August 11, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode of Comedy Saved Me, join our host Lynn Hoffman as she dives deep with comedy powerhouse Rich Vos. His decades of laughter have shaped the comedy landscape and he continues inspire us with his authentic look at the world.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Comedy Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
If you're going to use drugs and alcohol, you know,
oh it makes me more creative. That's a little shit.
Shut up, you know you're just the disease of alcoholism
and drug addiction will tell you anything to keep you active.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome back to Comedy Saved Me, the podcast where we
dive deep into the healing power of laughter and the
stories of comics who have turned pain into punchlines. I'm
your host, Lynn Hoffman, and today today's guest is a
true legend in the world of stand up. He is
a comedians, comedian, a podcasting pioneer, and a man who's
wit is literally as quick as his comebacks. He's so fast,
(00:45):
I don't know how I'm going to be able to
keep up with him. You've seen him on Last Comic Standing,
def Comedy Jam, and Comedy Central, among others. He's the
co host of the brutally honest and always hilarious My
Wife Hates Me podcast, and he's been making audience his
laugh for over four decades. But he doesn't even look
it that old. But behind the razor sharp jokes and
(01:09):
legendary roast battles, Rich Voss has a powerful story of resilience, recovery,
and the redemptive force of comedy. And today we're going
to talk about how comedy became his lifeline, the highs
and loads of his journey, and what it really takes
to survive and thrive in this business. So sit back,
get ready to laugh, and maybe even you know, cheer
(01:29):
up a little bit, grab the tissues as we welcome
the one and only Rich Voss to Comedy Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Hi, Hi you for me. I have to make a
couple of corrections on the intro s ry, let me
get a pen. Okay, First of all, last comic Standing
was twenty five years ago. Let it go, okay, Imy
Central is the thing in the past. No one does
it anymore, so newer credits recently was Shart on the
(01:58):
Joe Rogan podcast, a regular on The Godfelt Show, as
a new special on Amazon called Rich Loss Anonymous doesn't
do the podcast anymore. That's done after eleven years, thank god.
And what else that's good for now? But last comic
(02:18):
I'm gonna help you because he seems so nice. Thanks,
get rid of Comedy Central for anybody. Okay, that's my
mailman did Comedy Central. That's almost an insult when people
recognize when they say Comedy Central because they're done, last
(02:38):
comic standing done. Don't use that for anybody, Okay, and
you know, I guess we're good from there. And I'm
not being mean. I'm just trying to help from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
No, but you should. I mean, first of all, Rogan huge,
and second of all, I saw you recently on Got Felt,
so I know. I mean, then that's the number one
show at late night, So you're absolutely right, and I
stand corrected. I can't believe I even left that out
to begin with.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm so sorry, Sorry you made a mistake or ever,
I just have to update my bio. It's also my mistake.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
But that's all right. We're of a certain age because
I used to work on a channel that's no more
as well called VH one, So if that's still even
out there, no one even knows what that used to be.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
What are you like? Thirty two thirty two years old?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
No double fives? In July fifty five, Get downie here. Yeah,
didn't you do a little bit of opening Anthony for
a while?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It did it for years? Yeah, So I.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Was working in morning radio at the same time you
were no Where and building Boston and New York.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Boston. Who are the guys I doing Boston? Chuckh or
and Rich or something.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Or this is going back a bit, but it was
John Lander.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I did that show there. Yeah, then the other guy
went to jail and he Died's that touch on? Rich
Mark Correno? Oh yes, yes, yep from Boston. I'm a
big fan of Boston. Good.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Did I just go up in your like good check
off listed.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
The second I saw you, you went up in my
Oh I buy you a better house? Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Get you out into berks here? So whatever they call them, No.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I love it here, believe me. I'm I'm very happy
to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is that your studio down there?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Wait for people? Yeah? Do you see your name in
the big screen over there?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah? But like, why do you have all those seats?
You have that many people?
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Well, occasionally I have had guests, but mainly when we
don't in studio. But when we don't have guests, we
like to have like little parties in here. And so
that's the game night table. Wow, we have family.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And party game night. That's you know when you're getting older,
when you have game night. Yeah, that's when you're done.
That's when you go, all right, we're stuck together.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What are we going to do?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Game night?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Well, it's that or pickle fest.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, or you can become swingers and then explore other
options around the area. I don't know. I've never done it,
but I just figured that's an auction. I've never done it.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
All right, Well, i'll let you know if we start,
if we look into that, I will tell you. Wait,
I get a call Rich.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I'm kind of creepy. I shouldn't have said that. That's
all right, you know, I'm just looking out for you
and whoever.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Well you're you're I appreciate that a lot.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
You need to know. What do you mean? Am I
coming off mean? I hope I'm not mean. When I
told you different credits.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
No, because they're all relevant. I feel I'm going to
redo the intro based on what you told me, and
I'll make sure that we edit that in because it's
way better. I mean, you can't. It's obvious that you've
had an illustrious career, but it's far beyond what we mentioned.
And no, you didn't come off as mean at all.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I tried to.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
All Right, Well, I want to ask you a question
or two or three, But I want to start, I
really do want to start off with your roots and
sort of your inspirations. What first drew you to stand
up comedy back in what was the eighties? And who
were some of your biggest influences?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
What drew me because I failed at everything else? You know,
as a kid, you know, maybe nine years old in
fourth grade, I used to come home and listen to
this comedy album Von Meeterer. He did the impressions of
John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. The album was called First Family.
His career was over after the Kennedy each were assassinated.
(06:43):
I went from Park Avenue to park bench. I mean,
he was the hottest comic then just done. I mean
nobody wanted to, you know, hear him do impressions of
two people they loved that were assassinated. Right home from school,
listen to that album every day in fourth grade, nine
(07:04):
years old, and then later on in life, just realize
you're just covering the pain of your parents' divorce and
your father never being there, and you know, how do
I deal with this as a fourth grader coming home
to a cleaning lady or that my mother couldn't afford
kind of a babysitter, clean and pertect. You know, we
(07:26):
chased everyone away, my brother, my sister, and I because
none of them, you know, we're all just angry young
kids that we're just mean. So I come home and then,
you know, throughout life you would listen to comedy. Next
thing you know here I.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Am, well, Jed's a millionaire, you said. Next thing, you know,
I couldn't help myself.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I wish, I wish. I I'm getting clothed. If I
if I sold everything, including my sneakers, I'd get close.
But right, you know, in life you have to realize
what you know. You look at people. I look at
people in my business selling out arenas multi millionaires, you know,
(08:14):
TV specials, Netflix, Amazon, and then I have to think,
in life, I have enough. I already have enough, you know.
And once you can almost get comfortable with having enough,
whether it be family, friends, materialistic goods, sobriety, whatever you have.
(08:41):
Once you realize this enough, you don't have to fight anymore.
So I'm close to that. I'm pretty close to knowing
I have enough. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yes? Absolutely? I feel like whatever is enough, whatever your
version of enough is that should be good for you,
whatever it is, whether it's do you want to be
a billionaire or you just want to live a peaceful
life somewhere in the mountains and you know, work out
of a barn or in your bedroom.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
In your case, my wife's bedroom is so much nicer,
but she has two rooms in her bedroom.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You have separate bedrooms.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, I come in late and snore, and we have
a big house, and it's so much easier, you know,
instead of her waking me up every night on your snoring.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You know, I understand that.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Well, it's not like we touched each other. So what
the fuck?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh my gosh, you've cited when you were growing up
classics from the Ed Sullivan Show as some of your influences.
What did you learn from some of those early legends
that you still use today in your in your act?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Can you remember, No, I remember, I remember when I
would watch Ed Sullivan and see like Alan King or
I can't even remember. I would stay with my father
because that was one of the nights or weekends he
would come home. So what I remember is that and
(10:10):
watching the comic. You know, but then after you get older,
you know he's gone, right, married or whatever, and then
you just grow up, you know, listening to prior Eddie Murphy,
those were I guess the two comics I listened to mostly,
as you know, probably in my twenties, you know, and
(10:34):
then I when I started a comedy, there was my favorites.
But I you know, I was horrible. When I started comedy,
I was still partying and getting high and doing drugs.
So I think I did that for like two years
and then went to put myself in rehab. And I've
been sober ever since thirty nine years, so probably my
(10:55):
first two years or three years was horrible. I was
just whatever, doing whatever I could to get money to
get high, you know. And then I get out of
rehab and when my life starts coming together at some point,
you know, it doesn't happen overnight. But I'm not doing
what I was doing. I mean, you know, I was
(11:18):
a wild man or a wild guy or person or
kiss nuts, you know, and comedy was a quick fix
where you'd get your money that night and you could
go out and party and get high that night, you
know what I mean. Like it was I didn't have
to wait till Friday get my paid check. Corp Saturday, Thursday.
(11:39):
You know, I do a getting on Tuesday, get paid.
Next thing. You know, I'm in New York buying drugs.
So eventually that caught up to me and boom, and
now I have three daughters, three grandkids, another kid on
the way. There's six people on this planet because I
(12:00):
don't get higher day at a time, because I would
have never met my wife or ex wife. You know
how the world works, I mean how things work in
mysterious ways. Yeah, you know your past. You know it's
I guess planned out through whatever. You know, You're You're
where you are when you're supposed to be there. But
(12:22):
if I never if I was still partying, I wouldn't
have married these people, and it wouldn't be my daughters
or grandkids. You know what I'm saying. Absolutely, it's kind
of it's kind of weird. You know when when somebody
has a miscarriage or something happens, then they get pregnant
maybe seven months later, then you have those kids. Well,
(12:44):
those kids will never been here if that person didn't
have that miscarriage. Do you see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Oh, yeah, there's definitely a higher power.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It would it would be a whole different whatever outcome
in life. So it's kind of like when you have
game night.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I just want to go on record that that's only
happened a couple of times with family. It just looks
nice with four chairs and yeah, I like, I'm all
the director's chairs, so why not.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Right, it looks good.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Thanks. I do believe everything happens for a reason one
hundred percent. And you know, I wouldn't be here if
my life didn't go the way that it went either,
And I never would have expected to be here talking
to you, you know, on a on a zoom, getting
to interview some of the most the biggest legends in
(13:34):
comedy and music. But obviously whatever I did to get
here got me here. So I agree with you one
hundred percent. Plus, there's there's definitely something larger than all
of us at the Helm. There's got to be, So I.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Agree with the biggest musician or that one your favorite
at you like, I'm sure radio you know you did
your worked with a lot of musicians. I guess yes.
On this podcast, have you had musicians?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah? I have another podcast called Music Saved Me, so
we have musicians on and people in the music industry.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Any famous people a few.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, we've had on Jelly Roll and Wainona and Pat
Monahan of Train and I just had on Oh gosh,
there's so many of them. We've probably have done well.
I don't even know how many we've done, but a lot.
I mean, it's been about two years, but we are
number one in the music interview category on Apple Podcasts.
(14:37):
So that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I say we because the incredible guy that you met
when we first started chatting, Buzz, we've been We've known
each other for pretty much thirty years. He was what
do I say, the C suite in radio in Boston,
but also came up as an on air personality in
New York.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
I don't think his real name is Buzz.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I think it might. Well, we have to ask him
when he comes back on. Oh no, I think that's
a good radio name though.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Right I think he's on the LAMB. Might be on
the Lamb.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You'll be right back with more of the Comedy Saved
Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Comedy Saved Me Podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I have to talk to you about this because I
read this about you and I was like, wow, this
is kind of cool. You sort of broke some barriers
in your career, so you don't seem to give yourself
enough credit about that part of it. But back in
ninety five, you actually became the first white comedian on
the def Comedy Jam, which I watched all the time.
(15:47):
How did that opportunity come in and what was running
through your mind? I want to know right before you
took the stage, if you can remember, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
I mean, it was nerve wracking, no one's ever do
you know a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Look, I had two daughters. I had to work to
whatever clubs I could, whether it was typical white rooms
or urban rooms or mixed rooms, whatever it took, I did.
And then I did you know, some of the urban shows.
It was easy for them to pick me to do
(16:21):
it because they knew who I was deep bookers and
people running the show. But it was very, very very
nerve wracking, very scary because you know I was. They
taped five nights a week in New York, the whole
season a tape. You know, I was the fifth night,
(16:42):
second show, second to last, So I heard of everybody
in town doing well, not doing well. You know, people
that were still in town came to watch the taping.
That year, they had a bunch of different hosts every episode,
Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, My guy was Steve Harvey. They
(17:03):
had a different host so some of the hosts were
still in town Jamie Fox and I knew everyone. But
when there's a lot of them in the audience and
it's the last show, oh my god, of the tapings
all week and I'm second to last, there's a lot
of built up pressure, and black comics are mad that
(17:26):
I was doing it and they weren't doing it. Some
of them white comics were like, well, you gotta be
good because you're the first. It was. It was a
lot of pressure. It was very and then the clothes
I wore. There they go Russell Simmons, whose show it was,
wants you to wear his clothing line. So they got
me in fat Farm clothing, which is an urban clothing line,
(17:51):
and I walk out. I mean, I look back on it,
I mean, this is what thirty years ago. I mean
I was, and I pandered more to the audience I
was working to back then, but that's what I knew
thirty years ago, So I mean it's kind of cool.
I mean, I've done so many weird things. You know.
(18:12):
I hosted Woodstock ninety nine, one of the stages.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
You know, when it was on fire.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yeah, I wasn't on that stage. I was on another one,
a big one, the West stage. That was the East stage.
You know. I roasted Trump in a rows years ago,
you know things. I did a show once outside the
Washington Monument. It was a stage and it was a
drug awareness event and Cheryl well, what's his name from
(18:44):
Arrowsmith was the lead, the main guy, Steven Tyler. He
wasn't doing Arrowsmith songs. He was doing like I don't know,
countries or whatever other songs he does. Cheryl Crow was
on it, the spand the Fray or whatever. Yeah, and
like I don't know, and all these local bands, and
(19:05):
it's outside the Washington Mountain. There's fifteen thousand people, and
I'm hosting and on big screens, you know. So I've
had so many cool different things happen. You know. Two
years ago, I did the four shows on Burke Chisier's tour,
the Opie and Anthony tour, you know, hosting these big events,
(19:27):
you know, and and every time you still walk out
nervous as hell, I bet, you know, there's certain clubs
I get nervous at just for the first ten seconds.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Well, once you know that you've got them in the
palm of your hand and they're they're laughing, does that
sort of take all of that away, and and then you're.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Sort of you come out and get a lap. You know.
I'm hosting in a couple of weeks we do this
benefit for Patrise O'Neill's family. This is the twelfth year
I'm hosting it. I host it every year, Billy Burgh
closes it. And every year I walk out going, oh,
I got to do something different in the last twelve years,
(20:11):
and it's nerve wracking. And then you walk out and
you go, oh shit, I've already done this eleven times.
I mean, but in your head, I was going, oh,
this is the one I fall apart on or you know,
I don't know, yeah, you know it's and if you
say you walk out totally a nightmare, everybody forgets the
(20:32):
other eleven shows you did great at.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Right, because you're only as good as your last show, so.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
We remember that one. Yep, every year I walk out
with such anxiety, you know, and whatever, Wow, it always
walks out. Everything always works out.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
But I always thought that about comedians. You know, with musicians,
it's easy. You know, everyone knows the songs, they're ready
to sing along, you've got them right at the beginning.
But comedians, you have to reinvent yourself almost every single
time you take the stage, unless it's you know, an
audience of people that listen to your comedy album and
they know what word for word.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, they don't want to see you know. You go
to see the Rolling Stones, you know, you want to hear.
Gimme shelter, you want to hear, you know, whatever I
say to their own stones. That's how old I am.
Who would you go with the Rolling Stones? Are the Beatles?
If you have to pick.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
If I had to pick, oh gosh, well I've seen
the Stones, so I have to go with the Beatles.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Okay, you saw the Stones.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
The Voodoo Lounge kickoff at Foxboro Stadium. I think it
was like somewhere in the nineties.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Oh that's good. You saw them when they were they
could walk.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, So listen. You've been a mainstay in comedy for,
like I hate to say it, forty years.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
How do you keep your material fresh and relevant? Because
the world is changing exponentially faster than you know, even
just ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Well, I mean you try to keep writing stuff, like
you know coming up when I mean, I am seven albums?
Do I need an A an eighth album? Do I
just coast? Do I do the best of? And I
could do an hour or show of just crowd work
without doing material if I wanted to, So I add stuff.
He had stuff, And I mean, I'm working on an
(22:16):
eighth shorter album of crowd work. Like my wife fifteen
years ago said, oh, you got to do a crowd
work DVD or CD. I got that's too easy. Now
everybody's making careers out of doing crowd work on which
I was doing for twenty twenty five years. And I'm
not saying I'm the best. There's very, very great crowd
(22:37):
work comics, you know, Big Jay and Bobby Kelly, Bonnie
mccarthe a lot of them, David all like tons of
good CrowdWork comics. So I'll put out that with like
clips maybe, And I don't know, I don't know. I
mean I've been doing this forever.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
What's your what's your process for new material? I mean, like,
how do you know when a bit is definitely when
you go, oh, yeah, I'm doing that one. That's going
to be honest stage.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I don't know until I do it.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Do you test any about out, like on your family
or friends.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
No, I don't have friends.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Oh okay, that's smart.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Actually no, I just you know, either comes from ad
libbing on stage. I go, that would be a good thing,
you know. Yeah, well, I will do something. I write
down two words on my phone and I try it.
You know, it just comes along. I mean I forget
a lot. I got tons of I got seven, I
got forty years a crap.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Where do you keep it all?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
I try to keep it here, But I mean I forget.
I forget, you know, dumb things. And I for the
other day, I forgot my wife's phone them. I couldn't
think of her phone number. Has that ever happened to you?
Or you can't think of a phone number?
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Okay, that's either a brain fart, a senior moment, or
your rolodex is just too full and you couldn't find
the the right Yeah, but that has happened to me
a lot lately.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Oh, it's happened to you, Joe.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Oh all the time. I can't think of people's names
that I've spoken for fifty years.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's the worst. I won't I won't look sumped it
up until I figure it out. I'm not going to
let it win.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Oh, I don't even have Alexa. See nothing answered. I
don't have any of the robots I want. The only
thing I like them for is timers, you know, when
I'm making eggs. Yeah, But other than that, I don't
want to know the answers like that. I want to
figure it out.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
We're still having babies me. Yeah, you said making eggs.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Oh no, not those kind of eggs. Oh, you know what.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
I don't look hell, what easier life is. You come
down to your studio, you and the other couples do
what you guys do. I don't know. It's none of
my business. When the lights go off up in the
birch hears or whatever.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I want to delve a little bit into something that
you brought up earlier when we were talking about your
personal journey and your journey through recovery. You've been really open,
obviously about your recovery, and you've been sober since eighty seven,
which I want to say congratulations, because I do know
that sobriety has a shelf life of typically five years,
(25:12):
so to go as long as you have is an
incredible show of willpower and stamina and obviously worked hard.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Well, it's not really willpower surrendering, right. I never heard
us statistic five years. I heard one out of thirty three,
make it. I didn't know it was a five year run.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
I learned that about my dad. He was a Green Beret,
so he had a lot of issues with PTSD and
it led to some alcohol and drug abuse. But later
on in my life he kept it together until we
all moved out and went to college. So I remember
someone telling me that I had such a higher I
(25:54):
don't know. My ideals about my dad went up like
exponentially when I realized how strong and he was to
make it so long sober.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Wow, that's cool. So yeah, yeah, No, I'm addicted to
anything that makes me feel good, instant gratification. One bird
feeder outside my window when I drank coffee made me
feel relaxed. Now I have five bird feeders outside my window.
Very cool, because I thought it would make me feel
five times as good as the one bird feeder. Did
(26:27):
you know it's just a mentally insane.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I love that any hummingbird feeders out.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There, I don't know. I just buy bird feeders. Whoever
comes can eat.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Okay, Well, because the bird, the hummingbird, you have to
put like sugar water in it. It's a little different
than the other.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I'll go buy one of those today.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
How has sobriety shaped your comedy in your life?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Well, I mean there's bits I do about where I was,
where I'm at. It's it's shaped my whole life. I mean,
it's given me a life. How can you can't have
a life being addicted to it? I was doing to
Being addicted to anything will interfere with anybody's life. So
how's it giving me a life? I like I said,
(27:10):
I have three daughters, a wife, an ex wife, I
get along with grandkids and one on the way. You know,
I'm a giganic house looking at my in ground pool.
That's all the materialistic should I have. I listen, I
hit the bottom liners, I'd be dead. I was on
the path I was going, I'd be in jail or dead.
(27:30):
So it's the life has given me was not being dead.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Did you ever worry about losing your edge when you
got sober to do comedy?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
First of all, I was only doing comedy for like
two years when I was active, So I stunk no
matter what, whether I was doing it or not. I mean,
how good was I at two or three years? Okay,
if you're going to use drugs an alcohol you know,
oh it makes me more creative. That's bullshit. Shut up.
(28:06):
You know you're you're just the disease of alcoholism and
drug addiction will tell you anything to keep you active.
I'm better in bed, I'm more creative, you know, I'm stronger.
It's all bullshit. You're either a social drinker or an alcoholic.
(28:29):
Just once you cross that fine line, there's no turning back.
So if you're saying your edge just because you drink
or get high, that's ridiculous. It's like over overweight comics
don't want to lose weight becausehifter actors talk about being
fat a lot of them. So you're going to have
(28:50):
a heart attack. You're going to die just so you
could tell a joker too, you know, you know it's uh.
You can't use your your addiction is because you are
an addict, or you're an alcoholic, or you're an overeater,
(29:10):
or you're an underreater, or you're a gambler. You know,
whatever you are can be. Listen. I gambled too much,
you know my main you know, Listen, I'm addicted. I
buy shit on Amazon. I don't need. I'm not perfect.
I'm not getting high a day at a time. But
believe me, I have a lot of shit to work
(29:32):
on in life, and I'm old.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
You'll still be working on it the rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Probably, yeah, yeah, yeah, unless I hope that.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Do you remember a time when making people laugh helped
you through a particularly tough time in your life.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
I'm not making it laths, just going to work. You know,
there's times I had major anxiety in life where it
was bad. When I was twenty one, I wasn't a comic.
When when I was forty it was really bad. Luckily
I got through through it with a good therapist. I
kept working because I was ready to go. I got
to I got to stop this. You know, everything passes.
(30:09):
It all passes, good times, bad times, it all. You
look at a heart monitor goes up and down. You're alive,
straight across your dead. Everything passes, anxiety, king clouds, feeling good,
feeling shitty. Try not to react in those moments. You know,
(30:31):
and just accept them. It's easier for me to say,
but a lot of times I do it. A lot
of times I don't. I try not to get mad
at traffic. It's out of my control. I guess I
have no tolerance or patients with my wife. If she,
you know, didn't bug me so much, things would be great.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Oh my goodness, Well that was great advice. I was
going to tell you up until that part, you've worked
on a lot of things, and you've worked with a
lot of legends, and you've also mentored up and coming comedians.
What do you think is the most important lesson that
young comedians need to learn today? If you could pick one.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Be funny, that'd.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Be kind of important.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well that it doesn't have to be important now. Now
was important is how many followers you have on Instagram chicktok.
Half of them aren't funny, but they're selling out clubs.
And you know, it's a different world. It has nothing
to do with quality now, it's quantity. And you know
(31:36):
older comms going this is crazy this person's headline and
they stink, and most of them do. But clubs have
to keep their doors open. But they got to draw.
There's a fine line between comedy club or YouTube club, right,
you know there's a fun line. So what you know,
it's a quick fix that you keep these clubs keep
(31:58):
bringing in these TikTok or internet sensations. I know a
club these whole line says internet sensation. Internet. It's a
quick fix and it never works. It'll come back to
want you Talent always exceeds bullshit. You know, if you
have those members and the talent, well you're really lucky.
(32:22):
But I think talent should become first. Clubs used to
fill their rooms because they had great shows. Now they're
trying to fill their rooms because you know, someone knows
how to wash a car with their teeth. I don't
fucking know.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Whatever, It's true, No, you're you're right. It's a very
interesting time that we're all living through right now. It's crazy,
and I suspect it's going to get even crazier in
the next three to five years with the whole AI
thing and things that are going to happen that we
just can't even comprehend. But with your hindsight of all
(32:58):
of these decades of doing this, you're able to see
these patterns and things that you know, a lot of
people don't have the opportunity to the up and comers,
and they would be very grateful for someone like you
to give them good advice. And I you know, you
kind of talk like my dad, did, you know, just
very matter of fact to the point. If you want
to be a comedian, be funny, I mean, what else
(33:20):
is there? But we'll be honest, yeah, authenticity, Yeah, I
mean what else?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
I mean? Should you want to be a juggler? Know
how to juggle?
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Are there any moments backstage are on the road that
you had all of these years that stand out especially,
you know, that were formative for you or hilarious that
no one would ever know and that you want to
spill the beans on with me.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
I was working Reno during like the It was I
think a porn convention. I was making out with two
girls at once backstage and they were all they were
both tends and it was a dream come true.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Oh my god, Oh my god. I don't know that
I could imagine that would stand out.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Obviously, I don't remember it. I don't think that happened.
I think I just made that up. I don't know
when I've had so many fun times backstage on we
did our tour, Creeps with Kids, Me, Bobby Kelly, Jim Florentinea,
Ron Bennington. We had some funny moments backstage, and just
(34:28):
been years and years of fun moments, and there's also
been moments of you know, like, what am I doing here?
You know? Why am I at this place? You know?
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Yeah, I understand it.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
You got to pay your bills.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Your recent special, Rich Boss Anonymous. Yeah, it was filmed
at Narcotics Anonymous at a convention. What was unique about
that performance?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Well, no one's ever done that. Obviously I didn't show
the audience because it was a twelve step convention. Well,
my backdrop is so cool, the beginning, the editing. My
wife did the intro directed it. It's so cool. It's
I mean, I taped it a while ago, but we
just put it up. But no one's ever done it
(35:15):
what I did, you know, And it's it's pretty cool.
I talk about Ricy, you know, I talk about some recovery,
some you know, regular stuff, and it's it's just cool.
It looks it shot very well. Amazon Rich for was Anonymous.
You know. The guy that introed me, who did the
warm up, you know, went on to warm up, was
(35:37):
Tim Dillon, who is a major star now what he was.
He was the warm up act and he's the one
who introduced You could hear his voice. But he's so funny,
so funny. It's so weird. I've seen people just explode
in this business. Explode.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
I have longevity and respect from my peers, and I've
always done well. But I've seen comics They're like, what
the hell?
Speaker 1 (36:07):
What are some new specials and projects and goals that
you want to hit before you hit the checkout counter?
Coming up?
Speaker 2 (36:14):
For Rich Voss, I guess one of my goals is,
you know, gay night at your house?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, You're welcome anytime.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
So I'm driving to that area. What's a goal to
or a gaiety on the golf course? I've done it before,
shoot the seventies. Get my game back if I sound
out of it, because I'm exhausted from traveling. But I
just was very exciting. You could tell that I was
very excited.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I could see it.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
You had great questions.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Well, thanks, I appreciate it, Rich Rich Boss, thank you
for joining me on comedy saved me and thanks for
your sage, advice and wisdom. And I would you wish
you nothing about the best in the future, and if
you ever want to come to game Night anytime, come
on bye. I'll leave a light on for you.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Okay, Red Roofs, thank you for having me.
Comedy Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
If you're going to use drugs and alcohol, you know,
oh it makes me more creative. That's a little shit.
Shut up, you know you're just the disease of alcoholism
and drug addiction will tell you anything to keep you active.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome back to Comedy Saved Me, the podcast where we
dive deep into the healing power of laughter and the
stories of comics who have turned pain into punchlines. I'm
your host, Lynn Hoffman, and today today's guest is a
true legend in the world of stand up. He is
a comedians, comedian, a podcasting pioneer, and a man who's
wit is literally as quick as his comebacks. He's so fast,
(00:45):
I don't know how I'm going to be able to
keep up with him. You've seen him on Last Comic Standing,
def Comedy Jam, and Comedy Central, among others. He's the
co host of the brutally honest and always hilarious My
Wife Hates Me podcast, and he's been making audience his
laugh for over four decades. But he doesn't even look
it that old. But behind the razor sharp jokes and
(01:09):
legendary roast battles, Rich Voss has a powerful story of resilience, recovery,
and the redemptive force of comedy. And today we're going
to talk about how comedy became his lifeline, the highs
and loads of his journey, and what it really takes
to survive and thrive in this business. So sit back,
get ready to laugh, and maybe even you know, cheer
(01:29):
up a little bit, grab the tissues as we welcome
the one and only Rich Voss to Comedy Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Hi, Hi you for me. I have to make a
couple of corrections on the intro s ry, let me
get a pen. Okay, First of all, last comic Standing
was twenty five years ago. Let it go, okay, Imy
Central is the thing in the past. No one does
it anymore, so newer credits recently was Shart on the
(01:58):
Joe Rogan podcast, a regular on The Godfelt Show, as
a new special on Amazon called Rich Loss Anonymous doesn't
do the podcast anymore. That's done after eleven years, thank god.
And what else that's good for now? But last comic
(02:18):
I'm gonna help you because he seems so nice. Thanks,
get rid of Comedy Central for anybody. Okay, that's my
mailman did Comedy Central. That's almost an insult when people
recognize when they say Comedy Central because they're done, last
(02:38):
comic standing done. Don't use that for anybody, Okay, and
you know, I guess we're good from there. And I'm
not being mean. I'm just trying to help from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
No, but you should. I mean, first of all, Rogan huge,
and second of all, I saw you recently on Got Felt,
so I know. I mean, then that's the number one
show at late night, So you're absolutely right, and I
stand corrected. I can't believe I even left that out
to begin with.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm so sorry, Sorry you made a mistake or ever,
I just have to update my bio. It's also my mistake.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
But that's all right. We're of a certain age because
I used to work on a channel that's no more
as well called VH one, So if that's still even
out there, no one even knows what that used to be.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
What are you like? Thirty two thirty two years old?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
No double fives? In July fifty five, Get downie here. Yeah,
didn't you do a little bit of opening Anthony for
a while?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
It did it for years? Yeah, So I.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Was working in morning radio at the same time you
were no Where and building Boston and New York.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Boston. Who are the guys I doing Boston? Chuckh or
and Rich or something.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Or this is going back a bit, but it was
John Lander.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I did that show there. Yeah, then the other guy
went to jail and he Died's that touch on? Rich
Mark Correno? Oh yes, yes, yep from Boston. I'm a
big fan of Boston. Good.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Did I just go up in your like good check
off listed.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
The second I saw you, you went up in my
Oh I buy you a better house? Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Get you out into berks here? So whatever they call them, No.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I love it here, believe me. I'm I'm very happy
to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is that your studio down there?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Wait for people? Yeah? Do you see your name in
the big screen over there?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah? But like, why do you have all those seats?
You have that many people?
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Well, occasionally I have had guests, but mainly when we
don't in studio. But when we don't have guests, we
like to have like little parties in here. And so
that's the game night table. Wow, we have family.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
And party game night. That's you know when you're getting older,
when you have game night. Yeah, that's when you're done.
That's when you go, all right, we're stuck together.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What are we going to do?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Game night?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Well, it's that or pickle fest.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, or you can become swingers and then explore other
options around the area. I don't know. I've never done it,
but I just figured that's an auction. I've never done it.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
All right, Well, i'll let you know if we start,
if we look into that, I will tell you. Wait,
I get a call Rich.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I'm kind of creepy. I shouldn't have said that. That's
all right, you know, I'm just looking out for you
and whoever.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Well you're you're I appreciate that a lot.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
You need to know. What do you mean? Am I
coming off mean? I hope I'm not mean. When I
told you different credits.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
No, because they're all relevant. I feel I'm going to
redo the intro based on what you told me, and
I'll make sure that we edit that in because it's
way better. I mean, you can't. It's obvious that you've
had an illustrious career, but it's far beyond what we mentioned.
And no, you didn't come off as mean at all.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I tried to.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
All Right, Well, I want to ask you a question
or two or three, But I want to start, I
really do want to start off with your roots and
sort of your inspirations. What first drew you to stand
up comedy back in what was the eighties? And who
were some of your biggest influences?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
What drew me because I failed at everything else? You know,
as a kid, you know, maybe nine years old in
fourth grade, I used to come home and listen to
this comedy album Von Meeterer. He did the impressions of
John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. The album was called First Family.
His career was over after the Kennedy each were assassinated.
(06:43):
I went from Park Avenue to park bench. I mean,
he was the hottest comic then just done. I mean
nobody wanted to, you know, hear him do impressions of
two people they loved that were assassinated. Right home from school,
listen to that album every day in fourth grade, nine
(07:04):
years old, and then later on in life, just realize
you're just covering the pain of your parents' divorce and
your father never being there, and you know, how do
I deal with this as a fourth grader coming home
to a cleaning lady or that my mother couldn't afford
kind of a babysitter, clean and pertect. You know, we
(07:26):
chased everyone away, my brother, my sister, and I because
none of them, you know, we're all just angry young
kids that we're just mean. So I come home and then,
you know, throughout life you would listen to comedy. Next
thing you know here I.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Am, well, Jed's a millionaire, you said. Next thing, you know,
I couldn't help myself.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I wish, I wish. I I'm getting clothed. If I
if I sold everything, including my sneakers, I'd get close.
But right, you know, in life you have to realize
what you know. You look at people. I look at
people in my business selling out arenas multi millionaires, you know,
(08:14):
TV specials, Netflix, Amazon, and then I have to think,
in life, I have enough. I already have enough, you know.
And once you can almost get comfortable with having enough,
whether it be family, friends, materialistic goods, sobriety, whatever you have.
(08:41):
Once you realize this enough, you don't have to fight anymore.
So I'm close to that. I'm pretty close to knowing
I have enough. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yes? Absolutely? I feel like whatever is enough, whatever your
version of enough is that should be good for you,
whatever it is, whether it's do you want to be
a billionaire or you just want to live a peaceful
life somewhere in the mountains and you know, work out
of a barn or in your bedroom.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
In your case, my wife's bedroom is so much nicer,
but she has two rooms in her bedroom.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You have separate bedrooms.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, I come in late and snore, and we have
a big house, and it's so much easier, you know,
instead of her waking me up every night on your snoring.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You know, I understand that.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Well, it's not like we touched each other. So what
the fuck?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh my gosh, you've cited when you were growing up
classics from the Ed Sullivan Show as some of your influences.
What did you learn from some of those early legends
that you still use today in your in your act?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Can you remember, No, I remember, I remember when I
would watch Ed Sullivan and see like Alan King or
I can't even remember. I would stay with my father
because that was one of the nights or weekends he
would come home. So what I remember is that and
(10:10):
watching the comic. You know, but then after you get older,
you know he's gone, right, married or whatever, and then
you just grow up, you know, listening to prior Eddie Murphy,
those were I guess the two comics I listened to mostly,
as you know, probably in my twenties, you know, and
(10:34):
then I when I started a comedy, there was my favorites.
But I you know, I was horrible. When I started comedy,
I was still partying and getting high and doing drugs.
So I think I did that for like two years
and then went to put myself in rehab. And I've
been sober ever since thirty nine years, so probably my
(10:55):
first two years or three years was horrible. I was
just whatever, doing whatever I could to get money to
get high, you know. And then I get out of
rehab and when my life starts coming together at some point,
you know, it doesn't happen overnight. But I'm not doing
what I was doing. I mean, you know, I was
(11:18):
a wild man or a wild guy or person or
kiss nuts, you know, and comedy was a quick fix
where you'd get your money that night and you could
go out and party and get high that night, you
know what I mean. Like it was I didn't have
to wait till Friday get my paid check. Corp Saturday, Thursday.
(11:39):
You know, I do a getting on Tuesday, get paid.
Next thing. You know, I'm in New York buying drugs.
So eventually that caught up to me and boom, and
now I have three daughters, three grandkids, another kid on
the way. There's six people on this planet because I
(12:00):
don't get higher day at a time, because I would
have never met my wife or ex wife. You know
how the world works, I mean how things work in
mysterious ways. Yeah, you know your past. You know it's
I guess planned out through whatever. You know, You're You're
where you are when you're supposed to be there. But
(12:22):
if I never if I was still partying, I wouldn't
have married these people, and it wouldn't be my daughters
or grandkids. You know what I'm saying. Absolutely, it's kind
of it's kind of weird. You know when when somebody
has a miscarriage or something happens, then they get pregnant
maybe seven months later, then you have those kids. Well,
(12:44):
those kids will never been here if that person didn't
have that miscarriage. Do you see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Oh, yeah, there's definitely a higher power.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It would it would be a whole different whatever outcome
in life. So it's kind of like when you have
game night.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I just want to go on record that that's only
happened a couple of times with family. It just looks
nice with four chairs and yeah, I like, I'm all
the director's chairs, so why not.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Right, it looks good.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Thanks. I do believe everything happens for a reason one
hundred percent. And you know, I wouldn't be here if
my life didn't go the way that it went either,
And I never would have expected to be here talking
to you, you know, on a on a zoom, getting
to interview some of the most the biggest legends in
(13:34):
comedy and music. But obviously whatever I did to get
here got me here. So I agree with you one
hundred percent. Plus, there's there's definitely something larger than all
of us at the Helm. There's got to be, So I.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Agree with the biggest musician or that one your favorite
at you like, I'm sure radio you know you did
your worked with a lot of musicians. I guess yes.
On this podcast, have you had musicians?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah? I have another podcast called Music Saved Me, so
we have musicians on and people in the music industry.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Any famous people a few.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yeah, we've had on Jelly Roll and Wainona and Pat
Monahan of Train and I just had on Oh gosh,
there's so many of them. We've probably have done well.
I don't even know how many we've done, but a lot.
I mean, it's been about two years, but we are
number one in the music interview category on Apple Podcasts.
(14:37):
So that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I say we because the incredible guy that you met
when we first started chatting, Buzz, we've been We've known
each other for pretty much thirty years. He was what
do I say, the C suite in radio in Boston,
but also came up as an on air personality in
New York.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
I don't think his real name is Buzz.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I think it might. Well, we have to ask him
when he comes back on. Oh no, I think that's
a good radio name though.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Right I think he's on the LAMB. Might be on
the Lamb.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You'll be right back with more of the Comedy Saved
Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Comedy Saved Me Podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I have to talk to you about this because I
read this about you and I was like, wow, this
is kind of cool. You sort of broke some barriers
in your career, so you don't seem to give yourself
enough credit about that part of it. But back in
ninety five, you actually became the first white comedian on
the def Comedy Jam, which I watched all the time.
(15:47):
How did that opportunity come in and what was running
through your mind? I want to know right before you
took the stage, if you can remember, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
I mean, it was nerve wracking, no one's ever do
you know a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Look, I had two daughters. I had to work to
whatever clubs I could, whether it was typical white rooms
or urban rooms or mixed rooms, whatever it took, I did.
And then I did you know, some of the urban shows.
It was easy for them to pick me to do
(16:21):
it because they knew who I was deep bookers and
people running the show. But it was very, very very
nerve wracking, very scary because you know I was. They
taped five nights a week in New York, the whole
season a tape. You know, I was the fifth night,
(16:42):
second show, second to last, So I heard of everybody
in town doing well, not doing well. You know, people
that were still in town came to watch the taping.
That year, they had a bunch of different hosts every episode,
Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, My guy was Steve Harvey. They
(17:03):
had a different host so some of the hosts were
still in town Jamie Fox and I knew everyone. But
when there's a lot of them in the audience and
it's the last show, oh my god, of the tapings
all week and I'm second to last, there's a lot
of built up pressure, and black comics are mad that
(17:26):
I was doing it and they weren't doing it. Some
of them white comics were like, well, you gotta be
good because you're the first. It was. It was a
lot of pressure. It was very and then the clothes
I wore. There they go Russell Simmons, whose show it was,
wants you to wear his clothing line. So they got
me in fat Farm clothing, which is an urban clothing line,
(17:51):
and I walk out. I mean, I look back on it,
I mean, this is what thirty years ago. I mean
I was, and I pandered more to the audience I
was working to back then, but that's what I knew
thirty years ago, So I mean it's kind of cool.
I mean, I've done so many weird things. You know.
(18:12):
I hosted Woodstock ninety nine, one of the stages.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
You know, when it was on fire.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yeah, I wasn't on that stage. I was on another one,
a big one, the West stage. That was the East stage.
You know. I roasted Trump in a rows years ago,
you know things. I did a show once outside the
Washington Monument. It was a stage and it was a
drug awareness event and Cheryl well, what's his name from
(18:44):
Arrowsmith was the lead, the main guy, Steven Tyler. He
wasn't doing Arrowsmith songs. He was doing like I don't know,
countries or whatever other songs he does. Cheryl Crow was
on it, the spand the Fray or whatever. Yeah, and
like I don't know, and all these local bands, and
(19:05):
it's outside the Washington Mountain. There's fifteen thousand people, and
I'm hosting and on big screens, you know. So I've
had so many cool different things happen. You know. Two
years ago, I did the four shows on Burke Chisier's tour,
the Opie and Anthony tour, you know, hosting these big events,
(19:27):
you know, and and every time you still walk out
nervous as hell, I bet, you know, there's certain clubs
I get nervous at just for the first ten seconds.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Well, once you know that you've got them in the
palm of your hand and they're they're laughing, does that
sort of take all of that away, and and then you're.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Sort of you come out and get a lap. You know.
I'm hosting in a couple of weeks we do this
benefit for Patrise O'Neill's family. This is the twelfth year
I'm hosting it. I host it every year, Billy Burgh
closes it. And every year I walk out going, oh,
I got to do something different in the last twelve years,
(20:11):
and it's nerve wracking. And then you walk out and
you go, oh shit, I've already done this eleven times.
I mean, but in your head, I was going, oh,
this is the one I fall apart on or you know,
I don't know, yeah, you know it's and if you
say you walk out totally a nightmare, everybody forgets the
(20:32):
other eleven shows you did great at.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Right, because you're only as good as your last show, so.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
We remember that one. Yep, every year I walk out
with such anxiety, you know, and whatever, Wow, it always
walks out. Everything always works out.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
But I always thought that about comedians. You know, with musicians,
it's easy. You know, everyone knows the songs, they're ready
to sing along, you've got them right at the beginning.
But comedians, you have to reinvent yourself almost every single
time you take the stage, unless it's you know, an
audience of people that listen to your comedy album and
they know what word for word.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, they don't want to see you know. You go
to see the Rolling Stones, you know, you want to hear.
Gimme shelter, you want to hear, you know, whatever I
say to their own stones. That's how old I am.
Who would you go with the Rolling Stones? Are the Beatles?
If you have to pick.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
If I had to pick, oh gosh, well I've seen
the Stones, so I have to go with the Beatles.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Okay, you saw the Stones.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
The Voodoo Lounge kickoff at Foxboro Stadium. I think it
was like somewhere in the nineties.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Oh that's good. You saw them when they were they
could walk.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, So listen. You've been a mainstay in comedy for,
like I hate to say it, forty years.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
How do you keep your material fresh and relevant? Because
the world is changing exponentially faster than you know, even
just ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Well, I mean you try to keep writing stuff, like
you know coming up when I mean, I am seven albums?
Do I need an A an eighth album? Do I
just coast? Do I do the best of? And I
could do an hour or show of just crowd work
without doing material if I wanted to, So I add stuff.
He had stuff, And I mean, I'm working on an
(22:16):
eighth shorter album of crowd work. Like my wife fifteen
years ago said, oh, you got to do a crowd
work DVD or CD. I got that's too easy. Now
everybody's making careers out of doing crowd work on which
I was doing for twenty twenty five years. And I'm
not saying I'm the best. There's very, very great crowd
(22:37):
work comics, you know, Big Jay and Bobby Kelly, Bonnie
mccarthe a lot of them, David all like tons of
good CrowdWork comics. So I'll put out that with like
clips maybe, And I don't know, I don't know. I
mean I've been doing this forever.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
What's your what's your process for new material? I mean, like,
how do you know when a bit is definitely when
you go, oh, yeah, I'm doing that one. That's going
to be honest stage.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I don't know until I do it.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Do you test any about out, like on your family
or friends.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
No, I don't have friends.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Oh okay, that's smart.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Actually no, I just you know, either comes from ad
libbing on stage. I go, that would be a good thing,
you know. Yeah, well, I will do something. I write
down two words on my phone and I try it.
You know, it just comes along. I mean I forget
a lot. I got tons of I got seven, I
got forty years a crap.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Where do you keep it all?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
I try to keep it here, But I mean I forget.
I forget, you know, dumb things. And I for the
other day, I forgot my wife's phone them. I couldn't
think of her phone number. Has that ever happened to you?
Or you can't think of a phone number?
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Okay, that's either a brain fart, a senior moment, or
your rolodex is just too full and you couldn't find
the the right Yeah, but that has happened to me
a lot lately.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Oh, it's happened to you, Joe.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Oh all the time. I can't think of people's names
that I've spoken for fifty years.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's the worst. I won't I won't look sumped it
up until I figure it out. I'm not going to
let it win.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Oh, I don't even have Alexa. See nothing answered. I
don't have any of the robots I want. The only
thing I like them for is timers, you know, when
I'm making eggs. Yeah, But other than that, I don't
want to know the answers like that. I want to
figure it out.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
We're still having babies me. Yeah, you said making eggs.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Oh no, not those kind of eggs. Oh, you know what.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
I don't look hell, what easier life is. You come
down to your studio, you and the other couples do
what you guys do. I don't know. It's none of
my business. When the lights go off up in the
birch hears or whatever.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I want to delve a little bit into something that
you brought up earlier when we were talking about your
personal journey and your journey through recovery. You've been really open,
obviously about your recovery, and you've been sober since eighty seven,
which I want to say congratulations, because I do know
that sobriety has a shelf life of typically five years,
(25:12):
so to go as long as you have is an
incredible show of willpower and stamina and obviously worked hard.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Well, it's not really willpower surrendering, right. I never heard
us statistic five years. I heard one out of thirty three,
make it. I didn't know it was a five year run.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
I learned that about my dad. He was a Green Beret,
so he had a lot of issues with PTSD and
it led to some alcohol and drug abuse. But later
on in my life he kept it together until we
all moved out and went to college. So I remember
someone telling me that I had such a higher I
(25:54):
don't know. My ideals about my dad went up like
exponentially when I realized how strong and he was to
make it so long sober.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Wow, that's cool. So yeah, yeah, No, I'm addicted to
anything that makes me feel good, instant gratification. One bird
feeder outside my window when I drank coffee made me
feel relaxed. Now I have five bird feeders outside my window.
Very cool, because I thought it would make me feel
five times as good as the one bird feeder. Did
(26:27):
you know it's just a mentally insane.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I love that any hummingbird feeders out.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There, I don't know. I just buy bird feeders. Whoever
comes can eat.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Okay, Well, because the bird, the hummingbird, you have to
put like sugar water in it. It's a little different
than the other.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I'll go buy one of those today.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
How has sobriety shaped your comedy in your life?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Well, I mean there's bits I do about where I was,
where I'm at. It's it's shaped my whole life. I mean,
it's given me a life. How can you can't have
a life being addicted to it? I was doing to
Being addicted to anything will interfere with anybody's life. So
how's it giving me a life? I like I said,
(27:10):
I have three daughters, a wife, an ex wife, I
get along with grandkids and one on the way. You know,
I'm a giganic house looking at my in ground pool.
That's all the materialistic should I have. I listen, I
hit the bottom liners, I'd be dead. I was on
the path I was going, I'd be in jail or dead.
(27:30):
So it's the life has given me was not being dead.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Did you ever worry about losing your edge when you
got sober to do comedy?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
First of all, I was only doing comedy for like
two years when I was active, So I stunk no
matter what, whether I was doing it or not. I mean,
how good was I at two or three years? Okay,
if you're going to use drugs an alcohol you know,
oh it makes me more creative. That's bullshit. Shut up.
(28:06):
You know you're you're just the disease of alcoholism and
drug addiction will tell you anything to keep you active.
I'm better in bed, I'm more creative, you know, I'm stronger.
It's all bullshit. You're either a social drinker or an alcoholic.
(28:29):
Just once you cross that fine line, there's no turning back.
So if you're saying your edge just because you drink
or get high, that's ridiculous. It's like over overweight comics
don't want to lose weight becausehifter actors talk about being
fat a lot of them. So you're going to have
(28:50):
a heart attack. You're going to die just so you
could tell a joker too, you know, you know it's uh.
You can't use your your addiction is because you are
an addict, or you're an alcoholic, or you're an overeater,
(29:10):
or you're an underreater, or you're a gambler. You know,
whatever you are can be. Listen. I gambled too much,
you know my main you know, Listen, I'm addicted. I
buy shit on Amazon. I don't need. I'm not perfect.
I'm not getting high a day at a time. But
believe me, I have a lot of shit to work
(29:32):
on in life, and I'm old.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
You'll still be working on it the rest of your life.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Probably, yeah, yeah, yeah, unless I hope that.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Do you remember a time when making people laugh helped
you through a particularly tough time in your life.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
I'm not making it laths, just going to work. You know,
there's times I had major anxiety in life where it
was bad. When I was twenty one, I wasn't a comic.
When when I was forty it was really bad. Luckily
I got through through it with a good therapist. I
kept working because I was ready to go. I got
to I got to stop this. You know, everything passes.
(30:09):
It all passes, good times, bad times, it all. You
look at a heart monitor goes up and down. You're alive,
straight across your dead. Everything passes, anxiety, king clouds, feeling good,
feeling shitty. Try not to react in those moments. You know,
(30:31):
and just accept them. It's easier for me to say,
but a lot of times I do it. A lot
of times I don't. I try not to get mad
at traffic. It's out of my control. I guess I
have no tolerance or patients with my wife. If she,
you know, didn't bug me so much, things would be great.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Oh my goodness, Well that was great advice. I was
going to tell you up until that part, you've worked
on a lot of things, and you've worked with a
lot of legends, and you've also mentored up and coming comedians.
What do you think is the most important lesson that
young comedians need to learn today? If you could pick one.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Be funny, that'd.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Be kind of important.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well that it doesn't have to be important now. Now
was important is how many followers you have on Instagram chicktok.
Half of them aren't funny, but they're selling out clubs.
And you know, it's a different world. It has nothing
to do with quality now, it's quantity. And you know
(31:36):
older comms going this is crazy this person's headline and
they stink, and most of them do. But clubs have
to keep their doors open. But they got to draw.
There's a fine line between comedy club or YouTube club, right,
you know there's a fun line. So what you know,
it's a quick fix that you keep these clubs keep
(31:58):
bringing in these TikTok or internet sensations. I know a
club these whole line says internet sensation. Internet. It's a
quick fix and it never works. It'll come back to
want you Talent always exceeds bullshit. You know, if you
have those members and the talent, well you're really lucky.
(32:22):
But I think talent should become first. Clubs used to
fill their rooms because they had great shows. Now they're
trying to fill their rooms because you know, someone knows
how to wash a car with their teeth. I don't
fucking know.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Whatever, It's true, No, you're you're right. It's a very
interesting time that we're all living through right now. It's crazy,
and I suspect it's going to get even crazier in
the next three to five years with the whole AI
thing and things that are going to happen that we
just can't even comprehend. But with your hindsight of all
(32:58):
of these decades of doing this, you're able to see
these patterns and things that you know, a lot of
people don't have the opportunity to the up and comers,
and they would be very grateful for someone like you
to give them good advice. And I you know, you
kind of talk like my dad, did, you know, just
very matter of fact to the point. If you want
to be a comedian, be funny, I mean, what else
(33:20):
is there? But we'll be honest, yeah, authenticity, Yeah, I
mean what else?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
I mean? Should you want to be a juggler? Know
how to juggle?
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Are there any moments backstage are on the road that
you had all of these years that stand out especially,
you know, that were formative for you or hilarious that
no one would ever know and that you want to
spill the beans on with me.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
I was working Reno during like the It was I
think a porn convention. I was making out with two
girls at once backstage and they were all they were
both tends and it was a dream come true.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Oh my god, Oh my god. I don't know that
I could imagine that would stand out.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Obviously, I don't remember it. I don't think that happened.
I think I just made that up. I don't know
when I've had so many fun times backstage on we
did our tour, Creeps with Kids, Me, Bobby Kelly, Jim Florentinea,
Ron Bennington. We had some funny moments backstage, and just
(34:28):
been years and years of fun moments, and there's also
been moments of you know, like, what am I doing here?
You know? Why am I at this place? You know?
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Yeah, I understand it.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
You got to pay your bills.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Your recent special, Rich Boss Anonymous. Yeah, it was filmed
at Narcotics Anonymous at a convention. What was unique about
that performance?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Well, no one's ever done that. Obviously I didn't show
the audience because it was a twelve step convention. Well,
my backdrop is so cool, the beginning, the editing. My
wife did the intro directed it. It's so cool. It's
I mean, I taped it a while ago, but we
just put it up. But no one's ever done it
(35:15):
what I did, you know, And it's it's pretty cool.
I talk about Ricy, you know, I talk about some recovery,
some you know, regular stuff, and it's it's just cool.
It looks it shot very well. Amazon Rich for was Anonymous.
You know. The guy that introed me, who did the
warm up, you know, went on to warm up, was
(35:37):
Tim Dillon, who is a major star now what he was.
He was the warm up act and he's the one
who introduced You could hear his voice. But he's so funny,
so funny. It's so weird. I've seen people just explode
in this business. Explode.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
I have longevity and respect from my peers, and I've
always done well. But I've seen comics They're like, what
the hell?
Speaker 1 (36:07):
What are some new specials and projects and goals that
you want to hit before you hit the checkout counter?
Coming up?
Speaker 2 (36:14):
For Rich Voss, I guess one of my goals is,
you know, gay night at your house?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, You're welcome anytime.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
So I'm driving to that area. What's a goal to
or a gaiety on the golf course? I've done it before,
shoot the seventies. Get my game back if I sound
out of it, because I'm exhausted from traveling. But I
just was very exciting. You could tell that I was
very excited.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I could see it.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
You had great questions.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Well, thanks, I appreciate it, Rich Rich Boss, thank you
for joining me on comedy saved me and thanks for
your sage, advice and wisdom. And I would you wish
you nothing about the best in the future, and if
you ever want to come to game Night anytime, come
on bye. I'll leave a light on for you.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Okay, Red Roofs, thank you for having me.
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