Joe Rogan Experience Review podcast - A Review of Episode 1207 Dave Attell and Jeff Ross

Episode Date: December 8, 2018

Both these guys are comedy standup legends. They have a new Netflix special out called Bumping Mics. It’s a 3 parter and is fantastic if you’re into standup comedy. They have been friends with Joe for many years so this conversation was just great. I love to review these types of podcasts the most. Enjoy my review folks! Please email me with any suggestions and questions for future Reviews:   [e-mail]

Hello and welcome to another episode of the JRE review. Where each week I review the Joe Rogan experience. No affiliation. Unlike the news is to current events. Current events being the Joe Rogan podcast and the shitty version of the news being me reviewing it. Sometimes I have guests on. We talk about the best podcasts for the week, things that inspired us, things that we liked. This week, I have Mock on, what's up, Mock? Yo, what's up? This is like a clip notes for Joe Rogan. It basically, yes. Like the bullet points. It kind of is like, you were the Wikipedia page

for his episode. Yeah, the way Dumber and Way of Dumber with zero donation. Zero donations, I'm working for nothing. But still emailing. Exactly, exactly. zero-tonacious. I'm working for now. But still emailing. Exactly. This episode is a great one. 12,07. Jeff Ross and David Tal.

Legends. Let's do comedy work. Jeff Ross is of course the roast master general. Is he likes to be called? I think that's it. Yeah. And one of the greats. Yeah. And then David's tell.

And David's tell has been around forever and just humble guy, absolutely crushes it. No, you go just hilarious. Just New York, of course, too. Absolutely. Which should almost be its own category. Yeah. And their conversation was fantastic. They're obviously really good friends with Joe Rogan, which is really cool when he gets these clubs friends on. And they have a new Netflix

special that is a three-parter. It's them both up on stage and they just riff off each other, poor people out of the crowd. And they just go to town and it's like a really... You know, it's kind of sounds hacky. You sent me a link to that the other day Yeah, it was amazing. It really is just fantastic and it's very very funny Obviously the most stone you are the more hilarious it is as well, which I remember this is with everything Including the express line it roused Stone you're like the guy in front of me has 17 items. If you're not stoned, you'd be like, fuck this guy. Your stoned is like 17 is so funny.

Hey, you just always check in that cock. You're like, how much ice cream is that? I always count. I'm like the fucking hall monitor. Express something. Like this gun only. You have nine items and it's eight items. Yeah, but this is like a two-pot item. Get the fuck out of the line. Get out. Each one of your bananas counts as one. and it's eight items. Yeah, but this is like a two-pot item. Get the fuck out of the line, bud. Out.

Each one of your bananas counts as one. Yeah, or she's not one. You fucking trifling lawyer, bitch. Dave was talking a little bit about how much he likes the smoke on stage. And a few comics do that, right? So, she pal does. He likes to dice for sure

Dice used to I don't think dice I think dice smokes everywhere. He's constantly like he's just wearing a Rear he's just like he's like a robot that just like feeds him cigarettes every hour Well, it's asleep and he was saying really that it's like it helps him a lot like you get a nicotine burst and It's just it's just part of how he is. It's kind of like introducing Mania in a way, like a tiny bit of Mania, like just like, because you get that rush and you're like,

oh, I'm gonna be really funny right now. Yeah, right? You know, maybe it's just him being him. Like if somebody said he's the most version of you, you know, he obviously likes it for those reasons, but you know, it's just him being him. Like if somebody says, be the most version of you, he obviously likes it for those reasons. But it's part of his craft. And what was funny is Jeff was saying that they have to

carefully pick the places where they can perform because not everywhere we're letting him smoke. And that's pretty interesting. So Dave also doesn't use a smartphone. He still has a flip phone and no social media. And then was complaining a little bit about how people aren't coming out to his shows. You know, the same numbers is like these other big comedians. Joe just turned around and said maybe working your fucking, you know, Instagram or whatever.

And maybe that's it now. Maybe... We worked so hard to create a culture where we don't need like PR firms where we don't need advertising we're advertising is built in Mm-hmm on Twitter and on Instagram so we have this tool and then Dave is like no fuck social media I don't want to use it. Well, okay, well then you have to pay for it You have to go to your shows. Yeah, exactly and another another thing that really bugs Jeff Rastas' while is, because they do these nightly shows, and a lot of it is kind of off the cuff stuff,

but sometimes, and quite often, and you'll see it in the three parts, like Dave is just, he's so sharp, it's brilliant. It's like Jeff can do a lot of the talking and then Dave just crushes with these moments. Not that Jeff isn't great, but Dave has this. And something else that really bugs Jeff is that Dave will have these huge zingers that just crush. So the next night Jeff will set it up and then Dave will decide not to do it because he doesn't want to do the same. You don't really do that. It's cool, but it leaves

people hanging in it, but I just think that's that just think this is I mean it was this weird thing because you because Jeff is his comedy partner in this endeavor And you don't want to leave the guy hanging You don't want to be feel stale Can you get that and you know what those guys can work their way out of it? And they're here's the thing. They're fine Yeah, they're fine 100% David tells him going, oh, the ICM manager that was in the audience isn't gonna sign me now. Yeah, that's fucking fine.

Exactly. John Stewart thinks he's genius. Yeah, well, so many of those guys do. But they talk a little bit about like promoters, club owners, like coming up, other comedians, through their time. And you know, the 90s is a lot different than it was today from what these comedians are saying. There was like a scarcity issue where people would get really mad at each other

and then they would treat you like shit, they wouldn't give you spots even if you were good because they were worried you were coming up. And for them what I really liked hearing and especially from Jeff, he was talking to Joe saying I don't hold grudges, right? I don't hold grudges right I don't hold grudges and and he said that I think he said his grandmother said this time he goes if you hold grudges they other guys dancing it's like you're mad at them and they're loving it right let it go and just work on the comedy and let it pass and you've got to wonder the dropout rate is so high for these comedians like it's cooler they've all counted the top yeah they're more than that maybe they've come all to the dropout rate is so high for these comedians like it's cooler They've all been under the top you five percent. Yeah, they're more than that Maybe they've come all to the top and now it seems like they're all friends and they came up together

But there was a lot of other people there. Yeah, what were the factors that led people to just quit and and and And what grudges is probably part of it you can't you can't you know you just, you just take something and try and learn from it. You can't get angry with it. You can't get angry and do comedy. You can't take it personally. You can't take art personally. I mean, you can take it personally, but it doesn't serve you. It doesn't help. Do you hold the grudges? I, yeah, I mean, you know, at times, not like I used to, but it's, it really is hard. I've never been in an environment like that though. You know, like a heavy coming up at stand-up environment where you're like amongst a bunch of other comics really working their craft and then you start

to see some nasty shit. I mean I think that would be very difficult to find peace with it. I think it would get very frustrating. I think so too. Well I've seen, I mean in my limits of time, the comedy store. I don't want to, nobody's really rubbed me the wrong way, except for like this one dickhead door guy. I was like, dude, you're like a host, like calm down. Just relax. But there were some like manic comics that

I'd had to dole them, by the way. Shout out to Dore. No, the rest of them had gone, but this one fucking guy. It was an asshole. It couldn't stand him But some of her like still mannequin your face. I'm like whoa relaxed dude I'm like and I'm like with that persona you better be really fucking good So I don't want to say I hold a grudge, but I'm like I got my eye out for you Yeah, but I like that attitude right because you're doing a saying hey prove prove me prove your mental you want to be super

You're kind of saying, hey, prove, prove, prove your mental. You want to be super obnoxious and arrogant like crush it. Yeah, and then I'll give you that spot, but don't fake it. Exactly. Don't fake it because it looks It's ugly. You think your life or the party, but like here's the real Yeah, there's the real nuts and bolts of a game stage. They talk about the Boston comics like in the 90s And how ruthless they were they were ruthless with everyone up and coming and just Generally everyone like you could have an opener who was like a nobody that you hadn't heard of but there were so many great comics out in Boston in the 90s You would get someone to just is crushing and then we'll just be like let's see what you got as the headliner That those kind of pressures. I feel like you know Stand up so kind of lucky today

They don't have that same pressure. They it's more of a community of people that are just like yeah You can yeah, we're here to support you I think especially in LA because LA kind of has that mentality is douchey and is full of shit as we are We do have a kind of like that community. We're like, hey, we're here to support you Because like it's your art and your true because deep down you know like a lot of them are gonna wash out anyway Because they're just gonna wash out. Yeah, they can be a bit nicer But I mean in a way are we losing out? Are we losing out on like the boss Tony and ask? Well, like that's are you forged through fire or are you how are you for?

Yeah, and I I feel like the answer is How do all the but yes, I like a good cuddle after a show yeah, reaffirm my Comic-cha all the standup goes well in someone's house be funny Yeah, you just and then that's a man you collapse you kill yourself How's that mother fucker That gets the standing ovation. That's it, that's the showstopper. You're like, I died happy. They talk a little bit about George Collins' work, right?

Because, you know, they're looking back at the greats and then like, he's probably the most prolific writer of all time, a new hour every year. And it was like, he was different in a way because it was like a yearly social commentary on civilization. It was like he was writing philosophy. It wasn't just like comedy. It was like listening to Socrates or Aristotle

dissect modern man and do it funny, and that's what Karlin did. It was amazing. Yeah, and it's awesome to hear their reverence for it because it's just like you know The average joke and watch Colin be like wow, that was really cool. This guy's amazing But to hear comedians of their level talk about How genius this person was it's really fascinating. Yeah, I mean, you know

I love listening to who the comics like are inspired by yeah Make sure to go back and listen to more of a shit now. Well, it's generally Carl and Richard Pryor. I mean, those are the two. Those are the two big ones. I feel like they were the renaissance of comedy after the 50s and 60s. I feel like those two really more recent canison get some more. Yeah, correct.

Until he went off the rails with COVID-19. Because he was fearless. Yeah, his lighter stuff, but he was fearless in a way that not a lot of cox are. Well, because being fearless doesn't amount to much if you suck, but he had the chops, you know. Just makes you crazy. Yeah, he did some wild stuff.

And I've only really seen different clips of it. I haven't sat down and watched a whole hour and I kind of feel that that needs to be done. Interesting thing Joe brings up the fact that canister and rosanna something in common And it's about their impulsive behavior. They both have major head injuries when they were a kid car accidently by cars and You know it changes things when you have massive CTE which is another thing that Joe knows quite a bit about from The UFC and all the rest of it Seeing the impacts and what we're learning and it you know can cause depression anxiety

Really fuck you up and fragile fucking massive impulsive behavior, which is something that made The legends that are cannes and am we can't forget Rosanne just because you had that show and everyone's like she was on that show she was a fucking super fun year in the 90s amazing I mean more so than anyone yeah and she was it was like her and Joan Rivers yeah good old host if you don't know this about Rosanne Google her stuff and the shit and here's the thing the she was saying back then was in any more incendiary than what she said now it was it was a different time really was yeah it was totally a different time and they they had to push through I mean the hate didn't come

in at the same rate as like Instagram and all the rest of it but I mean they got plenty of hate for things. Oh they absolutely do but that is an interesting topic that you bring up because the the critique is instantaneous. There's no you're like you don't have to wait for the post office to deliver your hate mail. It comes straight to your computer. It's way worse now. You know it's just instantly the last one happened to Roseanne. She made one tweet and the next day a whole life changed. It was over. She's not used to this. She's an old fucking lady that takes, you know, and drinks.

But that begs the question, do we... So she didn't change, but did our expectations of her change? And does it come with age? So when she was a younger woman in her late 20s and her 30s, saying in Cendiary Shit, and a different era, where the audience was vastly different. And the response wasn't nearly as fast. Do we expect more from her now as a woman in her 60s? Do we expect someone that's a little wiser a little more seasoned a little

Smarter than to say some stupid shit like 100 because I have a lot to I'm totally with you the problem is The way that she put this Wasn't is like she's genuinely like I didn't know she was black. I thought she was Jewish. And there was no space for like conversation. And that's the real problem. It's just, and I think a lot of people have had that hard to believe myself included, because I'm like, well, okay, Valerie Jarrett is black. And that was some shit, you said.

Like, by the way, no way endorsing what she said, it was bullshit. Yeah, of course, but at the same point, you know, I don't know. You're right. There is no space for a conversation. I heard three hours of her on Rogan and I reviewed that one and it's hard. Like, she seems so genuine. I think that she would be willing to apologize over something horrific and be like,

yeah, I did say that. She's in the same place. I agree. I think it's so weak to like lie about the intention of that so directly she doesn't seem like that type and Joe was like she's not that type now saying that there needs room for discussion on forgiveness right I believe someone old does just throw down a straight-up racist thing society's changed on the fuck it is and they're gonna call that shit And it's and it is wrong we got it because I feel like we as a society have finally come to this place

We're like no we're sick of this shit predominant group of societies like we're sick of this shit So no there's no room for nuance. There's no room for debate. There's no room for discussion discussion You said some shit fuck you for saying it saying we didn't like it now go away Yeah, I don't necessarily love the idea that people have to go away for saying Incendiary shit. I don't I mean it's a shame look we're losing great comedy I mean that who knows that show may have even been quite watchable. I don't know I watched it Yeah, cuz I was fat, because I watched it when I was a kid. It was on every Tuesday night. I've gone there after swim meets and I would watch

it and I enjoyed it then. And I was fascinated to see it. And I watched it again. Cause I just think we've got to be careful, man, because to think that one thing that we say changes our lives and then we get stamped as that person that said that thing sometimes you guys Sometimes some people are saying some things if it's really hateful and some people say some stupid shit It's also not hardly not say stupid if it's Creating violence or like turning people again. I understand all that being bad Right, but just some fucked up shit I feel like maybe was it or not or like most of especially coming from a woman that has an entire career on mostly saying fucked up shit that maybe was it all not all like most of all specially coming from a woman that has an entire career on

mostly saying fucked up shit. They what I feel like I think the climate of today is particularly we're particularly sensitive. It's like tap dancing on a landmine right now when you have more Nazis in America than you have Germany and then you have somebody like spouting like Nationalistic rhetoric and Roséhan is a fan of said person and then she says some shit like that All it does is reinforce what people are already thinking and I feel like that was like it wasn't just like a harmless shot into the night it was like the last shot on a firing line.

Yeah, kind of true. And I think people were like, nope, if we can't take Cheeto down, we're going after you. Yeah, and I know, I understand the rhetoric. I just think that in the end of the day, if they take out, we should pile like this, we lose in, we lose in too much. We're losing. He flies so much. He flies so much.

We can't do it. And this is moves on to the next thing that they talk about is like the community of the store. And this is something that's cool as they were talking about. I think, I think it was David Tello or Jeff Ross, one of them, we're saying that they see themselves as a comic first before like an American. Maybe that way should pal that said it but they really do. It's like I'm an American second. It's like I see what someone said that's fucked up or anti-American or whatever and then

more like even even the Rose Anne thing and next link but first off they're a comic so they're like oh that's fucked up She's gonna get some brunch for that, but then they go back to talking about how the comedy store now is this Huge community for comics. They they're the friendships up there are like no other and this is where these fucking people Just want to spend all they got down time and this is the best Hangout ever. And that's a beautiful thing. It's nice to know that they have their safety net and I'll tell you what, they have the sun bar, they have the comedy store that's just for like

the main comedians there that they can give off into. Yeah, so I've seen it. Oh, oh, so what the heck? I've not been allowed in yet. What goes on in there must be the type of free speech That you don't get anywhere else in the world. I'm sure everyone is saying everything and people are going wild down there And it's okay if it can exist there in some way There's a chance it can exist in another way We just have to be careful on define it,

but people always get pushed to limit some fuck up. You absolutely know that, and here's the thing, jokes are jokes. And people, the thing about comics, and a lot of people don't, at least I think they don't get this, is that comics go for the joke. It doesn't really happen. It doesn't, you don't have to believe in the ideology of the joke. You don't have to believe in why it's offensive.

Just the comic in the moment goes, this would be funny in this moment, in this environment at this particular second. And you say it. It doesn't necessarily mean you endorse this if you make a joke about those who might have Down syndrome in the moment. You might not be endorsing making fun of Down syndrome, but the idea of that in that moment at that particular second, this is the perfect punchline for this joke. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, that's what you would find in it. Make it fucking clever. Make it, if you're gonna say something that could insult me, make it clever.

Be the turn around. Turn around and hit us with it. And on that note, thank you so much for joining me today, Mark. Pleasure to thank you. What a fantastic conversation. Definitely check out David Tell and Jeff Ross's comedy special on Netflix.

And listen to this conversation. You learn a lot about what it's like to come up through the fucking echelons of pain in stand-up comedy and misery and come out of the other side. Thanks a lot guys for listening and I appreciate you. We talk soon. Peace.