{"id":3326,"date":"2019-05-02T17:55:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T21:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/?p=3326"},"modified":"2019-05-02T17:55:36","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T21:55:36","slug":"dot-minicast-love-and-death-with-jim-breuer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickzaino.com\/departmentoftangents\/2019\/05\/02\/dot-minicast-love-and-death-with-jim-breuer\/","title":{"rendered":"DoT Minicast: Love and Death with Jim Breuer"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been working on this one since last fall when I saw Jim Breuer at the Comics Come Home<\/a> benefit show in Boston. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it\u2019s 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\u2019s full episode. Since it\u2019s a benefit for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care, there are often a few life-affirming moments. Breuer\u2019s set last year was exactly that, but in a strange way. He talked about how he wanted people to celebrate life, and when he\u2019s dead, throw a party. Shoot his body out of a cannon over a lake and have fireworks and music. That\u2019s 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\u2019s and a stroke and then sister to cancer five weeks later in 2014. To top it off, his wife is also battling cancer. That\u2019s enough to make anyone a bit cynical.<\/p>\n

Those tough times have had an influence on Breuer\u2019s comedy, in a completely positive way. You can hear it on his new album, Live from Portland<\/em>, which, as mentions in this interview, he didn\u2019t even intend to make. He hadn\u2019t planned this material as a special, necessarily \u2013 he doesn\u2019t even remember exactly what he said. Breuer is still as playful and silly as ever, but from a new perspective. He\u2019s grateful for what he has, and even what he\u2019s lost. Also for opening for Metallica on tour, and even that fits the theme. Those guys aren\u2019t getting any younger, either. The conversation was delayed by Breuer\u2019s schedule and some of my own health issues, but I\u2019m so glad it finally happened. You can find out more about the album and find out if he\u2019s coming to a venue near you at www.officialjimbreuer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can listen to and download the podcast from the player below, or subscribe\/review on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Enjoy!<\/p>\n