DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
Brian Regan
Greg does the podcast from New York this week with comedian Brian Regan. Brian talks a little about his family life, and his very regimented work schedule. Greg and Brian are much more comfortable with self effacing stories compared with stories where that person is the hero, which leads to how “Overheards” was created. They talk about how quickly they’ll judge a tv show that effort, time and money has been poured into, but stick with any porn almost instantly. They talk about dealing with comedy crowds, and trying to do one better than the crowd. Greg wraps up the podcast by announcing that his book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons, is out.
Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons Launch At Caroline’s NYC – November 9th
Come out for Greg’s Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons release show at Caroline’s On Broadway. The show starts at 7:30 and will feature Greg, Jim Breuer, Dave Attell and Keith Robinson.
For tickets and more info, visit Caroline’s On Broadway
Inteview On Podcast Squared
Andrew Johnstone over at Podcast Squared interviewed Greg about Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons, ADHD and Podcasting in Los Angeles.
To hear the podcast, head over to Podcast Squared
Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons Guest Blogs The Funniest Book Tour Ever. Volume 1: Letterman! Stern! NPR!
All this week, standup comic Greg Fitzsimmons will be filing dispatches from the promotional tour for his very funny, kinda memoir-y new book, “Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption From an Irish Mailbox.”
For me, today marks the beginning of a celebration after two years of hard work. I will tape an appearance on “Late Show with David Letterman” tonight (airing Friday). Tomorrow, I head into “The Howard Stern Show.” Over the next few weeks I will do dozens of radio interviews and talk shows including “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Chelsea Lately” and NPR. My mission: to promote a book I wrote titled, “Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox.”
The book tracks my lifelong problem with authority, starting with my father and continuing with teachers, the police and eventually standup comedy audiences. I hope to now focus on Irish Americans the light that has long been shined upon the insular world of Italian Americans through “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas.” An urgent rebelliousness undermines our otherwise charming exterior, one that causes us to, almost without exception, do exactly the opposite of whatever we are told to do.
The book tracks my teachers’ reactions to this spirit through the letters they sent home to my parents. The innocent teachers hoped that my parents would reprimand me and help keep order in their classroom. How could they know that the letters were met instead with howls of laughter? There was an (implied) encouragement that I return to school and somehow generate more humorous notes for my family to enjoy.
Nietzsche said that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. After you turn forty, however, I think that whatever doesn’t kill you just makes you pissed off at whatever almost killed you. I could’ve avoided months of poring over my history of painful failures had it not been for my agent and an unintentionally hilarious complaint he received about me more than a decade ago. This one was postmarked from a small high school in the Midwest. I had performed my comedy act at their senior prom and had left a real impression on them. In the words of the principal, “what we try so hard to instill in our young people can be dashed in one hour by some ‘comedian’ who can leave town after doing his damage.”
I began reading the letter to comedy audiences and, like my parents, the crowds encouraged me to generate more comedic missives. (Click here to read the letter.) But thanks to my mother’s scrapbooking skills, it turns out I didn’t need to. She handed over a box of letters she’d saved spanning my entire life. The trove began in preschool (literally) and continued through college, where I was charged with “assault with a deadly weapon” my freshman year.
This treasure trove of material was the basis for a one-man show I performed a decade ago in Manhattan only twice before shelving the idea. It was brought back to life two years ago when I was approached by a literary agent wondering if I had any ideas for a book. What ensued were missed deadlines, self-hatred and eventually a book that I will be furiously peddling until I am told to stop.
I will sleep late today after rehearsing my Letterman set in five different clubs on Sunday night. The first time I appeared on his show was without a doubt the high point in my professional life and I take it just as seriously now even after doing the show a handful of times since. Whether it helps sell a lot of books or not, it feels pretty good to know that in a few hours my hero is going to be holding in his hand a book that I wrote. That part might actually make me stronger.
—Greg Fitzsimmons
Read More http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/11/comedian-greg-fitzsimmons-guest-blogs-his-way-through-a-book-tour-volume-1.html#ixzz15eiU3Tfh Read the full article at GQ, CLICK HERE!
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY: THREE QUESTIONS WITH GREG
Las Vegas Weekly – Julie Seabaugh – November 3, 2010
Your memoir, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption From an Irish Mailbox, is out November 9. Given the years of relative hell you put her through, what does your mother now think of your career as a successful comic?
For an Irish mother there’s two realities. One is, “My son is successful.” That’s the headline. And then there’s the reality where …
To read the full article, CLICK HERE!
Don’t forget to catch Greg @ Club Madrid @ Sunset Station Casino In Las Vegas. CLICK HERE for tickets and info!
Greg On Fuel TV’S The Daily Habit
This week, Greg will appear on “The Daily Habit.”
Master of the whip, Verizon FMX rider Todd Potter joins comedian Greg Fitzsimmons and the lovely Michelle Nunes from Foxsports.com and FUEL TV show “Cubed,”. They rap about Metal Mulisha tattoos on sexy superfans and take a look at the most insane motorcycle prank we’ve ever seen. All that and drummer of Slipknot, Joey Jordison, rips up the Stride Sound Stage with his insane supergroup Murderdolls.
Airing Tuesday, November 2 at 9:30 pm Eastern Time (6:30 pm Pacific Time) Greg will appear on “The Daily Habit.”
Master of the whip, Verizon FMX rider Todd Potter joins comedian Greg Fitzsimmons and the lovely Michelle Nunes from Foxsports.com and FUEL TV show “Cubed,”. They rap about Metal Mulisha tattoos on sexy superfans and take a look at the most insane motorcycle prank we’ve ever seen. All that and drummer of Slipknot, Joey Jordison, rips up the Stride Sound Stage with his insane supergroup Murderdolls. Greg Guest Hosting The Adam Carolla Podcast
Adam’s on tour, so Greg Fitzsimmons, Teresa Strasser, Mike Gibbons, and Bald Bryan fill in to go over the election results and review the biggest wins and losses for comedy.
To listen CLICK HERE!
Fitzdog Radio
Greg is rolling solo for this weeks podcast where he entices Americans not to vote, he name drops all the celebrities his kids got candy from, and he talks about the hecklers he encountered in West Palm Beach. Greg then goes over the scientific data behind his prejudices, he talks about the reaction his book received from his mother and therapist, he takes your Overheards and Half-A-Mans, and the audience is formally introduced to new producer Jordy.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes. Roast of Jim Florentine for the benefit of Giraldo Children’s Fund
Cringe Humor & Comix presents
THE ROAST OF JIM FLORENTINE
November 2, 2010 @ 8PM
A benefit for Giraldo’s Children Fund!
Even if you can’t attend, you can still support the Fund.
Send your donations to:
Giraldo Children’s Fund
C/o MaryAnn McAlpin-Giraldo
P.O. Box 1827
New York, NY 10025
To donate via PayPal, CLICK HERE
From The Podcast: Political Attack Ads From Florida
If you listened to the West Palm Beach podcast, you heard Greg discuss this political ad. Check it out.
Greg in Palm Beach, Florida
Greg does a podcast from Palm Beach, Florida. He talks about the local attack ads politicians use in the area, and takes your Overheards. He also interviews comedian Mike Veccio.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes. Letters provide basis for comic Greg Fitzsimmons’ upcoming memoir
From The Palm Beach Post By Jonathan Tully – October 27, 2010
For Greg Fitzsimmons, the idea for a memoir came from a single letter.
Fitzsimmons, who will be performing standup Thursday through Sunday at the Palm Beach Improv at CityPlace …
To read the entire article CLICK HERE!
Las Vegas Comedy Shows: Greg Fitzsimmons at Sunset Station
From The Station Casinos Blog by craigstations – October 27, 2010
GREG FITZSIMMONS HAS been extremely busy “whoring myself out for the past 20 years,” so the SC Blog was shocked – ahem, make that thrilled – when he gave us a 15-minute phone interview from his home in Venice Beach, Calif. to talk about his Nov. 5 comedy appearance at Sunset Station’s Club Madrid …
For more of the article, including some great video, CLICK HERE!
Andrew M.’s pop culture to help get through Mondays
USA Today’s Pop Candy – By reader Andrew M. in Rochester – August 09, 2010
2. The Greg Fitzsimmons Podcast. Now I have him ranked above Stern for one reason: It’s a podcast. I can pause him, rewind or even fast-forward if I need to. Sometimes on a Monday morning a stop for coffee is needed, and being able to pause Greg is a must. He gets A-list guests and has an incredibly entertaining way about him. Check it out — it’s free!
To read the full articleCLICK HERE!
Rob Corddry
Greg and Mike Gibbons welcome Rob Corddry to this week’s podcast. Greg goes over the feud brewing between Mel Gibson and Zach Galifinakis, Rob goes over the list of people he would refuse to work with, and they talk about problems they have with bestiality. Greg tries out a new segment called Jokes Jay Leno is Afraid to Do, Rob explains how he got to the top, they take Matt Besser’s Half-A-Mans, and they play Liars Poker.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes. Mike Birbiglia
Greg chats with comedian Mike Birbiglia in this podcast.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
Jordan, Jesse, Go! Interview Greg
Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris of maximumfun.org interviewed Greg for their “Jordan, Jesse, Go!” podcast. They talk about the Sunset Strip, getting in fights and more in a episode titled “Cocaine Disneyland”.
Click HERE to listen now.
11/22 Book Signing Indianapolis @ Big Hat Books
Greg will be doing an signing at Big Hat Books on November 22nd @ 6pm. You can find them at 6510 Cornell Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46220. If you need to call ahead for info, the number is (317) 202-0203.
Win A Signed Copy Of Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons
Go to YouTube and post a video (2 minutes or less) of your best story about a letter getting sent home. Email your video to fitzdogradio@gmail.com. Each week, Greg will announce a winner.
To see the winning video, be sure to check out the Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons Videos and Letter page.
Good luck and keep it real!
Greg Receives Boston University Alumni Award
ON REUNION WEEKEND, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES HONORED OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
Comic Greg Fitzsimmons
(CGS’87, CAS’89)
makes a point after receiving the College of General Studies Distinguished Alumni Award. He also kept the crowd laughing at Alumni Comedy Night, as he has for many years running. Fitzsimmons has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien
LA-ist Interview: Greg Fitzsimmons
LAist had the chance to check in with comedian/radio personality/Emmy Award winning writer Greg Fitzsimmons last night as he drove to Hollywood from the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino where he earned a standing ovation. Driving from the desert to Hollywood isn’t something the Venice Beach resident does on a regular basis, luckily we had access to Google Maps serving as interviewer/navigator to Greg on his journey. The drive to Saturday’s show at the Gibson Amphitheater will, fortunately, be a much shorter one for the former writer/producer of The Ellen Degeneres Show. While driving the 610 to the 10 to 101, the Bronx native shared his thoughts on the LA comedy scene, his radio show, hosting the AVN Awards and Dave Navarro.
Saturday you’re performing at the Gibson Amphitheater with Artie Lange and Nick DiPaolo, do you enjoy the bigger crowds more than the comedy club crowds?
Stand up is like working out, you have to mix it up. That helps you stay sharp. I like small crowds and small clubs, your set can be like stream of conscience. When you’re playing the bigger venues you have to have a more polished set. The rewards for doing the bigger venues are great though. You don’t get standing ovations at clubs. When that happens like it did tonight, man it feels pretty fucking good.
You work with Artie and Nick DiPaolo quite a bit. How much do you enjoy working with those guys?
Actually, I haven’t done a whole lot of shows with Artie. I’d say I’ve done maybe a half a dozen shows with Artie. I’m doing these two this week though. Its nice working with Artie. I do one night or two nights and I then I get to go home. Working with Artie and Nick is like hanging out friends. Artie and Nick are friends of mine. Get to actually talk to them and hang out instead of just sitting around by myself like most shows I do.
You have your own radio show on Sirius, now on Howard Stern’s network. How has the show helped with you stand-up?
I love doing the show. I really benefit from the radio show, I don’t have to deal with the “Fuck you bring out Artie” reaction from the crowd some openers might get. Tonight’s show was Artie’s crowd, but working on Howard’s network has helped introduce me to his audience. The show, Howard and Sirius have been great to me. I don’t think there is a better place to be on radio than Sirius.
For the most part the show is basically a radio show about comedy, with interviews with comedians. Do you think the show will evolve into something else?
I think because it’s only an hour-long show I haven’t really been trying to stretch myself. Right now, I’m sticking to what I know and who I know. The biggest name people I can get are comedians, because those are the people I know. Comedians are honest and intelligent, so they make for a good show. I think on my show they can be in the moment and not have to do material. I really like my guests and I know my guests, and so I am asking questions that I already know the answers to, I guess that isn’t exactly the best way to interview someone. I’d like to have people that I don’t know on the show. Sirius has said they can help me get big names outside of comedy, so I’m looking forward to getting some of those kinds of guests on the show. I am enjoying doing radio, my dad (Bob Fitzsimmons) was a radio personality in New York. It’s funny because Howard used to shit on my dad, back then, so he wasn’t the most popular person in our house. It’s very ironic that I am now on Howard’s network.
You hosted the AVN Awards which were shot in Las Vegas in January, and have just recently popped up Showtime. Why such a delay in getting it on TV?
What’s the most challenging aspect of hosting the AVNs?
I don’t know why there was that much of a lag. I know Showtime didn’t publicize it all. But you know people are going to watch. If you’re cruising through the channels on your TV at 3am, you are definitely going to stop and watch. I really wanted to do a smart gig but these aren’t exactly Rhodes Scholars in the crowd. They’re porn stars. But I also wanted to play to the crowd at home. I had done the show two years ago and really liked it and the crowd was surprisingly cool. I was asked to do it again, I knew it was going to be on Showtime and it was the 25th anniversary so I really wanted to do it. Showtime has become a good place for comedy. So I went about hosting it as if I were doing an hour set on Showtime. I wanted to do a set that I’d be proud of, that just so happens to be at the porn convention.
Tell me a little more about what’s up with you and Dave Navarro?
I don’t know what that guy’s deal is. He manages porn stars and directs or something. He was there at the AVNs hosting the red carpet show. I am on stage hosting and he is in the front row, right in front of me. There he is sitting with his ¾ length leather coat and sunglasses with arms crossed and he won’t even look in my direction. I just found it really disrespectful, from one performer to another. So I went on Stern and called him a piece of shit. I called him the “Mexican Prince.” I called a few other names. When he went on the Stern show a week or two later, Stern played him the clips of me talking about him. Then he said some shit about me. So ever since then I have said it on my show, on Howard’s show on a few other things that I’m challenging him to a fight, boxing, mixed martial arts, whatever. We can do it on Pay Per View. I want to take out all my aggression and anger I have towards the cool LA guys, which is exactly what he is. The guys in LA are pussies, with their bleached hair and their contrived code words they use. Cool in LA is the total opposite of New York cool. Cool in New York is being open minded and being smart. Out here it’s all about just conforming and going with the crowd. I’d love to fight him, but he doesn’t have the balls. The only contact I’ve had with him since is an email from his publicist asking me to come on his Internet radio show. My response to the email was “Pass. Tell Dave to see me in the ring.”
Speaking of LA, there is a lot of talk about the differences between the New York comedy scene and the LA comedy scene. As a New Yorker living in LA what do you think of the comedy scene here? When do you think is the right time for a New Yorker to make the move out here?
If you decide that you have to come out here, then I think the longer you wait – the better. This is the marketplace, so when you get out here you should have already established yourself. You’re lucky in LA if you can do two sets a night. You can’t work out like you do in New York. For one, the clubs are further apart so it’s harder to get from club to club, that makes it harder to stay sharp out here. In New York you can get in seven sets in a night. I can’t name a comic who made it, starting out here. Nothing against the comics from here, it has more to do with the obstacles I just mentioned. Also, I think a comic who started in LA will have a harder time connecting to a broader range of people because they’ve been preaching to the converted their whole career. I don’t know if they are going to get the same laughs in the middle of the country as they would out here.
Why are a lot of the comedy shows in town run by comics who are just starting out or comics who aren’t very good?
It’s part of struggling as a comic. When you’re starting out, comedy is a lot like running your own business. You have to be your own manager, be your own publicist, be your own agent. You have to find a way to get stage time. When I was starting out in Boston, I hosted a “Hot Legs” contest in a crack bar in Allston. Running your own comedy night is a good way to go out there and find your audience and find your voice. I recommend it. You don’t want to miss out on that experience, as someone who’s done it, let me tell you it’s really fucking humbling. You have to go out and find your own audience. The more sets you can do the more you’re going to get crowds coming in who know what you do. You’re not stepping out in front of 200 complete strangers, and there’s nothing harder than that. Getting out there allows you to sort of continue where you left off, rather than having to introduce yourself.
What rooms do you enjoy working here in LA?
I like doing the Improv for trying out new material. It’s a good set up and a good room. The Laugh Factory on the weekend is very high energy. You can kill there. I like doing the M Bar, I haven’t done it in a while but I like it there.
You can hear the Greg Fitzsimmons Show on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Howard 101 every Monday.
Philadelphia City Paper – Holy Jokes
Helium Comedy Club
Greg Fitzsimmons is a pretty successful guy. He’s starred in two Comedy Central specials, is a regular on Best Week Ever and Letterman and has four Daytime Emmys courtesy of his work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But that’s nothing a little Irish Catholic guilt can’t undo. The comedian dishes about the puzzling self-hate that fuels his career and his own personal hell.
City Paper: What have your appearances on Best Week Ever taught you about America’s celebrity obsession?
Greg Fitzsimmons: It’s a way of thinking there’s an easy way out in scary times. We have to believe that there’s a better class of being than the one we’re in. Essentially, we’re very conscious of class in this country because we come from this shame-based European mind-set where the king and the queen were good and the peasants were bad.
CP: What’s your own family history?
GF: My grandparents are from Ireland. We’re a close family with a lot of pride about being Irish. They really practice what the church preaches, like quietly giving to charity and being good to strangers.
CP: Is your own relationship with the church holding up?
GF: It was good for a lot of years, but then I fell out of it. Ultimately, I saw that at the foundation of the church is a need for a lower class that feels ashamed in order to believe that there’s a better place for you later so that you’ll put up with all the bullshit.
CP: Is that something you dealt with growing up?
GF: I’m still ashamed. I hate myself. I hate my body, I hate the way I stink, I hate how I think that I’m selfish and that I’m not a good person, and all these things that aren’t really true. That’s why I’m a comedian. We just hate ourselves. I’ve got a beautiful wife, two healthy kids. I make a great living doing what I want, I do a ton of charity work, I’m good to every stranger that I meet — but that’s in a cognizant moment. Underneath it all, it’s all a reaction to trying to be better because I feel like a piece of garbage.
CP: What would be hell to you?
GF: If you commit horrible atrocities, you’re given a microphone at midnight on a Friday at the Greenbay Chucklehut and forced to do 45 minutes. Then you’ve got to sell your CDs to that same group of Packers fans as they come out chain smoking and licking the grease off their fingers from the bottomless bucket of fried chicken wings that they just ate.
CP: What direction would you like to see the church go in?
GF: They should acknowledge that we’re all part of one human race and that all religions are essentially saying the same thing: forgiveness, the submission of the self for the good of others, charity and love.
CP: But what will people argue about then?
GF: I guess we’d have to go with football, and if it weren’t football season we’d be lost for a while. So, you’re right, scratch that.
Greg Fitzsimmons Interviewed By NUVO Newsweekly
Greg will be in Indianapolis on November 22nd. Listen for him on the Bob & Tom Show, or have your copy of Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons autographed at his book signing at 7PM.
Greg Fitzsimmons returns to Indianapolis – the first place he ever headlined a comedy club
Forgive him: He’s been a little busy, as you’ll see from this interview. If he wasn’t having a family and writing for Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show, he’s been working on TV scripts and a book, providing commentary for VH1′s I Love the (Blank) shows and Best Week Ever, hosting the Adult Video News awards, doing a weekly show on Sirius satellite radio and performing 60-second interstitial spots called “Scenario DogvCat” on the Adult Swim channel.
Oh, and adopting a pet.
“We just rescued a puppy and I had to fill out 10 pages of paperwork,” he says. “And they did a home inspection before they’d give us the puppy. And I thought: How bad is your life if they come over, check out where you live and say, ‘We’re just going to go ahead and kill him. This is fine for you, but I think it would be better if we put him to death rather than live like you.’”
Here’s more from Fitzsimmons.
NUVO: Let’s start with an essay question: Compare and contrast being a guest on The Bob and Tom Show with being a guest on The Howard Stern Show.
Fitzsimmons: Bob and Tom are the best audience in the world. I always tease them because when you’re on the air, they are falling out of their chairs, laughing and really enjoying it. Then the second you go to commercial, they open their newspapers and just start reading. They like material. They want you to come in and bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! And kill. Whereas Stern wants you to tell a story or reveal something.
NUVO: You always seem very comfortable on both shows, though I have to say that when you’re on the Stern show during the news, that’s some of the funniest radio.
Fitzsimmons: I still get nervous every time going in. When the news comes on, it’s toward the end of the show. Howard’s tired. Many times when I come in, it’s a Thursday, which is their last workday. Everyone’s fried and it’s a real opportunity to step in and try to contribute to the show.
NUVO: But Bob and Tom has to be the greatest place for a comedian.
Fitzsimmons: They’ve always supported standups – not just in your actual interviews but the plugs and staying in touch. They’re real comedy fans, and it’s turned into this real nice reciprocal relationship. Doing Stern and doing Bob and Tom both helped me grow as a comedian. On Bob and Tom, I learned how to come in and be prepared and let somebody set me up. The Stern thing taught me to trust that if I tell the truth, it will always be entertaining. It may not be funny, it may be awkward, but it’s always good radio.
NUVO: You do a lot more writing than most comics. Why is that?
Fitzsimmons: I’ve been a writer since I was a little kid. I wrote a James Bond script when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I’ve always loved writing. I was an English major. When I started doing standup, I was always trying to come up with new material. And standup is so much more rewarding for me when I’m on stage and I have a bunch of ideas I’m working on. When my kids were born, I wanted to be around more, so I transitioned from working the road Tuesday through Sunday 45 weeks a year to mostly Fridays and Saturdays and maybe 60 percent less roadwork.
In the meantime, I’ll pick up writing jobs. I worked on a sitcom all fall that is not going to end up on the air, but we worked on it for three months. I have a deal right now with 20th Century Fox for a sitcom. It’s a pretty big deal – it’s the Greg Fitzsimmons sitcom, basically. I’ve been writing the scripts since fall, and about two weeks ago I handed them the first draft and they really liked it. They gave me some notes and I’m doing some rewrites. In about three weeks, we’re going to the next level and it’ll be made into a pilot. That’s really exciting – and nerve-racking.
If I could do anything, it would be just standup. Unfortunately, that involves me flying and being away from my family a lot. So it’s something I do more selectively now.
NUVO: You worked on the Ellen show for two years. How was that?
Fitzsimmons: I won four daytime Emmys – two for producing and two for writing. I learned a lot about it because I was there from the beginning. Months before the show aired, I was there in meetings every day, learning how a new show is created from the ground up. It was a great learning experience, but I think it will be a while before I go back to a show where you’ve got a 5 o’clock deadline every day with cameras rolling. I know guys who’ve been on Conan since Day One and I don’t know how they do it. It’s really an intense grind.
NUVO: You also hosted the Adult Video News awards. People probably think it’s a great gig, but I imagine that’s a tough audience because they take their “craft” so seriously.
Fitzsimmons: Absolutely. That’s Oscar night for them.
It really is the coming together of two very similar worlds. Standup comedy is no different than pornography. You’re entertaining people for a very brief period of time and you can do whatever you want. There’s a lot of creative freedom, and it’s considered dirty in some ways. Comics and strippers end up hanging together in the same bars because we’re society’s rejects. We’re clowns and we take ourselves very seriously.
For me, the challenge is going up in front of 5,000 people and trying to hold their attention. I love that. Especially since I know that world – I’ve done research on pornography for many years.
They told me, “You’ve got about 30 seconds from the time you get out there to get them. If you don’t, we’ll probably have to take you off stage because they won’t listen. They’ll just start talking. They’ll be like you’re not there.” So for two months, I was writing jokes and trying out all my porn jokes in the clubs. And it went great.
My wife didn’t want me to do it. Not that she cared about that stuff. She was just, “What are you going to be, the Porn Guy?” I said, “Well, they’ll see me on Showtime. It’s good exposure.” So I brought her with me and everybody from my agency flew out. I rented a house, I put up all my agents. We went to parties all night and had assorted adventures. It was great. At the end of the night, I went to bed with my wife and she said, “So, we’re done with this?” And I said, “Yeah, we’re done.” Nobody should ever have to say to their wife, “Honey, you know Ron Jeremy.”
Sam Simon
Greg and Mike Gibbons welcome legend Sam Simon to this week’s podcast. Mike Gibbons opens the show with the daily news, they talk about Randy Quaid and is wife going crazy, and Sam talks about punching a guy at a poker table. Sam comments on the Howard Stern / Greg Fitzsimmons book forward controversy, the group agrees Steve Martin’s tweets are disappointing, they trade Norm MacDonald gambling stories, take your overheards, and Sam exposes online poker.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and Click HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
Bill Burr Welcomes Greg To His “Monday Morning Podcast”
Greg sat down with Bill Burr for his “Monday Morning Podcast“. Check it out HERE
The Nerdist, Chris Hardwick
Greg and Chris Hardwick
Greg Fitzsimmons has fun night at Improv
From The Palm Beach Post – By Al DeGaetano – October 29, 2010
At The Improv in West Palm Beach, Greg Fitzsimmons did his best to engage an enthusiastic Thursday night crowd. He used the opportunity to try out new material to see what might work for the weekend. It was actually fun to be part of the experiment …
To read the full article CLICK HERE!
Greg And Steven Weber
Steven and Greg in the studio
Andy Dick w/ His HOT 20-yr-old (GIRL)Friend
Andy and Chelsea
Zach Galifianakis & Natalie Maines PT 2
Natalie, Greg, Zach and Mike
In an unprecedented display of AA list talent, I am joined in my garage/studio first by Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks, and then Zach Galifianakis (not via telephone this time). We sat in my studio, along with Mike Gibbons, for a very, very long time and discussed everything from fame, to race, to orange pubic hair. This is part two. Enjoy. LISTEN HERE – Click HERE to download directly — or do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE to subscribe to Fitzdog Radio on iTunes to have it automatically downloaded.
Greg in Minneapolis & Tribute to Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo
Donate to help support Greg Giraldo’s Children
As many of you know, Greg Giraldo passed away last week. A fund has been started by friends and fans to help support and educate his three young boys. If you’d like to help, send a check to the address below, or click the link to donate via PayPal.
Thank you and God bless.
Giraldo Children’s Fund via PayPal
Giraldo Children’s Fund
C/o MaryAnn McAlpin-Giraldo
P.O. Box 1827
New York, NY 10025
Zach Galifianakis & Natalie Maines
In an unprecedented display of AA list talent, I am joined in my garage/studio first by Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks, and then Zach Galifianakis (not via telephone this time). We sat in my studio, along with Mike Gibbons, for a very, very long time and discussed everything from fame, to race, to orange pubic hair. This is part one. Part two will be up in a week to allow for my “Live from Minneapolis” podcast this Saturday.
Enjoy it, and please leave a comment about it on iTunes!
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST – Click HERE to download the podcast directly, or do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE to subscribe on iTunes. Natalie Maines & Zach Galifianakis (coming soon)
Standby for my interview with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. Zach Galifianakis walked into the studio during the podcast and we all talked for a very long time (alongside Mike Gibbons). Tuesday at noon Part one of this historic broadcast will be available. Thanks for your patience.
Natalie Maines
Dixie Chicks CONFIRMED for tonight’s radio show and podcast! Don’t miss it!
Could Sexual Baseball be on the cards? Stay tuned!
Fitzdog Radio
Greg and Mike O’Malley
Greg and Jillian Barberie-Reynolds
Greg and Jimmy Shubert
Greg and Zach Galifianakis
Greg and Kyle Gass From Tenacious D
Greg and Brian Posehn
Greg in Atlanta
Greg’s Standup Dates: Atlanta & St Louis
Check out Greg in a city near you:
The Atlanta Punchline – Thursday, August 12th through Saturday, August 14th
St Louis Funnybone – Thursday, August 19th through Saturday, August 21st
Greg and Bob Saget
Margaret Cho
Greg with Kevin Nealon, Susan Yeagley, and Andy Milder
Greg with Kevin Nealon, Susan Yeagley, and Andy Milder
Kevin Nealon, Susan Yeagley, and Andy Milder
Greg with Kevin Nealon, Susan Yeagley, and Andy Milder
Greg at The Kilborn File
Greg and Susie Essman
Greg and Susie Essman
Mel Brook and Greg
Greg in New York
Jenn Grant - The comic Greg talks to
Greg and Dane Cook
Greg in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Greg and Rob Corddry
Greg and George Wallace
Greg Fitzsimmons and George Wallace in a Las Vegas Suite
Greg and Adam Carolla
After talking a bit about podcasting, and recapping what happened during the previously recorded SiriusXM Show, Greg and Adam just talk about things that anyone would talk about: what’s constitutes rape, when can someone stop rape, is rape worse than necrophilia, and they manage to do all this while mixing in silly voices.
They also get to your Half-a-Mans, and your Twitter questions. Don’t forget to watch Greg calling the action on Adam’s first time
Greg and Bill Burr
Greg’s Lost Weekend in Las Vegas
Getting It Through My Thick Skull
Misty Stone, Jenna Haze, Belladonna, Joanna Angel, Bobbi Star, Sara Sloan
Greg's Lost Weekend in Las Vegas
DOWNLOAD HERE
Greg goes to the dark side to interview the top Adult stars in the business and Mary Jo Buttafuco.The girls give Greg advice on marriage and Greg gives the girls financial advice on mortgages and investments.
Mary’s book
Jessica’s play
Getting It Through My Thick Skull
Misty Stone, Jenna Haze, Belladonna, Joanna Angel, Bobbi Star, Sara Sloan
Greg’s Summer Show
Greg's Summer Show
DOWNLOAD HERE
Greg decides it’s time to do the summer show, totally ignoring the “calendar” start of the season. First and foremost, for the holiday weekend, he’d like to remind everyone to donate at www.woundedwarriorproject.org. He then covers what he did during his three day weekend, as well as the news over the weekend about Dennis Hopper and Al Gore.
Greg talks about what it means to give your life to a profession, and covers a few different examples of what that can mean. He doubles back to the holiday weekend happenings, and shares some tips for hanging out at Venice Beach, as well as what it sounds like from an office in Santa Monica. He explains why the ballet is so hot, how he needs a cult, and various crimes and schemes from his youth.
Greg wraps up the podcast with the fan favorite games “Overheard” and “Half-a-Man”
Greg Knocks Out a Two-Fer
Greg and Rick Shapiro
Fitzdog Radio – Greg Recaps the Big Party
Greg in Tampa, Florida (redux)
Greg does two segments from the green room. The first is him chatting with Nick Cantone and Bill Crawford, the comics who are performing with him, and talking about how the shows up through that point have gone. The second is after his final show, where he recaps some very strange happenings immediately prior, and then talks a family celebrating Mother’s Day.
Greg and Greg's Heckler
Greg with Nick Cantone and Bill Crawford
Greg, Chris Hardwick, and Joanna Angel
Fitzdog Radio – Greg and Pals
Greg and Mike Gibbons reconnect on this weeks marvelous podcast. Greg and Gibbons remember the times when they played who can steal the funniest thing from 7/11, Greg can’t help thinking of white supremacist strippers when watching Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, and Greg tests Producer Mike Cioffi’s podcast hosting skills. The guys take your twitter questions as well as you have overheard, Greg recalls seducing a young door to door magazine saleswoman at his mother’s house, pretending it was his.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE
Greg in Bellevue, Washington
Greg and Dave Navarro
Greg and Andy Dick
Greg has the infamous Andy Dick, who’s been in the news lately for a few incidents, do the podcast from his home!
Greg and Andy note very early that they have to dance around some of the news surrounding Andy’s pending litigation, so they jump right into masturbation talk. Is Greg too harsh? Marc Maron might be upset with Greg, and Andy asked him before they started recording to be cool, but Greg says it’s just him worrying about things being exciting enough. They go through the steps Andy took to get back in the news recently, take your Twitter questions, explain why and HOW Andy Dick lives in a SHED next to a house he paid for, and cap it off with some glory hole talk.
Enjoy.
DOWNLOAD HERE
Greg has the infamous Andy Dick, who’s been in the news lately for a few incidents, do the podcast from his home!
Greg and Andy note very early that they have to dance around some of the news surrounding Andy’s pending litigation, so they jump right into masturbation talk. Is Greg too harsh? Marc Maron might be upset with Greg, and Andy asked him before they started recording to be cool, but Greg says it’s just him worrying about things being exciting enough. They go through the steps Andy took to get back in the news recently, take your Twitter questions, explain why and HOW Andy Dick lives in a SHED next to a house he paid for, and cap it off with some glory hole talk.
Enjoy. Greg, Scott Ian, Pearl, and Eric Leiderman
Pearl and Fitz
Coming Up on Monday: Pearl
Coming on Greg Fitzsimmons Show and Fitzdog Radio this week is Pearl! Check them out on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Be sure to send in your twitter questions for Greg, Pearl Aday, and Scott Ian NOW … just @ reply to @gregfitzshow
PEARL TOUR DATES
April 17 Las Vegas, NV @ Cheyenne Saloon
April 18 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
April 20 Kansas City, MO @ Aftershock
April 22 Minneapolis, MN @ The Rock
April 23 Appleton, WI @ Revolution
April 24 Rockford, IL @ Kryptonite Bar
April 26 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
April 28 New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall
April 29th New Jersey @ Brighton Bar
May 1 Kingston, NY @ The Basement
May 2 Harrisburg, PA @ Dragonfly
May 5 Tulsa, OK @ The Otherside
May 7 Tempe, AZ @ Club House
Greg on Vacation / Writing in Florida
Greg and Tom Arnold
Greg and Andy Richter
Greg talks to comedian and former Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter in Andy’s family room. They talk about etymology of sidekick, and bottom bitches. They talk about Andy’s dad being gay and coming out when he was a child. They talk about all the topics YOU want to hear Andy talk about: Tiger Woods, Catholic scandals, retiring and enjoying crack, jewish food, Greg being an angry Irishman.
They play the standard games, Overheard, Liar’s Poker, and Rank ‘Em, and take your Twitter questions.
They also talk about Conan and the late night situation.
DOWNLOAD HERE
Greg talks to comedian and former Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter in Andy’s family room. They talk about etymology of sidekick, and bottom bitches. They talk about Andy’s dad being gay and coming out when he was a child. They talk about all the topics YOU want to hear Andy talk about: Tiger Woods, Catholic scandals, retiring and enjoying crack, jewish food, Greg being an angry Irishman.
They play the standard games, Overheard, Liar’s Poker, and Rank ‘Em, and take your Twitter questions.
They also talk about Conan and the late night situation. Greg with Ally Walker and Josh Goldin
Greg at the Night of 140 Tweets
How to Deal with Hecklers
5 point method for handling hecklers
1. Square off your feet. Take one step towards them, and repeat whatever it is they just said. This will ensure that everyone in the crowd is aware of what is going on and it buys you an extra 5 seconds to size them up.
2. Size them up. Look for any birth defects, ethnic impurities, sexual deviations, like homosexuality or in a perfect world, they are the 3rd or 5th wheel at their table). Like Wild Kingdom, or Keeping Up With The Kardashians, a predator must separate and destroy the weak.
3. Destroy the weak. Kill them with kindness. You have already established that there is a douche bag iin the house, now you have to establish that you as the comedian are a good and decent person. This will enable you to push the heckler towards suicide following the performance. Say something nice about the heckler with as little irony and sarcasm as possible. This will throw him/(drunken) her off balance.
4. Pushing the heckler over the edge. Take the spark of pity that you have created from step 3, and douse it with one gallon barrel high octane comedic cruelty. The table has been set and now it’s time for the heckler to eat a basket of deep-fried shit (which will count as part of his two drink minimum). He will want very badly to walk out the door at this point.
5. Kicking him out the door. Don’t stop. You are not only policing this situation but sending a message to any other potential hecklers in the crowd. Pile on and then pile on a little bit more. And then a lot more. It may feel wrong, but let’s face it, but let’s face it, you are telling dick jokes to drunks in a mini-mall, not lecturing on public safety to a middle school.
The crowd has two choices at this point, the Philadelphia Flyers “Nananana.. hey, hey, hey, hey… good-bye” song or feeling sorry for the heckler and turning on you. The latter is preferred (latter means second, by the way). Now you have license to ejaculate all childhood rage in the faces of these ungrateful laid off factory workers, calling themselves a crowd. I once experienced this an hour and 10 minutes into a set in Minneapolis. I informed the crowd that because of their failure, I would be walking all 300 people from the room. For the next 45 minutes, I assaulted them with AIDS jokes, 911 jokes and Viking jokes, while counting the numbers down as people paid their checks and left. When I hit 200, I congratulated the survivors and did 10 classic minutes from the Fitz of Laughter album, available if you email your receipt for my book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons to Alice at fitzdogradio@gmail.com
Greg and Sam Simon
Greg Fills in for Carolla!
Check out Greg’s podcasting skills at work as he fills in as a guest host for Mr. Adam Carolla on Adam’s podcast
Check it out
Fitzdog Radio – Slight Delay
A "technical difficulties" screengrab from the Simpsons in honor of today's guest
Greg’s Haiti Benefit
Greg throws an epic benefit for Haiti, only to get cock blocked by the Chile earthquake.
Greg’s all star lineup: Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr, Wendy Liebman, Nick Swift, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Greg Behrendt, Danielle Stewart, and Laura Kightlinger.
Greg throws an epic benefit for Haiti, only to get cock blocked by the Chile earthquake.
Greg’s all star lineup: Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr, Wendy Liebman, Nick Swift, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Greg Behrendt, Danielle Stewart, and Laura Kightlinger.
DOWNLOAD HERE
The Lineup
Greg's Haiti Benefit
Greg throws an epic benefit for Haiti, only to get cock blocked by the Chile earthquake.
Greg’s all star lineup: Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr, Wendy Liebman, Nick Swift, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Greg Behrendt, Danielle Stewart, and Laura Kightlinger.
Greg throws an epic benefit for Haiti, only to get cock blocked by the Chile earthquake.
Greg’s all star lineup: Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr, Wendy Liebman, Nick Swift, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Greg Behrendt, Danielle Stewart, and Laura Kightlinger.
DOWNLOAD HERE
The Lineup
Dive Bars
Check out Greg’s blog about a recent video to a “famous dive bar”
http://www.facebook.com/notes/greg-fitzsimmons/sitting-in-a-famous-dive-bar/346984467609
Greg and Rick Overton
Greg and Rick
Cioffi Before Photo
Cioffi After Photo
Greg on the Road
Greg brings this podcast to you from the road. He’s taking his family to Tahoe for a weekend of skiing, and cranks this podcast out on the I-5 in his Toyota Highlander why his wife drives.
DOWNLOAD HERE
Greg and Greg Behrendt
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- Cioffi Before Photo
Fitzdog Radio with Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Video: Sarah Silverman Plays Liar’s Poker
Check out this video of Sarah Silverman and Greg Fitzsimmons playing the new game “Liar’s Poker”
Video: Sarah Silverman Plays Liar's Poker
Check out this video of Sarah Silverman and Greg Fitzsimmons playing the new game “Liar’s Poker”
Makeup with Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo doing standup for Jimmy Kimmel Live! just minutes after doing this week's podcast
Greg and Bill Burr
Bill Burr and Fitz
Greg at Cleveland Hilarity’s – Pics and MP3
Were you at the Cleveland comedy shows this past weekend, or do you want to get a glimpse of what they were like? You’re in the right place! Check out the gallery of pictures from Greg’s shows, as well as this special sample of some of the best parts from his show.
Greg at Cleveland Hilarity's – Pics and MP3
Were you at the Cleveland comedy shows this past weekend, or do you want to get a glimpse of what they were like? You’re in the right place! Check out the gallery of pictures from Greg’s shows, as well as this special sample of some of the best parts from his show.
Click Here to Download MP3 and PIX from Last Week’s Pittsburgh Shows
Thanks for coming out this weekend. Feel free to download my “Favorite Moments from Pittsburgh” MP3.
It is clips from all of the 5 shows. Audio quality will be getting better on future shows; this was the first week.
Also, the pix are a little shaky, but IT”S ALL FREE!!!!
Thanks again for coming
-Greg
Click Here to Download MP3 and PIX from Last Week's Pittsburgh Shows
Thanks for coming out this weekend. Feel free to download my “Favorite Moments from Pittsburgh” MP3.
It is clips from all of the 5 shows. Audio quality will be getting better on future shows; this was the first week.
Also, the pix are a little shaky, but IT”S ALL FREE!!!!
Thanks again for coming
-Greg
Greg and Adam Carolla
