Speaker 1: How many times have you gotten in your car or
even at work and you sit there and you say,
I don't know what to listen to on a podcast
because the choices seem to be so limited. Well not
on Arrow dot net A r Oe dot Net. Twenty
different podcasts to choose from, one of them being Beyond
the Calling. The men and women who serve this nation,
what are they doing after they come home? We've got
the stories Beyond the Calling only on Arrow dot Net
A r Oe dot Net. Enjoy your exploration, Jeff. You're
right there in the studio. Boy. Not too many people
get to sit in that chair.
Speaker 2: Buddy, Well, I am honored. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: Well, no, thank you for sharing your gift with us,
because I honestly I wish I could have traveled up
into the Broadway area to see take a Banana for
a ride. But now you're really reaching out to us
with what you're doing with Netflix. Man, this is what
it's all about. Because I'm one of those people I
will watch something over and over again because I just
love comedy.
Speaker 2: Well that's the idea. I mean, we don't laugh, we cry, right,
life's tough, But.
Speaker 1: How do you deal with that? Transition though, when you're
with everything that you're putting inside this, I don't want
to call it a variety show, but it is in
its own way because you involved so many different levels.
Speaker 2: Here, music, comedy, roasting, rejection, set design. There's a lot
happening here. But you know what, I got a lot
of help. I can't take all the credits. So when
you have good collaborators, almost anything as possible.
Speaker 1: When did you realize that it was time to grow?
This thought? Because I've always been inspired by that, especially
with comedy, is that it starts off as just a
wild whim and then it has feet on it, and
now you're running the path that you're on right now,
making your waiting Netflix.
Speaker 2: It's kind of hard to believe. Like I started the
show in the mid nineties doing short monologues about my family,
about my Popjack, my grand my grandfather, and that became
thirty minutes, and then that became an hour and over
a couple of years, and then I didn't have the strength,
the emotional strength to keep it going, so I put
it away for decades and became the roast guy, took
a different path altogether, and then stuff happened in my
life circumstances changed. I lost some good buddies, Bob Staggett,
Gilbert Godfrey, Norman, Norm MacDonald, and I was like, well,
let me go back and think about what I was
talking about as a young man. Now Here I am
with all this life experience, and I go I think
this would be valuable to others. My experiences could probably
help other people deal with their lives a little bit better.
So I feel like it's a mission for me.
Speaker 1: And teaming up with Steven blows me away because this
way that now expands the creative level and stuff. And
what was that journey like for you to be able
to I always call it relinquishing control because I could
never relinquish control in morning show radio. It's always about
one man, one man. How are you able to work
with so many people with harmony.
Speaker 2: I like to work with people that are smarter than me,
you know, people that bring new ideas. You know. I
can admit that my expertise is an insult comedy. But
if I want to start putting choreography and sound design
and set design and costume design into something, then I
need other experts. I need people that are great at
what they do and I think that's why overall the
show is a stand up at its core as stand up,
but it's elevated to a theatrical event.
Speaker 1: See. One of the attractions for me on it is
the fact that I'm one of those freaks. I will
sit there on Antenna TV and watch old Johnny Carson episodes.
You've now given me something to watch over and over
again in the way of studying your art but also
understanding where you're growing as a creative mind.
Speaker 2: That's quite a compliment. Thank you. Just watch it once.
The fact that you're going to watch it over and
over really excites me, because you know that's how Netflix works.
Speaker 1: What is that like as a business man to be
thinking about that because we all think that comedy you know,
Oh there's Jeff, he's up on that stage tonight. He
only has one thing to think about. I'm not thinking
that's true about you, dude.
Speaker 2: I'm very lucky in that I also have great business
people around me who make sure who make sure you know,
I'm doing everything in the best way, most efficient way possible.
The truth is I don't think about the business too much.
I think about the creativity part of it and let
others handle the business part of it. Like, to me,
just getting on stage and entertaining people, that's enough for me.
Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with Jeff Ross coming
up next now on Netflix, Take a Banana for the Ride.
We are back with comedian Jeff Ross. Well, I love
the idea that you embrace showmanship. I mean, to me,
that's the pages of those of those earlier generations of comedy.
Where you're bringing this show to us now. I mean,
just like what you're doing with this on Netflix, Take
a Banana for a Ride. You're giving us the full show.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's an hour and a half. Most stand up
specialists are a tight hour. This is a full meal, breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. And that's kind of what I wanted to do.
I wanted it to feel like a Bruce Springsteen concert
where at the end you've earned born to run, you've
earned the sing along, You're just like, it's a thorough, full,
satisfying experience. I wanted to feel cathartic at the end.
Speaker 1: Can you feel that up there on that stage because
I've been up there to silence, and I know what
silence has done to me on that stage.
Speaker 2: You know, I play the silences. This is a dramatic show,
comedy show. So let this the silence is okay. You
get you get, you get credit for the pauses as
much as you get the laughs.
Speaker 1: Do you want the door to open up for Network
Flicks to say, hey, look, you know, Jeff, why don't
you come back for at least two or three specials
a year and do this variety exploration of comedy as
well as music.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, they've been very good to me. I'm
also producing right now the Kevin Hart Roast, which will
come out in May on Mother's Day. So they have
been open to my ideas, different variety show ideas. So
I think I'm good there, very lucky at partners.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because there's a side of me and this is
a compliment. Hopefully you'll take it that. You're almost like P. T.
Barnum in the way of come on everybody, come on
in one for all. I'll bring you a show that
you'll never forget.
Speaker 2: Yep, that's it. You want to be a big tent producer.
I want everyone to enjoy my shows. You know, you know,
eighteen to eighty, you know it's young old. No matter
where you're from, there's something there for you, and I
always love that kind of comedy. The roaths are that way.
There's a lot of multi generational plenty of kids tell me,
I watch my dad or I watch my mom. You know,
like that's the best.
Speaker 1: Do you have a personal favorite? And I know everybody
in the world is going to ask you that because
I mean, inside my I can still see you with
Bieber and it's just because it was like wow, because that,
to me was the coming out of Bieber. That's when
he became a man on your roast.
Speaker 2: I ran into him the other day and he hugged
me and he did say, you know that roast changed
my life. Man, it really did. It was like a
reset button for him. My favorite roast is Whoever's Next?
That's right comrad about super Bowls, So Whoever's Next? That's
my That's always my favorite.
Speaker 1: Okay, speaking of next, are we going to see you
on another one man show? Is it in the works?
Speaker 2: Not yet? I got to finish this one first. Yeah,
this one is still this one is still warm.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, you just told me you've been
working on it all over all these years. That's what
I love about comedy is the crafting of the show.
The skillsmanship that goes into the show. It doesn't just happen.
Speaker 2: No, No, I worked on this like like I was
building a skyscraper. I wanted this to be undeniable ninety
minutes and there's not one wasted moment. It's funny, it's healing,
and I think ultimately it'll be a cathartic experience. People
will watch it and go wow. I think I feel
better about what I'm going through now because I saw
how Jeff got through all that stuff.
Speaker 1: So now with you doing what you're doing, you're talking
about skyscrapers. Of course, my mind goes, oh, he needs
his own library like a president. Then where would you
put your president? Your library? Out of comedy Newark.
Speaker 2: New Jersey, brick city where I'm born, Baby, build it,
come on. I love that question.
Speaker 1: Where can people go to find out more about you,
Jeff in the way that you continuously travel as well
as create new things?
Speaker 2: Oh? I love it. Go to my Instagram, the real
Jeffrey Ross on instant And if you watch the show,
whoever's listening, if you watch it, write me a little
review in the comments. I love hearing from the fans.
Speaker 1: See and that's why you're still here, dude. That's why
you keep pumping up the volume because you understand who's
on this side of that microphone.
Speaker 2: It's all about the fans, about the baby. Yep, why
we do it.
Speaker 1: Please come back to this show anytime in the future.
The door is always going to be open for you. Dude.
Speaker 2: Hey man, I really appreciate that. Thanks for getting the
word out.
Speaker 1: Will you be brilliant today? Okay, sir, you got
Speaker 2: It, baby, that's a promise.