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Feature

Jeffrey Ross is ready to 'experiment' on Detroiters

Loving the burn - Grilling the Roastmaster general on a comic tradition revived

Photo: N/A, License: N/A


By Corey Hall

Published: January 11, 2012

 

MT: That's pretty accurate.

 

Ross: Yeah. In Jersey everyone thinks they're a comedian. Everyone can take a joke or deliver a joke. It's a rough place to grow up sometimes, and I think Detroit probably shares that. I get a lot of mail from fans asking me to come to Detroit, so I'm pretty pumped about coming. I'm going to experiment with "speed roasting" some audience members

 

MT: When you become known as the roastmaster, now, I'm sure everywhere you go people expect you to make fun of them. That has to be a bit of a pain right?

 

Ross: It's only a pain if it happens on an airplane or at a funeral. If it happens at my shows, it's exciting; because people consider it an honor to be dishonored publicly for some reason. So it will be volunteers only.

 

MT: The worst gigs are like where you get hired to insult someone at a birthday party, but you've turned it into an empire.

 

Ross: [giggles] Yeah, man, you have to pick a lane. Dave Chapelle taught me a long time ago: "Pick a lane." This is it.

 

MT: You got to roast the caped crusader on the show Batman: Brave and the Bold. How cool was that?

 

Ross: That was intense, man. I was so intimidated. Batman is a larger-than-life figure. He's much taller in person than he is on the cartoon.

 

MT: Who is your dream target that you haven't gotten to roast yet?

 

Ross: Wow. Um, it seems like Herman Cain right now would be the best roast possible.

 

MT: Would he get the jokes?

 

Ross: No. Just stopping the show to explain the jokes to him would be the best part. Just all the accusers and girlfriends, think of how many roasters we would have.

 

MT: What would it take to get Rickles to do one of these roasts?

 

Ross: You know we beg him every year, but he's untouchable, he's just the king. If we ever got to do that roast it would be a happy day for me, a proud day.

 

MT: I think all the comics would be terrified he would just show them up.

 

Ross: Yeah, he would go on at the end and rip everyone, just school everyone, that's for sure. He's not just old-school, he's pre-school. He's a legend. He belongs on "Mt. Roastmore."

 

MT: Are you surprised when sometimes people, even some professional comics, still get offended at these things?

 

Ross: In the end it's all serious business and we wear our theoretical bulletproof vests so that the punch lines don't hurt. Sometimes new audiences don't know the rules; which is that there are no rules. Look, you can't be offended; it's a "roast." Slowly people are learning roasting philosophy: that you can't be hurt by words. Hopefully that will apply soon to life in general.

 

MT: You're going to make a better world one joke at time Jeff.

 

Ross: Roasting saves lives my friend.

 

At 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-3030; $28 advance.

 

Corey Hall writes about film for Metro Times. Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com.

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