Bill Burr has been cracking jokes for a living since his college days, and recently the Boston funny guy sat down with Features Editor Chris Gearing to share his stories about being booed onstage, working on different shows and being a champion for average-looking women.

Versus Magazine: Tell me a little bit about your infamous rant in your stand-up routine in Philadelphia?
Bill Burr: That was the Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus show in Camden, N.J. It's an outdoor venue and there were about 10,000 people there. The crowd was tailgating before the show like they were getting ready for an Eagles playoff game. Basically they booed the first guy off stage and I went on about three hours later. So by the time I got out there it was a mob mentality. They started to boo me, and I was looking at some of their faces and I just sort of snapped. I was kind of thinking, "I'm going to get booed off by THESE people? Look at them! They're a mess and their city sucks." At that point I looked down at the clock and saw that I had about 12 minutes left and I just decided that I wasn't going to leave. I knew I couldn't do my act so I just attacked anything that I knew they loved, like their mothers, the Eagles, their city, etc.   

VM: How did growing up in Canton, Mass., affect your comedy?
BB: Getting to start as a comedian in Boston was probably the luckiest break I've received as a comedian. The headliners in Boston were beasts. Kevin Knox used to host a show at Nick's Comedy Stop on Sunday nights and we used to all joke that he wasn't hosting, he was taking breaks from killing. He'd bring you up and you had to hang on for dear life and try and ride his wave without doing a face plant. The city of Boston is also a big sports town with a blue-collar vibe, and for my money those kinds of people are the funniest dudes on the planet. I grew up around a lot of funny people and I know that must have helped me in some subconscious way.

VM: What's been your favorite job so far (i.e., stand-up comedy, radio shows, “Chappelle’s Show,” etc.)?
BB: I love not preparing, so stand-up comedy and doing the radio have been my favorite jobs so far. With both gigs, there is a small amount of preparation and the rest is just in the moment running of the mouth. The Opie and Anthony show reminds me of when I used to work in warehousing and all anybody did all day was break balls and try to make everyone laugh. I've recently discovered how to have fun like that as an actor, but it's so much more work!

VM: How was it to make your one-hour comedy special, "Why Do I Do This"?
BB: "Why Do I Do This?" was a great learning experience. That's the first time I had to make decisions when taping a special. Up until that point, the only thing I had to worry about was what shirt I was going to wear and what jokes was I going to tell. With “Why Do I Do This” we were shooting that ourselves, and I got to sit down with Art & Industry and talk about camera angles, the background, the number of crowd shots. ... It was pretty amazing to be that involved in something. … It's also great as an artist to own your own special. I love to do that for the rest of my career.

VM: Tell me a bit about your appearances on “The Opie and Anthony Show.”
BB: The only thing I miss about New York is doing “The Opie and Anthony Show.” Jim Norton hooked me up with those guys in 2005 and it was a huge break for my career. I've seen some things on that show that I can't quite explain, and I'd have to say that their eggnog drinking contest is the closest thing to pure genius that I've ever seen. What I love about that show is they never seem to ask the question, "What if this were to happen?" They just come up with a bit and let it unfold naturally. Everyone adds to it, and the next thing you know some unexplainable moment happens. For example, Google “Opie and Anthony baby bird 139.”

VM: How do you feel about Nashville and Zanies Comedy Club?
BB: I love Zanies Comedy Club. It's one the classics and is run by Brian Dorfman, who is straight shooter, which is rare with club owners! The club itself has a great set up — the balcony, the bar in back and all the old headshots on the wall. There's no other way to explain it other than it's an old-school comedy club. It's one of the places I'm always going to play if they let me. As far as Nashville goes, it's a great place. The music scene is obviously incredible. Even if you're not into country music you'll still have a good time. I always end up down town, by Jack's Bar-B-Que sort of people watching. The only thing I don't like about Nashville is that evil looking skyscraper that dominates the skyline.

VM: Do you have any crazy stories from the road and from performing stand up?
BB: I have plenty of crazy stories, but the older I get the more they kind of fade away. ... In my career I've been hit by a dinner roll, ice, dental floss and a doughnut hole. The doughnut hole video is actually up on my MySpace page. I don't know why any of those things happened. Actually, the ice thing happened cause I told a good-looking drunk girl to stop talking. Good-looking drunk women are the worst. They're hot, so no one has really told them to shut up before, so when you do it they have this look of shock and indignation. It's almost like they can't believe that on any level they could ever be capable of being an asshole. I blame the guys who buy them drinks all night. Bring these women back down to earth: Buy average girls drinks!

VM: How did you get into comedy?
BB: I entered a contest to find Boston's funniest college student.

VM: How was it working on “Chappelle's Show”?
BB: “Chappelle's Show” was an incredible ride. I got on the second season, the show blew up and then it was over. It was amazing to be a small part of something that got that big. And getting to work with Dave and Neal was a great education on how to run a show. If they thought it was funny, they went ahead and did it. They didn't seem to let anyone stop them once they had an idea for a sketch.

VM: What's next for Bill Burr?
BB: I'm shooting a pilot for Comedy Central, and I'm going to tape another special at the end of next year. Also I plan to continue to do my weekly Monday Morning Podcast that you can listen to on www.billburr.com. People e-mail questions that I answer each week. It's just a way to give people a laugh at the beginning of the work week. It's been taking off, and I really enjoy it cause there's no preparation!