Joe DeRosa

You may not yet be aware of Joe DeRosa's stand-up, but you'll definitely be familiar of some of the stuff on his acting CV: Better Call Saul, Louis, Inside Amy Schumer, the underrated Jason Schwarztman/Zach Galifianakis private eye show Bored To Death. Pretty darn impressive, as is his brutally honest, brilliantly funny storytelling, sort of halfway between CK and Hicks, and taking in everything from geeky video games to altercations with sinister hip-hop crew Insane Clown Posse.

DeRosa makes his Edinburgh Fringe debut this year, with the show Zero Forward Progress - well, let's see what progress he's made.

First gig?

My first gig was accidental. My friend and I were doing a serious acoustic set at a music show and the tiny drunken crowd wouldn't listen to us. So we started improving songs about what assholes they all were. They started to listen and, eventually, laugh. When we got off stage, the bar manager asked us to come back and do weekly comedy at the venue. We weren't comedians, but we thought, "Fuck it. Let's give this a try," which we did, for a few weeks. My buddy got tired of it and quit, but I kept doing it because I thought the show needed to go on. So I started doing stand-up.

Favourite show, ever?

My fondest memories of stand-up shows are from my early days. There was a pool hall called Pockets in eastern Pennsylvania. The friends I started out with and I used to do shows there for little to zero money, little to zero laughs, and we had to pay for drinks. But it was such an innocent and exciting time. The 'beginning.' Nobody was worried about their career or their social media numbers or their next paycheck. We just couldn't believe someone was letting us onto a stage to tell jokes. Amazing.

Worst gig?

I closed my first Comedy Central special with a story about the worst gig I ever did. The gig in that bit has never been topped. I'll let the clip do the talking. [Actually the Comedy Central clip Joe gave us isn't available in the UK, but the whole album is streamable on YouTube, and we'd heartily recommend it].

Who's the most disagreeable comic/promoter/agent you've come across in the business?

For me, the easier question to answer would be which comic/promoter/agent isn't disagreeable.

The weirdest gig?

I played a Bah-Mitzvah once. Don't ask me why. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, I bombed in ways I didn't know were possible. The silence and solitude I experienced on stage could've rivaled how George Clooney felt in Gravity when he went flipping off into infinite space. I got off stage, just dejected. It was the kind of failure when you start contemplating the 'big questions' afterward. Why do I exist? What is my purpose? So, I was in the middle of hard introspection, when a twelve-year-old kid came up to me, tapped me on the arm, and said, "Hey pal, you were funny. Those kids are a bunch of fuckin' assholes." And all was right in the world again.

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

Yes. When I first started out I had this bit about how I was only doing comedy to eventually open the door to writing Broadway show tunes. Then I'd sing this song called Where Did The Night Go? It sounded like a normal musical theater song, until the last line. Where I sang "Did it go in my pussy?" It always bombed. I'm sure it's not doing any differently now either. But, Goddamn, I loved singing that song.

What's your best insider travel tip, for touring comics?

Find a hobby, whether it's shopping for old records, visiting museums, jogging, sight-seeing, whatever. You need a hobby on the road to keep you busy during the day. There's nothing worse for your mental state then sitting in the hotel room until show time. This is good advice. Trust me, I learned it from the Rush documentary. And Rush is always right.

The most memorable review, heckle or post-gig reaction?

The Bah-Mitzvah gig I just mentioned.

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

Honestly, I feel great. I'm honored and excited to be doing the Edinburgh Fringe. I'm thrilled to be doing an hour special later this year for Comedy Central. I'm elated there are people that care enough to watch and/or listen to my performances. This business tends to breed people who always want more. More money, more fame, more glory. I honestly try to not think about that stuff. Recently, my buddy Jonah Ray put it best: if fifteen years ago anybody would've told us we'd be where we are right now, it would have blown our minds.

Joe Derosa's show Zero Forward Progress is at Underbelly Belly Laugh at the Edinburgh Fringe from 3rd - 28th August at 9pm. More info and tickets available at www.wearelivecomedy.com