ROCKET Interviews Jim Florentine Of THAT METAL SHOW

Comedian Jim Florentine has been a life long fan of heavy metal music and along with his mates
on the popular cable TV program THAT METAL SHOW, he celebrates his passion for all that is hard
rock and metal by pulling off some of the best rock celebrity interviews around. Season 8 has been on fire seeing the likes of legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, the guys from ANTHRAX and SLIPKNOT’s Corey Taylor.

Upon the release of Terrorizing Telemarketers Volume 2 in late 2001, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla took a liking to Florentine’s prank calls and hired him for a new show that would debut in June of 2002 on Comedy Central (later MTV2) called Crank Yankers. Florentine played the prank caller named Special Ed: A “challenged” 16-year-old who constantly repeats himself.

Florentine has worn multiple hats throughout the entertainment world, whether it be acting, voice over roles or writing, Jim is the kind of guy at the end of the day… that really just wants to bang his head.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with Jim Florentine of THAT METAL SHOW for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.

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Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Jim: I was born and raised in NJ. I still live there because my probation officer won’t let me move out of state.

Rocket: Ha! Do you come from a big family?

Jim: I have seven kids in my family. Three are black.

Rocket: Do you recall your first rock concert?

Jim: My first concert was Black Sabbath and Van Halen in 1978. Unfortunately I don’t remember the whole show because I got drunk on two wine coolers.

Rocket: How long have you been doing standup comedy professionally?

Jim: I have been doing stand up for almost twenty years now. I will be doing it the rest of my life because I have nothing to fall back on. The only other job I had before comedy was mowing lawns.

Rocket: How exactly did you get the gig with Eddie Trunk and That Metal Show?

Jim: I got the gig with Eddie Trunk because we come from the same background. We both grew up in NJ, got into metal when we were kids, and we both lost our virginity to a fat chick.

Rocket: What guest has been your all-time favorite to this point?

Jim: Favorite guest varies from season to season. Rob Halford, Lemmy, The late Ronnie James Dio, Iommi, Geezer, Tom Morello, the list goes on and on. My ultimate guest would be the bass player from the Sleeze Beez.

Rocket: What famous dead rocker would you have loved to gotten the chance to interview?

Jim: Bon Scott. I would love to interview him. I’m sure he would be amazing. 2nd would be Andy Gibb.
I would ask him to sign my poster I have of him on my wall.

Rocket: You’re killing me! Look, I’d be a liar if I said I don’t enjoy watching you, Don and Eddie every week on TMS. Is there ever a time where one of you has really pissed the other one off… maybe went too
far with a joke or something?

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Jim: Not really. The only time I get mad at them is if their farts are worse then mine on that day. I’m very competitive.

Rocket: Okay. Let’s talk about your new comedy album: Cringe ‘n’ Purge. Funny Stuff! You have
an ease to your delivery that I dig. How did you get Metal Blade Records to agree
to put it out? I mean, this kind of thing (a comedy record) is a first for them.

Jim: The head of the label Brian Slagel is a big comedy fan and decided to put albums out by Don Jamieson and I. It’s an honor to be on a real label and not have to sell my CD’s out of my trunk like I have been doing the last 10 years.

Rocket: So who would you say are your biggest comedy influences?

Jim: Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Kinison, Rodney Dangerfield, and Richard Pryor. Also, Rocky Dennis the kid from the movie Mask. He makes me laugh every time I see him.

Rocket: Brutal! Man, there’s been a ton of killer metal albums released in 2011. What are your top three picks?

Jim: Anthrax- Worship Music, Wed 13- Calling All Corpses, and the new Five Finger Death Punch.

Rocket: Who are some of the newer metal acts coming out of the underground scene that
you enjoy right now?

Jim: Ghost, Barnburner, and In Solitude.

Rocket: You are currently out on a comedy tour, correct? What are the details on all of that?

Jim: I tour constantly. It’s a full time job for me. My part time job is a bathroom attendant in a port a john.

Rocket: What is one thing about Eddie Trunk that nobody knows?

Jim: Hmm… Eddie Trunk has a great ass!

Rocket: If you could star in an over-the-top romantic motion picture with the female of your choice, who
is it and how many sex scenes do you include?

Jim: I already fulfilled that dream. I was recently in a movie called A Little Help were I played Jenna Fischer’s love interest. (Editor’s Note: Still looking to confirm the number of sex scenes Jim was actually in.)

TMD

(Pictured: UFO’s Vinnie Moore and Den Head John Velasquez!)

Do not miss the premiere of The Metal Den’s official T-shirt on the upcoming
THAT METAL SHOW episode, airing on Saturday night, October 15th on VH1 Classic!!

TMD Rocks!

Rocket: So what’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to start a career in
standup?

Jim: Don’t do it because you think you will get laid after the show. There are no comedy groupies unless you count fat sweaty guys that want to hang with you after the show.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Jim: Who knows in 10 years where I’ll be. I might even be homeless. That’s why I saved my refrigerator box.

Fans can sign up for Jim’s Podcast HERE and follow him at the following locations:

http://jimflorentine.com/

http://twitter.com/Mrjimflorentine

http://www.facebook.com/JimFlorentine

http://www.vh1.com/shows/that_metal_show