When I first met Sam Tallent at 27th Letter Books in Detroit, I was on a date with my wife. Wearing his signature booney hat and large glasses, he cut an unmistakable figure. Immediately after introducing myself, he wasted no time in asking about the books I was holding.
When I told him they were for my wife, he wanted to know about her interests so he could help me find more that she would like. Standing there in the aisle, I thought, “I can’t believe this is the guy I’ve listened to on some of the biggest podcasts in the world!”
I haven’t had many interactions like that with a stranger before, let alone a famous comedian, but I could tell this was nothing new for Tallent.
A few weeks later, I found myself in his Grosse Pointe Park backyard, drinking coffee, and talking as he pointed out monarch butterflies in his garden. For some comedians, their powers only exist on stage, and talking with them off stage can detract from the art. That is not the case here. Tallent is everything he proclaims to be on stage and more. After our interview, his comedic and written works only gain depth and become even easier to appreciate.
High Culture in the High Plains
Despite his Midwestern temperament, Tallent isn’t from Michigan. He moved here with his wife, Dr. Emily Tallent, in 2024 to be close to her family in Dearborn. Born and raised in Elizabeth, a small town in eastern Colorado’s Elbert County, Tallent is not the usual product of rural-America. Affable and welcoming, he’s quick to smile and even quicker to crack a joke. A self-described “little fat kid” growing up, Tallent always wanted to make others laugh.
“There’s videos of me at three years old wearing a tuxedo and sliding through the curtains in our kitchen, saying ‘I just flew in from Vegas, and boy, are my arms tired,’’’ says Tallent. “Honestly, I don’t have any memories of not wanting to be a comedian.”
Tallent brags that he comes from funny stock, the product of his dad, grandpa, and uncle’s senses of humor. From an early age, his parents exposed him to the comedic greats. The works of Fred Willard, Christopher Guest, and Chris Farley were forever imprinted on him.
In Tallent’s household, movies, books, and music formed a powerful triumvirate.
“Reading was very valuable in my home,” says Tallent. “You wanted to look like you were a well-cultured person. You wanted to be able to have conversations with people, and you didn’t want to be trapped in your small town way of thinking.”
Books provided an escape from a stunted worldview. As a child, Tallent was allowed to read whatever he wanted.
“There were a bunch of cool books in the house, and there was no policing what you read,” says Tallent. “Library books permeated everything.”
Tallent gravitated towards the likes of Denis Johnson, Chuck Palahniuk, and Larry Brown. Tales of their gritty characters’ exploits and their deep desire to escape society’s pressures connected with Tallent. Around the same time, he discovered punk rock, which scratched a similar itch. His dad, Dave, who Tallent lovingly describes as a “hipster”, initiated him into the genre with Green Day, the Buzzcocks, and Hüsker Dü records.
Motivated by the music and counterculture, Tallent and a friend started a band called Red vs. Black, its namesake derived from the anarcho-communist flag colors. The band adhered to a strong DIY ethos, which forced Tallent to get creative when booking tours. Instead of going through promoters, Tallent used early social media platforms like MySpace to book shows across the country.
“We were so strict in our politics,” says Tallent. “We would only play all ages venues. If they had a liquor license, we couldn’t play there because kids couldn’t come.”
Punk to Comedy Pipeline
After a few years cutting his teeth doing improv and open mics in Denver, Tallent decided to pursue comedy full-time. He started working as a non-paid regular at Denver’s Comedy Works, often opening for big name comedians like Bob Saget and Dave Atell. In order to pay his bills, Tallent would hit the road on weekends, booking himself in clubs around the country.
“I learned to book myself through punk rock,” says Tallent.
Life on the road wasn’t always easy. Tallent often found himself performing in venues where only a couple people would show up. Upon seeing a crowd of five turnout for a show, a more egotistical comic might cancel, but that’s not Tallent.
“It didn’t matter how many people were at the show, I did the best set that I could,” says Tallent. “I’ve killed for two people in Hawaii!”
Tallent abided by an old adage picked up from legendary band Black Flag’s early touring days: “They came to see Black Flag. We’re going to give them Black Flag.”
These days, show attendance isn’t usually an issue for Tallent, but that same credo still remains. Whether he’s performing in front of a sold-out theater in New York, or at a small club in North Dakota, they get the same Sam Tallent. And unlike most comedians of his stature, Tallent does a meet and greet after every show, free of charge.
Prize Writing
Growing up, Tallent was always a skilled writer, but he’ll be the first to tell you that he never thought he’d write a book. It wasn’t until moving out of Denver that Tallent finally had the time to write his own great American novel.
“I never would have written Running the Light,” says Tallent. “I wrote that from 2016 to 2018 when [my wife] went to medical school in Vegas, and all my distractions were eliminated. It was so lonely and hot.”
The gritty fictional piece follows Billy Ray Schafer, a drug addled road comic from Tallent’s own Elbert County. Schafer’s story is a cautionary tale based on an archetype that Tallent has encountered throughout his decades of touring.
“It was about my sentiments of stand-up at the time,” says Tallent. “Like, I don’t want to be trapped in this. This book is a total horror novel to me.”
Keeping with his DIY approach, Tallent self-published Running the Light through his company, Too Big to Fail Press. For his latest book, however, Tallent decided to work with a publishing company. Brut, set for release Sept. 22, will be published through Penguin Random House. Tallent wants the exposure that the largest publisher of fiction can bring, and with it, some much earned recognition.
“When I sold Running the Light, I didn’t do it for the money,” says Tallent. “I did it for the prestige. I want [Penguin Random House] to get me into Salon; I want to be in Harper’s Magazine and The Paris Review, all the stuff that I read.”
The forthcoming novel follows Robert Beaujolais, an ex-Marine and hitman from Elbert County who’s doing one last job in Paris. An unlikely romance between Beaujolais and a man he falls in love with is baked into this classic trope.
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“I think Brut is a book about what it’s like to love a man who loves Monster Energy Drinks and saying slurs on Call of Duty,” jokes Tallent.
A launch party for Brut will be held on Sept. 21 at POST Detroit. Tallent will be doing a reading of the book and an audience Q&A. Attendees will also be able to purchase a copy of the book a day early.
To pre-order a copy of Brut, visit Penguin Random House’s website. For more information about Tallent’s tour dates and comedy specials, visit samtallent.com.
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