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Rachel
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Sal Volcano
Short girls. Short girls. God only lets things grow until they're perfect. Some of us didn't take as long as others. Short girls. That's a very nice way of making yourself feel better about it. How short are you? You don't seem that short. I didn't ask for the backstory. You could have just went 3:11. Wait, wait. Because when I asked how tall are you? This is how it started and we'll finish it. You went, well, my jeans. I don't know what's going to come next. Right now your jeans are actually capris. Your jeans are capri pants. So that's A capri band is usually supposed to show up like a whole ass calf. What are you really? You really are five foot. All right, you like to say five one, but you were honest the first time. Anyone here shorter than 5ft? I didn't mean to do that to you. I was trying to like help you out. Be like, you see that person's 410. But man, it was silent in here. I mean, you could have heard a small person drop on this episode of the commercial break. In the bottom of my heart, I cannot believe what I do. I can't believe it. I can't believe I. I don't know how I, I truly to this day think all the time that I. All I ever wanted to be was a comic. And that's what I am and that's what supports my life. I. I swear to you, I think about it all the time. I can't believe I got a show on television that stayed on. I can't believe I do stand up as a professional comedian. Like I, I just can't believe it. But you know, it just, it was about exactly, it was a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, a lot of rejection. And then at some point you create an opportunity. An opportunity meets preparedness, meets luck. It's, it's, it's a lot going in there that's out of your control. The next episode of the commercial break starts now.
Brian Green
Oh yeah. Cats and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green and I'm by myself on this DCB infomercial Tuesday with Sal Volcano. I'm super excited about this way for 12 time impractical joker Sal Volcano here with us today. I'll tell you all about everything he's got coming up. But first a little explanation as to why I might be by myself. Well, those of you who pay any attention to the commercial break whatsoever will know that over five years of the commercial break, every time around this time each year, Chrissy takes off for an extended vacation and what her and her husband refer to as Mempho. Mempho is a big music festival in of course Memphis. MemphisTickets MemphisFest.com for tickets. I think they're still available. I believe that Mempho Fest is just an excuse for Chrissy and Jeff to avoid their responsibility, avoid her responsibilities here at the commercial break and party with their friends. But you know, far be it for me. If I, if I could, I would. That's all I gotta say. Widespread panic. For two nights an extended and stacked lineup will be playing and tickets available. Mempho fest.com so go ahead, join her if you see her, say hello, tell her we miss her here in the studio and it's likely I won't even hear from her until she gets back. But that is not relevant today. Here is what is relevant today. Sal Volcano could not. We've been trying to get this together with Sal for a long time so I could not pass up the opportunity to interview him. I, I will miss Chrissy dearly. But we will get through this together. Sal is not only an impractical joker, that's probably where most people know him from, but he is making noise out there because after many years of being a stand up comedian, he is finally seeing his comeuppance. He's playing in the Chicago theater. He's playing, I think it's the Beacon Theater in New York. Let me check that out. He's here in Atlanta at the Symphony hall and he's many other places you can go to. Sal Volcano. Yep, he's playing the Symphony Hall. And then where is he in New York? Let's see. He's at the Beacon Theater. Oh my gosh. Unbelievable. These, these comedians, these like really good stand up comedians are selling out these incredibly large houses and playing to huge crowds. And I love it, I love it for the art of comedy. I love it for us because we need him now more than ever. We desperately need comedy in our lives. So Sal will be at the Beacon Theater, that is on December 27th. Go treat yourself after the holidays, if you're up there, go see Sal. I'll put links in the show notes to the tickets. A couple of weeks later he's playing here in Atlanta. But then he's got many other dates on the books, all available at his website. He's also got his. You, you can go check out his YouTube special Terrified. You can watch it ad free also if you'd really like to support him. And then Impractical Jokers is now on season number 12. I think it's like a split season. I believe they did one part of the season earlier this year. I think that's already out and wrapped. And then now They've got the second half of the season coming out. Will season 13 appear? Will TBS pick them up for another season? All these questions and more to be answered when I get him here. I will tell you though that after nine seasons at mtv, Catfish, the television show which I got obsessed with for like six months. I watched all the rerun for six months. Here's how it happened. I turned on MTV one day just to have on here in the background in the studio. And Catfish was playing. Now I'm familiar with the show. I know exactly how it goes. Some asshole out there is catfishing some other person. And Nev and Max, the two hosts of the show, at least originally the two hosts of the show, help them get to the bottom of who exactly is catfishing them. Usually the story goes like this. I met him in a. In a Discord server and then now we've been dating for 12 years. He sent me one picture. His iPhone never seems to work, so we've never FaceTime. And I loaned him $16,000, but he promised he'd come meet me and he hasn't shown up yet. That's usually how the story goes. It's almost like carbon copy cut and paste on every single episode. But it's always fascinating to see how they get to the bottom of who this is. And then when the eventual confrontation happens between the two people, I would say that 90% of the time it is not the person. Like, you know, it's the profile picture was a catfish. Their backstory was a cat. Everything about them was a lie. But then there's the 10% of time when it does happen. So happen that the iPhone camera was broken and they really needed the money and they just couldn't afford the plane ticket to meet their loved one in person. But after nine seasons, that has now been canceled. And here's why. It's interesting to me because as I mentioned, when I turned on MTV one day and I saw the episode of Catfish, I then saw another episode of Catfish and then another episode of Catfish, and then a fourth episode of Catfish. They were playing back to back to back to back episodes of Catfish every weekday for six months that I was watching it. And so I kind of got obsessed. It would be here on the studio, and Chrissy would come in, I'd be watching another episode of Catfish, and we'd get all involved in who or we take bets on whether or not it was an actual catfish. And no more. I've been over it for a while, but I just read it in whatever Entertainment Weekly or Entertainment Weekly. I think Entertainment Weekly's fund a magazine for six years. Anyway, Sal, volcano.com. i will put links in the show notes when he gets here. I want everyone to remain calm. Don't freak yourself out. I do like Sal. I do like impractical jokers. I am very excited about this one. We'll be missing our co host here dearly, but I think. I think we'll figure it out. All right, so since Chrissy's not here to ask the question, I ask you, the listener, what do you say we take a break and then when we get back from that break through the magic of tele podcasting, I will have Sal right here in the studio on that television screen that you can't see, but you can check out@YouTube.com TheCommercialBreak and we'll ask Sal all the questions you've ever wanted to know. How did he get here? What is he doing next? Will catfish in fact. I mean, will impractical jokers in Fact have a 13th season? We'll ask all the questions. We'll get to the bottom of it right after this break. What do you say? Okay, we'll be back.
Rachel
Hey, it's Rachel, your new voice of God here on tcb. And just like you, I'm wondering just how much longer this podcast can continue. Let's all rejoice that another episode has made it to your ears. And I'll rejoice that my check is in the mail. Speaking of mail, get your free TCB sticker in the mail by going to tcbpodcast.com and visiting the Contact Us page. You can also find the entire commercial break library audio and video just in case you want to look at chrissy@tcbpodcast.com Want your voice to be on an episode of the show? Leave us a message at 212-4333, TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Tell us how much you love us and we'll be sure to let the world know on a future episode. Or you could make fun of us. That'd be fine too. We might not air that, but maybe. Oh, and if you're shy, that's okay. Just send a text. We'll respond. Now I'm going to go check the mailbox for payment while you check out our sponsors and then we'll return to this episode of the Commercial Break. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Brian Green
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Sal Volcano
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Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started@LinkedIn.com. campaign terms and conditions apply. And Sal is here with us now. Sal, there's so much going on in the world. You join us at a very fraught time here in the country and around the universe. I don't know what to say. Let's get right into it. I'm just gonna ask you the hard questions. First, Corey Feldman, no longer a part of Dancing with the Stars. How are you holding up?
Sal Volcano
I was hoping I. I knew it'd be quick. What week did he go?
Brian Green
Two.
Sal Volcano
We were hoping to get past one. Yeah, it's funny, I don't know if you know that I. I, like, actually, like, Corey Feldman's, like, his. You know, I've gone to see him in concert, and he's like, you know, I've been following his. His career, you know, like, for a long time. Yeah. So God bless him, God love him. And, you know, I was hoping that we would all, like, kind of, like, get those votes in for him and get them further along the line. But honestly, week two, I almost did Dancing with the Stars, or I think they might have asked me, or I was going to. I knew someone there that said, like, hey, you can be on this, you know, if you want, let me know. And I was like, yeah, I just can't. I don't know, man. It's too much, I think.
Brian Green
I think it would bring you to a whole new audience. But I. I imagine. And I don't know. I mean, you know, you know your career better than I do, but I would imagine your reach is pretty big already. And I'm not sure that Dancing with the Stars. I can see why you might say, maybe not.
Sal Volcano
But, Corey, the challenge seems good, but I just. I just. I tip my hat to anyone. I mean, good for him. I don't know if I'd be on it if I make it to week two. I don't know. I have. I have rhythm, but I also lack stamina.
Brian Green
Yeah, me too. That's my thing. I can dance for the first five seconds at a wedding, but then once I start sweating, I just don't know. My body breaks down. I'm not that kind of guy.
Sal Volcano
Like, I jump around. I jump around for the first chorus, and that's.
Brian Green
My wife is Venezuelan, So when we go to a party, there's. I always have to keep my eyes, like, on. I keep my head on a swivel because there's all these beautiful men that know how to shake their asses. And I'm Irish. I don't have an ass, so I can't shake it, let alone have it. But I was hoping that Corey, like, do you remember that one year at American Idol when we all voted for that guy Sanjay? You know, vote for Sanjay because he's, like, the worst singer ever. But Howard Stern got everybody all riled up, and, you know, that everyone was voting for Sanjay. I was hoping we'd get, as a country, we would come together. Yeah.
Sal Volcano
Feldman brought us all together. God damn it.
Brian Green
Do you. I follow Corey's career because I. It defies gravity. It really does. It defies gravity. It's like, how in the world has Corey continued to captivate audiences? And it's no knock on the guy, like, any way you can do it. And I always wonder to myself, probably, like, maybe I'm hoping, like you do do. Does Corey. Is Corey in on the joke? Or are we just. Is he, like, laughing at us? Are we laughing at him? Are we all laughing together? I'm not really sure.
Sal Volcano
I don't know. I think that at some point he became self aware because of, you know, online. I think that he understands that there is a. Probably a contingent of people that. That maybe watch To Hate on.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
It's a poke. Yeah. So for me, it's like, all right, okay. Growing up, it's like, you got. I don't need to name all the movies, but you got so many great movies, right?
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
You got Lost Boys and Goonies and License to. To Drive, I Believe, and By Me.
Brian Green
Yeah. Stand By Me.
Sal Volcano
Just so many great ones. And then you got, you know, entering that Michael Jackson phase. And then it was, you know, he's always been like. When he first started coming out with his music and the Angels and everything, I watched it and I was like, this is. This is something.
Brian Green
Yes.
Sal Volcano
It's. It's. It's. It's entertaining and inspired.
Brian Green
I agree with you.
Sal Volcano
When he.
Brian Green
He. When he had that morning show, all.
Sal Volcano
Intents and purposes, he's very. If we're just being honest and not a knock on the guy, God bless. But he's a very average, you know, like, you know, but. But the confidence is a ten out of ten.
Brian Green
Ten out of ten.
Sal Volcano
And. And the motivation is a ten out of ten. And. And. And I mean, if you got those two things, I'm on board. So I've gone to see him in live.
Brian Green
Is it amazing?
Sal Volcano
His. His. One of his managers is El. You remember DeBarge? I don't know how old you are.
Brian Green
Yeah, no, I'm. We're same age. Yeah, I do. I remember. Yeah. Yeah.
Sal Volcano
Well, his son is one of his agents or managers or something. And I'm at the show and I went with some friends, and, you know, you. You go to be like, I want to see the spectacle in person. And. And it. And it lives up to the hype. And.
Rachel
And.
Sal Volcano
And then he was like. He came to me, I guess the. I. I don't want to not remember his name correctly, but. Debarges Sons. Okay. Something Debarge. I'm so sorry. Bart Jr. Yeah, I would love to meet you. I was, like, unreal. So I went upstairs after the show ended. I was with, like, 10 people. They all had to wait downstairs for me because, you know, I went up and I waited up there for, like, I would say a good 20 to 30 minutes, just sitting in a seat. I thought I was going to go up to say hi, shake his hand or. And so. So finally he comes out, and it was his birthday, so they gave him a cake, and we sang Happy Birthday. And he blew out the candles. And then he was introduced to me. No clue who I was at all. And the way it was framed was, corey would love to meet you.
Brian Green
Yeah, Corey wants to meet you. Big fan. Come on up.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, I kind of. I just said, hey, I'm a big fan. He's like, oh, thanks. No idea of any. I took a photo with him and I got out of there.
Brian Green
So, my God, that is one of the better stories told. Listen, I have become. He slowly turned me. I watched like everybody else did. There was, like, a guy who put a video together on YouTube. And it was like, Corey, like, Corey always has some issue with a microphone, with the audio at every single show. And he put this long cut together of all. You know, the time he cracked his tooth. And, you know, this guy, he starts restarting the songs all the time. I love it. I love it.
Sal Volcano
I.
Brian Green
It was performance art. I was like, this guy must be trolling everybody. And we're on now. We're all captivated. And he's with Fred Durst. I. He had a fudgeing picture with Eddie Vedder the other day. Eddie fucking Vedder from Pearl Jam.
Sal Volcano
I couldn't believe.
Brian Green
For him, that is crazy. But let me ask you something, because I'm. I'm curious. So I've, you know, been a fan of jokers for a long time. Obviously, millions of people have watched this show. It's very extraordinarily popular. When you guys started. Can you walk down the street? This is my question. Can you walk down the street without being noticed.
Sal Volcano
At all? Probably. If I go out in public, I'm going to be noticed.
Brian Green
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that a bothersome part of fame for you, or is that, like, this comes with the territory and I'm just grateful.
Sal Volcano
It depends on the circumstance and the day. You know, it's a little both. Obviously it's not, you know, the most ideal thing in the world to not be able to go anywhere and not be recognized or approached or people want something from you. Yeah, it is. It is part of it. And I, you know, you learn to embrace it. It's really lovely. Most of the people I meet are very complimentary, and I understand that, like, they're very enthusiastic and everything. And then, you know, I've had moments in my life, pre and post, being in the public, where I saw someone I really liked and I questioned whether I should approach them. And then if. When I either I wouldn't or if I did, some of them were really nice, and some of them, you know, I probably got them at the wrong time. And I never really want to leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. I always think, too, of, like, my parents approaching someone. And like, I try to, like, depending on the age, any kid is fine, but, like, depending on the adult, always, like, well, if my parents approach someone, how would I want that? Like, celebrity or poll to act toward them? So I try to keep that. Yeah. But, you know, then there's people that are just like, you give them a picture or even a video or even a minute or two, five minutes of your time, and then they want more. Or like, they're maybe a. At a function where they're intoxicated or they just don't really understand. Just natural boundaries, etiquette, to be polite, to. Hold on a second. There's those people that kind of like, they're the minority. And those people can kind of be a bummer sometimes, but for the most part, it is what it is. I'm fine, especially if I'm out on my own, if I'm with my family. I, like, kind of like to keep people at a distance a little bit.
Brian Green
Sure.
Sal Volcano
But. No, but of course, I mean, if anything, I'm just very grateful for everyone, so.
Brian Green
But, you know, I can imagine, like, I don't. I don't know that I've been noticed. You know, this show does. It's not. Doesn't have. We're not on tv, but there's people who have noticed me, and it's been very nice. Like, it's been nothing scary or, you know, it's like, hey, are you that guy from that podcast kind of thing. But I don't have the kind of notoriety that you do. My curiosity also runs into whether or not that affects the show that you film. Like, does it ever get to a point where it's like, we just can't do this because we can't find any stooges that don't know who we are? Like, in the practical. In the practical sense of filming impractical jokers, for sure.
Sal Volcano
Yeah. Well, that's why we film in New York City, in the surrounding area, densely populated, on the street. You're going to get. You're going to have to account for it in our scheduling, you know, like, you're going to. For it. And when we usually do like. Like things like focus groups or things in office spaces or stuff, like speeches or things like that, we have a whole, like, vetting process that we created way ahead of time. Like, people that are coming, like, say. Just say for focus group, for example, we'll send them questionnaires. That's like 100 questions. And in there is, like, what stations do you watch on television? What are some of your favorite shows? If they watch true TV at all. And even though name our show or tbs, we don't. We don't call them in.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
And once we get those people, like, what types of shows, all that kind of stuff, then once we get them in house, we have questions again. Like a second round of questions. And then before they enter a room, they'll walk down a hallway to get to that room. We take them one by one, and one of us will be standing in that hallway. And then if they have a reaction to us in that moment, they never make it to the. To the thing.
Brian Green
This is a whole fucking thing.
Sal Volcano
It's a whole thing. Because we have to. It doesn't work if it's, you know, we go through painstaking efforts. It is so funny. Like, you know, online over the years, you see, like, you know, every once in a while, like, people being like, oh, the whole show is staged. The whole show is fake. Which I find so funny because it's. It would be imminently harder to stage the whole thing. Like, it's like, I think that would be an impossible task.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
At this point, we're in season 12. We've been filming for 14 years, and thousands of people have been on the show and spoken about their experience. I just always find it funny when people just want to be like, I don't even understand how that would work. But also, it's not funny if they know.
Brian Green
Of course it's not. And if they're in on the joke, then. Then I think people.
Sal Volcano
First of all, what is the point here? I mean, the whole. The whole point of the show. So it's like. And also, it's like, you can't. Can't you tell that these are real people? It's like. So I always try to find that amusing, but we have to go through a lot of effort to make sure, because one person can ruin a whole bit. Like, if I'm sitting in a room with 20 people and someone goes, oh, you're from the. That wipes 20 people out and sets.
Brian Green
Us back hours, you know, hours and hours. And does that happen? Have you had an occasion where someone goes, I think I recognize you from some.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, yeah, it happens. We have, like, our equivalent of Secret Service agents standing around, and they neutralize those people right away.
Brian Green
I have to imagine there's some kind of security for some of this stuff.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, well, we got one security guy that's. That's because we needed it for insurance, where he's the best. But I think if shit goes down, we're probably.
Brian Green
You're the security guy.
Sal Volcano
Yeah. Yeah. We're not really trying to get anybody angry. It's more like feeding and. And I. My favorite space to be in is bewilderment and confusion when. When. When I'm dealing with someone and. And they're, like, not sure what the hell's going on. Like, that's. That. When I evoke that, that's when I always find it plays the funniest.
Brian Green
I think it's a very interesting set of skills that you have. You're Liam. You guys are like the Liam Neesons. Right? And here's what I mean. Like, improv comedy is a whole thing in and of itself, and that's where you're. That's where you're born, right? Is improv comedy. But taking that out into the world and playing with an energy like that in the circumstances that become so absurd that. That it's like the other person almost has to believe. It's almost like it's too weird. It must be true. And then you keep playing with it and keep playing with it until it breaks. And that is a really interesting skill set that you're doing with a fucking complete stranger. Like, not someone. Not another improv guy that you've been doing this with for three years on stage. And I think it's very unique. I believe that's why it captures the attention of so many fans, is because, you know we realize at some, like somewhere in our heads just how really crazy it must be to be standing there in a grocery store, you know, trying to convince someone that fruit is a UFO or something like that. Like, it's just really weird.
Sal Volcano
Let me write that down. Weird.
Brian Green
Fruit is a ufo. I just got this from outer space. But I have noticed about you, Sal, that for the last two years, you know, you're on, you're showing up on Theo, you have really made on all these different podcasts and you're out there doing your own shows. Is this, Are you scratching an itch that you've always had? And does that. Is that really exciting? I mean, obviously you've been very successful at it. I'm sure a lot of that is piggybacking off of the notoriety that you have on, on Jokers, but it seems like you've really kind of broken out and had your own thing now.
Sal Volcano
Oh, yeah. So, you know, when I started out in 99, I was doing improv and sketch comedy and a little bit of stand up. And then I, you know, we, I got some writing gigs for television and whatnot. And anyway, we got this show, you know, 12 years later, it was a lot of failure and stuff, but I was always in entertainment, always a writer, always a performer. And then in about 2012, once we were on the air for about a year, I was like, all right, well, I mean, I only always wanted to be a stand up, so I'm going to just really get back into that with every spare second I have right now.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
And I started touring with the guys and I started touring, you know, by myself. And you know, stand up is a grind. So like, luckily I live in New York, but like when I first was like, really like the first, like maybe like five, six, seven years, I was probably, you know, performing three to four nights a week, probably three to six times a night. And that is, that is, that is it. That's what it is.
Brian Green
Comedy is a journeyman's gig.
Sal Volcano
It really is an hour to tour with and stuff. And. And you know, then I did, you know, then I started going on the road and doing the clubs and everything. And then after a handful of years and stuff, then I finally started touring and moving up to theaters and stuff. And. And then I finally, you know, put out a special last year called Terrified. And now I have a touring on a whole new hour and getting ready to film my second special. So a lot of people, because I didn't have a special out because I just didn't have the Time to do it. And I also want to wait till it's ready. A lot of people in this day and age are really churning stuff out, trying to keep up with each other, which is tough because special should be special and it should be material that really has been tried and true, worked on and evolved and things like that. And so you never want to rush a special. But there's a. We're in our age now. It's like a revolution for comedy where people are able to really shoot their own special for a moderate price, get it up online for free for everyone to see and, you know, you don't need these gatekeepers anymore and stuff. And, and with that has brought like, basically like, it's like the gold rush of, you know, back in the day.
Brian Green
It really is. Yeah, you're right about that.
Sal Volcano
You know, you kind of strike a balance between keeping up with everyone, but also doing it the right way. And then a lot of people that know me from jokers, they didn't even know I was a comedian. They just think, like, I'm trying something new for the first time when they saw that. But what they don't know is like, I started comedy 20 years ago and I've been doing it, you know, like on the regular at least for the last, you know, almost 10 years. So. Yeah, man. And then there's people that just know me from podcasting because I have a bunch of podcasts and stuff. So it's really a fun thing. I can't, I couldn't be more lucky because I get to check all these different boxes, comedy creative outlet boxes. You know, stand up is way different than the show and I still do some sketch and I. The podcasting and stuff. So all those comics too, have been my friends for the longest time ever.
Brian Green
They're great guys.
Sal Volcano
Cool to see all of those guys exploding in the last handful of years as well. It's like, it's just a crazy thing, you know, like, they used to tell me that when I got some luck and I got on TV and I got a little, little popular a little bit behind me, that like, oh my God. And like now it's like I get to. I'm also watching them now, like all my, like, it's just crazy. If you keep at it and keep yourself in certain circles and keep diligent, I see it paying off for dozens of my friends now. So it's like, it's just a really cool, cool thing.
Brian Green
We almost exclusively interview stand up comedians with the occasional musician or actor or actress that comes in the store. And the reason why is first of all, I'm, you know, I am kind of in awe. I love the art of comedy. I love, I'm not, I'm not good at stand up comedy myself. That's why I have a microphone here. It takes a lot less courage to be on a microphone. But I love, I think there's kind of a nobility to comedy almost, and I think it's needed now more than it ever is. And you're right. There is like a gold rush going on with comedians and there's, you seem to kind of be plugged in to this circle of comedians who are all seeing their moment right now. And that's because those comedians have no gatekeepers they can turn on, they can go right to their community, they can go right to their niche. And the truth is, no matter what kind of comedy you do, what kind of jokes you're telling, if you're at all, even a little bit good, you'll find people, they'll, they'll come in the door and that gives you an opportunity to do that. There's a lot of like, influencer types or just online, you know, shooting jokes and stuff like that. But that stand up comedy is a different story altogether. And you point out you've been doing this for a long time, all overnight. Any overnight story does not happen overnight. The success does not happen overnight. It takes a long time to do this. You guys, you guys were like, am I? How did the guys get together for impractical jokers?
Sal Volcano
So I met these guys. We're all the same age and I met them when I was 13. We all went to high school together. So I met them as freshmen in high school.
Brian Green
It's crazy.
Sal Volcano
And we were, you know, I had a small school here in Staten island where I went to school in all boys Catholic high school. There was only like maybe 300 people per class, so the whole school, you know, wasn't that big. And we all knew each other and then we did improv in high school and then with a lot of people. And then after college, we all went separate ways and stuff. We weren't like a clique in high school or anything, but we friendly and kept in touch. And when we came back from college respectively, we're all doing, still doing improv and acting and stand up and stuff. And so we're like, let's try and do it together. And that's when we started in 99 as the tenderloins Conference. Comedy Truth.
Brian Green
That's the best name that Tenderloin.
Sal Volcano
And then it's 2010. Eleven years later, we got our first break. Really?
Brian Green
Okay, so true or false? You guys went to Catholic high school just like I did. You go to Catholic, like, grade school, too? Yeah, yeah, I went to Catholic school.
Sal Volcano
And I went to St. John's University for college.
Brian Green
Dude, you're a glutton for punishment.
Sal Volcano
I'm basically an honorary priest, I think.
Brian Green
Yes, you are. Did you ever seriously consider the priest? Did you ever get recruited by anybody to try and go to the priesthood?
Sal Volcano
I was never a Baltimore. I'm not particularly religious, to tell you the truth.
Brian Green
No, I'm not at all.
Sal Volcano
You know, my parents are kind of. But, like, you know, I. I just, you know, I just. No, not even close.
Brian Green
You know, I was born and raised in Chicago, and so when you were part of the diocese, if you were, like a paying member of the diocese. Right, Paying member of the dice. If you put your money in the basket every week, then tuition was afforded to you for your children a certain portion of. And then we went to. Came to Atlanta. Same thing. So I've always said that I'm a reformed Catholic. I don't go anymore. But all of a sudden, when the kids got out of school, my parents stopped going, too. So I think they went for the free age.
Sal Volcano
Yeah. Yeah.
Brian Green
Did you have nuns? Did you guys have nuns?
Sal Volcano
Yeah, we had nuns, priests. We had them all.
Brian Green
No shit. Yeah, we had a couple of nuns, but it wasn't.
Sal Volcano
The teachers weren't only nuns, but. No, I had a second grade teacher. Mrs. Rachel was a nun. And then, you know, we had. We had to go to Mass when we were in school, and. And, you know, we had religion class and all that stuff. But it wasn't like, only nuns or anything, but.
Brian Green
Yeah, but no, it was like the high school that I. Or the grade school that I went to, so we had regular, you know, layman teachers.
Sal Volcano
Yeah.
Brian Green
But then we had nuns that were working in the school in some capacity. Right. One was a nurse, and then one was the librarian. And then occasionally they would be a teacher or two. There were none. But the convent was attached to the school. There was like a door, like, at the end of the hallway, there was a door to the. To the convent.
Sal Volcano
Yeah.
Brian Green
And so it was just like this weird, mysterious place that we always were trying to get us into the convent. We wanted to know what went on back there. But the nuns, they were in their 80s, you know, I mean, they were.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, same. Yeah, ours was like a block away in grammar school, but in high school, same thing. There's. The brothers residence was just down a hall past these doors where they all like hung out and lived and stuff.
Brian Green
Yeah, our nuns are always smoking cigarettes and I'm pretty sure drinking, I think to some of the first like smell of booze that I remember was one of the.
Sal Volcano
Oh yeah, they're hitting that blood of Jesus Christ hard.
Brian Green
So what do you. Are you still enjoying the, the, the kind of the road? I mean, I asked this of almost every comedian and there's sometimes I get a surprising. I love it, I love being out there, I love doing it. But most comedians say, hey, listen, it's part of the gig, right? It's part of the gig. And I do it for the hour or two that I get on stage. That's why I'm there. How do you feel about the road? How do you feel about the journeyman part of comedy? I mean, I know you don't. You're not out there, you know, six nights a week, but how are you feeling about it?
Sal Volcano
Yeah, you know, I do about between 65 and 80 cities a year.
Brian Green
That's crazy. That's still crazy.
Sal Volcano
Yeah. And I. Same thing. It's. That's. I mean, there's nothing better than being on stage and every second before that, it sucks. I, I don't, I don't like to fly, so I don't. And I don't like being away from, you know, my family, you know, so it's tough to leave them. But, you know, this is what success in this field is and signed up for it and stuff. But, you know, I think about it because, you know, there is really no retiring, like, there's no. You just kind of stop or people just stop coming to see you. So. But the reason we do this is because we love it. Why should say the reason I do it is because I love it. So I always wonder what that balance is going to be. I guess at some point, you know, you just stay local. I could perform in the city every night if I wanted to, you know, so. But right now just, you know, making the most of the opportunity and trying to grow my audience, you know, get to that next level. The guys and I have reached arena level, which is unreal and I'm in pretty, pretty decent sized theaters now. But the goal, of course is to always like, my main goal is to just become a better comic at all the time and be prouder of the stuff that I put out, you know, even more than the last stuff. But, but with that, it'd be really nice, you know, to you know, to grow the. To grow the audience. So.
Brian Green
To play the Mercedes Benz Stadium. Yeah. Like, fly in like Nate Bargazzi.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, he's a good buddy of mine, actually.
Brian Green
Yeah, he's. He is so good. Like, and my wife turned me on to him, and I. Because I was like, oh, Nate. And then his new special, like, it was kind of slow and plodding at first, and I was like. But by the end of the special, I was in fucking stitches. I was like, this guy is a tactician. He is a master at his craft. He knows how to use his body and his voice, even in a room as big as in a. As a. As a football stage. Right.
Sal Volcano
Which.
Brian Green
Which is a.
Sal Volcano
We all saw that. We all saw that. Nate from a long time ago.
Brian Green
Well, Nate.
Sal Volcano
Nate was. Is every. There's no comedian. All the comics, you know, like, we tip. Everyone tips their captain Nate because he's just. He's just so great. He's just. Like you said, he's a technician and he's. He's just. He's has his such a distinct voice that he's mastered and stuff. And he's just funny. He just. When he talks, he's funny, you know? Like, it's just. Yeah, yeah, it's. He's someone I've watched. He's the biggest comic in the world right now. Two of my. Shane, between Shane Gillis and Nate are like. They're like two of the hottest comics in the entire world. It's just wild.
Brian Green
It is wild.
Sal Volcano
And both of them have. I've toured. Like, I.
Brian Green
Both.
Sal Volcano
I've done shows with both of. Both of them, I believe, because we all do that with each other. We'll jump on each other's shows or feature for each other, and it's like, yeah, I've performed with them and then watch them just skyrocket.
Brian Green
Yeah, but you're no slouch yourself. You're playing the Beacon Theater. You're at the Chicago Theater, Right. And you're here at the Symphony hall, which is like when you can sell out the Fox, which maybe you can't sell out the. You know, whatever it is. State Farm Arena. Right. So that's still. That's not a small place to play. And so it must feel. There must be some. I know you want to play the stadiums, right? I hear you always got to be grinding.
Sal Volcano
I mean, I just mean that as a matter of a measurement, we're talking ideal space for comedy. It's actually not arenas.
Brian Green
No, I know. It's like, it's really not the best.
Sal Volcano
Place to see a show at all. But Arenas is the best for my mortgage.
Brian Green
It's best for your lady. It's best for my lady. Only the best for my lady. Yeah. The comedy is gonna be shit, but my woman is happy. That's all I care about.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, anything that has the word symphony in it, I'm like, let me in there. I'll class this place down right away. But, yeah, so Atlanta Symphony hall. And, yeah, and like, you mentioned Chicago Theater, November 14, Beacon Theater, New York City, December 27. Those things are like, I don't want to, like, get ahead of myself. Like, I still am, like, dumbfounded. I get to play these types of spaces. Like, I, I, you know, I really, I'm telling you, it never gets old. It's never lost on me. I, I mean, I don't know who it would be lost on, but sure, it's, it's. I take inventory every day, you know, Very, very, very happy.
Brian Green
Is it, like, could you have ever imagined? I mean, no one can ever imagine, right? But is there this, like, dream in your head sometime when you're, you know, 14, 15, dicking around with the guys? Like, is there this dream that maybe this could be something? Maybe we could do it? Like, I remember playing air guitar in my room to Soundgarden, you know, to 50,000 pretend people. But that so very rarely happens to anyone. Everyone does it. Everyone dreams like that, but it never very rarely becomes a reality. And that's because a little bit of luck and a lot of talent and some motivation gets you where you need to go. Was there, like, did you guys talk about this when you were young? Like, were there moments where you're like, what if we could do this?
Sal Volcano
You know, I always wanted to be a comedian. I never thought it was anything that was attainable or feasible because, you know, you don't really understand what it takes or what goes into it. And so when I was younger, I went to college and then got a regular job and, you know, I started doing, like I said, sketch and improv and stuff like that and a little bit of stand up. But it was always, because I love it, it was fun. And, you know, you have no clue, ever. The expectation, it's just so hard that you try not to have expectations. And I know you say this, and I know I'm gonna reinforce what you said, but it's, for me, it's really true. Like, not believe. In the bottom of my heart, I cannot believe what I do. I can't believe it. I can't Believe I. I don't know how I truly to this day, think all the time that I. All I ever wanted to be was a comic. And that's what I am, and that's what supports my life. I. I swear to you, I think about it all the time. I can't believe I got a show on television that stayed on. I can't believe I do stand up as a professional comedian. Like, I. I just can't believe it. But, you know, it just was about. Exactly. It was a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, a lot of rejection. And then at some point, you create an opportunity. An opportunity meets preparedness, meets luck. It's. It's. It's a lot going in there that's out of your control, and that's why there's tons of comics that are amazing comics that people don't know. It's. It's just not played. It's a game of chances just as much as anything, but you got grind and be ready for when it hits you, and then hopefully you can make the most opportunity. That happened to me, and I'm. I'm more lucky than anything. You know what I mean?
Brian Green
So I think there is a. There is luck. You know, there is luck in success always. And there is a lot of failure in success, too. And so what people see, what they don't see, you know, what they see on stage or on Instagram or, you know, on the television show, or what you walking down the street or driving a nice car or whatever. What they don't see, see is the millions of paper cuts that you got along the way. And that really then defines how you move forward. I think part of the reason why, if I may, why you are well liked and why people kind of gravitate towards you is because there feels to me, at least, to be a certain authenticity to you and to your comedy and to the way you move, even on the television show. It's, you know, you guys are being goofballs, obviously, and you're having fun with it, but there's some authenticity. There's some. There's. We, like, we know the real Sal. We're friends with him. He could be our buddy, and he seems real to us. And I think that also is part of success, is your humility, your recognition that it takes a lot of success, but a lot of luck also. And then also the. The what you just said, which is, I take stock every day. Like, I. I'm aware of how lucky I am. You. You got the dream. I mean, you did It. You did it. You got the dream, but you're also working fucking hard.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, yeah. It's a lot. It's a lot of sacrifice to, to try to operate as a professional in any field, I think is like, you know, you. You have to. You dedicate everything to it. So I do that. I've done that. But the good thing is I love it. So it's like, you know, but thank you for. For the kind words, because it's. That's very sweet of you and I appreciate it.
Brian Green
I love you, Sal. I love you. If I saw you on the street, I would have inappropriate boundaries. 14 years on doing the television show, this should not go without saying either. This is also a compliment to what's going on in the day and age of 1 in 2 seasons of television shows, even when they're fucking fantastic, you guys have continued to be on the air. How long do you see this going on? Are you guys going to do this as long as you possibly can? Or is there, like. I mean, obviously you're not going to break any news here, but is there some point where you go, hey, like, you know, I don't know, maybe. Maybe season 36 is not in the car.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, you know, we just wrapped three weeks ago. We just wrapped season 12.
Brian Green
Okay.
Sal Volcano
The show's airing on TBS now for the last few seasons, which is a much bigger network than True.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
And as such, it's found a new audience and it's getting better ratings than it ever has. They still play the reruns on True, but, you know, we're not signed after this season. They add the first half of it and they saved the last 10 episodes. They'll put them on like January. We're waiting to see.
Brian Green
What.
Sal Volcano
We'll have to negotiate, you know, for another season or more and see what happens. We always said that if we're having fun and we all want to be there still, that we'll still do it if they'll have us. Until now, we are. We are having a lot of fun. We go to great lengths to make the show different each season and to push it and to evolve it and to do different things for our sake, for the viewers sake. And, you know, we have a team of people that we went with for a very long time now. That's like family that we employ, that we love. And I mean, that's another thing. I'm so blessed. I go to work, I love, love the people I work with. It's more than the guys. It's this whole. It's like 60s people, you know what I mean? And a lot of them have been.
Brian Green
With you since the beginning. A lot of you been.
Sal Volcano
A lot of them have with us in the very beginning. The director of the show right now named Casey Jostling, he started as a PA or he started as a production assistant, then he moved to a writer. Then he was a senior writer, head writer, and then to the director of the show. So a lot of the guys from the show are my friends from home that have no experience whatsoever in television or comedy that I knew were capable, smart, and could do it. Some of my friends on the show, the camera guys, DP and stuff, they were filmmakers that I met in my neighborhood that did stuff with us for free before we ever got anywhere. And now they've been with me for 14 years, you know, like, so, you know, so that's a dream. And, you know, like, it is tough because the show is tough. It takes a lot to make, and we. We have a hand in everything from the. The writing of it to the producing of it to the editing of it. And so it used to take us almost 10 months to do 26 episodes and five specials a season.
Brian Green
Geez.
Sal Volcano
And that's a. That's really a lot because then we get about two months down only, and then we go right back and we did that for the first, like, nine. The first, like, since till Covid.
Brian Green
That's crazy. That's an insane schedule.
Sal Volcano
Since then, we backed it up a bit. We only. We only do 18 episodes now. And I get. I will get now six months down contractually, because I just want to do some other creative things, and I also have, you know, family and stuff. So. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. You know, I hear you.
Brian Green
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you listen. You also. There's. There. There probably is some. Even though people want it probably to go on forever, there's got to be some understanding that, hey, guys, there's only so much running room we can get out of this, right? We have to take it to where it's going to go. But I guarantee you should TBS and you not come to some contractual agreement, there's some streamer out there who would probably find a way. There's an audience. There's a streamer out there that would do it. Listen, here's to hoping. Many more seasons of impractical jokes, but here's to understanding that at some point, right, you might have to go scratch another itch. And some of the guys, you know, some of the guys have. So we'll we'll see what happens. But for you personally, tell me about what's next up. You and I were discussing before you have a new talk show coming on to YouTube, tell us about this.
Sal Volcano
Yeah.
Brian Green
Exciting.
Sal Volcano
Yes. And the day in, the day of the podcast, I had two podcasts that are on hiatus right now called hey Babe and Taste Buds. I did those for like three years. Just took a break because there's like a lot going on. But there's a show called Minouche that is my own and it's basically a very tongue in cheek, like, absurd talk show.
Brian Green
It sounds right up my alley, dude. Right up my alley. So tell us a little bit of like, break it down for us. Give us an example of what you.
Sal Volcano
Just short for minutia.
Brian Green
Sure.
Sal Volcano
And the idea is like really big guests, really small talk, and it's kind of like not a typical interview show. Like, the questions are absolutely mundane in the most ridiculous way. But then we also do like act outs and games and it goes in and out from real conversation to sketch comedy, but we don't call that out. So it is this like really weird ride of like, just like kind of mix of different types of, you know.
Brian Green
Comedic styles and absurdist talk show in the flavor of like Between Two Ferns, Eric Andre, that kind of stuff.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, it's not as crazy as Eric Andre and not as outward. Outwardly, you know me, like, I call it mean, but like, like it's mean spirited as.
Brian Green
Yeah, yeah.
Sal Volcano
But yes, it's in the vein of that. It's a lot of like a variety show almost kind of a fun. And yeah, it's the first one I'm doing. I've had three podcasts that were all great, but always with a partner. This is the first one. I just figured I want to like, give a little bit of my own specific sensibility and have a little bit of a hook to it and maybe do something that, you know, also that was manageable. The way I'm shooting this is I'm shooting it in 10 episodes at a clip, and then I'm releasing those 10 episodes as a season. So it's not gonna be weekly, it's gonna be as a season. So the end of the fall will be the first season and I got some great guests coming on and stuff. It's gonna be a lot of fun that My goal is like, you're gonna see these guests hopefully in a, in a, in a, in a conversation or a way that you really haven't seen them before.
Brian Green
Tell me, can you. Can you Name any of the guests or do you want to wait?
Sal Volcano
I could not. I could name. I mean, I, you know, some people I'm still waiting for, like they're going.
Brian Green
To come on, but like they haven't been on. Okay, got it, got it.
Sal Volcano
Yeah. Okay, so I'm still like, you know, checking all those boxes. But, but, no, but we have some crazy, crazy.
Brian Green
You know, I have a rule here and that is it doesn't matter if they're booked, it doesn't matter if it happens in an hour, it doesn't matter if they're supposed to be on in 15 minutes. We don't say it until it's in the can because, you know, like, I know shit always happens. And the one time you get all excited about someone coming on your show, they had to reschedule till next year. Right.
Sal Volcano
So we have very unique, from very huge musicians to a list actors to very niche artists and comics and just a real, like long time, great character actors. And we have a lot of different kinds of people, famous hip hop artists, like, so it's going to be a lot of, a lot of fun.
Brian Green
I'm really excited for this. This is great. Are you filming this in a studio somewhere in New York? Like you guys film it in a studio in New York?
Sal Volcano
Studio in Brooklyn, actually.
Brian Green
Oh, that's fantastic. And do you intend to go back to taste buds or Chris or you guys? You guys?
Sal Volcano
Yeah, we, we, we, we, we went on an indefinite hiatus. But like, we love doing the show and we definitely, like, you know, it just said we all, we all had a lot of good fortune, had a lot of work on our plates, and I don't like to do anything half assed, you know, and I don't like to, you know, like, I like to put in the effort that these projects require.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Sal Volcano
And I think they do too. And, and when we felt like we were kind of like running on empty a little bit and just kind of meeting and getting it done, that's not why I'm doing it. It's not the space I want to be in. So we all thought, all right, let's take a break. Let's give focus to these other things that have been fortunately come our way. And then we'll, we'll definitely come back when we can.
Brian Green
Yeah, we will circle back on it. Listen, I know this because we, we do four days a week and, and I love my best friend. Right. But at some point sometimes you start to feel a little, you know, a little strung out. Right. And you know, the, the key to successful podcast is that when you say you're going to be there, show up, and fresh content, you know, drives the. It just drives the whole thing. If you're just doing a bunch of reruns, it's not going to happen. But the other thing is, is if you're not feeling it, then it's not going to be good. And it's not going to matter whether it's fresh content because the audience is going to go, they're just phoning this in. I'm not. I'm not going to do this.
Sal Volcano
Didn't want to do that. You know, I'd rather do, like a few things as good as I possibly can. And a lot of things just like, okay, you know, obviously.
Brian Green
So I think you're having a lot of success. My friend Sal Volcano is here at the commercial break with us today, but he is going to be releasing Minouche. When is the. Do you have a release date? I'm sorry, I didn't hear that.
Sal Volcano
No, but I think it's going to be late fall.
Brian Green
Late fall. Okay.
Sal Volcano
Yeah, It'll be on YouTube and then everywhere. You get the podcasts. Yeah.
Brian Green
Okay, so I'll put some links in the show notes for everybody. He is also on tour, always adding dates. I'm going to put some links in those show notes. He's got some big dates coming up. One in Chicago, one in New York. If you're here in Atlanta, he'll be here in January. Of course, there's the new special also. I mean, the new ish special. Has that done very well?
Sal Volcano
Yeah, so I released it first on YouTube and we got about two and a half million views in the. In that first year and then HBO optioned it and so now it's streaming on HBO Max. And yeah, it did really well. I was really proud of it. I really put a lot of work into that thing.
Brian Green
Yeah, it's very funny. I watched it. Are you, Are you really afraid of, of, of flying?
Sal Volcano
Yes. Yes. Yeah.
Brian Green
Yeah, it's one of those. I. I don't know how you. I don't know how you're a comic.
Sal Volcano
Three things I don't really like is I don't like flying, I don't like taking photos, and I don't like shaking hands. It's. It's the three most things I have to do ever since I began.
Brian Green
I'm with you on the photos and I'm with you on the shaking hands.
Sal Volcano
Dude, I'll give a pound. I'll even give a hug. I just don't like the handshake.
Brian Green
No, I don't either. I think I don'. Even know where that started or who started it, but it feels like just a recipe for more pandemics. I'm not a total germaphobe.
Sal Volcano
No, no, I'm not. I'm not.
Brian Green
You know what it is if I.
Sal Volcano
Shake even five, but sometimes it's like 20, 30 hands in a day. Like I'm. I'm just getting sick all the time. So it's like, it's. It's less about me being a crazy germaphobe and more about just me being smart, because people don't really understand that I'm not just, like, not shake, like, one person's hand. I'm trying to not shake 50 hands a day.
Brian Green
That's right. So if you notice that Sal's got makeup on the back side of his hand. Is all the bruising from the handshake just throwing it? All right, we'll let that one sit in the air. Sal, thank you very much for showing up here today with me. I hope that you come back. Maybe we'll come see you when you're here in January.
Sal Volcano
I'll hook that up. Please. If you're free, you just let me know. Let my.
Brian Green
I will do that.
Sal Volcano
So, yeah, they'll get you all set up.
Brian Green
Yeah, I. You're. You're the best. I'll. I'll do that. And hopefully we get to pound each other's knuckles when we. When we see each other.
Sal Volcano
Come on back and hang out. Yeah, sure.
Brian Green
Or maybe a hug. Sal, the links in the show notes. Thank you, Sal, very much for showing up. Sal. Volcano, everybody.
Rachel
Let me do something Brian has never done. Be brief. Follow us on Instagram at the commercial break. Text or call us 212-4333. TCB. That's 212433. 3822. Visit our website tcbpodcast.com for all the audio, video, and your free sticker. Then watch all the videos@YouTube.com thecommercial break and finally share the show. It's the best gift you could give a few aging podcasters. See, Brian? That really wasn't that difficult, now, was it? You're welcome. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real.
Brian Green
And so is the relief from EBGLIS.
Rachel
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Brian Green
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Rachel
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Brian Green
And Hot Ones menu is the definition of fire flavor. We've got the sizzling Sriracha dippers 10 out of 10. Time to take it up a notch with the smoking Rojo chicken sandwich. Mmm, that's so hot. But it's so good. Now onto the daring dab Ghost Wings. Yep, there it is. I love the spice level attempt the Popeyes and Hot Ones menu in stores. Our hottest collaboration yet. Love that chicken from Popeyes. Limited time in participating US Restaurants. Well, I do have to say I quite enjoyed that conversation with Sal say They say don't meet your heroes, but sometimes when you do, it ends up being a pleasant surprise. And that was one of them. Sal volcano 12 time. Will he be a 13 time impractical joker? I guess we all have to hold our breath and wait to find out. I think there's a good chance is coming back one more season. Come on boys, I know you got it. You know what surprised me? What surprised me is how much energy and effort goes into doing just one. Just one of the segments of impractical jokers. It sounds like it takes a crew a lot of time, and then one yahoo can just ruin it all. One person that knows them, one recognition of one of the impractical jokers can take it all down. So I can understand why they have to be so careful, but I had no idea behind the scenes how much work they go through just to get it done. I can understand why it might be a little bit of an exhausting venture to record, you know, 16, 17, 18 episodes per season. But anyway, you heard them. The back half of the season is coming up in January, and then we'll wait for news out of TBS to see if we get a 13. He's gonna be at the Beacon Theater on December 27th here in Atlanta on January 10th and many places in between. I'll put links in the show notes so you can go and buy tickets yourself. Let's all go support Sal. Also check out his terrified special. I'll put a link in the show notes to that, too. And then, you know, he's been on a bunch of podcasts. He's had a bunch of podcasts. He said it on the episode. He said it here on the interview. If you go to his website, pretty much everything he's ever done is on that website. It's like a library of Sal volcanoes. So just look in the show notes below and hit that link. Okay? Okay. All right. Mempho fest.com go say hi to Chrissy. See widespread panic for two nights. If that's your flavor, you're really going to enjoy this. A Widespread Panic show is like a class reunion. That's what I have always said. That's what I will always say. If you know, you know, I k y n k d y. But don't think that it's just about Widespread Panic. Oh, no. There are literally 30 or 40 other artists that are playing over the course of the weekend. So if you're in the Memphis area, go try and find Chrissy. I dare you. Try and find Chrissy and try and get her to stand still for five minutes. I dare you. Tcppodcast.com is the website 212-4333, TCB. Text us questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. Add the commercial break on Instagram and YouTube.com the commercial break for all the episodes on video the same day they air here on on audio, including this one. Okay. I love you. Best to you. And until next time, I will say, I do say, and I must say goodbye.
Sal Volcano
This podcast is supported by FX's English Teacher, last year's critically acclaimed series returns to follow Evan, Gwen and Markie as they vie for their students divided attention. See why Cosmopolitan called its premiere season a master class of comedy, While glamour raved it's the year's funniest and most heartwarming new comedy series. FX's English Teacher. All new Thursdays on FX, all episodes now streaming on Hulu. Lowes knows how to help make your home holiday ready for less. Get select Style Selections vinyl flooring for just $1.99 per square foot and have it installed before the festivities begin. Our team can help you every step of the way. See a Lowe's Red Vest associate or visit Lowes.comholidayinstall to get started. Lowe's we help you save basic Install only. Date restrictions apply. Subject to availability. Install by independent contractors. See Associate for details. Contiguous US only for a limited time.
Brian Green
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Podcast: The Commercial Break
Episode Air Date: September 30, 2025
Guest: Sal Vulcano (Impractical Jokers; Standup Comedian)
Host: Brian Green
Co-host: [Absent: Krissy Hoadley]
In this lively solo-hosted episode, Brian Green sits down with comedian and Impractical Jokers star Sal Vulcano for a wide-ranging conversation about Sal’s journey from Staten Island to international comedic fame. With Krissy off at Memphis' Mempho Fest, Brian takes the opportunity to deep-dive into Sal’s career, creative process, and upcoming projects, blending irreverent banter with insightful questions on comedy’s inner workings and the realities of fame. The episode delivers a blend of behind-the-scenes stories, comedy philosophy, and plenty of laughs.
“From the bottom of my heart, I cannot believe what I do. I can’t believe it... all I ever wanted to be was a comic. And that’s what I am, and that’s what supports my life. I... I swear to you, I think about it all the time.” –Sal Vulcano (01:01, 41:27)
“It doesn’t work if they know... it would be imminently harder to stage the whole thing.”—Sal Vulcano (22:49)
“Specials should be special. There’s a revolution for comedy…and with that has brought like, basically like, it’s like the gold rush of…back in the day.” –Sal Vulcano (28:37)
“There feels to me, at least, to be a certain authenticity to you and to your comedy…There’s some—there’s—we, like, we know the real Sal.”—Brian Green (42:08)
“Really big guests, really small talk... Not a typical interview show. The questions are absolutely mundane in the most ridiculous way…” –Sal Vulcano (48:22)
“Finally he comes out...it was his birthday, so they gave him a cake, and we sang Happy Birthday...He had no clue who I was at all.” –Sal Vulcano (17:11–18:19)
“...It was a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, a lot of rejection. And then at some point you create an opportunity—opportunity meets preparedness, meets luck...It’s a lot going in there that’s out of your control.” —Sal Vulcano (01:01, 41:27)
“If we’re just being honest...he’s very average, you know, but the confidence is a ten out of ten. And the motivation is a ten out of ten. And if you got those two things, I’m on board.” —Sal Vulcano (16:23)
“We have to go through a lot of effort...One person can ruin a whole bit...That wipes 20 people out and sets us back hours.” —Sal Vulcano (23:28)
“Specials should be special and it should be material that really has been tried and true...you never want to rush a special.” —Sal Vulcano (28:37)
“That’s...I mean, there’s nothing better than being on stage and every second before that, it sucks...The reason I do it is because I love it.” —Sal Vulcano (35:21)
“A lot of the guys from the show are my friends from home...now they’ve been with me for 14 years...So, you know, so that’s a dream.” —Sal Vulcano (45:36)
The discussion is self-aware, unpolished, and genuinely funny—equal parts showbiz insight and offbeat digression. Sal’s humility and openness make the episode especially engaging, as does Brian’s fan-like enthusiasm and willingness to go down memory-lane rabbit holes.
“They say don’t meet your heroes, but sometimes when you do, it ends up being a pleasant surprise. And that was one of them.” —Brian Green (57:15)
This episode offers a direct window into the personality-driven, chaotic comedy ethos of The Commercial Break—a self-described “Cheesecake Factory of comedy podcasts.” Whether you’re a Sal Vulcano fan, a standup comedy buff, or just in search of laughs paired with unvarnished candor about career, fame, and life on the road, don’t miss this wide-ranging, heartwarming, and thoroughly entertaining conversation.
[Episode summaries are independent resources; please consult official podcast feeds for full experience.]