The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Dave Hill

Episode Date: December 5, 2023

Comedian and writer Dave Hill joins Andy Richter to discuss his experience playing hockey in Kenya, out-shredding John Mayer on TikTok, the power of delusional confidence, and his new book, “The Awesome Game: One Man's Incredible, Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey.”

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to The Three Questions. I'm your host, Andy Richter. Today, I am talking to Dave Hill. Dave is a friend of mine. He's a comedian, writer, and a shredding musician. His new book, The Awesome Game, One Man's Incredible Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey is out now, and you can find his live dates at davehillonline.com. Dave joined me via Zoom in New York City. Here's my conversation with the great and hilarious Dave Hill. Hello, Andy. Thanks so much for having me. Oh, I'm happy to have you. I haven't seen you in a long, long time.

I know. I was thinking about it. I was like, when have I seen Andy in the flesh? I think it was Sketch Fest in San Francisco. I think so. Yeah, that would have been the last one. I don't know if it was the time when we went to get oysters. We did. We went to Swanan's oyster depot that's a shout out to swans yeah yeah we had a lovely morning it was a lot of fun we really did i i love oysters i mean i love eating them but i like the idea of eating them because if you're eating oysters you know you're just kicking back like no one's like i have surgery just let me

grab a dozen oysters real quick and i'll get right back in there uh don't close grandma's casket yet i'm not done with my oysters well i think i have a theory that whenever you can eat a creature in whole you know in toto it's it's thrilling you know yeah i think there's just something about that or you know or maybe it's or or like you know because i find like sort of soft shell crab to be thrilling too because it's like you're eating a monster basically yeah you're yeah but i mean that's the thing you're eating a bug basically uh right i like soft shell crab too because you can just shove the whole thing in your face and it's like have you ever gone like in maryland where you're sitting around and it takes you like 15 minutes to get like a morsel of crab and everyone's like isn't this the greatest and you're cutting your

fingers on the shells and all then the old bay seasoning gets in the wound and everyone's like oh this is it this is why i come down to the shore right yeah for like uh all this work yeah all this work too much work over protein, uh, ratio for me. Yeah. Oh yeah. I liked when I, any meal, I just want to shove, shovel it in. I don't like, uh, fondue. I don't like hibachi situations.

That's why you did so much tail is because that's exactly right. Table manners. Yeah. I, I, you know, I, well, you know, I, well, you know, I'm, I, you know, I take a, take a lady somewhere where she can just strap on the feed bag. You know, we get, we go to Golden Corral. Sure. She wants fried chicken. I want a fried rice.

We're both going to be satisfied. You're both, you're both fried. Yeah. Well, how, I i mean you're here because you have a book coming out about hockey i do and you're wearing a hockey jersey no less i am i'm really pandering i would i would have you know dressed as a gentleman for you which i you know is you normally probably think of me but i i was earlier i was doing canadian television uh so i figured i would wear the jersey and i'm wearing this jersey as the kenya ice lions wow it looks

kind of uh reggae it has kind of reggae colors and it's got the isn't that sort of like a highly salasi sort of lion there. Yeah, exactly. And they're the only team in all of Kenya, playing on the only rink in all of Kenya. And I got a hold of these guys and asked them if I could swing by and play with them. So I went to Kenya, and I thought I was going to completely dominate them as a quarter Canadian who's been skating since the age of three.

Yeah. I thought, I'll go school these kids on hockey. Right. Teach them a lesson they'll never forget. But I was mistaken. They kicked your ass? Yeah. I mean, in my minor defense, their ice rink was closed.

It hadn't reopened since COVID. So they were playing roller hockey. The rink, of course, opened like two weeks after I was closed. It hadn't reopened since COVID, so they were playing roller hockey. The rink, of course, opened like two weeks after I was there. Yeah. And so I was like, fine, I'll kick your ass playing roller hockey. No problem. Even though I'd never played roller hockey before. Yeah.

And. Is it really that much different? Yeah, I mean, because there's a ball instead of a puck, and the ball is bouncing around. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, the stopping and start. You can a puck, and the ball is bouncing around, and the stopping and start. You can't really stop and start the way you do on the ice. But I think the bigger factor at play was that I was literally 25, 30 years older than everyone else playing. Yeah.

These guys are all in their late teens, early 20s. That'll do it. They're like, these guys are all in their late teens, early 20s, you know? That'll do it. And another factor, if I may keep making excuses, when you go out to a bar in Kenya, this is something I found to be delightful most of the time. When you order a beer in Kenya, they bring you two every time, unless you look them in the eye and beg them to bring you just one so you know at first you're like oh sure what the heck and then you order another round and

then by the end of the night you've had what was supposed to be a gentlemanly couple beers you've had like eight beers yeah and i did this every night with these because i was going i was like i went out with these guys in their 20s every night yeah well i was there and i was like sure i can hang hang with you guys no problem and uh so by the time we actually got to playing hockey i was really uh pretty rough hungover yeah just playing in a parking lot in downtown nairobi with like literally hundreds of people watching like sitting along this wall like eating ice cream and and like an ice cream guy would like push his cart right through the middle of the game like Like with no, just, we'd be playing. He'd be like, yeah, I'm serving this guy over on the other side of the

fence, one side cream. So. Yeah. What are you going to do? Go all the way around? Yeah. No, who has time for that? Well, let me get the name.

The book is entitled the awesome game. One man's incredible globe crushing hockey odyssey. And it's coming out the 24th which that's a tomorrow we're speaking on the 23rd so by the time this gets out everyone well it'll probably be sold out at most booksellers that's the hope that's the hope i was just in canada and i did a show i was on i don't know if you heard about the media blitz I did in Canada. No, I didn't. But the book came out a week early everywhere with the United States. It was held back a week here just to monitor side effects, stuff like that.

But I did a show in Canada my last night in Toronto, and they brought out a bookseller from a local bookstore. night in Toronto and they brought out like a bookseller from a local bookstore and right before I went on stage you know because the thinking was that everyone would buy the book and I would sign them after the show and then someone came back and they're like hey the bookseller's leaving they have to go home because it was like nine o'clock and so the host is uh hilarious guy tim gilbert went on stage and said hey uh it's nine o'clock the bookseller is leaving i don't know what the point of my story is but all by way of saying it's sold out by nine o'clock in canada you can no longer get the book in can. Everyone had to rush. Yeah. They had to rush and get it. Well, tell me, I mean, now you, you're from, you're from Cleveland

and I also, and from what I, cause I'm not that familiar with hockey. I mean, I'm not a big, I'm not a big hockey fan. I grew up in Chicago and there was always the Blackhawks and, uh, in my absence, my mother, for some reason has has become a big Blackhawks fan because I think it's the violence that she likes the most. Sure. But now Cleveland hasn't even had a team for a long, long time, right? An NHL team. Not since the 70s. We had a team for two years.

That was it. since the 70s had we had a team for two years that was it so and I went to one game when I was you know six years old or whatever and uh yeah then they split down town and that was it we've had minor league teams since then but uh yeah it's a it's not a big hockey town but I did when I went to that game when I was a little kid, my grandfather, my dad took me to this game, and there was this player, Len Frigg,

he actually played for the Blackhawks at one point, but he's just kind of a journeyman NHL player, and he was the first player I ever saw up close, so his name was just burned on my brain my whole life. I would just kind of be like, where's Len Frigg now? What's he doing? So now with that big advance, the big publishing advance, I was like, it's time. I'm going to track him down.

And I paid. I just went on the internet. And you know those address sites like it's it's kind of frightening i would just paid five dollars and find me len frig yeah and it was just guy came up it seemed you know 70 years old i was like yeah he'd be about 70 and i called this phone number they had and he's like hey and i like hello and i because this len frig they had, and he's like, hey, hello, and I'm like, is this Len Frigg from the Cleveland Barons? And I think he was like, I don't really think of him.

That was a million years ago, but he's like, yeah. And yeah, I got his cell phone number, and I met him for beers in New York. Where does he live in now? He lives in Salt Lake City, the last team where he played hockey. He just stayed. Oh, wow. I think he thought I was a bit of a

nut, but he met me in a public place wisely. Right, of course. Even my closest friends do that. Right, right, because it gets too romantic if you're alone with you. Yeah, yeah.

You don't want to be. It gets romantic real fast. Yeah, yeah. It was like, we're here. You're on the couch. Forget it. Now, I'm a Midwesterner. You're a Midwesterner.

And except the different, you know, I think you and I are fairly similar. And, you know, grew up in kind of regular midwestern homes with regular people not a lot of exposure to show busy kind of things but one of the differences is you can shred like you're an amazing guitarist oh thank you and all right and i do all right no you do fantastic you know. You know, I mean, if anybody, you know, you, you, I love you're often accompanying. I forget what they call that when you play with someone on, is it on Tik TOK? Oh yeah. Well, you do a duet.

A duet. And like you do it with John Mayer a lot. I don't think he's aware of it, but I do do it with him. Yeah. Yeah. think he's aware of it but i do do it with him yeah yeah and usually you're you're like he's trying because his it seems like he's kind of giving a tutorial like this is me jamming kind of a little bit and then you always shred circles around him yeah though he's no slouch he's he's no slouch. He's a very great guitar player. But yeah, I just try to play as many notes as I can. And that's one thing I've learned in this life.

Regardless of what music people are, I think maybe especially dudes. But I learned this. And I'm not saying John Mayer has this reaction, because I'm sure he hasn't watched the videos, but I learned in college, because I was roommates with a football player, and he would bring these giant football players to our dorm room. And I was this relatively, relative to a varsity football player in college, I was a bit of a weirdo. Yeah. But I would just start ripping solos play as fast as i could and then they'd be like oh this guy's cool right sure and and then i've just used that i've performed in prisons and the first thing i do is just start ripping solos and then the

the inmates are like yeah we're we're not going to kill him. Well, now that seems unfair because so many young people who are funny, like when you're a funny kid, you use it often as a bully-proofing yourself to being funny. And now you're funny and you can shred. So it's like you have two of them. Obviously bullies. Well, that and your physical prowess, your incredible fighting skills.

Not to be, yeah, you can't forget that. I actually, this is horrible, but also funny, I guess. Aside from playing hockey, I've never been in a fist fight in my life. Because, as you know, very gentle, tender, loving fellow. Same for me. I've never been, aside from my brother, I've never been in a fight in my life, a physical fight. But I got into one recently wow like like in the last year um my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend attacked me wow and um yeah it was um everyone involved had had a bit of alcohol.

Yeah. And we were hanging out, and he was just mouthing off to everybody. And in my sort of drunken two martinis and several other drinks brain, I was like, well, this needs to stop. And I stood up. And I say this because my girlfriend didn't have it she barely she would hadn't had anything to drink and so she's like i just saw this look in your eye to the shift and she told me what i said not that i was in a blackout but i she said you said shut the fuck up right now or i'll destroy you which again pretty ridiculous thing to say yeah

yeah if you are a guy who has never been in a fight or just it's a ridiculous thing to say absolutely especially because it i mean you might as well be saying i'll destroy your credit rating you know i mean based on you know what he knew about you that would be more likely based on, you know, what he knew about you, that would be more likely. Yeah. And, you know, as is often the case, I was wearing a brooch at the time. Sure. So I don't think he didn't take it very seriously. But he did attack me.

And this is, it all happened so fast. I hope this, you know, I hope this doesn't seem like a dark story. I mean to entertain with it, but as fast as it happened, I was leaving because I was like, ah, I'm out of here. This is stupid. And I started leaving,

and he attacked me from behind and started punching me. And it was all really fast, and I still froze the situation. I was like, okay, there's no way I can let this guy beat me. But then I thought, I don't want to punch him because I'm an artist and I don't want to hurt my hands.

And so I just kind of subdued him and pinned him to the ground. And I was like, okay, stop. Stop doing this. And then it was over. So I guess it wasn't a fight so much as a drunk guy punching me in the back of the head a couple times. Right. And then you shouldn't. Yeah.

Well, and also, too, if you really punch the hell out of your girlfriend's sister's boyfriend, it just complicates your life so much. You know, she's not going to be happy that you i mean unless she hates her sister's boyfriend i don't know well yeah it was a bit of the latter i mean if you i mean because no one liked this he's now out of the picture but no one liked this guy but oh my gosh the next family get together i was the most popular guy there. Oh, really? And the guy was there. He was there, and I was there, and all the nephews and stuff were like, this guy's amazing. He beat up the other guy that we don't like. And I didn't really beat him up.

I just kind of threw him to the ground. Right. I just kind of spun him around on one finger and then threw him to the ground, you know? Right, right. Did you have an adrenaline hangover from it? Cause like, if I have an altercation with people in traffic, like, you know, if there's like a fuck you, no fuck you. It can, I can like be vibrating for two hours afterwards over it. Like in, not in a pleasant way, you know?

Oh yeah. No, it was absolutely like, I was way you know oh yeah no it was absolutely like i was you know we were like calling we're calling we called my girlfriend's brother and we're like you're not going to believe this and he was like horrified yet completely entertained i called a friend because i was like again i'd never been in a fight and I was like I I felt really bad about it because I you know I fancy myself a gentleman who would sink to that level so yeah I was really yeah a lot of adrenaline for a while and I felt I felt really bad about it just again because uh I think of myself as a man of peace but uh I called my brother who is a far better man than i am and i told him about it

and he's like oh i would have broken his nose so i was like okay i felt better he didn't go that far can't you tell my love's a crow i mean you live such a creative life because you're not, you know, you're, like I said, you're a writer. You do live comedy, stand up. You play guitar very well. You, you know, you, you've acted in thing. You know, you're an actor too. And you also like, you're, you're a beautiful visual artist. You know, you've, you've actually.

Thank you. Drawn and, you know, like you have there, like I just, I can't remember where it was, but it wasn't too long ago. I saw a woman wearing a dress and I was like, is that a Dave Hill print? Cause you've created prints that then dress companies have done. And yeah. And I, well, and I just wonder, like, was it did you grow up in a creative house? Because it's just like I really admire how many different things you can do and do well. Oh, thanks. No, I mean, my dad, you know, he was he was a lawyer, but he was always a good visual artist and played guitar and piano. But I think, and then I had one sister who did a bit of both of those things.

But I mean, I was sort of the, yeah, the one person in the family who. Also, you know, I think I knew at an early age that I was going to reject society and just do anything but get a job. Whatever you wanted. Yeah, so that's kind of how I ended up doing the things I do. Like, how did you talk about that process? Like, when do you start to feel that? And do you remember a moment that that happened?

I think, you know i mean because i started like a lot of kids drawing and stuff like i knew you know when i was like five well you know because when you're in school you know they go like oh that looks he drew the sand it looks like a person you know like you're the one kid in the class yeah Yeah. And then so you're into that. And then I wanted to be a musician shortly around that time. Yeah. And then just kind of I always was into music and visual art. And I never planned to go into comedy. But then that just kind of happened organically.

Yeah. then that just kind of uh happened organically yeah but yeah it was just sort of um i think just also knowing like i just never wanted to uh go work some you know do anything i just i didn't i just truly i think i remember in college i mean this is much later but there was the thing where they had a like a seminar on job interviews. Yeah. And a buddy of mine is one of my best friends, Tim Parnin, who's now vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We went to this thing, and they were sitting there saying, they're like, wear a gray or blue suit. Don't wear anything to stand out.

And we were like, ooh. And I remember we looked at each other like we're never. I think we knew neither one of us were going to really be a part of polite society. But I remember we just were like, no. It was like the last, you know, we were like 18 or something. And we just knew, no. I mean, much to the chagrin of my parents, who I think, my dad is 91 and will still, very recently, he reads this magazine, can't remember what it's called, but it's something

having to do with being Catholic, because he is. Right. And he's like, oh, I was reading reading in the back they're looking for an intern like maybe you could do that and then work your way up and i was just like and he's you know he's not kidding he's he's kind of like i mean is he aware of your work i mean he's aware that you write books and that you tour and, you know. Yeah. Wow. He's completely aware of everything, but I think he's still like, it would be good if you got a proper job, respectable.

Wow. Now, does that bother you at all or do you just kind of, are you amused by it? It's a bit of both you know i mean i guess i'm impressed by the way he responds to like whenever i try to impress him and with anything like i just did a bunch of tour dates with uh tenacious d which was some of the funnest maybe the funnest 10 days of my life i bet and they're playing you know it's like 10 000 people a lot of nights and i was you know so i was talking to him and i was like yeah we're sold out it's 10 000 people and uh he's just like pretty good you know like but that's like that's

all you're gonna get like he's never like, oh, my gosh. No follow up questions. Even with the books, like in some way, I think I write books because that's one thing my dad understands. Like, yeah, you know, you can't be like, hey, I got a two lines in a Netflix show. Like, he doesn't watch Netflix. Right. Probably would have a hard time just logging onto it. Yeah, it's just too much.

I think partially just so I can come home and be like, here, Dad, now do you love me? Here, this is a book I wrote. When I was finishing up this new book, I was talking to him on the phone, and he's like, hey, I found this book. He lives in a retirement community, and he's like, I found this book. And he starts describing a book on self-publishing, which in itself sounded self-published.

Right. And he's like, yeah, it's this book that tell it shows you like how to get a book done and you know you don't have to go through as you know you have to edit yourself and and you know but you get it done and you put it out and there's not as many people helping you but uh you know so you you get your book out there and i was like well dad you know you know i'm it's my fourth book with a major publisher and he he's like, yeah, but, you know, I'm just saying, like, this way it gets done a lot faster and more efficiently than the way you do it. You know, because he's like, you finish a book,

and then you've got to wait a year before it comes out and all this. He's like, what are you doing? Yeah, see, that would drive me crazy, because it'd be kind of like, oh, dad, you're so funny, but also kind of like, it's like, why do you have an allergy to accepting my accomplishment you know like well what's that about like do i have to be you know like the kid that needs help in your mind yeah i don't know he'll i mean he'll I'll find out his say things to other people like my brother you know my dad recently in like recent years discovered YouTube so he goes on YouTube all the time yeah and there's a lot of videos of me playing the guitar and so he's talking to my brother and he's like he's like david's really good i didn't know he was that

good like so i mean that's like like he'll kind of be a bit more effusive to someone yeah yeah yeah i guess that's you got to take that when you you know like all right yeah i mean i don't know at least it's there like stuff you know yeah yeah, you know? Yeah, yeah. Well, when you, like, when you, you know, you said you didn't want to, you know, like, a day job, which, like, boy, oh, boy, do I relate to that. Like, I was the same way at a young age. I just was like, the workaday world seems to be just about a repetitive cycle of humiliation. You know, of just like, eat shit and be quiet about it. And I was the same way. I was like, I don't want to do that, you know?

It just seemed like so boring. Just boring, you know? Yeah. And it just like, I think for a long time, I mean, I'm, I'm a late bloomer and many with many things, but you know, I think, cause there was a time when I was like, how can I do kind of what I want to do, but do it in a way that's like acceptable to my family, you know? Yeah. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And so I was like, maybe I could be, you know, a graphic designer. I'll do that, which I think would be a great job. But yeah, like years ago I was working,

like kind of had like a temp job doing graphics at an accounting firm of, of, I won't name it, but it's like, it's a huge accounting firm. Arthur. And they have offices all over the world. uh no it wasn't but you're close h and r h and r block we'll get to it but i was working as in cleveland like 20 more than 20 years ago and then they i would wear like you know a shirt and tie but like the shirt and tie that i had and the pants and then they would be like hey

um the client's coming in uh on thursday so you can you wear like a i'm like who's the client they're like well the accountants i was like well we all work at this place yeah aren't they just co-workers they're like no we call them the client i'm like okay and they're like you have to wear a white or a blue dress shirt when they're here and i was like why and they said well it makes them feel more comfortable because you look like them and they just feel more comfortable talking to us when we look like them and i was i was just like that's like some to me i know it's not but it to my ears that's like orwellian yeah scary stuff well it is i mean i i'm with you because it's like are they babies like do they get frightened by a print shirt like maybe maybe that's their problem and not mine yeah yeah but that was it and then at one point

they offered they're like hey would you like to be a full-time salaried employee? And I was like, well, what would that entail? And they're like, just that you'd have to wear dress slacks and you'd have to dress like the accountants all the time. And I was like, well, I, and I was just like, just based on that, I wouldn't, the fact that you said that to me, I didn't want to do it anyway, but I was like, this is horrifying. And it was so obvious that it's also the kind of thing where, you know, like they talked about you dressing, you know, different from them, like constantly.

Like you were probably like, oh, that guy, Dave, that guy's a nut, you know? Probably like, oh, that guy, Dave, that guy's a nut, you know? Yeah. But one thing, you know, my tiny act of rebellion, to quote our friend Rich Fulcher, is this was like, they would have me retouching executive photos and like going in and just kind of, you know, prettying them up. And one thing I would do is like if you go into a photo and you know, like there's like a little, you know, you can see on my eyes right now, there's the reflection. Yeah, there's like a little kick of light reflected. Yeah, if you just go in Photoshop and use the spray tool and just do it the tiniest, tiniest bit off from the other eye, the person looks completely insane.

And it's the tiniest little trick. It's something that no one could ever accuse you of having done. If you were like, here's the photo. Yeah. Yeah. But so I would make all these executives look completely insane and no one could ever, they would never know that I did it. Well,

do you think that they, that it registered to them that they looked crazy or was it too subtle? I think it had to write. I mean, I would show it to like some of the other artists to let them know what i'd done and they definitely got a kick out of it so i hope you know it obviously wasn't like a career ending thing that i had done to them but uh just i got a kick out of it it kept me going during the few weeks i think i worked there like two months tops yeah well it does

seem to be the pinnacle of a graphic design career to do it at an accounting firm oh yeah lots of design needed brochures well now where did you go to school where'd you go to college i went to fordham in the bronx fordham university and uh and what what were you what was your plan going in and coming out like what were you going to do with yourself i think my plan was i was going to rock people and then be a visual artist like yeah that was my plan at that age was i just want to draw and paint and rip solos and so i had everyone to play do you ever play rhythm is it always it's just solos all the time no i i'm big fan of rhythm actually the band that i formed in college i

eventually switched to bass because i loved it so much yeah that uh and then we're my buddy tim and i were both guitar players so So we were kind of trading off. And then I was like, I like laying it down. I'm going to lay it down. So in that band. Ripping bass solos. I did rip some bass solos. Boom, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah. So yeah, I had that band. And then we got a record deal right after college. So I was like, well, I guess we'll be the next. And this is obviously a band in New York. Yeah. The three of us were from Cleveland. Oh, OK.

And had gone to high school together. And what was the name of the band? The worst slash best band name, because we were teenagers, not thinking that we were gonna amount to anything we were called sons of Elvis and but we did there's a video you can go on YouTube do you remember Jon Stewart had a talk show the Jon Stewart show on yeah Fox before he did The Daily Show, we were guests on this show. And there's video of us on YouTube. And you can see us. And I have long, grunt posts, kind of trying to look like Chris Cornell hair. Trying and failing to look like Chris Cornell.

And yeah, we play on that show. And yeah, it's a young young dave hill young john stewart and uh it's there for all of and but then on i think on the broadcast he comes out and shakes hands with everybody and kind of turns away from me and goes to commercial and i'm sort of chasing after him trying to he did for the record the record, shake my hand after the commercial break. Yeah. So there's documentation of this part of my life. So, I mean, you must have thought, we're set.

We're ready. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, because, I mean, I wish I could get back a bit more of this because I think it's, I don't have any kids, but if I mean, I wish I could get back a bit more of this because I think it's I don't have any kids. But if I did, the one thing I would teach them is just blind confidence and delusion, which is I was complete like in this band, especially we completely had no doubt. We were just like, we're the greatest band ever. We were just like, we're the greatest band ever.

And I mean, it's insane to think that way, but it's actually really good to think that way. Yeah. I think a lot of people go really far not questioning their belief, their abilities or value. I would say it's a good strategy for the young people for the young people yeah i think at a certain point you gotta you gotta deal with reality don't you you know oh i think so i think if you're sane but then you know when i think you and i'm i'm sure uh have met many people, and I'm sure many, maybe people we both know. Yeah. Who were just like, wow, a lot of confidence. Yep.

A lot of confidence. A lot of frosting, no cake. So did you stay in New York then after that? You didn't go back to ohio or oh i mean you while you worked for a little bit i mean was the i did graphic design after the band yeah i mean i went oh my god that's gotta make it even harder well yeah i went back to ohio not to uh you know you could cue some piano music or something but I kind of had like my early 20s about kind of first experiencing

you know clinical depression and anxiety when I was you know before the band before our record came out and before all that stuff started to happen and I went home for the weekend to cleveland and i just didn't come back and then you know we we started touring and stuff so it was fine

yeah you know i could i was just living with my parents and then how long was that that i was there for eight or nine years and then in a similar move i then went to new york i had been back and forth to new york many times in between but i went back to new york both in both i went home quote unquote for the weekend and then also went to new york for the weekend and never returned and that was over that was 20 years ago yeah so so yeah i think anytime i go away for the weekend anyone that knows me should be slightly concerned um what what was it i mean did you have did you have as they say strategies for how to deal with this clinical depression i mean were you doing therapy was there medication involved you know yeah I don't want to violate your HIPAA violation.

I'm an open book with that because if I can help or inspire anyone going through something similar, I'm happy and medication and every, I mean, over the years have done all manner of every possible thing, I think. And, you know, short of ayahuasca, which is not to make light of the subject, but I used to get really depressed and stop eating, and it would really kind of define my cheekbones and things like that. And now, even in my lowest moment, I can still take down a lasagna and a six pack and whatever, like no problem, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. No, when I, when I got divorced, there was like three months where I just couldn't eat. I just, I didn't want to, nothing tasted good. And then as I kind of came out of it, I was like, Hey, this is pretty good momentum. I think I'll, you know, I think i'll ride this you know a little bit further and then covid ruined it then covid came and i decided i could eat all the bread in the world oh me too i mean i was on a strict but yeah depression and stuff you know as i say with reference to many things the pictures will tell the story, you know?

So if you're like, look good, you're like, no one's going to know I was in my darkest moment then. Look at me, I look amazing. Yeah. That's how I defend, you know, wearing too many layers. When it's 80 degrees, I'll wear like a jacket and a scarf and people will be like, Dave, you must be burning up. I'm like, no one's going to know five years from now when they see this picture. They're just going to see a guy looking great. I can't cover.

I can't do that because then it's like, you know, then it looks like I have some sort of tropical disease because I'm sweating so much. It's like I got to be shorts and a t-shirt all the time now practically it's just and the world just gets hotter so it's like all right I'm just gonna wear play clothes then if that's if that's how the world's gonna be that's how I deal with global warming shorts and a t-shirt well I I'm not far behind you but I'm sort of thinking like I keep saying like winnipeg that's the place to go oh yeah as the world because central like away from the coast canada i was just in canada it's already freezing i mean then everyone's like well it's on fire and it's like well yeah everywhere's on fire come on yeah yeah they can be freezing and on fire so yeah well when did when does comedy start was

was social media like a pretty integral part for you to kind of transition into comedy and doing comedy yeah i mean i started i guess i started doing comedy think, in 2005. I started getting on stage and attempting to be humorous. But I think it was out of playing in bands. I like talking in between songs almost more than playing. And then I briefly thought, I was doing some journalism, writing for first the like the plain dealer in Cleveland. And then later, like, you know, New York times, GQ, McSweeney salon and the Huffington post.

Yes, exactly. Those just to name a few. And I would write those things and, but I really didn't care about journal. I would just kind of wanted to get a few zingers in there. And as long as I did, but I don't think i had like the confidence or the like well how'd you get how do you get started doing that you must have confidence enough to approach somebody it yeah well i said my sister's a journalist and so initially it started because in you know like when aol used to send out like those cd cdrs or whatever and they see

the rooms yeah i was living with her and so we got aol and it was you know this was late 90s or whatever and we didn't understand that you would have more than one email address. We thought it was like having a landline. Like you would have an email. We truly were like, what's our email address? Yeah, yeah. And so we shared an email address. And one of us would get home and be like, oh, there's an email in there for you. So she started reading my email, almost like you would go and listen to all the voice messages, you know, when you get home.

She would just be reading my emails, my correspondence. And I wasn't writing anything like, not the smut I get up to now. No, I was just like kind of writing stupid notes to friends. And she was like, oh, you should maybe write. And so I was just trying to try anything to make money. Get out of your sister's house? Yeah, yeah, exactly. So she got me in at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

And then from there, I was like, well, I want to try to write for other people. But I didn't really know how. So I went on, I just went to every website of every magazine and stuff I could think of. And I wrote just like a ridiculous email, you know, saying ridiculous things to the just general inbox. Like ego-driven kind of grandiose stuff, you mean? to the just general inbox. Mm-hmm. And I wrote... Like ego-driven, kind of grandiose stuff, you mean? I would just say, like, you know, I'm sitting here in a Speedo, you know, just like...

Yeah. Just make... So they would be like this... Nothing creepy, just kind of, I don't know, just goofy... Just silly. Yeah. Sillies.

And I wrote this one to Salon, and then the editor of the sex section wrote back, and they said, you know, write something for this the sex section and I you know being again not to bring up Catholicism but being a a shut off Irish Catholic I was not you know I was like what am I going to write for of mine had told me about plushies and furries, the people that have sex dressed as mascots. And then they have conventions and parties where they all dress up in furry costumes and have sex with each other. Yeah, exactly. So he was telling me about it it just seemed

unbelievable and then i did a little wouldn't be googling whatever it was um and i found this guy named fox wolfie galen he lived like somewhere in pennsylvania and i contacted him and I wrote this story about him for Salon. And then that got a lot of attention. And then later this writer wrote, interviewed the same guy for GQ like six months later. And that obviously a lot more people saw that. I'm just saying all by way of saying I did it first. Yeah.

You were there. Yeah. But that was the first thing. He had sloppy seconds on Fox, Wolf Galen. Yeah. He had the sloppy seconds on Fox, Wolf, Galen, or whatever. Yeah, he had the sloppy seconds. But that article, a lot of people saw that. And from there, then I started writing for a bunch of different people from that.

And then I started writing for TV a little bit. And that's how I ended up back in New York can't you tell my love's a crow like I said before you know you do you know I mean there's plenty of you know like Conan O'Brien is a talented kind of caricaturist you know he's like a good cartoonist basically um but like you know he doesn't you know there's no there's no you know he's not like selling cartoons um but you are and you're also playing music and I mean and you had you know you had a band a valley lodge and like you know you're successful in many different realms and i wonder if is it from those kind of down times when you weren't sure like what you were going to do with yourself is that is that why

it you know you i mean is it a drive to do that or does it just kind of happen that way that you have, you know, your finger in so many pies? I think it happens that way. I mean, like, I wish it weren't the case. I mean, from an enjoyment level, I like I like doing everything that I do. But I wish like if someone were like, you're going to play, you know, the equivalent of Larry from Three's Company or something, you know, just if there was one place to show up for work. I was saying this to a comedian friend of mine. I was just like, we're walking down the street.

I was like, I wish I could just get a role as like a series regular on a popular show that shoots in New York. And I was saying it out loud as if it was this idea that I came up with. And, uh, and he was like, uh, yeah,

Dave, that's what literally all of us want. I'm like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. So I would like to do,

um, you know, I'd be thrilled if there was something that was all consuming and also like right up the street from my house or something. But, you know, so it is partially out thing about it, aside from being fun, is that, like, I kind of, you know, if one thing is slowing down, then the other one is. I'm like, okay, I'll just go over here for a minute. Yeah, yeah. Irons and fires. I would say really none of them are, like, you know, gangbusters.

You know, I'm not, you know, I'm doing well. But, you know, I'd be know i'm not i'm not the you know i'm doing i'm doing well but you know i'd be i'd be like like everyone i guess i wish i just had more of everything yeah yeah yeah but i guess that's something that that never goes away unless you're uh you've achieved enlightenment which i'm also working on but well good good good not yeah yeah well i remember i remember and you know there's like certain things i remember like little moments or tidbits that i hear from people and one is i remember and i don't even remember whether it was for a movie or whatever but because i think they were like roommates or something but it was gene hackman and dustin hoffman doing some kind of press junket interview. I don't know what it was for or something, but they asked about like, you know, what's it like to be a superstar now and

not have to worry about anything. And Dustin Hoffman corrected the guy and said, no, no. He said at the end of every job, I think,'s it i'm done like no more there's not gonna you know this is it this is when they finally figure it out that like there's just nothing more to happen for me and gene hackman was kind of like yeah yeah that's it yeah and it was nice to i mean at the time i was just so nice to hear because it's like oh okay so you're kind of going to be miserable forever like you're always going to feel like's like oh okay so you're kind of going to be miserable forever like you're always going to feel like you're not enough and you're not doing enough and i mean because like my whole life i've been like i should really be doing more god i'm such a fucking slob

jesus christ come on get to get your shit together and you know and i'm you know i'm going to be 57 at the end of this week and i'm still feeling like, Oh, happy birthday. Oh, thank you. I still am. I still am like, you know what? I'm, I'm, I'm just about ready to really start firing on all cylinders. Like, you know? Oh, absolutely.

I feel that way. Like, but you're right. I think there's something oddly comforting about, uh, about just knowing that the people at the, at the top of their game, their industry are just also insane and miserable. Yeah. Yeah. You know,

and I was talking, I was talking with a very famous, very successful comedian friend. Nipsey Russell. I was talking to Nipsey. Sure. I was talking to Nipsey. Yeah, yeah.

No, but I mean, I guess I was going to say it sounds name-droppy, but I did everything but name the name. Yeah, yeah. And this person was talking about how they have these feelings that you're describing. And I was just like, how could you feel that way yeah and they're like and i was like does everyone feel that way and they said they're like the only people i've met who don't feel that way are people that are awful like yeah like yeah yeah like crazy assholes yeah who like, aren't respected by their peers. Yeah. Yeah.

They were, they were like anyone that you like feels this way. Yeah. And I always feel like those, the crazy assholes too, they feel that way. They just don't ever show it. Like they're not, or, or they don't, they're not in touch enough to like actually, and that's why they're crazy assholes is because they're running away from the fear that the hole will never be filled, you know? Yeah. Which the whole point is just live next to the hole. Be careful.

Yeah, just live next to the hole. Watch the kids when they get near the hole. Just careful kids. There's a hole there that will never be filled. Exactly. Yeah. just careful kids there's a hole there that will never be filled exactly yeah but i think also like i mean i i guess there's plenty of things that can go wrong in the next however many years i have left but 40 at least yeah 40 that i think it could many ways to go south but well you got good genetics your dad's old yeah he's 91 yeah uh and uh knock on hopefully you know be around a nice long while but uh but yeah like i i just

think i used to think like oh my gosh is is am i is it gonna work out am i gonna be able to do the things that i want to do in life and not have to go, you know, sell, you know, kitchen appliances or whatever? Yeah. It was not knocking that. Maybe that is appealing in some ways. But now I have sold kitchen appliances. It's probably not without its charm. It's all right.

You know, I like appliances. I like the kitchen. It's my favorite room in the house. Yeah. It's a, it's not without its charm. It's all right. You know, I like appliances. I like the kitchen. My favorite room in the house. Yeah. It's a good one. I mean, but, but now I think like, well, I've been, I've been, uh, this sham has been going on so long that now I, whatever I'm doing, I just got to keep, keep, uh, keep doing it. Yeah. And, and I guess this one day I'll just wake up dead.

And, you know, that'll be that. So all by way of saying it's hopefully, again, knock on wood, too late to sell kitchen appliances. Yeah, maybe post-apocalyptic. That, you know, after the shit goes down and we're living, you know, in a hellscape, then you can sell the appliances. Yeah, exactly. And then that will be like living you know in a hellscape then you can sell the appliances yeah exactly and then that will be like um you know i'll run into you and it will be unrecognizable to each

will be going fully on voice recognition yeah because of the mutations yeah exactly and i'll and and you'll be like what are you up to dave and i be like, Andy, it's the darndest thing. Remember when I was joking about selling kitchen appliances? I'm now selling kitchen appliances. This thing can roast four rats at a time. Well, is there stuff that you, I mean, you got the book coming up. Oh, I did want to ask, like, what is it about hockey that, that like made you, was it just cause it would be fun? Like, was it just, were you just pursuing like the fun of researching a hockey book

or is there something really kind of about hockey that grabs you, you know, in, in, you know, in, in opposition to other sports even? Yeah. you know in in opposition to other sports even yeah i mean well i'm not really into other sports which is i you know i don't find that too often of people are like usually into sports or not into sports but i'm like i'm truly not i mean i'll go like i went and want if i can name drop yeah which i'm a big fan of i went and watched watched Kevin McDonald from Kids in the Hall invited me to go watch Premier League soccer with him last time he was in New York. Yeah. I was like, oh, this is, I mean, obviously I'd seen it, but I was like, oh, this is fun.

Yeah. You hang out and you drink beer and this is fun. Oh, absolutely. this is fun oh absolutely i was like i could see i could see doing that or like base basically i like the other sports i like about on that level of where like i could drink beer while this is happening in front of me but hockey like i i have like a i get excited and i know and very sort of key to the enjoyment i suppose i know exactly what's happening. Like I know, I know I can, I could do the play by play and, uh, I know the rules of the game,

which, you know, I wouldn't say that. And you understand the nuances of like different defenses and different offenses, you know, like you, you,

you understand with a, you know, like a meta op, you know, rather than just like that guy's going for the puck. Now, another guy's going for the puck. They're all trying to get it into the net, you know, rather than just like that guy's going for the puck. Now another guy's going for the puck. They're all trying to get it into the net,

you know? Yeah. Um, but at the same time, that's basically the sport right there, the way you described it. But, um,

but I, yeah, I think, I think I wanted to write the book because, you know, like I was saying, like everything else I, everything else I'm really into, I kind of do on some level, professional level, you know, whether even if it's a micro level, a little niblet. But hockey, you know, I thought it would be cool to to explore it and also like kind of, you know, And also kind of address what I like about it.

And sometimes I'm like, do I just like the idea of hockey? I like the sound of a game. I like having a game on, even if I don't have time to watch it. I just like the sound. It makes me feel good. Whereas football, i have the opposite reaction i would get a football game on tv like truly like i get that like pit in my stomach my chest tightens because i think i have to go to school tomorrow because it's sun you know I'm like it's Sunday yeah I

have to go to school I hate school everyone's telling me to shut up and stop talking because they're trying to sense memory yeah that's your that's your smell of madeleines or whatever it is that you know the proustian thing yeah it just it bums me out and you know even like as a you know as an adult like my vibe is not like i've been told like i'll i don't no one invites me to watch a game anymore a football game because they know i'll just talk yeah i'll wind up in the kitchen with the women yeah me too no i just i just don't i just don't care and like they'll be like he's not i had a friend get mad at me because he thought i was distracting upsetting some cosmic thing that was causing the browns to lose yeah that's healthy like the the browns would

give give up some points and he'd be like it's because you're not focusing. And I was like, I'm not on the team. I mean, Stevie Nicks fans do the same thing. You know, like, let's all focus so Stevie can get through this difficult song. Like, that's the level of magic thinking that is. It's ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah, I don't think it's – anyway. But, yeah, with hockey hockey i just wanted to also like

on a selfish level i mean i do this a lot with with work it's you know it's to like do something under the oh i'm working like yeah like i got to go to kenya right which i'd always wanted to maybe i would have wound up there but to go like i going to take someone else's money and go to Kenya. Yeah. And I'm going to have a really good time. And drink double the beers that I normally would. Yeah, and play hockey. So that was part of it.

Well, more in a hockey way. I'd always wanted to see games in Finland. I did that. I went to Poland, which was... I'd been to Poland before, but to go to see games in finland i did that like i went to poland which was i've been there poland before but to go to hockey games their fans are insane um so to to see that in person was and that actually i honestly almost started crying after one game because I couldn't believe how much fun I was having. Like, I was experiencing this joy that made me go like, I have a capacity for joy I didn't know was possible. Yeah.

Like at a sporting event. Yeah. I was just like, this is so fun. And I wasn't even drunk. Yeah. It was a day game. I was drinking hot chocolate. So it wasn't even drunk yeah i was it was it was a day game i was drinking hot chocolate so it wasn't the beer yeah no i i totally get that because it is you know like i feel and i've described it before like you know i'm one of those people that everyone's like oh the sunset look at

it it's so pretty and i'm like yeah i guess yeah it's it is it's pretty but I mean you seem to be getting a lot more out of it than I do and I you know and so like I just you know I feel like I you know like I've said going through life with like some kind of emotional limp and and like I don't like the things that people go like, oh, this is, oh, I'm just in ecstasy. I'm always kind of like, you know, it's nice, I guess, you know? So this is when I do feel, you know, it's like when you said, when I do feel. Did you know to be Tony Soprano, like joy when I feel joy, I'm like, oh, hey, wow. I can do this.

Like this is. Yeah. I can do this. Like I, this is, yeah, I can do this. Yeah. It's nice to, it's nice to experience that. Um, some, this is to sound crazy, but sometimes I'll have dreams where I have a similar thing where I'm experiencing so much joy in the dream. And I wake up like so excited. Cause I because i'm like oh there's new levels of happiness out there for me like like it's not this uh like just this plane that's constantly just yeah yeah yeah i just just need to bring it into the waking hours now yeah i'll just you know maybe the last two weeks of my life i'll figure it out. You'll be giddy. Are there things you've left undone? Do you have plans to go from here?

Or is it just kind of, are you just going to kind of, I mean, do you have another book idea? Is that the kind of thing now that you've written four of them that you're like, you got another one on the back burner ready to go? No, I don't no i mean hopefully i'll do another one kind of talking about it a little bit i'm without i can't say too much i'm but i'm writing a comic book next which i'm excited about so uh i like how you can't say too much like you know like putin's gonna find out and use it against ukraine well putin it's about oh um no no it's just uh it's uh no i know i know i'm excited about that no i know but i i i don't know i think i would just like to do more uh like and do things you know I know everyone wants to act and stuff but it's fun and

I've been able to do it a little bit but I'm like even if I could just do double the amount that I do which would still be not that much I'm like oh that would be fun you know what I mean give me three lines instead of one and a half you know that i mean give me give me give me three lines instead of one and a half you know

yeah that sort of thing yeah um and uh you know stuff like i don't know it's fun you know this i've mentioned doing the tenacious d tour i think earlier i don't know if i mentioned it but i yeah so um just the feeling of like i mean i've performed for a lot of people before and various things but to go i'm like once you go out 10 000 people you go like oh why have i been doing 50 in the back of a bar this whole time you know like i should just do 10,000. So, you know, it'd be nice to do just, I don't know, just more fun stuff. But I say this without kidding. I do think in my, as I get on in years, I really mostly like to hang out and eat snacks with loved ones and my dog. Like, and I really think like everything else is just to fill the time in between snacks with people you love and your dog.

And, and so. Would you think that's, that's like your, your life lesson? You know, like, is that what you've come to, you know? I think so. I mean, you know, I don't think I would, I'd probably lose my mind if, I mean, you have to do stuff in between the snacking, but I do. Yeah, meals. I do. Yeah, I love meals.

Even just a nice cheese plate, oysters, as you know, like we were talking about, you and I having oysters. I'm like like that is peak life on earth for me is just sitting there just having some snacks and chatting that was fun and yeah so uh so yeah but no there's always like more you know it would be nice like uh You know, it would be nice, like, you know, obviously I'm on the lower tier of, I wouldn't even use the word celebrity to describe whatever level of public recognition I have. But, you know, I'll go run errands around town here in New York and a stranger will say something nice to me on the street. And then I'd be like, you know, it might happen every couple days or something. And I'd be like, how about let's ratchet it up. Let's make it every day.

Come on, world. Just someone telling me I'm okay. That's all I need. That's a real thing. That's like now the New York metro area has a mandate. You know, like. Yeah. Yeah.

Just make Dave feel better. Just even wave. Yeah. Wave at me. Well. There was like, there was a guy. I take my dog to the dog park every day in Washington Square. And one of the maintenance guys in the park stopped me.

Had seen me in something. And I stopped and talked to him like to where i think he was like get this guy away from me just because i was so you know i just get really just makes my day when people are just being nice to me and being like you're not you're not garbage i know it is very nice it it's it is i mean it is like one of the truly beautiful things about especially if you're making people laugh they just you know to have a stranger say something nice to you is a real charge you know and uh as long as it doesn't make you crazy then you know yeah it's good well dave hill thank you so much once again uh the new book is called The Awesome Game, One Man's Incredible Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey.

Well, good luck with the book, and I hope to see you soon. And thanks for spending this time with me. Thank you for taking the time. It's nice to see you, even on a little— Even Zoom-wise, yeah. Yeah, hopefully I'll see you in person. You will, definitely. Oh, I'll make Zoom-wise. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully I'll see you in person. You will. Definitely.

I'll make sure of it. Yes. All right. And thank all of you out there for listening. I'll be back next week with another one of these. The Three Questions with Andy Richter is a Team Coco production. It is produced by Sean Dougherty and engineered by Rich Garcia. Additional engineering support

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