In Loving Memory of
A failed energy broker turned barbeque savante, Scotty has lived a storied life to put it simply and boy does he know how to tell it.
Reminiscent of a young Ron White wearing a Spirit Halloween Theo Vaughn costume labeled "Mulleted man with Spatula and Hope," Scotty masterfully weaves real and harrowing tales of drug addiction, sexcapades, successful abortions and of course family all with aloof soul and transparent authenticity. What results are the musings of a derelict romantic struggling to fuse dueling desires of wanderlust and waywardness with meaning and a kind of atonement. Either way, it's goddamn hilarious. He is the rare breed of comic's comic and audience's comic alike. Sure there are a handful of comedy accolades that can be listed here or a few famous names to provide some sort of clout but that would be as frivolous as trying to retell a Scotty Peterson tale to a friend, you just have to hear it for yourself.
Cmon now, big dog.
Bio Written by Zahid Dewji
If you've met Scotty, even once, you've got some stories. Here are some of those stories.
Jaffer Khan
“I just described Scotty to someone
Zahid Dewji
“One time Damon Wayans was headlining the Houston Improv and
he dropped his original opener because they were in his words “too dirty”.
To a sea of black people, Scotty opens up with a story about the time he did coke with a friend who started freaking out, saying stuff like “I can’t be here doing coke with you! I’m supposed to be helping at-risk youth!” And in true Scotty fashion he replies
“Calm down! You are helping at-risk youth! Where’d you think I got this coke from in the first place.” Immediately, half the crowd was like what the fuck, but the other half was absolute losing their shit from laughter. I’m talking hysterical.
RIP big dawg, you absolute fucking legend, we love and will miss you forever. So happy you got to be apart of our lives.”
Ashton Womack
Matt Rogers
To conform as little as he did, you had to be incredibly comfortable with danger. To be as funny as he did, you had to be so present it was unbearable.
I always felt like all my insecurities were on display in contrast to Scotty. He was living while the rest of us were plotting. And yet even if he cut you down or brought attention to the thing you wanted the least attention to, there was something about it that didnt feel like you were in the arms of a bully, just a nihilist who calls it like he see’s it.
I can’t believe chris and chip and all the heathens you employed less then gainfully outlived you. I’ll never stop telling people about you big dawg. Thats it.”
Radu Bondar
“One time at 11:00 pm Scotty Peterson called me and told me I was the only person he could trust to film his audition tape for his first big screen production.
I asked him what the role was, and he replied "they want me to be a gay carney from the 80's. " (Fucking spot on right) It took us four days for him to memorize 16 lines, a month after I sent him this final cut I asked him if he got the role. He then began to explain to me on how he sent this audition tape and the casting director stated "His vibe was too gay"”
Charles Jestice
He obliged as was his nature, and it was a hit as expected. that night meant a lot to me, and I know I’ve shared that with him. that dinner was really special and I’ve thought about it a lot since then. every thanksgiving since, I ordered a brisket from Scotty because every member of my family
would text me to make sure it was handled. I have family who literally only know Scotty thru his food. We find comfort and healing in food, in comedy, in company. he was the best at all of them. I hate that’ll we’ll never have that brisket again.”
Zahid Dewji
We came up in the Austin comedy scene together. The vast majority of the time he was the best of us. Offstage he was one of the realest, wildest, and most genuine people I’ve ever met. He drove a shitty mint green Camry that needed a ballpoint pen to turn on the headlights and the radio, lol.
One time, he was hit in the face with a half full tallboy beer while performing. He picked up the can, finished its contents, and continued to perform while his forehead seeped a little blood. He destroyed that show!
I was performing in Houston one time, and he willingly offered up his Apartmemt to me and stashed a key under his doormat. A few times our bear hugs would turn into wrestling matches. We crushed stages together, we bombed together, we wingmanned for each other, we struck out together. The word that describes him best is authentic. 100% himself all of the time. I’ve never met anyone like him, and I’ll never forget him. He was clearly too fucking cool for this world
RIP brother. This one hurts.”
Jon Stringer
He was back in Houston within a couple years and it became one of our favorite topics to laugh about. He was living with 15 other weirdos (rent’s only $200 big dawg! lol), some of whom of course became his lifelong friends.
As a 3-year comic in LA with no credits he was getting no stage time, he broke his ankle biking on acid, broke his arm somehow as well, and when he tried signing up at the mic at the comedy store they wouldn’t let him use his real name because of the famous murderer named Scott Peterson. So he started going by Skip Cederman. All his socials were Skip Cederman lol. Scotty was the only friend I tried to convince to come to NYC. Because NYC can be a terrible place to live. But Scotty was always living in Hell anyway. It’s where he belonged. He’d say,
I would say, “That’s the spirit.” Anyways, when he was in LA he and Mark made this video of him cooking. I never told him how much I loved it. I watched it a lot. I loved it in secret because it was actually embarrassing to me how much I loved Scotty. I’d talk about him all the fucking time in NY. People close to me would get annoyed. “You’ve already told me this story, Jaffer.” Anyways, here’s the video. Mark and Scotty were drunk off their asses. Enjoy.”
Jaffer Khan
He was always funny and just…Scotty. Hilarious and truly just himself. You will be missed.”
“When I first started comedy, a lot of people were assholes to me. That includes Scotty Peterson, but in the best way.
Roxxy Haze
Matt Rogers
Scotty had just moved into his apartment in Brooklyn which is a short walk from mine. I was so excited that Scotty was going to be living near me. I was telling my friends I’ve met in New York about him and how much they are going to love him which can be difficult, because it sounds like your lying when trying to describe Scotty. I told them that when I watched Once Upon A Time In Hollywood it felt like Brad Pitt studied Scotty for the role.
Scotty was supposed to catch a redeye flight back to Houston, his plan to make it to the flight was to stay up all night drinking and show up to the airport hammered and sleep it off on the flight. He opened up a tab at bar by our place and was allowing all the comics hanging out to order off of it. He ended up passing out, missing his flight and booked another redeye for the next day. He approached this redeye with the same exact plan, and again opened up a tab for all the comics to drink on, passed out and missed his flight.
I laughed so hard when he messaged me that he had missed another flight, this time he booked an evening flight. He spent about $1000 on plane tickets back to Houston in 2 days. We got lunch the next day and talked for hours at the restaurant. He told me about all the stress he was under dealing with the spice company. At the end of the lunch he paid for my meal then bought a second meal for me to have for dinner. I told him how much I appreciate it but he doesn’t have to do that.
He insisted saying ”I’m going back to a hell warehouse in Houston in the middle of the summer, I just want to have fun and I want help you out while I’m here big dawg”
Rest In Peace Big Dawg”
Grady Pruitt
Trumaine Bradleyis with Rich Williams
“This pic just popped up last week because it was 6 years ago. He always greeted me with a hug & “my man Ben Jackson.” Had a good convo with you a few weeks ago, laughing about us both skipping out on the same show.
Ben Jackson
“The first time I sat down and had a conversation with Scotty was about old music. Not about comedy, not BBQ, just our mutual love for old music.
We both loved music from the 40-60’s. We both specifically love Frank Sinatra. One of our favorite songs from Frank Sinatra was “My Way”. The opening of that song couldn’t seem more fitting for this day..
If there’s one thing Scotty did, it was live his fully and his own way. He was so unapologetic himself.
Nicole Ybarra
Brian Zeolla
“Scotty was the best of us. He was outrageous and brave and interesting and cuttingly honest like we all pretend to be. He was brilliant and generous and kind and supportive like we all aspire to be.
I'll miss him at Warehouse Live, I'll miss him at Hans Bierhaus, l'll miss him at the compound finishing that damn food truck. That's It. Love you big dawg.”
Victor Tran
Bryan Rupp
“Scotty Peterson once broke his arm after his bike brakes locked going down Mulholland drive, and did a pavement dive at like 40mph. He did not stop working or skip a beat. Scotty was a force of will who improved the life of everyone around him.
Coleman Cox
“Meeting in LA to spending damn near 3 years filming in Houston.
Jaraad Gordonis
“Scotty and I had a heart to heart last week. During our conversation he unloaded all the bothersome, trivial, and frustrating events happening in his life. How he felt his hard work had only allowed him to reach square one again. His issues lasted the length of a cigarette.
I pulled out my last two cigarettes that night, and we lit up again. He put his hand on my shoulder and asked about my life, how my health was doing. I let him know I was still going through some things.
With a cigarette in one hand, a smiling grin, and the other arm flexing he said “we got this big dawg, none of this will last forever.”
Gregory Haney
Radu Bondar
“I went to the Secret group for a festival and brought one of my college friends I hadn’t seen in 3 years. When I walked in the room the first person I see is Scotty Peterson we cross the room and proceed to give each other a big bear hug.
My college friend sees him and is instantly enamored with this tall handsome guy. He leaves to get a drinks and she starts pressing me for details who is he..is he single? I say yes…but I explain I don’t think you want to go there, since she was looking for a vacation hook up. Scotty returns and I ask him how he’s doing he proceeded to tell one of the most raunchy…depraved..and highly illegal stories about the previous night he had. I’m dying laughing as my friends face turns from doe eyes to completely horrified!
He leaves to do a set and she’s like “wtf that’s your friend!?” and I’m like “yeah he really grows on you and is the funniest, honest, most authentic person you will meet.”I will continue to die on that hill he was amazing!
Caramel Nguyen
“One of the hardest things to accept is that bc Scotty didn’t have an album out or anything, we’ll never hear his jokes in that distinct drawl again. Here’s one of my favorites from years ago (I’m paraphrasing):
Zahid Dewji
SCOTTY PETERSON
“This sucks, but I still believe Scotty Peterson is immortal. To add on to what everyone else has already said about his character, his warmth, and his presence:
Lisa Friedrich
“I still don't know what to say. Scotty Peterson was a sweet friend who sent me spices (addressed to MAGGIE MOTHERFUKIN MAY lol).
Maggie Maye
“I’ve been loving these Scotty Peterson stories, photos and videos. It took me from crying yesterday to laughing and remembering his life today. So thank you everyone for sharing. Thank you Scotty for the memories.
Nina Nguyen
“Rest In Peace to the funniest, most authentic, real and generous comic I have ever met. I wish I had something really intelligent and smart to say, but I don’t. Scotty made me laugh, he made me laugh hard. I really don’t have the right words to encapsulate how he made me feel, and how effortlessly he got along with everyone he met. Read Zahid Dewji post, read Radu Bondar post.
Grady Pruitt
They’re meeting a 6’4” east downtown Houston cowboy, ripped clothes and battered skin from remodeling a forklift or whatever the fuck it was he was doing that day in the warehouse that he also lived in.
A criminally charming, absolutely ridiculous person. They’re also meeting their new favorite comic. They’re also meeting a kind, warm, thoughtful, sensitive, generous soul.
From sleeping in his truck, in a warehouse, on my couch (i'd have to convince him to of this vs sleeping in his truck), or squatting next door to an underground gay bathouse, he showed us that to truly live life on your own terms is actually an absurd thing. We were all blessed just to see it.
Even after I left Houston we never missed a beat. Hours long phone conversations every week from one of the five numbers I have saved in my phone under his name, because again, an absolutely ridiculous person.
I was so excited to unleash him in New York. Those few days showing him around the neighborhood, sitting at a coffee shop, my best friend and new roommate, I was so happy in those moments. It’s funny to think that those were the first rent payments Scotty has made in probably a decade.
Scotty was the best comic I knew. Beyond my personal grief, it’s a fucking shame the world was robbed of him. He was going to be a famous comedian. He was the thing we all pretend to be. It was him.
Jaffer Khan
Grady Pruitt
Matthew Donovan
“Ok, this was one of my favorite Scotty things bc only this asshole would pull this shit and somehow make me laugh about it. I used to have a joke about cops having two stereotypes: one that they kill black people and the other being that they love donuts.
A decent premise that I stapled together with shitty tags. Scotty has to do a private gig for some conservative court justices in Houston so he asks me if he can use the joke. of course, I say yes.
Next day I ask him how the gig went, he starts laughing so hard.
I was dying. So a couple days later, we’re at Avant. He goes on stage tells the story of how the gig went but in the story he does the cops joke! You know, the joke I was currently doing in my act. Right when he gets off stage, i pull him aside and I’m like dude wtf you’re now doing my joke in the story. And in classic Scotty fashion, he goes “cmon, we wrote that together big dawg!” And I just couldn’t help but laugh.
Zahid Dewji
“We had so much shit to build. I'm glad we got to hang for real the other night.
David Lawrence Pfeifer
“I don't have any pictures of Scotty Peterson and I but I have immense respect admiration and love for him.
Bret Whitacre
“The first time I met Scotty was while I was working with Zahid in the “marketing booth” at Secret Group. He had called to ask to borrow a generator or something and it was my first week on the job. Zahid got excited and said:
He ran the back lot with just an axe and a wooden sign that had crudely written “SAFE Parking” on it. Just then Scotty sauntered into the front doors and sits down at a table and throws a bare foot onto the table top. He’s picking at his toe nails. “Y’all got any toe nail clippers here big dawg?”
Zahid with a amused but fed up tone just goes “No, look around you, you’re in a bar rn, get your feet off the table!”
A few years later after several warehouse parties, comedy shows and general shared bad ideas Scotty was a good friend. He offered me a job working for his spice company after I got fired near the end of the pandemic. I got to learn so much about him and his family during that time esp going through all of the old paper work.
One night Scotty made some ribs with a new spice he wouldn’t shut up about, it had Honey CRYSTALS, c’mon! He needed me to make a logo for it, he was stoked. I didn’t wanna drive over to eat any because in true Scotty fashion it didn’t get done cooking until like midnight. Without hesitation he said “I’ll bring it to you” and I was like no way dude I’ll just get it at work. He refused to take that as an answer and drove to my house in the middle of the night and I went out and drank wine, smoked a few cigarettes & discussed the immaculate flavor and textures the honey crystals produced on the ribs in his van with him. He gave me a rack that night in exchange for a flyer.
It was to this day the best ribs I’ve ever eaten.
Before that it was another rib he had cooked somewhere in that first warehouse.
I miss him a lot.”
Kate Vance
Tim Mathis
“Scotty Peterson would’ve wanted laughs and smiles today as he would have any other day.
Comedy is a dark hallway that we’re all stumbling through with no end in sight. Every once in a while you meet somebody that’s a little further down the hallway than you and rarely do they stop and tell you how they got that far. Scotty would stop for anyone, anytime and make them know their worth
To spend even a few hours with him was like turning back the clock on life. Before it was so nasty and real. It was like one of those endless summers of my youth, where time stood still and life didn’t seem so serious.
I had very few strong male role models in my life but for the last six years, Scotty Peterson was the one. A surrogate big brother. I often look for Shortcuts and try to do the easy thing but he always called me on it. The times that he was proud of what I did, he let me know and nothing was more validating.
Scotty gave us this amazing gift where even through his death we can still laugh and smile while appreciating his life. And we absolutely should be laughing and smiling today if for no other reason then it’s what Scotty would’ve wanted.
A few months ago I sat down and watched Scotty’s set from the front row, something that I’ve never done before. I recorded everything and cut it into a video for him. it doesn’t necessarily do justice to those of you that know him but watching it gave me a good feeling and I don’t want to keep that just to myself.
Enjoy this clip but more importantly (at least try) to ENJOY LIFE!”
Doug Dalton
Rich Williams
“This might be the first time I've ever been mad at you. I was just talking someone's ear off last night about how you're one of those comics that everyone goes back into the room to watch.
I loved being in the room for your set. you were ridiculous. fucking. ridiculous. and it was never not funny. like ever. How many people can i say that about?
I'm remembering last week, empty ass secret group, you and I just grabbed a table and caught up. You were going on and on about the family company, feeling undervalued as usual blah blah blah, all the scotty shit, but you were going to new york. and that made me so excited for you. to get out of this fucking city, out of your stupid bullshit life that was holding you back. I was excited that you were excited, for the first time in a very long time. not doing shit for other people like you alway seemed to do but for yourself.
I heard about how you killed and how everyone loved you the the last time you were there. of course they did. they were supposed to find out what we here already knew about you. that you were a forcefield, just a fucking forcefield man. genuine, derelict, smart as all hell, undeniable. i actually believed in your plans this time around. it felt like it was gonna work this time, and in classic scotty fashion you ditched em and that's why i'm fucking pissed. i'm mad at you for leaving before doing the things you said you were going to do. i know it's not your fault but i don't care. fuck you. seriously, fuck you.”
Jaffer Khan
“If you knew Scotty, you knew that he was just one of a kind. that's why they're called "scotty stories." i don't have that. you don't have that. scotty did. remember when you were a kid and you wished cartoons were real? well, that was scotty. he was a walking meme. who else could cook a fucking brisket like that, live in a hammock in a doorless (i don't know - his fifth?) warehouse, ask you to break into his car with a brick (and convince you to do it), then leave it in the middle of the street, only to go destroy at a mic for 4 people?
actually, i realize now i'm describing a lot of comics which is antithetical to my point entirely but whatever. if you knew scotty, you know exactly what i'm talking about. scotty was a truly caring, giving, soft person. i loved that about him. things were more fun, more interesting when he was around. the houston comedy scene has an irreplaceable hole now and i don't know what else there is to say. i'll share more scotty stories as they come but for now this is the shittiest one. ugh. love you, big dawg.”
Zahid Dewjiis with Scotty Peterson at Eastdown Warehouse
“I’m gonna miss you Scotty Peterson. I’ve been avoiding posting anything I guess I just haven’t accepted it. You’ve been weighing heavy on my mind and my heart the last couple days. I wish I had a chance to say thank you for all your kindness and your friendship. Some of my fondest memories in comedy were born in the warehouse. I hate that I didn’t get to see you again and tell you all this but I’m glad I got to know you.
You truly were a special person and always quick to open your door for a friend in need.
I know I will never get a message from you again but if I somehow could I know you would still be saying, “You’re missing out”. Love you bro. “
John L. Brown
“One time at avant Scotty told me, hey man I wrote you an opener.
I matched his grin and was excited to hear what ridiculous thing was about to come out of his mouth. It was this: "so I just flew in from Pakistan, and boy are my bombs tired!!!"
Jaffer Khan
“You meet people in this life that are unlike anyone else. They’re energy, they’re perspective of the world, the energy that is created around them is noticeably different
The first time I met Scotty Peterson , I knew he was one of these people. He was so witty and unbelievably funny at any given moment. He blew me away with his intelligence and his equally matched dismissal of it. He helped me get my first shows in Houston, invited me to his warehouse and explained his vision for it. Then he explained if I had to piss or shit it would be out in the open in front of everyone. The first time I heard his jokes I cried laughing. We had conversations for hours about anything but comedy, but they were the funniest conversations imaginable. RIP Scotty, your perspective is going to be truly missed. Going to drive by the gay bath house today and think about your gay bathhouse joke and cry laugh about it.”
“It would be fair to say that I was more a distant admirer of Scotty Peterson’s rather than a good friend. The first time I ever heard of Scotty was almost ten years ago, at Avant Garden, when all the guys I admired in comedy were in a hush, gathered around, talking about how Scotty Peterson’s back.
I know everyone including me has already said it, but he was so emblematic of that Houston Outlaw Comic legacy that we all wanted so desperately to be an ambassador of, but nobody lived it like Scotty. I dare say even the original Outlaws weren’t as technically outlaw as Scotty. Whenever I tried to talk to him, I always felt like I was talking to my cooler older brother.
I wish I hadn’t been so self-conscious around him, because I know how readily he accepted everybody who allowed him to accept them. I will never not envy the life he led, and I will never not admire the legacy he leaves behind.”
“Scotty Peterson welcomed everyone, whether it was to the scene, or to his brisket, or to his warehouse, or to his other warehouse, or to his other warehouse.
He had a way of making everyone feel like a Big Dawg. His warmth will be missed.”
Kari Burt
When you used our shower, I was always so annoyed that you used my fancy shampoos and girly body washes. Mainly because you used them wrong.
Most of the time you would use my loofah instead of the guest one and my conditioner as shampoo. I think you knew that killed the hair dresser in me. But it made me laugh every time.
After Charles would get off work, we would sit up in the office scheming and writing up ridiculous contracts to send to your family with our plan to take over the spices. But my absolute favorite thing was we would have our family dinner together then head out to shows.
Coming home from work today knowing you wouldn’t be using my loofah, we won’t be writing up silly contracts, and missing family dinner night has been tough. I loved the ending to our weeks. I look forward to the day we get to see you again for another family dinner.”
Nicole Ybarra
“I knew Scotty Peterson, but not very well. I bartended at Hans Bier Haus for a while and that’s where I first met him. He would typically show up during the day shift, when no one else was there.
We had a grill available for guest use and that’s what he would do when he came in. Cook some meat on the grill. And then just leave with his cooked meat. Wouldn’t drink or hang out. When his food was done, he left. He always made sure to put a few bucks in my tip jar to thank me for letting him use the grill.
I knew he was in the Houston comedy scene, which was becoming super big at the time. And I remember his sets from Hans Bier Haus open mic nights or when he would host them.
But the one memory I will always have of Scotty... he came into Hans when it was pouring down raining. It was pouring balls outside.
I snapped this photo of him and his dog and shared it with him after the fact.
Rachel Marseglia
