Men At Work Podcast - Bro-ey But Not Evil w/ Comedian Bo Johnson

Episode Date: July 12, 2025

Bo Johnson has Canadian energy with a name that should be playing centerfield in the majors. We talk to him about growing up in Seattle, fire off hilarious open mic stories, working the door at a comedy club, he explains why he came on the podcast, and we meet the inventor of the Paper Dress. All of that in one episode. Can you believe it? Check out all of Bo's stuff: https://linktr.ee/BoJohnson The Men At Work Podcast asks one question: What do you do for a living? After that the conversation flows from there. We've talked to substitute teachers, Bangladeshi t-shirt moguls, a real estate broker tight with LeBron James, and the Governor of Literal Pennsylvania. And we'll record anywhere. Random sidewalks during an eclipse, a furry convention, and more! Whether we like it or not, our jobs are most of our lives - might as well yap about it. If you want us to come to your event email us at: [e-mail] Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uRcK1mCgweA If you want more bonus content from every episode check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/menatworkpod *If you subscribe to the Patreon consider subscribing on a desktop or website or an android device, NOT THROUGH iOS (Apple) APP. Apple takes 30% of every month you're subscribed (yea they suck). Follow Us: The Pod: https://www.tiktok.com/@menatpodcast https://www.instagram.com/menatpod/ Follow Matt: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattpeoplescomedy https://www.instagram.com/mattpeoplescomedy/ Follow Kyle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylepagancb/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylepagancb Follow Vito: https://www.instagram.com/vito_visuals/?hl=en

Welcome back to another episode of Men at Work. I'm Kyle Pagan, as always, joined by Matt Peoples. We've got a special guest. He's at Punchline all weekend. Bo Johnson. Hello, nice to meet you guys. Nice to meet you too, dude. Such a sweet sounding voice.

We've been talking about how sweet you seem the past hours. Sweet you seem? You already go and you sound sweet. You just seem like an incredibly nice guy, dude. You have a wonderful energy to you. Canadian energy someone says. I've had people ask if I'm from Canada.

I used to go to Canada every summer with my folks. They would do a bodywork retreat. And so for years in elementary school I would say, Suri. I got it bullied out of me. And now I say sorry like an American. Like an American made man. With the amount of a Canadian. But pronounced like an American like an American made with the The amount of a Canadian but pronounced like an American

It's so funny because you have Canadian energy, but you have the name of a guy who should be selling Fords Yeah, I've been one of my friends Dan Duvall. He told me I sound more like a rodeo star than a comedian That's a tough it's a sick dude playing center fielder for the Royals Yeah, not just because Bo Jackson played center fielder for the Royals. Yeah. Not just because Bo Jackson played center fielder for the Royals. No, my roommate in college was expecting like a country football player.

Yeah. And he got me instead. That's the whole time. Honestly, you probably are a sick roommate. Were you a sick roommate? I'm a pretty good roommate. Yeah. I'm pretty, I'm pretty absent.

I'm like very, I'm a chameleon to the environment I'm in. I'm as clean as the place I live in. Yeah, I tried to be that roommate when I was in college and my freshman year I tried to be the very like subservient whatever you want to do you do your thing. And they started doing like hard drugs in the room and I'd be like, hey fellas, it's getting a little noisy here. Settle down boys. I'm the guy who leaves the weed on the coffee table. I am terrible. I'm a bad roommate leaving my junk mail on the table, in the in the sink and everything

distinctly one point I was we had bunk beds There's me and my other roommate we had bunk beds and I was sitting Indian style on top my bunk bed inhibited He and three other kids started doing molly Which is anything to do in your 19 just sitting in a room and I was sitting in these I was like guys take it Somewhere else they're like shut up. I was like for sure take it somewhere else. Yeah, I got so you're from Seattle We're from Seattle. Would you go to college? I went to the University of Washington. Oh, so you're you're just you're just a Washington guy I was the roommate I got I was thinking I got I realized I got a lot of practice having roommates because I'm an only child Yeah, but we grew up with housemates. Yeah, so like pretty much five years on their bedroom across from mine

There was always Someone or multiple people living in it. It was generally like a series of men going through trial separations divorce Some of them knew my folks some of them were just random guys off of Craigslist to moved into the house Oh my god, were your parents really bohemian? I think they just they wanted something to help pay the bills God, yeah But the guy who is there, there were two people who lived there the longest. One was in a section off part of the house.

And I really liked him. His name was Tom. He was family. Sure. For as long as he lived there. He would have Christmas, Thanksgiving. He'd be Uncle Tom for sure. And then the other guy was a guy named Raoul,

who was an 80-year-old, fresh Canadian. T.O. Tom. T.O. Tom. Very nice. He was way more difficult. And the other guy was a guy named Raul who was like an 80 year old fresh Canadian Tio Tom Very nice very nice He was way more difficult Like he would like talk shit about my mom to me In a way where like That's his landlord

Like I'm not saying this is right but I was a kid And you're kind of like you're 13 You maybe are not always the best son I was not the best son always But he'd be like see that And he'd be like so we And I was like no What's a Pacific Northwest Coda for your mom's a bitch to my today's cha cha Susie Northwest huge Latino population apparently so I also I just wanted to tell you guys

Two things number one when you first messaged me, there's only one reason I responded. Okay. Which is two reasons. The main reason I responded, and this is going to be good and bad, Good. Is that your podcast isn't big enough that it was real. Because I don't know if you have the same thing in your inbox, but my inbox every morning is 10 scam podcast invites that that are like do you want to go on Stephen Colbert's podcast yeah and then I got it from you guys I was like

well this is a real thing like no one's trying to scam me with the men at work podcast I thought you're gonna say because I don't know you familiar with the band men at work from Australia I very loosely because we would have never named the podcast this if we knew the band men at work from Australia. I very loosely Would have never named the podcast this if we knew about the men at work band from Austria Australia who sings Africa right no Yeah, some other we should know this because people are always like we can't be we can't be found in the algorithm Do they think you're a fan base podcast I would assume so I think we're gonna shut the podcast down as soon as we get the Men at Work band on it. I think they're old too,

so we might as well start working on that. That might be a combination. So podcast will never shut down. That's exactly right. Podcast will never shut down. Dude, don't be so... That's true. That's not Pacific Northwestern, dude.

You're spending too much time in the Northeast. And by the way, dude, 97 followers is hard to come by. They don't just give them out to anybody. The governor in KC Rocket, that legitimized it a little bit. That's why we put it in the email. You probably don't know anything about the Pennsylvania governor, but it just legitimizes it. But then I also, I did a vibe check

with a few of the people I know, and the description I got, I think it was complimentary. Okay. And they go, bro-y but not evil. Okay. That's actually literally the cracker as it comes. All right, put that, that's on, what you do for a living is off the master.

And I was like, bro-y not evil, we can do that. Bro-y not evil is exactly how I think you would describe it and exactly how I think you would describe my politics in just everyday life. I think that's exactly right. Bro-y not evil. It would be like if bros played D&D, that would be chaotic good.

Damn, okay. We really are two bros who watched Avatar the Last Airbender growing up. That's how I would describe it pretty much Yeah, it's that kind of vibe bro. We but evil is actually very nice People start describing us that would be the best would be the best thing for us. Yeah, so go back to Seattle What's the pipeline of like Starbucks to Amazon worker like barista to software engineer? Define pipeline for me like do you start off as off as like, I feel like you're born,

you do what you ever do in the Northwest, you go down to the fish market, watch those guys toss fish and everything, then you grow up where you can kind of start being a barista and everything, and then you're like, all right, I can't do this anymore, I gotta start getting a real job, and now I'm gonna be going to college and becoming a software engineer in Amazon.

Because that's the only thing, I'm only asking that because I don't know much about Seattle. Okay, yeah. Tried to research, couldn't find much more than Starbucks and Amazon. I mean, I know people who've worked at Starbucks. That's like a high school job, college job sometimes. Or after college, like manage a Starbucks or something.

Amazon, I don't know a ton about Amazon to be honest. I feel like it's most of the people I know who work there are more people who moved to Seattle to work at Amazon. Okay. But you're also asking someone who has only ever worked in nonprofits or done standup comedy about Amazon. So I'm like, customer service, barista work. I can tap into that a little bit more. Amazon, we're all just talking about, I know as much as you do.

Okay. What's the touch and go on people on their thoughts on like Amazon like from Seattle? I mean, I think I don't think people think it's cool. They don't like it. No, I don't think it's cool I don't I mean, I don't think it's cool. I use it. We've Comcast. That's our big one Yeah, I don't know why I'm pointed that way you guys rap Comcast. No, we don't they are they are the ones who control us I think Amazon is still our big one It doesn't matter of the fact that we're in Philadelphia Amazon's kind of the big one everywhere you go, unfortunately. Yeah, but I always thought it was like Comcast,

then we have health insurance, and then we have like, then we have nursing. Well, not nursing, but hospitals. That's kind of our big three here in Philadelphia. See, we have, I feel like none of the big Seattle companies feel that cool anymore. Yeah. You had Microsoft.

And Microsoft, I think for a long time, during the early era where Bill Gates was the prime good billionaire for a while. And then I think they laid off so many people recently who've been there forever. And they have so much profit that you're like, well, I don't know. If I really want to be like, go hard for Microsoft.

And then go away. Yeah. The paperclip on Microsoft where it isn't as cool as it used to be. Now he's anti-union now. He's just like, we're more of it like, go hard for Microsoft. And then Boeing. Yeah, the paperclip on Microsoft where it isn't as cool as it used to be. No, he's anti-union now. He's just like, we're more of it. We're looking for a cheap. Boeing's not doing so good.

Boeing's out there too? Yeah, Boeing's the big one. Dude, you guys might have, and shout out to New York, but you guys might have the most evil corporations. I was going to say, yeah, the most liberal city with the most evil corporations within like three miles. I had like an old regional joke that but like Seattle this is true for both Seattle and San Francisco but the friend I had in Seattle

this was like the real guy for a while he lived in there's like him and three roommates in this beautiful rented house on the water there's like four stories they had an elevator and he's like very very leftist dude and I was like Seattle is the only city where you can meet a socialist with an elevator in their house Yeah, that's exactly right Yeah, you don't find many socials with elevators in the house in the northeast Yeah, it does feel like there's no I think there's a lot of cities major cities nowadays are a lot of people that are telling You from your loft that you guys actually don't give enough in tax money And it's like well, I mean I'm sitting in a park do a podcast

I'm not really and I will say in his defense he was red pig so that would be my dream too. No doubt. So like Seattle like again back to it rain and and homeless people is that the what's what's Seattle like really like I like for a guy who has no idea. I would say it's less this is the first thing I'm gonna say is not gonna has no idea? Yeah, I would say it's less. This is the first thing I'm going to say is not going to sound like a great defense. But I would say it's more during the winter months dreary than rainy. OK, it's more overcast and gray than like constant rain. And if you like being indoors for a bit, you like that's

that's when comedy is prime time. Sure. Comedy is the best. I think that's not only true about Seattle, probably true about the Northeast, I suspect, as well. But it's so beautiful during the summer. I don't think you can find, on a good day, a more beautiful part of the United States than the Pacific Northwest in the summer.

Because it's like 78 degrees, everything's still green, not too humid, there's a lake, there's mountains, totally gorgeous. That's sexy as hell. Well, speaking of being in Seattle on a dreary day, when Twilight came out, there's a lake, there's mountains, totally gorgeous. That's sexy as hell. Well speaking of being in Seattle on a dreary day, when Twilight came out, was that like a big time for you guys? I think it was a big thing. I was thinking about, not Twilight specifically for us, but kind of small towns with a movie

that was shot there. I think it was big for forks in its own way. I'm sure people who live there have their own, this is good and bad, but it almost creates a tourism industry. And I was thinking, this is an offshoot of your question. I apologize to detour. I had a show in Astoria, Oregon,

about a week and a half ago. And Astoria, from what I was told, there's another place in the Pacific Northwest, Port Townend which is kind of like this too it was a big port town for a minute like it almost it's a city that almost was like it's a Port Townsend is a cool place but it was poised like it could have been like a San Francisco got it and for a while Astoria they had a big businessman I don't I'm blanking on his name but like a really rich guy, and it was like trying to make Astoria

another big port town, and it had industry for a while, but it was never quite close enough to certain channels to take, and so now it's a small town. And Astoria now is best known for the shot. Among other, the less known things were like Kindergarten Cop, Twilight, also a great scene nearby. But the big thing is Astoria is the setting and the place where they shot the Goonies. And so I was kind of there and I didn't realize that for the first hour.

So my first hour there I was like, man, this town really like pirates. And then I was like, oh, that makes a lot more sense. Makes a lot more sense now. And then I was like, what's crazy is this town was almost San Francisco. And now if they put the Goonies on Netflix, the economy of the town would go up probably like 20% for a year. Sure. Just a bunch of sloths walking around.

And that's what's kind of, that's crazy about a place like that is how impacted it is by like just shooting one cultural phenom movie in a place. So back to Twilight. Like Rocky even here. Yeah. Whoa, whoa. Trust us. So back to Twilight. Like Rocky, even here. Yeah, well, trust us. We got that shoved down our throats. Rocky and Cheesesteak, that's the only people know about us. Rocky and the Pacific Northwest,

he kind of bummers, I can't go outside, Adrian. It's raining. It's like, I mean. Come on. Go out the stairs, like they're slippery. He'd be working in the fish market. It was based in Seattle. He just would never box.

He would just live a nice life. My dumb regional jokes I've been doing while I'm here That my favorite thing about Philadelphia is I think if you work at the museum It must be a rough day cuz you're like, it's gonna be busy You just watch everyone run up the stairs to the Rocky Statue see the museum and turn around and go home And then what I also like is you got the it's a recreation, but you have the thinker statue Yes, like five minute walk away also a cool statue. It was like a ten minute line to take a photo with Rocky Yeah, nobody. No, you can't even take a photo with the thinker. There's no one there to take a photo

Like they should rebrand it as just Rocky thinking about Adrian You'll have a line get some business for the museum. Yeah. The night before his next fight. It's just Rocky thinking about how he's going to beat Apollo Crew. Yeah. Or Mr. T.

The funny thing is you mentioned that is because I've lived in Philadelphia for 15 years. Yeah. I've been to the Armory Museum one time and it was three months ago, the first time I ever went. I thought it was sick.

I loved it. I did see you put up the medieval guys. That was my only favorite spot. I feel like they are underselling how much medieval stuff is in there because I'm I would say I try to go to art museums on the road because I'm like it's it's something that's distinct about a city and different cities like st. Petersburg I think I went to the Dali Museum okay I went to the this one in my blanking on his name

who's the guy who did all the Picasso? Stephanie Myers? Picasso. It's Marilyn Monroe in different colors. The soup can. I like him too but I'm blanking on his name. Not Woody Allen. Definitely not. Different kind of artist. Don't talk about soup cans and Woody Allen. That museum in Pittsburgh. There's somebody yelling at us, the TV right now. Yeah. But what I like, I feel like, so I say that to go like, I will go to an art museum.

But if they had just branded the Philadelphia Art Museum as like, knights, statues, and more, I would have gone the first time I came to Philadelphia. There has to be a Rocky Room in the museum. Like, there's somebody out there in South Philadelphia who has finger paintings of Rockies that they can commission to the art museum or a cheesesteak. He just cracked open a Miller Lite

and he started his finger painting his wife's like, that's very good, that's very nice, that's the bright colors. So, Men in Work podcast, we ask you what they do for a living. You're obviously a comedian, but back in the day, Bo Johnson's hanging out in Seattle. Best job, worst job, wherever you want to go with it. You talked about nonprofits. What kind of nonprofits were you getting into?

I worked after college. I worked at a restaurant for a bit. And then after when the restaurant, and then part-time at a food bank that went full-time and I quit the restaurant. So I worked at, do you know what Feeding America is? I'm part of it. I worked,, do you know what Feeding America is? Yeah. I worked, it's like the, for people to watch,

it's like a big national food bank for food banks. We fill abundance here, it's our big one. Yeah, so I worked for the like Seattle regional Feeding America food bank. Got it. And I was there for I think eight-ish years. How many bellies were we filling you think, filling a year you think?

I don't know, this is where I, a it's like a food bank for food banks So I feel like what I did was a mix of very helpful and at times I was like I exist because of bureaucracy Yeah, you're like the Amazon of food banks There were elements of the food bank. I was out and some of this I'll say this too I think that everything that the the organization I worked at was good because of the way the world works. I think there's some ways that the world works where in an ideal world some of it just wouldn't be required. But the food bank I was at there was a ton of stuff that was like direct service where just shipping out tons and tons of food to food banks around the area like very direct. You can immediately see the impact of the

work. What was your role in there? My job was I worked on a donation program where we would partner out grocery stores with smaller meal programs at food banks. And so there were some years and some windows of time where we were setting up donation programs at stores that never had donated any of their surplus food ever before. And that felt immensely productive and meaningful. So instead of it expiring and them throwing it out, they go.

And there were other times where there were relationships that existed at a store where I really feel like I was the bureaucratic element to that. And we were important because the grocery store chains want all of the data on the food they're donating. So they're not going to, as a corporation, donate food without knowing the poundage and all that information They want that that collected and so that was our role and that served the valley. This is like everyone's turning off

I have a question. Yeah, were the managers more team Jacob or team Edward? Yeah, the grocery store managers that you dealt with were they hungry like the wolf. I feel like I feel like people are gonna be more team Team Tina vampire I feel like people are gonna be more Team... Team Tina Vampire, I think. Team Edward? Team Edward, right? Team Edward, of course it is, dude. I was a Harry Potter guy, couldn't get into them. So what is a...

My girlfriend's a big Twilight fan. Okay, yeah, I grew up in a big Twilight household. My mom and my sister, having your mom and your sister all at once is a little weird. Where like, your sister thinking, you know, Robert Pattinson's hot is one thing, when your mom's like, mm, it's like, well, I don't really like that that much.

Yeah, then they add Taylor Lautner to the mix and it's like, well, that's too much sexiness for one movie. I didn't like Taylor Lautner predominantly because he was so jacked. And I didn't know how to get jacked as a little boy. Like I was like, I think I'm supposed to look like that and I don't know how to arrive there. I'm already pale.

I'd love to be tan like him, but that was never gonna happen. So I thought maybe a pushup or two every once in a while would help me. So that's why you just go right to Robert Pattinson and douse yourself in glitter and you're kind of good together. Well I feel like, I think that to a certain degree, Twilight is responsible for the more public, I don't say responsible in a negative way even, but is responsible for how in smut is right now.

Because it basically is like smut without sex in it. Like it would fade to Smut without sex in it. Yes. Like it would fade to black during the sex scenes. And what I will say about the movies, because my girlfriend watches all of them with her best friend each year. It's a rite of passage. And there's a small movie theater

near where I live in Seattle that does, they do like retro night. And they screened the first one. And I'll say like after the first movie, they're kind of just teenage like Harry Potter. Yeah I would agree. Like level quality production movies. The first one is like actively has good actors in it. Yeah yeah. But not a good movie. Like it's very campy, very kind of poorly done in some ways. Shot in this very distinctive like decisions that feel kind

of poor when you watch it on a laptop and they're very true to the dialogue that's in the book which is pretty tough to sit through they talk totally inorganically and very awkwardly like well then you watch it in a theater with a bunch of people who are fans and the movie totally rips yeah as it's like people are they know the parts to laugh at they're like cheering for characters and it made me kind of remember it's like how I feel like I love They know the parts to laugh at. They're cheering for characters. It's very rehearsed. It made me kind of remember. I feel like I love going to the movies.

But I feel like there's so few times now, maybe like the Barbie movie is one of the last ones that came out where Top Gun was kind of like what I like. Honestly the last one I saw was Batman Robert Pattinson. It was three hours long. I hated it. I had to sit in the movie theater for that long. Yeah, yeah, I agree. But I feel like there's few, I think of Barbie because that's one of the last movies I went to sit in the movie theater for that long. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Yeah, it was tough. I feel like there's few, like I think of Barbie because that's one of the last movies I went to where the theater was packed.

Yeah. And how cool it is to be in a full, like doing standup too. It's so cool to watch a movie with an energy for like almost a live show. True. Right. And that was like that for the Twilight first movie. I thought that was sick.

The Barbie movie was kind of a funny one. I saw that with my girlfriend and it was a good movie. It was an interesting movie. I got the, you know, the point of it, but I had was sick. The Barbie movie was kind of a funny one, I saw that with my girlfriend, and it was a good movie, it was an interesting movie, I got the point of it, but I had to pee midway. Like I said, bros but not evil. That's exactly right, that's the thing, I'm not bragging or anything, but you know, I'm nice to women, stuff like that.

But I went to go see the Barbie movie, and it was like one of the more poignant parts where I think it's America, Ferrera has like a monologue speaking about the issues women deal with, and I had to piss so bad. Oh, you have to wait. But I was like, if I stand up in the middle of this part, I'm gonna look like a monologue speaking about the issues women deal with and I had to piss so bad. Oh, you have to wait. But I was like, if I stand up in the middle of this part, I'm going to look like a psychopath.

So I just had to sit there and pee, and then I kind of scurried out during like a very lesser part. I'm going to say the worst thing a relative could say. Do you talk about that on stage? That's funny. Yeah, I do. I'm not proud of that. No, I think that's funny.

Thanks, man. I love you, Bill. Anyway. You want to get some people on? Yeah. You want to finally face your fears? Sure, yeah. Hey, get on over here.

We've been looking for you all day. What's your first name? Steve. Steve. Nice to meet you. I'm Kyle. This is Matt. I'm Beau.

Nice to meet you, Steve. Nice to meet you. What do you do for a living, or what did you do for a living? I was one of the people that invented the paper dress. The paper dress. the paper dress. The paper dress. The paper dress. What is the paper dress?

It was an A-line dress. You can Google it on your iPhone. The paper dress. And we had a plant in Leicester, Pennsylvania called Unitex. And so we made the paper dress, the first customer was Scott Paper. Oh, cool. And so... Wait, Scott Paper was the first customer of the paper dress?

Yes. What was he... Scott Paper. Yeah, why? Because we used their door weed to use. Gotcha. And what happened was we started making exam gowns to doctor's offices. And so my partner, he made an A-line dress that I brought at home. My wife painted on it.

Yeah. Okay. And I bring it back to the office and he says, did you do this? I said, yeah. He says, we're going over to Scott Paper and we're gonna show this A-line dress. Well, we were on, I guess it was three, four million paper towels that they had and some other stuff.

So that's where we got started in the paper dress business. Wow, did you ever sell the business? Yes. Did you make a nice little chunk of change? Depends who's took a change your plug into. Yeah, I hear you. So wait, so the paper dressers, is this the 60s, 70s, 80s? 60s, early 60s. Okay. And then if you look up eBay, paper dresses and see what they sell now for. All right, let me look. Why was the paper dress necessary back in those times? It wasn't. It was it was done as a joke. Yeah. So I got a couple like a Tyvek paper dress is going for $3,000 on eBay. Tyvek Tyvek. The things that was made by DuPont. We had a big thing with DuPont.

Also, OK, one of the things is coming up in Google. Maybe you could talk about this. The Campbell Soup Company's use of the paper dress in advertising. I'll tell you about Campbell Soup. Tell me about him. My partner and I decided, after we did the Scott paper, we did Domino's Sugar, we did Pepsi Cola, and I said, we should do Campbell Soup.

Yeah. And my partner, Bud, said, we have to get permission from Andy Warhol. I said, well, no, let to get permission from Andy Warhol. Because it's me. I said, well, no. Let them get permission from Andy Warhol, not me. I'm a little guy, you know? So we made the Campbell Soup dress with what, like three yards of this stuff. And I brought it over to Campbell Soup suit and I asked for the advertising director and I'm like 27 years old and so he says what do you

have I says trust me I have something that he's good like and love and he probably might not kick me out of the office. Just get me in there. Okay. 15 minutes go by, he comes out, Steve, what's so important that you have in your Adichie case that I'm gonna love? And they open my Adichie case and they go like this. I thought he'd go to poop in his pants.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, this is Andy Warhol. No, this they go like this. I thought he'd go it up in his pants. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, this is Andy Warhol. No, this is Campbell Soup. Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, my fault. This is Campbell Soup. And so they came over to visit our factory in Lester, Pennsylvania, to see whether or not

we were legit. Yeah. And in the two years we sold it, we sold the dress, we did three million dresses. Wow. How much were you selling them for back in the day, you remember? A buck. You know what they're going for right now? No, I know what they're going for. $8,400 on eBay. I know. Wow. Do you have any, still with you? Wow. You're sitting on the Honus Wagner of paper dresses right now. As fast as the paper dress business went up. Yeah, it came down 50 times Faster, did you get out before it came down? No, okay

We started to go into the disposable medical business. Yeah So the OR gowns that you see and the OR hats Yeah. So the OR gowns that you see, and the OR hats that you see. Oh wow. Okay. And all that stuff. So we were pioneers in the medical field.

Nice. Wow. You're a pivotal, you're an entrepreneur, I like that. And so we did a great job, and then a company called Angelica Uniform Company wanted to buy us out. Yeah. And I didn't wanna buy, I didn't want to sell.

My partner Bud says, ah, come on, we're going to make some money. And so I said, okay. So I, my partnership was, I was in charge of all the sales and promotions. He was the person in charge of the factory. And I just wasn't interested in staying along with them yeah and so I quit and they got this guy who was a Harvard business person to run the factory and in six months and where'd you go to school I went to Penn hell yeah when when you you're at the doctor or the hospital and they have you put on the gown, do you

ever have the compulsion to go, you know, I invented the gown. I didn't have to do that. Bring your own gown? I wouldn't shut up about it. I'd be like, you like this gown like it's Frank's gown. We made exam gowns, isolation gowns, we did sheets. And we did all kinds of stuff. We sold out the Angelica uniform.

And I stayed with them for about less than a month. Were you in the fashion business before this? No. Okay, what made you get into the fashion business? My wife saw an article in the paper about the dress. Yeah. Okay, that they were playing for it.

It was Don Gladstone and what haps that. OK. And I called them up and said, you don't know me. I don't know you, but I think I want to work for you. And I like that. Come on down.

I went down, talked to them and I was like 24 or 25 years old. They weren't much older than me. And said, OK, we'll hire you. Yeah. So I'm going to measly and a measly salary. And I said, that's not going to work. He said, well, how about if we give you a percentage of every sale that you make?

I won't accept measly, only lackluster. I said, that sounds different, you know. And so I got a percentage of everything sold in the factory and I did very well by them. Yeah. And we got into a lot of medical items there. And as fast as the dress went up, it came down 15 times faster. That's what they say, yeah.

Particularly in 1966 and 67, it was very popular. Very popular. And then it says, customers could send in a coupon in an hour 25 to receive a dress made of Dura weave. Dura weave. That was Scott Paper's material, Dura weave. So fashion is cyclical. Will the paper dress, you think, ever come back?

Well, some people are making paper wedding gowns now ah cool and you say I'm gonna sue your ass unless you pay me no no no I mean anybody wants to yeah make it a wedding get like she's got a wedding gown on over there yeah and satin you know anyway we sold the business. Did you do anything after? Yeah, I worked for them for about three weeks, and I quit, because I just couldn't, well, when I had the business, if I went to New York, I'd take money out of petty cash,

okay, and if I wanted to have a steak dinner, I got a steak dinner, and if I wanted to have a nice breakfast, I had a nice breakfast. Love that. But with this other company, it was on the American Stock Exchange, they gave me $6 for dinner, a dollar and a half for lunch, or whatever.

And I said, this is not gonna work for me. I hear you, dude. I hear you, bureaucracy. You don't like bureaucracy. I can... And so I quit. Like, was there any ideas for marketing, trying to get the word out there about the paper dress, doing like a reenactment of like the Marilyn Monroe standing over top of the vent,

and then having the thing kind of fly up? We've had some very interesting things with the paper dress. Yeah. Better than Marilyn Monroe. Really? Yeah, yeah, okay, I like that. I like it. Dude, I love that.

Who's the most famous person you think that wore your dress? Well, no, actually the most famous person was Mr. August Bush. Oh. Because I made Budweiser blazers. Wow. Paper blazers. And paper blazers.

And the way it worked, and I did this kind of illegally also. I like that. I had silkscscreen Budweiser cans. And you know, remember the name Ed Bickman? Was on the Johnny Carson show? So I made him a 46 size, because he was a big guy. And I sent it to Federal Express to New York,

I tend him, they signed for it, opens it up, I have my name and everything. I got a call like two days later How did you get my name or whatever yeah, well you don't have to be a rocket scientist you go NBC Okay, the Tonight Show and McMahon. Yeah, then I would deliver it. Yeah and he says, okay, are you gonna be in New York in the next couple days? I said no. He said, well, why don't you come on, I think it was a Thursday. He says, why don't you come on, because they tape in the afternoon. And he said, why don't you come in, you know, Thursday afternoon and

you come up to this, I forget what studio studio they were in and I go up there and they gave me a nice seat they had my name with Doris and they're big man's where's the Budweiser blazer oh yeah on the show going viral before viral was even in Budweiser was a prime sponsor advertiser sponsor of that show. It was a fun business. Yeah, seems like it. Big fun business. It's out there.

Yeah. Well, cheers, dude. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. I hope the paper dress comes back. So, Bo, when you got into comedy, was it to get out of the food bank or was it just to get out of like nine to five life

or nonprofit life? I had started before I got the job at the food bank. So I think I had liked stand-up since like probably middle school I feel like I don't know how you guys found it But for me it was the iTunes store had just started to put half hours in go live at Gotham I was like Dane Cook, Demetri Martin. Yeah, Mitch Hedberg I love And So I was watching that in middle school.

I was like, I really like stand up. And I think that's when there was the genesis of like, I kind of want to do this, but it felt so foreign and intimidating. And then in college I was writing kind of like an onion style stuff with a friend. And that was really fun. And then the interest level and the two guys I was working with like kind of dropped off and it was me on my own. And it was the type of thing that didn't really work without collaboration.

And so I was like, man, what's something where kind of all of the onus is on me and I'm the only one responsible for how interested I am. Because it's no one's fault to not want to spend You know 15 hours a week writing a satirical publication. That's losing money No one's reading So they they made the actively more correct decision and I was like walk out I'm where is there like a captive audience where I've also Historically been worse at sitting down and writing

like something that's long with dedication. But I'm good at writing a premise. And a premise is like the harder part of comedy. I agree. I'm kind of curious because you guys are both, you used to write and you write now. When you guys sit and you write funny like gaffes and jokes and LOLs, are you like laughing a little bit while you're writing it?

Like, cause that seems like a pretty sociopathic thing to picture or are you very much like stern face looking at your laptop, writing things out and then you just click send and then it's gone. I think I'm just like, Ooh, this is good. Which actually might be as much. Do you smile? You do like a nice.

All right, that's good. You get like a twinkle of your tooth when you think of something. I'm just thinking like the people would like that one, which might be actually sociopathic in its own nature. I think that might be right, yeah. I feel like, well now I would like to get back to more sit down writing. For me, now it's more like I'll go for a long walk and I'll write down thoughts in my phone. Or I have a few friends, like Tyler is one of them in Philly, where we'll call and talk

over jokes. I find that to be, I have an easier time writing in conversation with a friend where it's kind of pitching stuff. Riffing back off each other. Yeah, and I would like to, some of the stuff that is like, or jokes I'm proud of, or stuff I wrote very early on when I was really like, sit down writing, and I think there's an element to that

that I would like to get back to when I am done with some of the other business responsibilities of comedy right now. You said you were a barista, right, at Starbucks? I was not a barista at Starbucks. I worked, I was a barista but more of a, I don't know what the word for it is. We did make coffee on an automatic machine. I worked at the smoothie bar at the gym in college.

Oh okay. Oh that's nice. How was that? That was a great job. Just a bunch of fucking frat guys just coming in and just. You could give people a leftover smoothie, make yourself a ton of smoothie. You guys just really fun. Just you just give people left a leftover smoothie Make yourself a ton of smoothie I'd like it would be fun to guess what type of smoothie people were gonna get me. That's a peanut butter protein right there

Oh, that's a great. Okay sunset right there Give us a read if we walk up to you Kyle and I just finished a laborious cardio workout towards and we come up to you and we say, hey, Bo. Because that's how we talk. You guys are peanut butter protein for sure. Bro-y but not evil. Yeah, like a PB2.

Maybe one of you wants a little bit of strawberry in there. I'm a strawberry guy. God damn it. You got mango on the board? We can get some mango in there. I like that. Don't go crazy with it. Don't get greedy with it.

PB&J and mango? OK. Oh, OK. If you want to do that, that's not a choice I would make. Let's go fucking nuts. I'll do that for you. That's a good buddy cop movie coming out PB and J and mango yeah the screens near you oh my god all right well hey all right what else have you done so smoothie maker at the gym in college

food bank guy let me restaurant tour yeah I was a bus boy for a while yeah and then I worked the door at a comedy club for a while while I was we've never had a guy from work the door at The comedy club before what was that like you like it because I mean obviously you're doing stage time too and stuff I liked it. It was the comedy underground in Seattle, which is now now gone club It was around kind of in the 80s past and had like a heyday Where really ripped like Mitch Hedberg was there for a minute. Yeah and where it really ripped. Like Mitch Hedberg was there for a minute. Yeah. And I mean, I liked it.

I would say it's kind of a crazy. It would depend on the night. Like once I started working there, you got a guaranteed spot on the open mic every single week. Guaranteed spot in any of the showcase shows that you were working. And then usually guest spots on the weekend. And so that was really nice.

The open mic, you meet the most insane people like there's there's some stuff where I'm like I can't believe I was paid $25 to have to deal with this guy. Yeah I think the most insane thing there was a guy who didn't get up on the open mic list a couple of times and he'd burned the light one of the times he got up and so there was a there's a reason too and also you'd have a hundred people signing up for like 35 spots not everyone's gonna get up each time and he was he came up and he like knew me a little bit so I think he was like we have familiarity and he's like I'm gonna go down there and I'm gonna like cut the I'm gonna cut the manager up

I was like well I can't let you down Just don't tell me that you're gonna tell me you're about to like attack this guy literally cut Oh actually he's like I'm gonna kill this guy and I thought that's bad Yeah, well you can't go down there and he was like can we talk outside and I was like, I guess I'm So and I was like well, I don't think you should do that Like a six foot five big guys like I don't think you should do that. But also, this is like a six foot five big guy. I was like, I don't have, I'm not going to be able to stop this guy either. And so he never did it. But I was like, this is not my job. So you kind of saved a life. That's kind of like a beautiful moment.

And then the other job that we'd have, end of the night you'd have to go through. Well, this is more when I manage the club on off nights. And manage is very loose term. You would be responsible for booking the show. You run the light, turn the sound on, and then you'd make sure everything's good to go when you leave. And I would walk through.

Comedy Underground was a part of the Underground tour. So Seattle is a city that is built on top of a city that burnt down. Really? Kind of like the Great Fire of San Francisco, right? Yeah, so there's a tour you can do or where you go under the city in what used to be the original level.

In the underground, comedy underground, a part of it, that's part of the tour. People would come through the back and your job would be you'd walk through the whole labyrinth of tunnels and make sure no one was there. And there never was, but I never had a plan. If someone was there, I was like, I guess I'd just die.

Exactly. It was more just like, let's make sure it's fine. But there's no backup. So I don't do comedy. Matt only does comedy. But I love listening to open mic stories. I could do an entire podcast where someone could just talk about open mic stories.

You've had a couple of them. I don't know if you could share any of them. They truly never end. There's a guy that I guess I can't say by name, but there's a gentleman who won a big contest in Philadelphia and he after winning the contest it's kind of assumed that you'll get you know hosting spots featuring spots at this place this unnamed place and he wasn't getting booked for these spots and it came to a head where he actually didn't get on the open mic list. Like months after he had won. So his kind of act of rebellion is he went back in the green room

and just drank all the coffee. There was a full pot of coffee and he just like power drank it out of spite. Yeah. And so he was caffeinated and frustrated. And I don't think anything came of it that night. Like the worst. This guy would be so bad in the mob. He's like, I'll show you. I'm going to wreck my intestinal system in my own home

I'm gonna shit for two weeks straight because of you. He ate all the cannolis They're like are you mad? He's like no I'm so shaking he's angry. He's like actually my nervous system is shot Oh my god, I have a vikers of the best. Can I tell you the two craziest comedy underground stories? And I will say, I miss this club and it's my favorite place I've ever performed. It sounds awesome. So, my story, which is worse, but this is my story, is that... I'll be the judge of that?

I would. Well, the other one is just subjectively a better story, I wish it was mine. I was like, no, no, no, no. I'm talking about the two stories of the Underground. Sure, sure, sure, sure. It's my time. Your story was also fine. Thanks, man.

I like the story. I'll punch it up a little bit. I would say your story is better than mine. But the other story that's neither of ours, better than Bo. We can live with that. Yeah, that's fair. The soap dispenser in the men's room was broken.

It was leaking that pink soap you'd have in the tier two soap. Worst soap is the pink cocaine soap. Second worst soap is that soap but liquid, pink foam. Yeah, Perel was right up there too, because I hate when bathers just have Perel. Yeah, a giant puddle of it on the floor. And so I cleaned that up.

And the bartender is the one. It was their job to be stocking the bathroom. And I was like, hey, just a heads up, the soap dispenser in the men's room is broken. And they were like, oh yeah, I know. Don't worry, I switched it. That was in the women's room and I switched it with the men's room because men don't wash their hands. And I was like, well, if that was the only option, that was the right decision.

But we should have so that was the type of mentality that by the end kind of existed in some of the staff mentality that's bro-y but evil that's bad yeah that's not good yeah best story not mine this is like early years when I was working there when there was still security yeah within a year of working there what did they defund the security no security after that guy threatened to kill somebody, they were like, we'll get one guy in a black t-shirt. There was no security at that point. That was it. That was me. But someone else who was a door person, another name was Natalie, and Natalie, they were working there. And at this point in time, there was security. There was another guy named Bo, big dude, security guard, and then the chef, and there was a rat running around.

And they were trying to catch the rat with a broom, like brush the rat out of the building, couldn't catch the rat. And so the chef, he would carry pepper spray in case there was ever like an incident with a customer. This is really good cooking. He's like, you have a complaint for the chef. He's like, yeah, you still have a complaint.

That's what he sees it with. He's like that salt. I was making my throat burn. He's like, you don't like spice. You white people. Yeah. So he's trying. He's like, well, the broom's not working. I'll chase the rat with pepper spray. Of course.

He's chasing the rat with pepper spray and this building hardest summer No, no air conditioning. And so what the underground did have in place of air conditioning was giant Industrial fans and the fans picked up the pepper spray And blew it throughout the entire building there are fortunately no customers here yet What if it even better sure but no customers, but all of the waiters the waitresses the bartenders Everyone has to run out with like tears streaming down their face because the Yeah, so that's the better story That is good. I think after that you're legally allowed to become a cop

I think that's like the one thing they do to cops before you become one so you get all of them are honorary cops Yeah, that's really nice. Yeah, dude open mic stories I mean, I don't know if there's a podcast out there, but someone's got a star one of just open mic stories They're the best comedy club stories are just the best. Have they ever made a comedy club? Like series. Well, I feel like the problem is you my friend Brad and I have talked about this I think a podcast where you talked candidly about professional clubs and club owners It's gonna make it tough and people who open for you would be very interesting but professionally disastrous

Honestly, I think it's probably like a generational way like when you guys are older like it'll be it'll be okay because like a lot of Those first-time club owners in the 80s and 90s, I feel like they'll finally be dead. And like maybe you can keep the club out of it, but you will. I guess. See, I feel like I'm not even saying anything. Like I love the comedy underground. And I only and I'm not even saying anything that bad. Yeah, no.

Like mostly I'm like, I like this place. Here's crazy stuff. I don't think I could even talk about that. This club was still open. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty fair. Yeah, that's pretty fair.

It has to be a condemned building. Yeah, I can only talk about the lapidated Things that have exited the economy of a place and I'm not even naming anyone really Yeah, hardly except Bo the bouncer. Yeah, Bo is short for bouncer. Yeah Why was Bo flying around like why were that name flying around in Seattle in the? Because he was older than me and I predated I feel like I would get a lot of my dog's bow when Obama had the dog Yeah, that's a good one Now why is it B-O and not B-A-U? I was named after the Aurora Borealis

No way! Yeah, I was named after the Aurora Borealis The joke is cause I was conceived under it If you don't know what conceived means You have the lot in common with me for most of my childhood There's more about that. Wait, so you hold on your name is Bo and Bo is short for Aurora Borealis Oh Borealis, Aurora Borealis. So I would have been Aurora as a girl My middle name is Royal Bo Royal and then your last name is Johnson Aurora Borealis Johnson Bo Royal Johnson. Royal Johnson is an all time.

That's insane. I would just go, that would be my stage name. He's working with Johnny Sins, yeah. Royal Johnson. Royal Johnson. Yeah. Damn. That's unbelievable.

We're too deep in. I've just barely accomplished enough that it's too late to change the name now. Yeah. Yeah, no problem. Yeah, exactly. Not a deep list of accomplishments, but enough. Enough that it's like, god damn it.

Enough I'd go forever. Enough to do headline a punchline, but enough. Enough that it's like, god damn it, I'll go forever. Enough to do like, headline at punchline, but still sit in the park with two guys. Yeah, enough that I was like, this is a good opportunity. Yeah, that's good. Listen, we trick a lot of people into coming into the park. It's actually kind of hilarious how much you idiots are. How many people do you ask who do punchline for the weekend? We've had you on, we had Ian Bag bag on. We do helium a lot more. Casey rocket was there.

Mooc was was on with a little sass. I feel like Ian would be very comfortable with this. Oh, you know, Ian? No, I mean, I know who he is. I don't know him personally at all. Yeah, he was because we had one of the worst podcasts of all time in terms of like people coming through. Yeah. See, I would say this part I like. The next part is gonna make me much more uncomfortable.

Let's start it. Let's start it too dude, yeah. Because I'm like, I don't like meeting new people very much. You've been great though, because a lot of people like look at it and be like, I'm kind of in a zoo right now. People are just like looking at me in the middle of a park. Yeah, we've got, I've become. I feel like the headphones help.

Yeah. And I think that there's, there's stuff over the years that you become a little more like I think of Sometimes I'll still say yes. I'm I will say no to some shows now But I'll say mostly yes, if it's like near where I live Yeah, and some of them are so bad still like really bad shows and I will drive home and I go the only win is That this will only ruin my night like really bad shows and I will drive home and I go the only win is that this will only ruin my night and not my week. I did one in a few months I was like this

would have made me feel so much worse six years ago. I don't think I would have done better yeah but I would have felt worse about it. I'll have that thought sometimes I'm like this is crazy that this feels this awful thing I'm about to do feels normal. Sure yeah the other normal say is what you kind of like, yeah, I'll have that thought sometimes where I'm like, this is crazy that this feels, this awful thing I'm about to do feels normal. Sure. Yeah. The normalcy is what really kind of makes it upsetting. Well, this is a hacky question. Before we get somebody on, what worst show that you've done that comes to mind off the

top of your head? Oh man. I could tell you a few, but I don't know how good we are on time. We got time. We have a plethora. Can I go through a little bit of a list? Yeah. Because I've been thinking about this lately.

Oh, this is even better. I'll list? Cause I've been thinking about this lately. Oh, this is even better. I'll tell you what I've been thinking about. I'm not going to tell this story, but I don't know how you build your act, but I feel like I have one of the stories I really like that's now recorded, but not out, but I'm kind of like, I have to slowly. I'm not saying people know me well enough

that I can retire. Like if it's retired, people are so famous. Right, right, right. People who are coming to see me. Hopefully we'll see this story Okay, is I have a story about opening for Lionel Richie in a park outdoors and it was really bad After kovat five thousand people at an outdoor park during a summer series. Yeah comedy before music is so I have a story about that In my act is like a five-minute story and I'm like, okay, well, it's time to kind of, we can make room. I don't want my whole act to be stories about me bombing.

That also is not a good look. If you're constantly reading, your entire act is just, it's never gone good. Yes. Why did you guys pay for this? It's just me bombing all the time. But I do like stories like that. And I'm like, there's now room to move in other stories.

And I've definitely done other bad shows. So a few that come to mind. One of the first ones was an outdoor, it was a community event, kind of like arts event, and it was the first time I got paid like a hundred bucks. So I was like this is cool. Yeah. And it was a palette outdoors at noon in the heart of summer and there was a tree next to me and 30 lawn chairs and there was a Zumba class a hundred meters back blasting music and I'll say to their defense not good to do comedy to Zumba yeah maybe worse to do Zumba to comedy right and there was an older lady sitting in the front row and I was like great we, we got one person, that's great.

And when I started, it became clear that she was there for the shade. It was the only place there was shade. And so I started and she left and I was just the sound guy and me and it was like one of those times you're like, do I do this? Like, do I just stand here now?

But I guess you kind of have to talk so people will come over. And so I'm just doing comedy to nobody. Yep. That was one. Another one that comes to mind, one of the strangest shows I've ever done was, this will be the last one, but I used to do some of the first shows I did were these like weed comedy shows in Seattle. Of course. And they could be magic. They could have like an incredible crowd where you're just like, you're also new. Seattle. And they could be magic. They could have like an incredible crowd where you're just like, you're also new. And so it's one of the only times where like,

you could feel like what it was like to crush. Because you had a crowd that was hot enough and willing enough so you'd do a sober set and a high set. And I did not smoke until like 23 at all. And so this was like my first experience is smoking where it'd be like the guy was like, here's a dab. You should do a dab. Oh my God.

Dab is like weed, but make it hard drugs. Yeah, make it painful. And another just fun Pacific Northwest fact is there were two weed comedy shows. There was one that was first and then another one started. And these shows, the guys who ran it, they big feud. They did not care for each other mutual yeah mutual like hostile energy between looking at this

one of those things where you're like in it and it feels normal and now I was starting to think about I was in Astoria after the show lost or around you know I was like remembering this I was like this is that it's actually kind of funny there's these two weed comedy shows that have like a Romeo and Juliet family style blood feud. And the two daughters got together. The two daughters of Bud. Just different names for weed. Bud and Bud. And for a weed show not very chill. So one of the last shows I did for the weed show was it was a corporate show it was like the first time I got real money. It was another I

feel like a lot of the times I don't know for you. Why do these decisions feel influenced by money? The worst shows have been ones where I didn't I either had hope. When you go know when I go knowing I signed up for a bad thing, doesn't feel so bad. But when there's excitement. And so this was like the first time I ever got paid like 700 bucks. Like enough to justify flying to Los Angeles. And so I was like, more money, must be good.

And now I've been doing this long enough that I know, with exception, but generally, the more fun, the worse money the more money the money is more to pay you to do it that's like a corporate show sure because I feel when people are like how much to do this corporate I'm like I feel bad except like the quality of the show won't feel worth the number I'm gonna tell you right what I'm asking for is the amount that will make me feel okay about doing this yep and so whereas if you see me do like a show for like 70 of my fans,

that's the show that should be worth $3,000. This daylit conference room where people don't want me there, that's gonna be worth thousands because I want that. Do you remember the industry? This is a cannabis, this show in LA, it was a corporate version of the weed show first year after weed was legalized I believe or close after, one or two years after and it was for the after party of a Los Angeles weed convention. And so we go to the convention center in Los Angeles and I see the room the show's supposed to be

and it is a corporate office room. I go, oh no, this is gonna be really bad. And then this is where it got worse. They go, don't worry, the show isn't here. It's at the after party, which is a new location. And I was like, we're back in business. And that second hope was what made it bad. So then the the conventions over and

Normally the show is like people who are stoners go stoners great comedy audience No, yeah people who work in the weed industry at a weed convention in the agricultural and ownership entrepreneurial side not Things are bad people, but that are not they're not there to be These are also people who and I'm not saying this with judgment But until two years ago had largely been running criminal enterprises Largely people who have been in business long before you could do the week Becomes an accountant yeah The after party is supposed to be like 10.

And we drive over there, we're going through like this warehouse district of Los Angeles. Nothing is open. It's all chain link fences and like shut down warehouses. I remember going by, there was one like a monastery that was like the biggest like non-ware warehouse thing in the area also closed and we get to the warehouse and We're walking through and there's like tons of secure like armed gun security is there and then we get in and this The after party is in a airplane hanger. I'm not this is not like hyperbole that you could put Multiple airplanes in this hangar, which if you don't go to comedy shows, not conducive. Yeah.

Demetri Martin, I think, has the joke where he's like, the better the room is for comedy, the worse it would be to be in a fire. And this room would have been a great place to have a fire. Very good. I would imagine your voice is just bouncing off of the walls. So we get there. No chairs. Also, no chair set up. It's probably 200 off of the walls. Like, I can't do this stuff. So we get there. No chairs, also. No chair set up.

It's probably 200 people in the warehouse. 200 people in a different space, a lot. Where did, what time, what event did it occur to you when you were like, kind of thinking, I might be kidnapped, or I might be a part of an international drug smuggling deal right now going on I maybe I'm wrong I just never never concerned hangers just feels very maybe very I'm just living with the

Assumption things will go all right once I saw the armed security. I'd be like something is going down. Yeah, yeah meeting I'm meeting I would not be able to think that broadly though I yeah my thought would be the entire time like I hope my knee doesn't start hurting like I'm not able to think of like contextually what's happening around Yeah, I was I was never like I'm more of a I have a I'm hard I have a hard time breaking the rules for me. It was not More like are we not allowed to be here? That was more my energy. I was like we're gonna get in trouble. Yes Yeah, and so There is a guy on like pogo stick legs bouncing around and that's always gonna happen

You can't avoid these there 200 people no chairs. The only part of the room That's not fully lit is where the stage is The stage is the only dark part of the room Yeah, it's the opposite of how you want it and then so we all go on and do our first set. Everybody bombs. Yeah, I remember. And then in between there was a rapper and he performed. He had a smoke machine and he had backup dancers

and the rapper bombed. Wow, what did the poker stick guy do? He's still just bouncing around. He killed it? He's just there doing his own thing. Yeah. I think he owned part of this convention. He doesn't even hire to do it.

He's just kind of freelancing. He was not for entertainment. That was just, I think he was like, I think it's like when you're a kid and you're doing something you think is cool, you're like, people will be impressed. I'm doing this with Yo-Yo. He was just kind of doing that. Yeah.

He just wanted any opportunity to get the poker sticks out. I like that. Yeah. So by the end of the rapper set, people start dancing getting into it. He's bombing for 90% of it. And then people kind of the vibe shifts. So we kind of like this. And I was like, this should be the rest of the night.

Yes. Cause this is also not blaming the audience. They, on their end, they just worked for seven hours and now they're getting high and drinking with all of the people they work with. They want to hang out. Yeah. And we're just doing a show. Yeah. And so I was like, they should just call the comedy show out yeah and we're just doing a show yeah and so it's like they

should just call the comedy show but now we've all gotten high for the high portion yeah yeah and the guy who is paying everyone he comes out and he this is one of those things where i saw another guy who was on the show a few weeks ago we were talking about this show and do you have ever have something happen where you're like i made up a detail from this story Yeah, and then we were talking about it and he corroborated. Yeah, I was like, oh we both remember the same thing, right? But this guy he came out and goes I can't believe I paid all of these comedians $700 to be here But I guess since I gave them the money Will do the rest of the comedy show.

And then came back out and bombed a second time. That guy definitely did not work in the marketing department. I'll tell you that one. So that's probably, that's one of the other ones. Wow. Jesus Christ. Yeah, they never. Honestly, at that point,

I wish I would have just been kidnapped and put into it. Yeah, I would have been. Yeah, once I hear that you're hurtfully talking about the amount you're paying for me and you're dealing with me to perform, I'd be like, I'll just go home. Yeah, I'll just go home, yeah. I mean, you get nice critiques sometimes. Like, my favorite critique I got after a show was very early on and I opened for a very popular local act, Aunt Mary Pat.

Yeah. And it is a gentleman who dresses up as a 50 year old Delco mom, Delaware County mom and They were great. I loved opening for them, but the first time I did it was the biggest show I've done is like 400 people is it souljoles in I like souljoles. Yeah souljoles. I really like Joel. He's great. He's the man He's the man he put this is back when everything was outside. Yeah, so like one of the bigger shows I've done. I'm hosting so you you're going up cold. And the set went really well. I was pretty happy with everything. And then after the show is wrapped up and everyone's kind of walking by and saying, oh, that was great. You're really funny. I had two women come up to me like, you were great. I just wish you would

have dressed up like a woman too. And I was like, no. And they were like, any reason why? And they're like, just to fit the show. You guys were all dressed up as women. I was like, do you think we should have had female openersers and they're like no guys dressed as women almost a progressive thing to say they were teetering they were right there yeah can I say my Joel Joel thing genuinely love this guy love that club yeah and I was in the small room as I should have been mm-hmm not not full but and then in the big room, the banquet hall, they had like a soul night so you could hear like the music through the wall a little bit.

And it was like one of those shows where I was like, it's set up good. That's what I love when there's just something a little bit away from sterile. Sometimes when it's like too good, there's nothing to play with a riff with. If it's too like just matter of fact, here's the venue. Yeah, there's no and it makes the show feel a little less special and before but he was like I've never worked the club before so he's watching as he should but sometimes you're kind of like man I know I know the right way to start the show is to riff on what's going on yeah but I also don't want to offend the guy who's writing my check who I appreciate and but right before I go on he leaned into

my ear and he goes feel free to make fun of the club. He knows, he knows, he knows. And I was like, you rock, I will work here forever. As long as you want me to come back here, I will work here. I love Soul Jules. He lives in the reality of the last time I did the show there, there was a wrestling event going on in the ballroom next to me. And it was like, how would you not talk about that?

And he knows, yeah. All right, that's the podcast. Do you have anything you want to promote? When does this come out? It's coming out tomorrow. Well, if you're watching this tomorrow afternoon and have not made plans on Saturday night, I'll have two shows at Punchline Philly and there are plenty of tickets still available. You'll see Bo, dude. You'll see Bo. Do not be deterred. Bo knows. Please come. And if you did watch this and you thought my contributions to the podcast were meaningful enough to have any semblance of interest

in my career, I've got a YouTube channel, Bo Johnson Comedy, an Instagram Bo Johnson Comedy. And what I would really love is I produced, a lot of people are doing this, my own special. That was shot in Portland, Oregon in April. And we it's getting sent in to get color, have the color fixed. It'll be it's almost done. It'll be at two sailboats.

A little the sneak peek for the people who've watched an hour would be my dad built. Can I do the joke? Yeah, of course. Please. My dad built a sailboat. He quit working in government, became a massage therapist. And before that, he was a carpenter. And he built a sailboat from scratch. And so that was the cool thing about my dad as a kid.

And then we were working on a house together in a room. And I was like, how long did it take you to build the boat? And he was like, five years until I could sail it. And so I realized anything I care about in life would take five years minimum of hard work. And so in the joke, I go, and I've been doing this for 10 years now. There you go.

And I'm spending a significant portion of my life savings on a YouTube video. And I can't help but think I could have had two sailboats by now. So it's two sailboats, but it's the best thing I think I've made. I'm really proud of it. I think it's really good.

And if you like my sense of humor, I think you'll really enjoy it. So it mean a lot if you went to the YouTube channel, I got a little mailing list to my Instagram where I'll only bug you if I come back to Philly or wherever you live. They're like big stuff like when the special comes out and I would love it if people watched. Absolutely. Go follow Bo on everything. Support Bo punchline. Just be fucking cool. This has been fun. This is the best version of what it if people watched. Absolutely. Go follow Bo on everything. So we'll punch line.

Just be fucking cool. This has been fun. This is the best version of what it could be. Is it better than the trolley podcast? I don't I don't want to say that. Yeah, I like I like the trolley guy was nice, too. But this is good. There's been a fun hang. This is a good.

Yeah, did you say yes to way too many things? I will talk to you. See you guys.