.
00:30:46
Speaker
um Him and Larry started at open mics down in Atlanta. Yeah. Like back in 88, 89, somewhere in there 86 or somewhere in there. And yeah, and they were they've been friends for 40 years. And then you look at, you know, Ron was with them for a while. Bill was with them for a while. So, like, all these guys are on the road. and And then, you know, they're out and Blue Collar was done. And then Jeff was taking Nate Berganzi on the road. So it just it's that it's kind of that, you know, young grasshopper, grass you know, karate kid type of thing. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:26
Speaker
But yeah, it's, to me, it's it's, I don't know, I've been through enough shit my life that it's if someone asks, thank you, um but I'm still, I'm not that, like, it's one of those those where I'll get off stage and people are oh, you did great. I'm like, no, missed that joke.
00:31:43
Speaker
like o Or I missed that punchline you guys laughed or whatever. So, I mean, that's how I look and grade myself. and But ah that goes that comes from competition. That goes from, you know, not say childhood, but it's it's the,
00:31:56
Speaker
You know it's the Ozzy effect, right? It's go on stage and do whatever, but he'll still get pissed off because he couldn't do all of it. No, I feel that. but you know i I personally, I don't watch replays of of my shows. I can't. I can't do it because I am my own worst critic and I am my own worst enemy.
00:32:16
Speaker
And if I watch a replay, i'm like, oh, why didn't I ask this? Or, oh, why didn't I say it like this? Or, oh, God, I look like an idiot. And then the next time I'm doing an interview or I'm doing a show that's up here in my head the whole time.
00:32:28
Speaker
and And then it's like you almost get, you know, a little sports reference. you almost get a case of the yips. yeah And it's like, I'm eating absolute shit, and I got this great guest on here, and I look like a buffoon because I'm in my head. So I stopped watching and listening to replays of the show. I'm like, no. If somebody else tells me it was a terrible show, okay, cool.
00:32:49
Speaker
What did you like about it? I'll fix it for next time. Or if I get the, hey, good show, good guest, whatever, that it's like, hell yeah. But I can't i can't go back and and and because i am a man I am my own worst enemy at the end of the day.
00:33:05
Speaker
I'll do it first. so Obviously, we have a tool called, you know, we got the social media gig where we, you know, cut the shorts and all that stuff. So I'll do it that way. I don't, I'll watch it for the for the shorts and cuts where I know I need to cut. But typically sit there and watch my show. No, I don't. um But like the main thing, like last night, right? So I had zero confidence of saying all those jokes. I never said them. i mean, I probably said two of them before in open mind.
00:33:31
Speaker
just to kind of get a rhythm in there. But 99% of them are all brand new. So like, I haven't had the confidence of like, okay, this is where it's going to go.
Crafting Jokes and Mentorship
00:33:39
Speaker
This is how this one's written. Obviously were talking about the Bill Cosby thing earlier.
00:33:44
Speaker
but like I came into that saying of, you know, the, the joke that we had established around what happened on Monday. And then we're sitting there looking, and I went to my mentor, you know, the guy that helps us out our mentor. And I'm like, okay, this is what we have. This is the idea of what we have.
00:34:00
Speaker
this is where I want to go with it, with the punchline, but it wasn't a punchline, but like we, not, we don't need to fill it, but like, how do we connect them? Yeah. And, and we, you know, we, we hit a rough of what we're going to do prior to the hits, hit the stage. And and I'm not going to explain the whole joke, but one of those situations where I'm like, he needs to have a conversation, you know, Bill needs to have a conversation with someone to get that punchline on the back end.
00:34:27
Speaker
So I had to fill it. So it's, once you start kind of, clicking on that, you start, okay, hey, go can go 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds. Once you start kind of sliding it and tweaking that.
00:34:39
Speaker
I'm still that short person, man. Like, I can tell a story. I can do a podcast on stage different. I love to go 20 minutes and just rant random and go off. But, um you know, the quick 20 second, 15 seconds that, you know, the the Ron White, you know, boom, boom, boom.
00:34:56
Speaker
man the The one-liners the quick the the quick hitters, so to say yeah um No, I like um know, we um kind of dancing around it but let's go ahead and get into the meat and potatoes of it kill tony are you you know, how did how did you wind up in that situation and And what was that like? I mean, i've been i want to watch the show. It's on netflix um I've been more in the YouTube rabbit hole of watching the clips and and there's a few comedians that are becoming regulars on there. There's the kid with cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy, Aaron, and aarin and in the chick in the wheelchair that just freaking killed me. And I don't know why they haven't hooked up yet because I think that would be... What's that?
00:35:47
Speaker
was that They actually tour together. so they yeah mean Yeah, I don't know why they haven't hooked up and got together as a boyfriend. I don't know exactly, but I think she's dating another comic somewhere. don't know who it is. and i know they' I haven't seen them in person, but I know they they treat everyone great. and treat yeah I would love to see the two of them together on stage. I've seen some clips of them together, but those two kill me. They crack me up. but Yeah.
00:36:16
Speaker
it's ah I ate a bag of shit on that one. How did that all come about? how did Okay, so the original plan, I wanted to get away in the winter just to kind of get, obviously, you know, in Wisconsin, Ohio, you're out of Columbus or Ohio area, and, you know Mother Nature's been on a whole line of different cocaine and cracks this year. um so i don't want It's <unk>s going down in Ohio right now.
00:36:44
Speaker
and And then she relapsed. Yeah. But, but when it comes to, in general, uh, I wanted to get away. And and to me, I got family access. So I'm like, let's go to Texas anyways. Um, make the circle. Right. So, um, and I'm not, she's down in Houston, they call it H town, but like, she's down in Houston. Um, I wanted to just be the uncle and kind of go see my niece little bit, but, um, story short,
00:37:12
Speaker
Uh, the original plan was to do Austin for a few days personally, and just kind of mess around and then slide over there. Um, and meet family and kind of have my 40th birthday, March 11th, which was, that was taped and just do that. Um, and all of a sudden phone call, it's like, okay, part of the family's not coming. I'll leave that off air What happened? But, um, so that, that backed out.
00:37:38
Speaker
And then couple weeks later, I'm getting ready to the book the planes again. And then my sister's like, oh, by the way, I have to back out for this time frame being here. I'm like, okay, this is weird. and And to me, I've been through enough shit my life to understand, okay, there's there's obstacle number two. I'm like, you're coming.
00:37:56
Speaker
yeah I'm like, you know what? Screw it. I'm going to go to Texas. I'm going to go see the mothership. ah Go down there. just And I got tickets for the open mic anyway. So I'm like, if I don't see Hill Tony, who cares? I'm in the building. I get to see the base.
00:38:11
Speaker
Yeah. You know, just the the pace, the smile and all that. I ended up going to, a i'm I'm losing my mind on the club name, Sunday night when I was there.
00:38:22
Speaker
Signed up, missed the bucket spot, didn't get it. I'm like, all right, cool, whatever. I'm still on vacation. um Monday came, signed up for the mothership, opened bucket, missed that spot.
00:38:34
Speaker
um went in there anyways, and then signed up next door. And I'll explain to you guys, if you ever go to Austin, how to sign up for it, but signed up for Kill Tony. And then I wasn't even expecting. I'm like, okay, if I have a one minute, I'm going to cut a three minute out and then fit it in here.
00:38:51
Speaker
um It was a Bill Cosby joke. Obviously, my opinion is, hey, I'm Chad, I'm from Oshkosh, you know, where Oshkosh is, that's where Milwaukee sins or prisoners, but I use Chicago just as more reference. yeah So that was the opener. And then I rolled into the bill Cosby joke. And then I rolled into, I think the old lady CPAP machine joke, which was brand new, completely fucked that one up. Um, but in general, like it's a fast, fast environment, but no, it's so in order to get a non visitor spot, right. So a non, uh, regular spot, right. The people like the, um,
00:39:31
Speaker
like David's and all of them that kind of show up regular. So if you go, going to give you guys exactly the whole spiel of what you need to do. Next to the mothership, there's going to an Italian pizza joint.
00:39:44
Speaker
And then next to that is is a sports bar called Nick Spears. ah Monday afternoon at about 530, you're going to go up there and you're goingnna have two lines to sign up for Kiltona. It gets wild time.
00:39:56
Speaker
There's about 100, 100 and something people that sign up. And then you have to be present to be. So once Kill Tony starts at eight, I think, if I remember right, you have to physically be present at that place. And I wasn't. next I'm like, I'm getting frickin.
00:40:15
Speaker
I'm not allowed in the mothership because I not say it not allowed, but I didn't make the slip to go on the mothership stage. And then I didn't make the slip on that one. So i'm like, i'm whatever, like I'm on vacation. I could care less what happened. And then, yeah, I pulled. um Yeah, it's a matter of, and the process is this, right? So, like, they they run up. You have a number on your wristband.
00:40:35
Speaker
um You go meet up in front of that building. Everyone gets all amped up. And the best part was the producer comes screaming over. He's like, all right, cool, that's you. all right, let's go. We took off.
00:40:47
Speaker
And you go, you're on the second level. You go to the first level. You go through the back way, and there's, like, so many people that were so freaking high and drunk. It was great. Yeah.
00:40:57
Speaker
my if I am sober, but like, they're just like, Oh, bro. good for guitar i do chat Like, so
00:41:07
Speaker
so like we slide through the back way and he's very, Joe runs a tight ship there. It's a very well-ran facility. The, the, uh, people there are professional. They're awesome security everywhere. Like it's a, it's top of the top, like club of,
00:41:24
Speaker
of there but they have a rule where you can't take your cell phone in there so if you're in there um if you're i'm sorry you can take it in but you have to have it off there's a patch that they give you to lock it in there and you can't tape anything in there you can't even use your cell phone while you're in there um so i i sat down and you walk through a door and you turn and there's a stairway on the s stage right away so literally you walk through the door two feet you have to hang it right and the stairway is there so i walked up Um, at the top, at the top was, um, yeah, I was there, I think like 10 minutes before just to kind of get the flow of it.
00:42:01
Speaker
Um, yeah, right next to me, a foot away was Johnny Manziel right in front of me. it was, uh, Paulie Schoer on the opposite side of the platform. Uh, one step down was Ari.
00:42:13
Speaker
Um, yeah. So Ari is going to be on the episode. Um, If right when he comes out, I'll be right next to that one. That's just, I know how the routine of that happens.
Backstage at Kill Tony
00:42:23
Speaker
Um, and then Heidi was up there in the, uh, you can't ask for anything better. Uh, all of a sudden the camera guy comes screaming up right next to me. like, Heidi, you look beautiful on top. The light is perfect. Why don't you take a photo?
00:42:38
Speaker
And I'm a photo. So I'm like, all right, cool. I said, Hey man, I don't have any money. I said, I would love to join you guys, but I got to back off a little bit. Yeah. all of a sudden Heidi pops her leg up against the rail and does the Heidi, the normal Heidi pose or whatever. and Like guys, yeah, I'm single and I will i'll will admit it, but like, she's what you see on TV is a hundred percent correct in person.
00:43:02
Speaker
Um, he's awesome, awesome, awesome person. Obviously she's got a wild job to do to make sure like she's, you know, drinks are flowing. People are moving. It's just, you get mode. You just try to make sure the machine that every everyone's moving.
00:43:15
Speaker
Um, Yeah, no, it was it. You open the door and you're kind of wedged out on stage. The stage is smaller on what you think. um Nothing bad, right? it's It's still the best thing you can do. You walk out and you're, boom, right in the arena and the lights are going. and there're All you see is the red mic and it's time to go.
00:43:33
Speaker
yes And you go, man. and why enough And, you know, I'm wearing a gray hoodie, not this one. And I don't know the two middle guys were.
00:43:46
Speaker
Because it was Tony, there was two guys in middle, and you guys will notice when the show comes out, I think it's next week or the week after. This week was Houston, and that was a week or two before mine. Show date on the 9th is the one that you'll see me on.
00:43:59
Speaker
But, like, the two guys in the middle, and I don't know what the hell happened. All of a sudden he's like, bro, you look like a dude that's going to fucking question me if I ever get pulled over.
00:44:12
Speaker
and And for some odd reason, i don't know why, but even on even the open mics, like they all kind of mess around and they joke around thinking I'm like this ice agent or like top. So like I laugh with it. And no, I just I'm from the Midwest. You get the Midwest and you get the New York people. Obviously, I'm very active. So they're they're jumping on that right away. But OK, so people, you got to realize it's a roasting show.
00:44:41
Speaker
Yeah. That's, that's, that's, that's what they're there to do. You know, you're going to get tore up. You're going to shit the bed. Um, whether it's good or not, you're still going to shit the bed. I did make some people laugh. I will admit that one.
00:44:55
Speaker
Um, I did fall on my face, which that was true. Um, I did not get the big book. I got the small one. Um, the cool, the the beautiful thing about it, right? So you learn that the pace, the timing, that the people, what to expect. you You just learn so much of it.
00:45:11
Speaker
um And it's, it's real. Like at the time I'm like, what just happened? And I was, sorry, one of the comedians that were in my group, I love him to death. The dude's down in Atlanta.
00:45:21
Speaker
He goes, let me do your wrist. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, dude, you're not even shaken. I'm like, He's like, you're not shaking. I said, I'm not. He's like, how are you not shaking? You just had a huge adrenaline dump. How are you not shaking? I'm like, dude, I run fricking 50 Ks.
00:45:35
Speaker
yeah hi What is Tony to do for five minutes to me? Yeah, I mean, it had to, you know, A, whether you ate shit or not, it's still a really cool experience.
00:45:50
Speaker
And it's it's it's it's really cool to be able to say, yeah you know, I was up i got pulled and got a chance on Kill Tony. but And there's an aura of, ha I mean, like it or not, having that KT on your on your photo and your your profile. I mean, truthfully, I was on stage at Kill Tony. So, yes, I'm going to be seen on Kill Tony. Yeah, exactly. Which, you know, I don't know, man.
00:46:20
Speaker
Again, I'm not a performer. I'm not a comedian. ah The worst thing in the world for me, and and I've done it before. I've been on stage a couple times. I don't like public speaking. I'll do this all day, every day.
00:46:33
Speaker
yeah I'm in the comfort of my own home. I can't see, i don't know if there's a million people watching or if there's only one person watching, you know, I, I can't see them, but it's to be on a stage like that with as big as kill Tony has become, yeah it's gotta have a, some kind of element of intimidation, you know, or, or something just to walk out there, that initial walkout.
00:46:59
Speaker
It's a wild time. yeah yeah It's, it's, I actually, it was weird because I'm so used to grabbing the mic and dropping it. I didn't even grab it. And I just walked right up and and let it rip. So like for me, you can tell I was nervous at that one.
00:47:14
Speaker
ah But to me, like walking in, I'm not like, dude, I'm no like no professional when it comes to this stuff. I haven't been doing this for a while. When I get into that tunnel vision mode, when it when there's a difference, like, ah and I'm going to use race prep and and you know show prep, I get into like this business mode.
00:47:33
Speaker
It's like business focus. You're, you're there to do a job. You're there to entertain, whether you do good or not. You're there to do a job. You're, I'm sorry. You're there to entertain and do a job. Let me reverse that. You're there to make people. like And, and to me, when I walked up the stairs and I'm like, okay, it's getting real.
00:47:51
Speaker
And, You know, like Johnny and I'm like, Hey man, what's up, Johnny? He's like, not much. I'm like, Hey, I'm in recovery too. He's like, all right, cool. Thank you. It's Johnny, right? Who cares? just Everyone comes out with the white towel when they, when they're born. So yeah.
00:48:05
Speaker
Um, but no, it's open the gate and it's go time. You got spotlights on you, man. It's time to go. My main focus was getting the pace and the touch. And, and that's the same that kind of converted my business world too. Um, I think Grant Cardone says it at all the time. don't know if you guys don't know who it is, but it's got, it does 10 um saying all the time.
00:48:23
Speaker
And he says, it if you want to learn what they're doing, get in the room. and And it's whether how you get in there, he's like, if you can't afford to get in there, get in there as a waiter, get in there as a server, get in cleaner, janitor, whatever it is, just get in the room and you get to learn what's in that room.
00:48:39
Speaker
So for me, I looked at it as as the business aspect of it as well of saying, if I fail, I'm in the room. Yeah. So, but no, it's ah it's definitely a confidence booster now coming back.
00:48:53
Speaker
And it's not even like pulling it. it's I'm looking at it this way of saying, hey, this is going to get released. um My life's going to change a little bit versus how it was prior. um Get ready to say, okay, this is what you need to be to be at that level.
00:49:08
Speaker
Now let's get to work. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's, that you know, you can go one or two directions with that. Oh, shit, I just ate shit. You know, I guess I'm not meant to be here or That was a fun experience. I wasn't on point, but I'm going to go back.
00:49:24
Speaker
I'm going to get my craft down a little bit. And if the opportunity presents itself again, I'm coming back and I'm going to kill it this time. you know i'm I'm a natural fighter from day one. Not a fit fighter, but just how my name is. I mean, my name's Chad means war in certain terms, but okay.
00:49:44
Speaker
okay Like, you know, when I do, and I'm to bring ultra racing up again. you know, two my ultra races, one at downport and lightning and severe storms for 16 miles of it.
00:49:55
Speaker
And then I was running great throughout the day and I hurt my, I got hurt a month before and I ran hurt and jacked my knee up on the half of it. So like to me, when you, when you go do that, you kind of look at as, okay, I did that once. Let's, let's read just figure out what I need to do and kind adjust from there. and And it's, I think that's where like the business world and everything kind of comes back.
00:50:16
Speaker
Um, And to me, that's why, like I said, I love doing this because the outlet is phenomenal. ah And just being around the vibe of the people and all that stuff that, you know, it's comedians, I'm not even going to put a specialty on it. where We're just, we're so used to being goofy and free on stage, not free, but just goofy in general, that we can be kind of overwhelming for a normal person to hang around with.
00:50:43
Speaker
But, general though like everyone wants everyone and it goes back to originally right everyone wants everyone to succeed and you know it and i i
Supportive Comedy Community
00:50:52
Speaker
think and we have some you know local people that are actively touring and open up for like dusty slaying stuff um so we got you know the guys that there are at you know certain levels of the iceberg by us here so to me it's almost i look at it as okay that's where they're at so someone's there already so what do need look get better to get to where they're at because they're going to be a little bit further ahead or if they stop like either way it's levels to where you need to go yeah no exactly and hopefully you know those connections and stuff that you make you know as as y'all as as all of you progress and all of you start to succeed in your own way hopefully those connections will you know ah hey man i got um i'm headlining and i need an opener what are you doing this you know And the next thing you know, I don't know what big comedy clubs are around you. Like here in Columbus, we've got the Funny Bone. um seems It's kind of the big one in the area. There's a few up in Cleveland.
00:51:52
Speaker
um And then likewise down in Cincinnati. um But, or if most people have heard of side splitters, it's kind of a well-known, you know, brand and comedy, but yeah, you know, you never know. Not only that, but going on, on, on the kill Tony, I tell people this all the time.
00:52:10
Speaker
You never know who's going to be watching or who's going to be listening at any given time and whether you on a big national stage like that or at your your local ah pizza shop doing an open mic night somebody might be in there and they're like oh shit that guy's funny as fuck uh and i'll talk to you afterwards and be like ah you know i'm a i'm a promoter and we've got this thing coming up and would you be interested you know And i'mnna I'm going to go to the thing that someone taught me a couple years ago and just lean into it. Like, you don't have to have a plan. I mean, you you get a rough plan where you're going, but, you know, some of that stuff's all like, you're not going to plan. Oh, I'm going to Austin to go be on Kill Tony, and and I'm going to go do all these stages in Austin. and Like, that's yeah you can only control so much.
00:52:58
Speaker
Yeah. Sometimes it's one of those things, and you that's the great thing about open mics is, you're on vacation, you, you go to Florida or something like that. And you know, like Tampa's becoming huge for comedy.
00:53:11
Speaker
I mean, they're right up there with New York and LA you're down in Tampa. They don't open mics everywhere, especially down in Ybor city. Uh, you could jump on a stage in Tampa and, you know, while you're on vacation, just so you could just to do it, you know?
00:53:28
Speaker
um that that opportunity presents itself at any given time you know for for you guys for you and and other comedians like said something as simple as being on vacation and you see you go out for lunch and you see they're doing an open mic oh i think i'll come back tonight yeah yeah and to me i mean i you could squeeze barbecue how much barbecue had down there um uh dude we can have a whole different show for that one every worth every penny um but when you when you look
00:53:59
Speaker
as um overall, and and we had a show here that one of our the local booker that helps with the open mic here that he brought one here in the town I live in as kind of like an opener. So we had a local facility that wanted to bring people in and kind of bring comedy back in the city. and And like everyone, everyone in the parties is great, great communication, great, you know, companies to deal with. And, but when we did, it it was a It was a great show for the first one. And in it it was funny during the show, but the best part was after with the boys going to get pizza at 10 o'clock at night. Yeah.
00:54:36
Speaker
That was wild. because And mind you, we're in the Midwest, right? So the color is a little bit different at certain places. yeah And I think one of our guys walk he's like, yo, we got a brother here. But like, just stuff like,
00:54:57
Speaker
and And I was the whitest dude on the lineup. So, mean, like I could care less, like everyone's friends, you know, everyone's brothers and sisters, but like that that stuff where we're all at, you know, the local pizza joint, I think it was Pomlaro's or whatever. I could be off on the name here.
00:55:13
Speaker
Someone's going yell at me. That's probably live. Be like, yo, it was this one. yeah but no But with that though, like we were just talking trash around that table for like an hour. Yeah. And that was, yeah, the show was fun.
00:55:26
Speaker
But that was funner. Exactly. So like for me, and I used to go on the road long time ago when I was 18, 19, 20 for tournament fishing. But to me, I think it's a great thing where I kind of took a step back, fixed my life around a little bit. And obviously I'm clean now, but I'm very open. Like I would love to go do a mini tour.
00:55:48
Speaker
um And I do have my own full time, like I have my full time job in business and stuff. But like, I would love to go do like a 20 city set. Um, or, or, okay. And I deer hunt. So, you know, do something during the, let's say like August timeframe or whatever, and just go, Hey, this weekend I'm doing, you know, Columbus, uh, Dayton, Cincy, whatever. and We got some great deer hunting here in Ohio.
00:56:16
Speaker
Yeah. yeah You know, for me, and I'm going to, I'm going use the drill rule. I love you guys, but when it comes to October 20th, I'm going to do a hard stop. a Yeah, no, dude, that would be a that'd be awesome. i You know, if if you got on the road, and you know especially if you come to Ohio, because I'm right in the middle of Ohio, so it don't matter where you're at. It would be two hours away. Yeah, and to me, like, if if I do have something set up in Salt Lake here in the fall, and in there're they're working great. It's a newer club.
00:56:51
Speaker
Yeah. oh like sorry sorry woof the other stl st louis sorry uh one that's a little flatter yeah a little bit but no it's it's to me it's it's you got to put in the reps um i i do have some rules where obviously i don't drink so you know i i respect the clubs if they want to bring something out that's cool i'm not going to touch it that's just a my own demon um But, no, it's fun doing that stuff, and it's a fun fun. It's not, like, a crazy how it was in the 80s fun. Yeah. But totally understand where Joe's, like, you know, you hear these guys on the podcast saying straight out, like, get around comedians. Your life's going to change and for the better.
00:57:35
Speaker
It's a wild time. Oh, yeah. they Comedians are – you guys are –
00:57:44
Speaker
Yeah, you're kind of like aliens. You are a you are a you are a different group of people, and i you know i've I've got some friends in and in the comedy world, and i've I've been fortunate to get to hang out. And I'll tell you what, you you brought up you know the after hours, going to the pizza shop, and... um I have some friends down in the Florida area that are comedians and went and seen some of their shows and stuff like that one time when I was down there, but it was, it was after the shows and going out and hanging out, you know, on the town and, and hanging out with them. That's where the real fun, you know, kind of happened and, and, and some wild stories. Cause it's just like, well, this is where all the bullshit happened. Yeah.
00:58:27
Speaker
ah Or like me accidentally hitting on a guy in Austin thinking it was a girl. yeah We all make mistakes sometimes. It's all right.
00:58:39
Speaker
I do want to ask you, and if i I ask too much if I get too personal, just tell me to shut the fuck up. But being and sober, which is awesome, congratulations on that. Yeah.
00:58:50
Speaker
you know weve you know um Do you find it hard sometimes in the comedy scene or do you shy away from certain venues or whatever, be you know, because of your sobriety?
00:59:04
Speaker
Yeah. So I shouldn't be a picky, I shouldn't be picky, but I, it, Two things here. So there i got I got a great place in Milwaukee that is ah a bar slash club. He knows my story. I've been there a few times.
00:59:17
Speaker
um he's He works great for a lot of us local people. He wants a club to work. I just don't like the places where, and we fixed it with the local one here. The guy is super cool with my story. He didn't know at the time, but after he knows, he's super supportive. But like, I will not, I don't like a dirty place.
00:59:36
Speaker
I'm going to say dirty place. Like we're there to entertain. Yeah. And clubs there to make money. o True and true. Right. And if they're not selling food, they're going to sell drinks.
00:59:47
Speaker
Yeah. my job, our job, whoever it is on the lineup is make sure the house is happy. But when it comes to like my sobriety and stuff, like I could, like I could drink an NA beer and I'll be okay for a while. Like my cutoffs one.
01:00:03
Speaker
I just don't go into a place like I will remove myself and you know, there's a no, no, there's ah an open mic night at at a local club strip club. And I'm like, yeah, no, um I can't.
01:00:16
Speaker
ah I'm like, you guys can have fun, but that's, that's not my gig. um Yeah. So like, I'll be more of the Christian side of it on certain, you know, guidelines when it comes to that stuff, just bringing that up just more, you know, not family friendly, but just more family style.
01:00:32
Speaker
Um, but yeah, no, I want to make sure I'll do a little research on it. I will not, if they were doing something down there, I didn't see it.
01:00:43
Speaker
Um, stuff that flows at clubs, I get it. Um, I just know that I got to be particular where I need to be, but it's going to, and I'll break this down this way. Right. So if I'm in this place, i want to know where the bathroom is. I want to know where the doors are.
01:00:56
Speaker
And then if they have something that suits me, right. If an N a beer or something, or like an N a beer or like a soda or something. Um, if they have that, then I'm comfortable, but if going to shove me in a corner around like people doing shots and stuff, I will.
01:01:12
Speaker
No, exactly. and and And that makes sense. Yeah. Um, but a lot of it, like, and it sounds really weird, especially coming from the seventies and eighties and nineties, all those guys that are doing everything. yeah we actually have
01:01:32
Speaker
some, I mean, he's sober ish. Like a lot of them now monitor what they do. They won't be completely smashed. Yeah. They look at as, okay, this is a job to do. We're going to be professionals about it.
01:01:44
Speaker
Um, and they'll have one or two depends on, you know, if it's a drinking show or whatever it is, but, um i think I think with that, if I can take someone, one of my buddies on the road with us, or like couple of us in my circle, then I know I'll be good.
01:01:59
Speaker
Austin, I was good, but I'm not actively, personally, if I'm not doing a show, and ah here's my breakdown, if I'm not scheduled to go do a show, I'm not scheduled get anything to eat, I'm not going to randomly walk in a bar.
01:02:13
Speaker
Exactly. you you if If you're not working, you're not putting yourself in those environments. Yeah. Yeah. Now, that makes sense. Yeah, and and to me, you know, yeah.
01:02:27
Speaker
I understand the aspects of it, right? You're you're there hired to help the house. And as much as the owners don't want to say you're not there, to yes, you're there to help the house.
Chad's Sobriety Journey
01:02:37
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, when they when they have comedians come in, they want to put asses in the seat.
01:02:43
Speaker
You asses in the seat. Equals money in the register. So, you know, but yeah, I get what you say, man. You know, um, but no, I'm, I'm, I'm a hundred, but I'm a hundred percent clean. I hit 2300 days.
01:02:59
Speaker
Uh, literally I think March tenth the day after kill Tony. Oh yeah. That's awesome, man. Actually there, I was real cautious with it. I caught one kid. didn't know my story. He's like, dude, want to buy you shot. I'm like, no, he's like, what do you mean?
01:03:13
Speaker
I'm like, And I'm like, give me some NA, I'll do a shot glass with you. Yeah. I said, I'll do that. and and And I kind of got cautious because he ended up videotaping it. I'm like, dude, you can't be doing that. like yeah But the bartender was cool. She gave me a shot of Red Bull just to kind of like, you know, do that.
01:03:33
Speaker
yeah But yeah, that one was, that wasn't on me. That was, I mean, I'm sorry, that wasn't on him. That was on me not understanding, okay, this is what's going to happen if you're going to have the uncontrollables.
01:03:44
Speaker
yeah And that's uncontrollable, right? And you're in a place people are so surprised. Yeah, like, wait, what? yeah but so when it when it comes to that, then um that's a more of alertness of mine to be like, hey, just be be like, yo, dude, I appreciate it, but thank you. No, like, no, thank you. um So I'm going to take the blame on that one. not I didn't relapse or nothing. It's just something I prefer not to do again.
01:04:12
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. You know, it comes down to, you know, the old saying, adult don't put yourself in a bad situation. You know, yeah yeah hey you know if you if you have a friend that's doing dumb shit or doing illegal shit and you know it, don't put yourself in that situation. do Walk away from it. Or, you know, something that can, you know, lead to the potential of you relapsing.
01:04:37
Speaker
You know, which, you know, 2,300 days, I mean, that's that's a hell of a long time. And, and again, congratulations on that because i don't mean to have battled my demons.
01:04:50
Speaker
It's, a on on my ticker shows money saved, but I have not saved all that money. Yeah. ah when i When I quit smoking cigarettes, I downloaded one of those apps a few years back when I quit smoking cigarettes. It was like, this is how much you save since you quit smoking cigarettes. And I'm like, no, because now I just spend it on fast food and other terrible decisions. Yeah, or or inflation or any things that we're not going to go on this podcast. What's going on, Daniel?
01:05:23
Speaker
To me, it was great because that was a and I'm going use this for example here. I'm not at the point where I'm signing autographs at the end that I'm not 20 years in the business. I I'm just, I'm a normal person trying to get the reps in and trying to get better. Um, but to me, when it comes to that situation, right. And I'm, we're going to use Jeff Fox for example, I'm, I'm actually looking up, looking up to him a lot.
01:05:49
Speaker
Um, because I got raised up, I got raised up on the SNL stuff yeah and then that stuff and I, Found out about Richard Pryor at pretty much the same time I found out about Ra, which now I understand the connections.
01:06:04
Speaker
But to me, like, I'm 40. So, you know, from what? Late teens. Not even teens all the way up to what? Early 20s with blue collar stuff.
01:06:15
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And, you know, Jeff is clean. Jeff's been sober. I don't know his count of that. I don't know what Larry does, but Jeff came out. on a ed malet podcast or something i think it was that one and he was talking about how he would actually go do a show um he's like i respect the boys i respect everyone he's like i love them to death they're brothers but he goes i knew know there's a few on that that tour that was very open about partying. Oh, yeah. yeah no so no No secrets there on that. Yeah.
01:06:47
Speaker
And he said straight out, he goes, my personal thing is like, my dad had issues. um He's like, and I have a beautiful wife at home. And he's like, I don't want any ah alterations or any situations to kind of come combat against that. Yeah. And hey that that wake up call at Shakespeare's. And it wasn't wait like, like I said, i had a relapse. It was Red Bull 100%. Yeah.
01:07:09
Speaker
yeah um But when it comes to that where it's it's like a quick like this, like you don't even think about It's just like you're thrown in the fire like, oh, shit, what do I do? Yeah.
01:07:21
Speaker
So it's a great wake up call to kind of prep me for if, you know, heaven forbid, let's say i do make it and I do stay in stadiums, you know, yeah you're going to go out to eat. You're going to be in the public. so you're going have to get used to it.
01:07:34
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. no it But I think i think you know as as the more you perform and and the more you grow and and the more people know you, it's it's it's going to become a known fact. It's not going to be a secret. I mean, you're still going to have the drunk idiots that are still going to do it because, let's be honest, they're drunk idiots. And Lord knows that I can be a drunk idiot from time to time.
01:07:57
Speaker
A fun drunk idiot. Don't look at me like that. But and it's like But, you know, Bert's open about what happened, and I think he had a blood pressure something that forced him to clean up. And it's not what the doctor said, you've got to clean up.
01:08:12
Speaker
ah Jeff's clean. I don't know if Nate is or not. Last time I checked, Nate is. But I'm not putting any names in the bucket or any of that stuff of what lives are.
01:08:22
Speaker
But, yeah, you're gonna you're seeing a lot of them now. Ron's having NAs. Who knows? The dude's 73 years old. He had a lot. Whatever he wanted, but... Yeah, think um I I could be wrong, and please anybody, and and feel free to correct me. I think Nate Barghazi is part of the Skank Fest, Legion of Skanks. Have you heard of that comedy fest?
01:08:46
Speaker
Yeah, I heard about that. Atlanta or, like, Florida or something? I think they... Were they in Atlanta or New... or I think they were in New Orleans last this but this this past year.
01:08:57
Speaker
ah I guess that's just... And I mean... I heard of it. Yes. There, there were some comedians that, that came across the radio station that I listened to based out of Florida and they were going to be a part of it. And there were some that talked about, you know, they they're clean and they're sober that clean comedians, but they're sober.
01:09:16
Speaker
And thank you, baby And, um, you know they're talking about going to that environment because that's a party environment. ay and One of them was saying that you know the the the sober and clean comedians, yeah, they'll they'll hang out with the crowd, they'll hang out with the boys, but most times as the night starts to wind down, those those comedians kind of get into their own group and go off and do their own thing you know so that they're not kind of tempted, so to say.
01:09:45
Speaker
Yeah, for me, and, and um you know, typically i i i run I run Lyft. I'm very active and in the fitness aspect of it. I still, I joke, you know, like, that's why love your photo, but I'm like, I see my photo. I'm like, damn it, I still got my Midwestern gut on me. um But that's my personal thing, right? But yeah but with that, no, it's, you know, and and I think that's the reason why I lean to more like Jeff and and those boys and he and, you know, like Joe in Um, you get a lot of the bow hunter guys.
01:10:16
Speaker
Um, and I don't know if they carry it on the road or not, but you know, a lot the guys like on the countryside, I'm, I'm a rock fan, but you get like Luke Bryan and those guys on our countryside, they'll actually have the bowls and targets with them on the truck, um, or the van or whatever their tours, you know, tour thing is.
01:10:38
Speaker
And to me, that's what they do. They'll just hang with the boys all back and, you know, have a gas fire whatever the situation is. And, Yeah, just chill out and and hang out. I've i've i've met some musicians. you know i'm ah I'm a big music fan. Comedy and music are kind of like two of my favorite things. and In the spring and summertime,
01:11:02
Speaker
yeah We're rolling into it. I like to go live music. and I try to, obviously, having my own podcast, do it I try to interact with the musicians if possible. and I've come across a few where it's like, hey, man, let me buy you a beer. They're like, oh, yeah, you know I don't drink. Oh, fuck it. Let's have a Pepsi. I just want to chat. I want to get in your ear for a minute. you know ah but We'll have Pepsi or Coke or whatever. Seven Dust. Actually, a lot of that band cleaned up.
01:11:29
Speaker
Yeah. uh seven and i can go through names uh the adam from three days gray san asonio i think he got clean like years ago and i'm just going through list i don't think obviously skill it's at a different level i think they maintain i don't think they've done anything to be truthful just what their how their foundation is um but yeah like uh geez i should know their names john i think the guitarist from seven does like he could He could yell at me if that's incorrect, but i he's doing marathon.
01:12:05
Speaker
And who's the other ones? there's There's some other boys that are kind of cleaned up now. um i don't I don't know the situation. I know James was for so many years and he relapsed a little bit. i don't know if he is now, but yeah yeah, no, it's, it's, I, I love both sides of it. um I'm a music fan. I'm not a full, you know, like true and true to my heart. I'm a country boy. I'd rather be out.
01:12:27
Speaker
And I love you guys. I love you guys at shows. I love joking around with people. Deep down, when I don't want to talk to you guys, i just want be in middle of fucking woods with a fire.
Work, Vacation, and Personal Reflections
01:12:41
Speaker
a I don't want to blow something up, shoot something, and just go farming for a little bit. Yeah.
01:12:50
Speaker
I feel that I grew up in in the middle of nowhere, podunk ass Ohio. and And it's crazy because as much as I love doing the podcasting and, you know, and, and, and and getting to meet, you know, guys like you and musicians and people in the, in the acting, you know, the movies and television stuff like that, like next week I'm going on vacation and I'm, I'm really looking forward to I don't have to think about work.
01:13:15
Speaker
I to think about booking guests. I don't have to think about doing any, uh, thumbnails for shows. i't I don't have to think about anything except the water, the beach, maybe a boat or two, you know, and and obviously...
01:13:34
Speaker
you're from the Midwest too. And one thing that we all can do in the Midwest and that's eat. I'm looking forward to eating some seafood, maybe finding some barbecue. There's a few other things we can do up here too that I don't do anymore, but that still, uh, I still partake in the, uh,
01:13:52
Speaker
in the yeah and The beverages i have cut back I mean I I've wrestled with my demons and I've I've fought my demons and whatnot and It used to be a point when I first started going podcasting this camera was on I was drinking and I was doing You know three four shows a week sometimes five shows or more and I was drinking and and now it's like no I ah Water.
01:14:15
Speaker
ah um I do drink on Saturdays. That's my night to cut loose and unwind, but that's what we do. um But, yeah, no, man, i'm um ah will I have some drinks while we're on vacation? Absolutely. But I'm more excited just to be down on the water.
01:14:31
Speaker
I'm really excited to find some good food down there. You know, that's one of my things when I go somewhere new. i want to find, like, the good local spot that's got whatever. So, yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm too much of an outdoorsman to kind of mess.
01:14:47
Speaker
and And I'm, I'm just going to word how I was prior. Obviously I, you know, I'm, I was a high school kid running away from the cops, right? Like everyone have your mom hit you in the back of the head saying why you not run away with that girl into the boat and yeah all those funny stories.
01:15:02
Speaker
yeah Or be like, Oh, by the way, the cops called, where were you? you know yeah Stuff like that. But no, to me it's, I, you know i don't i don't know where i'm gonna i when i was in texas i love texas but i'm a midwestern boy too in true and true i'm not shooting down any options and moving anything or like anywhere whatever i just love where i'm at right now with the people i'm at and heaven forbid if something happens down the road i'll i'll examine that at that time but no just going in the woods going up in the bluffs running the hills uh
01:15:36
Speaker
You know, heading out to the mountains. I do want to do a little elk hunting down the road. I'm not quite ready for that yet. Yeah. fine Time last stuff. But um yeah, no, like I said, when it comes to about October, I say October 1st, just get a little leeway to kind of snap back into it.
01:15:54
Speaker
But when I see those leaves turning brown, man, and it's it's October, you are not going to see me. I'm going to be a one-on-one date with the tree stand. Nice. And you're not going to see me until about Thanksgiving. Nice. i I've gotten away from hunting a little. and i haven't been out in years. Mainly, you know, life happened, kids, all that. And, you know, it's something now that I'm getting older. Man, I would really love to.
01:16:24
Speaker
get back out in the woods again. I've never, you know, I would go deer hunting. I wasn't super religious about it because it's really early and it's kind of cold. And usually it was the phone would ring and I knew my buddy shot something and I had to go track it for him because I was the best tracker in the group.
01:16:40
Speaker
um But ah get out there and Turkey and pheasant, you know, all the other critters in the woods that you can eat. I was, I was out there. Yeah. Yeah, so it's, I mean, you can tell, and I joke around too, I'll be, you know, my character on stage is a little more dressier. i I'll slip on the boots a little bit, but I think that's, like I said, that but that goes into my influences too with the comedy too, like the Larry, the, you know, Larry, the Ron, the Blue Collar Boys, right? Larry, Ron, Bill.
01:17:08
Speaker
There's some other ones I know I'm i'm missing on this list. um and But then and then I also do love and appreciate the Eddies and the Richard Pryors and the Ralphies.
01:17:20
Speaker
Because, you know, with the Ralphie Mays, like, he didn't care. He didn't care about shit. so So, to me, it would be nice to get to that confidence because there's still part of me where I do care after
Comedic Influences and Aspirations
01:17:34
Speaker
all the story. But, yeah, if I can be free up there and kind of do my Midwestern gig and and and it I joke around because, obviously, you we have – Shoot, what's his name up here? Charlie.
01:17:48
Speaker
Charlie Burns is the one that's doing, like, the big – he's from Wisconsin. He's doing Wisconsin. um But, no, it's – yeah, mean, if – for me, my ideal thing would kind of take that spot where Jeff Fox really was with, like, Realtree and all that. Like, I would be smiling at a boy if I ended up doing that stuff. Yeah, right?
01:18:07
Speaker
Saturday morning, we're on Realtree Outdoors. Yeah. No, yeah, yeah you find your you find your spot, and it's you know it's crazy. You talk about your you know you're ah persona or your character or whatever you know on on stage.
01:18:25
Speaker
Larry the Cable Guy, that's that's a character. That's an Yes. On that 20... on that twenty When? Okay, ah there is a backstory of that. Not to me. Jeff was very open about that backstory. When was it? um Let's back up a little bit. So that's going to be almost 25 years, probably since the first one.
01:18:48
Speaker
And he said he was, he was calling, he was using his regular name for so many years, calling in a radio. It was like the Bob and Tom show whatever. It's like the comedy shows at the time I grew up with, right? Yeah.
01:19:00
Speaker
He said, I would call five places, five radio stations a day, trying to build his name and kind of get it out there. And, and he was open with Jeff about that. And and then he, he, um, Jeff said straight out, he goes, all of a sudden, he's like, I haven't heard him for a couple of years.
01:19:17
Speaker
And he got invited to something in Nashville, whether it was something with Nate or whatever it was like early two thousands or late nineties. Oh no. So, sorry. He was tour. He was getting ready to do the blue collar.
01:19:31
Speaker
And he says, already had Ron involved because Ron was on the road with him opening. oops Ron was with me. Bill was already, he's like, I've done stuff with Bill. He's like, I knew we were good.
01:19:41
Speaker
But then he goes, there was a guy from St. Louis. I don't, don't, I'm gonna throw a name out here, but it wasn't, you know, the name person. And he goes, he was a wonderful guy. And he's like, he was set for clubs, not for arenas.
01:19:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. He's like phenomenal guy. He's like, he's still one of the funniest guys. And and he was super cool about like being positive about the guy. But he goes, he just went, goes, I knew if he went to arena, he would fall and it would hurt his confidence.
01:20:12
Speaker
So he's like, I know I needed to replace someone. And then for some odd reason, he went to like some corporate dinner whatever it was, some fund fundraiser thing.
01:20:23
Speaker
And that, was There was Larry, there was Pete, or I'm sorry, real name. And he goes, he was testing out the Larry the Cable Guy stuff. And he's like, I knew right away. Like, yeah. it um And all it was, was it was literally, so I think he said it was this plumber or someone that visited the house.
01:20:42
Speaker
And he just took it and replicated it and kind of molded it. But that was, I mean, he was on the road for what, 10 years plus already. Yeah. And he didn't make it for, I mean, he still made a decent life of it, but yeah, he did that switch to the character and, you know went back to his roots cause he, he is a pig farmer. So that fit him. Perfect.
01:21:04
Speaker
He just found that, found that, uh, that niche, you know, he found that, that, golden brick road, so to say, that that that thing that worked. i mean that's Ultimately, Bert Kreischer is the same way. you know he He found that yeah the the machine story and it it took off from there. you know Now, Bert, one of the best, right now, maybebe maybe of all time, one of the best storytellers out there.
01:21:31
Speaker
He Bert was in the city here. I flew back on Tuesday. He was here on a Wednesday or Thursday, the day after Austin. I did not decide to go because I overspent in Austin. i i Too much Terry Blacks. But um no, it's he was in here and and he treats our city great. And I know people see the wild Bert, you know, the party guy, and he treats the arena great. The People that were there volunteering, he treated great.
Bert Kreischer's Professionalism
01:22:00
Speaker
um Obviously his tour bus had a little situation of it, but he was here a couple of years ago too. And he started, you know, he stopped at a local joint, had some fun with them. You know, this effort, obviously he was sober. So he visited another place in town.
01:22:15
Speaker
But no, they were very cool about it He's very professional when he comes in and, and ah they have a good time. And hes he's a very good person to kind of help um bring money into the community. Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. I mean, he's selling out damn stadiums and everything. And, and in you know, like in the radio station I listen to out of Florida, the host of the morning show, him and Bert have been friends for over 20 years. So they're like very good friends.
01:22:41
Speaker
And Bert comes on his radio show all the time, especially when he's originally from Tampa. You know, when he comes down there and whatnot, and he sounds and seems like a genuine dude. Like, you yeah that Some people get a little, get just a little, not, not necessarily the level of success he had, but a little bit of success and it goes to their head and they, you know, he's like, Oh, the fuck. oh Why are you, I got, i got yelled at by one person yesterday. He's like, why are you doing this? I'm like, cause I want to get some money. He's like, don't ever say that. I'm like, what you He's like, art's not for money. I'm like, don dude, you got to put food on your table somehow.
01:23:18
Speaker
But, um, but um No, I enjoy doing it. I have a blast doing it. You know, whatever the hell happens 10 years from now, I can't control. going to put in the work to do what I can to do where I need to go. Yeah.
01:23:31
Speaker
But yeah yeah, everyone would say, yeah, it'd be great to walk into a city and you have a sold out crowd. Like who wouldn't say that? like yeah Yeah, I got to, you know, I got to agree with you. You know, I, you know, I, I love doing this.
01:23:46
Speaker
But I actually want to quit my job. I don't want to go. i don't want to get up in the morning and drive an hour to work every day and deal with the same goofy shit, you know, and then drive the hour home.
01:23:58
Speaker
I want to roll out of bed at 9, 10 o'clock
Podcasting Joy and Community Support
01:24:01
Speaker
in the morning. And, you know, if I get paid and I can do this full time, I'll roll out of bed and I'll do a show every morning on top of the shows that I already do just because why not? I love it.
01:24:13
Speaker
But in the meantime, I'm going to do it just because I enjoy it. And, you know I get to meet a lot of amazing people and watch your guys' journey because I only focus on, um, music wise. And even, you know, not and I'm not saying now if I got the opportunity to have like a Burt Kreischer Jeff Foxworthy or, you know, something like that on my show, Oh, I'm jumping all over it.
01:24:36
Speaker
all But, ah you know, I love the up and coming people. The local scene is, is, is my thing. um And I because I enjoy watching your journey, you know, we meet randomly on social media you come on here and then moving forward I get to watch your journey I get to watch you grow and and and see that you know a lot of people may not get that opportunity they just go. Oh, yeah, I seen Chad Smith eat shit on kill Tony and now he's all a sudden selling out, to you know arenas. I'll go see Yeah
01:25:08
Speaker
Me and and I like I can't justify who I'm going to be at that time. um I'm going to try to remain humble about it in general, the whole process. um You know, the local people here kind of that's in my circle, understands the story and and kind of know what happened in the past. But like I did tournament fishing pretty much. I was three months away from having my boat repoed. And then on top of that, like my world, you know, that floor came apart and then I got divorced early thirty s and that was kind of a floor getting ripped apart. So like for me, when it comes to like, I think a second time around on the road is a little bit different. You kind of look at it as a different perspective. Cause when I was eight, 20 years old, you were all in a city like a rock. Dude, it was early two thousands.
01:25:54
Speaker
everyone apple you know Everyone had a pro deal is what they called it at that time. You know, you roll in first place with 300,000, you know, it's rolling to a city. You get,
01:26:06
Speaker
caught you know police escorts to the boat land and you're 18 I was what 18 19 years old do you think you're a rock star yeah um and to me it's great now to actually have a 20 year difference if I do you know whatever the road situation is going to be down the road I don't know but um it's nice to kind of have a second comment of like hey if I want to hit you know Illinois Michigan whatever like let's just you know it It's almost like a gratefulness of like, I have a second shot at being on the road again, but do it the right time.
01:26:42
Speaker
Do it the right way. You got, you got that life experience under your belt now. Now you're like, all right, I'm not going to make the same stupid decisions and the same dumb mistakes that I made the first go around. Now we're going to do it right.
01:26:55
Speaker
You know? Yeah, dude. I, in and I joke around people don't get it. Like we were in a Walmart parking lot. I watched a guy. i was 19. Yeah. I watched a guy win $300,000 in three days.
01:27:08
Speaker
well And then at that same spot, we had police escorts taking us through Moline, Illinois from the boat landing. And we're just bus pro boats lined up to the Walmart for the weigh-in.
01:27:21
Speaker
Um, and then at that spot, obviously we're all, you know, everyone's in t-shirts and stuff. because You got support of who your sponsors are. And I do walk up and I don't, don't even know how old his daughter was. And I'm truthful with the story, like who it was, but he walked up. He's like, Hey dude, you want marry my daughter?
01:27:36
Speaker
I'm like yeah an 18 year old shouldn't be doing that. all Right. Exactly. But it's, it's, You know, there's more stories of that. And I love my boys on the tournament fishing scene. Like, I love and respect that I just cannot do it anymore.
01:27:53
Speaker
I'll fish on my own terms. I'll do one local one with my stepdad, Pops, we call him. With that, it's I love and respect, and that's just a family thing. Like, it's not talking talk to shit with some of the boys. But to me, I'm i'm long out of that game.
01:28:09
Speaker
It's just more getting, you you know, getting Pops in the boat and kind of doing just a family thing. Yeah, exactly. But, yeah, no, it's it's it's a wild oof. Like, hey the boys under the bus, but it's I always respect that industry. But, yeah, it gets to be a wild time.
01:28:27
Speaker
Yeah. No, it's, I mean, I think that comes with with the territory, with almost anything that you do. If you reach a certain level, you know, you're gonna you're going to those, be put in those positions or those situations where it's like, all right,
01:28:45
Speaker
Do I do the right thing or do i go ahead and roll with the boys? You know, so to say, um and and it sometimes it's just not worth it, you know, at the end of the day to, to have to battle those, cut you know, from constant situations. And and it it takes a toll on a person.
Life in the Midwest and Personal Growth
01:29:02
Speaker
I mean, yeah and I don't have any, kids um I mean, I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago. I don't have any kids.
01:29:08
Speaker
um you know i am i'll be open i am a single guy it's not just i just choose me like i'm not actually looking i'm just i'm what i do and ah i love what i do and i enjoy you know the people i'm around and so for me touring's little bit different at that stage but yeah i mean like all right you get older as a person you you have family that you gotta make sure you take care of and and to me it's you know it's I moved away from home. I'm i'm near home now. I'm about 20 minutes away from where I grew up.
01:29:40
Speaker
um But yeah, I mean, like, and I'm going use the, you know, mental picture of it, but like, I'm an hour from Milwaukee where I can jump in and go anywhere. I have an airport. You can go anywhere. Yeah. Green Bay is the same way you get anywhere in Madison. You can go anywhere. So,
01:29:59
Speaker
I can live up here in little bit cheaper cost of living on certain things. And I'm not saying cheaper, right? Rent's still Austin rent in certain areas. But in general, like you can get a ah decent, decent-ish living, not pay, you know, $5,000 month for it.
01:30:18
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. I mean, and that's, that's the name of the game. We're all just trying to survive. but and And we're in a, and like i said, we're hitting, you know, almost two hours on this, but like it goes to the spotlight of that. So it's almost to me when I was talking to the boys, like we have, ah and I'm, I'm obviously I'm, I'm emotionally connected to everyone here.
01:30:44
Speaker
I think we have a very good crew here that could probably do as well with some of the people down in Austin, if not better. oh And, and I haven't been to LA and I haven't been to New York to really put a finger on that stuff. They're really, they, okay, Hey, look at like, no, none of that. It's just, I, and, and this is where I go lean back to Jeff again. Jeff was from Atlanta. He was heart to intrude to the heart of the country.
01:31:09
Speaker
yeah His family was there. Everything was there. And he just, he centered out Atlanta. And, you know, to me, it's like, I enjoy being and I'm not physically putting a stamp on saying I'm not moving. It just, yeah, it's I'm a Midwestern boy. True and true. Everything I love to do is in Wisconsin.
01:31:30
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Well, and to go back on what we were talking about earlier, the great thing about being a standup comedian, I have ah a very good friend of mine down in Florida. Shout out to Kevin Hawley.
01:31:41
Speaker
Him and a couple of guys, that that he's he's a standup comedian and and they've got a few guys. They got something going on up in like Michigan or something later on this year.
01:31:51
Speaker
I think here in the next few months, they're just jumping in a van and they're going to drive up and they're going to make stops along the way. And they've already kind of looked at it and mapped it out.
01:32:04
Speaker
They're making stops along the way. They're going to hit up open mics all the way up and then all the way back down. You know, just, I'm like, dude, that would be, um I mean, that would be awesome to you know be able to go. Yeah, this is what I, this is what I do.
01:32:18
Speaker
And I can literally go anywhere at any given time and do it. Maybe not get paid, but, i you know I was at, so and it it's going to sound truthful, and I told people this too.
01:32:31
Speaker
i didn't slip it all that work, and i I know people are watching from work. I was so peaceful when I was on vacation. And to me, I wasn't at piece of like peace on vacation where didn't do anything.
01:32:42
Speaker
I physically had the, not say opportunity, I was doing comedy, which I love to do. i was about every day, which I love to do. um I was building my business, which obviously I'm wearing the t-shirt or the hoodie of it.
01:32:55
Speaker
I was building that stuff with, I love to do. And then, um, seeing family, which I love to do, but like I'm sitting there, sitting in that whole situation going, I'm like, I can do this every day. Yeah. Right.
01:33:07
Speaker
And I, I mean, obviously yeah money I was on vacation, so money is a little bit different, but yeah, I'm like, what's wrong with working along Friday, Saturday and fly back Sunday and road till Thursday or whatever the situation is.
01:33:21
Speaker
Hmm.
Open Mic Opportunities and Comedy's Unpredictability
01:33:22
Speaker
Well, and it ah and and again, the crazy thing about it is you might do an open mic, ah you know, in ah South Carolina or something.
01:33:32
Speaker
yeah and And you're there on a Thursday for an open mic and the owner says, I have a headliner coming in this weekend and I don't have any openers. You know, open mic is not getting any money, maybe a little bit of money, but you open up, you're going to make a little bit of, you know, you're going to make a little cash, a little money.
01:33:52
Speaker
while you're out there. Yep. You know, just based off of one three, four minute open mic set, bang, you got to pay and gig, you know, you just got to stay another day or so.
01:34:03
Speaker
Yeah. And, and people, I mean, when you get that, and I'm going to just say like, obviously Joe's at a whole completely different universe versus everyone else, but like a lot of these guys have multiple venues and this is where the business kicks in. Right. So secure, you know, I'm going to use Tom, for example, right. You know, he does comedy.
01:34:18
Speaker
He also production and podcasts work for many other people. If they do the booking and production or whatever, but he's got the production. Um, and everything's webbed outside of just that comedy thing. So it's like, yeah, you might be on the road doing comedy, but also, yeah, you have a podcast you got to manage or whatever it is. It's, it's a combination of stuff that's making you money and not just comedy.
01:34:43
Speaker
Not just the one thing. Yeah, no, a exactly. um shit, I kind of derailed. Speaking of ADHD, I was going to ask you something along those lines, and then I completely squirre.
01:35:02
Speaker
Everyone gets a bad rap. We're like, oh, my God, I don't focus. yeah i I do and I don't. I am medicated for it, but i I understand there's a limitation when it comes to being creative when you're on those medicines because SSRIs kind of block some of that stuff out.
01:35:16
Speaker
Yeah, I don't, and I'm not medicated or anything like that. And I don't know if it's a bad thing or a good thing. She's still here, so it must be okay. My girlfriend has seen me, like, get an idea. Because this side of my brain is going 300 miles an hour in 27 different directions. This one's yeah yeah this one's just kind of, hey, I'm here. I'm alone for the ride. Whatever happens, happens. But ah I'll get an idea for a show. And and then I'm just like, boom, I'm locked in.
01:35:46
Speaker
And while I'm locked in on this show, I get an idea for another show. So then I'm like, all right, I got two shows going to same. Oh, no, here's a third one. Here's another idea. And it's like i'm I'm locked in on three different things at once. But she's seen me when I started this.
01:36:01
Speaker
i was I started this and I was like, oh, I'm also going to do this. So I started that show and I was like, hey, you know what really good idea? We should do a show together.
Balancing Commitments and Personal Interests
01:36:09
Speaker
And she's like, that's not really my thing. I don't like to be in front of the camera until she got in front of the camera. She was like, that was a lot of fun. and i was like, yeah, let's do that. so so so I think what I'm going to locally just to kind of bring more of a ah footprint of it is kind of restart, do the Chadwick show. And at back um and and bring that back up and run in again. I'm looking at this way as I got plenty of my plate. It's matter of, okay, what, what day am I going to do this?
01:36:41
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Um, cause I still want to get back, you know, not say get back, but like still be normal ish. Right. So, Um, you know, like a Monday nights or Tuesdays, whatever the, the days that it runs on, I'm, I'm part of a local running club and I kind of get back and help out the little kids and and not the little kids, but like the, you know, teenagers and stuff that are in there.
01:37:02
Speaker
Um, and then obviously I got my, my group at the church locally for the men's group, but like in general, though, you start wedging everything together. You're like, oh okay. Wait a minute.
01:37:13
Speaker
Like, yeah. Yeah. How do, how do I make all this work? I was like, yeah, I, I came home today after picking the kids up from their moms and we had, you know, we leave Friday and I still haven't even packed yet because I had shows Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. ah and, uh, my girlfriend was like, you had been going every day this week from 6am until like 10 o'clock at night.
01:37:44
Speaker
And we had to go to the store and had to go do a couple of things. And I literally had like, an hour and a half maybe two hours before this and she's like I'm gonna go to the store said I'm like I'm fine I'm used to it you know she's like no just sit down and take your time to set up the studio and take a shower do whatever you need to do it I'm like okay then I'm sitting here for two hours one what do I do and I said Pierce I see your thing there and I'm trying to figure out yes you do sure do Glick what
01:38:15
Speaker
He's talking about my ADHD. Pierce is one of my best friends, one of my oldest friends. He actually does a few shows here on the network as well. He kind of he does the motorsports stuff.
01:38:27
Speaker
um But ah we've known each other since the seventh grade, so we're going on ah Funny, I know you're going to wrap it up here pretty soon. Yeah.
01:38:40
Speaker
we're talking you're like, Hey, you got to do this. I'm like, dude, I got raised up in a family fricking all auto mechanics. So like like, like everyone's like, Oh, you're not churchy. I'm like, no, I got saved by six foot tall, fricking bearded, like full tat fricking pastor. oh Like there's nothing on my journey on anything. yeah Exactly.
Letting Go and Life Management
01:39:03
Speaker
No, man. I, you know what? I look at it this way.
01:39:06
Speaker
As far as life goes, You know, try to try to treat people right. Try to be good to people. And, and you know, i know it's kind of cliche, treat people how you want to be treated, but I don't, you know, I just try to be a good dude at the end of the day and and and yeah and enjoy life. You know, unfortunately, there was a part of a time in my life where I was super serious and I still like to have fun, but I would get upset with the littlest things. And now I'm just super chilled, super laid back, like, yeah.
01:39:37
Speaker
It is what it is. Whatever happens is going to happen at the end of the day. i I was always trying to control the things that I couldn't control. Once I let go of that, it's like I'm only going to control what I can at the end of the day.
01:39:51
Speaker
can't let the uncontrollables get me all worked up and aggravated and frustrated. We're going to have to wrap it up here soon. I'm at 20%. I argued with my mom for ages up until I got divorced in the early yeah It finally clicked in at like 35 when I got sober because it's, you can, all you control is the day that you wake up, right? and So like, control the day and okay, yeah, you fucked up the day and you screamed at someone, right? You just, it's further along the journey you get, the more you dived in, not going to get philosophical here, but the more you dive down, you kind of understand who you are and what you do and your responses and you um then you get to go on a separate side. But I'll save that whole conversation for a whole different day. But no For us, like, yeah, I mean, comedy scene, entertainment, podcasts, whatever. Like, when you can find ways to release and have an outlet and cut loose, ah you you get to be ah a different person the long run.
01:40:50
Speaker
Absolutely, 100%.
Gratitude and Podcasting Community
01:40:54
Speaker
That's been my greatest thing is having this outlet. But um i want to say I've had an absolute...
01:41:01
Speaker
Great time hanging out with you. I think you're cool as shit, man. The door's always open anytime you want to come back and and hang out. um Is there anything you want to promote? Any upcoming shows? I know you got the hoodie on if you want to throw out your company. Yeah, so ah Seek the Peak brand, which is brand I own. That's trailwa Trail await Awaits with an S. I redid the website, but it's it's open. It's trailawaitswithan S.com. Go check that out. Go do whatever you Dig through whatever. um Everything's all up and running.
01:41:33
Speaker
um That's everything from my you know hiking stuff to like the UR More stuff that I have on my post. But in general, um yeah, no. it's i don't have Honestly, my my slate is kind of clean right now for show-related when it comes to that just because I'm doing some open mic stuff. and i and it's not I'm not purposely backing away. I know I need to adjust some things, so I'm going to enjoy this quiet time right now.
01:41:58
Speaker
open mics. Um, yeah. And like many things, right. So life's going to kick in here next month. Um, it's going to get full fierce pretty quick. Um, I do have a show coming up that I know on books is going to be September and that's going to be in St. Louis.
01:42:14
Speaker
Um, but I guarantee there's going to more coming down the pipeline.
01:42:19
Speaker
Hell yeah, man. Well, brother, I appreciate you being here, man. I wish nothing but the best your way. like I said earlier, Part of the cool thing is doing this show and not only getting to meet you guys, but watching your journey and and watching you grow and and and kind of getting that little, yeah, mean, I remember, you know, I remember when I had him on my podcast. Yeah, I'm going to say it this way. Obviously, you grow up with the Instagram up there. It's at the Chad M. Smith on Insta, and then it's at SeekThePeakBrand at
Desire for Simplicity and Authenticity
01:42:55
Speaker
Insta. But lastly, though, like,
01:42:57
Speaker
True and true guys. I just want to be out back with the fire and, and just blow stuff up like a little country boy. So, um, there is an ego on certain things, but deep down, I'm just ah a boy that wants to be out in the country and just kind of, you know, do dumb stuff. So it's, you're going to get a very normal person ish.
01:43:17
Speaker
Um, when do you talk no normal person ish, I like that. Um, One real quick thing before i let you drop down. I always ask this.
01:43:28
Speaker
i All my guests, I know it's kind of cheesy, but it's kind of a two-part thing. Yeah. Any advice for anybody, and this goes across the board. Also, any young comedians that might be thinking about getting into the game, any advice for them, and then I'll let you get the hell out of here.
01:43:44
Speaker
Honestly, the advice is probably pretty similar on both, actually. So, like, you're gonna go if you're going to go do something, like, just throw – And I know teachers and school systems are like, no, you got to have a plan. Like, shut up. Like, yeah, throw shit against the wall and see what you enjoy.
01:43:59
Speaker
um See what falls, see what you love to enjoy. You're going have to go make, you got to take chances. You got to go, got to go fail a little bit. um Same thing with like the business side and the comedian side, right? Like if you have something on like a voice or something in there that you want to express and get out, go, go get around people that know how to do it. Go express it, go take,
01:44:21
Speaker
I might piss off a few parents saying that right now. Go take a chance. go like it's You can die tomorrow. And if you don't take that, have a regret. And and just go do it. um On the other end of it, too, lastly, you're going to fail a lot.
01:44:42
Speaker
A lot of shit. Yeah, exactly. used to eat It happens. Yeah. Because you got to go in. And this is where like my boys at first form and all like the, like the fitness people kick in, but like you're going to suck for a long time.
01:45:00
Speaker
e And then it clicks. Yeah. and My comedy side of it. I still haven't clicked yet. I know it's, it's, you gotta, you gotta stick your neck out. You're going to get beat up.
01:45:13
Speaker
Don't be afraid to do it. Put your, put your blinders on. I mean, be respectful for the people that are in your family, like be cautious with sort like, don't be like, I'm going to those drugs and don't screw your parents. Like, don't do that.
01:45:26
Speaker
yeah But like, yeah, I mean, if you have a dream on your chest, in your head and chest or whatever, like your soul, you got that dream, do all you can and, and try to chase it.
01:45:38
Speaker
Um, whether it says no or not, but just say, just go out and accomplish it. Because if you don't, you're going to get depressed when you're older. and And that depression is going to boil in your relationships and you're to pissed off that you didn't do something.
01:45:53
Speaker
Get it done over with while your body can. And the young people, right? I tell the young people here with us in cats, one of them, the girls that's, that's headlining tonight.
01:46:04
Speaker
a lot of these kids, like you got time on your, and let's say you hit a stage at 19, you know, 18, 19, 20, 21 years, say twenty for simple math If you do it every day for 20 years, you're going to be 40 years old. going to very, very good.
01:46:21
Speaker
Yeah. It's not like top tier good because you put 20 years in, you're around the right people. You're in that environment for so long and you finally got the foundations down. Like starting young is probably the best thing to do in that stuff. I started late, um, 38 years old.
01:46:40
Speaker
Um, but in general though, like, yeah, good. You, I love people with families that start with family. and young I got married at 27, but, um, yeah, it's, there's different, uh, avenues outside of the traditional nine to five and go to college and do this and all that. Like there's a whole different world out there.
01:47:02
Speaker
Oh yeah. Take your neck out. And if you fail at 30, you can always reset and start over again. That's 100% true. Don't let the what ifs get you when you're in your 50s and 60s. No, man. Like I said, greatly appreciate you being here. ah Feel free if you want to send any of your comic friends my way. I'm always looking for guests. I don't care how how green they are.
01:47:25
Speaker
um and And like I said, man, best of luck to you. I'm looking forward to watching you blow up. And I'll be keeping my out for the Kill Tony episode. Oh, yeah. I honestly haven't listened to it. I'll probably cut it up a little bit. But I was excited this week because I thought i had been this week. But he brought the Adam Ray one in and Houston about this, which I think was the week before I was there. But don't quote me on it. So it's either next or the week after.
01:47:52
Speaker
oh yeah. Keep an eye out for it. get Get you on the big screen here. i appreciate it, man. Have a great night and appreciate you hanging out with me. I appreciate man. You guys have a good day.
01:48:04
Speaker
Yep, absolutely. Bye. Bye. Ladies and gentlemen, Smith, check him out on all the social medias. um We got him here. we got We got the Instagram.
01:48:19
Speaker
The Chad Smith on Instagram. the Chadwick show on Tik TOK. He's under Chad Smith on Facebook. Uh, and as always, if you guys have a hard time finding them, just go to our pages because I tag all of my guests everywhere, uh, on the Facebook, Instagram.
01:48:39
Speaker
If, uh, if there's a post, they're tagged with it. So give them a follow, watch his journey, watch his career, check out some of his clips that are on his social media. Uh, as you guys got to see, he's cool ass fucking down to earth guy.
01:48:52
Speaker
Uh, good A good Midwestern boy. as ah As some of your moms might say. But thanks for hanging out.
01:49:03
Speaker
I am done for the week. I am done next week. So i think Wally's got a couple more shows left. Rocky, like I said last night, will be filling in this Saturday night. I don't know if he'll be back next Saturday night as well, but Rocky will be here this Saturday.
01:49:21
Speaker
So we will have some new live content on Saturday night.
01:49:27
Speaker
i height of that Check us out. Bio.link slash nonsensicalnetwork. Facebook, Instagram. our TikTok page is there. Facebook, Twitch, YouTube. I said Facebook twice.
01:49:40
Speaker
And our Spotify link. And if you guys want to support the channel, support the network, we've got our Cash App in there as well. But most importantly, give us a follow. Give us a like. Give us a share.
01:49:53
Speaker
It's a free, easy way to to support us. Also, if you're watching the replays, drop a like. Drop a comment. Get us in them algorithms. oh Get other people out there with their eyes and ears on what we're doing. There's a lot of things happening here, a lot of moving parts.
01:50:09
Speaker
And hopefully you guys are enjoying it. With that being said, I'll see you sometime in April. Well, second week of April. I'll be back.
01:50:20
Speaker
That sounds like a really long time, but it's literally like a week and a half, something like that. So, appreciate y'all listening, appreciate y'all hanging out. Thank you guys for your support.
01:50:33
Speaker
And like always, be good. but Be good at it, baby. I got a little ah Brooks Heron for you to wrap the show up.
01:50:59
Speaker
Kickstiner's got his picture from when they once stayed. Down by 432, dive on 4th and 8th.
01:51:14
Speaker
Hung next to a shadow box full of old medals. From all the ones before him before them.
01:51:27
Speaker
a small town, he He's small town hero, hero, hero, hero. Gave up the full ride for Army Green.
01:51:58
Speaker
Chose the red, white, blue over any team. He could have gone anywhere, could done anything.
01:52:08
Speaker
Could have had his share fortune and fame. But he was hell-bent to fight like his daddy did before him. He's small-town hero, he don't see it that way.
01:52:23
Speaker
His face turns red when he sings.
01:52:30
Speaker
Thank you.
01:52:57
Speaker
He just wanted to do his part. But if you're asking around, he's small town hero. He don't see it that way.
01:53:07
Speaker
His face turns red when they sing his praise. He's a hero, even though he's just glad to be home. He's a small town hero.
01:53:20
Speaker
He don't see it that way. His face turns red when they sing his
01:53:29
Speaker
Yeah, he's small town hero. He's small town hero.
01:54:02
Speaker
It's just not a meme