Comedy Saved Me.

That's why I think I relate to my fans because I'm like them.

I'm blue collar, working class.

You know, you go in on my Facebook and you see I actually answer my fans, I read, I interact with my fans.

It comes back to you when you look what out these people.

I'm back on a school bus.

I'm Lynn Hoffman, your host of the Comedy Saved Me podcast, the podcast where I get to talk to comedians and get the inside scoop on their inspiration, their creative process, and their view on why comedy saves us day in and day out.

Comedy Saved Me takes you behind the scenes with the geniuses of laughter and helps us better understand just how powerful laughter is today.

I am so lucky to have Vic Dibteto, the comedian known as the Donkey of comedy.

Thank you.

Vic is known for his great YouTube series And I know you've seen this Bread and Milk.

And also I think everybody I know texted me the Bread and Milk YouTube from my entire life.

My phone was completely blown up.

Also, who wants coffee?

And how long do I gotta wait?

Vic?

Welcome to Comedy Saved Me.

I am so excited to have you.

Oh, thank you for having me.

I appreciate it, and I'm very excited to do this.

Thank you.

I'm so excited to have you here.

How did comedy become your lifeline?

Well, it started, you know, way back when I was a kid in school.

I was the class clown.

You know, I was quiet, funny.

Remember the teacher turned to back.

I would, you know, make animal noises?

I imitate the teachers.

Fast forward, there was a comedy club in Brooklyn called Pip's Comedy Club, and they had an amateur night there and my friend says, why didn't you give it a shot?

And this is nineteen eighty nineteen eighty one.

The first time I won on stage, Andrew Dice Clay was DMC that No, that's how long I'm doing this?

Wow?

So you that's amazing.

So technically he open for you on your first night, say that.

And just recently he contacted my management he requested to do a show with me, which I was here, this living legend wants to work with me.

I mean we started together at Pips.

We weren't buddies, but you know, we know of each other.

And we took out two shows in Florida in like twenty four hours, and it was a great experience.

I bet I would love to be in that audience and see you guys.

Hopefully you come through here.

Oh my god, wow?

Where is here?

Here is in the ass end of the Berkshire Mountains in Lichfield County, Okay.

In Massachusetts.

Oh yeah, yeah, you come through.

Yeah.

I do the Chevalier Theater.

Oh.

I started many year.

I did Nick's Comedy stop in Boston on Warrenton Street with Oh my god, Jay Moore and oh man.

A lot of good memories in Boston.

Yeah good.

A lot of comedians came out of Boston.

Oh yeah, Steve Sweeney and Stephen Right and Dennis Leary and I could continue.

On Bill Burr and yeah, it goes on and on.

Everybody.

Where is the most unexpected place that you found comedy?

Most unexpected?

God?

I would say, uh Man, Arizona.

Why I didn't think I was a draw there?

Yeah, so let's give it a shot.

You know.

I basically worked from New England to Florida and I'll shoot out to Chicago.

And he said, We're going to put you in Arizona.

I'm like, yeah, yeah, sure, sure enough.

I did the Arizona improv and I sold it out and I couldn't believe it.

That's the beauty of the social media.

And you have fans all over the country.

But I don't think you're in a Senian boise Idaho now.

But if it plays in Arizona, I guess yeah, Well, rev.

Right, go there's there's all northern transplants.

I go to Florida.

Everybody's from New York and New Jersey.

Rev Right.

It's never native people of the state that I perform in.

So transplants.

You've been well tested amongst all the audiences.

Are there any personal stories that you can share with us on how comedy came maybe to your rescue during perhaps a difficult time, as we all humans experience in life.

Absolutely, I drove a garbage truck before I did comedy.

I drove a garbage truck, dumb truck, cement truck.

And my last job was a school bus.

I drove a school bus for thirteen years, and I'd always thought that I'd been driving a school bus the rest of my life, and twenty thirteen it was like the perfect storm.

I bred a milk went viral.

I signed with a great manager, and Kevin James called me out of nowhere to put me in Molcop two, which I that's another guy who started with in Long Island.

But we weren't buddies, but we knew of each other from work in a circuit.

I almost hung up on him.

I'm like, who is this.

It's Kevin jen I'm like, who the Kevin James.

I've been watching your videos and I do a character called Tony Gaga.

I do all kinds of characters.

It's the over the top of time.

You got a guy.

And that gave an idea for a character in More Cop two.

Now I'm putting to it.

I'm oh my god, this is Kevin Jane.

I couldn't believe it.

Any six weeks I'm in Vegas.

He put me up in an apartment and it was a great experience.

Really was tell me a movie and.

I'm like, wow, I guess I'm not driving a school bus anymore.

You know.

Now, did you go back and apologize to the kids that you weren't going to be there anymore?

I bet they loved you.

No, no, no no.

But the manager of the company, he says, just go out because I need to time out, to go to the movie.

He says, do what you gotta do.

What are you doing here?

Oh?

Cool?

You know, like Chad's commentary said, the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.

Wow, that's that's an incredible story.

Yeah.

I mean when I drew up the garbage truck.

See, I always balanced.

I didn't pick up and go to LA for the break like I started with Kevin, James Romano, Chris Rock these guys, I give him credit.

They made the truck, but I put my family first.

I always balanced.

And I once drove my garbage truck to Danger Fields in New York City and to get stage time, I asked the manager, if I pick up your garbage, can you give me stage time?

No?

And that's how.

I broke into I went on stage in my garbage uniform.

I threw the garbage in the truck, did my set, and finished my route.

That's how I broke into Danger Fields.

Wow, what an incredible story.

That's why I call myself the Donkey of comedy.

I might not be the funniest or the most successful of the most wealthiest, but man, I'm sixty four and I'm still breaking my ass forty two years.

Yeah, you do work.

I say this almost every time I speak with a comedian.

Is it is really true?

And I don't think I've ever had one disagree with me that you really work the hardest in show business.

I think outside of maybe like carnivals or a circus.

Like you guys like you are?

You do it all right?

I'm sorry.

When I drove the school bus, I was booked at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

Now they booked you there.

This is before I really hit.

They booked you there five nights.

So after the show, the other comics say, you want to go for a drink, let's hang out.

No, I got to get in my car.

Now, this is in Atlantic City.

I lived in North Jersey.

My route was in Staten Island.

That I did that five nights in a row, going back, four hours sleep, going to Stanton Island doing my run, coming back back and forth and going on stage and doing a half hour on stage.

And by Sunday I'm a zombie.

And my wife's like, why are you so miserable?

Right?

What time do you get up in the morning for thirty?

Yeah, oh that's early for a comedian.

Well, I still get up for thirty because now I have a cat that sits on my b for thirty Yeah.

Does he just sit on you waiting for you to get up and feed her?

Yes?

Or and if you twitch that's it.

You can't tell.

He thinks it's time to eat and you got to close your eyes.

But sleep and cats.

I love cats.

They just mental patience.

They certainly are.

They do whatever they want and you're just there kind of at their pleasure.

Yep.

If you could have dinner with one of your comedy idols, well who would it be and where would it be?

Gederal alive?

Yeah, general alive yep.

George Colin, hands down the king.

He was my I had all his albums as a kid.

I wish I never got the chance to meet him.

I wish I could have met him.

And it's funny.

I got a text from his daughter about five years ago.

He says, my father would have loved you.

Oh wow, you remind me a lot of my father.

I'm like, all right, stop stop it right dead.

Ye oh, my your father's a legend.

I mean because some of the the bits I do, and I do like a TikTok.

Vic and I only do comedy I do.

My videos are so diverse.

I have characters, and you know, now, unfortunately the game has changed in comedy now.

If you're an influencer and you have followers, they'll put you in a club.

But then these guys go on stage and they got nothing.

But it's all about filling up the seats.

It's crazy, really comedy is you know, I grew up.

I started in the eighties.

You know, you had to work up.

You had a MC, then you had to build up to be the opening.

Then you had to.

Finally beat the headliner.

And the the eighties that was that was like the that was the great time to be a comic in the eighties.

But you know, then the social media came along and I was lucky.

Bread and Milk went viral.

I saw I was getting fans, and I kept at it and I'm I've been posting videos every day since two thousand and nine.

Wow, Well see that?

I mean, would that be sort of your advice to give?

I know we kind of got sidetracked on the dinner with George Carlin, but would that be our advice to give anyone who wanted to come up in comedy of how to sort of make it.

Absolutely Cause the old days when you went on conson and he called you to the couch.

That was it?

Well like a made men.

Now you could do Kimmel and fallon.

It doesn't mean anything.

It's all about, right, how many followers you have on the social media.

So to my comics out there watching, you know, just start and just try to post every day at the same time and come up with original stuff.

And unfortunately, I.

Mean, now you just dance on TikTok and I'm old school.

Don't don't get me started.

I don't know what happened to originality.

Man, it's oh, I want to get you started.

Believe me, I want you, but I also want to get through this interview without completely melting down.

I not grabbing my tissue or spitting out my coffee.

Oh, he's asked my wife is he funny at home?

She says no, He's a miserable bastard.

Isn't that shape?

I say it for the stage.

That's that's the book payoff.

What's the funniest thing that's happened to you recently?

Recently?

Well, I don't know if it's funny.

Well, now it's funny.

I did his show you hear Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

New Jersey's on of course, yes.

So his manager I forgot his I forgot his name.

He's a big fan of mine, he calls my managers.

Southside Johnny is performing outside at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.

It was this past summer.

Four thousand people with Vic like to open for him.

All he's got to do is ten minutes and bring him up like yeah, shit, yeah whoa.

Because then I was at the hard Rock in Atlantic City.

I figured let me I.

Could plug that in front of four thousand people.

I don't care.

It was pro bono.

I don't care.

It's for the exposure and the experience.

Outside Johnny and my kids are there, my wife is there, and I was all psyched.

They go on stage, they introduced me.

The guy messes up my name, of course, Vic the Benedetto.

All right, whatever, I go on stage.

I'm killing, crushing for ten minutes, and I was supposed to introduce outside Johnny and I see people the only thing behind me and clapping them.

What's going on?

I turn around and Southside Johnny's coming up to me and he whispers in my ear, get out of here, get out of here.

What he grabs the mic and throws it behind the bend.

I'm like, I walk off stage.

I go to his manager.

Is that part of his act?

Was he serious?

He says no, he doesn't like following comedians.

So why the hell did you book me on this?

You know, good thing?

He whispered in my ear.

I don't think the audience picked it up.

What but if I ever bumped into that guy, if there's any Southside Johnny fans out there, look, I give the guy a credit.

He's very talented, but that was very unprofessional what he did.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah yeah, yeah, that's crazy.

So what did you make of it comedically?

Do you pull from that in your routines?

Oh?

Yeah, it just pissed me off even more.

I had a good show and ticket sales for the hard rock and even and I meet people that were at that show, they said, what was up with Southside?

You know, they were all on my side.

They saw what an idiot he was.

But that's it.

A funny story was in Jersey years ago they got something called a Beefsteak.

That's it's like a VFW or Elks club.

It's mostly firemen and it's a beefsteak.

Is they havocated and they served these little pieces of beef melted and butter on pieces of bread.

Sounds good as they're eating.

I'm on stage and these firemen it's like three.

They're drunk out of their faces.

They're throwing the meat and the bread at me.

I'm doing my act totally oblivious.

As I'm doing my act, I caught up two pieces of bread and steak and I made it.

It's like the cottoon, remember the cartoons.

What the ketchup is fine?

I granted the two pieces of bread and I ate a sandwich as I'm doing my act.

They gave me a standing ovation they did.

That's pretty coordinated, considering you're also remembering your act in the head.

So like the other time, Oh, another time I went on stage.

I was late to a show.

I was coming from the school bus company and I just it's on YouTube.

I went on stage in my school bus company uniform with a change of clothes.

I changed my clothes on stage as I was doing my act, not totally not even mentioning that I'm changing my I went down to my I'm shaving with the electric shave, putting.

The leader went on and the crowd is it's one of the funniest.

That would have to be the funniest set I ever had, and it killed standing ovation.

Where can people find that on YouTube?

Because on YouTube Calledto's Greatest set something like that.

I will say, uh, and I would save this to the end of the podcast, but we're not quite there yet.

However, if you're having a bad day or even a bad moment, and you go online and you type in vic dibiteto d I b I t E tt o, whooh, I did that right from my head.

Uh.

You just pick any clip, it doesn't matter if it's from today or thirteen years ago, and you will be feeling so much better.

You know what.

We need to laugh now more than ever, the way this world is going.

I don't do politics.

I just want to make people laugh or smile, just like Billy Joel said, to forget about life for a while.

That's all.

Yeah.

Well, you got to do is type in vic D.

You don't have to put the and everything fills in once you hit vic D, I'm like the first on the top.

It's vict debatat than vic damone and.

Oh you've got pulled with Google then or something because so now no one even has to spell your name.

They just need to know it's vic D.

But that's just that's well, my name is uh.

You know, I'm not going to change my name.

It's my name.

I'm proud, it's my father.

You know, it means something.

Beteto is a town in Italy.

D means from the providence of So I've been called the benedetto diabetes, geppetto the potato.

Well, if you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?

Right?

Exactly exactly, Well, speaking of that, how do you think humor helps people cope with difficult situations?

What is it about humor and laughing?

You know what the old saying is laugh that truly is the best medicine.

It really is true.

I got a private message from a soldier in Afghanistan.

He says, Dude, I was about to put a gun in my mouth and I heard my guys next to me in the next barico.

But listening to your videos, I just want to thank you for saving my life.

I mean, come on, I get it all the time.

When I go to I do meet and greets after my shows, I get people come up to me.

You got me through COVID.

You got me through my chemo sessions.

You you know.

And then people go to me, how come you don't have a Netflix special?

How come you're not in the movies?

And this is bad?

What I do now?

Well, people like to tell they get excited for you and they see you in bigger things, so they want to put you on that pedestal.

I get that.

I know what I mean.

Well, but you're not like Sebastian.

Look Sebastian, God bless them.

You know.

I'm happy for him.

Yeah.

I like to see good guys make it.

There's different levels of success.

I got a beautiful house, I got I got a nice call, wonderful family.

I'm selling out theaters and comedy clubs.

You're a handsome guy.

Oh thank you.

Come on, you got it all.

You have it all.

I appreciate.

So it's a very special thing.

While you're talking about that, how does what goes through your mind when you really connected with your audience like that and you realize that or they come up to you and tell you those things.

How do you feel when that happens?

It's you can't compare that to any standing ovation or sold out show.

You can see it in their eyes.

And when they when they come against you, when you you know, when they got there, you feel them.

They're shaking, they're trembling.

It's like and I almost feel like I'm just a regular guy.

I don't think I'm a celebrity.

And that's why I think I relate to my fans because I'm like them.

I'm blue collar, working class.

You know.

You go in on my Facebook and you see I actually answer my fans, I read, I interact with my fans.

It comes back to you when you look without these people, I'm back on a school bus.

You know.

I never take a day for granted.

Seriously, I'm doing.

It's forty two years.

It still hasn't gotten old.

I still get the butterflies before I go on stage.

I love that.

Vic di Bateto, you are an amazing person.

Keep doing what you're doing.

You're authentic as it comes, and that is truly what people want today is authenticity, and you are that with like an exclamation point or a few hundred exclamation points.

Well, don't kid yourself.

I got my haters too.

Oh well, you know, but that's okay.

Yeah, when you learn early on that there's always going to be people that don't like you.

You know, it becomes a challenge to win them over, right, don't you just want to make those people laugh too?

Well, it's the old it's the old how it's start thing.

Remember that they said a lot of people are listening, but the haters are listening more than your regular fans because they want to see what you're going to say next.

You're doing something right, Vic vict Boteto, thank you for being on comedy save me.

This was like such a special occasion.

And I'm not lying to you.

I everyone I know sent me.

Whenever there's a storm, my friends and I all tell each other, like quick, get the milk, get them.

You know, we're doing one of your rants.

It's so funny.

Hopefully we don't know more storms.

It's it's March too, and I don't I'd rather not have those views go up and have a nice winter.

Yeah, that's true, that's true.

Thank you guys,