The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table - Al Lubel

Episode Date: January 14, 2022

Al Lubel is a stand up comedian whose documentary, Mentally Al was chosen by The NY Times as best comedy doc of 2021.  ...

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Live from the Table, recorded at the world-famous Comedy Cellar in New York City. And we are coming at you on Sirius XM 99. Again on the Laugh Button Podcast Network, Dan Natterman here with Noam Dorman, the owner of the world-famous Comedy Cellar. Comedy seller Perrielle is joining us again today. As always, Perrielle Ashenbrand, our producer and on-air talent as well. Things just kind of evolved in that direction. We have with us. Devolved. Go ahead. We have with us Al Lubell, the great legendary Al Lubell.
Starting point is 00:01:00 Can I ask a quick question since you mentioned many of them? Can I ask a quick question for clarification purposes? Go ahead. When you said the world-famous comedy seller, is that to distinguish it? Is there a non-world famous comedy seller in existence? I think there's one in England, actually. That's the comedy store. That's the comedy. No, I think there's a comedy seller in it. Oh, yes, you're right. There is a comedy. But I don't think one has. I don't think there has to be a non-world famous comedy seller to say world famous. Like if I said the very funny Dan Natterman, there wouldn't have to be an unfunny Dan Natterman for me to say the very funny Dan Natterman.
Starting point is 00:01:29 So I think logically, I don't think that holds water. That's a good point. We have a jam packed show. We at least we intend to talk mostly about comedy, but you'd never know how things are going to go, especially when Noam Dorman is around. Things could take a turn toward the political. We'll see. But we have with us Alubel.
Starting point is 00:01:47 He joined us a few months ago to talk about his documentary Mentally Al about his career in the world's famous document. OK, well, famous documentary. I would have didn't realize called Mentally Al, which has been congratulations to Al Lubell, named the best comedy documentary of 2021 by our dear friend who never has a bad word to say about anything. Jason Zinneman. So that's a passive aggressive compliment on your part. It's a great documentary. I saw it. But the fact that Zinneman said it was the number al al al is is right to interpret it that way and dan is wrong to say that jason zinneman never has a bad word to say about anybody because uh he actually he's taken on some people really head on he this is guys does not mince his words
Starting point is 00:02:36 actually jason zinneman is pretty outspoken so uh yes that was a shitty thing to say dan and it's not even true well who was he criticized everything i read with jason zinneman is he i believe he even gave chapelle like a like a three out of five star ish review he didn't use the star system but that's the way i would have you know described it well he'll take on the big guys i think but oh so that's a passive aggressive insult against me implying that i'm not a big guy. Well, Al, I'm trying to be truthful. And the fact of the matter is your documentary is excellent. I saw it. I judge it to be excellent. And also I am. His it fails on another and another standard, because even if he doesn't have a bad word to say about anybody, he still distinguished yours as the best. Oh, that's a good point.
Starting point is 00:03:28 Look, I, by the way, I make, I, I just want to be clear. I say, I, I say the same sorts of things about myself. For example, my book, Iris Spiro before COVID was nominated as one of the best comedy books of the year by the Intero bank, but let's face it. It's the Intero bank. They're basically promoting comedy. So I don't take that seriously. I'm happy that they included me. Why don't you take that seriously?
Starting point is 00:03:52 Because it's not serious. Okay, but Al was nominated by the New York Times, to be clear, for people who may not know Jason. But was he nominated by the New York Times or by Jason Sinema? By the New York Times. It was the New York Times selected Al's documentary as the number one documentary about comedy. The world's the New York Times and by Jason Sinema. By the New York Times. It was the New York Times selected Al's documentary as the number one documentary about comedy.
Starting point is 00:04:08 The world's famous New York Times. There you go. But regardless, it's a great documentary. And how is it, Al? It's available on YouTube. I know. I think I saw it on YouTube. Yeah, I think like all those, you know, sites, those things.
Starting point is 00:04:25 If you said that the New York Times is the gold standard, does that mean there has to be a silver standard and a bronze standard newspaper? OK, go ahead. I know probably what does mean that how's the documentary doing? Well, I don't think it has an existence on its own, really. I mean, it doesn't really it's just a form of energy. It's not really a life form. The way you say, how's it doing? It sounds like it's alive. Well, that's one way to interpret it. The other way to interpret it is how is it doing in terms of audience reception? I don't know. You know, that's a good question. I don't know how many people have watched it. You know, the director, Josh Edelman, has told me that he'll get back to me to let me know what the numbers are. But I don't know. You know, that's a good question. I don't know how many people have watched it. You know, the director, Josh Edelman, has told me that he'll get back to me to let me know what the numbers are. But I don't know. It's theoretically possible. If you say you've
Starting point is 00:05:11 watched it, I know we've guaranteed that two people have watched because I've watched. Well, you might. I mean, are you on the social media so that you would have an indication in terms of people adding you as a friend following you? That might give you some indication by adding as a friend. you that might give you some indication by adding as a friend it's a dismal failure i think i've actually had about eight friends added in the last three months there's something about hitting five i think i've been stuck around 49 50 for like a year and i think i've gone up to 49 57 but for every friend on what on what facebook and then i always lose a few friends you know i guess some
Starting point is 00:05:45 people die or just disinterested with me well facebook i don't think is the is the social media that people use to gain a following it's instagram i don't try on that i'm a friend put me on i don't have the mental patience to focus on anything like that i don't even focus on facebook i don't know i can just barely not die, uh, you seem to be doing a, I mean, that's, that would be a, I don't know if we want to use that as a segue into Bob Saget. Well, I just want to say, so Al, I don't know how many people watch the documentary or not. And you know, I don't know if those, what those, the standards certainly mean something i mean if if if if a if a documentary goes viral it certainly means something but there's so much content out there
Starting point is 00:06:31 it's hard to say what catches and what doesn't but i will tell you that my kids were fascinated by this documentary my kids who were i guess eight and nine at the time, they sat really interested in this documentary, the whole family did, but they, and, and they, and they were laughing at the jokes. They got the jokes and they, and they were interested in the, in the story. And I know that Judd Apatow thought the documentary was fascinating. And I, I thought it was one of the most interesting documentaries I've seen. I would very, very strongly recommend it. I don't see how anybody could watch that and not find it interesting.
Starting point is 00:07:15 It's really good. Now, Noam, was your favorite part of the documentary seeing Al on stage telling his jokes or the backstory, him and his mother, for example, him driving the Ly him driving the lift in la without giving away too much just some of the um the backstory it was it was all of it it was just al is a singular guy he always has been um i i guess since there's so much you know allusion to the the mental aspect i guess it's okay to say he's a little, little nutty or, you know, not, not conformist in terms of the way his mental patterns. Um, and that makes it interesting, but it also makes him funny. Um, but he's, he's certainly, you know, a kind of genius.
Starting point is 00:08:03 And again, always has been. And, um, you know, a kind of genius. And again, always has been. And, you know, it's just fascinating. It's just a fascinating documentary, I think. And the reason I was interested that my kids liked it, because on one level, he operates on a very high, high, a lot of his humor is very highly intelligent. And you might think that only super highly intelligent or sophisticated people would appreciate that. But here with my kids who were, I mean, they're bright kids, but they're only nine and eight, nine years old. And they were really enthralled by it, you know?
Starting point is 00:08:34 So I think it's quite a testament to, to Alan, his talent, regardless of anybody who watches it. That's what I was like to make money from it did you know that I can make money from it? And I know money is another measure. I can't speak to that, but anyway, I don't know, but I must say also,
Starting point is 00:08:51 I think that the director really did do a great job. Josh Edelman, the way he ordered the scenes and the way it flowed. And yeah, he really did. I thought he did a great job because he can. And none of that was staged in any way for the camera? I can't think of anything.
Starting point is 00:09:08 The one thing that they did ask me to, I'll say this, is right at the end, they asked me, they were interviewing me about what I wanted to do next and my plans, and I just kept being very negative because that's me. And they kept saying, say something positive. I had to keep doing retakes. That probably would have been me too. But by the way, the sound, Nicole,
Starting point is 00:09:30 and this mic is a little long. So that's interesting. So, you know, you wonder, do you think it was better that you said something? I don't remember what you said, but if you did, you know, if you were somehow, if the final cut was actually something that you said because you had pressure to change a little bit i kind of think i probably would have liked the
Starting point is 00:09:50 original one better yeah i think so too i mean i would have uh i would have never said anything hopeful at towards the end god you know and i think it would be cool to have seen that documentary with me ending on just a very negative note and just things. Everything's the same except I'm older and closer to death kind of thing, you know, just like a real negative note, you know. But now that and I mean, I really do have to say that as somebody, you know, who I've written two books and, you know, the whole thing is like if you get into the times, it's like you really do feel like, wow, like that really feels like a really impressive accomplishment. I said that to you today. Also, I mean, doesn't that feel like that's fucking cool? It does. It does. You know, I do have little glimmers of like good feelings, but I'm so unused to it. I'm so uncomfortable
Starting point is 00:10:42 with it. And I'm so like, you know, I'm childish. Like, I don't want anything new. I just want the same food over and over again. I want my same feelings over and over again. I don't want to change. And but in some way, it was healthy that Josh kept saying, come on, we need something at the end here, just something, you know, and then I said something about, well, I've created my own little style and all that. I didn't want to say that. And I felt embarrassed. It's adult. I don't want to act like an adult. I want to act like an angry child. That's why I really feel.
Starting point is 00:11:09 But angry children can be proud of themselves, too, though, for only doing jerky things out your mental thing, your mental state. Is this is this consistent throughout your entire life or has it gone up and down in any way? Well, the truth is, I do positive things. I just don't want to have to acknowledge. I don't want to have to say it.
Starting point is 00:11:31 You know, I'll do it and I'll even think it to myself occasionally. But I don't want to say it verbally out loud. And you take care of your health. So it's not like you've just let yourself go. You you've lost a lot of weight. You I think you go to the gym. Right. Right. And you eat healthy. You're on the keto diet. Is that what it is? Yeah. And also intermittent fasting. And he does intermittent. So Al is not throwing in the towel by any means. I'm a hypocrite.
Starting point is 00:11:55 I say I'm a hypocrite, you know? Yeah. I'll say I don't want to be negative, but then I'll do some positive things. But I won't do a lot of positive things. I'll just do a few basic. I want to keep surviving as much as I can being negative. By the way, Al is a singer. I don't know if you knew this. And how did you want to, can I, can I mention it? Would it be fair to say then that you have a very constructive attitude about being negative? I guess that'll be fair to say. Yeah. That's an interesting thing.
Starting point is 00:12:21 Is it possible now that Al can sing on one of the Monday nights? I would love that. I was a great singer. Oh, I'm not a great come on yeah he's good your musical guy well there's a big difference in great singer and good make up your mind well well well yeah you're right you're not a great singer you know you know great singer for a non-singer you know yeah but singing is a strange thing because there's there's such a thing as like being able to sing with a beautiful tone of voice and blah, blah, blah. There's another thing, which is just like a musical person in almost any tone of voice can make good music.
Starting point is 00:12:53 You'd be surprised. Musicians are very forgiving of that because it might not come through on a record in the same way, but you're a musical guy and therefore all the musicians will enjoy playing while you sing. So what about what would you say Bob Dylan is in that category?
Starting point is 00:13:08 He doesn't necessarily hit the notes as perhaps as precisely as somebody else. But no, I don't think musicians would enjoy Bob Dylan if they didn't know him and he were not singing his own songs. I think I think it's very difficult to separate Dylan singing from the entire gestalt of Bob Dylan and the persona and everything like that. But, you know, I don't know Dylan's singing outside his own material well enough to really comment on that. But I know that my father, who did know Dylan at the time, could not believe that Bob Dylan became the star that he was. And he had to concede that Blowing in the wind was kind of a good song. And he would say, I just don't believe he wrote it. But what about, I mean, tambourine man and my back page.
Starting point is 00:13:54 There's no question. Dylan wrote great songs. There's no question. And by the way, I kind of liked Dylan singing in his early albums before Dylan kind of like, like, you know how Peter Falk became a caricature of colombo and the later colombo's i don't have anybody any colombo aficionados here i think a better analogy might be um al pacino yeah yeah bob dylan kind of became a caricature of dylan the longer he went on but the early dylan like um you know free will and bob dylan whatever that album is i thought he sang really nicely yeah anyway
Starting point is 00:14:25 we're we're talking i agree but actually blown in the wind bob dylan i believe took that melody he created the lyrics but that's an old folk melody i believe oh is that true your dad was half right my father was right yeah well i i never heard that do we do we want to um and we should talk about uh bob saget can we before we do that one more thing about my singing i remember but i remember about uh i remember i sang with your band once at the cafe why do you mean years ago yeah you remember that but i remember your you said to me how you need to be louder and you're right i was shy i was scared i wasn't that loud right i don't remember that but yeah it's important since i fell for you remember that jazz classic yeah. But I'd like to get back. You
Starting point is 00:15:06 do it every Monday? Every Monday. Well, we haven't been doing it during Omicron, but we might start again next week. Oh, okay. Wow, you're coming out of the cave? I'm thinking about it. If not, they might do it without me that week. It depends what the positivity level is.
Starting point is 00:15:21 I don't mean the positivity level, negativity. I mean the positivity level of Omicron. I mean, the positivity level, Al's negativity. I mean, the positivity level of Omicron. What's the positivity level now? If Al's positivity level is higher and the Omicron level is lower, we might meet in the middle and do it. I know people sometimes have issue with my abrupt segues, but unfortunately we don't have commercial breaks. So, uh, and there are topics that we have to get to. So sometimes, unfortunately, I just don't see any other way around it. Uh, we have to change. We have to change topics sometimes abruptly and, and we have to talk about, uh, Bob Saget, obviously who died this week at the age of 65
Starting point is 00:16:00 in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida. Uh, as far as I know, the cause of death is as yet to be determined, but a heart attack or a stroke, I think, are the leading, you know, the leading candidates, I guess, for want of a better word. And of course, the outpouring on social media has been I don't know that I've ever seen an outpouring. I mean, obviously, Norm Macdonald, the outpouring was amazing. Trying to think of somebody else. I mean, I think Saget,
Starting point is 00:16:30 I don't know that people are talking about him more, but you're hearing more about what a great guy he was. I mean, I've never seen an outpouring of how people saying how nice somebody was. And I didn't really know him.
Starting point is 00:16:43 Does it can anybody speak to that? Yeah, I guess I remember I was in law school and I remember a guy named Jeffrey Marcus. I remember his name. He went to college undergrad with Bob or high school. He knew him. They said, when you go out to L.A., I said, I'm going out for the summer to L.A. in seventy nine just to check out the comedy scene. He said, look up, Bob. He's Bob Saget, my friend. And I looked, I went to the Westwood Comedy Store and Bob was there and he was incredibly nice to me. Just a really warm, pretty introduced me. I remember Lenny Bruce used to have a girlfriend. I can't remember her name now, but she was there
Starting point is 00:17:16 performing Lotus Weinstock. She was performing at the West. He introduced me to her. He talked to me. He was just a warm guy. You know, he wasn't a celebrity yet, but he was just a warm guy you know he wasn't a celebrity yet but he's just a wonderful just a really good guy and i knew him over the years and he was the first guy that told me he pointed out i was narcissistic i didn't i didn't even know i was but he told me really uh you're pretty up there you know because i spent a weekend a week opening for him in san jose uh comedy club in san jose real nice meet. Was that also in the seven? I mean, are they really? Mid-80s.
Starting point is 00:17:47 We played racquetball every day. We hung out. He says, oh, you really have some narcissistic issues. I think that people who are nice pre-fame are nice post-fame, generally speaking. And people who are assholes, I mean, I think it accentuates whatever you have. I mean, Noam, is that your experience or, you know, that. Yes. I, my, I would even broaden that out to, uh, people don't change in every, in every profession and everything in life. Just people are, they, they, I mean, I had, I talked about this. I had a, when Facebook first came around
Starting point is 00:18:22 and I, I re I reconnected with my third grade class and a bunch of us all got together and had a little reunion and we hadn't seen each other third, fourth, fifth grade kind of thing. They were all exactly the same. Like, like no one had changed. It was, it was, it was stunning. That's hilarious. There were some people from my high school that really weren't nice, but that, that are obviously a lot nicer now that, you know, like kind of, they're probably, they're probably f're probably faking it there there is there is kind of the 12 step thing where somebody with anger issues like learns to be nice you know but you can see right through it and and eventually they crack well i don't i don't spend enough time with them but um well psychologists say your personality
Starting point is 00:18:59 is shaped by the age of five did you know that that's the theory in psychology yeah i agree with that um so so something i posted on on um instagram tongue-in-cheek but i think it's worth discussing i i said that you know uh we we we weep that that um bob saget only lived till 65 we rejoiced that he never had to work cruise ships and um I mean, for me, it got a lot of likes. But anyway, the point being is that 65 years of success, 65 years of now, no one's going to jump down my throat saying I know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. But he achieved his I mean, I don't know what his dreams were and I don't know if he achieved his I mean, I don't know what his dreams were, and I don't know if he achieved his dreams and maybe he didn't. But. I think I think a lot of comics have to be thinking to themselves, OK, 65 is not great. Eighty five is better. Ninety five is better. But 65 and achieved all your goals or seemingly achieved all your goals became very, very successful.
Starting point is 00:20:02 Never had to, as I i said work cruise ships uh what do you think of that well my first reaction is i think bob wanted to was really into acting i think he may have wanted to really be a big time actor i think maybe i'm just getting that sense from talking so maybe that's one dream he didn't get to like he was a successful sitcom actor but he may have wanted to been a big film actor i think he might have said that to me. I'm not sure. But that could be something he felt. Narcissist, don't listen. So what were you? What were you thinking? What's your point, Dan?
Starting point is 00:20:35 My point is, is that is that it's sad and he only lived till 65. But is that sadder than a guy that lives till 80 and never did anything interesting but dan you're defining life in terms of your goals i mean it's nice to achieve your goals the man has a family he has children without him children he didn't get to see grow up i mean i think his children are adult children but but your point is well get them to fall you know into into really like establishing themselves in the world i don't know his children but i know that they're like early 20s or something yeah i guess yeah kind of pieces together i remember we had to make an exception for one of his daughters one time it was underage
Starting point is 00:21:13 i don't know that was a few years ago so um i mean there's more to life than you know well i i think that his daughters are a little bit older, actually. I think I think if you asked any. Yeah, but I mean, he posted something on social media like the day before he died, saying that he had just done two hours on his new tour. And it was such a thrill. And he seemed to like really be just elated. He was like, I'm this I'm back in stand up. I feel like when I was like 26 and it's just incredible. Plus, he said he did two hours. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:21:52 Which is unique for a headline. And most of them are off in an hour, an hour. Yeah. He said, I didn't even realize I did two hours. Right. Well, so so the point is, I think it's a larger point in terms of quality versus quantity. Now, Nicole, you're a young girl, right? I guess. Well, you're in your 20s, I think it's a larger point in terms of quality versus quantity. Now, Nicole, you're a young girl, right? I guess. Well, OK, you're in your 20s, I think. If I said I'm going to offer you, I don't know what your goals are.
Starting point is 00:22:10 I'm going to offer you a life of achieving whatever goals you set for yourself. But you die at 65 or you live till 85. And and you're not and you don't achieve anything of note. What would you choose if I offered you that choice? I don't know. I mean, it's hard because it depends on what you value and what you've come to terms with. So it's kind of hard to say.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Also, you don't get to make those kinds of, you know, like Noam said, I think it's a fair point. You know, we can objectively say that's incredible, but, you know, everybody else is devastated. For him, I think for the person, it's probably fine. Like you don't know you're dead, right? Like you have, well, I don't know. We didn't, nobody's ever come back to discuss it. This is just how, how life, how, how time flies because it's all his youngest daughters are already in their late twenties. So this, you know, it's like, just seemed like yesterday she was at the cellar, but I guess she's old enough.
Starting point is 00:23:06 I bet you ask any comedian, can you live till 65 and achieve everything you want, or 85 and you go nowhere? I think a lot of them would take the 65. Now- I think I'd take 85, honestly. You would take- Yeah, I just want to keep living.
Starting point is 00:23:22 Yeah, I'm with Al. I think, I think I'd choose 85. I think at 25, I'd have to keep living. Yeah, I'm with Alan. I think I think I choose. I think at 25, I'd have chosen the 65 at the current age I'm at now. I would choose the 85 because I'm not that far from 65. Right. But I think if you'd asked me that at 25, I would have taken the 65. But, you know, a 25 year old doesn't for a 25 year old, 65, 85. That's probably not that big.
Starting point is 00:23:44 Like, you know know that's like they both seem like they're gonna be so far in the future i thought this was a more interesting point than noam seems to think it is i know i think it's an interesting point i i guess i what's interesting to me about it is because of your no don't get no don't get upset because of your, no, don't get, no, don't get upset because of your narrow life in terms of essentially you, you, you get up and you, and you do your spots. You wrote a book that was, that's a big exception, but, but that's it. Like, you know, you don't have a love life. You don't have a family. You don't have, and you don't even aspire to those things as far as you let on, then you immediately put it really in those terms where I've achieved not every goal. I've achieved many, many of the goals I had in my
Starting point is 00:24:35 life. And I get almost no pleasure out of having achieved those goals. I just want to live a long, long time. And I want to see my kids as long as I can. And I think what I'm saying is common for people who have families. Well, but we can also reframe the question. Would you want to live till 65 with a family that you love or 85 alone? We're still getting back to the quantity versus quality question, which we can reframe. 85 alone.
Starting point is 00:25:00 85 alone. Okay. Let's be honest. Right. I mean, like, the question is still valid in terms of quantity versus quality. Yes, yes, yes. And it may well be that Bob was happy. He seemed like a happy guy.
Starting point is 00:25:14 And usually people that are that nice are happy. I think it's incredible to have that many people talk about how wonderfully kind you are and brilliantly funny. I mean, that's really a testament. Yeah, and I've never seen this dark side. He had a lot of sexual material. Yeah, I never saw him do that. So I'd be, you know, but it's it's cool that he had all those. He had a dark side, but also was a wonderfully kind guy.
Starting point is 00:25:44 You know, he's just a very did he have a dark side? He told dirty jokes. But does those. He had a dark side, but also was a wonderfully kind guy. You know, he's just a very he didn't have a dark side. He told dirty jokes. But does that mean it's a dark side? I mean, we're all sexual creatures, right? It's not dark, but he's letting out the id. Yeah. Which is good. But dark would be like if he joked about beating a girl with a shovel. That was his closer. But
Starting point is 00:26:02 but just just the fact that he was a sexual being and talked about that isn't dark. Right. Well, he was super, super dirty, like exceptionally so. But I don't see that as dark. I don't see dirty. And I agree. Yeah. So but it's not light either. Where would you put dirty? I just put it as dirty. I just put it as dirty. You know, I don't I don't put it as dirty even mean. Well, dirty generally means sexual. Right. Isn't that sad that sexual is considered dirt.
Starting point is 00:26:29 Well, you could make that point. Yeah, I mean, would you agree with that point? Well, I don't know. I mean. I don't know if it's sad, it's it's normal. Do you think? Repunting to me because I don't know how to say it, I don't know if it's sad. It's it's. No, what do you think? Are you punting to me? Because I don't know how to say it. I don't want dead air.
Starting point is 00:26:50 Do I think it's sad that that, you know, I don't know. Like it could and Perry, I'll probably. What do you think? No, no, no. I was going. I actually that made me think of when I started talking about getting your period. And you and Steve immediately told me that I was being un-ladylike, which incensed me like to no end.
Starting point is 00:27:11 You're being an extreme lady, in fact. That's what I that's exactly what I said. I said, I can't think of anything more ladylike. Well, if Eve hadn't bitten that apple, you wouldn't have that problem every month. I don't know if it's a problem. That's God's punishment. So there's this song, you know, White Ass Pussy, that song, you wouldn't have that problem every month. I don't know if that's a problem. That's God's punishment. So there's this song, you know, White Ass Pussy, that song, you know. Oh, my God. And what?
Starting point is 00:27:32 I mean, you don't know that. I do know that I've just never heard you. And like my daughter apparently is aware of this song and WAP and what it means. And that's dirty, right? And it was it's sad that it's like, yeah, you know, in a kind of a visceral sense, I feel like, yeah, that's dirty right and it was it's sad that it's like yeah you know in a kind of a visceral sense I feel like yeah that's just not
Starting point is 00:27:50 she doesn't need to you know it's like childhood is magical and non-sexual and she doesn't need to know about wet ass pussy songs I don't know so maybe it's a buddy buddy I don't know childhood wasn't so non-sexual for you and that rabbi during your bar mitzvah lesson.
Starting point is 00:28:09 I told you that in confidence, Dan. Oh, you said you talked about it on the podcast. He did. He talked about it on the air. No, for those. Nothing actually happened. A rabbi did attempt to to have his way with me, but it didn't happen. But but he did try. That's out fucking Regis. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:28:32 Well, how how how unsexual is childhood these days? Well, you can go online and see everything and hear everything and research. Everett's a big problem now. Yeah, you have a young kid. You are you able to keep, you know i mean do you lock the internet i don't know you can you have childhood child proof the internet or something i try really really hard to shield him from a lot i mean okay so let me interrupt perry other because we had a fight one time and this i guess i'm gonna have to agree with al so i said to perry l's son
Starting point is 00:29:02 who's eight his name is Ari. I said, Ari, what did the elephant say to the naked man? He says, what? I says, how do you breathe through that thing? And she got she's furious with me for telling her son an inappropriate joke. I'm like, that is a cute joke
Starting point is 00:29:20 for an eight-year-old. First of all, I wasn't the only one that got furious. Juanita was furious also. So you know what? That's a dirty joke? He doesn't know there's such a thing as penis? First of all, yes. It's not about sex. Well, so there's your answer, Al, that these parents
Starting point is 00:29:35 think that there are things that shouldn't that are adult. That's for children, though, not for adults. But the point is, sex is a category that we need to separate out, according to Perry. I don't know. What do you think? You tell that joke to an adult. That's it. That is a kid's joke about a peepee. That's not about sex. You don't even know what sex is or what the altered state of consciousness.
Starting point is 00:29:58 Yeah, it's like it's not like he said, hey, I mean, here's a joke that you couldn't say to a little kid like the guy pulls over in the van and says, kid, you get in my van, I'll give you a piece of candy. And the kid says, give me the whole bag. You can come on my face. That's a classic, by the way. But that's a joke you wouldn't say to an eight year old, Harry Finkelbrand. So I don't think that his face will be dirty. I don't think that a nine year old should know Cardi B's wet ass pussy song. Like, I don't I don't think that there's any reason in the world why that's necessary. It's clear by the transitive property that you don't think a nine year old should hear what an elephant said to a naked man.
Starting point is 00:30:41 So I mean, that one's OK. And I think Juanita got more mad than I did. No, Juanita didn't get mad. Yes, she did. She said you shouldn't be telling penis jokes to a table full of fucking children. Well, when you put it, when you put it like that, it's how much you call it. An elephant. That's how you label it. It's a cute joke.
Starting point is 00:31:05 By the way, I. By the way, I was reading that Aziz's special is dropping, Nightclub Comedian, and on the 25th, I believe, of January. Yeah, I think it was. But it didn't name the club
Starting point is 00:31:21 that he taped it at, that he filmed it at. Well, what didn't name it? that he, that he taped it at, that he filmed it at. Well, what didn't name it? The, the, the, all the articles I read now, he filmed it here. Is that correct? No. Yeah, of course. I read into one article. I have a Google alert for the comedy sellers.
Starting point is 00:31:35 So I saw an article that mentioned the comedy seller, but that's obviously doesn't tell me how many articles were the one in variety. Didn't mention the club. Another article I read said believed to be uh taped at the comedy seller so i was wondering if it's supposed to be on the dl or it no no you'll see it on the camera that it'll say so the they didn't they didn't cover up the sign that says comedy seller i hope not no i don't yell me the down low there's a tremendous uh you know it's almost i'm talking like african-american
Starting point is 00:32:08 like contributions to language is almost like yiddish i mean or even exceeds yiddish and like you just said his special dropped that's that's that's not that's an african-american on the dl is is african-american don't diss me there's i mean there's so many um clever things which once they get introduced into the language there's no other word that really fits for them that come uh from the African American community it's it's like I guess I would have said it deserves recognition more than it gets well we here at the live from the table do recognize the contributions, especially as we approach Martin Luther King's birthday. Good segue, Daniel. Huh? Good segue. We do recognize their linguistic contributions. Now, I guess, how old is the word dropped in that context? 10 years? I don't remember when people started saying dropped. In the 90s, no? Maybe, but I don't recall it going back to the
Starting point is 00:33:04 90s, but it might. Well, I mean, time goes so quickly. It might it might be from the 90s. I guess I would have said comes out. But we're released or was released drops or premieres. Now, those words, I think, are. Precise enough, but they don't I guess they don't they're not as fun as dropped. Well, drop sounds cool. I'd personally be embarrassed to say I don't feel that cool.
Starting point is 00:33:27 So I would hate to say that I dropped something. I feel like I'm well, yeah, I think if a special drops, you you have to be at least under 50. Right. For something to drop. Well, I could drop dead. I think I mean, you know, well, in 2004, you wouldn't say that Woody Allen's new movie is dropping. No. 2004 Snoop Dogg's released Drop It Like It's Hot. I don't know. But whatever. I just somebody should make a list of all these terms.
Starting point is 00:33:59 I bet you like things that are like groovy and well, groovy probably was originally. It sounds so white, though, groovy. well, groovy probably was originally. It sounds so white, though, Groove, I associate groovy with Greg Brady. So I don't know if it was originally black. And then and then the Brady Bunch. Cool. For sure. Cool, man. That's cool. We should get that Scrabble guy back here. Well, he may not know etymology. He just knows a lot of words.
Starting point is 00:34:23 Kuhn might have started in the 50s, maybe with Dobie Gillis. Remember Dobie Gillis' show? No one heard of Dobie Gillis. The guy, his co-star was the guy from Gilligan's Island. Bob Denver. Bob Denver. So, Noam, are you excited about the publicity that
Starting point is 00:34:39 might be garnered from this special that is going to be featured in your club? Can I say be uh one more thing about this language because just to have the the the uh you couldn't explain it that everybody would get it that to say when something is really good we're gonna say that's bad that's bad man like that's very deep in a way that all humans get. Nobody says, what the, what the fuck's the matter with you? Why would you send me something as good as bad? But that's just,
Starting point is 00:35:13 it's interesting, you know? Well, if I can say, if I may bring up an analogous, I love publicity. Yeah, it'd be great. An analogous French term, and my pronunciation is horrible. I understand this, uh, means not terrible, but is often used to me,
Starting point is 00:35:30 not great. So if I said that my set was not, was, it wasn't terrible. That would, it can be used to mean it's not great. So, uh,
Starting point is 00:35:40 it's the same thing. It's not terrible, meaning not too great. So terrible to mean great. So it's analogous. I don't know if that's, if they took it from us or if that's sort of natural kind of thing
Starting point is 00:35:53 that linguistically people do. I don't know. Say one word to mean the opposite word. That sounds like the opposite of what we're saying. No, it's not the opposite. Pas terrible means... Not terrible. And it's not the opposite. Pas terrible means. Not terrible.
Starting point is 00:36:06 And it's used to mean not great. So if I say, how is your hamburger? Pas terrible. Again, the pronunciation is awful. But how's your hamburger? Not terrible would be used in that context to mean it's not very good. But they both sound like so-so to me. Not terrible.
Starting point is 00:36:22 Not great. Yeah, bad means good. Like bad means the opposite. Yeah, and not terrible means the opposite of not terrible. It means not good. If I said, how's this thing? Not terrible, not great. I would have trouble discerning.
Starting point is 00:36:38 It doesn't mean so-so. It means it's bad. So you said not great means bad. It means not terrible means not good. It's not good. Not terrible means terrible. It means bad. OK, I don't know if it means terrible.
Starting point is 00:36:56 Terrible doesn't mean bad. Not terrible means not bad. Not terrible. Yeah, but that's not what not terrible means in French slang. It would mean it's not it's It would mean it's not good. Nicole, can you help me out here? Are you understanding what I'm saying? I get it, Dan.
Starting point is 00:37:14 You know, as someone who doesn't speak French, I believe you that there's something there. Well, I think it's pretty much the exact same thing. Since we all speak jive, I think you understand what I'm saying. Yes, I didn't need subtitles in airplane you know remember that scene that was an airplane for our younger for our younger viewers may not remember a scene in the movie airplane they had black people talking with subtitles yeah um so so you have so anyway dan talk about him please well um do we have more questions for al i did want to
Starting point is 00:37:44 talk about the comic strip very quickly. Go ahead. The comic strip, apparently one of the clubs here in New York posted something on Instagram, posted a picture of their club. And underneath it, it said with an American flag and it said a freak hashtag freedom hashtag um f f mandates hashtag um enough already and hashtag nuremberg well they spell it nuremberg with an n they spell it with an n nuremberg but anyway so they since have removed the hashtag uh the hashtags from that post and it's just a picture of the club but there was some controversy i mean not and people didn't make the front pages of a picture of the club. But there was some controversy. I mean, not, didn't make the front pages of the National, of the New York Times,
Starting point is 00:38:29 but, you know, it got some. It's called anti-Semitic. They called the post anti-Semitic. Some have called it that because it said hashtag Nuremberg. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:38:39 Comparing the vax mandates to the Holocaust, which a lot of people have done. People have warned Jewish stars to compare. And people have said that this is anti-Semitic. There's a big thing on Instagram right now of this, these people who are shaving their heads and holding up pictures of like yellow stars comparing themselves. Right. And people see this as anti-Semitic. And I and Noam, you've made the point that it's kind of the this as anti-Semitic. And I and Noam, you've made the
Starting point is 00:39:05 point that it's kind of the opposite of anti-Semitic. Of course, it's not anti-Semitic. Well, OK, let me say a few things. But I don't know. Do you have any comment on this? Yeah, well, it seems like they're trying to say that they're being victims like the Jews were in the Holocaust. And to say that the Jews were victims in the Holocaust is not anti-Semitic. No, no, no. But it is a crazy analogy. It a crazy analogy it's an over-the-top crazy analogy as almost every analogy is to hitler but um and it's true i mean you could if you wanted to try to make yours he's trivializing not but the point is obviously somebody's saying this is bad just like what happened to the jews was bad it's got this is
Starting point is 00:39:44 great like what happened to the jews was great like's not this is great like what happened to the jews was great like it's so stupid to call it also nuremberg was a good thing because it was uh you know justice for the jews no you're thinking of the nuremberg trials yeah this is the nuremberg laws nuremberg laws which preceded a little history lesson is in order the nuremberg laws were instituted in the 30s i believe and they they uh discriminated they said like jews couldn't be doctors or jews could only marry jews this sort of thing oh yeah but but here's what i find interesting i always thought that i was the only person in show business as it were let alone the comedy club business who was kind of right
Starting point is 00:40:27 of center in political views but as it turns out the other clubs are nuts they are all like they are like hotbeds of anti-vax uh um looney tunes libertarian like like it's crazy what Vax, Looney Tunes, Libertarian. It's crazy what they're into. And they're not even keeping it to themselves. They're tweeting it out in New York City, which is almost self-destructive to me.
Starting point is 00:40:57 What is their beef with the Vax mandate? Well, besides the comic strip, who else has come out against mandates? Well, definitely, I'm... Well, actually, Stand Up New York, that guy, right? Danny Zolder. And also The Stand. They're all...
Starting point is 00:41:12 And I would exclude Gotham and Caroline. I think, you know, I haven't seen anything they keep above the fray. But these other clubs, and obviously I'm using nuts to be funny. I respect everybody's opinion. I'm just surprised that they're all so vehemently upset about people being, you know, vax mandates. I mean, like everybody in Manhattan,
Starting point is 00:41:36 everybody in New York city is vaccinated anyway. Like if they had no vax mandate, what difference would it make to us? Because it, because you have to check the vax cards or whatever it is. I don't don't know well people don't check those vax cards by the way very uh attentively i know here at the cellar they do i think i think they do well we do but everywhere i go i take out a card they look at it they're clearly not looking at my name and they don't check my id generally speaking and they're just trying to get people in the door. I mean, I will acknowledge that given now that Omicron, given now that being vaccinated doesn't seem to matter. It matters to how sick you'll get, but it doesn't seem to matter to how likely you are to catch it, how likely you are to spread it. I mean, it just seems to be a non-important detail
Starting point is 00:42:27 in terms of your interaction with the outside world anymore. I don't really see the point in the vax mandate anymore. But back before that, when it really meant if everybody in the place was vaccinated, it meant nobody had COVID, which means you can bring your family there, you can bring your grandmother there, you can bring people. You can bring your unvaccinated children there. I was very much for these requirements that everybody be vaccinated in a restaurant. Al, are you a COVID survivor?
Starting point is 00:42:54 I believe I've had it. Yeah, but I was doing intermittent I use survivor, obviously, a tongue in cheek. I had sniffles. There's another Holocaust reference, Dan. Go ahead. You mean what? Did I have COVID? Did you have COVID? Yeah, I believe. I don't know for a fact. I had sniffles. There's another Holocaust reference, Dan. You mean what? Did I have COVID? Did you have COVID? Yeah, I believe. I don't know for a fact. I never had the test, but I live with Louis Schaefer at his house. Him and his girlfriend had it. It's a very small little
Starting point is 00:43:14 place. And I felt a little under the weather for a day, but I'm pretty sure I had it. But I don't know. I was doing intermittent fasting. I don't know for a fact if it's true, but I think fasting raises your immune system from what I see it on YouTube. Let's see. Joe Rogan technique. Is he do? No, but he talks about healthy living as a as as a way to combat covid, which I guess is has some value, but probably there's a lot limited. But I think I think is one of the risk factors being overweight. Like, yeah, but I don't think that's going to give you lesser symptoms. I mean, I don't know about that. Well, maybe, but I would guess your intermittent fasting was not the reason you had light symptoms. If indeed it was COVID, that would be my guess.
Starting point is 00:43:55 Of course, I'm not a doctor. OK, maybe you're right. But yeah, so I just had not one day I felt really bad, kind of bad. But yeah, I didn't have a bad case. Wait, but no, you do think that there should be a vax mandate because it without it, I mean, the hospitals would just be filled. I mean, beyond with people like the the only reason that we're not in the hospitals is because we've been vaccinated so many times. I mean, you still agree with that, don't you?
Starting point is 00:44:28 I don't know. I don't I don't know. I think that you've really taken a turn. Well, when the facts change, your opinion is changing. At the point where. Whether or not you're vaccinated or not. Really doesn't affect other people at all anymore. Leaving aside the hospital issue for a second, but you can't though.
Starting point is 00:44:50 That's critical. I said for a second, just let's just, let's just dispose of everything. Let's leave it. If the hospital is the only issue that we can focus on that. So before it meant that you, you weren't just going to keep yourself healthy. It meant you were going to keep your grandmother healthy. It meant you keep your children healthy. It meant that you were doing your part for society.
Starting point is 00:45:13 It's like the measles. Like, what do I care if other kids get measles vaccines? Well, they're kids. So, of course, we protect them. But more selfishly, I don't want kids without measles vaccine because I don't want my kids to get measles. I don't want it spreading. But if there's no threat of that, if there's no breakthroughs or whatever it is, you know, I don't know how important it is. And it's more mild.
Starting point is 00:45:39 Now, the hospital things, I mean, most people will get vaccinated. Very few people got vaccinated because there's a mandate. There is no mandate now. Right. There's no law says to get vaccinated. It depends. Where is there a law that says to get vaccinated? I don't know. There's not a law, but like certain companies and schools. I mean, no, there's no law. That's all being implemented after, you know, after 75, 80 percent of people are already vaccinated. Most people do it because they want to stay healthy. Are the hospitals overrun? I'm not even sure they are.
Starting point is 00:46:09 There was a statistic out yesterday that only 49% of the people in the hospital with COVID are in the hospital for COVID. In other words, there's so much COVID around that people are in the hospital for various things and they're testing positive, but that's not actually why they're there. Hospitalization is certainly up.
Starting point is 00:46:28 You're also saying that you're 20 times less likely to die if you've been vaccinated. Well, that's up to you. I mean, you can make cigarettes out, you're way less likely to die if you don't smoke. We don't tell people they can't smoke like i'm not i'm not i don't know i don't think about like i'm not uh um terribly or drinking i'm like i'm not terribly crazy to tell people what they have to do and don't have to do especially when it means taking an injection of a substance into their bodies which for people who care about a woman's you
Starting point is 00:47:02 know like people that write to my body, write to my body. Oh, for the love of God. No, I'm serious. What is it? No, I'm serious. Like, what does it mean to have a right to your body? Well, if a right to your body means yes, but it's not just your own body, it affects us all.
Starting point is 00:47:16 Well then, you know, there's a compromise. But if like you don't get the vaccine and you might die of a disease and it doesn't affect me at all. And it means having to like, in the end, like maybe it puts you down on the table, strap you down and give you a affect me at all. And it means having to, like, in the end, like maybe put you down on a table, strap you down and give you a shot at the extreme where, you know, the law in the end means at the point of a gun kind of,
Starting point is 00:47:33 or at the point of your liberty. I don't know if I support a mandate. I mean, I believe in some freedom to not take, especially people who are younger, who have almost no risk of dying. It's a balancing act. You have to look at what the effect is on others versus your bodily autonomy and make makeup, which is what the Supreme Court did in Roe versus Wade.
Starting point is 00:47:54 They made they balanced it out. They said, well, women should have bodily autonomy, but a fetus is not nothing. So what we're going to do is we're going to say states have a right to restrict abortion after the first trimester. But we're going to say that in the first trimester, they have no such right. That's my daughter, Mila. Come here, sweetheart. Come here. Whether you agree with that or not, that's what the Supreme Court did. Hello, Mila. Mila, what did the elephant say to the naked man? I can't. I'm not gonna say that you're not gonna say okay good girl all right you wanted to check my writing project it's a hundred points though it's a big one i'll check it when are you done i'm almost finished she wants me to check her writing project i'll check
Starting point is 00:48:34 you want to check my yes i want to check amila come meet alu bell i'm told you're a fan she doesn't remember we saw that documentary about the comedian i can't remind reminder about it. It was almost like eight months ago. We all watched it. I don't want to describe it. We all watched the documentary. He says his name a lot.
Starting point is 00:48:55 The comedian who had mental issues. I think so. Yeah, yeah. So it was forgettable. Well, it was eight months ago ago and a lot has happened since. Like an eighth of my sort of she remembered an instant. So anyway, I was going to come back to COVID for one moment. Go ahead.
Starting point is 00:49:15 So would you say then, Noam or anybody here, would you say that it's wrong for the government to have a law saying suicide is illegal? I mean, it's illegal to commit suicide. It's a felony. So illegal to have anal sex in a lot of states. Well, that's while committing suicide or suicide by booga booga.
Starting point is 00:49:34 But the law, the government says you are not allowed to end your life. Well, but attempted suicide is not is attempted suicide illegal because nobody's been prosecuted. No, I have a joke. Oh, yeah. Well, I don't know. Should I tell you? Is suicide illegal or is's been prosecuted. I have a joke. Oh, yeah. Well, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:49:45 I don't know. Is suicide illegal or is is are you author? I don't think suicide's illegal. Yeah, it's a felony. It's a felony. But what are they going to do? I mean, let me Google that. You know, I was trying to write a joke.
Starting point is 00:49:56 Like, what are they? I guess you look. I mean, it got away. I think symbolically they're trying to discourage it. Obviously, it has no real meaning. Is that the joke? Yeah. No, suicide's a felony. It's a crime. But what are they going to do? You know, it has no real meaning. Is that the joke? Yeah. No, suicide's a felony.
Starting point is 00:50:07 It's a crime. But what are they going to do? You know, they look at your court. He got away. It's great. I like it. I haven't. Suicide is no longer considered a crime in the United States. However, some states have attempted suicide listed as a crime in their criminal statutes. It's ridiculous. I know that that's just refreshing. Suicide is no longer a crime. But attempted suicide is. I have a joke on that. Like. Suicide is no longer a crime. But attempted suicide is. I have a joke on that. Like, penalties, I used to be a lawyer. So I said, I like to think of penalties for crimes that make no sense.
Starting point is 00:50:31 Like, for the crime of attempted suicide, the death penalty. But what you are allowed to do is you are allowed to, I'm pretty sure, is to prevent somebody from committing suicide using physical force. So whereas normally it would be assault to hold Al, Al Lubell down, you know, against his will or to to to, you know, to physically. Restrain him if he's committing suicide or trying to, I am authorized then to do that. So that I know is true. Like a depressed suicide. You can press citizens arrest.
Starting point is 00:51:09 Well, if you want to look at it that way, but you are authorized to use physical force to stop somebody from committing suicide. So, so I know that's the case. That's I don't know if that's really right or fair. Can I, can I just say something? By the way, this is a comedy podcast sometimes i i would i would be against uh a lot of silly but anyway just to show perriel just um so i could i looked as i forgot so this is uh just some headlines i'm showing them on the thing hospitals overwhelmed
Starting point is 00:51:39 by flu patients are treating them intense that's from uh uh 2000 No, I think it's from the 90s. Anyway, it's 2019. Bad flu season test. You will have hospitals. The 2000 early flu outbreak has hospitals overflowing. 2004 full emergency rooms are feeling the effects of the flu.
Starting point is 00:51:57 It's a story. The point being that hospitals have been overrun with the flu many times. We don't force flu vaccines. But aren't there? okay, point taken, but aren't there plenty of other vaccines that like kids have to take to go to school that are not in the category of?
Starting point is 00:52:15 Well, we are protective of children because- But wait, but wait, like polio, MMR, like aren't there mumps, measles, rubella, are those terribly contagious? I don't know all the details and I don't know what the breakthrough infections are and all that, but we do have... Let's go back to that. We have an area of the law which
Starting point is 00:52:40 requires parents to be responsible for the health and safety of their children, including vaccinations. And if children were dying of COVID, I would be very much for a mandate that required parents to get their children vaccinated for COVID. However, I don't know what that has to do with the 25 year old dude, you know, on the street, why he should have to get vaccinated. He has almost zero risk of dying of COVID. And as long as he can't, as long as being vaccinated doesn't mean he's more or less likely than someone unvaccinated to pass it along to someone who's high risk. What do I care if he's vaccinated? I don't care.
Starting point is 00:53:28 Seems to make sense unless as perry ells brought up he's going to wind up overflowing the emergency room to such an extent that it's going to cause a health crisis yeah but i don't think it is that doesn't seem to be happening especially with omicron it's not as uh you know severe it spreads more but it's not as powerful well i don't know i think there's a lot of hospitalizations even with Omicron, but I'm not sure. There is, but you're right. Listen, everything is a balancing act. But the question is, are we looking at both sides of the ledger? I guess that what I would distinguish in my thinking from what seems to go into other people's thinking is that I actually think it is quite a serious thing to order people at the penalty of law to take an injection of anything. That is a weighty thing, weightier than people
Starting point is 00:54:13 I think are willing to consider. That's all. But I'm saying we already do that. Well, with children who we have to step in and make decisions for them in certain situations because they are not adults and and these are these are horribly crippling diseases polio i mean these are you didn't have you didn't have to have a mandate for the polio vaccine i mean everybody just lined up and took polio vaccine we have another whole thing going on which is these nutty people who were, you know, against the vaccines for whatever reason. That just is and the way and the way politics and partisanship is now mixed up in vaccine uptake. Right. Just it just makes the whole thing, you know, incomprehensible. That's what I was going to say is that I really wonder if this whole thing
Starting point is 00:55:05 hadn't become so politicized, if people wouldn't be lining up to take the vaccine. Actually, Trump is OK with the vaccine. Yeah, but as far as the booster now came out against DeSantis today because DeSantis won't admit whether he was boosted or not.
Starting point is 00:55:22 And Trump's like, what are you a coward for? You should tell people whether you are or you aren't. Trump's being smart right now, I think, in hugging the vaccine. He's running for president again.
Starting point is 00:55:36 He's distinguishing himself from these nutty anti-vaxxers. If we don't want to continue to talk about the vaccine, I'd like to mention that Al Lubell is now officially back in New York City. Is that correct, Al? I don't know. Is there such a thing as official in terms of where you're located? Well, okay.
Starting point is 00:55:57 Official may not be the word. Yes, there is. There is something official. If you spend enough days there that your domicile is there and you have to 183 days a year. Have you exactly. So I'm not officially. Have you made the decision? I got back last week.
Starting point is 00:56:11 Have you made the decision? Not officially. OK, but have you made the decision to stay? I am very bad with decision. I don't know. How do you even know you've made a decision? It's the next moment you change your mind. Was it really a decision?
Starting point is 00:56:23 Interesting philosophically. But but you're unofficially back though for sure but but are you actively searching for permanent lodging in new york i have i have well again i guess it's philosophical to say what is permanent but yes i have permanent lodging compared to what you you're a lot nicer person than i thought you were no offense yeah but last week you were helping me with the Airbnb thing. You patiently sat down with me. Right. And I never saw that side of you. I'm not saying, you know, I was like, wow, you know, because I'm such a negative person, I assume because once I remember you were thinking of renting me a room in your apartment. Do you remember that? I came you probably don't remember this. I came by to look at it. I don't have a
Starting point is 00:57:00 room out unless it's we put you in the in the in the bathroom years ago and who left your dunnigan kyle dunnigan that's right yeah okay so so okay maybe i did i don't recall that but yeah i came over but anyway whatever my point is i guess you weren't that great am i allowed to talk about this i guess so well it was nothing bad you weren't in a great mood okay not that you expected a dinner party so what so what happened no i didn't rent i don't remember what happened i didn't end up renting a room. My point is I was very, I was really impressed with how nice you were. Well, Al, I was looking for a place
Starting point is 00:57:30 that had been nicer. I'd offer just stay on my couch. I didn't do that. I noticed that. Yeah. But I did, I did. But I did offer you to loan your money for the hotel. Yes, I was very impressed with that.
Starting point is 00:57:43 But I was even more impressed that I declined. Dan's all right, Al. Dan's all right. Yeah, he really is. I was really, I mean, you were patient. You helped me go through it. You know, I really couldn't have done it myself. I just, I was too anxious and nervous. So you went and ended up going back to the hotel in Yonkers?
Starting point is 00:58:00 Yeah, so 140 a night, a nightmare. And then, but I ended up finding airbnb is like hostels you know in the city on did you know eighth avenue and like 28th street is like a hostel center for like there's an interfaith hostel this other by hostel he means like a place where you lodge not that it's hostile right right yeah and so i stayed a few nights in these places uh it only came to like 60 a night and so now you found a place where have you found a place i found a place it's up in uh young oh you're gonna be living in Yonk. I am actually living there. I have to go.
Starting point is 00:58:28 I have one last question for Al. You guys continue because we started late and I have familiar obligations. How are your sets going these days, Al? Well, pretty good. I was at, coincidentally, I mean, let's see. I mean, it sounds like you're asking me because you know. These last two No, no, no. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:58:44 This is a guileless uh that's okay right it sounds like a nazi question how are your sets going i reviewed them earlier this morning on tape how do you think they went the uh yeah actually they ironically they have been comedy seller sets. There was a Monday night at the other one. What's it called? The Village Underground. I want to write some joke about the comedy seller at the Village Underground, the seller at the underground.
Starting point is 00:59:13 It seems to duplicate, you know, to the same thing should explode into a positive, like an above the roof thing. You know, the physics joke, you know, the seller underground. It's like it's too much underground. You know, the seller at the underground. I mean, it's underground i mean it's not terrible that's not terrible al may there's something there right that's right which means that means it's no good that's right but they have been actually going well i've been getting more i'm actually fine in la it's just hard to get stage time and also i don't even have the interest in it i got to get
Starting point is 00:59:43 in my car and drive there there's something about the energy in la i don't even have the interest in it. I got to get in my car and drive there. There's something about the energy in LA. I didn't even want to perform, but here, you know, there's something about the energy. And I actually find myself thinking about my jokes during the day because I've actually performed at night. So I think they are going better. I'm getting more confident. It's like other comics have said this, you had in order to be a comedian, you actually have to be doing it. And I'm doing it more here. So I feel it's going better. Well, I'm going to go.
Starting point is 01:00:07 I'm a big fan. I always have been a big fan. And I think you're a big talent. And I know you have your ups and downs, but I really hope that it works out. And I hope you do great because I'm happy. I'm really happy that you're back. Can I just give the audience a teaser
Starting point is 01:00:21 of one of my favorite Alou Bell jokes? He goes on stage and says, I'm Aloubel, Aloubel. He repeats his name over and over again like a lunatic. And then he says, you know, what's funny is the more I say I'm Aloubel, the more you're thinking, who is this guy? That's a little tease. I hope you don't mind, Al. We can cut it out, but I want to give the people. Oh, wait, Al, Al, Al, go ahead. Tell them.
Starting point is 01:00:42 What do you remember about this guy? Say it, say it. He did the thing where the heart stops and he don't die, I think. Oh, thank. Go ahead. Tell me what do you remember about this guy? Say it. Say you did the thing where the heart stops and you don't die. I say thank you. Yeah, heart your heart beats a beat to beat our size. You don't die. Very good. You say that. Thank you very much. I'm glad. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:00:57 I hope you continue to die. I thought he meant the joke about the airplane where the guy has a heart attack. No, I'm talking he's talking about your heart beats. It beats, it beats. But what's it doing in between? Beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat. If you die the second your heart stop beating, everybody will walk around like,
Starting point is 01:01:14 because my joke is like, you don't die the second your heart stops beating because your heart's always stopping beating because it beats non-beat, beat, non-beat. Right, that's what it is. I have to hope that my heart is beating. You may say, obviously my heart is beating because I'm alive. Yeah, but you don't die the second your heart stops beating. It takes a second or two. My heart could have stopped beating right now. Okay, it
Starting point is 01:01:35 didn't. But it could have. You do not die the second your heart stops beating. You don't even pass out the second your heart stops beating. You don't pass out the second your heart stops beating. You don't even pass out the second your heart stops beating. You don't pass out the second your heart stops beating. Your heart beats. It beats. It beats. But what's it doing in between? Beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat, beat, non-beat. So you don't pass out the second your heart stops beating. If people pass out the second
Starting point is 01:01:58 their heart stops beating, everybody will be walking around like... I'm walking around like. Thank you. Yes, I miss you. Yeah, no. Yeah. Younger people do like my humor. I think it's absolutely. Thank you. Also, Manny's a special kind of a kid. He's not your everyday average. Young man, that's passive aggressive against al al called it like he's got he's got to undercut it right he can't help but
Starting point is 01:02:30 he can't yeah well he doesn't really feel well but but i'm not saying a young kid is special no it's not undercutting it's saying al's not a kid act al's an act for adults that spent that kids with special intellect can appreciate no i don't. That's why I think you're wrong. I think that kids appreciate because it's wholesome in a way. There's something, it's like, it's wholesome and kids enjoy wholesome, funny jokes, you know? It's also, I think, stuff that kids would think about it when they're kids.
Starting point is 01:03:00 It's on kids' minds, thoughts like that. Because I think, I don't know what I am. I think I have a tendency to keep thinking like a kid because I never wanted to grow up. So maybe I'm still connected a lot. Right. That's interesting. All right. I have to go. I got to read my, I got to proofread my daughter's assignment so, so I can get a good grade tomorrow. Okay. Bye.
Starting point is 01:03:22 All right. Bye. Now we're going to probably wrap it up anyway. That's fine. OK, bye. But we'll wrap it up without that was the great Noam Dorman. He's he's coming at us via Zoom. Did we mention that that he was they probably could figure it out anyway, because maybe the sound was a little bit less clear. I don't know. OK, but Noam is in hiding, is in covid quarantine. I mean, he doesn't have covid. He's trying to avoid covid. So he has not been coming in, so he'll he did mention that he might come in Monday for the music. I hope he doesn't immediately get Omicron.
Starting point is 01:03:55 Now, what would you sing if you could sing on Monday with the band? Yeah, that's how could you expect me to answer that right now? I mean, you just asked me and within one second, I'm supposed to come up with an answer. Well, a lot of people that are singers have songs that they really like to say. I'm not a singer. I can sing, I guess, in some. But you said to me, you you like this thing.
Starting point is 01:04:15 You wanted to sing with the band that I ever sang. OK, but if you want to sing with the band, perhaps you have something in mind to sing. Perhaps this song. OK, a duo. I haven't rehearsed it but i'd like to sing this song there's an incredible duo with uh peter weller i only learned about him because i lived in england for a few years he's a big british singer and amy winehouse who everyone knows they do a duo of an old blue standard from like the 40s or 50s called uh come back to me or
Starting point is 01:04:44 something like don't go to strangers. I encourage people to watch Jules Holland is a famous English producer. It's the Jules Holland band. It's incredible, like 60 pieces. I'm not in that style, but it's it's just magic to me. It's magical watching the way the camera moves around. You see these different band members and these two unbelievable singers sing. Don't go to strangers. Well, I'll take I'll take a listen. I'd like to sing. That's my fantasy to do both their parts, Winehouse and Weller, to sing that song at Noam's. But I'd have to rehearse that. I don't think I'd be ready by Monday. Do you know that song, Nicole? You're a very young person. I do not. I have to say I'm not necessarily into jazz, that kind of shit. You know, I don't like jazz because it doesn't have a melody usually.
Starting point is 01:05:27 Yeah, but I would call this blue blues can have a good blue show. A blue is a beautiful melody. And that's not the song. But that's why when I think of blues, I think you think of strippers when you think of blues, old strippers. I think of Alaska. I think of old black guy going to Dan. And I got the blue, you know, there are others. All right.
Starting point is 01:05:49 Thank you. We're glad you're back. We hope you stay back. It's good to see you. Thank you very much. You know, now you might have noticed we have a comedy table where all the comics sit downstairs at the Comedy Cellar at the at the Olive Tree Cafe. I almost never sit there. Yeah, I don't know. There's only so many comics I get along with. But Al is a comic with whom I get along.
Starting point is 01:06:07 It's good to have him back for that reason. I think I don't sit there either because I don't really know a lot of the new the comics since I've been gone, you know, so I don't feel that, you know, comfortable sitting there. But I've sat with you. I've only been there. And I helped you with the Airbnb.
Starting point is 01:06:20 Thank you very much. How'd you like this episode, Nicole? It was great. Do you think so? or you're just kind of humoring me no i'm not humoring you at all you did a great job what what what now of the following topics what did you like the best bob saget al's documentary um or the covid stuff i can definitely say covid's in last but the other stuff was very interesting okay she does she sound sincere to you al yeah she said but how many other times did she say I can definitely say COVID's in last, but the other stuff was very interesting. Okay. Does she sound sincere to you, Al? Yeah, she said, but how many other times has she said great?
Starting point is 01:06:51 She always says great. Yeah, because she's not going to go on the air and be like that. But that's fine. That's fine. I don't care. She doesn't have to say it. It's not what she's saying. It's how she is saying it. I mean, my voice really doesn't leave this tone ever. I could be having the time of my life. And that's why you're impenetrable.
Starting point is 01:07:12 Yeah, but I am having the time of my life. So just know that. But have you ever said sometimes it's great in the same time? You always say in the same tone, but you didn't really mean it. Um, maybe not today, though. I know I know you didn't. OK, not today, but other times you might have. I can attest to the fact that Nicole like this because she likes the comedian episodes the best.
Starting point is 01:07:35 She likes those. She much prefers those. Nicole, correct me if I'm wrong to the, you know, sort of science or journalist guests that we have on, as do I personally. I love the comedy. Well, I think both have their place, but I think no one gets a little too into. Details that that, you know, I that that I think he goes a little too deep, you know, anyway,
Starting point is 01:08:01 I'm not kissing his ass, but I remember being impressed with how we could logically think of things. I'd like analyze all the points and very professorial approach. He's a bright guy. No question. We have we will see you next time. Periel Ashenbrand, you can find her books on my knees. And the only bush I trust is my own on Amazon. Correct. Similarly, you can find my book out on if you know I wrote a book.
Starting point is 01:08:28 No, I mentioned it. You said the title so fast. I didn't hear I was Spiro before COVID. It's just I respect that's the name of the main character. And before COVID, COVID is when it takes place. It it's I was Spiro. He's a comic. And it's before COVID. So what else would I call it? So it's it's fictional yet it's there's fact there's fact it and it's before COVID. So what else would I call it? So it's it's fictional. Yeah, it's
Starting point is 01:08:46 there's fact. It's it's it's got some factual basis to it. It explores the world of comedy and it ends with Ira, our hero, if you will, going into lockdown with his. Well, I don't want to give away the surprise, but he he goes into lockdown at the end of the novel. And it's so it's Iris Spiro before COVID. You know, it would be very impressive. Yeah, you wrote this novel before COVID happened. Well, I started it before COVID. Yeah, but you didn't have the end. That's correct.
Starting point is 01:09:16 But wouldn't it be amazing if you had the ending? Well, then I'd be then I'd be Nostradamus. But I mean, Nostradamus, it actually knows what he's talking about, because I don't think Nostradamus actually did. But yes, I would be a soothsayer. Right. Which would which I wouldn't like to be, because to know the future, you would you would go crazy. I mean, you could make a lot of money in the stock market, but ultimately you would jump off a bridge because you can't live like that. At least, you know, it's going to have. Right. It would also be illegal.
Starting point is 01:09:40 Oh, well, no, now it's legal. Oh, if you attempted to jump off. Well, I don't think they would prosecute you for it. So my book, Iris Spear Before COVID is available on Amazon and you can get on Kindle. You can get four free chapters so that you can decide whether it's look who reads anymore. Let's face it. I mean, but, you know. That's great for you. That's great.
Starting point is 01:10:03 They're giving. I think they give you four. Yeah, I think they give you four um and also al's documentary you can and i was talking about mentally al a play on the words mentally ill obviously i mean i don't have to explain that to you people i mean you're not that dumb mentally al available on youtube and a few others and other streaming platforms just google mentally al. Al Alou Bell's very funny. You can come see him. I'm there tonight. Actually, the come to get the head.
Starting point is 01:10:31 Well, if this is airing tomorrow, but get your time machine and come back to today and see Alou Bell. He's also performing at the Blue Note Cafe, an evening of jazz with Alou Bell. Actually, it's airing tomorrow. I made that up. By the way, I will be at the cellar Friday and Saturday. What's that room? Fat Lady something or other? The Fat Black Pussycat.
Starting point is 01:10:48 Okay, I'll be there Friday and Saturday. Friday and Saturday. The Fat Lady. There's probably tickets available. Normally, we're sold out, but it's winter and it's COVID,
Starting point is 01:10:57 so sometimes there's available seats anyway. Shows are good whether Al's on them or not, but it's obviously a special treat when he is. I only said Fat Lady because isn't there a phrase with the operating over until the fat lady?
Starting point is 01:11:09 In basketball, there was this operating over It's not over until the fat lady's thing. That's correct, yes. Thank you, everybody. We'll see you next time on Live from the Table.

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