BAD IDEA INTVW GF
best/worst Vegas experiences
WORST: ----I was in a suite at Mandalay Bay with my wife and a
few friends after the 2008 AVN Awards. We had been invited to
an orgy and when we got there things were just warming up. I saw
a guy I knew so I turned to my wife and said, “Honey, you know
Ron Jeremy.”
No man should ever utter those words to his wife. Sadly she did
know him.
BEST: Being on the Howard Stern show live from the Hard Rock
Café. Afterwards they threw us a party at Club Paradise. VIP
Room, $1,000 in Funny Money for each of us. Later that night I
was singing onstage with no shirt on at Cook E Jar’s show.
What its like to host the Porn Awards. Do you see yourself as a
repeat host?
I have done it twice now (2006 and 2008). Both times were a rush
because it is such a vibrant world. The porn people are pretty
smart and funny and you can obviously be very edgy, but it is also
important to respect that this is a big night for them. Winning a
trophy for “Best Double Anal” might seem funny to us, but for
them it is the result of years of mastering their craft.
What do you think of the direction MTV took after Idiot
Savant ended? Being a father, do you let your children watch
MTV?
I think MTV made a big mistake when they dropped “Idiot
Savants”. We actually got very strong ratings and had been picked
up for a 2nd season. We started shooting at Spring Break in Florida
and those ratings were through the roof. The guy responsible for
dumping our show was fired soon after but I still look back at that
one as the one that got away.
My kids watch Nickelodeon and Pink Panther movies (with Peter
Sellers).
So do you enjoy doing those VH1 shows? Do you get to go to
VH1 parties with Brett Michaels, Flava Flav, and Tila
Tequila? Do you get any hooker-overflow from those show?
I liked Breaking Bonaducci and one or two others but I am not that
interested in the shallow wanna be’s on some of these shows.
I am sometimes invited to parties like that but I spend so much
time out at comedy clubs at night, that when I am not working the
last thing I want to do is drive into Hollywood and be in a crowded
club. I like to be home with my wife and kids. I won 4 Daytime
Emmys for writing and never once went to the Emmy Ceremony.
I don’t like Hollywood.
What is this new Gong Show all about? How much of the show
will be your and Dave’s voice? I saw that Dave Navarro is on
the show? Did you two squash that beef? Did he finally back
down and ask you to relinquish your fight challenge?
The new Gong Show is like Court TV. The acts are the
defendants, the Celebrity Judges are like the prosecuting attorneys
and Dave Attell is the Defense Attorney. It is organized chaos.
I proffered a truce to Navarro backstage and it was slow at first but
by the end we exchanged numbers and he texted me later that
night.
I hope to have him on my radio show soon. I hate grudges. That’s
for women.
George Carlin: we would love it if you would say a few words
about him, what he meant to you when you decided to be a
comic
Carlin was my favorite. I learned a lot from watching him and he
continues to inspire me to talk about things that are important to
me and to be honest. More importantly he taught me that it is just
as relevant to do fart jokes and curse because that is all real stuff.
“Clean Comedy” is soulless and contrived. Carlin never seemed
old and always seemed relevant because he was never trying to be
cool. He just was.
Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia,
--Yes but it’s never funny there
Flight of the Conchords
--Flight of my thumb to the remote control to find another show.
Reno 911,
--About as funny as the real 9-11.
The Office
--The first season I took a pass because I loved the British version
so much. Now I consider it the 2nd best show on TV.
30 Rock
--Best Show on TV. The episode last season where Alec Balwin’s
Family shows up made me wish I could have sex with him and
then punch myself in the face. It was that funny.
Family Guy
Never seen it. It’s a cartoon. My kids watch cartoons.
Has all your writing work scaled back your stand-up
performances? How much do you still perform?
I still go on the road a couple times a month for the weekend and
I’ll do a couple of local shows a week. I write more stuff for my
act but do less sets overall.
Are there any particular young comics under the radar that
you think people should know about? Any old comics under
the radar you think people should know about?
YOUNG: John Mullaney in NY.
OLD: Don Gavin in Boston. He is the most natural joke teller I
have ever seen.
Was there anyone in particular that inspired you to be a
writer/comedian?
Carlin, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Bob
Hope, Johnny Carson, Freddy Roman, my Dad.
What do you think of the stand-up scene today? Are you
optimistic about the future of stand-up? Do you think it’s
harder/easier for guys coming up today than when you came
up?
Standup today requires you as a performer to also be a promoter
and a PR guy and a web specialist and a merchandise vendor (oh
yeah, and original and funny). The days of getting high and
fucking around are over. Clubs in the last few months have started
to really feel the economy tightening.
I can’t say if it is easier or harder today because it changes
constantly. People who really have to do it will do it and they will
make a living over time. People who set out to make a living at it
will probably have a very hard time of it.
What would you say is the biggest difference between
performing in LA and performing in Vegas, is there a
difference?
In LA the audience shows up to watch the rest of the audience
watch the performer. In Vegas they show up to be entertained.