Joe Rogan Experience #220: Bert Kreischer

Joe Rogan: When I realized that I had to stop fighting and stop teaching and just do comedy was… I was talking to a kid, his name was Jonathan – I wish I remembered his last name, we were open mikers together. About 6 months into comedy. I was still dabbling in it; I still had my feet in all my other worlds… trying to find my place. And this dude who I had done open mics with goes, “You were really funny in the beginning, but man, you just kind of petered out after a while.”

Bert Kreischer: (laughing) Really?

JR: And I couldn’t even say anything because I knew he was right. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything because in my head… like if someone says, “You don’t work hard enough.” My instinct is always to go, “Fuck You.” But I know as a person who has, you know, benefitted greatly from very uncomfortable criticisms before… some of the biggest growth moments you can have was where someone knocks your dick into the dirt so you know what the fuck is up…

BK: Great statement…

JR: And you step back… and so I recognized early on to be able to step back and objectively assess when challenged like that. So when that guy said that, I wanted to go, “That’s a dickhead thing to say.” Cause, you know, he was my friend. But, I was like, he’s right.

BK: Oh!

JR: I couldn’t say anything. So I said, “This is it. Fuck this. I’m a fuckin’ professional comedian. I’m not having one foot in the door.” I closed down my school. I quit my job.

BK: Shut the fuck up.

JR: I was teaching Tae-Kwon-Do at Boston University and I had a school in Revere at Nautilus Plus…

Joe Rogan Experience #220: Bert Kreischer / 05/24/2012 / aprox 55:00:00