First off, can you let us know what new projects you’re working on?
I have a new book coming out on November 14 called Cracking Up – it’s a companion piece to the one man show I’m taking on the road next year. It’s a reflection on my 25-plus years in Hollywood – the weird stuff that went on behind the scenes. These are reflections over my career – the memories gestated over time and when the hamster wheel stopped – after multiple strikes in 2023 – I figured I should start writing about all those projects – those weird things that happened over my career.
At first I thought it would make for a good show – then I thought it would make for a good book too.
How did you decide on what to include and what not to – how far to go without upsetting colleagues you worked with?
My own conscience to a certain degree. I’m on my fourth book now – I know I’d probably sell more books if I trashed people but I’m not that kind of person. My first book, I called people that I included in the book – I didn’t wan them to be nervous. I showed them what I was writing so I avoided that.
This time, if I thought they may not want their name in the book, I didn’t ask them. I just didn’t use their names.
I wrote complimentary stuff too, of course. But I’m semi-retired now so if I piss Netflix off, so what I guess!
How do you decide what to include in general?
Some stories work better in prose. I’ll take to a few cities to work on it – Boston, Pittsburgh, the Midwest and L.A. to see the reception of it. My batting average has been good so far over the years.
As a writer and comedian, is there one you prefer more?
I was a comic first but I enjoy it all. I like this form more than commentary now – the storytelling more than straight stand-up. I’ve done clubs for years and my tolerance for baby-sitting drunks at clubs has gone down now though. I like working in theaters more now – there’s less drunks and the ones that are there are high-class drunks!
I do enjoy it all – writing books and being on stage. I like the fact the books are out there forever. But I also like it when I write jokes – when Dennis Miller nailed the jokes I wrote for him I enjoyed that. I like all the creative aspects.
I still have friends who that like to go on stage in front of 20 people for an hour. It’s just not for me. I don’t put it down at all though – heck Jay Leno did it for years. It’s just interesting to see the different outlets.
And now, there’s such disarray in Hollywood – you don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not anxious to throw myself into all of that right now.
Speaking of disarray – how hard is it for comedians today in this political/cultural climate?
It’s not good – I write about it in the book. I think it’s swung too far – I’m glad we all want to be kinder but you can’t joke about anything now. I don’t like censorship from the right or left. I want people to be able to talk about anything. Years ago it used to be the right that seemed to censor people more, not it feels like it’s coming more from the left. I’m all for free speech – especially for comedians. If you’re offended you can always change the channel.
I have a friend who tells brutal jokes about the Catholic church. He asked me if I found one offensive and I said “Yes.” But I told him I wouldn’t say not to do it- it was funny. I just wouldn’t want to listen to it. Who should be the arbiter of what’s offensive and what’s not? I wrote for Dennis Miller and we did a show in 1998 on whether America was losing its sense of humor.
What are some of the weird experiences you talk about in your book?
I have some good stories on working with Bob Saget, Michael Bublé, production companies getting arrested for embezzlement, the Academy Awards, Dennis Miller, the ESPYs and more!
One good one is at the ESPYS’s, I was talking to John Madden and Al Michaels as they were getting their makeup done. I was checking in with them to see if the script was good and picking their brains about football. When they left the makeup woman said they were so nice, and asked me who they were. I tried to explain to her who Al Michaels was – “Do you believe in miracles?” She said “Yes, but who is he?” So that was a funny moment – I had to explain that was his call on TV. I tried to explain who John Madden was and finally asked her “Do you know the Madden video game?” She said “Oh! That’s him?”
Stepping back – how did your career get started?
I talk about that in my first book. I knew in grade school that I loved comedy. Robert Klein then was my favorite comic – for some reason I knew I could make people laugh. Even in high school at Upper St. Clair I was making parents and teachers laugh.
When I was at Upper St. Clair I figured I would be a writer and a comedian on the side. I did some standup in high school and then went to school at Ohio State. My first day there I saw an ad for an open mic contest – that was convenient! I won the contest – that was in the 80s when comedy clubs were booming.
So I did more standup and saw an opportunity to make a living. I came back to Pittsburgh after I graduated from Ohio State and did standup at the Funny Bone. Dennis Miller was the big name then. He was very encouraging. I remember in his Dennis Miller voice him telling me that “You have a very bright future.” He didn’t say present – I wasn’t ready yet. But he didn’t seem like a guy to throw out idle compliments.
I didn’t see Dennis after that for while – he went to New York and did SNL and I went to Boston to do standup. Then after a while he came through Boston for his show and asked for me to open for him. I did well there I guess.
After that Dennis got an HBO show and asked me if I could write topical stuff. I was a road comic and didn’t write stuff then that would go away in a week, but I said yes and ended up writing jokes that he liked and did well for the show.
After that people asked me to write for other sitcoms like the Drew Carey Show and Melissa & Joey. Soon after I met David Steinberg who’s Robin Williams’ manager – he linked me up with Billy Crystal and Louis Anderson, who I became good friends with. Things kept coming after that.
As a Pittsburgh guy and sports fan- any Pittsburgh sports memories stand out to you?
I never shifted allegiances as a sports fan. I’ve always been a big Pirates, Steelers and Penguins fan. When I was 10 I saw Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit – I went to the game with my mother and sister. That’s about as big as it gets. I’ve seen a lot of games and love all the teams. Though I’m a Buckeye so I differ there from Pitt and Penn State fans!
How do you think growing up in Pittsburgh has influenced the work you do?
Here’s a story to answer that question. I worked with Norm Steinberg on a show with Bob Saget – Norm wrote Johnny Dangerously, contributed on Blazing Saddles and was the lead writer for the Crispy Show. He was a New York guy but went to law school in Pittsburgh.
Norm told me back then that “You Pittsburgh guys work so hard.” I think that helps answer that. I think people from Pittsburgh are hard-working, earnest people. My now ex-wife noticed when we came back to Pittsburgh how friendly people from Pittsburgh were. I like life in Pittsburgh better than L.A. – versus the big city – but I wouldn’t trash big city life. It’s just big city, big problems.