Mike Vecchione is another fantastic comic that was great to me in my early days. He did such a nice thing for me 15 years ago, I still think about it to this day, and I remind him of that kind deed. We both worked The Laff House early in our careers and we both share some stories from there. Mike tells his most recent bombing story and we talk about his move from Philly to New York City, and the grind that comes along with moving to the comedy Mecca of the world. 

No BS, Greg Fitzsimmons has been one of my favorite comics since I was in high school, and having him on was an absolute blast. We talk about his early days in the tough Boston scene, watching Hedberg bomb, performing at the AVN awards and I tell him my favorite jokes I’ve watched him do over the years. Hands down, this episode is one of my favorites. 

“Richard Pryor called me a b***h!” Born and raised in South Philly before moving to LA, Eleanor Kerrigan was a waitress at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles for twelve years before she tried stand-up. We’ve done some interesting and crazy shows together. From Nick’s Roast Beef in Springfield, PA to theaters with Andrew Dice Clay, we cross paths often and it’s always great to chat. This is a really fun episode. We talk comedy, the road and Eleanor tells MULTIPLE stories of wanting to fight audience members. 

Brad Williams and I met 12 years ago during a blizzard in Philadelphia, performing to very small crowds that weekend. Fast forward to 2021. We’ve worked together a ton this year to packed houses, adding extra shows in most cities. Brad’s first time on stage was an unusual one – attending a Carlos Mencia show, Mencia was doing jokes about little people – and the people sitting around Brad were afraid to laugh. Carlos called Brad up on stage, they joked about all of it, and Brad was hooked. From bombing at brutal open-mics to performing in arenas, we discuss his career here!

In only 90 seconds, Julia Scotti blew us away on America’s Got Talent. We talk about just how hard it is to be funny and make an impression in that short amount of time, auditioning for clubs in the 80s, taking a break from comedy and coming back even stronger, and of course, I make her share some horror stories from hell gigs. 

“Are we delusional? Crazy? Stupid?” Joe DeVito asked me. “All three,” I said. Originally a musician, Joe didn’t try stand-up until he was 32. Joe and I worked together a lot in my early days, and we have a great conversation talking about those early shows, breaking down set-ups, punchlines, the relationship between music and comedy and we dissect our favorite Dave Attell jokes.

No one did more for me in my first few years in comedy than Big Jay Oakerson. Jay got me started in comedy – so you can either thank or blame him. When I was 19, Jay performed at my college and I laughed my balls off. He mentioned being from Philly, so after the show, I told him I was interested in trying stand-up; he told me where to go, who to talk to, and … I did my very first set a week later. We talk about the night we met, his early days in comedy, driving from Philly to NYC with Kevin Hart every day, and share some cool memories of shows we did together when I was brand new.

Laurie Kilmartin has always been one of my favorite comedians. Her stand-up and her books are phenomenal, and her tweets genuinely make me laugh every day. We chat about her early days doing comedy in the Bay Area, day jobs, working the road, and writing for Tough Crowd and Conan.

Jackie Kashian is a fantastic comic with a unique style of quick and punchy story-telling. I opened for Jackie in 2012 and I still remember a specific piece of advice she told me that week. She’s the only comic I know of who did her first set, then immediately started performing every single night for almost a year. We chat about her early days starting stand-up in Wisconsin, her quick NYC stint, her move to Los Angeles, her own podcast (The Dork Forest) and I recall a story from 2012 that pretty much foreshadowed me starting this podcast.

Todd Glass cares more about stand-up than anyone I’ve ever met. From the pre-show announcements to the lighting in the showroom to the vibe in the green room, Todd takes control and lets you know you’re in for an experience. Todd started stand-up at 16 and loves all the little nuances that the audience (and other comics) might not even realize. We talk about those nuances, his writing process, anger, and Jager (we’ve done A LOT of Jager shots together.)