A: No, I didn’t really have a plan, I was just going to try it. January is 29 years, so it’s almost
30 years ago, they had this competition for
a Showtime deal and I just signed up for it. I
was number 13, so I was the first alternate. I
got the call that somebody dropped out and
that I was in — I didn’t even think I was going
to be able to do it. I told my buddies I was going down to the comedy club on Monday to
do standup, and they were like, “What’re you
talking about? You’re not funny!” But I said I
had to do it. On the way there we’re driving
in my truck, and my roommates are saying, “If
you go, tell a story about this, tell this story,
tell that story,” and I said alright.
the first three guys went up I went back to my
buddies and said, “I’m just going to try not to
embarrass myself too much and we’ll get out
of here.” And I went up, and I destroyed. I got
a standing ovation. Every joke worked, every
story worked. I was coming off stage and the
comedy club owner was standing right there,
asks, “Do you want to work this week?” I started working on Wednesday with 5 minutes,
and by Friday I had 15 minutes and dropped
out of college.
Q: What was it like going up on stage?
Q: That’s a heck of a week. Being comfortable on stage, being comfortable like that,
it’s not just luck. Were you always comfortable entertaining as a kid, was it something you picked up from your family?
A: I get there thinking it would be twelve
guys like, “ehh,” but I was dead wrong, it was
11 professional comedians — and me — after
A: We’re a funny family, a lot of sarcasm. A
lot of my buddies I grew up with would say,
“You’re the biggest smart aleck, you wouldn’t
INSIGHT
October 2015