Running away from Sobriety: Sam Miller’s road from tarps to laughter

Welcome to another episode of The Touched Out Podcast. I'm your host, Carter, and today, we have an incredibly funny, kind and wise guest, Sam Miller, with us. In this episode, we'll delve into Sam's journey from addiction to recovery and an up and coming thriving career in stand-up comedy.

Sam, from Spokane, Washington, shares his incredible story of transformation. He's been sober since June 10, 2008, and he's actively engaged in a recovery community.

Sam opens up about the impact of his father, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, who passed away when Sam was just 12. He candidly expresses the deep shame he felt while addicted to drugs and alcohol, particularly in how he hurt his mother.

Sam reflects on his struggle with addiction and emphasizes that for him, it was not about getting high but rather running away from sobriety.

Sam's life took a dark turn when he was fired from his job as a firefighter with the US Forest Service due to excessive drinking. He faced a period of increased suicidal thoughts. The only thing that prevented him from taking that step was the thought of hurting his mother.

He moved back home to his mother's house and, despite lying about his sobriety, a moment of clarity led to his decision to seek help on June 10, 2008. He went through a grueling detox, and his journey to recovery began.

Sam shares that his first year of sobriety was more challenging than his last year of drug use. It was a period of immense growth and adjustment. Sam has been married for 12 years and is a father to two children, aged 12 and 10. He emphasizes the importance of raising kind and empathetic children.

Sam discusses his passion for stand-up comedy, which he's been doing for 9 years, and full-time for the last 2 years. He sees his comedy career as a gift of recovery. He reflects on his first open mic experience, describing it as a defining moment in his life. Sam realized he was not only going to do comedy but had always been a comedian.

Sam still finds immense joy in making his family and friends laugh, reinforcing the healing power of laughter. 

He discusses his podcast, "The Tarp Report," co-hosted with fellow comedian Jess Anderson as well as Sam’s debut album, "Round Trip," that is available now.

We conclude the episode with some words of wisdom from Sam to anyone struggling with addiction or facing challenging times: "As best you can, find ways to love yourself" and "Keep in mind that there are unknown unknowns."

Head to the podcast Instagram and hit the bio link to sign up for preorder today.

Transcript

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to the elders, past, present and emerging, but they hold the memories, the traditions and the culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the nation.

Carter

Warning this podcast contains explicit language and discusses sensitive topics related to mental health, childhood trauma, birth, trauma, abuse, miscarriage, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you find these subjects distressing or triggering, we recommend taking caution and considering whether to proceed with. Listening. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional or a trusted individual for support. Your well being is our priority. Welcome to another episode of the Touched Out Podcast. I'm your host Carter and today we have an incredibly funny, kind and wise guest. Sam Miller with us. In this episode, we'll delve into Sam's journey. From addiction and recovery to an up and coming thriving career in stand up comedy, Sam from Spokane, WA shares his incredible story of transformation. Having been sober since June 10th 2008. and actively being engaged in a recovery community, Sam shares that his first year of sobriety was more challenging than his last year of drug use. It was a period of immense growth and adjustment. Sam has been married for 12 years and is a father to two children aged 12 and 10. He emphasises the importance of raising kind and empathetic children. And the ways in which his life changed once he became a Father, Sam opens up about finding immense joy in still making his family and friends laugh, reinforcing the healing power of. He discusses his podcast, The TARP report, which is Co hosted with fellow comedian Jess Anderson, as well as his debut album round Trip, which is now available. I hope you enjoy today's episode, hit like and share on the podcast platform of your choice, so the podcast can continue to find its way into the ears of new listeners. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. At Touched Out podcast for those who wish to support the show in other ways, you can also donate via PayPal. You can find social media and donation links as well as information from today's episode in the episode description. Thank you for being part of my podcast family. Let's keep this journey going together.

Carter

So today I've got my first. Celebrity guest, if you will. Sam Miller, Sam is a. Incredibly funny comedian from Olympia, WA. The reason in which I'd reached out to Ben is Sam is the father of is who he speaks about in his comedy. He also speaks about his incredible past his. Drug addiction and homelessness. Business and a slew of other things. So I thought, you know what the. Hell, let me reach out and see if he's willing to come on. And have a little bit of a chat and. A little bit of a laugh about his past. And yeah. Thanks very much for coming on, Sam, Man.

Sam

Yeah, you bet. I was excited cause it's weird. I've been looking so you know I'm I'm out here in Washington state in the northwestern. Corner of the country here. Of the the old USA and I was looking at my analytics and I was like man like people like what I'm doing in Australia especially like QLD. I think is where. It's like my stuff's really hidden and it's kind of curious because for a long. Time it was. Like the UK, that was. Like that was like the. Obviously like the number one country for people that like my comedy is, you know, US but like. I was like, that's kind of weird, you know? And then I was watching it and then on. My social media. I see people. They're like, oh, yeah, we're on Australia and we want you to come out here and do comedy. And I was like, I'm not allowed in Canada, so I don't know what it's gonna be like trying to get to Australia. But I'm going to do it. But yeah, when you reached out, I was like, yeah, let's go for it, man. Like, it's cool. And then it sounds like your podcast. It's like you sent.

Carter

Yeah. Awesome.

Sam

Me an email. Tell me what it's about and I'm always down to talk about that stuff. Because it's important to me, you know.

Carter

It's. Yeah, it's super important and it's something that's very, very underrepresented in the male community. So the fact that there's people out there like you that are are basing their their routines and their comedy surrounding those important topics. And those conversations is is super great. And only can do positive things for changing the community.

Sam

Yeah, I like to talk about it, man. You know, Full disclosure, you know, it's like I've been the last time I drank or got high was June 10th, 2008. So I'm. I got it's been about 15 years since, you know, I'm active in a recovery community that I don't, you know, I don't talk specifically about which one or whatever. I'm active in the recovery community. I've also been involved in therapy off and on, you know, working through my own stuff. It wasn't enough just to get sober and to get help with that. I needed help with a lot of. Stuff you know.

Carter

Yeah, for sure. So if you're happy to run me through a little bit about your history just for just for our listeners out there.

Sam

You bet. So I grew up in, like, a part of rural Washington state, a little town called Spanaway, which is outside of Tacoma, which is more like an urban area. You know, I grew up and my dad was in the Air Force. He was a pilot in the Air Force. He was a Lieutenant Colonel, was a pretty high rank. I think he retired when I was 8. And then he died when I was 12. And my mom, she's she's wonderful. I love her to death. But she was kind of a kind of a pushover. She let me get away with whatever. And that's what I did. And the thing that was really hard is I that was the thing I the thing I'm most ashamed about when I was drinking and doing drugs is is hurting my mom and I did it a lot and it made me feel like ****. But I did it. You know, I always tell folks with me and getting high it was less. It was less about getting high and more about not being sober. I wasn't running towards drugs. I was running away from sobriety cause I just hated the way I felt when I was sober. I hated the way I sounded. I hated the way I looked. I hated the. Way I talked. I really did. Hate every single part about me and. When I got high. I'd get like a break from that. Right. And that's what I did. That's what I did for a long time. You know this the usual story, man. Like my my mom would kick me out. I'd be on the streets sometimes. I lived in a barn for a while, lived in abandoned houses, lived in Doorways, lived in tents, went to Job Corps. And uh. I got a job with the US Forest Service fighting forest fires. Being a wildland firefighter, which I know is a big thing in Australia too. I have friends of mine that I used to fight fire with that would go to Australia and fight fire and I've been on fires where they've because your guys's summers are all backwards so and they would go. I had friends of mine that would go fight fire in Australia. Too, they loved it, my friend Katie Giddings would go over there and fight fire. She was she was a good friend of mine.

Carter

Yeah, cool. My father in law. 'S a firefighter so. I've got mad respect for for people who are in, yeah.

Sam

Yeah, you guys are flammable out. There, man. You guys have had a hell of a time, man. It's nothing to joke about, but I'll. Too bad I don't.

Carter

Yeah. No, that's OK. I reckon if anyone has a parcel to. You mate.

Sam

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, I yeah, it got. I got fired, which is crazy. I got fired from the US Forest Service, US fighting firework for the Forest Service. I got fired for drinking too much, which is crazy cause everybody parties, you know, like it's a like most stressful jobs. Like there's a lot of people using. Substances and stuff. And basically it was the end of the fire season. I was like, hey, I'll see you guys next year and they're like, no, you won't. You're not coming back on. You're you're you're done. And then I got to like, there was from the end of the fire season in 2007 to June of 2008, was by far like the worst time in my life, you know? I just you know. You have to put like a little warning on here because I'm going to talk about. Yeah, I wanted to die like every single day. You know, that was just what it was. It was. It wasn't a thing where, like, you know, people like, ohh, I think about suicide sometimes it was like. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I would obsess about it and the only reason I didn't do it is I didn't want to hurt my mom. You know, if it wasn't for her, even though we me. And my mom. Weren't talking that much if it wasn't for her, if it wasn't. For her, that would have been it for me and. Anyway, I decided to come back home to Olympia. I told my mom I was going to get sober. She told me I could stay at her house for a while if I was. If I was sober. And I lied to her. And I went out and started doing drugs. Again, you know, like you do. And then one morning on the morning of June 10th, 2008, I woke up under a tarp in front of the movie Theatre in downtown Olympia, which is where I love man. That's my town. Like I love Olympia. I know everybody. I was just downtown today drinking coffee, and I was like, oh crap, I'm doing that podcast. In Australia I need. To go and I don't know man. I woke up in front of a theatre. There was a lady walking her dog. For work. And she saw me. I woke up under a tarp. I was with a lady under the TARP. We were doing like, tarp stuff under there. You know and. I do. I do the joke about it, right. And I used to say specifically what we were doing under the TARP. It was like pretty dirty. And then when I was, sometimes I do shows where I gotta be clean. There's like kids and stuff, and I forgot that at the end of that joke, I'm like, I wind up having sex under a tarp. And because it was a clean show, I couldn't talk about sex. So when I was on stage, I was like, I was under the TARP and. We were doing tarp stuff.

Speaker

And now?

Sam

Now I do that joke like that all the time. But anyway, that Lady walked by me and she looked at me and something in my head snapped and I was like, man, either I'm going to kill myself today or I'm going to get help. And I decided to get help. I went to my mom's house. I. Sweated it out. For four days. And then I got help and I've been doing that ever since. Man, I still do it. I'm gonna do it tomorrow. You know, I got involved with the support group and. The rest is history, man. I've just been grinding trying to figure out my first year sober was harder than my last year. Drinking and doing drugs.

Carter

Yeah, it really does take that rock bottom moment, doesn't it? Like everyone says, it takes that rock bottom, but you'd like you, don't you don't truly understand rock bottom until you're actually there and you're like, **** like I'm either going to kill myself or I'm gonna get help. And that's the that's.

Sam

It does does.

Carter

Really, the two choices.

Sam

Some folks too, they it takes a few of them. You know, there was and honestly in recovery too, man at like 4 months sober and 11 months sober. Both those times, man, I still felt like I still felt like like hurting myself. And it was weird too, because then I was scared to talk about it because I was too proud, cause I was like I'm sober now. Like I'm better, you know. And that and I was still getting in fights and stuff like that. Like I got arrested and recovered. I got a job as a bouncer right at this really rough bar in Olympia here. And so like, I got that job because I still felt like that's what I deserved. Like that I should be down there, like, fighting and carrying on and stuff and. You know, and I and I and I love that job and I love a lot of those people at that bar. I still have a lot of friends that that obviously I got friends that drink. I do comedy. People drink around me constantly, you know. But yeah, man, I'm really lucky. I'm really lucky. I'm here and you know I. You know, I got, I got a. The wife and kids. I got a 10 year old and a 12 year old. I've been married 12 years. I've been doing stand up comedy nine years. It's been my full time job for two. Years and it's all. It's all a gift of recovery, man. That's really what it is, you know? Like, I don't talk about this that much because it's kind of boring for some folks, I think. But like, I don't.

Carter

That's our bread and butter, yeah.

Sam

Think people understand it. You know what I mean? Like, that's what I I think that's. I don't think people understand that sometimes is that there's there's no tricks, there's no shortcuts. You know, it's either, you know, every day I have a decision to make, and that's like whether I'm going to do something positive for my recovery. Or whether I'm going to or whether I'm going to start burning it down again because I can burn it down like people think I'm. Stable. I'm not.

Carter

Like a ******* click of the finger, huh? It's just a click of the finger away, you know, I do find that there's a commonality.

Speaker

I'm not stable.

Carter

There between between. You and I, I have myself suffered from addiction and homelessness in my past. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 12 and she she lived for an extra 16 years after.

Sam

Ohh man.

Carter

But it's a ******* hard slog. For 16 years, man, she fought. Yeah, tooth and nail. So, you know, while everyone was caring for her, little old me was kind of left to his own devices. And I just decided to be a ******* ******* about it. And yeah, and getting get into things that I shouldn't have gotten into. But yeah, there was just this point. In my life where I was like a couple of years after mum passed, I was just like, there's no reason to be here anymore. I've gotten, you know. No one's really gonna give two ***** if I'm if I, you know, shuffle off and then like, a couple of months after I was having those thoughts and I'd kind of started preparing to do. But I met my now wife and we now have three kids together, you know, built this beautiful life together. It's. ******* awesome. Like I literally look at my family every day and think you've literally saved my life.

Speaker

Yeah, yeah.

Sam

I look at my family every day and I'm like, *** **** it, I guess I'll do it, but I still. Love them though.

Carter

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So how did you step into fatherhood coming from the the history that you have just described?

Sam

Well, it's it's not a step that I intended. You know, my first kid was an accident. When my wife, I don't know, do they have the Nuva? Ring in Australia. Yeah, yeah, don't. They should get rid of it it. Doesn't work so. Yeah, I got a joke where I talk about it, cause it's like a ring and I'm like, a ring's the worst form of birth control there is. Rings are mostly whole, you know, like, need like a Nova wall. You know something? Yeah, man, me and my wife were together for, I think, two or three years. And she, you know, she got pregnant. I was there when she got. Pregnant. That part was awesome. And then it's like. She gave me the option, which I really appreciated and she was like, hey, like if you're not ready, we don't have to do this. But she said that she really wanted to do it. And I said, yeah, you know, and I was. So I was, I came into fatherhood like, terrified, like, just kind of feeling like a lot of regret and a lot of paranoia and like a lot, I was really scared. And then, you know, I didn't want to do it. She gave, you know, I was. I was there she, you know, gave. The birth. And then then the minute I saw him make something snapped in me. And I think a lot of people have that same reaction. When you watch childbirth. And I was like, wow, like, I'm a different person than I used to be. You know, I thought the most important day of my life was June 10th, 2008, the day I got sober. And maybe it is. I don't know. I guess it's probably not all the way up to me, but I actually think that the most important day of my life was when my son was born, you know, and then our next kid was on purpose because we didn't want the first kid to be weird. So we had another kid. And that didn't workout. They're both weird as ****, so I don't know. Like they got big heads. I got big headed kids, you know? But yeah, it's hard all the time. I mean, they're 10 and 12, you know, I put them on the bus this morning. Why didn't I woke him up and told him to get their ***** on the bus? But I went back to bed because I'm a comedian. God dammit. I get to wake up late. What I want. So. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's parts of my job that suck. And there's parts of them.

Carter

That's it, yeah.

Sam

That are cool. And one of them is I can kind of set my own schedule. Sort of, yeah, man. It's still hard. A lot of days. It's hard, you know. But they're great kids, man, they really are. You know, my, my main thing with my kids. Is #1 like I want them to be kind to people you know. I want them to be good people. I want them to be nice to the people around them. You know, I struggled with that when I was younger, you know, I got bullied a lot. And I also bullied some other people, man. It was like we were. You know, when I was a kid, like, I think it's a little better now. But we were like pretty cruel to each other. A lot of the time, man. Like people were cruel to me and I was cruel to people. I'm ashamed of it. You know, some of this stuff, there's some kid who moved to our neighbourhood from. And like we always hated California cause it's like ohh like must be nice, you know? But like, yeah, it's just it's messed up man. But yeah, my kids are doing good, man. Yeah.

Carter

It's that. It's a weird feeling being that kind of middle run kid. He's like you get bullied as ****, but then there's also the low hanging fruit that you bully as well. Yeah, because. Yeah, I'm. I was quite the same. I, you know, I I was bullied ******* relentlessly. Yeah. You know, to the point. Of me like. Just flat out refusing to go to school like my mom would be like, get up and I'm like, no, I'm not ******* going like you'll drag. You'll have to drag me there. And yeah, I know. The way that felt and it was so hard, but then, but then I would hang **** on other kids and be mean to them. So it's just just it's just. A part of growing up and it *******. Sucks being a teenager is hard, man. It's hard.

Sam

Good. It's terrible. Ohh my God.

Carter

Like like no one cares about your feelings and you don't care about anyone else's feelings. It's weird, but that all comes with, like, emotional intelligence, I guess.

Sam

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm still. Working on that one so.

Carter

Yeah, yeah, it's a hard slog. Right. So you became a parent. How did you step into comedy and what was what was that shift like once you'd become a father and?

Sam

I I you know what's funny is people ask me this question a lot. This is like the probably the number one question I get asked about about this kind of journey that I'm on. And I feel like the answer keeps changing, you know, like as I as I move forward in my career and as I understand more about myself and as I understand. More about stand up comedy. And right now the answer is that people people told me I should do it. I thought about doing it. I probably had. I guess this is a new part. I think. I think in the back of my mind, I always thought that I could do it. And then one day I was walking down the street and there was a comedy open mic and I randomly just went for it. And this is the part that doesn't change, and this has been true from the first time. Is it the first time I did stand up comedy, something clicked in my head in the same way that the first time I got high, it clicked like it was like, oh. Like, that's what I'm going to do. Like, this is what I do. It's was a thing like the first time I did comedy. I didn't sit there and be like, oh, this is something I'm going to do. Like, the first time I did comedy, I was like, ohh, this is something that I am like. This is this. Isn't a hobby. This is an identity and this is this is. This is going to define me and it has. From that day on, I've I've just gone for it. I I know I I'm not going to stop. I can't really stop. That's another thing. And this I think this trips people out sometimes is the first time I did come. I remember thinking I was like, wow. Like, this could lead to my divorce. Like, my wife will leave me like I was really scared because I knew that. And it was like it was. There was moments, man. Where, like especially the first three or four years where I wasn't making any money, you know, like it was brutal. And even now, like I have to watch myself. But man, things are so much better. Things are so much better than they used to be. You know, things are so much better than they used to be.

Carter

And it's a testament to the hard work that you've put in. So the open mic and he just kind of went for it, had you already had any material sorted out or we just it was more? Of an impulse kind of thing.

Sam

Yeah, sort of. I mean, you know, stand up comics, you know, despite our want and our need to think that we're really special, we're not. Most everybody probably has three or four friends that are funnier than a stand up comic. You know what I mean? And I'm the same way. Like because I was, I was funny before I started doing comedy, you know? And I think you'll appreciate this. I was, I was one of those dudes. I was funny because I kind of had to be funny. You. Know where I guess. When when life kind of gets hard, you know you have options, you can, you can kind of try to fight your way through it, you know, and try to beat up everybody who ****** you off. Or you could try to laugh and get them off your case, you know, like, try to try to make them laugh. And that's The thing is. That I always felt like I didn't belong, but if I could get people, if I could get people laughing, that meant they wanted me around, you know? And so the idea of, like, humour. And when I started doing comedy, I already. I kind of like cracked the case like I kind of figured out how to make people laugh. You know that it's kind of like this weird confidence game like you. You need to. You gotta say that you gotta say the stuff that other people don't and you gotta say it with confidence, but you you don't wanna come off as cocky. It's like this.

Carter

It's a balancing end.

Sam

It's like this Dow. Exactly. Exactly. It's this balance, you know? And that's what. And that's what it's been. Since I started so. I just went on stage and I told a story. I told a story actually about one time I was drunk and I was making a cup of noodles. They got cup of. Noodles in Australia, right? And. They got to, yeah anyway.

Carter

Yeah, it's a Japanese invention. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker

Shipping worldwide.

Carter

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sam

I don't know. I'm kind of, you know, it's funny. It's like I don't really know my ask from a hole in the ground got a lot of love for. All the other. Countries, but I don't. Know **** about him, man. I I was making a cup of noodle. I'm drunk and I was wearing boxers, and I get the fork out and you put the fork on the top and I'm the right height. And I guess my Packer. Was hanging in the right way and I managed to shut the silverware drawer on the tip of my penis. It hurt so bad it made me pass out like it was like. You know, it's weird. Is when I shut the drawer on my penis it it's and also right on the tip too. Not the shaft. The tip, right? And it's weird because it didn't actually when I did it, it didn't hurt my penis. It hurt everything. Like, I felt it mostly in my back. It was like getting electrocuted like it was really a wild sensation, you know? I know some guys you're into that, you know they want like.

Carter

That **** and ball torture.

Sam

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They want to get, like, tied up and have people kick them in *** **** or whatever. You know, I'm not into that, but I can see why people would like it. You know, some real.

Carter

It's like extreme sensory play, huh? Not for me. No thank you, buddy.

Sam

Yeah, if that's what you're into. More power to you. But I'm going to leave that one alone because that was enough for me, man. Yeah, it hurts so bad, man. I curled up in a ball on the kitchen and like I I like, I passed out for a. 2nd and then. Anyway, I told that story and I got some laughs out the gate and. And that was it that we're. Off to the races.

Carter

Do you? Do you feel like you have replaced your drug and alcohol addiction with a comedy addiction? Do you? Is that how you feel? Yeah. You just just became straight away. You addicted to that feeling of belonging and storytelling.

Sam

Sure, sometimes. Sure. But there are so many similarities between how I felt about drugs and how I feel about comedy. But there are, like these what I, you know what I feel? There are also some, like a few major. So a whole. Bunch of similarities, but a few major differences, the biggest being that like I'm not going to get locked up, I'm not going to go to gaol. Also, I paid for drugs. People pay me to do comedy, which still boggles my mind, that I make the money like I'm not like I'm not by no means like rich, but we are like middle class. Now, like my wife has a good job and I'm actually making good enough money doing comedy to where, like, we're comfortable now, you know, like we have enough money to go out to eat and maybe take a couple vacations here and there a year, you know. I have plenty. You know what I mean? And. And I get to travel. I get to travel the country man and and see, you know, I don't know if you saw. I was in the, I was in the Redwoods 2 weeks ago. The biggest trees in the world, man. I was in the the Redwoods and I just got back from Maine, which is like, you know, lobsters and all that deal out there. They're kind of goofy ******** out there, but it's fun. So, yeah. It's been wonderful. So.

Carter

Awesome. It's the hard work. Pays off, huh?

Sam

Yeah, well, you know the thing about that's funny about comedy is it the work itself. Is I enjoy it a lot of times, like when I get done with this podcast like I have a lot of stuff I have to do like I have to send some people some video clips for some radio stuff because I'm going down to Georgia, which is down South, down kind of down by Florida or whatever. And then. I have to send a bunch of emails have to send some messages. I have to talk to a lady at just trying to get this show together and tonight know this little town out here. It's a lot, man. It's a lot. I have a lot going on, but for the most part, man, all you all you know and. The longer I've done it to, the more I realise, like all I can do is my best and you, you know, you just you do your best and after that like it's going to fall where it's going to fall you. Know what I mean? So.

Carter

Yeah. I mean, you're on. The road a lot. How? How? Does that play a part in your mental health, like being away from your family so much?

Sam

A lot of times it's a really good break. You know, like to have time to myself and you know, it's usually when I'm driving and I'll listen to music or listen to podcasts, see a lot of beautiful stuff, you know, like, I'll be going. In a couple of weeks, I'm going back down to Northern California. I'm also going to be out on the Oregon coast for part of that. And that's going to be wonderful. That'll be beautiful down there. It's great, man. Yeah, it's it's great as long as, as long as I'm honest about my motivation. You know, if if I go on tour and I'm just like, I just wanna be away from. My family, like I gotta get out of here. Like, that's not a good reason. That means I'm. I'm like I'm using it to avoid something, but if I'm doing it with if I'm being responsible. And I'm trying to find joy in that, you know. It was harder last year when I started. Going on 2. Or more. It was hard for me and my wife to find that balance, but I think we have a good balance right now. Yeah, I really think we get.

Carter

And they're they're supportive of of the of the work. You're doing.

Sam

Yeah, yeah. For the most part. I mean, what's cool about my wife is that she does her own stuff. Like she doesn't. You know, if I'm on tour, that's that's my, that's my deal. You know, that doesn't have anything to do with her. She comes to shows here and there, but not that many. And sometimes she'll come on the road with me and she'll just hang out at the hotel. She doesn't need to see me do comedy. She see me do comedy so many times, you know, and she hears me all. I'm. I'm kind of being a **** *** all the time for her. So she loves it. You know, she likes that. Like that's still man, I still get such a kick out of making my wife laugh. Like that's a that's a great feeling, you know, making my wife and making other friend. So mine laugh. It's really cool, you know.

Carter

It's special.

Sam

Yeah, before I did, I was funny before I did comedy. And I'm funny when I'm off stage too, you know. Sometimes I worry that people think that, like Ohh Sam's always on. It's like no man, I was on before. Like I I you know.

Carter

It's just just a part of you.

Sam

Yeah, it's fun making people laugh. Man. I love that stuff, dude. It's so it makes me feel. Really good, you know, especially when it's somebody and they're working and maybe they're not having the best day, you know, to get a big laugh out of somebody, you know, you can change somebody's day. Yeah.

Carter

Retail workers that are always just *******. One ****** customer away from ******* losing it.

Sam

Yeah, but sometimes you can mess with a joke and then you wind up being that ****** customer. You know what I mean?

Carter

Yeah, you don't want to be that guy. So yeah, you always in Australia there's there's, like this stupid running joke with retail workers if.

Sam

You know.

Carter

If they say, how are you paying today? Like if you're paying via your card, you're paying via savings account and a lot of like people will be like savings, more like spendings and and just the amount of like I worked in retail for years and I would have that joke constantly and I just wanted to reach. Across the *******.

Sam

On one of these squares.

Carter

Down and just ******* head bottom.

Sam

Yeah, that sounds that sounds that sounds. Right.

Carter

Yeah. Yeah. So it's definitely a hit or miss kind of scenario, but I think you probably would have the confidence to hit the jokes more more often than not.

Sam

Yeah, yeah. And I'm going to do original stuff too. That's my. Plan man, you know.

Carter

Yeah, exactly so. You're currently running your own. Podcast as well, aren't you?

Sam

Yeah, yeah, the TARP report with Sam and Jess, we're actually we're going through some stuff right now with that where we got a we had a producer who was help. With us and we actually just bought our own podcasting equipment because we had a new producer, but it's not working out. So we're just going for it now. Cool. We got some good equipment, though. It's gonna be awesome. You know, we got some. God, I don't know why I was like, fidgeting. And I opened up my wife has this. Candle and it's white pumpkin coconut and I opened it up and it smells so bad it almost made me gag. So. I'm not into these, should not combine pumpkins and coconuts. They're from two different regions.

Carter

No, the the whole pumpkin spice thing isn't something that's super prevalent in Australia, like only in like the really bougie ******* like hipster kind of areas of of Australia.

Speaker

Good for you guys.

Carter

But yeah, no, I don't understand it.

Speaker

I'm coming.

Sam

I don't get it either. I'm coming out there like I'm gonna make it work. It's just gonna take me a second. Cause I talked to the I'm. I'm signed to stand up records like I have like a I I have a three album deal with Stand Up. Records and they are. They're wonderful. Dan Schlessel is great. My albums coming out October 20th, my comedy special is coming out. They're great and I'm really excited. And he's he said stuff too. He's like, yeah, he's like there's a there's some great comedy festivals out there and. I could come out there and I got I got a fan base out there and I and and it's so cool for me is like a dude. Like we talked about, like, kind of where I'm from and like, the things I've been through when people are on my, my Facebook and my Instagram being like. Man like I'm out here like. You know I've. Had people from from all over the world, you know that saw? Because of having like I had some videos go viral that like kind of changed my career. And yeah, it's amazing, man. And like I I just really appreciate it. You know, I really appreciate it.

Carter

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, Australia's great. It's it's really, really good for comedy out here. We have some amazing venues. We have some. Great theatres and some comedy clubs all around the place. I'm from Victoria, so Melbourne's the closest city. I'm about an hour and a half out of Melbourne, so we have the the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April, which you know obviously is massive. Apart from that, we've got the the comedy Lounge Comics Lounge in Melbourne as well.

Sam

OK.

Carter

Which is. ******* cool. Like I could roll up there on like a Wednesday night and I went there for dinner on Wednesday night and just to see, like a an open mic night and huge Barker was just randomly there and he was like, oh, I can get. Up and do. A set so it's it's pretty cool. It's just where everyone kind of hangs out when they. Come into town. But yeah, man, like I I'd love to. I'd love to see you out here.

Speaker

That's the best.

Carter

If if you. Or once you get it all organic. Some. I'll make sure I'm keeping an eye on your schedule so I can. Get some tickets.

Sam

I will all come out there. I'm, you know, a lot of times people, you know, it happens more just people in different parts of the US where they're like, hey, we wanna see you in New Jersey. We wanna see you in Florida we wanna see you in and a lot of times like I'll have stuff booked but a lot of times. I have to be like hey. As much as I'm. My own person, and this is my. Career I don't have as much say as people think I do because it's all about like having those connections, you know? And so like, if I wanted, I could get off this podcast and start do some and do some research and probably find a connection out there that I have. And make make it kind of like force it to happen and not force it, but just kind of like bump it that way. But unfortunately when I get off this podcast I have to figure out stuff I'm already. Doing, yeah. So figure out how to do.

Carter

It's just gonna take a little bit of time.

Sam

That, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty wild.

Carter

Yeah. So the podcast that you're running, what's that? What's that centering around?

Sam

It's interesting. It's mostly about stand up comedy, even though we said that it wasn't going to be about stand up comedy, it's mostly about stand up comedy. It's me and Jess Anderson. And she's a newer comedian. She also Co owns a comedy club and books, a comedy club up in Seattle. We kind of hit it off. She's uh, out here. She's from, like, West Virginia, which is a she grew up, she she grew up really rough too. And so we have a similar outlook on stuff. And it's funny. She just called me, actually, because we're trying to. Figure out we're recording with our own equipment for the first time today, so that should be interesting, but we're, you know, just doing our best man. You know, I think I think our podcast is great. We've gotten better at it. I think the 1st 15 episodes, you could tell that we're trying to figure it out because podcasting is a lot different than stand up comedy. Like, I feel like I've I've gotten pretty good at stand up and I can work most rooms real well. I got lots of material. It's funny. I just did. You know, it's funny. I did 4 shows in Maine. Right. Five shows in Maine and every single one of my sets was different. Not totally different. But they were all very different from each other, and that's pretty amazing to be. Able to do. You know that many different jokes? It's pretty fun. So, but yeah, the podcast we're we're getting better at it all the time. And yeah, it's called the TARP report, which is kind of like, I make a lot of jokes about tarps. And it's partly because both me and Jess have that shared. History of of going through hard stuff and she's in recovery too. You know, she doesn't drink anymore. Yeah, that's pretty great, man. Pretty great.

Carter

Good, good. Yeah. Say everyone listening. Tough report. Go check it out for sure. I'm guessing you're on all all podcast platform.

Sam

We are, we are. We are on everything which is good too. You know, we really are so, yeah.

Carter

Awesome. Yeah, the entire podcasting world. And and the whole journey is it's so much fun. You know, I'm still pretty new to this. I've got. 14 episodes out so far, with another another.

Sam

That's good, though man. Four teams. A lot. Most. Most of them don't make it past five or six, honestly.

Carter

Yeah. Yeah, that's the general consensus is around 5:00 or six before they quit. But yeah, 14 that have been released and I've got probably just as many if not more already RECO. Jordan. So I've kind of hit the ground running. It started in February, but yeah, great fun and it's afforded me a lot of opportunity, just opportunities to speak to some ******* cool people, dude.

Sam

No, that's awesome.

Speaker

That's awesome.

Sam

I'll tell you what. When this gets released too, man, I'll do my best to give you a little bump. You know, you'll probably see a little bump and I'll put it on my socials and stuff like that, because a lot of times I do podcast man and I I keep it kind of like. I'm like, uh, you know like. Because a lot of podcasts, a lot of comedy podcasts, and it's fine that it's like that. But they kind of they want to be like real wacky and, like, shocking. And I'm fine with a silly fun podcast. But I think this is important too to to have, like, some real discussions about, you know, so people understand kind of like where I'm coming from. So I'd be happy to put this on my. On my social media, too, yeah. Make sure you keep in touch and let.

Carter

Yeah, I appreciate that.

Sam

Me know when.

Carter

I definitely will. Yeah. So if you were to throw a message out there to to anyone who may be going through some hard times. Or some substance abuse, abuse issues and things like that. What advice could you give?

Sam

I would say that as best as you can try to find ways to love yourself. And that's for people in recovery and people that that aren't in recovery or people somewhere in the middle, like try your best just to to love yourself and know that like to keep in mind that there are unknown. Unknown. You know what I mean? So, like, if you'd have told me when I got sober that my life would feel like this when I first got, when I first got sober, if you asked me what I wanted, I'd say, man, I want, like a jet ski and a wife, you know, like in a house, you know? And I don't have a jet ski. I have two kids, and I'm probably not gonna get a jet ski, but I have a wife and I have a house, and I'm happy for the most part. You know, I have my ups and downs, obviously, but like, for the most part, I'm happy. And it's just, it's a I don't. I'm glad I didn't decide to just live the life that I thought I deserved. I got out of the way. And that's a lot of times. I think that's what we have to do. So that would be my. Advice is is to kind of like. To love yourself and get out of the way.

Carter

It's fair, perfect advice. It's it's a hard question to ask someone because I mean, as you know yourself, there's there's no helping someone who doesn't actually first want to help themselves. And as as far as advice and things like that go. Just trying to find some love within yourself is is pretty perfect and and it sums it up perfectly well Sam, I will stop taking up your day and let you get back to all the. Things that you need to do.

Sam

Well, hey, I appreciate it man. I had a really good time. Carter. This was it. This was a good. This was a good podcast.

Carter

Thank you so much, mate. I'd I'd truly appreciate your time and and willingness to come on and have a chat about those. Is that that we all need to talk a little bit more about just to normalise it and get it out there and make it not be such a shameful. Thing you know.

Sam

Yeah. Get a therapist. Yeah.

Carter

Straight up. Yeah, not only get a therapist, but like I say it in all of my podcast episodes, mate, get a. Therapist that you get. Along with that's, that's the most important thing.

Sam

Yeah, yeah.

Carter

Yeah, straight up. Alright mate, you have a great day and enjoy. I'll see you in in Melbourne soon.

Speaker

Yeah, that sounds.

Carter

Take care.

Speaker 3

Wake up. It's another day. Giant fight. Way to make it so my life is a better. It says one thing I see. Then you only thing it's me knowing that I'm trying to.

Speaker

By repeating.

Speaker 3

But there's something I know. It's nice. Just knowing that and.