Transcript

Marty (0:00)

Oh, you can.

Matt Dameron (0:05)

Perfect. Perfect.

Marty (0:15)

Perfect, perfect. Hello. I don't know about.

Matt Dameron (0:22)

See, y' all don't have to worry about hurricanes over here. You just got to worry about somebody smoking a cigarette and flicking out a window.

Marty (0:27)

I was talking about home invasions. You gotta worry about home invasions.

Matt Dameron (0:30)

Home invasions? Oh, yeah. I've had somebody broke in my house before when I was home.

Marty (0:34)

Didn't you just tell me about this? Please? You said you were.

Matt Dameron (0:37)

There's always something going on.

Marty (0:39)

All right, Matt, tell us about where you're from.

Matt Dameron (0:41)

Oh, I'm from Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, man. Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. At one point, Rocky Mountain was deemed top 20 most dangerous season to live in America. Crime per capita. Why? I don't know, dude.

Marty (0:52)

What is it? What goes on?

Matt Dameron (0:53)

Gang violence. Hood gangs. Yeah.

Marty (0:57)

Is it a city or is it.

Matt Dameron (0:58)

It's like a. It's. It's a big. It's a city that splits two counties. It's like a railroad. You know, something about the railroad tracks. What is that about? Railroad tracks?

Daniel Costas (1:06)

Other side of the track.

Matt Dameron (1:07)

Other side of the tracks. Always bad kind of splits, you know? Nash County, Edgecombe County. Yeah. I don't know. A lot. A lot of mischief goes on Crack Rock Mountain.

Marty (1:17)

Is it really bad there? Like, for pills and drugs and whatnot? Like, what is the crime rate? What is it? What are you guys doing? Home invasions. There's gang fighting.

Matt Dameron (1:26)

There's violent crimes. Not. Not too well. Like, last year was a state of emergency. It's like a lot of people are getting murdered.

Summary

DOPE AS USUAL Podcast

Episode: "Crack Rock Mountain w/ Matt Dameron!"

Hosts: Marty O’Neill & Thomas Araujo
Guest: Matt Dameron
Date: November 11, 2025

Overview

This episode of the DOPE AS USUAL Podcast features comedian Matt Dameron, known for his unique Southern upbringing, his late arrival into the world of stand-up, and his ties to viral comedy, music, and even a secret appearance on a MrBeast video. Together with hosts Marty and Thomas, Matt delves into topics ranging from growing up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (“Crack Rock Mountain”), Southern culture, sketch versus stand-up comedy, run-ins with wild crowds, the modern comedy scene, internet fame, and the realities of being a road comic. The tone bounces from hilarious and irreverent to thoughtful and introspective, enriched with stories from Matt’s life, the Southern U.S., and hard-won lessons in comedy and community.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

Rocky Mount, NC: “Crack Rock Mountain”

[00:41] Matt describes his hometown as one of the most dangerous places to live (top 20 in the U.S. for crime per capita)
- “At one point, Rocky Mount was deemed top 20 most dangerous season to live in America. Why? I don’t know, dude. Gang violence. Hood gangs.” – Matt Dameron (00:41)
- The city is split between two counties—Nash & Edgecombe—with “other side of the tracks” culture and a lot of crime, drugs, and home invasions.
[01:17] Crime details: “Last year was a state of emergency. A lot of people murdered.”

Southern Life & Upbringing

[05:17] Matt grew up “out in the country”—four-wheelers, fishing, digging holes (“trying to get to China”), mowing acreage with a John Deere, and a transition from the city to rural living.
[07:20] Southern stereotypes, plantations, and race are touched upon; hosts joke about “racism and trees” as their image of North Carolina, but Matt provides nuanced perspective and some tough truths.
- “When I imagine North Carolina, that’s all I imagine is just like, racism and trees.” – Marty (07:36)

Family Dynamics: The Straight-Laced, the Religious, and the Comic

[09:17] Matt has two older brothers—a preacher (4.0 business degree, seminary in Anaheim) and a teacher (East Carolina University, Catholic school)—while Matt’s the black sheep, telling “fentanyl jokes.”
[10:04] “I’m going to work for the Lord." – Matt, about his preacher brother.

The Comedy Road & Surviving Wild Crowds

[13:32] Touring: Matt’s a working road comic, often opening for wild acts.
[11:37] Vile crowds: “My jokes, my set’s like a rape. The harder you fight it, the worse it is.” – On following the notorious David Lucas.
[12:51] Matt enjoys watching audiences confront wild material—sometimes people storm out or cause a scene: “That’s the most fun—for me, it’s watching them leave and then we follow them out because sometimes they’ll cause a scene… I want to see the manager. He’s talking about this, and that, and that. I’m like, ‘yeah, well, it’s a comedy show….’”

Getting Into Comedy: From Bands to Vine to Stand-up

[13:53] Matt started comedy “about seven years ago.”
[13:56] Before that, he played in a band called The Avengers (“We broke up—too many personalities in a van.”), eating Goober peanut butter and jelly out of the jar.
[16:41] Matt shifted from sketch comedy/Vine/Snapchat (grew a sizeable following, later found it “cringe” and left due to its inauthenticity and weirdness).
[17:23] “Going back and looking at some of that stuff, I was like, I thought this was funny?”
[17:48] “I was growing—I think I’d get, like, 25,000 opens per snap on story…but I just left everything. I was like, dude, this is just gross.”

Life Choices: Late to the Party, Sober & Southern Values

[28:00] Matt didn’t drink alcohol until a week after turning 21; didn’t try weed until age 33 (with a 5mg gummy!).
- “I’m an adult. I don’t like being told what to do. And I also want to control what I can control.” – Matt (34:45)
[30:32] Replacements for drugs: sports, music, “I was always doing something…if the energy’s right, dude, I’m having fun.”
[31:02] “I’ve had sex with a total of two women, and one of them was my wife.” (31:05)

Internet Culture & MrBeast

[24:31] Matt was in a secret MrBeast video filmed near his hometown. Though it brought him huge notoriety, he’s shy about it, preferring not to promote it:
- “It was the first time I’m talking about it publicly…People from my preschool DM’d me. It’s a big deal.”
- “I just felt weird running around like, ‘Hey, you see me on MrBeast?’ Because literally, their demographic—you know why we’re shying away…” (26:14)

Small Town Oddities: Racism, School, and The South

[67:13] Matt describes poor private school in North Carolina, a “Grand Wizard” visiting to talk about race, being one of very few white students, teachers lacking degrees (“Art history teacher was just some guy who’d been in the war.”), and living in a class of only 25 seniors.
[69:24] “Grand wizard comes and goes, ‘It’s wrong to hate guys like him.’” – Marty, joking about absurd school assemblies in the South.

Sports Passion & Family Legacy

[43:32] Big on sports—especially football and soccer. (“I’m a state champ. Scored the game-winning goal. 2004, put some respect on it.”)
[53:25] Matt played in local Mexican soccer leagues in North Carolina: “Crushing boundaries, dude—spoke soccer, not Spanish.”
[77:02] His dad played for the Houston Oilers in the 1970s:
- “Your dad was a receiver back when white receivers were…smoking cigs on the sideline.” – Marty (77:44)
- “He found out he got drafted in the paper…” (77:13)
[80:00] After the NFL: dad worked at a tobacco factory, eventually became a financial advisor, taught fiscal responsibility at home.

“Late Bloomer” & Comedy Philosophy

[85:07] Matt is open about being a late bloomer:
- “16, I was five-two. I was a late bloomer…My dick hasn’t even—I look like an Olympic swimmer.”
[86:36] Dyslexia, ADD, “a little tism” – but Matt found power in authenticity, leaning into his accent and owning his worldview onstage.

Adventures, Country Living & Stereotypes

[122:42] Matt recalls childhood days ghost-hunting, killing muskrats (thought it was a beaver), “pranking the church youth group by pretending to be a Confederate soldier.”
[118:11] “Chefs” (meth cooks) and “riding four-wheelers, fishing…killing animals…hunting squirrels (‘tree rats’).”

Road Comedy, Growth, and Mentorship

[92:17] Matt’s rise: After running independent shows, he persistently asked David Lucas for spots—eventually becoming a trusted opener and producing Lucas’s special.
[101:46] “We’re so different—almost three years now, been on the road with him,” discussing road bonds and the pressure to feel “good enough.”
[102:25] Realizing comfort: “I don’t have to pretend to be someone else on stage. Now say what I think is funny.”

The Modern Comedy Scene

[104:58] “Kill Tony” and the current path for comics; Matt’s experiences signing up, the atmosphere, and industry realities.
[106:08] Gig economy: “Biggest thing in comedy is the difference—the chasm—between super ballin’ and average comedians.”

Perspectives on Offense, Internet & Society

[142:23] “Being offended is a choice. Just don’t care about it.” – Matt (142:43)
Balance between crafting edgy jokes and being thoughtful: “If I’m writing something edgy, I’ll pick up the phone—make a barometer call to a black lesbian comic friend. If she hangs up, it’s too much.” (141:59)
[139:28] “The Social Dilemma” and rising polarization—AI/algorithm shaping our feeds and perspectives.
[137:32] Political, religious, and cultural beliefs: Matt is “in the middle,” tries not to force beliefs (“I still read the Bible every day…but reluctant to say ‘Christian’ because people assume Joel Osteen-megachurch-type.”)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Rocky Mount’s reputation:
“A lot of mischief goes on Crack Rock Mountain.” – Matt Dameron (01:07)
On authenticity:
“I just felt I was being what I thought was funny and not being myself…just imitating everyone else…” (17:30)
On comics vs. musicians:
“…Comedians, yeah, like we’re peers. Like I have to tell myself, they’re just like you, man…” – Matt (03:04)
On audience reactions:
“The best is watching them leave, and then we follow them out. Sometimes they’ll cause a scene—‘I want to see the manager!’…It’s a comedy show.” (11:51)
On inclusion in sports:
“Is there DEI in sports? No. You gotta be the best at what you do…” (44:51)
On Southern accents:
“I tried to change the way I talk…nobody wants to hear a dude that sounds like a redneck all the time.”
On family:
“I have had sex with a total of two women, and one was my wife.” (31:05)
On the late start in comedy:
“I was mad getting started late, at 32. Mark Norman said: ‘You got what they don’t have—life experience.’” (112:23)
On seeing yourself in the South:
“If I got reincarnated, I want to come back as a Mexican dude.” (56:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

Rocky Mount / Hometown origins: 00:41–02:17
Family dynamics & southern values: 09:17–10:12, 69:24–70:51
Comedy career journey: 13:53–17:00, 92:17–94:24
MrBeast cameo experience: 24:31–27:15
On not drinking/smoking until adulthood: 28:00–34:45
Comedy on the road, wild crowds & tour stories: 11:37, 12:51, 98:03–100:55
Matt’s NFL heritage: 77:02–80:00
Southern high jinks, hunting & local culture: 118:11–124:25
Perspectives on political/social division and being offended: 137:32–143:38

Takeaways & Tone

This episode is as much a portrait of Southern eccentricity as it is a meditation on authenticity and perseverance in the comedy grind. Matt Dameron shines with frankness, honesty, and an underlying warmth that contrasts with the often-wild content. The conversation is raw, funny, and full of the sideways, sometimes biting humor the DOPE AS USUAL Podcast is known for.

Guest Links & Plugs

Instagram: @mattdameroncomedy
Twitter/X: @MaddieDVines (pending update)
T-shirts: “Everybody’s Got a Little Tism” (find at shows, merch link returning soon!)
Upcoming Headline Show: Playhouse, Jacksonville, NC – November 15th
Featuring for David Lucas Tour: Tickets at DavidFunny.com

Final Word

“Being offended is a choice. Just don’t care about it.” – Matt Dameron (142:43)

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” (144:24)

Have a dope ass day!