A brief chat with Jeff Ross

Yellow Scene: Do you enjoy coming to Colorado?

Jeff Ross: Oh yeah. Well, I haven’t performed at the Comedy Works in a long, long time. As a matter of fact, I was supposed to come in for the Oddball tour with Louis CK, Sarah [Silverman] and all them, and Chapelle the year before, but because of weather and flooding, it got moved around, and I did a movie and couldn’t do it. So I’m busting to get out there. I haven’t been there since they legalized for sure.

YS: What can we expect from the Denver shows?

JR: I’m going to do some speed-roasting of audience members. So if you’re reading this, and you’ve always wanted to be roasted or have one of your friends get roasted, you have to push them on stage when I ask for volunteers. See if you can take 15 seconds of pain. It’s only volunteers – they have to want it.

YS: Can you give away who’s next for the Comedy Central roast treatment?

JR: I would, but we don’t know yet.

YS: Well, who’s your dream roastee in a world without barriers?

JR: Oh my God. Let’s see. A politician would be fun. Barack Obama’s gonna be available in a year or two. That could be fun. Something like that, maybe. A rock star would be great. Kim Kardasian.

YS: Does anyone get pissed after a performance?

JR: No, everybody’s a good sport. We’re really careful about picking people that can take a joke. It’s important. One time, Bea Arther beat the crap out of me but I deserved it.

YS: What’s next for you?

JR: I’m going to go and enjoy Thanksgiving like a big, fat American. I daydream about turkey and stuffing, and my Uncle Murray, who’s 92, roasting me at the table. We call him Mean Murray, because he was the first ball-buster in the family. He taught me how to take a joke just by making my cry as a kid for my birthday. It brings me back to reality and helps me remember where my roasting roots are.