Interview: Hellbent For Laughter's Jake Bassi and Drew Fahey talk metal and comedy

Los Angeles comedians Jake Bassi and Drew Fahey combine their love of metal and comedy with their monthly comedy show Hellbent For Laughter. In nearly two years, the show has seen comedians such as Dean Delray, Lisa Wallen, and Rick Thorne deliver headbanging comedy. We had a chance to talk to Bassi and Fahey about the show's origins and a look into their favorite metal bands.

MP3s and NPCs: When did the idea of Hellbent for Laughter come about?

Jake Bassi: Drew and I are big metal nerds, and I wanted to produce a show involving metal, but I didn't want to do it by myself. We must have went through a dozen names. The original title was actually called Scream Funny Gore.

Drew Fahey: Jake and I met at an open mic where he was wearing a Gojira t-shirt. I had a joke about the band, and we hit it off immediately. Jake had the idea for a comedy show with a metal band, and we made it happen! Scream Funny Gore was the original title, but not very many of the people in our personal lives knew what that meant, so we came up with a name that checks more boxes. My favorite was “Hammer Smashes Japes,” but ya can’t win em all.

MP3s and NPCs: You've done most of your shows at Knucklehead in Hollywood. How did you wind up working with that venue?

Jake: I had done a comedy show at Knucklehead a few years ago, so I knew that was an option, but I also wanted to keep the show in the sfv. The venue we did a show at was pretty awful, so I reached out to the owner and asked if he had a night open, and voila, we're at Knucklehead every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

Drew: I remember attending an album release show there and thinking “I bet this would work for us.” Sure enough, when I brought it to the table, Jake was like “Yeah. Nice. Done comedy there before,” and the rest is history.

MP3s and NPCs: There was a podcast for Hellbent for Laughter, but only one episode was released. Would you consider bringing it back in the future?

Jake: Unfortunately, that was a one-off, however if work schedules between Drew, Jason, and I match up, it could be done. Sadly, we're all dependent on our day jobs, so that eats up a lot of time to be productive in that regard.

Drew: We did the first episode as an experiment. It was fun, and I’d be open to doing it again, but it’s just tough to make time when we have other projects of our own. As the show continues to grow, it would be fun to bring the pod back!

MP3s and NPCs: Who are some of your dream guests for the comedy show?

Jake: Bill Burr, Steph Tolev, Jim Bruer, Ian Fidance, Tim Dillon, Jordan Jensen, John Goblikon, Eric Posehn, Big Jay Oakerson, you know... comedians that love metal!

Drew: Kyle Kinane is my comedy hero; it’d be an honor to have him on. Ian Fidance and Jordan Jenson would be amazing, too. Posehn is probably the holy grail; his album Nerd Rage was one of the first comedy albums I ever owned.

MP3s and NPCs: When did you decide you were a metalhead?

Jake: I got Dragon Ball Z Cooler’s Revenge on VHS when I was about 10 or 1, and the movie featured tracks from Disturbed and Deftones. When Goku turns Super Saiyan and "Change In The House Of Flies" was playing, that was it for me. Never looked back.

Drew: I got really into System of a Down in middle school. I joined their fan page on MySpace and started stalking the forums there. The regulars there were super prestigious and honestly kind of dickheads, but they curated some really incredible band recommendations that really shaped my tastes today. Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Decapitated, Suffocation, things like that to start. Even my number one favorite band Blind Guardian was recommended to me there; they were like, “You gotta move on from Dragonforce, dude.”

MP3s and NPCs: What metal albums have impacted you the most?

Jake: Symbolic by Death was pretty life changing when my buddy played it in his car when we were lets say....joyriding. When See You On The Other Side by Korn came out, I was in middle school. That became my personality for a few years. Hahaha. Sacrament by Lamb of God was another solidifier in my metal journey.

Drew:

Decapitated - Nihility

SOAD - Toxicity or Mesmerize

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

King Gizzard - Petrodragonic Apocalypse

Death - Symbolic

MP3s and NPCs: What metal concert stood out to you?

Jake: Iron Maiden 2010. Dream Theater opened for them, and nobody cared. I slept overnight in a field with my brother and his girlfriend, and we woke up not realizing we were camped out by a nudist colony. The pit was insane. An older woman grabbed my ass. Fun time.

Drew: Metallica was my first metal concert. My girlfriend at the time pressured her sister into giving me her ticket, which I feel a little guilty about in hindsight. Seeing Decapitated in the small room of The Catalyst in Santa Cruz was pretty life changing. Trollfest blew my mind recently. I won’t spoil them for you; just check them out.

MP3s and NPCs: What bands are you listening to right now?

Jake: Oh, man. That answer changes every time I'm asked that question. As of now, I'm listening to a lot of Children of Bodom, Lacuna Coil, and Tool. I have a "heavy" rotation of bands I listen to seasonally.

Drew: I’m really into Steely Dan right now. That and Ensiferum. I go back and forth depending on the mood.

MP3s and NPCs: Where do you see Hellbent for Laughter in five years?

Jake: I'd like a full band as opposed to one guitarist, which is essential to the show. To have a guitar player make noises after a joke hits really is the key ingredient to the show. I want a live band consistently, and I want the comedians to end their sets by crowd surfing off stage. I have faith we'll get there one day, and I'm very glad places like Knucklehead allow us to continue to grow and bring free funnies to the community.

Drew: Realistically, I’d be happy to have a full house band, consistently full attendance, and major headliners on the lineup. This show feels special, and I’m excited for it to take its fullest form.

Follow Hellbent For Laughter on Instagram for updates on future shows.