Think of Jeffrey Ross as your worst friend. The “roastmaster general,” as he’s been dubbed by the New York Friar’s Club, has welcomed a who’s-who of pop-culture inflatables to his Comedy Central roasts, from Hugh Hefner, William Shatner and Pamela Anderson to the upcoming Joan Rivers roast on Aug. 9.
We talked to Ross in advance of his Comedy Works South sets today and Saturday about the perils of roasting, his upcoming book and why there’s an art to being harsh.
Q:Have you ever roasted someone and suddenly felt like you’d gone over a line?
A: I usually worry about that beforehand. Once I say it, I feel like I own it, and I don’t hold back, and I don’t regret it or apologize. It’s more about the hemming and hawing before the show. Just this week I was roasting Joan Rivers and a couple of answers in my head — I wasn’t sure if I could get away with them. After a certain point you just make an executive decision and stand behind it.
Q:What was the Joan Rivers joke?
A: I did a joke talking about her face: “Now we know where Michael Jackson’s nose is.” Somebody taught me in a comedy class way back when that if it doesn’t offend somebody somewhere, it’s probably not funny.
Q:Who’s your favorite person you’ve ever roasted?
A: The honest truth is that I have fond memories about all of them. It’s always about who’s next, because the process of preparing for the roast is so much fun. It’s about trying out jokes on people, buying a new suit, getting a haircut. The whole process is a blast. I hang up their pictures around my house for a couple weeks because I want the jokes to combine their career and their appearance.
Q:Who was your least favorite roast?
A: I’m so careful to roast people that I have affection for. My book that’s coming out is called “I Only Roast the Ones I Love,” so if you’re careful to pick a target that has a thick skin and nothing to lose, you’re going to be OK.
Q:Do you think TV’s language barriers have dulled the impact of the harsh, exclusive roasts of the old days, when people like Buddy Hackett and Don Rickles just went off on people?
A: I think TV heightens it. The roasts have evolved from this Friar’s Roast or the old Dean Martin roasts into this cross between a comedy show and a hockey fight. I’m not just trying to do great jokes; I’m also trying to instigate trouble. TV has elevated and heightened the intensity of it.
Q:It seems like “roasting” has become so popular that it’s almost become a generic term these days.
A: At first, the old guard gave me some grief about letting the cameras into our secret society, but I’m glad roasting is becoming very popular. It’s the new national pastime, like baseball or NASCAR.
Q:Do you roast anyone in your stand-up sets?
A: People sort of expect me to come out swinging with my stand-up, so it’s given me a license to kill. I get a lot of goodwill going into the show because people feel like it’s an honor if I make a crack about them. People are scrambling to get those seats in the first row, kind of like “Let’s Make a Deal.”
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
JEFFREY ROSS.
Stand-up comedy. Comedy Works South at the Landmark, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village. Today-Saturday. Various. $30. 720-274-6800 or
