It's fitting that much of the online information available about comedian Jeff Ross sounds like a primer for a roast. After all, Ross, who performs at the Barrymore Theatre Friday, Feb. 3, has earned his "Roastmaster General" reputation through his televised skewering of celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Flavor Flav and, most recently, Charlie Sheen.

In that regard, it seems like a bit of fair play that the comic's IMDB profile opens with the line, "Despite being a shlub from Jersey…"

"Oh geez, I've got to change that," said Ross, and laughed. "But if you dish it out, you have to take it in this world. People love to give it to me, and I consider it a compliment when people roast me back. I hope the fans roast me forever."

In a recent phone interview, Ross, 46, discussed his introduction to insult comedy, the November passing of friend and fellow comic Patrice O'Neal and the one celebrity living or dead he'd like to take a crack at roasting.

Both Courtney Love and Charlie Sheen took steps to get clean after being roasted by you. Have you given any thought to doing a Dr. Drew-like show where you roast celebrities into rehab?

(Laughs) Dr. Jew. Yeah, I'll guilt trip them into taking care of themselves. That's a great question. I will bring that up at the next board meeting.

I read that you actually pitched the show to Sheen not as a roast, but as an all-star comedy intervention.

Well, I just figured he was so toxic at the time that he needed something really different and really aggressive to shock him back into normalcy. And it worked. He's kicking butt now. I'm proud of him for being such a good sport and sort of putting the meltdown behind him. He might be the best sport in roast history.

What are the keys to an effective roast?

You want to roast somebody who is having a moment in their life. It could be an anniversary, a birthday, a promotion. You want it to be a special occasion, because that gives it context. With Charlie it was the meltdown that made it so crazy. Every roast is very unique. They're like snowflakes.

The Sheen roast was also Patrice O'Neal's final TV appearance. How did you react to his passing?

It was obviously crushing and heartbreaking for so many people — especially my comedy family back in New York where we all started out together. Patrice was a king in our world, and that was really tough. It was exciting to see him having his moment. He always said he would never do these roasts unless he was really good friends with the person, and then he finally relented with Charlie Sheen because he was just too good a target to resist. And, boy, Patrice, he really went down swinging. He'll be missed.

In the past you've said the key to becoming a good comedian is finding your own voice. Do you recall when and how that happened for you?

For me, I think it was very gradual. I always used insult comedy as a self-defense mechanism growing up in New Jersey where everybody thinks they're funny. But I think it's when I got invited to a (1995) roast at the Friar's Club for Steven Segal. I just remember walking out in front of 1,500 people in a big ballroom in New York and thinking this was my Yankee Stadium. I got chills.

You recently had a chance to roast Batman (Ross appeared as a himself in an episode of the animated series). Were you a fan of the comic growing up?

Well, I was a Batman fan, and I loved the old Adam West show. But to get to roast Batman … granted, the Joker had a gun to my head and I was forced into it. I must say Batman was a very good sport, and he gave me some martial arts tips, which can come in handy when you make fun of people for a living.

What person alive or dead would be your dream roast subject?

Maybe it's because I'm looking at a picture of him over my fireplace right now, but I feel like Abe Lincoln would have been the greatest roast ever.

How would you go after him?

Well, Americans love him so much that we put him on the only coin we throw in the garbage. Not to mention his poor taste in theater (laughs). Too soon?