Sam Morril, a New York standup comic currently on tour, might be best-known in Pittsburgh for this 2019 stunt on “Pittsburgh Today Live,” where he made a splash in a clip that still goes viral from time to time. He returns to the Steel City on Oct. 25 to perform his “Class Act” tour at Carnegie Music Hall.
Family-friendly morning talk shows don’t generally mix well with irreverent comedy, a friction that a new generation of stand-ups have already learned to mine for comedy gold. “It just doesn't work, and that's kind of why it works,” Morril told the Post-Gazette during a phone interview. Morril, as well as his “We Might Be Drunk” podcast co-host Mark Normand, have terrorized the brightly lit sets of unsuspecting local news talk shows for years now.
“They were not thrilled,” Morril recalled. “I figured I just had to make it outrageous.” It was his first time in Pittsburgh, just one year before the COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt end of most crowd-based events.
But the pandemic years actually proved to be a breakthrough moment for Morril. Stuck in lockdown with then-girlfriend and fellow comedian Taylor Tomlinson, they began a web series on Instagram centered around the new couple suddenly quarantining together.
He also continued doing standup, but with some extra precautions. He clambered onto New York rooftops to perform for socially-distanced crowds in a popular series of shows that eventually spawned his 2020 Youtube special, “Up on the Roof.”
Other career highs have come recently: a 2022 special called “Same Time Tomorrow” is currently streaming on Netflix. It was filmed the same year Morril appeared on “That’s My Time with David Letterman.”
During that interview, he responded to a question about where he wanted to be in five years by flipping it back on Letterman: “Let’s talk about where you’re going to be, because you went from Barack Obama to Sam Morril. In five years, I think you’re gonna be talking to a homeless person.”
Morril said the new set features similar themes to his other specials, but with new stories and personal anecdotes. “It’s dense with punchlines. I don't like to let too many seconds of it go without making people laugh,” Morril said. “It’s darker subjects a lot of the time, but with light takes so you won’t feel bad about yourself for laughing.”
On the afternoon of this interview, Morril had just landed in Vancouver and was gearing up to open for a childhood hero of his, Adam Sandler; “I get to open for the guy who’s a big reason I’m a comedian,” Morril said.
The “Class Act” Tour will also take Morril to Madison Square Garden in November, something Morril fondly said would “absolutely be a career highlight.” After that, it’s directly to Australia for another four shows.
“I do need a break off the road at some point, because it is starting to kill me,” Morril said. “Then again, I’ve been saying that for 10 years.”
Morril said that complaining, as a New Yorker, is also part of the process.
“I need to be in like somewhat in a state of irritation to write jokes,” he said. “I mean, Jerry Seinfeld’s standup is about being annoyed. Jerry’s a billionaire. And he’s still annoyed.”
But overall, Morril said the career success is treating him well.
“I mean, I feel incredibly lucky,” he said. “I complain about mundane things, but I don’t complain about my life. My life is pretty damn good right now.”
The last time Morril was in Pittsburgh, the city was still recovering from the virus. He recalled an empty downtown, with only a Fogo de Chão restaurant, the all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, open.
“We had the really smart idea of doing that before a show,” he recalled. “We were sweating on stage. You eat that much meat you actually feel dumber.”
We’re hoping his next stop in Pittsburgh goes better.
Tickets can be found at livenation.com.
First Published: October 20, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: October 20, 2023, 5:37 p.m.
