TJ Miller and I grew up together. He was the year below me all throughout middle school and high school. But we were never really “friends,” per se. We were aware of each other – both kind of known as the funny guy in our respective circles, and thus aware of the funny guy in other circles – but we didn’t hang out much. We just were friendly. Then we kind of became reacquainted with one another through comedy and suddenly we were better friends than ever before. But we never really have talked about it too much: knowing each other at our awful, private, lily-white middle school, then at our amazing, public, Benetton-level-diverse high school, and now, as comedians. Until this episode. I sat down with TJ in his parent’s backyard and we got into it. And then some. TJ is one of the smartest, most empathetic, thoughtful people I have the pleasure of knowing and to have this conversation was not only overdue, it was cathartic. Not that we had some shit to get up off our chests or anything, more just that there were some assumed things between us that we’ve never talked about really and it felt great to do just that.
And then TJ I got pretty damn serious and talked about the hellish things we’ve been through with a candor, that frankly, I haven’t been able to find with many people. The subject matter weirds them out, makes them uncomfortable and is not a topic they generally want to plunge into. But TJ was game. And he offered some real wisdom. More than anything he was just a sympathetic ear for me on this podcast and I thank him for it. Not many people you can get into it like that with, but TJ is one of them.
Simply put, this is without doubt one of my favorite episodes of this podcast. I could go on and on about TJ’s accomplishments, his movies, how amazing he is as a stand-up, his borderline, performance-art brilliant morning talk-show appearances, but instead I’ll just reiterate what a joy it was to talk to TJ. In the middle of the city that we were both born in and love, with the sounds of construction, and trucks backing up, and honking horns, and city life going on in the background. The whole thing was very Denver. Denver. He’s from Denver.
And I am too. Ain’t that something else?
Enjoy this episode and enjoy this video TJ made about Denver back in the day with the Nix Brothers. It’s the best.
Check out the episode on iTunes here.
thanks for the discussion. I lost my brother suddenly at the age of 48 and I am trying to come to grips with death. Discussing it and trying to understand it helps. I feel the little annoyances or aggravations of existence are not as bothersome as before when I let it bother me. Life can be good – it is what it is so make the most of what life has to offer us now. And learn from each other. peace
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