Comedian Sam Morril is performing at the Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, April 18.
The New York native’s fifth special, “You’ve Changed,” came out on Amazon Prime last year. In an interview with the Minnesota Daily, Morril talked about the Karl Anthony-Towns and Julius Randle trade, classic cocktails and his cameo in “Joker.”
Minnesota Daily: What’s new about this new set?
Morril: “Well, the jokes are new. I have a lot of good new jokes. You know, I’m trying to add to it every day. That’s kind of how I tour. I have the base, and then you kind of add to it. It’s like making a big pot of chili. You just keep adding one thing, okay, here, one thing there. And by the end, just, hopefully, it’s pretty good.”
Daily: Do you have any memorable moments touring in Minneapolis that you’ve used in your set?
Morril: “I mean, I’ve done ACME a bunch of times. I’ve done some of the C rooms, even coming up. I’ve been there so many times. So, yeah, I’ve had a lot of good memories from the crowds in Minneapolis. Nothing that stands out in particular, but I mean, it’s consistently great crowds. And I’ve always felt like I can trust them with jokes, like, if it works in Minneapolis, that’s a good that’s a good sign.”
Daily: I know you’re a big Knicks fan. There was a pretty famous trade last season. Now that the season is coming to an end, how do you feel about the KAT-Randle trade?
Morril: “You know, it’s complicated because, you know, I’m not a general manager, I’m a fan. So you grew attached to the players. Obviously, I think Karl Anthony-Towns is an incredible talent. I miss Dante’s grid a little bit. Randle really had a toughness about him. I always really respected him. But, you know, I don’t think the Knicks are done making moves. I think there’s some more moves, and I think you guys probably aren’t done either. But, I mean, how do you feel? Do you like the move or not?”
Daily: Oh, man, we miss KAT. Do you guys miss Julius Randle?
Morril: “Well, Randle really made us relevant again. So we have to have love for Julius. You know, he came here when no one wanted to come here. We thought we were going to get Kyrie and Durant, and we got Randle, and Randle gave us everything and made us a playoff team again. So we have a lot of love for Randle in New York. And he always seemed like a good guy, too. So always, always rooting for him. We have a phrase in New York, ‘Once a Knick, always a Knick.’ And, yeah, that’s how we feel. It was tough to lose Dante, just to bring up that Villanova core, too. It’s like we think we didn’t get one game of the four Villanova boys. That kind of was tough.”
Daily: I know you have a whiskey company. What goes into making a good whiskey?
Morril: “Well, you want it to be smooth. I want a good whiskey that stands on its own, like, if you drink it neat, but also is great for cocktails. So I always like Manhattans with rye as opposed to bourbon. I just thought it was kind of a better match. Yeah, I’m a big fan of whiskey with a second liquor. I like the old-fashioned cocktail, like a Manhattan, or if I’m doing like, maybe, a martini Negroni. I like, kind of the old-time-y drinks. I think they’re classics for a reason.”
Daily: Were you upset to hear you weren’t in “Joker 2?”
Morril: “You know what? I was grateful just to be in the first one. I think Todd (Phillips) is a really cool guy, and he was, he was very nice to meet always. And I mean, the fact that they kept my name in the first one made no sense. It was just Todd being cool. The fact that they just kept in ‘One more time for Sam Morril,’ I think it’s hilarious that I exist in the DC universe.”
Daily: Why should people come see your show?
Morril: “You know, it’s, I got some new jokes. I try to be one of the more prolific comics. I try to keep turning out new stuff. And I hope they like it. I try to put a lot of work into my stand-up. And, you know, it’s a little bit on current stuff, a lot of personal stuff, and has some stories in there. I think it’s getting there as an hour, so still building, but that’s how I tour.”
This interview has been edited for length, clarity and style.
