Name: Joe List on Making The 'Portrait of a Comedian' Documentary
Uploaded: 2025-04-06T23:19:35.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Joe List on Making The 'Portrait of a Comedian' Documentary' from Are You Garbage Clips on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-04-06. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Joe List on Making The 'Portrait of a Comedian' Documentary' from Are You Garbage Clips on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-04-06. Transcript available.

Where did the birth of the film come in?
Where did you decide that you wanted to do this?
Well, I always want to make film and...
The birth of the film.
Yeah.
Man, this program has changed.
The birth of the film.
Shut up.
How'd you think of the movie?
He's a goddamn filmmaker.
The inception of the film, and how much time do we have?
I guess turn the lights down, but leave mine on if you could.
No, it was just, you know, I want to make...
So there I was.
I want to make films.
Please support Garbage Television, ladies and gentlemen.
We'll send you a free tote bag.
I just always thought...
Nothing on that?
Just getting off the rails.
Tom, I'm in it.
I'm trying to really sell the picture.
Just tell them about the picture.
Just shoot the movie so we can get out of the street.
Jerry, just tell them about the picture.
What's the matter with you?
Anyways, I just thought Tom would be a great subject, and I nailed it.
I was right, which is all I really did was thought,
Tom will be great and hilarious, and we have so many great stories.
And originally, the idea was to just roll camera on Tom,
hanging out, telling stories, and then we kind of decided
to incorporate some of his stand-up, and then some of him running the club
because he's the proprietor of the comedy Key West.
Right.
And then we just started telling our stories,
and then we started talking mental health and about our friendship
and life and what it means to be successful.
It blossomed into this whole other thing, which is when we were going down
there,
I just took Matt Salakuse and Patrick Holbert.
You might know those guys.
Yeah, of course.
Shout out to Salakuse.
And I said, you just shoot I don't know what the movie is,
which is very annoying if you're hired as a DP.
I go, I don't know what the movie is, but you guys roll tape,
and then we'll figure it out after.
And Tom just gave us so much hilarious stuff and touching stuff and moving.
It's really a great film about mental health and friendship and comedy.
There's so much comedy.
It is.
It's also not the vehicle.
The vehicle is him just hanging out.
It feels like you're having a beer with Tom, and it's not like,
I mean, you are.
You're having multiple cocktails throughout the movie with Tom,
but it doesn't feel like, it's not heavy-handed in any way.
It's just like you're talking to this guy who's endearing
and you want to talk to, and he's telling great stories.
And it's also, sorry, it's also a story about, I mean, it's the bothy.
It's your relationship.
It's both of you guys starting out in Boston,
and then it's you coming to New York,
and Tom deciding to go down to Key West opens up the club
and lives that life.
Yeah.
It's very endearing.
It's really fun.
And just quickly, because I want to get back to funny stories,
but I fucked up.
I fucked up.
When you say it like that, yeah, you moved to New York,
and then Tom went to us it.
I was trying to sugarcoat it a little bit.
I really fucked up.
I really fucked up.
No, you did great.
It's great.
We're here now.
Yeah, what are you talking?
I am.
A lot of people get success in their 50s.
Yeah.
He's 50.
I didn't start comedy until I was 32.
That's embarrassing.
And I had no strippers.
But we didn't do any, if you're thinking like, oh, there's a document,
we didn't do any, it's very, it's cinema verite, if you will.
I understand.
There's no lighting, there's no smoke, and we didn't do anything again.
Oh, let's take that again.
Yeah.
Let's get a shot of Tom walking in.
We just rolled camera on us.
It's all very real.
Rolling, living our lives.
It's beautiful.
It's fantastic.
Jimmy Buffett's in it.
Jimmy Buffett is in it.
Probably his last film appearance.
We think.
Yes.
It's confirmed that was him riding by on the bike?
Yeah.
It's confirmed at the very last second of the film.
It's the big surprise.