Before we begin the final Carson podcast has been extended to June 9th. Thank you to all of you who have messaged me your kind words of support and encouragement about the podcast ending. I am truly grateful.

I knew this is where comedy was. Johnny Carson changed my life twice. It was just like a dream. It was just like everything I had worked for and dreamed about has come to fruition.

They said Johnny fell over laughing. It makes me so happy I made him laugh. But with Johnny, you know you knew you had a kid wanting to. You could really go crazy.

I really don't agree. People were running up and said go back out. Johnny wants you back. I walked back through the curtain very calm and I took a bow and Johnny put that little circle up at the finger and I knew I had a line.

Welcome to the Carson podcast episode number 387. I am Mark Malcolm. This week's guest is comedian Richard Lewis. Special thanks to Jeff Abraham. And now my chat with Richard Lewis. Enjoy.

Richard Lewis, this has taken eight years and I am so excited to talk to you. I had such a headache and such a I was I had a cold.

For those eight years, well, I'm glad you're over it. No, wait. Hold on. I don't want to come off like some prima done. I didn't. I've been, you know, I have a lot on my plate. You know, I, you know, I'm sorry. I love Johnny and I.

I'm starting to dislike you. No, I love I know that you love Johnny because you talk about it all the time. I know I know you're busy. So what I'm saying is I'm so honored. I just take your time. I have a lot of, I have enough stories. Oh, yeah, I have, I mean, I did. I basically watched every one of your Carson appearance. I mean, you, you went on 22 times at least 11 with Johnny and then guest host Gabe Kaplan, Dave Letterman, David Brenner, rivers, Shanland, Lenovo.

Shanland, Lenovo. And I think maybe Bert Reynolds, though I can't find it, but it was on his birthday. I did a shot, but which has a story in and of itself. No, going to that. Yeah, if I get discussed it, I'll just throw the phone away.

Here we go. So your Carson debut, which I watched. I've seen that many times March 27th, 1974. You'd only been doing standup a few years. Correct. That was 1971. You started.

Yeah, yes, I was, it was a little after two years. My first time on stage at a little horribly nutty club. Well, it was good for beginners. Yeah, it took me just over two years, which was sort of a fast time.

The problem I had with that shot. I mean, the material was obviously I had every joke was a killer as far as I was concerned and trying it out, you know, in clubs hundreds of times, thousands of, but not after two years.

But I went on last and two friends of mine, one including Steve Landisburg, the late Steve Landisburg. They took me to the show and I remember I was in my dressing room and the famous executive producer Freddie, you know, I can never pronounce his last name.

The court of a court of a, he opened the door and he went, be funny, shut the door. And I felt I was in Gitmo all of a sudden. I was, I panicked, but I go backstage. I'm back behind the curtain. And I said, you know, it seemed so fast. And the deal is this. I learned a lot from it. And Johnny dug me, but he wanted me. I was too physical for the number one. I think the actor on before me was talking about something.

A little more rose before I came on and I was, I was starting to get depressed.

That is true. You had George Pappard and his first segment was talking about that he had some sort of cancer, which eventually thank goodness he got over.

And then the second one, zero laughs. He's talking about writing your congress person sending a telegram. It's actually really cheap. So there aren't any laughs.

No, I'm back. I'm back behind the curtain. I'm watching. I'm in the agreement watching this wanting to vomit.

Carson doesn't even seem to be in the best of moods when he does your, your intro. I mean, he's very serious. We have a new performer for you to meet tonight.

He was bumped out, probably, because I've gotten, gotten the gnome a little bit. And I know how much you dug me in my head. And we were very similar in a lot of ways.

That, anyway, I'm back, I'm back behind the curtain. I was in a horrible mood because, you know, even though the audience is not your real audience, your audience or the six or seven million people back then right in that camera.

I remember Steve Lannister said, look, no matter how you do, just smile and look in that camera because it's not the 300 people from, you know, in Burbank watching.

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