TCB Infomercial: Lewis Black

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "TCB Infomercial: Lewis Black"

The Commercial Break | August 20, 2024
Host(s): Bryan Green & Kristen Joy Oakley
Guest: Lewis Black, legendary comedian

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Episode Overview

This episode is a special "TCB Infomercial" installment featuring the legendary comedian, writer, and commentator Lewis Black. The hosts, Bryan and Kristen, dive deep with Lewis about his storied career in standup, his background in theater, his iconic TV presence (especially on The Daily Show), thoughts on politics, creative persistence, the pandemic, and his reasons for retiring from touring. The conversation blends humor, nostalgia, and insight into both the comedy world and current events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Lewis Black & His Comedy Legacy

(00:00–06:49)

• Bryan and Kristen gush over Lewis’s place among comedy greats, likening him to Carlin and Pryor.
• They discuss his signature comedic style: "He takes the world, spins it around that brilliant mind of his, and spits it out in a way that's simple to understand and hilarious.” (03:10 – Bryan Green)
• Excitement about exploring Lewis’s decision to step back from touring, upcoming specials, and famed “F---U” ticket packages.

2. Baseball, Baltimore, and the Commodification of Sports

(07:46–10:59)

• Lewis recounts his experience as a Baltimore Orioles fan, making sharp observations about baseball economics and fan loyalty:

  “Could you hire—still, even now—can you pay for some pitching? At least pretend that we're in it?” (08:13 – Lewis Black)

• Jokes about Atlanta Braves stadium location and the disconnect between sports franchises and communities.

3. Political Fatigue & Rants on Modern Discourse

(11:50–14:19)

• Discussion of a viral Lewis Black video urging politicians to shut up for the summer:

  “Can you give us a break for the summer? Don't say anything. Go to bar, you know, do your barbecues and leave us all the alone.” (11:50 – Brian Green referencing Lewis)

• Lewis rails against the endless election news cycle and lack of genuine centrist voices, expressing nostalgia for politicians “who kind of stayed in the loop” versus today’s rapid turnover.

4. Acting, Playwriting, & West Bank Café Memories

(14:29–24:10)

• Lewis details early acting roles, including a scene-stealing bit with a highly paid dog in Jacob’s Ladder:

  “If you just watch that clip again, the best acting done in that clip is the dog ... the most sincere look of all of us. The most commitment comes from the canine.” (16:05 – Lewis Black)

• Talk about Hannah and Her Sisters—a breakout film for many now-famous actors.
• Extensive stories from the West Bank Café—an underground theater hub that nurtured talents like Aaron Sorkin, James Gandolfini, and Edie Falco.
  Lewis recounts:

  “We did one act plays ... we were surviving. James Gandolfini, Aaron Sorkin—one of his first performances was there.” (19:08–20:46 – Lewis Black)

• On the importance of timing and place in showbiz success:

  “You end up being successful because you're in the right place at the right time.” (24:10 – Lewis Black)

5. Breakthrough into Stand-Up Comedy

(24:11–31:46)

• Lewis describes how stand-up began as a curious side hobby while his playwriting scripts languished:

  "If you actually put your play in a bottle and corked it and threw it into a river, or find that faster and read it faster than any of the theaters would do.” (25:47 + callback to opening, 00:00 – Lewis Black)

• He honed his voice performing at midnight cabaret shows and eschewed traditional comedy clubs in favor of alternative spaces:

  "I was doing it partly because it fascinated me … I could write something and get it out there.” (25:47 – Lewis Black)

• Lewis talks about “writing on stage” and letting audience reactions guide the evolution of his bits.

6. The Daily Show & Rise to Fame

(33:27–38:43)

• Black details his start on The Daily Show’s first week under Liz Winstead’s direction:

  “She’s the one who got Comedy Central to buy this ... she doesn’t get the credit she should.” (33:32 – Lewis Black)

• Early tapings were done with no audience, and performances were workshopped on camera, fine-tuned, then read from teleprompters:

  “We'd do it again. Then they'd say, keep that, drop that. This will be good ... great ending, great opening, let's try to tighten up the middle.” (35:13 – Lewis Black)

• The “face of Comedy Central” era: Partnership with Dave Attell, thriving in a new wave of TV-driven comedy exposure.

7. Social Media, Modern Stand-Up, and Comedy Tours

(38:44–41:44)

• Discussion of how comedy careers evolved with technology:

  “It was the last moment that I'm the last guy—one of the last guys—whose career was created by television.” (39:26 – Lewis Black)

• Contrast between TV-era comics and today’s TikTok-driven “overnight” stars; musing on the challenges of new comics building sustainable careers.

8. Creative Renewal, Legacy, and Final Tour

(42:42–51:01)

• On evolving audience expectations and the curse/blessing of evergreen “material”:

  “You do a special, and then people hear those same jokes ... it's kind of miserable.” (42:42 – Brian Green)

• Discussion of his latest specials as pandemic “time capsules”:

  “Thanks For Risking Your Life”—recorded March 13, 2020, right before everything shut down.
  “Tragically, I Need You”—the return to the stage, offering a post-pandemic perspective.
  “I wanted to do that because ... the two of them together ... here's a historical comedy thing.” (44:25 – Lewis Black)

• On retiring from touring but not from comedy: Focus on writing and occasional performances, especially for friends like Kathleen Madigan.
• Details on his "FUCKU Tickets"—a low-cost, scalper-resistant, direct-ticket option for his fans:

  “If you get a FU Ticket to Lewis Black's final tour, you also go down in legendary ... you don't have to deal with Ticketmaster or scalpers. And you get tickets in the first 10 rows and you pay 20 bucks.” (50:24 – Lewis Black)

9. Rantcast and the Future

(48:49–51:06)

• Commitment to continuing his Rantcast podcast—reading rants submitted by fans and reflecting on the country's pulse.
• On the necessity of an audience:

  “I really need an audience to help me figure out what's funny, because otherwise I'm just thinking about it...” (48:54 – Lewis Black)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Baltimore sports fan suffering:

  “What's really amazing is that they've screwed that fan base over for ... And these guys, it's— you could still get like a 10 or 20 or $30 package that allows you to go to all the games in August and sit in the cheap seats. Whoa.” (08:43 – Lewis Black)

• On evolving politics:

  “You've already added 100 days to Christmas. That didn't help. ... If we need this much time, then there really is something wrong.” (12:02 – Lewis Black)

• On acting with a dog:

  “The best acting done in that clip is the dog ... the most commitment comes from the canine.” (16:05 – Lewis Black)

• On creative persistence:

  “Most of success is timing, a little bit of talent, and also persistence. Because if you're not there at the right time, but you keep chopping the wood, you may find yourself when the timber falls.” (24:35 – Bryan Green)

• On the grind of standup:

  “I'm waiting like two years for them to say, go yourself. You're an idiot ... so I could write something and get it out there.” (26:48 – Lewis Black)

• On The Daily Show's early days:

  “What we did the first six, seven times was ... I would sit there and bring in stuff and I would do ... I’d come in, taking my material and try to put it into an editorial form.” (35:13 – Lewis Black)

• On the evolution of stand-up careers:

  “You got a comic who establishes themselves on TikTok. Is somebody kidding me? ... I established myself on Comedy Central—two and a half minute things.” (41:05 – Lewis Black)

• On comics’ creative output:

  “If a comic builds a great 45 minute set ... that gets noticed, they've been a success, right? It's the ones who do it over and over and over again that become legends.” (42:25 – Eddie Brill, via Bryan Green)

• On pandemic specials:

  “I literally walked on stage and was, 'Thanks for risking your life.' That was the first thing I said to the audience.” (43:34 – Lewis Black)

• On post-tour plans:

  “I'll come out ... if you want me to open, I'll come in and open. That's great. Just buy me a bottle of wine. I don't give a.” (47:32 – Lewis Black)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–06:49: Hosts introduce Lewis Black and set the stage for his legacy
• 07:46–10:59: Baseball, Baltimore fandom, stadium humor
• 11:50–14:19: Political fatigue, viral rants
• 14:29–24:10: Early acting, West Bank Café, supporting emerging talent
• 24:11–31:46: Stand-up beginnings, finding his voice
• 33:27–38:43: The Daily Show origin, “face of Comedy Central”
• 38:44–41:44: Social media and the modern comic
• 42:42–46:31: Comedy material, pandemic specials
• 46:31–50:53: Touring retirement, future writing, direct ticketing (“FU Tickets”)
• 48:49–51:06: Rantcast, finding joy in audience interaction

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Final Thoughts

Bryan and Kristen end by reinforcing Lewis Black’s contribution to comedy as not just entertainment, but as candid, necessary commentary on reality. This episode is both a walk through the history of modern comedy and a testament to the enduring importance of voice, timing, and honesty. Lewis’s blend of grouchiness, wit, and insight shines, making this an episode worth both a first and a second listen.

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For More Lewis Black:

• LewisBlack.com: Tour dates & FU tickets
• YouTube Specials:
  • Thanks For Risking Your Life
  • Tragically, I Need You
• Lewis Black’s Rantcast podcast

For More TCB:

• Instagram: @thecommercialbreak
• TikTok: @TCBpodcast
• TCBpodcast.com

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“You end up being successful because you're in the right place at the right time.” – Lewis Black (24:10)

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Transcript

[Lewis Black]

Many of you don't know this, but my breast milk is a magical elixir for kittens. Yes. Yes, it is. Go to my website, 2 day free shipping on this episode of the commercial break. I mean, being a playwright, you know, I really wanted to be a playwright, so I'd send the scripts out and it's. I've said time and again, if you're writing a play, it was faster. I thought I learned over time that if you actually put your play in a bottle and took the bottle and corked it and threw it into a river or find that faster and read it faster than any of the theaters would do. The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Oh, yeah.

[Brian Green]

Guys and kittens, welcome. Commercial break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the coordinator of all things wonderful, Kristen Joy Oakley. Best to you, Chrissy.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Best to you.

[Brian Green]

Right. And best of you out there in the podcast universe. It's a TCB infomercial Tuesday, and I could not be more excited to have the next guest on, and that is Mr. Lewis Black.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Wow.

[Brian Green]

Now, I know that some of you out, out there are going to be like, Mr. Who? And I'm gonna say Mr. Lewis Black. Pause the episode. Do your homework. Because he is a legend among legends.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

He is one of the best living, I. I guess, commentarians, comedians.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Ever. That ever graced this earth during our lifetime, including Carlin, Pryor, Rock. I mean, there's so many. We can go on and on and on, but he is one of the greats. And if you grew up in, like, the time of Comedy Central, Daily show, the. The heyday of the Daily show or Comedy Central, then you will know exactly who Lewis Black is. He's super fucking fantastic. He says the word every three seconds. He's perfect for the commercial.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes, he is.

[Brian Green]

And I don't care what age the guy is. I'm not an ageist because I'm an old man, too. I'm not an ageist. I want Lewis Black on my show. So when they said, can you. Will you. Is it possible that you might. And I was like, I would walk on glass to have Lewis Black.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I know. I looked at our schedule and saw him on there, I was like, what? We've got?

[Brian Green]

I know. Honestly, there's like, some people where you go, really? He's coming here.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I know.

[Brian Green]

They wanted that. Somebody decided that was a good idea. All right, okay, let's take it. Lewis Black is a standup comedian. He's a playwright. He's a writer. He's an actor. He's been in so many movies, I don't even know where to start. But I think probably what most people of a certain age would know him for is his standup. Com, his standup comedy and his commentary on life, politics, love, rel, I mean, everything under the sun. He's got this certain Je sequois, which is he uses like nobody else does. Moves his hands in weird ways, and I love it. He's incredible. He's just so good at what he does. He takes the world, he spins it around, that brilliant mind of his, and he spits it out in a way that's simple to understand and hilarious. And what an honor. I have to think that maybe Lewis Black has shaped some of my political thinking, some of my thinking about reality and the perception of reality, just some of my thinking in general. Because I am one of those kids who grew up when Comedy Central was just coming online. And he was one of the first. He was on the Daily show very early on. We'll ask him when. But he was on the Daily show very early on. And I think he survived through the Jon Stewart years, if I'm not.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes, he did. No, he was on there.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. And so now insomniac. Insomniac, that's right. I think Politically Incorrect. Was he on maybe? No, that was Bill Maher. I'm sorry, that's Conan. Conan, that's right. He was on Conan. He was a guest, a regular guest on Conan. So the greats know him. They love him. And so I'm interested to dig in and see, you know, what he. Why exactly he's deciding to retire. I mean, listen, you know, he's not a whippersnapper. He's not 22 years old. It's not like he's got, you know, 50 more years of stand up comedy in him. But he's on his final tour.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Well, I would say he can kind of pick and choose after this.

[Brian Green]

I think there's probably. Yeah, I don't think he's like retiring. I just think he's. Maybe the tour thing is okay, I've done it and for many, many years and now I'm kind of over it. Yeah. And I want to be done with it. And we'll, I'm sure, get into that too. But the great Lewis [e-mail] is where you can find tickets to his tour. He's on through the year. He's doing like every other night. He's doing a show, it seems like until the end of the year. And he has special tickets. F U C K U. Tickets you. Tickets that you can buy. I can't wait to ask him about that. Also, he's also got two specials that I think you might be interested in. One is called thanks for risking your life to be here essentially, and that's on YouTube, completely free. And that is a special that was filmed on March 13, 2020, the week that everybody started really fucking freaking out about what was then called coronavirus. And then he did another special just last year called tragically, I need you. And I think he's referring to the audience, like, tragically, I need you.

[Lewis Black]

Right.

[Brian Green]

And their bookends, they're like two. Two different, very timely perspectives on what was going on. One when everything was shutting back down. Was shutting down. One, when everything was, you know, starting back up. And they're hilarious. They're pointed, they're interesting, they're thought provoking, and only Lewis Black can do it. And the only Lewis Black one, he's.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Got his own style.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

If you're looking for, like, someone to be a smooth, you know, talking orator like this, that's not Lewis Black. But if you're looking for someone to, like, tickle your brain in the right spots, that is Lewis Black. And I'm so glad and grateful that he's here. Lewisblack.com and then go watch those two specials on YouTube. And he's got Rantcast too, also, which maybe we'll talk to that. Talk to him about that. So, Chrissy, I do have an idea.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes, yes.

[Brian Green]

Let's go into our awkward transition phase. Why don't we just take a minute? We'll listen to some of our sponsors who feed our mouths and our children. And then when we come back, through the magic of tele podcasting, Lewis Black, the. The great Lewis Black. I'm gonna start saying that anytime I say his name.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah. The great.

[Brian Green]

The great Lewis Black will be here right in front of us, Chrissy. And we'll get to have a conversation with him.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Could you imagine, I can't wait.

[Brian Green]

As a young, budding little Kristen Hoadley watching Comedy Central, that someday this man.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

No.

[Brian Green]

Who was just, like, melting your mind. Would all of a sudden be in front of you now? Well, it's all happening. It's all happening right after do come true. They really do. It's all happening right after. These messages will be back.

[Show Announcer]

Okay, you guys, I have an idea. Why don't we take a break? Gotcha. This is the break. And you already know when you hear my sexy voice, it's time to whip your phone out and follow us on Instagram or skip the ads at the commercial break and on TikTok at TCV podcast. And of course, you know, if you want to get involved, you can always give us a call or text us at 212-4333, TCB. That is 212-433-3822. And guess what? I finally have information on TCB Live, so the links are in the show notes. But let me tell you right now, you can come see us at Dania beach improv on Tuesday, September 24, or at the Funny Bone Orlando on Wednesday, September 25. It's gonna be fab. So go buy your tickets and we'll see you in Florida.

[Brian Green]

Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate your time. And I do have to ask you a question as a long suffering Orioles fan. Can you believe where you are right now?

[Lewis Black]

It allows me to weep publicly. It's really unbelievable. I mean, but. And it took a while. I mean, partly I was enraged part of the time because we were. There were like the. Our catchers should have been up sooner.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

And you know, they were fooling, you know, and then also, could you hire still, even now, can you pay for some pitching? At least pretend that we're in it? It's like, literally, you're gonna continue to do this. And what's really amazing is that they've screwed that fan base over for. And it's not been. I mean, it's been long, but not terms of other teams that have been really sure. You know, and, and these guys, it's. You could still get like a 10 or 20 or $30 package that allows you to go to all the games in August and sit in the cheap seats. Whoa. Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

That's incredible.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. We live in Atlanta, where our pornhub overlords charge every dollar, then have the audacity to call it the Atlanta Braves when it's actually 30 miles outside of the city center.

[Lewis Black]

It's F up, but I'm out, isn't it? It's. Is it near the Cob?

[Brian Green]

Yes, near the Cob. It's right over there. Near the Energy Center. It's actually across the. Across the highway from the Energy center, which is a great location if you're, you know, white and rich enough to afford those seats. But, you know, the, the lacks. In my opinion, it lacks the character of the old stadium, especially the, the Ted Turner stadium that was built.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

For the Olympics, which was just an incredible B place to see Baseball and, you know, whatever. It's all homogenized and corporatized and big dollars at this point.

[Lewis Black]

And I guess put that Cobb Energy center out there, which they said, well, you're going to perform out there now. Oh yeah. You know, you go to a city and you want to perform. I have no interest in performing in the suburbs, you jackasses. I got out of the suburbs. You for a while and then that's enough. And then you kind of realize, no, in the city have it in. So, you know, you want to perform, which I did for a while. I've got to perform. And you know, I was at the House of Blues there and we, we did a couple of the other theaters downtown and then we're. Now I'm out at the Cobb Energy center, which has no energy.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

No, yeah, that's true.

[Brian Green]

Right about this. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place if you're gonna go see opera or the orchestra or, you know, Frankie Valley and the Dead tops or whatever it is. But at the end of the day, it's not, it's not the place you wan Lewis Black or your favorite, you know, Rebirth 90s band that once was popular and not popular again, and that's what they do, but you know, they have to make money somehow. So I guess that's where they put it. And Atlanta is a perfectly lovely city with lots of great theaters, with lots of great history, and they have, they just keep building more further and further away and calling it Atlanta. But that's my. That's a rant. And you're better at that than I am.

[Lewis Black]

No, but I'm glad to hear it because it really did. It's one of those things I've wondered, you know, you go out there. I don't. I know I've got a few friends who, you know, live down there, but you don't really. You know, it's kind of like. Really?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, well, that's what we all thought when, when the Brave stadium was announced in Cobb county, we were like, are they the Cobb County Braves now or of the Marietta Braves or are they just still the Atlanta Braves? But you can't argue with success. And we, we are spoiled with success. As a long suffering Cubs fan until a couple of years ago, I, I feel you on Baltimore. I have to ask you a question. Right off the get, you put a, an Instagram reel, a YouTube short out that I saw a couple of months ago. Maybe it was like back in April or something where you said, hey, politicians can you give us a break for the summer? Don't say anything. Go to bar, you know, do your barbecues and leave us all the alone.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I love that.

[Brian Green]

How's. How's that going in your estimation.

[Lewis Black]

Now? I just. I did it again, and then I did it, and last night, I was. The other night, I was performing in Cleveland, and I. I just launch into it. I mean, it's. Yeah, it's disgusting. It's. And. And it starts with the fact that they go, this is what enrages me. Well, you know, we only have a hundred days, you know. Seriously? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You've already added 100 days to Christmas. That didn't help. It's like, literally, do you not think we're capable? And if. And if we need this much time, then there really is something wrong that. That we are picking people that we don't know that should be people on the table. We already know. I mean, in part, when I was growing up. And now I'll sound like a, you know, an aging fart when I was growing up that, you know, you knew these. I mean, Nixon, you knew, and he tried, and then he tried again, and then he won. And he won. Yeah. You know, these people kind of stayed in the loop. Now it's like, okay, God, you know, Romney, okay, gone. He's there for a. You know, and. And in comparison, you know, when you look in terms of what we're dealing with, you know, really. You got rid of him. He was kind of like the middle guy. You idiots. Yeah, you fucking idiots in the middle. And, you know, except for whatever, you know, we can argue, you know, this, that, or the other, you know, but basic. Basic. And you go, no, that's enough. You know, he.

[Brian Green]

He was a centrist and had long been known as a guy who works across the aisle and had worked across the aisle during his presidency to get some actually done. And, you know, but we can argue up and down about, you know, whether or not he's fit for the job or not fit you. And I think it's a valid argument to have. Right. But it's.

[Lewis Black]

He.

[Brian Green]

It was like 1.1sh. Performance. Good night, Joe. See you later. Talk to you. Talk to you later. You. You have a really interesting. Chrissy and I were talking about this before you. You came on. I think we both remembered you because of your long stint on the Daily Show. That's when we grew up. That's when our minds were blossoming. That's when we got interested in the world around us. And we're also Cable kids. Right. So we saw the Daily Comedy Central and Politics.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Really.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, in politics. And that's when I became a super fan of yours. Like if you were on the Daily Show, I needed to watch it. And it was appointment TV for me.

[Lewis Black]

Did.

[Brian Green]

Was. But you had. You were like a playwright and you were in Jacob's Ladder, which is one of the most up movies I've ever seen in my entire life. Did you. What did you play? In Jacob's Ladder? You were the doctor.

[Lewis Black]

Doctor. And the reason, one of the reasons, the hook, I think that I'm in that and stayed in that. But, you know, and, you know, a lot of the times you get edited out and it's a small, very small role. But there was a dog on the set and a great dog and. And they were paying the dog more than me and some of the other actors. The dog was getting a lot every day. But I was. But the dog was going to be in the scene. And the thing was, is that they. They brought the dog and now the dog's a part of the movie. And the thing is, is Tim Robbins, who was the lead, didn't really like dogs, didn't want the dog around or whatever. But he, you know, you know, I hate to be. He doesn't like dogs, but apparently he didn't. And. Or whatever. And. But so they really. The dog was going to be in the scene and he's in the tub and I'm sitting there and I went, I'm gonna. This dog's gonna be great in this because. So I'm hanging out all day with the dog and I'm gonna be sure this dog likes me enough that he's gonna be. Not a problem when we get in there. And he certainly wanting to be well trained, you know, he's. He's getting paid more than me. He probably.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, he's a professional.

[Lewis Black]

If you just watch that clip again, the most. The best acting done in that clip is the dog who's got. Of all of us, has the most sincere look of all of us. The most commitment comes from the canine.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

And. And so that was how I. It ended up. I think that the clip stayed in the movie and you know, because all they really needed was him in the tub being in an ice bath or something.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I remember that. I remember this scene in the movie. The guy's pouring ice on him and he's freaking out and the. The whole thing is going. They say never work with animals or children, but maybe in this case they helped out.

[Lewis Black]

Right.

[Brian Green]

Was. Was that your first major motion picture role?

[Lewis Black]

No, the first major motion picture role was. Was Hannah and her Sisters.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Oh, wow.

[Brian Green]

That's a classic.

[Lewis Black]

You look. And here's another one of those crazy things. Julia Taylor is. Was. I'm not sure if she still does, but was. Was Woody Allen's casting person, and she's pretty remarkable, and she's on top of things. And she approached me and the friend of mine who's passed away, who. We. We had a place in New York that we did theater in, and he did music. I did, and I was writing plays and kind of hosting. And so she came in and basically said, you know, you're going to be in a Woody Allen film at some point. Well, that's, you know, like. Yeah, right. Okay. The next thing I know, we're. We're casting Hannah and assistant. If you watch the scene that we're in, it's me. It's my first movie. It's Rusty's first movie. I believe John Turturro's in the scene. It's his first movie. There's, like, Julie Kavner. It's not her first, but it's. But what's her name? Julia Louise Dreyfus. Her first movie.

[Brian Green]

Whoa.

[Lewis Black]

It's the scene where they're walking down the hallway. He's a writer for kind of Saturday Night Live or works on it that Woody does. Chris Clemens, who was in a bunch of things that you've seen on television. And we're. Were all in that scene. And if you watch pretty much there's about eight of us, and it was everybody's first movie. And they're all people. Wow. Had careers.

[Brian Green]

When you were. When you got out of college. I read that you were a playwright, and then you were working this theater. Is that the same theater you're talking about? You were there for, like, five or six years until it closed or got new management or whatever.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, no, and also I. Yeah, they. They kind of thought we were. That's unbelievable. The. The. My friend who's still. It's in its 46th year.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Lewis Black]

West Bank Cafe. And downstairs, there was a. What would be called the Cabaret space. I hate that word. It just. You think of, you know, stuff that I don't got.

[Brian Green]

You. I'm picking up what you're putting down.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. So. But it was really a theater space. Had about 100 seats, had a bar, and. And we did. We did. And the two owners that my friend Steve Olsen called the Null and Void, who were the two owners of the place? They thought you Were making. Making a fortune downstairs. Doing. Doing one act plays. That's.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's a quick way to get that. Well, my dad said, son, you're going to go to school and you're going to be a one act playwriter.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, yeah, that's really. And are you going to build balsa wood planes? I mean, stupid. We were, you know, we were. We were surviving. I mean, and we were. We. It was kind of amazing because we did a. There was no place for. At that point in time in the. We started this in the early. In the, like the. The early 80s. 83, 84. And we had the actors who were there. I mean, James Gandolfini, one of his performances was there. The writers are really. Aaron Sorkin, his first major names. Who. True Blood.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Lewis Black]

First. American Beauty. His. All of his first work was done there. All of it. There's a number of other writers who are just straight up playwrights that you're known for playwriting. And. And we had everybody, because nobody had. There was no places for people to work.

[Brian Green]

And so you were just a home for all of these burgeoning creative types that were doing playwrights. I mean, Aaron Sorkin, just one name and you could say, wow, that was success.

[Lewis Black]

He actually went on. He was on CBS Sunday Morning and talked about the fact that he owed the success, you know, that that was the reason he. It was from that moment that they. He got his agent. His agent got a few Good Men done on Broadway within a year.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Lewis Black]

But otherwise there was nothing going on in New York.

[Brian Green]

It was just that it was kind of a dead scene in the 80s. Right. It was all. It was all Studio 54 and punk rock CBGB. Right.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. I mean, there was certain things. There were certain moments of certain plays that were done, but very little. And so we were this place. And what we did was, is, you know, somebody had. We worked over the. On the premise. You know, somebody comes in, they do something that's good, they recommend somebody great, and we would do them. And so a lot of it, we didn't. You know, it was all about. And you bring the audience in and these people wanted an audience and they bring people in. And so when we were charging, like, I mean, it's 100 years ago, but still we were charging $3, $5. We were not. Not charging a ton. And. And we were paying our actors and had it and actually cut a. We had a contract with Equity. It was crazy.

[Brian Green]

Oh, geez. And. And so the Nolan void thought that you were making a billion dollars under their noses. And so they pushed you to give them more of a cut of the revenue. And you're like, well, shit, dude, I'm not making any. I'm living in a, you know, studio apartment on the West End.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. Manager who's now owner of the place, Steve Olson, they fired him because they thought he was making it hand over finish. So the place gets wiped, moves up the straight. The street where he bartends. Now we're all up the street drinking there. And. And the theater, nobody shows up, nobody shows up to eat there because it really was and still is a place where you could walk in and see, you know, Al Pacino or you could see, you know, any number of people. Robert, Shawn, Leonard. I can go to Ethan Hawk. There's a ton of. Just hang out. Neat. There's. And it's. And it's still one of those places because across the street there are a whole bunch of off Broadway theaters or off off Broadway, really. And. And so it was. Really became kind of a classic institution. And it's. And right now they're in the midst of the. They were. They just have not recovered from the pandemic and they're trying to close it down and we'll see if that actually happens.

[Brian Green]

But that's a scene. James Gandolfini, Aaron Sorkin, Ethan Hawk having lunch at theater. Yeah, I guess that's just like the, you know, kind of the snapshot in time, like so many stories that you hear about. I've never been lucky. I end up at a Chili's eating, you know, $5 are or whatever. There's no Ethan Hawker chance.

[Lewis Black]

It was really something. And it was just, you know, it's that whole thing. It's like, you guys, look, the one thing you learn from what, you know, what you're doing in this business, what I'm doing in this business, that this. But you end up being successful because you're in the right place at the right time. And it's. Yes, totally timing.

[Brian Green]

Absolutely.

[Lewis Black]

It's really unbelievable because that's what occurred there. We just, you know, you go in, we went, well, you know, let's see if people want to do this. And then they. Then they all flood in. And so all of a sudden, you know, Edie Falco is there. I mean, you kind of go, what the fuck?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, let me show them.

[Lewis Black]

You know. Yeah, you're showing up on your stage and you're going, oh, my God.

[Brian Green]

You know, let me ask you because I think you're on to. I think you're Absolutely right about this is that most of success is timing, a little bit of talent, and also persistence. Because if you're not there at the right time, but you keep chopping the wood, you may find yourself when the timber falls. Right. I mean, that's just the way that it is. Like, we're 600 episodes into this. It didn't come easy. Right. It didn't come easy. And I'm still. I hope there's lots of, you know, wood to be chopped here, but I don't know. I'm getting old.

[Lewis Black]

I read your history. It's true. You did, you know, you want this and then tried that. You know, you.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

You go up all these blind alleys. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

When you. When you. So you are writing and do you find yourself. You're just so comically talented. I don't want to compare you to anybody because that's like, That's a. That's cheap conversation. But I do have to say, I put you in this, like, in the same regard as, like, a prior or a Carland. You're a commentarian. You, like, you comment on the world around you in a very funny and unique way. Did you start doing stand up while you were doing playwriting, too? Were you doing that on the side?

[Lewis Black]

I was doing it on the side. It was completely on the side. It was being done as I, you know, like some people collect stamps. It was crazy. It was really. I'm kind of going. I was doing it partly because it fascinated me and I. And all. And it didn't matter. I mean, being a playwright, you know, I really wanted to be a playwright. So I'd send the scripts out and it. And as I've said time and again, if you're writing a play, it was faster. I thought. I learned over time that if you actually put your play in a bottle, in a. In like a. Into a bottle, and took the bottle and corked it and threw it into a river, or find that faster and read it faster than any of the theaters would do. So I. So I. I did the stand up in Part two so I could write something and get it out there.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

I'm waiting, like two years for them to say, go yourself. You're an idiot. You have no interest. And so. So it was a way in which I could do my writing and I would go on stage and read stuff just to, you know, end up read comic things that I wrote that were comic. And I comment and. And I started asking and then I started to work rooms that, you know, nobody in their right Mind would work. You know, it was like, I wouldn't work comedy clubs. I tried.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

And they enraged me because it was like, well, you're not one of the first 15 who showed up. Well, you don't fucking want. You know, you should. You should let us know that.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

You know, because I was performing once at Catch a Rising Star, and the first time I performed and this was the end of. I didn't go back. They. They wanted me to do. I mean, I was there 11 o', clock, 10:30, 11 o'. Clock. I had a pretty good set. I said, where? Well, who do I talk to? They said, oh, no, you've got to be the first five that are seen. And I'm. I went, nobody. This is. Are you shitting me? Yeah. I'm broke at the time, and I have friends who are broken, broke now. I've put together enough money to have my friends come so that. To see if they think I'm psychotic doing it. But I'm putting out a small fortune as far as I'm concerned.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

I'm going broke to be there and the person's not there. So I said, I'm not dealing with it. So I found spaces around in part, like the west bank eventually, where. Before they. Where I. I could go and just do stuff and not have to worry about, you know, bringing people or doing anything. And if as long as I wasn't making money, what difference did it make? Sure.

[Brian Green]

When you. Yeah. And so are you just, like, chopping away at it? Is it. If you have such a unique style and a unique voice and a unique opinion, and that's probably just part of the DNA of who you are. But when you get. And I know we're fast forwarding a lot, but when. How did you get on the Daily Show? And when you get that, you have. I. I think, quite frankly, when I saw you for the first time, I was like, holy, this guy's on fire. Yeah, he's funny and he's got something to say.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And I would imagine, at least in my brain, it. It takes a long time to just learn how to, like, tailor it in a way that's interesting, funny and saying something.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. A lot of it came from working at the west bank because I would open. I became comfortable on stage there because otherwise I was a wreck on stage. I mean, it was because you got to relax. And I found that to be the toughest part, especially. And so a lot. So I was introducing every show. So there was no. You take out the realm of you don't have to worry about if you're funny. So you can now be funny because nobody expects you to be funny. Yeah, that way. And we would have a show at midnight on Saturdays that was free, and. And we. And Rusty would play music and the. He was the composer of the place, and he would do these songs that were hysterical and also straight stuff. I would do stand Up. There were Warren Light, who eventually won a Tony for his writing. Uh, he. He wanted. I wanted to be. He wanted to be a comic. I wanted to be a playwright now.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, exactly.

[Lewis Black]

It's really silly. He. Terrific comic. So these. They would come in. People would come in, and then we. We. And we did it for free because it was Studio 54. Time.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

There were all these places around town where none of my friends and especially actors and people in the business couldn't get in. So the people would come pouring in there because it was free. And. And we would do these shows. And that was where I kind of honed the material. And I'd go on stage with just pieces of, you know, the newspaper. I'd have, like, 10 things that I ripped out of the newspaper and just go there. No, this. And that would be my act.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, you just comment on what you were seeing.

[Lewis Black]

And then if it landed, I would follow it out and.

[Brian Green]

Wow. And. And probably because you were a playwright, because. Because you had those writing skills and they were honed and you were doing the reps on. On the writing. You could smell a punchline coming in your perspective, in your voice. So you would look at an article, you'd say, oh, I know where I can go with this. Know I. Where I can go with it.

[Lewis Black]

And the one thing that's really interesting is. Is that since then, and. And what I've learned, I don't. I write on stage. That's where I go.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Lewis Black]

I don't sit at home. I. I'll take a note. You know, there'll be something that really bugs me. You know, it's like, you know, I'll write it down some. Anything that angers me.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. I immediately write it down.

[Brian Green]

Sounds a lot like me.

[Lewis Black]

And now it's reached the point where there's no need to. I don't even need to. How do you get angry when it's just con. It's a constant flow of. Right. He's talking about childless Catwoman. I mean. And then they're going, whoa, I can't believe they're still stuck on it. They're stuck on it because it's insane.

[Brian Green]

Unreal. Yeah. And you know what's more insane is that 30 years ago this would have tanked any chance you had at a political career. But what's insane is the excuse making bullshit and then the continuation of saying the same exact thing over and over again with different words, trying to pretend like I. I really didn't mean what I said. But by the way, let me say it one more time because I really did mean what I said.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, it's a. Folks with children who should have more boats. That was the other one. That's really good. Yep. Folks who have children who. Who don't even have the time to pay attention to what the fuck is out there. Yes. More boats than the rest of us who don't have children. And noses are fucking shoved into this shit on a daily basis.

[Brian Green]

As a guy who has many children, I will tell you right now, I shouldn't be allowed to vote. I'm just constantly upset at something and I could go either way at any moment. I could write in Walt Disney right now, and it probably would make sense to me when. How did you get. How did you get connected with the daily. You were on early, I think, Craig Kilborn.

[Lewis Black]

The first week.

[Brian Green]

The first week.

[Lewis Black]

And it started with. We were in a studio without an audience, and Liz Winstead was the. Oh, yeah, was the executive producer. She knew me. She was a comic. Her. The great thing was, is that Liz. And she doesn't get the credit she should. And so I touted all the time, she's the one who got the Comedy Central to buy this. And that's an extraordinary. Because I. I had done it about. I'd got in to pitch, you know, a political kind of news show, and people just, what, are you kidding me?

[Brian Green]

Comedy Central? Yeah, but it's hahas on a Tuesday. Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

She got it. So. And she had an executive, one of the producers. She was the exec producer. One of the producers was Hank Gallow, who knew me. So both of them knew me, you know, right place, right time. They knew, like you were saying, they knew I had material. I had a ton of material. Nobody knew who I was and I was working. Now I'm working clubs. I'm outside of the west bank and I'm working clubs around town. And I'm just honing my act to try to make it so that taking it from this room where I was kind of like, oh, he's psychotic, but isn't he cute? To. Oh, this. I can transfer this into a. Into kind of comedy clubs.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, sure.

[Lewis Black]

And. And so they, they brought me in. And what we did the first six, seven times was until we got an audience. I would sit there and bring in stuff and I would do. Or if they had an idea, but mostly it was me. I'd come in, taking my material and try to put it into an editorial form. And I would just sit at the desk and then I would do it because there was no audience. And then we'd do it again. And then they'd say, keep that, drop that. This will be good. Then I do it again. Great ending, great opening. Let's try to tighten up the middle. Do it three or four times. And then. Great, you got it. And that was the way we did it. And then they brought the audience in. Then I started writing it out. Hank helped me edit it and some of the other writers came on board. And now it's on a. Now we go to teleprompter.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

And so I'm reading it and there, there. If you, you know, you should get one of your children to learn this skill, which is to look at a screen and be able to read words and, and so that their eyes aren't moving.

[Brian Green]

It's very difficult. We have tried to do this in the studio. It's very difficult. It's not a, it's a, it's a skill that doesn't. Becomes abs. It's like unnatural in every way, shape or form.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Your eyes or something. And. Yeah, just.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, well, you know, very easy. I mean, you know, if I'd known this, I could have, I could have got to the chase and been a weatherman and just.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I would have loved to have seen that.

[Lewis Black]

In a gorilla suit.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yes, please.

[Brian Green]

Weather guys. Poor weather guys. They don't do much, but. And they're always wrong, Louis. They're always wrong. We have a guy here, he's very famous. His name is Glenn Burger Burns. He's as old as the sun. I mean, he's probably 102 years old. He looks great because of whatever good genes, good doctors, I don't know one of the two, but the guy is a hundred percent wrong. Unless there's a tornado directly over your house, he'll let you know that five minutes afterwards. But he's, but you watch him because he's, he's the guy. He's like the Glenn Burns guy. You're like, oh, I trust him. For what reason? I don't know. Because he's always wrong.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

When you, you, when you get to the Daily show and you have all of this exposure and I Know that, you know, Comedy Central is. Was at what. Not at the time, HBO or ABC or NBC. But it is quite a bit of exposure to a very fertile audience. Is that, that's the moment when all of a sudden you kind of take out your comedy career, takes off. I have to imagine that was part of it.

[Lewis Black]

It was a combo of that. It was a combo of David Tell and I becoming the face of Comedy Central.

[Brian Green]

Because that's right.

[Lewis Black]

Sudden I'm doing. And he's on the insomniac.

[Brian Green]

Insomniac. Late Night with David Tell.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. Really a great show. Then he.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Then that was a great show.

[Lewis Black]

It was, it was a real breakthrough. I mean nobody thought but David was perfect. I'm doing this now. They're putting. Now I've got, I'm doing specials because now I got a ton of material and I'm doing these half hour specials. So that's getting it out there. And then we end up, we become. On Friday nights they do interstitials. So there's a whole bunch of comics and, and David or I or both of us would be the intro ers of everything that put me out there. Then Conan picks me up. I do more Conan's than anybody at that time.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

Thing explodes.

[Brian Green]

It's just unbelievable. I. Because I was a teenager at that time, it was you. You really got embedded into my head. You and Dave. I think of Dave now, I look back on that show that he did and I say that was Anthony Bourdain before Anthony Bourdain did Anthony Bourdain. And just a little, just a little bit crazier, just a little bit wackier. Right. But it really was a version of Anthony Bourdain. This guy out there exploring the world and making commentary on it and also being funny in a way. And then you would do mean you would just have such great commentary and I, I really appreciate it. I think you helped shape the way that I think about a lot of things. Because I'm just a young kid in a messed up home watching TV late at night and reruns. And you know, there's Lewis Black. I like what this guy has to say. For whatever reason you really did because.

[Lewis Black]

It was the last moment that I'm the last guy who. One of the last guys whose career was created by television.

[Brian Green]

Yes.

[Lewis Black]

Then we move out, you know, into.

[Brian Green]

The wild fucking west and yeah, we go.

[Lewis Black]

It all changes so that it's on the phone, it's on this, it's on that, it's on the Computer and. But it really was that. And so, and so everything really does kind of go through a sea change. I mean, because Dave and I and Mitch Hedberg did one of the first comedy tours outside of the, the, you know, the, the blue collar. We. I think.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

And we went out before. And then the other tour that was done with Cedric the Entertainer, right?

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah, yeah. The king of kings of comedy.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah. So, you know, we're the first ones to kind of go do that. And it was huge. It was huge for me because then I transitioned immediately into a, A, a comic who's working theaters. So I follow in that path that, that Carlin did, which was a big break.

[Brian Green]

It was a well worn path at that time. Now, and to, to no discredit, no disservice to the, to these comics yet they reach an audience by the, by finding the audience through social media. They put it out there and people find them and they said, that's my taste. That's my flavor. I like that. And then they're filling rooms and some of them do it beautifully. Some of them make that transition from, you know, online comic to theater comic beautifully. And then others, you know, understandably, just like life, you know, you take a few swings and sometimes you miss, right?

[Lewis Black]

Well, yeah, it's weird. I mean, you got to. It just. It boggles my mind. You got a comic who establishes themselves on TikTok. Is somebody kidding me? I mean, I can't really yell. I mean, I established myself on, you know, Comedy Central was two and a half minute things, but yeah, you kind of go, but I, But I'm also, while I'm doing that, I'm going around the country playing clubs, you know, and, and building an audience. And it's, it really is a different. They built in a lot of them built an audience immediately, which is really you.

[Brian Green]

It's insane. We've had some of them on our show and they're great, greatly successful comics, really funny people with great senses of humor. And they came from the world of, of. I was nobody then. I had a million followers on Tuesday. And now I'm playing theaters, right? And I say this often, but the great Eddie Brill, who booked Letterman for a while. Brill, Brill. When, when I was speaking with him as a friend, he said one time, like, if a comic builds a great 45 minute set, 45 minutes to an hour in their lifetime, and that gets noticed, they've been a success, right? He said, it's the ones who do it over and over and over again that become legends. And he said, that's the hard thing to do.

[Lewis Black]

And.

[Brian Green]

And. And I think it is because, like, I don't know who was. Was it Sam Morill or somebody said to us, a musician can go out and play. You know, Eagles can go play Hotel California today. Literally are rolled off.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

They didn't play the same thing over and over again. Yeah, but comics can't do that.

[Brian Green]

You do a special, and then people hear those same jokes. They're like, well, I already heard that one. You know, it's like, it's. It's kind of. It's kind of miserable. You have been doing comedy specials all through the pandemic. I saw your. Your pre pandemic, or right as the pandemic was happening. Special year.

[Lewis Black]

The next day we shut down.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Wow.

[Brian Green]

March 13th. Our first episode was March 15th. So it was like two days before you. Yeah, March 13th. And that was like. So I watched it, you know, years ago, and then I watched it again last week or something. I watch it, and it's like a. A. It's like a time capsule.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

It's so crazy. And to hear your commentary on the things that are going on, like, almost in real time as this ball started rolling is a real throwback. And it's kind of a shock to the system a little bit. It's like, wow. Was really up and scary back then.

[Lewis Black]

Really. I mean, I literally walked on stage and was, thanks for risking your life. That was the first thing I said to the audience. I do what my opening line would be. But I knew we were fucked up, and it was coming at a thousand miles an hour. And then it was like, do you want to fly through Chicago? No. That's the first place that somebody got it. What do you think I'm an idiot? And then what was interesting was to then do the. To do the bookend. So the second it was after the pandemic. You know, when I can do it after the pandemic. And. And then. And I wanted to do that because I felt that the two of them together, basically. I'd never done anything like this where it was just. It was out of just a historical contact who. The. Here's a historical comedy thing.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Seriously.

[Lewis Black]

Lewis Flagg presents the Civil War. It was crazy, but some of the stuff that the blowback I got over things I said. It was like, just stop it. Okay. I was talking about how it affected me because I went on the road afterwards, and I thought, I'm gonna just paddle a while. I'm gonna basically Just talk about how I responded. The pandemic, which was not good. I did not handle it well. Yeah. And I, and I started saying, and the audience was laughing and I just went, okay, then they get it. And if that's the case, then I should record this because everybody wanted me. You know, every 80% of the people went through it and the other 20% didn't believe it happened. And those. Right. I wish could be locked up.

[Brian Green]

Hey, listen, locked up because you were crazy. It's changing history, you know, arguing over some detail over the. Over Gettysburg. Okay. You know, we can all have that argument to the day that we die. Arguing history that happened 30 fucking seconds ago seems like just pure balls out insanity to me. Do you know what I'm saying? It's a different kind of brass potatoes. It's just fucking insane. And you're right, like 20% of the people just didn't believe it happened. They were just believed it was some sham going on. And I think there's still a lot of people that do. But when you watch his first special and then you watch the second one and I just want to make sure I got the name right, It's Tragically I need you. You. Right, yeah. Okay, so it's tragically I need you. It's available on YouTube to anybody that wants to go to go watch it. And thanks for risking your life. What's that?

[Lewis Black]

It's, it's free.

[Brian Green]

It's 800 pound gorilla, which we've had so many of those specials on our show. So when you watch those two, it is a book ad. You see, you can remember just how scary March 13, 2020 was. And then you can see how we all handled it. Or some of us didn't choose to handle it, chose to bury our heads in the sand. And it was really very interesting. And I thought it was, I thought it was well done. I really do. Now are you, are you done after this tour? For reals?

[Lewis Black]

For reals, yeah. What I'm done with is touring.

[Brian Green]

But you'll still do special events.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, I mean, I'll, I'll come out like, of course, as soon as I said I'm done, then it's like, well, what do you mean? Well, you're not, you know, you. I'm competing for space that I wasn't competing for before. And I like to be, you know, and it makes touring on a bus, which is what I've been doing for years, become more difficult because it used to be we go from point A to point B and they were like this. And now it's point A to point B is up there, right? Yeah. Madness. So I basically. I can't do it. I want to write more. I want to be able to go back and write. I want to write a play again. I want to write a book maybe, and. And then I'll show up and do stand up. I mean, like, I was. I just. My good friend is Kathleen Madigan and she was working down.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

And I love her.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, she's great.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah, she's. For my money, she's the best comic out there working. And she. She had a show in. In. In Atlantic City, and I went down and did 10 minutes that I'll do. As I said to her, if you want me to open, I'll come in and open. That's great. Just buy me a bottle of wine. I don't give a. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Kind of stuff. And then, you know, if something comes up and I'm. Then I. And there's a bunch of things that I've collected that I think I need to comment on. I'll go to a show, but I'm not going to do 120, 100 shows a year anymore.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, that's too much.

[Brian Green]

Well, I hope you do, because, you know, Hedberg gone, Carlin gone, Prior gone, you know, and all gone too soon. And I think you're one of the great minds in comedy. I think you're one of the great realityists of our time. And I don't mean that like a reality show kind of way. I mean, you have a way of just saying things that. That open the eyes and go, oh, yeah, that's. You're fucking right. And so. And I want to tell you that I really appreciate your impression on me as a young man and through my life. And I think you're one of the greats, Lewis Black, and I hope you continue to. I hope you to continue to keep that mind fertile and sharing it with us when you can. Even if it's on Tick Tock.

[Lewis Black]

No, that. But I'll do the rant, Cat. I still do a rant cast every week and.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

Where I just yak. It's tougher because I. I really need an audience to help me figure out what's funny, because otherwise I'm just thinking about it and. Yeah, but I also. What I really like is that I read the rants every, you know, whatever folks send in. So. And it's been great. And it's. And I think as it rolls along, it'll get better and better because people really, just before this hit the fan, the level of the writing that was coming in my way was extraordinary because they figured out my boys.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Lewis Black]

Helped me kind of doing it on a. And I was doing it at the. I was doing literally 25 minutes after the show. So it was crazy because I was doing like 70 minutes in another 25, which is a totally different energy. Jesus. Yeah, it was just, you know, and I. And. And I really wanted it almost as you got to be higher with the energy because I'm reading these folks things and. And so I've been getting those out now and. And. And that. That. That continues. That will continue to happen.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I Love that.

[Brian Green]

Rantcast. Lewisblack.com you can see him on his tour. He's on tour through the end of the year. If you live in a city, he's likely coming somewhere close to that. It's worth the drive. And I'll tell you what, get the you tickets, because if you get a you ticket to Lewis Black's final tour, you also go down in legendary. The F U C K U tickets, I should say that correctly.

[Lewis Black]

It's also. You don't have to deal with.

[Brian Green]

With.

[Lewis Black]

It's an extraordinary. It's what we did so that you didn't have to deal with Ticketmaster or scalpers. And you get tickets in the first 10 rows and you pay 20 bucks, which is less than what you're going to pay. And then if something happens, there's somebody you actually call and talk to.

[Brian Green]

It's brilliant. Yeah, it's brilliant. The Ticketmaster Overlords, even though they are also doing our tickets for live shows, so not so much, but, you know, kind of have.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Ticketmaster. Lewis, thank you so much. We really appreciate you here today.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

That was incredible.

[Lewis Black]

Every minute. Thank you.

[Brian Green]

Well, you can come back after you get done with the tour if you ever want to, you know, do two and a half minutes of rant.

[Lewis Black]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

This door is open all day long. I promise you that.

[Lewis Black]

Just. And if you want me, just call because I got. I got no life.

[Brian Green]

Oh, trust me, you said it. And now I. Now you're gonna be like, who's this keeps calling? My agent.

[Lewis Black]

It was really a pleasure to spend time.

[Brian Green]

No, I really enjoyed it.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, that was great.

[Brian Green]

The great Lewis Black. Go see him on tour.

[Lewis Black]

Cheers.

[Show Announcer]

Hello, my fans. I mean, Brian and Chrissy's fans. Boy, have I got news for you. We are officially coming to Florida for TCB Live. That's right. You can come see Brian's bald head shining under the stage. Lights at Dania Beach Improv, Tuesday, September 24, and at the Funny Bone in Orlando on Wednesday, September 25. If you can't make it to see us in person, text us or call us at 212-4333, TCB and leave us a little love note instead. As always, please, please, please follow us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTokCBpodcast. Our content is shockingly good, so get after it. And you already know, know I put every single one of those links in the show notes. You're welcome.

[Brian Green]

His agent better turn off the phone and hide under the couch. Because if you don't think for one second that I'm not calling Mr. Lewis, the great Lewis Black every third day to see when he's coming on back on the show, you gotta be wrong. Can you imagine Lewis Black on the commercial break, does his little two and a half, ten minute whatever it is. He can have the whole episode for all I care. He does that rant here on the commercial break. Like he really does a rant. I just, it would be, it would be the honor of my life. I could say that we finally made a good episode. I could say, right, we finally made an episode worth actually listening all the way through. And I'm gonna put them right at the end so you fuckers have to listen to the whole thing.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Yeah, the Lewis Black segment.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, the Lewis Black segment.

[Lewis Black]

Wow. The great.

[Brian Green]

Yes. TCB and lb. I don't know the. Would that be work on that tglb? Well, that's kind of, I don't know, On the block. I don't even know what to say. I just love it.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Incredible. We could have talked to him forever.

[Brian Green]

Still sharp, man. He's so sharp. I hope I'm that. I know I'm not gonna be that sharp because I'm already not that sharp. And I'm many years, not many years, but, you know, at least seven years younger than he is. Oh, God.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Lewis Black Star.

[Brian Green]

Lewisblack.com that's where you can get your tickets to his final tour. I mean, if I'm saying this with like all sincerity and authenticity. If there is one comic that you have to see before he stops doing it or she stops doing it, there are a few that are still living and doing it, but this is like right at the top of the list. Lewis Black is so great and so thought provoke. It's not that just that you get comedy, it's that you get perspective. And he's like a realist and a pragmatist. And he doesn't give a shit what side of the aisle you're on. He's going to offend you equally. And that's what I love about him, is that it's not about which who you're voting for. Even though, you know, when you're listening to him on this interview, it might seem like he favors one side, and maybe he does, but he equally offends everybody because he knows that life is mediated in the middle. Just like I happen to believe it's not about right or left, it's about the middle because that's where everyone really is.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

It really is.

[Brian Green]

So listen to me now. I sound like, okay, so incredible. Lewisblack.com thank you for risking your life. Or tragically, I do need you. Both available on YouTube, on his channel, for free. Millions of views already. It's not like he needs us. But, you know, if you want to go watch it, I highly suggest that you do.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I'm going to.

[Brian Green]

Oh, you have to, Chrissy. I watched the first special, the one as Covid, because, you know, you and I started our podcast. Two days later, we recorded our first show. Two days later, you can't get that show anymore because I took it off the RSS feed. But it's there somewhere. It's there somewhere. And so it's like a snapshot in time. And I do remember how crazy it was. And I also do remember, remember that I felt a little bit better about it because we were doing this show, like there was some kind of. Definitely lighthouse in the ocean. And I got to do that once a week.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

Do you remember that one time a week?

[Brian Green]

I think we recorded our first one on March 15th, and then we released our first episode on, like, April. We released that episode on, like, April 13th. Took me a month. Took me a month to get that out the door. That's insane. All right. Lewisblack.com for tickets, go watch the specials. You know how to do it. Also, come see our live shows, which will be nowhere near as good as his live shows. But, hey, you know, you gotta start. I don't know what to tell you. You gotta start somewhere. I'm never gonna be as good as Lewis Black, but you also don't have to pay as much to see us. So, you know, if he has a pick or choose, go see him. But if you have a few dollars left over, come see us. Like at the bone on the 25th in Orlando. A funny bone at the Bone. And at the Dania beach improv on the 24th, the night before in between Fort Lauderdale, Miami. So we're gonna call it Miami. We'll just call it that because even though it's in Dania beach, which is Fort Miami, Lauderdale. Yeah, Fort Miami, Lauderdale. That's right. Fort Myer, Lauderdale Beach. And for problem tickets now available on their websites. On our websites. And if you go to Instagram, Lincoln bio so you can go there, click on the link and you can buy tickets to both shows. We would love to see you there. 212-4333, TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Text us. Questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. Let us know if you're going to be at the show. TCBpodcast.com for more information. All the audio, all the video. Add the commercial break on Instagram, TCB podcast on Tik Tok and YouTube.com the commercial break. All right, Chrissy, that's all I can do for today.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I think so.

[Brian Green]

I love you.

[Kristen Joy Oakley]

I love you.

[Brian Green]

Best to you. Best to you and best to Lewis Black and everyone out there in the podcast universe. Until next time. We always say we must say, and we do say goodbye, Savannah, sam.