Skip to content
The Joe Rogan ExperienceThe Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1207 - Jeff Ross & Dave Attell

Jeff Ross is a comedian, writer, producer, and director, also known as the “Roastmaster General.” Dave Attell is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Their new special "Bumping Mics " is streaming now on Netflix.

Joe RoganhostJeff RossguestDave AttellguestJamie VernonguestMichael B. Jordan (promo clip)guest
Nov 27, 20183h 2mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Jeff Ross and Dave Attell Reveal Bumping Mics’ Wild Comedy Chemistry

  1. Joe Rogan hosts Jeff Ross and Dave Attell for a long-form hang about standup craft, touring together, and the origins of their Netflix series *Bumping Mics*.
  2. They explain how their tag‑team act grew organically out of late‑night sets at The Comedy Cellar, sharpening their listening, improvisation, and joke-writing skills.
  3. The conversation ranges from smoking on stage, casino and road gigs, Roast Battle and the rebirth of The Comedy Store, to comedy history, free speech, and how the internet reshaped standup.
  4. Throughout, they swap stories about legends like Carlin, Kinison, Gilbert Gottfried, Roseanne, and Norm Macdonald, while reflecting on work ethic, staying present, and why comedy is a ‘cult’ they still live for.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Collaborative acts can make comics faster and sharper.

Ross and Attell found that working together on *Bumping Mics* forced them to really listen, riff, and set each other up, which improved their timing, speed, and crowd work beyond what solo sets typically do.

On‑stage ‘vices’ are often functional tools, not just habits.

Attell leans on coffee and cigarettes and Rogan on coffee and light weed, describing nicotine and caffeine as focusing agents and pre‑set rituals that sharpen their brains—while acknowledging the downside and fragility of those crutches.

Roasting is a structured art form, not random meanness.

Ross outlines Roast Battle rules (original material, no physical contact, every battle ends with a hug) and stresses that good roasts depend on tight joke-writing, strategy, and affection for the target, helping audiences build thicker skin.

The best bits often start messy and need time to evolve.

They describe living with ‘malformed’ jokes for months or years, taping and re‑listening, and constantly rewriting; abandoning bits temporarily and revisiting them is central to moving from a promising premise to a true showstopper.

Refusing to engage online limits reach, even for great comics.

Rogan argues that Attell’s lack of internet presence and promotion keeps audiences from discovering him, illustrating how today’s standup success is tightly linked to clips, podcasts, and social media—no matter how strong the act is.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I feel like we're a cult in a weird way. Sometimes I feel like I'm a comedian before I'm even an American.

— Jeff Ross

I always thought, ‘If no one's gonna make it in our crew until Dave makes it.’ Dave was always the one everybody came to watch.

— Jeff Ross

You're one of the best comics ever, in my opinion… and you have less ego than anyone I've ever met in my life.

— Joe Rogan to Dave Attell

When I came back to The Comedy Store… it was like a haunted house. After Roast Battle, you could just see it went through the roof.

— Dave Attell

As we became more pussies in the world, roasting became more and more potent and important… the world needs to develop thick skin.

— Jeff Ross

Origins and evolution of *Bumping Mics* as a two‑headliner actOn‑stage habits: smoking, coffee, pre‑show rituals, and nervesImprovisation, joke-writing process, and working material in real timeRoasting and Roast Battle: rules, craft, and cultural roleThe Comedy Store’s revival and the modern comedy ecosystemComedy history: Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Kinison, Roseanne, Joan Rivers, NormTechnology, phones, internet promotion, and changing audiences

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.

Add to Chrome