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- [00:02]
Todd Glass
You're listening to DraftKings Network.
- [00:12]
Commercial Announcer 1
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- [00:42]
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- [01:12]
Commercial Announcer 3
the globe are about to join me for the audition of a lifetime.
- [01:16]
Commercial Announcer 1
ABC Mondays. Do they have what it takes to compete and be the next Dancing with the Stars pro?
- [01:22]
Todd Glass
I'm here to win. Nothing is gonna stop me.
- [01:24]
Commercial Announcer 1
Our star judges will decide.
- [01:26]
Commercial Announcer 2
This is what hunger looks like.
- [01:28]
Commercial Announcer 1
It was 100% the wrong choice. Robert Irwin Huss.
- [01:31]
Todd Glass
The next era of ballroom starts right
- [01:34]
Commercial Announcer 3
here on Dancing with the star.
- [01:37]
Commercial Announcer 1
All new Mondays, 8, 7 Central on ABC. Next day on Hulu.
- [01:55]
Interviewer
Hello and welcome. Look at who we have here. A fellow sweater. He is worried, like I am, that it's going to get too warm in here. But look at him. This is someone that Jim Gaffigan says is the funniest person that he has ever met. Comedy. All the comedians say this guy is the comedian to love. You've been doing it now 45 years. When I say that, did you know you've been doing it 45 years? Because that's crazy.
- [02:19]
Todd Glass
Yeah. You know, it's the only time that I, you know, I don't, I mean, I don't talk about my age that much because it's for me, I'm not talking about here. Just like personally, I don't try to make it a part of my act is it's not the most interesting thing about me. So. And also my, my, my insecurity of mentioning it, but I'm sort of proud that I've been doing that long. So recently when I realized that I will go somewhere. How long are you doing comedy? I go 45 years. I started in high school. I started in 10th grade.
- [02:47]
Interviewer
Well, I realized on my way to work the other day that I've been doing some form of this, paid for, you know, writing sewage articles for the River Cities gazette for almost 40 years. And it took me aback. I was a little bit surprised by it. So when I said that to you, I thought it would land in a certain way to say 45 years of standup comedy, generally, comedy, I can see, say, doesn't age well. Like, just generally, it's hard. So to do it for 45 years is an achievement. It's reinventing yourself across decades.
- [03:16]
Todd Glass
Well, and, you know, you can if, like, if you don't, if you have a big enough audience, you don't have to really grow because you have that audience. But, you know, no offense to myself, when you're like me and it helps to have a new slew of people coming in, you know, I don't want to just talk about my act, about. I mean, look, I don't want to insult any comedians that do this. And I'm not talking about some of this. Everyone can have, you know, remember we did this. Remember we did that. That doesn't mean that's what I'm about to talk about. But when it's all, everything sucks today. Music sucks today, Comedy sucks today. Younger people don't want to come out and see you, which makes sense. So, you know, I've managed to. I mean, off stage, I go at the times I'm not mad at change. I don't change because I have to. So it's helped me be relevant with a younger group of people, which, you know, I'm not gonna lie. I'm. I like that. I like that. I would be aware if no younger comedians ever wanted to meet me or hang with me, I'd be like, yeah, they look at what I do. I don't want them to say, like, todd Glass is a nice guy, but that act, you know, so I've managed to. To change and grow. And I'm a different comedian than I was back then. And I remember once I said to my friend Gary Goldman, I go, when am I going to stop being embarrassed of my old work? He goes, hopefully never. I got. That's a good point. What do I want to do? Go. My best work was 10 years ago, you know, But I thought about it. I go, how many comedians are doing it? Because it makes me be on the up and up, like you know, one night me and my friends were sitting around, we're trying to name comedians that were older, that were still, you know, funny. They're. They exist.
- [04:54]
Interviewer
It's hard, though.
- [04:56]
Todd Glass
Yeah, it is. But there are the guys. Gaffigan's one of them, Brian Regan is one of them. You know, there are guys, but it just, you know, it doesn't happen a lot.
- [05:06]
Interviewer
Well, if the folks don't know, though, you've been doing it for 45 years because you started at a ridiculous age. Who has the confidence. At what age Were you, 14, 15, to get on a stage in Philadelphia?
- [05:21]
Todd Glass
I was 15, and long story very short, I didn't even know what a comedy club was. My friend goes, hey, there's this place called the Comedy Works in Philadelphia, in the city. And we were going to go on a Saturday. In my head, for some reason, I remember this very clear. I thought it would be college students telling jokes, because if you weren't, you know, big, big act, like, you know, Rodney, or even back then, Jerry Seinfeld was, you know, you knew who Jerry Seinfeld was even back then. Isn't that funny how long some of these guys have been, you know, he's 70 now. I remember looking at his check, him and Jay Leno, like they would come. Well, anyway, let me go in order here. So we went down to the Comedy Works, and it was about a 300 seat club. It was packed. And I already like comedy, but seeing it live, I fucking fell in love. And I went every week and we would see guys like, even some of them were younger then. And not big, but we'd see like, you know, Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Gary Shandling, Jay Leno, Roseanne Barr. Eddie Murphy had just been on snl, so the list went on and on and on. Steve Wright, just see these amazing acts. And then eventually Wednesday was an open mic night and I went up and, oh, I've never stopped. And I love it still. I love it now as much as I've loved it when I started.
- [06:37]
Interviewer
So what happens then, though? It's a lightning strike. You're 15 years old, you're on stage, and you know immediately, this is what I want to do forever.
- [06:44]
Todd Glass
I knew that I liked stand up comedy before that, but doing it, yeah, I knew I had. I lucked out. I did good the first time, but probably because I was young, you know, I look, you know, you don't think you're 16, you're cute. But probably to an audience of older people, look at this 16 year old, he's like. And it went very well. It didn't go very well the second time, but. And yes, I knew. I. Not foreshadowing. I always like to make sure when I talk back, you're not foreshadowing. And I knew. But I did. I knew not only doing comedy, but meeting comedians. And. And I. I related with them. I understood them. I was like, these are my people. I drove home and I was. I was very happy. I was very happy because afterwards, I hung out with these comedians and they were nice and I was. It was fun and it was really enjoying.
- [07:32]
Interviewer
Oh, so you found community, too, though.
- [07:33]
Todd Glass
That's. That's right. You said that better than me. I found community too. And I was with my brother, who was older, and we went out and. And then, you know, I got my license very shortly after that. And it was great. At a young age, like, there was this place by the time I was like, 18 now. Yeah, about 18. There was a place there called the Valley Forge Music Fair. And it was in the round. There's one in Westbury called the Westbury Music Fair. And I was 18, 19 years old. I started opening up for, like, Diana ross and Patti LaBelle and George Jones and Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on and on and on. Just. Just touring with these. These big acts, which taught me a lot. It did like that I'm glad I got to do, because I definitely like the music element of a show.
- [08:20]
Interviewer
What did it teach you?
- [08:22]
Todd Glass
Well, Patti LaBelle, to this day, and I didn't even know who Patti LaBelle was back then. Probably a lot of younger people don't know who Patti LaBelle is now, or just the. The 100%. Just every single night, going out there and shredding it, just pouring her heart out and. And the music, you know, them bringing me onto the stage. Now, I. Not all the time, but sometimes I tour now with a little band and just the. Starting the show, you know, when the lights go out. Like comedy, they don't do that as much, but music, they do. You know, it's like a very. Ladies and gentlemen, good evening and welcome. I remember that announcement. Good evening and welcome to the Valley Forge Music Fair. And then the lights would go out.
- [09:06]
Interviewer
You were very good at that. You really do. Oh, my God. You put me there.
- [09:10]
Todd Glass
Please kindly watch your step as you enter and leave the theater tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Patti LaBelle with the John Carlton Orchestra. And then the lights would go down, and then sometimes they'd fanfare with spotlights. So I do that when I'M at a show, I try to make the opening, have the lights go down and then the music starts and then, you know, they play you on. So. But all that stuff is, you know,
- [09:32]
Interviewer
I got to be honest, I want you to just do that character. Well, it sounds like you've got memorized, you know. Exactly. You just got transported. You yourself just got transported back to that space.
- [09:45]
Todd Glass
I remember the guy did it. He was like, he, he wasn't even that. He just happened to work there and he had a good voice. He was head of food services at the Valley Forge Music Fair. You know, they have concession, right? And he just happened to have a good voice. So he would be doing it in the back of the room. But I was like, you know, I really like that, the starting of the show, you know, make it, make it exciting.
- [10:04]
Interviewer
Well, you started and stopped yourself in honor of the chronology, but you said you saw Seinfeld's check and then you stopped yourself.
- [10:13]
Todd Glass
So, you know, it's just amazing. Like back then, like, Jay Leno was not as big as he is, you know, when he got the Tonight show and all that, and Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. But I remember seeing his check and I couldn't believe it. It was like, I think $8,500 or even. It might have been 10. It was in that area, I remember. And he did six. Five shows. No, six shows. Two Friday, two Saturday, two Sunday. 300 seat room. You do the math. It adds up pretty quick. But like, even then those guys were doing, doing real. Because they were, even then special events. You know, like the normal tickets were this price. But when someone like they came, when someone like those guys came in, it was, it was a bigger event.
- [10:54]
Interviewer
So when, and how did you realize that you could actually make a career out of it? Like, you knew you wanted it, but how did you know that it was plausible?
- [11:01]
Todd Glass
Well, I desperately needed to find something. I have, I had very, I'd say very bad dyslexia. They. They just didn't know a lot about it, even when I was in high school, but they started to know a lot about it. So I didn't know what I was going to do for a living. Either did my parents. And I would. I love stand up comedy. And every time I went there for the show, once I went on a Saturday to see the show, I went every single weekend with my high school friends. And then after I graduated, I kept going and going and then. But like, I would always hear them go, hey, you know, if you, before they brought up the headliner, they'd do some house announcements. Hey, New Year's Eve, we have this act coming in. And don't forget Wednesday, if you think you're funny, it's our open mic night. And then. But once I did it, I knew that I could do this. I didn't, you know, I never really thought for a living, but, you know, there was so much comedy back then. I was starting to make a little bit of money, even a year and a half later, you know, starting to make 50 bucks a year, 100 bucks for this show. So. And I lived at home still, so how much money did I need to
- [12:01]
Interviewer
make, you know, and so when do you realize, though, I'm going to chase this as a career? Because I don't.
- [12:07]
Todd Glass
You know, I think the honest answer, I shouldn't speak for other comedians is you don't realize. It just happens. You never want to go, wait, I could do this for a living, but I never really did it. I mean, for the first two years of standup, I still had a few jobs here and there, but I lived at home, like I said, so I didn't need that much money. But. But pretty soon after, I mean, obviously by the time I was 18, I must have known.
- [12:30]
Interviewer
Well, you came out of high school, you moved to Los Angeles, correct?
- [12:33]
Todd Glass
No, I moved to Los Angeles when I was like 23ish. So I did Philly for a while.
- [12:39]
Interviewer
Okay.
- [12:39]
Todd Glass
I did Philadelphia for a while. And then like the big deal there was like, you did. Your open mic night was Wednesday. Thursday was Best of Philly. So that was like, when you got a Thursday, that was a big deal. And then the big step up was when you emceed on the weekends, which meant doing 10 minutes of stand up comedy and then introducing the two other acts. So, like, that was definite. I remember the door guy there, Tony Molino, he was real sweetheart. And he goes, I. He goes, you're going to, you're going to do well. You're going to get a weekend. And this is so mean. But I was, I went, I wish he knew what he was talking about because I couldn't believe he's right. And then I did. I. My first weekend was opening up for. My first weekend there was opening up for Jay Leno. And, you know, there was a big crowd and the jokes, you know, on open mic night, you have to prove you're funny almost on the weekends because there were so much good comedy. Helen said to prove you weren't. So when you go up there with these, you're like, oh my God. And then when I did my first open for in the 3,000 seat in the round at the Valley Forage Music Fair. I think I forget the first. I think it was George Jones was the first time I did it. It was a country singer. I don't know if you even know who he is. And coming back then to the clubs, just a boost of confidence. Cause 3000. Then I would come in, it was like, oh, this was nothing to me. Like, you know what I mean?
- [13:56]
Interviewer
But it also seems difficult though, to do comedy before a music show when people are there for the music. That seems like a tough crowd.
- [14:04]
Todd Glass
No, they don't do it as much anymore. But for what I did, you know, it wasn't that. It was pretty digestible, you know what I mean? So I did well, I did well, you know, I did pretty well opening up for music acts. But they were, they weren't like, you know, they, they were music acts. They weren't crazy. It wasn't like mayhem and they were seated shows.
- [14:26]
Interviewer
Well, but you said Aretha Franklin. Like that's.
- [14:30]
Todd Glass
But I mean is. Mayhem is like they were all seated. It wasn't like I was opening up for. I opened up for a few big bands. That was difficult. You know, when I say big bands, like where there's standing room in the front and that type, that type of music show, these were, yes, these were living legends even then. But there were seated rooms. Does that, does that make sense? Yeah, they were seated.
- [14:50]
Interviewer
Yeah. It's not the crazy energy of ping pong balling music that you're slowing down by going out there and merely talking.
- [14:59]
Todd Glass
Yeah. And you learn, and. Exactly, exactly. And you learn some tricks. Some of them are given to you by other comedians. They're sort of stock. But, you know, they're like you. I used to go out and say, you know, like, hey, let, let, let diet. Let Diana know you're, you're a good crowd. Let him, let her hear it. She's listening backstage, you know, like to get them to go. So there were, there were ways.
- [15:23]
Interviewer
Cheap tricks. You had your cheap tricks.
- [15:24]
Todd Glass
I had my cheap tricks.
- [15:25]
Interviewer
Dirty tricks that aren't. That aren't. You shouldn't be talking about them all these years later because cheap they were.
- [15:33]
Todd Glass
Another one was again, like, what if, what if I wasn't supposed to be doing this? But I, as I understood it, it was like, you know, I've seen, to be honest, I've seen some old videos now of like you go on YouTube and I saw somebody use this joke and I went, wait, was that a joke? That. And it was like, hey, everybody, like, you know, let me explain who I am. You ever go to the deli, you get a sandwich, you get a pickle. You didn't ask for a pickle, right? You didn't ask for a pickle. But you get it when you enjoy it. I'm the pickle. All right, that sort of helped. It sort of helped because they're like, oh, yeah, we can enjoy. I mean, you have to follow that up with funny. But I think it gets over the initial, you know, what do you regard
- [16:12]
Interviewer
as sort of the happiest time for you in comedy when you say, it feels exactly the same now as it did the first time I got hit by a lightning bolt when I was 15. Is there one space of time that you regard as the happiest you were professionally, or does it all go? Is it all linear?
- [16:31]
Todd Glass
It's now. It's now. I honestly, you know, I always did pretty well on stage because I like doing stand up. So when I'm out there, I'm in a good mood. But I work harder now than I've ever worked my entire career. I used to be a guy who wrote on stage. You know, you write on stage. I'm not the only one. You write on stage. I have a binder full of my jokes, but it's like, you know, just a reminder of the joke. I don't write out the whole joke, but I never got together with a friend. A lot of comedians do. And you just punch, right? You go through your stuff, you're like, anything there. You don't. You don't have to, like, you're working on a late night show, sit there. If nothing comes to you, it doesn't come to you. But I started doing that two years ago for this show, and it is so much better and so much tighter. And another thing I started to, you know, let's say this is a theory I came up with. I started to like. Let's say 10 is the best audience member in the world. They're all tens. That's the best. That means nine. Still pretty good, right? But when I hit. I'm making these numbers up, but, but, but with some, with some, you. You'll hear what I'm saying. But when they were sevens, seven out of ten, I would sometimes lose them. And why are they sevens? They're not talking or they wouldn't be sevens. They'd be twos. You know, you. They're just not giving me what I want. That's all they're not doing, they're paying attention, they're facing the stage. You don't hear anything, but they're just not giving me what I want. And I used to lose them because I'd get frustrated. And about two years ago, I go, I don't have to lose sevens. And I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a mantra. I don't have to lose sevens. If I tighten it up and still be who I am, I don't have to. I don't have to jeopardize who I am and be a different comedian to get them to like me. Just do what you like to do, but tighten it up. Like, you see a lot of guys do, like, great comedians, you know, And I got off stage on a Friday night after this theory, because I had this theory for, like, six months. But then when I went on the road, I got off stage, Friday, late show, and my friend was with me, who I've told that theory to. I'm not losing sevens anymore. And they were sevens and I were. And I worked and I got them. And when I got off stage, I'm like, I'm glad they were sevens. He goes, so was I. I wanted to see. I go, it's hard. That was hard. He goes, yeah, work. Working hard is hard. And that's why you don't do it. Maybe because it's hard. It was hard to do a joke that I know is funny, and I know I'm that. But still, you don't just do your next one, do your next one, do your next one. So I've been enjoying that. I've been enjoying being tighter on stage. And, you know, I've met a lot of new comedians, which I love, you know, because of there's a lot of new funny people out there. And, you know, the good side of social media. To me, I'm not mad at social media. I'm not mad at TikTok. I'm not mad at Instagram. You know what I mean? You got to do it. You know, I. Yeah, there's a lot of people posting crowd work. Okay, that's not my favorite thing. I don't think it's. There's always been crowd work, but there's also a lot of funny comedians, even if it's not the majority of them posting just their clips. So because of that, I, like, got to know a lot of funny people. I'm like, this guy's funny. I would direct message them. They always direct message you back, hey, thanks a lot. And then next Time you're doing a show in la, you see them, you're like, hey, how you doing? I've, you know, so I have a lot of new comedian friends now that are. Some are 20, some are 30. And I'm in my glory right now, really enjoying standup comedy more than ever.
- [19:49]
Interviewer
Community again, though, right? Of a different form.
- [19:51]
Todd Glass
You know what? You're so right. And I was jokingly telling me, because, see, I don't have kids, I'm not. I'm not in a relationship right now. And so a lot of your comedian friends that used to hang out with. They're busy. That's good. They're busy. They have other things on their mind. Back then, when you hung out, that's all you. So I was like, about five years ago, I go, my friends are boring. I'm kidding. But like, you know, it's 9 o', clock, 10 o', clock, they go, we're gonna head home. Because, yeah, they have things they're working on and they have. I go, I need to make some new young comedian friends. So sort of slowly I did. And now when I wanted to hang out on a Saturday night, I have younger comedians that I can reach out to.
- [20:29]
Interviewer
Well, you talk about social media the way that I've heard the analogy you've used about a knife, right? A knife can be dangerous or it can be a scalpel that a surgeon needs to perform surgery. So you're good things that you want from social media.
- [20:43]
Todd Glass
You know, I sort of realized that if with that good analogy, I thought it was a good analogy, like, oh, yeah, there's the bad side. It's not gonna really change anybody's opinion. People have their opinions. It's sort of like a drug. The complacency is a drug. That's the way I look at it. So we think, well, how's it like a drug complacency? It's easier than changing. So even if I give a good analogy, it's not gonna make them go, wow, that's true. So with that said, I'll still say my. But, you know, social media, you know, the old days, you just had to wait for someone to do something for you. So, you know people that say they like that, yeah, maybe if you were the one that they found. But now you can just, you can do it by yourself. You can go right to the people. And I lost my thought, I'm sorry.
- [21:33]
Interviewer
Well, we were talking about the knife. We were talking about the good of it, that social media, that a knife can stab somebody and be dangerous. Or you can take what you want from the knife and use it for surgery to heal somebody.
- [21:48]
Todd Glass
Right. And what I was gonna say was for me to prove that, like TikTok or Instagram is a good outlet, I don't have to prove that there's not a lot of crap. That's not what I have to prove. I'll go. If someone goes, 80% of it's crap. I go, yeah, but 80% of most things are not good. So then stop watching tv, then stop going to see documentaries and stop seeing movies. We defend the vehicle for the 20% or whatever the numbers people want to give it. That's brilliant. So, yeah, there's a lot of crap on it, but there's, like I said, there's every, every vehicle has a lot of crap. But for the good, for the good of TikTok, for the brilliant, funny, I mean, fucking funny sketches, you know, and then the kind things, the things that are sweet, the things that are kind, the things that make me put a smile on my face. So with a little bit of self control or, or maybe a lot of self control, I can get the good out of social media. Yeah, there's the negative. But that's with everything. That's with everything. So I like it, I enjoy it. When TikTok came around during the pandemic, I remember watching it. I'm a bit person. I love bits. And so I was like, I like this. And everybody else was making fun of it and I go, I really like it because for, for Twitter, it's more the word, you know, And I wasn't. I know I'm a comedian, but I didn't do, you know, I didn't do well, I did. Wasn't my, wasn't my thing. But for that, for the bits, I love the bits. And there's so many, there's so many funny things. So I really liked it a lot. I fell in love with it. I go, this is, this is fun. I want to be a part of this.
- [23:23]
Interviewer
It's the access that the 15 year old you now has that is in a comedy stage because it's, there's a lot of meritocracy there. Right? What, what if people can create their own things and just put them out into the world and it finds you and you, a comedian of 45 years, is then that funny? That's not an access that person had before to someone like you.
- [23:44]
Todd Glass
Right, right. And, and there's the good of that, and, and there can be the bad of it. You know, I don't but, but yeah, I'm all for like, you know, I think comedy is good today. And the reason people think, oh, comedy or music was better back then, I'm not defying that. There was some great. Are we allowed to curse? I don't have to. There was a great fucking music.
- [24:02]
Interviewer
You've already cursed.
- [24:03]
Todd Glass
I know, I know. I want to die. I don't want to over curse you
- [24:06]
Interviewer
ask permission about three or four curses in Let it fly.
- [24:09]
Todd Glass
Okay, that there's. You just have to. You know, I learned over the years when you read the comments, it's not a bad thing. You have to make your points clear and crisp. So I really try. I'm not defying that. Comedy was not great back then. There was brilliant comedy in the 50s, there was brilliant comedy in the 60s, there was brilliant comedy when Steve Allen, no offense, was saying, oh, what comedy was today? You know, I'm like, I'm not gonna turn into that guy. He was like, oh, there's no good comedy. He was saying that in the 80s, was there good comedy in the 80s? Can we all agree? Most people would go, yeah, there was great comedy, you know, but there was also shitty comedy being done right next to it. You know, in the 50s when there was 60s, 70s, whatever era music you like, yeah, there was great fucking music back then, but right next to it at the same time there was crap. So when you don't have the time to go out and look through it, I do understand why an older person might go, comedy's not what it used to be. I get it. But me saying to an older person, I get it, and here's the reason isn't gonna change. They've decided instead of dealing, this is my half baked opinion, instead of saying death is scary and maybe I'm a little envious of youth, they've decided to deal with it by just saying, oh, at least I was born at a better time. You reason you don't know that there's good music and good comedy is cuz you don't have the time to sift through it like you used to. So if you're gonna go onto TikTok or go to a show, I'll go see what comedy is. It would suck any era if you just.
- [25:36]
Interviewer
But I think you've got it right though, when you say that 80% of anything is mediocre and then the worst 10% are worse than it's ever been and the best 10% are better than it's ever been.
- [25:45]
Commercial Announcer 3
Right?
- [25:45]
Todd Glass
And that still exists if you have the Time to sift through it. I know there's brilliant comedy out there because I'm there, I'm invested, I'm out at those shows, I'm meeting young comedians. Comedy's in a great place.
- [25:58]
Interviewer
So when you say though, that this is the happiest version of you doing comedy that there's been, that's probably. Probably also though, because you know yourself better than you ever have and are freer than you've ever been, right?
- [26:12]
Todd Glass
Exactly, exactly. And I thought about that even the other day. I go like when I do these like, you know, I call them like, you know, bar shows. They're not like an official comedy club that some where a lot of the best comedy is a lot of times in New York and la, these little niche little shows all over. I also have more of a respect for an audiences now like we sort of touched on before. And I think I'm enjoying that. Like when I go to these shows, I go up on stage maybe to say with something to prove, even though I'm doing it for free and it's a 15 minute set. I go on stage, I want to like a boom, boom, boom, boom. And. And I'm enjoying the tightness and the respect to. The respect to audiences more than maybe I had before.
- [26:55]
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- [28:07]
Commercial Announcer 2
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- [29:15]
Interviewer
your need to perform come from?
- [29:18]
Todd Glass
Well, it's fun to make people laugh, obviously, and it's really fun. And yeah, feel that just feels great. And I'll be honest with the music, when I do the show with the music, that's just fun. Such a tight show. You know, truth be told, that show is so tight that I I sort of get off flaunting how tight it is. I just love it. I know sometimes something will get a laugh and I'll ask somebody, like in the beginning I go, why is I gonna laugh? They go, because it's so tight. And I understood as soon as they said it, but I didn't. I wasn't playing cutesy, you know, I was like, it gets a laugh when I do that, you know. And so the mixture of both is what I'm really enjoying.
- [29:58]
Interviewer
Is that the most confident version of you, though, the one that gets to strut a little bit on stage with the knowledge of, no, I've got 45 years of wisdom here on something that I've crafted. And so I know what it took in those 45 years to make this as efficient as it needs to be. So that a seven can turn into a ten. Because I want. Yes.
- [30:19]
Todd Glass
Yeah, that probably is. That's, that's probably everything. That's probably everything. And, and I'm glad that I have a new respect. You know, I never had disrespect for audiences at all. I always loved. But I would get drunk sometimes and not do my best show and stuff like that. You know, there was some, there were not too many, but too, too many. One is too many where I would get so drunk that I would just, just, you know, not remember the last 15 minutes of my show.
- [30:48]
Interviewer
That drunk, huh. Disrespecting the craft. Because.
- [30:52]
Todd Glass
Didn't think I was disrespecting the craft. I was just having fun. And then you get drunk and you know, it didn't happen that often, but there was probably, if I had to put a number on it where it's just was probably like 10 times over. The. This isn't horrendous, but it's too many to have a bad show. That's fine if you're working your hardest, but. And you know, when I go to see other comedians, sometimes I will go to see another comedian. I went to see like Kate Berlant at Largo. Now granted, I didn't have to wait in line, but I still knew where I was going in the day. And I went in when the show started, I went into the theater and I sat there. I had to do certain things. I thought other people have babysitters. You have to park your car. I've gone to see, you know, a few comedians, you know, and it makes you realize, yeah, this is what people are doing when they come to see you. They, they're, they're, it's. Some people are spending money they don't have, some people are spending money they shouldn't be spending. So just like definitely in the last few years that has been a priority of mine to like go up there and do you and be tight, be tight. Give them, give them like, you know, because comedy, the great thing about stand up comedy is my friend said this years ago, forget about a bad movie, a bad comedy movie. Forget about a bad comedy movie. The good ones, even the good comedy movies, whatever year you want to go to, you don't get really as many laughs as you do for a, for a stand up comedian. That's, I mean it's just laugh after laugh. It's like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Little bit of a break, boom, boom, boom, little bit of a break, maybe boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So it's like, whoa. A well rehearsed. A well rehearsed headlining comedian, Even one that's never been on tv. And there's a ton of those guys out there that are just club comedians, but they're tight. And that's, that's a, it's very powerful. It's fun to go see a stand up comedy show. I see why.
- [32:42]
Interviewer
I don't know what the scars of dyslexia were when you were, the way that you framed it. You were saying you were having trouble with learning and it didn't have a name back then because you, you didn't know that you were, you know, having trouble with reading for a reason. That there was a diagnosis that it's not.
- [32:57]
Todd Glass
There weren't that many jobs. I mean, I had a few little jobs that I could handle. Doing the register, like, wasn't easy for me. I'm sure. I, I used to just like, I don't know, I would make up numbers. Sometimes when I didn't know what it was or if I added it up wrong, I would just call. But then I got by, but I couldn't do. There wasn't that much I wanted to be a landscaper. I thought I could be a landscaper and really I never wanted, I wanted to be a landscaper that owned the company. Like I would see a 50 year old landscaper that by that point had employees and, and he showed up with a clean truck and sometimes he sat in there making, you know, with the air conditioning going for a half an hour. I thought, oh, I could do that. But like, I don't want to work. I don't like the heat. I don't even like dirt. But, but I like the idea of that. I did like landscaping. I did, I did like the art of landscaping. But I, but I, when I thought about payroll, you know what I mean? I can't. What am I gonna do? So that's where it was like what I. And in hindsight, you learn my parents were worried too. They're like, because I did very poorly in school. I didn't even graduate high school. And so comedy was something I could do. Like I could get by. And even now, like, remembering my act is a little hard. About five years ago, I started bringing a binder on stage. Now I'm not staring at it. It still feels conversational. I mention it and I tell the audience why and I'll do 15 minutes of comedy while they're laughing. I get a drink, flip a page. It's very, it's not me going, oh, you know, I'm like, I know my set, but, boy, am I enjoying. That's another reason it's made it so much better. And I even joke with the crowd. I go, folks, stand up. Comedy is. I've been doing it a long time. It's still my favorite thing to do, but remembering my act, it wasn't my favorite part of it. Now it's just there. If I think of a tag for a joke in the old days, I'd have to go, and I'm not recommending every comedian does this, but it is an option. If I wanted to have a tag, I'd have to go, I got to remember that tag. Maybe I'll put it on the stool on a napkin right now. I turn the page. Thirteen pages later, there it is in big black Sharpie. So it's nice. It's like, there it is. Are you sure you didn't forget anything? Because it's right there and calmer. I'm a calmer on stage.
- [35:07]
Interviewer
So, anyway, I think it sounds like the. You were saying you affirmed on the most confident version of yourself. I was thinking while you were speaking, I had a conversation with a friend of mine a long time ago who's a sports broadcaster, and I was saying, I, with all of my insecurities, never, ever want to be getting out of the limousine and walking down the red carpet amid the flashbulbs. But I'd like if my work could do it. I'd like if the. If my work could get out of the car and go do it without me.
- [35:41]
Todd Glass
I think I know exactly what you're
- [35:42]
Interviewer
talking about when you're talking about boom, boom, boom, and the confidence of swaggering around on a stage with the knowledge that this is the best version of me. This is the most confident version of me. I've sculpted this, and there's not an inefficiency in it. The way you're describing that is reminding me of it as you say it. That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about how all my neuroses can get in the way. But if I can sculpt a thing and then present it to people, that's the version of me that I'd like for them to see my best work.
- [36:13]
Todd Glass
Yeah. And again, I think when you said that, what I thought of was, even though. And I'm sure I'm not the only comedian that's like this or anybody in the business, I don't like getting out. Like, if I'm getting dropped off at a club, I Am nervous. I don't want to be dropped off when there's a line outside. I would, like, get panicky, like from walking from the car to that or when I'm on stage. The most nerve wracking is for me is walking to the stage. Well, like, ladies and gentlemen, talk less enough that I have to get to the mic. I'm like, oh, but once I'm doing it. But that walks. I don't know if that's at all
- [36:43]
Interviewer
what you're talking about, but it sounds like you can put on the costume. Once you get into the zone of being in the familiar place that you've been for 45 years, the rest of the human that is you, that has his frailties can then zip up the confident costume and be the version of themself that is turned up from 9 to 10. So you're performing as yourself, but it's just the loudest version of yourself.
- [37:07]
Todd Glass
Exactly. And that's better than it's ever been. That really is genuinely better than it's ever been. You know, to see my show. To see my show now.
- [37:16]
Interviewer
Well, I want to ask you about, too, what would appear to be seminal events in your life that would lead to you now being the most confident version of yourself. The Marc Maron podcast that you did is widely regarded as one of the best he's ever done. You came out during that podcast. I imagine there's great freedom in that. And also a little bit earlier than that. Is it earlier than that? You had a heart attack, right? Do I have my timeline right?
- [37:43]
Todd Glass
Hold on now. I want to make sure I have it right. Yes, I had the heart attack. And then I remember saying, I. If I died, I thought this. The next morning, I go, if I died, I think people would have said I was a good comedian. I'd be confident, I think, but they would have said affectionately. It's a shame he was never comfortable enough. So I thought, I'm gonna come out right away, and I'm not waiting. Of course, it took two more years, but it gave me the. The kick in the ass to do it. And then I did the mark, and then I did that show. I. I just thought, I can't do this any longer. You know, it's not. I don't want to force. It's word foreshadowing and putting emotion that wasn't there. To be honest, you're numb to it. The lie worked. It wasn't exhausting every day. I had a good life. I enjoyed life. But until you exhale, you don't know, yeah, you really weren't doing your best. And when I got in that car, you know, because I told. I told my friend Kevin, and he's a therapist, and he's been a good friend of mine for a long time. I say, kevin, don't let me out of this. I have to do it. And I told him my plan that I. That I thought I'd go on Marc Maron because I wanted to do it on a big platform. I had a podcast at the time, but I want to do it on a big platform. I feel I have something to say, and that way I don't have to say it a million times. You know, I can just say it to my friends in Philly, to my. Everybody, okay, this is. You know. And I called Mark. I didn't even know if he'd want to do it. I said, mark, I don't know if this is something you do. But he asked. Had done delicate shows like that before, and he called me back the next. That night, and I let it go to. Did I have myself. Yeah, my cell phone. That I let it go to voice. I was so scared. And then I called my friend Kevin. I go, kevin, he called me. He goes, todd, call him back. You might just have to do this before you're ready. Which were pretty powerful words. And I called him back, and then we set the appointment. We went. And. And, you know, I'm. I'm telling, you know, the short version of it, but I do remember getting in the car at the end after doing that. He did a great job. He did a really great job. A plus. I mean, he. I'm glad I picked him to do it, but I got in the car. There's not that many times in my life that I've done this. There's been a few, but not that many. I. I just. I fell apart. This because I. Because I was exhausted, because it felt so good. It felt so good. And it wasn't long. Probably 25 seconds. 25 seconds. And. And then I started up my car, and I was like. And. And when I left, he goes, do you want to. If you don't want to drop this, then you tell me you're not locked into dropping it just because you re recorded it. And I went, mark, please drop it. I waited long enough. And of course, Mel, you know, I heard everyone say, oh, it's going to get better. You're going to enjoy your life better. But I remember thinking, not me. I thought I didn't want to be known for being a gay Comedian, you know, I just wanted to be a comedian. Of course, that is gay. And my manager, he said some pretty good words of wisdom. He goes, todd, you're not. It's not going to be your identity because it's not the most interesting thing about you. And that really stuck with me. It gave me, like, sometimes people give you little words of wisdom, but it doesn't really help, you know, that helped. I was like, oh, it won't be. It's not the most interesting thing about me. And so I was glad I did it. I mean, the exhale was just. Oh, and then things on stage I could talk about now, you know.
- [41:13]
Interviewer
Well, what was happening in the car, though, in those 25 seconds? Take us there.
- [41:18]
Todd Glass
Just realizing that you were holding in a lot. You know, you get comfortable in the lot. You get comfortable in the lie. How many people knew? I mean, and then some, like, just. I mean that I can laugh at pathetic, you know, I mean, you could laugh at yourself for being pathetic. Like, I had a duplex and these two girls lived above me. And me. And my. I was then in a relationship. This just shows you the little things that build up the stupidness of, you know, getting comfortable in the lie. And I'd have friends coming in from out of town. And at that time, I was dating somebody, and he was. I was like, 32. He was like 23. So he still had friends from college. And, you know, and I, you know, I was 32, so. And then we would go upstairs and go, andrea, please. We have friends coming in. Just come downstairs for 15 minutes, 50. Because if they came in, hey. And when they were coming in from out of town and they walked in, there was a girl there that was like, yeah, we all live here. They live upstairs, where it's like a big community here. We're not, you know. And then. But then you think, like. Like, well, really. I remember once we had. There was a. There was a package, an erroneous package, and it was after 9, 11. So that had something to do with it. And the police knocked on our door at three in the morning. Like, three in the morning. Because this package was at the neighbor's door. And they were, you know, they. And they. I remember, I go, chris, something like, you know, I was half asleep. I go, the fire department's out front because the fire department was there, too. We went into the room that we didn't use and we messed up the bed. Now, we knew when everything calmed down, we laughed at ourselves. But that type of stuff. What type of life Is that. And by the way, hiding your sexuality is not the only thing that people hide, you know, there's other things people hide, and hiding stuff isn't fun. It could be. It could be something that happened. Anything. A million things. I don't have to list them.
- [43:13]
Interviewer
People hide, but you're always scared that someone's gonna find out. That's not a free way to live. Obviously.
- [43:19]
Todd Glass
That's why, again, talking about growth, you know, I know. I don't. That's why I don't want to. You know, that's why I'm not mad at the landscape of today, of what's going on as far as how people identify and what people want to be called and they don't want to be into these little. I'm not mad at that. I'll take part in that. You know what I mean? I will. Even outside of being gay. Like, I remember once, this is about a year ago, my friend Teresa, I don't know why she thought I relate with her. We're not even talking about people transitioning. And by the way, I'm okay with that, too. What, you know what I mean is to take that off the plate. That could be a little more confusing for some people to understand. Just the them and the there. And my friend Teresa, she's. I shouldn't use her name. She goes. She was, like, having a problem with it. I go, why isn't. I go, tracy, you know, can't you be a straight white woman and still join whatever you want to call it, a revolution of a. Of these. You can. You know, these boxes that sound so cliche, but it's true. It's like, isn't there anything you could. Can't you join in instead of accepting it? Can't you join it? Isn't there anything you could think of? I'll give her credit. She goes, no, but that's embarrassing to me. It should be embarrassing. I go, well, it means you're not tapping in, because at least you're smart enough to know that, yes, you should be able. There should be something for anybody. So I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying. That's why people, you know, I want to go back to the way it used to be. And I'm not even talking about who our president is. Like, you can go back to 2015. All this shit still existed of back then, back then. I'm living my best life now. And with all the garbage in the world and all the problems in the world, I always say to somebody, I don't know Why I say this, but this is the term I go, if you had a gay daughter, what year would you want her to have to live on this planet? Because it bypasses the argument that's on the plate of the someone's full of shit. Unless someone's full of shit and they don't. When they don't want to change their opinion, they're going to pause. Who's. What year are you going to say? Come on. Unless you're full of shit, what year do you want your gay daughter to have to live on this planet? That doesn't mean it has to be perfect now, because it's fucking not. But what year do you want her to be here back then? So when you say it was better back then, you sure you're including everybody? You sure you're including everybody? So I'm not mad at change. I like it. I embrace it. I love it. And I'm glad I'm a part of it. I'm really glad I'm a part of it.
- [45:50]
Interviewer
You mentioned a couple of things, though. You said the word Andrea, and that is what you said to Sarah Silverman. When you're. You do your homework, you're having your heart attack. You're backstage. And you also mentioned the idea that while you're having a heart attack, one of your first thoughts is the clarity of, I can't live with this lie. I can't die with this being. The punctuation is I've just lived a lie the entire time.
- [46:18]
Todd Glass
Yeah, I mean, I was having a heart attack, but I was thinking they were carrying me out of Largo. And I'm yelling to Sarah, cause she knew about me. I'd come out to her. And I yell out to Sarah, call my girlfriend while I'm having a heart attack.
- [46:33]
Interviewer
Andrea. That's the name that triggered it for me.
- [46:37]
Todd Glass
Call Andrea. Andrea. I go, call Andrea. But it wasn't Andrea. You know, even though my. My. My partner was. Had an ambiguous name, Chris. So I could have just said, call Chris, but, you know, I said, call Andrea. And she's like, oh. I go, I'm having a heart attack. You know, and I'm worried about that. And. And also, remember, this is just another moment when I was like, just hit me. You know, my ex came into the hospital and he just must have picked a flower of a tree. You know, just got a flower and he came in and he just shoved it under my pillow real quick so no one would see. And I knew. I knew that that wasn't. I was like, ugh, you know, and then when I got out of there, I literally. It sounds so like, you know, a movie. Like, you know, you're writing this, but it's not the way it happened. Forget about birds chirping jackhammers. When they took me out of the hospital three days later, and I was getting into the car, I heard jackhammers and horns. And I was like, holy shit, it all sounds so beautiful, you know? But, yeah, that. That. That was. I was. I'm glad that I didn't do the rest of my life. I mean, my plan. I wanted to. I had a book. It was called the Toddler Situation, because that's what I would call. I would go, like, My friends that knew I would be like, no, his mom doesn't know our situation. He goes, is that what you call what you are? You're in a situation? And I wanted to call the book instead of that, I wanted to call it. Well, I'll tell you the story. I met a guy, we both bonded. We're both in the closet, probably about 24 years old. And I said, you know what I wanted to do? Like, if I could meet a girl. This is desperation, you know? I go, if I could meet a girl that had cancer, her. And then she died, answer all my problems, you know, you don't think, what about this girl that you're in love with? Even if you don't want to marry her, you still. It's a human being that you might have love for. And then. And then the rest of my life, people go, todd, whatever. Yeah, Todd. He never got over Rachel, you know? So I wanted to call the book, which I still think I probably should have, but Simon and Schuster was so nice. I didn't want to. I wanted to call. All I ever wanted to meet was a nice girl with cancer. And then just to make it understandable, the subtitle would be and other stupid things. I said to keep the closet door shut so people would go, okay, there's something here.
- [48:54]
Interviewer
Right?
- [48:54]
Todd Glass
That was the deal.
- [48:55]
Interviewer
It's a good name for a book.
- [48:57]
Todd Glass
All I ever wanted to do was meet a nice girl with cancer. And then I remember even saying, and of course, anybody would know that it wasn't making fun of cancer. It had nothing to do. It wasn't disrespectful to anyone going through that plight, which I've gone through with a family member. So I go, what about All I ever wanted to do was meet a nice girl with a terminal disease and other stupid things. I said to keep the closet door shut. But they didn't want to do it. But I thought that would be more of an intriguing title. And I might be right.
- [49:24]
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Todd Glass
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Todd Glass
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Todd Glass
Remember, goats only trust goats because they're built different and Messi only trusts Duracell.
- [50:20]
Interviewer
Take us though, back to why it is that in the moment that you're having a heart attack, this is what's making itself present. That seems pretty torturous to not take inventory of life and death circumstances in a way that make you totally introspective about this one thing that isn't the most interesting thing about you, but it's with you there on what could be the equivalent of your deathbed.
- [50:48]
Todd Glass
If I don't answer this, don't be afraid to tilt me towards answering it. Cuz I think this is. Well, I think it was like in that moment of having a heart attack, I needed to keep this lie. That's all I was thinking about at that point was just keeping the lie. I couldn't give it up. I couldn't say, like, you know, just blurt out, call my boyfriend, you know. So it's just keeping the lies. All I cared about was keeping the lie. I couldn't want anyone to know I was going to go to my death with it. Matter of fact, if I would meet somebody that I really liked, this is back when I'm 22 or 23. I didn't meet that many people, but I would. And then they would go, my parents know. You know, he would say, oh, my parents know. They're cool about it. I feel horrible about this. There's some people I wish I could reach out to now, years later and go, I am sorry. But just because he was open to his parents, I went, nope, I'm done. I'm done. I don't want to be with this person. I don't want to hang out with this person. I need someone like me that's in the closet. So I probably did that a few times to people. And now I feel so bad. You know, I'll just think of somebody like, wow, remember that guy? You know, all he did was tell me his mom and dad were cool about him being gay. And I'm like, oh, no, I can't have that.
- [51:55]
Interviewer
Well, it's informative, though, that you're just scared. The priority is to not be scared.
- [52:02]
Todd Glass
The priority was just to just go to my death with it. Just go to my death with it. Which, ugh, God, it wouldn't have been fun. And, you know, now that I don't talk about being gay on stage all the time, probably about 60% of the time, I don't mention it. And I wanted to make sure that I'm not. Because in the beginning, I wouldn't talk about it if it was a tough crowd, I thought, but great, they're a tough crowd. Now I'm gonna say I'm gay, maybe 25% of them, which is not being negative. It's being realistic. Probably even today's audiences. A lot better than it used to be. But still, there's 20% being like, what? This dude's gay? So I wouldn't talk about it if they were a tougher crowd. Now, I just don't always have a lot to talk about it, but I want to make sure I'm not doing it because I'm embarrassed. So I started. I did it accidentally once, and I was so proud of myself. I just said in a story that didn't need to be. I was like. Like, the joke was, you know, you're in a relationship and somebody's like, you know. You know, you say, I'll. I'll. I'll cook. You'll clean. And he would go, oh, I'll clean in the morning. I go, good, I'll cook in the morning. But the. He just. He is just saying, oh, yeah. And then maybe someone goes, oh, okay, in that story. Now, there's other stories you need. It's about the act of being gay or coming out. Some of them are just relationship jokes. You don't need to preface it. It as being, you know, as being, you know, gay, or, by the way, I'm gay before you just throw out the word him. But I bet 25 years ago, you had to do that. You couldn't just go on stage and talk about your boyfriend.
- [53:30]
Interviewer
You requested that I pull you back to the story. So I'm going to do that. You're having the heart attack, and you still have to protect the lie. But somewhere inside of the heart attack, you've also got the clarity. I cannot have this lie remain. You say it took two years after that before you did it. But somewhere inside the having of the heart attack, you went full spectrum from I've got to protect the lie to I can no longer lie this way. What happened in there?
- [53:57]
Todd Glass
That's a good question. I know the answer. We'll be back right after this. It was. Look, this is still going on, so I don't want to ever make it sound like, oh, it was going on, but on social media, there was a lot of kids that were. You were hearing the stories about them killing themselves, and it's, you know, it shreds you, you know, and. And I thought by me being in the closet, I'm not helping the situation. Whether it's fear or not, it's not helping. Even if I don't put any pressure, even if I don't hate myself for it, it's still not helping. And you would just hear story after story, and I was sort of giving it validity that hiding it is the right thing to do or not that they would know, but. So when I would see these stories, I would go, I can't do this. I gotta be on the good side of helping, you know, younger people. And that people would see. There's all types of gay people, young kids, you know, there's all types.
- [54:49]
Interviewer
But you're feeling all that in the. In while the having of the heart attack is happening. The.
- [54:54]
Todd Glass
The heart attack? Well, no, then I just thought, I'm coming out. But then I got scared because I returned to regular life, you know.
- [55:01]
Interviewer
Oh, so you lost the perspective.
- [55:02]
Todd Glass
I lost the perspective.
- [55:04]
Interviewer
Once you get your life back, whatever the prayers were to God on all the things you were gonna do, they. They disappear a little.
- [55:10]
Todd Glass
I remember thinking, oh, no. I knew, this is done. This is done. I'm not living like this anymore. Even though it wasn't, you know, as stressful as I thought it was, but it still was. I knew it existed. I knew it wasn't fun. The lies, the just lie after lie. There's so many lies. And. And, you know, you can't say, you know, you're having a. Having a little argument with my. With my. In my relationship or with my boyfriend. You just. I would have to make up things because I would have to tell someone the state of mind I'm in. So I would get to the comedy club at night and Go, nah, I just got. It's no big deal. But I got into a little argument with my sister in law or my mom or my. To someone that I love, you know, and that was like, you know, I thought this is ending. But then yet after that it took another two years.
- [55:56]
Interviewer
How would you go about articulating the freedom of the last, you know, all the years since then? Because now you can be a more authentic version of yourself that isn't disguised in lies. How would I what, how is it that you arrive over the last seven years at the. What does the freedom feel like? How would you articulate the freedom of I no longer have to live that way, therefore I'm now I'm just freer, I'm the more authentic version of myself.
- [56:31]
Todd Glass
Yeah, I'm aware of it still. It's not grown numb on me sometimes. It could be as simple as, you know, something happened yesterday. There's a guy at the gym, he's into my comedy. I don't know if he knows or not. And I was sort of another story where it just came out, but I say sideways. It wasn't like, hey, by the way. But I was telling him a story about, you know, and I go, yeah. So yeah. And then he, I was talking about my. At first he wouldn't know what it was. I was like, yeah, I was in a relationship.
- [56:57]
Commercial Announcer 3
And.
- [56:57]
Todd Glass
And then he. And I went, wow, you were able to do that. You're able to just so there's a lot of times now where I'm still aware to even say the word gay. Well, that was tough for a long time. Even after I came out, I didn't really like the word gay because I had heard it used as a negative so much, you know. And you know, it's, I'll go and I'll, I'm going to preach real quick because you never know whose ear you're going to get in. And maybe this will be the one thing when people say, no, no, it doesn't mean. When I use word gay as a pejorative, is that the right word? That's gay. This is gay. People go, no, it doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean that it took on a new meaning. No, it does mean that you're not saying, well, what do you mean when you mean gay? Do you mean beautiful and charming and loving? No, you mean stupid. So it does mean gay. It means like gay people, they're weird, they're different, they're quirky, you don't like them. So when you go, took On a new meaning and you're describing things you don't like connects to it. So when I say that, like, you do whatever you want, but at least be honest with yourself. Don't try to took on a new meaning. No, it didn't.
- [58:01]
Interviewer
So anyway, on that point, though, Shane Gillis gets away with it now. Because of that. Correct? Because of. Well, it doesn't mean that. Yes, it does mean that, but we're not arguing about that anymore. It's allowed again, it's allowed over there.
- [58:19]
Todd Glass
You know, sometimes you try to get people to stop certain behavior. I don't want. By the way, I always say this. I don't want any comedian to stop behavior because they have to. Because that. It's. It's not good. Not good. That's what's great about comedy. You do whatever you want, end of story. But you can do it willingly. You know what I mean? You don't have to. And sometimes when you try to socially get somebody to stop something, you know, it's not good socially. Like, as we grow, as we're older, we don't always grow begrudgingly. Not all growth is done angrily. Some people go to family counseling, and some don't like it, and they don't like it till they die. Others go, maybe they're telling a story. Oh, we went. I didn't like it at first, but oh, my God, my relationship with my kids is so much better. They're not angry at it. They're like, now I gotta do this, now I gotta do that. No. They're like, no, no, It's a better life.
- [59:11]
Commercial Announcer 1
Life.
- [59:12]
Todd Glass
So the changes that I've made are better. Comedians should only make them when they want to. But sometimes when you're trying to get someone by not telling them, they should be forced to stop it, by maybe educating them, learning, and trailing right behind it is. It's just hack, you know, comedy. You have to push boundaries. And they probably like that.
- [59:30]
Commercial Announcer 2
But.
- [59:31]
Todd Glass
Yes, yeah, but you're pushing boundaries that have been pushed. So even if you don't stop it because it's not great, those words, they're not, you know, you're pushing boundaries that have been pushed. If you're saying that boundaries have to be pushed, you're fucking right. That's comedy. You have to push boundaries, but try to push boundaries that haven't been pushed and pushed and pushed. What do you do? What words are you using now? These are words. We've pushed those boundaries, you know, and
- [59:57]
Interviewer
so anyway, I'm smiling only because it legitimately sounds like, you're more offended. The comedian in you is more offended by the hackery than the gay guy is offended by the hatefulness.
- [60:11]
Todd Glass
Well, it flips eventually. It's like, eventually you're trying to. Socially, you're going, yeah. It brings up more like, come on, don't. And also, they try to make it like you're offended. I'm not offended. If anything, I'm criticizing you. I'm criti. And by the way, I don't want to say, oh, I don't get offended. I do get offended. I'm sensitive. I cry very easily. But I know in my life when I'm offended and when I'm not, it's like, to me, the analogy I give, if you told someone, like, hey, they're adding up their bill, and you go, oh, by the way, that's. You added that wrong. It's 18, not 19. You're helping them. And they go, oh, did I offend you? You go, no, I'm fucking helping you. That's how I feel. I'm confident enough to go, I'm not offended at these words you're using. They always make it look like we're always a delicate butterfly. People that don't like these words. But all I will say is, yes, boundaries need to be pushed. And also, sometimes when I explain, like, some new friend or a friend of someone I'm dating and they see my comedy, they thought it was gonna be vanilla because I'm say, oh, I. You can be crass. You can crass comedy. It's my favorite type of comedy. You can be crass. You can be vulgar without picking on these groups that have been. They've been picked on. Like I'm saying, even if you don't stop it socially, just stop it. Because this, you know, it's been done to me, I like that. It gets me angry. And also because I imagine someone listening to this that's doing that, and maybe that'll stick in their gut, but maybe they'll go, he's not. I want someone else in the room while I'm saying it. No, no, no. He's not saying he's hurt. He's saying, you're a hack.
- [61:41]
Interviewer
The thing that you're doing again and again that's funny is that you're not actually. Never mind sermonizing. You're not saying, be a better human being. You're saying, be a better comedian.
- [61:52]
Todd Glass
Well, at least be a better comedian, you know? Cause if you're not a better comedian, you know, I realize if you don't grow off stage. You don't really grow on stage. And when I look at comedians that are having a difficult time with change in the world, I realize something. It's a little detective work. I call to figure out social issues. Sometimes you have to have. I call therapist slash detective work. And the therapist is member to listen, Todd. Remember to listen. And the detective is. There's a reason, detective. They figure things out because it's not what it is at the surface. When I see someone that's mad at some of these things today, I go, you're not okay with some of the things from 25 years ago. You show me someone that's having trouble with them or their. I don't think they're probably okay with gay marriage or gay people. Now I know you might go, really? I think I'm pretty right. They might not argue about it anymore. But the reason you see comedians getting angrier and angrier is because they didn't drop the verbiage willingly. They didn't drop it. I'm not. I wasn't a bad person. I used to use some words. I wasn't a horrible person. Nor am I insinuating they are. There's a lot of behavior I used to do. I wasn't despicable, far from it. I was always a pretty good person. I'd like to believe. But that doesn't mean I can't grow and go, oh, I don't use that word anymore willingly. So when you see somebody, I say comedian, a person angry at some of the things that, you know, we're not doing, we change, you know, that's because they're not okay with the old things. I'm not angry. There's nothing in my act that I took out because I had to. I just grew. I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to do that. So the anger builds from one more thing. They not willingly changed, but they had to. Maybe because a sponsor, maybe because the public is like, come on, man, you know? You know the words of today. We can argue, but go back and look at other words that we argued to get off the chopping block. They don't get prettier. Some of them, I can't even say because. Because they get grosser and grosser and angrier and angrier and uglier.
- [63:48]
Interviewer
What is your relationship with anger? Cause your angry characters and character, they're all very good. Like you when you turn it up to 10 on your angry people before I invite one of them onto the program. Cause I'd like to punctuate the podcast by talking to your angriest character. What is your relationship with anger?
- [64:09]
Todd Glass
Well, I definitely have an angry side, but I'd like to believe it's for the right thing, you know what I mean? Like, and you might go, who's decide what it's right? Well, history, History, you know, if you're, if it's, if it's, let's say it's 19 any year. I don't, sometimes I, my story can get in the way because I have the wrong year. Let's say it's 1977 and you have a bit about really laying in the people that don't think black people should marry white people. You know, you have a story happening and you tell you the fuck and you're fuck. What the fuck? Are you kidding me? Two people love each other the fuck. Go, go fuck yourself. You know, just because it's a bit where you're angry in it. Well, 30 years later you wouldn't say, look at this comedian, he's so angry. Well, he was, yes, he's, he's yelling but he's angry about. So I hope that my anger is at least for the right thing and only time will tell that. So I do have an angry side. But I hope I'm using my anger because when someone says you shouldn't do comed that offends people. I always, I always want to go, oh no, no, I don't think that's true. Sometimes good comedy offends people. Who are you offending? And will history go, yeah, you were offending the right people, you know, so I do, I can get, I do have an angry, I do have a very angry side. It's usually not at other people in my life, it's usually at me. But, but I do, I do have, it's at yourself.
- [65:36]
Interviewer
It's. You get your most unforgiving with yourself.
- [65:40]
Todd Glass
When I, when, you know, my anger used to come from like numbers were hard for me, balancing finances and stuff. When it would, when it would mess up or I would call, get a call from the mortgage company and I'd be like, your mortgage? I would get like. So I threw phones. I was. That I've. That I've, I don't even want to say gotten better at. I've. It's almost non existent anymore. But yeah, I do have a, when you say I have an angry side. Did you see it in other videos,
- [66:05]
Interviewer
the character when, well, just now when you were summoning the person that you were speaking who was angry, angry the per. The character was no longer you. You were somebody else.
- [66:16]
Todd Glass
Because you know what? I don't. I'd like to believe it's not that we're disagreeing, you know, people forget you. I can find bullshit in your opinion, you know, it's not like you go, I like blue. And I'm like, you shouldn't like blue. No, that's crazy. But. So they hide behind that like that. I can find bullshit in your own opinions. Not. You have to have follow through with your opinions. I find I get, I get more angry at the bullshit. At the bullshit. Regular people in life and comedians, you know, and I always say, like, I know this seems cocky, but a lot of people are fed up with. They call the cancel culture, you know, And I know and everyone has their opinion on it. I give mine. I'll be honest. I try to squeeze it into every interview. I do as I'm doing right now. But why? Cuz I'm not the, I'm not the majority. The majority of people are fed up with it. They go fed up with cancel culture. I'm fed up. You can't say anything anymore. I'm fed up. The majority. I'm giving this. It's not even my opinion, but. But I'm smart enough to go, no, no, no, no. The majority of the people in the world are fed up with it. And this is the cocky part. That's how you pretty much know it's not right. The majority of the people have always been wrong. It's just the way it is. It's the way life is. Go back now. This is when I go, do you mind being wrong? Sometimes when I start arguing with someone, I want to go, do you mind being wrong? Be honest with me. I know it's a hard thought. Maybe we'll bring, you know, let's talk, think about it, sleep on it. Because you're not gonna wanna go. Yeah, I don't wanna be wrong. I'll lie my way out. Be honest. Because that's a good point. If you go back and go, not even socially, like I have a joke in my act about this. People didn't wanna pick up their dog shit. That's not even a social thing. People didn't want non smoking at the stadium. And when it got to the stadium, that's when it got too far. You know what I mean? There's always people that have that too far list. In every category there's a too far list. What women wanted, now it's too far. We what, what, what what? Any groups of people wanted smoking has the now it's too far. No smoking in the stadium. People are like, this is fucking ridiculous now this is bullshit. Picking up your dog shit. I lived it. My uncle, he goes, now you gotta pick up your dog shit. He was angry, but would we agree now, 30 years later, he was wrong. You could go, well there's no right and there's no wrong. Okay, really? So someone that goes, only stupid people pick up their dog. People that are well minded, like me, let me pretend it's my uncle talking back 30 years ago. You know, a normal person doesn't have their dog shit on someone and then pick it up. What do you do if you're normal and well grounded? You leave it there. Thirty years later. Was, was, was my uncle right or wrong? So there's always been. The majority of the people didn't want to stop drinking and driving. The majority of people didn't want to pick up their dog shit. The majority of the people don't like change. But 40 years later, if you look at all those groups and what they wanted, wanted, nothing is too far. What did women want 40 years ago that now you look back and go, well they were right on this and they were right on that, but they were wrong on that. What did any group want that you look back 40 years later and you go, you're like, oh, there's nothing too far. Was it? So when the issues on the table today, when people go, oh, that's too far. I'm an open minded person. But now it's too far. Well, history shows you're probably fucking wrong.
- [69:23]
Interviewer
You nailed the dismount. ToddGlass.com is where you go if you want any more information on tickets, tour dates and when's this draw?
- [69:31]
Todd Glass
Friday.
- [69:33]
Interviewer
It's an excellent question. I get to ask the questions around here. You give the answers. And I only do that because I don't know the answer. But soon. Are you looking forward to it? You're already looking forward to it?
- [69:43]
Todd Glass
Yeah. This was an enjoyable talk for me.
- [69:45]
Interviewer
Thank you. Likewise.
- [69:46]
Todd Glass
Thank you.
- [69:53]
Commercial Announcer 1
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