Name: Bill Burr-Guest Marc Maron talk Bill Hicks and Anger
Uploaded: 2010-04-05T23:58:08.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Bill Burr-Guest Marc Maron talk Bill Hicks and Anger' from Bill Burr Clips on Comedy Buff. Published 2010-04-05. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Bill Burr-Guest Marc Maron talk Bill Hicks and Anger' from Bill Burr Clips on Comedy Buff. Published 2010-04-05. Transcript available.

So what happens then is that we, you know, we audition at the Comedy Connection.
We go to do it live.
We've done it in a room, and they said, we want to see you live, and we bombed.
Bombed.
It's just like a sucking silence.
Now, what do you think?
So the, wait a minute, wait.
So the first time you ever did it?
On comedy stage.
Now, I've always said the first time, if I bombed the first time, I don't know
if I
would ever have the courage to go back and do it again.
Well, see, that's the difference between people that are hooked on it and
people who
are born comics and people who are just, you know, dabbling.
Is that like, really, if you bombed, you would have done it again.
It would have taken me a minute.
I would have had to been like, just the sheer fucking embarrassment of, well, I
mean, there's
a deal with stand-up, but you can still eat it today.
I'm 18 years in.
Oh, hell yeah, you can eat it.
You can bomb, but this is the thing, you have years of good shows to be like,
well,
you know, I know I don't suck at this.
I had a bad night, but you know, right out of the gate.
Oh, yeah.
The bad night thing is hard to really get around your head, because it still
hurts me if I
bombed.
But when you're up there and you know, you know, this whole idea that, you know,
it's
never the audience is bullshit.
I mean, sometimes it's the audience.
Right.
And you know, like, you can tell, you know, you've done your shit and you can
see where
they're peaking laughter wise.
And you know, after a certain point that they're not going to go any further
than that.
So I'm going to have to, I'm just going to have to realize this is the best I'm
going
to do in this situation and either eat it, you know, and take the hit or make
light of
the fact.
Yeah.
I've learned, like, there's nothing worse than being angry on stage.
But I heard, I actually heard a funny story last night.
I was doing a gig in this, this book, Jeff Wills from the Punchline.
Yeah, yeah.
He was telling a story he saw one night, said Bill Hicks did an entire show
with his back
to the audience.
It was like a bachelorette party.
There was every fucking thing he did.
Yeah.
You know, those bookers, they love to talk about those stories, you know, but
if anyone
else did that now, they would never fucking work in that club again.
All these guys pretend like, you know, like Bill Hicks was the guy.
And he went on stage and angrily tanked in a brilliant, inspired way almost all
the time.
But if someone existed like that now, he wouldn't have a fucking shot.
Do you think so?
Absolutely.
Well, I bet he was still selling tickets at that point because you can't turn
your back
on a fucking crowd and ever think that you're going to work there again.
I don't think that's true.
I think that the reason he got booked in this country primarily was to make
club owners
feel like they were, you know, they were at least championing something
terrific.
Really?
Like, I think they innately knew this guy was special.
There was no one like him.
And even the fact that he didn't sell tickets or alienated the audience every
time, they
were going to have him twice a year to keep their conscience straight.
Oh, so they could be dicks to everybody else, basically?
Well, kind of.
But just to sort of like to at least support, at least they knew well enough
that he was
an inspired guy.
But I've gotten angry on stage.
I did it the other night, dude.
And it would have been a long time because I used to snap all the time.
I was going to say, that's kind of an understatement coming from you.
Yeah, but-
That's like me saying I've snapped.
No, but I, but you know, I'm pretty accessible now.
No, no.
Yeah, you're way, you're way-
But it happened at the store, dude.
It happened at the-
How long ago?
Two nights ago.
And I-
He's doing this whole thing.
Yeah, I'm much better now.
I'm much better now.
I snapped one time.
What was I?
Yeah, about 48 hours ago.
I couldn't believe I did it.
I was such a different person.
But you know that place brings it out of you.
Come on.
The comedy store brings it out of you sometimes.
That's what I love it, though.
Me too.
It's so fucking evil.
So I'm on stage.
It is evil.
It is.
It's just painted black.
It feeds on hate.
You know, you feel the walls wanting you to lose it.
You know, it's just in the place.
So I'm on stage.
There's like 40 people in the room.
And like, I'm already like, just right when I get in there, you know, some kid,
that kid,
David Taylor, you know that kid?
He's a tall guy.
He used to do comedy.
He's very, you know, cynical and negative.
And I just, I wasn't in the mood for it.
I hadn't seen him in months.
And I said hi to him.
And he goes, I'm staying around just to see you.
You better be good.
And so right away, I'm like, I haven't seen you in a fucking long time.
You have no right to fucking talk like that to me.
Enough with the negative shit.
You know, and I stormed off.
You're getting angry again here.
I'm already angry for you.
And I walk back.
You're making me feel really good about myself, by the way.
Because usually I sound like the angry psycho.
I can be like the happy person this week.
Take a break.
Yeah.
There you go.
Go ahead.
You go.
All right.
So I get on stage, magical one on, who I think is just terrific.
I love Al.
Oh, yeah.
I think he's fucking hilarious.
Totally original, too.
Unique stylist.
Real storyteller.
He does good.
You know, and then he brings me up.
And then, you know, I'm getting laughs.
There's only like 30 or 40 people in the OR.
And it's going fine.
There's an old couple up front, maybe in their mid-50s, early 60s.
And someone talked to him.
And they asked him about religion.
I think Neil Brennan did.
And they said they were Jews.
I'm like, fine.
So I'm doing my show.
And they're not laughing at nothing.
And I looked at them.
And I said, I'm sorry.
Am I too filthy?
You want me to talk some political stuff?
You know, is that what it is?
And then the old man looks at me and goes, you're not funny.
And I just had this moment where I'm like, all right, dude.
All right.
And I said, you know what?
I am funny.
I know I'm funny.
I'm doing well with the rest of the audience.
All right?
And I understand what you're saying.
And then, like, for some reason, I just looked at him.
I said, but the fact that that's what you had to pull out of your guts to say
to me in this situation makes me fucking hate you.
There's no real punchline there, Mark.
So now you lose the rest of the crowd.
Well, that's right.
There's this quiet in the room.
And I'm like, what?
That wasn't funny?
What did I say?
Did it not come out funny?
Now you turn on the rest of them.
Okay.
Then I turn on the rest of them.
And then he goes, you know, you asked.
And I said, well, you could have qualified it.
Like, how about you're not funny to me?
All of a sudden, you're the god of this fucking room.
You're the almighty.
You're the one that has the last word.
Fuck that.
Right?
And so then, and then, like, I don't.
Now, were you in a bad mood before you got there?
Because you really.
You're not funny sounds to me like you said some shit that he didn't want to
hear.
It was more of a subject thing, not that you weren't funny.
No, I just, it was a general thing.
So then I, and the rest of the act, I'm doing my act and everyone's laughing.
Every time everyone else laughed, I looked at him and I went, huh?
Huh?
And then, like, you know, at the end of my set, I'm bringing up Renazizi.
And he stands up with his wife and they walk out while I'm still on stage
bringing up Steve.
And I go, very powerful statement.
Very powerful.
I'll see you later, Dad.
Oh, Jesus, Mark.
Because that's what I said to him, I said, you know, it's like every fucking
Jewish guy
that has that kind of judgment that's your age is just some surrogate from my
father.
And I understand I'm transposing some contempt on you, but you could have
fucking chose a
different way.
All right.
All right.
Anyway, Mark Maron here on the Monday Morning Podcast.
What, that's not funny?
All right, so anyways.
No, no, no, no, no.
I'm just letting people know.
I'm acting, you know what I just did there?
I acted like this was a live show.
I like it.
You want to take some calls?
Yeah, like when it takes some calls.
We're actually doing this on Easter Sunday and Mark asked me what I want to do.
And I said, yeah, we'll do it Sunday.
and he goes,