Drinking Made Easy: Q&A with Zane Lamprey

Zane Lamprey has a better job than you.

No, I’m totally serious. He’s been a writer, producer, comedian, actor, and director. But most notably he’s been the host of Three Sheets, a show that takes him around the globe to mix and mingle and get drunk. And I’m a super big fan of that. I wish someone would pay me to walk up and down High Street and get drunk. I’d do it for about ten bucks. And he’s a television star, so you can be sure he’s making a bit more to booze it up than I would.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering why a rad fella like that would take it into his head to ring up my ol’ Blackberry at 11 AM on a Friday morning in May. And I can tell you it’s because he’s on his way to our fair city on Wednesday June 9 to promote his new book Three Sheets: Drinking Made Easy ! 6 Continents, 15 Countries, 190 Drinks, and 1 Mean Hangover! He’s also filming for his new show on HDNet, Drinking Made Easy. But enough of my jibber jabber. It’s better when he tells you about it himself. It went a little something like this…

Lauren Wilson: I’ve been super nervous about this all week. I’m sure you hear this all the time, but you’re totally my hero. I’m such a squealing fangirl right now.

Zane Lamprey: LOL. (yeah, he really LOL’d there. I almost dropped the phone) I think whenever you’re nervous, you should have a drink. That helps. Or something. It helps me. I’ve already had a beer or two this morning.

LW: I’ve been drinking for the last hour. I’m drinking my favorite hangover remedy even though I’m not hungover. But it’s good in the morning. So I guess I’m just an 11 AM boozer right now.

ZL: What is it?

LW: It’s super strong French press coffee, milk, sugar, and bourbon.

(don’t fret folks, I had the day off)

ZL: Wow. Yep. That’ll do it.

LW: Wow. Ok. Lemme shut up and we can get down to business. I’m sure you’re super busy running around being awesome.

ZL: It’s cool. Right now I have the only down time I’ll have all day. We have a show tonight in Norfolk, and then in an hour I have to be in Virginia Beach to shoot a scene for Drinking Made Easy. So right now I’m taking a little time to buy a pair of sneakers at the mall. That’s how exciting it is to be me.

(right about here is where I nearly peed my pants)

LW: So you’re touring to promote your new book Three Sheets: Drinking Made Easy, but you’re also filming at each stop for a new show called Drinking Made Easy, right?

ZL: We’re filming in most of them, yeah. We’re doing 53 stops on our comedy tour and doing 25 episodes of tv for Drinking Made Easy for HDNet which comes out in the fall. In Three Sheets it was just me, but now we’re not in cities long enough for me to do it all. So I have two correspondents. I have Steve McKenna who people might know, and another comedian friend of mine Mark Ryan. They’re sort of doing correspondence pieces during the show getting out to distilleries and breweries and stuff like that. It’s a tremendous amount of work, but we’re having fun. In the morning we wake up and do a few interviews. Then we hit the road and shoot two or three different bars and drink, you know, a decent amount. Then we come back and watch some of our game tape. And then we hit the stage and do a show for about 500 people. That’s a day. Then we get on the bus and we wake up in a new place and do it all over again.

LW: So with all the time filming already takes up, what inspired you to try to cram a live comedy tour in there?

ZL: That’s what kind of came first. I said let’s go out and just do a comedy tour. And my buddy Mark Ryan is this amazing comedian, and he wanted to go. And Steve McKenna wanted to hit the road too. So we were gonna get a tour bus and go out there and do it. I called up Mark Cuban from HDNet, and said hey what do you think about this as a tv show? He’s like I love it. Let’s do it. So we’ve sent in some of the stuff that we’ve shot, and they think it’s incredible. It’s gonna be what people expect it’s gonna be. It’s a great show. There’s education, there’s lots of drinking, and there’s lots of fun. Now it’s just all in the U.S.

LW: How will Drinking Made Easy compare to Three Sheets?

ZL: Well, ya know, it’s tough. It’s a tough bar to set. People love Three Sheets, but I think we can meet their expectations. It’s me going out and drinking which seems to be the formula people like. I do think about that a lot. I hope that people like what we’re doing. We’re having a good time for sure.

LW: That’s really all we wanna see… just you running around getting all drunk.

ZL: Well that’s what they got in the book, and that’s what they’re gonna get in the live show, and that’s what they’ll see on Drinking Made Easy. I drink good.

LW: I do too. I kind of end up Steve McKenna’d more often than I should. I think I need a show called drinking made harder.

(For those of you that aren’t aware, Steve McKenna is Zane’s buddy, and his name has become synonymous with extremely high levels of intoxication)

ZL: Yeah. We’re probing that option. It’s kind of a joke really. I mean what is drinking made easy? Drinking IS easy. We are finding ways to make it more difficult, certainly. Sometimes it ends up downright painful.

LW: Drinking made painful. I’m familiar with that too. So, I know there’s a big push from your fans to get the Travel Channel to pick up another season of Three Sheets. Any progress to report on that front yet?

ZL: I don’t know. I would say yes, they’re definitely dragging their feet. I don’t know what the resolution is. I don’t know what they’re gonna do. But somebody, somewhere is going to do something. Let me just say that. I’m not using any sort of inside information to say that. I mean Mark Cuban was immediately like, “I love it, sounds awesome, let’s do it.” The conversation lasted about 30 seconds. I said,  “can I do a show where I drink all over the U.S while I do my comedy tour?” And he was like, “let’s do it. Yeah.”  Ok. Thanks. Bye. So it would be great if someone wants to do the international version of this show.

LW: I’ve been creeping around your Twitter and Facebook posts, and it seems like you’ve been having a rad time so far.  Have there been any stops on the tour that really stand out so far?

ZL: Well, just surviving New Orleans was something else. We did two days there. I sat and drank with the lady that invented the hand grenade. That’s a crazy drink. Went to Pat O’Brien’s, the bar that invented the hurricane. I went to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar, the oldest bar in the country. I did the Absinthe House. Wow. And no offense to any of the other cities, but New Orleans is just the Mecca for partying.

LW: I can’t imagine anyone could take offense to that sentiment.

ZL: Yeah. Right? I mean Vegas is Vegas. It’s a different animal. But Bourbon Street is just one street. It’s not spread out. It’s just… here it is. Boom. And the French Quarter… even Vegas can’t hold it’s own in the French Quarter.

LW: So, in case you forgot, or maybe never really knew… I’m calling you… I mean you called me in Columbus, Ohio. Have you ever been here before this tour?

ZL: Yeah. Actually I have family in Columbus.

(I think I squealed here. I’m totally about to pass out from a wicked combination of nerves, excitement, morning bourbon, and now knowing that Mr. Lamprey is totally somewhat on the home team… carrying on… )

LW: That’s awesome. Do you have any favorite hangouts or watering holes here?

ZL: I haven’t been there since I’ve been of drinking age. But I’m totally gonna find out.

LW: So the new book talks about some of the hangover remedies you’ve tried from all over the world. What’s your go-to day after fix?

ZL: Right now I’m walking around the mall drinking some Starbucks. But I had a radio interview at 9 am this morning, and I had a beer. And then I’m heading to Virginia Beach soon, and I’ll be drinking there. But there’s really only two ways of avoiding a hangover… don’t start drinking or just don’t ever stop. I guess I’m doing the latter of those choices.

LW: When people ask you what’s your favorite drink or the best drink, I’ve read that you tell them it’s whatever you’re drinking at that moment. From what I’ve seen, they’ve not all been so good. What would you rather never have to put in your mouth again?

ZL: Um… Steve McKenna.

LW: Wow. Yummy.

ZL: No, not at all. He’s horrible.

LW: I should be clearer with these questions. What drink would you never put in your mouth again?

ZL: Anything that has a dead animal in it. I just don’t get it. No more viper rum. No more snake penis wine. No more geckos and worms. I could live without that.

LW: I know this is such a cruel question, but if you could only have one drink for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

ZL: Beer. For sure.

LW: This question was sent to me by a little librarian pal of mine. She wants to know how Steve McKenna feels about being turned into a verb?

ZL: Um. I think he’s actually an adjective. We’ve done extensive research, and there are a lot of people that think he’s a verb. But verbs are like, you know, stuff like running, and you don’t really, um, Steve McKenna-ing. I think he’s an adjective. Trust me. We’ve toiled over this one extensively and we feel that he’s an adjective. And how does he feel? I think he f*@cking loves it. He’s out here and he’s embracing it. He walks on stage and before he says a word, he kills a six pack. I’d say he’s having a good time.

LW: I haven’t seen a tweet from Pleepleus since the end of April. Is he ok?

(Pleepleus is the stuffed monkey that travels around the world with Zane. He’s awesome)

ZL:  He’s fine. He’s been really busy. He’s part of the live show. Let me talk to him though. That’s a good call. Now I’m worried about him too. I’m going to go straight back to the bus to check on him.

LW: I thought maybe all the fame and attention turned him into an egomaniac, and he just doesn’t have time for the small folk anymore.

ZL: He does have ego issues. But at some point he may have had too much to drink, and I may have taken away his Twitter privileges.  You should never drunk Twitter or drunk Facebook.

LW: Don’t I know it. All of my electronic devices need breathalyzers. Is there anything else I should tell the folks before I let you get back to shoe shopping?

ZL: That’s about it. I’m excited to get back to Columbus. Come out and see the show at the Newport Music Hall on June 9. Read the book. Get drunk.

(swoon)

More info about the tour and book can be found at drinkingmadeeasy.com. You can also follow Zane Lamprey on Facebook. Or head to twitter and follow @zanelamprey or @pleepleus.

Lauren Wilson is a featured writer for Columbus Underground and all comments, suggestions, requests, and boozin’ invites can be forwarded to osulew@gmail.com.