Comedian Brian Posehn, coming to Musikfest Cafe, talks about how he almost died

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Three days shy of his performance Musikfest Cafe at SteelStacks, Brian Posehn said he's lucky to be alive.

The comedian/actor said he was driving in Los Angeles last Thursday when he was involved in a motor vehicle crash.

• Comedian/actor Brian Posehn will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, April 28, in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem
• Tickets, at $25-$29, are available at www.steelstacks,org
• Posehn said he'll talk about his recent auto crash, in which he "almost died"

"I almost died," Posehn said in a phone call. "It was the craziest car wreck I've ever been in. It was totally out of a movie.
"We were about to get off the freeway, we were slowing down and I saw in the rear view mirror this car was coming at me. It was over 70 miles [per hour]. They were flying and not slowing down.

"She hit us from behind and I kind of held on. Anything that happened after that was in somebody else's hands.

"We flipped over. We were on our roof for a while. We slid across the freeway and went off an embankment. In L.A., our freeways our insane. We were upside down and no idea where we were going."

Posehn and his wife, their 13-year-old son and a family friend survived the horrifying ideal — with, he said, just a few cuts and scrapes from the vehicle's shattered glass.

He said he even performed his set in Tacoma, Washington, the following night.

"I took it as a sign," he said. "It's very important for me to go out and do jokes about my genitals in different cities.

"I felt fine after. I have had new pains creep up, but nothing too bad. My one buddy, he's a guitar player and his hand got cut, so he went and got that taken care of."

'Thinking about it non-stop'

Posehn said he will share more about the crash at his performance Friday night at Musikfest Cafe.

"We might not be talking if I wasn't wearing my seatbelt," he said. "The EMTs said that we were so lucky and it was amazing that we walked away, but the fact that we were wearing seatbelts and the airbags went off, that's what got us out of there alive.

"I have been thinking about it nonstop. Going out and doing comedy is a relief from it. I'm so happy that I do have that. I think I might have really dealt with it if I had to stay home and sit here and go, 'Oh, wow, what just happened?"

The writer/actor recently released his fourth comedy special and is currently co-creating a new project with Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman.

"I have several comic books out," he said. "I have a comedy-horror thing that I did for heavy metal with Trohman.

He said he also has a new show that's been in development for Nickelodeon.

"We should find out soon what's going on with that. It's a traditional '90s show that's not just for kids." ''

'I love acting'

You also can spot Poehn on popular shows such as "The Mandalorian," "Lady Dynamite" and "You’re The Worst," and in his recurring roles on "The Big Bang Theory" and "New Girl."

"I love sitcom acting," he said. "I have nothing but good memories of that. And all the stuff I did in the '90s.

"I'm pretty lucky that I got to be on the top shows those days — 'Friends,' 'Seinfeld' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'

"I grew up watching sitcoms. That was one of the first things I was into. The idea of being a sitcom actor, it seemed like such a cool job. To perform in front of a live audience is similar to what I do with standup. You get the reaction right away."

He also was featured in the films "Devil’s Rejects" and "The Five Year Engagement." In 2015, he starred in the dark, indie comedy, "Uncle Nick."

He said one of the more enjoyable gigs is his voiceover work. (Posehn has appeared in "The Simpsons," "Mission Hill," "American Dad," "Bob's Burgers" and "Steven Universe.")

"People say that voiceover work is really easy— it's not," he said. "It's easier. You can go there in flip-flops. It's still acting. It's important that you're connected with that character.

"One of the most fun things is that you get to play characters you wouldn't necessarily do in live action. What I love is some of the crazy voices I gotten to do — aliens, zombies and all the Adult Swim stuff I've done. It's loose and fun."

Tickets to Posehn's show cost $25 and $29.