Ed Larson will be returning to Tallahassee as part of his “Invasive Species” tour March 23rd at 926 Bar and Grill. Larson is a comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster who specializes in roast comedy. He is well known as one of the hosts of “Last Podcast on the Left,” a weekly show focused on the creepy, the scary, and the horrific. Larson joined the podcast in late 2023, but he got his start here in Tallahassee with a sketch comedy group. Larson sat down with longtime friend and WFSU Audio Engineer, Evan Rossi, on a recent episode of Speaking Of to discuss the tour, his popular podcast, and more.
Interview Highlights
On how he made a name for himself
Well, I've been doing the comedy for over 20 years now. I started in Tallahassee with my sketch comedy group, Murder Fest. We formed in Tallahassee, and we used to perform a weekly show at Brothers, which was, at the time I believe, the only gay club in Tallahassee. ...So, it was an unbelievable journey. We held that show for about three years.
And then once everybody was about to graduate from Florida State, we decided we didn't want to stop doing comedy. And so, we all moved to New York City together. ... And then eventually podcasting found us and we started the Last Podcast Network. I've had several shows on there. “The Roundtable of Gentlemen” is where it all started. …And then also I do the “Brighter Side” with Amber Nelson and that's still an ongoing show on the Last Podcast Network. But for the last year and a half, I have been the third mic on the actual “Last Podcast on the Left.”
On “Last Podcast on the Left”
It's a weekly podcast that is a journey into all things macabre. Whether it's serial killers, alien invasions, Bigfoot, ghosts, paranormal. We cover it all. If it's creepy, we're on it. We're reading creepypasta, we're doing all of it. And it's a very informed deep dive by our leader, Marcus Parks. And Henry Zebrowski is also the number two mic. And he's an incredible researcher, but he's also one of the funniest people on earth. And then I come in as your local everyman and just ask questions and make fun of them for being nerds.
On his comedic influences and early stand-up
It's weird because I always accidentally did comedy, even as a kid and didn't know I was doing it. When I look back in retrospect, like in high school, I used to lead the pep rallies. … I went to a huge high school in Boca Raton, Florida… over 700 people at each pep rally. …I was doing an hour by myself without even knowing I was doing it and just killing it in front of the whole school. And I had no idea this was comedy. I thought it was just like presenting. I thought it was like Toastmasters, you know. And then I get to college, and I dip my toe into improv.
And once I moved to New York, I wanted to try out stand up… I started hitting the mics in the village and stuff. And then my cousin is Jeff Ross, the roastmaster general. We're first cousins, but we were estranged because my father is not the best at keeping in touch with family.
And so, I hit him up on Myspace. I'm like ‘Yo, Jeff, I'm your cousin. I'd love to meet you. I'm not asking for nothing.’ but I left my phone number, and he called me the very next day. Over time, I started working with him. I was helping him run his company. I was writing for all the Comedy Central roasts. I was writing for the Friars Club Roast.
On his current material
For the most part this tour is… I have so much Florida material, and truth is they don't work great in the rest of the country. But, when I do them in Florida, the place goes crazy. So, I really want to go do something special with this material in Florida. That's why I'm going to do two runs and then just bury this material. …And so, in Jacksonville and in Panama City especially, I'm going to be writing on my feet, I'm going to come up with some ideas. I really want to spread out my Florida material during these shows. And so, you don't know what you're going to get. We're doing two separate shows in Panama City, so I imagine each one of them will be slightly different, which I'm very excited for.
To hear more from this interview, check out our show, Speaking Of.
Evan Rossi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Jason Acuna and Regan McCarthy adapted it for the web.
