By: Robert Cavuoto
Don Jamieson is one of the hardest working comedians in the biz! He just released his second comedy album on March 18th, Hell Bent for Laughter, he co-hosts the popular heavy metal talk show; That Metal Show on VH1 Classic and appears on Beer Money, a fast-paced, non-traditional sports quiz show airing on cable TV’s SNY [SportsNet New York].
Don began his writing and stand up career nearly two decades ago as one of the young and talented comedy minds at MTV, helping to launch the careers of comics like Jon Stewart, Kevin James, Pauly Shore and Tom Green. Amongst his many accomplishments, he won an Emmy for his work on HBO’s “Inside the NFL.”
I had the opportunity to sit with down with Don on the set of That Metal Show, just moments before the infamous interview with Peter Criss of Kiss about the Hall of Fame debacle. The interview is an inside look about all things metal and how Don found a way to combine all his passions into one outlet – That Metal Show.
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Robert Cavuoto: Tell me about your career in stand-up comedy and how it led to working on That Metal Show [TMS] and Beer Money.
Don Jamieson: Well, I started doing comedy when my TMS co-host, Jim Florentine, got me into it. You always hope that someday you will incorporate all your interests into what you like to do. As my comedy career was building, I kept thinking, how I can incorporate hard rock and heavy metal into it. Then we met Eddie Trunk and pitched the idea to VH1 Classics about a silly little show. Here we are 13 seasons later.
Robert: Were you and Jim friends with Eddie prior to pitching to VH1 Classics?
Don Jamieson: No, we were both fans of Eddie’s radio show. We used to drive home from comedy gigs and listen to his late night radio shows. We would be “Man, we gotta meet this guy. He just talked about Saxon for half-an-hour. He’s just like us.” We started guesting on Eddie’s radio show, and that’s where we started to say, “Hey, we kind of got something here.”
Robert: Then as a team you came up with the idea of putting TMS together?
Don Jamieson: Eddie was already hosting a show on the VH1 Classic, so he said, “We could definitely pitch to them.” So we went in, and that’s basically how the show got started.
We had a couple of pieces of paper stapled together with some ideas and broke each other’s balls for half an hour. [Laughter]
Robert: Did you think it would ever last for 13 seasons?
Don Jamieson: Honestly, no, I thought we’d meet Lita Ford, make a thousand bucks and that would be the end of our TV career. I would have been happy with that. [Laughter]
Robert: Tell me a little bit about your relationship with Eddie and Jim after 13 seasons. You must know each other extremely well to as work seamlessly as you do.
Don Jamieson: The three of us are genuinely the best of friends. It was funny when we first started and were breaking each other’s chops on the air, people who knew Eddie would say, “Why do you let those guys talk to you that way?”
And then the people who knew Jim and me from the comedy site would say, “Why have you got that guy on there? You guys should just do it.”
It took a while for people to realize that we’re all best friends. We’re from New Jersey, so the only way we know how to show affection if to bust balls. [Laughter]
Robert: The three of you really work well together, do you rehearse for the show?
Don Jamieson: We don’t. We’ve always said we have to do the show like we’re just sitting backstage chatting with someone who just got offstage. It has to be comfortable to everyone. A place to hang, chat and see where the conversation goes. The tricky part is having three interviewers.
We’ve all sort of learned to be able watch each other out of the corner of our eye for visual cues, like “Okay, like I know Jim’s got a question on deck here.” And then defer to him, so that’s been the thing to work out. But as far as the topics, we’re just fans. So I think we ask the same questions that any fan would want to know.
Robert: You just put out a new comedy CD, Hell Bent for Laughter, where you poke fun at metal bands. Was there any concerns that some of these rock stars may be upset resulting in repercussions to TMS?
Don Jamieson: I haven’t heard back from anybody, but I say on the CD these are all bands that I love. You always pick on the things that you love.
I love and respect all the bands that I talked about. Heavy metal, in general, is always good fodder for comedy. And most bands have a great sense of humor about themselves. I don’t think Tommy Lee is going to get mad at me, talking about how big his penis is. [Laughter] It’s all in good fun.
I also talk about my relationship where a lot of comics will comment about how their wife or their girlfriend is a pain in the ass. Mine’s the opposite. My girlfriend is way out of my league. I’m like Lyle Lovett when he went out with Julia Roberts.
It’s great being on Metal Blade Records. It’s not only a great heavy metal label, but with bands like Cannibal Corpse; they’re not going to ask me to tone down my materials.
(L to R) Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Eddie Trunk.
Robert: You did a parody on Judas Priest’s, Hell Bent for Leather cover.
Don Jamieson: The first album I did with Metal Blade Records was called Live and Hilarious, which was a parody of a Thin Lizzy album, one of my favorite bands. I said, “Well, let’s do it again.” So it’s becoming less a tribute to my favorite bands as much as, “I dare you to sue me.”
Robert: On TMS there is a segment where you have a lightening round of questions you ask your guest to give the first response that pops in their head. I’m going to turn the tables on you now.
Robert: Who has been your favorite guest so far?
Don Jamieson: Ted Nugent.
Robert: Funniest guest?
Don Jamieson: Brian Johnson from AC/DC. Sometimes you couldn’t even understand what he was saying with his heavy accent, but you’re just cracking up laughing anyway.
Robert: Most jaw dropping guitar players on the show?
Don Jamieson: John 5. He makes those 30-second segments into their own concert.
Robert: A guest you would most like to see on the show?
Don Jamieson: Maybe one of the Van Halens. Eddie Van Halen sent us an amp for our guest guitar players, so maybe we’re getting closer. Maybe he’ll send a shoe next time, or a pair of pants.
Eventually, we’ll have the whole Eddie. I’d love to have Eddie come on. I think he’s in a good place now. Van Halen is back in the spotlight. Obviously, there’s a million things to talk about with him, and he’s a big request from the fans.
Robert: Was there a guest that you were so excited to meet that you were nervous?
Don Jamieson: It’s funny; I’ve never been the kind of person who gets nervous or star struck, because I know they’re coming. If I just showed up here and they go, “Okay, today you’re going to interview Alice Cooper,” I would be like a 13-year-old schoolgirl. The Coop’s just one of my all-time favorites, and he’s such a sweetheart guy. Knowing they’re coming helps. If they just walked in I’d be like, “What do I do, what do I say?”
Robert: Has there ever been an outrageous moment or situation on the show that had to be cut?
Don Jamieson: For some reason we always end up talking about people’s penises. A lot of that is left on the cutting room floor.
Robert: Do you play guitar?
Don Jamieson: Yes, badly. I’ve become more of a collector now. I’m up to about eight or nine guitars. At a certain point when I was in college my playing, plateaued out. I’ll leave it to the people who are really committed to doing it. Yngwie Malmsteen is going to play guitar on our show this season, and I could never touch that. I’ll leave it to him to show everybody how it’s done.
Robert: Do you know the answers to “Stump the Trunk” before fans ask Eddie?
Don Jamieson: I see some of the answers because some of the questions are pre-written. As great as our fans are, they come in with these questions written on a wet napkin. We also want to be able to have time to fact check the answers. I get to see a handful of them. Eddie is the master of metal trivia.
Robert: So there’s no potential competition brewing between the two of you down the road?
Don Jamieson: No, it’s more for trying to throw him off track. It’s to instigate, while he’s trying to think, and throw him off his game. It usually doesn’t work.
Robert: Where do you see the show going in the next few years? How do you see it evolving?
Don Jamieson: I think just continue growing the way it is, which is expanding as far as the scope of the guests. We’ve had more modern bands on like Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and Slipknot.
We’ve also gone old school into the classic rock realm with Paul Rodgers, Styx, Heart, Leslie West, and Mick Jones from Foreigner this season. Just continually branching out into anything that’s guitar-driven music.
