The Iced Coffee Hour - Impractical Jokers: Sal Vulcano on Going Broke, Cancel Culture, and Getting Sued

Episode Date: July 21, 2024

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Is that good? I read a line that you could eat. I'm my favorite snack now. Why do you think the show is so successful? What about it? Do you think people resonate with? Between us having a real friendship, it is a pretty good reimagining of the genre.

The fact that we are not necessarily having a laugh at other people's expense, but our own, that idea was born out of that concept. So what is this, the punishment for saying no to a punishment? There is none. You can't say no. And we do elaborate stuff too, but sometimes the hardest stuff is the most simple. Do people lose it at you? Our goal is never to make anyone feel stupid or angry.

Sometimes it's a byproduct. They say if you can make a woman laugh, then you can make her fall in love. Is that true? All right, Sel, thank you so much for coming on, the iced coffee hour. It is an honor to have you on the show. Oh, that's so nice of you guys. Thank you. It's an honor to be it.

Thank you for coming to New York. We're both huge fans. So this is like really exciting for us. Yeah, yeah. Is it true that you're both really huge? Oh, yeah. I grew up watching Practical Jokers. Oh, so that's real.

Like I called my dad and I was like, dad. Oh, no shit. He's like, no way. Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, everyone we talked to is just like, you have a cell on. Like, no way. Yeah.

Out of the people that you get on this, said that about me. No, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. You just kind of have like one of those faces, one of those presences that people kind of just they know. Well, this is wonderful already. Well, first question is we have to know.

Have you ever seen the meat. Canyon spin-off of Impractical Jokers. Have you seen that? What do you think about that? Wait, just remind me what is it? It's the animated one about like, oh, it's the animated one. Oh, it's the crazy faces. Oh, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because it was another one that was like, you saw the

marriage one. There was two crazy ones. They lost the kid. Yeah. Yeah, the garage sale one. That one, that's the one you're talking about. And then also the cartoon one. The cartoon one, I forget.

That was the bank robbery one where you guys were laughing in the van. Yeah. You got to go into the bank and rock. It's chaotic. It's crazy. Yeah. Yeah, I feel bad. I can't speak to the details of it.

I saw it when it came out. I was like, what the hell is crazy? What'd you think? I'm flattered by all that stuff. I mean, anyone is going to take their time and creative energy to do something that has anything to do with, you know, and it's awesome. I love it. I do remember seeing it, because I get sent everything immediately. Like if someone sees it or we are in a lot of memes, like our show is perfect for a meme when like something terrible happens or something like,

something like crazy happens, they'll cut it in and they'll put us like, all right, now tell them to say this. And then they'll put the thing in the middle, then the three of us like laughing at, you know. So I see that we've become a lot of like pop culture, Zykeye stuff just because it's like, it's the perfect meme for it. Yeah. But I mean, I'm always, I'm always flattered if anyone puts any type of energy into

something like that. I noticed that you, you have your like official YouTube channel, the one with like a few thousand subscribers that no one's found out about yet. Yeah. You posted like 15 shorts. Is that actually you? It is me. I just never had one.

So when I came to YouTube, I should have made my own name, but instead I made the No Press Network, which would house two of my podcasts. And I just was like, you know, I was starting two new podcasts up. And I was like, I don't want people to go to two different places for them. So I'll put them under one umbrella. And so I figured, oh, you know, if I call it a network, then I could use it for production and other things and grow it. So I called a No Press Network.

That's the channel on YouTube that I use. That's the one that ended up getting. hundreds and hundreds of thousands. And then the special was coming out. I'm like, well, I want to release this under my own band or whatever. And I was like, so let me make an account. But there was nothing, there was no runway to feed the content to it. So there's no reason for people to go to it.

So I haven't really promoted it at all. So you mentioned on Theovan that you had six jobs. Yeah. What are those six jobs? So I tour with the guys. So that's one whole entity and show, live show. And then I'm a stander comedian. So I have, you know, I tour myself.

New tour right now actually and then I have the television show and then I have two podcasts and then we have a production company called Bad Woods Productions which develops and pitches and makes shows so how many is that so far? I think that's six. If you call each individual podcasts is one then that would be six. Yeah, there are two different jobs. I'll call them. Yeah, pretty much. Wow. So when did you realize that you were funny?

Were people telling you this as a kid? As a kid, I was in school. I was like a class clown kind of guy. At home, I was the, I was a clown. I really, I was like, I've said this on a podcast show, but I used to like memorize my favorite shows and then like put on, put on, like, perform for the family on like the holidays and stuff.

Like the Jeffersons specifically is like my favorite show all the time. When I was little, I used to like watch. I don't even know if you guys know what the Jeffers. I was thinking of the Jetsons. No, the Jeffersons is a Norman Lear podcast. Like that was a spinoff of all in the family. That was big and like the, I guess I want to say early. 80s.

Moving on up, you know, George Jefferson, he's owned a cleaners. He might know better than I would. I've seen it, but I don't remember the dance. Well, it's like old school sitcom, like where it felt like little plays. Like the studio audience is really like studio audience there. And I just just like like like right down like like just in real time try to catch as much of the dialogue as I could. And then I'd like go into school and like and for my family and I'd like act it all out and everything. So it's like and then like my parents didn't really sense.

or anything that I had to watch. And so I was watching like Eddie Murphy at a very young age. Oh, Eddie Murphy's hilarious. His early standup was amazing. Yeah, I mean, he was 19, 20 years old doing delirious and then raw, whatever. And so I, I mean, I watched those VHSs until they broke. So like I just was like, and he was like, you know, trading places and coming to America and 48 hours. All those, like Eddie Murphy was huge for me as a kid.

And yeah, I just kind of like from that point on, I just, Bill Cosby. I mean, like we used to watch it. It was family friendly. You know, good content. I mean, Eddie wasn't. But he was a storyteller and the best of its kind, you know. If you don't know, that story took a turn. Google it, Bill Cosby, if you haven't really been up on anything.

But, you know, back then. I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure people know. So we got it. We got to know. You got a finance degree. Yeah. You don't want to talk about Cosby anymore.

We could keep talking about Cosby. Have you ever met the guy? No, I've seen him live with my dad. And how was that? He was great. I mean, you know, I sat in a second role, my dad. and he did two and a half hours. And you're just like, holy cow,

I'm watching a living legend. I don't feel the same about him now. Uh-huh. But I could isolate just, you know, the material when we were little, we used to quote it all the time, you know.

Two and a half hours. So is that like mostly like rehearsed and then just regurgitated on stage? Or like, because I can't imagine two and a half hours is like, I think he's just up there going off this, you know, the seat of his pants.

I think he has a lot that he does. But I think he's like, he's always working on that type of, like a Chappelle. Chappelle gets up on stage in a club and we'll stay up there for three hours and just like right on stage. You think you can separate the art from the artist with someone like Bill Cosby or you think that's just, you know? I mean like, look, I mean, when when himself was out, I was like five or whatever. And I watch it a million times.

So that has nothing to do with that. Like I still eat jello. You know, I'm not going to stop eating pudding. He was the spokesperson for jello pudding. Was he? I had no idea. I had no idea. Okay.

Yeah, yeah, got it. Yeah, he was like, you know, like the whole, like, jello thing that he used to do? I haven't seen it. No. Yeah. Yeah. That's crazy. I like to look at the books now, the financial books, the jello and see it for that.

There was a residual hit. Yeah. Because that was a long time ago, too, and I wonder if people are able to eat pudding now or not. That's a, that's a good question, actually. Take a look into that. So why did you take finance? Like, what was the purpose of that one? Dude, I was 17.

And they said, what do you want to do? And I was like, I have no clue what I want to do at all. and I know that I want to make money. And finance literally deals with money. Right. And so I have a bachelor's in finance. I didn't like it while I was doing it. I didn't retain a lot of it.

I have as much retained knowledge of this subject as a child. It was a complete waste. What was your plan going into it, though? Like investment banker, wealth manager? You didn't know. Whatever finance meant. What were you doing in college then? Were you ever thinking about like, okay,

what am I going to do with this finance degree? Or was it just like kind of a byproduct or like a... No, it was like a lot of my friends were like, oh, I took accounting. I took this, I took that. And then you'd go interview and they'd get your job, you know, right out of college. And I just figured I'll do that. I'll just go to a financial institution. And I did.

I went to Prudential Securities. My first interview I was hired and I worked for Prudential securities for over four years after that. Yeah. Huh. Yeah. What were you doing? What were you doing exactly? So I started in like back office operations and mutual funds.

And then I transitioned to, uh, business systems analyst for the mutual fund trading system. So I helped build the trading systems for the brokers. Well, that's like a legit. It's legit. It's insane for me to say that how did you even, but you said that when you were in college, it was kind of, you know, the finance. I didn't know anything about mutual funds in college either. I just learned all this on the job. How did you get the job? I just went and I interviewed. I had a, my friend's dad was a pretty high up there. Okay. And gave me a reference. But I'm sure you still can't go in and be a dope, you know, but I think they were like, I remember, because they. They were, I remember the guy who interviewed me was very taken that I was a comedian. And so, like, it was like a 40-minute interview. And most of it, he was asking about comedy and writing comedy and all that stuff. And, you know, so, like, he just made him laugh. So he's just like, I want to hire this guy around.

You know, I had my resume, which was like pretty good. I did well in college. And I don't think I had people go into that, like, very respect. I was referring to him as Mr. This. And I had met a woman coming in. And I remember her name was Irene McAlacus. And I was like, oh, Miss McIllacus told me. And he's like, Miss McIllacus.

And I was again, I think he was. And I think he was taken with the fact that I just was kind of, you know, just, you know, respectful in that way or whatever. I remember like that. I remember he like like that. Like, you knew your name. Yeah, just that I was saying Mr. This or Mr. That. I guess people don't do that. I don't know. They hired me. It wasn't also, it wasn't like some.

It was a off the back office operation. Did it pay well? So I don't think you needed a degree for it, you know. So I think I was came to a table with a degree with a reference, you know. No, no. It was $28,000 a year. Oh, wow. So.

Yeah. But this was 1998. Okay. Probably 50 or 60 grand these days. Yeah, I don't know. We'd have to crunch the numbers there, but it wasn't good. I remember like with overtime, I made my first year, I made 32,000. Wow.

Yeah. And I worked out. I was also the freaking clown of that office. Yeah. I mean, we used to have like these mixers and these things that would like be team building. They have this day where I was like, oh, today the whole office is going to play who wants to be a millionaire. Sal host it or this or that. They're like, and we had things that we went out and there was all these events and they always made me like the host of it.

So I would just be like literally. Yeah. I was just like, oh, I was doing comedy already. I was, because I was doing sketch and improv since 1999. So right around that time. Right. So I was performing in the city. So my whole office used to come to see me and everything.

So I was just like the guy that like was liked at the office because I was funny, a funny comedian, you know. The work I didn't love it, but it was like I did it and I started to to like, to like, get promoted and I didn't want to be in that space. It's like by the time I left four years later, I was an assistant VP of this department and I got a raise and like some stock options. Okay. The way that you're like relaying this, it makes it seem like you kind of just stumbled across. I did. I did. I didn't know what I was going to do when I went there. I didn't know anything about mutual funds. And then I was like everyone like transferred into office. I saw that happening. And like people became programmers and like the pay was

better in these other departments. And so I was like, where can I transfer? And it was mutual fund related. And so a business systems analyst for people that don't know what it is, is I was the go between the brokers and the programmers. So I had to know the language of code and the business of mutual funds so that when they needed something done, I was basically a translator, right? I could explain to the programmers what was needed. And then I would help write that code and make the manual for whatever that like their project was going to be that then they would follow the programs would follow to make the the action so we built a trading system for mutual funds for brokers or prudential while I was there it sounds like impressive and I guess in hindsight like I did

work a lot I was working really long hours but I was like figuring it out as I went the entire time the entire time and I never took it serious but you know what before we go into that this This year I've taken my health extremely seriously. I've gone to the gym four to six times every single week. I've really cut out a lot of foods of my diet, some foods that were really unhealthy that I wasn't even thinking about. And our sponsor, Factor, was there to help. When I'm trying to decide what to eat, I take into account three things,

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50 and use the code Iced Coffee 50 at checkout for 50% off your first box, plus 20% off the next month. Again, that's code iced coffee 50 at factorymeals.com slash iced coffee 50 for 50% off your first box plus 20% off the next month while your subscription is active. Thank you Factor for sponsoring this episode. And now let's get back to the podcast. Did you ever pull pranks people at the office? Like just prank them. No. People ask me like, you know, oh, so when did you start doing pranks? And what were you like as a kid? And like I tell like, we needed an idea for a pitch meeting. Like I didn't. I'm not the prank guy.

I don't do joke. Like, none of that was me at all. But we've been a comedy troupe since 99. And we got an agent in 2007, finally. And then they set us up with a bunch of meetings to pitch shows. And so we had to think of ideas. And we sat down, and this was one of the ideas we thought of. And I told this story, but not to your audience.

It was like, we had these meetings set up in a week. And we didn't have any ideas. And we went to lunch one day and thought of three ideas that we would pitch days later. One of them was Jokers. And MTV and TrueTV offered to buy it in the room, which is very rare. Like immediately. Immediately. What does it mean by it?

Why did you pick True TV over MTV? Yeah. So MTV offered first. And when we went into True TV, we already had an offer. Oh, so you shopped it. Well, we were going already. It wasn't like, you know, we were pitching it to everyone already. So that was already going to happen.

But MTV wanted to make the show again. game show, a strip show, which is like basically a game show that is every day of the week, like Monday through Friday, and they wanted different contestants to compete and just have it, like, just make it a game show where we were like, no, the whole secret sauce is we've known each other for 30 years. We want people to invest in our characters, our different personalities, and have favorites, and that's the hook of them, you know, coming back. And then True was like, that's the show we want to make.

I remember they said to us, they're like, we have an offer. We're transparent. And I remember Marissa Ronka was the name of the executive. And she was like, is it MTV? And we're like, yeah. She's like, I knew it. And she's like, don't go with MTV. She's like, they don't pay.

They have no money. They will not pay you. They will not, the budget won't be great. And we're like, I don't know, whatever. And she's like, but we'll make the show that you want to make. And I was like, we were like, all right, that's the show we want to make. So, I mean, at this point, I was 35 years old. You know, and I had already had a lot of failure.

And we've, you know, we thought of, you know, plenty of things. We tried to, you know, we were in festivals. we made short films we were doing other television shows single camera scripted shows everything so we were like all right this is finally like this is lightning in a bottle and we you know we got an opportunity it's just crazy how that happened because everything before it was arduous and failure and not nothing clicking and we just said we want a show that will showcase our relationship and our skill set which is improvising and so that idea was born out of that concept and And we thought, well, we can thrive in this.

Like, even when we were writing single camera scripts, it was still like, we're still new writers and was still like not steeped in that world. And so it was like we were finding our way through that, just like I was finding my way through mutual funds. So when all of you met was an instant connection? So we met in high school before any of this. So, you know, there was, it was an old boys Catholic high school.

It was small. It was like maybe 1,200 kids total. So there's only 300 kids in our kids. class so I knew everyone so we weren't like a click that walked around together we were all friends but not like together and then then like a junior year there was an improv class or an improv show and so we joined up for that and did it again in senior year and all of us were in that and then that's it we went left for college and when we came back I bumped into James on the show and he had started the improv troupe at Georgetown where he was so he had been doing it and I had started going to acting

classes and improv classes we were all still doing it. And we were like, you want to get together and just like, you know, just mess around? And so we would go to Joe Gatto's mom's basement of our townhouse. And that's what we would rehearse. And we rehearsed three times a week for six months before our first little black box theater show. It was pretty. And we were just learning. We were reading books on it and like teaching ourselves. We would go down to UCB and watch all the shows there and study it, surround ourselves and steep ourselves in it. And we would like, oh my God, we would like tape. their rehearsals. And then when we finished rehearsal for like an hour, hour and a half, we'd play

the rehearsal and watch it like, football players watch tape. And like just pause it and be like, oh, why did you make that choice? Or I could have done that better or this or that. Like, we really dove into it. So we were like, well, we can make a show where, you know, we are ourselves and we are improv. Like, we don't have to learn how to, we had to learn how to make the show as production wise. But we didn't learn how to, we didn't need to learn how to be ourselves, you know. that's what ended up, I think, being, like, we're really fortunate, is that we didn't come across green in that respect. You know what I mean?

When we were pitching it. And, you know, so we just went to, we had the idea. We went to Times Square, the four of us with our cell phone cameras, like, two nights later. And we filmed, like, four, five little bits with a little lob mic, just the four of us. We cut the cell phone footage together. That was a sizzle tape that we showed in the room. The show didn't exist conceptually like five days before it and the tape didn't even exist until like three days before it. And we got so lucky.

It was just like preparedness, opportunity, luck at the same time. So when they buy the show, what does that exactly mean? Do they commit to paying for a certain amount of episodes and how does that work? Yeah. I think what they did was they bought a pilot and then as we were filming the pilot, they watched footage of it. they liked it immediately. And so they ordered eight episodes. And then as we were handing in episodes, I think by the fourth episode, they liked it so much.

They made it to 16 episodes. And we ended up doing 17. It was a special episode in the first one. And then I thought we were done. I really did. I thought like, I told the guys, I think that we've done all we can here. You know, like how much can we do in this? You know, and I was like, it was nice while it lasted.

And they didn't renew us until like six months after that. So we did not come away from the first season, really knowing if we were. coming back and then they did and then then they we bumped to 26 episodes and five specials and we did 31 episodes for the next like eight seasons or whatever so we're approaching 300 episodes now if we haven't passed it already now how does it work with negotiating individual salaries on a show like that do you have someone else doing that yeah our agents will negotiate that you know we'll you know we have candid talks and yeah what our bottom lines are on what we're going for and they'll try to get us whatever they can and actually in the beginning it wasn't

wasn't much at all. Like, we didn't have any pull. Only in success comes the pull. And so we kind of didn't make a lot of money. It's funny. People think that if you're on television, you're rich or something like that. I was making like a regular salary the first few years. You know what I mean? It wasn't anything outrageous. And, you know, with success, we were able to like, you know, finally, like turn the tables a little bit and make up for it. Because in the beginning, it was criminal what they were paying. versus taco truck salsa, whether it's Verde, Roja, or the orange one. For Jeff, trying any salsa is like playing Russian roulette with a flamethrower.

Luckily, Jeff saved with Amazon and stocked up on antacids, ginger tea, and milk. Habaniero? More like Habinier, yes. Save the everyday with Amazon. What were they paying? Can you say? It was nothing. It was like,

I mean, not nothing, but like a couple grand an episode. What you would think, yeah, what you would think it would be on television, you know, like,

and like it was 16 episodes where it took us a year to make. Like, you know, because back then now we are a well-old machine. Yeah. We can write a manual on how to make this show. We run very efficiently.

There's not a lot of burn. Our days are shorter. You know, and so we can make the show in like probably like, you know, 30, 40% less time than it would take in the past.

Yeah. But back then it consumed a lot of time. So we were working just crazy, crazy amount. And yeah, we were making, I remember my weekly check was like $1,100 after taxes. Wow. Yeah. Or that might have been a biweekly. I don't really remember.

It was like, we got like three grand an episode or something like that. And you were still working out of Prudential during this? 60 grand, whatever was that? Were you still working at Prudential? I had left Prudential. So I had left Prudential in, so the show happened. No, I had long left Prudential. They were having to layoffs.

I knew I didn't want to be there and I wanted to save someone's job. They were given severance. I just took it in the land. And I became a bartender because I wanted the flexibility of schedule to do comedy. And so I was,

I bartender for 10 years after Prudential before I got this show. And, you know, a whole time learning that business and I eventually, my backup plan, or the plan was, I didn't know this was going to happen.

So my plan was to buy a bar and own a bar. I could see you as a great bartender. It's great practice for, yeah, And just the comedy, but the comedy bit of like, you know, interacting with people. Yeah. Very charismatic. Thank you.

I order a drink for me. I take every job. I've only had like five jobs, four jobs in my life, actually. And I take everyone really serious. I was, I love bartending. I finally, I bartended in every scenario you could think of. I did weddings and a whole wall places and nightclubs and all that stuff. I settled in at a neighborhood, like an artsy neighborhood bar where I live, the only place I

would really hang out at. So it was like a place that I would go to anyway And I was there for like eight, nine years And I loved it I mean I made some of the best relationships that I've had still to this day Half the people that work on my show I met at that ball They're just my funny friends who are very capable Casey Joost directs the show now

He came on as a PA Because I knew his talent but I couldn't just He had to prove himself and I knew a PA To writer to head writer To director of the show and a handful of my other buddies who had never written for television or comedy before are writers on the show

the camera guys are my friends from home too like we just took everybody with us so the bar I ended up buying a bar after like eight years I had an opportunity I left a place I was out I bought a place and like a month later I got the show and I had just sunk my life's savings like into the bar how much is it to buy a bar

well I went in with two friends and they had gone in just before me and they offer me to come in. And so I put in tens of thousands of dollars, you know, at that time, at that time. I think probably maybe like 30 grand, I think I put in. And, you know, that would then require my 100% dedication as a new business would, you know, 24-7. You've got to live and breathe it. So then I get the show, which is the same exact scenario.

I'm not going to, I got a show now after, you know, 15 years of being, you know, so I had to do that too. So for the first two seasons, two years, I did both. And so I would go from the filming from like eight to five and then work from seven to four. Wow. So for like two years, I had like four hours sleep a night. It was crazy. But I had no choice. I had no choice.

So it caught up to me big time. So in season three, the show really became an even bigger hit in season two. We were getting these great numbers and we knew we were coming back. And so I just made a leap of faith to be like, all right, I'm going to go into entertainment full time. And I kind of like conceded my, my, you just gave them the equity of the bar? Yeah. Wow.

Yeah, I just literally just gave it back. Like I didn't ask. How was it doing? How was the bar doing it? It closed a year later. Oh, you were the special sauce, man. I don't know what I was. Must have been.

Yeah, like a year or so later or whatever. Did people go in and see you and recognize you from the show? Yeah, it was not fun because it was on Thursday nights. And so my friends would be like, put it on. We watch TV. So that was a real weird humbling experience to like be bartending while the TV show was on. But I feel like that could have blown up the bar like more people. Yeah, people came to watch it for sure, you know.

But it is weird, you know, for it to be on the background. People are like, yo, get me, you know, Shirley Temple. You know, and I'm like, no problem, buddy. Come on, hurry. That is so funny. Yeah. Huh. That's really cool.

And why do you think the show is so successful? What about it? Do you think people resonate with it? I think that it is a pretty good reimagining of the genre of hidden camera. I don't really think anything like that. One element of the show, and it's the way that people explain the show the most because it's the easiest way to explain it is that we have an earpiece in and we have to do and say what's told or we lose.

That's like a third of our show maybe. Two-thirds of the show are another like 100 things that we do, literally. Like I get probably 50 different types of games and angles and things that we play that aren't like do and say exactly what you're told. So I think it's between between us having a real friendship and I mean we've known each other since we were 13 years old. I'm 47, you know. And and then us like kind of like reimagining the concept of hidden camera and then turning it inward and making the fact that we are not necessarily, you know, having a laugh at other people's expense, but our own is. like more of a social situation scenarios like social fauxas and it was more like I think that it was more like we wanted in the beginning they wanted us to make a lot of jokes like they had wanted five or

six bits per episode which you know without commercials is 22 minutes so to do five bits six bits you're getting three minutes a bit it was four of us everyone had to take a turn so in the beginning it took and we film one bit in a day basically and so we had to film so much more in a day to cramble that into 22 minutes and it in the beginning if you watch it i don't love the show in the beginning although not going with people responded to it because it's different it's way different than it is now it's like quick in out one-liner like that kind of cut out swipe next thing cut out joke swipe like for that you know for this new generation of like no people don't have any they can't have a time span like they can't focus on stuff you know but as we got more success we whittled it down to just two bits and a punishment

so that we can have these moments with these people breathe. Because I think the magic is also the time that we spend in the moments with these people. It's not just solely about, oh, you know, candid cameras, it goes to pick up a dollar and we yanked the dollar. Oh, you know, you know, it's not punked where it's like, you know, 30 minutes just on Justin Timberlake getting his house repossessed. Like it's these moments with real people and every single one of them is unique. And we don't know where it's going.

And we spend, we can spend two, three minutes with one person. And I think like that was new to people. You know what I mean? And so I just think the combination, they then made our show in 30 other countries. And they cast the show. And does, do you guys get royalties or something from that? Yeah, I mean, we get like, it trickles down a bit. By the time it gets to us, it's not.

Yeah, yeah. People think, oh, the show is, you know, syndicated or all these other versions. It's not like Seinfeld. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's like we split ownership with the network with the production company. And then, you know, of course. we have to pay agents and this and that.

So but yeah, but the shows all went a season, two seasons, maybe three, but they failed because they were, they weren't, they cast people. Yeah.

So that's, that 30 year friendship wasn't there. And then also, oddly, they used our show as like a literal manual. So they were recreating our bits. Oh, and the jokes in these other countries.

And so, you know, we licensed the formula out, but it, just didn't have that... Didn't have the sauce. That sauce, yeah. So, yeah, so it's kind of like, it was just, it's kind of wild that that happened

to that all of a sudden, like, I'd go on a vacation in the country and just see, I would see two things. Our show with my voice dubbed, which is hysterical to see. Like, I'm in Costa Rica watching me dubbed. And then I just, all these other casts, which was, it's, it was wild to see that, like, an idea we had over lunch is playing in Brazil. You know, it's like, it was kind of crazy. Now, I know that.

you're like a germaphobe, right? Because you get sick easily and stuff like that. Is that the hardest punishments that you have to do are ones involving some form of like, you know, unsanitary environment? Or is it other things that are like socially, you know, anxious? Yeah. What's for you personally, the most uncomfortable?

Totally a la carte. Because it's like it's, they both, it's hard for me. Like, yes, I'm not a germaphobe like I live in a plastic bubble. Yeah. But I'm constantly working and touring. And I can't afford to get sick. I'm on stage having to perform. I'm on camera having to perform.

I have to travel to 100 cities a year. Getting sick is my worst enemy. And when I get sick, I don't have the best immune system. And I can have a cold for like eight weeks. And so I'm hyper aware of like people sneezing around me or disgusting things. And you know, on the show, everything is real. Like those, the people are really familiar with us. But it is heightened.

You know, I am like, I'm not putting it on. But, you know, we're performing. It's a comedy show. So I don't walk around like, oh my God, that's, you know, whatever. But it is, I really am, you know, like that. I don't really, you know, if you sneeze, I'm like, oh, if you're like in my head, I'm like, let me inch your way. Or like just, I won't touch stuff on the subway. And I have hand sanitizer on me at all times.

Like, that wasn't me before. Because as a bartender, I kept hand sanitizer on the bar for any time someone took my hand. So they would make fun of me because they're like, you're killing all of your day. I can't stand when I shake someone's hand in their hand is really sweaty. me really sweaty and then sometimes I feel it though and they don't like it either do they not acknowledge their hand is sweaty like if it is you fist bump it yeah well I fist bump for the most part

yeah but uh yeah but so but but then again it's also hard to tell someone that the tip that just gave me a shit like I didn't go at the bar I did it like I one time I played a delivery guy and I was delivering lunches to office buildings and when the people came down and gave me and I getting their lunch I had to like be like this tip is the garbage tip like it is so hard to must up. And we do elaborate stuff too, but sometimes the hardest stuff is the most simple, simple thing. But before we get into that, a big reason why Graham and I love doing this podcast is because we get to have really transparent conversations with people that are doing incredible things and are

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Masterclass.com slash iced. Masterclass.com slash iced. Thank you so much to Masterclass for sponsoring this episode. And now let's get back to the podcast. What would you say? I know this, you know, you've done over 300 episodes now. The one thing that comes to mind when I say the most uncomfortable thing that you've had to do on the show. Oh, my God.

The first thing that comes to mind. So I know you, because you're probably juggling 30 things right now. Yeah. I mean, it's just so many. I went to a business mixer once and I only had one business. card and I would have to get into a networking conversation or something, give them my business card, and then go back and tap them and say, I'm sorry, I found someone better. Can I have my business card back? I played an audio guy on a studio for a television show. And as I was micing people, I had to tell

my breath smell like shit. I was a judge at a kid's talent show. I had to rip the kids to shreds. I mean, it just goes on. From those to the physical ones, like when they put me in a swamp in the bay to the day, like it just, it just, it just. It's just awful, you know what I mean? But it's fun. But it's just like those little ones are the hardest ones. Like they just had me do one. I was at a bowling alley and they were like,

you're going to just play a douchebag that throws money at all your problems. And I was walking around to people. Like I would knock someone's drink over or whatever. They made me do. So punishments, I can't say no. So they made me. So I would knock someone drink over. They look at me and I'd be like, sorry.

And I just, I had a wad of ones. And I would peel out and just drop it on the floor and be like, and just walk away. Like, you know, those are really. Because I'm really actually shy and pretty polite in real life. And so like those moments like, dude, and people might know you too as like the guy, you know, they assume you have a show, you have money or whatever. Just a total D-bag in real life. Yeah, well, most of the time if they know me, they think they're on the show, right?

So like most of the time in my real life. So most of my, most of the time I spend is my real life. Like this show is a half hour a week. Yeah. But when people see me, they think they're on the show. So as I walk around all day, everyone who sees me thinks they're on the show. So that's one of the things that comes along with it that I had to accept, you know. That's fun.

But sometimes people, it is rarely, but sometimes people see me and they don't think that. They just think they're seeing me. And that does happen. Like sometimes they're like, sometimes they're like, what do you do in here? And I'm like, yeah, the show's over. I work at best by now. You know, like, and they just don't, they just believe me. You know what I mean?

Like, do people ever freak out, though? Like, let's say the $1 bill example or any of those pranks, do people lose it at you? Yeah. I mean, our goal is. Our goal is never to make anyone feel stupid or angry. Sometimes it's a byproduct, but it's always like I want bemusement. I want people to be fuddled.

I want people to like it's, you know, escapism. So it's all always on us, you know, but you're going to cross, it's the law of averages, you're going to cross paths with people that are already locked and loaded or have that personality or, you know, are just dramatic or whatever. So every once in a while you'll get someone that will get in your face or like, is just not having it or just like screams at you to the point that it's so uncomfortable. And that's even that's just terrible. Do you ever have security you have to step in on some of these?

We got one guy because it's it's, he's a nice guy. He's our buddy. But it's, it's contractual. So he has to be there for insurance purposes. But it's just one guy. And and it's the illusion of security. There's no security. Yeah.

You know, like even, I mean, sometimes like goes down and it's like he's not going to do. You know what I mean? It's like, luckily, like, the show and the people now are our family. We've been with these people over a decade. We have, like, 60 people or more, I think, on the show. And so these people, like, are my family. And that's everyone from whatever position you can name. And so, like, you know, what people don't see when we're doing the show is, yeah, we're on camera.

But there's, this 40 of our friends on the other side of the camera watching, laughing, doing what they got to do. We're very collaborative with them. So if anything else, everybody kind of steps up and kind of like guards us if anything ever happens. I'm curious, I know you get asked this question a lot, but I feel like we just have to ask because our audience, this is a little bit different than a lot of the comedy shows that you've been on so far. When you get recognized on the set, there's no way that you guys film and not every single bit people are recognized. Yeah, yeah. Every single time. Yeah.

How do you isolate then the people that, you know, don't know you into something like a focus group bit or something like that? So in the public, it's just, you know, we just need to be in a densely populated area. You know, because if you know me, he won't know me. In New York City's perfect. Yeah. You'd be surprised how many people don't know you more than just as much as that know you. You know what I mean? Like I don't watch Game of Thrones.

If the cast walk by, I wouldn't know them. It's the most famous show, you know what I mean? But when we're doing focus groups, we have so many techniques. And first, we, when these people respond to these ads, we give them questionnaires they have to fill out that are like telltale. So it'll be. buried in these questionnaires like, oh, you know, what are your favorite television shows? What networks do you watch? You know, what kind of comedy do you like?

And if anything comes even anywhere near orbiting us, if they say true TV, they're not getting called. If they say hidden, like anything, they're not getting called. So that's the first step. And then we also, like, let's say we're doing a focus group. We go into the holding area as one of them. Okay. Yeah. And so normally what will happen is they'll isolate us.

Like, if there's a room of like 30 people that we have, the day, we'll be like, we'll call like a few people out at a time and like I'll be out. So I don't want to go in the room with the 30 because I don't want to contaminate the room if someone knows me. But they'll bring them out piecemeal. And so if someone comes out or two people come out and we're going to walk them and they, and they walk out the door and they see me, they cannot contain a reaction until right there.

We cut them right there. And so often does that happen? We're vetting them. It happens like half the people of the day. Really? Yeah. Or at this point, yeah. Like season one was a breeze.

No one knew us. But yeah. But it's built in, you know. It can be. It depends. And also there's more geographic locations or neighborhoods, oddly, that will know us more than others. You know what I mean? So, yeah, so we build that all into it.

Even on the street, we have eyes. We have so many cameras. We're watching everyone. We're doing multiple things out there. We're trying to be in the moment for the comedy and for myself. I want to play everything as real as possible, right? And I want to be in the moment. That's like the most important part of the performance.

But also, we produce the show. We edit the show. So I'm also wearing a bunch of hats out there. And so I'm also, like, looking for a person after all this time. I know who I might think would make a better mark or, you know, than someone else. And so I'm also looking for these people. A lot of times I'll be like, this guy approaching here in the collar, like with the, you know, whatever. And then, like, they'll hit him with the camera.

We'll watch him. And then if he comes up to me, if he notices me, we catch it on camera. Now he noticed you. So like we also like have eye in the sky. Like you know, this is a whole bunch of stuff. And people, you'd be surprised, people can't be themselves. Because sometimes people notice and they don't want to say anything because they want to be on the show because they love the show. That sucks.

Because sometimes when they do dupe us at the end of like us investing our time with them and if something good, they'll be like, I'm a big fan of the show. I love the show. And then we're like, oh. You can't include it. Yeah. And we're like, well, can't be on the show. We don't put anybody on the show that knows the show. You know, like I appreciate what you did.

But I just wish you would have. told us because now we wasted, you know, but we just were like, oh, thank you so much. But, you know, we can't be on the show. So what is this, the punishment for saying no to a punishment? The Volkswagen Atlas is a seven-seat powerhouse that actually makes sense for real life. It's got cargo space for all your gear, the dogs, and even half of your rec league soccer team. And under the hood, a two-liter turbocharged TSI engine that halls up to 5,000 pounds. The seven-seat Atlas, you deserve more space.

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You can't say no. What I was going to say before is people can't be themselves once they know. It's something they try to be themselves and play it cool. Uh-huh. But they, it's so funny to watch someone try to play something cool when they know what's going on. Yeah. Like they just, it's so funny. Like, like, if they're like, if we're behind a counter and.

And they'll, they'll, like, step up and be like, hello. You know, like, I'll have one smoothie, please. You know, just like, dude, why are you acting like that? But, you know, though, that's the one rule. We can't say no to a punishment. And that's why, like, honestly, it sucks. It really does. Like, they're, it does suck.

Like, they're punishing me tomorrow. And a lot of the times, like, I'd say, like, two-thirds of the time, it's a secret. Mm-hmm. And tomorrow is a full-on secret. I have literally not one iota of an idea what's happening tomorrow. for me. And so, you know, your brain goes everywhere. And that's still to this day.

Like, I still don't know what they're going to do to me or what's going to happen tomorrow. And so now, like, that legitimately hangs over my head today. You're nervous thinking about it? Because it could be something that sucks. What's your worst fear for a punishment? If you're like, if they did that, I don't know if I could do that. Gross out stuff.

I probably can't physically bring myself to do. Like eating insects or something like that. Yeah. If I have to, I have to. So I always fear that. But also, again, just the minutia of an exchange with someone that is just mortifying because it's so like, this is not how people act. You're breaking the social contract. It's just like, we still get a pit.

I get a pit in my stomach in these moments to this day. And I think that's another reason why the show still works because every person is new. We don't know how it's going to go with this person. We don't know who they are, what they're about, what's going to be said. And so it's just a clean slate with every single person. And we've done enough to know that like, holy shit, sometimes people are wildcards or you never realize where this is going. And so that, that possibility is always there. And so I think that keeps us on our toes.

You know, it's good that I'm nervous about tomorrow still. Can you say no, though, if you see what the punishment is and you just say, I can't do that? The reason also we can't is like that day is produced. those people are there our crew is there that location is rented those people have been brought in you know like whatever it is so a day is very expensive and so if you can't do it I mean it's maybe twice happened in 12 13 years

like one time I'm afraid of heights and Q was this guy in my show Brian Quinn he used to be a fireman and so they brought a fire truck and they extended the ladder as high as it can go and they wanted me to walk up the ladder to the top of the building and I got an embarrassingly amount. I got like, I would say maybe 25. Are you strapped in though?

No. You're not? No. Is that dangerous? Yes. Yeah. I believe so, especially from someone that's going to lock up. I locked up.

My legs lock up. I couldn't physically move my arms and legs to get up. Because also it's like, you know what I hate? I hate see-through stairs. as well. I'm afraid of a kite. So like, you know,

or even like you're going on a roller coaster and you're walking up all those, like, whatever. And it's like, the stairs are like, and I just looked at them

and I was like, I was like, I felt so big because I don't know what to do. I can't, I can't move. And so they just hit me with the hose. Right there at the 20 foot market.

They kept me up there. I was already scared. And then they'd hit me with the hose and we kind of like had to, you know, just kind of call an audible there. Like, and then sometimes you don't even get that.

How do you get insurance to do that though without being locked in because I see on fear factor like they still have like you know something at the bottom or if you fall you fall on you know a net or something yeah how like insurance wise you think you would have to get strapped into the thing and like move it up yeah you know sometimes it's funny with insurance it's like it's subjective believe it or not just like standards and practices we come to them with an idea sometimes they're like there's no way you can say that and sometimes we're like they said we can't you know what I mean and sometimes we have to barter and we got to you know the way that we also learn how to present stuff that's also

how to make the show too because it's like you know you learn like where the litmus tested like where the barometer is of what they I already know what insurance or standards might or may not say and so we go in already with a strategy you know we'll ask for something that we didn't even want so that we can make a concession to the thing that we really would have asked that they would have said no to you know we do stuff like that or i point to other shows i'm like well they did it and like we're just really really pushed sometimes and nowadays because we've been there so long We've been there. There's been a changing of the entire guard at our parent company four times since we've

been there. So we're there. You know, this is year 13. So when all the new people came in last year, you know, we're a well-oiled machine. They're not going to come in and, you know, put a stick in the spokes, right? So a lot of times they'll afford us. Like, if we push, they'll give it to us. But, like, sometimes I don't have the opportunity to say no.

Like in the movie, they pushed. me into a motel room. I was talking to my buddy Joe. I didn't know this was about to happen. And we're at a roadside motel. It was a road trip movie. And so I thought we were stopped down. I knew we were filming something there later.

I didn't really know when or what. And he's like, can I talk to him? We went for a walk. And it was one of those motels where the doors are outside and were standing by a door. And then after like a minute of talking, he just shoved me and slammed the door behind me. And I was like, what the hell? And I looked and the inside knob wasn't there. They removed it.

And so I couldn't open the door. And so I knew immediately that I, you know, I got got, I just didn't know exactly. I knew the cameras were on me. I just didn't know what was going to happen. And I turned around and I heard a growl and a white bangle tiger walked out of the motel bathroom. And I was alone with a tiger in there. It was on a chain. But the chain was tied to the shower bar.

You know? And so, and I swear to you. I've never I've only felt like that maybe like maybe three or four times in my entire life and I like pressed up against the wall It's it's it's I was speechless because you you can't the fear is such that you can't get I don't know if I should speak or move an inch because I don't want to call any attention, you know And you're frozen with fear I was literally frozen with fear but then it's like they spend all this money. This is a bit I'm supposed to play into this and I couldn't and the first thing I was very very mad actually And the first thing I said was, how could you do this? And like, how do we get insurance for this? And in my head, I'm saying that I'm adoring it.

I'm like, this will not be usable. This is not funny. I cannot play into this. I don't know what to do. That's a hilarious reaction, though. And ironically, that's what went right into it because that was funny. But in the moment, I was telling them this is unusable. I can't, I can't speak.

That is so good. Yeah. Yeah. And that was wild. I mean, to this day, I was like, you shouldn't have done that. You know what I mean? Is there a panic phrase or something you could say that, like, gets you out of a situation? We did a one time we made up one for Q because he has a legitimate phobia of spiders.

And we chained him to the ground and like put tarantulas all over him. And we said to him, listen, when we, when we said it, he had like a panic attack. And so we said, you know, listen, if it really does get to be too much, this say, we'll think of a word. know and so we told him to say pumpernickel if it gets too much and pump or nickel really meant nothing to us we were never going to stop it and so he's literally tied down he turned like purple with fear and he's screaming pumpernickel over and over as these spiders are like crawling like on his chest and face and everything and we were just crying laughing just because he was like popernico it was like crying just yelling pumpernacle and believe it or not a lot of people thought

we went too far with that one because it's like you know we test the limits but we're not jackass You know what I mean? Everything is through our lens. And like a lot of it is not. I would never do 99% of the things that Jackass does. And if there is any type of trauma or something. You know, if there is any type of DNA connected to like something like,

oh, like, you know, they got bit, you know, they let a dog attack them. Like I'd say over 300 episodes and 1,000 bits. Maybe there's like an overlap of maybe 10 things or 15 things that, you know, we jumped out of a plane, you know, whatever. But it's like they just got attacked by a dog. But we put Q against a young girl in a spelling bee on stage. And every word that he misspelled, he got attacked by a dog.

So we go through our, you know, I normally will immediately say no if like someone's done something before. Yeah. But if they can pitch me an original angle on it or we can come up with an original angle on it, then I'm like, all right, that's our version of this. I don't think I could ever do that. Like the jumping out of a plane one, to me, I wouldn't do it. Yeah. And Murray's afraid of heights. And we, again, these are examples of ones where we really pushed it.

But he, he locked himself in a bathroom at this place. And he was crying and he called his family because he knew we had to do it. But he really didn't want to do it. It was like 45 minutes where he came out of the bathroom. And so like we felt bad about that. And this isn't always the case. It's like hardly ever the case. Yeah.

But we threw him out and he cried the whole. So we called it cry diving because he literally, a pitch came out of his mouth. that it was like operatic. Like it was like glass would have shattered if he was holding it. He just came down the whole time like, and like his voice kept giving out because it was so high. And that's what he did the whole thing. And it was like, you know, it was bad.

You know, it was pretty bad. Oh my gosh. You know, but. I had the same reaction. Yeah. I'm terrified of heights. Yeah. Yeah.

But, you know, it's, it is. People always like, oh, I, you know, me and my friends do that all the time. I want to try it. And they're like, I could, I would kill. on the show, you'd be surprised. Like, we get our friends on it sometimes that are comics or celebrities and, and like, they're like, oh, this is, because when you're right in the

moment, like, you know, we have to do stuff like, like Q took a cover charge at the knitting factory for a band that was playing. $5. It was sold out. So it was like a couple, a few hundred people that he, and then he was the door guy and he checked IDs and he took all this money.

He didn't know what was going to happen to him. And then the show started, the door's closed and he was amongst them in there as the security guy, oh, the door guy. And then we had someone come on stage and I'm sorry, we just got word that there was a guy collecting money. There's no cover charge tonight. And so 300 people looked at him because he took $5 from all of them and they just went

at him. You know what I mean? So like that's hard to do, you know? It's just I had to kick kids out of the pool, out of a public pool. I was the lifeguard. I had to kick them out for rough housing, but they weren't doing anything. And their families, the parents were there. And I was like blowing the whistle and take.

taking kids out of the pool and making them sit in the corner for like a half hour. It's just like you don't want to do these things. You know, in hindsight, it's funny, but it is in that moment, it is really, really do you compensate the people who are on the show like that? No, I mean, not really. I mean, it's like, you know, usually they're good, it's a good, they're good natured about it. For the, if something goes really, really well and we see that the person may want to sign, because if they say no, it's got to get blurred, we usually don't use it because that

doesn't make the reactions are a lot of the comedy, but sometimes, if you see a blurred person, we thought it was good enough, even though the person said no. But like sometimes we'll offer a little bit of money. If, if, you know,

and we'll be like, sometimes it's like at all costs, you know, that person has to. Yeah. Because we do have a budget. And so like, you know,

sometimes we'll like, Rob Peter to pay Paul if like, if something is like, this person has to sign and we get up to a number that we would never spend, then like that comes out of the location budget, like for another bit.

You know what I mean? So it's always a weighing, you know, the value of the joke and the laugh and things like that. So one thing I always wondered is like if you're playing a part of a cashier or something like that, and then you get instructions to say something egregious to like an old lady that's placing an order. And then you're like, oh gosh, like, and you kind of like stumble a little bit? Like what is that lady thinking when it kind of like you just kind of seem like you,

what's that term for someone who hears voices in their head? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, to this day it's so funny because Murray particularly, he'll just talk to us. And I'm like, stop talking to me. You look like you look like you're unstable. Yeah. You know, but you'd be surprised like how many people aren't paying attention or just, just give it to you.

Like they're not, it's the last thing they think is that I, they want to tell them. Yeah, that's a good point. That's a good point. Because I have to say something. Yeah. I could just have had a thought or anything, really. I mean, anything at all. And so you'd be surprised how many times.

Because another thing we have to do is listen. Well, we have to listen. to them and the people talking at the same time. And that still to this day is challenging. Because listening is the most important part of being in the moment with someone. Comedy is about timing. So you don't want to miss the timing and you don't want to miss something important because then you can't use that as a joke. So there's this jigsaw puzzle going on while we're out there of listening to them, listening to them so they don't.

When you're listening to someone else and I'm looking at you, I have to make it look like I'm listening to you. And I have to listen to you as I'm listening to them. But more important is probably this. Yeah, yeah. But then I sometimes I go, excuse me, you know, say that again. But you don't want to tell of it. Yeah, yeah. And then also sometimes what they say is good for that exact moment.

And so you don't want to miss what they're saying. You know what I mean? And then sometimes they also, you get it. And you're like, all right, I'll pick the moment. I know I have to say this, but I'm going to pick the moment that, unfortunately, I know I have to say. I don't want to, but I'm going to pick the moment that's the right time for it. Yeah. And then sometimes they start giving me more stuff.

And I'm like, you know, but we know now the dance that it is. Like if they give me something and I don't do it, they'll kind of hold off a little. Or they'll say something like this one I want you to do at some point. You know, so keep it in the back. Because when the opportunity presents itself and then we'll give you others. So you have one in the pocket and one day. It's very involved. Like a lot of people watch and they think it's like friends hanging out and stuff.

stuff, but we have to conceive of the idea and then make sure that it's not a dud, like, because we have to do all the permutations of what is the best possible scenario for this and what is the worst? And is it worth it? And what are people liable to say or do? And if they're going to go this way, I think instinctually they're going to do this, that kills the bit. How do we make that not happen?

You know, how do we tweak this idea to make it? And then so we're working out this like literalist formula to each and every. bit. And then once we have the idea and we all sign off on it, we have to think where would it play, what location would it play best in? And then we have those people go out and look for locations, I mean, everywhere. And then the location has to agree to it. And then we have to go by that location schedule. And then they have to scout the location. And they get the hours before us to put in all the hidden cameras. And, you know, and so like there is just technically and creatively, there is so, so much going on. There's so much experience.

with these guys that are hiding these cameras and working on like these robo you know like cameras and then there's also guys like handheld and they have to be very inconspicuous of how they're shooting us because they give it away and you never want to be the crew member that gives it away yeah you know and then we're also dealing with people like if I'm talking to you on the street at any given moment

someone could recognize me and they could walk right up and then blow the whole thing so we have it's like CIA genes we have people like literally out there that if they see someone and they'll intercept them So there is just, it's a lot going on. It's cool, though. It's like there's an energy to the set. Because everybody, to make the show, everybody, every counterpart has to be focused.

And so, you know, when you have 50 people focusing, there's an energy to that. You know what I mean? You could probably sell tickets to show up to the set to watch from afar where you can listen and watch. High ticket tickets. That would be interesting and sell like 20 of them. That could pay for it. I'm going to do reaction videos, and now I'm going to sell.

Hey, look at Mr. Idea guy over here. Yeah. Okay, okay. Two last really quick questions about the show. Yeah, you don't have to. First question is, who do you think is the most daring on the show?

When I, I watched it just a copious amount of the show growing up with my dad. And I always kind of thought Joe, when he said no to do something, that was pretty extreme. Yeah, I don't think it's Joe. Really? The most daring is Murray.

Really? Yeah. I would not have agreed. Joe plays daring. He is. Joe is bold. He is bold. But Joe knows his limits. And he is, he's very smart like that. So he will be very bold in a situation he knows he can be bold. He won't deliberate. Yes, he will. And he will also steamroll. And so that comes across as bold. Because in me, I'm very, I'm much more measured. And I like to feel stuff out and I like to soft serve things where he likes to just smack it hard. And so yes, in that way, in that way he's second i would say but when it comes to something that oh i would never want to do that he also like murray does things none of us would ever want to do and sometimes there's an idea like that that you got it can't be a secret because you don't want to spend all the money and get everyone there so we're also you know like like the ladder yeah and then they say no so sometimes you just got to

come out right out with it and be like will you do this you know and then we do what's best for the show you know and so Murray will like that sucks I don't want to do that but I'll do it and I'll like yes you know but we got to get creative to sometimes if we want to make it a secret but it is one of those things we'll pitch an idea like I'll go to oh okay I'll go to Q if I think this is for Q yeah and say I got this idea what do you think of it him thinking it's for one of the other guys and if he's like oh that's a good idea but he wouldn't do it but he said it's a good idea all's fair and so then sometimes we turn it on each other and I'm like you you you approve this unwittingly you know what I mean that's what's the one thing like mur is done that's like that

is so gnarly that you wouldn't have even considered doing it like you're saying he's doing the most extreme things too I mean at the punishment in the movie they tied him standing upright to a prop plane and it took off and flew in the air and was doing loops in the air as he stood on the wing of the plane tied to a pole and the plane was flying in the air and doing loops and curves and everything and he was standing there

I don't know what would have happened if I lost in the movie we tried to play those things very real in the show we don't shoot the show in linear order it's impossible because of the nature of locations and availability so what we do is we just film a bunch of bits

and we start keeping track and we know we're all going to lose in 20 something after we're all going to lose here and there So in the beginning, we just think of punishments and do them because we know, you know, sometime in the next 15, 50, we're going to lose. Yeah. But toward the end, we have to get specific because it's like, all right, now there's only a certain amount left. We have to really, you're only getting one if you're definitely, we know, we know you're going to lose. And so, so I don't know what I would have done in the movie if I lost because I probably would have, I don't know how my body.

Yeah. You would have been tied in, which is nice. I probably would have passed out. Yeah. I don't know. I can't even imagine it. Like, I'm saying to you right now, and I can't even imagine it. So, you know, I don't know, man.

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Thank you so much, Shopify, and back to the podcast. Is there something you always wanted to suggest for a punishment, but you knew it would be just too far? Something you've always kind of been like, this would have made such a great bit. Well, there's ones that we wanted to do that we couldn't end up producing. Like Joe was a big gambler. He's a big gambler.

He loves playing blackjack. He loves going down to Atlantic City, Vegas. He's the guy that sits at the table, joins the tournament, is there for like seven hours. And we wanted to go down to the casino for a weekend when he was just going on vacation and work with the casino to rig it. to have him go on a crazy blackjack run and win like 50 grand. And then like he doesn't even know that we're there at all and then come out after he thinks he won that kind of money and just take it away from him.

Oh, that is so good. Yeah. But you know, it's it's it's it's it would have been hilarious. It's really tricky when you're getting into the gambling legalities. There's things that we, you know, we just can't make happen. But there are ones that are like years in the making. They told me the thing I'm doing tomorrow. they've been thinking about for almost three years.

So I don't know. And sometimes I think of something today and we'll do it next week. That's crazy. They did one where they went back to an old bit that we filmed when we were on public property in a city park. And I went up and like I was messing with a statue. And they sent a letter from the city to my home that says I vandalized like I wasn't allowed to touch that property. I vandalized it. and I would need to come into a hearing about it.

And I did this. And they referenced the episode and the thing and everything. And I was like, this is insane that I got to do this. And I went on my own time into a government building. And I met with people. And they had this whole thing. And they're like, yeah, well, you are going to get, we have to sit here. And they grilled me in this like deposition for like three hours.

And then I left. And it was on my own time. And then I got home and I got a letter. the mail that I was going to be fined $100,000 like that. I swear to God. And this went on for months. And the whole time, they were behind all of this. And I had no idea.

I was, they started saying why, like, the thing was, how do we make the show when we don't know we're on the show, too? Let's start doing that. Dude, they had cameras, pinhole size cameras in water bottles on the table. Like our camera guys and sound guys have made innovations in the space because of having to, you know meet our creative ideas and they go on other shows and work and people say to them oh my god like how did you do this how did you do that like you have to teach us like that's never been done before and they did that and then and then one day on set we were filming another

bit the agents that I the government agents that I was in this deposition with they walked in the park and they were walking at me and I still didn't connect it and I thought oh my god they're coming here now because I didn't pay this fine and they're coming you know I'm in trouble and they came up and And it was like jackets and official. And they were like, you know, you're going to have to come with us and everything. And I was like, I'm in the middle of film. I can't believe it.

And then they just all started laughing. And like they revealed. Yeah. I got one more question about the show. And we got so many other topics we want to hit. Yeah. But how often in your real life do you go about thinking this is a skit when in fact it's just your real life? Meaning like you get pulled over in your life.

You got to laugh or like I think they're doing something. You think you're doing something like in your real life. Like you get pulled over. something like that, something that happens on the subway and you're like, where the cameras? It's happened here and there. It's happened here and there. But now I'm so aware of it. I'm so, because they did it to me a couple times.

One time I was in an elevator that got stuck. And I also didn't know I was on the show. And I got stuck in this elevator with a guy that had a terrible cold. And he was, and I'm German before we know. And he was sneezing. His nose was red. It was so good. And then a woman who had her cat, her pet cat.

I don't like cats. And this cat pissed in the. elevator. I don't know if they knew that was going to happen, but it started pissing. So, and I was in the elevator for like, you know, I would say like, maybe an hour with them. And they said like, oh, we're the fire department. We're working on it. And so I was just in this. And I'm a little claustrophobic as well. So that was a nice concoction of things. And I'm in there for an hour. And I'm just like, and I had to get to work. And I was in an elevator bank and I had no service. So I couldn't tell them that I, where I was or what, what happened.

And so that was like another one where I was like, I can't play. And then when when it opened up and they were all saying that, I was like, oh, my God. At this point, they'll never get me again because if something like that happens, I'm just not going to believe that. You know what I mean? But it is, you know, it's a challenge to think of those things where we could still get one over on each other. It was still trying, you know, but. Yeah. That's hilarious.

So how do you write and test comedy to make sure it's funny? For the show or in general? Just in general. Well, testing it is simply just. just, I mean, as a comic, you're performing every night. There's no, there's no secret to it. You know, I'm on stage, you know, at least, you know, at least three nights a week, sometimes four, sometimes every night, you know, and that's two, three, four, five, sometimes six

spots in a night. And it's just, you know, that grind. And the audience is going to tell you what's funny. It's not. It's a lot of, you know, in the beginning, beginning, it's a lot of bombing. Then when you get your legs under you, you get. your voice, you get confidence, and you've been doing it a while, you still have stuff that doesn't hit. I mean, every comic, even the best comics, bomb because that's part of the process of getting

a joke to be as good as it is. It's just a different type of bombing. Like, you can bomb, but then, like, it's not like going to go horribly south. You can make fun of that. And then, like, you know what I mean? There's ways to understand, you know, like, you know, yeah. So, but, you know, it's just like, it's like anything else. I've been doing it for so long that, I, um, I mean, um, I'm, you know, I have my own experience. You know, like whatever, what got me here was going with my gut of what I think is funny. And that's how, I mean, I'm not going to get on stage with anything that I don't think is already funny. And I'm not going to like think of a bit that I don't think, just do I think it's funny.

It's the only gauge I can use. I can't write for anybody else. I can't think I can think something hysterical that you think is not funny at all, you know. And some people tell me like I've had such wonderful comments on the special that. That's out right now, terrified on YouTube. People like, this is the best one of the year, the best one I've seen in so long, and then some people, you know, inevitably, trolls,

but, you know, just like I don't get it. You know what I mean? But that's all I do is just, I'm a fan of comedy. I love laughing. And so I just, if it would make me laugh, that's it. And that's really it.

How has comedy changed over the last 20 years? Because it does seem like comedy has softened a little bit, that it used to be a lot edgier. Yeah. And now there's a lot of, jokes that people say, you can't say anymore. Like Eddie Murphy is a great example of in the 90s. He'd get away with saying all these things, whereas today, like, he would just be canceled.

Yeah, well, in that respect, it has changed, right? You go back and look, but that's the same for anything throughout history at all. Yeah. It's, you know, it's office politics. It's anything and everything. And so it's hard to look back and judge someone as wrong as it may seem now or, like, out of pocket as it may seem now, for something that they did. when collectively the world wasn't like coming down on that. It's a different time, you know.

And so we still have that now. You know, like it's people can say what they want as long as it is, it's not gratuitously offensive. Like you can, you know, that's the difference between a really good comic and, or not is someone that can get on stage and talk about a hot button, touchy subjects and make it funny. There's a dance to, you know, toe the line. And it's just got to be clever.

And it just ultimately have to be, it has to be saying something. You just can't get up and just make fun of it. That's just lazy, ignorant common. You know what I mean? But if someone like an Anthony Jezzelnick will talks about like his whole thing is Gallos humor and it's very like, you know, I think it's one of his specials like fire in the nursery or whatever, well, you know, I, you're talking about topics like that, right? If someone has had an experience in their life where that's a triggering thing, it's,

it's going to happen, you know what I mean? But it doesn't mean that he can't touch the stuff. subject that is what he does amazingly no one can do it like him and that's what he found after so many years of doing comedy you know and so that's his that's his skill set and so and you know people that watch him for it yeah know that it's a joke like you know so his huge fan base are people that are fine with it you know that's just great comedy they're not looking at it like the person that might have been triggered so you know I don't think that's ever going to go away you know but I think I think that comedy is as prevalent as it ever was.

I mean, ever. Like you talk about the golden age of comedy and when people had sitcoms and when a special meant something because it was only like a few specials a year and Johnny Carson was a gatekeeper. Like that was a very special time in comedy, but we have more comedians than ever before right now, ever.

And even that is only a few thousand out of like billions of people. It seems like comedy's made a huge resurgence lately. It seems like in the last few years. I think part of it was the pandemic. Yeah. I think the pandemic catapulted comedy to a space it's never been before. People needed content.

Television was not giving content. And, you know, people were the, they could output whatever they wanted. Everyone was stir crazy. And every comic was like, I'm going to tape everything. I'm going to put it up. And people consume that content and found so many new comedians. And then now people know, let me go mine for comedy. I'll go on tonight on YouTube and find someone.

Whereas before that wasn't the way you consumed comedy, right? And that's good. That's good for comedy. You know what I mean? So it depends on what handle you want to pick it up from. It's like, yeah, there's this whole thing of like, you know, canceled culture or, you know, over sensitivity, but a comedy is thriving, you know. Why do you think dark humor is so attractive to people?

Yeah, anything taboo, you know, is going to be like, it's just like a negative headline is going to be, you know, the news uses negative headlines to start. you know, fear or not that it's stoking fear, but it's like, it's taboo, you know, like, it's just like, oh, this is edgy, you know, it's people are attracted to that, you know, to begin with, like, should it be saying, or it's like, I would never say this. Or to hear someone, also like in a club or in a room when someone is saying something that is edgy like that, laughs come from different places, you know, and different emotions. And if someone is like embarrassed or like, you know, like shocked or whatever, like a laugh can

come from there. And a lot of times it's like, you know, I just think that people respond to that because it's not like also how people speak in their regular life. Some people just have a generally dark sense of humor. You know what I'm saying? But yeah, I just think it's like let's see them make this dark thing funny. Or also the way people are consuming comedy is clicking, you know, and surfing on the internet. And what is going to get more clicks? Something that is more salacious and edgy or people that, you know, that's just in the way.

inherently, it's just going to get more clicks. It's just the same thing as cult, like, creating the perfect headline for the, for the, you know, the front page of the paper or whatever. It's like, what's going to sell? And a lot of times, things that are edgy like that, peak interest more than, you know, things that aren't. Like, I have a four minute bit on morphs, you know? And, and, you know, for my audience, people that I, like, really, like,

look, I was, I'm a fan of George Carlin and Eddie Murphy and Bill Burr. And those aren't my style. on my heroes and stuff. But like, you know, I, people like Seinfeld and Larry David and Brian Regan and Sebastian and things like that. Like, you know what I mean? Those are the people that I, I associate with myself as far as like this style of comedy that before. And there's an audience for everything, really. You know what I mean? But, you know, someone's, you know, I banged. You know, some, if you're going to click on something, they're clicking on that before they click on, you know, let's talk about mothballs. I thought my, the moth.

Spitt was hilarious because I had never spoke to anybody in my entire life about me always thinking that moths were going to be a big problem when I was getting older like as a kid I always thought for some reason I had it in my brain that I'd be walking around with shirts with a bunch of holes in them everywhere and I and I forgot about that memory until you brought it up and I that was years of my life that I spent thinking oh god like when are they going to come I love it. Yeah that's that's the highest common I can get really because again it's like I don't know. Everything has been said has been said, right? Or every topic, I should say. It's like, am I going to talk about airline food? You know, like, you can. If you have an angle on it that has never been said before, you can. You know, otherwise it's hacky, you know?

So it's all about like, what is the original angle on this? You know what I mean? And so that was mine, you know? And then even better if people can relate to that, but it blindsided them. And they're like, oh my God, I relate to that so much. But it's not like something that everyone thinks. Like, oh, my God, the post office, you know, or, you know, I wait so long with the DMV. Like, we all already think that, you know, but if I come out something with an angle that you never really think of, but then it's like, holy shit.

Yeah. That's kind of really, I guess, the best result. So you're anything that's off limits when it comes to comedy that like all comedians know we don't really talk about that or there's something that pushes the limit too far? As a comic, I think, no. I think nothing. Once something is off limits, anything can be off limits. And that's way worse than nothing being off limits. And like I said, I think any topic could be spoken about as long as it's done the right way.

Comedy, lazy comedy or comedy that doesn't, you know, just doesn't make the mark. Like it's just not, you know, it just didn't get there. It was an attempt maybe, but it was a swing and a miss that then people could say, well, this is, you know, this is bullshit. But we're not going for that. We're going for the best possible results, right? And the thing about comedy is, is that we have to do it in front of everyone. Like the result of the things that you're seeing on my special, there was a joke in there that was nine years old.

You like it now. I mean, you know, but like it wasn't like that when it started. And so like the only way to get to the place where that topic that seems crazy is like, oh my God, that was one of the most clever, well-crafted jokes I've ever heard. That person threaded the needle. and they they I mean you look not everyone could do that and then you watch someone talk about this topic that everybody else is up in arms with and then no one could say anything because it's so clever it's an art form it really is you know and and and like that's the goal but

you see every single step to get there and so like a lot of times people will be videotaped or judged on something that is literally half baked you know what I mean and so like that's another reason why, like, I think people might be like, this is, this is shit. You know what I mean? Like, it's just like, all right, but it's, it's, it's the middle of the process right now. And the regular person doesn't really know that, you know, it doesn't understand. And because so many people are consuming comedy than ever before, there are people that are nation, like new comedy fans or not comedy fans. You know, if you see someone who's a comedy fan, they're an educated consumer of it. You know what I mean?

But a large portion of people now aren't. And so I think that you'll get people that are quicker to judge. And because the online is an echo chamber, you know, you can have a minority of people say something. But the headline is that one because that's going to get the most clicks. You could have someone, a hundred people say that was the funniest thing ever. And if I'd be like, I'm offended. How dare you? And then that's what sticks out.

Or unfortunately, when people write about it nowadays, like, media and news outlets are using tweets and things as sources. And so they can create whatever story they feel they want out of something. So if they want to pull the thing that says, I've never been so offended in my life. And that's what's going to get them the clicks. You know, it's like, oh, Dave Chappelle makes joke. People never, you know, and it's just like whatever, you know.

That's what I was kind of thinking. It's a bit like a group think behavior where if one person says something, then everyone else could latch on to it. Yeah. And even if someone's never had that thought before, they see one comment, wait a second, that person's offended.

Maybe I should be offended too. And then if you see two comments, wow, two people, I'm definitely offended. And it seems like that infects people's perception. A lot of times people aren't really offended either. They feel like they should be offended or they know that this could be offensive to others,

you know, or whatever. Or they say they're offended because it gets applause. It's like, oh, great, I'm glad you're standing up for being offended at that. Yeah, well, a lot of times a bit in a room in a club, but everyone in that place is enjoying it, laughing. No one is having an issue there. Then online, people have an issue. But why wasn't it an issue to any other 1,000 people are in that theater?

It's, you know, they can textually understand what's going on. And because, you know, it really isn't offensive. Sometimes if you'll challenge someone to be like, well, what exactly is it that offended you? They're not really offended. They're not. They're just protecting. But online. I think they're rewarded for being a victim online.

Yes. That's what it seems to me. It's also better to be offended than to support something that could be offensive. Correct. Yeah. And exactly. And it's like, and also online is completely fake. Everything about it is completely fake.

People are the percentage of people. Well, I'm saying the percentage of people on social media that are representative of their true selves, even like, even if it's, you know, 80%, it's not 100. And a lot of times you see something play it online and. as comics we live in real life and it doesn't exist in real life no one is saying that to you on the street no one is coming up to you that's not getting to people in real life people are emboldened or like you know can be and say things that they wouldn't say in real life online and like one of the biggest you know areas that that affects comedy you know how can you separate the two between the comments that you read online versus the perception that you have in person yeah i mean

first of all, I just judge immediately if I think the comment has merit. If something is a constructive criticism or makes a good point, I could be aware that that's making a good point. You know what I mean? Other than that, like, mostly it's trolls or people not understanding something, you know whatever it is. And I also don't really read comments. Like I, you can, you know, I have, there's ebbs and flows.

Like when my special came out, I was so interested. I wanted to read it. In the beginning, when I started my podcast, I kind of wanted to read it. You want to get a sense of your audience, what they're thinking, totally you want to like dip a toe but like then you at a certain point you get it and then it's redundant and then it's like just wasting my time it's not that i won't like respond to someone or look a couple of times but i do not doom scroll or scroll you know it's like it's just too much and at the end of the day i actually like because because what do i do as a comic it's the same thing

that i'm on stage if i'm on stage and i'm performing at a club or a theater and there's 500 people laughing and the one there's one guy here not laughing i can't because we're can't take our eye off that guy. You know, like he he's the one I'm focusing on. And on stage, it's annoying me or it's, or it's bothering me or it's like, I got to get this guy to laugh, even though everyone's rolling. You know what I mean? And that's the same thing online. You know, by human nature, which one is going to resonate with me more? That was wonderful. Thank you so much. Or you're a piece of shit. You know what I mean? It's like, all the hell, man. You know, and it's just like, well, I don't need that. I got a real life.

I have a family. I got stuff to get. And, you know, I just, and I get sucked into it sometimes, but at a certain point you realize like, oh, like this is wasting my time. So we only have a few more minutes, but we have a couple more topics. I so wanted this to be a bowl left, this whole entire thing.

But it's like I'm approaching it so seriously. Like there's not even, this doesn't even like a 2% of a Bobby Lee episode. I'm concerned that, you know, if a comedian comes on the show, they feel like they have to be funny. No,

no, I never feel bad. Which you're like, but I wanted to bust balls with you guys, but I'm like, I feel like I'm giving a TED talk. Well, hold on a second. I want to know,

in the hours of research that I did, it seems like you're a hopeless romantic. They say if you can make a woman laugh, then you can make or fall in love. Is that true? Is that true? Probably, right? Well, you're a comedian. I don't know. I mean, you tell us. I think my wife thinks I'm funny. I think so. I think music and humor, like laughing and music, like, the two most powerful. Like, if you could play music for a woman? Yeah, you could be that guy that breaks out the guitar and then at the party. No, I wonder wall, Jack. That's all you get to. Got it. No. Um, Yeah, I mean, like, yeah, sure.

I think that anything. I think, I think like that's a connection with anybody, right? I mean, laughing is universal. Like, like someone that doesn't know the same language, we can both laugh at Buster Keaton. You know what I mean? It's just like I'll bond with someone that doesn't even know my language because it's a shared experience.

You know, so I'm even given a TED Talk answer to this question. I think music and comedy are the two most powerful things. And that's why I do think it is. really important that comedians are left to to tackle these subjects because it's it's one of the only people left these days that are like trying to unite people through the goal is not to a a i mean look having anyone talk about you is good yeah if you're polarizing fine but the goal for me is to unify people like i don't want people it's all the politics in the last like you know decade or whatever it is like it's become so divisive that it's like no one lived like that i was a bar

You didn't talk politics or religion. You know, my, my parents were like weren't Put politically forward. I mean, it's fine to be, but people are judging people instantly now Like you might love someone now people and you know, who do you? Oh, I don't ever talk to me again. That's absurd. It's lunacy, you know, and it's like it's it's so prevalent and I just feel like my God, well, what what the fuck is everyone doing? Like we don't have to agree on anything and I could still think you're a terrific person. Of course, there's extreme dreams, you know, but most of us are, you know, are reasonable people. And I just can't stand it now because that it seems to the comments. When people come to my show, I want anyone and everyone to laugh at that shit. You know what I mean? So it's like, anyway, I think it's supposed

to unifies it. I do think laughter is just like it's, it's a human nature type of attraction. So I would say that might translate. That's like that's like the go to line for women. It's like, I just want a guy that can make me like I want a chiseled, you know, model, which is probably what they want, you know, but what they actually want. I want a guy that can make me laugh. Speaking of judging people, I've dated out of my league because I'm just consistently. I believe so. Yeah, I don't, you know.

Okay, so how do you? I'm made more funny than I am handsome. You see a woman. Well, you have a great hair line. I appreciate that. I will take the compliment on the hair. Okay. Yes.

Because I, I, even I could admit, I have some good hair. Yeah. Yeah. If you see an attractive woman out on the street now, I know you're married and you have a beautiful family. Yeah. Yeah. But let's just take us back, you know, 20 years.

I don't. They don't even exist. Okay. So you see an attractive beautiful woman on the street. You want to go up to her. What goes on? Like, like, how do you, how do you do that as a comedian? What joke do you say? Yeah. Do you, do? I don't. I don't approach beautiful women on the street. Okay. I don't do that. That was never, that was never in the, I, I, uh, most of, most of my relationships have just come from meeting someone and knowing them already or, you know, like it's, I, I, I'm not like, I'm not that guy that's like, can I, excuse me. I'd love to take you. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. know how people do that but i see it happen all the time and i'm well that's gotten popular now yeah i mean yeah i mean no there are guys that just like are socially have game you know what i mean yeah and it's it's it's it's it's cool they're just cool i mean there are you know there and then there's guys that are like you know sleazy about it but that doesn't mean like that then there's just dudes i know they're just good with the lady you know what i mean i i i like to you know i like to

feel it before i i go that like i i follow that feeling you know what i mean like if i have a friend that I had an attraction to or this or that. Some reassurance. A botanic rel-or-or- Whatever it is. I just peripherally know someone. If I feel it, and I'm into it, then I'll pursue it. But I really am I the guy that's like, let me holl at you for a second. Yeah, yeah.

You know what I mean? I'm curious, are you now, like, super confident, like very easy and most uncomfortable social situations because you've just had like a backlog of, you know, a decade of experience being horrifically, like, uncomfortable? No, no, no. You would think, I got a thick. skin in the context of the show even though I still get nervous but no because real life the cameras are not there and it's like it's this weird thing I actually

was just talking about this something I did they I I don't think I could do some of the stuff I do on the show in real in real life it seems like the cameras it seems like the cameras in some way give me this little safety net like sure this person is feeling the emotions of what I'm saying in this moment so they're living it for real so this is a real exchange yeah but I know that you know know momentarily in five minutes they're going to be at least told it was a show it doesn't help a hundred percent because I still have to live this in real time with these people but it helps and that in real life when I think of some of the things I would do I'd be like I would never do that

because then I walk away from that person with them believing it that's the reality and I would never want to do that and so no it does not translate I'm still as immediately shy uncomfortable or you know whatever in cringy in real life nothing from the show transgender translates to real life, really. Or even hitting on a girl, like a woman. Like they made me hit on, in the show I do. In the show when they tell me to like, you know, flirt with a woman or, you know, I had to go down and sit at a table of three women that were in the middle of eating dinner.

And I just had to sit down. But you were smooth. Not getting kicked out. I pulled that out of my ass, man. I just was like, I got to do this. And it gave me this. Like, you just ride an adrenaline rush. And I don't know how I pulled that off.

But if cameras were not there, I would. never have done that. So sometimes you surprise yourself, you know. I'm like, oh man, I had that in me the whole time. But like, hey, it's, you know, but I, yeah, I can't do that when I do on the show. And you know what's crazy? A lot of times the females on the show in flirtation situations or situations where, like, there's an energy like that, they respond favorably, which is kind of wild because it's like, I can't believe that like, because, you know, it's the hair life. That's what it is. You just think, oh, rejection. I'm going to be mortified. Like, I can't put myself out there like who do I think I am like you know but it's crazy that how many people are just

if nothing else polite and and receptive and not and not making you feel foolish about it you know what I mean but it is it's like oh wow I guess maybe like you can be forward but you know this is not me I'm not real I'm pretty damn shy in real life on stage not at all you know but but in in real life I'm I'm not that forward I'm outgoing with friends. And it's not like I'm like, I'm very outgoing, but like in a social situation around people I don't know

in a new environment, whatever, I am quiet. So I've always wanted to ask, because I know we have to wrap this up. As a bartender, are there any drink stereotypes that you find to be true? Like if someone orders a corona, you know, oh, that's this type of guy. Vodka Red Bull or a vodka Red Bull.

Or a vodka Red Bull. What do you notice? Vaca Red Bull wants to dance. And yeah, they were, They want to dance and they were in for the long haul of it. The long haul. That's for sure. They want to, it's an all-nighter, a Baccar Red Bull.

It's so funny. In my decade of bartending, I had one person order a glass of gin, just gin. No ice? No, it was gin on the rocks. I feel like that's a common gin on the rocks. I've never seen it. It tastes like pine salt. It's the most grotesque thing.

One man, he was 90. that's my wife's drink is gin on the rocks I'm like in 10 years of bartending I'm talking about a million people 1 9 year old you know you're right gin and tonic is what I was thinking about you need the tonic right

just drinking the gin is bad shit crazy your wife likes gin That's her favorite drink just gin on the rocks She doesn't drink a lot but that is You know what and I'm just like how do you even One sip I'm like this is not an enjoyable experience Yeah I honestly can't believe when people say that they like hard alcohol like just the taste of it

without any sort of mixer or anything. I just, I just can't believe it. It tastes abhorrent. Yeah. I can't get into like IPAs and all those like, you know, and I believe me, that's the biggest thing. But like if someone's ordering a like, oh, a pale ale IPA with a, you know,

whatever, they're like, you know, they could be a beer kind of. It's not, I'm just a, give me a Miller High Life. Give me a, you know, give me an Amstall Light or something like that. You know, I'm not, but, you know, or if someone orders a PAPS, at least in New York. Yeah. That's definitely someone that wants to conserve a. Some cash. Yeah.

Because that's like a $2. $2 beer, maybe like a hipster type of guy or just a guy that's like budget conscious, which is great. Because that's where I go. Because there are drinks now at a bar, like a drink that used to be like $6 when I was bar is like $18 right now. I do not know how people get drunk anymore or I don't know how people go out to a bar anymore. Like, you know, you used to have to go to a bar with $30. And for the night, you know, like a couple of shots, a bunch of people. beers and it's wild dude so like that that's always me i'm like do you have miller high life you

know like yeah all right so thank you so much for coming on the show we had a blast to watch my ted talk i appreciate absolutely everything all of his information linked down below including his new special thank you so much for making the time thank you guys for watching until next time