News |

Guitar World Column |

Interviews |

Pictures |

Album Reviews |

Gig Reviews |

Release Dates |

History |

Articles |

Setlists |

Upcoming |

Contact

April 10th 2011, Los Angeles CA: Read on as Jim talks about how he ended up as a co-host on That Metal Show, using metal in stand-up comedy, the guests on the talk show and his love for the newer bands, Don Jamieson's comedy debut album, plans for his own CD release on Metal Blade Records, putting on a comedy show as compared to a metal show, his next movie, and plans for a book.

Andrew: The first question is pretty obvious. How did you end up on That Metal Show?
Jim: I'm one lucky bastard (laughs). How I ended up on the show was, I was growing up in New Jersey, listening to Eddie Trunk's radio show. As a comedian I would be coming home late on Friday nights from a comedy show and Eddie's show was on. I'd always listen to it and think, "Man, this guy likes the same kind of music that I do, this is weird." I grew up in Jersey and all that, and then I met him at a concert, started talking. He told me to come up to his radio show and said that he loved having comedians on the show. I went up there and Don [Jamieson, co-host at That Metal Show] went up too. We basically started doing That Metal Show on his radio show. Eddie had already been in talks with VH1 and was saying that he was going to pitch it as a TV show, and next thing you know, we had a show on the air. Who would have thought that they would have a show about three guys arguing about metal bands on TV? God bless America!

Andrew: In your comedy shows before you were part of this show, did you ever use metal as a theme or a topic?
Jim: Not so much, but I had long hair for a while when I first started doing stand-up. So I did a lot of long hair jokes and stuff like that, on how people discriminate against you and you can't get a good job. Then when I cut it off, I pretty much just did straight stand-up.

Andrew: On this show, who chooses the guests? Is it just the channel or do you get a vote as well?
Jim: We don't really have a say in that. It's way beyond us, and it's up to the heads at VH1. They want to stick to the format of the channel that is VH1 Classic, so they try to show classic hard rock and heavy metal. I would love to have newer bands on, I love a lot of the newer stuff out and go to a lot of those kind of shows, but it really doesn't fit their format. So there's nothing I can do. If I had a say in it, I would have Amon Amarth, Slipknot, Gojira, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall and all of those bands on. But it's cool, people are digging it and you know, it is what it is.

Andrew: Yeah, I have always liked your lists, the "Top 5" thing you do at the start of every episode. It's a great plug for some of those newer bands you just mentioned.
Jim: I love the newer stuff, man. I like the older stuff of course, but some of the drumming in the last ten years has been insane, with the double bass and the pounding. I love drumming like that, and whenever I put on a new band's music, I'm like "Holy Shit!" The DevilDriver disc is phenomenal. I just picked that up the other day and listened to it and went, "This is fucking insane!" But then I go back and slip into the old stuff too. So yeah I do try to get into the newer bands and hopefully one day we can open up the format of the show and ask some of the newer bands to be on it too.

Andrew: So far, who has been your favorite guest?
Jim: It's so tough because for most of those guys, I've been going to their shows for 30 years. Rob Halford from Judas Priest. That guy is just a gentleman and a great guy, and a fan of metal. It was awesome meeting him. Bill Ward from Black Sabbath was another one. It was insane to have him on, as well as Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath, and of course, the late great Ronnie James Dio was amazing. It's so tough because every time you think you have a favorite another one comes on. I mean, come on, having Lemmy was just great. After one of the tapings we were hanging out and talking. I told him that I was leaving, and he said, "What? You don't want to go to a strip club with me?" I was like, of course. So I ended up going to a strip club with Lemmy. I'm cool with that.

Andrew: We were talking about Metal Blade when we met last month. Don Jamieson just put his debut album on that label, titled "Live And Hilarious". You were at that show in Jersey last year. What do you think of the CD?
Jim: I haven't heard the disc yet, but I was at the show and worked with Don many times before. The material he did was great and I'm sure it's going to come across really good. He's a funny comic. He's edgy, he doesn't give a shit when he lets loose and I love that kind of comedy. I think the album is going to do well for him.

Andrew: You also signed to Metal Blade and your own album is supposed to come out this year. What's going on with that?
Jim: Yeah. my CD will be out later in the year, in October and I'll be recording for that sometime in June or July. I'm really excited about it and I've been working on a lot of new material for it. I mean, it's Metal Blade which stands for extreme metal. So extreme comedy is what I'm shooting for. I'm really fucking pumped. I've been a big Metal Blade fan for years, and who would have thought that one day they would be putting my comedy album out? Brian Slagel has been flying the flag of metal, and is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. How can you not want to work with that guy and be on his label?

Andrew: The comedy show that you did last month in Hollywood was the first ever comedy show I went to. So, every time do you put on a different show and are the jokes always new? In a metal show you can play older songs, but in comedy I don't think it works out the same way, right?
Jim: No, that's the problem and people want to hear different jokes which is sometimes tough. It's good and it's bad because for a metal show if you're feeling exhausted and not really into it or whatever, you can say, "Ah I can just play the hits tonight, everyone's going to go nuts and I'll get energy from the crowd", because they know all the hits. But then again as a band you would like to play the new stuff as you would be sick of playing the old stuff. So for bands, they understand that people like the old stuff but they want to be creative, so they're always in that rut. With us as comedians, I do a show and nine months later when I come back, people say they've heard those jokes. They go, "I heard that joke and I heard that one", and I say I'm sorry I can't take them up for a brand new hour every six months. It takes two to two and a half years to really come up with a great hour. But I also like it in a way, because I get bored of my jokes so I want to move on from them.

Andrew: You've also been known to act in movies. What's the next movie you have coming up? I think you were talking about it on last month's taping of That Metal Show.
Jim: Yeah, I did a movie with Jenna Fischer from "The Office", called "A Little Help" and it's coming out at the end of June. I got a few scenes, that's all. I've seen the whole film and it's pretty cool. But I'd love to get more into the movie stuff. The metal show is great and my main thing is doing the stand-up comedy. That's my full time gig. I'm always traveling to do comedy shows. That Metal Show doesn't really take up that much of our time. We tape for like two weeks, then we're done for the next four months and then we tape again, so it's really only a month out of our year pretty much to work on the show.

Andrew: You've also been a writer. Have you thought about writing a book?
Jim: I've been working on a book for a few years. I have a lot of it done. The show you saw in LA was a one-man story, like an autobiography of my life, so I'm trying to make that show into a book at one point. So that's my goal, to make that shows into a comedy special on HBO or on Comedy Central and then to make that show into a book. It just takes a little while.

Andrew: Jim, it was good talking to you and thanks for your time. I'll see you again on the next season of That Metal Show!
Jim: I appreciate all the support man, all the good work that you guys are doing. It's awesome. Thank you!

Tweet

Check out Jim Florentine's official website.