Comedian Jay Mohr got tired of waiting around for acting work, so he decided to keep himself busy with a podcast. “Mohr Stories” has become one of iTunes’ most downloaded podcasts — attracting big names such as Charlie Sheen, Jay Leno and Rufus Wainwright. It averages 1 million downloads monthly and is also available as an app for Apple and Android devices. On the show, (not suitable for workplace listening) he generally interviews comedians and other celebrities.
The move has paid off for the actor, known for his roles in Jerry McGuire and on Saturday Night Live.
On Wednesday he starts a new gig as the midday host for Fox Sports Radio. And he co-stars in the upcoming film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone with Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.
Podcasting
Waiting for the phone to ring, “I realized I should do something with my time. I have one discernible skill, and that’s talking a lot,” Mohr says. Now “podcasting is my favorite thing to do. Podcasting is the best because it’s so personal.”
Gear
MacBook Air, iPad, Zoom R16 audio recorder and Vic Firth headphones.
How bad is he with tech?
“I wrote two books. I would e-mail my editor at Hyperion, and in the e-mail I would write for six hours and then hit send not realizing that at any moment, if the Wi-Fi went out in the house, I just lost 40 pages.”
IPad recording was a no-go
“There were ghosts in the machine. Lots of odd sounds.” He switched to the Zoom R16. “It’s light; it’s portable; and it fits in a backpack. I love it.”
How tech affected comedy
“Everything’s become so PC. We have to watch what we say people will record you on their iPhone and put it out on the Net. The only real people with free speech anymore are the people who leave comments on the Net. The slogan of the ‘Mohr Stories’ podcast is ‘Put your name on it.’ You can tell me I suck, but I better see a first and last name.”
Podcasting’s comedy effects
“It’s made my stand-up audiences larger and way more invested.” The audience knows “all your secrets.”
Fake mustaches
“Mohr Stories” is produced by Fakemustache.com, a firm named by Mohr’s wife, actress Nikki Cox. It was her idea to take photos of all the show’s guests wearing a fake mustache and put them in a photo gallery. “She’s brilliant. We were way ahead of the fake-mustache curve.”
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