If you’re a comic, you most likely own a copy of “I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics,” a book of short stories compiled by comedy legend Ritch Shydner. Over a 30-year career, Ritch has seen it all and done it all. We met after I read (and loved) his second book, “Kicking Through the Ashes.” We discuss his books, doing comedy at a time when it wasn’t even called “stand-up” yet, the comedy boom of the 80s, open-mics to being on Carson, and hanging with Dangerfield.

Pat House is a nationally-touring comedian based out of Philadelphia. A regular performer in comedy clubs, casinos, and theaters all over the country, Pat has been a choice opener for Sebastian Maniscalco, Tom Segura, and Dan Cummins. He recorded his first album Biggest Thing in 2013, and his latest album Heard Enough Yesterday, hit #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Both can be heard on iTunes, Amazon, and Pandora.

Ritch’s new book, Kicking Through The Ashes: My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980’s Comedy Explosion, is OUT NOW! Read a story from the book here..

In the 1980s, Ritch made numerous appearances on TV, including Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. He did an HBO half-hour special, “One Night Stand.”

He played Al Bundy’s co-worker on “Married with Children”, and made guest appearances on many other TV shows, such as “Designing Women” and “Roseanne.”

Ritch was able to translate his modest success on TV into an obscure film career, appearing in Steve Martin’s, “Roxanne,” and Eddie Murphy’s, “Beverly Hills Cop II,” before moving on to minor roles on smaller pictures.

Ritch wrote for sitcoms such as “Roseanne”, “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” and HBO’s “The Mind of the Married Man.”

Ritch wrote material for Jeff Foxworthy’s Grammy-nominated comedy albums, “Totally Committed,” and “Big Fun.” He also wrote for Ron White and Jay Leno.

In 2006 Ritch was co-author of a book on stand-up, “I Killed”.

In 2010 Ritch produced and performed in an award-winning documentary on the world of stand-up comedy, “I Am Comic”.

Currently, Ritch is writing a movie adaptation for HBO of Bill Maher’s book, “True Story”.