With a catalogue of work which cements him as one of the sharpest comics in the game today, Morril’s newest hour promises to be no exception. Premiering on Prime Video July 9th, You’ve Changed explores the laughable side of Fox news, the New York experience, complications of getting older, and a killer story about the worst person he’s ever dated.
Check out the full story on Esquire Middle East here.
Bonus Questions
Between the challenge of coming up with a unique name for your whiskey brand ‘Bodega Cat’ and the intense competition on streaming platforms for new specials to watch, what’s harder: naming an hour special or naming a whiskey brand?
SM: Damn, they’re both hard. Every time I try to come up with a new tour name is hard! I reused an old album title [Class Act], as my last tour name so some people were like, “is it material from 2015?” I’m like, “No, I just liked the name! It’s new material”.
With the special, ‘You’ve Changed’ just worked on a lot of levels. I think it’s funny to say “you’ve changed, man” to people just because there’s no real response. Also it worked with the material in wearing a suit.
It’s funny- Saying “you’ve changed” to someone is a negative thing but it’s good to grow, and growing is changing so it’s just a weird expression to me.
I’ve heard you say that you do well with a chip on your shoulder and discuss the trappings of a comic ‘drinking their own kool-aid’, so to speak. With all the success you’ve had and being lauded as a funny comic by comedy greats like Seinfeld, Letterman, Atell and Colin Quinn, how do those positive comments from titans in the game hit your ear?
SM: It feels nice to hear that but instead of just being like, “Man, I guess I’m funny!”, I’m kind of like, “I better not f**k this up”.
It’s more just like, “Jeez, I hope I stay funny”. It’s nice to hear from people whose work you admire that the feeling’s mutual, but you can’t get caught up in compliments or else you’re kind of forced to get caught up in the insults, you know?
With comics, it always means more coming from them or from people who who study and really love comedy. But you just can’t really get caught up in either.
A big one for me was at this club called Magooby’s a long time ago before I even worked the Comedy Cellar. I was opening for Gary Gulman and I thought Gary was a really good writer- I admired his approach to comedy, I thought he really cared and I thought every word choice was really important. I could just tell he did the work.
I got off stage, hoping he thought I was good, and when I got off he goes, “Man, that was terrific. You’re gonna be my first rec at the Comedy Cellar”.
(For the uninitiated, a “rec” at the Comedy Cellar is when a passed and approved comedian recommends someone as funny enough to do spots at the world renowned club. The highest of compliments in the New York scene, and one that Gulman followed through with.)
Your friend and former podcast co-host Julian Edelman killed it on the roast of Tom Brady. Did he reach out to you for any jokes or tags, and would you be down to be a part of the next celebrity roast?
SM: Absolutely! Yeah just give me a call, I’d love to.
Julian’s just the best. Here’s this guy who came in as such a late draft-pick. He came in playing behind these amazing wide receivers like Randy Moss and Wes Welker and he still made a name for himself and became this legend Super Bowl MVP.
I think he approaches comedy with the same respect; he really respects comedians.
I remember he called me and I said, “if I were you, I would really make sure to go up at the Comedy Store in LA and just try the jokes out”, and he did!
I sent him a couple lines and pointers but he had great stuff already. When he sent me the Aaron Hernandez joke, “now he was hung” I told him, “that is going to get an applause break. I can already visualize it”.
I knew he was gonna kill because it’s not just the jokes. It’s his charisma and he’s fun. That’s the right energy for those roasts. Tom loves him and you know, there’s this friendship.
I think that’s what this roast got right as opposed to others that are just kind of casted. You’ve got to have great comics on there as well but the relationships matter.
With what you’ve said on the reception to your first Comedy Central special and not selling the show you wrote with Dana Gould, it seems extremely frustrating to put effort into great ideas that aren’t seen by the public you so badly want to show it to. How do you overcome moments like that from stopping you creatively?
SM: Those ideas kind of live in your head and they influence future ideas. I learned so much from working with someone like Dana Gould. I think he’s such a terrific comedy mind, and I hope to work with him on something again. I’ve learned as I do this more and more that if I really believe in something, to not let it go.
I was working on something else that we couldn’t sell and we struck out as well there. I just said, “no this is really good and I believe this is really good”, and we just got paid to write the pilot now. Hopefully, they keep paying us and if they don’t, I’m gonna pay for it. I want to make this.
I got into this to make cool s**t and every story I read about filmmakers I admire and respect; they just didn’t let rejection get in the way. It’s not the end of the world that you don’t connect with like, one guy you’re pitching to who gets to make the decision.
I think about that, but I get to connect with audiences all over the country who do like what I do, and you have to focus on the positive rather than that one guy at an Apple Store-like office in an ergonomic chair who didn’t vibe with what I did. That’s fine. We’re gonna make this show, I believe in this show.