DoT Minicast: Love and Death with Jim Breuer

I have been working on this one since last fall when I saw Jim Breuer at the Comics Come Home benefit show in Boston. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it’s an annual event hosted by Denis Leary with an all-star lineup of stand-up comedians, many of whom have local ties. Lenny Clarke is there every year, and the 2018 edition featured Brian Regan, Robert Kelly, Jessica Kirson, Billy Gardell, and Christine Hurley, who will be a guest on next week’s full episode. Since it’s a benefit for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care, there are often a few life-affirming moments. Breuer’s set last year was exactly that, but in a strange way. He talked about how he wanted people to celebrate life, and when he’s dead, throw a party. Shoot his body out of a cannon over a lake and have fireworks and music. That’s not a new sentiment, but coming from Breuer, it was beautiful. The man has been through hell losing his father after a battle with Alzheimer’s and a stroke and then sister to cancer five weeks later in 2014. To top it off, his wife is also battling cancer. That’s enough to make anyone a bit cynical.

Those tough times have had an influence on Breuer’s comedy, in a completely positive way. You can hear it on his new album, Live In Portland, which, as mentions in this interview, he didn’t even intend to make. He hadn’t planned this material as a special, necessarily – he doesn’t even remember exactly what he said. Breuer is still as playful and silly as ever, but from a new perspective. He’s grateful for what he has, and even what he’s lost. Also for opening for Metallica on tour, and even that fits the theme. Those guys aren’t getting any younger, either. The conversation was delayed by Breuer’s schedule and some of my own health issues, but I’m so glad it finally happened. You can find out more about the album and find out if he’s coming to a venue near you at www.officialjimbreuer.com.

The Clips:

“Seeing Metallica Now”

“51 Years Old”

“Nursing Home”

“Holding Dad”

“The Cardinal”