In this episode, Stand-up Comedian Dusty Slay joins Rich and Jim as they discuss Dusty’s journey to becoming one of the rising stars in comedy and failing his way to success. Get a deeper understanding of Dusty’s comedic style of observational comedy as he shares his roots growing up in a mobile home neighborhood in Alabama and some of his comedic inspirations. The guys talk about Dusty’s experience on the Tonight Show that validated his status and the stand-up for drummers. Tune in as they explore the stand-up comedy community and why bombing is inevitable for every comedian.
Listen to the podcast here:
Failing Your Way To Success – The Rich Redmond Show Ep 22 feat Dusty Slay
As always, I’m joined by my trusty sidekick co-host, co-producer Jim McCarthy.
It’s good to see you.
How are you doing?
I’m doing well.
This is a gag. I’ve been with you all day because when we’re in town, we record 4 or 5 episodes a day.
We knocked down the 4th wall.
We totally did. I’m so excited because we have a funny man with us and he’s taking the world by storm. He’s been in Nashville. He’s all over the boob tube. He is a great and funny man, Dusty Slay. How are you? Thank you so much for coming and joining us.
Thanks for having me.
I bet you hear that every time someone says your name.
It’s crazy applause.
You’re an upbeat guy. Your bio says that you’re overly enthusiastic and positive.
I didn’t know that my bio said that.
It says you’re an observational comic but you are definitely a highly positive.
I try to stay positive.
I think that’s good. Keep it simple. There is a whole thing with comedy that its darkness.
That’s what people always say. They always say that we’re sad and suicidal. I don’t feel that way at all. I feel great. Give it some time.
Wait until the end of the show.
You are a happy guy.
I used to work at Home Depot. Back then, I felt a little sad but I didn’t work for Home Depot but I was in there.
I’m not a handyman. I am lost when I go in there.
They have signs.
I know but when you have to find a little widget that’s very specific, you have to seek somebody with that orange vest.
They’re rarely happy to help.
Trying to find one of those people with the orange vest is trying to find the Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman or the Loch Ness.
I was a sales rep for both the Lowe’s and the Home Depot. They say that they have the Lowe’s walk where it’s where you walk real fast with your head down so you don’t make eye contact with the customer so no one can flag you down.
What’s the deal with Lowe’s and Home Depot always being across the street from each other? Is it the same parent company? What does that mean?
I don’t know what’s happening. Home Depot is like, “There’s a Lowe’s over there. Let’s open up.”
We’ll show you.
Let’s don’t try to capitalize on business in another part of town.
There’s a strategy behind.
It’s always like the fast-food.
McDonald’s and Burger King.
They are right across the street from each other and they have same colors. In this show, we try to focus and accentuate the positive but we’re talking to musicians, producers, authors, thought leaders, and comedians, and you’re a second comedian. Our first comedian we had was a Ms. Victoria Jackson from Saturday Night Live.
I did a show with her one time.
She lives in Nashville and I took a comedy class with her. She’s so funny. She’s so self-deprecating. She thought she was a horrible teacher. She turns out she’s a fantastic teacher. She goes, “I don’t know how to teach it.” Her thing is she got up and said, “Five minutes of standup comedy. Who wants to go?” We have a little name tag on, she goes, “Rich, five minutes.” I was like, “I didn’t know we were doing standup tonight.”
She goes, “Just start talking about something you know.” One of my day jobs is a motivational speaker for corporate America. I talked to these Fortune 500 companies about how to be successful and have happy employees. They usually are happy to listen because I play the drums and people love drums. It’s a man’s first instrument. Anyways, I got up and she said, “Start talking about something.” I started doing my speech and then I grew into some other things and she’s like, “You need to do a standup special about the backside of the music business, the backdoor of the music business.” Because there’s never been a comedian that has done something that’s a musician that’s like, “You can’t poop on the bus.” I don’t know if that.
I do know that. Fred Armisen did a thing called Standup For Drummers. I don’t know anything about drumming. I thought it was fun. I liked it.
My favorite part is when he went through the history of the instrument. You got a gig, right?
I do you have a gig.
Thanks for joining us all the way out here.
This is great. I’m happy to be here.
Is this show a regular recurring thing you’re doing at Zanies?
I do a monthly show. I try to bring in some comics that I know that are friends or people that I worked with and I headline. It gives me a chance to work on some new jokes.
They do the dirty work of warming everybody up. Once everybody’s nice and drunk and you come out and kill.
A lot of times though I’ll host too. I bite the bullet at the beginning. I open the show and then I host. I’m very selfishly make it my whole show. I pepper some people in.
I have the name written down here on the show. It’s the Dusty Slay’s Grand Old Comedy Show.
I ripped that name from the Grand Ole Opry.
Haven’t you been making appearances out there at the Grand Ole Opry?
I’ve done nine shows at the Grand Ole Opry. Actually, you could say ten. I did not nine nights. This past, I did the Ryman on Friday for the first time. It’s such an iconic room.
I did two shows that night. Did you Pat yourself on the back and say, “This is good.”
The first time I did the Opry, I couldn’t even sleep. I went home and listened to country music all night and I love it.
You like traditional country music? You don’t like my brand of a country medley.
I like it a lot.
Some of it is bad.
I don’t like to criticize any. Some of it is not for me but I do like the old stuff. I like old everything though. I like ‘90s movies, ‘90s TV shows. I’m ‘90s and back.
You were telling me, is it public knowledge? Can I say your age?
Sure.
You’re not like a female actress. You were born in 82? You were an early teen in the ’90 when those movies rock.
That’s my era.
That’s your jam. For me personally, I was born in 1978, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. When I was a teenager, I was listening to a new wave, which was the second British invasion and heavy metal. The best music of all time for me is from 1969 to 1981. That’s some of my favorite music.
I liked it late ‘60s, early ‘70s stuff. I like classic rock. That’s what that’s called now.
Classic rock is all the bands, so you have The Zeppelin and The Beatles.
I hate classic rock stations now because I feel like they’ve been playing the exact same songs for twenty years.
Jim used to be a classic rock radio station DJ. I don’t know if he could tell by the sound of his voice.
Falling To Success: Do what the locals do.
In the ‘90s and the early 2000, classic rock stations were awesome to me but now we can find other Led Zeppelin songs other than, “Hey, hey, mama said.” Whatever that song is called.
Those are the ones that test Black Dog.
There are others. We can do better.
Now, what’s your joke? If you have your hat off, people say, “He has long hair.”
With this hat off, people say, “I bet that guy likes rock music.” With this hat, they’re like, “He’s got a rock collection.”
There’s one comedy record you have with a nice yuppy short hair.
My first album Making That Fudge came out in 2014.
On the cover you’re, I’m stirring up a salad.
I’m stirring up money.
I thought it was a salad. That’s how bad my eyesight is.
There was some money in there because I was in this bank, this lady was talking to the teller and she said, “Lately, I’ve been making that fudge.” We were in a bank, I thought that I interpreted that as slang for making money like making that bread, making that cheese.
She knows what she’s talking about.
She worked at a fudge factory in town. This was in Charleston.
That fudge factory sounds like a gay canoe.
She was making that fudge. I always say because she was in a bank, I interpreted a slang for making money. If we were in a doctor’s office, I would have thought something weird.
I got the dad jokes out of the way. I don’t use them on air. 2018 was a groundbreaking year for you. You went on. You’re doing the Tonight Show with Fallon, you did Kimmel, you got this great stuff happening with the Opry, you did the Montreal Comedy Fest, is that right?
Yes, the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.
I saw you on David Spade. How’s David?
That show is awesome. I love David Spade. I’m such a huge fan. I did a podcast and my manager heard me on the podcast say that I liked David Spade. She booked me.
Is that Judi Marmel?
Yes.
My connection with Levity Live is that my ex-wife is a touring psychic medium. She is managed by Judi Marmel.
We did a show together. I bet the three of us did a show together at Zanies. Me, you and Cindy. I opened for her one time. There was a drummer and I felt like not that it was bad that we were in a comedy club but maybe comedy wasn’t the opening that she needed.
That’s crazy that that happened because we were looking back now about four years ago.
That’s at least in 2015.
I had a group with Colbie Caillat’s drummer called Strike That and we would play home furnishings and office supplies, and we would make music out of it. I’d be like, “Get the filing cabinet and the tape dispenser.” We would open for the opener. That probably happened.
I did that show and I thought afterwards, people were crying in the audience, not for my performance, during Cindy’s performance. I thought this is too emotional of an audience for the jokes that I did. They’re in a fragile state and here I am talking about working at the Home Depot.
They were in a fragile state because they’re trying to contact their lost ones. What’s going on with Nashville Squares because I saw the ad for this and our song Crazy Town, is the theme or their using to promote it?
I don’t know. I filmed it. It’s out in LA. They filmed the Nashville Squares in LA. I had a good time on it. I thought the show is fun. In my episode, I had Marie Osmond, Gary Busey, and Bob Saget.
What’s Gary Busey looking like these days?
He’s looking wild. He is not looking good.
He used to play drums before he became an actor. There’s a rumor going around like that. Look at this, this man has a lot of feathers in your cap.
They cut all my jokes out of Nashville Squares. My friend watched it and he said he liked it. I said, “Do they do this joke?” They cut them out because Gary Busey is on there. I don’t know where he’s from. They had the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and nothing makes me think of Nashville like Gary Busey and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. We have a football team here in Nashville as well. I don’t know if we have cheerleaders.
We do. The Titan’s Cheerleader.
We could work those in for Nashville Squares. Dallas is in Texas.
What’s that all about?
I have a nice picture of the entire Dallas Cheerleading Squad from 2005 and me. We played the Halftime, one of the Thanksgiving games or something, and it was very opportunistic for us but we’re in our early touring days with the Aldean Band and I was like, “Get the camera.” We snapped it. It was good.
I’m not upset that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were there. It doesn’t make me mad at all. I’m pretty excited about it but it doesn’t make sense. That’s all I’m saying just for the continuity of the whole thing.
It didn’t go into that fudge salad very well.
No, it did not.
What I was going to say is that Variety Magazine voted you one of the Top Comics To Watch for 2019. That’s going to feel good because past honorees have included Zach Galifianakis, Patton Oswalt, Tiffany Haddish, and Amy Schumer. Not bad shoes to be in.
No pressure.
Do you feel a pressure to be funny at all times in real life?
I don’t feel that pressure now. Before I did comedy, I felt like I needed to be funny all the time and validate myself by being funny to everyone. Now that I get this outlet, I feel like I’m too serious most of the time. My comedy can speak for itself. I used to fall, I would trip, and fake a seizure to get laughs.
Was that the early days?
Yes, not on stage. This is in my life trying to make friends.
Just trying to get through the day.
It’s a great way to attract the opposite sex and to open doors.
It is.
You’re making the publicity rounds. You’re very sick of talking about your trailer park upbringings.
I don’t mind talking about the trailer park. When I go do morning TV, they always read off my bio. They’ll read the opening line which is like, “You can take the boy out of the trailer park.” I don’t mind that being in the bio but reading it every time.
Just right off the teleprompter, you were in Opelika, Alabama. It’s your mom and two sisters. It said that you grew up on Lot 8 in Moore’s Trailer Park. That was your address.
That’s the worst part about living in a trailer park is the address because people will tell me, “I grew up in a trailer.” They’ll be like, “On some land.” I’m like, “That’s not the same.” The trailer is fine. My life was fine. When I go to school and anytime, I have to write my address down it’s, Lot 8, Moore’s Trailer Park. If you live on some land, you’ve got a regular address. That’s all I wanted in life, was a regular address.
You got it. You told me you moved to Harmony.
Now, I have a regular address. It feels good. As a kid, I was this like, “I don’t want people to see.” I even had friends over. It didn’t bother me. I wasn’t ashamed of it. I was ashamed of the address. My dad lives on a farm. My parents got divorced when I was two. There was a custody battle. My mom lost but I decided to go live with her. I loved living in the trailer park. We had a great time. If I can get that address, that would still be there.
I’m sure they’re very proud of you.
I think so.
Did you get back?
I go back. Since I’ve been doing the Opry, it’s helped a lot. I brought my mom and my dad up and see me at the Opry. Now, it looks good. I’m looking good. The Tonight’s Show and the Opry helped a lot.
What a validating thing to be performing where Patsy Cline stood in that little circle of wood in the stained glass Mother Church of Country Music.
The David Spade Show doesn’t do much for me with my parents.
They’re like, “Who’s David Space?” I love Rules Of Engagement. I love that show. He was such a little twirp.
That’s what my stepmom said. She was like, “Wasn’t he on that?” That’s where she knows him from, Rules Of Engagement.
It’s a great show.
The moment the curtain opens the nerves turn into adrenaline. Click To Tweet
I don’t know that I ever watched that one.
That is like the Farley movies.
Black Sheep and Tommy Boy.
I’m a sitcom man. I’ve been watching sitcoms since the Three’s Company. You’re too young for Three’s Company, but John Ritter was such a physical comedian and his timing was impeccable. I’ve seen every episode a million times.
Don Knotts, the landlord.
He used to break the wall.
That was Mr. Roper look like. He was the king of pat himself on the back.
Don Knotts is so great. If you go back and watch The Andy Griffith Show, I used to watch it all the time as a kid. As an adult, you can appreciate Don Knotts. He’s so good in that show.
Who were some of your other comedic inspirations? The well of comedy that you glean stuff?
Growing up, I listened to Jeff Foxworthy a lot. I was in middle school when Jeff Foxworthy came out. He was doing the You Might Be a Redneck and I’m living in a trailer. I’ve been saying this a lot but I always say he had us walking around saying, “You’re doing all right,” like we weren’t already saying it. It’s like, “That’s what we were already saying but now we’re heightened it.” When we’re regular we would say, “You don’t do.” We’re like, “You don’t do.” We’re putting emphasis on it.
He brought that to the public awareness from people living in cities.
The thing that blew my mind was the thing where he’s like, “You got some dogs in the yard.” You run out on the porch and you go, “Get him out of here.” It’s like, “That’s exactly what we would say. How do you nail it like that?”
Jim and I are both originally from Connecticut but then in ‘80, ‘81, I moved to El Paso, Texas. When you go to Texas, you are going to pick up on y’all. I still feel a lot of even Easterners say y’all. It’s an American thing.
I don’t do y’all as much anymore. I used to do it all the time but then I waited tables and I felt I was saying y’all a million times. I’d be like, “Y’all need anything. Let me know if I can get y’all.” I was saying it so much. I thought, “Let’s try to use some other stuff once in a while.” Then I started saying you guys and then everybody is offended now about you guys. I might go back to y’all.
Everyone is offended with you guys now. Does those include females?
I had some women tell me one time and they were like, “We’re not guys.” I was like, “I’ll force y’all back in.”
Everyone is so temperamental these days.
Everybody is offended by everything.
It’s hard.
I wasn’t even thinking about it in that sense. I was like, “I didn’t even realize what I was saying, I guess. I’ll go back to y’all.”
You guys will go over. You’re doing New Brunswick, New Jersey for the next ten days it seems. I was looking on your website.
I’m doing five shows.
How do they accept you up there? It’s the heart of mafia.
I’ve never been. We’ll see what happens. This is my first time.
You got some spheres tour dates. I was looking through all your December 2019. You’re going to take Christmas off Christmas day. The next day you’re here somewhere.
I’m all over the place and 2020 is lined up. I don’t have any of those dates on the calendar yet but it’s lined up.
How many per year?
The first four months of 2020, every weekend I’m doing a gig. I’ll usually be off Monday through Wednesday but a lot of times, I go out to LA, take meetings to try to get shows. I don’t know if I can say but I will go back on the David Spade Show.
You have a show in development on ABC.
I sold a development deal to ABC but I don’t think they’re going to do it. We wrote a script but I have been working on a cartoon for potentially a trailer park cartoon. I had other show we’re working. We pull back on that because we want to do it the right way. I have a real good idea for a restaurant show and it wasn’t going the way that I wanted it to go. I don’t want to do it if it’s not that way because I think it’s a fun idea.
You sold the idea that you were working on with the guy from Santa Clarita Diet?
Yes. They bought the development deal and then we write a script. I had never done this before so I learned all this. You write a script, you get a bunch of notes, you make the changes. You then get more notes, you make those changes, and then they go. I don’t think we’re going to do it. I’m like, “We didn’t make all those changes.”
They might put it on a shelf. It might come down again off the shelf.
It was great. I liked working with everyone. All the people at ABC were so nice. Every time I went in, they were laughing. They loved it. One time they said, “We love these characters you’ve created.” I’m like, “These are real people.”
I changed the names to protect their feelings and likenesses.
We wrote the first script and they were like, “This seems too sad. This seems too serious.” I was like, “It doesn’t seem sad or serious to me.” Some people, depending on how you grew up, anything that’s poor seemed sad. My whole episode was like, “My sister got pregnant when he was nineteen, which is not bad for Alabama.” She’s a very serious diabetic. She was not supposed to get pregnant. I was like, “That was the episode. I thought that would be a good way to get into some stuff going on.” They thought it was too serious. I was like, “Okay.”
I have a friend, Tracy Katsky, and she was one of the executive producers on Santa Clarita Diet. She’s a bass player. She loves to slap at the bass. I’ll go over to her place and we have these jam sessions. The next thing I know, there’s all these comedic actresses showing up from Will and Grace. They all to sing and play music for fun. That’s their hobby. Here I am and they’re like, “What are you doing?” I was like, “I play this guy, Jason Lee.” They were like, “What? That’s crazy.” They’ll pull up a video of me playing or something like, “It looks you love your life.” I wish the acting was like that because it’s stop and go. “Breaking for lunch. Resetting lights.” There’s a lot of hurry up and wait.
That’s why I love Nashville. It’s great here.
You’re not going to bite the bullet and move to sunny Los Angeles. You’re going to stay set up here.
I don’t want to move. I love it in Nashville. The Opry is starting a network. They are called The Circle. We filmed some standup stuff for that. I think Nashville is doing great things.
I think a Netflix special will be on your horizon. Doesn’t every great comedian work towards that?
I think some special will come. I haven’t filmed it but I’m also not in any rush. I don’t feel any pressure for anything. My calendar is lined up. I feel great about my standup. I’m doing colleges, corporate gigs, clubs, and festivals. Any kind of standup, I’m doing it.
You’ve got that 90 minutes of stage time every night. How’s the road treating you? As a touring musician, that idle time could be the devil’s playground.
It gets boring. I don’t drink or anything like that. I quit drinking a while back, which is great for me.
What were the telltale signs? Is that a funny story?
Who knows? There’s just no off switch for me. Once I get started, I’m just drinking. I’m always having a good time and then suddenly I’m not. Me and my friend used to call it go into the dark side. It was like, “Where are you?”
Was it the brown?
Anything but what would happen is I’d start off with a few beers. We’re having a good time. I do a couple of shots and then we’re like, “We’re really having a good time.” Suddenly, one shot sends you into this place where your eyes gloss over. It seems like you’re there, you’re awake, but you’re not in there. A lot of times, I would black out but still be living life blacked out and missing all the shots.
You don’t know and then you have to get the information from your friends. Do you know what you did last night?
I get that so much. We used to party. We loved it. It was such a good time but I started feeling bad. I got heavy and I was smoking a lot of cigarettes and I couldn’t even tie my shoes without getting winded. I thought, “Let’s give it a break.”
Did you just do it cold Turkey or did you go to friends of Bill?
I quit smoking and drinking the same day and then I dipped for about three days. I used to alternate. I smoked until my lungs hurt and then I would dip until my lungs healed. I dipped and then the dip was not doing me right either. I ended up three days after that I gave it up and then that was 2013.
We’re talking about cigars. Are those out of the picture too?
They’ve been out. I love cigars. We were talking about Schwarzenegger. I was doing the cigar a day Schwarzenegger thing. I like to do a show, once my show is done, go out on a patio somewhere, have a cigar, reflect on the night.
I need to slow down. I need something like that. The problem is I don’t want the doctor to have to come along and cut my tongue out. That wouldn’t be very good.
I like day drinking. That’s the most fun on a sunny day. That’s the only time I miss drinking. In a hot day, on a patio somewhere. I’m like, “I’d love some drinks.”
After you mowed the lawn.
Mowing the lawn or doing nothing now.
Aren’t you married to an actress?
My wife is an actress a long time in Canada and then she moved down here. She was doing a little standup in Toronto. She started working the road like me and the road burned her out. She was doing good on the road but she just got burned out of all the travel so much. She’s taken a break but she’s toying with the idea of getting back into it.
You guys are sometimes on a podcast together at We’re Havin’ A Good Time, Dusty Slay and Hannah Hogan. I like how all the episodes are three things like Harrison Ford, cigars, and menstruation. Three is always the Golden Rule in comedy anyways.
I try to entice them.
You had me at menstruation but also that could be a horrible segue. Menstruation makes me think about our sponsor. I think a better segue is we were talking about your comedic inspiration and people you draw inspiration from. For me, when I was coming up and I was learning a music from some great teachers, I’m a product of music education. It makes me think about our sponsor, School of Rock. Are you familiar with School of Rock? Remember Jack Black, the movie? It was based on a real-life thing. Now, there are 250 of these locations and 80,000 kids from age 3 to 18. They can sign up. They learn how to sing. They learn how to play bass guitar, keyboards, and trumps. They go out and they learn the craft of music-making by making music in public places. They do concerts. Our friends, Angie and Kelly McCreight are here at the Nashville in Franklin School of Rock.
They want your kids to sign up. They drop your kids off. Folks, you’re looking for a great babysitting situation, a little free time for yourself. Pull up the minivan in front of the School of Rock, dump your kids off for two hours. They’re going to come out with increased self-esteem. They’re going to learn an instrument. They’re going to learn how to get along well with other kids. They’re going to learn about time management. All these awesome life skills. If you’re interested in that, dump your kids off at the School of Rock, send them an email. Nashville@SchoolOfRock.com or Franklin@SchoolOfRock.com. How about that?
They’re not a curbside daycare though or orphanage.
You may need to sign up. You don’t just drop them off.
Falling To Success: add a little bit, take a little bit out.
They do a whole lot more than just that.
I don’t know if you could just drop off.
You could say go play drums for two hours kids. It’s a really great program. School of Rock is doing a benefit at the Ryman on January 5th 2020 and I’m going to be the host and MC. I’m so excited. It’s going to be great. We got to oil that thing, Jim. I thought you were my producer. What the hell?
Are you giving me a crap about this right now?
I’m just kidding. Is there something that’s on your mind that you’ve been dying to ask Mr. Dusty Slay?
I’m looking at the tour dates and that got me interested about the New Brunswick thing. You’ve never been in the Northeast at all.
I’ve been to the Northeast but not New Jersey. I’ve drove through a little bit.
You know what George Carlin always said about New Jersey, right? “Kiss her where it smells, take her to New Jersey.” That’s what he used to say. I used to stomp around that area.
They say the Stress Factory is great. I did the Stress Factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Bridgeport seemed like a bit of a rough city.
I’m from Milford.
You’re from where?
I’m from Danbury, Connecticut.
I’m from Milford, Connecticut.
I’ve done a Funny Bone in Hartford. I’ve done Stress Factory in Bridgeport. Bridgeport seemed like a rough place.
It’s one of those places that if they give you directions, they’ll be like, “Go down the street and at that light, you’re going to make a left that’s going to say, ‘Do not enter,’ but go down that street anyway.” That’s that kind of a city.
The club was great. I loved it but the Stress Factory in New Brunswick is the original. The Bridgeport is new.
Will you be at Salt Lake City at the Wiseguys?
I’ll be there. I like Utah.
Check out DustySlay.com. It’s all right there.
I got all kinds of stuff on there. I’ve got videos. I do a lot of stuff on YouTube. I do some on the road where I do some travel videos. I do it all myself and one friend helped me. One of them is really good.
What do you do? Do you use your phone or you got a GoPro?
I do a phone, a GoPro, different camera. I’ve got all kinds of stuff. I try to edit it all together like a hodgepodge of the trip. I want people to know what I’m up to.
I saw the one where you and your bride go to the Parthenon.
That’s fun. Have you been in there?
All these years it’s like living in New York City and not going to see the Statue of Liberty.
You’ve never been?
It’s creepy?
I like to go but it’s creepy in there.
Did you see the statue?
That’s the creepy part.
What’s the statute?
It’s a 40-foot or 50-foot statue inside. It’s big. They have a six-foot statue of Nike in the hand of Athena. She’s the Goddess of War or something.
I can’t believe this is our backyard and I haven’t seen this.
It’s great photo ops.
I’m a horror buff but I can imagine. That’s where something that the statue is so big that it’s creepy.
It’s the feeling inside. The moment you go in there, it feels like this thing is alive. I’m not into it.
What are some other spots you’ve seen on the road that are memorable? Are you the guy that’s like, “I’m going to go look for vintage rock and roll t-shirts?” Do you collect thing?
I like to drive. I’ve been flying so much now but I like driving. I like to see stuff. I like the mountains. I’m into the mountains but I’m not so much of a sightseer. If I can it from the car, I’m all about it. I travel so much now. I like to see weird stuff. I like to see what the locals do. I don’t like touristy stuff so much. In New York City, I’ll do all the touristy Stuff and in Chicago, I’ll do that.
I always try to find out what the locals do. My modus operandi on the road for the years has been pull into the city at 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning. We have a sound check at 3:00, dinner at 5:00, some VIP show at 7:00 acoustically, and then I hit the stage at 9:15. Between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, that’s where I’ll go teach drum lessons at the local drum shop, go speak to some kids at a college or a high school. With all the back and forth, my time has gone. I don’t get a time to do anything fun. Maybe get a workout and try to find a Planet Fitness or something like that.
You do so much more than me. All of that, you’re like, “I don’t have a lot of time to teach a class.”
I don’t get to do the stuff because you got to find a decent gym because the gym at a Drury Inn. There’s going to be some StairMaster.
Drury is a weird name. It sounds like dreary. They are nice but the name sounds dreary.
They could put it on their brochure that we have a fitness room. You go into the fitness room and there’s an inch of dust on a StairMaster from 1974.
Better yet, it’s the Chrome workout machines.
Some of the ‘80s.
The machines are crying. It’s sad in there. They’re like, “Please come in.”
What are you and your bride enjoy doing together when you’re in rarely in town here?
Usually, I’m on Monday through Wednesday. I leave on a Thursday, I fly, and I do a show Thursday night. I wake up early on Friday, and do press. The rest of my day is rolling then I do two shows on Friday, two shows on Saturday. I’m out of there on Sunday. I get home. I’m tired. We go out to eat. We do things like that. We’ve been watching Colombo together a lot.
When it was originally on?
No. I bought the DVDs from the Case Bookstore. We’re not doing the most exciting things.
It reminds me of the activities when I was married.
My entire life is performing and entertaining people. When I’m home. I love to do nothing. I love to get out in the yard and dig around out there. That’s why I moved into a house. I’ve been living in an apartment for a while. Now, I’m able to get out in the outside.
You’re a homeowner. It’s the American dream. You brought a home with comedy. It’s the same thing. I could be a musician. It’s the same path.
It’s true. It’s been a good year. 2018, 2019, I picked up a management and agents. They turned my whole career around them. All these things, The Tonight Show, has turned it around for me.
What was it like standing a foot behind those curtains that are about to swing open and millions are watching? Were you cool with it? What were you thinking?
The first time I did the Tonight Show, I was so nervous. The booker for the Tonight Show, we got along great. He liked me. He had full confidence in me. Seeing me right before I was about to go out, he was beginning to lose confidence in me. I was so nervous because I want to get this right.
Did you do your set over and over?
Totally but the moment the curtain opens, the nerves turn into adrenaline and I’m like, “Now, we get into it. Let’s do it. We’re here for a purpose. Let’s make it happen.”
Ten feet away is the first row of people and Jimmy is right there, 4 feet away and Questlove is 3 feet away on your left.
Yes.
Is Jimmy watching the performance?
He’s right out there watching. Everybody is right there. The whole band, The Roots are right there. By the time I went back the second time, I had already done this. The nervousness was almost completely gone. It’s like the Opry. The first time I did the Opry, I was so nervous. After it, every time now I’m like, “I’ve done this. Let’s go do it.”
When you do the Opry, are there musical acts on there as well or is it just your show?
It’s full on showcase. One time I was there, it was Neal McCoy and then me.
He’s a funny guy. You can do standup.
Neal McCoy ruined it for me that night because he was good. It’s almost better if it’s a serious performance before me and then I get to go out and break that up but Neal McCoy was out in the audience and he was doing a thing.
A fun story is good but if there's no payoff at the end, it better had been funny all along the way. Click To Tweet
I got to have him on the show because he’s a funny guy. He’s a great entertainer.
He was great. When I say he ruined it for me, he was a performer. He rocked it. This time at the Ryman, I don’t know if he ever seen Mike Snider at the Opry but he plays banjo. He did some jokes. He was crushing.
The banjo playing funny man.
He is like Steve Martin.
Did you see that special with him and Martin Short?
I didn’t see it.
They roast each other the entire time.
I had Steve Martin albums. I always like listening to Steve Martin but seeing him, for some reason, it’s different unless it’s in a movie. Let’s Get Small as an album I like. That’s an inspiration for me. It is such a good album. It’s off the wall, not talking about anything. That’s my whole agenda with comedy. My agenda is to have no agenda and to just be telling jokes. I’m not trying to teach you anything. I’m not trying to educate you. I’m out there to tell jokes. That’s what Steve Martin was all about that I loved.
Your comedy is relatively universal in the sense that it’s mostly family-friendly. There’s a couple of masturbation things and stuff. It’s like, “Okay.” I almost feel like you could be completely clean.
I don’t even do those jokes. I always called them my lotion jokes. I don’t even do those in my act anymore. I like them. They’re very funny. It’s the cleanest jerk-off jokes that you could have but I don’t do them anymore. I let that go and it is mostly clean. I make drug references. I make some vague stuff references.
You’re not dropping F-bombs and stuff.
No.
For some people who aren’t familiar, what are the clean jerk-off jokes?
I’ll tell you the one and I haven’t told it in a while so I may mess this up. I don’t even know if I can remember it but I had a guy. He was a younger comic. I saw him on stage. He was talking about watching some adult films and he was complaining about how slow the download speeds were. It blew my mind because the first time I watched it was on a VHS tape. My biggest complaint was having to rewind it back to the place where my dad left it at. The joke there, people can you take that to a gross place if they want. The joke is that I found my dad’s tapes. We weren’t sharing a tape.
You also got to see what turns your dad on.
He’s wasn’t like, “You can use it but rewind it back.” It wasn’t like that.
Do you want to hear something weird? I have a story for you. Speaking of adult films, I had a buddy of mine that had a film of his parents. He played it for us.
What kind of friends is this? What kind of friends are you keeping?
Isn’t that weird? This is when I was 13, 14 years old.
He stumbled across and he would play it for us. His mom wasn’t bad looking. Let me tell you something.
He’s like, “That’s my dad.”
For you guys watching, it is probably a good time.
He’d sit there and watch it with us.
His mom was hot though. That’s a good time.
I completely forgot about the story.
Was this guy not very cool like he was trying to get sex?
No, he was a cool dude. He was a neighborhood bully in a way. Once you got to know him, he was okay.
In a sense, he’s bullying his parents here too.
It was one of those things. Back to that, if I ever stumbled across something like that, the last people I’d be showing are my friends. I’m going to try and unsee that.
That is weird. That’s one of the weirdest things.
There’s some material for you if you’re going to use it.
I don’t know if I would.
Do you sell t-shirts?
I do have t-shirts. I took them off my store because I get tired of going to the post office. I never have good interactions in there. It’ll be $3 one day. The next day it’s $7. I try to ask them and they lecture me. I’m like, “I’m not coming back here.” My store is still around but you have to search for it. It’s not on my website.
At live shows, do you travel around?
I got shirts. I got hats.
You’re shipping ahead?
I’m platinum Pro with American Airlines. I get two free checked bags. I’ll take a merch bag and I’ll take a bag with a pressure cooker and some cooking supplies. I’ll cook in your room and I’ll have another bag. I get two carry on. I get a personal item that I carry it so I’ll take my clothes.
They over bagged you from a pressure cooker?
That’s what people always say. Somebody made a bomb one time out of a pressure cooker.
At the Boston marathon.
Now they act like everybody is making bombs out of these things.
What are you cooking at pressure cooker?
I’ll cook chicken, some vegetables, and do some rice. The last time, I made a little chicken soup.
It’s quick. You ever have a pressure cooker now?
Never. I’ve got a crack pot.
It forces the heat and the moisture in.
You’re flying to this new city. You got a hotel. Your day is free until unless you’re doing press. You have to get an Uber or a taxi to the store to get your supplies to cook your dinner.
Sometimes I’ll walk depending on how far but I will get an Uber. I’ll go down there and I hit to the Trader Joe’s and I’ll film it. I put out this content cooking in the kitchen. I got one on my Instagram, a little video. I got another one that I’m about to release.
Speaking of cooking in the kitchen, I’m smelling something, bills.
We’re having fun here guys. We are having some laughs here at Crash Studio. This thing with American Airlines, you have to be a Platinum Pro member to become an equal with Southwest Airlines. For any Joe that travels on Southwest Airlines, you get two free bags and two carry-ons.
This is what I don’t like about Southwest. This idea that you don’t get to pick your own seat.
It’s first come, first served.
I don’t like that. I’m not a fan of that.
I’m an A-list which means I will get an aisle.
You get to go first. Hannah and I went first with Southwest and maybe I will because it expires over time. You got to reset. I can’t imagine they let it build up forever that everybody is Platinum Pro forever. I became Platinum Pro. I was Platinum for a while and I got two free bags and you get one free bag immediately when you sign up for the card.
If you put everything on the cart.
Everything is on the card. It keeps a real record and then I’m building up. I got so many miles. I didn’t fly a lot growing up. Now, I’m a real pro with flying. For a while, I was a real road dog. I learned to work the road. Now, I learned to work the airlines.
We’re in the air a lot. That’s what I do. Airborne and emergency and then a lot of hand sanitizer. Big time. Unless you might have a strong immune system that you roll it.
I don’t do any of that. I’m big into the CBD and I’ll use that for flights and that feels good. A little oil that you eat and CBD or whatever. It’s a good time. That’s what I like. I don’t have any problems flying. I’m not afraid of germs. I don’t get sick a lot. Once in a while, I’ll get food poisoning or something from some crap that I hate. I was eating a taco and I ate about half of it. I looked in and the ground beef was still raw. I threw up that day.
Was it because you knew it was raw?
I don’t know. It’s hard to say. Instantly, I felt nauseous. I threw up a couple hours later. I used to throw up every day because I would drink a lot. I would either throw up before I went to sleep or wake up and throw up. I had to make myself throw up because I would blackout. What happen is either you throw up or you blackout. I was a blackout guy.
Is blacking out same as fainting?
No.
It’s like your mind faints but your body is still fine.
Your body is partying but you don’t remember big chunks of your evening.
Falling To Success: If it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen.
I lived in Charleston, South Carolina for ten years. I grew up in Alabama. I lived in Charleston. I was on the West side of town, it was daylight, and I was driving to the East side of town. The next thing I know, I wake up driving back to the West side. I woke up hitting a curb and puncturing my tire. I had no idea where I had been or where I was going. I was sleep driving but blackout drunk driving.
Have you ever driven under marijuana? I’ve done that a couple of times.
Don’t call the guy out. That’s a tough question.
I’ve done that.
We’ll talk about that afterwards.
I used to drink and drive all the time. I flipped a car once into a marsh and landed on the roof of the car. I had to crawl out the window and I’d lost my flip flops. You are living in Charleston, it was tropical. I lost my glasses so I’m blind, I’m drunk. I’m shoeless. It’s December. I’m a little wet. This guy and my buddy are with me. His head’s bleeding and this guy pulls up and he’s like, “You need a ride home?” My car is right out there in the ditch. He’s like, “Do you need a ride home?” We’re like, “Yes, we do.” He took us home. We went to sleep, woke up the next morning, and dealt with it.
He was your drunk driving angel.
Yes, he was. It was amazing. I’ve had all kinds of incidents that but I never heard anyone. I barely hurt myself. I used to drink a lot. I got beat up a couple of times.
You start the fights?
Yes. I’m mouthy. It’s many shots but you always blame the one.
The problem is shots. If you’re sticking to traditional cocktails, you’re right there.
The thing is I don’t know how I would be now because I quit drinking at 29. I may be in complete control but the information that I have at hand says that I’ll be worse than I was. Everybody I know that quit drinking that went back to drinking is worse. They’re a total wreck now.
They have more money to spend on it.
That’s exactly right so I don’t need that in my life. I feel great.
It’s good for you. Did you start with improv?
I started comedy with improv and then moved to standup from there. The first time I ever did standup, I was in overalls with no shoes. That was my character that I chose to be.
There were some stumbles and when you were trying to find your voice.
I had a couple of good sets later on and then I started bombing a little bit. I started drinking before I went up. I had some moderate success. I would bump a little bit and eventually, I quit. I was like, “This is not fun for me.”
You have to bomb as a comic to learn.
I bombed so many times. When I try to give them advice or something, people seem to think that I’ve always been the comic that I am now. I show them old videos of me and they go, “Oh.” They’ll say, “This gives me a lot of hope.” I’m like, “It should.” I always had good delivery. I always knew how to tell a joke. I could always tell a joke, street jokes and stuff like that. I could always do it but that was some of my most fun drinking is getting together with buddies and telling the street jokes that you know. That was so fun but I couldn’t write jokes. I make up all these crazy wild things and they were rarely funny. All of a sudden, I figured out how to write jokes. I still write some jokes that don’t work.
Sometimes, telling a story is funny and squeaky microphones.
A fun story as good but if there’s no payoff at the end, it better had been funny all along the way. If you’re telling a long, drawn out story and then the end is supposed to be a big punch and it’s not there. The audience will give you the benefit of the doubt. You’re taking them on a ride. They’re like, “We’re trusting you. This is going to be great.” You get them there and then you don’t deliver, they’re out.
Some stories have to have those little punches in them, right?
You want to punch it up all along the way because a lot of my jokes are like that. My joke will be funny all along the way but then at the end, there is no real ending and then we move on. Sometimes, the audience is like, “There was no payoff there at the end.” They had a good time the whole time. That doesn’t need to be the big payoff.
What do you think of an extreme observationist like Marc Maron who was mostly telling stories and ranting?
I liked Marc Maron. I’m more of a fan. He had a TV show on Netflix that I liked.
It was his life with actors.
When I did the Tonight Show the second time, he was on there as a guest. We talked. He was nice to me. That’s the great thing about comedy. Most of the time, if you’re a comic, it doesn’t matter how famous the other comic is. If they know you’re a comic and you’re doing well at it, there’s a mutual respect. If you’re an open mic-er, chances are they’re not going to have the same respect because it’s like, “You started, anybody could do an open mic.”
They want you to truly be a lifer. When they realize that you’re a lifer and you’re committed to the craft and you’re willing to go through all the bombing, there’s that mutual admiration society.
I bombed so much. I bombed so bad one time at a place. My first two jokes were such hits. People were banging on the wall. They were so good. I had a ten-minute set. That was 30 seconds. The rest of the ten minutes was total bomb. They got completely silent.
It would have been better to do three minutes.
I think so. One time, I told a joke, one person laughed, and it was my friend. I was like, “This guy gets it.” When people looked at him, he turned around. We rode home together.
I love all the insights even the Pete Holmes’ show Crashing. I loved that.
That was great. His episode on NACA, that’s the college audition. Everybody told me to watch that before I did NACA and it was spot on. I got a fair amount of gigs out of it but he was spot on. I would say we’re having a good time. His slogan was gas it up or whatever. I’m like, “That’s not far from we’re having a good time.”
With the bombing though, what would go through your mind after that night? Like, “Am I meant to do this?” Do you have those kinds of doubts creeping?
Those doubts can still come in even now. Back then, it was harder because you would bomb and it might be your only show that week. You go out and you think I’d be single. I hope to meet a girl or something after. I’m like, “I hope this goes well.” You bomb because when you do well, people come up to you. They go, “That was great. Let me buy you a drink. Let’s hang out. You bombed.” They go, “It takes a lot of balls to get up there.”
At least, you got to go through it.
I would not want a bomb.
You’ve had a lot of success in your natural talent. Anybody who’s naturally born to do comedy is still going to bomb no matter what. They’re going to have to be go through it. Seinfeld did it, Dangerfield did it, The Greats did it. They have to go through it.
Somebody said one time especially work in the road. They said, “If you never bombed, then you’re hacked.” That’s what they said because you’re not trying new things. You’re not challenging yourself. It gets hard. I’m in that spot sometimes right now where I’m doing so many different clubs where people have never seen me. I’m like, “I can do these jokes that they’ve never heard.” Doing some TV stuff forces you to at least change them a little bit.
What happens when you go to visit that market for the second and third time, do you feel a responsibility to change the show every time?
I like the Seinfeld approach. His approach was always adding a little bit, take a little bit out. I might have some jokes in there I’ve been doing for 2 or 3 years but all the stuff around it would be brand new. If you’re seeing my Nashville show every month, there might not be that much different. You might not be that much different from month-to-month but if you come one month and then four months later, it could be almost all different.
The bravery involved in going out on that stage. I am Upright Citizens Brigade level one funny. I took that improv class in Hollywood. I’m surrounded by these people that are serious about it. They’re like series regulars on television shows. They’re like, “What are you doing?” I’m like, “I’m a musician. I’ve been playing drums since 1976.” They’re like, “Okay.” You throw it, you jump into the deep end of the pool at these people. I took a two-week comedy intensive with a teacher in Los Angeles named Lesly Kahn. She’s Sebastian Maniscalco’s comedy coach. That was great because all those people were only doing one thing in life and that is be funny and act. I grew immensely in those two weeks.
Improv is intense too especially in those cities. That is the most elitist type crowd, the improv people.
You got The Groundlings, Second City, UCB, and they all have their own cult rules, philosophies, and clubs, it takes about an 8 or 9 years to become a Groundlings’ top level performer. I was like, “I’ll be dead. I can’t do that. I’m not going that route.”
I’ve seen a couple of The Groundling shows. The sketch show I saw, it’s so good. It’s the best sketch show I ever saw.
When you sell these sitcoms, do you see yourself starring in one of them? Is that a goal?
I would like to do that potentially. I’d like some show to give me some platform that’s a little bigger than what I have. I just feel like things will come in due time. If it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen. If you work hard in the field that you’re in, take some risk then things will happen. I don’t feel any pressure to be like, “I got to do this.” That’s like when talking about the age thing, some people think I shouldn’t talk about my age. I don’t go around shouting it to the rooftops. I’m not worried about it because if you’re always working at comedy, then you can’t get too old for comedy. Bob Newhart is very famous. He had two older shows, one where he ran a hotel. He’s in his 90s and he came here in Nashville and did a show. You don’t get less funny as long as you’re working at it, as long as you’re paying attention to what’s going on around. People that stop paying attention become irrelevant because all their jokes are not up with the times. You get sharper and you get better stories.
Acting in comedy have no age restrictions. That’s why I’ve been so into it because I’ll die with the sticks in my hands but I do have these other interests. It’s fun to explore. I always wondered how a lot of stage comedians and road comedians end up getting sitcoms, they have no acting training but they rise to the occasion. You already know how to deliver a joke. You already know about the rules of comedy. You already know about timing. The only thing you got to do is work on blocking some camera technique and memorizing lines. You learn quickly when you’re doing that in front of a live audience.
That’s what my manager told me. I told her, “I don’t know if I can act well enough to be in a show.” She said, “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get you acting coach.” I’ve one lots of improv. I can do some acting but that’s what I always said to her. I was like, “I’ll write the show but I’ll be a side character.” She’s like, “Don’t worry about that. Roseanne wasn’t an actor either but as the seasons progressed, she got better and better.”
It’s not going to happen.
I love all those shows. The Mike & Molly and all the Chuck Lorre shows. They’re epic. They’re so good. The writing is so great.
The shows that I’m into, they’re a little older like Seinfeld. I love it. I bought some DVDs of that and they’ve been crushing that. The Office is great and King of Queens. I could watch Jerry Stiller all day. I wish he was in Seinfeld more, but I love that guy.
What about Friends?
Friends was great too. Everybody seems to be trashing Friends all the time now but what a great show.
They’re trashing it because it’s still relevant. The writing was so good and their delivery. Those actors are still making $50,000 a day for the years for doing nothing. That’s incredible.
That’s why you don’t see it except for Jennifer Aniston. That’s why you don’t see them in a lot of stuff. Stuff to be motivated when you’re making $50,000 a day.
Jennifer Aniston went on to crush and those girls were not ugly.
She’s almost willing to make fun of herself for putting herself in a role like that. It’s not a very flattering role.
She looked good in it though.
She looked great in it but the character she played.
Were you more of a Jennifer Aniston guy or a Courtney Cox guy?
It’s hard to say I liked Ace Ventura and Courtney Cox was the love interest in the first. I always liked her. She was also in the movie Masters of the Universe which was the He-Man movie.
I missed that but she was also dancing with Bruce Springsteen in Dancing In The Dark.
I like Courtney but physically, I always liked Jennifer Aniston.
If you're a comic, it doesn't matter how famous the other comic is, there's mutual respect. Click To Tweet
I was a Phoebe guy.
You’re a quirky weirdo.
She has a long blonde hair and it’s my thing.
She’s smart in real life.
I’m curious to ask about when do you get the inspiration to notify that there’s something there to work? Do you sit down and do it or does it happen?
I try to write down notes all the time. Write something down if I think something is funny. I go back to it and try to write it. I got little notes here that I always do. It’s a little thing. I’ll do a little paper, a little phone, and I write stuff down. I try to throw one of these out in a show once in a while. See what happens.
I’m not a big fan of when I go to the Hollywood improv or Comedy Store. I go and I go to the small room where they’re working on material. Every comic has their phone in their hand because they get looking at their notepad but it looks like they’re reading their messages. It’s very distracting. Get a note card or something.
That’s what I do. I like to do a whole thing here. I got Cracker Barrel jokes and stuff like that. Some of these, I took a lot of my jokes that weren’t working, I made them tweet and some of them do well.
You did the funny tweets.
I tried to
You know what’s funny about Cracker Barrel that I learned? I talked to somebody who was a server and she said that if you can do Cracker Barrel, you can work anywhere.
I heard that too.
That’s interesting.
I know girls that used to work there and they said they used to cry all the time.
They’re saying that if you can work there.
If you can handle Cracker Barrel, you can work there.
Cracker Barrel is in New York City of restaurants.
Is it because the menu is so large?
I don’t know.
Is it because it’s got old crotchety people as the main clientele?
I have no idea.
We are writing jokes on the Rich Redmond Shows. Let me ask you this right now. What’s the cover tonight? If I give you $10, can I come to the show tonight?
I’ll let you come. The cover is $15. I’ll put you on the west.
I’ll give $15 to you.
I can’t come do your show and then make you pay for mine.
I’ll pay. I want to come. I’m not going to go sit at the bar by myself because I’m a loser but I want to go.
He wanted me to come with him.
7:00 PM sharp. I’m looking at a good two hours.
Ninety minutes.
You’re going to have a couple of cocktails.
There are two shows. There’s one after mine. Normally, I go a bit long at the Nashville show because it’s fun.
There’s another show that’s not yours at 9:00.
Yes.
The last time I was at Zanies, I saw Sinbad. Classic. He did over two hours. It was a Sunday night or something. They’re like, “We want to go home.” It was crazy because he had an 8:00 show but the line was so long and it was sold out. No one got seated and started getting the drinks until 9:00. He had to do a 10:00 show which was now an 11:00. He was keeping everybody. It was crazy.
I’m not a fan of that. I don’t do that launch. I say I’ll do a little longer but I’m not.
I don’t the late start. If you’re going to tell me it’s 7:00, is that a rock and roll start of 8:30 or is it really 7:00?
I may be slotted to do 55 minutes and do 65 minutes. Ten minutes over but I’m not going all night like that.
Does your monthly thing as Zanies isn’t on the same night of the month every time or different?
Usually a Wednesday but different. I have November 13th, 2019 and December 18th, 2019.
This is a fun growing platform for people to sell their wares and talk about their products. What’s anything you want to tell our audience?
I’m trying to push my YouTube channel because I like these videos that I’m doing. I don’t see anybody doing this thing. It’ll be a film of my whole travels. I’ll show a little bit of me doing morning TV, a little bit of what I’m seeing on the road, and my comedy. I have a thing that I do like Resort Dusty where if I get a nice hotel, they give me a robe, I’ll put the robe on, and I’ll point out things in the room.
Is this I movie? Are you dropping into I movie?
I’ve got final cut.
You’re getting fancy.
I’m pretty fancy. I got a tour that I’ll be doing in 2020. That’ll be dropping, the information on that.
What is the YouTube address?
It will be whatever the YouTube stuff is /DustySlay
YouTube.com/DustySlay. You’re a delight. You got a nice positive energy. I can’t wait to see your comedy.
I appreciate that.
I am excited. Your publicist, is she local?
She’s not local. She lives in Nebraska, I believe.
She’s great. She got right back to Jim.
She’s great.
Shout out to your publicist. Thanks so much for being here. I look forward to it and we’re so proud that you’re making Nashville proud.
I’m happy to be here in Nashville, I love this, and I hope to do more Nashville stuff. I love it here.
Jim, did you have a good time?
I did. What’d you learn?
I learned that this is a very funny man, any craft in life is going to take the sweat of your brow, and you might have some missteps. You just dust yourself off and you look forward to bombing with a smile on your face. Sometimes, these great things will come into your life like managers, agents, and they’ll help take things to the next level. He keeps knocking it out of the ballpark. He’s going to build on that.
Can I say on that note, I have a podcast? I’m not always so current with doing it but on season two, episode 1 through 10, I did a full breakdown on my story and my advice for becoming a comic. From episode one, from getting off the couch to doing an open mic. Episode ten is becoming a headliner.
Ten easy steps to navigate the world of comics.
It’s ten steps, it took me ten weeks to do but in reality, it took me ten years.
Every successful person has a ten-year overnight success story. Your podcast is We’re Having A Good Time with Dusty Slay and Hannah Hogan and it’s on all podcast platforms.
It’s on iTunes and Spotify. It could be on other things.
They can go to your website and find it.
Jim, what did you learn?
Falling To Success: Things will come in due time. If you work hard in the field that you’re in, take some risk, then things will happen.
I learned that there’s a difference between blocking out and passing out.
The fact that you learned that now says that you’re taking care of yourself.
He’s a very responsible drinker.
1:09:31 passed out but not because of drinking because I overexerted myself. I did it in front of my kids and I fell off the chair.
What do you mean you overexerted yourself?
I was doing a bike ride and I came back. You know how you get the nausea coming on when you overdo it? That’s where I see the sit, get some water in me and then all of a sudden, the next thing I knew, I felt like I took a nap and I woke up on the floor. Everyone was yelling and Courtney was in my chest. The first thing was I heard my wife yelling and I was thinking to myself, “What did the kids do? What did they do?” All of a sudden, I wake up and she’s in my face, yelling at me and I’m like, “What did I do?”
You were under slept and under-hydrated.
I was dehydrated.
This was so fun. I can’t wait to come to the show. Guys, as always, thanks for tuning in. We appreciate it. Be sure to subscribe, share, rate, and review. It only takes one minute. If you have guest suggestions or tell us what you like about the show which you don’t like about the show. I have an email address for you. The RichRedmondShow@gmail.com. I appreciate all your time and talent. The show wouldn’t happen without you. Keep coming back for the good stuff, guys. We appreciate it. We’ll see you next time.
Important Links:
- Dusty Slay
- Ms. Victoria Jackson – Previous episode
- We’re Havin’ A Good Time
- School of Rock
- YouTube.com/DustySlay
- RichRedmondShow@gmail.com
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Join the RICH REDMOND SHOW Community today:
