The Philadelphia stand-up has been on quite the roll. While he’s appeared on King of Queens and Entourage, he’s put acting on the side, focusing on stand-up as he prepares for an upcoming Netflix special. Fresh off an armed forces entertainment tour that took him to nine countries in 15 days, he’s on his way to Shanghai for a third time. We chat touring overseas, hanging with Sam Kinison and the continued "pussyfication" of society.
Welcome back to China. Last time you visited quiet a few cities. How was the experience and how was the crowd? Did you get any new material or jokes from the trip?
Obviously I enjoyed my previous visits immensely....I mean I came back. You think I take 14 hour flights for just anyone to have a horrible time? (laughs) The crowds were great. As for new material about my trips to Asia, there’s not anything I am doing currently onstage. I do have great stories and fond memories but really haven’t put anything in my act about my previous visits. Perhaps this visit will trigger a new bit.
When we last chatted, you mentioned hanging out with some of the Beijing standup cats and Shanghai has a good base of local comedians with Kung Fu Komedy. Did any comedians stand out?
Well, Andy Curtain and Turners Sparks are two guys that work hard on and off stage to build the comedy scene there. Both of those guys are funny on and off stage. I work with a lot of comedians who are really developing and making the scene here in the States also. It is tough for me to remember everyone’s name, but last time I was there Andy and Turner were developing a stable of really good acts. There was a woman named Tammy from Atlanta who was great , a guy from Ireland, a Mexican kid from California named Barney who was in university in Shanghai and a few other folks.
How will your set differ from the last time you were here? Do you subscribe to the Louie CK model of retiring material after a year or do you prefer refining your set over the years?
Well my set will differ, because I am constantly writing my act is a living breathing organism that constantly changes and shifts. I do not subscribe to the Louis CK model, I subscribe to the Jimmy Shubert Model. I will tape my hour when it is finished and ready to be taped. If it takes two years to write a new hour, it takes two years. If it takes a year and a half so be it, but it’s ready when it’s ready.
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Over the past year, you’ve done quiet a lot of traveling. What were some of the cool places you visited?
I just completed an armed forces entertainment tour that took me to 9 countries in 15 days Thule airbase in Greenland, Qauntanamo Bay Cuba, Androis Island in Autec in the Bahamas, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Puerto Rico over the Thanksgiving Holiday for the armed forces folks.
Do you tailor your set for overseas audiences?
I guess I do a little bit. I have to, my set is very Americanized and not everything translates. You just have to explain it. If audiences have the information they will laugh. If it is funny, it’s funny period.
Do you find that there is much more opportunities to perform internationally as a stand-up compared to a few years ago?
Yes there are more opportunities to travel internationally and I am all about the passport stamps I try to do two international trips a year whether it’s Israel, South Korea, Ireland or doing a comedy festival in Akumal ,Mexico. I do a lot of shows in Canada. They have the Montreal comedy Festival and a lot of great clubs.
You were part of Sam Kinison’s Outlaws of Comedy. How was the experience?
Touring with Sam Kinison was a blast! I mean it was crazy and insane. I felt more like I was a member of the band but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity touring all over America with one of the most controversial comedians at that time. But that seems like a lifetime ago and it taught me a lot about performing in large theatres, writing and doing stand up at a high level
Do you think that time has been kind to his comedy legacy?
No time has not been kind to Sam Kinison Legacy nobody knows who Sam Kinison is …maybe a few folks ...he has been dead 23 years already in April. my experience is no one cares! Bill Hicks has become more popular posthumously than Sam Kinison.
You have quiet a number of acting gigs to your name. Do you have any upcoming projects and how hard is it to balance stand-up with acting?
Well I am getting ready to tape a Netflix special this coming year, so for me its all about working on the set I plan to tape. It is a tough balancing act because you have to be in Los Angeles and available and I am touring quiet a bit now after my success on Last Comic Standing. I made the top ten and stood out on the show so now there is a demand for my brand of comedy I am not complaining it has been a great resurgence for me
How is the experience of the show and do you have to tailor your set for TV audiences?
My stand up comedy stood out on the show as I made it to the top 10, and haven’t stopped touring. The difference is on that show you’re editing your sets down because you have 4 mins and 30 secs which they edit down to 2 mins and 30 secs. So while I was on the show I was in editing mode trying to create precision bits of stand up comedy and being very word efficient, but now I am in writing mode and letting my bits breath again and expand
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It seems like it's not enough to just be a stand-up comic these days, with the advent of podcasts and online videos. Are there any projects that you're working on?
Well being a great stand up comedian is enough. People have turned it into all this other stuff. Just because you’re a comedian doesn’t mean you’re going to be a great podcaster, or because you’re popular on social media doesn’t mean that will translate to being funny onstage. You have to be a good comedian first and then you can work on all those other skill sets and use it for what it is. It gives you a direct line to your fan base so you really want to put out good content no matter what you’re doing - podcasting or doing online videos - because otherwise no one will watch or listen. You don’t just do all these other things to do it them; you have to have a purpose .
Speaking of your podcast, how do you stand out when there is seeming more and more comedy podcasts coming up?
Well the podcasting market is so over saturated right now especially the comedy podcasts - people just pick the ones they like and listen. When it comes to podcasting I don’t know if the juice is worth the squeeze. You have to have 20,000 downloads a month to even make a minimal return on your investment otherwise what is the point so I am actually going to start focusing on the things I want to do more of which is doing more acting work and putting out an new hour of stand up and try to balance those two things in a way that fulfills me creatively
When we last spoke, you talked about the “pussyfication of the culture.” Do you find that younger audiences relate and do you think this trend is continuing?
No it’s gotten worse and that will be the theme of my new hour for Netflix. Actually ,I have no desire to cater to a younger audience. Younger audiences have no point of reference. They really haven’t experienced life. I don’t necessarily blame them I blame their parents. They have spoiled this younger generation and raised bunch of self entitled little narcissists who can’t stop looking at their smart phones and to self involved to actually make a human connection with others around them. so why would I cater my act to that?
2014 was a pretty insane year. What were some of the subjects that you mined the most for material ?
I don’t really do a lot of topical stuff. It has no shelf life; we live in a short attention span world .
2015’s still young but has there been any really good new jokes or premises that came to you this year?
People will just have to come out and see the show.
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