My friends Steve Rannazzisi and Tracy Rannazisi stop by to talk about what it’s like being in a long term relationship. They’ve been together longer than any of my friends, so they’re pretty much my version of what a relationship is.
Peyta Porker stops by the Deathsquad studios to talk about hookers. It’s probably my favorite podcast I’ve done because it really embodies everything I want from the Skeptic Tank. It gives new understanding about a side of life I know very little about and justifies why this type of behavior works for one person. Peyta Porker isn’t his real name but we filmed it for a live broadcast and he didn’t want to use his real face or name to talk about illegal activities, so he wore a spiderman mask and changed it from his real name to Peyta Porker (which is an awesome name for a guy who pays for sex).
My friend, Benji Aflalo, stops into the Deathsquad studios to talk about growing up a spoiled rich kid. I got Tony Hinchcliffe to come on as a cohost to make Benji more comfortable. I’m not sure it worked, though. I think he thought I was going to attack him because it seemed like he wasn’t being completely open and at ease for most of the episode. Still good, though. Enjoy.
My favorite gay, Justin Martindale, comes into the Deathsquad studios to talk about what life was like growing up in Texas as a homosexual. I found out, 1) he’s a whore and 2) his experience was pretty interesting. I hope you like it.
My friend and celebrity, Joe Rogan, talks to me about life without anonymity. It was pretty interesting. I’ve seen little bits of what it’s like in the time we’ve hung out but this was more revealing. Joe is a hilarious standup who’s been in the game for nearly a quarter of a century. That usually surprises people who only know him as the host of Fear Factor or the commentator for the UFC.
Comedian Mack Lindsay stops by Deathsquad studios to talk about his struggles with substance abuse. Mack is a really original comic that most unoriginal comics liken to Bill Hicks. I don’t like to compare him to Hicks because Mack is funny. That’s right. I don’t think Bill Hicks was funny. Yes, I’ve seen the clips. No, I don’t smile much at them. Nor did I hear the crowds laughing too hard, either. Anyway, listen.
My friend and leading wiener dog enthusiast, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, stops by Deathsquad studios to talk about mixed martial arts and a lifetime of fights, from bar brawls to the octagon. It’s one of the funner interviews I’ve done. And by far the most violent. Enjoy our stupidity.
Kirk Fox saunters into the Deathsquad studios to out tall & lanky me and to talk about his experience opening up on the first stop of the infamous Charlie Sheen tour. We talk about comedy in general and the overall experience of bombing.
Jon Reep came over to the Deathsquad Studios to talk about the lost art of the prank. He’s had some really good ones over the years.
Jayson Thibault and Danielle Stewart stopped by Deathsquad Studios to talk to me about their experience with a recent breakup and about breakups in general.
Comedians and fellow Bridgetown Comedy Festival alums, Mike Bridenstine, Mike Burns and Kyle Kinane stop by the Deathsquad studios to talk to me about drinking alcohol. And then we all started boozing and it probably got a bit mumbly on my end but it was a really fun conversation anyway. I’m still absolutely amazed at how much those guys can put away.
Charlie stops by Deathsquad studios to clue us in to what it means to be a graffiti artist. He had to go by an assumed name and wear a mask because just about everything he talked about was illegal.
My new friend Pete Holmes shares tales of his evangelical upbringing and his departure from that religious lifestyle. I’ve been wanting to do a religion podcast for a while and when I heard he had that upbringing, I knew it was a fit. The guy is hilarious and I was stoked that he was gonna come talk about it.
Two formerly bulimic women came by the Deathsquad studios to talk about all things bulimic. It’s kind of different than I expected, with way less nausea. The weird thing is, both Asra Kristen and Laura Valdivia are both way more into dog rescues. I probably should have interviewed them just about that.
Everybody’s favorite somewhat black guy, Freddy Lockhart, stops by Deathsquad studios to talk about the experience of being biracial. I’ve known Freddy ever since he was a young dreadlocked new phone guy at the Comedy Store being told by me that he’d never last there. I guess I was wrong.
I’m lucky or weird enough to know two guys who work as audience warmups for television shows. I brought both Don Barris and Brody Stevens in to tell me all about it. I forgot how crazy they get around each other, though. It was like two beta fish in there. Don has a very funny show called The Ding Dong Show every Monday night at the Comedy Store at 10:00pm. Brody can be seen in The Hangover Part 2 and Due Date, as well as his nearly legendary role in The Hangover.
Tony Hinchcliffe and Dan Madonia stop into Deathsquad studios to go over our amazing mushroom trip we took together for the first anual Shroomfest. We learned a lot and we had an absolutely amazing time. Joining us for a moment is Mike Vinn, who crossed paths with us on our trip.
The one, the only, the Cubano, Mr. Joey Diaz stops by the Deathsquad studios to talk about his time in the klink. This world is nearly completely foreign to me so I thought I’d ask someone about it who lived in prison for a time. This was a great episode because it’s educational and it’s also as fun as it always is having Joey Diaz around.
For some reason, I once made friends with a professional bowler named Tommy Delutz Jr. He’s a comedy nerd and I’m a comedian. I love almost any form of competition so I’ve always been intrigued by life on the pro bowling tour. Tommy and I ran into each other at the 2011 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec and he was nice enough to take some time out of his busy day of enjoying doing absolutely nothing to talk to me for a little while. It was recorded on the voice memo app of the iPhone 4, so if it sounds weird, that’s why. Although it doesn’t really sound that bad. Good job, Jobs.
A very special episode of Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank with my friend and former enemy and former former friend, Bobby Lee. He comes into the Deathsquad studios to talk about grudges in general and specifically the years we wasted hating each other. This is EXACTLY what I like about this podcast. It’s a (relatively) unemotional discussion about very emotional situations. Bobby is hilarious so it was really entertaining. I hope I come off as embarrassed about some of my behavior as I feel about it. At best, this episode will serve to help you let go of some of the hatred in your own life. Enjoy.
My friend Jayden Jaymes stops by the Deathsquad studios to talk to me about pornography. It’s a world we all sort of know about but none of us really know about the inside workings of it as a business and lifestyle. We discussed fake names, disease, molestation, financing, and lots more. If I remember right, it was pretty informative for 45 minutes and then fun and ridiculous for the last 20. And we also made a little bit of a love connection after Jaden Cole heard this podcast and decided to hook up with Jayden Jaymes. Have fun.
During a recent comedy trip to Washington, DC, I was able to talk to my father about his experience in the Holocaust. We’ve never really talked about it before so a lot of what you’ll hear was the first time I’ve ever heard it. This episode isn’t quite as funny as some of the other ones because of the subject matter and because of the way I act around conservative people like my father.
Sam Tripoli stops by the Deathsquad studios to tell me about his uncanny ability to get women to have sex with him. Sam isn’t an ugly guy, but he is overweight and he is an Armenian, which are two things working against him. It’s always amazed me how he can get women to do things for which their fathers would disown them.
Kurt Metzger talks to me about his former religious lifestyle and how he feels about religion now. It's not positive. I recorded this at Kurt's apartment in Manhattan while his puppy was trying to bite our hands. We strayed about as far as I have off topic. But it was still one of the funniest episodes I've done.
While I was visiting New York, I interviewed comedian Mike Lawrence about comic books. I was trying to interview him about what comic book nerd life was like, but then it just turned to talk about comic books and the movies. I'm not a great interviewer. Anyway, fun conversation.
Steve Agee talks mental disorders.
Joe Rogan and I got into a conversation on the plane back from Washington, DC. We covered censorship, comedy in general, Joe's fear of the Los Angeles apocalypse, and probably a little UFC. It's tough to remember. I was too sober.
Steve Simeone came to the apartment and we got in a nice long conversation about our struggles in Hollywood over the years. I’ve known him for nearly as long as I’ve been in Los Angeles. I didn’t quite realize how long it had been until we started talking. Man, there were some great times had while we were coming up. Steve is one of the funniest guys I know and he’s also one of the nicest. The fact that he’s not a household name is a sign that there is no justice in the world. But at least it led to some good stories about life on the lower end of the standup totem pole. I hope you enjoy it. I think too often there’s talk of how a particular entertainer made it in Hollywood and there’s never enough attention called to the survival years where you’re just trying to get by while you’re chasing your dreams. We got a lot of those stories in here. Enjoy.
Jenn Cole lost her friend about a week before we recorded this. I really wanted to get into the feeling of grief that comes with loss but I'm so intrigued by suicide that I just ended up wanted to know all the details leading up to her friend, Chris, taking his own life. This is a serious subject but I treat it with the same lighthearted inquisitiveness that I treat any other subject. I hate getting caught up feeling the same emotions as the subject. So, while I have a general respect for suicide, I don't let the idea of it make me sad. So with that in mind, please enjoy this really interesting conversation with someone who just lost a friend.
Al Madrigal took me into his home office to discuss the joys of fatherhood. Becoming a parent has long been one of my greatest fears, so it was nice to talk to someone who didn't share my concerns at all. As long as I've known Al he's been a father. And he's cool enough and honest enough to talk to me about what that means to him.
Mat Edgar and Tony Hinchcliffe were hired to help clean my apartment. While it wasn't an American horror story, it was pretty close. I'm a damn hoarder and I had built up quite the trash castle in my place. We had a great time talking about how hellish it was and what I can do to keep out of clutter trouble from here on out. And obviously, we talked a bunch about wrestling and Sanford and Son, too.
Tony Hinchcliffe, Mat Edgar and I met back up the day after we did part one and we finished off this discussion about the great clean of 2011 and about hoarding in general. Most of the time, we ended up listening to Sanford and Son clips. We're very organized. Thanks for listening.
Neal Brennaninvited me over to his place to talk about his experiences being a film director. He's the only guy I know, know who's gotten to direct an actual Hollywood movie. It's pretty cool. We covered that and our meanderings (that's a word now) took us to standup, Occupy Wall Street, and a bunch of other places. There was a little chunk in the middle that I had to cut out because I ended up mentioning some private information about one of my buddies that I realized I shouldn't have mentioned. It wasn't even anything funny or interesting so I didn't mind dropping it out anyway
Paul Morrissey gets to revisit the glory of his college basketball days. This was an almost 4 hour discussion that I've separated into 2 podcasts and an extra features episode. I'm only going to break up conversations like this if it has 2 or more really different and unattached topics of discussion.
Paul Morrissey and I continue with our conversation, this time centering on his short lived career doing sports for local news stations.
Paul Morrissey finishes off our epic 4 hour conversation with him pretty much interviewing me about my desire to move to New York and then a one sided argument about the problems with continuing membership in the Catholic Church. I didn't really go into this part wanting to find anything out specific, so I'm not going to give it a specific Skeptic Tank number, but it was interesting enough for me to want to air. Enjoy.
Moshe Kasher opened up his home to me and just like on a typical Shabbos afternoon, we talked until it got dark.
Jeremy Horwitz talked to David Taylor and I about his experiences as a college professor at Santa Clara. Obviously, I asked if he's ever had sex with a student. There's actually a lot more to the job than waiting for signals from sorority chicks.
Steven Brody Stevens stopped by Skeptic Tank Studios (my apartment) to share the details of his 17 day stay in the psyche ward at UCLA. It took us, like, 30 minutes to get into the topic, but eventually we did. We diverged a lot into a really cool discussion about perspective on life and how you can fall into a negative and self sabotaging way of thinking about things.
Jeff Dye and Geoff Keith stopped by Skeptic Tank Studios to talk about their experiences as super attractive men. The hard part of this episode was convincing these two guys that they were way more attractive than average men. Most of our discussion was spent talking about the women we've managed to finagle into our beds. They had a much easier time finagling than I did. It's not like I think I'm ugly, definitely not by semitic standards, but these guys are in a different category. Enjoy
Don Barris and I discuss the craziest show you will ever see, The Ding Dong Show. If you ever get a chance to see this show live, do yourself a favor and go. It's one of the wildest things in Hollywood.
An upscale prostitute came to the Skeptic Tank to share with us about her job. It was one of the most interesting conversations I've had in a very long time. She was open and honest and very friendly. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.
Jon Reep, John Heffron, and I got together to do each other's podcasts. They're on my Skeptic Tank and I'm on their Last Podcasting. For the purposes of the Skeptic Tank, we talked about Last Comic Standing. They're two past winners, and I'm just a regular loser so it was interesting to me to hear what that show did for them. I should've gotten more into what their feelings were heading into each round but I didn't because I'm sometimes a bad interviewer. Regardless, enjoy.
Jon Reep and John Heffron continued talking with me after we took a quick pot break. The addition of marijuana into the mix made us completely abandon the Last Comic Standing topic and meander into movies from our childhood and lies we're trying to spread.
David Taylor stopped by Skeptic Tank Studios (my apartment) to talk about his days as a working professional in the software industry during the tech boom. He gave it all up to become a struggling comedian and talented non-working writer.
Mike Recine was visiting LA last week and he came over to talk while he was in town. We shared some beers and talked about having a brother with severe autism.
Willy and Helen Luksenburg were kind enough to share their experiences in the Holocaust. It's an amazing tale that we're lucky enough to have on record. Please don't expect much in the way of comedy. This interview was recorded in August of 2011. The sound isn't great because I was recording it with Audacity just using my laptop. Still, I think it's an important thing to hear.
Ashley Macomber invited me into her home to talk about her new art project she’s created with Will Oldham (aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy). Ashley is an amazing artist and she’s got a really clear way of thinking about the creative process and about life in general. It’s always fun to talk to her.
Joey Diaz invited me over to talk about his time in Hollywood as a working actor. We sat on his porch and soaked in the sun as we discussed how he managed to get his start. Joey has been making a living as an actor for as long as I’ve known him. He’s one of the very few comics who actually does it and he’s been a looper since forever. Check out Joey's IMDB page. It’s shockingly long.
Dean Delray stopped by my apartment to talk about his days as a professional rock musician. He made his living from music for almost two decades and he had a shit ton to share about it. Eventually, we just diverged into talking about music we liked but even that was pretty fun. Listen and enjoy and check out Dean’s podcast on the Toadhop Network called Poolside with Dean Delray.
Jayson Thibault, Steve Rannazzisi and I sat in one of the back rooms of the Comedy Store and talked about Jayson's recent breakup. It's not sappy at all, so don't worry about that. We just covered what it feels like and what you have to do to be a mature adult in a breakup and if Steve gets boners on shoots.
Duncan Trussell and I shared a ride out to Brea, CA to do shows at the Brea Improv. Duncan has always been into Buddhism and I figured what better time to talk about modern Buddhism than on a ride to the Inland Empire. It was a really interesting talk and it completely enlightened me to the humongous differences between that and the Judeo-Christian religions in regards to daily life. Enjoy.
Mat Edgar, Tony Hinchcliffe and I went on a comedy road trip from LA to San Diego to play Justin Hollister's new downtown room, The American Comedy Company, and we decided to take you guys along with us. We stopped the tape every time we got out of the car and tried catching you up on our extravehicular activities once we got back. It was a really fun trip and you guys will have fun being in the car with us.
Christina Pazsitzky had me over at her house for wine and Skittles the other night and we talked about a shit ton of stuff and then some. We centered on the topic of depression but we meandered so much that this went for almost 3 hours. But it was so interesting the whole time, that's why I kept letting it go. Well, that and the wine.
Danny Lobell met me at The Comedy Store to talk about his time in Israel. We both spent periods of our lives there. We eventually got into a discussion about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Danny's a bit of a peacenik so it took a lot from me to accept some of what he was saying and that made for some interesting conversation. Don't turn it off too early because towards the end we got onto the topic of Danny's weight. It's the beginnings of what I'll eventually do with someone else. And at the end of the episode is a shroomfest announcement.
Sarah Tiana and I were talking at The Comedy Store one evening. During our conversation, I came to realize that in my head, I had mistakenly classified her as a sexual "good girl." I guess I've always known her as girlfriend material. So we met back there a couple nights later to discuss how she came into her own, how she operates, and how she likes having become this sexual butterfly.
Frazer Smith shares his story of how he went from being a radio god to how he lost it all. It's a really interesting tale. And I had my friend David Taylor cohost with me because he knew a lot of Frazier's stories already and I wanted his help guiding it.
Justin Martindale talked to us about his gay adventure in Dallas. I was there with him and Shawn Halpin to play the Addison Improv and Justin stopped by my hotel room and talked to Shawn and I about the gayest day I have ever heard of. And I live in West Hollywood, CA.
Justin Martindale, Shawn Halpin and I talked in my hotel room about Justin's qualifications to run for mayor of gay. This episode is unbelievably gay. If you're Christian, you probably shouldn't listen to it. Unless you're a Catholic priest, then it might turn you on.
Joey Diaz invited me over to his house to talk about the daughter he barely ever mentions. As always with Joey Diaz, some of these stories are amazing. He's so honest and colorful, I could just sit and listen to him for days.
Tait Fletcher stopped by my hovel to talk to me about stunt work. Tait works as a full stuntman for TV and movies. We meandered into talk about Bruce Lee, Master P and how horrible actresses are.
Ralphie May bought me breakfast and took me up to his house to talk to me about what it's like to be a fat guy. Interesting conversation. I split it up into 2 parts because it went so long. There's still a good hour plus left.
Ralphie May finishes up our fatastic conversation about what it's like being so big. Interesting conversation. It's always a good time with Ralphie. Also, there are instructions on how to podcast at the end of this episode.
Manolis Zontanos came to my hotel room while I was in Toronto and told a little tale of being a 41 year old who still lives with his parents. It's sad and funny and intriguing all at the same time.
Patrick Coppolino came to my hotel room in Toronto to talk about being a 21 year old out of work father. I tried my best to make him and that girl get an abortion but nothing worked. Let this be an inspiration or a clear warning to everyone who wants a baby. This is all in the realm of possibility.
Patrick Coppolino comes back to my hotel room after our secret show in a Toronto pot room and we talk about some of the things he managed to forget during the first podcast. Manolis Zontanos is there to help the story along, too. He was the only one who hadn't been smoking because of how he still lives with his parents because he smoked before.
Joe Rogan and I got rowdy on the plane from Los Angeles to Edmonton. This podcast is a coproduction of the Joe Rogan Experience and the Skeptic Tank. We talked about marijuana edibles, coming out of the closet (neither of us had the guts to do it ourselves on this podcast), the caveman diet, Bobcat Goldthwait, and our stewardess. Pretend like you're the oil refinery guy sitting next to me and listen in on our whole conversation. It's like you're there with us in coach.
Cort McCown invited Steve Rannazzisi and me to his apartment to talk about his old days as a Hollywood heartthrob. He had some crazy times when he was younger. He boned women I could only dream of. And a few of them that I actually did dream of.
Brendon Walsh had me over to his place in the cool part of town and we talked about drugs for a while. Good, old fashioned, drugs. The kind our forefathers had in mind when they killed the Indians over the last of the heroin. Brendan was still bombed off the night before's relaxation cookie, so he shouldn't be held accountable for anything he says or forgot to say.
Rick Ingraham and I went into the old Comedy Store phone room to talk about his medical problems. Ingraham's stomach has been a cauldren of hatred for the last half decade or so and recently found out that he's got childhood dieabetes. Listen to the story of this crazy medical problem by a hilarious comedian.
Andrew Themeles met me at the Comedy Store to talk about his role in the economic collapse. It was a beautiful LA day, so we sat in the front patio and watched all the madness on Sunset during our conversation. It was an insightful look into where we all went wrong. And we also talked a little about fucking British sluts without condoms.
Andrew Themeles and I get way deeper into this conversation about what he saw leading up to the loan scandal in this country. We got interrupted by almost everyone on Sunset but still managed to make it through. Get the first part first and then listen to this one.
Johnny Pemberton met me at the Comedy Store and we talked about his horribly sick colon. Most of us take going to the bathroom fof granted. Not Johnny. To him, every dump is a blessing. A smelly, smelly blessing.
My friend came to my apartment and let me ask her questions about cutting herself. It turns out, the problems went way deeper than the cuts did. She spent multiple stints in rehab facilities to try and overcome her problems with self abuse. See, cutting was just the beginning. She also had to deal with anorexia. It's a complex web.
Al Jackson stopped by Casa de Shaffir while he was in LA for a nice long talk about black people. Of course, I forgot to ask some key questions, but there was still plenty of time to have 3 hours of conversation about it. In case you didn't know, Al Jackson is black.
Al Jackson continues his talk with me on all things African American. Man, that term seems racist to me. He's black. We're talking about black people. Enjoy.
Nick Thune came over to the slop haven I currently call my apartment to talk to me about monogamy. I don't know anyone who would have an easier time getting laid than Nick. So for him to only bone one girl for more than a month is hard for me to comprehend.
Bonnie McFarlane met me in Montreal to talk about this theory going around that women aren't funny. She just finished shooting a movie on the subject and she's a funny woman herself, so she had a lot of really good insight on the subject.
Kurt Metzger and I went to see Batman with his girlfriend, Karen Margolis, and her sister wife, Sade. Kurt and Karen are boyfriend/girlfriend. Karen and Sade are BFFs. And Sade and Kurt have sex. So we did podcast about the movie but mostly about this unique relationship they all have. It works so great for them they couldn't even understand why I was interested. The sound sucks, sorry, but it's better in part 2.
Stevie Ryan had me over to her home during heat wave of oh-twelve. We huddled under the air conditioner like dogs and talked about introversion. Since I've known her, Stevie has always seemed happiest just sitting on her couch watching reality TV. She never leaves her apartment if she doesn't have to. She also gave me relationship advice and broke down her Twitter war with some dumb reality show star.
Al Jackson came over to my apartment to talk about black people. But we got on a huge tangent that lasted an hour before we got on topic so I decided to let you guys hear it instead of throwing it out. Al is hilarious so I'm sure you'll enjoy it
Sarah Tiana met me at the Comedy Store to talk about her crazy experience with love in the Middle East. It's sort of a sad story. We're comics, so it was still funny, but it was still really sad at the same time. So it averages out to sort of sad.
Yoshi Obayashi came over to my apartment on 2 hours of sleep to tell me about his time editing pornography for Evil Angel. I'm warning you right now, this gets dark. The 2nd part is even darker. Yoshi saw some stuff during his 10 years at that job that shouldn't be told to the world. So of course, that's all I wanted to talk about.
Yoshi Obayashi came back to my apartment after putting change in his meter and we continued our conversation about his job editing porn. It was more based on the things he saw while he was an editor, which includes small children in the offices and slightly less small children having sex on camera before they turned 18.
Kurt Metzger invited into his Spanish Harlem tenement where we talked about censorship of comedians. I don't know anyone who gets more upset every time the issue comes up. He gets so angry. I love it. Keren Margolis was also there and she gave her perspective as a comic who's new to the game. What we can and can't say on stage is probably the biggest hot button issue in the world of stand up.
Bert Kreischer invited me over to his Man Cave and we talked about our egos. For real. We talked about how we're hoping to keep it in check and what we're afraid of becoming. And we talk about when it's already gotten out of control. And we talked about Will Smith.
Kevin Shea came over to my apartment and we talked about standup for a while. I kept waiting to start getting into a full topic but then we ran out of time so we never got into anything specific. So enjoy the fruits of my mistakes. Some fun talk about nothing with Kevin Shea.
Kevin Christy invited me over to his now finished house to talk about the horror of sinking a bunch of money into a crap shack. This is a tale of caution to anyone out there thinking of buying a house. Of course our talk meandered everywhere from art to Andrew WK. Plus a special guest appearance in the intro by The League's Steve Rannazzisi
Tom Segura and I went over to Brendon Walsh's palatial hotel room in Toronto and celebrated Tom's CD release by barely talking about it. We're pretty tuned up so the whole conversation was relatively hilarious. Just like Tom's new CD, White Girls with Corn Rows. This podcast brought to you by the JFL 42 Comedy Festival.
Luke Harder and Star_Fawkes met me at the Comedy Store to talk about Anonymous. It was a really enlightening conversation. I think we all got the wrong idea about these guys. This is one to spread around.
@Anonyphant and @Star_Fawkes came back to the Comedy Store to finish off our conversation about Anonymous. It was a really interesting and enlightening conversations and one of my favorite podcasts I've done. They're not out to get us, you guys. They're here to help us. They are us. We are Anonymous.
Dale Dudley came over to my hotel room in Austin, TX to shoot the shit and talk about his childhood molestation. It's way more fun than the subject matter. This is a really good, honest, and funny podcast. It's exactly what I envisioned when I started the Skeptic Tank.
Don Barris invited me over to his studio where I tried and failed to get him to talk about his road rage. Instead we stumbled upon an amazing topic that I'm glad to have explored. Sam Kinison. He wasn't just a comedian. He was a leader. When he had his run of the Comedy Store, he was a force of nature around there.
Dwayne Perkins had me over to his apartment to talk about Brooklyn. He broke down all the different parts of the area, where the crime is, where the cockroaches are, and where the Jews avoid. Nothing serious here, just a lot of fun.
Steve Rannazzisi and I were on our way down to San Diego to perform at the La Jolla Comedy Store for the weekend and we thought we'd record a short podcast on our way to promote the new season of The League on FX and just to have fun. It's pretty funny and devoid of any specific subjects. Just two idiot comics shooting the shit for half an hour.
Mike Young invited me over to his luxury apartment to talk about his super power. Mike has the unique ability to pull tail. He's always had it. You really can't quite imagine. He's magic. Magic Mike.
I met up with Mike Young again to finish off our marathon of a conversation about his skills with women. I won't call it game, because it's not thought out or devious like that. It's just skills. He's just better than us at picking up super hot women.
Sam Tripoli, Jason Rouse, and Chris Neff joined me, Ari Shaffir, in the old phone room at the Comedy Store to talk about the comedy tour we all went on 2 years prior. It was one of the funnest months of my life. It was the opposite of any road gig I've ever done. We drove from gig to gig, we slept 3 to a room at cheap motels and we did a lot of drugs. Join us as we recap the adventure.
Pauly Shore had me up to his office at the Comedy Store to talk about his unique childhood. Pauly is the son of the woman who owns and runs the Comedy Store. He was a 12 year old in the middle of the madness. It's a different side of him that I kind of like.
Steve Rannazzisi and Steve Simeone came over to my abortion of an apartment to talk a little about faith. Each of us is in a pretty different place in terms of belieif. Simeone goes to church every Sunday, Rannazzisi is in this in between place where he doesn't pray but he does the ritual things, and I am the only one who believes in logic and provable things. It was a good discussion, I wish it had gone longer.
Bill Burr and I sat out on the patio of the Comedy Store one day and talked about Boston Sports. Bill grew up a homer in the homerist city in America. Sports, comedy, and conspiracy theories are all I want to talk to him about. It was a fun discussion and a good hour before we even got to the sports talk.
Claire Brosseau had me over to her apartment to talk about her experience with electro-shock therapy. She was suffering from depression and her parents checked her in to a clinic that recommended shock therapy. Of course, we didn't just stick to talking about that. We covered sex, Canada, and baseball. It gets really fun.
Tom Brady had me over to his house to help teach me about our economy. The more I learn about this stuff, the more I realize how little I know. Tom is an economist of sorts and he helps break a lot of it down in idiot stoner terms so I can start to understand.
Jamie Caparulo brought me some crazy Japanese ice cream cookies and we talked about how she's going to let herself get fat. She's married now and she's made a decision to let it all go to waste. I don't think I've heard anyone properly express how little marriage makes you care about your looks.
Steve Lemme had Kevin Heffernan and I over to his house so we could all talk about what it's like starting standup comedy. I've been wanting to talk to somebody about it for a long time, but those comics are usually so new that they aren't quite funny enough. Lemme and Heffernan have been funny for over a decade already. We talked about learning the art form, dealing with drunks, and Christmas.
Broken Lizard's Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme and nothing's Ari Shaffir continue our discussion on starting standup. We talked about what it's like learning the game, how our parents took to all of it, and they help me come up with a name for my new comedy special.
Dov Davidoff came over to my pig sty to talk to me about his overactive libido. He's pretty adamant that it's not an addiction. So I'd say it's more of a compulsion. Anyway, it was a fun conversation. Join us.
Dom Irrera met me at the Laugh Factory to talk about not having children. Dom is one of the only guys I know who has gone through most of his life while avoiding parenthood and we talked all about what that's like. It was a great podcast with an amazing comedian. Twitter him at @DomIrrera.
Brent Weinbach and I took a road trip home from San Francisco to Los Angeles on New Years day. We stopped at all the places we've always wanted to stop and tasted some delicious new foods. It was the best time I've ever had with an extreme sufferer of OCD. So, take a trip with us back to a time of wonder, a time of innocence, come back to January 1, 2013.
Mac Danzig met me at the Comedy Store to talk about veganism. He's a UFC fighter and 100% Vegan. It's an odd choice for a fighter. Come listen in on the conversation. He's a really chill guy. Not like the normal vegans who shove their views down your throat so you don't have room to eat burgers.
Don Barris invited me over to the studio in his apartment and finally opened up to me about his road rage. I've been waiting for this podcast for over a year but Don never felt comfortable enough talking about it. But now it's here. We talk about his enormous mood swings he experiences while driving. We discussed the possible causes of it. Then Don tells some first hand accounts of what it's like being a madman behind the wheel.
Greg Fitzsimmons had me over to his garage to tell me how much he loves to fight. Not organized fights. Just fights. Just regular, two dudes don't know each other and then one is punching the other, fights. It's a pretty fun podcast. What he does in the car is hard for me to wrap my head around.
Jeff Danis and Ryan O'Neill came by my apartment to talk about their jobs as grocery delivery drivers. Oh my god, there were so many hilarious stories. They're both comedians from the Comedy Store and their job is so ridiculous. For delivery drivers, there's a shocking amount of talk about nipples and Down syndrome.
Jim Florentine met me at the Comedy Store to talk about pranks. As long as I've known about Jim, I've known him as the guy who is always willing to go for the goof. He went to a damn abortion protest, for God's sake. He was always doing so many fun jokes that I even forgot he used to be the voice of Special Ed on Crank Yankers, which was probably my favorite characters. Really fun episode.
Doug Benson met me at the Comedy Store on a beautiful 75 degree February day. We talked about those few girls that hurt you more than all the others. The ones who you couldn't shake from your heart. It was a very revealing and honest talk. We also made friends with a random tour group that was going by. It was a lot of sides of Doug that I'd never seen before.
Mark Ellis and Christian Harloff met me in the Belly Room of the Comedy Store to talk about the movies. We used the Oscars as an excuse to talk but really it was about movies in general. Those guys have made a life for themselves reviewing movies in a fun way and it was nice to talk to them about my problems with today's films. There's something about the Comedy Store that lets comics feel at ease.
Greg Jackson of Greg Jackson's MMA met me in a hotel room in Vegas a few hours before UFC 156. Greg has always asked me about standup comedy and how comics will handle different situations. After some time he told me why he was so interested. He sees similarities between all art forms. He tries to find universal truths that apply to many art forms so he can apply that knowledge to MMA fight theory. It's really fascinating stuff. We've been talking about this stuff for years now and it's so interesting to me. If, like me, you thought everyone associated with cage fighting were meatheads, you're about to get a beautiful reminder of how people from all walks of life can offer you growth and knowlege.
Tom Segura invited me to go to his new Barbie Malibu Beach House so we could talk about masturbating. Just two best bro dudes intimately talking about making their penises shoot out loads of semen. And then somewhere at the end we talked about drunk driving. I don't think we ever talked about masturbating while drunk driving but we should have at least brought it up, huh?
Kevin Christy and I sat in his backyard and talked about relationships. Everybody has one friend who jumps from long term relationship to long term relationship and Kevin is that guy for me. As long as I've known him he's been with somebody. This is the first time in his life that he is single and it's a strange place for him to be. It's an interesting conversation on how to make relationships work and how to make them fail.
Mike Ward came to my hotel room while I was in Montreal to talk to me about his amazing journey of learning to do his standup in a 2nd language. He's got about as much to say as I can imagine anyone saying about French comedians.
Chris Ryan met me at the Comedy Store to talk about monogamy, cheating, sexual desire, ownership over women and almost everything else associated with the nature of sex. It was the first doctor I've had on but it wasn't stuffy at all. We sat on the front patio and had a really nice conversation that helped me become more at ease with who I am and what I'm into.
Joey Diaz helps me introduce the first of my two interview about heroin use that I did from my hotel room in Vancouver. This one gives an overview of how heroin makes you feel and how much pull it can have on you. This kid managed to get out of it's grasp while he was still young. It's a good talk on being a "functional" dope fiend.
Mat Edgar and I talked about our shoplifting days on a trip back from San Diego. We both had pasts as thieves and this was a nice way to fill half our drive home. I forgot about how much I used to steal when I was little. I don't know how I never got caught.
Chip Pope met me at the Comedy Store to talk about the time he spent in the closet. I know a lot of gay people, but very few who are gay but not open about it. As always with Chip, the talk moved to music as well. But most of it was about what it was like not having people (including the comics in the LA scene) know he was gay.
Tom Rhodes and I met up at the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival and we talked about his vagabond lifestyle. Tom has no home. Every week he travels to a different location for standup comedy. He has no place to go back to. Just on and on and on forever. He sees every corner of the earth in his travels and it's really cool.
Jimmy Dore came by my slop haven of an apartment to tell me the truth about politics. I've never been very political, but lately I've started to become increasingly angrier about how little representation the average citizen has. Jimmy was always into the leftist side of things and he did a great job of explaining the problems with how things are run. And Mat Edgar joins me for the intro and outro to talk about Shroomfest and to share a few extra stealing stories that he forgot to mention on "Klepto."
John Caparulo had me over to his palatial estate to do a podcast and we spent most of it talking about poker. Cap was the reason I started playing poker at casinos. He introduced it to Steve Rannazzisi and me about 10 years ago and I caught the bug hard. We had some great times going down to the LA casinos late night after the Comedy Store was over. Hustler, Commerce, Hollywood Park, we hit them all. The last hour was just fun memories. So enjoy. And please enjoy an extra long introduction that has me venting about censorship in comedy.
Donovan Pee met me in my hotel room in Vancouver to talk about Heroin. Donovan was a heavy heroin user and lived on the streets of one of the most drug addicted blocks in North America. He was involved with the drug for decades and has only recently gotten away from it. It's a fascinating look at the life and exactly the kind of thing I like for this podcast.
Brendan Burns came to my LA garbage heap apartment to talk about his rock bottom. Brendan's rock bottom lasted for 3 years and while he was there he did A LOT of drugs. Especially psychedelic drugs. And they were not kind to him.
Stevie Ryan invited me over to her apartment to smoke pot and watch reality shows one day about a year ago. We ended up recording a podcast about introverts and then we recorded another one about our short lived relationship. Of course we meandered into all sorts of stuff but it was fun seeing two sides of a whole bunch of different scenarios. Catch Stevie on her own show on VH1 called Stevie TV.
Vanessa Ragland came over to my rodent den of an apartment in LA and talked to me about her miscarriage. She was honest and open about the whole ordeal and it really gave me a nice look at one mother's experience. And don't worry, it's not all gloomy.
Don Barris had me over to his secret location Big 3 Studios and we did a podcast about his old days working at the Tropicana. Don hosted oil and mud wrestling nights over there for years way before I met him. There's also a road rage story in here and a special appearance by Brian Redban's 4 inch dog.
Tony Hinchcliffe, Mat Edgar, Pete Cornacchione, and I spent Shroomfest together this year. We drove out to Joshua Tree, ate some shrooms, and wandered out into the wilderness. And then we had, what I believe, is probably the first podcast recorded at Joshua Tree National Park.
Big Jay Oakerson and I recorded a podcast upstairs from The Stand comedy club about how little we resemble grown men. Neither one of us know how to pay a bill on time. We had to break halfway through and picked the rest up near my apartment in the East Village. This was the first podcast I've done where I watched sex during the interview.
Justy Dodge came over to my New York apartment on the hottest day of the summer. We talked about her various mental disorders but centered on cutting. Justy is a New York based standup who spent her teens in and out of rehab for self mutilation. It was a great conversation despite a couple of her white trash words slipping out.
Robert Kelly invited me over to his beautiful Manhattan apartment so we could talk about becoming a father. He had his first son 45 days ago and we had a nice discussion about what it was like. It was nice for me to hear how a former degenerate like Robert could transform himself into the type of dad that won't get child services called on him.
Kathleen McGee invited me over to the apartment she was staying in while we were in Winnipeg together and we talked about her rape. It's about as lighthearted a conversation as possible considering the subject matter. This is kind of what this podcast is all about. Stark, realistic views of the world told in funny ways. Enjoy.
Mike Burns came by my apartment during his trip to New York to talk to me about his new book, Power Moves. Burns hasn't been on Skeptic Tank since the old Deathsquad days. He's hilarious and I'm glad he had a chance to come over while he was here for promotions. We talked about Karl Welzein, staring in people's windows in NY, getting stabbed, and meeting girls at bars. You know, normal stuff.
Cort McCown came over to my LA apartment before I left for New York and we talked about his sweet ass job as a professional caddy on the PGA tour. It's the golf equivalent to being a ball boy. But way cooler than that because you get to make money and you're a grown man now.
Jessica Ahlquist drove all the way from Rhode Island to my New York apartment to tell me about her lawsuit to have a prayer banner removed from the walls of her public school. She's an amazing woman and her courage really helps make me feel like a coward for not standing up for more things I believe in. Really interesting conversation.
Bert Kreischer met me on the patio of the Comedy Store to talk about his history with alcohol. We covered how he got started, when it became a major part of his life, and where he stand with it now. It was a fun talk that got a little dark in a couple places when we discussed his ex and again when another comedian walked by. And Joe Rogan makes an appearance on the intro.
Auntie Dolores (that's not really her name) met me at the Comedy Store patio to talk about edibles. She makes some of the best brownies, pretzels, lolipops, nuts, and popcorn you can find in California. We talked about how she makes things, her worries with the authorities, and when she got started. Plus we also reminisced about our history with pot cookies.
Whitney Cummings had me over to the place she was staying in while in New York and we talked about her hardships at The Comedy Store, with her sitcom, and as a child of an alcoholic. I had no idea she felt that way about when she was starting at the Store. She always seemed so on top of it all the time, I couldn't even imagine it being difficult for her. Billy Wayne Davis joins me for the intro.
Glitter Goddess spoke to Jay Oakerson and I about her new jobs as a sex therapist, and as a phone dominatrix. It was really fun. She has a bunch of guys getting her off by taking orders from her. And they pay her for it. That's like a heckler paying you to make them feel bad. Outstanding.
Sean Patton came over to my apartment in New York to talk about his hometown of New Orleans. Sean was born there, he was there for Katrina, and through both of those events, he was severely drunk. It was a fun conversation that took us through some of the history and to today's best tourist attraction, watching closeted gay guys pretend to not know they're going into a gay club.
Dave Smith came over to my apartment so we could talk about this growing disillusionment I'm experiencing with our federal government. Dave is a devout libertarian and he knows a lot more of the facts than I do, so we discussed a lot of where we've gone wrong and where our politicians and generals have betrayed the will of its people. Listen to it now, because when the revolution comes, downloading podcasts won't be easy.
John F O'Donnell met me in Bushwick to talk about his manic depressive disorder. He's gone off the deep end a few times in his life and we got into it all. How it started, what happens, how it's affected him. It was a fun podcast that only got interrupted a couple times by a gang of 8 year old handball punks.
Bret Ernst invited me up to his hotel room in Cabo San Lucas to drink beers, smoke cigars, and do a podcast. I love these on location episodes. We talked about Bret's habit of overzealously arguing his points. Bret has always been passionate (i.e. a guido), and it really comes out when he talks to someone with an opposing viewpoint.
Jim Florentine and Bret Ernst joined me in Bret's hotel room in Cabo to record a bonus podcast. We were drunk, so I have no idea what we talked about. Maybe girls? The middle east? Your guess is as good as mine. I remember it being a fun conversation till about 10 minutes left when Guidus Interruptus took over the conversation again and we all got tired.
Neal Brennan invited me to his tropical rainforest hotel room in New York and we had a nice talk about chicks. It's one of the driving influences in my life and it was nice to hear someone with some thought out views on relationships and love. Nick Youssef joins me for the intro on the drive back from San Francisco.
Kevin Christy had Nick Youssef and me over to his house to talk about what I need to change with my wardrobe. Kevin and Nick have always been my fashion advisors and we used it as an excuse to do a fun little podcast. In honor of fashion week (probably) (somewhere) I present to you a guide to what to wear as a man in late 2013.
Juan Carlos Alvarado met me at a secluded beach in Los Cabos, Mexico and we did a podcast about poker. We talked some about how he became a professional poker player, how he deals with losing streaks, and what his family thought of it all. And then we went into Black Friday and the end of the golden age of online poker. Mat Edgar helps me with the intro and outro, too.
Wil Anderson and I day drank on a weekday at a beach bar on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia. I got sunburned in the ozoneless air as we talked about Wil's upbringing on a farm. We meandered around a crap-ton, too. Wil's a real cool guy and I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with him. The stuff he's doing with his standup is inspiring.
Callum Preston was spray painting a mural in an alley in Melbourne, Australia when I asked him if he'd be on my podcast. Callum is part of the Everfresh Crew and his mural was awesome. He met me in a park the next day and we talked about the street art scene in Melbourne, how he got started with spray painting graffiti. And then we talked about Australia in general for a while. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful park and I'm really glad I actually went up to a stranger to talk to him. He's a cool guy.
Steve Simeone invited me over to his place while I was in LA and we talked about happiness. It started off being a conversation about being broke, but it quickly shifted as it became evident that Steve's poverty level was no longer the main influence on his mood. We talked about girls, and about family, and about giganitic boobs. But at its base, it's just a couple of buddies hanging out.
Lauren Hennessy came over to my NY apartment to tell me about what it's like to be a he/she. Lauren is a boy trapped in a girl's body. He's been that way since he was born. And you think you had it tough. Don't worry, this didn't get too serious or sad. Just two dudes talking about one of the dude's vaginas.
Click here to listen in iTunes JL Cauvin came over to my condemned New York apartment to talk about his time serving as the assistant district attorney for the Bronx. We waaaaay meandered into what it did to his relationship and then relationships in general. I could talk about breakups all day as long as […]
Paul Morrissey came by my New York apartment yesterday on his way to do the Artie Lange show and it was lucky he did. I had to take down this week's original podcast because people are little beeitches sometimes and everybody worries about getting sued so much they don't even care if what they're doing wasn't wrong. Regardless, Morrissey and I talked about the life of my New York apartment from beginning to soon to be end. With special insightful notes and voice mails detailing why I'm not a good person.
Barry Rothbart came over to my apartment to tell me about growing up with a father who hung out and worked with organized crime. It must have been strange growing up knowing your father was a gambler who won and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. The intro was recorded at 5am after a night of heavy drinking in Montreux, Switzerland
Brad and Todd Barnes came to my apartment to do a podcast about working as a team to make movies. They brought with them the film crew that eventually led to my landlord evicting me. Despite that, it was a fun podcast. We talked about making films, about working together, and about the half documentary/half movie that we made together over the summer with Rannazzisi, Cort, and Simeone.
Kevin Meaney invited me over to his apartment to talk about what it was like coming out of the closet at 50 years old. He was married with a kid when he did it. This was such a great podcast. He was open and honest and had such a unique difficult time of coming to be open about who he is. I hope you enjoy it and use it to help you give up the secrets you're holding onto.
Myq Kaplan came over to my apartment (possibly the last one recorded at my New York apartment in the east Village) to have a talk about monogamy vs polyamory. Myq used to be super into the poly side of it for years but recently has switched over to the dark side. It's a pretty well informed discussion on the subject and somehow we manage to talk a lot about mushrooms, too.
Ari Shaffir's album. I decided to do a slightly in depth analysis of my CD, Revenge for the Holocaust. This is the kind of thing I want to see more of in comedy. Discussing a standup recording the way an actor or director would discuss a movie. How were the bits concieved? What were the struggles associated with their development? Maybe a funny anecdote or two about the process. So here it is. If you've never heard my album before, enjoy. If you have heard it, here are some facts about it you may find interesting.
Dr. Steve Grraham and Jeremy Horn met me in my hotel room at the MGM to talk about what being a doctor really entails. Dr Steve, as everybody calls him, was awesome. He was completely open about the realities of his job. It's a lot different than I thought. From the hours, to the pay, to the patients, he talked about it all. And Obamacare.
Jeff Danis and Ryan Oneill met me at the Comedy Store on a beautiful January day. We talked about working as an employee at the Store. It's a job a lot of us had and each era of door guy was different. This is about all the different positions we all worked in while we started comedy.
Josh Meyrowitz came over to my LA apartment to talk to Mat Edgar and me about asperger's syndrome. I've been hearing about it ever since I was little but I've never met anyone with it until Josh. He's a little different than they way it's usually portrayed on TV. Maybe that's the comic side of him. Anyway, fun conversations on an interesting condition.
Doc Willis met me at the Comedy Store to talk about his days slinging rock on the streets of Detroit. That's right, when Doc was 14 (What? 14? Yes, 14) he was in a gang and sold drugs to make a living. We go into who his customers were, all the violence, what makes someone hard, and much, much more. It's a really good episode. Enjoy.
Duncan Trussell had me over to his new apartment to do a podcast. We ate a cookie, had some wine, and talked about love. Total coincidence that this is coming out for Valentine's Day, by the way. It was a really good discussion about how we get into relationships that may or may not be good for us. Then we played Occulus Rift and I almost barfed.
Jonas Larsen (the Senior Vice President of Talent and Specials for Comedy Central) met me for the final podcast from Skeptic Tank East headquarters 1. We talked about comedy specials. How they look and why, how they're shot and why, pretty much I got to ask almost everything I've wanted to know about what goes into the process of making a special. I have no idea if it'll be interesting to non-comedy fans or not. Hopefully it will be.
The Schmoes, Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis, met me at the Comedy Store for a second straight year to have fun and talk about the Oscars. It's the funnest way you'll find to get ready for your Oscar party (home alone in your underwear with General Tso's chicken sauce on your chest). This is such fun conversation that barely relates to the Oscars at all. And of course we got interrupted by Pauly again.
Brandt Tobler and I walked to Runyon Canyon on a hot February afternoon. We talked about what a shitbox father he had. It's a story that has its roots in mall scams that Brandt had worked all through growing up. And it continued to Vegas scams that he ran while living with dear old dad in Sin City.
Jacob Sirof and Sherry Sirof (nee East) each had me over to their places of residence to talk about the divorce that they're going through right now. First I went to Moshe Kasher's old place where Jacob is staying. Then a week later I went to their old apartment to talk to Sherry about the same topic. It's an interesting view into two sides of a disolution of the bond of marriage.
Joe Derosa had me over to his house so we could talk about what it's like boning girls from the comedy scene. But we got way sidetracked by a percieved slight and so we had to deal with that fire before we could get back to the sex thing. And we got some fun stories about the New York comedy scene while we were finding our way back.
Tom Segura had me over to his palatial beach house to do an in depth analysis of his first album, Thrilled. It was a hilarious album and I'm glad he was able to give an inside look at how the bits came to be, his delivery style, and the problems he has looking back at the album. We treat it kind of academically. It's something I'd like to see a lot more comics do in the future and I'm so happy Tom was willing to do it here. The standup will be hilarious and the analysis will be instructive.
Sarah Tiana has me over to her new house to talk about all the places she's been. And she's been to soooo many places. Comedy has brought her all over the middle east and half of Europe. And her adventurous spirit has brought her to many more places. Steve Simeone joins me for the intro and outro on location in the car on a road trip down California.
Nick Youssef takes a break from his busy day of mentoring jihadists to joing me on the roof of the Comedy Store for a podcast. This is the first one I've done from up there. We talked about his time on the AIDS LifeCycle where he rode a bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We talked all about bikes and then ended it by Youssef making a bet he could never hope to win because he sucks.
Doug Benson met me at the Comedy Store and we sat on the patio, smoked reefer, and talked about each of our years in New York. It was a fun podcast that didn't even get interrupted by the AA meeting letting out through our haze of pot smoke.
Brad Williams joined me on the patio of the Comedy Store one April afternoon to talk about what it's like to be a midget. He was open and honest and it was a fun, informative look at a different life experience.
Pete Davidson came over to my apartment in LA to talk to me about rap and hip hop. He brought his friend Dave Sirus. And lucky he did, too, because Pete was super distracted checking tweets from his first network TV set airing. It was still a fun discussion and I am now a huge Juicy J fan.
Katie Manzella came over for the last podcast ever from my LA apartment. I invited her over to talk about her love affiar with blow jobs. Katie is beyond a pro at it. She's the queen. She loves giving them and she gives them liberally. And by the way, the final number was 12.
Andy Haynes met me at the Comedy Store to talk to me. He gave me a perspective on open relationships that I've been missing. That of a failed open relationship. Fun conversation and it was interesting to hear this side of it. Steve Simeone and Steve Rannazzisi join me for the intro and outro.
Dave Attell joined Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, and me at a table in front of the Stand comedy club in New York to talk. Talk about what? Not any single topic like this podcast is supposed to be. It was all meandering. From NYC bums, to Donald Sterling, to Dave's standup series Comedy Underground.
Bert Kreischer had me over to his house to talk about his first CD, Bert Bert Bert. This is the third one of these album analysis episodes I've done and it might end up as the most interesting. Bert recorded this years before he was ready. Years. It was super fun picking this apart with him. We get to mock a 5 year comic for being so foolhardy. Let it be a lesson to all of you. Slow down or you'll crash.
Ms. Pat joined me in a park in Brooklyn (maybe Park Slope? No, that seems wrong) to tell me about what it was like growing up in the hood in Atlanta. Spoiler alert: It was way different than how I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland. It's a story of teen pregnancies, gunshot wounds, and Jimmy Carter.
Jeff Scott had me over to his West Hollywood apartment to tell me the story of his HIV. How he got it, how he's managed to live with it for 30 years, how it's affected his life, how he's been treated by others, and about the friends he's lost. It's one of the most interesting podcasts I've done. You should share it with everybody.
Billy Wayne Davis had me over to his dinge hole of a motel 2 years ago to talk to me about his imploded marriage. It was a wreck and he's finally out of it. I held on to this one for so long because much like a beaten dog, Billy Wayne was still scared of his ex until now. The introduction was recorded on top of the Great Wall of China.
Jason Nash met me at his friends deluxe apartment in the skyiyiy to talk about marriage. Nash has always been, shall we say, rageful about his marriage onstage. It was nice to get a good honest negative view of marriage from someone who is still in one. Intro from Hong Kong.
Des Bishop met me in a park in Beijing to tell me all about China. Des is a comic from Ireland by way of New York and he moved to Beijing a couple of years ago to learn Mandarin to try to do standup for Chinese people. He came as an outsider and after almost 2 years there, he's made quite a few observations about the country and about Beijing in particular. What a cool thing about podcasts that I can record these with minimal effort on the other side of the planet. Dave Smith joins me for the intro and outro.
Kurt Metzger had me over to his apartment in Harlem to talk about drugs. Kurt has always been that one friend that everybody has who can always find anything you're looking to do. From weed, to pills, to coke, Kurt has always been able to find it. And he's tried everything. Keren Margolis picks up the mic from time to time, too.
Mark Normand met me at Tompkins Square park one day. We sat in the grass, took in some sun, and talked about all the women he's been sleeping with. Mark has been going buck wild since his breakup. He's pretty much boning a new girl every 2 days for 2 months. I've never seen anybody on such a tear.
Luis J Gomez came over to my aparment to talk to me. I was trying to figure out how a guy like him was made. Where he came from. Luis is kind of a degenerate. He might disagree, but that's how I feel. So I wanted to see what makes someone become what I feel is a degen. It involves a mother who loves heroin and child abuse.
Al Madrigal, Kurt Metzger, Brody Stevens and John Heffron all joined me at the 2014 Montreal Comedy Festival for the Skeptic Tank's first live podcast. We talked about virginity. About losing it, about who took it from us, about how it felt, and about lots of other stuff. It was a fun time that I wish could've gone on longer.
Dante Nero came over to my apartment to tell me about his days as a stripper. Dante use to work all over New York under the name "Mandingo." It's a life filled with debauchery, sweaty women, and cash. Nick Youssef joins me for the intro and we get majorly sidetracked with talk about Mexicans who don't understand that videos aren't real life.
Duncan Trussell invited me over to his sweet ass apartment to talk about magic mushrooms. I needed someone for a shroomfest episode this year and as soon as I realized I was gonna be in LA, I thought, "Oh! Duncan!" He's like a spirit guide for this stuff. So knowledgeable on the subject and so smart in his analysis. I hope everybody has a great #shroomfest. Be safe. Start looking for mushrooms for next year now. They stay good in a ziplock in the freezer. Happy Shroomfest!
Jonah Ray invited me into his converted garage studio to tell me all about Hawaii. Hawaiians have always been the biggest homers of any state in the US. And the daily life in Hawaii has always intrigued me. Jonah grew up there. So he was more than equipped to handle all the questions I had. Jonah Ray is one of the nicest, coolest guys you'll ever meet. I'm glad to get a chance to talk to him every time. I also have some good news about the Comedy Store I share in the intro.
Christina Walkinshaw met me in Montreal to talk all about Tinder. She's an expert of sorts and she and I discussed all things Tinder, her tumultuous past with Sam Tripoli, deportation and we pretty much just had a fun couple hours. Join us on a Tinderganza!
Nick Youssef and I were in Chicago to watch Arcade Fire and to do a show at Zanies to pay for it. So we decided to do a podcast all about concerts. Nick's been to a million concerts and I've been to a bunch of the ones he's been to. So it's a fun conversation about live music. Direct from Chitown.
Mark Demayo came over to my apartment this week. We drank some beers and talked about his 20 years as a policeman in New York. It was a fun, open conversation. I asked him a ton of questions about what being a cop is like and Mark answered everything. Fun podcast.
Sheng Wang came to my apartment to talk about the Asian American experience. Well, he came over to do a podcast, and then I asked him all about Chinatown, and then it just becomes a whole podcast about Asianness.
David Taylor met me at my LA AirBnb to talk about chefing. Chefing? Sure. David has been cooking for a few years now and he's gotten kind of into it. So we just talked about that. And of course, we meandered a crudload.
Louis Katz met me at Union Square to have whole foods salad bar lunch on steps like champions. We talked about being Jewish. I only really have my own perspective on it, so it was nice to hear what another version of a nonaffiliated Jew is. You'll have to excuse the music coming from the live Dance Dance Revolution going on behind us. New York, man. There's no space. And I do the intro from the most fitting place I could think of for a podcast about Jews. Live from Munich, Germany at Oktoberfest.
Pete Johannson met me at my flat in London to talk about the city. He moved here from Canada 5 years ago and he loves it. We talked all about London. The food, the healthcare, the girls, the drugs, and the comedy. It's been a while since I've seen him and it's always a good time. Intro with Katharine Ferns who's another Canadian comic in London.
Dan Soder met me at my apartment to talk about growing up in a single parent household. Dan's dad was like me, so he was gone pretty early in Dan's life. From then on it was just him and his mother. So we talked about that and some of the usual meanderings and that's how you make a podcast.
Jayson Thibault came to my AirBnB to talk about alcholism. Jayson is a drunk. He's addicted to alcohol. He was sober for almost 3 years and then he relapsed and now he can't stop drinking. So we talked about what it means to be an alcoholic. From how it started, to what it means on a day to day level, to why it continues. It's an educational experience through the eyes of an addict.
Dean Delray came over to my Los Angeles AirBnB to discuss a great love we both share. Candy. It's our muse. Seriously, we're both highly addicted to candy and we can't stop eating it but this is more a celebration of the thing we love. From how we got started on the sugar highway, to how it makes us feel, to our all time favorites. This is all about that sweet sweet.
Steve Simeone is my guest for the 4th of these album commentary podcasts. The cool thing about this one is that Steve's album doesn't come out till tomorrow. I begged him to do this with me and he was cool enough to say yes. So everyone go out and buy Remember This by Steve Simeone and tell 8 to 10 friends about it as soon as you can.
Christine Evans made the block and a half trek to my aparment to talk about sex some. And more importantly, about the threesomes here and Big Jay have been having for the last 6 months. You see, Christine is one of those cool girlfriends. She's into doing fun stuff with her boyfriend and what could be more fun than boning a third person. And then another third person. And then another. It's an informative and boner inducing episode that's sure to be a Christmas classic for years to come.
Joe Rogan had me over to Freak Party studios to do an album commentary of his 2007 album, Shiny Happy Jihad. This is the first time I'm doing this where it's not the comic's first album. But I was there when Rogan was developing this material and I was there for the recording in San Francisco at Cobbs and I thought that added insight would make it way better to talk about this CD rather than his first CD. This is the longest podcast I've ever done. Hopefully iTunes won't have a problem with it. Emjoy your lives.
Kathleen McGee came to my hotel room in Vancouver to update me on all the new adventures she's been on. I had her on to talk about some new sexcapades but then we also got into depression and giving up.
Liz Miele came over to my apartment to talk about dyslexia. Well, she came over to talk about running marathons but the damn recorder screwed its mother right at the end of a 2 hour podcast so then we did another one about dyslexia. We probably should've done that one first because it's a way more interesting subject. She tells me all about her dyslexia, what it means to her, how she copes with it, and how other people react to it. It's a really interesting episode all brought to you by my stupid recorder not auto saving.
Nick DiPaolo met me in the damn soundbooth at The Stand (I've really started doing these just about everywhere, huh?) to talk about life in the sticks of Westchester. Nick is from Boston, lived in New York for probably almost 2 decades, and now he lives up there. He's a guy I always looked up to as a comic so it was nice to get him on.
Morgan Black met me in my hotel room in Vancouver to talk about his job at Insite. Insite is the safe injection place on Hastings Street in Vancouver. It's a place in heroin alley where junkies can go to get clean needles and they can use those needls to shoot up in a place that's supervised by people like Morgan. He watches over them to make sure they don't overdose. If they begin to, it's up to him to try and save them. He's seen a lot since he's been there and he shares it here.
Dan Naturman stopped by my apartment to talk about what Christmas is like as a Jew. It was a surprisingly upbeat and pro-Christmas talk from two people who would have been used as the star on a Christmas tree only 30 years ago. Is that a thing? Anyway, happy holidays, everyone.
Kathleen McGee and I got SUPER high and went to see Dumb and Dumber To and then we did a podcast and talked all about it when it was over. Recorded in my hotel room in Vancouver, this was supposed to be the first Spoiler Alert podcast from me but now it's just an extra gift for New Years. Enjoy. And don't worry about it spoiling any jokes for you. If you were gonna see the movie, you would've seen it by now. Be honest with yourself for once.
Robert Kelly invited me down to the Riotcast studio to act as my producer for a podcast about our amazing experience eating at Noma. Noma was named the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine 3 of the last 4 years. Chef Rene Redzepi has created an amazing culinary experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. And Robert and I were there for the Copenhagen Comedy Festival in September and I got on the wait list for Noma. And wouldn't you know it, our name got called. So here's two comedians talking about our 2 1/2 hour lunch at Noma. David Taylor joins me for the intro from the apartment I'm staying in in LA until April.
Jeff Danis and Ryan O'Neill came over to my AirBnB in LA while I was in town to film my special, Paid Regular. We talked about the open mic at the Comedy Store known as potluck. It was a parade of lunatics. In its prime, potluck was one part freak show, one part standup show, and two parts club soda. Seriously, you had to see it. And I talked to Danish & O'Neill about what it was like hosting that mother week after week. Always great when these guys are on and this one is no exception. And don't forget to watch my special on Comedy Central Friday night January 16 or get the extended version at www.arishaffir.com
The story of how I became a paid regular at the Comedy Store. From when I started comedy to when I got passed to when I made the announcement that I'll be filming my special in the Original Room. This was originally the intro to episode 180: Haole 5-0 but I thought I'd upload it on it's own the day my special comes out. It airs tonight (Friday night) at midnight/11pm central on Comedy Central. It's called Paid Regular and it's available at www.AriShaffir.com or at Comedy Central On Demand.
Godfrey came over to my apartment in New York and we had a long non-judgemental talk about race. It was really interesting to me and I think talks like this can really help us grow as a society. Not listening to Godfrey and me, but having these kinds of talks with the people in your own life. So listen to the way we're not attacking each other, and then try to do the same in your own discussions.
Ali Siddiq met me at the Comedy Store to talk about prison. I always knew prison life was hard, but damn. I didn't know about all of this. Ali spent 6 years locked away with some of the most violent criminals in Texas. This is a great episode and really fun and interesting.
Mike Lawrence met me at the Creek and the Cave in Long Island City so we could record a podcast about wrestling. Mike has always been one of the comics who loves wrestling on a non-ironic level and he's always been good at explaining things to me that I don't agree with. So I'm glad he was able to explain to me what I'm missing with wrestling. It always seemed like garbage entertainment for garbage people. But Mike made me see how cool is it to follow the action of the squared circle. And plus I think we did this on, like, Christmas day or Christmas eve. So thank you, Jews. Steve Simeone helps with the intro and outro.
Mistress Isabella Sinclaire came over to the apartment I'm unwillingly sharing in LA to tell me about BDSM. She's pretty much a professinal torturer, which is way different than that job would be in Game of Thrones. This is all about domination, usually sexually. It was a great long discussion and if you're wondering if she was going to put electrodes on my balls to shock them, the answer is of course she did. Benji Aflalo joins me for the outro.
Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis met me at the Comedy Store for the 3rd straight year to talk about the Oscars. I love these podcasts. We get to shit on movies for 2 hours, it's great. Kristian and Mark are the team that makes up Schmoes Know. They've got an awesome movie podcast and they always teach me about the movies I didn't get a chance to see. I also come up with a sweet plan for fun so listen before Wednesday and listen all the way through.
Nick Youssef came to my hotel room in Seattle to talk about coffee. Nick has nothing of value in his life, so he fills his void by shopping for old records, thrift store clothes, and coffee. He's become kind of an afficianado. So we did a podcast all about the black art. We also talked about this sick fight we saw the night before on the streets.
Geoff Keith met me at the Comedy Store to talk about all his amazing trips to Southeast Asia. He's been there a few times. To the Phillipines, to Thailand, and somewhere else that I'm forgetting. There's some pretty cool adventures in there and it really makes me want to go see those places for myself.
Michael Kosta came over to my Los Angeles boarding house to have a nice talk with me about tennis. Kosta played since he was little and was even a professional for a few years before turning to standup. It was a fun conversation with two comics about a sport. And of course, there's some talk about anal, too.
Brent Weinbach met me at the place I'm staying in LA to talk about how weird he is. Brent is, to put it mildly, a strange person. He sniffs chairs before sitting down, doesn't have a cell phone, eats baby food, and loves 8 bit music. He's "unique." So we had a fun conversation about it and then I tried walking in his shoes for a moment.
Sam Tripoli and I got the hookup to the Brickyard 400 in Fontana. It's a NASCAR event. Neither one of us are fans of the sport, but since we have a sports podcast (Punch Drunk Sports) we figured we should give it a chance. And it was craploads of fun. Join us on our trip to an actual NASCAR event.
David Taylor came over to Benji's place in LA and we talked about him being unpopular. He's an unpopular person. Has been for years. And I've wanted to talk to him about it for years. And now I got the chance. So join us for a conversation about unpopularity and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Joey Diaz and I sat in his North Hollywood yard and talked about being two years into being a parent. It got way deeper than I expected. Diaz manages to bridge the worlds he was in between this 2 year old child of his, and his estranged daughter from his former life. And we got into his own 2nd year of life, his comedy life. And how he got started. Jesus. This one had a lot of stuff to it.
Rick Ingraham met me at Benjy's apartment in LA to talk about quitting pot. Rick was a longtime smoker. He was always with us at the Comedy Store when we found places to get high. A real, multiple time every day smoker. And then he stopped. So we talked about that. Cort McCown joins me for the intro.
Steve Simeone had me over to his apartment to talk about family. I was there to get a ride to the airport to leave LA back to New York. It's a great discussion on blood with the guy who's probably closer to his family than any other comic I know. Check out Simeone's podcast, Good Times.
Nick Mullen met me at my in New York to talk about his illegal living situation. Nick is a funny young comic who literally lives in tenement housing. We talked all about it and got into some existential stuff about comedy. And we took a fun walk around the Bowery to see his garbage neighborhood full of chuds.
Fahim Anwar met me at Benji's place while I was in LA and we talked about his career as an aerospace engineer. It's a long way from that to Guy Code. Man. Join us as we sat outside and brough Arab and Jew together. (Fahim insists he's not an Arab)
Sam Morril and I went to go see Whiplash before it was out of theaters. And we barely made it. There were, like, 6 people in the theater. As soon as it was done, we went back to my aparment and recorded this Spoiler Alert episode. Don't listen if you're planning on seeing Whiplash this week. Do listen if you've already seen it or have no current plans to see it.
Pete Cornacchione and I sat down outside the airport in Chiang Mai, Thailand to talk about all the things we saw out there. We did so much that we couldn't even fit it into one episode. So we just talked about mainland Thailand. Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. Man, did we do a crapload of stuff. Join us on our podcast version of vacation pictures from a place where (probably) no podcast has recorded from before.
Big Jay Oakerson had me over to his apartment to talk about the worst interviews we've been a part of. We both sat through the same horrendous interviewer at SXSW and that's what gave us the idea. Some people are really good at bringing stuff out of you. Other people, not so much.
Turner Sparks met me at my new New York apartment during his visit from Shanghai. We talked about the unique challenge he's faced opening up a Mister Softee franchise in China. It's kind of crazy how much different business is there than here.
Derek Gaines met me at my apartment to talk about his former life as a janitor. It's one of the dirtiest jobs most people will ever come in contact with. The thing I learned from this above all else was this: Use bleach.
Davey Wester trekked his way across Manhattan to my apartment to talk to me about his cerebral palsy. Davey is a Comedy Store comic from way back. We've had a couple CP comics there over the years and this is actually the first time I really talked to any of them about the condition. Surprisingly fun discussion based on the topic. And some good Gallagher stuff. Ian Edwards and Zara Mizrahi join me from Bonnaroo for the introduction.
Paul Morrissey and I went to a Yankee game to talk about baseball. We got seats right behind the visitor's bullpen and we did a podcast from right there. We started on the walk to the subway, continued on the train a little, got lost some, got inside, met some Jews, had a dog, met some more people, and watched some more baseball. It was a great day.
Rachel Simmons and I had a high school reunion for two last week. And while we were doing that, we recorded a podcast about artificial insemination. A few years ago, Rachel got knocked up the modern way, by paying for sperm to be stuffed inside her by a medical professional. I had some questions. This was a fun talk with two people who have known each other for almost 25 years.
Mark Normand, Jay Oakerson, Dan Soder, and Michelle Wolf came to my apartment to talk about our amazing trip to Bonnaroo. Man, we had such a good time. I was riding high on it for weeks afterwards, and I'm so glad I got the whole group back together to talk about it. It was a wild four days of drugs, music, drugs, hot 19 year olds in jean shorts and bikini tops, drugs, good vibes, booze, and drugs. I want to go every year.
Joe List met me in Central Park on a beautiful summer day to have a wonderful talk about herpes. Joe's got it. He's open about it. And he answered everything you wanted to know abou tit. If you already have it, you'll relate. If you are going to get it soon, this will help you when you get unlucky. If you never get it. Congrats. Let's bone.
Joe Vecsey met me at the basketball courts in Stuytown for a talk about the And 1 Mixtape years of streetball. Joe grew up playing with all of them as a kid in New York. We talk all about Rucker Park, and the great rivalries in the big tournaments, what life was like on those courts, the smoothest players, everything. Meet us at the playground.
Wayne Rada met me in NoLita, Manhattan to take me on a tour of the murals down there. It's a history of graffiti and a run-down of the giant, builiding sized paintings that are all over lower Manhattan.
Nick Dipaolo met me at my apartment to talk about how he's not a conservative and how Libertarians feel about conservativism and political correctness. Fun podcast and I finished it only minutes before I leave for Scotland for all of August. So long, America.
Dave Smith came over to my apartment to catch me up on the state of America over the last year or so. We've gone through a lot of change as a country. Gay marriage was legalized, racial tension with the police came to a head, government spending reached new heights and much more. Dave broke down all the important American stories and we analyzed them together. Ahir Shah, Alex Kealy, and Alex Smith are my roommates for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and they weighed in on the intro as outside observers of what's going on in the good old US of A.
Colt Cabana had me over to his flat in Edinburgh, Scotland for a talk about indy wrestling. Colt is a looper. He's made a living as a wrestler for almost two decades. We talked about the travel, the money, the trials and tribulations. Everything about what it's like to be an independant wrestler. He's a super positive guy and he taught me a thing or two about appreciating what you've got.
Kyle Kinane had me over to his flat in Edinburgh, Scotland to do an album commentary on his first album, Death of the Party. This is the 6th of these comedy album breakdowns I do with the comedians. Kyle is legit one of the best comics in America and this was a real treat to get to do with him. We talked all about his first release. Where the bits came from, style, technique, all of it. By the way, Shroomfest starts Saturday and goes till the end of Monday!
Craig Campbell came over to my flat in Edinburgh to talk all about mushrooms. Craig is f*cking nuts. He's done more sh-t in his life than 5 of us will. And he loves mushrooms. Because they're part of a healthy breakfast. So what better way to celebrate this year's shroomfest than to talk to a wild man about the magic fungus. It was a really fun episode. I hope you all have a wonderful shroomfest. I'll see you on the other side of the galaxy.
9/11 was a terrible day in American history. This is one story of the many stories of that day. Cris Italia was a volunteer EMT and was around the corner when the first plane hit. By the time the second plane hit, he was already at ground zero, helping. It's a heartbreaking story of what happened to one man the day America stopped being invincible.
Gary Vider came over to my apartment to do a podcast about dog walking. He's a comedian who's been pretty much making a living walking dogs for the last 5 years. It was a fun talk and of course we meandered a bunch. Also, I've got a new Eats Village (pending better name) in the outro. And the sound was kind of tinny on the intro and outro, sorry.
Kelli Dunham met me in a park in Brooklyn to talk about her days as a nun. She, for real, lived in a nunnery and did all that garbage. Can you imagine living like that? Join us for a beautiful day in the park.
Mat Edgar and I sat in our condo in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and watched South Park Season 19 episodes 1 and 2 and then did a spoiler alert podcast about what we saw. It's the third SA episode. We just talked all about the episodes. They were amazing episodes of perhaps the best sitcom of all time. If you want to attend the taping of This Is Not Happening this year, go to www.TheBlacklistNYC.com/TINH and put Ari Shaffir in the "referred by" line. The shows are next week in Hollywood.
Nick Cody met me in my flat in Edinburgh to explain to me what the hell a bogan is. I knew I didn't like them, but I couldn't properly express why. So Nick broke it down to me. If you don't know, a bogan is an Australian undesirable. Very specifically undesirable. And, yeah, I said flat instead of apartment. I'm UK to the mug now.
Chris Gethard, Nikki Glaser, and Allison Dore were my guests on a live podcast at the JFL42 comedy festival in Toronto, Canada last month. I never feel comfortable doing these live podcasts because the audience forces the discussion into a more laughs oriented direction. So I decided to test this theory by doing a podcast about suicide at a live show in front of a comedy festival crowd. The results were mixed. But I found it way more interesting than doing a surface podcast just so I could say I did it. So, here's an interesting discussion on suicidal thoughts in an audience that thought they were here for laughs.
Carl Donnelly invited me over to his flat in Edinburgh to talk about DMT. Carl has done it more than just about anybody I know. He's had a wide range of different experiences with the drug and we talked about all of it. Make sure to check out Carl's podcast, The Carl Donnelly and Chris Martin Comedy Podcast on iTunes and All Things Comedy. And stay tuned for the outro for another episode of Dope Meals (that's the new name for Eats Village)
Happy Halloween! To celebrate the holiday, I talked to a bunch of people about the different ways they fear dying. Everybody has their little irrational fears about dying in some normal situation. Here are some of those fears. Short and sweet so you can have more time to trick or treat for razor blades.
Sean Hebert met me in a hotel room in Toronto to talk to me about hostels. I met Sean on my travels a few times. I've smoked dirt weed with him in his comically tiny apartment in Hong Kong and I've snorted Ritalin with him in his hostel in Thailand. He's stayed in hostels all over the world and he's been in all different kinds. So it's a lot of talk about life and travels in other countries. And Sean is a traveler for sure.
Patrick Coppolino met me in my hotel room in Calgary to do a catch-up session on how he now feels about fatherhood. You might remember Patrick as a new father in episode 61. Well, it's been a few years, and I thought it'd be cool to see how he feels about things now. We meander A BUNCH in this episode so don't worry if you don't care about fatherhood.
Mark Normand came over to my apartment to have a discussion about keeping one’s mouth shut. Mark gets into trouble all the time for sharing too much and I wanted to talk about what that means, and the repercussions therein, and if it’s even possible for a comedian to share too much. And we meandered a crudload so it’s not entirely about having a big mouth.
Mike Finoia came to my apartment to talk about being a dirty hippie who followed Phish on the road from gig to gig. We also got into his trip to the "final" Grateful Dead concert ever in Chicago last year. I accidentally recorded it on ambient mode so it sounds kind of like a radio station from the '90s. But it's a fun episode full of drugs, music, and smelly vans. Oh, and I take my fertility test in the intro and outro.
Mike Lawrence worked at McDonalds. For, like, a long time. I mean years. I know, right? So this episode is all about that. He came over to my apartment on his way home from his new writing job on Inside Amy Schumer (out in April) and we talked about all things Mickey D's. I know it's the cliched restaurant for a terrible job, but after you hear this episode you'll realize that cliches are around for a reason. It sounds awful.
Mike Black and Steve Simeone met me at the Comedy Store and we talked about the new Star Wars. There's tons of spoilers in here so stay away if you want everything to be fresh. But it's really not that important. The movie was just fun anyway. It ain't like getting a spoiler for 6th Sense or the movie where the guy was a girl. This is the 4th in my series of spoiler alert podcasts. Check out the others if you can find them.
Liza Treyger had me over to talk about alcohol. It wasn't one of those cry-about-it podcasts. This was a celebration of booze. Liza is good at drinking. Really good. Better than me for sure. So we talked about alcohol and how fun it is, and we talked about how awful Jews are, and probably a bunch more stuff that pot won't let me remember.
Jeff Danis and Ryan Oneill met me at Full Charge's place in LA to interview the host of Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank, Ari Shaffir. I turned the reins over to two of the least capable men on the west coast and they interviewed me about anything they wanted. Danish and Oneill episodes are always a blast and this one was no different. I had some HARD laughs while we were making this one. So if you've ever wanted to know about me, here's your chance to find out.
I've been editing This Is Not Happening stories for 50 hours a week for the last 2 weeks so I didn't have time to do a full interview. I was going to just skip the week, but then I thought, you know people would like better than no episode? That's right, they want the host to drive dangerously while barely covering a variety of unlinked topics. So enjoy, everybody. A new numbered Skeptic Tank should be back next week.
Danish and Oneill met me at my AirBnB in Echo Park while I was in town to shoot This Is Not Happening season 2 (new episodes February 24 at 12:30am) to do an interview about Ari Shaffir. Ari Shaffir is the host of a semi popular comedy podcast called Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank. This is the first interview we did and I'm airing it second because so many people wanted me to release it. It takes us from the birth of Ari until his birth as a comedian. It leaves off where episode 250 picks up. So enjoy this interview with the guy on this podcast who never gets asked any questions. It's the first time I don't have to butt in to get my point across.
My friend Kelsey sat down on a beach on the island of Maui to talk about her experience with cancer. Kelsey got it, beat it, and got it again all in her 20s. It was a very open and honest interview all about what it actually means to have cancer, deal with remission, the feel of chemo... all of it.
Jessica Michelle Singleton came over to talk about what it's like to drive for a ride-share company. She's ridden for Uber and Lyft so she's got first hand knowledge on the subject. And we even drove around a little and picked up a passenger during the podcast. Fun times. The conversation naturally went from driving to rape so expect some really stupid discussion on the subject from the both of us.
Kathleen McGee and I went to see Zoolander no. 2 in Vancouver and we did a spoiler alert podcast about it. Its the 2nd year in a road we did this. And both times with sequels. It's a fun discussion about the movie and also a drug and injury fueled trip to Whistler.
The Schmoes, Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis, invited me to their posh burbank studio to do our yearly roundup of the Oscars. We did it after the Oscars this year because Kristian actually got to go to it! Well, sort of. He did red carpet stuff outside. But great discussion about movies and as always, we get into really ridiculous, stupid stuff that has nothing do with the Oscars.
Theo Von met me at a secret hike in LA to do a walking podcast about hiking. Theo's a hilarious comic but he's also hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. I climb hills, bro. Hills. He climbed a giant mountain. It was a fun talk and it really puts you in the place where we were. I love these "on-location" podcasts.
Two US Army defense contractors met me in a secret location in America to discuss what it's like to go work for the government on foreign soils. They both work as contractors in stations all over the world and they gave a first hand account of how much waste goes into our imperialism. It was an interesting look into the life of a hired grunt in the middle of a war zone.
Shane Mauss met me on the patio of the Comedy Store and told me tons of tales about all sorts of psychedelic drugs. I had no idea Shane was this deep into psychedelia. He's been to so many different dimensions he should forward his mail there. And what I really liked is that he wasn't all hippy dippy about it. He's very scientific about the whole thing. It was a great discussion about amazing drugs.
Duncan Trussell invited me up to his compound in the mountains to explain to me what existentialism means. It's a heady conversation that I barely remember thanks to marijuana, but it was really interesting at the time. And it starts with a rational breakdown of the story of the Jewish holiday, Purim, in the intro.
Steve Simeone and I had some dinner, watched a college basketball game, and talked about all the time he spends over at Children's Hospital. He's been going over there all the time for over a year now. He hangs out with the sick kids and just kind of plays with them. And he does it all the time. It's a really nice story.
My nephew had his bar mitzvah last weekend. I hadn't been to one in too long. They're so much fun! It made me remember my own bar mitzvah. How important it was to me, how fun it was. They're great, you guys. Just dumb and great.
Gary Vider met me in Central Park to walk around and gawk at women for Cleavage Day. Cleavage Day is the first weekend day over 70 degrees in New York. It takes place in every city that has a real winter. It's that magical day when all the skin comes out of hiding. Women are showing cleavage and legs and stomach left and right. It's just a magical time to be a heterosexual man or a homosexual woman. So come join us on our bosomy adventure in New York.
Kelsey Cook met me over at the Full Charge's place to talkaboutfoosball. I've always had a fond spot in my heart for thesport,and Kelsey is THE BEST comedian foosball player in theworld.She's amazing. We talked about the sport a little and how shewasborn into it. And then we went to a bar to play a little, sostaytuned till the end for the match of the century.
Luisa Diez came over to talk about her father's involvement in the Escobar drug cartel in Colombia. She grew up in the middle of it all with her father who was pretty much CFO of Escobar's cartel. It was a really interesting discussion about her family and about the state of the drug trade in the 1980s.
Dan Soder came over to my place to tell me all about the summer he spent working in a cannery in Alaska. The people he worked with were straight deigns without even realizing it. This might be the best summer job of all time.
Nick Youssef met me at my Echo Park AirBnB cabin to talk about going celibate. Nick swore off sex about 5 months ago and now he's talking about keeping it in his pants. We get into a little fight with a gopher during the talk, but don't worry about that. And pick up Nick's new standup album, 1982, on iTunes now.
Bobby Lee invited me over to his house to do this podcast about the second generation of Comedy Store door guys. We recorded this at Tiger Belly studios, which is just his living room, I guess. Bobby was a door guy at the Store before I got there. He worked way closer with Mitzi and I'm in the middle of a 4 part series on the door guys at the Comedy Store. I already had done #3. #1 will come at some point down the road and then #4. It's a crazy job and I want to hear about how it's changed through the years.
Big Jay Oakerson and I went up to a buddy's rooftop in New York and talked about garbage music while we looked into people's windows hoping to find some action. Jay has the worst taste in music. He likes all my least favorite bands. So we talked about that a little. But we also got majorly sidetracked as we started seeing a bunch of interesting stuff in the windows. I also talk a lot about Bonnaroo in the intro and outro.
Hormoz Rashidi met me at the LA bungalow I was staying in while I was recording the next season of This Is Not Happening and he tried explaining to me all the histories of the middle east and our current involvement there. I don't know what Hormoz's background is, but he's real knowledgable about the whole region and this conversation really opened my eyes up to a way of thinking really plainly about the individuals involved in getting the US to go over there. It's the way I like thinking about almost every subject and I'm glad I finally got to do it about the middle east.
Alexis Guerreros took me on a pizza tour of New York. He's a standup comic but he runs these tours for extra cash and he took me on one, showing me his favorite of 3 different styles of pizza. Pizza and New York have a storied connection and Alexis explained how that all came up, the deal with 1 dollar slices, and even where pizza originated. It's an on location style podcast through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Join us for a delicious slice.
Rob Bernstein came over to my apartment to discuss his exit strategy from religion. Robbie was raised as a devout Jew. Only now has he begun to see the true stupidity of religion. But he's still got one foot in and one foot out. It's infuriation. So we talked about that as I try not to lose my temper.
Jeff Ross met me in Washington Square Park to talk about delis. We're both Ashkenazi Jews so it's a no brainer that we each have our opinions on the matter. But we also got other people in on the fun and went around interviewing people in the street about their favorite delis. Jeff was really busy planning the Comedy Central shoot of the Roast Battle, so we didn't get that much time to talk. So I made up for it a little with a long intro about the beach and a long outro about Shroomfest 2016. Make sure to set your DVRs to record the Roast Battle July 28-31 at 10/9c on Comedy Central. A new round every night until the live final round on Sunday, July 31.
Dave Smith met me in my apartment to give me the rundown on what's happened in America over the last year. He pays way more attention to all sides of the news than anyone I know, and he's a libertarian, so he can see both parties with equal disgust. Plus we talk about police racial violence. And top it off with some healthy discussion of my butthole. We're going to do this every year, so hopefully you like it.
My Edinburgh roommates Joe Derosa, Alex Kealy, Ahir Shah, Alex Smith, and I all got together to talk to about the world's largest comedy festival, The Edinburgh Fringe. And since it's the Fringe, we decided to get drunk while we did it. So here goes. It's a crazy festival and these guys will help me explain it. The British ones have been here many times. I've been here once before. And Derosa was 4 days into his first time.
Phil Wang came to my room at my Edinburgh flat to talk about open relationships. Phil has been in a non monogamous situation for the last three years. So we met up to talk about cheating without cheating. I'm always interested in alternative lifestyles and Phil was great to talk to about it. Way open and very honest and funny while he did it.
Kai Humphries, Milo McCabe, and Daniel Sloss met me at the Abattoir comedian's bar in Edinburgh, Scotland to tell me their harrowing tale of cheating death at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. This was a super fun story! You gotta go to arithegreat.com for this one to look at the pictures. They're CRAZY. Guest appearances by random comedy people trying to distract us with booze.
Henry Rollins met me in a hotel cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland to talk about travel. Henry goes all over the globe. He really likes to get off the beaten path and explore new places. I thought I liked seeing things, but Rollins takes it to a whole new level. He goes places I've never even heard of, met people I didn't know existed, done things I'd be too scared to do. It was such a fun conversation and it filled me with wanderlust.
Kurt Metzger caught the cold. He was the latest comic to get the e-rage. It happened while I was in Scotland and he wanted to talk about it on my podcast, so as soon as I got home, we made it happen. He was called a "rape apologist." They threatened to rape his girlfriend. He was misquoted and sold out as much as possible to prove a point they didn't know how to make. So he came to my apartment and we talked about it for a while. I interrupted way to much, but I just could not keep up with him. We're also joined by his still unraped girlfriend who tells me how frustrating it was to sit on the jury of an actual botched rape case. It's a weird episode. The left will probably learn nothing from it. But at least Kurt can tell his side of the story to an audience who actually listens.
Sal Vulcano came to my apartment to enlighten me on why Staten Island isn't the worst place in America. He's a native of the land of high bangs, Italian garbage, and trash dumps. And then, I don't know how, but we got into a solid mushroom discussion in the middle of this.
Joe List invited me over to his apartment to talk about self loathing. I've always noticed that Joe has a bit of a deal with hating himself. I guess I kind of have the same thing once in a while. But List takes it to another level sometimes. We talked about that, cigars making us sick, and confidence in general.
Ari Eldjarn and I drove around in Iceland and did a podcast about that beautiful country while we did. Ari is a comedian in Reykjavik. One of the first comedians, to be more precise. He and I hung out for 3 days while I was there and so we got on the mics in his car and I just asked him questions about his country for a while. It's one of those road trip episodes I do sometimes. So, come sit in the back, don't interrupt us, and eavesdrop on our conversation. Don't forget to watch a new This Is Not Happening this Thursday night at 12am eastern, 11pm Central on Comedy Central.
Amber Nelson, Sarah Tollemache, and Adrian Iapalucci came to my apartment to tell me about periods. And I mean all about it. About the blood flow, about PMS, about cramps, about period diarrhea, all of it. It's for sure gonna make some dudes feel uncomfortable, but it was really interesting to me. But I eat my own boogers, so maybe I'm not the best judge of what's too much. Either way, it was a really funny conversation with three comics on the subject of menses.
Tom Segura took me up to his hotel room in the East Village of New York and we sat and talked about all the jobs we've had over the years. Pretty much every comic you've ever heard of has had to do lots of different things to make some money over the years. And we've each had a bunch. So it was a fun conversation about our least favorite thing.
Bert Kreischer came to my apartment while he was in New York and we talked about who was fatter; him or Tom Segura. Bert made some solid cases for his side of things but most of those cases were made with a full chicken wing in between his two front teeth, so grain of salt I guess.
Shane Mauss came over to my apartment in New York to try to explain to me what he's learned about human anxiety and how it's no longer relevant in a safe, modern world. I say try because I'm an idiot and most of it went over my head. But it was still really interesting. So maybe you'll be able to wrap your brain around more of it than I could. Either way, it's still enlightening.
Craig Campbell returns to the Skeptic Tank to talk about snowboarding. He's a crazy back country snowboarder on top of being a comic. He's that guy who's skiing next to you on a path and then all of a sudden he just jumps off the side of the mountain into the woods. What is wrong with you? We did this in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe and I saved it till now because it's mother Fing ski season, you guys! Fresh pow in all your futures!
Joe Rogan met me at the Improv in LA to tell me all about his obsession with hunting. He's been a hardcore hunter for about 4 years now. And he broke down why he does it, what it's like out there, the backlash, the weaponry, all of it. It made me want to go out and kill something. Animals, probably, but people will do.
Tim Dillon came to my apartment to tell me about his former life in sales. He's sold everything. From mortgages to office equipment to a history of New York. Tim has hilarious stories about all of it. Fun, fun, fun podcast.
Mark Normand invited me to his brand new apartment to do a podcast about bedwetting. Mark and I were both very late bedwetters. So we got together and talked about what it's like to be 14 and still pissing on yourself every night. All the plastic sheets, the fear of sleepovers, what our moms had to go through. God, it was embarrassing.
John Spies sat down with me on the deck of the Cave Lodge in Soppong to tell me all about cave exploration and the unique life that he's built in northern Thailand. The man has lived an amazing life. And this pit stop on his way from Australia to Europe has now lasted over a quarter century.
Mark Normand, Sean Donnelly, and Kurt Metzger came to my apartment talk about the number 2 most important issue facing men today; balding. (boners are number 1). It was mostly fun meanderings but we still managed to talk all about hair loss from time to time in between making ourselves laugh.
The entire Legion of Skanks came with me on an ogling walk around Manhattan during my 2nd favorite* holiday of the year, Cleavange Day. Dave Smith, Luis J Gomez, Big Jay Oakerson and I walked as a group around the city, enjoying the rewards of the first warm day of the year. It was such a fun day! So join us on a wonderful adventure. *Shroomfest (this year it falls on July 8-10)
Stavros Halkios came to my apartment to tell me all about the people bringing down the EU; Greeks. Stavvy is a really funny young comic in New York and he also grew up in Greek Town with Greek parents, so he's a real Greek Freak. Greeks are the least maligned group of people in America because nobody knows crap about them. Let's change that. Let's find a new group to hate. And with Stavros's help, maybe that group can be Greeks.
William Childress (skip to 53:30) had me over to his homestay in Siem Reap, Cambodia to talk about Myanmar. He lived there for years. And it was the first place I went on my travels this year. So I finished seeing a temple near Angkor Wat and went to visit him so we could talk about one of my favorite countries in the world. Myanmar is amazing. See it before it gets ruined by globalism. Also, I went kind of nuts on the intro and outro. And then stay tuned after the outro because I also included a conversation I had with a 17 year old Burmese girl I met out there at a restaurant outside Inle Lake. This might be my fullest podcast ever.
Adam Eget met me at the Comedy Store to talk about Cedu, the crazy bad kid school his parents shipped him off to because he was a spazz. It's amazing what people got away with 20+ years ago. The amount of mistreatment and abuse and murder would never fly now. Sorry for the echoey sound, I didn't realize how hollow that room we recorded in would sound. Listen for the intro and outro for interesting American killers stories.
Aaron Berg came to my apartment to tell me about his days as a male stripper in Toronto. It was really fun and got kind of seriously dark in the middle there. And then back to more fun. Come on along.
Robert Kelly met me on the stoop outside the Comedy Cellar. He's gotten way into cigars in the last few years. So we sat outside the club and he told me all about stogies as we smoked two possibly Cuban bats that I bought in Costa Rica two days before. Cameos galore from Mike Yard, Liz, Norton, and Keith Robinson. And a really embarrassing story at the end of the outro. I'm disgusting sometimes.
Rolf Potts met me in Tompkins Square Park to talk to me about travel. Rolf wrote one of my favorite books of all time called Vagabonding. It's all about long term travel. It influenced the hell out of me. And I was so stoked to be able to talk about getting out there in the world with such a well worn traveler like him. Also, my special "Double Negative" is on Netflix right now! Go watch it!
Loyiso Gola met me in Montreal to give me a bit of an introduction to South Africa. Loyiso is one of the biggest comics in South Africa so he was the perfect guy to tell me about a country I knew very little about. It's an interesting discussion that diverted into American media, rules of cricket, and crime rates.
Danish and Oneill came over to my Los Angeles AirBnB to talk about when it's time to call it a career in show business. That was the topic. Obviously we tangented onto some ridiculous crap. And somehow we managed to end it around a fire pit making smores. I'm not quite sure how that happened. It's always a good time when Jeff Danis and Ryan Oneill come on and this one was no exception. Now hopefully Danis will come to his senses and release the episode of Danish and Oneill that I did over a year ago.
Lynne Koplitz had me over to her apartment to talk about menopause. She's deep into it and she was open about all of it. The hot flashes, the crankiness, the inability to breed. It was such a fun conversation that was MAYBE 20% on topic and the other 80% was just fun meanderings.
Andrew Santino, Ron Funches, Dan Soder join me in Montreal for live podcast from the Just For Laughs festival and talked about the topic of regret. I don't know. I choose topics. It was great, though. So much fun. Those guys kill. And Bert Kreischer joins me for the intro and adds some regret of his own.
Dave Smith came to my apartment to have a chat about America. Dave is a really well read staunch libertarian. So he breaks it down from an intelligent place that's not biased towards any powerful political party. (*Libertarians are not powerful). It's a great, accessible way to hear about the state of the United States. Make sure to support Dave Smith by buying his debut special, "Libertas," at www.GasDigitalNetwork.com/DSL.
Jessica Michelle Singleton met me in LA to talk about her suicide attempt. It's waaaaay funnier than that. I love hearing about suicide and we did this without any crazy gravity to the subject. Just a good fun talk about ending it all.
Ari goes to Hot Yoga. This is the worst thing to happen to anyone in the world in all of history. I want to do druuuuuuuugs! This sober Octobert stuff is moronic.
Christina Pazsitzky met me in LA to talk about motherhood. She just became a mom a couple years ago. It's the first realistic version of motherhood that i've ever heard. Good into and outro, too.
Jay Larson met me at Venice High to talk about our old school days. We sat on the lawn like creeps and talked about high school until we got asked to leave. Great conversation and memories about the most carefree times of our lives. Jay's new special, Me Being Me, is out now at www.JayLarsonComedy.com. Pick it up and get a great laugh while supporting independent artists who make amazing comedy.
Bert Kreischer joined me to talk about alcohol. He's an expert on the subject. For real. We split the podcast up, doing the first half while he was 25 days into his sobriety, and then we did the 2nd half a week later when he was 3 days into a booze cruise.
Colin Wright met me in a park in New Orleans to tell me about the unique way he travels the world. Colin has been living in a different place every 4 months or so for years, while he writes books and keeps a great blog going, too. He really makes himself an expat over a tourist.
Tricia Donegan took me upstairs to the roof of her yoga studio on the Lower East Side to tell me all about how she got started in yoga. She ran the studio and the classes that I took most during Sober Octobert. Tricia is a really kind-hearted person who always made me feel warm before and after I got hot. It's an interested conversation with a non-comic about the stretchy arts.
Monroe Martin came to my apartment to talk about his life as a foster kid. Monroe spent most of his childhood in and out of foster homes. He filled me in on what it was like in this fun conversation. Merry Christmas, everyone!
New years resolutions with Rich Vos, Big Jay Oakerson, Chris Distefano, Sam Morril, Tracy Morgan, Des Bishop, Joe Machi, Bonnie McFarlane, Cipha Sounds, Yannis Pappas, and Jared Freid. This episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic. At ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic you can find quality candidates to fill your job openings. Just one click and it instantly posts to hundreds of websites. And right now, if you use ZipRecruiter.com/Skeptic you can post your job listing for FREE!
Tim Crockett met me in Athens, Georgia to tell me about the monumental feat he is undertaking. Tim is going to row, BY HIMSELF, across the Atlantic Ocean. He'll be miles from the nearest boat or assistance. He'll have limited supplies. The guy is absolutely crazy in the best way possible. Come along to hear how he's going to do it.
Mike Recine came over to my apartment to answer my question about what it's like being a mover. Not a mover and a shaker, but an actual mover. Of people's houses. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic. Go to ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic to list your job opening and find a qualified candidate usually within a day. ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic.
Chloe Hilliard came over to talk about her days as a journalist before she started standup. We go over all the problems with journalism today, including fake news. And we get into some nice stuff about race and white ladies. This episode is brought to you by Ziprecruiter.com. At Ziprecruiter.com you can find quality candidates to fill your job openings usually within one day. Support the Skeptic Tank by using www.ziprecruiter.com/skeptic for a free listing today.
Rachel Simmons met me to talk about her research on female development and confidence. She just came out with a new book on the subject so we talked about that, about the pains of doing press, and she craps all over my water bottle. Rachel was my friend in high school and she's continued to be one of the most interesting people in my life. This is Rachel's third book on the subject of female development and it was a great excuse to catch up with her.
Ryan Oneill drove with me from Salt Lake City to Boise to talk about the gnar pow we got in Utah. We skied 6 out of 7 days, stayed at 3 different places, and did 5 shows. It was a tremendous week of skiing some of the best powder on earth. We talked about the skiing, the AirBnBs, the city of Salt Lake and much, much more.
Des Bishop came over to Skeptic Tank headquarters (my apartment) to tell me about Ireland. Des moved there from Queens when he was a teenager and managed to go from a Brooklyn problem child, to one of Ireland's most successful comedians. He tells me about his observations of the people and the land of Ireland, with some history and some stories. Have a happy and drunk St Patrick's Day everybody! This episode is brought to you by Spotify, where you can find every episode of my podcast. Just open the app on mobile or desktop, click on the "browse" channel, and then click on the "podcast" section. Take the Skeptic Tank wherever you want to go thanks to Spotify.
Joe List kept me awake on the drive back from Boston by telling me all about Boston. Meta as balls, huh? He grew up out there and we talked about all the casual violence, the racism, the women, the drinking, the sports. Everything we could think of. And while we were driving, we past by where Joe picked up herpes. So it's like a tour of his diseased shaft at the same time. Joe List is in this season of The Standups on Netflix. Definitely check it out. He's one of the best comedians in New York. Do yourself a favor and watch it. Add it right now to your watch list, and then watch it first chance you get. The Standups Season 2. Enjoy.
Aubrey Marcus came over to my apartment and we had a really in depth discussion about open relationships. Aubrey is the most honest person I've ever met on the subject. He has truly looked inwards and examined all the angles. It's a really great discussion on the topic. Aubrey has a new book out now called "Own The Day, Own Your Life." It's all about optimizing your life. Pick it up at AubreyMarcus.com or wherever you buy books. He's also got a podcast called the Aubrey Marcus podcast. Check that out if you're into his vibe.
Ari Shaffir comes to my apartment to tell you about Passover. All of it. Not just what you're supposed to do, but also where the holiday comes from, all the laws, the seder, what matzah tastes like. Everything. It's probably the best I've ever been in terms of not interrupting the guest. I still managed to do it a few times, but way less than normal. This episode is brought to you by the Australian leg of my wandering Jew tour: Perth April 13-14 Melbourne April 17-21 Adelaide April 26 Sydney April 28-29 Brisbane May 1 Get tickets at arithegreat.com/tour
Adrienne Iapalucci and I were driving back to Manhattan from a road gig in Syracuse and we decided to do a podcast about road trips. Well, it barely centered on road trips because I'm a terrible host, but it was a really funny podcast nonetheless. Had me cracking up a bunch! Check out Adrienne's podcast, Vadge.
Mitzi Shore came into my life in my first 3 months of standup. I spent the next 10 years getting close with the owner of the Comedy Store. She passed away earlier this month. And I took the opportunity to share, but really to relive all the things I learned from her and all the times we had, good and terrible. She was a massive part of my development as a comedian. The most important part, really. So it's really unsettling having her gone for good. Join me as I come to terms with what Mitzi meant to me.
Chris Franklin met me in my AirBnB in Melbourne to talk about the bogan life. Franklin is a true bogan. The last of a non-dying breed. There are still plenty of bogans in the wild, although very few of them live in big cities. You can see them, though, if you look carefully. The mullet is always the giveaway. Join us as we learn about the national animal of Australia: The Bogan.
Ryan Mirvis (@RyanMirvis) is the festival queen. There's nobody who personifies good times at music festivals like Mirv. He met me at the Comedy Store the day after Mitzi's memorial to break down all his theories about having a blast at festivals. That means drugs. That means sex. That means music music music. And that means drugs. Also drugs. If you're on the fence about going to a festival near you this year, this podcast should throw you over the top.
@JoeListComedy, @RobertKelly, and I packed our camping gear and went to the woods to do some camping and definitely not to chow down on each other's knobs like we need it to live. No. Just camping. We're bush crafters. And we're party boys. We're the Bushcraft Party Boys. Make sure to watch Michelle Wolf's new show, "The Break," on netflix now and every week each Sunday. And Adrienne Iapalluci is recording her CD at New York Comedy Club on June 3. Get tickets on their website.
@CapperFlapper had me over to his apartment in Melbourne to talk about travel, farming, his deep sexual love affair with aboriginal history, and shitting. It was an all over the place conversation on one of the most sacred and drunk holidays in Australia, ANZAC Day.
Rich Vos and I sat in my backyard and talked about his days as a drug addict. Man, I love talking to addicts about their old days. He got DOWN! Tons of good stories. He's been sober for a while now so he really comes at it almost like he's observing another person that he knows really well. It's a fun talk. Rich Vos has a roast out that's available right now at VosRoast.com. I was at this roast. It was awesome. Norton, Quinn, Oakerson, Bonnie, Judy Gold, Florentine, even Luis J. Pick it up at VosRoast.com My next road dates are: San Fran June 21-23 LA (storyteller show) July 11 Montreal (standup and storytellers) July 26-29 Edinburgh August 2-26 Austin September 19-22 Phoenix (ATC Fest) October 25-27 Europe November 16-December 9 Tickets at arithegreat.com
Rolf Potts brought over an old paper atlas to my apartment and we leafed through it and imagined all the places we want to go. Every page bringing new ideas for adventure. Rolf is a traveler. He's seen things and done things and been to places that make me envious and fill me with wonder. This is Rolf's second time on the podcast. He's a travel writer who wrote the book "Vagabonding" that I carried around with me to 3 countries, finally read on an island off Cambodia, and then carried to two more countries until I gifted it to another traveler in Indonesia. Check out his podcast, Deviate with Rolf Potts. My upcoming road schedule: Tickets at arithegreat.com Montreal - July 25-28 Edinburgh - Aug 2-26 Austin - Sept 19-22 Phoenix ATC Fest - Oct 25-28 Iceland - Nov 16 Brighton - Nov 19 London - Nov 21 & 22 Manchester Nov 23 Dublin - Nov 25 Brussels - Nov 26 Amsterdam - Nov 27 Stockholm - Nov 29 Stavanger - Nov 30 Berlin - December 2 Copenhagen - Dec 4 Oslo - December 5
Kevin Iso came over to my apartment to talk about shrooms. I know I've lost site of what it's like to be new to magic mushrooms, so I had Kevin come in to tell that side of it. He just started taking psychedelics so he was the perfect guest for this. Thank you ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic for sponsoring this episode of Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank. visit ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic next time you need a job filled. It's way easier than doing it yourself. My upcoming road schedule: Tickets at arithegreat.com Montreal - July 25-28 Edinburgh - Aug 2-26 Shroomfest - Aug 25-27 Austin - Sept 19-22 Phoenix ATC Fest - Oct 25-28 Iceland - Nov 16 Brighton - Nov 19 London - Nov 21 & 22 Manchester Nov 23 Dublin - Nov 25 Brussels - Nov 26 Amsterdam - Nov 27 Stockholm - Nov 29 Stavanger - Nov 30 Berlin - December 2 Copenhagen - Dec 4 Oslo - December 5
Andy Curtain made his way from Shanghai to Montreal to tell me about the darkest sides of life in China. He's lived in Shanghai for a decade now and he REALLY knows what it's all about. Fun discussion with an intro appearance from my Edinburgh Fringe roommates. I'm in Edinburgh from August 2-26 every day at 6pm at the Hive. Go to AriShaffir.com or AriShaffir.com/tour for tickets to see me in Austin, Phoenix, England, Iceland, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Copenhagen, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Sweden. Go to ZipRecruiter.com/skeptic to find a qualified candidate to fill your job openings. Zip Recruiter was the sponsor today and if you're looking to hire somebody, support them as a thanks for supporting the podcast.
Tim Dillon and Dan St Germain came over to talk about conspiracy theories. Both those guys are way into that stuff so that's all they talk about anyway. Get Dan's brand new comedy album, No Real Winners Here at DanStGermain.net or wherever you buy albums. I think I said 500 times that it was called Bad At The Good Times but that was his old album. I messed up. Get No Real Winners Here. I mean, get both if you want. He's been funny for a long time. But definitely get No Real Winners Here. At Danstgermain.net. Jesus. The whole reason we even got the idea to do the podcast in the first place was to use the opportunity to hype his album. And then I didn't even get that part right. I mean, come on. So please help me make up for that by making No Real Winners Here the top album on iTunes. Get it. It'll be a good purchase regardless of my mess-up. But now it'll also help get me out of a mistake. Please.
Mike Vecchione had me over to the apartment he shares with his partner Dan Soder to talk about his first trip to the Orient. He went to China for two weeks. What happens when you make your first trip to Asia is your mind just about explodes with new stimuli. So I was lucky to get Mike on mic as soon as he got home. Mike is an amazing comic and his new album, The Worst Kind Of Thoughtful, is out now. I'm going to be in Austin September 19-22 with Adrienne Iapalucci and in Phoenix October 27 with Big Jay, Schaub, Callen, and Theo Von. Go to AriShaffir.com for tickets to either show and my November/December European tour. This episode is brought to you by nobody. Enjoy, you worthless commies.
Count Dankula met me in Edinburgh, Scotland to tell me about his crazy ordeal being arrested AND CONVICTED of a crime for making a funny video on YouTube. It's a crazy state of things right now, all over the world. So come listen in to the Glaswegian (if you can understand the accent) tell about what he went through. The video will be posted on my site, arithegreat.com. Now, whether you find the video funny or not is of no consequence to the point. I personally found it quite funny. It made me legitimately laugh. But that's also got nothing to do with it. The point is whether a government should be mandating what types of humor people should be allowed to put out. My next tour stop is in Austin on the 19th-22nd of September where I will be performing Ari Shaffir: Jew, followed by one night of shows and a storyteller show in Phoenix at the end of October. Then my European tour goes from mid-November till the end of December.
Daniel Sloss came over to my flat in Edinburgh to tell stories about all the pranks he and his friends have played on each other. They get down. And Sloss is not someone who takes it well so be careful. Sam Morril joined me on the intro, too. Daniel Sloss has TWO Netflix specials out today. Dark and Jigsaw. Check them out now. He's a great comic. Road Schedule I'll be in Austin at Cap City Sep 19-22. Phoenix for a storyteller show Oct 27 And my European tour goes Nov 16-Dec 9.
Brant Krislop came to my apartment to talk about fun. We sat in my backyard, smoked cigars, and thought about what fun has meant to us over the years. Fun in childhood. Fun in adulthood. Fun with friends. Fun alone. The conversation itself was actually fun. Brett has a new special out on Netflix right now called Secret Time. My Road Dates Austin - September 19-22 Phoenix - October 27 New York Storyteller Show - October 30 Shooter Table Read in New York with Danish&Oneill- November 11 European Tour - November 16-December 9
Steve Bugeja had me over to his flat in Edinburgh to talk about Jewish summer camp. Steve was a counselor one year at a camp right around the corner from where I spent 6 summers as a camper. It was a fun conversation about sleep away camp in general and about the Jewish kind in particular. ROAD DATES Phoenix - Storyteller show - October 27 Los Angeles - Ari Shaffir: Jew - November 6 Brooklyn - Shooter: A Live Table Read (with Danish & Oneill) - November 11 European Tour - Ari Shaffir: Jew - Iceland, Brighton, London, Manchester, Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Stavanger, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Zurich - November 16 thru December 9
Come with me on a casual walk around the East Village of Manhattan as I match Brad's workout output in a revealing expose on the nature of his points during the workout challenge. Based on this new information, we can all forget the points, we know who's REALLY winning the challenge to see who puts in the most work. Well, actually, according to that, it's clearly Rogan. But we know who's really LOSING the challenge to see who puts in the most work.
Louis Katz joins me for an album commentary episode where we break down his first album, If These Balls could talk. We did this over a 4 month period for some reason so there are these giant cuts in time. But it all comes together. As the Killers would say, "Praise God." Louis Katz has a new album out TODAY called Katzkills. If you liked this episode go buy Katzkills on iTunes. Help support him in return for putting out this episode for you guys.
Liza Treyger had me over to her new apartment to talk Simpsons. It was my favorite show in high school and college and I was put to shame by the love Liza had towards it. We talked about episodes, toys, memories of watching it, and even fought a little bit about stuff we have no control over. Make sure to watch Liza RIGHT NOW on Netflix's newest standup series, "The Degenerates."
Sam Morril came over to my apartment to talk about the Knicks. He's just about the biggest Knicks fan I know. It's just him and Michael Che at the top for comedians. So we sat down and talked about a lifetime of Knicks memories from a New York boy. Sam has a new special out now called Positive Influence. You can watch it for free with no ads from now till the end of November at ComedyCentral.com/SamMorril. My Tour Dates: Shooter Live Table Read - November 11 Reykjavik - November 16 Brighton - November 19 (Sold Out) London - November 21&22 (Sold Out) Manchester - November 23 (Sold Out) Dublin - November 25 (Early Show Added) Brussels - November 26 Amsterdam - November 27 Stockholm - November 29 Stavanger - November 30 Berlin - December 2 Copenhagen - December 4 Oslo - December 5 Zurich - December 9 Jerusalem (December date coming soon)
Fahim Anwar met me at the Comedy Store to talk about the glory days of illegal downloads. We talk about Napster, about CD burners, threatening letters from cable providers, and mods for gaming systems. It was a great discussion between two colleagues. Not colleagues in comedy, which we are, but colleagues in piracy. Because at our hearts, that's what we really are. We are pirates. Make sure to watch Fahim on Comedy Central in the Goatface special November 27 at 11pm and watch his special now streaming on cc.com. My European tour goes in this order Iceland UK (sold out) Dublin (sold out) Brussels Amsterdam Stockholm Stavanger Berlin Copenhagen Oslo Zurich Tel Aviv (storyteller show) Jerusalem Then back to America at the end of the year and beginning of 2019 with: Oakland Sacramento Washington DC (storyteller show) Denver San Diego Phoenix/Tempe Miami/West Palm
Carl Donnelly met me in his Edinburgh flat to talk about his divorce. And really about breaking up in general. Ryan Sickler joined me briefly on the interview to add in a little about his breakup with his fiancé. This podcast was recorded in Los Angeles, edited in London, the outro was recorded in Dublin, and it was uploaded in Brussels. I'm on a European tour right now. Amsterdam 27/11 Stockholm 29/11 Stavanger 30/11 Berlin 2/12 Copenhagen 4/12 Oslo 5/12 Zurich 9/12 Tel Aviv (storyteller show) 15/12 Jerusalem 18/12 Oakland (New Parrish) 12/30/2019 Sacramento - 1/3-1/5 Washington DC (storyteller show) 1/15 Denver 1/24-1/27 SLC (storyteller shows) 2/1-2/2 San Diego 2/15-2/17 Los Angeles 2/19
Dave Smith came over to my apartment in NY to record our annual "State of America" podcast. This year, we ended up focusing waaaay more on social issues than political ones. But of course, since it's Dave, we still hit on plenty of politics, too. Check out Dave Smith's own podcast, "Part of the Problem." He also has a special out now on GasDigitalNetwork.com as well as Amazon.com and clips are up on YouTube. The wandering Jew will be returning to America to tour the "Ari Shaffir: Jew" show. Oakland - December 30 - New Parrish Sacaramento - January 3-5 - Punchline Wash, DC - January 15 - Sixth and I (storyteller show) Denver - Jan 24-27 - Comedy Works Salt Lake - Feb 1-2 - Wiseguys (storyteller shows)
Sam Tripoli met me in LA to talk all the lies, all the deceit, all the coverups, all what they refuse to report on, all the oh you don't even know about that?, all the wake up sheeple, all the conspiracies, all the subversion of the truth that you wanna know about. Sam is the best at this in the comedy world. His podcast, Tin Foil Hat, is Art Bell for the internet generation. It's entertaining, informative, and hilarious every episode. So come join me for some eye opening talk from the guy who's vetted more documents than WikiLeaks, Sam Tripoli Sam has a new special out today!!! "Sam Tripoli's Christmas Extravaganza" AKA "Armogeddon." Rent it for 2 bucks, buy it for 3. Sam Tripoli has been a straight up killer for 2 decades. That special is going to be GREAT!! And that goes with the other part of these two specials filmed on the same night, "Sam Tripoli: Zero Fucks" that he released a couple months ago. It's also available now at a bargain for $2 or $3.
Come with me on a trip down memory lane. To a simpler time. A time when people were different. A time of life, of laughs, and of love. Back. Way back. Back to like 3 weeks ago. Back to 2018. Join me as I relive the year that was. In podcast, travel, drugs, music, and comedy. I go over all that 2018 brought me. Upcoming Road Dates DC - Jan 15 (storyteller show) 6th and I Denver - Jan 24-27 - Comedy Works SLC - Feb 1&2 (storyteller shows) Wiseguys San Diego - Feb 15-17 - La Jolla Comedy Store Los Angeles Feb 19 - Comedy Store Phoenix - March 7 - Standup Live Tempe - March 8&9 - Tempe Improv Miami - March 14 - Miami Improv West Palm - March 15&16 - West Palm Beach Improv Las Vegas - March 21-24 (short sets) - Comedy Cellar Vegas Toronto - April 6 - Danforth Music Hall
Bert Kreischer, Steve Rannazzisi, Ryan O'Neill and I sat in a hot tub in Park City and talked about the past. It was the first night of a week of skiing and storytelling shows and oh what fun it was. Mark Normand joined us a couple days later and after we all got home, he and I did the intro from the Comedy Cellar in NY. It was a fun podcast and probably the least clothed 4 way podcast I've ever done. Just sitting in a jacuzzi in Utah, talking shit.
Greg Stone came over to my apartment to tell me about his time working at an ER. He saw lots of drug addicts and deaths. All pretty interesting stuff. It actually made me consider volunteering at one but then I remembered how lazy I am. Greg's new album, The Amazing Greg Stone, is out now on iTunes and Spotify. Give it a listen today.
Mickey Gall came over to apartment and backyard to talk about what it's like day-to-day to be a professional MMA fighter. It was a real solid look at what it's like to be a typical guy making his living fighting. We got drunk of alcoholic root beers while we did this like real Jersey trash.
Tom Rhodes had me over to his pad to tell me about his unique new album, Around the World. It's a standup look at over 20 cities. So we took the opportunity to get Tom to answer some of my questions about these cities. He's been everywhere. Everywhere! Come along with me and be prepared to get the travel bug. I got it bad for one city from this conversation. Tom Rhodes is gonna take us on a trip around the world!
The epic live table read of my horrible screenplay I wrote in college. I got a group of the funniest comedians around to help me bring this piece of garbage to life. And MAN were they funny. Danish & Oneill provided commentary. Dan Soder played Shooter. Michelle Wolf played the love interest, Jenny. Attell was the bad guy. Tim Dillon was the best friend. And Stavros Halkios and Yannis Pappas played the coach and professor and lots of other roles. Even the audience got involved!
Tim Crockett came back to talk about his EPIC journey rowing solo across the Atlantic ocean. He said he'd do it and he did it. Jesus. 63 days on the water. Rowing. Alone. Just rowing and rowing. For over 2 months. Road Dates Toronto - Danforth Music Hall - April 6 Portland - Alladin Theater - April 26 Seattle - Neptune - April 27 Calgary - May 2 Cleveland - May 9 Omaha - May 17 Columbus - June 14
Tim Ferriss met me in Austin to talk about travel and art and nature and love. He's a hippie. He's what the new version of a hippie is. He makes time to see interesting places around the world. He limits the amount of work work in his life. He's waaaaay into mushrooms. This is what we are now. This is what hippies have become. I'm one, too. It ain't tye-dye hemp shirts and ponytails any more. Road Dates Portland - The Alladin - April 26 Seattle - The Neptune - April 27 Calgary - Yuk Yuks - May 2-4 Cleveland - Hilarities - May 9-11 Omaha - Funny Bone - May 17-18 Columbus - Funny Bone - June 14-15 Brooklyn - Shaffirfest - June 21-23 Indianapolis - Helium - July 31 Milwaukee - Turner Hall - August 4 Atlantic City - The Borgata - September 7 Madison - Comedy on State - September 19-21
Big Jay Oakerson was my surprise opener for my shows in Toronto. This was the most amount of people I had ever played for in a night when I was headlining and Toronto has always been cool to me so I wanted to make it special. So I got a headliner to come open as a surprise treat to the city. We did a podcast about air travel on the way to the airport, in the plane, and at YYZ airport on the way home. Fun episode, funner weekend. And it's kind of like you were there with us. Don't forget to watch Big Jay's set on the Degenerates on Netflix. He's the first comic so just cue it up and press play and you'll see it.
Jessa Reed came over to my old apartment (I think this is the last one from the old place) to tell me about her junkie past. She was a serious meth head. I mean for real. Like, drink your own piss meth. Like, lose your daughter meth. I love hearing about drugs and Jessa did a lot of meth so this one was perfect.
Ron Taylor had a long talk with myself and Steve Simeone about his time living in a van. He used to park it outside the Comedy Store. He'd take chicks there. He'd do horrible bowelly things in there. He'd even cook there. Jesus. What comics will do to survive. This was a really fun one!
Bill Ottman came over to my apartment to try his best to get the idea of crypto currency through my fat skull. For a Jew, it's almost shocking how little I understand about monetary things like this.
Steve Simeone and I sat on the balcony of his new apartment and broke down his new album, Jabba. We talked about the origins of the bits, the messages he had in them, what his theories are on the delivery styles, and much more. You should all go buy a copy of Jabba from iTunes or ApplePlay. It's a really funny album that would make a GREAT Fathers Day present. Buy it today and send it to your dad. This really was made for him. Unless your dad is dead. Then I guess SUCKS TO BE YOU!!!
I am going offline for a while. I want to clear my head of all the noise and clutter that the internet has been throwing at me. It's become a net negative in my life and I want to find myself and my own thoughts again. So I'm taking a digital vacation. A detox, if you will, from all the noise. I'll be back in August but I scheduled two podcasts to go up that month so you're not completely without content. Subscribe and you'll be notified when those go live. See you around.
Chuck Palahniuk had me over to his Portland writing office to tell me about the heyday of the Portland Cacophony Society. It's this crazy group that pulled large scale pranks on the minds of normal people. I mean I am full on in love with these guys! You gotta hear the great stuff they pulled.
A homeless non-binary person let me sit with her and talk about what it's like to live on the street and beg for change. Spange is a homeless term that means spare change. I think it's a verb. Anyway, that's what Tall Boy does. Spange for food money. It was interesting to hear some actual humanity from people we often see as invisible.
Sam Morril and I went to see Tarantino's new movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" and then came back to my place, got drunk off scotch and talked about what we saw. There are spoilers in this. They start at 51:00. So only listen to this if you already watched the movie, if you're never going to see it, or if you don't give a crap about spoilers. We definitely also meandered a ton so it's probably about 42% about the movie. Check out @SamMorril on twitter and instagram. And listen to his podcasts, "Keeping Joe" and "Pod Don't Lie." Ari's Road Dates Atlantic City - 9/7 Madison WI - 9/19-21 Brea CA - 9/26-28 Dallas TX - 10/3 Houston TX - 10/4-5 Nashville TN - 10/17-19 San Jose CA - 11/7-9 Detroit MI - 11/14 Chicago, IL - 11/16 Cincinatti OH - 11/17
Xavier Himma met me on the roof of my apartment to tell me about his amazing bike ride from Ottawa to Argentina. I've never even heard of such a thing. Be aware that the first 3 minutes of the interview the sound goes a little down and up but then it evens out for the remainder. Regardless, it was such an interesting conversation and an amazing adventure to hear about. It makes me want to get out into the world again. Check out Xavier's Vlog on YouTube at YouTube.com/HumOfTheEarth where he shows video of all the crazy places he's been on that damn bike. The new Skeptic Tank Patreon is up at: https://www.patreon.com/skeptictank
Let me tell you about the month I took off from screens. All July. No texting, no computer. Only a land line. It was weird for sure, but it was also kind of glorious.
Adbusters Editor in Chief, Kalle Lasn met me in his office at the magazine to talk to me about the revolution. I see it going down only with violence but he is far more hopeful about the ways in which we're going to change the systems in place. He's a brilliant man and it was such a treat to get to sit down with him and hear him say out loud some of the ideas he's been putting forth in Adbusters. Tour Dates: Madison - September 19-21 Winnipeg - September 22 Brea - September 26-28 San Antonio - October 2 Dallas - October 3 Houston - October 4-5 Nashville - October 19-21 San Jose - November 7-9 Detroit - November 14 Chicago - November 16 Cincinatti - November 17 The Music: Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised T. Rex - Children Of The Revolution Black Sabbath - War Pigs H.A.L. - Daisy, Daisy Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome
Sal Vulcano and I both went to WWE's Smackdown on September 10, 2019. It was Sal's 80th WWE event. It was my first. I had SO many question. So Sal came over to my apartment 6 days later to tell me all the ins and outs of that world so I could make sense of what I had seen. Road Dates (tix at arishaffir.com) Madison (Sep 19-21) Winnipeg (Sep 22) Brea, CA (Sep 26-28) San Antonio (Oct 2) Dallas (October 3) Houston (October 4&5) Chicago (November 16) The Music Weezer - El Scorcho The Novas - The Crusher Motorhead - The Game Beth Orton - Stolen Car
Big Jay Oakerson (43:45) and I went up to the roof to talk about smoking. How he started, how he tries to quit, how cool it is, what it does to you, the smell. Really all of it. As we did it, he smoked a cigarette and I smoked a cigar. Tour Dates Brea - September 26-28 San Antonio - Oct 2 Dallas - October 3 Houston - October 4-5 Nashville - Oct 17-19 San Jose - November 7-9 Detroit - November 14 Cincinatti - November 17 Chicago - November 16 The Music Tex Williams - Smoke Smoke Smoke (the Cigarette) Motley Crue - Smoking In The Boys Room Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees - Nicotine Stains UGK (feat Too Short) - Cigarette
Dave Smith joins me for our annual look at how things are going in America. We talk about politics, climate, drugs, economics, and everything else we can think of. Dave is really well read and neither democrat nor republican so he never falls into the trap of having to defend the views of any one party. This is also the first video podcast in Skeptic Tank history. Go to my youtube page or http://arishaffir.com to watch it. Upcoming Tour Dates: (http://www.arithegreat.com for tickets) San Antonio - October 2 Dallas - October 3 Houston - October 4/5 Nashville - October 17/18/19 San Jose - November 7/8/9 Detroit - November 14 Chicago - November 16 Cincinatti - November 17 The Music Chuck Berry - Back In The USA NOFX - We Called It America Night Ranger - You Can Still Rock In America Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom James Brown - Living In America
Brian Redban took me into his new podcast studio to talk about the early days of the podcast scene in Los Angeles. When everything was guerrilla. When it was fresh and new and nobody knew what it was gonna turn into. It was such a crazy time and Redban was right there helping form the scene. From the Joe Rogan podcast, to mine, to Segura's, and lots more, he helped build the scene from the ground up. We talked about what it was like, what podcasts have turned into, and where it's going now. I'm telling you, this episode got me so hyped up to put out the coolest content I can. You're all gonna benefit over the next few years because of this conversation. Tour Dates Nashville - October 17/18/19 - Zanies San Jose - November 7/8/9 - Improv Detroit - November 14 - The Magic Bag Chicago - November 16 - The Vic Cincinnati - November 17 - Funny Bone The Music NOFX - The Marxist Bros. The Godfather Theme Rage Against The Machine - Guerrilla Radio Monty Python - Brian Song
Milo Yiannopoulos came over to my apartment to have one of my favorite talks ever on this podcast. It's a talk about trolling. Milo is one of the best in the world at it. This is gonna take you a week to listen to. The intro goes for 57 minutes alone. You can skip it if you want, but it's 53 minutes of content that you'll be missing about my own start in trolling. Trolls are the most maligned and misunderstood of all the world's artist. And I don't use the term "artist" lightly. Trolling is an art form. I've been looking forward to this episode for months now. And you're going to love it or ABSOLUTELY HATE IT. I hope you're the former. But if you're the latter, then we got you. You've been trolled. pWn3d. Tour Dates Nashville - Oct 17-19 San Jose - Nov 7-9 Chicago - Nov 16 tix at www.arithegreat.com
I am so freaking DONE with this month. It's the worst. It's not even difficult being sober. It's just boring. Really really boring. In years past I could occupy myself with a contest against my friends but there's not even a contest this year. It's just a play along. God, I hate it. I'm bored as hell and I'm over it. I am over Sober October.
Mike Cannon met me at Gas Digital to tell me about his old days as a total meathead who legit took steroids. I'm not even kidding. You can't believe how much of an idiot this guy was. He's normal now, but he was a juice head moron back in the day. We also talked a lot about our mutual love for underground back room poker games. And go see Mike record his first comedy special this Monday, November 4, at the Village Underground in Manhattan. Tickets at http://www.MikeCannonComedy.com Tour Schedule (tix at http://arishaffir.com/tour: San Jose - November 7, 8, 9 Detroit (sold out) - Nov. 14 Chicago - November 16 Cincinnati - November 17
In honor of me announcing the date of my long awaited standup special recording for "Ari Shaffir: Jew," I brought on some friends to talk about Jews. Sam Tripoli, Michael Rappaport (just walking by and joined in), Ryan O'Neill, Steve Rannazzisi, Tony Hinchcliffe, Boon Shaka Laka, and Steve Simeone. With a bonus set from Jeremiah Watkins's show "Standup On The Spot" where I riff off what people in the audience throw out. Ari Shaffir: Jew records February 8 in New York City. https://tickets.nyu.edu/overview/arishaffir?psn=arishaffir
Jimmy Dore met me at All Things Comedy studios to explain to me exactly what a progressive is. I've found more and more that I relate to his views on politics more than most people. The distrust in journalism, the desire to get out of war, the feeling that the government is neither left nor right but rather serving the people or serving themselves. He's a passionate man and you can find lots of his stuff on youtube on The Jimmy Dore Show. By the way, this took me fucking 4 days to edit and export in iMovie. I have GOT to get a producer to do this stuff for me. I just don't think anyone will get the music stuff down the way I'd like it done. But right now this is not worth the time I'm spending on it. Road Dates I will be off the road in December but in January I'm in: Spokane - January 2-4 Hawaii - January 16-19 (tickets on sale next week Atlanta, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Maine (all on sale next week) New York - February 7-8 (the taping of my new standup special, Ari Shaff
Jessica Kirson met me at Gas Digital studios to tell me about what her daughter has been going through with heart surgeries. Her kid was born with major heart problems so she's been through multiple surgeries before she was 4 years old. So she's spent tons of times at Children's Hospital. It's crazy what Children's Hospital does for some of these kids. Jessica has seen it all while she's been there. Both with her own daughter and with other people's kids as well. Make sure to watch her debut special on http://www.comedycentral.com that's out right now! She fucking kills! The Music: I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack Jessica - Rick Springfield Hospital Food - Eels I Will Survive - Cake
2019 was a great year for me. They're all great years, to be honest. But 2019 was no different. Come along as I go over all my favorite podcasts, standup shows, travels, and details of another year where I'm lucky to be doing something I love.
Adrienne Iapalucci came over to my hotel room in Spokane and we sat and talked about dogs for almost 2 hours. She's been a long time dog freak and so have I. And I just recently got my first dog ever so now I can finally join in the conversation from the point of view of an owner. Adrienne is hilarious and you gotta watch her Netflix set on season 2 of The Degenerates. She's also been opening for me for the last year or two so if you've ever wanted to know who that Dark Queen was that went on before me, now you know.
Roberty "Bobby" Kelly had me over to the YKWD studios to record an album commentary episode of Skeptic Tank on his first comedy album, Robert Kelly Live. On these episodes I break down a comic's (usually) first album and we discuss all the things that went into making all the jokes, recording the album, how their styles have changed, what inspired the bits, and all sorts of stuff from an academic point of view on comedy. We did this to help promote Robert's set on season 2 of The Degenerates on Netflix. So make sure to open up Netflix and watch Bobby's set on there. My final dates for Ari Shaffir: Jew are: Oahu - Jan 15 Maui - Jan 17 Kauai - Jan 19 Portland - Jan 23 Pittsburgh - Jan 25 Charlotte - Jan 26 New York - Feb 7 and 8 Tickets are at http://www.arishaffir.com/tour
Chino LaForge met me before one of our shows to tell me about the history of the country of Hawaii. I think it ain't even really part of America. Honestly. I know it is, but I don't agree. Chino broke down all the history and then we moved on to what it's like there now. Really interested conversation.
Mark Normand became the first (and only) guest in the newly built Skeptic Tank Studio! This was recorded March 17, the first day bars and restaurants were closed in New York. We talked about what it was doing to standup, our fears, made jokes about everything, and drank some ice cold Coronas while we did it. This podcast is also the first on the new Skeptic Tank youtube channel. (youtube.com/SkepticTank) Check that out for full episodes, episode clips, brand new podcasts, and lots of new content. And subscribe! That's where all the live episodes will live from now on as opposed to the other YouTube channel that was just a still picture with the audio over it. Nobody knew how far Covid 19 would go and nobody was yet saying even not to meet up with friends. But in between recording this podcast, and before my interview the next day, it started to seem more like a health risk to have a guest and my producer come to the studio. So we called it off until we learned more. But before we did,
Sean Patton becomes the first Skeptic Tank guest to ever appear via webcam to tell me about what New Orleans was like for him in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Pretty much Skeptic Tank is the only podcast where you'll hear about stuff like this in a funny podcast. Anyway, that time seemed to me to have a lot of parallels to what's going on right now. So he told me about some of the stuff that went down out there. Really great, funny conversation that helped me deal with quarantine zero percent better so don't expect any answers. Check out Sean's podcast, "5 Words." I'll be on in a couple weeks. And please help support him if you can, by downloading his new standup album, Scuttlebutt.
Duncan Trussell and I talked about LSD for about 2 hours. Nobody in my life is more of an acidhead than Duncan. He knows the history, the risks, the joys, all of it. We did this in honor of Bicycle Day, which is April 19. The day LSD was first ingested intentionally by Albert Hofmann. Also, the excuse for having this conversation at all was so I could help tell the world about Duncan's new Netflix show, "The Midnight Gospel." It's starts 4/20 on Netflix. All the episodes available at once. He did it with Pendleton Ward, the guy who made Adventure Time. I haven't been this excited for a new show in maybe forever! I'm not even exaggerating. Duncan's mind works on another level and this is so clearly a product of all the weird creativity he's been developing over the last 20 years that I've known him. For sure set a reminder in your Netflix settings to watch The Midnight Gospel as soon as it comes out!
Joe List has a bad attitude and a worse stomach. He ate nothing but chicken parm sandwiches and Chipotle for the last 14 years and then for some reason, one day last year his stomach just stopped working. He has silent reflux. And it's a bigger problem than heart disease, Covid, comedy bloggers, and emotional support peacocks. There's a lot of talk about male ejaculate in a podcast about glorified heartburn. Listen to Joe on one of his two podcasts, the new Mindful Metal Jacket (I was on episode 11) or the ever popular Tuesdays with Stories that he does with Mark Normand. The Music The White Coffin Terror - Silent Night Deadly Night Future (feat Andre 3000) - Benz Friendz Duran Duran - The Reflex Simon and Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence
Jessica Michelle Singleton came on to talk to me about taking a 10 day vow of silence for Vipassana meditation. I tried it a few years ago and failed. Still got a ton out of it. But she made it all the way through. And this conversation really reminded me of everything I got out of it even though I didn't make it. It's so good for you! Jessica Michelle Singleton has two podcasts. "Ignorance is #Blessed" and "Two Filthy Nerds." She's also related to the most prolific standup comedians of the last decade. The Music Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet No Doubt - Don't Speak Macklemore - Vipassana Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence Mazzy Star - Sweet Mary of Silence
Robert Kelly joins me for the first in a series of podcasts where I'm just gonna do some wishful thinking. Fun podcast with a good friend. It's nothing serious. It's all about the stuff we've been thinking about doing. For now, it's because we can't really do anything. A year from now, it'll probably be about the things in life we've been procrastinating. But this is now. And Bobby goes over all the stuff he's been itching to do. These don't have to be the most important things. These are just some activities that have been bouncing around in his head. 1) Walking Around The Mall 2) Cigar Bars 3) Staring at Girls 4) Hanging Out At Comedy Clubs with Comics 5) Hotel Room on a Saturday Night when the Week is Over The Music Sam Cooke - Another Saturday Night Biz Marquee - Albee Square Mall Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends Mika - Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)
Joey Diaz is one of my all time stealing heroes. He is an inspiration to shoplifters everywhere. Even though he's semi-retired since having a child, his legend lives on. This episode is all about stealing. From one of the former greats to a current title contender. Please steal this episode. This episode is brought to you by sheathunderwear.com. Use promo code "Ari" to get 20% off your first order. The Music The Smiths - Shoplifters of the World Unite Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike Max Romeo - Stealing in the Name of Jah Etta James - Steal Away
Mark Normand, fresh off the success of his new special "Out To Lunch" (available now on YouTube), met me on the deserted streets of New York to play the 5 things we miss game. We probably got to like 2. Maaaaaaaybe 3. But who cares really? Mark is hilarious and this episode was funny as crap with broccoli. I should legitimately have this guy on once a month. Make sure to watch Mark's special, "Out To Lunch" now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDolNU89SXI&t=170s This episode is brought to you by http://sheathunderwear.com. Use promo code "Ari" to get 20% off your first order! The Music Counting Crows - Round Here Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner Missing Persons - Walking in L.A. Sex Pistols- Pretty Vacant
Garron Kertnen Chiu met me at a Hong Kong comedy club to tell me about the protests for autonomy that have been going on there over the past year or so. All the important details, like how do you get tear gas out of your eyes, protesting on shrooms, and much more! It's a real Skeptic Tank classic. And this episode almost definitely inspired similar protests all over America. Am I a hero? Yes.
Sam Morril hung out with me in my backyard to tell me what he's been missing lately. He's so damn funny. Please everybody watch his new special, "I Got This" on YouTube now. I guarantee he'll be a household name to anybody who like standup at all in the next two years. He's too funny not to be known. And we just talked about stuff he's been missing. A lot of it made me realize that I miss the same thing. Watch Sam's Special here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xo3Fq7GGWk&t=334s 1) Sports 2) Movies 3) Comedy 4) Social Anxiety 5) Smell of Pizza The Music Lou Monte - Pizza Boy USA Lil Bow Wow - Basketball The Drifters - Saturday Night At The Movies Chris Rock - How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Cops This episode is brought to you by Patreon. Join my Patreon to get an extra episode every week (pretty much but also sometimes you get two episodes so whatever, it works out for you. Lately I've been doing these travel stories that go along with a picture I took from my travels but then
Andrew Santino met me for the last podcast in my quarantine to talk about the wet brown devil, whisky. Bourbon, Scotch, Rye, you know what I'm talking about. It's my favorite alcohol. For when I want to smoke cigars, for when I want to be surly, for when I want to relax, for when I'm drinking. Andrew is a hilarious comic and you should DEFINITELY go see him if he's in your town. But since that looks like it might never happen again, watch his show "Dave" on FX. It's as funny as you can get for not being standup. If you want to order the shroomfest shirt, you have till Thursday to get it in time for the holiday. Wear it with pride. https://podcastmerch.com/products/shroomfest-2020-presale-shirt?utm_source=shortlink&utm_lkey=i7h0e The Music Willie Nelson - Whisky River Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whisky Flamin Groovies - Whisky Woman The Dubliners - Whiskey In The Jar Muddy Waters - Whisky You Ain't No Good
Big Jay Oakerson came to the studio to talk to me about Cops. His favorite show in the history of television just got BLMed so he's in a bit of a state of mourning. And when I say favorite, I mean of the 150 times I've stopped by his apartment, he's been watching Cops 80 of those times. I honestly don't know what else he does with his time. Big Jay is a hilarious comic. Check out his instagram and twitter at @BigJayOakerson and all his tour dates at Bigjaycomedy.com The Music A$AP Rocky - Dreams Inner Circle - Bad Boys KRS One - Sound of the Police The Strokes - NY City Cops
John Dennehy came over to talk to me about Ecuador. Specifically about the 2005 People's Revolution that toppled their government. John was there for all of it. He even helped set up road blocks during the protests. Really interesting stuff that seems kind of extra relevant this week, huh? He also told me hella stuff about Ecuador. From the food, to the roads, to the customs, to the crazy obsession with 2 dollar bills. It was a crash course in a country that I desperately needed a crash course on. It's useful and interesting stuff about an amazing paisa. John wrote a book that I just finished reading called "Illegal." It's about being deported, about illegally crossing back over that border again and again, about love, about my balls, about standing up for what you believe in, and it's about following your heart. There's a ton of ideology hidden inside the plot that had me thinking about stuff all week after reading what he wrote.
It's time for my annual Year In Review podcast. This ain't about what happened in the world. This is about what happened in the world of the greatest living athlete, Ari Shaffir. It was a wild one. Full of ups and downs syndromes. 2019 had more twists than a, than a, I don't know. Than a really twisty thing. It was such a long one I decided to cut it up into 7 parts. This is part one, New Orleans, Hawaii, and Preparing For My Next Standup Special." I'll release a new one every day this week, so make sure to subscribe and check back here every day for a new episode. Thank you to my sponsor, 3Chi.com. Use promo code "Skeptic" at checkout for 5% off your order of Delta 8 and THC products. The Music Ben Folds - 2019 Travelling Wilburies - Tweeter and the Monkey Please subscribe to my Patreon at Patreon.com/AriShaffir for bonus content and just to insure that I never back down.
Troll of the Year. On part 2 of My 2020 Year in Review podcast I talk about how I brought a city to its knees. With a few expertly timed and crafted words I made Los Angeles crumble. It was hilarious. Even the comedy world wasn’t immune from my power. While most standups laughed and were tremendously supportive, a few comedians fell to my power. Some who had previously held that jokes were always just jokes, for the first time in their lives took the side of the censors. They had never been so expertly triggered before and they lost their minds. And we all laughed at them. It was one my greatest trolls, if not my greatest. It made hypocrites out of the mighty and showed the world how much they overvalued the lives of celebrities. Their anger was my applause. Their threats of violence were my standing ovation. I am God. The Music Distillers - City of Angels Please subscribe to my Patreon.com/AriShaffir so that I can keep making jokes I find funny without having to worry too much about
Covid changed a lot for a lot of people. Bezos is killing it more than ever. And whoever owns Purell. But for the rest of us things went off the rails. With the March lockdown looming, standup comedian and yoga guru Ari Shaffir decided to take his dog and go live with his parents out in the suburbs. In part 3 of my 2020 Year in Review podcast, I talk about living with my parents. My NYC apartment didn't seem like the best place to be forced to stay inside all day. So I left the city I love to have a unique and lovely time with my mom and dad. To get to hang out with your mother and father for that amount of time, as an adult, is an experience I'll never get to have again and I'm eternally thankful to that bat dude in China for making it happen. My dog loved it, too. All she did all day was figure out ways to escape the yard and run into the woods to chase deer. While my friends were busy signing hundred million dollar deals, I was busy nailing mesh fencing to trees. Wouldn't trade
In part 4 of My 2020 Year in Review podcast, I talk about returning to New York City. I am standup comedian Ari Shaffir. And I'm only a standup comedian while I'm doing standup comedy. Otherwise, I'm just the internet's greatest yogi. Things in New York were starting to open up again. So I made my return. And what a great decision that was. New York was ALIVE. People were drinking in the streets. All our comedian friends were hanging out. They say crime was up, and if crime includes drug use, then yeah, my crime was WAAAAY up. Molly flowed. Booze flowed. Weed flowed. The cokeheads and the potheads came to terms with each other and met in the middle at the bar. Everybody was happy. And standup was the coolest it's been in decades. Comics were responding to things. Not just doing well written jokes about nothing. Now we had BLM, Covid, the elections, Ellen, and so much more to talk about. It felt important. I loved it! We all gotta figure out a way to hold onto the good parts of this sum
I almost forgot about the election that saved comedy. Not the presidential election. No, that doesn't really matter. We're still gonna be at war with 7 countries and watch the rich get richer and the poor get poorer regardless of who won that. I'm talking about the Legion of Skanks election. I decided to run for the president of someone else's podcast. I'm Ari Shaffir, and I stand for Mayhem. Every week, I would offer a different sacrifice at the alter of comedy. And in return, the gods of laughs rewarded me with the highest office in the land. During this recap, I didn't even remember some of the best stuff that happened. There was way more about this than I remembered while avoiding sheep poop. I forgot making Derosa wait downstairs in the sweaty basement just to get betrayed like a chump when he came upstairs. I forgot getting the best celebrity endorsements and then getting Big Jay's family and Luis's son to endorse me. Dave Smith's jerk of a daughter refused to betray him.
With the winter approaching, and the threat of lockdowns looming, I decided to leave the country to do some exploring. Ari Shaffir loves to travel. And what a better time than now. It's scary to do, but once I made the decision it became a lot easier. This episode of My 2020 Year In Review podcast breaks down why I decided to hit the road, how I chose where I would go, and what things are like where I went. My first week was scary, just like every time I travel. But then I settled in and figured out all the best places to get food poisoning, how to properly wrap up pooped-on toilet paper for the garbage since you're not allowed to flush it here, and the process of finding weed. This runs all the way through December 31 and the most unique New Year's celebration I've ever taken part in. Please sign up for my patreon! Bonus content all the time. Plus access to exclusive merch. And early access to some of the podcasts.
I try to do these public resolutions every year. That way I'm more likely to stand by them. Everybody should make resolutions. They're not lame. They're goals. It's important to verbalize where you want to go this year and what you want to do. These are the goals of me, Ari Shaffir. Please leave in the comments your own goals. Maybe we can steal some of each other's. Here are mine in no order: Read two books Finish writing my book Make a standup special for someone Go to 2 new countries (maybe 3) 100,000 YouTube subscribers 3,000 Patreon subscribers Reach out to comics going through public trouble Remember the great parts of 2020 Please sign up for My Patreon. Not many more till I start my follow up on there to each Skeptic Tank and answer any questions the patrons have about the episode. I get how frustrating I can be with my half finished stories and questions I forgot to ask. This'll be your chance to hold me accountable.
Brendan Sagalow is a master at getting turned down by women. “I just don’t see you like that,” they tell him. It’s called being put in the friend zone. And it happens to Brendan A LOT. Join us as we discuss this horrible phenomenon. Ari Shaffir and Brendan Sagalow have been turned down by over 200 women. 1 by Ari and then Brendan picked up the slack. Don’t forget to buy or download Sagalow's new album, “Not Now More Than Ever.” Brendan Sagalow is one of the best up and coming comics in New York. When he’s not eating 6 meals a day, he’s busy doing spot after spot to work on his craft. And his hard work has paid off. Grab his album today! https://tlbrecords.lnk.to/BrendanTW And listen to his podcast, Garbage Days: https://brendansagalow.squarespace.com/garbage-days-podcast Patreon: Please help support me by joining my Patreon. For $5 a month, it pays part of the salaries of the people who made this video. The other part comes from selling blood on weekends.
Bonnie Willow is a super interesting woman I met in a hostel in the Andes. She is a Reiki Master and Inter-Faith Minister. Bonnie also runs a school, The School of Peace. I don’t even know how to describe it. It's about spirituality. And about energy healing, cleaning your insides. We sat in the setting sun and talked about meditation, consciousness, and a lot of other really heady stuff that I, standup comedian @Ari Shaffir, have tons of trouble wrapping my head around. I know a lot of this is going to sound like hocus pocus to much of my audience. But for those of you who get a spark out of what we were talking about, I encourage you to reach out to Bonnie to ask her whatever you want or just to tell her you enjoyed the conversation. It was a fascinating talk and I’m lucky that my travels put me in contact with such unique people.
Donate to Adrienne on Paypal Donate to Adrienne on Venmo We’re trying something different this week. I, Ari Shaffir, am bringing you an entire album of one of my favorite comedians in the world. For free. Adrienne Iapalucci has been opening for me for the last couple years. Anyone who saw my Jew hour and thought, “Fuck, that lady was dark” knows what I’m talking about. You know why I refer to her as “The Dark Queen.” And that’s what she is. Standup comedian Adrienne Iapalucci is a cold-blooded dark joke writer. Following her every night forced me to improve my punchlines. I’m not exaggerating. She’s that good. If you saw her open for me, you know I’m right. This pandemic has hit her really hard, though. She was about to start headlining so much that she wasn’t going to be available to me and my crowds any more. And then this virus changed everything. It took away our ability to perform. There’s no more income.
Standup comedian Keith Robinson joins standup comedian Ari Shaffir this week to tell me about his stroke. I had a lot of questions. And Keith was forthcoming and hilarious. My favorite kind of guest. Keith is one of the most giving comedians on the planet. You can trace tons of great comics who point to him as one of the biggest influences on their careers and their lives. He looks out for young comedians, especially the ones from Philadelphia. It really makes me want to work harder to help younger comics. And I already do plenty. But Keith Robinson makes me want to do even more. ✦ Follow Keith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1keithrobinson ✦ For all of Ari's projects and accounts: https://linktr.ee/RIPAriShaffir Music: Toni Braxton - Unbreak My Heart The Strokes - Is This It? Billie Joel - Movin’ Out Marvin Gaye - Don’t Do it Thanks to our Artists: Patrick Holbert - @theholbertreport - Editing Marisa Pellegrino - @marisa_pellegrino - Editing Becky Rodriguez - @humanplac3s - Production
Standup Comedian Matteo Lane comes on Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank this week to tell me all about gay culture. It’s FASCINATING. And it’s changed so much since I first discovered gays back in college. Matteo Lane is one of the most interesting and rational people to talk to at the back table of the Comedy Cellar and I’m glad to finally get him on the podcast. We talked about Prep, blasting loads into butts, Grinder, cheating, and anything else I could think of to ask him about what it’s like being gay these days. Such a fun one. â—† Check out Matteo's podcast "Inside The Closet with Matteo Lane & Emma Willmann"!
My guest today Nate Bargatze and I are talking about Hollywood, and its pontifical actors who can’t seem to stop gabbing. They give us their opinions constantly, all day long, and most of the time without doing any research or taking the time to educate themselves beforehand. Or it's the self-important cause that they’re shoving in your face. But a lot of people are struggling, and Hollywood just keeps talking down to you. It’s infuriating, and we can’t stand it or them. Us comics, on the other hand, like to stay in our lane. We try to tell jokes, make you laugh. Not telling you how to live or what the deal is with this or that. And Nate does just that. His output & the level that he’s hitting on stage is amazing. He crushes it every time. An interesting thing about his stand-up, which has nothing to do with his success — is that he’s incredibly clean. But you wouldn’t necessarily notice it unless it’s pointed out. You can’t go wrong with his stuff. You will go wrong with my stuff.
A celebration of marijuana in honor of the 420th episode of Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank Podcast. I got my friends and comedians Duncan Trussell, Dan Soder, Tony Hinchcliffe, Steve Rannazzisi, Sal Vulcano, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Mark Normand to all tell me their favorite weed stories. We got into how we started smoking, the munchies, gettting TOO high, and so much more. I forgot about almost all of this as soon as I finished recording it because of weed. So watch or listen to this today and then again on April 20th once you’ve forgotten everything. Light one up and join us!
Ian Fidance and I took a drive down to New Jersey and talked and laughed about his weird level of sexuality. He’s got some unique views on sex and love and whether or not he’s gay. I assumed he was at least bi but he doesn’t agree. It’s a fun driving episode that I’m gonna do more of. I think the last one I did like this was with Duncan Trussell talking about Buddhism. Solid way to multitask while putting other drivers and pedestrians in grave danger. â–» Watch @Bi Guys Podcast on YouTube here: https://bit.ly/2Pvk01l â–» Listen to Ian’s Infinite Playlist Live Fridays, 1PM on @SiriusXM Channel 99 or on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3dmDKw0 The Music- Living Colour - Bi Glory Hallelujah at Dallas Police Memorial Joan Jett - I Hate Myself For Loving You Book of Love - Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls Go to KushyDreams.com and enter promo code “Ari” for 15% off your order!
Comedian and Political Scientist Andrea Jones-Rooy came over to talk to standup comedian @Ari Shaffir about her time being a circus performer in Shanghai, China. That is correct. It’s one of the more interesting episodes of Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank you’re ever going to hear. Andrea made me miss Shanghai. Even though I’m traveling right now, this podcast made me have wanderlust. She made me homesick for being away from home. And what a story! Andrea Jones-Rooy got into circus performing in one of the wildest cities in the world, Shanghai. I did the intro in a river tributary in South America. It’s a podcast that’s gonna make you want to leave. Wherever you are, you’re going to want to leave. Check out Andrea's podcast @AskaPoliticalScientist https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSk4eWAHQYnG4CgyGjXnxHw Follow Andrea on Twitter and Instagram @JonesRooy http://www.jonesrooy.com/ Join Ari’s Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/skeptictank The Music: Brittney Spears - Circus Shigeru Umebayashi
Lead singer of Pinc Louds, Claudi, sat down with standup comedian @Ari Shaffir in Tompkins Square Park NYC to talk about busking and street performing in general. The summer could have gone in two directions. We could have shut ourselves in, and given into the gloom and doom of the news, or we could've gotten out there and taken back our city. And Pinc Louds were among the many outsider artists who took charge and said "We're not going down without a fight." That fight involved socially distanced mosh pits and meetups in the park to watch some actual live music. We could've lost this summer, but at least in the East Village of New York City, Pinc Louds saved it. Pinc Louds saved our summer. Podcaster Ari Shaffir interviews Claudi of Pinc Louds about one of the most interesting summers in New York City's history.
Mark Normand and I take a drivecast down to Pennsylvania for a show at SoulJoel’s Comedy Amphitheater. And we shot the shit the whole drive. I’ve always heard podcasts described as two friends talking in the front seat while you’re listening from the backseat. Well, here we are. An actual conversation from two of your best comedy buddies from the front seat.
Comedians Kevin Ryan and H. Foley from the @AreYouGarbage? Comedy Podcast joins standup comedian and your host Ari Shaffir in Kevin’s mom’s basement to talk about what makes someone human trash. The intro was recorded in front of a White Castle because obviously. No podcast has better locations than Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank. Kippy and Herbert are experts on garbage people. H. Foley has been at the forefront of the Flaming Hot Cheetos revolution for years and Kevin Ryan is well known in the comedy community for clipping his toenails on the subway. Please start telling friends about this show. Make sure to hit subscribe so you’re notified of new episodes and videos but also really really tell everybody on your social media about Skeptic Tank and the @Ari Shaffir YouTube channel so people discover this thing & we can all help annoy the squares who hate weird, dirty, offensive, drug-related, and/or outsider material that bothers non-fans so much.
Standup comedian Robert Kelly and standup comedian Ari Shaffir share their plan for world domination in a public Patreon episode. This is the kind of thing I do all the time on Patreon behind the paywall but I didn’t have a podcast for this week. So my lack of responsibility is your win!
Comedian Graham Kay has been fired more than anyone on Earth. Stand-up comedian Ari Shaffir, fresh off not appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast for two years and before that losing his own show 'This Is Not Happening,' now sits down with Graham to discuss the many times he’s been fired. The intro covers some of Ari’s own firings even though he left off getting fired from his own stupid show that he’s just realizing now would’ve been a solid thing to talk about instead of the same Domino’s story he’s told like 80 times already. Although, to be fair, he wasn't exactly fired from that show as much as blackmailed and forced to step aside. Plus stay tuned for the outro where Ari also profits off another comedian’s hard work. "Chinese Democracy" by Bill Burr (Official Blog of Comedian, Bill Burr: Tuesday, March 4, 2008):
Comedian Kim Congdon is fucking nuts. Standup comedian and your host Ari Shaffir sits down with this crazy Chonga to discuss the origins of the stereotype of the fiery Latin woman and how wild and fun it can be to observe her in action. She has always frightened me with her crazy Puerto Rican-style rage. The intro is live from the Mexico City Central Parque de Perros. Viva Puerto Ricas! Make sure to listen to Kim’s podcast, @Broad Topix because if her numbers don’t increase by 17% or more she’s going to slash my front left tire. And subscribe to Ari’s Patreon so he can afford witness relocation after Congdon decides she’s gotta deal with this puta judeo.
Standup comedian and host of The Bonfire and Legion of Skanks (in that order) Big Jay Oakerson talks about his struggle with anxiety disorder with comedian and host of nothing Ari Shaffir. Jay really went through it, man. He was fine and then one afternoon, he wasn’t. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think straight, and the walls started crashing in. Ari has always been intrigued by mental disorders and this is the first time he has been able to really take a deep dive into anxiety. It was a very revealing and interesting discussion. Check out Big Jay Oakerson every week on the Legion of Skanks podcast. Ari Shaffir is the President of that podcast. Shane Gillis is the Vice President. Big Jay holds no office. Check out Ari’s Patreon. This week he & Chris O’Connor riff on the topics and questions you submitted in a really fun mailbag episode.
Host of the Cumtown podcast Stavros Halkias joins standup comedian Ari Shaffir for a relationship and sex advice episode of Skeptic Tank. This is a “Dear Ari” relationship advice episode that’s usually available on Patreon only but in honor of Juneteenth, we’re making this one available to the public. Standup comedian Stavros Halkias and former friend of Bert Kreischer’s wife Ari Shaffir answer Patron submitted questions about wild sex, lame friends, and partners who pork out. This is the most important thing to happen to the country since Joe Biden reverse rammed Donald Trump and the drippings got imported by a viral lab on Wuhan and the rest was history. Please sign up for Ari’s Patreon for more fun content like this and to keep hot loads all over his chest.
Space Cakes, Gummies, Brownies, chocolates, and the legendarily deadly Banana Bread. Comedian Brendan’s Sagalow and standup comedian Mile Cannon talk to standup comedian and creator of This is Not Happening Ari Shaffir about the dark arts of the baking world. It was a fun podcast about edible marijuana. You’ll be laughing the whole time. Ari has been friends with the true dose king Joey Díaz for over 20 years so you know Ari has accidentally gotten bonked on edibles far more than the average person has ever even taken them. The intro is full of a couple of good UFC on edibles stories. And the outro has a good story about acid at a UFC in one of the very few moments where Joe Rogan was jealous of us.
Comedian and homosexual child predator Luis Gomez talks to pot-stirrer and comedian Ari Shaffir about his old days selling comedy tickets to classless tourists in Times Square. The stories were WILD. Stories of sex and violence and an early Kurt Metzger. The podcast starts inside and then moves outdoors to Times Square to try and find some of these hustlers still working the beat. Plus Luis tries to make some sales himself to these idiots and even makes one. If this doesn’t want to make you go to Skankfest November 4-7 (that’s right, they’re announcing more programming for the 4th) I don’t know what will. Maybe you suck and you don’t like great comedy. Or good comedy at least. The point is, Luis is homosexual. The whole comedy scene knows it and they just go on as if it’s nothing and we shouldn’t warn the gays that he’s coming for their butts. SKANKFEST SOUTH - NOVEMBER 5-7, 2021 | HOUSTON, TX: TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Former fatty and current standup comedian Ari Shaffir talks to world-renowned weight fluctuator and comedian Maddy Smith about her massive weight gains and losses and then gains again and then losses and then pass outs and then weight gains and then anorexia and then back to normal. Nobody gives better weight loss tips than anorexics and Maddy has some great advice if you’re trying to shed a few pounds. I mean, don’t be anorexic, but also definitely do listen to their ideas on weight loss because obviously. Ari is of Semitic heritage so his reaction to the sun in this video is massively more comfortable than the Irish and melting Maddy. Don’t forget to order your 2021 Shroomfest shirts now as well as the Alice in Wonderland shirt and the Aricat shirt.
Star of the League, shoplifter, and standup comedian Steve Rannazzisi talks to tagged stealer of Netflix passwords, and standup comedian Ari Shaffir about breaking the law. These two friends of 20 years riff on Patreon submitted stories of run-ins with the police. There’s a great story about eluding military police. It’s part of a series called “Arresting Content” that Ari usually does as one of his selections on patreon.com/AriShaffir. Once every month or two the Skeptic Tank is having one of these Patreon-style podcasts for free for the general listener. It’s an excuse to have some stupid fun instead of getting caught up all the time with a theme. You gotta let loose sometimes! Make sure to submit your own stories or your friend’s stories of run-ins with the law to patreon.com/AriShaffir.
Standup comedian and retired rooster fighter Rojo Perez sits down with Standup comedian and rooster fight enthusiast Ari Shaffir to talk about cockfighting. Futu Manu in Tetum. Pelea De Gallos in Spanish. Probably some other names in other languages. Rojo entered his pet into one when he was a small boy in Puerto Rico. Too young to be doing stuff like that. Ari went to his when he was 43 in Timor Leste. Rojo Perez is now a small man so he has distance and age to help him look back on his cockfighting experience. And Ari Shaffir is about the same age but far more bald. You guys should see it. They're siiiiiiick. So much fun. And beautiful. And it really brings the community together.
Standup comedian Sarah Tollemache and ever-fatter former non-steroid winner of Sober October Ari Shaffir sit on a treadmill in a gym they’ll never use to go over ways they’re going to no way change about themselves this year. Sarah is on the phone like160 hours a day. And Ari hasn’t come up with a decent new resolution in a decade. They’re two losers who are fine with it, shooting the poop about what you guys need to do better in the coming year. This one is best listened to in a church confessional booth.
Liberal mouthpiece Joe Rogan, and I guess heterosexual comedian Tony Hinchcliffe met New York’s greatest Jewish intellectual Ari Shaffir at a gun range in Texas to shoot the poop and tell stories about the past while Tony caressed his new girlfriend. We took some questions from Ari’s Patreon to keep us going while listening to the manly sounds of murder tools going off in the distance.
Steve Rannazzisi came over to the new studio to talk about how much we hate winter and a bunch of other random things like the new Jackass and what podcast would have the dumbest listeners. It's a fun one.
Comedian Mark Normand and comedian Sam Morril came over to the Skeptic Tank studios to have a nice sober conversation with accused doser Ari Shaffir about why they’re all better off without alcohol. And then somebody found the whisky.
Comedian Jamar Neighbors tells upper middle class Jewish comedian Ari Shaffir about growing up in Compton and the surrounding black areas of Los Angeles. Jamar has wild stories and Ari just sits there in awe of how different their upbringings were.
Famed Hot 97 DJ Cipha Sounds and hasidic bred comedian Ari Shaffir discuss the glory days of hip hop radio in New York City. Cipha was there for all of it. Under the tutelage of the great Funkmaster Flex, he learned his craft and rose to the top of the most influential radio station in the world for rap and hip hop. All while Ari was thinking he was the coolest guy on his Jewish volleyball team for discovering Chumbawumba.
Comedian and former Chicago inner city school teacher Amy Shanker talks to 2.2 high school GPA comedian Ari Shaffir about what it was like being a teacher. Spoiler alert: She did not love it. Still spent 10 years doing it so that’s gotta tell you something about our chances at a good education when our educators are too stupid to quit a job they hate.
Standup comedian Brandt Tobler who once tried to kill his dad, and son of a falconer and comic Ryan O’Neill met habitual line crosser and comedian Ari Shaffir for a throwback podcast in the tradition of the old Ice House Chronicles on the Death Squad network. They talked about hookers in between doing comedy sets at the amazing Comedy Works in downtown Denver, Colorado.
Former Warped Tour musician and current standup comedian Ryan Long joins ska-punk poser Ari Shaffir to talk about his time in the seminal Canadian band The Johnstones.
Standup comedian Robert Kelly is not in control of his emotions. He sat down with comedian Ari Shaffir who is known to be emotionless and told the robot about his problems controlling his anger. Generally Bobby is one of the sweetest guys in comedy. But sometimes he hulks out and it’s one of the wildest things you’ll ever witness. He completely rages and can’t get it under control for a while. But he always tries to make things right afterwards.
Standup comedian Kerryn Feehan talks to dog owner and comedian Ari Shaffir about her special little guy Ernest. This is a really sad episode. But I felt like it was a proper eulogy to one of the pure souls on this earth. He really was amazing.
Standup comedian Big Jay Oakerson, lottery junky and comedian Robert Kelly, and penny pincher comic Ari Shaffir in a car ride from Detroit to Indiana. Join us as the backseat friend who’s too hung over to join in the conversation. Watch in awe as we test our luck with a $20 scratch off ticket. And make sure to stay tuned for the outro to find out what happened with our winnings.
Standup comedian Katie Hannigan sits down with bus farter and comedian Ari Shaffir to tell him about her time as a NYC tour guide. It was a tawdry world of autistic tourist nerds and their dumb families.
Fatherless pot addicted standup comedian Dan Soder talks to well raised comic Ari Shaffir about what it’s like growing up with a deadbeat dad. That’s right. Much like the Simpsons’ Nelson Muntz, Dan’s father went out for cigarettes one day but unlike Nelson’s dad, Dan’s drank himself to death to keep from having to feel bad about not sending birthday cards home every freaking year.
Delta Clear applicant and standup comedian Mike Cannon met up with TSA refusenik, general contrarian, and standup comedian Ari Shaffir at the St. Louis Lambert International airport to discuss today’s hot button topic in a discussion you could only be at if you passed a rigorous screening process handled by top industry professionals. Now, I’m not really sure if the St Louis Airport is international. Actually, it would surprise me if any country has a direct flight to St Louis. What if St. Louis had a ton of Cambodians on the QT. And there was one 18 hour flight directly from Phnom Peng to Lambert. Still, a whole airport for that? No way. Just go straight to a hidden airfield to unload all your “poppy.” Anyway, here’s the podcast.
Serial inside blaster and now father and comedian Chris Distefano talks to multi-award-winning abortionist and standup Ari Shaffir about what it’s like to be a father. Chris was about as honest (and funny) as anyone I’ve ever talked to about this stuff. He admitted to the negatives and told me about the positives. Very funny and interesting conversation!
Chinless comedian Joe List joins Cuban tapeworm Luis Gomez and boyish chested comedian Kerryn Feehan on YKWD founding comedian Ari Shaffir’s rooftop for a wild all-over-the-place conversation that started with friendship and ended in a love child for which 23 states wouldn’t allow early termination. These are 4 of the dumbest people you know. For real. List is probably the smartest because he knows how to spell the word Movie. Luis is obviously the dumbest. And all joking aside Ari is the smartest because of the heritage and also those people value education so even though I was a bad student, I was a bad student compared to them. But it’s still like super-intelligence compared to Luis and Kerryn. Joe is smart sort of. But obviously it’s Ari.
Future US President and current podcaster and standup comedian Dave Smith joins avowed non-voting law breaker and comedian Ari Shaffir to have our annual (except last year) what’s up with America. We covered everything. From the new baby exterminator laws to the current President, to the media’s attack on Joe Rogan, to the crime wave (of which I’m responsible for some) to homelessness, to Elon Musk, to the war in Ukraine. Dave gives an honest and non-biased rundown of all the topics facing America and Americans today. Dave Smith is on a constant quest for freedom and Ari Shaffir is giving him a platform. It’s a long one, but listen to it in installments if you have to because there’s not a single part of this you want to miss. Also, the queen of England has been dead for quite some time.
Comedian Reggie Conquest converted to Islam over the pandemic. He talks to no religion former Jew current jerk comedian Ari Shaffir about how it happened. Reggie read the autobiography of Malcolm X (who would have turned 97 last week) and gained an interest in the religion because of what he read in the book. Reggie knows very little about Islam but he does know what he’s going through as a new convert and that’s what we got into here. Also, Reggie is a big boy so that’s where the title comes from. Get it? I think you get it.
Former hustler and current standup Ali Siddiq talks with a man who rarely hustles but still does tons of standup Ari Shaffir to talk about all the lessons life gives you. One guy slung dope, the other is one. It's a great conversation from Austin, Texas that brought two cultures together. That taught two peoples about each other. It's a lesson in communication. The boyz realized that words mean different things to different people. But they also realize how similar they were in their upbringing. That even though one dealt drugs, they both remember the space shuttle Challenger explosion. They just kind of had different reactions to it. I'll let you guess which one joked about it as a child and which one thought it was really sad. Ali is one of the best storyteller comedians in the world and he's got a new special out called The Domino Effect which goes a long way towards proving that claim.
Immigrant bartender comedian Colum Tyrrell and former bartender turned current gullible comic Caitlin Peluffo met former and future Spritz addicted comedian Ari Shaffir and had some fun talking about the ins and outs of being behind the bar. The bartender is the most important front line worker in the nation and the backbone of our society. And these two were some of the worst in this important field of work. Please, tip your bartender.
Comedian Anthony Devito who once attended a swingers party and too-gross-to-swing comedian Ari Shaffir sat on a plane and talked about Kansas City’s least known underbelly of fat people hook ups. KC is known for their third rate barbecue and second rate jazz but they’re actually number one in multiple sex partners among people who should have no sex partners. This is not the first podcast I’ve done on a plane. There was one a long time ago I did with Joe Rogan. But this is the first one I did with video. It’s wild what you can do when you don’t care about people looking at you weird. You guys can act like the people sitting in front of us looking back at two losers publicly making fun of people getting some nasty.
Hot Girl Noel Leon came to the studio to talk to host and comedian Ari Shaffir about what it was like working as an "Influencer." When she told me that was what she did for a living I was appalled, however now Noel is focused more on comedy and less on influencing people, so we were able to have a really good conversation about how awful it is.
Comedian Louis CK was swapped in and acting hopeful Luis Gomez was swapped out. Joining them are comedian Joe List and comedian Kerryn Feehan. This is a spite-cast! Standup comedian and your host Ari Shaffir did this exact podcast about a month ago but the only was an O. Louis for Luis. We talk about Joe and Louis' new movie, out now! Called 4th of July. I saw it and man, it's a good one. Head to LouisCK.com and find it in a theater in your town, it's gonna be all over but only on July 6 in many places so go check it out right now!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir welcomes comedians Ryan Long and Chris O'Connor to the studio to break down the crazy events of a New York City bodega owner stabbing a guy to death. Was it self-defense? That's what his lawyers are saying, but apparently, you're not allowed to stab someone if they attack you at your own bodega. Fear not, the beloved staple of New York City neighborhoods are about to get their Skeptic Tank bump!!
Standup comedian and host Ari Shaffir welcomes back comic and friend Brendan Sagalow for his Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 479! Brendan came over for an exclusive patron only episode but we were having too much damn fun and decided to keep recording. We shoot the shit. Bat the breeze. Chew the rag. What are some other fun sayings? We ended up getting hella high and talking about all the crazy bitches we've encountered and more.
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir sits down and talks with Xylia Buros, who lives as a nomad. For the last 6 years she has been a citizen of the world, traveling from country to country at her own whim. I’m really jealous. I met her in Rolf Potts’s writing class in Paris. So we sat in her Montmartre apartment rental and talked about the nomad lifestyle. She has some great tips on how to make it happen, and some insights into the hurdles she’s had to deal with and the fun at the end of any of the troubles that makes it totally worth it. She really made me want to sell all my stuff and go somewhere exciting and new.
Standup comedian and host Ari Shaffir welcomes funniest guy on the internet (and various awards wining writer, actor and comedian) Kyle Dunnigan and comedian and actor Juston McKinney! Can't wait for these two to get that SKEPTIC TANK BUMP! This was a super fun episode shooting the shit with very funny and talented people. Some topics discussed were new movies that are out, celebrities, close calls, and of course the infamous slap at The Oscars.
Stand up comedian Ari Shaffir talks with two of his oldest friends from The Comedy Store comedians Steve Rannazzisi and Nick Youssef for Skeptic Tank Episode 482: Backyard Blues! The original plan was to record the episode in Steve's nice pool and talk about heartbreak. Because we were such nerds and always drowning in sorrow. But in typical stoner fashion, we ate too much BBQ and it got a little too late in the day to do that. So we sat in his back yard and shot the shit while the sun went down. It was gorgeous and a hella fun episode. Enjoy!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir, along with his comedian pals, Mark Normand and Joe List, all piled into a questionable SUV (it was not an SUV) to drive to the new SoulJoel's in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. As you know Mark Normand and Joe List have a popular podcast called @Tuesdays with Stories! Good 'ol Chuck Stanton, Tuesgays producer was behind the wheel, and comedian Andrew Schiavone squeezed in between me and Mark. Hella fun episode on the road, so you know there's always some chaos or accident happening. Enjoy!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir welcomes comedians Mike Cannon and Brendan Sagalow to the studio to talk about Cannon's new crowd work special "Huge Mistake." He took 150mg of edibles and then went on stage and talked to the crowd at New York Comedy Club. I forgot that I booked Brendan a couple weeks ago on the podcast, that's the only reason why he's there. Stay tuned at the end of the episode to hear our new stand-up catchphrases!
Standup comedians and good friends Ari Shaffir and Big Jay Oakerson welcome you to the fire escape for Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 485! In 2019 Skeptic Tank turned to video episodes, I rented a studio I could not afford, and started a new series called 'The Escape Tapes' where guests would join me outside on the fire escape to shoot the shit. I wanted to test the strength of the fire escape, since safety is my first priority, so I invited my fattest friends over for these, with Big Jay being my first guest, and you guessed it, Bobby Kelly being my second. The fire escape held and a new series was born! And then a bat had sex with that guy and I went to Ecuador. So this is a bit of a throwback treat. Enjoy!
How was your Shroomfest? Standup comedian Ari Shaffir and long time pal and fellow Comedy Store doorman and comic Mat Edgar talk about this year's best holiday and how they celebrated. We've spent a lot of these holidays together, and boy it was a fun one reminiscing about them all.
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir and comedians Shane Torres and Graham Kay discuss the world of local news in Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 487: Local World News! There is a plethora of wild news stories all coming from the middle of no where towns that make this country great. I think local news can be easier to handle than the usual doom presented in world news. So we sifted through some stories together and finally stumbled upon a triumphant story about Rocky the Raccoon and his handler.
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir welcomes back travel Jesus and acclaimed writer Rolf Potts for Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 488: The Vagabond's Way! I was lucky enough to be a student in his writing class last month, and I decided to record with him all over Paris. Why not out in the fucking world?! We hung out at Paris’s famed Luxembourg Gardens, stopped by The Louvre, hung out by The Seine, and more. His long awaited new book, A VAGABOND'S WAY, is available right now wherever you buy books! Amazon, Good Reads and book store. Definitely go check it out, and support Rolf by leaving a comment or review of his book at either of those sites. This episode is the reason I do video. It will definitely make you want to start packing your bags and planning your next trip. Enjoy!
Standup comedians Ari Shaffir and Robert Kelly sit down to shoot the shit in today's new episode of Skeptic Tank Podcast! Bobby Kelly also has a brand new comedy special out right now called Kill Box. It was produced and directed by the white goat, Louis CK. You can watch it right now exclusively at https://louisck.com/. But if you want to listen to us talk about poop for an hour first, I highly recommend it. We've got some call in's from a few special guests as well!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir welcomes comics Ian Fidance who you may know as the poor man Ari, and Jordan Jensen for Skeptic Tank Episode 490, and it's all about the hardcore, punk, ska straight edge scene. They break it all down for me, why they got into this type of music, the live shows and much more. Ian and Jordan also host a podcast called @Bein' Ian Podcast, make sure you check it out. And get tickets to see them on the road coming up.
Comedian Ari Shaffir and Comedian Mike Feeney talk about scams you can run on people and businesses if you're good at lying. Like getting a free Starbucks, cutting the line, or getting a free meal from Mcdonald's. The key to their success? Believe in your scam! Comment your favorite scam so they can add to their collection.
Comedian Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank Podcast is live from Skankfest Vegas! It's all about the Chosen people today, the greatest race in the history of mankind, Kanye's favorite people…the Jews! Comedians Joe List, Ryan Long, Joe DeRosa, Jim Norton, and Robert Kelly all join your host and favorite Jew Ari for this wild episode.
Comedian Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank Podcast is live from the green room this week! Recorded at Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, Ari and comedians Nate Marshall, Geoffrey Asmus, and Brian Six shoot the shit in between sets and talk about local favorites including Wawa and more. Let us know what your local favorites are in the comments!
Comedian Ari Shaffir sits down with the hosts of Girls Gotta Eat Podcast Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg for Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 494! We're talking about girls and how they gotta beat too. Ashley and Rayna started their own sex toy company, Vibes Only and brought some of their favorites to show me. There is also an app! The Vibes Only app. And it's full of sexy audio that can control your vibrator!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir sits down with good friend and fellow Comedy Store regular to talk about putting their specials out DIY style, on YouTube, for the people. There is nothing like doing something yourself. Fahim has a great special out on YouTube called Hat Trick. He filmed it in every room of The Comedy Store. Definitely check it out if you haven't yet. And don't forget to show all your family members and friends JEW this Thanksgiving! Getting closer to six million views!!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir sits down with old friend and comedian Matt Braunger for Skeptic Tank Episode 496: The Oregonian! Ari and Matt talk in an LA hotel room about what its like growing up in the Pacific Northwest in Oregon. I met Matt right around when I started doing open mics. I remember him always crushing at the Hollywood Improv…he just released a new special for FREE you can watch right after this! It's called DOUG. Matt is hilarious and if you have the chance get tickets to see him on the road. We also reminisce about that one time at an Oregon strip club back in the day. Really fun episode, hope you enjoy.
Comedian Ari Shaffir sits down with comics David Lucas and Hans Kim for his Skeptic Tank Podcast Episode 497: Freebies! Fun episode talking about the best stuff…free stuff! Comedians usually don't have a lot of things, especially when first starting out. Anytime I move I always have a big free garage sale where if any comics need furniture or house stuff they can come have it. Any freebie really did help us. I still love a freebie I I don't know why, I don't know what it is about me specifically that loves free shit… Anyone who has donated to me over the years I really appreciate it — pass it on folks!
Comedian Ari Shaffir talks to comics Andrew Youngblood and Shahyan Jahani about the holidays from the Hyenas Comedy Club green room for Skeptic Tank Episode 498! We shoot the shit in the green room during my weekend of shows in Dallas and talk about the holidays! Some people love the holidays, others can't stand them. We get into the good and bad, chat about Christmas and the best Jewish holidays too. I hope you all enjoy your holidays, whatever you celebrate!
Comedian Ari Shaffir sits down with fellow Comedy Store door guy and comic Brian Simpson to talk about his time in the military. Brian is a hilarious comedian and if he is in your town, I am telling you to get tickets. I guarantee you will have a great night. And make sure you do get tickets because as your humble host I messed up the audio. I explain in the intro but it's my fault, and it sucks because Brian deserves good audio. So go buy tickets, check out his podcast, leave a comment and let him know about that Skeptic Tank bump!
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank is on the road for Episode 500! Tim Brown is a Free Diving instructor I met during my time in Guatemala over the holidays. He's a 21-year-old kid from Australia who decided one day that he wanted to try free diving and now he's teaching tourists how to do it. We recorded this podcast about the sport from a dock on a giant crater lake while I smoked menthol crushes and held in tostada diarrhea. By the way, someone let Mark Normand know I have his wedding present.
Standup comedian Ari Shaffir and your host of Skeptic Tank welcomes hilarious comic and friend Paul Virzi! He is a great comic but he's also kind of a Guido. Paying for meals is a guido thing. Saying "The Joshua Tree" is a Guido thing. Keeping your car SUPER clean...That's a Guido thing.
Rick Glassman came over for a crazy time talking about the nerdiest game I've ever heard of. Magic the Gathering is a card game Rick is abnormally obsessed with and he gave me a whole bunch of knowledge on the game. We also reminisced about the time I went on his podcast.