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“Comedy is not in the presentation, it's in the conversation.” - Bret Ernst
Bret Ernst Biography from Wikipedia
Bret Ernst is an American stand-up comedian born in New Jersey. He is a graduate of Plantation High in South Florida, and was one of four comedians featured in Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland, along with Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Maniscalco has also appeared on the television programs Comedy Central Presents, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bret currently resides in Los Angeles.
A lot has happened since Bret first stepped on stage eight years ago to perform comedy. After several years of hard work, Bret earned a spot performing at the 2003 JUST FOR LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL, where he was noted as one of the best new faces at MONTREAL. That same year, Bret made his first nationally televised stand-up appearance on THE LATE, LATE SHOW W/CRAIG KILBORN followed by a primetime performance on STEVE HARVEY'S BIG TIME. The upcoming year the industry started to take notice when Bret was offered a talent holding deal with ABC/Touchstone. Bret continues his relationship with Touchstone, as they are currently working with him in his development deal with the WB NETWORK. Bret is collaborating with Touchstone, The WB, and show creators Barry Kemp (creator of Coach and Newhart) and Eric Lapidus (creator of 2 and a half men) to star in a sit-com based on his stand-up comedy.
Although Bret enjoys acting (guest starring on CSI/NY, and just recently he can be seen in Artie Lang's new movie BEER LEAGUE), His first love is, and always will be stand-up comedy. He is a national headliner, performing in clubs across the country. Bret has headlined in some of the best rooms in America, including THE IMPROV CHAINS, and THE WORLD FAMOUS COMEDY STORE. He has also headlined sold out shows in Las Vegas, like BEACHER'S MADHOUSE at THE HARD ROCK CASINO. Bret is currently a part of VINCE VAUGHN'S OUTLAWS OF COMEDY, a stand-up show hosted by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.... [MORE] A lot has happened since Bret first stepped on stage eight years ago to perform comedy. After several years of hard work, Bret earned a spot performing at the 2003 JUST FOR LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL, where he was noted as one of the best new faces at MONTREAL. That same year, Bret made his first nationally televised stand-up appearance on THE LATE, LATE SHOW W/CRAIG KILBORN followed by a primetime performance on STEVE HARVEY'S BIG TIME. The upcoming year the industry started to take notice when Bret was offered a talent holding deal with ABC/Touchstone. Bret continues his relationship with Touchstone, as they are currently working with him in his development deal with the WB NETWORK. Bret is collaborating with Touchstone, The WB, and show creators Barry Kemp (creator of Coach and Newhart) and Eric Lapidus (creator of 2 and a half men) to star in a sit-com based on his stand-up comedy.
Although Bret enjoys acting (guest starring on CSI/NY, and just recently he can be seen in Artie Lang's new movie BEER LEAGUE), His first love is, and always will be stand-up comedy. He is a national headliner, performing in clubs across the country. Bret has headlined in some of the best rooms in America, including THE IMPROV CHAINS, and THE WORLD FAMOUS COMEDY STORE. He has also headlined sold out shows in Las Vegas, like BEACHER'S MADHOUSE at THE HARD ROCK CASINO. Bret is currently a part of VINCE VAUGHN'S OUTLAWS OF COMEDY, a stand-up show hosted by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.
You can currently catch him commenting on FOX'S SPORTS LIST and you can see Bret on the up-coming season of COMEDY CENTRAL'S PREMIUM BLEND. He is also being featured on BYRON ALLEN'S ENTERTAINMENT STUDIO as one of the nation's top new comedians.
Where are you from?
I was born in Princeton New Jersey moved Passaic then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for high school. I went back and forth between Florida and Jersey. I consider Florida my home. I was kind of raised in both places, but when people ask where I'm from I always say South Florida, Plantation, Florida, which is the Fort Lauderdale area.
In the movie (Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show) Vince introduces me from a different place every night. And, by the way, Vince is hands down one of the nicest, sweetest, funniest guys. And for him to put it out there like that with his own money and people you don't know…he's great. To put unknown comics in the national spot light like that is great.
Have you read Born Standing Up?
Bret Ernst: Yes.
What stuck out to you?
Bret Ernst: What I love about Born Standing Up is that it's about his comedy. It's different than Richard Pryor's book "Pryor Convictions" which is about Richard. By the end of the book you know him. You know who he is. Martin in open as well but Pryor's book is al lot more open. Both books are indicative of their styles of comedy. Martin entertains you and makes you laugh, he tells you about the relationship with his father and that's revealing, but it's mostly about the events that led up to comedy. So it is open to a degree but Pryor's book and his comedy takes you to the most vulnerable places possible. It's about his experience, his thoughts and feelings.
There are two types of comics, comics you want to listen to and comics you want to hang out with. In other words there are writers and there are performers, Carlin on one end of the spectrum and Pryor on the other end. Both are great. One's about the words the other is about who they are as people.
One example of Pryor's experience's, in his book, Pryor had to blow a guy when he was a kid. When he got older he thought about what he would do to that guy if he ever met him in his adult life. Then one day the guy shows up on his door step and asks him for an autograph. Pryor freezes and gives him an autograph. That's his experience. That's who he is. That's not a story just about his comedy career. That's about him.
I love Jay Leno's book, "Leading with The Chin." There's a part when his father is jumped by five guys and limped ever since. Leno's father spent his whole life trying to find those guys and beat the shit out of them. He found four of them and got even with those four. On his death bed he made Jay promise that if he found that fifth guy he would kick the shit out of him. Jay said he would do it.
Do you have a story like Pryor or Leno?
Bret Ernst: I don't have an abuse story, but I have a lot of small time crime and fight stories. So not really…well, ok my father killed himself when I was eleven. If you saw the Wild West Comedy movie, I lost my older too. I was raised by a single mom.
I don't make excuses but, when I was younger I acted out a lot. I grew up with a lot of punks. I see someone picking on a little kid and the bully thinks he can get away with it. I'm going to step in. I don't pick fights, but I'll protect anyone who is being disrespected. I'll go toe to toe with anyone that messes with one of my pals.
I would go out with my friends and we did stupid shit together. If anyone messed one of my friends…what can I say, I don't back down. I'm not tough guy but, I don't back down from anyone when one of my pals are in trouble. Hey, you don't have to be a genius to get your ass kicked.
You seem like the type of person who is really grounded in who you are, aren't you?
Bret Ernst: I'll take two days in the hospital over two months of losing sleep because me or one of my buddies were disrespected. I like to be respected of it will bother me. Same with meeting a girl, if see a hot girl and I don't talk to her it will bother me. Comedy too, I have to do it or it will bother me.
I have to go 100% at what I do. I hate loosing more than I like winning. Failure is not OK. I played football in college. I played 2A. I knew I wasn't going to the NFL, but I took it as far as I could go. I can live with that.
Now with standup when I'm on stage and I do well, that's what I'm supposed to do. I'm not impressed. That's my job.
Where did you cut your comedy teeth?
Bret Ernst: I cut my teeth at the Comedy Store even though I perform at the Improv and Laugh Factory regularly; I'm a Comedy Store Comic. That's where I came up.
What do you mean by coming up?
Bret Ernst: There are miles stones. These are the mile stones: 6, 11, 15 years.
Six, at six years you start to see the matrix. And I mean six years of consistently doing standup. You have to figure things out for yourself. You have to keep getting up, as many times as possible. I get up every night if I can, unless I'm in a relationship. Only five nights a week if I'm in a relationship.
Speed squares it self. If you go sky diving and jump out of a plane you start falling faster and faster. That's an example of speed squaring itself. Comedy is the same way, but with plateaus. It's the same with fucking. In the beginning you're doing something, but then you get comfortable and start trying things.
Eleven years in you're 'in it'. You are accepted in the roll. For example..If I'm in the NFL and I'm covering Jerry Rice my first thought is, I can't believe Jerry Rice is right there. Eventually that wears off. You're not star struck you're there to do a job you love. You get to a point where you accept yourself in that roll. That's a big mile stone.
At that point all you have to worry about is trying to out do your last performance. It's like golf in that you're playing against yourself.
Fifteen years reach Jedi status. It's just working on your material and getting stuff done.
I can see in like five or six years I can see you being one of the best comics ever?
Bret Ernst: I'm only 11 years in. But look, I'm the type of person that will sulk over a bad set way more that go out and celebrate a good one.
(That's when I figured it out. That's why I keep hearing fight stories from this gentle giant. This is how he's keeping himself psyched up. This is how this guy confronts challenges.)
I look at it like hitting a punching bag. I'm not going to mess around with something I spent my whole life building.
Who do you think people should go see?
Bret Ernst: Nick Swardson, John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebascitian Maniscalco , Dov Davidoff, Brian Callen, Maz Jabroni, Mike Young, Neal Brennen, Ian Edwards, Sam Trippley, Chris Spencer, Bill Burr, Tony Roberts, Jay Phillips, Steve Travino, Steve Simone, Jimmy Shubert, Billy Gardell, Anthony Jeselnik, Luca Palanca, Butch Bradley, and many many more especially Keith Ernst, he's one of my favorite comic and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. I love Doug Stanhope, Joe Rogan, Robert Kelley there's so many good comics right now.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Bret Ernst: I wouldn't say advice, but what I see in other comics, I see patterns. I respect Dice because he had no fear.
Can you describe your writing process?
Bret Ernst: I see my jokes in scenes not in words. I put them into words later, but I can't really...I mean, I don't know what else to say other than that. Just be honest. Be honest with your material, with yourself. I don't talk out of both sides of my mouth.
Self awareness, accountability, these are the things that make you successful. I take what I do seriously, but I don't take myself seriously.
Comics are a luxury. Have you ever played that socially game where you are in charge of an island and you got pick who you want to take with you on your island: doctor, lawyer, firemen, teacher, actor, comedian.
If I were in that game the comic and the actor are don't make it to the island.
If a mechanic that doesn't get a literary reference it doesn't mean he's stupid. At least he's actually doing something. You got to know yourself, what you do and where you stand. When you are on the road its easy to feel like everybody is a dick but you. That's not how it is. You have to see things how they are.
Are you talking about perception?
Bret Ernst: Well, let me put it this way. Florida drivers can cause accidents and then complain about the driving. I'm a goof ball, but I know it. I know my self and where I stand. If you're an actor your life is important because you can be someone else. What does that tell you? It's ridiculous, as a comic, to attempt to act like you're just like everybody else. I'm just a comedian. You know who had it right, Elvis. Elvis, when asked about the Vietnam war said, 'I'm just and entertainer.'
So you're saying know your place?
Bret Ernst: We don't need Paris Hilton to tell us to vote. If you voted because Paris told you to vote your vote doesn't count.
Good answer.
Bret Ernst: We've become a reality TV based society. I heard someone say that they liked Obama because he's young and charismatic. Well if you want young and charismatic why not get Hanna Montana to run the country. I'm glad he's President. I like what he said about if people keep messing around with the United States that 'we will come get you.' It's nice to see someone be Presidential.
In the movie, I found it touching when you spoke backstage about your older brother dying from AIDS. Is that part of your act, too?
Bret Ernst: In my act, I talk about him in the present tense, just because I don’t want the crowd to feel uncomfortable. The gift of being a comic is being as open and truthful as possible. I had also lost my father as well while growing up. I was talking about it one night, and it was weird because my father took his own life.
I was joking about it, and there was a lady in the crowd whose son had committed suicide, By no means do I like talking about it, if it’s going to make people uncomfortable, but at the same time, it is my life. Afterwards, she came up to me, crying, and said that it was the anniversary of her son’s death, and that it made her feel better. The point I’m making is that when you’re open about yourself, you expose yourself to people. And the gift that I have is that I know everybody is the same. Everybody has the same wants and the same fears.
I liked that you guys took a break from the tour to visit Katrina victims, too. The movie wasn’t just comedy, but it had a heart as well.
Bret Ernst: Well, thank you. You have to credit Vince and the filmmakers for that.
Are you still friends with the other three comedians in the movie, John “Cap” Caparulo, Sebastian Maniscalco and Ahmed Ahmed?
Bret Ernst: Oh, yeah, of course. In fact, Sebastian, was just now calling me while I was talking to you. We’re all close. We had years in the trenches together even before this movie. We knew each other’s families, watched Super Bowls together, hung out and did stuff together.
In the film, you’re shown as being very hard on yourself after one performance, even though the crowd was raving about you. Why was that?
Bret Ernst: You know, man, I’m sure you’re the same way. I’m always trying to outdo my last performance. That’s the only way you get better. You have to challenge yourself and be honest with yourself. That night, I stumbled over some of my words, so I just wasn’t happy with my performance, even though the crowd liked it.
How did you decide to try standup comedy in the first place?
Bret Ernst: I always wanted to do it. But my first dream had actually been to play in the NFL. I played football in college, but in the back of my mind I knew I was good at making people laugh. I was always the class clown. I went to some rough schools growing up, where I became good at “Yo’ Momma” jokes.
Was this a black neighborhood?
Bret Ernst: Yeah, predominantly black. That’s really how I got into it. And playing sports, I was always in the locker room, ranking on people, going for the jugular. So, it was always something I wanted to do professionally. To make a long story boring, I would do open mic nights, and then I had a hi-hop show in college where people would call in to try to get me with their ”Yo’ Momma” jokes, and I would get them back. That became my thing. That’s kinda’ how I got my start. So, I knew I could write radio scripts. And once I graduated from college, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I just started going and going and going and going, and haven’t stopped since.
Jimmy Bayan, realtor to the stars, is curious about where in Los Angeles you live?
Bret Ernst: I live in North Hollywood.
The Columbus Short question: Would you describe yourself as happy?
Bret Ernst: Yeah, man, I’m happy. You have your bumps and bruises, but you can’t dwell on that. I’m definitely happy. I like that: Are you happy? That’s a good question.
The Chip and Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
Bret Ernst: I’m reading it right now, actually, Freakonomics.
Oh, yeah, that’s excellent. I reviewed that.
Bret Ernst: And I also actually just finished the Steve Martin autobiography, Born Standing Up.
How is it? I want to read that.
Bret Ernst: It’s very good, but it’s not like Pryor Convictions, though. I’d read that one first, because Richard [Pryor], just like he was with his standup, was very open in his book. I love reading biographies, people’s journeys. Like, if you look at how Malcolm X started, and that whole journey from being a criminal to becoming a preacher to becoming an activist to, at the very end, understanding where he was wrong.
How do you expect this movie to change your life?
Bret Ernst: I don’t know, dude, there’s no way to gauge that. This is a tough business. I expect something to happen, but I don’t know whether it’ll be great, or something minor. But I’m very excited, and very thankful. You hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I don’t know what else to do.
Another moving moment was at the end of the tour when Sebastian started crying, thanking Vince, and saying no one had ever given him a break before.
Bret Ernst: You know, I got upset, too, but I ran behind the curtain. I wasn’t man enough to let anybody see me cry. I told the cameraman I’d break his camera if he filmed me. At least Sebastian was man enough to cry on camera. We were all pretty affected by it. Once he started, everybody else followed suit. It was a very moving moment.
Vince Vaughn seems like a really nice guy from all the backstage footage.
Bret Ernst: I always ask this about somebody. First of all, is he still friends with the kids he grew up with? Second of all, when somebody leaves the room, does he start talking about him? That’s a quality of a dude I don’t want to be around. If you ain’t friends with the people you came up with, that means there’s something wrong with you. And if you’re going to talk about somebody when they leave, that means you’re going to talk about me, too. Vince is friends with everybody he came up with. He’s a loyal guy. Look at what he did for us, putting his stamp on four guys nobody knew. He liked us from seeing us in the comedy clubs. That’s a testament to who he is. What you see is what you get with him, and that’s really rare in Hollywood.
“Vince really respects what we do as far as stand-up comics go. He's really an amazing individual as far as his work ethic and his character. [He and his staff] put this all together in pretty much four weeks, which is unbelievable. The idea of doing it for charity just motivated him even more.”
“We've been having a great time and it's been awesome performing at all these venues, some more historical than others. We visited a few college campuses already, but nothing to the magnitude of Notre Dame. I'd love to go down to the [football stadium] field, especially since 'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies.”
Apr 22 2009 7:00P, WHITE RIVER COMEDY CLUB BRANSON MO
Apr 23 2009 7:00P, WHITE RIVER COMEDY CLUB BRANSON MO
Apr 24 2009 7:00P, WHITE RIVER COMEDY CLUB BRANSON MO
Apr 25 2009 7:00P, WHITE RIVER COMEDY CLUB BRANSON MO
Apr 26 2009 7:00P, WHITE RIVER COMEDY CLUB BRANSON MO
Apr 30 2009 8:30A, MIAMI IMPROV MIAMI FL
May 1 2009 8:30P, MIAMI IMPROV MIAMI FL
May 1 2009 10:45P, MIAMI IMPROV MIAMI FL
May 2 2009 7:45P, MIAMI IMPROV MIAMI FL
May 3 2009 8:30P, MIAMI IMPROV MIAMI FL
Rock Stars of Comedy brings together the hottest cutting edge comics in the country and like the high energy of a rock concert these comedians whip the crowd into a frenzy and keep them there all night with their UNCENSORED over-the-top and out on control performances. Fans of gut wrenching stand-up Comedy have waited long enough for the good stuff well now the wait is over for the ROC are back in town lean mean and ready to kick in the door and bring down the house.ROC line up:Bret ErnstSteve ByrneDan LevySam TripoliBryan CallenStevie D.hosted by: Adrianne Curry.
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