The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi - #105 Chugging Beer With Ariel Elias

Episode Date: October 11, 2022

Ariel Elias joins to share the downsides of having a beer thrown at you onstage but deciding to finish the set nonetheless because your merch is based on your closing bit and it feels like the audience is gonna buy a lot more given the circumstances, going viral, driving Gianmarco to comedy clubs, and how it feels like the only time the press gets excited about elevating a woman in comedy is when something awful happens to them. Join the Patreon for ad-free episodes, exclusive content, and MORE. Listen to our live weekly show on AMP, every Tuesday at 4 PM ET. Full video of this episode coming soon HERE! Follow Ariel Elias on Twitter, Instagram, & TikTok For Ariels upcoming shows and all the latest, visit https://www.arieleliascomedy.com/ Follow Gianmarco Soresi on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, & YouTube Subscribe to Gianmarco Soresi's email & texting lists Check out Gianmarco Soresi's bi-monthly show in NYC Get tickets to see Gianmarco Soresi in a city near you Watch Gianmarco Soresi's special "Shelf Life" on Amazon Follow Russell Daniels on Twitter & Instagram E-mail the show at [e-mail] Produced by Paige Asachika & Gianmarco Soresi Video edited by Spencer Sileo Special Thanks Tovah Silbermann Part of the Authentic Podcast Network Original music by Douglas Goodhart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, welcome to the downside, a special, special, yeah, it was exciting. Yeah. Every episode is exciting. I, uh, I'm punchy. I had a shoot at three 30 in the morning and, uh, uh, but I wanted to, you know, make time because I wanted to help. I wanted to help you get the word out, Ariel. I, uh, this is where people will hear about it i'm here with my co-host russell daniels hello also making a very early trip i appreciate being

here yeah and we're joined uh with used to be my opener now hopefully takes me on the road ariel elias how are you doing i'm great I'm so glad I never have to drive to your place at 4 p.m. on a Friday ever again. If nothing else has come from this. This is the downside. One, two, three. Downside. You're listening to The Downside.

The Downside. With Gianmarco Cerezi. john marco cerezi of all the selfish thoughts that i've had during this whole process which you can imagine as a comedian but but but there was like there was this sort of like oh fuck i really liked working with ariel on the road and now it feels yes what why that wasn't your selfish thought no no. No, I'd play a selfish thought, some of which you'll never hear. But I absolutely thought I thought like, you're like my go-to. I was, you know, we had such a nice time

and I was just like, fuck man, that phase is done and fast and quick. Headlining now, baby. Okay, so for those who have been living under a rock, because apparently everyone's heard. And just to be clear, you're trying to release this today, right? Oh, yeah. We're trying to put this out tonight.

I've never done this turnaround. I cleared the schedule. So strike it while it's hot. Yeah. Ariel, a fantastic comedian. JFL New Face is 2021. But who gives a fuck about that anymore? Yeah.

Spoiler, nobody ever gave a fuck about it. So just to recap, and you can go watch the video that she posted of this thing. We went to a comedy club called Uncle Vinny's Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach. Just right off the bat uh deep in new jersey the the logo for vinnie's comedy club bullets in it which again we're not clear after all this i don't know if i'm ever but but uh bullet holes in it and the l is a gun in uncle i didn't even notice that okay i didn't notice that either the l is a gun uh uh seemed seemed pleasant. Seemed pleasant enough. Everything seemed pleasant enough.

We did a Friday show. Went fine. Saturday show. It's BYOB. Important factor in this. Yeah. And there was a table there early. About two hours early.

Yeah. They got there before we did. And we got there early. Yeah. We got there at like 745 for an 9 p.m. show. And there's no content for them. They're just sitting there drinking. And we got there early. Yeah. We got there at like 7.45 for an 9 p.m. show. And there's no content for them. They're just sitting there drinking. Yeah.

Okay. Yeah. And the owner said they were having a Mexican birthday. Don't know what that means. And no one was Mexican, right? No. It wasn't like they were just a group of Mexican people and they're like, we could just say birthday.

Sometimes you can't tell. Like, Luis C.K. is Mexican, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But as far as we could see. Okay. No, no't tell like Louis C.K. is Mexican. But as far as we could see. No, no, no. And what did that entail? Did they have wearing things? There was a sombrero. Which the owner told them no hats. So there were rules.

There were rules. Believe it or not. Okay. And I'm so glad that he really, you know, enforced all of the comedy club rules that night. And we were joking because they were rowdy. They were rowdy, rowdy, rowdy. How many people are we talking about here?

10, 12. I think the whole party he said was 20. 20. Wow, okay. And now there's something you need to know about me, and I don't like to express, you know, my flaws on this show. And now there's something you need to know about me, and I don't like to express my flaws on this show. When I'm headlining Deep in New Jersey, 20 is going to be half the audience that night. To kick out this party is to cut the audience in half. Cut a huge crowd.

It's cutting everybody sitting in the back. Yeah, okay. And it's not a big club. Yeah. And although strange, because with BYOB, it feels like you're taking away a huge part of money for a comedy club. Yeah. And although strange, because what BYOB feels like you're taking away a huge part of money for a comedy club. I think the reason, and this is just friends from New Jersey have said, I think

that county is sort of dry. It's like a certain classification of dry. So for whatever reason, they can't sell alcohol. I mean, I think this is all proof that prohibition does not work at all. People find a way. Okay, so they're're there they're partying they're having a mexican birthday party mexican birthday so it entailed there were sombreros

there were the women were wearing uh fake mustaches like like uh party party city yeah um they weren't authentically no i didn't think that they had like good prosthetic mustaches on. So then we joked. Yeah. This is going to be a disaster. Oh, my God. These drunk people. They were getting rowdier and rowdier. And we thought they'd probably get thrown out before the show started.

That's how rowdy they were being. Just loud. Okay. Just loud. And I joked and said, well, if they're going to stay, I was like, oh, I hope they get thrown out during your set. And I said, I do too, because I have like a line ready. Like a line. Which line?

What was your line? I didn't say it, but my line was, they were there for a Mexican-themed birthday, and my line was going to be, if they got thrown out, of like, oh, really committing to the Mexican theme of getting kicked out. Oh, okay. I don't know if that would have gotten you on Kimmel,

but it is a good line. It's a decent line for, like, where we were. I was like, we're in a conservative crowd. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think people should be kicked out of this country. Yeah. But, like, that's what will happen. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But that's how clear it was that, like, okay, this is a... They're troublemakers Rabble rousers Yeah And it felt like We were told like Listen People being kicked out

Is not an issue So it was like okay Like oh They do it a lot Yeah Or they're not scared to Or they got it covered They got it covered

They got it covered Got it covered Yeah okay And I So Host goes up They seem to quiet down. They seem to like chill out once the show starts.

I was like, okay. They did. One girl passed out. Well, yes. I said they were quiet down. You were like, oh, one's asleep. And we were like, that's best case scenario. That's great.

Yeah, that's great. Go to sleep. And then you go up. Nothing unusual. And then, and I know you've recounted this a thousand times, but you should see it in the video. But basically, and I'm going to ask you this soon, who did you vote for? But they asked, who did you vote for? And when they said that, you opened the floor to questions for a bit.

Sure. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they said, who did you vote for? She said, did you vote for Donald Trump? Did you vote for Donald Trump? It was not, who did you vote for? It was not open-ended. Who did you vote for?ald trump did you vote for donald trump it was not who did you vote for it was not who did you vote from curious yeah just a polite discussion did you

vote for trump which is it was just wild i've never it was shocking you could feel the air change in the room what did you think then i thought like i thought this was gonna like i didn't know where it was gonna go in terms of is, is this going to be a heckler who's going to get need to be thrown out? Never thought it would move to anything being thrown. So I just thought it was not good. I was tense. I was aware I was, I was there and you just, I don't know. She just had that energy.

This is, could be a sexist thing on my part where I felt like this is not going to go down smooth. This is, this is a person who's going to have to felt like this is not going to go down smooth. This is a person who's going to have to leave. They're not going to get shut down and be chill. So then you didn't answer. You were just like trying to move on and then they were like no, you voted for Trump.

You voted for Biden. I can tell by your jokes you voted for Biden. And all had really been established in Ariel Sassifer was that you were Jewish were we were told that could have been the whole issue but you didn't have a set that was like you weren't talking about politics i didn't even really do my jewish jokes like i mentioned it up top but like i've got a whole chunk on it and i just i didn't do it that night because that's not what i'm working on right now. And I will say that the day before there was some jokes about, I guess there's a very Hasidic community called Lakewood that it sounds like we were joking about.

I was making jokes. I joke about Hasids. But then the energy in the room just felt like sometimes they were so excited to shit on this Hasidic community. And it's always that fine line. Well, because it's that thing of like other Jews can shit on the Hasidic community. And it's always that fine line. Well, because it's that thing of like, other Jews can shit on the Hasidic community. No, it gets uncomfortable.

It's really hard when you're like, I sort of agree with you guys, but hang on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You are too into it. You don't like them for the wrong reasons. Yes, yeah. Now, how far into your set did this occur? 15 minutes in.

Okay, yeah. Into a 20-minute set. Yeah,? 15 minutes in. Okay. Yeah. Into a 20 minute set. Yeah. So you were almost. Yeah. Yeah. And so then you, you, you had the, he, she said, I can tell by your jokes, you voted for Biden.

And you said, I can tell by the fact you're talking, even though no one else wants you to, that you voted for Trump. Right. And I thought that was going to be the end. I thought that was like enough. Yeah. And that was a great job. I mean, it was a great response.

I thought, yeah, it seemed like that was the end. And I was like, great. Now we can like enough. Yeah. And that was a great job. I mean, it was a great response. I thought, yeah, it seemed like that was great. Now we can go on. Yeah. And I think like, I think her kind of energy, the woman heckling, it's like there's an okay.

Heckler is one where you get the line and it's over and they go, Oh, I've been had. Yeah. But she, now did he come over and kick her out? This is where I'm not sure. Did she leave?

I have no idea. She left or he kicked her out. I think the owner said that he kicked her out at this point. But bottom line is it felt like it was done. It felt like it was done and I was like, okay, cool. And I go back to looking at my notes. And then. And I go back into my set.

Yeah. And then what, is it 15 seconds later 20 seconds later just i just saw the can hit the fucking the wall yeah and you thought on stage that it was the woman yeah yeah and i knew from back i was like it was it was a it was a man. And I was like, what an arm on her. I'm so proud of her. I was so impressed. I was like, that bitch played softball. Wow. And all I remember is that like I moved a little bit forward.

I think the guy just bolted right away. But there was like people standing up. You don't know what to do. I'm looking there. I moved a little closer and once i saw the guy had left i ran back to make sure your camera was filming and my camera was filming because i was like well might as well get this and physically like what else could i expect you to do i like that you said you moved a little closer i yeah no no i definitely i felt like i went closer to the stage i'm not trying to prop myself up but it was it was a moment where you don't know, because you don't know, is this whole table going to start throwing shit? Is there like, what is about to happen right now?

Yeah, that's interesting. How did the rest of the party react to this? Well, you heard it in the tape. One guy's like, I'm never hanging out with this group again. So funny. Oh, okay. So, oh, I thought I'd watch it. I thought he said he was never coming to the group again. So funny. Oh, okay. So, oh, I see. I thought I'd watch it. I thought he said he was never coming to the club again.

So he said, I'm never hanging out with that group of people again. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's so embarrassing if you're with someone that does something like that. You know, it's shocking. Well, they made sure to let Ariel know how embarrassed they were. I mean, honestly, credit to them. They all apologized.

They all came over and were like i mean some of it i think was like a little bullshit of like we barely even know them yeah yeah yeah but they kept saying to you like just being like oh we're so embarrassed and it's just and it's like it's not like there were two people at the beginning who had who were like rowdy right like it was everybody yeah yeah it was funny is that like even though the audience was very much on like Arielle's side and after she drank the beer, there was just more of them. They were supportive after that. But it's funny because they probably all were still Trump people. It was a very kind of fine line of like, oh, don't get us wrong.

We don't like that you voted for Biden. Yeah. But we're not throwing shit. Totally. There was a guy in the front who, after everything happened, and I like, chugged the beer, and I made a couple of jokes. There was a guy in the front who goes, you live and learn.

And I said, to me? Are you saying that to me right now? And he goes, pretend I didn't say anything. And I go, I don't think I did anything wrong. And then the rest of the crowd was like, no, you didn't. Wait, pretend I didn't say anything that's crazy but what i don't understand what he was offering for you like what should you have

done differently i don't think i should have done anything differently yeah that's it was so i think one one moment you know after you posted this online someone just commented like did the police press charges and it reminded me i'm, so comedy clubs have made my brain forget how life's supposed to work. That I was like, oh, yeah, that's a crime what happened. Yeah, oh, yeah. In my head, truly, it was just like, fuck, road comedy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is a wild thing.

And then when I got up, I was like i was like oh yeah that's a because because i was working at lol for years i just there's a thing of like the cops aren't an option i've entered i've entered as a hunger games like zone because the cops were never brought into play yeah every comedy club is the purge for that period of time and uh you And, you know, it was very, so, okay. So it was, you kept going. In my mind, I was like, if Arielle wants to leave, all in my mind, I was like, if you wanted to be like, we're going, I would have gone. Yeah, we already got paid. We already got paid.

Yeah. And I don't know how else I'm getting home. But, like, I was just, I was prepared for the show to be done. No. And well, okay. The reason I did, I kept going also in my mind, I was like features get paid terrible. And so I sell stickers afterwards. I sell merch.

Yeah. And my merch, my best selling sticker is based on my closer. So I was like, well, I have to do the closer in order to sell some stickers and i think they'll probably buy more stickers than normal i think people will give me more money than they normally would for this so i was like all right i'll make a couple of jokes and then i'll do the closer and i'll get out yeah and that's what happened but then you credit to you you then had to go up and do an hour. Thank you for saying that.

Which is also crazy. I don't think enough credit has been given to me. No, I know it was, it was, yes, weird energy to go after. Wait, did you, you must have referenced it when you went up there. Yeah, I did some jokes in the beginning and something about like, I voted for Biden and I moved around really quick. Yeah. In case anyone had to throw anything. But I, when I was up there,

not that this is my trauma to feel, but I'm an anxious guy. And so I had thoughts throughout of like, oh, someone else is going to throw something. At some point I saw, sounds dumb. I saw a light suddenly and you know, a spark or a vape, who knows. But I had a thought suddenly of like it's a gun next totally i mean my opening joke that saturday night was so glad to be here in

south jersey where it's easier to get a gun than to make a left-hand turn like like it wasn't it's not out of the realm to think that somebody there had a gun on them yeah of course not at all especially with the logo having gunshot things. Sure. A gun in the thing. That's not even part of the logo. That's just missed shots from over the years. So, you know, I saw you after and...

You gave me a hug. I gave you a hug. Of course. I think it's like... Yeah, it's one of those things I you know there's part of me there's I think as like as like a man in that situation

I'm like oh should I should I have done more what more should I have done I mean people talk about the comedy club I thought you you at least in Newsweek really gave the comedy club

saying like I think they there's not much more they could have done out the gate because some people were like comedy clubs should have more security. Yes. No doubt. Yes, every comedy club should have a security guard.

There's also a degree where I'm like, I'm like, it's never going to happen. Or at least some of these clubs, they operate so, it's like saying every bar in New York should have a security guard. Or even if there was a security guard there, like this moment happened so fast. Right, right, right. but you know it's it's really in your hands to decide you know you could go fuck this fucking you could and everyone would go huzzah yeah yeah but i also i mean that's the

thing it's like if she had gotten kicked out earlier i don't know that her boyfriend or husband still wouldn't have thrown that beer kit you know like absolutely right like i don't know that her boyfriend or husband still wouldn't have thrown that beer kit, you know, like, absolutely. Right. Like, I don't think there was any like preempting that. Cause nobody could have predicted that that was about to happen.

And he didn't say anything either. Right. Like he just threw it. That's why I thought it was her. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it was so funny.

Cause I guess whoever this guy was, he's a, he's a jeweler, the guy who threw it. Oh really? Because this couple came up and they're like, I don't, I barely know this guy.

He's my jeweler. He look, he got me my wife's ring and then you know showed off the ring that the guy who just threw the can and i was like well he is pretty tough these people listen if he wants to make it up to you he should give you a big fucking diamond ring uh these how i'm not great with ages i would say 30th birthday party okay I know that. Okay. Okay. So yeah, it was just a situation where like, I knew from a very cynical point where I was like, it's good that, I think of all the moments that have not been captured on film. Oh, same. I immediately was like, this is going to make an amazing clip. And we, and that's why we get along.

We're both, I think we both are cynical people. We're cynical. We're a little business minded. We're like, let's take advantage of whatever we can in this business because they're going to take advantage of us. And we were talking about it. I mean, we were talking about it in jail. We had a long trip there. We were talking just about, you know, Friday Ar Ariel said, let's leave at 2 p.m.

I said, for a 9 p.m. show? Please, let's do it later. We left at 4 p.m. Huge mistake. We were in Manhattan for three hours solid. Yeah, you left at rush hour. Yeah. Yeah.

We hadn't gotten to the tunnel yet at like 7.30 p.m. I thought we were going to miss the 9 p.m. show. I was like, oh, my God. John Marco goes, you think we're going to make and i go i don't know but you see you understand why i wanted to leave it too right and he goes yeah yeah i'm sorry i'm sorry uh so so yes so you we got it on film and we talked about it we were talking just about business in general. You know, it was so funny because you had asked me, like, you know, is a PR person something I need necessarily? And I was like, you know. This is like on the way down.

This is on the way down. And I was like, you know, I don't know if it's like this is useful right now. Meanwhile, a day later, I'm like writing my PR person. I'm like, okay, listen, I know this is kind of tangential to me, but I need to put you in touch with Ariel. CNN wants. tangential to me but i need to put you in touch with ariel cnn wants so when it when it happened could you have predicted at all no i knew it would be a a hit i didn't know also that like time wise this is how fucked up it is like it's a no cut video it's a straight it's a straight shot and it tells like tovo was saying it like it could be studied in like in class because it hits like every fucking point.

You had a good joke in there. You had like a strong burn in there. You had, I had one about me, one about her. What about you? What about her? You had,

uh, it's a political, it like captured something that of course. Yeah. And you know, there's, there's like, there's a couple of comments where I'm like enough.

You focus on Ariel enough of the puppies. There's been enough conversation in the, in on Twitter enough about comedians and, and Chris rock slap and like Chris rock slap. All that kind of like stuff that's happened in the recently. My husband was like, everybody will use this for what they want to use it for. Yes.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And, and then it ends with the spirit chug and it's just like, it is, it is a perfect, it's just perfect. Um, and I remember you, we had talked to you, we're like, I was like, let me know when you caption it up.

I'll, we'll, I'll share it, all these things. Uh, and you're like, yeah, I think I'll have it by Monday. And then Sunday morning, when I saw that you had it up Sunday morning, I was like that for me, I was like, I was like, good, because it was like it was like, yeah, this is the moment where you did. Now, did you do it that night or did you do it that morning? The next morning. So I got home last. I got home that night. And you had like you had post. I mean, it's incredible that this is what it took for you to tell your followers to follow me. But now, wait, to be fair, to be fair, I've always been

a retweeter of you. Yes, yes, yes. I've been an ally. Sure, yes, of course. Always on my team. But you, you know, you like made a couple of stories about it

and also, I don't know that I would have thought to put it on Twitter because Twitter, I used to love Twitter and then I kind of gave up because I was just like,

all right, people don't like my written word. So I had like moved onto Instagram. I don't know that I would have thought and I didn't know I started with Instagram and then I put basically what I put on Instagram I put on Twitter with the picture which was just a good picture because you could see the residue of the beer off the thing yeah so you put the picture and I and I retweeted it and I was just like also to answer the most obvious question I did chug the beer that was thrown at me and it got enough that I was like oh okay I shouldn't wait until Monday also I didn't sleep Saturday night um I haven't slept in a few days

um but so I woke up and I still had like all of this adrenaline like I took a sip of coffee and I was just like can't do it that was a huge mistake so I was like all right maybe this will help me feel better also like it is kind of the only way I can watch myself is if I have a task with it yes and last night when I got home or not last night Saturday night when I got home I watched the video and I was like oh that was thrown very very hard I don't think I don't think I had like really processed how hard that was thrown like what would have happened if it had hit me like the video clip too like if it hit you like it's not a fun like it's not like this thing that it turned into now where you're like you get a good joke you miss and then you get to

like chug the beer and have this win like there's like a really upsetting thing that like if this had happened and it was hit you on video and then you're sharing like you're not even not necessarily the the the level of stuff that you're getting from it too right no it's like it's a wildly upsetting thing it misses me it's great for my career and it's like a fun viral clip it hits me it's evidence yeah and in in the moment like i i've tried to say this it's like it was not funny at all no it was really no it was really just scary it was a scary thing the the rules of society had been broken yeah and it was just like it was horrifying yeah and uh yeah so saturday morning i woke up and

like it was just sunday morning sunday morning yeah sorry so i woke up and i was just like i'll just do this now let me do this now while i'm still like thinking about and then i just put it out yeah and i think you've you've done you've done it so well because like there's just i don't know you've you've just you've like you haven's just, I don't know. You've, you've just, you've like, you haven't gone, I mean, this is all very like boring social media stuff, but like you could have retweeted fucking every goddamn thing.

You've just been very like, uh, selective and you've had, everything's had a hard joke. And that's the thing. I mean, there's, there's plenty of people where it would have just become,

you know, about the dangers, but, but, but you've been joking the real comedian the comedian route and i have nothing but respect for it and you know it's it's crazy i mean i'm amazed i thank you for doing this yeah i i i feel like you it's just must been crazy navigating all i i've i've had a couple things you know go viral in a way where you're like

weird people are reaching out and you don't know what's what people want to license your fucking video and you're like what does that even mean aggressive of course because it lasts it's a couple days and everyone's feeding off it they they do it's so horrible to see how like buzzfeed was one of the first articles and then every article after that is just quoting the buzzfeed article and you're like what are you doing you just are repurposing what they did yeah yeah um i know it's big because my mom contacted me asking me if i'd heard about it because she saw it on cnn and the view and i was like wow that for my mom to find out about viral video who's not online you know that's big which were there any that were particularly like cool fallory bertinelli retweeting it was very cool now who is that she's

an actress she's like lifetime goddess like she's in like every lifetime movie i think she was also in like a regular show when she was a kid um like she was on like days of our lives sure okay but she's she's like lifetime movie queen um that was pretty cool um uh okay i'm a big survivor fan oh my god which what survivor wendell have you gotten to that one yet i don't know it's i don't know um he's a he's a great winner sorry Sorry. Spoiler. He, he just like commented on the Instagram post just saying like, wow.

And I was like, ah, I mean, it's, I saw what were the, I saw George Takei that that's when we knew what we were like once, once the George Takei's get, I'm like,

Oh shit. That's just like, you know, I had to follow back. Elijahijah wood that was pretty crazy oh that's so fucking funny so funny um are you gonna get a get a pr person now get a pr person now. How soon was that all from you posting Sunday morning to then realizing, oh, this is going to be much bigger than I thought? Pretty fast. Like within hours?

Well, so the first was BuzzFeed. That was the first contact. And I was like, okay, yeah, cool. And then Rolling Stone. And I was like, okay, cool. Yeah, that's a different league. BuzzFeed is like cool. No offense. Rolling Stone is And I was like, okay, cool. Yeah, that's a different league. BuzzFeed is like cool. BuzzFeed, cool.

No offense. Rolling Stone, different. I'm a huge fan. And then I got an email that was like, can you do CNN this morning? And then like a couple of other things where I was just like, okay. How have those things been, like doing CNN? Well, I feel really bad. I mean, that was the first one was like yesterday morning and I'm not a morning person at all. And so I was,

I was probably like, not like peppy and like ready to be funny yet. So it's not like the, I mean, it was, it was like fun and cool, but also I realized I'm still also like processing what happened there hasn't really been enough time and I haven't had like a moment to myself so I was after the CNN interview I was on the train going to walk dogs and I took a moment to do a quick little free write where I was like how am I feeling right now I'm feeling irritated why am I feeling irritated and I was like moment to do a quick little free write where I was like, how am I feeling right now? I'm feeling irritated. Why am I feeling irritated?

And I was like, I think I'm feeling irritated at some of the attention. And then I was like, well, why am I feeling irritated at the attention? That's not bad. Right? Like that in and of itself,

it's also like part of what I want. Like I'm a comedian. I, I want to be able to sell tickets and not fucking pick up Gian Marco at 4 PM. Like, that's what I, that's what I want. So I'm, I'm realizing like a lot of it is misplaced i think i still i still haven't cried

and i know i need to because i've cried three times since unrelated when when kibble said uh yeah too late not on my show i'm like'm going to have to learn how to drive. Um, yeah, that's, I think what's so surreal is just like, and this is the name of the game with the internet. It's kind of the deal with the devil where it's like, think of all the things you've done as an artist leading up to this point. And like, this is, this is one of these moments where like you having all those years in comedy are the reason you're able to do that. There's, there's viral versions of this where no joke is made where it's just a

beer. Right. I've, I said like, man, if someone threw that beer at me, I would not have checked. I would have been like,

what the fuck is going on? Yeah. Like it would not have been fun. It would not have been funny or anything or i i but it is kind of you know you did jfl new faces which is like this big it's a huge thing for a comedian yeah and then this thing happens and it's like suddenly everyone knows you and it's for this one moment. It's very bizarre. I was talking to my husband about it. I feel like a lot of female comedians only go viral when they're abused publicly. Well, famously, the one that comes to mind the most is, oh my God, I'm so bad with names.

Help me out. Well, I'll tell you. Harvey Weinstein. Oh, yeah. Kelly Bach names. Help me out. Well, I'll tell you. Harvey Weinstein. Oh yeah, Kelly Bachman. Kelly Bachman. Kelly Bachman, for people who didn't see that one, which funnily enough, I was invited to be on that panel of artists.

It was in my Facebook unread messages and I didn't see it. So it was a talent night where, you know, kind of a mix of a bringer or something. It was some low talent night. And Harvey Weinstein, like, truly, like, right after everything. Not even right after. Like, after it was processed and this is a bad guy. Like, he had charges against him. He's going to jail soon. Yeah.

Was one of the judges. Was he a judge or he was just there? He was one of the judges. And that's judge or he was just there? He was one of the judges. And that's what this message that I got was like, I saw it two weeks later. Do you want to be one of the judges for this thing? Wait, you would have been a judge with Harvey Weinstein? Or do you think you were

replaced by Harvey Weinstein? I mean, perhaps I didn't make it and that's why Harvey, but I know, I think I would have been like sitting next to Harvey Weinstein. And that went crazy. With just your hand constantly on his thigh over and over again. I mean, I think, you know, obviously I can't help. But I had thoughts after.

I was like, what if I had been there? What would I have been in that situation? I wouldn't have been the guy going, like, boo to Kelly. Boo! But, you know, there was a comic that night this was like a comic at least from what i read it was like someone out of florida who came to new york and he got a show in new york he'd been comedy for one year and so he went up and like he was like are we gonna dress the the elephant in the room harvey uh nah no it's all good like he just didn't know what to he didn't know

what to do that's a terrifying experience well I mean because especially like imagining if you were on that panel

and you had no idea that until you got there that Harvey Weinstein was going to be on the panel with you what do you do

at the time you're like you know because you could be like it could be like minutes before the show

and then and the rest of the panelists Harvey Weinstein you know like it's a I've gone through it in my mind I've gone through it in my mind.

I've gone through it in my mind. I don't know that you're giving yourself enough credit. Yeah, I don't think so either. Because I've had, I remember, and I won't say the name of the place, but there was a club that wanted to book you where the owners have had allegations about them of how they have handled sexual assault and they've done some shady ethical stuff. And you asked me, and it's from a from a from like where I started stand-up and so you asked me like what do you know about this place because they've reached out and I said and I sent you all the articles and I told you and I said like nobody would be mad at you for doing this like I don't think it's up to comedians to give up work because

of the bad behavior of others like we're struggling and you said you thought about it and you said i don't think i'm gonna take it i think like the i wouldn't be able to really like sleep and i i think if i'm not willing to give this up now you know one day like these decisions will get harder and i should be able to make this decision now so like give yourself some i appreciate it thank you for not naming it because i'm performing there next weekend you've turned down other jobs before too like i i can think of what not because of sexual assault yeah but other things that i can think of a job that you yeah there's certainly some decisions and then there's other decisions where i'm like you know some people in la are like don't work the improv or the laugh factor because chris d'alia performs there and like yeah you know we're we're all making these these decisions and it was the same with covet i mean

there was covet and like life was returning back and every comedian had to deal with we're it's one of these things where like our moral decisions get like all this highlighting because it's cool and interesting but we're also like a lot of us not being paid very much at all right so it's like such a weird focus and and and when it was i mean we could i could bring up the the seth thing right totally that there there was there was a thing where uh a journalist uh i'm not one of those a comedy journalist he's a comedy journalist he's a comedy journalist and And some places were coming back. They were performing in New York at some point during the COVID pandemic. Oh, yeah. It was like October 2020 or like September, October 2020, where it was like there were capacity limits.

I think it was the issue was that comedy clubs weren't allowed to be open, but restaurants were. Yes. Yeah. So it was one of these things of like this is not totally logical and trivia nights were okay right so if you said it was a trivia so it was one of these things we were like okay we're really in the weeds of and and this this journalist talked about one particular comedy club and they they named the comedians performing there and some of them were like you know nationally touring headliners with big followings

but then they also named you and I was, I probably stupidly tweeted at the guy because I was like, this is insane that you're naming, this would be like

going to every restaurant that's opening right now and doing what, 50% as opposed to 25% capacity and naming the servers and naming the busboy. Here are the dishwashers.

Yeah. You know, like, can you believe that they're doing this right now? We're not in this like privileged position and naming the servers and naming the busboys. Here are the dishwashers. Can you believe that they're doing this right now? We're not in this privileged position as comedians. It's like, why don't you ask, why are we not getting more support as human beings who are out of work, who feel forced to make this decision between their safety and their rent?

Like, that's the... And there's just some weird tying. They see us somehow in the same plane's the and there's just some weird like tying there's like they see us like somehow in the same plane with the chapelles it all becomes we're the class of comedians yeah and it's just like there's it made me so mad um so just remember i've been a fan since way back i but but yes i think that there was obviously a similarity between, like, the Kelly Bogman video and this video and that I tried to make it about myself. But what – was there a different one you were thinking of? I was thinking of Beth Stelling, who had already – Tell me that one.

I don't know that one. Well, she had already been working for a long time and, like, had things under her belt. And it's, like, so funny. But she put out when she was her ex-boyfriend, he had when he had raped her and she had photos of the aftermath and she posted it and it went viral and it was huge and it was like she's been working and she's so funny for so long yeah and like like why is I mean I understand why I understand why that it gets attention but it's's still kind of heartbreaking and disheartening that we can name two other women who have gone viral for this.

Yeah. And it's just this, obviously with women touring, it's hard. I mean, I've just seen, like, you see the club lineups. You know, sometimes i was saying i i joke just about the the upcoming slate at this particular club but almost every club in the country we're like if there's any like men or especially straight white men complaining about work and like oh it's too diverse everyone's diversifying i can get jobs it's like well on the road it is still very much like a men's game. And it's that these incidents are the thing that seem to vault people up to this status.

I don't know. It's just so interesting because I was very interested about, like, the women who came up to you after the show. They just had a very interesting, like, it's unacceptable what happened. They just had a very interesting, like, it's unacceptable what happened. In a way, we're like, they didn't make it known in the moment, but they wanted to let you know, like, we're together in this. And it's just interesting because you hope those same women come and see your headline when you go out there next time. Sure. There's just a strange lack of support going to the actual show. But excitement in the moment of the clip.

I mean, first of all, how many Twitter followers did you have before this started? Like less than 6,000. Less than 6,000. And what do you have right now? 100 and something thousand. Like 105, I think. What do you, I know you're in the middle of it. Yeah.

Like what's your thought of like, how do i navigate this wave how i mean would you have any thought or or guiding light or you just it's moment by moment you're trying to not make a fool i think i'm trying to think long term of, okay, there are people who have found me from this who will probably think of me as like the beer chugging, heckling owned comedian. And like, I can be that, but that's not who I am in standup, right? Like I write jokes. I think I'm pretty clever and I'm hoping, so I know some people will drop off once they realize that like, that's the kind of comedian I am.

Like I'm not fun. You know what I mean? Like I'm not, I very rarely drink. Or that, I think about you had that COVID joke that was so funny about where they were checking our IDs everywhere and the vaccine card. And you were like, it makes, what was it? You wish they put a chip in the vaccine.

I wish they had just microchipped us. Because every time I have to fumble for my wallet and my vaccine card, I'm just like, God, scan me like a lost golden retriever. who gets this kind of popularity, they're eventually going to do a joke that the happy-go-lucky people will be like, that's mean or that's not good. Wait. And, you know,

that's just the wave you take. Totally. But my hope is that the people, like, my hope is that I will, like, find my audience and my audience has found me yeah that's like I mean that's all any of us hope for right like in stand-up it's just like you do these rooms where you just struggle and it's brutal and you're just trying to get through

and then you'll do a room where you're like oh these are the right people for me this is perfect this was so fun I was able to relax on stage and like find these new tags and work. And it's like, and they get me. So the hope is that there's just more people who like will get me. Yeah. Yeah. But not in a militia, not in a threatening way. Don't get me.

You know, don't come get me. Russell texted me. He said, if you need me to come to the show and throw a beer at you, I'll do it. What do you think you would have done if you were at a sketch show and someone threw a beer and misses you? What's your go-to? Truly no idea.

I don't think it would be meant to make a joke. Definitely not. I think it would be shock. And then I don't know. Maybe we'll just leave stage. I don't know what I would do. You don't think... I could see you attacking,

like just launching it to the audience. Like blacking out. I could see that. Yeah, I could either be complete runaway or. Especially if it was a heightened kind of sketch. You know, like one of my angry ones. Sure, if you're in character. You could just kind of follow it.

He gets like he's not an angry guy. But in like sketch he can really just access it. yeah i don't know it's so shocking even when i watch that like that clip there's something that is so stressful like it's hard it's hard to watch the first time i watch it it's like ah no no no i mean i can remember the times in my life where you've been in a bar and someone has done something like that like throw something or like a fight breaks out when you are in like a confined space and a fight breaks out like on the subway. It's so you're like, wait, what? Like this is breaking the rules of society. And it's so jarring and upsetting.

Like, you know, I don't know. It's very there's no way to predict, I think, how you react to it. But you did a good job. There's no way to predict, I think, how you react to it. But you did a good job. Thanks. Do you wish that, like, in an ideal world, does me or the owner fucking just clock the guy? Is there a want for that? I don't know about clocking him.

Just maybe tackling him, I think. Just to, like, I don't know. It is really dissatisfying. That he escaped. Yeah, he just, like, got to keep drinking that night. And is really dissatisfying. Like I'm not going to, yeah. He just like got to keep drinking that night and I had to drive home. Well, that's why all those,

all those people were like, I'm never speaking to him again. I'm like, you're going to have a beer with him in two hours. Yeah. You're all going out together after this. Yeah. Um,

the crate, I think like most of the response has been like super supportive and nice. There were a couple that my favorite the funniest thing is when people are like this is obviously staged like this is so as if i could plan anything like i've never i couldn't plan like a party for somebody i could never like have the wherewithal to like hire actors to come and like sit at Uncle Vinny's. Like so funny. Especially if the feature on the show had set up a plant for the show.

Hilarious. I mean, people think fucking shootings are staged. Like people have some deep suspicion that anything that's that it's so, that anything that makes sense or that anything feels like, I don't know, but people clearly have this thing inside of them. And I don't know if it's the internet that did it to them or enough things that were staged.

I remember when Chris Rock got slapped, I was in a green room and there was a comic there, older comic, who was convinced. And he wasn't like a crazy guy, convinced it was staged. And he was already breaking down, like you see how the camera angle was staged. And he was already breaking down.

Like, you see how the camera angle was this. And I was there and I was like, there's no way. There's no way. That's crazy. It's insane. And then on national TV, they had Will Smith said, keep your wife's name out of your fucking mouth. That doesn't, that's not how it works. Right.

But people don't want to. It's interesting. Yeah. That's not how it works. Right. But people don't want to. It's interesting. Yeah.

Well, as I said, A, glad it missed. It feels like everyone has to start with that. Like, glad you're safe. Yeah. And I think you're handling whatever this insanity is. That's weird. With grace and humor, most importantly. Because there's just so much. You see these Trumpers? they're part of a cult.

Look at these. And I'm like, part of me is like, yeah, we all know. Everyone who agrees with you agrees with you at this point. It's a given. Whatever. And when has that ever helped anybody get out of a cult to be like, it's a cult. What you're in is bad.

They're not going to then be like, oh my gosh, you're right. You're right. It's like, no, be nice to people yeah and i'm not saying everybody has to be nice to trumpers i get it i'm in a place of privilege like they're not currently coming for me yeah um but like just fucking be nice to people just be a human being it is funny to imagine one trump like big trump fan watching this video and being convinced like, oh, that is over the line. Okay, I'm getting out of this. You know, like just one, just one.

Six years into Trump, you're like, you know what? Wait a minute. That is bad. Yeah. Thank you, George Takei. January 6th. Yeah. They're like, January 6th was bad.

But this. This. they're like january 6th was bad but this this um i feel like people probably have asked us who else is because they asked me this outside of this they're like has things gotten worse uh has like people become more divided have audiences become scarier i haven't toured enough like this was a conservative place I haven't done that many of this club. I've done a couple. And I've said, I have had three times on the road now where I just say I'm Jewish and people go,

and I've always, I've never, I never want to, I would be allergic to the idea of being like, you know, being Jewish, we're in a press group too. I would,

I, but, but there is a feeling of like, and I don't know if it's just cause I'm touring more parts of the south or things have changed but that mixed with with kanye west tweet that night it just felt like the buzzfeed article just happened i took a screenshot of it where it it mentioned that you had said that you were jewish or something or it was the line you said of you know i'm the only Jew in the room here. Are you trying to get me killed?

And right under that was Kanye West like, I'm going to go DEFCON 3 on the Jews. And I don't know. It certainly makes me think a little bit more of like, I guess I am Jewish. And some people are weird about this. Oh, interesting. This is the first time you're thinking about that.

Well, I didn't't i wasn't i was raised like in a jewish community the very jewish friendly community and i wasn't like practicing at all so i was like a non-jew within the community and then we had tovan podcast yesterday and i talked more just about like how she perceives me jewish and how being with her has made me be like i guess i'm more jewish doing comedy has made me be like, I guess I'm more Jewish. Doing comedy has made me go like, lean into being Jewish more. But you. I mean, I was like a practicing Jew from Kentucky.

So that's always been like at the forefront of my, I mean, my nickname in high school was Jew. Lovingly, like lovingly. But it was, it was just like, I mean, my best friend would introduce me to people being like, this is Ariel, she's Jewish. Because it was it was just like I mean my best friend would introduce me to people being like this is Ariel she's Jewish because it was like exciting it was just like we've never had one of these before in this town yeah so like it's always I've always been so aware of it and so aware

I mean the my my joke for when I am the only like I'll do a thing at the you know I say is anybody else here Jewish and when there's nobody I go that's fine I'm from Kentucky I'm very used to being the only Jew in a room so it's like it's I've I've thought about it so much my whole life and it is interesting I do think like the there is like a shifting attitude in this country for the worse for sure uh-huh um but it's interesting to hear a lot of like new york jewish comedians be like huh yeah yeah i i just think there's something i've been in such liberal worlds my whole life that there's something to me almost like laugh there's something of like what are you talking about when people do like the jews you know run the world like what are

you talking about we're like we're like super like neurotic and weak and and i don't understand what you think this threat is well i was always i was like what are you talking about all the jews that i know are like professors at uk you know what i mean? Yeah, yeah. They're not these like business moguls who control entertainment. It's like, no, no. They're just like, they just have PhDs. Yeah. And I don't know. I have more Jewish jokes.

I was talking to Fumi Abe. I was in LA and we were at a show together. And we were just talking. I was talking about just where we both what is it to make a joke about a stereotype about yourself like when are you being hacky and what are you being honest sure and and he was saying he was like he was like i think if the stereotype is true for you then it's not hacky because you are that thing and when it's not then you're pandering.

And that made sense to me. Like, I am a cheap Jew. Right, I love money. My girlfriend's a cheap Jew. And so there's like, well, I should be able to joke about this a little. Right. But then there's other things. But it's tough. I mean, it was interesting just the night before that feeling I had on stage

where, joking about the Hasids, it was like killing, and I was like, no, we're entering not the the right kind the energy got weird yeah it's also this thing of like i know that like i'm a cheap jew not because it's like i'm so greedy it's because there's like generational trauma of ancestors and like not that far back being kicked out of their homes and having to grab like we have a tin of cash because we're like you never know when you gotta grab shit and run like you never know when you're gonna have to bribe the guards like so so it does i mean that's where it's coming from and it's like it's again it's that thing of like i can say this right like yeah like but maybe point pleasant beach new jersey

shouldn't say sure yeah but that's also the thing with the internet where it's just like it'll be taken by the way seeing the article in the daily wire about about the uncle vinnie's was so funny did you see that no i texted to the daily wire did did an article too and it wasn't it was interesting because it like they didn't put us like a conservative spin on it there's no there's no good there's nothing you can there's nothing you can say um it was called staged a crowd work interaction goes viral the Daily Wire but it's uh the internet you know you can make that joke and it's fine here but right that's for everybody and they'll spin it for whatever they want. What do Ontario dairy farmers bring to the table?

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Well, I do want to, I feel like we covered it. Yeah. But I'd love to hear about Kentucky. What do you want to hear about Kentucky? The downsides of living in Kentucky. The downsides are it's pretty boring. Not a ton to do there. Do you a sub do you identify as a southerner yeah which which part of kentucky lexington okay what does it mean to be a southerner

i think it means oh that's a good question john marco what does it mean to be a southerner because i'm learning it like i'm learning it like super piecemeal like like, you know, two days out of a month at a time. I'm in the South and I'm like, OK, what does this mean? What are these people? What are their culture? I think it means I think I mean, being very polite, having manners. I think that's part of it. An affinity for being alone. I think that's part of being a southerner.

You're used to being isolated physically from people. I think you're also, there's like a sense of community, like at the same time, which is, I guess a little contradictory. As a, as a Jew in Kentucky,

was there, was there that contradiction of community of being southerners and then lack of community because there wasn't a lot of jews around there i think it's kind of the opposite it's like our synagogue was like very tight-knit like we we had i it's been hard for me to like join a synagogue here in new york because it never feels as close and as communal as the synagogue that i had in lex Um, but at the same time, part of why it feels that way is because most of the people who go to that synagogue, when they go into their lives outside, they're the only Jew. Yeah. So you're alone and then you

come together. And I think that's, I mean, that's very like Jewish in Kentucky. I think it's also just being Southern is like a lot of people work on farms they work they work with their hands they do things alone and then they go to church right like and then they have their their community that's really interesting about why it would because i feel like you know speaking of why i find like the political discourse so boring i think we talked about in the way up about how sometimes southerners are painted in just a dumb way we're like to me it's like just you saying that now i'm like oh i could see how i don't have an understanding of why religion is important in a different realm i say and i was doing it where i went to this gun show in florida uh and I truly was just going looking for material. But like you're there and there's just a feeling of like, oh, right.

This is not just like guns that they love. It's their friends. And this is the excuse that they have to meet new people. And they talk about guns. And it's like the thing that just you saying like, oh, yeah, it's an isolated place. So church means even more because that's the only time you hang out with people it's that it's also think about like a ton like if if you have a community full of farmers who are they live and die by the weather right like by the seasons that determines everything you would believe in god too yeah or you'd be you'd be really mad at the jews for controlling the weather exactly the weather

is really important it's super important so you'd be like yeah there's been a drought obviously they have a weather machine um and have you been able to i talked with toby yesterday do you miss did you do shabbat growing up like shabbat dinner not not when i was younger once i okay so the year before my bat mitzvah i had to go to services every friday night and every saturday morning um that was just like my parents rule yeah it's like i had to because also in our synagogue we didn't have a canter like it's you know it's a real it's a small community um and the way that we did our bar and bat mitzvahs was that whoever was the bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah kid you led the entire service like you did your torah portion in your haftorah you also led the serve like you were the rabbi for the day essentially and the rabbi was there but like it was you so you had to like learn the service um and you would like practice

like the year leading up to it so um so once that once the year before I had a friend who I still have a friend he's still my friend um at synagogue his family was more religious than mine to the point where they would they didn't like they kept Shomer Shabbos like they didn't use electricity they didn't they didn't on Shabbat and we would walk after services on Saturday mornings and we were 12 so it was like cool to like walk to a place especially in Kentucky where you don't walk anywhere yeah we would walk to his house it was me him and another friend his older sister and then we would just spend the day napping and playing ping pong and reading and playing cards and we would like keep Shabbat in that way and then we would usually have a Saturday evening dinner with his family um and we did that through most of high

school so my family didn't necessarily keep Shabbat but like we sort of did we had these little rituals yeah I I'm very envious I wish my mom my basically my mom her parents told she got I have a bat mitzvah or a sweet 16 and she chose a sweet 16 and that was like I get it the end of the heritage but it's funny because my my mom's brother like they're they're Jewish they were all raised with bat mitzvahs and I go there and I'm just like it's crazy this is the same family and you never had any jewish traditions no we we would do temple once a year we would do like the passover seder and and like any theater kid that was exciting to read and watching other people and being like oh you fucking suck at this you're really you're really killing the vibe right now.

And yeah, it just wasn't. It was just birthright. I mean, like birthright is real problems aside. Like it was a thing of like a late connection to being Jewish. How old were you when you went on birthright? 26. Oh, right at the cutoff. Well, they expanded it to 32.

Okay. Because they need all the good press they can get. yeah it was it was my birthday was very funny because it was like we were in 25 to 26 from new york and they were treating us like we were like 18 year olds so they'd be like you have to be back by 10 and we were like no we're not gonna do that we're not to do that at all. That's so funny. Did you feel any connection? Not to Judaism. This was a time, and I wouldn't do this now, but at the time I was still a little more like actor. I was an actor. And so I went to the wall and I put my hand there

and I really tried to think. Get into character. Really think. And I'd actually played a jew in another thing like you know in a short film where i had to like do the wall so like i tried but not to judaism were you filming yourself or did you have someone else do that while you while you while you felt into it i just picture you being like let me see that no this, this is pre-me destroying my life for social media. I do think that I grew up in progressive schools.

I went to D.C. And I think there was a degree where I do think the idea of identifying with Jews, I consider most Jews to be white, that, like, there's something where I'm like, I'm not. to be white that like there's something where i'm like i'm not it's like a whiteness to it that i'm like i i think i don't want to be part of this big group of white people who's excited about they're this thing i think and i'm not judging i'm not like trying to use this as a judgment on it i'm saying i think from the beginning i've never been a big like ever all a group together and something even about that felt like these are white people. Like, I remember being, this wasn't a Jewish thing, but being in Harlem and being in a laundromat. And most everyone there was black.

And there was another white person there. And he gave me, like, a nod. Oh, no. And I don't think he meant it. I don't think he meant it. I truly don't think he meant it as, like, a, like. It's like, you and me against the world. Yeah.

But it was just like a, it was like, you know, the Paul Rudd, the, the meme where he's like, who would have thought two white guys here in Harlem. But I remember just being like,

I'm not your friend. Yeah. There's no brotherhood between us. Yes. Right. Yeah. I can never be. So,

so I don't know, but I've, I've, I've warmed up to So, so I don't know, but I've, I've, I've warmed up to it, but I, and now we're in this weird place where I hear more anti-Semitic stuff. And I'm like, it's,

it's so complicated. It's like, and like, like we're getting into like race conversations and like, what is why? And like, whiteness is conditional. Yes.

And all of this stuff. It's so complicated. Um, and, and, and I don't want to have this conversation totally recorded. Of course it's complicated. It's so complicated.

I was watching the Ken Burns documentary about the Holocaust, the U.S. during the Holocaust. And it's all of this stuff where you're like, this wasn't that long ago. This really wasn't that long ago. And the U.S. wouldn't accept Jews because Jews you know they were like we weren't considered white then right and it was like the only people who were coming to our rescue were like these Jewish federations and sorry it's that's also

like the Jewish thing of like saying us and we even though like I wasn't there um but but it's it's this thing of like I think I think there's so much trauma in being Jewish that like the only way to, and what I love about Jews is we're so good at talking about our trauma. There is no shame in talking about it. That's what this podcast is. That's exactly.

You really are embracing your Judaism by calling it the downside. It's pessimistic. You know what it was going by calling it the downside. It's pessimistic. It's cynical. You know what it was going to be before the downside? It was a kvetch. But it was taken by a fucking Jew. I just always think, I think what's so interesting to me about, like,

anti-Semitism in the Republican Party is, I'm like, Jared Kushner is, like, the guy at the top with your guy, and he's Jewish. There's such a weird, there's such a weird, I'm like, there's Jews that are also a part of this too. But it still exists, and it doesn't make sense. And I don't know what it's like, you know, someone like Jared, I'm sure they're just in it for extreme power and money. But like, I do wonder if he has moments where he goes, this group of people down there would kill me if they had the chance and i don't know how they because then i i

bet they also there's a part of them i remember seeing uh uh it was um someone was doing a roast of ben shapiro and i'm like how does ben shapiro square this because he wears a fucking yarmulke he goes to temple right and how does he not go the group that loves me the most doesn't like jews yeah it's uh i just don't know how they square it i don't know how they square it i don't either um well we're having ben shapiro on next week so hopefully he can clear things up it's gonna be our most listened to episode um okay uh uh let's go on to uh did you you saw the email yeah you've also been i saw it no but i did i mean you i saw it this morning i i took a walk and i thought about things and okay and so then let's let's go on to our uh this has got to stop this has got to stop this has got to stop all right i'll do it but this has got to stop i Okay, when you go to a restaurant and you ask for a glass of water,

or anywhere, and you ask for a glass of water, and they bring you a bottle of water. You don't like that. I don't like that. I'm asking for, okay, I'm asking for a glass because I'm trying to use less plastic. We are, especially, we are, when it happens in New York, it makes me so mad because it's like every New Yorker is always like,

we have the best tap water. We have the best water. Then give me a fucking glass of it. Don't give me your Nestle bullshit that's ruining the world. Oh, I thought you meant like a glass bottle at the table. A glass bottle at the table. Oh, no, no, no. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

No, I mean a plastic bottle. Oh, yeah. No, that is. And what level of restaurant are we talking here? Like, is this? Okay, let me reframe this. Comedy clubs. Stop giving me bottles of water when I ask for a glass of water.

Also, book me more. I'm so happy to be there. But it's so, it makes me, it's like unless I am in Flint, Michigan, or like a lot of Louisiana. It's like unless I am in Flint, Michigan, or like a lot of Louisiana. Yeah. Like I know you have water that's drinkable from the sink. I'm trying to be a better person in the little ways that I can control, and they are few and far between. I specifically said glass for a reason.

Yeah. And let me tell you, I'm a monster with water bottles in terms of like I'm losing these things. When we did that show at Dynasty Typewriter and at the end of the show, I was like, all right, I'll be in charge of like picking up the amount. Because they do that. There's a fridge in the back.

They did the like carton milk or carton water. You know, the cardboard water. Group of six of us, there must have been 25, like half, like someone had one sip and then put it down I was like guys like come on

like there were so many of them and I was like this is such a waste that's an invention waiting to happen because you know there's the people who are like guys

we're gonna put names we're gonna put everyone's initial on the bottle and that rarely works too there should be some kind of like a tab or like a thing. Keep drinking me.

Your solution was like a naggy voice saying keep drinking me. Don't put me down. You know you're going to lose this. No if we could get like whatever they put in the vaccine to microchip the water bottles so that we know which one's ours. We're getting there soon.

That's good. This has got there soon. That's good. This has got to stop. Let's, I guess, let's go on to our blessing. Yeah. You better count your blessing. Better count your blessing. Russell, do you have a blessing for us? Yeah, probably is going to be my blessing a bunch of times the next month.

We had a lovely meal last night for our friend Chris. Let me go first, actually. My blessing is we had an incredible meal last night with my friend Chris. Listen, no, this is a co-blessing. A co-blessing. We can both have it. We have a friend moving to LA. Yes.

And last night we had a real beautiful meal. To celebrate him. Four fellas. Four fellas. Greatest burger I've had maybe of all time. Oh, my God. What was it called, that place? R-A-U space. R-A-V-E-N.

Or Ruval. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There we go. I mean, I don't know. I can't. I'm impressed by it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was incredible.

We're just, this is a sketch team. There's more of us, but it's just four guys. Yeah, we're going to miss it. We got drunk. I had some of your cigarettes. Yeah. Which always feels fun. Yeah.

I really do enjoy it makes me think occasionally I'm like I should give this a shot I do it but I do it like after Uncle Function or like when I'm with Douglas and then now you I guess but I don't smoke them here you know maybe that could be our Patreon episode

smoke a cigarette live on air but it's such a sweet. We like this how close we are. We shared a root beer float. Yeah. All four of us. I mean, we were straws. Straws.

If one of us is COVID, we all got COVID. I wish you didn't have straws. I wish you guys all just like a little puppy mill. Just all stuck your tongue in it. No, we'd like this in a bowl, please. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yes, it's a friend who's moving to LA. It's the first like really good friend of mine

that's like moving to LA. And I'm like, I hope the friendship survives. But you don't know. That's what's scary. Yeah. I want it to, no doubt. But you don't know. You don't know.

You don't know. I think it will. But it'll be different. It'll be very weird. We built a structure in where we were out of necessity at least seeing each other three to five times a month, you know, which is a lot for people in New York. Yeah, for grownups. And especially for, I would say, for men and straight men in their 30s. There's, like, hanging out together.

The sketch team was, like, needed to make us. I think, like, there's a thing of, like, we got, well, we gotta be doing something. Yeah. We're going to spend time. Yeah. We can't just hang out. So, uh,

very scared about, about that, but I love them. So that's our blessing. And it's too bad. Cause Chris has never listened to the podcast and we'll never hear these blessings. So they are for nobody.

They're for no one. Um, Ariel, do you have a blessing? I do. My blessing is that Comedy Central rarely makes

any new content anymore and they just rerun episodes of The Office and I'm not getting Peacock so I'm just so grateful to just

any time, especially this last, the last few days, just turning on Comedy Central and knowing that The Office will be on. And I don't really have to watch it. There's a comfort.

Oh, my God. Just in the background. Speaking of The Office, this was what I actually meant to bring up earlier. Russell shared me, I think, one of the saddest things I've ever seen in my entire life. Do you not remember what I'm talking about? You sent it this morning. What was the company? I can't remember the company's name.

It's like a company that like digitizes paper or something. Yeah. And it's Angela. And what's the guy's name? And Kevin. Kevin. And they're like doing like the lowest budget commercial you've ever seen. That's like a play off the office.

But it like popped up on my Instagram as an ad and I was like, oh. And I was like thinking of that company of like, God, they must, because it seemed low budget. And I was like thinking of that company of like, God, they must, cause it was seemed low budget. I was like, they must've spent their entire marketing budget to get these two to be in this like 10 second commercial, you know? And it's, it's just, and she goes like, where's the paper? He goes, where's the paper company? And she's like, we don't need paper anymore. And he goes, whoa.

And it's, it's a hard watch. Do you, I love The Office. Me too. And I feel like, sometimes I feel like it's seen as hacky or like dumb. And I'm like, wait a second, I think it's genius. That enrages me because it like, also it's only because of, people are not responding to the actual content of The Office. They're not responding to season two or three that are some of the best TV. Like, great TV. They are responding to how much people love it.

So they're not responding to content. They're getting mad that a lot of people love it and watch it all the time. And they're getting mad that people quote it. So it's not The Office's fault that this happened. It's their responses to people's joy. That they're mad that that meant people love it. And it's like they feel like they're being subversive by being like, oh, you like that? I'm just like, no, I'm not.

Like they think that they're above it and they're just trying to be subversive is my feeling on that. That's a great point. Yes. Later seasons, not as whatever. But some of those early seasons are great did you continue after michael scott left i did i okay i i understand i i honestly i kind of like the later seasons not my favorite not as good as the early ones of course of course of course but there's i i really love and, and I know this is my hot take, I really love what they did with Jim and Pam and have them. Interesting.

I love it so much that they had them have real marital problems based on, I mean, based on the fact that they had two kids. It got very stressful. And Jim had a habit of not communicating these big life decisions with Pam and watching it in the earlier seasons. You're like, this is so romantic. And then you realize the practicality of that is of course, he's going to hide something big. That's going to affect their marriage. And the way that they show that just because you're soulmates, right? Just because you're perfect for each other does not mean that like it doesn't take it takes so much work relationships take so much work it's so hard and the quote-unquote

best couples will have to struggle through it and I love that so much especially as a married person who like I feel like I have like the perfect person it's still like a nice reminder to be like we still have to talk we still like a nice reminder to be like, we still have to talk. We still have to be check in with each other. What do you need? How are you feeling? Is there anything you need from me?

Is there anything that I'm lagging on? So I, I genuine. And I, so I, to me, that storyline is enough for me. I ain't new.

It's enough. Yeah. That's, that's, that makes a lot for me. I ain't new. It's enough. Yeah. That's, that's, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Because you know, what,

what could they have done with that? I mean, they had to figure out how to like still make it interesting. Cause that was the crux. I mean, for me, like those moments when, when Jim kissed Pam, end of season two.

Oh yeah. I mean like one of the, one of the, I mean, one of the I mean you just like or the scene where they're playing her and like Jim picks Pam up and she's like

put me down and you're like oh my god it's so good yeah yeah yeah speaking of throwing beer Pam's ex threw that beer

at the bar yeah and then it was done I haven't watched in so long I feel like I'm giving it a rest so I haven't watched in so long. I feel like I'm giving it a rest so I can do like a real back in. But there are so many lines in that that are not memes that are brilliant. I mean, like the one that I was watching last night is when Jan is pregnant.

And Michael goes and sees her and he goes, you cheated on me after I specifically asked you not to. So funny. Is that the dinner one? The dinner? No, no, no. That episode is one of the greatest episodes of all time. That one's really hard to watch. It's hard to imagine Steve Carell doing anything ever again.

He is so good in that part. It really is tremendous. That's why I tweeted once where it's like, it feels like Steve Carell has now dedicated his life to never making us laugh again. It's just like, Steve Carell has now dedicated his life to never making us laugh again. It's just like, Steve Carell's in The Wounded Veteran.

Steve Carell from The Office is in The Traumatized Patient. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just one other shout out was Pam, when Michael goes to the art show. Oh my God. That always,

always, if I need a cry, that, I watch that episode because that is, it's my favorite moment. Like, I remember watching that in real time and being like, you're thinking in your head, Jim's going to walk in, Jim's going to walk in.

And when it was my, it was such a big shift for that show in the difference of like, because you know, people sometimes also gotta, they gotta be a UK fan or they gotta be a US fan. I like them both. They're very different. But I think the biggest point I could ever say is the UK version was 12 things, 12 episodes. It couldn't have gone on because it was no one wants to spend

100 and whatever episodes with the Ricky Gervais character. You couldn't. And they made a purposeful... I thought you were going to say with Ricky Gervais. And they made a purposeful change in that thing and that art show was a big shift of like oh, we'll in that thing. And that art show was a big like shift of like, oh, we'll make him this.

And I felt like it was, you know. And it's just great cast. Holly, to think of like figuring out what's a love interest for Michael Scott, to me it feels like an insurmountable thing. And like, oh, I forget her name, but she is one of my favorite from that role. Amy Ryan.

Amy Ryan, favorite actresses of all time. I mean, she is so good in that. This has just become an office. Great show. This is the new office cast. We're a bunch of office hacks over here. We're hacky, hacky office fans. Uh, yeah. Well, oh, is there anything you'd like

to plug? This is coming out today. God willing. Probably late. But I know one thing you can plug if it's still on the books uh no okay i'm gonna cancel that um well that was so i can talk about that yeah sure like it was so funny because he offered you a weekend it was before yes friday night fr Friday night, after my set, he offered me to come back to feature in April. And I am...

When you got that offer originally, was it like, oh, good? Yeah, I was like, okay, cool. You know, I'm just trying to fill up my calendar. Yeah. And now you're going to be like, I want the Sebastian Maniscalco deal or nothing. In your mind, do you go, would you ever perform there again? I, you know, it's really hard for me to say.

Initially, my gut reaction was yes, because I'll go where, like, I love standup and I'm like, not afraid. But now that I have, now that I am processing, I don't know that it's the best idea for me to go back there just because it's like who in that who's really going to come out to see that show? Like like what kind of people are going to want to come see me? Well, I could see it being a mix of like people that are like want to prove that

this is not the way the area is. And they like you and they follow you now and they want to blah, blah, blah. But I could also, to your point, it could be who's going to like could come and be angry about, you know, like. Sure. I mean, yeah. Who knows? I wonder if this Halloween, every time you see a woman wearing a fake mustache, if you're going to have PTSD. I mean, I know you're joking. I really don't know what's going to trigger anything. Yeah.

I just don't know yet. It's like I just I haven't had time yet. And I've been back on stage. But, you know, I was at Gotham where it's like I couldn't feel safer at Gotham. It's like they have like security guards there who are also just like, yeah, I have a gun. I don't need it. You know, like that's like who they are yeah yeah yeah um so I just I just don't know what how I'm going to react and I'm famously not famously um but historically pretty bad at processing my

feelings in real time it takes me a while to feel things. Um, so because of past trauma, um, so I, I just don't know. Yeah. And I'm trying to be okay with the fact that I don't know the answer to it. Well, then I guess follow you online for sure.

Sure. Ariel underscore comedy. And I'm sure there will be some cool dates coming up soon. Yeah. Um, and, uh, uh, Russell, anything you want to plug? I'm sure there will be some cool dates coming up soon. Yeah. And Russell, anything you want to plug? Follow me at Russell J. Daniels on Instagram. And then also November, we have two shows on Sunday, November 11th. We have The Downside.

Make sure to check these. Oh, yes. The 11th or the 13th? I don't know. 13th. Oh, you doing a live. Oh, yes. The 11th or the 13th? I don't know. 13th. Well, look it up. Oh, you have a camera. 13th, we have The Downside.

Yeah, yeah. So on Sunday, November 13th, we have The Downside doing a live taping. Where is that? That's at Sesh Comedy. Sesh Comedy Club. At 7, 630. Six. Six.

Six o'clock, Sunday, November 13th, Sesh Comedy. All these links are going to be in the bio. And then that night, Uncle Function will be at Asylum NYC for New York Comedy Fest. I'm in Edmonton, Canada, October 20th through 22nd. I'll be in McKinney, Texas, October 28th and 29th. And then I'll be at Laugh Camp Comedy Club in St.wis somewhere laugh camp comedy club check check check the links in the description i'm touring all over um i uh i i'm not lying when i say i am i do think i'm bummed out where i'm like fuck i wanted to work together more. And hopefully, he did say it off the pod yesterday to me.

Okay. There you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it's true. So, yeah, if anyone's out there, if you can drive and you can do a strong 20, please also reach out to me. I'm looking.

This is The Downside. One, two, three. Downside. You're listening to The Down the downside with john marco cerezi