Interview with comedian Jimmy Schubert

Thank you. That is a warning to you, guest. That's right. Hello, guest. Hey, how are you? I am doing fantastic. I am so excited to have this guy here. And if his voice does not sound familiar to you, I'm going to tell you a little bit about him. He was on NBC's Last Comic Standing. That's a little clue. He's been on Two Broke Girls, King of Queens, Entourage, Reno 911, ER, Just Shoot Me. He's got a Comedy Central special. He's got something coming up. I don't know if it's a secret, but it's on. Can I tell them about what you've just shot, or should we keep that a secret for now? No, we'll keep it a secret for now. We can talk about it at some point. But this guy is truly a comedic genius. I'll go that far. Thank you. The man has committed his life to comedy, and he's seen a lot in his days, and there's plenty more to come in his career. I think it's only just begun for him. His name, Jimmy Schubert. Hello, sir. Hey, Vic. How are you, man? I am doing great. I am so excited to have you sitting across from me. There's a good thing. It's a good thing there's a table here, because I might just maul you. It's good to be here. We had to come downtown. We're doing this in a loft downtown Los Angeles, which is great. That's right. Like most people go, oh, let's go downtown. But L.A. is not really a place you want to go downtown. No, not at all. So it's a little dangerous out there. But then you get into these beautiful lofts. You go, oh, okay, I see why people. Yeah, the studio here is amazing. Jeremy. Jeremy runs a great studio. I mean, it's awesome here. And it was funny. Normally, I don't drive my guests to the show, but I know you're having some issues with your car. And I cracked up. I didn't tell you this when you said it to me, but I've never heard this expression. You said, my car shit the bed. I love that expression. It's so funny. It says it all, because it's not good, unless you're into that kind of thing. No, no, no. Unless you're, you know, unless you want somebody to pull Danny Thomas on you. I'm not judging. Yeah. Well, now we've got to say, the legend of Danny Thomas is that he liked to poop, we'll say. We'll make it sound. No, no. On a glass. I think he used to get to lay underneath it. Oh. That's the word, but I don't think there's any truth to it. I think it's just one of those show business kind of things. How does that even start? Yeah, someone didn't like him, I guess. So he pissed somebody off, and somebody started this shit. But I say, well, I say there's no such thing as bad publicity. So to me, maybe it backfired, because we're talking about Danny Thomas. The guy's dead. At least now it's a reference point. So when you say Danny Thomas, everybody knows what you're talking about. Right. Right. Laying underneath the glass table and let somebody launch a sewer pickle onto the glass. A sewer pickle. So you get to see the whole, the experience, you get to experience without experiencing it. Well, I noticed your comedy, you do a lot of that kind of referencing. You know, like these funny sayings, like a sewer pickle or, you know. Yeah, I just like, you know, I love, you know, George Carlin's my guy. You know, I just love the way he played with language, and I love coming up with those, you know, when you, the word efficiency, where you have to put a whole paragraph in one sentence. Yes. And you have to, you have to kind of put those, that phraseology, and I love that about stand-up. Do you write your jokes out on paper? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Actually, I do. It starts out handwritten, and then when I start playing with it and scratching and re-putting stuff in, and then I'll come up with a line or I'll make a note in my phone, and then you just kind of run it a couple times to get familiar with it so that you can go on stage, and then I think you really kind of play with it on stage. And explore a little and play with it. Yeah, because, you know, you know, the audiences are, you know, let you know which way to go. You know, if it's a bad angle on the bit, they'll let you know, and then you can take it and kind of take it in this direction, you know? Well, the thing you're talking about reminded me when you said efficiency of words is I was hired once by Joan Rivers to write some material for her, and in order to really get to know her voice, I transcribed a bunch of her material, and what I noticed was how few words there were. Yeah, she's last per minute. I mean, it was so tight. Well, yeah, when you watch, like, you know, guys like Bobby Slayton, I mean, you know, the guys like, you know, just a rapid fire, like, ba-ba-boom, ba-ba-boom, ba-boom. I just, nonstop, he's a, you know, it's, I mean, that's a classic style of comedy, and that's where I grew up watching. I prefer that. I like laughing at people, you know? Right. You know, and there's nobody, my favorite's David Tell. I love to watch David Tell, man. Oh, that's good. Yeah, really funny guy, and Bill Burr, and obviously Doug Stanhope, and some of these guys that, you know, really take the craft to another level. I want to play a little clip for everyone. For those of you who aren't familiar with Jimmy's comedy, and this is the bit about the chicken, and, you know, you do, you've done it quite a bit. I think it's kind of like a signature bit for you, isn't it? Well, yeah, it's one of those signature bits, but I let it go. I mean, you know. You're not doing it anymore? No, because, you know, you can only, that's the thing is, it's like, it's great, you're known for it, people know that's your bit, you get to do it on television, and then, and then you gotta drop it. You're done with it. You can't, because if you gotta keep kind of, kind of keep creating, as what I, and I think that's what, like, you talk about Joan Rivers, her documentary, Yeah, what a great show. piece of work for me, is probably one of the quintessential comedy documentaries. Yeah. I mean, just as far as what you feel like when you look at your book, and it's empty, versus when you look at your book, and it's full, and when you're busy, and when you're doing stuff, and when you're killing it, and I mean, that's very impressive. She's 78 when they made that. Yeah. Every bit as funny as anybody 30 years her junior, and just, you know, just a, and did it all. I mean, came up with the big shots. I mean, she came up, and those all, you know, I mean, what a career in show business, and didn't have it easy. And she was timeless. That's the amazing thing. Yeah, yeah. So you look at her, and you, you know. I thought she was sexy, too. I gotta tell you, you know, like, she talked about, you know, she played like she wasn't, but I don't know, 78, I still saw something there. I don't know if that makes me really lame sounding, or, I mean, maybe it was just her personality. Yeah, I met Joan before. I had backstage at Sam Kinison when we were doing the Dunes, and she came in, and I had this mullet of red hair, and I looked like Daryl Hall, you know, and I was a kid. Yeah, I was a kid, man, and, you know, yeah, and she came back, was very sweet. Sweet, right, like a mother. So nice. Yeah, so nice. So, you know, obviously, you know, another legendary figure that's gone too soon. I mean, we had a tough couple, couple years here with, you know, stand-ups, you know. Yeah, I know. But before we get, you know, that's a great downer into your comedy bit. You really know how to, and here's the comedy, that's great. Sorry, man. Here's the chicken bit, which he no longer does because he's got to keep it fresh. Let's play that, Jeremy. Anyway, I was into having this thing called a protein scramble, and I'm reading the ingredients, and basically, it's an egg omelet with chicken meat in it. You know, a chicken omelet. Yeah, which is wrong. People, you don't take the eggs out of a chicken and then cook the chicken and put it in the eggs. That's too much chicken. I mean, who the hell's back there cooking some kind of chicken cereal killer? Who's working the grill? The barnyard strangler? People, that's an omelet that spans two generations of chicken. That's not breakfast. That's a vendetta. What the hell you got against a chicken? The barnyard strangler, that's kind of like your style, I find. Like, you love... This is a play on words. Turn your phrase... Close enough to the Boston Strangler. Right, yeah. Are you a serial killer? I mean, you're wiping out, you know, generations of chickens. Does your writing come from... Because I find when I write, it's often in the moment, like I see something or something happens versus sitting at a desk at home. Or do you do both? No, I... You know, only if I'm transcribing it and looking... If I'm looking at it in front of me and I'm kind of putting together... Putting it together. Do I sit down and type and look at it? But, you know, I have it on notes. I have it on notes. I have it on voice record. Notes, the app. Yeah, all the time. If something hits me, I go, that's a funny premise and I start working on it. It's like, you know, my girlfriend is a former prosecutor. You said that earlier and I don't know why, but I don't know why. When I heard pra, I was thinking prostitute. No, no. I mean, and I've never met her. I'm not saying that about her. No, no. He's thrilled with that. No, but... No. Go on. No, but we were talking about, you know, it's just... She's a former prosecutor. Yeah, so we were talking today. I said, I'm just... She goes, what are you doing? I go, I'm watching Law & Order episodes just so I can keep up with you. You know, I think... Because she's very, you know, she's a lawyer. She's very sharp and a lot of fun to argue with. Really? Does she usually win? You need a lawyer present. You know, she just... But it's so funny. She's just... Are you going to marry this lady? I absolutely am. What's her name? I'll tell you her first name, Julie, but yeah. Okay. Does she know this? That you would like to marry her? Yeah, she knows this. Because guess who's on the line? Can we go to line two, Jer? I'm just kidding. Nice try. What the worst way to do it on my show? Like, you know, she's in another state, right? She doesn't live here in LA. No, she does not. She lives in... Yeah, she's in Greensboro. Now, the tough part of... Because you are a real stand-up. I mean, like, this is your career. You are on the road. How many weeks out of the year would you say? You know, 26, 26 to 32 weeks a year, depending. I like to do two weeks on, two weeks off. I like to give myself some time in town so I can audition for jobs in the acting field because I've done quite a bit of work in that area. And also, I like doing sets around town. Like, last night, I was at the Comedy Store and I judged the Roche Battle, the Roche Battle, which they just sold to Comedy Central. It's a great show. So I like being involved in kind of the comedy community in Los Angeles and also on the road doing stuff and a little bit of acting and just keeping up. Trying to keep all three of those plates going at the same time, you know? Yeah, because if you're on the road too much, you can be forgotten in LA. Well, you know, there's varying degrees of it. I mean, I know a lot of guys are doing ships now because the ships actually have comedy clubs on the boats and they get there and they go out there and they do a bunch of shows and stuff. And a lot of guys, you know, you can get lost out there, I think. And some guys find themselves out there, too. They find, they go, this is perfect for me. This is what I want. I can go in here. I can do this. And they do. I think it's a rough life. I mean, you know, the ships are paying, I think, about $2,500 to $3,000. Yeah, I think. At low end. Five, five, yeah, five, five, three, three, five for travel. All the travel's covered. And that's covered, yeah. But you're on a boat in the middle of nowhere. Well, it ain't a lifeboat. You know what I mean? You're on a giant, you're on a giant cruise ship. And you're getting paid. And you're getting paid and you're eating your food for free. And it's, look, hey, man, you got to pay the bills. That's right. You know what? I mean, there's no, there's no judgment there. I mean, I just, everybody, you know. I just think if you want to be in town, it's tough. Yeah, it is. Because, you know, what are you making? $12 a set here? $12.50 a set? $25 a night at the comedy store, the improv and stuff like that? I mean, you know. There's no money in these local, yeah. Yeah, you're not doing it for the money, but it's the scene. But also, yeah, if you want to make money, you got to go do corporate stuff and casinos and row work and, you know. Right, that's true. That's true. I, you know, I think that it's hard on, I would think it's just tough when you're on a boat. I don't know, compared to being in the clubs out around the country. To me, yeah, it seems like you can get, you know, look, I have nothing wrong with it. I'm not judging those who do it. It just seems tough. It also provides an opportunity for these fellows to make a living and pay their bills and do something they, doing it, doing something they love to do. That's true. Well, when you, you're from Philadelphia. I mean, I did wear my Philadelphia shirt and my Philadelphia t-shirt for you. Nice, with a little pair of boxing gloves. But you told me I'd get beaten up in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, for real? I said, if you, if you showed up, no, you wouldn't. Instead, it's funny. I was just being, I was just being in Philadelphia. No, I know, I know. You know, I suppose, I took this as a compliment. Yeah, some civic pride. Yeah, actually it is. It is. I did not take this as anything bad. But I was, yeah, I was like, what should I wear? I think I'll wear my Philly shirt for this guy. Now, you grew up in Philadelphia. You grew up Catholic, correct? Yeah, I was, I was raised Catholic. I still have, I still have roots to that. You know, I still, I have a rosary. You know, I was, I went to Israel doing some gigs for Avi Lieberman over there. Oh, yeah, he's a comic. Very funny. Nice guy, too. Yeah, really great guy. And had the opportunity to go with him and went over there for like 11 days and just had an amazing time. And I got these rosary beads. There's these, there's rosewood string rosary beads that you buy and you can put them on the stone where they prepare Jesus, where Jesus' body for burial. So they're like, they're blessed beads. So when you say them, they have a, they go to a sacramental tone, you know? So yeah, I do, keep in touch with my spirituality is a very big part of me. But I'm just, I'm not, I'm not into like organized religion, but I'm kind of an old-fashioned guy. Were you an altar boy? No, I was not an altar boy. Did you go to, I thought, Our Lady of the Glory Hole. Is that what you said? You're an altar boy. I wasn't quite going there yet. Let me build up, please. Just cut to the chase. You didn't go to a private Catholic school? No, no. I went to, I went to, you know, my parents, you know, I come from a big family and we all went to, I split, I left Catholic high school to go to Philadelphia High School for creative and performing arts. I used to do magic when I was younger. I read that you were 15 and a pro. Is that accurate? Yeah, yeah. I was, yeah, I was a certified, yeah, I was doing like four or five gigs a month. Four or five gigs? I mean, I had, you know, an oversized tuxedo. I hand me down, slapped together a tuxedo, a shoebox full of doves. I had my magic in the trunk of my car and I would go down and I would do shows at the children's hospital. That's great. And that's where I kind of really loved when you, if you, you could touch somebody when you perform whether it's magic and my buddy and we would go down there and do shows for these kids and all these African American nurses go, you gotta come to our church. You gotta come to our church. And so I started getting booked at all these, you know. You're making money. Yeah, yeah. Churches down in West Philadelphia which is the greatest area. My dad was no stage mom. You know what I mean? He's strapping. He's got a nine millimeter Philadelphia police detective going, did you practice? Did you practice? He'd go, yeah. So it was like, give me the, and so I did that and then, you know, when I got old enough to go to, clubs in Philly, I kind of like, you know, hung up the wand and retired the rabbit and kind of started telling jokes. So you're, you're growing up in a Catholic family with a lot of kids. There were six of you total? Yeah, six. Six boys. And you're in the middle? Yeah, number three. So what is it, boxers or briefs? What is it you're supposed to get a boy? If you, what was your dad wearing, boxers or briefs? Oh man, always wore boxers. Okay. Is that what they're supposed to, you're supposed to wear to get boys? I don't know. They used to say one of the other. Oh yeah, yeah. You know what, I think that's what it was. I think, actually, the way my old man was working, I think he was going commando. You know what I mean? He could knock my mom up shaking hands with her. I mean, it was like, you know, boom, boom, boom, boom. Right at the dinner table. I mean, not even kidding. She'd pick up, you know, hey, no, I'm just kidding. No birth control in that family, huh? Well, you know, what happened is, I was talking to her, I was talking to my mom, I said, you know, I got four of us, boom, boom, boom, in a row. I said, you know what I mean? That's really funny. I know, you know. Do you tell that in your standup at all? No, but I was thinking about it today. I would just do that joke. I mean, the real stuff, it's so funny. Yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, real is, I mean, yeah, it's great. If you want to give us a call here, by the way, the number is 800-893-9562. It's 800-953. My glasses are really needed at this moment. Nine, five, six, two. Yeah. And we've got a comic, Jimmy Schubert here. Do you think that having a large family made you need to get attention or something to be, and that's why you went into performing or how do you think your family created that or influenced you into your career choice? That's a great question. First off, you got, you know, hanging out with five brothers all the time. So we have a great sense of humor in our house. I mean, really do. From my dad to my mom, everybody's always joking. So it's a very loving household, very supportive household. I think, you know, in a big family, growing up in a big family like that, you, I mean, it kind of forces you to find your identity early. You know, I mean, I knew I wanted to be a comedian. I wanted to be funny. I mean, I used to watch Charlie Chaplin. I remember coming home from church and crying because I couldn't grow a little toothbrush mustache and dye my hair black. I wanted to be Charlie Chaplin. Your mom wouldn't let you? No, no. And you really wanted to do that? Yeah, I really wanted to. At five? No, I was a little older than that. A little older than that. But I would say about nine. I was coming into that, you know, like eight or nine, just coming into that. And so, you know, they encouraged it, you know, and my brother Bob played the drums. Joe played guitar. They would get dropped off for lessons on Monday night. And right about three or four blocks down was the Caster Avenue magic shop in Philadelphia. And I used to go in there and I could, I was delivering circulars during the day, save my money up, and then I can go to the magic store and I could spend and buy tricks and I could learn tricks. And it all started with a magic kit I got for Christmas and I started. How old were you? About nine. You know, you come across to me as a really sensitive guy. Keep that under your hat. Well, no, you know, you have a, you have a, kind of your persona on stage and, you know, the tough guy, the Philly guy, the kind of like angry guy at times, you know, but. I don't say angry, I say passionate. Passionate, okay, but yeah, you're not like, but you know what I'm getting at, right? Like there's a real soft underbelly with you that I've discovered in our drive over here and you're a really solid guy, you know, and you think about a lot of things that are, you know, it's not about just being on. No, you know, you know, I think that's, you know, you know, it's great when, look, I have comedian friends I hang out with and it's just nonstop laughter, but because they're all Jedis, you know what I mean? They're all like, you know, sharp as a whip and on top of it and some of the most intelligent, aware, sensitive people I've met are stand-up comedians. I mean, you're very in tune with the human condition, you know, because that's what you're joking about and stand-up comedy is every man's art form. You've got, the audience has to have accessibility to you so I think if they don't, I mean, it's really tough to pull off if they don't, you know, kind of get that access to you. I'm curious if you have the same experience. I feel like the closest thing to love that's not love is when I can get, when I share a laugh with someone. If I can make someone laugh or if they can make me laugh, that energy to me is the closest feeling to love and I had it at home. Yeah. That's how we express love in our family and I'm just wondering if that was your experience. Yeah, well, we would always, I mean, my brothers were brutal. I mean, my brother Johnny's hilarious. My brothers are all really funny and you get together and they just start zinging. It's like hanging out with comedians and so. And you said you're the middle, so are you the fourth? No, I'm the third. The third. Do you find that you were ignored as a child that it took speaking up to, you know, be seen and heard? No, it just makes you independent, man. I mean, I was, look, man, I had what I would call one of the last traditional American childhoods. You know, we went and got on our bikes, we'd drive our bikes, we'd get our fishing poles, we'd strap them to our bikes. We drove 17 miles of Churchville Reservoir. You know, you know, yeah, exactly. We had CB radios, we built forts, you know, we used to go down to this place called Suicide Hill. There was no technology like there is today, you know, and I used to go to the library a lot and I used to read Encyclopedia Brown. I mean, I loved, for me, you know, versus today, the things you see today, it's a little disturbing. I mean, it's, I appreciate it so much more growing up like that. What's disturbing? Well, we're, we're, you know, with all the technology and people. What about that? That's just obnoxious. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I don't even think we're supposed to have cell phones. I mean, people are dying because they're freaking texting. They can't stop texting. They can't stop updating their Facebook status. I mean, that's a problem. They call it a smartphone. Okay. They call it a smartphone. I mean, you use it like a dumb phone and that's what really what they are. I mean, you need people like, you know, where everybody's got their phone down in front and they're all hunched over and kind of walking and look at their phone like we're working our way back down the evolutionary ladder. You know, it's alien. It is true. We are starting to look like cavemen. Yeah, and it's alien technology. I mean, as you look at it, it's, you know, all that technology on that smartphone is reverse engineered with the spacecraft that crashed in Roswell in 1947. No, there's a great book out. Read it, by Lieutenant Colonel. What's the book? Rick Corso. It's called The Day After Roswell and he talks about it and he was in charge of it and he has, I have this thing called, you know, he calls it the nut file because if he told anybody about it, they'd say, you're nuts. But, you know, they would walk into the GE labs who were working on night vision technology and they go, listen, we were never here but you guys are developing something and it was like a big wearable thing and, you know, a couple years later, it's down to a little thing that just straps down over your eyes and so, I mean, look at it. I mean, all that, I think all that the, I don't know, I believe that, you know, I think aliens have been kind of interfering with our evolution for thousands of years, you know. So, how were the drugs in the 80s? How was opening for Sam Kinison for five years and being part of his tour? It's a fair transition, right? It's a fair question. Yeah, yeah, it's a fair question. No, they're just, I'm doing that as like, you know, that would be something I would joke about. I was doing it as an example of something like, you know, but you're right. I mean, you know, it just seems like that. No, no, I mean, look at your television, look at your 4K. Oh, wait, we've got a caller. No, we don't do it. Yes, we do. Someone is calling. They need to talk to us. All right, please. I'm dying to talk to you guys. Oh, hello, who's this? Hi, my name is Sadie. Hello, Sadie, thanks for calling. Who do you have a question for? Well, I actually have a question because I'm, you know what, I just hit that point in my career and I'm like, you know, how do I keep that inspiration, motivation going to like, you know, say, screw everyone, like, I believe in my dream and my passion and God, like, I want advice. Like, I see you guys so passionate about what you guys do. How do you do it? Okay, that's a great question. How much are you paying this caller? Are you paying somebody to call him? Please, I don't know this person at all. Okay, cool. No, I think, I think, I think that's it. I think, you know, I think you got to really love what you do. I love making people laugh. You say, you say when you, when you feel like you share a laugh with somebody. It's like love. Yeah, it is. It really is. And if you can do it well and you can do it at a high level, I mean, it's a real gift. I mean, I don't ever, I don't ever take it for granted, but I'm always kind of working on the standup. It's, you know, your, your act is like a living, breathing organism. I mean, it changes and moves around and shifts, you know. Sorry to interrupt. I just, what Sadie's asking, I think also might be, I'm going to go a little deeper. Is okay, Sadie? Is that all right? Do the digging. Do the digging. Yeah, you do the digging. Okay. What happens when you're going, when you're not feeling it? You know, because you're only human, Jimmy. I mean, there are moments, don't you ever wake up where you're feeling uninspired or you're, you're a little down? I mean, there's some days I just can't get out of bed, Vic. No, some days, no, yeah, but yeah, there's some days you don't feel like doing it, but I, something happens when you step on that stage. I don't, you know, it just, you know, you can have a headache, you know, back, you know, your back's bothering you or something, but when you're on stage, I don't, I don't know. There's something about being up there, your adrenal glands kick in and for that while that you're on stage performing and you don't feel it. do you need any, is, did we help you? Well, you know what, the way I look at it is just like, Well, what do you do, Sadie? What do you do? Well, you know, I'm doing a little bit of everything, but it's kind of like, you know, it's the grind and it's like, Yeah, that's, well, that's your, that's, that's your problem, Sadie. Don't do a little bit of everything. No, don't do a little bit of everything. You know what? Really? Focus on a couple things that you can really excel at and things that, where you go, look, is the juice worth the squeeze? Yeah, yeah. Just to be clear. so it's like, it's, you know, it's like, you know, focus on the things, what do you really want to do? What do you, what would really, and I always say, like, that's the thing to figure out. The thing to figure out in life is you gotta find that one thing that you would do for free and then you figure out how to make a living and get paid for it. But they don't pay for to masturbate. You know, they don't pay you. Well, listen, they do down at the sperm bank. Thank you. I gotta put that in my notes. Yes. No, so, but you'd be making money hand over fist down there. Hey, lady. No, so I think you just, I think you just, you know, there's, like, it's so funny because we were talking about, I used to do a podcast and it's a lot of work and a lot of work goes into it in the presentation. I just, I just said, it's not, it was interfering with auditioning for parts and stuff like that and I just said, you know what? You know, I gotta have a little downtime. I gotta find a little balance in my life. I got, I mean, I love what I do and I love doing it, but also if I have downtime, I really like, you know, doing some things that'll kind of like, you know, going to the driving range or taking care of, or working on other stuff, you know, getting outside it for a minute and not having to be your whole identity, you know? That's a great point. I think also, as much as I get annoyed by cliches, you know, it is true and I think this is a cliche about cliches that there's a reason they exist because they're true for the most part. What are you trying to say? A stereotype that saves time? What I'm going to try and say here is that idle time, that, that, uh, something about, uh, a blank of blank but a master of none. A, uh, A jerk of all trades, master of none. Jack of all trades, master of none. Yeah, I think that that's a challenge. You know, I think that being a jack of all trades but a master of none is really tough to get whatever. That's why you say, like, you know, like, you know, you know what your strong suits are. You know, you know your things and I think, I think you always go where your life goes where you put the most time. Like, if you're working on this, then that's where your life's going to go. If you're working on this other thing, then you're going to take, you know, you're, it kind of goes where you go, I guess. Also, oh no, I think you're right and in that spirit, uh, Jimmy, I think that also, Sadie, if you look at where life is taking you because the life, life often will affirm what you're really good at. It doesn't mean you have to follow it but I think, I think life affirms, you know, if you, do you agree with that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was just going to do, like, I was just going to do a, a kung fu reference on Date Myself which was a show from the 70s. Okay, grasshopper, did you snatch the pebble from her hand? Are you ready to rock her? You know, but I was going to like, anyway. Well, I hope that helped you, Sadie. Thanks so much for listening. and hope. Yeah, good luck. Good luck. and if you could. I love the act. I love the act. Oh, cool. Thank you and please subscribe to the show. We got lots more. I will. All right, thanks so much and good luck with, with your pursuits. Excellent. Thank you so much. That was great. That was a very nice call and also, yeah, I want to share a little more of your comedy. We have another clip from your act. Is that uncomfortable for you to listen to? no, actually, I, you know, some bits like the chicken bit, I do like hearing it. I'm going to surprise you. Is that going to make you uncomfortable that I picked the clip? No, no, no, no. Okay, I mean, it's one you posted. Oh, great. Let's listen. I like it. I will tell you this. It has to, it involves a hanger. Nice. Oh, shit. Okay. Okay. Here we go. Jeremy, let's roll that. Thanks. See, that's the problem. We live in a very rude, predatory culture. No one's nice to anybody anymore. Fucking ridiculous. I'll tell you what. I locked my keys in my car the other day. Wasn't paying attention. Locked my keys inside my car outside this abortion clinic where they were having a protest. No. I was running to get some cigarettes at the 7-Eleven. And I went, oh, fuck. I can see my keys in the ignition. And all I said, was anybody got a hanger? They chased me for three blocks. All right, that's perfect. Thanks, Jeremy. He's gonna, yeah, that's it. Now, okay, here's what I think how you wrote that joke. Can I try and deconstruct it and tell me if I'm right? Yeah, go ahead. Okay. My guess is that you did lock yourself out maybe at one point and had a hanger and you thought about, wouldn't this be funny because you thought of an abortion. Well, the situation is, you're in the situation. And you went backwards. Yeah, you were in the situation. Wouldn't it be funny if there were a... Yeah, yeah. Also, there's a protest outside an abortion clinic. You go, hey, anybody got a hanger? You lock my keys in my car. Yeah, it's a pretty, I think that's a pretty clear... You went backwards, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Where would you find, where would that be the most awkward where you'd have to break into your own car? I love that joke. Oh, thanks, man. Appreciate it. And also, I love the way, see, I love when the audience is a little disturbed, you know, and you can tell they were a little disturbed but the laugh was huge. Yeah, I used to do another line. There was another line about, it was about somebody, you ever notice everybody's four abortions have already been born? You ever notice that? No, it's just like, it's such a like a, you know, it's really kind of, really makes, you know, kind of sense. We never hear the other side. No, no, yeah, but it just, it's just one of those things. It just seems like, you ever notice everybody's four abortions have already been born? It's just, I mean, it's such a... It's funny. That's a funny point. I like that. What was it like being in that performing arts? You know, you got this hardcore dad who's a detective, which is very macho, high testosterone. He carries a gun, probably puts the gun on the dresser when he goes to bed at night or under the bed. Yeah, you know, he had a gun collection that we, and we all went hunting. We all grew up around guns. So we would go to the pistol range. We'd go to gun range. We had to take gun safety courses, but every, every, every winter, you know, we'd all apply for, you know, deer hunting licenses and we'd go up there and my dad was a member of the Stony Running Gun Club up in the Canadienses, Pennsylvania. And you'd go up there and, you know, and everybody would get a deer and if you didn't get a deer, you would get a deer if you know what I mean. Wink, wink. So one of the other guys would get two and they would give you one just because, I mean, for my family, I mean, my dad got a couple, we got a couple deer. That's, that's meat for the winter. I mean, you know, it's like a, what, a 10 cent bullet? I got 200 pounds of venison with no chemicals in it, you know? And my mom could cook venison, like venison burgers, venison. And it was good. Yeah, it was delicious. What does it taste like, hamburger? Yeah, it tastes just like that. It's a very lean meat, you know, but you know, another thing that's, you know, I grew up eating it, like another thing you grew up eating, meat without like chemicals or growth hormones in it, you know? Right, right. Now, your dad, like I said, very macho, but supportive of your, you know, it's a little soft going into the performing arts. Was he, I find that really interesting, you know? I mean, didn't you take dance and like ballet and all kinds of stuff like that? you know, it's interesting you brought that up because yeah, they, every Friday, you did, you had to take dance, there was like, you know, dance classes, it was like a special, like you had like three days like down to performing arts, like every day would be like, you'd have three acting classes a day because that's what I was there for. I was also doing magic and they were encouraging me to do magic because we would go out and do shows at schools and stuff like that. Did you audition to get in this? Yeah, they auditioned to get in and hung out down there and was doing scene work and plays and stuff like that and so that was really kind of my- Your dad was proud. Yeah, look, hey, hey man, look, my parents just want me to be happy and they are proud of me. I think my parents are really proud of me. I think, you know, I'm the only one of my brothers that had pursued this interest. Do they go into law, your brothers? No, my brothers are all kind of white collar, blue collar guys, guys who started out as blue collar guys but now own their own businesses, you know, and my brother's an insurance adjuster and has his own company and his own, you know, my other brother has a, what a restoration company, so like people flood and stuff like that but they all own their company. All in the Philly area? Yeah, all in the Philly area, yeah. So you're the only guy who left? Yeah, I'm the only one that left of the family, so. They all married with kids? Uh, yes. Or divorced with kids? No, no, no, they're all married, they're all married, none of them are divorced, they're all married and some have kids and some don't, you know. And you've not been married, is that right? No, I haven't been married. So what do you think that's about? I just, you know what the thing is, I just, it's not that I'm opposed to it or that it, I just thought at times in my life that that would have happened, other things were happening. I kind of committed to my career. I mean, the funny thing for me has always been trying to find a balance, like either my personal life is amazing, my career sucks or my career's going great but my personal life sucks. You try to find that balance of, um, you know, trying to have it a little bit and I don't know, it's a timing thing, I guess, it's a timing thing and there was moments and I was probably, you know, just, you know, traveling, I mean, there's no excuse for not being there, you know, you get in great relationships and then you're gone or whatever the deal is and you know, the, you know. Are you a good boyfriend? What's that? Yeah, I think I am. I'm not asking you out, I'm just curious. No, no. No, yeah, I think. You show up and. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because you got to work on it, man, you got to work on it. Look, nobody has it easy, nobody, no relationship is perfect, everybody's got to work at it and just, you know, it's just, I think this is a great time in my life for it to happen because I think I'm, you know. Happen meaning you met someone. Yes, absolutely. So how many nieces and nephews do you have? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I've. Yeah, about, about, about 12. 12. Yeah. And what's, how's, is the oldest like college age maybe? Yeah, well, my nephew Nick who lived with me for a year and a half, he came out here and he's in the Navy now and they're a nuclear subs program. Wow. So, yeah, my nephew Alex does, does, he's in construction. But what, like what kind of uncle are you? I mean, are you the fun, uncle? Yeah. And do you get them gifts on their birthdays, Christmas, they get gifts, you keep in touch? yeah, yeah. When they were little, I sent them a whole computer system so they had a computer in the house and everything like that. Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty good. I, you know, I don't know if the birthday cards get there every time, you know, but I make up for it. Do you want to have a child? Yeah, why not? Why not have the full E-ticket? You want to have that experience? Why would you not have the one? I mean, that's part of life, you know, why not have the full E-ticket experience? Do you have children? No, I don't. I mean, I'd like to as well. Maybe we could adopt. You were married for a while? I was. I was married three years and eight months. Yeah. And, you know, it was a long time ago. And, but I would love to, to do that. Yeah. And have that kind of life. I think everybody deserves it. You just got to find the right person. Yeah, I think, and I believe, and you'll probably concur with me that the older one is, the advantages are the wisdom that comes with living. You know, I think I'm going to be a much better father today than I would be if I were 25. And you got to be ready for that stuff. I mean, I guess they say there's three things you're never ready to do. You're never ready to buy a house. You're never ready to get married. You're never ready to have a kid. But I think, I think, I think that's just, nobody's ever ready for that. Do you feel, well, do you feel that not being married and not having children has been a cost of your career? Or do you think if you were, had had any career, it might still be what it is today? You know, like the comedy life, has it been a cost of that? Yeah, you make sacrifices. You make sacrifices for the thing, you know? I mean, um, but you know, everybody does. I, you know, you're trying to, uh, you know, what's the balance? It's got, you're just going to find the right person. We have a lot of, but, and I'm just curious, like we have a lot of single comics that are kind of known for being single in a way, like Bill Maher, Gary Shandling, uh, you know, uh, he was single. Um, it just seems like there's a lot, there are a lot of comics who have had a long, uh, Well, maybe, maybe, maybe they're better off by themselves. Yeah, and it isn't for everyone. You know, no, there's no question about it. I mean, to each his own, you know, you gotta find your, everybody's got to figure it out for themselves. You know, that's, that's what it is really. Everybody's, you know, there's people who get it in this world. There's people who don't. That's the way I look at it. Now in, in the, uh, it feels like, um, you know, the stereotype of a comic is one who is, can be moody, depressed, isolating, because the career itself, you know, you're, you're alone a lot. Um, I, I'm just curious, like you're, in your life, have, have you had a depression or, uh, any kind of challenges like that? You know what? And I don't, I don't think you can paint with broad brushstrokes like that when it comes to people, because a lot of people, I mean, you go all the, a lot of dentists are kind of bored, miserable, but a lot of chiropractors are depressed and stuff. So, I mean, that's just a, kind of a cliche image. You think it's unfair? That stereotype? I do, because I would, I would describe myself as being belligerently optimistic, you know? That's a good way of putting it. I like that. And, uh, you know, I, I don't, um, yeah, that's how I would describe myself. You know, it was interesting in preparation for this. I was, I was doing, why do you laugh? Well, I just don't, I don't see the point in being any other way. I mean, look, you know, you, you like, is anybody really happy with their life? I mean, you know, you get guys who are like, yeah, I'm, you're on a really successful reality. Yeah, but I want my own sitcom. Well, you got your own sitcom. Yeah, but I want to be in movies. And, you know, is anybody really happy, you know, in this, in this kind of career or this, you know, you always got to keep pushing. I don't think anybody's like, you know, complacent, like, oh, you know, it's okay. I didn't get any, you know, you didn't get that opportunity, you know? Right. There's always someone who has more or less. Yeah. Yeah. I, you know, and I've been around enough wealthy people that, that, that, that, you know, and, you know, I'm sure you have as well. Money doesn't buy happiness. It doesn't buy happiness. It makes some people miserable, you know, and they walk in their empty house and you go, oh my God, it's a giant house. There's no furniture. And, you know, they got, they, they just got their money in a ball in their pocket. And you can really, you know, you drive into Moscow, you live like this. I mean, holy smokes, you know? I like this saying of, you know, it's difficult or not really, it doesn't work for me to compare my insights to other people's outsides. I don't know what anyone's outside. You know, I could see that. but that's great. Everybody has their own struggle, man. Everybody has their own thing they're dealing with. You just, you know, look, you know, some people like, you know, you, you find yourself in a lot of different situations. Like, you know, you're in, you know, toxic relationships or you're, you know, you got to watch out for all that stuff. You know, you got to keep yourself mentally healthy. I think it's a, how do you keep yourself mentally healthy? Do stuff, feed your soul, man. Go out there and sit, you know, taking some, taking some beautiful stuff. Do you do therapy? Travel the world. Yeah, I travel the world. I see the world. I was in China. I've been to China. I've been to Afghanistan. I was just over in, you know, Germany and we went to Kosovo. You perform for the troops, right? Yeah, absolutely. I've done, I've done several trips over there. Have you ever been scared? Sure. You're flying into a war zone for God's sakes. What do they tell you? They literally say, you're wearing a, you're wearing a flak jacket and a helmet, you know, and you're on, you're on, you're on a, you know, C alpha class CH 47. That's firing off calendar measures. You're firing over, you know, you know, eight clicks from Pakistan and you're underneath camouflage netting, telling jokes to dudes that are strapped with a M 16s, M 14s and sidearms. And then it ain't no joke, but I mean, listen, look at what they're doing. You know, I just think it's the least you could do. I mean, if I could make some of those guys laugh, well, boy, that's that there are a group of people who deserve it. Oh, for sure. Uh, did you find performing for troops to be in, uh, what were some of the challenges, particularly with material? Could you do your normal act? Could you swear? No, but it's like you make adjustments on any gig you walk into. You go, okay, this is this kind of thing and come out early. And yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, but with gigs like that, I mean, they're just, they're just so happy you came. They're so happy you came to great, great audiences. And you, you know, I mean, you're in Kosovo for God's sake, you know, you know, you're flying into Pristina and airport, you're just coming out, you know? And so, yeah, it's, it's cool. What did you, uh, how many minutes did you do? I did about 25, 30 minutes depending. Now, were you with Drew Carey that time or that was a different trip? I did one trip with Drew Carey, Steve Byrne, Pedro Hernandez, and Dave Mordal. And we know we did, um, we did a, like an 11 day Afghanistan run that was pretty intense. And then, uh, flew back to LUD, the Air Force Base and, uh, and Saudi Arabia and Doha and did a show there. And then, you know, jump back on a plane, almost like 24 hours straight flying to get there, you know? Mm-hmm. And, uh, you had no hesitation? No. I mean, you know, I look, I can't live, you can't live your life like that. You know, you're going to put yourself in a situation and you're, you know, I was with Drew Carey. I mean, they're not going to let anything bad happen to Drew Carey. I don't think there's any record of anything of any, you know, people who have gone over there to do, shows for the military. Your parents know you were doing that? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. They were encouraging it? What's that? They were encouraging it? They weren't like, oh, no, no, I'm sure they were worried, you know, like anybody else. I mean, you're going over there, anything can happen. I mean, you know, it's like before I went to Israel, you know, the Hamas and those guys were firing rockets back and forth right before, right up until I was leaving. So I was like, oh, you going? I go, yeah, I'm still going. Why, why would I not? I'm not, you know, I'm going to go. Now you were on Last Comic Standing maybe a year or so ago. Yeah. And I'm curious what that experience was like, because the idea when the show first came out was kind of, we're going to discover talent. And then it, I believe they started to get a little more into getting veteran comics in as well. So they would have the quality. Yeah. The show took on a couple of different forms. It was like, you know, when it first started, it was an opportunity. You always look at these shows and you go, well, there's really not a lot of opportunities for standup comics to be on primetime television. What a great, great venue. If they do this the right way. I mean, you look at Celebrity Apprentice or some of those shows, they were great. They were well produced shows. They were, you know, big, there were big deals. So, um, then, um, to get the opportunity to, to put yourself in primetime. And for me, the challenge was trying to put together sets, these four minutes and 20, 20 second sets that were like precision, little pieces of art with as much word economy and just kind of going out and going, bam, just doing your brand is going. And, you know, I, I kind of get into that. That was the fun part of the show. Did you find yourself writing a lot of new material? Yeah. I mean, I was trying to, I was trying to do stuff on national television, you know, but that's what the, that's what it's about. You got to put yourself in the moment and, you know, and I thought that was kind of cool thing. Cause it raised the, raised the odds. And it does, it takes a little bit of extra cause you're on national television. Oh yeah. Yeah. Did, was there any feeling of resentment or annoyance? Like, Hey man, I've been doing this for years. And these guys are, you put yourself in it, you do what you're getting into. It's a reality show. You know what you're walking into. So you can't look, I'm not, I'm not mad at the opportunity. I'm actually glad it happened. Some people, but you know, there are some people who've been, you know, you're not a new comic. So like who have an attitude, like, you know, like really, like I'm doing a reality show, like I'm competing against people. Don't do it. I agree. Well then don't do it. I mean, you know, look, there's, you know, there's a lot of ways to skin a cat. Right. I mean, you know, you could do last comic standing. Someone could see you cast you in a sitcom or, or I totally agree. Or you get a role in a movie. And, and so there's no downside. And listen, if you want to win in this game, you gotta, every time you get your head on that little television, that's a win. And I don't care what anybody says. You gotta, you know, you gotta keep fighting for it. And it's, and it's competitive. It's competitive as hell, man. You gotta be, that's why you gotta stay relevant. And you gotta, you gotta keep current. I mean, guys are writing new hours every year. And some guys are still traveling with the same 45 minutes they did for 20 years ago. Right. I mean, you gotta step it up, man. This is, this is no joke. It's a, it's, it's a very competitive profession and it's gotten more difficult because there's a lot more people doing it. I mean, you know, and there's so much now it's like, you know, so you've really got to kind of stand out, which I'm glad I do a little bit, you know, because I, because I am a little polished because it is, it makes you stand out a little bit, you know? Yeah. You placed ninth, correct? Yeah. So how many episodes were you in? I think about six or seven episodes. And the residuals are good, right? I mean, you got, they were decent, you know, they were decent. It was, it was worth it for me to take those weeks off and invest in it. And I really, really loved the exercises doing it, like writing, writing those bits, putting those bits together. You know, that was the fun part of it. Once you get, once you move in, there's 10 people left and I'm funnier than so-and-so. And I'm going, I would have been real. How's this going to help my career? I'm going to be a tour guide to be, be a tour guide for the day. And I actually thought they were going to take the high road. I think there's, I think there's great ways to do last comic standing to a point where it would be as popular as celebrity apprentice. If you just took comedians and put them in that competitive situation, except now you're doing real world experiences tonight, you guys are all doing six minutes for the vice president of Visa. And the winner of the challenge also gets a $3,000 donation. And you also get to fly to Vegas on a chopper right after the gig and go do a corporate event for 600 liquor salesmen. Yeah, that's interesting. And so you go there and then on Tuesday, you guys all have to go and you all have to sit down and pitch your sitcom ideas to this guy and this guy. These guys produced, you know, Seinfeld Ness and you got to go sell a show. You got to sell them a show idea. I mean, that's the infinitely more interesting and infinitely like real world stuff. I mean, I don't, I mean, you know, doing comedy in a laundromat is not, does, will not change. You know what I mean? I've done it. But I think, you know, you, yeah, but I mean, you, you take the same template from celebrity apprentice and you put it right over, you put it right, lay it right over last comic standing and you got to hit show. I mean, it's just a better produced show because, but you know, they always treat standup, comedy, like it's a stepchild to the arts. You know, it's like, you know, look at all the shows on television, all about singing and dancing and, you know, and then, you know, the only way guys got a chance like today, it's like, you know, they get on America's Got Talent or they get on last comic standing and they get a little juice and they get a little heat and they keep building. But you know, it's not one thing that makes you, that gets you there. I think it's a, it's a planned series of events that get you to that level where you're selling out theaters and you, you know, you kind of doing your, well, so work begets work. Yeah, absolutely. The more you work, and if you're doing last comic standing, has that helped your career? Have you seen a change? Yeah, I have actually with attendance and you show up and now I'm hitting bonuses and, you know, what do you mean by hitting bonuses? Well, because you, you know, you get so much to show unless you sell, if you sell over 250 tickets or you sell, if there's 250 paid or non-paid in the audience, you get a bonus. So, yeah. What would you say, you know, like, can you make six figures doing standup? Easily, easily. And that's with doing, in corporate as well, correct? Yeah. I mean, you could just, you make six figures just doing corporate. Yeah. You could do, I mean, you know, you get a show in Vegas. I mean, Vegas now it's like, you know, that's like the Thunderdome out there, you know, every man for himself, you know, you know. Well, a lot of comics are buying the room, the paper in the room, right? And then, but I mean, you know how much stuff there is to do in Vegas, for God's sakes. I mean, you're going against the O show, you're going against Cirque du Soleil. You don't think it's a good place for standups? Well, no, if you got that kind of show, I mean, but you have to go out and work your ass off to sell it. And you got to be really known. What's that? To make some money. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I mean, George Wallace did that. A lot of, you know, Rita Rudner did that. Yeah. I saw that. You know, a lot of, a lot of comics have gone up there and for them, it was like a great way to go, Oh, I live in Vegas. I can work in Vegas. I don't have to jump on an airplane. So six and one half a dozen, the other, any other way you're traveling to Atlanta. And when you're in Vegas, everybody is flying, traveling to see you. So it makes sense, you know, cause it's got a lot of visitors go there every year, you know? Right. Let's imagine for a moment that 25 year old Jimmy Schubert is sitting in this room. Yeah. Okay. And you've had some time now in your career. You've learned a lot just from living. What would you share with 25 year old Jimmy that you wish maybe he had, known then doesn't necessarily just have to be about comedy, but just in life in general as well. But comedy would be interesting. Yeah. Yeah. There's a couple, I'd make a couple of changes. What would that be? Well, you know, I, when I was talking about 25 year old Jimmy, if I'm telling you, he's here in the room. Well, I would tell him, I would have said, first thing I would say, I said, sell that motorcycle. Let's get rid of that. Cause it was a motorcycle accident. That's why I got my little, my little bad knee. Okay. Uh, so, uh, I would have made sure I could have, uh, avoided that first and foremost. And also, uh, I would have, uh, I, I don't think I would have parted as much with, you know, when you're in traveling with Sam Kinison and that whole madness and that whole group and that whole kind of, it was just, uh, it was a little, it was a little intense. I'm glad I survived it, but I also, uh, if I had to do it over again, I would not have participated in that kind of thing. Was there Coke? Oh yeah. Did I mean, come on, he's legendary, you know, Sam's legendary. You don't know Sam. He was in, he wore, he wore a trench coat. He would scream. Yeah. Great guy. Sam Kinison. You can see his standup. I loved him, but he didn't die from it. He dried on needles, right? No, no. And a car crash. The car crash. He got killed by a drunk driver. So that's the irony there. So yeah. Talk about your irony. Were you getting late constantly when you were with him? Cause it seemed like all he was doing is drugs and having sex. Uh, you know, that's a, a lot of that's an illusion. You know, I, I gotta tell you, um, it was just sex. It was just drugs. No, he was just, well, you know, he would like get beyond wrecked. And now the dude's sleeping in his, in his kitchen floor and you're standing there going, unbelievable. I mean, this guy's living in a $12 million house and he falls asleep on the kitchen floor. You know what I mean? This guy's like a homeless guy with a trench coat. I mean, you know, at times it was kind of, it was kind of sad. You know, you, I, I mean, I, I don't know, you know, did anyone ever say to him, Sam, why don't you, you know, bring it down a notch? You're going to show yourself. Or were you afraid to? You're open. You're opening up for the guy you're working with. Well, you know what, man, he lost his little brother. And I think that's, you know, that was a pain that you kind of try to douse with, you know, cocaine and booze and you don't want to feel it. And I think that's when it got out of hand. I think, you know, he's trying to numb pain. Were you with him when he lost his brother? Yeah, I knew him. We were hanging out. Yeah. Was he a comic? No, he wasn't a comic, but they all came out to California together. Kevin and Carl LeBeau and Sam Kinnison. And there's, there's their whole story, but yeah, his little brother, little brother, Kevin killed himself. And I think that's really was a, he committed suicide. Yeah. So that was the nucleus of his spiraling out of control. And it was, and it just got a little, it got a little bit much. And I started kind of dodging it towards the end. I realized I just, you know, I was opening for him, but I was also, I was one of the few guys that would actually work with him. And I would invite all the comedy club bookers and all the managers out to the Sam Kinnison shows. I'm going to backstage passes. Almost in every city. They would come out and introduce them to Sam. He goes, oh, great. Yeah. Come on. He goes, and then I would go back and I would book dates and all those markets. And I would go back out on the road and do all those markets. And as soon as I got off the road with Sam, I was back out working on my own stuff. And, uh, Sam knew that, right? Yeah. Yeah. He, he appreciated, he goes, man, he goes, that's, he goes, that's, that's great. You know, I was, I was, uh, I was, uh, you know, I, I would go to radio, watch him do radio. I mean, he was really definitely somebody I was learning. Is he a mentor? Yeah, absolutely. No, there's no question about it. Were you the only one he took under his wing? No, man. Carla Bow, Mitchell Walters, Alan Stevens. I mean, there was a whole group of, Do you feel you had a special relationship that was unique to him? I think maybe after he lost his brother, Kevin, he looked at me like I could, I represented a little brother. So you maybe, yeah, but, um, also you have a lot of brothers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that was, and you know, so I think, um, the opportunities to do shows, the opportunities to find yourself in front of those big audience. I mean, he was doing 5,000 seats a night. I mean, you're doing this, you know, you're on, you're on a tour bus, you're traveling all over the country doing 70 cities, 50 cities. So yeah, it was, it was rock and roll. It was a little crazy, but it was also like baptism by fire. I mean, you're doing that. Are you sometimes going, holy shit, I've never performed in front of this many people and they're going crazy. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's really different, but you know, they want to see Sam. I mean, I toured with him for five years. I mean, that's where you find, that's where I found my personality. I mean, how do you make 5,000 seats intimate? I mean, it's a real thing. And Carla Bo was like, Hey, you gotta do this. You gotta do this. They're giving you notes. Yeah. Giving you notes. And really we're concerned. Like we did the universal amphitheater on new year's Eve and Sam was good. It was all, all the opening guys. We went over all our acts. And when you say this, the last going to go up, it's going to come back down. Give yourself an extra two seconds on the beat of the joke. Let the laugh come back down. He was right. And so guys like me and Sparky, and there was a Mike, again, he might just sell all the sets at the universal amphitheater on new year's Eve, which was ridiculous. I mean, Ginger Baker was on drums. You had CC DeVille from poison. You had this all-star rock band. And then you'd go to, you go to Van Nuys airport and you jump on a couple of Lear jets and you fly to Vegas for a special 3am in the morning show with Sam Kinnison. And it was just, it was just mad. Was he generous in how you were paid? Like what would you get paid to do to open for him? Yeah, it was like 500 a show. It was like 500 a show. And so you do probably four or five shows a week and you get a per diem and, you know, and you just got to make sure, you know, like there was a couple extra duties cause you're out there. And you go, yeah, and just make sure everybody gets the bags in the room. Tell the guy, you know, so you're kind of helping out. You're on tour, but you're also part of the tour and helping out that way. So you find, you get a call that Sam's passed away. What was your reaction? Uh, yeah, the circumstances were weird. Um, you know, and, and I was just like, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I just saw him a couple of weeks. Uh, your touring was done with him at that point. Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I was, I was still friendly, but I mean, he was trying, you know, he was, uh, trying to clean up, you know, he's trying to get his kind of good. So I kind of, um, plus I was busy doing what I was doing. I was, you know, trying to go on the road and come back and, you know, you'd see him when you see him. So, um, yeah, it was kind of disappointing. It was really disappointing. And, and, uh, I mean, what do you say? The guy was a good friend. So you lost a good friend and it's just, you know, and I've lost a couple along the way, but you know, buddies, people that you knew, people that you, you know, and so. God rest his soul. I hope he's happy in the afterlife. What would be the one thing you learned from Sam? Wow. Um, comedy wise. Well, let's go comedy wise and let's go life wise. Yeah. That would be two things. But first, yeah. Well, you know, I, you know, I think, uh, comedy wise, his just writing, you know, the writing and he understood what he was. He was a human cartoon. I think he, he just had, you know, he would just kind of like plop it out and just like, just pull the, you know, rip cord at the last second. And then that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, you know, he had, so I, I love, I love watching him create. I mean, you know, there was a whole tour where we were clean and sober and I watched him go from, you know, building an hour and building a new hour. So that was really a lot of fun to watch. And I sat there like, I'm just watching if I had a, if I had a tagline or a joke, I'd throw it to him. But yeah, that was, uh, I mean, just going out there, how to do media, how to play the media, how to be, an ex preacher. I mean, he could play all that up, man. He was, he could be something. Yeah, he really was. And you know, and that's, you know, and Bill Hicks and him were, you know, part of the original Houston outlaws of comedy. And Hicks is another one. I think both those guys are really kind of, you know, probably the two most influential comedians on this generation of guys that, that came up. I mean, everyone who wasn't a Hicks fan, who wasn't a Kinison fan, you know? And so. What about life? Yeah. Um, yeah, I don't think Sam was prepared for success. I think his success caught him by a surprise and I don't think he planned for it. And I think he, he, I think, you know, you have to be prepared for success when it comes your way and you can't be acting like that. You can't be, you know what I mean? I mean, it's like, you know, everybody's done it. Belushi's done it. You know, Chris Farley's done it. People have done it. It's been done. You know, only the real heroes come back. You know? What do you mean by only the real heroes? Well, you know, he's, he's no longer with us. I mean, you know, uh, that lifestyle, that whole lifestyle, it's like, it's just, it's just been done. It's almost, it's, it's almost, you know, it's like hack. It's been done. Everybody's like, how are you doing? You know, you're doing so-and-so's, but it's where you die early. Uh, you know, um, yeah, I would definitely, uh, you know, I would, you know, I made plans. I planned for success. I, I planned for, I planned for success. And, and I let all that stuff go. All that, you know, that behavior, that junky behavior that, you know, you're, you're an addict. Well, have you done like 12 step programs or? What's that? Well, I am in one now. For what, what do you, what's that? What is it that you're dealing, you're getting sober in? I'm just going, I'm just not drinking. Oh, good. Yeah. I mean, I say good, not because there's anything wrong with drinking, but there is something wrong if there's something wrong. If it becomes, if it gets in the way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So it takes a lot. Yeah. So how long have you been sober? That's a good question. Well, I had a couple of glasses of wine with my mom and dad over. So I actually, I took it from, let's say, I say Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, six days. So this is a new part of your life. Yeah. Oh, that's, I'm so happy for you. I think it's really, uh, so brave. Well, it's, you know, it's, you know, it's nobody's perfect, man. There's always room for improvement. Well, here's the thing about that. I don't look at addiction as imperfection. So I don't even, it's a whole, I don't even think of that as being perfect. Are you in the program? No, I'm not, but I am very familiar with all those programs. And I have to tell you that, um, I have such admiration for people who get help. Yeah. I don't think there's anything great about ignoring a problem. Yeah. I, you know, I wouldn't say it's a problem. I mean, I've probably been a world-class abuser of alcohol at points in my life. It doesn't matter. People, people become out, you can become an alcoholic at 70. Oh, no, there's no question about it. Yeah. When you stop doing it and it starts doing you. And I just, you know, I just don't, you know, I just think now is, you know, I'm probably, it's, it's time, you know, just to kind of, what's going to hurt. And let's say, you know, what I got to lose. What's the downside? Well, no one's ever gotten, no one's ever died from being sober. Yeah. I've never heard anyone getting in a sober car. Like, they don't say, you know, and then he was, there was no sober under the, I will say from my experience with many friends who deal with addiction in their lives, it's never about the addiction. In other words, it's not about the drinking. No, it's whatever is happening that you're drinking over. Yeah. The drinking is a symptom of what you're going through. And, and, you know, some people are, some people self-medicate, you know what I'm saying? And you don't realize you're self-medicating, you know, or that you have to self-medicate. I mean, you know, sometimes, you know, like, sometimes your knees and so much pain or whatever, let me just have it, you know, kind of numbing up a little bit, but, you know, that, that also is dangerous. And taking pain pills is dangerous. And doing any of that stuff is dangerous. Well, listen, we actually, I hate, we, we have to wrap it up because we're, believe it or not, we're right at an hour. No. And we don't want to go over. It's very, you know, we want to stay on that hour. Gotcha. So I hate to, you know, we're in midstream here, but I want to thank you so much for coming. Where, people can find you at Jimmy Schubert, S-H-U-B-E-R-T. S-H-U-B-E-R-T, Jimmy Schubert.com. Also, Jimmy Schubert fan page, Jimmy Schubert Facebook, Jimmy, at Jimmy Schubert on Twitter. He's going to be an indie. He's going to be in Atlanta. He's all over the country. Yeah. He's online. You can check out his stuff. I'm like, I'm like dog crap. I'm all over the gym. Or you can catch him at an A-mini. He'll be doing two in one, or three in one, or whatever they do. I'm telling jokes for two now. All right. Thank you guys so much. Thank you, Jimmy. We've got to drive home. So this is where we continued one-on-one. Thank all of you. Please subscribe to Vic Cohen. It's a fair question. I almost forgot the name of the show. We'll see you soon. Thanks, everyone. Thank you, Jimmy. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair question. It's a fair question. It's a fair question. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair question. It's a fair, it's a fair, it's a fair, it's a fair question. I'm Vic Cohen, and it's a fair, it's a fair, it's a fair, it's a fair quest, quest, question. Thank you again.