WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 584 - Chris D'Elia

Episode Date: March 11, 2015

Comedian and actor Chris D'Elia always seemed mysterious to Marc when he was waiting backstage at the comedy clubs. Turns out Chris was just cripplingly insecure. Marc and Chris talk about what it takes to overcome your fears, especially at a place like The Comedy Store. Also, Marc delivers an update to provide some closure on a past WTF guest. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category,

and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Lock the gates! Alright, let's do this. How are you, what the fuckers?

What the fuck buddies? What the fucking ears? What the fucksicles? How are you? Hi, I'm Mark Maron. This is WTF. Welcome to the show. Thank you for coming. Thank you for being here. I appreciate your attention and support. Those of you who are in, hanging out, listening to this. Chris D'Elia is on the show today. If you don't know Chris, he's a comedian. I think I did a live one with him a while back from Montreal,

but I didn't really get to know him. I think I might have got to know him a little better this time. He's on that show Undateable on NBC. Season two of that show premieres next Tuesday, March 17th. Chris D'Elia, who when I met initially, when I first got back to Los Angeles, he was, I guess, I don't know how long he's been doing it at that point, but he was this kind of weird, darty guy that used to wear a hoodie and just hang around the comedy store and not really hold eye contact very long.

And kind of just almost like couldn't stand still, really. I never had a good feeling about the guy. And I saw him around. I saw him around. He started to get a little attention on stage. And it became one of those things. It's like like all right let's talk let's do it so i talked to chris delia in a little while i'm going to talk to you first

let me update you on some tour information for the mark maron marination tour if i may if you are interested i don't know if you know but i will will be in Rochester, New York or outside of Rochester, New York at the Comedy Club on March 20th and 21st doing four shows up there. And there are tickets available. So why don't you come on down if you're in that area.

But I'm going to D.C., I'm going to Philly, I'm going to Boston, I'm going to Madison, Pittsburgh, Royal Oak, Michigan, outside of Detroit, Toronto, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Asheville, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, New Orleans for now.

There's talk about adding more dates, more cities. Some second shows have been added in Asheville, north carolina just added a second show there seattle uh boston toronto there are two shows in philly things are looking up go to wtfpod.com slash calendar for that i gotta get that thing in shape i'm immersed in the last week of shooting my show i'm exhausted uh i i'm not complaining i'm just beat up and this is my directing week so i directed a bit uh yesterday and the day before today i'm directing all day very exciting new skills it's tricky to direct yourself because I'm a pain in the ass and I don't I don't take direction. Well, especially not for myself ever. So I just got to shut up move through it.

That's the weirdest thing lately about being as uncomfortable as I can be in certain situations. And there's this part of my brain that basically says, don't even pay attention to that. Don't even pay attention to the discomfort. It's just the way it is. It's not always going to be that way, but right now it's just the way it is. Why focus on it?

Why not just shut that part off, acknowledge it and do what you have to do all right it's what big surprise you're fucking uncomfortable and that's uh that's the way i that's the way i work that's my work ethic i'm uncomfortable uh terrified sometimes not as much as i used to be and i'm just not gonna pay attention to those things. It's going to plow ahead like a dumb person for the right reasons, if that makes any sense. Someone plowed their fucking car into me the other day. I got rear-ended, and it's jarring. I'd forgotten that surprise.

I'm always anticipating hitting something. I'm always anticipating hitting something i'm always anticipating hitting a car hitting a person hitting a curb a wall someone hitting me but you don't always you don't ever really remember that sound and that feeling until it happens to you and i was just waiting to go at a green light and the light turned green we were starting to move there were two cars in front of me and just like kaboom and i just flew back ship flew off the dash and i flew forward and then she hit me again bam i don't know how that happened but that that undeniable dense crunching of metal and that thud that and you feel completely out of control that moment is sort of terrifying then it ended and i looked behind me and you know that

with that kind of like how the fuck did that happen it wasn't my fault i wasn't texting i was sitting there wasn't moving so i pull over and this woman gets out of a mercedes suv an old one though and she's like uh i don't know what happened her car is pretty fucked up my car is all fucked up drivable but big old dent it kind of buckled the side a little bit you know like a hit the back end and buckle the side and she's you know going like i had my glasses and i'm like what what my glasses i don't know my glasses came down and i'm like oh i don't what what is happening she goes why were you stopped and i'm like because there's a car in front of me but you know he exchanged information i'm glad nobody was hurt and i'm not one of those guys you know what kind of person yeah i mean i guess there is a type of person i've

never been the type of person like like would immediately right when they got hit like that would immediately be like oh my neck my neck my neck needs some money i I've never been that guy ever even when I didn't have money I was just I was I was always sort of wary of lawsuits for no reason I didn't see it as an entitlement hey man you should get whatever you can no matter what

personal morality is not important personal integrity is not important man game the system take it it's yours but uh there is something great about having a car you don't give a shit about that is a freeing thing i don't give a fuck i that was on sunday and they haven't called me i called the claim into her insurance company there's no way that she can claim that it wasn't her fault but uh but uh and i'm not even mad at her really just an accident i'm glad i'm you know no one's hurt

but i don't give a fuck about my car and in my mind i'm like maybe i can get enough money to sort of take the money that to fix it properly and spread it around a little bit and maybe undent the whole car a little because it's all beat up for me you know running into walls of uh beside my driveway because i'm not paying attention and yeah i am proud to have a car i don't give a fuck about and now it has character it has character it's scarred it's uh it's wounded but you guys you might remember a while back i talked to a guy named denny tedesco on this show i was back on episode 517 he's the son of tommy tedesco who was a member of the wrecking crew and they were a a group of studio musicians that were on just about every album from Sinatra forward through

the Beach Boys. I mean, they were all studio musicians here in LA and a fascinating group of people. And at that time, Denny was attempting to make a documentary about the Wrecking Crew and he was working on it for 18 years. It was a real struggle. There were a lot of issues with music rights and other you know roadblocks of this kind and that and when i talked to denny he wasn't even sure if the movie was ever going to get released it was it was a it was sort of a heartbreaking conversation because this was his life's work and he he had some uh some real problems so he wasn't sure that it was going to happen all right so 1996 i start this i like to say 17 years ago 17 years younger

and uh 35 pounds lighter uh-huh basically when i started 96 dad got sick all right he passes away 97 and right after he passed i put it together a nice 14 minute teaser reel i get nancy sinatra i got sharing it at this point i got everybody going but no one would touch this damn thing because the music and they all said the licensing the licensing

they said you got oh my god I didn't even think about that no yeah at that point I you know now the film's got 120 songs in it

and what 90 of them are hits yeah oh no yeah yeah 98% exactly yeah so I said

so I kept going everybody said you're never gonna get the labels and the publishers to agree on this. It's impossible. Yeah. Well, I had to keep shooting and go on and carry on. You have to have the music. Right.

You can't tell the story without it. Right. So you could talk about it. It was going to be a shit documentary. Right. So I kept going and no one would ever jump in. Finally, in 2006, I always talk about crossing that line where you went too far and um my wife thought we just made the most expensive home movie ever yeah you know it was

like and you know how much you into it for oh at that point a couple hundred thousand yeah you know and now god i don't even cringe because i look at you know it's my house yeah and um so we said all right let's make the one jump. Let's go for it. We got to get an editor, producer slash. And so I got Claire Scanlon, who was my editor.

And we cut this thing. Yeah. In 2008, we got into the film festivals. Yeah. Did it remarkably, remarkably well. Yeah.

It was easy for us, I could say. Won a lot of awards and no one would touch it but I got couldn't distribute it but you could show it I could show it

but I paid for the you know festival use yeah but we got Kickstarter finally came in I had to go

I needed like $350,000 yeah to really do everything yeah and I reached for $250,000 and got $300,000 so

we paid off the Musicians Union okay I have a few more songs now now I'm hoping to God as we... You added a few songs? No, we've paid off. We only have a few more songs.

I did actually add a couple more since you've seen it. Yeah. Don't tell anybody. Okay. I'm paying for it. Just don't tell my wife. Yeah, yeah. But what I had to do is basically I still paid.

Now, I've only got maybe four songs left to pay and I'm done. I'm free. 100% own this thing outright. Holy shit. So I played by the rules. I did not, you know, I've not released this film. And your father would have appreciated that. Absolutely.

He was a union guy. He got it. You know, so I'm just hoping to get this thing out there. I'm doing fundraisers. I'm doing literally, I'm doing private screenings. I do, I've shown this film all around the world. Well, got good news for Denny. And I'm proud to say that, after talking to him, that it's finally happened.

The movie is going to be in theaters tomorrow, folks. They got all the issues straightened out and got a distributor. And now you can see the movie in theaters and very soon on DVD. You can go to wrecking crew film.com to find out where it's playing. And I want to personally congratulate Denny Tedesco for hanging in there, man. He did it. I,

it, it's a good story, man. It's a good story. And it's, it's, it's a good thing. Like someone should's a good story. And it's a good... Someone should have made a documentary about Denny making the fucking documentary.

This season of Marin's going to be a trip, man. Going to be some surprises. We worked hard. I dug deep for the acting this week. I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I could do what I had to do. And I feel like I did it. I did it the it the best i could folks it's all you can do the best you can do all you can do is give it your all and not beat the shit out of yourself afterwards and say well

that wasn't good enough all right let's talk to chris d'alia uh let me say what he's got what has he got oh he's got this new stand-up special called White Male Black Comic. You can get it on iTunes, Amazon, and at chrisd'elia.com. For just five bucks, he's got the undateable thing. All right, let's talk to Chris. Calgary is an opportunity-rich city home to innovators, dreamers, disruptors, and problem solvers. The city's visionaries are turning heads around the globe across all sectors each and every day. They embody Calgary's DNA.

A city that's innovative, inclusive, and creative. And they're helping put Calgary and our innovation ecosystem on the map as a place where people come to solve some of the world's greatest challenges. Calgary's on the right path forward. Take a closer look at how at calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com. It's a night for the whole family. Be a part of Kids Night when the Toronto Rock take on the Colorado Mammoth at a special 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, March 9th at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will get a Dan Dawson bobblehead

courtesy of backley construction punch your ticket to kids night on saturday march 9th at 5 p.m in rock city at torontorock.com Some people know Eagle Rock. That's where the... Yeah, but that's where this is? It's right over the hill, basically. I've been there. You have? Yeah, Eagle Rock, yeah.

What are you doing over there? It was so long ago. I don't even know. Did you grow up here? I did, yeah. And that's why I know Eagle Rock. But when they sent me the email, they were like, it's near Eagle Rock. And I was like, oh, yeah, I remember that place.

Yeah? So it's good it's still here. From some weird part of your past? Yeah. I grew up in La Cunada, you know? Well, I mean, I moved there when I was 12. La Cunada? Yeah.

That's like down the street. Is it really that close to here? Well, on the two. Yeah, on the two. Right, exactly, yeah. So you just drove by the exit of this place. I did, now that I realize it was the two, yes. Right?

Yeah, I was just following GPS like an idiot. No, but it's funny, though. There's some places, even where you grow up, where you're like, I don't know. I've driven by that area for my entire life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I would never go there. Yeah. Well, why would you you go to la canada unless you lived there really it's like such a home well there's a gym that i just joined in la crescenta oh really which is down the street oh so it is that close wow la crescenta is like next to la canada okay exactly so it's like it's

like literally like i just canceled my y membership in Hollywood. Yeah, yeah. Because I'm like, I can just drive. That's so far. It's like 10 minutes to La Crescenta from here. That's funny. Do your folks still live there? Yeah, they live in La Cunada, yeah. I'll go there after this. Will you? No, because they're not.

Oh, no, they are there. Yeah, they just got back in town, yeah. Wait, wait. So where did you start out though? Where were you born? New Jersey. You're a New Jersey guy. felt that yeah i knew that yeah because i mean the first time i i think i like registered your existence yeah was uh like i guess i moved back to los angeles 2002 and then i did the iron america stuff then i started going to the store

and uh and i guess it was like 2006 or something around there you know i knew a few guys there but you were always like sort of looming around with a hoodie not really talking like you're like this chris and i'm like what does he do yeah very quiet yeah i'm like what is that guy i know i don't i i have like a fear of like like being involved like if there's a group already yeah which the comedy store is very much a like a yeah fraternity like you know place but it shifts though i mean it does no evolving but but i didn't know that going in right so when i went in i was like i just don't want to say the fucking wrong thing like i remember once uh i actually I actually have a memory of, which maybe, like, made me the quiet person there on the comedy store.

I was, I'm friends with Steve Rannazzisi right now. He's actually, like, I love the guy. Yeah. But I didn't understand his style and vibe. Yeah. And I had been married for, like, a year and a half. Really? Yeah.

When I started stand-up, I was married for about a year and a half. What year was that? 2006. Really? Yeah. Okay. And Ranazzisi was married like the same, like a month later than I was. And so I overheard him saying, yeah, cause I've

been married now for about six months. And I said, and I, I just was like, ah, that's a connection. Yeah. You know? I mean, I didn't think that's a connection, but I was like, it's just a conversation. This is how life is. So I'll say something now. And, uh, that's how it worked. Yeah. And I said, oh yeah, no, no shit. Me too. And he said, oh, yeah, when did you get married? And I was like, oh, well, I got married in August. And he said, oh, well, I got married in September. That was seven months to me. And I was like, Jesus Christ.

End of conversation. Yeah, I was like, yeah, I mean, I guess I can't argue with that. But I mean, like, and then I was like, man, it's fucking rough out here. I can't even get in on it. Like a month off and I'm out. Yeah, I know. I know. And I've talked to Steve about that since.

And I was like, yo, why did you say that? Like, who gives a fuck if it's six months or seven months? And he was like, I don't know. He actually said, I don't know, probably because it wasn't fucking six months. And so i was like yeah i get i get it now i get it here and i get you now but back then i was like hypersensitive to like being the new guy oh so you were just awkward yeah yeah because like i just uh i didn't know what you were up to and like i remember looking at him like how that kid doesn't even

look like he can talk i know i mean how the fuck is he gonna be funny that guy i know and like and literally i i just remembered you wearing a hoodie all the time i know i did i wore hoodies and it was like you were just kind of lurking around yeah and i but then again like i never hung out and necessarily watched people you know so right and then by the time i saw you i'm like that was that kid with the hoodie now he's jumping around screaming yeah he's like huge i couldn't fucking believe it. But your parents are both from Jersey? Well, my dad's from Queens, New York.

Queens? Yeah. And my mom's from Newark. Oh, so you're real fucking East Coast. Yeah. That's weird. Yeah. So wait, but your dad was, oh, he's an Italian guy.

Yeah, my dad's Italian. Like real Italian? My mom's Italian. I'm half Italian, so whatever that equals. What do you mean? So your mom's not Italian? No, my mom's Italian and my dad's Italian, but my mom's Italian I'm half Italian so whatever that equals what do you mean so your mom's not Italian no my mom's Italian and my dad's Italian but my mom's also Polish and I think my dad's Irish too oh really I don't know so they're not like you're not clear on it I'm American you know no I know but you you didn't have any of that in your family you don't have

like oh my my family if like if you like I have an uncle Vinny yeah like I mean if when we go back people are just like hey it's that it's yeah that's your father's side yeah absolutely and and my mother's side too though like yeah like you know uh yeah like i've i had a cousin butch like i mean real italian shit uh-huh where it was like i would watch the sopranos and be like oh that's comforting yeah no oh yeah yeah yeah that feels like home to me. Yeah. So you grew up in- And they would lie, you know, like my family would say shit like, yeah, you know, he's connected. And you're like, he's not, but okay. You know, like that kind of shit.

Every Italian family is like- Yeah. They think they got the one guy. Absolutely. Stole a truck once. Absolutely. And that's it. So you grew up with that kind of like what, spaghetti and pasta and grandmother?

My dad would cook pasta all the time. I mean, we had pasta probably, fuck, almost every day. Did you have a grandmother? Yeah, my mom's mom, Carmella, another Italian, would cook. Yeah, she would cook the meat sauce. I like knowing that you're from New Jersey. There's something about that. Because my family comes from New Jersey.

But you don't strike me as like, I don't identify you as kind of an Italian guy. Yeah, I don't know, man. I think part of, well, you know me just from when I've been doing stand-up. And I think that when I was now as a stand-up, I always feel like comedians are repping other places. Right.

And I came up here and I want to be like, I'm from LA. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Because I started in LA. Right. And that's rare. Yeah.

It's a weird thing. It is, I know. And I know why now that I started in LA, because it's hard to keep the eyes off of you when you're working shit out. Oh, yeah. Everybody's terrible when they start. It's hard to be anonymous.

Yeah. But was that, okay, so your father, you were 12 years old. Why'd your father move here? He's a TV guy, right? Yeah, he's a director and a producer. But like a big shot, right? Yeah, he's done a lot yeah he's a director and a producer but like a big shot yeah he yeah he's done a lot of stuff yeah tv yeah so you grew up in the business kind of yeah kind of

yeah when we when we when i was 12 uh we moved out my dad was uh a commercial director like and he had a company in new york and he would drive there every day right and then when we moved from new york it was like he got a gig directing Doogie Howser, I think was the first thing he directed. Really? TV-wise, yes.

Okay. Stephen Bosco gave him his first job. And my dad says to this day he still has no fucking idea why he gave it to him, but he got, you know, he directed Doogie Howser

and then he would like fly back and forth and then it got to the point where he was getting enough work. He got on that show, he was one of the directors on that show, Northern Exposure. Sure. point where he was getting enough work he got on that show he was one of the directors on that show northern exposure sure and and he so he was out here

enough to where he would stay out here like for a few months right and then it just became let's go visit dad in la and then it became okay let's live in la so he was kind of not around for a while yeah but not not like not like we don't remember you not any kind of damaging they didn't fuck you up no no something else. Something else did? Not that. Yeah, that did not fuck me up. I'll tell you. No. Something did.

Something made you screwy. Maybe, yeah. All right, so he's directing Doogie Howser. Yeah. And then what else does he do? So you move out here, but he moves to La Crescenta, so you're not Hollywood. La Cunada. No, yeah.

La Cunada. We moved to La Cunada, and I remember the big thing there was like, hey, Kevin Costner lives here. He used to live there. Yeah. And I moved there when I was in, you know, I guess I was in, it was right when everyone went to middle school. So my parents were like, hey, it's great because all the kids

are coming from different schools, you know? Right, right. And that was kind of good. But I remember when I got there, this is actually pretty embarrassing, not so much now because I'm a fucking man, but but I remember being, I loved the show 90210. The first one. Not the one that's on now. The original?

A few years ago. Yeah, the original. And I loved Luke Perry. Yeah. And I thought he was so cool. And I did my hair up like him. Yeah. And I thought that that was how it should be in LA.

Yeah. I was like, well, they live in California. They'll get it. Yeah. You know? Beverly Hills, man. Yeah. Yeah. And when I went, I would like, well, they live in California. They'll get it. Yeah. Beverly Hills, man. Yeah. Yeah.

And when I went, I would always get made fun of with that hair. They would be like, your fucking hair is so high. Why do you do that? And I would never say, because fucking Luke Perry does it. Right. You know? But I knew that that was like, I was like, and I'm such like a fucking, I'm so like hard headed that I would be like, they don't know how it is in California.

This is how you do your hair in California. You're in California, but they're missing the point. This kid coming from New Jersey with a grandmother named Carmela was like, they don't get it. They don't get the California lifestyle. So, but you were, you identified with it early on. So you're like, what, 13 or 14?

I was 13, yeah, I was 13, 14. And then you wanted to be Luke Perry. Yeah. Well, he was pretty cool, I guess, right? You know, he was like the cool guy when you were 13. And my I was 13, 14. And then- And you wanted to be Luke Perry. Yeah. Well, he was pretty cool, I guess, right? You know, he was like the cool guy when you were 13. Yeah. And my dad would direct that show. So I got to meet him and I was like-

Well, wait a minute. So wait, you're 14. Yeah. So your dad's like, yeah, I direct that show. My dad might- No, my dad was like, I'm going to try and get to direct that show because you love that show. Really? Yeah.

And he did? And he was able to find his way in, and he directed one or two of them. And we went on set, and we met all those guys, Jason Priestley. Did you have your hair up? Yeah. Yeah, I did. As a matter of fact, and you know what? Now thinking back on it, my dad must have said something to Luke Perry

because my dad was, Luke Perry said, hey, come here. And I walked over, and he said, hey, you got cool hair. Yeah. Yeah. And now actually thinking of, I mean, I haven't told that story in so long. Yeah. Thinking of it, my dad must have said, you got cool hair yeah yeah and now actually thinking of i mean i haven't told that story in so long i thinking of it my dad must have said you know hey my my kid loves you he loves your hair yeah you're like uh like john travolta with al pacino and saturday night al pacino way less cool version it's all right so you you're doing that you're doing your hair up

yeah in junior high yeah and your dad's directing. Now, was that the first time you'd been to a set? No. I went to Doogie Howser, and I went to Northern Exposure. When you were like 13? Yeah. But wasn't Northern Exposure taping way up there? Where did it tape?

Where did that tape? I thought it was in Portland or something. Yeah, it did, but we went up there, I think. We did, yeah, and we took a trip up there. That's right. We took a trip up there, and I right. We took a trip up there. And I remember John Corbett being the nicest guy, man. He would just be really cool.

And you hear all these stories about, oh, they're stars. Don't bother them. Yeah. He was the coolest. And then I got to meet all the cats. It was just cool. It was just fucking cool. So did you know you got to meet like all the cats it was just cool it was just fucking cool so did you want it did you know you wanted to do that I it for me it was never uh it was never in

a thought to even ever do anything else like it was never like it's weird I guess because you know you see your it it's it's practical to to you because your dad's in the business. Right. You're like, there's a job people have. Yeah. You know, like, obviously you want to be, you know, what's his name, Luke Perry. Yeah. But nonetheless, your access to it was that, like, my dad goes to work there.

It's like an available job. There must have been some, like, closeness to it. Like, it didn't seem like it was impossible. No, because that was, yeah, I was a kid thinking about that. Just, you know, my parents and even my brother who's younger than me, they're so like legitimately entertaining and funny. And it was just kind of our language, you know. Are they funnier than you?

I mean, here's the thing. We all make fun of each other as a family yeah and um it's just kind of how we talk you know and uh i i feel like i always got it the hardest yeah and i think that um i mean i remember feeling like not so much the family but because like there you know there was love there all the time. I remember feeling like, oh, I got to come back. I got to say something funny to be part of this. Poor kid with the Luke Perry haircut, getting his balls busted by his whole family. And they would fuck with me, too.

My dad would call me ledgehead. Yeah. Yeah. But your parents are still married? Yeah. So you grew up in a state where- I know, man. I know.

Every time I read an article, it's like, oh, comedians have demons and shit. I always think, maybe my demons are, where are my demons? Maybe they're in there real, real far. You get along with your parents? Yeah, they're fucking awesome. I love them so much. It's so weird to say. Do you see them often?

All the time. I saw them yesterday. I love it. Yeah, I don't. But I mean, like, it's sort of interesting because you have an intensity to you and a fundamental social discomfort that when you see you, you're like, that guy, he's trouble, that guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But you're just nervous in general? Yeah. A lot of times people think, you know, people like, they'll be like, like a lot of times people think, you know, people like they'll be like, like a lot of times people think like, oh, he's a bro or something, you know, like I couldn't be further from that. Like I don't. No, you're like a loner. Yeah. And I think all that shit is in your head, you know. So it's like you're an outsider if you feel like you're an outsider.

You know what I mean? Not necessarily because you're a fucking weirdo. I think they just associate the look and maybe the confidence of like who you are on screen right or on stage but you're like one of those guys not unlike a lot of us you know you do your thing and then off stage you're like oh man if i like all it takes yeah i actually i remember this before you knew who i was yeah um i obviously you were. I've known who you were forever. But when I, by the way, my dad's a big fan of yours. Oh, really?

Yeah, he really is. Oh, that's nice. I should say that. But he, so I remember you were at the improv one night. Yeah. This was 2007 or 8, 7 probably. And I was like, oh, fucking Marc Maron's on. And I went to go watch you.

And you came off stage. And I was like, and you just were Maron's on, and I went to go watch you, and you came offstage, and I was like, and you just were in your own head just thinking about some shit. I was the only person in the hallway. I remember how it used to be, like, with the hallway coming up, and I was like, hey, man, that was great. That was hilarious, and you were like, eh, fucked up. And I was like, how could he think he fucked up?

This was before I really was, you know, I wasn't a professional. You were just doing it like a year? Yeah. And I was like, how could he think he fucked up? And now I totally know what that feeling is like, you know? Like, I just absolutely, like, because all it takes is one little thing. You get off stage and somebody says something like, oh, man, you were much better than last night. You're like, oh, what the fuck happened last night?

Yeah, I thought last night was good. Tonight was not that good. That fucks me up. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. Like, yeah. You know, I think that's one of the things that people don't realize, especially when you have the kind of confidence you have on stage or whatever.

With me, because I'm bleeding all the time and yelling and complaining or something something you know that it's not so surprising that off stage i might be a little insecure but i think with somebody like you they're like what yeah but you don't show it that much you just sort of like mind your own business you're a mind your own business guy yeah i i um you have friends right oh yeah i i do i i i have i'm fortunate I have friends that I fucking love. Forever or like comics? For a long time. Yeah? For a long time, yeah.

Yeah, like you do a podcast, right? Yeah. How often does that go up? It's like twice a week. It's a 10-minute podcast. We do 10 minutes. And you do it with Brian? Brian Callen and Will Sasso.

I don't know if I know Sasso. Yeah. I know Brian. Yeah, well, of course you know Brian. I think we're okay, him and I, sometimes. Oh yeah. know if I know Sasso. Yeah. I know Brian. Yeah, well, of course you know Brian. Yeah. I think we're okay, him and I, sometimes. Oh, yeah. The last I checked, we're okay. Yeah, he's never said anything bad about you.

Yeah. Yeah. But- You have old friends, like from high school or shit? Yeah, well, high school, I have like one friend that I keep- Oh, no, I have two friends I keep in touch with from high school. One was my brother's friend that is like one of my best friends now. You stole your brother's friend?

Yeah, no, he's still closer to my brother. What's the age difference? My brother's three and a half years younger than me. What's he do? He's a director. Yeah, like successful? Yeah, he did a movie called American Animal that was on... It's on netflix now and you

know it was it actually was on like it was very it was one of those movies that was very critically like what was it about it was about a guy who is dying yeah and he decides one day that he's not sick anymore and he's just gonna live by those rules yeah it's kind of the devolve like it shows him devolving mentally and physically over the course of like three days and it all takes place in like an apartment so it's the end of kicking the sickness no uh no it just it's it's kind of he doesn't die or not die it's just kind of like his deterioration and it's it's sad but it's funny too did your brother write it he wrote it directed it and he he plays the guy oh really and and a lot of critics uh what's his name loved

it matt matt delia yeah he's on some top five list top 10 lists oh yeah but it was one of those movies that just kind of didn't make a sure make it easy for him to do his second movie oh why because it was so personal or so well no it was just it was very specific and very it was very specific you know it's like uh but but but we have other stuff that we're we're we're putting together that we're trying to do me you and him yeah you're working together now dude i just like working with people i like man well that's good you like your brother then yeah what about your old man what's he is he get involved uh he actually directed my last special did he yeah the uh white male black comic. Yeah. He, uh, that I did for comedy central white male black comic. Yeah.

He, um, it was funny too, because, uh, I, I asked him, I was like,

Hey dad, can I, will you direct my special? And he was like, you want me to fucking direct your special? And I was like, yeah. And he was like,

fuck. Yeah. I would love to. And I was like, all right, cool. Just so you know, like I'm hiring you like just as a joke yeah

and it was funny too because he made like you know he made like no money right of course right and you of course he doesn't give a shit about it right he's the most sentimental guy in the fucking on the planet so he was like my son you know yeah but uh um i'm joking around about him you know he made a few few thousand dollars and i was like, now I paid you back for everything. Yeah. You know? Yeah. We're even. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly. So he did a good job, I assume. Yeah. I loved the way it looked and turned out. Is it popular? Did it do well? It did really well for me, yeah. Yeah?

Yeah. In what way? Just in terms of- It put butts in seats. Did it? Absolutely, yeah. Big change. Yeah, big, yeah.

You know what happened, actually? From Netflix. No, it was on Comedy Central. Oh, yeah. But you know what happened is there was a bit that got online that went viral that was like that changed kind of kind of changed everything really yeah which bit it was a bit i do about uh drunk girls oh yeah and uh it's it it um it got to a point, not really now, but where people would be like coming to see,

like if I shoot something and it airs, I don't do that joke anymore because I want to work on other shit. I think other comics are that way too. It's the way we think, but I'm of two minds about it. I mean, I don't always know, especially when you're just breaking. So let's say you get known for that bit yeah right

and then all of a sudden people want to like there's two kinds of people they're like i hope he does new shit but those are people that have been watching you for years right but some people are going to see that bit some people are bringing friends like let's go see him do that that's true but it's okay look at jim gaffigan for a million years hot pockets he couldn't get rid of hot pockets that's and they did now he does it as an encore sometimes really yeah yeah encores are cool but but but to me and you know with all due respect it was a little different back then because you can just youtube it now you know what i mean so it's like i'm of the mindset was like somebody calls out do the drunk girls thing i just i fucking say youtube that shit really yeah i got new stuff if you don't i hope you like this here

we go you know i just feel like that's the way i mean i do that too and i and i think that's right but nobody really there's nobody in my my my audience is sort of troubled well right right i don't think you and i have the same audience yeah yeah sure you know usually they're grown-ups and they're you know they're not going to be sitting there taping my bits clandestinely. I don't think I've ever been taped in a club where they put it on. It's never been a threat for me,

which is a testament to having a good audience, but the relationship I have with my audience is so intimate because of this thing and whatever. That's truly awesome, man. I envy that. Right, but I feel the insane pressure to come up with new stuff, or at least, like, you do too,

but for the YouTube thing. No, I guess I see what you're saying. But no, but I mean, like, when you look at your audience, were they college kids usually? Teenagers? What? Well, it's like 20s, 30s.

Yeah? Yeah. And when the Comedy central thing happened like what you weren't selling out or now you can sell out i was not selling out and now i am selling out yeah are you doing theaters yeah i'm doing a theater tour now like how big the 800 900 i'm doing a thousand to 1400 well that's because of the show too. Yeah, it's all different stuff. I think that it's good to... I have this thing where if I get any sort of... I did this episode of Workaholics,

that show on Comedy Central, and I played a pedophile, and it was a really episode because I played a pedophile, it was like a really like episode because I played a pedophile but it was a funny show. So a lot of that episode was very popular and a lot of people would see me and call me the guy,

like the guy's name was Topher and they'd be like, hey, it's Topher. Right. Like that makes me never want to do that show again. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Or if I get popular or whatever, if something like that drunk girl's bit, if people know

me from that, I don't ever want to do it again. Why? Because I don't know. I think if I'm being truly honest, this is kind of fucked up, but I've thought about this. I think it has something to do with the fact that i feel a little bit of being totally honest i feel a little bit of i feel a little bit shitty that they know me from that bit right and they don't know me right which is a weird insecure thing well no absolutely like you don't want to be uh

like you don't think it i get that too where it's sort of like there's like even just the other night I did a show and I was a little more aggressive than I than I do. Like I used to be more aggressive on stage and push it more and like oversell and get angry. Right. But I needed to do it because of the situation. I was right. But I felt ashamed of it. And I know that a lot of people are like, I didn't know you had it in you or whatever. Yeah, I used to do that shit all the time. I used to be a lot of people are like, ah, I didn't know you had it in you or whatever. Yeah.

I used to do that shit all the time. I used to be a lot more aggressive on stage. It's taken me years to relax. So some part of my brain, like if somebody came up to me and said, I'd never seen you before, you kicked ass. There was part of me that's like,

and not for that one. Yeah. I don't want you to like, I'm not always like that. Right. That kind of thing. But, but,

but in, in, in, in you saying that, I mean, I can understand that about Topher, but do you think like you're, are there bits that you feel like you really representing yourself or you just feel that weird

insecurity, like you're never going to be known or that anytime anybody likes you, you're like, but you don't really know me. I mean, is that in there all the time? I don't know. You know what? Like another thing too, that makes me think of what you're saying is, um, or what you're asking is like, I've been doing standup for about eight and a half years. Right. With not a long time, really. Right. It certainly doesn't feel like a long time.

But my first hour was about stuff that I thought was funny. What's this, special? Yeah. It was stuff that I've observed, and I'm like, oh, that's funny to me. Are you like the German guy? Well, that was before that. But yeah, I talk about how, how like black guys laugh or something.

Right. You know what I mean? And, and as I get older and as I get older in comedy, it's more fulfilling to talk about stuff that has happened to me or how I feel about it. How are you doing with that stuff? You didn't do that on the special. I did not do that on the special. Because when I shot my special, I think I was 31 or something.

What was that, like two years ago? Yeah. And I love, to me, my favorite guys were always silly. I love being silly. I just think that if it's silly- Like who are your favorite guys? Like Eddie Murphy or Jim Carrey or Robin Williams.s right you know and um so i big yeah yeah and and i i just think that that's funny and my and i feel like that's me i feel like that's me too so like

and also i think you get lost in it too because like your offstage personality is you know sort of quiet right and you know like you kind of get big yeah like i i know that like a lot of your bits like are it's character driven and it's things that like everyone can understand and there's like you know you know goofy um kind of not stereotypes but you know you kind of you take you take something that's familiar and then kind of push it over the top yeah yeah yeah yeah definitely and that that is definitely what i did on my first special for sure and i still have material like that i'm gonna shoot my next special uh and but but but for instance there's a bit in my next special that i'm gonna do i i dislike sports i just don't i never care yeah i think i've seen

this and to me when i i like the first time i started talking about that bit i was like i could never get away with saying that it's it's definitely-bro. That's true. Right. Yeah, exactly. And, but it's actually how I feel about it, you know? So I was like, I'm going to talk about how I don't like sports and I'm just going to see how it goes. I saw you do it at oddball. Right. Yeah. Yeah. It went good. Well, thank you. Yeah. But now the bit's a little older and I've done it for about a year or a year and a half. And I can't wait to shoot it so I don't have to do it anymore. But when I first started doing that bit, I was like, man, it feels really good to let people know that I don't like sports. You know?

It's so funny. It's like the first time you ever spoke your mind. Yeah. Exactly. So, and I have. You took a stand. Yeah, exactly. And it felt so fucking good.

And it felt like I was growing up, man. It felt like I was like. took a stand. Yeah, exactly. And it felt so fucking good. And it felt like I was growing up, man. It felt like I was like- As a comic. Yeah, it really did. And I was, and I think that I did get a little attention, at least in the clubs, quickly, you know, like early on. Yes. Like I was getting thrown, going in between two comics that I'd watched growing up.

And I was like oh fuck i gotta be good you mean when he started or recently you mean when i first started right yeah and uh and i was like i have no business going in between fucking john caperlo and dove david or whoever it was you know and um it felt like in the past few years i've really been able to just kind of also i don't give a fuck now like you know what i mean like when you first you're like i really care what these people think and now i realize as a comedian making people laugh is amazing i love it but yeah but i really am up there for me right i don't know if that's how you feel as well like that's that's really all i got yeah i've never known as everyone's entertainer yeah i don't know so no but i think it's a natural evolution i mean you're eight years in yeah you've got your you know you paid your dues a bit and you've got your chops and you know

how to do it and you know how to you know really blow a room apart and like and i think also when i see a guy like you somebody who does something who's so big on stage that I don't know how you adjust from that. I think that the experience of doing characters and then sort of doing all the physical humor that you do and sort of acting things out, that eventually when you feel comfortable up there and you feel real confidence as opposed to like, I just got to kill, that you got a little more space, right? Right. got to kill right right that you know you got a little more space right right um and you know that that that kind of thing like like i i've i've i'm this is this won't be on the next special i do but i've started doing new material now where i'm talking about how like i have i how i don't have kids and how that makes me feel and how my friends i'm watching them have kids yeah and that's all very personal to me you know like and um and that feels therapeutic and and that's now it's like uh that being said me doing that on stage it's not going to take away from me

if i'm telling a story about a kid then all of a sudden the kid said this and doing the kid as a character you know what i mean like right that's just silly and that's just what i like doing well that's how well that's your style exactly so now you're saying that you're able to inform your style with more of your point of view right as opposed to just doing you know these uh broad character bits right that's good man i mean in eight years to be quite honest with you just because you got the success that you've gotten because your ability to uh to entertain you know it's good that you you still are conscious of growing as a comic who wants to do something more personal.

Yeah. I mean, it's sort of the curse of being able to entertain early on. Like most guys kind of stumble through eight years. Right. And then a break comes. Right, right, right. Like from the get-go, because you were so big, you're like, that guy can do it. Right, right.

All right, I got 10 minutes. Yeah, I'll do it. Yeah, I had 10 minutes yeah i had 10 minutes exactly you know what i mean yeah so all right so after so in high school what were you doing in high school would you were you doing acting yeah i was doing i was doing acting i was acting i was doing uh like plays and shit so you wanted to be an actor i did yeah i always wanted to be a comedian but that was so scary to me. So I was like, I'll be an actor. Yeah.

Like when I was 11, I'd be like, I'll be an actor. I'll get famous, and then I'll do stand-up. Right. Did you ever think in your mind- Which is an idiotic idea, by the way. Let me put that out there. What, to do an actor first? To not come up as a comedian is wrong.

No, no. Well, it's not wrong. I shouldn't say it's wrong, but it's way harder to be respected among your peers that way. As a comedian is wrong. No, no. Well, it's not wrong. I shouldn't say it's wrong, but it's way harder to be respected among your peers. As a comedian. Yes. If you don't come up as a comedian. Like if you wanted to be an actor

and then you became a comic. I feel bad for people that are actors that have always wanted to be a comedian and then they're like, I'm going to try it. Because it's like, oh man, you got to be extra good almost. Well, what's worse is guys who want to be actors

and they put together 10 minutes to try to get showcases. Right. In a way. But I don't know how queer you were about what you were doing when you started. But even you talk to Dice. Dice wanted to be an actor. Really?

Yeah. That's all he wanted to be. Really? He wanted to be a fucking actor. I mean, there's different reasons to do stand-up. For me, it was always about I feel a i'm feel like i'm a comedian and acting is great because you can work if you work and you make you train as an actor i did yes okay so but i dropped out of everything like i was like all right so you're in high school you're

doing things okay in your in your heart you want to be a comedian but you don't have the balls all right get it but you like you you want to be in in on camera so you want to act right so you're doing plays right and then you then were you taking classes? I was. Was your father helping you out? I went to NYU. Now, what's your dad thinking when you're telling him you want to do his career in show business?

Before he ever saw me do anything, he was like, I should probably talk to him about how hard it is. Yeah. Yeah. And he did? And then I think he saw me in a play and he was like, oh, I'll let him, you know. Seems like he might have something. Maybe. yeah.

Who knows? It was probably terrible. He didn't tell you this though? He didn't say that? No, eventually he said I was thinking I was probably going to have to. Because, you know, look, my dad's in the business and he said he's- Oh, dude, he's heartbreaking.

He sits down in front of actors all the time, his whole life, and he says a lot of actors come in and audition and he wishes somebody who loved him would be like, stop, maybe you should, you know. Yeah, in a caring way. I mean, my dad's not cold, but. No, it's heartbreaking.

I mean, I notice it all the time. Like, you know, it was touch and go for me for a long time, but I mean, I didn't have anything else to do. You know, but I have to assume, you know, even when I was doing my show and you and i got to audition people right i could barely handle i know it's it's you know to sit there it's just sort of like and i don't know what they're doing i know i don't know what they're doing all day i don't know what you like it's just heartbreaking it is really it really is but but you know if

someone's got a dream they got a dream yeah you got it we're gonna not and you never know who the hell knows i but at some point, you kind of know, right? I guess. Yeah. But sometimes. You just don't know. Yeah, you're right. But that's the thing, though.

It's like if you hit on 20, sometimes you're going to get an ace. Right. And when that happens, people hear those stories and they're like, oh, well, I'll fucking try. Right. But also for some people, the payoff is different. You know, like if somebody gets like one episode on a TV show and they've been banging their head against the wall for six years, it's a big deal. Right. You know what I mean?

I don't know. It's a projection to assume that they're all heartbroken. No, absolutely. Yeah. But I'm doing it, not you. But I feel the same way when I'm watching. Yeah, because it's our own fear. I mean, you did all right.

You have more success than I did when I was watching that. Yeah, because it's our own fear. I mean, you know, you did all right. You have more success than I did when I was your age. But, you know, still, I got to imagine that on some level, you know, how, well, you know, you're doing pretty fucking well. I don't assume that you're sitting there going like, what if this doesn't, what if this ends? Well, that's the other thing, too. That's one of the best things about stand-up is like, at least you can always do stand-up.

You can always just keep going on stage. I mean. That's true. That's true. That's, in my mind, that's, I can always just keep going on stage. I mean, that's true. That's in my mind. I know I can do that. Right. I can always do that. Yeah, yeah.

But all right, so you go to NYU. You went to NYU? Yeah, I went for a year and then I dropped out because that was just like. To the film program or the acting program? I went to the acting program. You got in. That's an audition situation, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So you were good enough to get in. And then what happened? You did. Yeah, yeah yeah i got in and um and i got in and then i just when i think about it now because i don't ever really think about it but like when i think about it now like i it was just like i didn't understand like we would like i get acting is a craft or whatever, but like we had breathing class. Like we literally had a class called breathing and that was the class name. And you would go and you would you would fucking breathe like that was the class. And I mean, dude, imagine you in that class like me in that class.

It's the same thing. You're like, what? So but and then I'm like, all right, well, it's the same thing you're like what so but i and then i'm like all right well let's do the thing and then we would do the breathing and then and then a teacher would be like that's not really how you're supposed to do it and you're like what the fuck are you talking about we've been breathing the whole i've been breathing for the whole my life dude and then there were classes that were there was a movement class and then there was a i i was just like yo get me the fuck out of here this is not happening fast enough this is not the kind of acting i had in mind you know and maybe that means

i i i don't know maybe that means i'm disrespectful i don't know what the fuck that means but for me i was like this is not what i can't do this so that was one of the things where you learn nothing well no there were teachers that were were that i respected there that i was like oh i like this i like what he's saying um and i can remember specific things where like i remember one time i did a scene with somebody and uh my act one of my acting teachers that i liked a lot his name was ronnie yeah uh he was like hey you're not making eye contact with the person. Make eye contact with the person the whole time. And I was like, okay.

And I did it. And I remember when I was doing the scene with them, I was like, wow, this feels like fucking for real. You know? And I was like, that's a good fucking note. Fucking look at the guy. You know? So. That's funny if you wrote a book.

One, fucking look at the guy yeah two breathe breathe i guess don't get too hung up on it though yeah right right so um what other things did you so i left that so i left myu that's one of those weird things though where you're like it's stuck in your head right it did yeah for sure absolutely i mean i remember that class i remember that year very pretty fucking vividly like that was a formative year in my life like i was in new york for a year yeah it was cold as fuck yeah you know in the winter you've never been out yeah since you were 12 yeah even still when you're a kid you're invincible you know right now you like it when it's yeah now i'm 19 and i'm like oh this is real cold i'm a person i'm out i'm walking in the streets some guy will be like fuck you and i'm like yeah you know like i'm this is me

in life now yeah you know yeah and uh and uh did you miss home um i think i yeah i i i don't know i had been home and always very close with my family. So I think that year I was like, you know, I felt okay. I felt good. But I did go through an actual real like kind of depression. Like when I was only, I wasn't going to class by the end of the year. I was only sleeping in the day and I would only see the night. I would wake up at 6 p.m. and then just go work out at 2 a.m.

Yeah. So you're isolated. Yeah, I was pretty fucking isolated, and I was not in college. Yeah. I was like a New Yorker. What were you doing? I was not a- Just going out all night eating?

I would wake up. I would eat. Yeah. I would go to work out. At two in the morning. Yeah. And then go get something to eat. I'd be like the only guy.

I felt like Travis Bickle. Right. I was like taxi driver. Yeah. I was like, look at these creeps. Look at these fucking scum. Look at these fucking people. And I'm one of them.

Someday a rain will come and wash all of you. So I was like Travis Bickle in the beginning of the movie. Yeah. And yeah, so. And so you called your parents and say, I'm going to drop out. Yeah, and they were mad. And I wrote a script that was called Union

and it was about my, it was about kids that were in and out of college that were like they were they were spending their last year they were spending their last summer together before they were in and out of junior college and they were spending their last year summer together before one of them was going away to real college yeah and I actually I gave it to my dad yeah it was a feature script I gave it to my dad and he was it was a feature script. I gave it to my dad, and he was like, it's really not, it's not that bad. Like, I'm going to give it to my guy.

Yeah. And so he helped me out and gave it to his agent. His agent was like, okay. It was not bad. And then I had an acting agent. I personally gave it to my acting agent, and they were like, this is really good. We want to give it to the literary department.

And they gave it to the literary department, and I ended up selling it. Really? Yeah. I wrote it when I was like 19, 20. And I sold it. And, you know, never came to fruition. How much?

Did I make off it? Oh, God. Maybe $60,000. Uh-huh. I mean, that's a fucking lot of money for like a 20-year-old. Hell yeah. Cool. And I think what happened was they optioned it

and then they hired me to rewrite it. Okay. That was what it was. And you rewrote it? Yeah. And it made the rounds and it was like this production company that bought it

and then it just never came out. It never got into production. And then I got the rights back and then I ended up selling it again to a different company. So I made more money off the same script. Yeah. And you're like, this is how show business works?

I know, I'm like, but as a kid, you know, as a 20-year-old, I was like, I want fucking people to see my shit. Like, I don't give a fuck about, you know. Yeah. I was always, fortunately, very fine. Like, my dad was in the business and i and he would he was always there for me right monetarily if i needed it you know and um so that

was never a real concern for me which is very fortunate but yeah um so i uh i that script was like three or four years i was trying to get this thing made giving it to different people i would write i would write every day I would write every day. I would write every day different ideas, different scripts. I would write every day for eight hours, like obsessed. I would write every day. And then nothing was happening. And then I was always like, because I always want to be a comedian,

and I would always come back to that. And I was like, you know what? This plan of being an actor that's in the business and then getting people to see hey maybe i could do stand-up isn't working i've got nothing to lose were you doing any parts and movies i was doing parts like i did a part in a movie that never came out i did you were auditioning yeah absolutely yeah you had an acting agent yeah and now you had a literary agent too yes and and and what happened was i was like i need people to see what I'm doing right now.

Right. And I was like, stand-up comedy, I can go on stage tonight and open mic and be in front of somebody. Right. And they'll fucking understand that. But see what you're doing right now for acting or for what? Just because you wanted the reward of creating something and having it received. Well, I always thought I was funny. Right.

And I was like, my friends, I loved making them laugh. And I was like, I'm just going to make people I don't know laugh. Right. And I'm going to try and do that. Because that's what I always wanted to do, most importantly. So you've been writing obsessively eight hours a day, auditioning, doing little parts and things that no one would see. Right.

You're four years into it. You're like 22 years old. Yeah. And when do you decide to do it? I started doing, i did stand up once when i was 23 and then i was like uh i don't i don't have a clue how that went and then i didn't do it again for about two years that happened to me too really yeah when i was in college in 19 maybe 83 or 84 like there was one summer i think it was the summer before my last year i'm

like i'm gonna do it. I'd done a team thing with a guy, and it was fun. I'm like, I'm going to do it myself. I just did open mics for a whole summer and drank, and just going on late. And I'm like, God damn it. It just almost killed me, because I was so fucking miserable. But I had another year of college,

and I kind of put it on hold for that last year, the stand-up. And then right after college I moved out here and became a doorman at the store oh really I didn't know you're a doorman yeah so why were you miserable though because well I just because it was so hard is that like like there was no way in there was no alternative room there was no nothing it's like you want to be a comic here's where the open mics are all right so go sign up and then see what happens so there was a lot of like I would try to sign up almost every night to go somewhere and then you'd end up like you know it was usually

like sunday monday tuesday maybe at places and then you wait around all night and you get bumped and then you like you go on for four people and i'd be drinking and right and it was like and you do five fucking minutes and your whole world is around these five minutes and you do five minutes and you don't got another set for two weeks and you just sat there going like oh fuck i gotta do this five minutes like you know it's like crazy it feels like you feel it now yeah everything's hanging on it like i didn't know what else to do i didn't want to do anything else so it was like you just like all day like on next next tuesday i'm gonna it, and I hope I can go on when there's more than five people there.

11 people, yeah. Right. That was what it was. Wow. And then, but whatever. So where'd you go on when you were 23? The Ha Ha Cafe. Oh, out in Burbank?

In North Hollywood, I guess it would be. And then I went again when I was 20. What'd you do? Like one guy? One bit? One character? Two characters? No, when I was 20. What did you do? Like one guy, one bit, one character, two characters? No, I did five minutes.

I don't even, you know, five minutes of, I don't even remember. Really? I think I talked about the joke. Oh, I talked about the TV show 24. That was really popular. Okay. It was my New Year's resolution, I remember. In 2006, January 2nd, I went on stage and I was like, I'm going to go on stage once a week.

I went on stage January 2nd. And I was like, fuck it. I went on stage January 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th. And I was just like, I just did it. I just started doing it. Every night. And I loved it. And then like a month later, I got my first real whatever show.

It was a bringer show. Where? At the Ha Ha. Oh, so that was your place. Oh, yeah. For years, that was my place. I loved that place. Because you could do the open mic and then stay and do the show right um and it's an intimate room it's not a bad room yeah it's not bad at all yeah uh it's anytime someone's coming

up they're like what should i do i go to the haha cafe yeah hang out that shit yeah um and then that's like the version of like don't go don't go to the store yet absolutely stay in the town absolutely stay over the hill for a little while absolutely i did this i did the comedy store like two years in and i fucking i mean i i ate shit and i was like how how how did i eat shit that much at the or yes oh that because the hardest room ever it's like it'll eat your guts yeah to figure out how to play that room. Yep. It's fucking crazy. It's crazy.

Yeah, it's fucking crazy. Even if you don't do it for a while and then you go back, you're like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Okay, how do I do this again? Well, yeah, because it's like sometimes in that room that first joke doesn't go, you just feel it like, boom. It's so weird and interesting how it's like that. You're right. And there are nights there where you're like, oh, this is the best this is going to get. Oh, yeah, boom. It's so weird and interesting how it's like that. You're right. And there are nights there where you're like, oh, this is the best this is going to get. Oh, yeah.

Absolutely. You're like, I'm not going to get them over the hump. It's not going to fucking happen. Right, right, right. It's just it. Right. But it's okay. So you're two years in at the Ha Ha.

You're just doing that? Yeah. And then what? You go to a Monday night at the store? Yeah. I went to Sunday or Monday, whatever it was. Yeah. I went with some of the guys I knew from the Ha Ha.

Who? Oh, fuck. Still around? No. store i i yeah i went to sunday or monday whatever it was yeah i went with some of the guys i knew from the haha who oh fuck still around no none of them i don't think any of them are really um and uh i ate shit specifically hard like like like because you're cocky more than anyone just yes yes absolutely right because i probably was doing well at the haha right and i was like i got this shit right that's the worst attitude at the comedy store oh no yes but and it'll just eat you yeah yeah and so i was like okay and i remember having the thought don't go back there again for a while yeah this is the comedy store it says and i was like i should have more respect for this fucking place i and and uh and i didn't go back until people would be like, come by the comedy store. I'd be like, nah. For how long?

Another year, another year and a half. I remember I wanted to make it where I never wanted to be the guy who was like, can I do a spot? I always thought if somebody wants me to do a spot, they'll ask me to do a spot. And that's how I'm going to play it. And keep your dignity. 100%. That's how I'm going to play it.

And so I would do the belly room and I did the belly room for probably a year and a half. Just out of stubborn pride, you weren't going to fucking kiss any ass. Absolutely not. Right. And I didn't do it.

And I would literally stay there from nine to whenever. And even when I would get on, I would stay there afterwards. gonna fucking kiss any ass absolutely not right and i didn't do it and i would and i would and i would literally stay there from nine to to whenever and even when i would get on i would stay there afterwards because i felt like being here is a good idea you know and and um so you were just a guy hanging around yes mind you i was married then so that that happened that was 2006 who the fuck did you marry i married a a girl, a really sweet girl. She's great. Her name is Emily. Yeah.

How long did you date her? Two years. Uh-huh. And then you got married. Then we got married for about a year and a half. What went wrong? Well, I think it started with me doing, you know, stand-up every night. Yeah. And then, you know. Were you living with her doing stand-up every night. Yeah.

And then- Were you living with her? Oh, you were married. Yeah, yeah. We were living together in the valley. Yeah, in an apartment in the valley. And she wanted to start a family. She's not in the business?

No, she is an actress, and she works every now and then. And I just- Yeah, it just- I mean, it's just so cliche but i was married to the you know stand-up it was like that's sure yeah right and and so it didn't end acrimoniously or what we were cool we're cool now you're like she's great she's engaged and and whenever i see her you know you run into people in la you're like hey what's up how you doing you're happy yeah the guy not that it matters to what i think but the guy's's great. You know, it's like, that's cool.

It's cool to see. Well, it's a good story. Well, also, I think that they're up until, I think she got engaged recently. Like, I would always feel guilty. Right. And now that this is, you know, this may be conceited, but now that I know that she's engaged and happy, I'm like, oh, fuck. Okay, good. I didn't destroy her life. happy, I'm like, oh, fuck. Okay, good.

I didn't destroy her life. Well, it wasn't that bad, right? No, no. But she loved you? Yeah, yeah. And, you know, she wanted a family. And I was like, but I got to make money. Yeah, but I'm selfish.

Yeah, but what about everything I want? Yeah, I want to do stand-up and fuck random people. That's a lot of things I still have to do yeah yeah yeah but uh all right so so how does it transpire at the store to that well so Tommy who worked as the general manager right he was uh there every night almost and laying the school on you it's like pretty soon man pretty soon well I i never even went down there because i didn't want to i i didn't want to i was so insecure i didn't want people to be like oh he's probably i'm near i didn't want to tell me to think oh he's near me because he wants a spot well what you'd be one of like 20 30 people i know wandering around acting like they didn't really want anything i know i know right i know being cool um so tommy actually said to me he

said hey when are you to start coming down to the original room? Sunday, Monday. And I was like, oh shit. This is what I was, you know. Yeah. I wasn't trying to get any spots. So he saw you up there.

I think he, well, he, and he said, he's like, you know, I peek my head in every now and then, you know, and people talk about you and you come, you know, come down Sunday. I'll get you in. Yeah. And I was like, like okay i'll be there sunday yeah and i got there sunday and i remember like dan bylick yeah who would run the thing room there i would be like uh hey uh tommy said to come down or whatever and dan's like yeah okay tell me till that's the 20 fucking people you know okay i was like oh shit okay that's how

this works yeah so it's like okay i'm just gonna be here until 2 a.m yeah if you got time great if not fuck i don't give a shit. Yeah. And then I would do that Sunday Monday nights so now I was doing that Friday nights and Sunday Monday nights. I would get on every now and then maybe every other week.

You'd wait there all night. I would wait there all night. I'd be like this is my job I guess if I want to be a comedian this is part of it. Waiting. I would do it every dude I'm telling you

I would do it Sunday Monday from 9 to fucking 2 a.m. I would sit there. And I wouldn't hate it. Yeah. Because you're watching everybody else. Yeah. And you're sitting there going like, I get it.

Yeah. Or I'm hanging out back, meeting people. I don't know. It was just like, I don't know. Yeah. No, I know this. Yeah. Yeah.

You know. But like. It's our people. Yeah. Yeah. So. So eventually. So eventually Tommy was like, so eventually I got on and then he's putting a showcase

together for Mitzi. This is when she was still watching the showcases. And it was, I think it was the last, I think it was the last time she came to the club for a showcase. Huh. And I went up and she passed me. And I think the next person she passed was Justin Martindale. But that wasn't for a showcase.

She was just like there and saw him in a bringer show. Yeah. And I don't think she's been there since. That was it, huh? Yeah. Got in under the wire. Yeah. So that feels good, though.

That felt good. And then he just started working you. Yeah, he started working me. I would do fucking 1230 spots. But that makes you like, I was never the guy that had that. That was always a drag because you really got to fucking push. Made you strong, right?

Yeah, it really did. And I fucking loved 1230 spots, man. I would still do them. If that was my spot, I would still do them. I loved doing it, man. Why? I loved that there were eight people

that I fucking don't know that maybe two of them thought, hey, that guy looks cool. Or maybe six of them thought, fuck this guy. Yeah. I just loved that. I loved being like- The half empty room? Fuck it.

Yeah. What the fuck do I have to lose at this point? Yeah. And then if I got them laughing, man was that that was like that was like the best thing ever i was just like man i it was a step every every time that happened for three hours they seen some really funny guys and some fucking terrible guys yeah and their brains have been fucked they're not even they're like right now they're like man stand-up comedy is probably the last thing i want to watch yeah yeah and if we'll go after the next guy yeah all right this guy will stay one more yeah and they're just beat they're

just being there yeah and and if i made them laugh i felt like a step closer to just being a real comedian and then you just started he just started integrating you into this yeah and then every night and then he and then one night i he was like yeah i'm gonna put you after john caparulo i'm gonna put you out he would always put me after Rick Ingram. Yeah. Doing crowd work. He would tear the room apart and people love him, you know? Yeah. And he's hard to follow.

And I would go up and try to put the room back together. And then I just felt like, man, I have no business being here. I have no business being here. But then you're just like, oh, I guess I fucking know everybody. Yeah. I guess I'm one of these guys. You you just kind of like oh now someone then you look at someone else looking at you like that yeah and you're like i know that oh shit i'm the steve rennazisi part now yeah yeah exactly that's funny so how did the how did the relationship with whitney How did that casting go with her show, with Whitney? We started doing, well, she had been around doing open mics.

When you started? When I already started, I knew of her. Where, at Ha Ha? Nah, she was everywhere. Yeah. I felt like, are there three? I was like, are there three of her? She just went everywhere doing sets.

Everywhere. She was doing a set somewhere where there was no show. Yeah. And he'd be like, oh, all right. And so she would be like, I remember one of the first things she said to me. She was like, you from San Diego? And I was like, no. And she's like, you look like you'd be from fucking San Diego.

You look like healthy and shit. And I was like, I'm from New Jersey. And she was jersey and she was like oh all right well that's a compliment yeah and i was like oh okay and um did you have a romantic thing with her no but like at least to me it felt like flirting yeah you know um but and then and then we just you know, she was like my peer in comedy. And, you know, coming up, you really cling to those. Sure. So she got passed at the comedy store. Yeah. And then maybe like a year later I did. But she would like be like very like coachy to me.

But I wanted it. It wasn't like she was, you know. And so she was like, I wrote this script. I'm going to try and pitch this show. I wrote it with you in mind to play my boyfriend. And I was like, oh, cool. I wonder who's going to end up playing it. You know, like, because you hear that fucking

every other day in Hollywood as a young actor. So she was like like i sold it and i was like whoa yeah that's fucking awesome yeah to nbc oh great she was like i want you to play the boyfriend i was like cool i mean i've heard that so much so whatever i'm jaded at this point it's like i grew up in the business i know how it goes right so um's like, hey, we want you to come in and read for it. I was like, cool. I went in and I read for it with her and the producer of the show. Yeah.

And I left and Whitney called me. She's like, hey, we're going to test you for it. Like, you're great. And I was like, oh, cool. Yeah. I'm not going to get this fucking part. Right. Because it, you know why?

Because it was written for me, that's why. Yeah. And there's a million actors. Right. And yeah, it's just not how it works. Yeah.

And so, uh, I tested for it and I had really long hair and a beard. Yeah. And I was like, I'm not cutting it for the test. Yeah. They're going to fucking,

who gives a shit? They're going to be like, he's too hairy. Right. And who cares? Yes. I went in and, um, so I get some part of you really just is insecure and like fuck you yeah absolutely 100 yeah you're like you almost didn't want the part and at this point yeah and at this point

well i mean a part of me was like at this point i was like whatever i can do stand-up yeah you know and um but deeply wanting the part. You know what I mean? I mean, just, like, would probably kill small animals for this part. Yeah. And I auditioned for it, and I got it. And it was- And you shaved.

Yeah, and I cut my hair for the part. Yeah. And I trimmed my beard. Yeah. And it was funny, too funny too actually because i was like oh they're gonna make me fucking go short and everyone on tv has it and they were like let them keep a little beard and i was like oh cool maybe like maybe like they think that's my style like maybe they they know me a little bit so i got it and it got picked up and we got a first season and

it felt like we were all we were holding on the whole first season just trying to figure out the show. And then we got a second season and we were like, fuck, cool man. And then it got canceled and then I got this other gig, Undateable. How'd that come about? Bill Lawrence a fan?

Yeah, it was actually funny because I was on Whitney for the second season. And you know how they don't decide to pick up the shows for a while until they do. Good nightmare. And Bill Lawrence cast Brent Morin, who you know Brent. Yeah. He's a comedian, funny. And he is a buddy of mine. I've known him for years and years and years.

Like I've known him for when we first started stand-up. We-up we kind of started at the same time but he was 19 yeah so so uh brent so brent would uh brent had that part he had like the co-lead of the undateable and bill was like i i you know he said something like you're friends with chris delia i want him to be the other guy and um brent's like that's great he's on whitney for nbc and undateable is for nbc like you can't even have him in second position because if they say the whole thing was if the head of nbc said yeah shoot that pilot with chris then he's kind of saying who gives a fuck about whitney in a way right you know what i mean right you know what i mean like what otherwise if they pick up both shows they gotta reshoot undateable yeah but um

i uh bill has got some you know clout so he was like i don't care if you pick up whitney great i still want to shoot the pilot with chris yeah so i shot the pilot and whitney got canceled and whitney was like i called whitney i remember i called her and i was like hey um they offered me this role on undateable and i i don't want to take it obviously be in second position but i don't want to take it unless it's okay with you uh-huh and she was like oh go for it of course what network is it for and i was like nbc and she was like oh uh okay well yeah fuck it i mean you gotta you gotta you gotta work so but that was a sign to her that it must be yeah the writing was on the wall i get i you know i guess looking at it just just, yeah, that's what it was. But it certainly, the head of NBC was like, Bill Lawrence, I'm not deciding to cancel

Whitney. If you want to shoot the fucking pilot, go ahead. It felt like that. So Bill was rolling the dice. It felt like Bill was rolling the dice. Right. But, so I don't really know the real reason of why. And how's the show doing?

Undateable is doing well. We're going into the second season. I think creatively the show is, NBC really likes the show and it's, the people who watched it, it feels like they really like it. So that's great. You know, that's not always the case.

And how's your dad feel about your success? He's the most sentimental guy in the world. So it's almost emotional to watch him be emotional about it. He posted a thing the other day. Because I played Town Hall the other day at the New York Comedy Festival. He put this post on Facebook. My grandfather, Bam, Grandpa Bam, he, you know, he passed away, but he used to sell newspapers like right near town hall. And, uh, that's like

just emotion overload for my dad. It's like, I mean, my man, my dad used to sell papers here and, and make people laugh. You know, people would drive up politic from politicians to, to, to garbage workers and and they would come up and my my and my dad would sell them papers and now you're here and you're and you've sold out town hall and it man now that i say it out loud now it's just really sweet and it's just it's just very cool that that my dad feels that way about that you know well i'm glad you're doing well it's good talking to you man yeah it was good i feel like we got to know each other yeah i do too man i you know i've spent i spent enough time with you but it's nice to have this conversation with you all right thanks for

doing it that's it that's our show that was chris d'alia this is me i'm back i enjoy talking chris i enjoy the comedy store That's where we work. Comedy Store, between me and you, is really the last of the... In L.A., it's the only real comedy club. It just is. It's like it is exactly how it was, give or take a few repairs

and weird impulsive additions, but the structure is the same. The tone of the room is the same as it was in the early 70s when mitzi shore took it over it is it is a very cool place to go again i'm very thrilled about that the crowds have been great they're selling out again and it's really the only it's really the only real comedy club in los angeles right now the ice house too uh is actually a great old room um though but like i go to the comedy store because it's it's it's a comics comedy club you know when some people say you know you're a comics comic or whatever the comedy store is actually a comics comedy club

and it's its own world and i'm glad people are starting to appreciate the weird creepy history and darkness and those rooms are just magic some nights and other nights they're just fucking evil but uh it's pretty amazing to see the light coming back into that place i don't even know why i'm talking about it i just want to make sure everybody knows that if you come to los angeles go to the comedy store because that's the real shit there. All right? That's what I'm saying. Go to WTFpod.com for all your WTFpod needs and get on that mailing list if you want to hear from me every week and get some merch if you want. New posters are coming. Check the dates.

Check the dates. WTFpod.com slash calendar. Get some just coffee if you want. I don't know, man. For years my relationship with the comedy store was so weird and so tenuous and so frightening. It was really like, like I said that before, it was like going to talk with your abuser every time I went to work there. There was something that just blew my mind about that place but it's really fascinating

it's cool again and i you know it's amazing to see some place like that that's gone through so many different weird periods you know in the 70s early early 70s, Richard Pryor turned that place inside out, made it just to, like, pack it out. Then there was the Kennison years, and the Dice years, and then Robin and Roseanne and Jim Carrey were there, the years. And then there was the weird years, some years where it was just, like, dangerous even. Then it kind of, like, wandered. Didn't know if it was going to survive. And now it's just like thriving.

It's such a trip, man. I was a doorman at that place when I was 22. Feel so connected to it. It's just so good to feel it being alive. I'm rambling

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