IN BOSTON. THERE’S AN OLD SAYING IN COMEDY, DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB. AND EVEN THE BIGGEST NAMES IN THE BUSINESS STARTED OUT MOONLIGHTING, BROOKLINE CONAN O’BRIEN ONCE WORKED AT WILSON’S HOUSE OF LEATHER. CANTON BILL BURR WORKED AS A DENTAL ASSISTANT, AND ANDY KAUFMAN, WHO ATTENDED GRAHM JUNIOR COLLEGE IN BOSTON, KEPT WORKING A DAY JOB EVEN AFTER HE WAS FAMOUS WAITING TABLES AT A HOLLYWOOD DELI WHILE STARRING ON TAXI. BUT FOR ONE, LEGENDARY STANDUP FROM ANDOVER, IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT COMEDY. WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE FOR YOU? DRAMATIC ACTING? SERIOUS? OH, LET’S HOPE NOT. OH GOD, THAT IS ANNOYING. WELL, WHAT I’D LIKE TO DO IS HOPEFULLY WHEN THE CAREER STARTS TO WANE, CHECK INTO THE BETTY FORD CENTER, STAY THERE FOR A FEW WEEKS, LET SPECULATION GROW. COMEDIES LIKE GOLF, YOU CAN DO IT TO YOUR 70 IF YOU’RE REASONABLY PROFICIENT AT IT. TRY 75 AND HAPPY TO COME BACK TO THE CITY WHERE HE ONCE WORKED AT A CAR DEALERSHIP DURING THE DAY AND TOLD JOKES IN THE OLD COMBAT ZONE AT NIGHT. BOSTON TO ME IS THE FUNNIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. WHENEVER I GO BACK TO BOSTON, I GET WHAT I CALL BOSTON COMPLIMENTS. A GUY CAME UP TO ME ON MARLBOROUGH STREET, SAID, HEY JAY LENO, MY FRIEND MET YOU IN CALIFORNIA. HE SAID, YOU’RE NOT AN A. I SAID, OH WELL, THANKS. HE GOES, NO, REALLY? AND I REALIZED THAT’S AS GOOD AS YOU’RE GOING TO GET. WHILE JAY LENO HAS SPENT THE PAST 40 YEARS PLAYING TO SOLD OUT THEATERS AND ARENAS, IT WASN’T ALWAYS SO GLAMOROUS. I USED TO WORK AT THE BEACHCOMBER IN REVERE. THAT WAS A CLUB, AND I WENT OUT THERE ONCE AND THE GUY SAYS, YEAH, I’LL PUT YOU ON, BUT I BUT DON’T WORRY, DON’T WEAR NICE CLOTHES. I’M ON STAGE AND I HEAR PEOPLE LAUGHING WHEN I’M NOT SAYING ANYTHING. AND I REALIZE, OH, MY JACKET IS SMOKING, IT’S ON FIRE. AND I GO, AND SOMEBODY FLICKED A CIGARETTE AND IT LANDED RIGHT HERE. THAT’S WHERE THE GUY DIDN’T WANT ME TO WEAR GOOD CLOTHES, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO HAVE HOLES BURNED IN IT. IT JUST IT JUST JUST MADE ME LAUGH. MORE LAUGHS FROM THE LONGTIME TONIGHT SHOW HOST LATER IN THE SHOW. FOR NOW, ONE COMIC MAKING LENO LAUGH. NEW MARKET NEW HAMPSHIRE’S JUSTIN MCKINNEY, WHO IS NOW A NATIONAL HEADLINER WITH NUMEROUS TV AND FILM CREDITS. HOW COME PEOPLE IN NEW ENGLAND ARE ALWAYS WATCHING THE WEATHER ALL THE TIME? WHY? BECAUSE THAT’S THE STOCK MARKET FOR POOR PEOPLE. YOU KNOW WHY WE LIKE 70 DEGREES? BECAUSE IT’S FREE. WE’RE NOT RUNNING THE HEAT. WE’RE NOT RUNNING THE AC. WE’RE BREAKING EVEN TODAY. BUT BEFORE HE LEFT HIM LAUGHING ON STAGE, MCKINNEY KEPT THE PEACE ON PATROL AS A DEPUTY SHERIFF IN MAINE. MY DAD WAS KIND OF A CRIME FIGHTER, YOU KNOW, HE WOULD COMMIT CRIME AND FIGHT WITH THE POLICE. THE COPS ARE ALWAYS OVER MY HOUSE. GROWING UP, I HAD A PRETTY DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. AND WHEN I GOT UP INTO HIGH SCHOOL, I DID A RIDE ALONG, AND I GOT OUT OF THE CRUISER THAT NIGHT. THIS COP WAS A GREAT COP. HE WAS, YOU KNOW, DOING IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. HE WAS OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, HE TOOK PRIDE IN, YOU KNOW, SERVING AND PROTECTING AND BEING THERE IN AN EMERGENCY FOR PEOPLE. AND IT WAS JUST SOMETHING I WANTED TO TRY. MCKINNEY WAS HIRED AT AGE 19, AND THE CRIMES HE ENCOUNTERED WERE UNIQUELY NEW ENGLAND. THESE PEOPLE WERE BURNING ICE SHACKS, AND I WAS ON LAND, AND I COULD SEE THEM LIKE LIGHTING AN ICE SHACK ON FIRE. AND THEY’RE WAY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE. ALL OF A SUDDEN A SNOWMOBILE COMES BY AND I’M LIKE, AND I’M LIKE, YOU KNOW, STOP. SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT. I GO, I NEED THAT SNOWMOBILE, RIGHT? GUY JUMPS OFF AND I GO, OH, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A SNOWMOBILE. SO I HAD TO GET ON THE BACK AND LIKE, I’M LIKE HOLDING ON TO HIM. LIKE WHILE WE’RE GOING LIKE 80 ACROSS THE ICE TO CHASE THESE GUYS. OVER TIME, MCKINNEY TURNED HIS EXPERIENCES INTO A PROLIFIC COMEDY ACT, USING HIS HUMOR TO DE-ESCALATE TENSE SITUATIONS WHILE ON DUTY. I REMEMBER GOING TO A DOMESTIC AND THE PERSON, AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE OF ME TALKING TO THEM, HE GOES, DID I JUST SEE YOU AT THE COMEDY CONNECTION? LIKE HE RECOGNIZED ME AND WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THAT AND I’M LIKE, YEAH, IF YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, CAN GET ALONG, I’LL GIVE YOU FREE TICKETS, YOU KNOW? SO I MEAN, I REMEMBER USING THAT ONE TIME, MCKINNEY SAYS THE TWO VERY DIFFERENT FIELDS HAVE SEVERAL SIMILARITIES. WELL, I THINK THEY BOTH DEAL WITH PEOPLE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR, AND PEOPLE ARE IN A CERTAIN MOOD, AND YOU TRY TO PUT THEM IN A GOOD MOOD. AND I DID THAT AS AN OFFICER, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT WAS LIKE, THERE’S CLEARLY STUFF GOING ON HERE AND HOW DO I MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE? MAKE THEM RELAXED, MAKE THEM TRUST ME. AND THAT’S KIND OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING WITH STAND UP. NOW. MCKINNEY FACES A TOUGH LINE OF QUESTIONING AS WE ASK, JUST WHEN CAN SOMEONE OFFICIALLY CALL THEMSELVES A COMEDIAN? I THINK IF YOU GET PAID TO DO IT, I THINK ONCE YOU GET SOMEONE PAYS YOU CASH OR CHECK OR WHATEVER, OR EVEN SAYS THEY’RE GOING TO PAY YOU. IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE PROFESSION, I DON’T KNOW HOW IT CAN BE A PROFESSION IF YOU’RE NOT EARNING A LIVING. TO THAT END, MCKINNEY ENCOURAGES YOUNG COMICS TO FIND WAYS TO PAY THE BILLS WHILE THEY FIND THEIR VOICE ON THE MIC. I ACTUALLY THINK HAVING A DAY JOB IS GREAT FOR COMEDY BECAUSE THERE’S NO PRESSURE TO HAVE TO MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE A DAY JOB, YOU HAVE BENEFITS. USUALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE AND YOU HAVE MAYBE RETIREMENT. SO TO TAKE THAT PRESSURE OFF YOU WHERE YOU CAN JUST WORK ON MATERIAL, I THINK IT CAN BE GREAT. IN ADDITION TO STAND UP, JUSTIN RECENTLY GAVE A POWERFUL AND VERY FUNNY TED TALK ABOUT HIS LIFE AND CAREER. WE’LL HAVE A LINK TO THAT AND HIS UPCOMING TOUR DATES ON OUR WEBSITE. AS MENTIONED, WE’LL HAVE MORE FROM JAY LENO LATER ON IN THE SHOW. HE’LL TELL US WHEN HE FEELS SOMEON