BlazeTV's Dave Landau battles demons with darkly funny 'Party of One'

Dave Landau is an open book on stage.

The “Normal World” star shares hilarious tales from his self-destructive youth. Hear a few and an uncomfortable thought comes to mind once the laughter subsides.

'You can fall down a lot, and you have to learn to get back up ... it took me so long to learn that lesson,' he says. 'Even 13 arrests didn’t stop me from drinking and enjoying drugs.'

It’s a miracle he’s still alive.

Now, he’s sharing how close he came to becoming a drug statistic in his new, sobering book, “Party of One: A Fuzzy Memoir.” The autobiography details Landau’s troubled childhood, from his father’s extended cancer fight to his many brushes with the law.

It’s darkly comic and often laugh-out-loud funny, but Landau isn’t content with making readers howl. He hopes his story might help others conquer their demons, too.

Inadvertently helpful

“I had to relive it and let it go and forgive myself. That’s the hardest thing in the world for me,” Landau tells Align about writing “Party of One.” “It’s hokey, but it could help anybody who might be struggling ... the more you know you’re not alone, the better it is ... being more open, you inadvertently help people.”

Landau wrote the bulk of the book during the pandemic, but he wasn’t ready to share it just yet.

“It’s really personal to me,” he says, and he wanted to make sure the people chronicled in “Party of One” understood the purpose behind the book. “I decided it was finally time to let the world know, at least my fans know about it.”

Some passages may feel familiar to those who have addicts in their families. Others will be shocking no matter one’s background.

“You can fall down a lot, and you have to learn to get back up ... it took me so long to learn that lesson,” he says. “Even 13 arrests didn’t stop me from drinking and enjoying drugs.”

The book, co-written with Jon Wiederhorn, shares how his comedic instincts steered him toward sobriety.

From Detroit to Dallas

Landau made videos as a younger man and obsessed over sketch comedy shows like “Saturday Night Live.” His father would wake him up as a teen to watch “SNL” together. He later connected with Second City’s Detroit chapter. That’s the famed improv network that gave birth to stars like Gilda Radner, Amy Poehler, and John Belushi.

“It gave me an outlet I never had before,” he says, noting his family and friends urged him on. Now, he creates comedy on the fly with Blaze Media’s “Normal World” alongside co-host ¼ Black Garrett.

“It has its little cult audience that’s getting bigger. It’s nice to watch something grow,” he says. “Being able to do sketch [comedy] after growing up with sketch [comedy] is a highlight of my life.”

“Party of One” lets him connect with that growing fan base, something that’s increasingly common in today’s comedy world. Comedy fans feel familiar with today’s stand-up stars, a bond forged from on-stage routines, podcasts, and social media.

It’s one reason pundits say President Donald Trump used appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and other comedy podcasts to retake the White House.

“You feel like you’re a part of somebody’s life ... it’s another reason to put out my book. Why hide it?” he asks.

Fair game

Landau is similarly open about his political views. He’s embraced elements of the modern right over the years, working to keep himself above the tribal fray at the same time. His philosophy? Everyone is fair game.

In the process, he educated himself on the political scene, eager to be more precise in his commentary.

“I started having to read the news every day ... things became more clear to me,” he says.

He spent months working alongside “Opie & Anthony” alum Anthony Cumia, who wasn’t shy about his right-leaning views. Landau paid an accidental price for that.

“People would attack me for doing nothing. Friends turned on me [for] a political ideology I wasn’t even sharing. I was just next to it,” he says of his formerly left-leaning persona. That also happened when he later teamed with conservative comedian Steven Crowder.

Those partnerships took their toll.

Late-night pariah

“I paid a lot to be where I am now,” he says. Many roles and opportunities dry up when you so much as empathize with the right, he says.

“I wasn’t going to get on late night, ever,” he adds of mainstream programs like CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He did flip the script on Hollywood Inc. by appearing on Fox News’ late-night smash “Gutfeld!”

The repercussions didn’t stop with his professional life.

“I lost friends,” he says before suggesting they weren’t real friends in the first place. “People show their true colors. ... That’s part of this business. It’s not always very pleasant.”