As soon as my conversation started with Eddie Pepitone, the jokes flowed.

For the next 45 minutes, the “Last Comic Standing” alum — who just released the excellent new special “The Collapse” — had me in stitches improvising laugh-out-loud funny bits. Truth be told, our chat felt less like an “interview” and more like a show for one.

Turns out, that’s just who he is.

“I had this show at a huge theater in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Seven people showed up. I begged the guy to cancel. He said ‘no.’ So, I do this f—ing show for seven f—ing people,” he told The Post in an exclusive interview.

“Since I always give it my all, I can’t lower my energy for seven people. So, I’m there screaming at seven people for an hour and my opener [JT Habersaat] is in the background doubled over.”

Habersaat added “what’s so unique about him is that he doesn’t do crowd work, but he pulls things out of the air every night…I have never met another comic that can do what he does.”

This level of Herculean comic effort was certainly evident in our talk as well as the aforementioned “The Collapse,” where the 66-year-old New York native (and lifelong Yankees and Mickey Mantle fan) barrels onstage and grabs the audience by the collar and refuses to let go, delivering a fiery yet contained monologue reminiscent of Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison filled to the gills with delightfully twisted flights of fancy.

His greatest trick of all though onstage and in real life is how he juxtaposes his uncompromising fury with the world’s mildest complaints. “As you age, all we have is accoutrements!” he yells at one point in “The Collapse.” Moments laterater, he undercuts the coming climate nightmares by worrying about his own chafing thighs. The man is having perverse, gleeful, giddy fun and we’re just along for the ride.

Thankfully, for us, he’s bringing his singular brand of off-the-cuff rage to the people when he embarks on his latest tour.

To learn more, we talked to Pepitone about what makes him tick, his special and upcoming U.S. run.

And, we promise you, he kept things funny the whole time. Especially the Phyllis Diller “Last Comic Standing” story. Keep reading if just for that hysterical yarn.

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets are listed below.

Want to dig deep into Eddie’s oeuvre? Here’s just a few of the most essential specials, short films and documentaries of his from the past few decades.

The Big Push (2006) is Pepitone’s debut album and available on Amazon

A Great Stillness (2011) is available on Amazon

Runyon: Right Above Sunset (2011) is available on Vimeo

Bitter Buddha (2013) is available on Tubi

In Ruins (2014) is available on YouTube

For The Masses (2020) is available on Amazon

The Collapse (2025) is available on Veeps

As noted above, Pepitone spoke with The Post for 45 minutes. Here’s a lightly edited version of our chat.

Are you working a new hour after putting your last special online?

I’m always working a new hour. The way I work is if I’m feeling good onstage, I develop material right then and there. Like, I listened to a set I did in Pittsburgh a few months ago — and let me just preface this next bit by saying I don’t like myself — and was like, “holy s—, I was on that night.” I knew I was. I know when it’s flowing. The other night JT [Habersaat] and I performed in Atlanta at this famous rock club called The Earl and I felt really on. Out of touring comes new material and that’s how I work.

How did you develop your improvisational style?

Every comic works differently. Some comics are great writers. I am not one of those comics.

I come at comedy from a real character and emotional place.

Eddie laughs.

I’m laughing because I always think I sound pretentious, talking about this stuff.

Not at all. If you were an open mic’er, I wouldn’t listen to you but you’re one of the greats.

That would be hilarious if you only interviewed open mic’ers.

For real, I come at comedy from a real emotional place and if the crowd is with me like they were at The Earl, it frees me to just be myself. I was in an improv group for years and I make fun of that in one of my jokes where I say “that would be a good use of ICE. Round up improv groups!”

But I’ve been very improvisatory my whole life. I don’t know where it comes from. I think, surviving? I also studied acting and that’s the character thing I love. I was in acting classes and plays in Manhattan.

We’re all doomed.

What do you love about the road?

Meeting fans in different places. I was in Wichita and people came up to me saying “I’m such a big fan” and they’ll run my bits by me and tell me how I helped them through the pandemic. That is the most rewarding thing. Getting that validation. I’m an ego whore.

What’s the average Eddie Pepitone fan like?

Body mass index is up there. More guys than gals.

I’m very feminine in a lot of ways, but I come across as strident and I’m really channeling my father who died recently. Thank God.

What would you say separates the new hour from the rest of your previous work?

Every year, I get absolutely more confident. The biggest weapon in a comedian’s arsenal is to be confident and comfortable onstage. This special reflects that. It was some of my best stuff because of that factor. I’m trying now to have more gravitas or seriousness in my comedy.

You usually first have to win people over before you can get really heavy and serious and I think I’m doing that.

What do you think the future of stand up looks like?

I think a lot of clubs will be underwater. Comics might be performing with shock collars on.

Orson Welles has this great speech in “The Third Man” where he goes [paraphrasing] “great art comes from societies that are under duress. Switzerland’s never been under duress. What have they come up with? The cuckoo clock?” What I’m saying is there could be some great stuff coming out of this tyranny that seems to be on the rise.

But how does it thrive? Will we be allowed to do comedy?

Your IMDB is insane. You’ve acted in “Community,” “Arrested Development…”

Conan broke me. That was the first big thing I got. One of my friends was writing on the show and gave me this great monologue to do about being the kid who almost got the Life Cereal Campaign.

Then, Conan liked me and I did all these heckling things.

What would you say is your all time favorite role you’ve had post-“Conan”?

This isn’t consistent with my brand but I was on “Will and Grace” and I got to be directed by the legendary James Burrows. In my episode, I played a plumber who discovers Debra Messing’s horrific dump.

One of my favorite actors in the world is Tony Shalhoub and I got to be on an episode of “Monk” with him and Ted Levine. I was pretty starstruck on that set.

Your IMDb lists two upcoming projects. Can you spill any details?

“Untitled Neil Brennan Project” was filmed a bunch of years ago and never went anywhere. Neil was working on a pilot for Fox, and they just passed on it and I don’t know why that’s still up there like that.

And “Dead” is an indie film with Craig Bierko where I play a rabbi, which is pretty funny even though I’m Jewish.

The story is about a young woman’s dad, who becomes a ghost and won’t leave until there’s something settled and I oversee a “Jewish exorcism.” I don’t know much more. I’m all about me. I’ve got a show tonight and all I’m thinking is “oh, my God. I hope this launches me.” I’m 66. I need it.

Tell us about Apocalypse Soon.

It’s a podcast I do with another comedian Kevin Tienken, a really funny guy. He produces it. For me, it’s a vehicle where I improvise different bits and sometimes we talk normally.

Anyway, the original idea for the podcast was we’re going to have all kinds of segments about the disintegration of our civilization, and it was going to be upbeat but I never really did that.

Instead, I’ve been doing something called “the last newscaster on Earth” where I’m like “good evening! I’m going f—ing insane.”

Rick Springfield told us that he was almost in “The Right Stuff.” Ray Wise got close to scoring the role of Freddy Krueger. What’s the role that you wish you almost got that you auditioned for?

Playing Danny Glover’s sidekick on his CBS “Lethal Weapon” show. That would have been big for me. Sometimes I choke in big auditions because you really have to know the lines. You open the door for a big audition and there’s a sea of executives, and it’s very intimidating.

I really didn’t do a good job.

Favorite “Last Comic Standing” story?

Nobody knew “Last Comic Standing” was going to be anything. So, one or two episodes had aired and I was featured. I did this song called “there are no more heroes in America.”

A couple weeks later, I was going to the Nantucket Film Festival and Mos Def started singing my song.

Then, the second time I did the show, Phyllis Diller, who was at the end of her life, was one of the f—ing judges. I remember seeing her backstage after I performed and she looked like a f—ing zombie. She looked like she had already passed.

But anyway, she saw me and said, “nobody writes punch lines anymore.”

What’s next for you?

If I could get it together, I’d like to do a one-man show like I did at Edinburgh years ago.

I have a problem with structure. That’s why I improvise so much but I would love to do a thematic one-person show about what is going on in the f—ing world right now.

I always had this idea of me in the womb and I’m smoking a cigar, walking back and forth. Then, I come out and I’m a blue-collar, steel worker baby with suspenders.

Last question. Who are your five favorite working comedians?

Patton Oswalt. He’s great.

Marc Maron. I think he’s super smart and funny.

Maria Bamford. She’s definitely up there.

Dana Gould. He makes me laugh, doesn’t return my calls anymore, but so be it.

Kevin Bridges. Amazing British guy.

Need even more comedy in your life? Check out our list of all the biggest comedians on tour in 2025 to find the show for you.

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change