Brody Stevens on comedy warm-ups and calls from listeners

the phone you even know who it is. Serial Bunch. Adamu. Adamu. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breakfast Show. Adamu. Adamu. Adamu. Adamu. Adamu. Adamu. Boys and girls. Wow, my life. Wait, hold on. Let me take that again. Boys and girls, welcome to the Adamu Podcast. Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo. Yes, this is a kid's show podcast that turned into a strip club last night. If you're following the show, please tune in live here at skidrowstudios.com, and you could speak to myself. And, of course, I'm not going to spoil the surprise yet, who our guest is, boys and girls, because if you're listening to this show with your mom or your dad, well, we have a little surprise for you because you are going to love it. That's 800-893-9562. That's skidrowstudios.com, 800-893-9562. Well, my name's Adam O., and yes, I started off as a kid's show host until I fired myself last week and came back as a man, a full-grown boy. That's right, not Pee-wee, but Adam Shankman, the other side of Adam O. Today, yeah, I want to feel funny. I want to speak clear. I don't want to say and, um, and buts. I want to be a professional stand-up comedian, but it's a long journey. I don't know. So it's going to be a long struggle, but today, I said it, but I never want to say that word. Today, we have the legendary comedian who changed the face of cereal, who changed the face of the Milky Way. He needs no introduction, and trust me, I will become Adam Shankman once I introduce this man. Please welcome, all the way, from the San Fernando Valley, the legend himself, Brody Stevens. Yes, positive energy. You got it. Here I am, Adam, to teach you the ways of comedy from the valley born and bred in the bedroom community of working Hollywood. I'm sick and tired of people taking shots at my community. No more. You got it. I'm here in downtown. Los Angeles. A.K.A. Skid Row Studios. Yes! Positive energy. You got it. On Twitter. On Facebook. Still active in the MySpace community. Steven. Brody. Stevens. You got it. Death Squad. Red Band. Joe Rogan. They allow me to branch out and do my own stuff. You got it. Back to Adam. Back to Adam. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. I'm already laughing. This is a genius. All right. It's not every day I get a comedian like Brody Stevens to come on my show. Why? Usually I get school teachers, Brody. Why don't you get comedians? Well, I try to. However, you know, I need to learn the game before I could have a comedian come on the show. Learn what game? The comedy game. You've been doing comedy now for four or five years locally, right? I have been. But I need your help, Brody. Why? I need to become funny. Yeah. And I want to start off with a little warm-up. What's a good warm-up for a comedian? You mean a warm-up exercise? Sure. Just kind of driving your car, walking the streets with some headphones on. You don't need to listen to people talking. You don't need to listen to that riff-raff. You put on some music, you select a song, and you walk. I would do that all the time in New York City. I would walk. I'd get off the subway, the L train at 14th Street, and then I would walk down. I would walk down Avenue A. Not First Avenue. Avenue A, where the action was at. This is before iPods. This was cassette. No, it was CDs. And I was walking it. I was doing it. I was living it. And that fired me up for my show. So I would call that a warm-up. Also, in Los Angeles here, maybe driving your car. You know, I live right now, currently, close to a lot of shows where I perform. So I don't get that warm-up time. When I was living out in the valley, and I'm going back to the valley. I am going back to the San Fernando Valley, where I was evicted. I was thrown out of the valley for behavior. I got off Lexapro. You're not supposed to stop cold turkey. And I did in Canada. I got sick. And we all know about it. It's been documented. But I remember when I was living out in the valley for the last 10, 11 years, basically, and I would have a show. I would listen to my music, drum on my steering wheel, get into it. And then when I would go do audience warm-up, whether it be at Chelsea or Best Damn Sports Show or The Man Show or several other shows, it would be drive to the studio, park in the lot, maybe smoke some pot, drum on the steering wheel again. That was my warm-up. And then at Chelsea, I would actually get out of the car, and I would stretch. I would soak in the sun. We were near the beach. So I would do that. Those were my warm-up activities. Now, as a veteran... Or as a professional, yeah, I can turn it on and off. I'm able to do that. My big thing for me, and it's not even... A lot of comedians will go, I have to go to the bathroom before a show. I have a... They do a bowel movement because your stomach is like your second brain. You get nervous, you go to the bathroom. Me personally, I would like to get... When I'm exercising and I'm on a regular schedule, I can do that. But being a veteran... Being a professional, I could probably just turn it on like that and do it. I was sitting at a baseball game last year, a couple years ago. Front row, of course, down at Petco, Padres versus Dodgers. And I was sitting next to Toby Keith, a good friend of mine. And Toby said, you know, I can walk out and play in front of 60,000 people with no warm-up. Just go out there and do it. Wow. Not that that's the ideal way to do it, but I think I can do that now. It's kind of ingrained in me. But you know what? You don't want to get too... I don't want to say cocky, but you want to stay within your fundamentals. You want to stay within your framework. But to go out there and just turn it on... Once in a while, I do that. I know I can do that. And I would say for the last six months, I haven't been my normal self for various different reasons. But for the most part, it is good to get a little bit of warm-up, a little quiet time and prepare. Thank you very much. Steven, Brody Stevens, opening statement. On warm-up. Not audience warm-up, just warm-up for a comedy situation. Did I warm-up for a podcast? No, I don't normally... I don't warm-up for podcasts because the warm-up is actually exciting. You know, this is a warm-up. This is my opening statement. I get excited. I look forward to doing a podcast, but I'm not drumming on the steering wheel. I'm not walking the streets with my headphones on. Because when you're doing a podcast, it's more about talking. It's more about... It's more about conversation. I've been in trouble with some podcasts when I first was doing some of them. Oh, yeah? What happened? Well, I was just doing a show. I was performing. And you got in trouble for performing? Well, I got horrific emails, aggressive tweets, and it was upsetting. And I was playing a character. I was kind of being myself, but I was amped up and uncensored. Because I was... There were cameras there. So these podcasts early on, the ones that I was doing, they still are. There were cameras. So it was like, do I play to the camera? Do I play audio? Because it's going out live, but it's also going to be on iTunes later. There was a lot of stuff going through my mind. And I think people didn't get it. But if you knew me and you liked me and you also were able to have a brain, you could step back and look at the situation and go, okay, this is absurd what this guy is doing. But I took my shots. And I've kind of like dialed it back and turned myself more into conversational... A conversation. A conversationalist. Now, how long have you been doing the podcast as a guest? I mean, how many have you been on? I think I've been on probably over 50. Holy cow. Just as a guest. I've done a couple on my own with Little Esther, who's a funny girl. And I felt like when I was doing those, Esther's a good... Somebody good to play off. You know, I'm a big guy and she's small and she's funny too. So not saying funny too as she's funny T-O-O in her own right. I'm not saying that. I'm funny. Now, you've been to a lot of studios. And how does Skid Row Studios compare to most of the studios? This is a nice one. I noticed that I like the art. You walk in, you see Bill Hicks on the wall. You've got a nice flat screen, high-definition television in here. You've got a pretty cool desk. You've got the nice microphone stance. It's very professional. I mean, it looks like a radio show. And that's what it is. It looks like a radio studio. And Jeremy is doing a great job. He just gave me the thumbs up. Behind the scenes, behind the glass. So I'm in a comfortable place. Nice. And you like the energy in here. It's positive. It's positive energy. It's definitely not negative. And there's a lot of negativity going on in the streets. If you want to look at it that way, these guys are, we are near Skid Row. If you want to call that negative. It may not even be negative. Skid Row just may actually be, some people find inspiration in Skid Row. Because you can go down there and help people. You could feed the homeless. You know, they're. There are missions there. So some people find positivity in that. And there's also some cheap living. A lot of hipsters are moving down here. Now, let me ask you a question. I mean, speaking of hipsters, a lot of hipsters have comedy shows nowadays. I mean, what makes you decide Brody Stevens to do a show? Steven. Brody. Stevens. Steven. Brody. Stevens. What makes me decide to say yes to somebody's show? Yeah. What gave you the green light to do my show? I'm honored, by the way, to have you. Thank you. Well, Adam, I've known you for a while. I've known you for four or five years. I've seen your work. You're a good guy. You're eager. You're trying different stuff. You involve your family. You involve creativity. You're an Angeleno like myself. I believe you're from the San Gabriel Valley. Yes, sir. And, you know, you have that vaudeville. You have that. You're eager to entertain. And you're willing to say that. I need to learn more. You know? You're hard on yourself. I can't say that. I see a young Brody at times in a young Adam Shankman. Wow. That's an honor. In terms of being hard on yourself. That's not honorable. That's stressful. That's not about. Okay. That's true. That's why you're here to teach me how to be funny. To be a young Brody Stevens. Why can't I teach you how to be funny? I could teach you how to be real. To be real. Yeah. No other things going on in my head. Just one person. You know, I always tell comedians. It's about stage time. It's about jokes. And it's about not quitting. You know, those are hard things to do. How long have you been at it for? Well, I started comedy officially in February of 1994. I moved up to Seattle, Washington because I did not want to deal with the LA open mic scene. I could tell after doing one open mic in Los Angeles that I didn't want to start in this. I was like, I'm not going to do this. I'm going to go to the open mic scene. I picked up on the energy. I'm not saying. No, but explain that to me. Why? What, what, what energy? Because if I would have known that if I would have met you and you would have told me that four years ago, I would have been, I would have came at this at a, with a new light. I would be walking onto the UCB stage just by smiling, not by delivering. Right. So. Whatever that means. Well, it means that I wouldn't have had to go through the open mic scene and show myself the layers of what I want to become and where I am now to where I'm going to be. I would have just came at it with four years of experience. I would have had four years of experience from a nice fresh city coming here. Exactly. I would have had new eyes. It's not too late. You could always go away and come back. But I feel like I'm going to be a star in the next couple of years. You do? Yeah. Why are you saying that? Because after tonight I'm going to go out there and I'm going to hit the open mics again with new energy. I'm not joking. But you can't be doing comedy to be a star. You can't feel like you're a star. I don't know. I feel convinced. I would say don't. That's interesting. You can't go... If somebody tells me that, that they're going to be a star in two years or three years or going to be a star in general, I'm not putting you down, but it's kind of like off-putting a little bit. And it's like, why? It seems almost delusional. I met a guy at the youth hostel and I would perform there on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights at Hollywood Youth Hostel. It's a fun show. I mean, if you can make German people and people from the... Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The United Kingdom and Australia and a few Asians and all that and some Polish people laugh, that's universal. It's a good practice place. And I remember there was one guy there who was living there or he worked there. He was an American guy, actually. If you're an American guy and you're in a youth hostel in America, that's a red flag right there to me and to most people who have a brain. And he said, I'm going to be a big star. I'm going to be a star. Like Tom Cruise. And I go, really? He goes, yeah. I'm going to be a big star. Or I'm going to kill myself. Something like that. Like I'm going to make it or not make it. But I'm convinced I'm going to make it. And I go, you've never acted. It doesn't matter. I'm going to and I'm going to make it. And I just don't think that's the right way to go about that. Okay. It's all about the work. It's about the preparation. John Wooden, the greatest basketball coach of all time. And most people wouldn't argue with you on that. He was all about preparation. True. Tie your shoes before you. Exactly. Showing up on time. Tying your shoes. Putting your socks on properly. Doing the plays. Looking like a player. Acting like a player. He prepared you to win. Winning was a byproduct of all this. So you're saying as a stand-up comedian, it's not about being a star. It's about just doing it until. Yeah. I mean, because it doesn't. Money. Money have to come in the picture down the road sometime. Because I'm not making any money at this. And I question. I don't know why I'm not making money at this. Well, you say you're going to be a star in three years. How about I want to get to the point where I don't have a day job. Or I want to be able to make a few bucks. I mean, to say that, that might be okay. Say that. Let's see how that sounds. Okay. Brody in two years. Brody in two years. I'm not going to have a day job. I'm going to have enough money. To support my art. That's still a little too aggressive. Too aggressive. I want you to say, Brody. Brody. In two years. In two years. I hope. I hope. To not. I hope to be able to not have a day job and make a couple bucks doing this. I hope to not have a day job and to be able to make a couple bucks doing this. Bingo. So much better than saying I'm going to be a star in two or three years. Who does? Who does? I mean. Who wouldn't want to be a star? Who wouldn't want to be a star? Who wouldn't want to be a star? I mean, it's stressful. Now, why aren't you the biggest star in the world at what you do? I mean, you're probably one of them. Because I'm hard on myself. I have OCD. I have issues. But that's what I'm trying to say, though. I had a rough childhood. I wish I had an older brother. My parents were divorced. Maybe it was my fault. Interesting. You know, I drove a Pinto. I shouldn't have. You know, I walk weird. Oh, you're gay. I'm not gay. I'm into chicks. And they put that thought in your head and you go, well, maybe I am gay if they think I'm gay. But I'm not into guys. I'm into girls. And then they put that thought in your head and once in a while you have a dream about it. And then it's really messed up. I'm wearing the San Fernando. But if I was gay, if I was gay, and I'm not, wouldn't you think there'd be guys coming out of the woodwork? Oh, yeah, I was with Brody. He touched me. Oh, I was with Brody. We made out behind the improv. I don't do that. I'm not. I'm into girls. I want to be with girls. Speaking of girls. Now, you know, because you're a famous comedian in Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle. Big city. You're a big city comic. I don't know about the South. Are you? I don't know. Maybe. Probably not. No. I mean, I wouldn't even say I'm famous. I would say most comedians know my name. So chicks dig you. It's not like I'm getting tons of emails and offers. I mean, I get girls on Twitter who will, you know, at reply me, but it's not like, hey, you're cute. I don't get that. I never get that. I don't get that. Well, Zach Galifianakis called you. He said you're the funniest comedian in L.A. He said L.A. or in the world. It was on the game show you did with him for comedy. Oh, that interview challenge. Yeah. He said you're the funniest in the opening credits. He said you're the funniest comedian ever or in L.A. Well, he's a smart guy and he sees that kind of he sees it, I guess. Interesting. Well, I see I see it like learning where I could be in the future if I take those steps. I am delusional. That's good. It looks like we're getting a call. How many? We're getting a call? Hello? Hey. Hey, this is Adam O. How may I direct your call, daddy-o? Who's this? Hey, Brody. This is Jackson. Jackson. From Kentucky. Hey, Kentucky. University of Kentucky. Enjoy it. Good friends with Coach Calipari. Go ahead. You seem a little nervous, Jackson. Oh, yeah. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm totally nervous. I'm fucking smoking weed. Try not to curse. Keep it positive. Listen to Brody Stevens. Oh, your accent's coming out. Your accent comes out when you smoke pot. I like that. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Is it? You know, I love comedy, and I love listening to podcasts, and right now I'm living in a small town, and I'm 18 and stuff like that, and I've always... You're 18? Yeah. Give me your date of birth. Huh? Date of birth. 93. Is that 18? Sounds like it. Go ahead. Just a fact check. What part of Kentucky do you live in? Pikeville. Eastern. Like, the eastern part of it. But, you know, I'm moving to Louisville, and I was just, you know, I was listening to you talk about how, you know, you shouldn't want to be... I always hear, you know, I always hear how you should go into comedy, and it's always, you know, you want to make people laugh, and it's always, you know, you don't want to be a star, and you don't want to go into it and be like, well, how do I make the big bucks? How do I make the real moolah? It's always, you know, it's always about, you know, wanting to make people laugh. Are you talking about yourself? Are you a comedian? Yeah, I am. Well, you know, I don't consider myself a comedian, because I don't really, you know, I try to make people laugh, but it's, you know, not always going well, and I'm not, like, doing it in front of people. I'm just in front of my friends. That's a start. You're 18. You're doing it. That's before. I was doing it. You got a head start on me. I guess so. I mean, you know, I, you know, I just, you know, I just wondered if, uh. Are you crying, Jackson? I feel like you're breaking down. Does it sound like that? A little bit. My voice is cracking. If you're going to be a comedian, you got to, like, have a stronger voice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So let's get, let's get to, let's cut to the chase. What do you want from me? You want to, you just want to talk about, like, comedy? Or you want some. Yeah, well, I, I kind of wanted to ask, uh, you know, if I wanted to get into comedy and, you know, I'm moving to, uh, the big city in Kentucky, which is Louisville. Louisville. Yeah. I'm going to, I'm going to Louisville. And I was wondering if, uh, I should try to start comedy there or if I should try to, I mean, like, you know, going to the improv or doing, like, doing the improv classes or if I should, like. I think you're good starting comedy in Louisville. It's not in New York. It's not a Boston. It's not even a Seattle. It's, uh, not an LA. I think, uh, that is a good start. So if you want to try comedy, if you feel like it's something you want to explore, I feel Louisville is not a bad place to do it. So you got to kind of take a workshop if you want. A lot of people will laugh and go, oh, why do you need a workshop? You know what? It's better than nothing. It gives you structure. Some people in New York might say, hey, I'm not. I'm not going to do a workshop. There's enough open mics around. Louisville, there may be one or two open mics. So a workshop would be good. Bottom line is, you know, if you're funny, you feel like you want to do it, and people say you're funny, give it a shot. That's what I say. You probably cut back on the pot a little bit. Well, you know, that means a lot. Even though it's, uh. Even though. You don't consider yourself, like, famous or anything like that. You know, like, just because you're somebody I've heard on a podcast or something like that, it means a lot to me. Do you know what movies I've been in? Maybe laugh. Can you name some movies that I've been in? I couldn't name a movie, but I could name a podcast. So I'm not famous. Who charted? You know, I mean, these podcasts, you know, I listen to them all the time and listen to them, like, you know, every day, and I'm kind of a loser. Because, you know, I feel like I'm a loser sometimes because I do it. But, you know, I'm. I still love these podcasts. I love listening to them. Are you. Are there cars driving by you right now? Are you calling from the freeway? Yeah. I'm like, you know, I live in a fucking. I live in. Can I cuss? You can cuss, but I wouldn't recommend it. Am I allowed to on Skid Row? You're allowed to. Yeah. You know, I. I just live in. I just live in bumfuck, Kentucky. It's just, you know, I'm right beside the highway. It's all these cars driving by. There's a train. A crazy announcer person that always talks about Coca-Cola or something like that every couple of seconds. It's weird. Well, here's the deal, Jackson. I want to say thank you for calling. I want to also say go to Louisville. Make that move. Take some workshops. I would say you're 18. I would say cut down on the cussing. Maybe dial back a little bit on the pot. I'm not saying quit pot, but dial back on that. Sound a little bit like Beavis and Bison. You might want to cut down on that a little bit. Other than that, you got a good attitude. And I want to say I appreciate for you for the call. It takes guts to call in. Who charted is a great podcast. I'm good friends with Howard Kramer. I spoke to him today. So I will mention that we got a who charted shout out. So thank you very much, Jackson. Adam. Thank you, Jackson. Can you release Jackson from the phone? Jackson, it's been a pleasure. Thank you. Can I say one more thing? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Rory Stevens, pilot of Energy. You got it, Jackson. I like that. Thank you. Nice. Because he could have left with like Baba Booey or something like that, but he didn't do that. Well, no, he mentioned that, you know, he said what movies you've been in. You've been in a ton of movies. You didn't know any. Well, exactly. That means I'm not famous. Well, that means that you are famous in a way that we don't know where you're famous. However, I think you're famous. It's interesting. I guess what he's trying to say is you're famous through the podcast. That's where he knows you from. Yeah. But you're famous also on the silver screen. Well, I wouldn't call myself famous. Okay. Well, what movies have you been in? Hangover 1, Hangover 2, Due Date, Cut Out of Funny People, I Am Comic on Showtime, Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic, non-speaking cameo. I've been on Tosh.0 a couple times, Chelsea Lately a few times, some other stuff, stand up here and there. I've been on Tosh.0 a couple times, a lot of podcasting. Podcasting's fun to do. You know, I don't look at, I don't get stopped on the street. Once in a while, people go, hey, you're funny, or, you know, I think you're, they like my stuff, but I don't get stopped like Zach does or, you know, other actors. I don't. We're getting a call. Another call? Hello. Hello. Hey, this is Adam O. Hey. Yeah, this is Matt from Denver. Hey. Oh, Denver. Yeah, right on. Manning, you got it. He tweets up, Stephen Brody Stevens. S-B-S, Mile High City, taking the 25 north to south. Ah, yes, definitely, buddy. Now, you know, it's like, it's pretty crazy, man. I actually learned about you from Joe Rogan Experience. J-R-E. And then I was like, and then once I looked at you, I was like, I've seen this guy in movies before. Are you serious? Yeah, like, I heard about you from Joe Rogan Experience. I had seen you do a couple of those. And you did the Ice House Chronicles. Yeah, well, I've been doing that a bunch. Those are fun to do. Yeah, man. And I was like, man, I've seen this guy before. Where have I seen him from? And then I was like, oh, he's the limo driver in Due Date. Yeah, I did that. And everything started clicking in. And yeah, thanks for the Mile High shout out in Due Date for the... Oh, yeah, because we were talking about... The New World Order airport. Yeah, weird stuff going on in Denver in the airport. Oh, totally. Do people talk about that there? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know what's weird about that? I have a college radio show. And I do, like, stand-up out here. I'm from Iowa. Uh-huh. So I moved out here. And I do college radio. And I actually was just reading a story about that on air, about that, where they have all the different things. And I've been there many a times. And, like, I remember, like, the worst one is, like, the painting of the guy wearing the gas mask. And he's standing over, like, the huddled children. Yeah, I've seen that. What's the deal with that painting? He's like the stormtrooper of death. I mean, what's the deal with that? Well, the reason I say that, they personally... There's some people out there that believe that, you know, when Denver originally did that in, like, 1989, they had a perfectly good airport in Stapleton. Uh-huh. And Stapleton's five miles from Denver. And this is 25 miles. So this thing was supposed to take, like, $1.5 billion. It ended up going three times over the budget. And it got extended by two years. So it took two years longer. And so people think, like, there's a giant bunker built under, you know, Denver International Airport. Is there? I don't know. I've been there a bunch of times. I personally think that the people who funded it are probably people who know about, like, all the different Illuminati, Freemason conspiracies. And they're just doing it just to mess with people. And if so, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard in my whole entire life. Well, that's a $3 billion joke. Oh, well, no. I mean, like, there's... The reason that it costs that much is because if you ever, like... You've, of course, done the DIA thing, right? Yeah, I've been through there. You know, when you have to take, like... Under, like, that kind of, like, a little subway thing that takes you out to the hangars or whatever. Yeah, it has a little ring. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Yeah, exactly. And I mean, it's a high-tech. It's a high-tech airport. Yeah, they got a great food court. Well, I'm just thinking that was more the cost of it. And plus, you never know. Do those government contracts go so high? And it's, like, local. But then it got funded privately. So I don't know. Does... So nobody knows? Isn't it easy to find out if there is a... I don't know. You know, Jeff even sure did one of those things on that show, Conspiracy Theories. But... He's crazy himself. He's kind of like a one-act show. He's kind of nutty. You know what I mean? In that where he's, like, you know, like, everything's, like, a huge mystery to him. He's, like, you're meaning to tell me. And you're, like, really, dude? You didn't know that? Like, you can't just, you know, march around demanding to know everything about everything. There are people who are just, like, dude, that's none of your business. I don't personally think it is. I mean, it would be fun if it was. But do I believe there's, like, a new world order? Well, obviously, there's a hierarchy. Yeah, the president's number one. Number two is Bill Gates. Number three is David Geffen. So, let me ask a question. What's... I bet you Peyton Manning knows. They'll tell him anything now. Oh, yeah, Peyton Manning. Yeah, going to the Donkeys. Is that... I'm not... The only Colorado team I actually watch is the Rockies. That's a good stadium. Yeah, it's pretty good. It's pretty fair. I like Denver because they give a lot of drug addicts another second chance at life. Oh, they do? Oh, yeah. Look at Birdman. He was a heroin addict. Kicked out of the... He was in the NBA for two years. He sells more jerseys than anybody else there. Oh, you're talking about the players. I was talking about people on the street. Yeah, the players. Yeah. No, I mean, like, as, you know, yeah, like that. And then also, they have Jason Giambi. He was on the juice. Yeah, he was. He was disgraced. And then he goes out there, and people cheer him. I mean, he's... Well, he's a good guy. He apologized, though. Yeah, I'm a Red Sox fan, and I'll even cheer for Jason Giambi when I see him at bat. Yeah. Well, he's a nice guy. You got to cheer him. Yeah, and I mean, like, the guy still, you know, can crank out some homers here and there. So, Birdman, he's still popular there? Yeah, he is. He sold a bunch of jerseys. I see a lot of dorks with Mohawks and jerseys. He's got the crazy tattoos. Yeah, he got rid of the Mohawk, though, this year, I think. Yeah, he doesn't have a Mohawk this year. How is the... You do comedy, you said? Yeah, I do. How's the comedy scene there in Denver? You know what? It's actually pretty good. Like, you know, Joe actually talks about it a little bit, and I wasn't shocked. I mean, he knows his stuff. He knows his stuff. But they do. If anybody listening that is in the area and wants to get started, easiest way to do it, Comedy Works Tuesday nights has open mic night, and you can start there. And I think your entry thing is that you got to get, you know, you got to do the typical thing where you got to call your friends and then tell them to come out and say they're coming to see you, and then they have to buy two things off the menu type deal. Yeah. But you get two minutes to start off, and then, like, after that, if you prove yourself, you get five minutes, you get ten minutes, and then, you know, you can wind up being, you know... You know, a headliner, and you can open up to some pretty cool people. I know the Improv is doing Future Legends of Colorado kind of night. I think there's on, like, a Tuesday or Wednesday, Rooster and Moon Coffee Shop, a little hipster alternative crowd. They have their thing. So there is a hipster community there in Denver. Oh, yeah. You can play a bunch of different bars that are doing comedy nights that are actually respectful. There are some that suck, that are totally horrible. Where, like, the people are there, of course, to drink, and then either, A, they heckle you, or B, it's to, like, no response. Right. I'll take a heckle. How dare they attack me? Well, listen, good call, good information on Denver. What's your name again? Because I don't have it in front of me. All right. Matt Ingritson. Well, it's the Devil Britson. It's Devil Britson on Twitter. I just actually retweeted that this was going on right now, that you guys are on air. So... Thank you. Hopefully somebody from my people trickle over and listen. It's great. It's great. All right, Matt. Thanks a lot. Adam Shankman, thanks you a lot. Steven Brody. Stevens, thanks you a lot. And our buddy on the highway. Stuck in Kentucky. Matt. What's his name? Stuart. Whatever his name was. Thanks you a lot. All right. So, Brody. All right. Later, Brody. You got it. All right. So, let's talk a little bit. So, Brody, we're on the Adamo podcast. So far, I want to be funny. We're getting a lot of cool, interesting calls about also people that want to be funny. We've got two calls. We've got two calls. There's probably more, but hold on. We'll hold off on the calls. Fair enough. We got through the warm-up. I want to come up with a catchphrase. Can you help me come up with a catchphrase? You seem to have many catchphrases. Yes. Yes. Positive energy. You got it. You know, when I started, I think I did not... You can't, like, make a catchphrase. You can't do it. It's almost like saying, I'm going to be famous in two years. I'm going to be a star. I'm going to have a catchphrase. You got to let it happen naturally. Nice. You know, I've learned comedy from doing it. You know, there's no... It's a secret. It's stage time. It's jokes. And it's being... And through that stage time and your jokes, you're going to get more confidence. You're going to get more comfortable. And out of that confidence and comfortability, your personality, your persona, your point of view, it's going to grow and come out. I used to beat myself up on stage. When I was in Seattle, I would have a few jokes that I still do today. And they wouldn't work. And I would beat myself up. I suck or whatever. And sometimes people would laugh and sometimes they wouldn't. But the bottom line, a lot of the comedians... And I would listen to... I was smart enough to listen to comedians who were successful. Not the ones that weren't successful, didn't have something of knowledge. Well, you got that going for me. I'm listening to you. I would listen to comedians and they would say, just keep doing what you're doing. Just keep doing what you're doing. And I knew that I had to put in at least six years of what I was doing. Stage time, open mics, getting on stage, public speaking. I was listening to... Public speaking? Oh, yeah. Yes. Why are you laughing? No, I'm just funny. Where did you do public speaking? Why are you laughing at public speaking? I'm not laughing at public speaking. I'm listening. Sorry, Greg. Okay, let me tell you. Okay. Let me tell you. I'm extremely shy. I don't get out in the... If you told me, Brody, go downstairs, scream out on the middle of the street and do something. Now, it's Skid Row. Nobody will notice. Well, I am a white guy, so they would. If you asked me to do that, it would make me nervous. I'm not a kind of guy who wants to draw attention to myself in public, like these punk shows or prank shows. I'm not into that stuff, which public... Not that that's a public thing, but catching my drift. I don't like to do it unless things are official. Sure. So, if you want to be a comedian, you got to learn to speak. And I was a baseball player, Arizona State. That's right. We would have to rag the other team, like, you suck, or nice pitch. But mostly, it was like cheering on your teammates. Let's go, buddy. Like, we would have players, like a guy like Jim Austin was number 11. Let's go, Jim Austin. Sticks, legs, let's do it. Ones, get on base. So, I would play off their names. I would play off their numbers. Let's go, two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Three. Need you. Dose. Trace. Whatever. So, I got... I started doing that. And then I remember we were at the College World Series, and I was a coach at that point. They brought me along. I was done playing, but they brought... I still had eligibility, and they brought me along to the College World Series. I remember one of the kids on the team said, younger kids go, Brody, you talk funny, or you look funny when you talk, or whatever. So, that got into my head a little bit, like in a positive way. And that's when I started... You know, people started mimicking me. Yes, simple, enjoy it. I'm just better than you. So, people started mimicking me. Then I went up to Seattle, and I felt like I needed to continue speaking. And for me to get a job where I'm not talking wouldn't be good. So, I got a job working for the Seattle Supersonics at their team shop. They had a team shop. I lived by the arena. And I would sell t-shirts during the basketball games. T-shirts, you got it, Supersonics. See, it was a structured environment at a basketball game. It wasn't easy, but I had to get out there and sell these t-shirts and sell these jackets. They gave me the discount table. So, I'd work the tunnel from the team shop to the key arena where the basketball team was playing. And I would sell the t-shirts. And I would public speak, and people would come out and go, I go, you know you want this t-shirt. It's a good deal, 20 bucks. I'll give it to you for $90. $98. Or something silly like that. And that helped my confidence. So, that helped it, public speaking. Then, I would do a cable access TV show with my friend, Tana Manu. And we would do a live show. And that was with cameras. That was with some preparation during the week. We would take phone calls. And that was also comedy without a net. Because you couldn't just sit there. You had to, you know, bring energy. So, you would do that. And then, I was also a waiter. I felt like being a waiter. I worked at Red Robin. Oh, that would be classic. It would be classic to have you as a waiter at Red Robin. Welcome to Red Robin. Can I start you off with a strawberry lemonade or a salad? So, or a fried refill. You got it. We'll get you a burger. Hold the cheese. Extra pineapple. Yes. Would you like a frozen something dessert? So, I would do that. I wouldn't speak like that. But I learned to speak in public. And I was listening to the Jay Leno, Leading With My Chin, audio book. And he said, learn to speak in public. Learn to speak. Learn to articulate. Learn to take any situation and get up there and talk. So, I had those my three years in Seattle. So, selling t-shirts at the basketball arena, waiting tables, cable access, and then stand-up comedy. But I felt like after, you know, three years, my stand-up comedy was suffering a little bit. Because I did the cable access show with Tana. And I felt like people only knew me for that. They didn't realize I did comedy. And it was hurting my character. It was hurting my confidence a little bit. I'd be on stage. And I felt like, you know what? I wanted to kind of do my own stand-up thing. And I always had this burning desire to go to New York City. Ever since I was a kid. I just always wanted to go. And Joey Diaz. Very funny. Joey Diaz. Mad flavor on the Joe Rogan and Beauty and the Beast podcasts. He said, Brody, you got to go out to New York. They will get you out there. Not that they didn't get me in Seattle. But I felt like I hit a certain level. And I wanted to go to New York. And he said, you'll go there and they'll get you. And there's this good scene there. And I went to Surf Reality, which is in the Lower East Side. It's a hipster scene. And I went there and they got me. They appreciated what I would do. I'd get up there and I would just talk. You'd get eight minutes. Seattle, you do an open mic, you get five minutes. And then occasionally you get to host a show. Or I did a couple featuring spots. So you skipped the whole LA. Open mic scene. Went to Seattle. Yeah. I actually, after college, after Arizona State, I took a couple acting classes. See, I played college baseball. That's a brutal environment. Especially when you're Jewish. Especially when you're goofy. Especially when you got a big nose. Especially when you have acne. Especially when a lot of things. I got picked on. And I went there. And I had a good arm. I was a good player in high school. Not a star. But I was good out in the valley. Did you want to be a star? Well, I wanted to play in the Mets. I wanted to play in the major leagues. I think everybody who plays high school and college wants to play in the major leagues. Well, it's the same thing for a comedian. They want to make it. They want to get their own show. What do you mean? I don't know. What do you mean? Well, you said. I don't think so. Just stop doing that, Adam. Okay, sorry. I'm trying to study the art of the growth of a comedian. Okay. And you said in two years, I'm going to quit a day job so I can make money at this. Well, who's to say. But if you're a ball player. But who's to say as a comedian you're going to make money with a TV show? Maybe you'll make it on a podcast. Maybe you'll make it being a commercial actor. Okay. Maybe you'll make it working conventions and doing funny stuff there. Okay. So you're saying. Okay. So the warmup is to just pretty much focus on reality. Don't be delusional here at the Brody Stevens School of Comedy, the Adam O podcast. And then you're telling me about the writing has to come through your real life experiences. Did I say that? But I'm feeling it. I can. So then how do you write a joke? Well, we're moving on to another topic all of a sudden. Who's to say. There's a teacher here. You are. Okay. I'm still in New York right now. I'm giving you my life story. And I appreciate it. And I shifted back. You know, I went to New York and you go, whoa, well, what about this? The open mic. Then I shifted back for you. Well, I never did well in school. And when I actually did listen to something, I was actually really into it. And I'll always remember this stuff for life. The things I'm into. Good. And plus it's on MP3. Yeah. Recorded. I have tunes. We have it for life. I would say for me. I went to Arizona State. I never for once thought I would be a comedian. I think in high school people thought it was funny. My coaches liked me. My teachers liked me. Other students like me. And they like getting a rise out of me and picking on me kind of. Somewhat that still happens now to this day. People like getting, you know, picking on me. Nobody has ever really been a true dick to me. I mean, a couple people. It's always out of like fun or lightheartedness. But I could be in like a weird mood and it kind of aggravates me. So, I knew that I had a personality at least in high school. But my confidence wasn't there. My self-esteem wasn't there. I mean, I had some issues as a child. Now, your confidence is at 100%? No. I mean, it's up and down. I have my good days. I have my bad. I have my good hours. I have my bad hours. But you don't fake it at all. You're as real as possible every time you meet somebody. What I mean by that is I oftentimes I exaggerate like my hello. I exaggerate like my hello. My goodbyes. My approaches. Because I'm excited to meet new people. And I don't want to show them, you know, who I really am. Which is probably really shy and no confidence. But you are excited to meet people and you're shy? Okay. I'm really excited with the approach. But realistically, I'm a little bit like a rain man when I meet somebody for the first time. So, I don't want to show them that. Why not? Give me an example of how you really are. Hey, it's nice to meet you. My name is Steven Brody Stevens. What's your name? Adam. Hi, Adam. Where are you from? Claremont, California. Oh, that's a cool place. They have schools out there. Claremont Mud. There's like nine schools, right? Yeah. See, it's boring though to me to be like that. Why? That's who you are. Okay. Can we move on? You're right. I just don't like to show that side. I'm an entertainer. Yeah. I understand that. You can entertain. But you want to kind of like remove the layers. Well, I'm... I mean, that's what they're going to teach you in acting class. If you want to be that star you talk about. Okay. Now... You take an act. Okay. Now... In acting class, you're going to remove those layers. Interesting. Hey, you're working on a TV show of your own right now, right? I have a pilot thing I'm shooting. Who doesn't? That's fantastic. And that's for HBO? Home Box Office. Wow. Fantastic. But that doesn't mean anything. Oh. I feel I don't... I'm not going to say I don't deserve it, but I have my doubts. That gets me stressed out because I don't have the thought process and the ability to complete things and see them through the whole process, the whole see it through like maybe other comedians with more confidence, more of a foundation, more of a success rate. Interesting. You know, it's not like I own property. It's not like I'm coming at this thing with a house already. I'm not... I don't have the car. I don't have the serious girlfriend. I don't have a child. I don't have other TV shows where I go, Oh, yeah. I've done another show before. This is what I want to do. So I have a lot of pressure on me. Not only just pressure in general, but pressure that I put on myself because I do think about things like that. It's not like I have, Oh, this guy, he's got... He's had three Comedy Central specials and people love him. He's going to be great on this. Oh, this guy has a million followers on Twitter and 500,000 followers on YouTube. He's great. I don't have that. So when somebody says, we're going to give you an opportunity for a show on a respected network, a respected... Oh, yeah. You know, I feel, you know, that's pressure because I feel like I don't... Not necessarily don't deserve it, but I don't know if I can complete the task. And, you know, I'm dealing with that on a daily basis. No. You have to lean on your writers, your producers, your friends, and also trust your abilities. Like, yes, I've done 2,000 audience warm-ups in front of celebrities, for celebrities, for big hosts. I've done thousands of stand-up comedy shows.