Standup Comedy Cash Levy Interview & Set Show #103

Cash Levy started as an opening act for me, moved into Featuring and then Headlining...he is a terrific comic who made a wonderful career of Standup on TV, Radio, and Corporate stages all over the US. He entertained our Military troops overseas, and even has his own podcast. He has had a solid career, and it all started at Laughs. Be ready for the "Sha-Sha" song!!
His podcast is: Cashing in with TJ Miller   Ck it out!

Transcript

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Announcer: 0:04

This is another episode of stand up comedy, your host and emcee, celebrating 40 plus years on the fringe of show business, stories, interviews and comedy sets from the famous and not so famous. Here's your host and MC, Scott and words.

Scott Edwards: 0:22

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Stand Up Comedy hosted MC. And I really enjoy interviewing my old friends, the comics from the past 80s in the 90s. And we are in for a treat, because one of those guys that I always enjoyed, was always terrific with the audience, and had some material that sticks with me and my bride to this day, ladies and gentlemen, it's professional comic, cash loving. Wow, the crowd goes nuts, cash. We haven't talked in a while but it's great to hear your voice. Sounds like life is going well.

Cash Levy: 1:04

Everything's going well, Scott, and it's good to talk to to catch up with you again, too. We were able to catch up a little bit before the show started. But I was excited to hear from you. Because I do think back fondly of meeting you. And you were sort of instrumental in sort of giving me my start. You know, I started doing your clubs. When I was just at the very beginning, and you had I don't know three clubs.

Scott Edwards: 1:33

Yeah, three clubs at the peak of my comedy success.

Unknown: 1:37

And I'll never forget, Scott, I've never told you this. So I'm gonna tell you the things I've never told you before. But I never. I'll never forget you gave me I don't know, I worked for you one time did some guests that and then I think you gave me like six weeks of work like two in each club. And, you know, they were opening spots in your clubs. And I I remember I pulled over called my dad from a payphone and told him that I made it.

Scott Edwards: 2:11

Okay, well, I've not been told that before, but I'll wear that was honor.

Cash Levy: 2:17

Yeah, no, I I'm thanking you. i You were you were, you know, you gave me confidence to have someone actually say we want to pay you for six weeks of telling jokes. I mean, that's really hard to now I had been I had been paid different gigs before, but I'd never booked that much one sit down. And also, you know, it's when you start standing comedy and you know that you don't know if it's gonna work and you don't know if you're gonna be able to make, you know, you can make your friends laugh. But can you make strangers laugh and other cities? You know what I mean?

Scott Edwards: 2:47

Well, yeah, and it's also a big jump to making even strangers laugh to making money at it being a pro.

Unknown: 2:55

Right? Having someone say I trust you enough to, to pay you I trust this is gonna work, the leap of faith by anybody at first, when you don't have a ton of experience. So I appreciated your vote of confidence. And it really did help give me the strength. And you know, later you were one of the first guys to feature me one of the first guys that headline me, so I always appreciated that. And I was still indebted to you for it. Well, you

Scott Edwards: 3:22

were one of the guys that we could always count on the audience always enjoyed you. You were young, enthusiastic, and always had very relatable material. But you know, you brought up a great topic. For the listeners. Why don't you tell? Tell me, how do you get started in comedy? I mean, what how did you make that decision to quit goofing off on stage and actually start doing it?

Cash Levy: 3:50

Well, I mean, for me, I am most isn't a movie where somebody says something like, I've got nowhere else to go, you know, like, I've got no other option. And I mean, like you almost have no other options. At a certain point. I really think that people that become comedians often had no other real thing that was going to work perfectly for them. And so I had to work or else they weren't going to survive as a person. There's all kinds of, I didn't want to have any one boss that I, you know, had to report to each day for eight hours, that wasn't going to work for me. I'm terrified of getting up super early in the morning, which I didn't factor in all the radio you have to do so that maybe I didn't think

Scott Edwards: 4:34

well, what age were you?

Cash Levy: 4:36

I was like 23 years old, and I was, you know, just jumping around doing open mics every single, every single chance I could and, you know, I had a little commitment to myself, which I think really helped. And I think in any walk of life, this could help you anything you do is I think is is Anything that's valuable that you do, you probably won't be good at immediately, or else it wouldn't be so pleasurable when you do get good at it. And I was sort of like, I'm not going to be too hard on my serve self, my first like 100 shows, I'm just going to go up, do my best and not be too hard on myself, because this isn't going to be an easy transition. And I was right. I mean, yeah, those first, those first five years, I don't know if I would wish those years on anybody. It's hard, you know,

Scott Edwards: 5:26

yeah. And I've done an online comedy course. And I've written a couple of books on comedy. And it's so true, that a lot of people think you can fall into it and just kind of breezed through. But it's a lot of hard work. And I'm always telling people young comics, especially that this is something that it is fun, it is creative, but you have to work at it. And I think that you made a good point that you have to just jump in and do it. I thought it was funny that you said that you didn't have any other choice. I've actually heard that from a couple of people that were kind of, you know, struggling with jobs or struggling with college. And comedy was kind of their breakout, and doing their open mics and getting up on stage. Gave them purpose. I don't know if that's overstating but it like you said it gave them a direction.

Cash Levy: 6:23

Yeah, absolutely. And I don't know, it seems like there's a couple different kinds of there's more than a couple. But there's, there's a few different jobs where there's the type of job where you don't think about it at all, once you get off work, you know, you work eight hours a day, and when you're off, you're off, you'd never think about it and those that have some, there's some good things about it. And then there's the job where you think about it 24/7. And you're never off, because you love it so much. And I think that's comedy for a lot of guys, you know,

Scott Edwards: 6:52

yeah, and we should let the audience in on a little we're going to talk about a little bit later in the podcast. But you're a very successful corporate comic, you've made a good living, doing shows in the corporate convention area, you also do a lot of audience interaction. I think you'd probably if you, I'm sure you've proven many times, are probably a terrific professional emcee. Because of the way you can relate and entertain and interact with an audience. But going back to the beginnings of comedy, do you remember your first joke or? I mean, you wrote some good, clean, relatable stuff, but do you remember how it started?

Unknown: 7:32

Yeah, my first joke was I actually did it on television, because I thought it'd be fun to do it again. Even though I then I was never doing it anymore. But my first joke, you might remember it, it was just gonna random. But it was like, I just got the weirdest fortune cookie today. It said a starship ride has been promised to you by the Galactic wizard. And I don't want to shock anyone here. But fortune cookies are starting to lose their credibility a little bit. I mean, what are the what are the odds? What are the odds that the galactic wizard would let me ride in his starship again, and just strange. And it was it was a fortune cookie actually got outside my first set at the holy city zoo in Lhasa in San Francisco, right people. It was the night that the holy city zoo closed. Their final is my first show ever. I basically closed down a club and my first night

Scott Edwards: 8:30

but just being back, but just being a small part of the history of that amazing room where Robin Williams and others got this is pretty they

Cash Levy: 8:38

really I know it was the final the final show they ever had. And it was my first show ever. Another funny story about standup which I you know, I don't know if you know this about me, but it's always been a hobby of mine to to sneak into come to sneak into concerts, sporting events have snuck into Super Bowls of snuck into NBA has been a big hobby of mine as a kid. And I started I used to sneak into blues bars because I like blues when I was really young. I was too young to get in. So I snuck in a lot of things in my lifetime. I've done you know, NBA Finals, the US Open finals. I've now extended it on sometimes I do it with with my wife and kids. I don't know if I should really reveal that. But anyway, so hobby.

Scott Edwards: 9:25

Hobby man.

Cash Levy: 9:28

Yes, yeah. And it continues to this day. I have a lot of different techniques for sneaking into places. But my first time I saw comedy show I snuck in through the kitchen area with my girlfriend. I was like 16 at the other cafe in San Francisco. Yeah. The feature Act was just unbelievable. And I remember thinking, you know, who could? How could anybody I remember feeling sorry for the headliner. I was like who could? Who could possibly Man, this show's over. Like, this guy is so funny he could follow. Yeah, how can I'm laughing as hard as I physically can I feel sorry, when the next guy came on, I was like, I thought the show was done. I can't believe this is continuing like this. And the next guy comes up and just kills and it's at the time an unknown Bell wasn't famous yet Jerry Seinfeld. And that was sort of what inspired me to do stand up. I was sort of like that's, that looks like fun. Well, who

Scott Edwards: 10:26

was the Do you remember who the feature act was?

Unknown: 10:30

I don't, I wish I did

Scott Edwards: 10:33

a great story. Because one of the things that of course, as a producer, when I book a show, I have an opening act, a Featured Actor, the headliner, and I expect each of them to be funny. But as the producer, it's also my job to make sure that the person following the the comic that's on stage now has to be able to top it, you have to take the audience on a trip, you can't go up in energy and then down. You know, for example, it would always be difficult to book someone like Stephen, right? Because you have to have the right setup ahead of him. Or it just to relate and take the conversation a little off track a bit, is if you have somebody that's really filthy, and drops a lot of F bombs up front, it can make it difficult for the clean, funny guys coming later. And those are things that producers have to think about each and every production. But seeing Jerry Seinfeld at age 16, I could see easily how that might influence you.

Unknown: 11:40

Yeah, and you know, Scott, you're one of the guys that thinks about that kind of thing. There's a lot of Booker's out there that are still out there that don't really even consider that. And it's really fascinating, because it's like, hey, that's just not a good setup. You know, you don't want to, you know, you look, you might love the music of James Taylor, you know, but you don't want to have him try to follow Metallica. You know what I mean? Like, it just doesn't, you know,

Scott Edwards: 12:07

it's a great analogy, but I'm sad to hear that my peers aren't as aware of how important that is. Because as a producer, whatever, it's a TV show a concert or a live stage show. And I've done hundreds of each is it's taking the audience, you know, it's all about the audience. I mean, I always treated the comics well and and tried to, I was kind of famous for not paying him well, but I treated him well. And, but it was about you know, making sure the audience not only got their money's worth, but wanted to come back. And you can only do that if you really work the system and and make that flow of energy and comedy work. Well, you brought it up, and I brought it up. So you're you're working a few stages. You'd hit the holy city zoo. How did you end up working for me? I'm sure you showcase. Do you remember? Yeah,

Cash Levy: 13:04

yeah, yeah, I traveled around and did guests that probably drove out there and did a guest that for you. And you were always, always nice to me. I was had a nice relationship with you. And I remember very specific things about working for you at your club. My favorite one of my favorite memories. And I don't know if you'll remember this or not, but it was a funny thing that we did. It was me. It was me, David Crowe. And I believe Scott Shannon, or another friend of mine, the three of us were working for you. And the first day it was like a Thursday, I think we went snowboarding that day. And do you remember this? Or no, I probably doesn't get out. But with snowboarding. So we go snowboarding that night. You asked what we had done that day. And he told you we had gone snowboarding it was in the springtime. And we could tell you were sort of bummed out that you know that you weren't able to come with us, you know, and we you know, you know you're you're working all day, we didn't even think to ask the owner of the club to come with us because we figured you we could tell. So then each day we come into the green room and we tell you a different thing that we did that day, right? Just to kind of read Roger a little bit. Right. So like, we're watching it so the next day we came in and we said that we went it was springtime. We said that we went whitewater rafting on the American River, right? And we can see sort of like wow, that sounds like you guys are having a fun fun trip. We can see you're sort of getting kind of more frustrated like these guys are paying these guys and all they're doing is this outdoor adventure right? And then the next day, the next night we came in right Can we went you know went back up and went jet skiing and we went on the you know Lake Tahoe area and we were just making up these things. The last night this was my favorite part. The last night we we said well I live skydiving today. And before we can even finish tell you about the skydiving. You just snapped. You were just like, god damn it. I'll be honest with you, I, I would have liked to have done some of these things, you know. And you go, you go when I got into this business, you made this little speech, it was very heartfelt. And I like you know how genuine you were you were like, Oh, my God in this business. I was. I was young and this is making me feel old. You guys are out jet skiing and going skydiving and you know, snowboarding and, and I'm stuck here doing this job. And you could have invited me we started laughing and told you the whole thing was all thing was a hoax. I mean, we pretty much hung out and watch TV at the condo every day. Yeah,

Scott Edwards: 15:49

that's a great story. And no, I don't actually remember. But I tried to push the negative things out. But no, actually,

Unknown: 15:56

it was only because we like to do that we were as you it really wasn't. But I you know, there were a lot of fun. Fun times I had at your club. I remember you had a boat, we take out on the river with the other comics. And, you know, you had a lot of fantastic comedians come through that I worked with that I learned so much from and you'd have like a party afterwards or something. And it was, you know, it was one of those. For me, it was the 90s. I know you'd talk on the show about the 80s. But this was more late 90s. In fact, I don't know if you remember this, but I was. I was one of the CO headliners for your Millennium show.

Scott Edwards: 16:35

That's awesome. I checked, you know so funny is that I just did an interview with Ellis Levinson and I and I've done some other kind of guys that worked for me just a few times. And so I'll go back, I have all my booking books. And I will look to see when I booked him so that I could kind of relate in the podcast interview. But when it came to cash Levy, I was like, man, he worked for me a lot. I'm not even going to need to check. And I knew you started off as an opening act major way to headliner which takes years. So we have lots of opportunities to work together. But you working the millennial show in 2000. I did not remember that. But I am not surprised because as I mentioned, you always were so entertaining for the audience. And a great guy to hang out with after the shows which is important to

Cash Levy: 17:26

I appreciate it was me. It was me. I have the poster somewhere. It was really a wonderful night. I really, my parents came, I still have a picture of me and my parents in front of the marquee there. And it was me and well Kelly Moran was on the show who I really became friends with that week. And you remember Kelly? Oh, yeah. I mean, great. I actually ended up. We met that week, I think and we ended up working together a bunch of other times. In fact, we were able to do a military tour for a month in Japan. The two of us and you know, we wrote songs for the tour and sang them together and all kinds of stuff. And then about a month or two after that tour ended. The we lost we lost Kelly it was it was a terrible thing. He really became a good friend of mine. Really a great, great guy.

Scott Edwards: 18:25

Yeah, it's always sad that you know, especially me because being a tad older, that the some of the people I got a chance to work with are no longer with us. I was very blessed to be able to work with soupy sales and Pat Paulsen, Graham Chapman from Monty Python and in some of these others that are long past and but there's a lot of not famous people. Kelly Moran Glen, super, there's been too many if you ask me. But it is also a privilege that we at least had the opportunity and the fact that you and Kelly became friends and got to tour together. And the fact that you were out entertaining the troops. That was one of the things I noted from your history, that not only did you become a very successful stage comic, I know that you went on and did lots of TV, you're now a really popular and successful corporate comic, but that you did get a chance to go out and entertain the troops. You went to Japan. But you did more than one military tour, right?

Unknown: 19:38

Yeah, a bunch of them went to Afghanistan, which was that was a real eye opener. I mean, this is back when there was a lot going on there. You know, there was a night where we spent the night in a bomb shelter who people were lobbing bombs into the to the camp. I mean, it was it was, you know what I find with the middle theory stuff is the more exciting the areas in terms of, you know, different skirmishes or wars or whatever, the crowds just get better and better, Scott.

Scott Edwards: 20:11

I guess when you're on death's doorstep, comedy is a nice relief. But I think it's not only appreciate it. Oh, yeah. And not only is it so cool that you did that and got to work with our troops. And that's so important. But also, being in a place it's getting shelled, really puts the real in reality, you know, that's true. It's not like watching a movie or seeing it on a TV show, you're there in the middle of it. And even though the odds are probably still really slim, if you're staying in a bunker, then you never know if that one shell could be have your name on it, as they say,

Unknown: 20:52

I know, I know. It's really, I admire the what those guys do. And it's funny because you go out there, and they're so thankful for us just being there for a week. And it's like, all I'm doing is lending this thing I do for a living for a week, but it's really not that unselfish compared to what they're doing. So it's, you know, it's even awkward that they're even thanking us, but we appreciate what they do. And that's some of the most rewarding stuff you can do. And, you know, in terms of loving this job I love. I also love doing benefits and that kind of thing. Like, it's just, it's fun when you I'd like to sort of to be honest, transition towards the end of my career into, I'm still doing a fair amount of clubs. Also, I have a podcast too. It's called the caching with TJ Miller, which is the reason Silicon Valley and different different movies, that type of thing. And we have a podcast together this, the premise of the show is that every week, I have a podcast every week, my guest cancels and TJ fills in. So just me and him.

Scott Edwards: 21:55

Well, I knew I knew about that wanted to ask you about it, I was gonna do it towards the end of this show, because I do want to make sure to plug your podcast. But what you're saying is that one of the great things about stand up comedy, not just you, but all professional entertainers is it does afford us an opportunity to give back whether it's

Unknown: 22:16

a thing Yeah, yeah. And that's the thing I really would like to transition, you start to look at this career, and you're like, how could you transition, I'd like to transition into starting to do more like even setting them up myself, maybe, you know, we could do this together and sometime, but because, you know, a lot more about promoting than I do and setting these things up. But I'd really like to do more benefits towards the end of my career.

Scott Edwards: 22:42

Yeah, it'd be fun to help him with that. And I totally agree. I still MC several fundraisers and I put together just earlier a couple months ago and put together a large fundraiser we raised almost $100,000 For Oh, wow. Yeah, special needs. Adult needs facility, my own Rotary Club I MC and help entertain it those we just had our big once a year fundraiser, and that raises about 60,000. And what it is, is you're able to take this gift that of gab we have you're much funnier than me, you're a comic, but we both have a knack of being able to interact with an audience. I mean, I know from knowing your act that you always have solid material to fall back on. But you are one of the few comics and there's not a large percentage that is very comfortable just interacting with an audience and getting a lot of comedy and humor that way. Did that come naturally? Or did you learn that?

Unknown: 23:51

Well, one thing that happens and there's two things I want to talk to you about now I keep bringing up funny topics. But I think what happens God is my jokes are working pretty well, early in my career in California. And then the further I go from California, the less the jokes would do well. And I remember I was in I remember, I was in Pensacola, Florida. Scott, I was getting eaten alive out there. I mean, I was just, I couldn't buy a laugh. I mean, they were

Scott Edwards: 24:21

just like regional comedy, right? Yeah, I

Unknown: 24:24

mean, those crowds just did not see eye to eye with me on what was funny and my jokes would work really well. Back home, but especially in a place like that if I went maybe too deep into the south. Anyway, I remember I was working with this guy and after a couple shows, he was like, Hey, man, this is hard to watch. You got to do something.

Scott Edwards: 24:47

He was having a little coming to Jesus moment with you.

Unknown: 24:52

He was really like, it was funny because this was a guy that would drink like a bottle of whiskey on stage every night. He had a guitar and was doing this Got a sort of everyman jokes and it's fine. They loved him. And he was sort of a good old boy and more power to him. He was killing. But he was he liked you know, we, we liked each other he was he was trying to be my friend and just be like, Hey, you gotta try something different. This is never going to those jokes are just not going to work out there. And so the following show I remember, like, Okay, I'm not going to do one joke that I've ever written before. I'm just going to make stuff up and ask the correct questions. And, you know, as that tour went on, because I think there was like, five weeks I was out there. It started to develop that style, I would just ask the crowd leading questions, and it would lead into what few jokes we're still working out there.

Scott Edwards: 25:41

But also mirror, I'm going to interrupt you and just say that one of the things we learned in comedy, and I was good at as an emcee, I never wrote material as a professional comic. But I was considered pretty funny on stage. But it was, yeah, it was the quick interaction, the quickness, the sharp wittedness that the audience doesn't expect. And you've honed that into an art form.

Unknown: 26:09

Yeah, well, no, you're you're good input, improviser. And I realized it was fun to and, you know, I, I really ended up doing it. And then, so I could ask questions based on a joke I was about to tell and just kind of, yeah, you were leading up, and then started to get to the point where I didn't really need to even do any jokes some nights. And I started to, to enjoy that very much, too. And, you know, I ended up actually David broke, produced the special, I ended up shooting a one hour special. And selling it, it was all improv, pretty much. That's what I ended up selling it. It's called Crowd Control, I ended up selling it this is to Mark Cuban with access TV, and he aired it for about three years. And it really helped me a lot, because a lot of people would see it, you know, went into all those millions of homes and people would see it and they'd hire me to do whatever any private stuff that was going on. Because it was almost all improv, which was very unorthodox to shoot a special like that. So I was really lucky to do that. Yes, that's

Scott Edwards: 27:17

what I was saying, as a producer. And I've done you know, three TV series and some specials and obviously worked a lot around the concert in television production. You never want a guy winging it. You know, you you want to know that he's got a set that he has material to fall back on, he's going to have a big close, you know, as a producer, if somebody came in and said, Well, I'm going to, you know, turn on the cameras, I'm gonna go up and wing it. Yeah, I would have been Friday

Unknown: 27:49

now that I know, that's why they were kind of given out comedy specials. And people were like, well, we don't we don't really we just came out saw you and we really laugh, but we don't know what you're gonna do from night to night. Maybe you should, maybe you should just produce it yourself and sell it. And that's what I did. I was one of the really smart really. Yeah, but you know, I wanted to one of the things got another thing that really helped me is terms of your influence you, you are always a real proponent, and you weren't a snob about it. I know you liked a lot of different types of comedy, I thought you had a great taste in different types of comedians. But you you early on, were very, like you wanted your opening act to be able to work clean, you know, and I thought that was, you know, you amongst a few different people were preaching that at that time. And I gotta tell you, it's really helped my career in terms of being able to work clean, because there's so many more things you can do, you can work, these corporate shows, or you can work, you know, cruises or you can do, you don't have to be like, Oh, I have to cut all these F bombs. And I have to, you know, cut that one piece of material that offends people every time. It really ended up being very helpful. So I appreciated that too. I remember you were definitely a guy that liked you would prefer it if a guy could work clean. And I think that makes a difference.

Scott Edwards: 29:11

No, well, I'm glad it made a difference in your life and your career. I did preach that pretty heavily because I felt that my clubs were a rooms and it was like university and somebody was about to go on and get their PhD, which means go on and do television or get a sitcom. And many of the guys that worked for me did that. And now there's a few exceptions, but normally, to really get TV and move on and have opportunities in corporate and specials. You have to be relatively clean and when somebody would go up and be a lot of dirty they go well I can clean it up. Well then you're trying to self edit in your brain while in front of the audience and it doesn't always work. Yeah, Today Yeah, speaking of that, you took that clean comedy. And I know that you did. Late Night with Craig Ferguson, you did Comedy Central. You were getting some TV spots. Yeah. How did that fit into your career? That's just before you were doing corporate, right.

Cash Levy: 30:17

Yeah, I mean, I moved to Los Angeles with the idea that, you know, if he can get a certain amount of television, then that's going to help, you know, you market yourself. I don't know if it matters as much now with all the things people are doing on the internet. But at the time, you know, even 10 years ago, before Netflix, I think getting on television was important to sort of established guy. And so I came down to LA and I've stayed down here. And I think once I sold that hour, and then I also have a dry bar special, which has been really wonderful to my career. And it's that got shot like 2017 or 18, or something.

Scott Edwards: 31:00

Yeah, I was gonna mention dry bar, because it was one of your later achievements. But everybody out there in the audience go to dry bar comedy and look up cash Levy, and you'll find his set. But before that, what were you doing with Fox Sports?

Unknown: 31:15

Well, yeah, I came to LA and I started doing stuff on fox sports. In fact, I had my own segment called cashes corner. And I would make sort of funny commentary about what was going on in the sports world. And then I started was at a crossroads Scott, because I, I got offered, I got, I got offered this sort of radio job in Houston, and sports radio, and I also was doing the Fox Sports stuff. And it was like, I want to transition and use my comedy to do the sports stuff. And I found that I just liked I liked doing stand up better. And I also liked, I didn't like being locked into one topic being sports. In terms of like, now you have to be funny and talk about Shaquille O'Neal or whatever, right? I like to come up with my own topics. And I kind of started go away from it a little bit where I was like, you know, I love my careers talking about other people. I kind of Yeah, but it was good to get those television spots and get to understand Hollywood a

Scott Edwards: 32:13

bit. Yeah, I think it's interesting for me, and hopefully, for my listeners, that here's a comic that was having success on the road starting to get some television spots. And you really came to a decision where you could have been in a lot of people we know have gone off and done something different. They became a professional public speaker, or they went into radio, or they went into TV commentary. And you had that option you were you were tickled with the opportunity to do television on a regular basis. But you knew it was going to make your niche much smaller. And I think you also you didn't mention it. But I would have guessed that you when you're doing television and radio, you lose that immediate response that love from the audience. That interaction today. Yeah, that can't replace it on on TV. But you're right, those successes, not only gave you opportunities and gave you that decision to make which other lot of people don't get so congratulations. But it also helped lock you in into the industry as a professional. And speaking of sports, this is the perfect time to bring it up. Ladies and gentlemen, cash levy is the creator of one of the longest lasting ear worms that my family has ever known. It's already been played on the podcast, I think I'm gonna play it again at the end of this interview. But you had this great bit, you want to kind of explain it? Or should I just tell how my wife still runs around the house singing it?

Unknown: 33:54

Yeah, it's just, you know, played at the end. And at the end of the show, I don't know where you got a clip of it. But it's, I gotta tell you, it was it was one of my first like, closers, because it was so weird. And that's all I could say. And it sounds like it stuck with you.

Scott Edwards: 34:12

Yeah, no, I haven't. You know, I recorded a lot of my shows, and I'm sharing them on the podcast, whether it was live stage shows, special events, like laughs in the park or my TV shows. And I have a set where you do the Sha Sha song, and for everybody in the audience. Cash is talking about the crazy support the college teams get. And he and you just had a way of doing the cheerleading song and it was Sha Sha Sha Sha Sha Sha. I mean, you're better at it than me. But it's so funny because 30 years later, if I mentioned your name to my wife, she's walking around the house, singing the song. It's incredible.

Unknown: 34:53

And I was telling you, it's still once every bloom and like I said, I'll be in the Midwest or somewhere close to South Vinny. abacus you know it's from the Notre Dame fight song. The joke is that there was a nine year old lady sitting behind us doing the fights on the whole game driving us crazy. And, and I want to wow. And I'm in the midwest of still like this do it. And I still enjoy doing it once every blue man. It was nice when I didn't have to do it every show, because why do you think it's driving you crazy? It was really, you know, for me,

Scott Edwards: 35:27

it was your own worst enemy. That's funny. Well, ladies and gentlemen in the podcast audience it after the interview, I always air a few minutes of material for my interviewee. And I will just edit in there the Sha Sha song because it is so memorable. And so cash Levy. So thanks for sharing that permanently with my family. So we talked about television and dry comedy bar and all your successes a corporate headliner you've been doing corporate for over a decade. And then you more recently started this podcast cashing in with TJ Miller, right?

Unknown: 36:08

Yeah, yeah. No, that's we've been doing it for about 10 years now.

Scott Edwards: 36:12

Oh, that long podcast? Starting?

Cash Levy: 36:16

I know. I know. And it's been a lot of fun we have we have a very loyal fan base, we call them a 12 and a half because we joke we only have 12 and a half listeners, but But we, we, they they're very well, we have things called catchphrases, you can go to catchphrases.org, where we coined these phrases on the show and then use them later. And people really use the phrases and soda we on the show. The show you almost have to listen in the middle episodes. And because there's so many callbacks to things that happened earlier. You know,

Scott Edwards: 36:57

sounds like you're having fun doing it. A lot of fun. 10 years, it's not a weekly podcast is it?

Unknown: 37:03

It's we've been doing it every other week, during the pandemic, we you know, we did it a bit more just because we were able to but we did it virtually. But usually it's every other week now. And you know, the catchphrases are sort of like any given example, like we'll make up these phrases that you know, here's when it clicked just interrupt us. That's when you interrupt sex to go watch an eclipse

Scott Edwards: 37:32

clip just interrupt us. I'll have to remember that.

Unknown: 37:35

Yeah, so you know, there's things like that where we come up with these funny phrases that mean different things. And it's fun because the people come up to us meat, you know, they'll come up to me after the show and they'll they'll be speaking another language. If you didn't listen to the show. They'll be like people say what was what was he talking about? Well, that's been a fun ride. And I'm glad you're doing the podcasting because it podcasting is a whole different world. It's been a really fun, a fun ride. It's it makes a lot of sense for people to be able to listen whenever they want, and get a little more risque if it needs to. You know, it's a great, it's a great genre. I really have enjoyed it.

Scott Edwards: 38:14

Yeah, for me, it was the quick story was I'd written a book about my 40 years on the fringes show business. And I'm boring my listeners, because they've heard this a few times. And Jill just laughed at me and said, No one's gonna read your stupid book. And you got to do a podcast. I'm like, What's a podcast right? And did my research and I launched in March of 2020. And it turned into it was it was really for me to reconnect with people like you and in share the comedy and the stories from the 80s 90s in on, but I also feel that now that I've just produced my 100th episode that will be out. It'll be out before this one airs. And it's really becoming a history of stand up comedy from what we call the Rock and Roll Arabs of stand up and I I'm kind of proud of that. It's been so fun. Talking to people everybody from we'll Shriner and Yakov Smirnoff to you and Ellis Levinson and Steve Bruner, people that may not know your names, but you know, tremendously successful stand up comics. Well, everybody out there, make sure you check out cashing in with TJ Miller, the podcast that cast levy is doing and you're on dry comedy bar. Now. Anything in 2022 coming up that you're excited about any new projects.

Unknown: 39:41

There's some upcoming dates, I guess that are down on the schedule right now. You come see me at the MGM in Las Vegas. April 4 through 10. Awesome. Yeah. MGM I met in Appleton, Wisconsin at the comedy club there March 17 through 19. Oh, I'm not sure when you'll hear this. I'm just saying 19

Scott Edwards: 40:00

Oh, no, but the good thing, right? The good news cache is that people that enjoyed this interview and maybe want to go out and catch a set still can see you live in the MGM in Vegas, that's a great room to work and work in clubs around the country. And of course, you have dry comedy bar. So there's really lots of ways to see cash levy performing. And I gotta say, I was honored with the job of hiring you as a opening act, watching you develop into a very tremendous, tremendously successful headliner. And now, these decades later, knowing that you've had a great career is a stand up comic, as a television personality is a corporate guy. And now a very successful podcaster it I mean, you really have to say that stand up comedy was the right path for you. I'm gonna go back to what you mentioned about how you could have gone off into sports and television. I think that what are you are now is kind of proved you made the right choice.

Unknown: 41:11

I appreciate it, Scott. I mean, I really only have one regret in my career and that's not inviting you on our snowboard rafting Jesse.

Scott Edwards: 41:22

Great Call back buddy. Well, thanks so much for doing this podcast. Ladies and gentlemen, sit back and enjoy some tremendous stand up comedy and the Shawshank song, ladies and gentlemen, this has been cashed levy on my great interviewee today cash. Thanks so much for doing this.

Unknown: 41:43

Thanks for having me scotch. I stick around after we finished and say hello. Yeah.

Scott Edwards: 41:47

All righty. All right, ladies and gentlemen, here comes to comedy.

Cash Levy: 41:52

Do we have any allergenic people up front today? Anybody? Yes. What are you allergic to man? Cats grass does mighty fine I'm not sure you should be out this evening. I think some of those creatures might be out. She's she's pulled her inhaler out. It's a unique moment for a show like this. I have my inhaler. I'm allergic to comedy town. Went to the funny farm when I sneeze the whole time because I'm allergic goats they kicked me out. I couldn't go to the it's awesome. What happens to you when you like see? What was it? A nice rack? What would it? Well, I don't know how you live here because there's dogs everywhere. Man. I saw a cat walking a dog. You have three cats and a dog. Yeah, that doesn't seem like good house planning. He's like, Okay, I'm allergic to stuff. Let's put them all in the house with me. Now complain about it all the time. But I can get an inhaler and show it to 400 people. That's awesome. What happens to you? Is like your what happens? Do you blow up or fluttering? sneezing? Do you think your cats know how allergic you are? Maybe you should take that inhaler and spray them in the face. Instead of putting your own mouth to start getting rid of the animals that way. Maybe you should carry mace. It doubles. Yeah. What's your name? You mean? You mean very interesting creature. There have been times tonight where the show is just felt like one big cruel practical joke with a wonderful group that says I had an interesting year, you know with snowboarding up in your mountains. That was fun. I love snowboarding. I love the lingo that the snowboarders are out there. They're out there Trenton get gnarly they'll yell things at you and you don't know what they're saying. You know this is good yellow means like nice still fished and they still fish and like gnarly torque together. Do you guys like awesome crabcakes excellent beam them they're very poetic. This guy came up to me in the forest he's like to shred or not to shred. That is the question whether just gnarlier in the pipe to some of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune by ripping an old school out of the gym bucking rail slide. If you take arms against a sea of troubles fabricating effect Pressey revert half Coronavirus there's the rub my gnarly big pants and cousin didn't hesitate. I said two half pipes diverged in a wood knife I took the pipe less traveled by a lot of good football games today. This year I went to my first Notre Dame football game. It was great. A lot of fun but there was this old lady sitting behind us singing the entire game driving us crazy. Every time the band would play. She'd pipe up 90 year old lady right in our ear the entire game driving us crazy how taka taka taka taka taka Prakash? To talk to you Cha cha cha cha cha cha says entire game. She's driving us crazy. I can't sleep anymore wake up middle of the night she's hovered above me with a pom pom so I thought I'd bring the sickness to people here tonight you don't remember a word I say one of you is going to wake up middle of the night think the Cheshire lady should have like a greatest hits house. Kato presents all your favorite classics by the shot lady. Sha Sha Sha Sha Sha Sha Sha fresh fresh fish that was difficult give me a song. Give me a song. Duke of Earl what century are you from? Ancient Egyptian music sing it now chuckle monkey what um can I find Duke of Earl on medieval classics let's see. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo kava all

Announcer: 48:06

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