The power of positive drinking

HIS PLUCKY DAY Lamprey plays chicken in Saigon.

Photograph: Mojo Hd

For some, the idea of traveling the world evokes images of stunning scenery, ivy-covered ruins and exotic delicacies. For Zane Lamprey, travel means boozing—and lots of it. The Los Angeles–based comedian is the host of Three Sheets, a popular show on the men’s lifestyle channel MOJO HD. The premise? Follow Zane as he travels the world, learning about different cultures through the alcoholic beverages they consume. Seriously. TONY recently called Lamprey at his L.A. home to discuss where he’s going to take viewers next (the third season of Sheets—featuring bar crawls through Moscow, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Rio and Hong Kong—begins on Thursday 10, and the DVD of season two is now in stores) and what it’s like to have the best gig on earth.

So how did you land the ultimate job?
It was kind of by accident. I went in to read for a Food Network pilot called You Should Open a Restaurant. I went in there to interview to be the host and at the end they said, “You know, you’re a little overqualified for what we’re looking for. We’re looking for the host to seat people.” Needless to say, I laughed quite a bit and left. Then they chased me down the hall and said, “But there’s a show called Three Sheets we’ve been kicking around for a while and we haven’t really met anybody to host it. Would you want to do it?” Two months later, I was in Ireland shooting the first episode.

Besides the fact that Three Sheets is about imbibing around the world, the show itself is a drinking game with a set of rules that challenge viewers to booze along as they watch. Where did that come from?
I was talking to the producer about that on our first trip. Because MOJO was letting us just go out and do the show—they didn’t send any executives with us—I said to [the producer], “You know there are so many shows that have, after the fact, been turned into drinking games”—like with Cheers, every time they scream, “Norm,” you drink. So I said, “Why don’t we be the first show to actually come out as a drinking game, we’ll fly under the radar?” Of course we get the call from the network execs saying, “So, we hear the show is also a drinking game. That’s awesome.”

One of the rules of the drinking game is that every time you mention your friend Steve McKenna, the people at home drink. Who’s Steve McKenna?
Steve McKenna is the guy—everyone knows one—who, at the point in the night when you’re done drinking, he’s just getting going. It’s like, he hits that point where he goes from being just Steve to being…Steve McKenna.

There’s definitely a story there.
Um, yeah. One night, for example, he was with me when we were filming. I was ready to go to bed, and Steve decided to tie one on with the crew. God knows how many hours later, he’s convinced the crew that it would be a good idea to fill up a garbage can with ice water and dump it on me in my sleep. Now, because I know Steve McKenna, I had already barricaded my door.

Okay, be honest, of all the places that you’ve gone drinking, how does New York rank?
Oh man, come on. To be honest, it doesn’t. Obviously there are places that are warmer and cleaner and quieter, but New York is New York. I mean, I love it. There are so many places to go—Whiskey River, Burp Castle, Bubble Lounge, World Bar. That’s the cool thing about New York—my favorite place to go is the closest place there is. Depending on what part of the city I’m in, I always find and awesome pub or tavern or bar. And the energy is absolutely unmatched anywhere else in the world.

But it’s better than L.A., right?
[Laughs] Um, you know, in many ways, yeah. I think it might be a cliché, but I’ve always said I’ll live in L.A. until I can afford to move back to New York.

Three Sheets returns Thursday 10 at 9pm on MOJO HD. Three Sheets season two is now available on DVD from Infinity Entertainment Group for $24.98. For information on an Apr 25 New York bar crawl with Lamprey, visit zanecrawl.com.