Episode 572 Michael D’Angelo Rapid Fire Comedy For Troops Transcript

This transcript is from episode 572 with guest Michael D’Angelo.

[00:00:00] Scott DeLuzio: Getting out of the military can feel like you’re stepping into a room where nobody speaks your language. The structure that you once had is gone. The jokes that you used to tell just don’t land right, and the people around you have no clue what you actually went through. This episode today, uh, is going to be a conversation with a Marine who found a new mission through standup comedy.

The guests say, Michael DeAngelo talks about the Marine Corps humor, that that kept people’s steady. The, the first time he tried an open mic night that almost made him bolt, uh, and the moment he decided to build his own lane instead of waiting for permission from those already established in the comedy field.

He sent 400 letters to marine units, started booking shows, and it turned into the Rapid Fire comedy tour, which brings comedians to troops and first responders for a real morale boost. You you’ll [00:01:00] also hear about how the tour you know, operates as a 5 0 1 C3, why sponsors matter and why they finally are getting out there in front of other troops and.

The support that they, they are giving to them and why that actually matters. Before we get into this episode though, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that’s deeply important to our community. The Global War On Terrorism Memorial Foundation. This organization is working to build a permanent national memorial in Washington DC to honor the service members, families, and civilians impacted by the global war on terrorism.

Memorial will be both a tribute to those who served and a way to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized and remembered for generations to If like learn more, find out how you can support their mission, visit GWOT memorial foundation org. Now, let’s get into today’s episode.

[00:02:00]

[00:02:04] Scott DeLuzio: Hey Michael, welcome to the show. Really glad to have you here.

[00:02:08] Michael D’Angelo: Thanks for having me, Scott.

[00:02:10] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, you bet.

Hey before we kind of jump into the, the episode and the content here that we’re gonna be talking about can you maybe just start by telling the listeners a little bit about yourself and a little bit about who you are?

Just for anyone who might be might not be familiar with you, I should say.

[00:02:23] Michael D’Angelo: Sure. Yeah. So my name is Michael DeAngelo. I’m a Marine. a comedian. That’s kind of the two big labels that I’m wearing. Living in Los Angeles, but I’m from Las Vegas. I joined the Marine Corps when I was about 17 years old and kind of trying to escape Las Vegas and I served about five years in the Marine Corps.

And when I got out, you know, I was with the same thing everybody deals with, you know, I was hurting and not knowing what I was gonna do next. And I kind of found my way into standup comedy and. You know, fast forward about five years after that, I, I moved to Los Angeles to try and grow as a comedian. [00:03:00] And when I first got to Los Angeles, I was not getting welcomed. So I started my own comedy tour I go out and I perform for the military. And kind of like my, my bread and butter now I, I put on, I produce comedy shows for military and first

responder communities.

Anywhere they’ll

have me any climb, any place.

[00:03:20] Scott DeLuzio: That’s awesome.

And, and I like the, the kind of resilience there is there too, because, you know, you, you kind of feel like you’re walking up against a, a closed door. People aren’t having you on, or you’re not, not inviting you in or. Or whatever the case may be, and you’re kind of just like, you know what?

Screw it. I’m gonna do my own thing and I’m gonna make this happen one way or the other. And, and here you are, you’re, you’re doing it. And not only are you doing it, but you’re also. Supporting the, the, the troops in a way too, because, you know, it’s a good morale boost when you get to have those, those types of things come around and, and you know, whether, whether it’s a concert, whether it’s a, you know, a comedy show or anything like that.

Tho those types of things are pretty [00:04:00] great for, for morale for the troops too. So, it’s kinda like a win-win all around for, for everybody, you know, yourself and the, the folks that you perform for. And, and that goes around. That’s pretty awesome. So. Kind of back it up maybe just a, a bit here. You, you mentioned kind of getting out, wanting to get out of Vegas and joining the Marine Corps.

You know, how did, how did the Marine Corps itself kind of shape your shape your career and, and what your future prospects were, you know, as far as the, the comedy goes? Was that always something that you were doing or was that something that you kind of fell into afterwards?

[00:04:34] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah, so when I joined I was never, there was never like, oh, I’m gonna be a comedian one day. You know? I joined and I was really, it was just like an escape from the, the culture that I was living in, in Las Vegas and in the Marine Corps. I found like this, this brotherhood and this. Community, this camaraderie that I just had never found before that I was looking for out in the streets of Las Vegas, you know, trying to, you know, [00:05:00] find other neighborhood kids and, build a, my, my own little brotherhood. But when I joined the Marine Corps, I found it and it was so strong and it was so validating to be around a bunch of other guys that shared, you know, not just a similar work environment, but we were also, you know, a lot of guys come from. Or, you know, challenging walks of life and the sense of humor that is nurtured is a, is a wild one.

You know, you people cope in different ways and Marines cope with strange thoughts. And my my sense of humor that I, you know, I kind of got from my dad growing up in Las Vegas and hanging out in bars with him and, and just being a little roughneck kid. Really got it, it got a lot of validation from these guys that, that are also thinking about the same things I’m thinking about and I just, you know, found weird ways to string ’em together and get some laughs here and there, being in the Marine Corps around that.

Definitely kind of, [00:06:00] not kind of, it definitely helped me when I first started Santa because when I saw I got outta the Marine Corps and my back was messed up and I’ve always been such like a laborist person. I’ve always been so consumed with work and, and. And just working a lot and, and, and hard. And when I got out, I couldn’t do that anymore ’cause my body was falling apart on me.

And I had this this moment where I was like, well, shit, what do I do now? What am I supposed to be doing? I can’t work long hours. I can’t be laborists anymore. I was like, ah, I’m gonna have to get into like white collar stuff and maybe get into sales or something. I haven’t figure out how to talk to people that aren’t Marines, you know? And I realized I didn’t know how to do that. So I was like, I, I’ve always, I’ve been a writer for a long time, so I was a kid. I write down, you know, things that I think are funny or just weird stories. So I was like, I should take one of these notebooks and go to a comedy open Mike. ’cause I like standup comedy, but I’d never done it.

And

I was like, I should go,

you know, just get over these nerves, you know, of

[00:06:52] Scott DeLuzio: Mm-hmm.

[00:06:53] Michael D’Angelo: do I talk in

a sales

room? How do I just like be in front of people and, and try and, you know, be calm, but also, you know, [00:07:00] try to entertain people and not just be like, here’s this information. Know, be loose enough to be able to be yourself. And I went to this first open mic and. It was it was scary. I was, it’s crazy. I talk about this all the time and that, like, I’ve been in some rough situations in my life and I’ve never been so scared that I almost piss myself, I was so, my adrenaline dump was so hard that I basically started pissing myself a little bit while I was on stage.

I’m waiting to go up and they’re like, all right, there’s two more comics in you. And I’m like, all right, I gotta go piss and I’m gonna go pee. And I come back, I’ll be like, all right, one more comic. Then you, I’d be like, man, I gotta piss again. I go pee and come back. I’d be like, all right, you’re next. I’m like. Why do I feel like I gotta piss again? And I, and then I go up on stage and I can feel, I didn’t like flat out piss my pants, but I’m like, on stage I could feel myself pissing a little bit. I’m like, yo, like this is crazy. And you know, I get off stage and I don’t have like this amazing set where I’m like, oh my God, I’m so good.

I’m gonna be a comic. But I had fun. was you know, it was free, it was legal. I didn’t hurt anybody. [00:08:00] No one got hurt. I was like, I’m doing, I’m gonna be doing this now. And you know, as. You know, my, my sales career progressed. I started to, you know, hate doing sales and one day I was, you know, I was doing door to door sales actually in NorCal, talked me into doing solar up there.

When I got up there, they were like, oh yeah, you have to go knock on the doors to make all the money. We told you you could make. And day I’m just like living in the front seat of my car trying to hustle out there. And I was like, man, I should just do something that I like to do. And I came back to Las Vegas and I started just doing standup as much as I could.

I was like, I wanna, I really wanna like, swing my bat at this. I think, I think if I take all this discipline and, and energy and, and sacrifice that I know how to do and put it into something that I actually

enjoy, I think

maybe that would

be a good move or a right decision, you know. And,

[00:08:51] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. Right.

[00:08:51] Michael D’Angelo: And through

all that, you know, in the past, since I moved to LA it’s been like nine years. been, it’s been hard. It, it is a hard industry to [00:09:00] do, you know, let alone just like getting on stage, performing for people. But it’s also like navigating Los Angeles and, and, you know, and the, the culture that’s out here and the rules and the politics and the clubs and the bookers and the managers and other comedians. been, it’s been very hard. It’s been a challenge. It’s been a journey. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve gotten so much better as a comedian. And I’ve, I’ve been learning the business, but there’s a lot of times that I’ve looked back and, and I’ve like, looked for strength and like, all right, what am I doing?

Why am I doing this? Like, should I be doing this? And a lot of my buddies in the Marine Corps are the ones that told me like, yo, dude, you should become a comic one day. Like, you’re funny dude. Like if you don’t try that, like you’re kind of wasting your life. And and when I first moved to LA those words really stuck out to me because I got to LA and I was such

a roughneck that.

You know,

I was not welcomed out here

[00:09:50] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:09:50] Michael D’Angelo: it kindly,

and I just

wasn’t getting the development that I was hoping for. People weren’t, I wasn’t getting on shows. I wasn’t getting as much opportunity as I thought I could get that I wanted, that I would’ve [00:10:00] liked to have had to help me grow. And I, I, I was like, who am I supposed to be performing for?

Like, what do I do? I’m in SoCal. I came out here to grow. I’m not getting the movement I want to get. What do I do? And I remembered all my marine buddies. They were like, yo, dude, you should do comedy. And that’s what it hit me. I was like, oh. right, so I reached out to like the US O2 or the GIS of Comedy, armed Forces Entertainment, all these places being like, yo, can I do comedy with you guys for the military? And they all kinda got back to it, the same story. The USO didn’t get back to me at all. They’re such a big organization, you know? But. They all get back. Same story. Like, oh, you know, we’ll, we’ll keep, you know, we’ll keep you updated if we need you. Thanks for reaching out. You know, but they all have their good old boys club already, which is fine.

It makes sense. I have my good old boys club now. You know, I got, I got the guys that I, that I bring every time I go, so that’s what I did. I was like, all right, well I’m gonna have to do this myself. And I sent 400 letters out to Marine Corps units all over the country, and most of ’em Southern California.

But I was like, Hey, I’m a Marine. I’m a comedian. I will come out and perform for you guys anytime, any place for [00:11:00] free. And I started getting shows and that, that’s kind of like, it all kind of really moved because I was, I was nurtured by, you know, my, my brothers in the Marine Corps.

That really validated my

humor and things like that, you

know, and

[00:11:15] Scott DeLuzio: Sure.

[00:11:16] Michael D’Angelo: now it’s, you know,

now it’s this

much bigger thing.

[00:11:19] Scott DeLuzio: Well, yeah, and

anytime you start something new that you know, you weren’t previously exposed to in, in one way or another because you know, you’re, you’re changing careers or, or whatnot you know, things that you, you were talking about like. Not even being aware of some of the, the politics or the, you know, having to deal with the managers or the, you know, other comedians and all that kind of stuff.

You know, being a, a comedian is one thing. Having to write all the jokes and then being able to deliver the joke and the, you know, all the, all the things that go into the, the art if you will, of, of being a comedian is. But then you have to deal with the administrative crap too, that it’s, that [00:12:00] probably wasn’t even on the radar at first.

And then, then you’re, you’re like, oh man, this is, this is a, a crazy world. I’m, I’m walking myself into here. You know, what, what am I getting into? But, but when you are as dedicated as you are to making this work and make this happen, you’re, you’re reaching out to all these marine units and saying like, yeah.

I’m coming out and I’ll, I’ll, I’ll perform for you guys. And quite frankly, that’s probably your audience anyways. You know, given that your, that sense of humor was maybe developed in the Marine Corps, they’re gonna be the ones who get it, not, not some, you know, college kid from, you know, San Diego or something like that.

Like who, who. Maybe isn’t gonna have the same kind of sense of humor, the same dark humor, or, you know, whatever. I don’t, I’m not entirely sure the exact direction, but I’d imagine it’s something that’s probably gonna align a little bit more with you know, someone who’s a Marine or a soldier or any other [00:13:00] branch, if you will than, you know, a, a freshman in college or something.

Right.

[00:13:04] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah. it was it was, it was very eye-opening because I had only

really experienced Las Vegas, you know, and that’s like this

[00:13:12] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:13:12] Michael D’Angelo: wild

scene. I cut

my teeth there. And then coming to la I came to LA because I was visiting. I would come out here and there to take some classes. I was trying to like grow as a writer and, and things like that. And I was doing some shows here and there. And I would sit at the comedy store in their, in their original room late night at like midnight, 1:00 AM 2:00 AM and watch these guys that are like big stars now. Watch them, you know, nine years ago, work in this room that is like, you know, it’s fucking 1:00 AM These guys have been. The crowd has like hurt every premise. They’re drunk, they’re tired. Some of ’em

are foreign, like people aren’t paying

attention.

It’s, it’s a lot to compete with.

[00:13:52] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:13:53] Michael D’Angelo: these comics are up here

working and I

was watching them and I’m like, oh man, if I wanna get better, I have to move out here. I wanna, I wanna like work [00:14:00] in these rooms like this.

And even though it is very hard in la I have gotten better out here. Like the culture is different. It’s, it’s softer in a way, but there is so, there’s so many good people out here. so much competition that it, it

like puts that fire

onto you to

work harder to develop and write and

[00:14:20] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:14:21] Michael D’Angelo: and,

and try

new things. And it hasn’t changed my style of writing. I still very much talk about the same things, but I’m much better at expressing the ideas on stage in front of a crowd versus just, this crazy thing, you know, I, I, you know, I understand my own timing, my own delivery, my own voice, and. And, and how it comes off to people.

I’m much more aware of the craft itself and all these other things, and LA really did do that for me. But it’s, it’s incredible when I get in front of a crowd it’s that they, they love me, you know, and I don’t, I don’t have to work [00:15:00] for their, for their day, for the, the laughter, you know what I mean?

Sometimes it’s work up there, and I still love that too, but man, well, you can get up

in front of a crowd that knows

exactly what you’re talking

about.

[00:15:10] Scott DeLuzio: Right.

[00:15:10] Michael D’Angelo: spoiled.

[00:15:12] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, no, it’s great to, to be able to do that too, because it takes a, maybe a little bit of the pressure off too, that you’re, you’re not getting up in front of a, you know, a group of people who you’re like, I don’t know that these people are gonna get any of this stuff. And that, that would probably, I know for me anyways, that would be in the back of my mind of like, this is, this is probably just not gonna work.

You know, this is, this isn’t gonna be a great show, but, but I, I want to kind of circle around to something else that you, you kind of briefly mentioned. But the I guess the group of people that you, you bring along with you to do these com comedy tours and, and it’s called the, the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour.

Right. That, that you guys have. And you know, what, what kind of what kind of feedback are you getting from folks when, when you go to these different places and, and perform for them?

[00:15:57] Michael D’Angelo: Oh, it’s, it’s interesting. The [00:16:00] feedback is always, I guess now it’s not surprising. It makes sense, but, you know, when I started doing these shows, it was very much. In the beginning it was like, yeah, I just want stage

time. And then it was like, oh, I,

I wanna do it for these crowds ’cause it’s fun.

[00:16:14] Scott DeLuzio: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:15] Michael D’Angelo: And then I,

you know, once, once all the, the, like, craziness of like, oh my God, this is happening and so much fun and I could like actually pay attention to what was going on. It became very clear to me that like we have like this crazy effect on these, these young marines, you know, these units when we go to perform for ’em because the feedback. incredible. These guys come up to us after shows and they’re like, yeah, man. We’re like, we thought this was gonna suck. We thought

this was gonna be weird.

We

thought, you know, because it’s,

a lot of times it’s mandatory fun, you know, they’re like, all right,

[00:16:45] Scott DeLuzio: Sure.

[00:16:45] Michael D’Angelo: you know, this

time,

you know, be out here. We’re gonna, someone’s coming by to like give us some entertainment, you know? And guys are like, oh great. What’s this gonna be? But guys come up and they’re like, man, this was awesome.

A lot of time, A lot of times it’s their first experience with standup [00:17:00] comedy. these guys are like, yo, I’ve never, I’ve never even been into a comedy club. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t even care or think about standup comedy and this was amazing. Like, and now I want to go watch standup. You know, so it’s like introducing these guys to this art form. And then it’s also because of the group that I bring out, like I bring. In a, in like a, the, the best, the ideal format. It’s, the reason it’s rapid fire is because I bring out a lot of comics. It’s like a showcase show. It’s not an opener in a middle and a headliner that does like 45 minutes or an hour, you know, it’s, it’s supposed to be fast paced, like 10 minute sets.

It’s bam, bam, bam, bam. We just had a show what, what’s today? Two days ago we had a show I brought nine comics with me and it was a blast. You know, I rent this van, I load ’em up in the van, and they’re all hanging out comics that don’t get to connect with, you know, each other.

It’s a very, like, it’s a very independent sport, you know, and when you throw ’em all in a van together, they get to like converse and bond and stuff. So like these comics are also getting like something that I didn’t [00:18:00] expect I was creating, or, or, or had the power to do, which is like bringing. Artists together and getting them to kind of mind meld and bond and, and create new relationships

[00:18:11] Scott DeLuzio: Mm.

[00:18:11] Michael D’Angelo: You know,

it’s a good

time on the ride up and usually the ride back, you know, if it’s a good show, which it usually always is. But that’s what I, another thing that I realized with this show, and it took me a while to like really see it, but because these, the demographic, you know, these kids are like 17 to 25, 17 to 24, 23 years old, so it’s like. Not only have they never been to a comedy club before, or they don’t watch standup comedy, but they haven’t had, they maybe have not been exposed because they’re just young. They haven’t been exposed to you know, a gay artist talking for 10 minutes about his lifestyle. You know, or, or, or a black comic talking for 10 minutes about things that

someone would watch.

They go, holy

shit, like. [00:19:00]

I actually deal with that.

[00:19:01] Scott DeLuzio: Right.

[00:19:02] Michael D’Angelo: never would’ve

thought that this

dude has to deal with that. You know what I mean? Or, or, or I’ve, I’ve found myself in this situa, like I’m really exposing them to different points of view that they may not have ever been exposed to, and I’m doing it through this art form where I bring these artists and, and they get to, you know, share their talent and their story and their skills with these guys. And then these guys get to leave with not only having a good time and, and having fun and shit, but walking away, like looking at the world a little bit differently, looking at people a little bit differently and having a, you know, whether it’s compassion or understanding or, or

maybe a want to

connect with

people in a

different

way.

It changes them.

[00:19:43] Scott DeLuzio: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that, that’s a good point too, because especially for the younger guys and and gals who are you know, in the military and. I mean, you don’t have very many life experiences up until that point. And [00:20:00] you know, a lot of them might come from real rural areas and there might just not be a comedy club around.

And so. When were they ever gonna go to see comedy, you know, that they’d have to go travel a long way to, to be able to get into that. And so this at least, you know, gives them that, that opportunity to experience it and, you know, whether that’s something that they, want to do themselves as, as a comedian maybe.

Maybe they’re funny too, and they, they feel like that could be something that they do in the future. And that kind of opens their eyes to you know, a potential you know, opportunity in the future after, after the military. Or if it’s just something that they like to do to you know, unwind and relax at the end of the week or something like that.

Go to go out to the comedy club and go listen to some new comics or, or whoever. I gotta imagine that that could be beneficial for not, not just morale. I know, I know we talked about that before too, but e even mental health stuff too, because that kind of like, at, at the end of a long week, you maybe had a rough week or something like that.

If you can go out and start [00:21:00] laughing. I mean, laughter, they, they say is the, the best medicine. So, you know. Why not, you know, expose folks to that. And I, I gotta imagine that that plays a, a pretty big role in someone’s maybe overall health, you know, mental health included, right?

[00:21:14] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah, absolutely. I, I, you know, that’s

another thing that I started realized, like we

are, this

is like a mental health boost

[00:21:20] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:21:21] Michael D’Angelo: you know, whether it

is just

like a law. Long ass weak in the field. You know, sometimes we pull up in the, at a mount town, you know, these guys are literally sleeping in the field that night.

They’re waiting for transpo ’cause they end. The exercise just ended and, and we’re just the kind of like, all right boys, like you did it. Now sit down, enjoy yourselves. And we get to be that entertainment for them. And sure enough, after the shows, you know, guys to come up and they’ll be like, man, we needed this dog.

It was a rough week, man. We’re pissed at the gunny. We hate the battalion commander. You know, like we’re mad at everybody, but. turned things around. This, this kind of proved to us that they do care about us and they, they want us to have some fun. And, and I’ve even had like, you know, leadership come up to me and [00:22:00] point out things like, yo man, like those marines right there, those two guys have been at each other’s throats all week. I have, we haven’t seen them laugh and having a good time like this. And we don’t know how

long and you guys did that, man.

Like, you guys are

really boosting morale out here. You’re building

this

[00:22:13] Scott DeLuzio: Right.

[00:22:14] Michael D’Angelo: we

appreciate you

for coming all the way out here. You know.

[00:22:17] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. And

you know, I, I think, you know, to all, all of these points here that we’re, we’re talking about as far as like boost morale and, and mental health and things, I mean. It, it’s kind of a, a low barrier to entry as far as, you know, being able to go out and go to a comedy club and, you know, go watch, go watch some comedians who are doing their, their thing and, and making people laugh.

You know, if you’re having one of those weeks, whether you’re in the military or not, if you’ve, you know, already gotten out your veteran or whatever, and you, you want to. Experience some laughter. Maybe you’ve had, like I said, a, a rough week, a rough month, a rough year, whatever. And you’re like, I, I need something funny.

Something [00:23:00] unexpected, something different. Not just watching the same old movies that you’ve, you maybe have watched before. You know, some, someone new. I mean, go out and, and experience something new like that. Go, go see a, a new comedian that, that maybe you never heard of before or whatever. And you know.

Enjoy the, the art form for, for what it is. The, the comedian puts a lot of time and effort into it and they get a lot of probably benefit from seeing people like that get out there and laugh their ass off too. Right.

[00:23:31] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s goes both ways. The comics really get a lot out of it, you know, the FA lot of em’s, their first time perform For the military, I like to bring a, a, a mixed group and some, a lot of times I always bring someone new on and it, they, they come away from it, you know. Yeah, one, like just never having, maybe never having even connected with the military or something like that, but also the impact that they’ve just made on these guys as well.

You know, so it’s, it’s that side and [00:24:00] it’s the Marines coming away from it, just feeling like, oh shit, man. Like what a, what a night. Like we didn’t see, they, they say this a lot. They just

like, man, we did

not see this

coming.

We did not know this

was gonna be cool.

[00:24:11] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think anyone who’s listening to this who’s served more than you know, a few months in the military has probably experienced some sort of man mandatory fund. Type thing. And a lot of times they’re not all that fun. And when you have something and it’s a change of pace where it actually is fun, it’s enjoyable, it, you laugh your ass off and, and it’s really good.

It’s kinda like, well, yeah, exactly. Like you said before, those. Guys in leadership, they must actually give a damn about, about us. That they went out of their way to arrange this for us and, and give us this opportunity to have this good time and, and everything. So it, it’s again, there’s just win-wins going on all over all going on all over the place here with, with [00:25:00] all of this because you know, any, anyone who’s experiencing it is, is gonna have a is gonna have a good time.

You know, unless they’re just. That much of a person that doesn’t like to laugh and have a good time or whatever, but I mean, most people are, are gonna enjoy comedy to, to some extent. And so, you know, it’s, it’s kind of a cool thing that you get to boost that morale and and, and stuff like that. So, now.

This started off, I’m, I’m assuming this started off, it was, it was just you going around to different places and now it’s kind of grown to incorporate a bunch of other comedians in, in the the, in the tour. Where do you see this going down the line? Are you gonna be kind of adding more, more folks to the lineup or, you know, how, how is that all gonna work out, down, down the line for you?

[00:25:46] Michael D’Angelo: you?

know, when I, when I think about where it’s going and, and what I’d like to have happen sometimes it’s two different lines, you know, where, where it’s going is. You know, I’m starting to see more, more [00:26:00] people, especially from this podcast run that I’m doing is trying to spread the word. I see more military and first responder groups. Reaching out for shows. So it’s just expanding into, like, I I still consider it like military, you know, a lot of first responder groups, if they’re not, if they’re not in that lifestyle already, you know, whether it’s firefighters, you know, working in the firehouse, working these crazy shifts and that, that brotherhood or, or police that are also in the brotherhood.

And it’s a lot of guys that get outta the military and go into those professions anyways, so we’re, it’s expanding into those groups as well. Where I want it to go, where I’d really like it to go is the, the best shows that we do, they really are out in the field. You know, the, the ones that are just and they’re special and they’re, they’re punk rock is when, you know, I still mail letters out.

And what, it’s when, like some company First Sergeant or you know, company commander gets, you know, one of the letters and they hit us [00:27:00] up and they’re like, Hey, we’re gonna be at this range on Pendleton on this date at this time. you want to come down at the end of our exercise that night and set up out in the dirt? like, I would just love to do those shows. I mean,

I’d do that shit seven nights a week

if I could

on Pendleton or 29 Palms or wherever.

[00:27:16] Scott DeLuzio: Sure. Sure.

[00:27:17] Michael D’Angelo: that,

that’s,

that’s really, that’s all I want, you know, I, I mean the, it’s, it’s such a hard thing, this industry because it’s like one hand, like. It’s so much fun and it’s so fulfilling to have these shows that are incredible.

These crowds are so good it’s fun for me as a, you know, a person that likes to, I’m very organized and I like to like put things together and figure it out. Problem solve, to show up out in the dirt in the middle of the night, set everything up and put on this show and have it be kick ass and then break it down and leave and then be in the van with my buddies.

Like, oh my God, that was crazy. So much fun. it’s also like, you know, now I’m at this place in my career and, and the time in my life where. And this podcast run is, is part of the inspiration of [00:28:00] all this, is that I have to figure out a way to

make money to

continue to do this long term.

[00:28:07] Scott DeLuzio: Mm-hmm.

[00:28:08] Michael D’Angelo: now in

la, you

know, I, I do comedy, but I’m not a full-time comedy.

You know, I got three other jobs. I’m still using my VA benefits to go to school, so they’ll help pay my bills. You know, like I’m very much out here hustling to make it all work. so I, and it’s hard to make that a part of the conversation with these units, you know, because. hard to get funding together.

It’s hard to get them to, you know, when you do that kind of stuff, it takes longer. You’re like, yeah, okay. It costs money. All right, well, we gotta send it up to this person. They gotta approve it. Then they’re gonna be like, who are you? What do you do? What are you talking about? Where are you from? What have you done in the past?

Who are you? And it just

becomes like a, a, a

longer conversation. And a lot of times it doesn’t happen.

[00:28:43] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:28:44] Michael D’Angelo: through. So it’s just

easier to

keep them free. To combat that. A part of this podcast run is also spreading the word that we are a nonprofit. We’re a 5 0 1 C3. You know, we’re, we’re like, you know, we’re like the Catholic church, but with Dick jokes.

And you know, people can donate to this tour that [00:29:00] show we did on the 11th that TV sponsored it for us. And it was great because it’s one of the first shows that I was able, you know, there’s, I’ve done a bunch of these, you know. most of them are free and the comics volunteer their time. But a couple days ago, I got to put checks in these comics hands, you know, I got to make sure everybody got paid for their effort. That’s kind of what I wanna be able to do is find sponsors and find donors so that, know, we can, I can keep doing this and I can pay my bills and I can, I can help these other starving artists eat as well. So it’s like finding donors and sponsors is, is the direction I want to go in. But

also I wanna find more

shows too,

even, even if they are free and they don’t have a budget, you know? And

[00:29:37] Scott DeLuzio: Mm-hmm.

[00:29:38] Michael D’Angelo: this podcast

run, I

have had more people hit me up and I always start the conversation with like, look man, I’ll work with any size budget. Like if you guys can’t put money together, especially if you’re in California, if you can’t get any money together, but you got a group of guys that needs some fucking some com, some camaraderie boosting, I’ll come out, I’ll come out solo if I have to with my, you know, just by myself, make go down. But it’s like, man, you guys throw some money together, I could put on a hell of a show [00:30:00] for you. You know what I mean? You know, it goes a long way I, even, even when like we all volunteer our time, our only expense is a rental van and some gas, you know, vans are a little more expensive nowadays than they were four or five, you know, seven years ago when I started this tour. like, man, 500 bucks will put gas in the van, rent the van, and then I could, you know, take these comics out for some inn out after the show. You know what I mean? Like,

goes, it’s not that expensive to just

cover the, the, the essentials, you know,

[00:30:26] Scott DeLuzio: Right.

[00:30:27] Michael D’Angelo: you know

that that’s the

goal is to find units that. Have funding, you know, and I’m trying to work with like the single Marine programs and, MCCS and all that, and try to find events that I can do for them where they will actually pay. as well as, you know, finding companies and sponsors to see what we’re doing. They go to our website and they’re like, oh, shit.

Look at, look at how. Look at how, that’s the thing is, I can’t convince anybody. I can’t be like, give us your money because, ’cause this, this, and this. It’s like, no, man. Like, look at us. See what we’re doing. Go visit us online. Watch, listen to the, watch these videos, [00:31:00] these posts show interviews with these marines talking about these shows.

Go look at these letters of recommendation on our website. Go see these of what’s happening. if you look at that and you’re like, eh, not for me. It’s like, there’s nothing I’m gonna say that’s gonna convince you. I can’t sell you this. You have to look at that and go, man, this is badass. I love what these guys are doing.

I love their mission. wanna donate, I wanna, I wanna sponsor a show. You know? And, and think it, it has happened. I’m actually extremely hopeful because of the amount of traction exposure these podcasts have been doing. I think you know, it just, people just don’t know?

about us. You know? I, it’s, we’re,

there’s

so much noise in the

world, you know, and

[00:31:33] Scott DeLuzio: Okay.

[00:31:34] Michael D’Angelo: I

gotta

get out here and tell the story.

[00:31:36] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And, and that’s, you know, part of what I, I love to be able to do with this show is expose people, you know, the, the listeners to different resources that are out there that they maybe just don’t know exist. And for anybody who might be listening, who is, you know. They, they got a little weight in, in whatever unit that they’re in, and they, they can make some sort [00:32:00] of decisions like this and, and bring people like yourself in and, and your, your group.

Like, like you said, go to the website and check it out and I’ll, I’ll have the link to the, the website in the show notes. But you know, go to the website, check it out, see, see if it’s a type of thing that you want to you know, expose your, your, your troops to, and i, I can’t see why not. I mean, especially when you take cost off the table.

Like if, if it’s, it’s a free thing, you know, you guys are a nonprofit and you know, sure. Figure out some sponsors, and I’m sure there’s some folks who are from various companies that are you know, basically have the same target audience that you have. You know, either military, veterans, first responders, those types of people.

I’m sure there’s some of those people who are listening to this show too, who. I would love to, you know, get in front of that type of type of a group. And so, you know, what, what, what’s it to them to, you know, put some of their marketing budget to, you know, something like that. And you’re gonna go bring it directly to you know, you.

Couple hundred guys probably who, who are [00:33:00] out in the, the middle of the field after sucking after a week out in the field. And they’re, they’re either cold and wet or hot and sweaty and dirty and just ready for a good time. And I, I bet you that would land very well with them if if they’re seeing, you know, brought to you by, you know, whatever the company is,

[00:33:17] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah.

[00:33:18] Scott DeLuzio: that would probably stick with them pretty well because they’re, they’re, they’re looking at, it’s like.

That company is, is who brought this to us and allowed us to be able to have a good time after, you know, that sucky week that we just had or whatever. So, so yeah, that, as you were talking before, I, I, I was thinking to myself like, sponsors seem like the perfect solution to the money problem for you guys.

And then, then you mentioned that. So I was like, okay, well I’ll, I’ll just shut up right now and let you seem like you already figured that out.

[00:33:46] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah, it’s just, it’s just fine. The right ones. And you know, I’ve, I’ve, like, every week I’m, I’m emailing ’em phone call, Hey, this is who we are, is what we’re doing, is what we’re looking for. You know, it’s just about meeting the right company and the right people at the right time that are [00:34:00] interested in that sort of

thing.

And, and that’s why these podcasts are

important. ’cause, you know, people find us on here as well.

[00:34:04] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely.

For the, the listeners who. Maybe are interested in you know, having your tour come around to wherever they are and or, or maybe even they’re, you know, involved in a company that wants to sponsor what you guys are doing. They’re, they’re listening to this and they really are you know, excited about what you guys are doing.

Where can people go to find out more information and, and get more you know, background on you guys watch some videos and those types of.

[00:34:31] Michael D’Angelo: Yeah, the best place to go is is the website. It’s, it took me like a couple years to like really get a good website that looks good and it, it works well. You know, I’m not good at that kind of stuff, and I’m kind of a one man band here. As far as like the admin side, you know. But the website is rapid fire comedy tour.org.

It’s got all the info in there. It’s got an about section, kind of tells a little bit of the story how I got started with it. It’s got letters of recommendation from all these units that loved us and have nothing but kind things to say. There’s some [00:35:00] videos on there of just like crowds going crazy, having a good time, and there’s like post show interviews of Marines talking after shows, being like, yo, man, this was incredible.

This was my first time at a show. You guys rocked it. We had so much fun. Man, this is amazing. just check out the website. There’s a contact section on there. It’s got our info and email is just [email protected]. So please reach out questions if, if you, if you have resources too, maybe you don’t even wanna book a show.

You’re

just like, Hey, you know what you should do, or you know what you

should reach

out to. I’m all ears, man. I’ll

[00:35:32] Scott DeLuzio: Absolutely.

[00:35:32] Michael D’Angelo: and

pitch it to

anybody. I’m always looking for tips and

resources on how to help this thing

stay

alive and to succeed.

[00:35:40] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. And again, like I said, the, the website will be in the show notes for the listener. So, so make it nice and easy for you. Just click through and, and get access to that. But you know, if you’re, if you’re in charge of a unit and you’re looking for something maybe unique or special to do with your unit after, you know.

Some event, some [00:36:00] something that you have coming up. Yeah, definitely reach out. I’m, I’m sure you guys will be able to accommodate those types of things and and also you know, if you are a company that wants to maybe support this in, in some sort of sponsorship arrangement or, or something, definitely reach out because all, all those things, come together and, and end up helping this group of people, the, the you know, the, the troops who are you know, getting the benefit of, of this comedy tour. You know, that that really is, is kind of like a, a, a huge thing and that that morale boost could be you know, the difference between someone having a real crappy day real crappy week or whatever.

And and. Being able to walk away saying, you know what, this wasn’t all that bad. You know, this, you can walk away with a smile on your face. I think. I think we’re, we’re doing our jobs there, so, so definitely reach out. Again, the link will be there in the show notes. Any kind of closing message that you have before we wrap up here.

[00:36:54] Michael D’Angelo: Closing message. I mean, for any, like, you know, guys that are still in, that are about to get out and, you know, [00:37:00] you’re, you’re kind of worried about what’s gonna happen when you get out. You know, don’t panic and. Try to find, you know, try to find things that you like to do. You know, try to find community because when you get out, you don’t have your boys around you all the time.

You don’t wanna just go hang out at bars and be drinking and shit. So try and find things to do with yourself that you enjoy doing, and, and don’t be don’t be afraid to try some new things. You know, it’s, the civilian world is, is lonely, it’s weird, and it’s harder in another way that, that no one tells you about. And I’m, I’m glad that I found standup comedy to kind

of push me,

you know,

into, into a different type of work.

[00:37:38] Scott DeLuzio: Sure.

[00:37:39] Michael D’Angelo: and also,

you know, go to a comedy club, support live comedy, even if you don’t come to one of our shows or, or book us. Go support standup comedy. If you’ve got a club near you or you know there’s a little independent show going on, get on Google and find one.

I guarantee you there’s a comedy show going on near you. You might go to it and a lot of the comics might suck. It might be a bad show,

but I bet you there’s one comic or maybe

one [00:38:00] joke that you’re like, damn, that was good.

[00:38:01] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah.

[00:38:02] Michael D’Angelo: this

my life is,

I’m addicted to this stuff. It’s my

whole life. So I can’t

convince

people enough to go support the art form.

[00:38:09] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. I, I’ve been to

several comedy shows over the years and it, it’s, you are Right. Some, sometimes they, they, they kind of fall flat. The, the comedian maybe just having an off night or, you know, or whatever. It’s, but I would say nine times outta 10 or even more, I, I go to, I walk away laughing.

Basically, and so go, go check them out and great advice there. So, Michael, thank you so much for coming on the show today. All the great work you’re doing and continuing to in a way serve and give to military community, I think super awesome. So, thank you for everything that you do and you know, best of luck.

Best of luck to you in, in the future.

[00:38:55] Michael D’Angelo: Oh dude.

Thank you so much for having me on, Scott. I appreciate it.

[00:38:58] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, you [00:39:00] bet.​