Comedian Joe Matarese and Trev “Remember When” in Bound Brook

 Back in the 80's Joe Matarese was growing up in Cherry Hill living the life that would one day see him become a touring comedian. His comedy journey would land him on "America's Got Talent", "The David Letterman Show", "Late Night with "Craig Ferguson" as well as Craig Kilborn, "Chelsea Lately" 2 Amazon specials and his own "Comedy Central presents"

But his greatest memories come from growing up in New Jersey in the 80's and 90's and Matarese will "Remember When" Friday July 23rd at the Brook Art Theatre along with comedian Matt Bellace hosted by me Steve Trevelise

How did Joe come up with the idea for the show?

"It all started from one show that I was going to be doing at this theater in the area that I grew up in and I started writing a lot of material for that show and then it kind of made me realize oh this is getting way easier to write material about a specific subject like the 80s and early 90s and New Jersey where I grew up"

What does Matarese remember most about the 80's and 90's?

"Definitely the things that I remember the most are that it seemed way meaner back then from having bullies to having sitcoms on TV. They could have racist type dialogue in them. Fights breaking out at school the jungle gym being way less safe. School closings being so much different listening to your number being called over the radio versus getting an automated phone call no cell phones in and people playing outside and playing sports"

Joe sees the difference between the way he grew up and his kids are growing up now.

"Just the major differences of what you see your kids having now versus us really stands out to me when I see it as a dad who is 53 that has young kids 13 and nine"

Since Matarese spend so much time in the 80's and 90's, is there anything he's like to bring back into the present?

'I guess if I could bring something back from the 80s and 90s the way I would answer that question is I wouldn’t bring something back, I would get rid of something which are computers and cell phones and technology of what video games are now compared to what they were when we were younger."

"People not talking to each other and going to a restaurant and seeing two people sitting at a table across from each other and they both have their phones out no one‘s talking to each other we’re going to a Starbucks and seeing six kids sitting at a table and every one of them has out their phone and they’re not talking to each other that’s the one thing that really stands out to me is that behave"

"I noticed that when I go somewhere where my cell phone doesn’t work at all and I have no way to use it and I just have to be myself all my life anxiety goes away and then a love the way my personality is then versus when I’m just working on my career so much in my life I hate that I wish there was a way we could just get rid of that technology"

"Sneak Peek" What's Joe's funniest story from the 80's and 90's?

Probably one of the funniest stories in my "Remember When" show is the story of my first anxiety attack when I smoked pot in high school after being an avid pot smoker and drinking and smoking pot at the same time and going outside and trying to runoff the high and being so paranoid that I was going to die when I got back to the front lawn while I was hyperventilating drunk and high I was so scared'

Try telling that to his Italian South Jersey family.

"I had to tell my mom that I was high my paranoid Italian South Jersey mom that her 15-year-old was high and she rushed me to the pediatrician it’s a classic story I’ve been telling it for a while in the show and it seems to get a huge response probably because a lot of the references of the song heat of the moment by Asia is in the bit because I was wearing an Asia concert T when I was in the pediatrician with all these kids that had strep throat and ear infections and I’m high on weed as a teenager with long hair and my Asia shirt on I will never forget that and I guess the truth comes out in that store"

To get tickets for Joe Matarese "Remember When" Click here

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

Best horror movie from every year