Rod Man, ‘Last Comic Standing’ Season 8 winner, talks the art of comedy in exclusive interview

Winning the eighth season of Last Comic Standing, performing on The Tonight Show and gaining millions of new fans in the process is not a bad way to get your foot in the door, and thankfully comedian Rod Man is using his winnings to his advantage. He’s got a hour-long comedy special soon-to-be-released, tons of live shows on the calendar and potential a television show or two down the road. So it’s safe to say the name’s no longer reserved just to a certain retired Dallas Mavericks player in the public’s eye.

With the NBC summer program airing its two-hour ninth season premiere this Wednesday, July 22, at 9/8c, Rod Man decided to give fans not only a quick little update on what’s happened since he graced that televised stage, but also provide them with some updates on what’s coming up in his future.

In an exclusive interview, the comedian talks about how he’s changed and what he’s taken away from winning the contest, the comics inspiring him, whether or not he’ll bring back his YouTube series Time Out, other career goals, working with Judd Apatow and more. Check it out below.

This interview was recorded on June 23.

Image courtesy of Jonas PR

TheCelebrityCafe.com: So when you were on stage and they announced that you were the winner of Last Comic Standing, what were some of the thoughts rushing through your head in that moment?

Rod Man: [laughs] When I was on stage and they said, “You’re the winner,” the thoughts that rushed in my head …. Uh, I don’t know; you take me back. Good job? Thank you? Thankfulness? Yeah, there was some thankfulness. I guess finally? It was a release thing, kinda. It’s a grueling process, to go through that. You gotta be on it everyday.

TCC: Sure. And now that you’re had a year to reflect, what was your biggest takeaway from being in the competition?

RM: My biggest takeaway is professionalism. They teach you how to be a pro. If you were ready to be a pro, that’s what I took away from it. Because I was around professionals every day and you see more of the business side of comedy too. So my takeaway was: comedy is a business. Not only do you need to be funny, you gotta take any business too.

TCC: And do you think you’re comedy has changed much since you’ve won, or do you think it’s basically the same that it was before?

RM: I mean, I’ve grown as an artist and a person. So, of course, your comedy changes and everything. Even if you’re doing the same jokes, your comedy still changes. There’s a maturation in that. So yes, definitely.

TCC: I was curious, who were some of the comedians that inspired you when you were growing up and also getting into the field?

RM: People ask me that question, and I always feel like I’m just saying the regular names. I don’t know if comedians are always inspiring me. I’ve seen the Richard Pryors. I’ve seen the George Carlins. I’ve seen the Eddies and the Chris Rocks and the Martins. But the comedians that inspired me were — I started in Atlanta — so it was the people that I could see (locally).

They weren’t big-name people; it was just people that work in comedy clubs, and you may not know their names, but they were doing funny. Those kind of cats always… Like, there’s a cat somewhere now doing a show that is very inspiring. He’s killing his city, but nobody knows him yet — but they will.

TCC: When you watch other comedians, what qualities typically stand out to you?

RM: Quirkiness, timing, delivery, you know, I’m a fan of storytellers. Comedy is like boxing. Styles make fights, and styles make comedy. So a good show is always, when you go to a show, I like to see different styles of comedy. I don’t want to see two comedians talking about the same thing, or setting up punches. If one dude do one-liners, I need the other dude to be a storyteller. So I like different styles. Style, and presence, always gets me excited. I can tell when someone is going to be funny immediately.

TCC: And when you see up-and-coming comedians, is there any particular advice that you like to give them?

RM: Write. That’s what people always told me: to write. I still take that advice every day. So I try to work on that. That’s an (important) thing for up-and-coming comedians. When I was coming up, people would tell me, “You gotta write, you gotta write. And stay on stage, stay on stage.” So that’s one of the things. It’s a craft, so you’re only going to get better at it. And everyone’s got their process of how they do it, but that’s the advice I always try to give them. You gotta be yourself.

TCC: And to jump gears a little bit, are you still planning to continue Time Out?

RM: Ah man, I want to bring it back. We gotta find a spot to do that. But yeah, I definitely want to bring Time Out back. I actually want to do it on television, not just on the Internet. So that’s something we’re shopping around a little bit.

TCC: Great, and with that in mind, what are some of your career goals for the moment, especially following the success of the show?

RM: Well with the show coming back, one of the things for the show is the development deal. So that’s the immediate thing. We’ve been working on the sitcom idea, so we got our second pitch meeting coming up here in July. So hopefully that, and, of course, I’ve got the hour special coming out on DVD. Behind the scenes — where I’m at, how it all began, how it all starts, what’s my process and all that. That’s coming later this year/early ‘16. Those are the immediate two things. And just keep bringing that good funny, man.

TCC: And is there anything in particular you’d really like to do now, or a certain place you’d really like to perform?

RM: Well one of the things I always did want to do coming up is The Fox Theatre in Atlanta. That was always on my vision board. I always wanted to perform there, because that’s the sign that you made it — when you went to the Fox! But now you’ve got comedians doing arenas, so I don’t know. So the goals have changed, but that’s one of the places that I’ve always wanted to play at is The Fox in Atlanta.

TCC: As a comedian today, what do you consider some of the biggest challenges working with new media and stuff like that?

RM: I don’t know if it’s challenging. It’s separating media funny from stand-up funny. Like, stand-up funny is you use a microphone, a stool, and you’re with the people. On social media, it’s a different kind of funny. Someone can be super funny on social media, but you’ll go see them live and it’s not the same thing. Live comedy and being on the Internet are two different types of funny. So I would say the challenge is stay true to the craft of stand-up. I’m a fan of that. You may not see my funny in the words, but if you see me live, you’re gonna understand, “Oh, that’s what he was talking about.” Because stand-up is a whole different thing than media.

TCC: And I think it’s this weekend, but are you performing at Tampa Bay?

RM: No, this weekend I’m in Virginia Beach at the Funny Bone.

TCC: Oh, I’m sorry about that. [laughs]

RM: [laughs]. Someone gave you the wrong thing!

TCC: Yeah, someone gave me the wrong information. I don’t know what was up with that. Maybe it’s too early.

RM: [laughs] Yeah.

TCC: Well then, is there anything you can tease about that show?

RM: Ah man, it’s a Funny Bone show. So Virginia Beach, you know, it’s a Naval city, so all the service men and service women come down and check me out, man. Come and get a taste of that good funny. We do a sick show. You’ve been to a comedy show live, I’m sure.

TCC: Yeah, yeah, actually it was funny to mentioned that because you’re coming up here to Pittsburgh pretty soon.

RM: Yeah, August. I’ll be in Pittsburgh. I’m expecting a big turnout in Pittsburgh. Everybody keep asking me, “When am I coming to Pittsburgh?” So, I’m coming.

TCC: Is this your first time in Pittsburgh?

RM: Yeah, yeah. First time. And I see, all the time, those Steelers tags. You guys have the craziest fanbase. So you guys have the number one fanbase in the world.

TCC: Oh yeah.

RM: I see those Steelers tags every day. So I’m looking forward to coming, and I’m a big fan of Mike Tomlin —and Big Ben, when he’s not going in bathrooms. [laughs]

TCC: [laughs] Yeah.

RM: But yeah, I like the Steelers.

TCC: Sweet, and I quite liked Funny People and I was curious because that movie had a lot of comedians for a short period of time. And I know Judd Apatow likes to film a lot and leaves a lot in the editing room. So how big was your role initially when you worked on that movie?

RM: That was one of those movies I got when … You know when someone says they see you at a club and they put you in the movie? That actually did happen. Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler were at this club I was doing comedy at, Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California. They were in the audience and they saw me and Judd was like, “I’ll put you in the movie.” [laughs] So I was like, “Yeah right.”

Me and Adam were joking about football, and then the next day they called me in. I had a couple lines to read, and I was like the host in this comedy club. So I played myself, but it was good. It was a two-day shoot and I learned a lot. But I was sick the whole time! I didn’t know movie sets were that cold! It was the coldest movie set that I had ever been on in my life. I caught a little touch of pneumonia, so my memory of that is that I was sick for two days. But I got threw it there, and I got to learn more about the movie-making process. But, good people, Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah (Hill), so those cats I had seen in movies before and then I got the chance to work with them.

TCC: And what’s Judd Apatow’s process on set?

RM: Oh, you got a script, but he’s telling you his input and that you can ad lib. But he also lets the others ad lib. There’s a lot of ad libbing going on. So there’s a script, but it’s loose. You do it until you find the funny that he wants from it and you move on.

TCC: Is acting something you’re interested in continuing or was that a one-time thing?

RM: Nah, that’s something I’m definitely interested in. I understand it’s a whole other craft too. But yeah, I definitely want to do that, but I have to be placed in the right vehicle. That’s the whole thing. So, I’m looking for that right vehicle. That’s the process right now, to find my kind of funny.

TCC: Sure, and are there any other stars or directors that you’d like to work with?

RM: Ah man, anybody working.

TCC: [laughs] Anybody hiring?

RM: Yeah, yeah. If they’re hiring, and they’ve got a sign on the door, I’m interested to work with them. I like Will Packer. He’s doing a lot of stuff. He did Takers and worked with Kevin Hart on a lot of stuff. But I like what he’s doing.

TCC: Have you worked with Kevin Hart?

RM: Early on in his career, back before he became Kevin Hart. Yeah, I worked with him early, early on. Yeah, good dude.

TCC: What’s he like off-stage?

RM: I don’t know the new Kevin, though. But he always was good with people, so that’s cool. I saw him back when I was on the set of The Real Husbands of Hollywood and he told me to drink a lot of water and to eat chicken salad. [laughs] That’s true. That was his advice for me. [doing his impression of Kevin Hart] Drink a lot of water. Eat a lot of chicken salad. You’re gonna need it. [laughs] Yeah, that’s what he said.

Rod Man can next be seen at TheCelebrityCafe.com: So when you were on stage and they announced that you were the winner of Last Comic Standing, what were some of the thoughts rushing through your head in that moment?