Eric André Reveals ‘The Therapeutic Experience’ That Helped Him Find Peace After His Father’s Death (Exclusive)

“I’m like, ‘How do I overshare without oversharing?'” asks Eric André. It’s a thin tightrope he suddenly finds himself on in his conversation with HollywoodLife. Eric — comedian, actor, and star of the upcoming sixth season of The Eric Andre show — is talking about his partnership with BIC’s new EasyRinse razor and its anti-clogging technology, and how he Eric and Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy will be available via text for people to “unclog,” letting loose of any emotional or spiritual baggage they might be carrying. So, it only seemed fair to ask Eric: when was the last time he “unclogged” himself?

“Are you asking about a true therapeutic — about a true catharsis?” he asks, pondering how vulnerable he’s willing to be with a complete stranger. “I’ll give you – this is too dark for this interview,” Eric says with a laugh. “My dad passed away recently, and I went to Mexico, just smoked toad venom (5-MeO-DMT), and it was the most cathartic, therapeutic, psychedelic experience in my life. I came out of it talking to my father, bawling, crying, and it was like the deepest, most profound cry I had since his passing. And it was like 20 years of therapy in one moment. I highly recommend it for anybody going through any type of emotional block.”

One doesn’t need to go to such extremes as Eric did. Instead, they can take part in “The Great Spring Unclog” by texting 802-242-8398 (802-BIC-TEXT) with whatever emotional, intellectual, or spiritual issue that might be ‘clogging” them up. The sweepstakes end at 11:59:59 pm ET on 4/19, and doing so will give you a chance to win a BIC EasyRinse shaving kit or $10,000 (see full rules here.)

Eric spoke about the hallucinogenic in a 2020 episode of the Never Not Funny podcast, saying it’s “the one psychedelic drug [he] will never do.” But after losing his father in December 2022, Eric seems glad he opened up to it. “It was a truly transcendent experience,” he told HL. “I meditate a lot. I do transcendental meditation, and I’ve been to a lot of meditation retreats and Qigong retreats and Tai chi retreats, and stuff like that. So, I’m always seeking therapeutic and spiritual type retreats. And this one was one of the most unclogging — my chakras were aligned after this event. It was true, true catharsis.”

A similar experience came when Eric shaved off all his body hair, save his eyebrows, for season 5 of The Eric Andre Show. After appearing like “a prisoner in a North Korean detention center,” as he said on The Rich Eisen Show in 2020, in season 4, Eric took his appearance in the opposite direction. When asked about what it was like to “BIC’d my head bald,” Eric said it was “a little bit like the first scene in The Holy Mountain. It felt very liberating.”

“I got rid of all my body hair in season five, and I did use a BIC; that is the truth,” he adds. “I was a BIC fan before I got into the BIC biz.”

Eric’s mention of Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s avant-garde masterpiece is a moment of creative continuity, a concept coined by Frank Zappa to explain how musical elements and themes occur throughout his entire body of work. During his 2018’s Eric Andre Does Paris special, Eric dressed like The Alchemist, a character known for their all-white garb and an exaggerated hat. He also shaved the head of a priest — like the opening to The Holy Mountain. Sadly, for this divine shearing, he did not use a BIC.

“I’m a Zappa enthusiast,” Eric notes at the start of our chat. I went to Berklee College of Frank Zappa in Boston,” he says, referring to the Bachelor of Music degree he attained in 2005. “Weasels Ripped My Flesh, that’s my favorite album.”

Coincidentally, Eric’s favorite Frank Zappa album might describe those who opt not to use the new EasyRinse razor. At this point, using anything else almost seems sacrilegious. “All roads have led to this moment,” says Eric. “Yeah, that season where I shaved my whole body, shaving was always a hassle for me because my razor would get clogged. I was like, ‘There’s got to be a better razor out there!’ And I was like, ‘Who do I team up with?’ And then got in there, teamed up with BIC, launching the EasyRinse, got that newest anti-clogging razor, ‘All Shave, No Clog campaign,’ off to the races.”

The road first took Eric to New York City, where he and Annie took part in an experimental, shower-stall-themed event where fans could shave with Eric and Annie. Eric spoke with HL days before the event, and he was excited. “I’m going to be shaving in public. I’m going to be shaving you. And I’m just meeting the people,” he said. “I’m meeting the fans. I’m a man of the people. It’s like I’m running for BIC mayor.”

Being a man of the people could be a double-edged sword (razor?) for Eric. With his increased profile in mainstream pop culture, the greater chance of being recognized out in public, thus spoiling any potential prank Eric might have cooked up for The Eric Andre Show or The Prank Panel, his show with Johnny Knoxville and Gabourey Sidibe. Knoxville’s own rise to fame saw Jackass focus more on stunts and pranking cast members and less on the general public.

Eric says he’s not too worried about it. “Knoxville does a good job. He does the Irving Zisman, the Bad Grandpa character, and that special effects makeup conceals his entire identity,” he says of his Jackass Forever costar. “There’s always a way. Even during Bad Trip, I had four years of the [Eric Andre] show up. I just avoid the demographic. I usually cut my hair and avoid the demographic. As long as I’m pranking people over 45 years old, I’m usually in the clear.”

“And you’ve got to think about Impractical Jokers are on their 10th season. Nathan Fielder just did The Rehearsal, Sasha Baron Cohen did the second Borat,” adds Eric. “He has a disguise, and Johnny Knoxville has a disguise, but there’s always a way. For me, a haircut and glasses are what we did in season six of the show, and I never got busted; we just pranked middle-aged people.”

“I’m not going after feeble elderly people,” he clarifies. “I’m talking about people that are 43… Like soccer moms that are like 44 years old. You know what I mean? We’re not pranking the elderly just yet. And if I did have to prank elderly people and some specific. Also, not all my pranks are like, ‘Woo ooh, freak out. Run for your life!’ A lot of them are psychological conundrums, so I haven’t given anybody a heart attack yet. Not that I know.”

With “sexy season six” of The Eric Andre Show premiering on June 4 on Adult Swim, fans will see how his guests – including everyone from Natasha Lyonne to Lil Nas X to Jon Hamm to Blac Chyna – will react when it’s their turn in the seat. Yet, as those who have watched any of the show’s last five seasons now, Eric doesn’t go out of his way to make his guests have a terrible time. “It’s not funny to be mean,” he explains.

“When you’re doing pranks, you got to thread the needle,” he shares. “You’re trying to shock somebody; you’re trying to cram absurdity into reality and bend their mind. But there’s nothing funny about just being mean-spirited or malicious. It’s never been about that for me. So it’s a hard thing to figure out because it’s easy to make a prank feel mean. But, it’s more about being shocking and watching somebody cope with some extreme situation because they’re essentially a ‘straight man.’ There’s no better straight man in a comedy duo than a real person experiencing this insane thing.”

In 2016, Eric seemingly found himself on the other side of the prank by another purveyor of the absurd and profound when he spoke with Nardwuar the Human Serviette. For thirty years, the Canadian interviewer and musician – with this signature enthusiasm and mind-bogglingly deep research — has spoken with icons like Nirvana, Alice Cooper, James Brown and modern-day legends like Harry Styles, Cardi B, Snoop Dogg, Lizzo, and Tyler, the Creator. The interviews always uncover unexpected facts about the subject’s life before ending with Nardwuar’s trademark take on the “Shave and a Haircut / Two Bits” call-and-response (“Doot doola doot doo” / “Doot doot”).

When Eric went to Vancouver seven years ago, he met up with Nardwuar. The results were not so much a clash in styles but two powerful improvisational maestros trying to jam out but not quite finding the melody. “When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object,” one of the top comments reads on a video titled “footage of Eric Andre viciously attacking Nardwuar for 2:25 minute straight.” The video has over 400k views. Eric, when talking with HL, set the record straight on the interaction.

“I love Nardwuar,” says Eric. “I think he’s a national treasure. He is an institution. And as far as research, I think maybe only Howard Stern is matched in thoroughness. His incredible wealth and encyclopedic wealth of musical and entertainment knowledge and has just a body of work that is unmatched. Unmatched!”

“And I was very upset by the feedback I got when he interviewed me,” he continues. “He’s one of my heroes. A lot of people were like, ‘EricAndré’s rude to Nardwuar. He was mean to him.’ And I’m almost like, ‘Not at all.’ He cornered me backstage before I was doing my show, and he was doing my shtick to me. He purposely didn’t wear deodorant. He trapped me in the room, and so he’s jabbing me, so I was just jabbing back, but it was totally out of love.”

“I am a Nardwuar super fan,” adds Eric, “and I am in awe of his legacy, decades of work. He interviewed Kurt Cobain, and if you just go down a Nardwuar wormhole, he’s truly incredible. The access to artists he’s gotten, it’s insane. And he’s a one-man band. I’m sure he has help, but — I want just shout out Nardwuar, then tell him how much I love him, I hope it didn’t come off in my interview, and I would do another one again in a heartbeat because I’m in awe of him.”

The chances for a follow-up seem good. Eric’s star continues to rise. In the past few years, he had featured roles in The Righteous Gemstones, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and a starring voice in Matt Groening’s Disenchantment. He’ll also appear in the upcoming film, Should’ve Been Romeo. This new BIC partnership will introduce Eric to a broader audience, helping his career.

Is he concerned about walking that fine line between being a celebrated iconoclastic artist and a household name? “Yeah, always,” he says. “I think it’s project-by-project, but even Martin Scorsese — multimillionaire Oscar award-winning titans of industry – [they] still have to figure that out. They still have to do their paycheck gigs or their passion gigs and then find the balance. For every project, you got to figure out what you’re willing to compromise, if that makes sense? I think that’s okay and I think the audience is along for the ride and kind of understands it as well.”

“Plus, I’m on Adult Swim. I make no money. I got to do something else. I’ve got a mortgage,” Eric laughs before getting serious. “[Adult Swim] has been nothing but amazing. They raised me. When you’re a broke, open-mic comedian for the first decade of your career, you’re looking for your foster home. You’re looking for your foster parents, and Adult Swim is the best. They’re so nurturing and hands-off. Mike Lazzo, the former president of the network, took a chance on me and mentored me. I’m forever grateful to him for believing in me early on.”

“They’ve been awesome at letting me incubate and develop my voice and my point of view and make mistakes and figure out what to do and what not to do. I owe them my career,” he concludes. “I sold the show, and I was twenty-eight years old and was on unemployment and – I don’t know. They’ve been incredible. Been on their airways for ten years.”

Click here for more information about the BIC EasyRinse Sweepstakes. BIC’s new EasyRinse Razor is available at major retailers like Amazon and Walmart (Men’s and Women’s)

This interview was edited for clarity.

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