The comedian and podcast host unleashes his infectious energy with first recorded hour of material
For Jared Freid, stand-up is a forever thing, and now, so is his latest hour of material. With his debut album, Always a Momma Bear dropping today (September 27), the Needham native is happy to see something of his finally out in the ether. However, it’s never really been his style to aim for accolades, which explains why it took nearly 10 years for him to decide on putting out a recorded hour.
“I didn’t get into stand-up for that one thing, like to have an album,” Freid tells Vanyaland. “I started doing stand-up in order to be able to do it for the rest of my life. I’ve found that the best things happen for me when I really don’t force them, so this really is one of those things.”
Recorded during a sold-out weekend at New York’s Gotham Comedy Club in July, the album fully captures the energy that Freid exudes on stage, as he tackles topics of everyday life like relationships, sex, and self-image. However, while the packed houses that filled the weekend, and being able to bridge the gap between his stand-up fans and his podcast fans a little bit more were exciting for Freid, it wasn’t the main aspect that fueled his energy for the crowds — that’s just how he approaches every show.
“You’re always pumped for a sold out show, but for me, I do stand-up because it’s fun,” says Freid. “I like when the room is swaying a bit, when laughs roll into the next joke, and with a sold out crowd, it’s just energizing. That’s the kind of comedy I like, kind of physical and fast-paced and energetic. That’s how every show is for me, and I want it to be that way no matter what it is.”
As someone who is always working to bring people out to a live comedy show and offer them an escape from the outside world (i.e. avoiding political material), the real joy for Freid would be to see his efforts on the recording continue to build his live audiences.
“It gets me excited to have people come out to live shows because of it. I want people to come out and want to be at the next one,” says Freid. “Listening to the album will stop you from having to guess what my live show is going to be about. It won’t be about you having to come and hear about politics, it’s going to be fun. Live stand-up is something that people go to once in their life, maybe once a year, but if this album can get someone to go ‘okay, this is the next date night,’ then that’s the job.”