New York based comedian Sam Morril is bringing his Class Act Tour to the Turner Hall Ballroom this Sunday, March 5.
The prolific comedian has released three specials and a documentary in the last three years, the latest being “Same Time Tomorrow” (2022), released this past summer on Netflix.
He can also be heard on a number of podcasts as the host of “We Might Be Drunk” with fellow New York comedian Mark Normand. Fittingly, the two hosts recently released their own brand of rye whiskey, Bodega Cat.
On his newest podcast, “Games with Names,” with former New England Patriots wide receiver and 2018 Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, the hosts bring on players, coaches and celebrity fans to relive classic games. The show has featured guests such as Eli Manning, Adrian Peterson, and David Ortiz, and covers match-ups from the NFL to the WWE.
He recently appeared on “That’s My Time with David Letterman” on Netflix, where the esteemed late-night host brings on a selection of stand-ups to perform and chat. He performed a set and talked with Letterman about performing shows on rooftops in New York during the shutdown, which he documented in his special, “Up on the Roof” (2020).
Morril gave an interview with the UWM Post to discuss touring, podcasts and a bit of basketball. Morril will be playing the Orpheum Theater in Madison, March 4, and the Turner Hall Ballroom, March 5. Tickets for the Milwaukee show are available here.
Q: You posted a picture with Giannis Antetokounmpo the other day, is there a story behind that?
A: We just became best friends overnight, and I’m not looking back. I think this is the start of a possible bromance with no end in sight.
Q: Do you think he’d go to the Knicks?
A: Look, I hate to break the heart of Milwaukee, but I floated it out there and he did not seem to be displeased with the suggestion. Enjoy it while you can, we’re doing it the right way. With Giannis on the Knicks they’re the best team in the NBA right now.
Q: Do you think they got a shot in the playoffs? The championship?
A: The playoffs, they’re the five-seed, of course. I think we got a shot at more than the playoffs. I don’t know, we’ll see.
Q: You’ve done a lot with sports over the years (People Talking Sports, Pod Don’t Lie), you got this new show, “Games with Names.” How did you get in touch with Julian Edelman and how did the show come about?
A: It was their idea, they just wanted a New York comic and I was interested. It sounded like fun, so we got a drink just to check if we vibed. You know, burgers, beer, pretty chill. It was a good energy, he’s a good guy.
Q: Do you have any standout moments from the podcast so far?
A: The Eli Manning ep was pretty great. That was a pretty good one, you know, classic game, beating the 18-0 Patriots. That was pretty fun. So many of the guests have been good so far so its tough to pick, but he was definitely up there for me because I’m a Giants fans.
Q: Do you have any big games you’re hoping to be able to discuss?
A: I would love to get Walt Frasier on, and talk about the Willis Reed Game. That was pretty epic. Frasier scored I think 36-19 in that game, game 7. That’d be a pretty cool one.
Q: So Milwaukee is big beer city and you host “We Might Be Drunk.” Do you have a favorite beer?
A: Beer is not my favorite, I’m more of a whiskey or wine drinker. Those are my go-tos. I guess if I were to drink a beer it’d be a Yuengling or something like that. I like a Guinness.
Q: Favorite cocktail?
A: Manhattan is my favorite cocktail. But I don’t like it up, I like it on the rocks. I’m not a big fan of the martini glass for a Manhattan, it’s far too dangerous a drink for that glass.
Q: You and you’re “We Might Be Drunk” co-host Mark Normand put a out a whiskey, Bodega Cat Whiskey. What was the process like for that?
A: We got sent a lot of whiskeys to sample. We did like bracket style, like this one moves on, this one doesn’t. And then you end up like, ‘that one’s pretty good but this one is good, maybe we should try it again.’ Even though you’re not supposed to swallow all of it we were pretty wasted by the end. But I still think we went with the right choice.
Q: There’s a lot of comedy content out there today with podcasts and social media. Is it hard balancing that with also coming up with new material for tours and specials?
A: Yeah it’s pretty damn hard. I really don’t care for it, to be honest. I feel like the older generation doesn’t really get it, how much we have to do. We’re expected to put out more material than ever and we’re expected to do more promotion than ever. If you told me I never had to do a podcast ever again, tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss it for a second. I just want to be a stand-up. I’m sick of talking. I’m basically like, well I guess therapy’s gonna go, because the other ones are making me money. And I’m sick of sitting down in therapy like ‘oh I gotta carry this shit too.’
Q: Does comedy feel like it’s back to pre-covid? Is anything still different?
A: It feels pretty good. It’s a weird thing for me to weigh in on because my career is in a different place than it was pre-covid. Things were going well for me pre-covid but now they’re going much better. We’re on a theater tour so it’s pretty damn cool to be in these venues. And they seem pretty good, people are out. It seems back.
Q: Do you notice a difference in crowds or atmosphere, clubs versus theaters?
A: Theaters are much better. I’m definitely a club comic in my core, that’s how I got good at this, and that’s how I learned to do stand-up. They feel, like velvet seats, you just feel like its more of a thing, it’s more impressive. Just by being in that atmosphere, a crowd is better behaved. They listen better, they’re like this guy can sell this many tickets, he must be somebody. Even if it’s like a friend of a friend who is a fan of mine. It commands more respect for the show. And the same goes for me, I take every show seriously but obviously if I’m working on stuff I’m more likely to work on it in the smaller venue than I am in the one with a ton of people. Maybe I’m doing more tickets in a weekend at a club than I am in one show in a theater, like I’m in and out, but they don’t realize that.
Q: I wanted to ask you about your documentary, Full Capacity, about comedy coming back post-Covid in New York. What was that like? Was that self-produced?
A: Yeah, I self-produced it. I think it was just something I wanted to capture. I can’t watch it again, it’s not something I can ever watch, for a lot of reasons. I don’t like anything that reminds me of covid. I’m not really selling this very well right now. That was a really difficult time for I think everybody. For entertainers it was very frustrating because it was just so hard to work. That time was kind of joyous, but we were still pretty nervous about how to go about moving forward with our careers. We didn’t know if it was going to be a tease, if it was back to normal. Looking at the big plastic dividers, like what the fuck are we doing? It’s really weird just reliving that and looking at that.
Q: You recently appeared on “That’s My Time with David Letterman.” Was that a big moment for you?
A: That was a pretty cool moment. Letterman is such a legend and he’s such a good guy. That was pretty special. He’s an icon, you know. Sitting down and just chatting with him, him being interested in what I’m doing, is pretty cool. That’s a pretty significant moment in a comedian’s career. A lot of comics did his show when he was doing four episodes a week and I do his show when it’s something rare for him, so I felt like he gave it even more attention and enthusiasm than he would maybe a regular interview.
Q: This isn’t your first time playing Milwaukee, Have you gotten to spend much time in the city?
A: A little bit, it’s a pretty cool city, it’s kind of surprising. I feel like people don’t really talk about it but it’s a good time. That sounded like I was negging you guys. I’ve had some good times there, it’s a beautiful city.