Warning to hecklers: Practice your infantile insults and trashy comedian bashing at a Joe DeRosa comedy show strictly at your own risk. The comedian has little patience for those unappealing, noisy folk whose mission is to upstage comics, as they practice their craft. This was one of many fun subjects we tackled during our SKYPE chat. Most importantly of all, DeRosa wants to get the word out about his engaging new comedy show, "indigNATION" at Comix Comedy Club in NYC. The event debuted on July 14th, with a second show next month on August 11th.
DeRosa's entertainment resume is an extensive one. He's appeared on Last Call With Carson Daly, Red Eye on Fox News, Showbiz Tonight on HLN, and in his own wonderfully hilarious Comedy Central Special. Last month, Joe appeared on my Blog Talk Radio show Deep Space to talk about Star Trek, and he was generous enough to set aside more time for me to chat once again.
How did the first (indigNATION) show go?
It went very well. It was the first time out, so we'll slowly build more of an audience, but we had a very nice sized audience. We were very excited about it, the audience was great, the comics were tremendous, everybody killed. The club was amazingly supportive and excited and enthused to develop this idea into the biggest thing we can develop it into. A lot of fellow comics came out to the show to support me. I was touched, it was a very nice experience.
Your earliest comic influences or memories? Who made a big comedic impact on you at an early age?
Earliest I can remember is Bill Cosby himself. That's the earliest memory of watching stand-up that I have. I remember sitting in my living room on the floor watching with my parents and I remember all of us laughing equally hard. When I became a comedian, I looked back on that and started to learn about how effective is your comedy, how accessible is it, you know - blah blah blah - then when you get into those factors, you think, well I want it to be accessible, but I don't want it to be broad, those are two different things.
When I look back, I think, How could this guy write such brilliant material that has such a wide span? That's so hard to do. For it to be so quality and so accessible at the same time. You usually don't see that. It's usually either very smart and it caters to a very particular audience, or it's really dumb and everyone seems to like it... To be smart and to have a wide reach, that's amazing, and it's of course why Bill Cosby is Bill Cosby.
The most crucial one was George Carlin's "Doing It Again" - when I saw that, it was a really profound moment for me in comedy fandom. That was when I started to get really curious to do it and most importantly it wasn't about the jokes for me. I was so blown away that this guy could get on stage and voice his opinions. That was when I first really started to entertain the idea of doing it, and if I did do it, how I would want to do it.
Who do you admire most working in comedy today?
I really look up to Dave Attell. To me Dave Attell is the funniest person who's ever lived. Literally, nobody has ever made me laugh so hard. It's been cool getting to know Dave. He was on the show (indigNATION) the other night. Patton Oswalt is another guy who I really really admire, and who I also have had the privilege of getting to know and to work with, who has been very kind and generous to me and supportive. These were guys I looked up to before I did comedy. To come to a point where you finally work with and meet them and become friendly with them, and when they help you out, that's an amazing thing. I'm not mentioning them because I've worked with them, I just really admire them. Bill Burr, I say without any bias, he's one of the best comedians in the world. He's an amazing comedian. Finally Dave Chappelle. Every time I see him, Jesus Christ, this guy really knows what he's doing. Those are guys that I watch and get - to a degree - legitimately depressed. I so admire what they do, and I'm such a fan of their work. I think they're so good, that I get a little sad when I watch them, cause this is a level I can't comprehend. It's inspiring and makes you want to work harder.
Do you feel there are any subjects that are off limits - that you can't joke about?
No, I don't think so. I think anything you can make funny, you should make funny. Look... It's all in the delivery, all in the presentation. Some people will go, 'You can never make a pedophile joke ever!' I don't agree with that. I've heard a lot of funny pedophile jokes. I've also heard a lot of pedophile jokes that are crass and offensive to an audience. I don't really find anything offensive, somebody's words... unless it's directed at me personally or about my family. It's pretty hard for me to watch somebody and say, "That's offensive." Offensive to me should be reserved for like "Hey, I heard your mother died in a car crash and I think that's hilarious." It's all presentation.
In the same vein - Sacha Baron Cohen. Many say his new movie 'Bruno' is homophobic. What do you think?
Well they said things about Borat, that it was offensive to people from foreign countries, making immigrants look stupid. It's a group of people who need to complain because if they don't they don't get funding or they don't have a job anymore. What are you supposed to do? This is what kills me. Anytime you make a character, and that you are mocking that type of character, all people see is that you're mocking that. You're not mocking that, you're doing a funny character that comes from that walk of life.
What are you supposed to do, only make fun of people who are atheist, middle American straight white males? I talked about this the other night at the show. For example: The Sopranos. I'm Italian and I was never once offended by The Sopranos. For years, Italian groups, or anti-defamation leagues said it made Italians look bad. They (The Sopranos) portrayed one part of Italian culture people care about. Nobody wants to see seven people sitting around the table on a Sunday saying grace and eating lasagna. The joke being, this is why they don't make movies about Polish people, because they don't kill each other. You see movies about Italian gangs, Irish gangs, Black gangs, this is what people find interesting. It's what people want to see. That said, I don't think there should be a free for all on any culture or race, with people making step and fetch it type shows which demean ethnic groups. Am I going to get mad that Woody Allen continually portrays Jewish people to be... as mildly neurotic, New York City socialites? No. It's an interesting part of his culture that he exposes us to that I enjoy watching. I don't think anything is off limits. I think it's all in presentation. Criticism should come in a constructive way. I have no tolerance for hecklers at all.
Really? Interesting. Would you want them thrown out? Want would you do with them?
Yes. I have no tolerance for it. You came to my show. Or you came to a show that a bunch of us are a part of. And we will do the show. You sit there and you watch it, and if you don't like it, then walk out. And tough shit. I have never seen the audacity... the audacity that I have seen in the clientèle, in certain clientèle, most of the people who come to comedy clubs are truly great and it's fun, but I've never seen the audacity in certain people who come to comedy clubs. You could never in a million years go to a Broadway show and heckle--
You read my mind, absolutely, read my mind...
Yeah, like talk on a cell phone during the show, be completely shit faced where you can't stand up. You would never do any of those things period. Don't do it at my show. I don't like it. I have no tolerance for it.
Howard Stern left terrestrial radio for Sirius satellite radio where he has no limits on his speech. Some say it makes him less relevant. Your feelings?
It's your own guidelines, it's very personal. I can't speak to whether he has lost his edge or not, I don't listen to radio, but I know tons of guys who still listen to Stern and love him every bit as much as they ever did.
I'll say this, I go on Opie & Anthony all the time, and they can do and say whatever they want, and I've never once been on the show and said to myself, "Man! They're really mailing it in right now. They're being lazy." It's nice to have the liberty to speak freely like you would in a club. It's the same challenge you face in a comedy club. Anybody can say anything they want in a club. There are guys who go on stage and do total shock humor, and basically try to shock and be completely disgusting and you will react from the mere shock of it all, and they won't try to write any harder than that, but most guys don't. Most guys still try to push themselves to be good comics.
I feel disgusting... if I go up and do too much sex humor, or whatever. I feel bad about myself after. I feel like I've cheated myself, you know?
That's quite honest of you to reveal, like it was too easy?
Yeah and sometimes I'll be a little at a loss of how to end my show. I will say, "Is there anything anybody wants to talk about?' And almost without fail, sex is the first thing to be suggested. At the same time, when I first started doing comedy, I thought sex was the funniest thing, because everyone could relate to it.
Talk about indigNATION. Why is it important to you? Is it something you brainstormed around for awhile?
It's an idea I had for awhile. It was actually based on what Patton Oswalt said to me after a show. He said, "You should have a show where people just give you things like products and you tell them why they suck!" So I developed it into a thing about different aspects of the culture. I wanted to do a radio show at first. So I called Patton and asked him if I could use it, and he was thrilled he could light the fuse of inspiration. So I broadened it up a bit and presented it to Bill Burr as an idea for our first radio show. At first, he said it's too much, he said, "I don't want to be known as the two angry guys." Comix Comedy Club then asked me to produce a show, and I went back to the basic premise, and I toyed with it, and I felt it didn't 't have to be hate, but just has to be something strong about pop culture. So why does pop culture get such a reaction from an audience? Why do they get such a reaction about someone like Michael Jackson? I see people boo and cheer Michael Jackson. OK, so I thought pop culture is so much more relevant in our culture, all these levels come up, so basically it turned into a show where the audience writes topics on pieces of paper. And then the comics come out and give their honest and raw opinion on these topics, like ranting. I've always loved ranting.
Then in the end, audience members come up to gauge how well the comedians did. Also it becomes way more of an open discussion and it discourages hecklers because now the audience is part of the discussion. Pop culture really influences us as a culture and I do believe television can be harmful, but not in the traditional way. What bothers me is when I turn on these reality TV shows or these magazine clips shows, 15 minutes of fame grabbers, glorifying a complete lack of ethics and morals. I'm an atheist, but I do have morals. It's people with blood lust for the prize. But getting back to indigNATION, it's not all such important stuff, it's like "Do you like poking on Facebook?" It can be that light.
Do you still ever get nervous before going on stage to perform?
Sometimes I do feel a bit nervous. I'm hosting a comedy show called The Candy Janes Show at Comix. It's a burlesque show, and I sing at some points during it, and there are sketches we do. And I also have to keep an audience entertained who's rabidly hungry for half naked women. There are elements there that make me very nervous. Sometimes I get a little anxious, if I can't quite figure out how I want to start. I definitely still get nervous on TV sometimes.
Any news topic or news reporting in general you'd like to comment on?
As much of a Michael Jackson fan as I was, I don't think I can take the coverage anymore. I don't understand why this is still on television.
Larry King has essentially transformed himself into the Michael Jackson network!
What the fuck is going on man? This is why I don't get into the political arguments. I don't care. I am not a political guy. But it really kills me. I constantly hear people say "Fox News is evil." And then you go, "So is CNN!" and they go "It's not the same!" But it is. I go on both networks. I go on CNN to do ShowBiz Tonight and on Fox to do Red Eye and I love both shows, but I just wish that serious news shows on those channels would just stop shooting arrows at each other and just report the damn news.
Like the classic Honeymooner's sketch - Chef Of The Future - what's in store for DeRosa of the future?
I'm now in the process of pitching TV show ideas. I want to get this indigNATION show going with as much steam as I can, because I've always wanted to have a unique NY live show, with a unique forum for performers and the audience. I'll be recording my music CD in early fall, so I'm excited about that. My comedy album I'll be recording in the fall as well. My primary focus is trying to take what I do on stage and take that to the next level. I'd like to do movies as well.
By Brent Lang, The Wrap
Does this mean it's curtains for "FlashForward"?
The ABC supernatural drama logged its worst ratings yet on Thursday, but the network's other heavy hitters, "Greys' Anatomy" and "Private Practice," recorded strong numbers against stiff competition from CBS' "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" and "The Mentalist."
FLASHFORWARD TO CANCELLATION: ABC dramas performed reasonably well despite being weighed down by "FlashForward." "Grey's Anatomy" was No. 1 in the 9 p.m. timeslot with 10.7 million total viewers and a 3.7/11 in the key 18 to 49 demographic. "Private Practice" drew 8.3 million viewers and a 2.8/8 demo score. "FlashForward," though, was down 19 percent from last week, attracting 4.7 million viewers. Among adults 18 to 49, the series drew a 1.3/4.
SORTA MUST SEE TV: Though it beat Fox's "Bones" (2.5/8 demo, 8.88 million viewers) and "Fringe (2.2/6 demo, 5.85 million viewers), NBC's comedy block was dwarfed by ABC's dramas and "Survivor." Holding steady were "Parks & Recreation," with a 1.9/ 6 and 4.1 million viewers overall, and "30 Rock," with a 2.7/7 and 5.6 million total viewers. "Community" (2.0/7) saw a modest 5 percent bump in the key demo and 4.5 million viewers overall. "The Office" (3.5/10, 6.8m) slipped slightly, but managed to tie "Grey's Anatomy" for first place in the demo. At 10 p.m., "The Marriage Ref" (2.2/6) had its highest score in the key demo since April 1 and drew 5 million viewers overall.
PARTY LIKE A CASTAWAY: CBS won Thursday for the eighth consecutive week. "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" (4.0/13, 12.8m) was the night's top program in 18-49, while "The Mentalist" was tops in total viewers (3.3/10,14.7m). "CSI" (3.0/9, 14.7m) also won its 9 p.m. hour
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I’ve watched South Park for years, and have watched other Comedy Central programming more occasionally, believing until recently that it provided a cutting-edge environment for satire. Unfortunately, the network has now caved twice to radical Islamist terrorism, once in 2006 and again last month, in two episodes of South Park that skewered major religious figures while censoring the satire of Trey Parker and Matt Stone on Mohammed. Instead of staying out of religious satire altogether, the brave souls at Viacom have apparently green-lit a new series that will poke fun at Jesus … again:
Comedy Central might censor every image of the Prophet Muhammad on “South Park,” yet the network is developing a whole animated series around Jesus Christ.
As part of the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers (full slate here), the network is set to announce “JC,” a half-hour show about Christ wanting to escape the shadow of his “powerful but apathetic father” and live a regular life in New York City.
In the show, God is preoccupied with playing video games while Christ, “the ultimate fish out of water,” tries to adjust to life in the big city.
“In general, comedy in purist form always makes some people uncomfortable,” said Comedy Central’s head of original programming Kent Alterman.
Yes, Kent Alterman, you’re quite the brave individual for making “some” people uncomfortable. Those would be the “some” people who won’t issue threats of violence for your satires. Comedy Central and Viacom have no appetite for making some other people uncomfortable — the very people who would not waste a moment in shutting down Comedy Central if given the opportunity.
South Park takes an honest approach to satire by skewering everyone equally. They lost a major cast member when they satirized Scientology, and no doubt have had complaints from many groups about their portrayal of Jesus, Buddha, Joseph Smith, Lao Tze, and other religious figures. But one never got the sense that Parker and Stone had it out for any one group because their satires ran the entire gamut, at least until Comedy Central began censoring them.
And even that would have been understandable — had CC made the decision to avoid religious satire altogether. Instead, they’re launching a new effort to parody Christianity while imposing the rule of radical Islamists on satires of Islam. There’s a word for the kind of people who only pick fights with no risk whatsoever: pussies.
Update: I agree with The Anchoress on this one:
As a Christian, I am unoffended by this move. The Triune God has awfully big shoulders; he can take it.
It is Comedy Central that betrays the tiny fragility that lies behind its strut.
I am embarrassed for them.
Offended? Not really. It’s more like utter contempt for their blustery cowardice.
Update II: The Verum Serum headline sums it up: “Comedy Central: Unlike Mohammed, Jesus a Constant Source of Amusement.”
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