TRIGGERnometry - Theo Von: I Used Comedy to Change My Life

Episode Date: September 22, 2022

Sponsored by Manual. Stop hair loss now! Go to https://link.manual.co/TRIGGER5010 and use the code TRIGGER5010 for 50% off your first order and 10% off your second. Theo Von is an American Stand-up Comedian and the host of the This Past Weekend podcast. His latest comedy special, Theo Von: Regular People, is available to watch on Netflix. Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Locals! https://triggernometry.locals.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: https://www.subscribestar.com/triggernometry https://www.patreon.com/triggerpod Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Music by: Xentric | [e-mail] | https://www.xentricapc.com/ | Channel ID: UCo_8zzSxKeL3arKWVuP8wdQ Buy Merch Here: https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/​​​ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: [e-mail] Join the Mailing List: https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/sign-up/​​​ Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media:  https://twitter.com/triggerpod​​​ https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod​​​ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod​​​ About TRIGGERnometry:  Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Hello. Oh, no way, bro. I'm Francis Foster. Oh, come on, dog.

You got to do better than that. I agree with you. Thank you. Sorry, man. Yeah, there was just something. There's something great about having fucking nothing, you know. Because nobody can take anything from you. I didn't want people to see my background and where I'm from and think that that's me. The last people that really anybody felt safe to make fun of in, like, mainstream media felt like poor white people.

You know? Yeah. Like we did it all. Like laughter will keep you warm, you know? So if you don't have anything, poor people sit around. They're more connected, you know. There's not as much sheltering from the world. There's not any, like, hedges or any gates.

All your shit's hanging out the window. We don't, do you guys have, like, different pets and stuff? Dogs, yeah? Yeah. What about also hamsters? Yes. Okay. Theo, we're normal people over there.

Yeah. I don't think anybody could realistically look at me and think that I've never said the wrong thing. Hey, so what's the one thing? Not bad, not bad. And I sat out there and smoked a cigarette out there. Right out there. And that's the one thing nobody's talking about.

Huh? And that's the one thing that was talking about. There was seven of these women in there. I can see why you brought it up. Oh, no way, bro. No fucking way, dog. That's not real, huh? Look, we do a formal intro, all right?

Let's just get it over here, all right? That's how we normally start our interviews, let's get it over with. Right, hello and welcome to Trigonometry. I'm Francis Foster. Oh, come on, dog. You've got to do better than that. I agree with you. Thank you. Sorry, man.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do. You know what you're doing. But you've got to try harder, bro. All right. All right. All right. Hello, and welcome to Trigonometry. I'm Francis Foster.

I'm Constantine Kissin. And this is a show for you if you want honest conversations with fascinating people. Our brilliant guest today is already taking the piss out of us. It's the amazing American comedian Theo Von. Welcome to Trigonometry. You guys have, we call it autism. I don't know what you guys call it, bro, but we got it over here. Everybody's got it.

Everybody's got it. Every celebrity has it when they have a movie coming out. Right. They get it like the week before, bro. They get autism and then the movie comes out. and then they fix it or whatever, you know. But you guys definitely, bro. What makes you think we have autism?

Oh, I grew up around a ton of autism, dude. We used to have a lot of people, a lot of adult, like in middle-aged kind of women with their shirts off, yelling stuff. That's autism right there. Okay. It's good to know. It's educational. Yelling at vehicles.

Let me explain something for the viewers, because they're not used to seeing us like this. Right. We just did the Joe Rogan show, and halfway through the thing, he sparked up a massive. of blunt. So we are a little bit stoned. Yep. And you've been taking the piss out of us for the last 20 minutes.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're going to carry on with that. But listen, you're very famous here in the US. Fewer people know about you in the UK. And one of your favorite routines that I love is you talk about growing up, it's a routine about white privilege, but you talk about growing up the way that you did. Yeah. But what's your backstory, man? What's your story? My backstory, pretty much, you know, I grew up in Louisiana.

So Louisiana is a French territory. It was like a French territory. I think we bought it from France, right? I don't know what happened, actually. But we lived there when I was young, and it was good, man. You know, a lot of, you know, it was just a lot of, like, a lot of like, you have hitchhiking and stuff in your country? Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. A lot of people like that, you know?

Right. Yeah. A lot of people that are hitchhiking, but they're not leaving. Yeah. They're just staying. So it's a place where people end up, basically. Yeah, people end up, people get dropped off, people hide. A lot of pirates used to come through there a long time ago in the history.

Yeah. You didn't go up to that period, right? No, no. I'm modern, you know, or semi-modern times. Right, right. But yeah, so I grew up there, man. My dad was real old and my mother was regular-aged, and we grew up there, and we had a nice time, pretty much, not that great.

But the place was good, a lot of good recipes. Yep. And what else I'm trying to think that you guys would know about? Tell us the stuff you think we don't know about. Just tell us everything. That I don't think you know about? Yeah. Well, do you guys have like, do people, do you guys like go on vacation?

Sure. Yeah. And what do you call it? Holiday. Yeah, that's good. Let me think about what else. We don't, do you guys have like different pets and stuff? Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. Dogs, yeah? Yeah. What about also hamsters? Yes. Okay. Theo, we're normal people over there.

Yeah. Yeah, we have the same shit that you do. Okay, all right. We speak the same language. All right. I mean, it doesn't sound the same when it comes out of us. But it's the same language, I promise you. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm trying to think of what else I was trying to. I was going to think about asking you guys, man. Because I never knew that much about Britain, to be honest with you. I like, oh, what about the Welsh? Tell me about that. Right, the Welsh, man. Well, the Welsh are, see, Britain is tiny compared to America, obviously.

Yeah. But it's also got, you know, different countries within the Union, four countries within the Union. Like four states? Yeah. Well, you do. But except they speak different languages, Fia. Oh, really?

Yeah, see it. Welsh have got their own language. I mean, language, it's more like, right? So you've got them. The Irish, the Northern Irish. Careful. Yeah. Yes. Careful. You're Irish. No. No. But they like blowing shit up, man. Yeah, man. Oh, like Joe Joyce and them boys, eh? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I don't know who Joy Joyce is, but I'll go with it. So they've got gayly. I don't know who Joe Joyce is. It could be completely...

He's an online. Yeah, he fights online. He fights online. He fights on. They meet up in parking lots and stuff and fight. It's like senior citizens. Okay, so definitely not like that. Yeah. No, no, no. There was a big conflict there and they were using bombs to blow shit up. Oh, Christ. That's why I'm saying to take it easy because I don't want to get blown up.

Yeah, exactly. Right? Is that fair enough? That is more than fair. And then you've got the Scottish. Yeah. And then it's just as fucking terribly. They're fucked, hey, but they're good.

Yeah, yeah, they're great. So you've got on this tiny island, man, and Northern Ireland over there, you've got all these different cultures and different languages, and they all hate the English. Oh, really? Yeah, man. So that's it. They don't like you guys.

Right. No one likes a winner's theater. I mean, I'm originally from Russia, so it's even worse. But, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. So you guys are fighting right now, too, huh? Yeah.

And that's taking forever, huh? Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. You think they'd get it done quicker. Right. That's crazy, man. Yeah, well, let me think about what else.

Theo, tell us about you. Man. Your story. Come on, man. Like, what do you mean? Like, let me think about what I'm saying. Yeah. Let me think.

My story is, yeah, I just grew up and, you know, I grew up just like in a regular place, just like a lot of people like betting on like dogs would have babies and people would bet on how much babies they were going to have. And like people saw a guy die one time in a fire. People threw them in a fire. Wow, that sounds completely lawless. Just like, sounds like Scotland a little. But, like, kind of like, but, you know, they have a lot of, like, good food, but incest.

Right. Yeah. So, yeah, I'm not going to lie to you. It does sound a little bit like Scotland. But I thought the Scottish were wild. That sounds considerably more wild. Yeah. Yeah, I've heard, I mean, I, yeah, the Scottish I've heard are pretty, I heard it's pretty unbelievable over there.

But, yeah, so that's, I mean, I guess what else was it like? Well, how did you get into stand-up? I think my dad was just really old when I was a kid, and so I would make jokes. about everything, you know. Right. I would try to change my reality. That's interesting. What does that mean, Theo?

You'd like to change your reality? Well, I wanted a different reality, you know? I didn't like the reality that I had, and so I wanted something different, you know? And so I wanted to be different or feel different or, you know, have different chance than I felt like I had, probably in the world. I felt like I probably didn't have a strong chance. What was that, Theo? what was what?

Why did you feel like you didn't have a strong chance? I think just because of where I was from, you know, just like poor, white, you know, like not, we weren't trashy, we were like, and we were just like poor, you know, just like, I don't know, people just kind of treat you different. People in the neighborhood don't have as much opportunity.

You know, a lot of, not a lot of people kind of get out of there and do pretty well. So I think, yeah, I think I was like, I want to have a, you know, I want to have a real show. chance, you know? And so I started to find ways to, like, adjust my reality, mostly with, you know, using my imagination or, you know, I would like do things like, I don't know, like bike to school so I didn't have to ride the bus from like with the poor kid, just stuff like that, you know.

So, yeah, I don't know. Is that what you're asking? Yeah, yeah, that's great. Do you know what I find really interesting about that is that you, very few people who grow up from that type of background feel have that drive. Do you know what I mean? Because most people, it doesn't matter where they're born into, they look around and they just want to be the same as everyone else for obvious reasons. You think that's true? I believe that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. Oh, wow. But you were different. What was it about that? Who gave you that? Well, how did you get it? Or how did you get it? Damn, that's a good question, man.

I think, um, I don't know. I think I just didn't like things so much that they didn't, I didn't have any other, they had to be different, you know? Right. I just, I don't know. It's a good question, man.

I never thought about it, you know? Yeah. I just like, you know, I would get involved in different stuff that seemed like I'd have new opportunities or find good friends who I felt like, you know, weren't going to be stuck in the same spaces.

I don't know. I think I just maybe maneuvered well, amongst it all, you know, kind of. Yeah. But I miss it sometimes. I miss just some of the simplicity of it. What do you mean by that, say I? Just people like, you know,

just been mates back then and stuff, you know. Just had a buddy, like I used to work on this farm for a while and I had a buddy who would take his shirt off and go lay on the concrete after it rained, you know? Just to stay, you know, because he liked the feeling of the concrete on his skin. Paradey present

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this guy is, you know, he's a comedian, he's successful, he makes good money, he's got everything. And yet you look back at a time where you were growing up poor.

Yeah. And you say that you miss it. Yeah, there was just something. There's something great about having fucking nothing, you know? Because nobody can take anything from you. Right. You know, when you got nothing, you got literally have nothing to fucking lose. Other people say to each other, oh, you got nothing to lose.

That's bullshit. You know? Yeah. But when you have nothing, dude, it's just, God, it's nice. because you, I mean, you absolutely, you have nothing to lose, man. And there's no, I feel like that's as free as you could feel, you know. So you felt free, but you also felt a very strong drive to get somewhere, right? Yeah, I think I just didn't lie.

I think there was enough propulsion like, you know, my dad was so old. It was so embarrassing. And, you know, how old was it? He was 70 when I was born. He was born in 1910. Wow. Holy shit. He was a senior.

citizen. Right. You have that in your, they call it senior citizen? What do you call it? Pensioner. Pensioners? Yeah. Oh, that's crazy, dude, really? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, these pensioners, huh? So your, your dad was 70 when you were born. He was older, mate. Wow. He was an older guy and he was just, you know, he was getting, you know, older. And so he would, you know, he would, you know, he was just kind of, he would let me drive as soon as I was tall enough, you know, just, he was kind of a bit lazy, so he would just kind of let me drive him around and stuff, you know, when I was probably 11 and 12, you know, and, um, he was it like, what was it like? He liked to eat peanuts too, and he would let me hold all the shells all the time.

What's it like being a kid when your dad, like, when you said your dad was old, I expected like, oh, he had me when his 40s or early 50s, like not 70. What was that like being a kid walking into school? Your dad looks like your granddad. Yeah, I think I would pretend a lot that he was my granddad so people didn't know. And what was it like, man? It was like, it was kind of sad, I think,

because it made me angry at time. You know, it made me very, you know, if I look at it, part of it was sad because it made me angry at time. You know, it made me feel like time wasn't fair or it didn't do things fairly. Right. You know, so it gave.

me like, it gave me a grudge against time, right? Maybe that sounds kind of crazy, but once you have a grudge against time, your whole perception gets altered because now you can have feelings towards things that people normally wouldn't have feelings towards. Does that make any sense? Like what? Give us an example. Just like, you don't use it here. Maybe somebody think I have a grudge against time.

It just seems strange, right? So I think as a kid, when I thought that, then it gave you. gave my imagination like, oh, this is a way you could think of this, you know. So I think it kind of inspired my imagination in a weird way to like want to be more creative, you know. Yeah. So it was kind of a net. I don't know if that makes any sense.

No, it does make sense. I can't explain it all because I don't know that all. I don't know, you know, I don't know all the words a lot of times. You know, a lot of times people, you know, like Rogan's great at knowing what he's thinking and is saying it. Yeah. You know, I'm not that great at that. Right. But what's really interesting is your background,

you said you had a grudge against time. Does that mean like you realized life is finite? There's an end to it, so you had to make the most of every second because you saw that your dad was older. Is that kind of what you meant or is it? I think it made, I was just pissed at the way things shook out. You know, I was pissed at the way that time did things. Yeah, yeah.

You know? I was just like, oh, time, why do you do it like that? Yeah. And that made you want to look at the world differently. Okay. Yeah, I think it just gave my imagine. I don't know. I think, you know, having an old dad alters a lot of things because, like, for one, the way I communicate with other men, like I didn't.

My dad wasn't around a lot. And so I never really learned how long to look at somebody in the eyes when I talked to them, you know? So that was, like, tough for me to, like, adjust to over time, you know? And it might seem like a strange thing or whatever. No, I know exactly what you mean. But you learn it from like, you know, doing it with your dad or whatever. So, you know, I think just little things like that, you know. But yeah, I'm not trying to be melancholy or have any.

No, no, no, no, this is really interesting. And listen, how did you get from, so you have this creative mind, you're making jokes with people when you're a kid, you want to create a different, you're creating a different reality in your mind and all that. I wanted to seem different. Like, I didn't want people to see my background and where I'm from. and think that that's me. Right, I get it.

And it is me like in some of my heart and some of my spirit, but it's not, I didn't choose it. Right, of course. I don't like to be a part of things that I don't choose. That makes sense. Me neither. So how do you go from that to stand up? Well, stand up, you just, you're fully responsible. You know, they said it was the hardest thing to do.

You know, I got out to Los Angeles, and they're like, this is the hardest thing to do. And I had done a television show in America reality show, right, when I was younger. Okay. Today's a different kind of day for Theo. Like, about the past month, I've seen like I'm in limbo kind of like I'm between, like, lives kind of. Like, part ghost, part human. My father died a couple years ago. Sorry to hear that.

And then my mother actually lives down in Tucson. Yeah? Mm-hmm. I think at the age of 14, my mother emancipated me, like, legally emancipated me, like signing the contract and everything that just says that I'm responsible for my own actions and whatnot. I mean, I think I was kind of a special kid growing up, and I really, like, I could use, like, a lot of affection. I needed a lot of attention. She couldn't do it.

I mean, it's going to be hard on me in the future, I think, because I don't really know how to care about somebody. Give us know what we're doing. Clueless. I wonder what kind of people do y'all think would be here? Well, I knew they would be between 18 and 24. And I knew it was going to be three girls and three girls. And three guys, yeah. I got this dream that I got here, and everyone else was Japanese.

I didn't speak a word of English. Japanese? I have a big, I can't deal with Asian people that much, I don't think. Oh, my God. All going to be Asian and you were going to be so in trouble. I'm not going to be in trouble. I just have trouble. I've just had trouble dealing with them.

Theo, he's 19, he's young. He probably hasn't been around. a lot of people of color. What in the hell is Theo? That's what I think people think of me when they first talk to me and get to know me. They don't really understand me. Because a lot of times I don't even understand myself.

You know, I'm surprised as other people are at some of the things that come into my head or some of the things that I think about. They just don't know me yet. They don't need to jump on my case. I mean, I'm not jumping on their case about anything. Whenever people meet me for the first time, they laugh at me or something like that,

I mean, I just don't understand it sometimes. I've always felt that I was different than other people in a way. I mean, we're in a group right now, but right now I'm totally alone. It's cool how life takes you different ways and whips you around like leaves in the wind. It's cool how life can just set you on a breeze and show you your country and have the most fun, you know, that you've maybe ever had and learn the most about yourself that you've ever learned. Hey, hey, hey, you sing your song, good? Oh yeah, sing the movie song.

It's about time right now. Well, I ain't got a hurry to get all fixed up. I got an extra space in the cab of my truck. All I have to do is just like strap on my seatbelt, keep it, you know, kind of loose and just kind of enjoy the ride that we're going on. I'm just going to inhale everything and just like let it just marinate in my lungs. It's been nice and it's going to get even better. I can only imagine. People, you know, always think it's ridiculous.

It's bollocks or whatever. You say bullocks, right? Yeah, we do. It's bollocks. So. The show you did? Yeah. It was popular.

Right. very popular, but it was just societal-wise, you know. People just kind of pushed it off, you know. Even though now some of those shows are very popular and stuff. And so people were, and I kept hearing, oh, stand-up comedy is the hardest thing to do. So I was like, oh, I'm going to do that then. You know, I want to do the hardest thing that you have to do

so that nobody can say that I'm, that I couldn't do. that I'm so you couldn't associate me with anything else I didn't want to be because I'd been part of something that people were like oh no we don't like this right I wanted to say okay well if you're not going to like me you're then you're going to have to not like me yeah on my own on my own wow you know and so I felt like stand-up was the only way to do that because it's just you know it's just you and it's just there's no cheating

there's no nepotism or whatever or nepotism nepotism no you said it right nepotism yeah yeah there's no nepotism your dad can't help you right yeah you know in front of a crowd on a Saturday night your dad can't fucking help

but he might be able to help you get you in the door he can help he can pack the audience a couple times but as soon as it starts to show up on his uh too much on his invoices is going to stop doing it, you know? And so that's what I liked. There was no, I was in control over what you thought of me.

Right. And it was totally up to me. And that finally seemed fair to me. Right. Because I think that life didn't honestly seem that fair before that to me. Now, that's just how I thought. And I don't think that, you know, I'm not trying to be a downer. No, no, at all.

I think it just kind of, that's, I think that's honestly probably how I thought. Yeah. Is that I want you to, if you're going to say something about me, you're not going to be able to base it on anything but myself, you know? Right. Yeah. So that felt, to me, felt pretty good. Stand-up is very honest, right? When you're on that stage, you're either making people laugh or you're not. Yeah. That's it. And you're making people feel or you're making them do something, but you're doing it, you know? And they're doing it too. You know? It's funny. Sometimes I would rather be the person in the audience, you know? I'm not good at it.

Really? Like, how do you mean you'd rather be the person than audience? Because they're having a blast, man. Yeah. I'm having fun too, but I'm having to work and like do the stuff. But they just are having fun, you know? Uh-huh. I think sometimes I almost admired seeing that so much

that if I wasn't able to easily be that person, then at least I could be a part of like creating that, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, anyway, sorry, it's a bit long-winded. No, no. But fear. Tell me something about you guys. Genuinely, fear, what you're saying is really interesting.

And it's not long-winded. You're going, you're talking about yourself, man. And also you're talking to less than most of our guests, too. Yeah. Less than. Less than. I told you, we normally do quite serious conversation, which is why we're asking you,

because what we're interested in is you clearly have a brilliant mind for comedy, right? You do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be where you are. You wouldn't have had this success that you've had. So what we're interested in is, like, how do you think? How did you get there? How do you look at life? So this is all perfect.

Okay. Yeah, because I didn't know exactly, so I didn't want to be doing something that was wrong. No, no, you're doing nothing that's wrong, man. Okay, cool, man. Yeah. Yeah, so, yeah, I guess that's how I think a lot about it, you know? I think, yeah, I think that's an answer of that. We referenced it at the start of the interview.

One of our favorite routines of yours is the white privilege routine. It's brilliant. It's brilliant. And I think the reason it hits. Look, it's wonderfully funny. Let's just say that, first of all. But I think the reason it hits is because you're telling the truth.

Yeah. So how did, step us, guide us through. How did you make that happen? How did you... Well, they didn't like, you know, sometimes, like, poor white people get left out of, like, the poverty conversation, I feel like, sometimes maybe.

It's hard to, like... It's kind of shit. Sometimes you're like, if you're white, right, and I'm Polish in Nicaraguan, right? But if you are whiter, looked at it as a white, you know, wighty, honky, wiggers, whatever they call them, you know. I don't know what they call them in, what do you guys call them? Chavs. Chavs, yeah. A couple fucking, you know, little chavs, right?

Ed, y'all. If you are chavs or just regular white people, poor white people. Then, yeah, I felt like a lot of times, when people think of, like, poor, they think of just ethnicities first a lot of times, you know? And so, and you always feel bad anyway because white people, you're just supposed to have money, right? So automatically out of the gate, you're like, how the fuck do we not have a little bit more money than this, right? If you've had a couple generations and you've shown up in the, you know, in the correct uniform, how would you not have a bit more? of a, you know, treasure chest, you know, but, you know, that's what you get born into,

and so that's that. And, yeah, it kind of feels like you don't really get a voice sometimes, you know. And then, yeah, so I think that was part of my thing. It was like, I'm, I ride the same bus as the poor black kids, the poor, we only had black and white in our town. But, like, you know, when people think of, when people think of, yeah, helping like, sometimes they would miss us, you know?

It would feel like sometimes. And now also, maybe that's just a feeling and maybe that's not even the reality, but it was my perception sometimes, you know. I wasn't angry at black people for it. I just was like, well, this is my truth, you know. And sometimes it feels like they don't know where to put that truth.

in like a mainstream space. Right. It doesn't fit that if you're not, if you're poor and white and not a racist person or, you know, somebody who's mating with their, you know, siblings or whatever, then you, they don't, it's almost like, yeah, yeah, like you don't exist, but you do.

And there's a lot of you, you know. And that's really interesting because, you know, Whenever you see people in the UK, like comedians do, like, what they would call a racist voice, they would use your accent. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

Like, and immediately, you're just stigmatizing a whole load of people, the vast majority of them are nice and decent and whatever else. Yeah. Yeah, that was always crazy. Yeah, I mean, that was really rough during, like, a lot of when Trump and Hillary, I think it was. I don't know if that was the campaign, but one of the campaigns, it was like, everybody just started.

really. The last people that Hollywood was a, or like, not if it's just Hollywood, the last people that really anybody felt safe to make fun of in like mainstream media felt like, um, poor white people, you know? Yeah. Like we did it all. If we did it all, we'd have fucking done it differently. I mean, we'd have something to show for it, you know. So I think that, yeah, that shit, yeah, but that was the only one you could pick on. So I think it's brave if somebody tries to pick on somebody else, you know? I think it's a little bit braver. And I like that.

That's one of the things that's always kind of kept me wanting to stay in the game is like how close to the middle of that tight rope can I get, you know? Right. So you like getting close to the line and feeling a bit of that heat there? Yeah, dude. yeah, I mean, I'm, you know, I don't like to pretend that I'm like a fancy person or that I've never done things wrong

or anything like that. I'm, you know, I'm far from anything. I'm just a regular person, you know, just trying their best or whatever, I don't know. But like, I never, you know, I never, what was the question again? I was talking about getting close to the line. We were talking about the age.

Oh, yeah. I wish that they would fucking, you know, I wish that if everybody was more cool, then I think the line would be, it would be a lot more fun, you know? So you feel restricted? Let me think. Do you feel like there's jokes that you want to do that you're worried about doing? Is that what you mean? Yeah, man, yeah.

I do. But also, I think you've got to be also, like, crafty. You know, like, if I hear something that's just, like, racist or just retarded, like, that shit makes me mad. But if you have something that is creative, then that always should be able to at least be admired in some way, you know. But now, yeah, it's a little bit more cagey. What's it like in your country? A lot worse.

A lot worse, man. Yeah, yeah. So comedians have been arrested for jokes. We've had investigations by the police into comedians telling jokes. Right. Someone told the joke and the police turn up and go, explain that joke to us. What if you tickle someone? That's harassment, bro.

Yeah, that's sexual assault problem. Oh, yeah. But yeah, but that's where we are in the UK, man. Damn, bro. Y'all got to get out, dude. Get another boat. We'll send the boat back over. Tell me about it.

But there's nowhere, there's nowhere new place to go now, you know? Yeah. Because I thought a lot of people were going to come back to you guys in a boat. Yeah. I thought we were going to, yeah. How come? Just because they'd like, you know, I thought people would be like, all right, we're out, you know. We're going to scoot on out, you know.

Yeah. But it's interesting, isn't it? Because America is sort of the land of the free, right? You're supposed to be able to say, whatever the hell you want, make the jokes, etc. But you don't feel that that's the situation now? Well, I think it used to be, but now, like, the moderate, I feel like that's the situation.

You can still, I don't really, I don't get too scared. If you have a crowd, you can go to the audience, and you can do what you want. Yes. You know. Yes. So they are more, you know, that's a little more normal. I think if you're just trying to, like, come up and learn in the clubs,

I bet it could feel more restricted. That's what I always say as well. Like the Thea Vaughans and the Bill Burr's and the Joe Rogans, there's no problem for them. But as you, if you're coming up to the clubs, it's really, really a lot tighter, you know? I think probably for, yeah, I mean, it's definitely been like, you know,

it's been a very, I don't know if it's been like a pro-black time in Hollywood kind of, you know, and in comedy and stuff like that. It's pro-diversity, right? Yeah, pro-diversity, probably. So that's probably a better way to say it, you know. I think I also think a lot of times with diversity of black and white, just because that's all I grew up was.

Yeah. That's all we had growing up. Yeah. But, and so maybe I didn't ever know. Maybe there were a lot more white people in comedy. I don't remember. I never super remembered it that way, but maybe it was, you know. I mean, my favorite comments were like Richard Pryor and Chris Rock are probably my favorites. This guy fighting him, Manwar.

So I don't know if maybe there were, maybe there was like a racial ceiling. I'm sure there used to be because there used to be one on everything. Yeah. Women the same, right? Yeah. So I think you want to have some different, you know, I think there's also the thought of like, well, this ethnicity, this skin color has had its time. Now it's time for other skin colors. So in some of that, you almost have to think, well, fucking, maybe that's how time played it out, you know.

It's like, I don't, you know, I don't know what time's big plan is at the end, so it's hard to really get a full breadth of it, you know, by just attaching myself to the moment that I'm in, even though it may feel uncomfortable at times, you know, and I may get pissed like, oh, shit, you know. But me personally, you know, I feel like I'm just, you know, I'm doing okay. And, you know, I'm doing my, you know, I feel like I'm trying to connect where I can. with people and I don't know. I don't know what else to say right now. Theo, do you ever feel like, do you ever worried, are you ever worried that someone will look over one of your old bits and go, oh, that's a bit naughty? And then try and start something or cancel you. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever worry about that? Yeah, I do sometimes. I think everybody listens to their old stuff though and is kind of unimpressed by it in some ways because you've evolved, you're evolving. Yeah, unimpressed is different though, brother, because if, if you

unimpressed, if I'm unimpressed with something you've done, I'm not going to come after you and try and ruin your career, right? But for some people, that's what I think he's getting out, which is like, are you worried that people, you know, you said the wrong thing, which wasn't even the wrong thing back then, and now it is and people are going to come after you? Or is that not a concern for you? I don't, I don't think it's not a concern, but I think, I don't think anybody could realistically look at me and think that I've never said the wrong thing. You know what I'm saying? I know what you're saying.

To be honest with you. You know? Right. I was, yeah, I mean, I was raised in the breadth of the wrong thing, you know, so I've heard all of its songs, you know. Right. But. Do you think that makes you a better comic, Theo?

Like, in the UK, we've got this generation of very, like, rich, posh, middle class, you know, went to Oxford and Cambridge. You know, they're very smart comedians. Do you sometimes think that the way you grew up, the fact you come from such a poor background, do you know that just makes you funnier, that adversity, that stuff you came through? Yeah, I think it gets, well, yeah, you got to have more, the worst shit is. The thing, you know, when the world, if you don't have any, and this wasn't us, but this is just like a hypothetical thing. If you don't have any, like, laughter will keep you warm, you know, it's like, so if you don't have anything, poor people sit around, they're more connected, you know, there's not as much sheltering from the world. There's not any, like, hedges or any gates, all your shit's hanging out the window.

It's like, so you're more like, things just are a lot more real. Right. It's hard to hide. Being poor is pretty hard to hide, you know? And so, yeah, and poor people are outdoors more. They just hang out outside more. And so you're talking with people and laughing. People are going to want to laugh, so you start laughing more.

So that's, I think a lot of that just makes sense. Like, we hung outside a lot, you know. Maybe just as kids, but also parents were out there smoking, and they had some people were, what do you call it, pedophiles. And they had, you know, people, they had pedophiles out there trying to fucking hang out with you and shit. And so, like, everybody's milling around, and it's just like it's a good soup to fucking, you know, make dumplings out of, you know. So it's a good soup to make humor out of, you know, really. Yeah. Because when you got everything right there, all the ingredients, it's just, it's great time to pull jokes, you know.

So I miss, that's some of the stuff that I miss is just the reality was right there all the time, you know. And it's fun. That was funny. Yeah. It was fun. Yeah. And does the life of stand-up, does that make you happy? You enjoy it?

Well, it's interesting because it gets pretty lonesome as you get more successful in some ways. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it does. It gets pretty lonesome, I think. think, in some ways. Give us an example.

Well, like, you go to the audience now, if you have a bigger audience, right? You go there to a theater, and you go out, and they come in from this way, and you come in from the back, and you kind of meet along this line at the stage, and there's not really any co-mingling, and then you both go your separate ways, you know?

Whereas I think with the clubs, it used to feel a little bit more, like, involved, and you and your buddies were always there together. But once you kind of go out touring and, you know, kind of make your way, and find your success in it, which is awesome, you kind of have to be, it's not lonely, but a lot of that is time, you know, with just you. So I think you have to learn to bring like your mates along and your fee mates or whatever.

And whatever, you know, if you bring animal or whatever, if you bring, you know, snacks or animals or whatever, some people bring a lot of stuff. Same thing, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I guess. I guess, man. But that's interesting. Yeah, it's been interesting, man.

Yeah. I don't know what we're supposed to be talking about exactly. There is nothing that we're supposed to be talking. We're just having any conversation, man. Yeah. Is this... But you guys are like detectives, huh? Yeah?

Do we feel like detectives? A little bit. A little bit. Is this uncomfortable for you? No, I don't think so. I don't know. So, but I don't feel like it is that much. Maybe some moments.

Okay. Yeah. But what we're trying to get to the heart, I guess, and we're trying to understand, Theo, is just like... What makes you tick? What makes you tick the way you work? Yeah, and what, like, I guess, yeah, I mean, you guys are kind of like... It's like unfairness hunters, maybe.

Does it feel like that? Is that what you think? Yeah. Yeah, how so? Like unfairness hunters. Like, you hunt down things that seem unfair. You know what, that's a good description. Is it?

Yeah. Is it? Yeah. Is it fair or no? I think that's a fair description. Yeah, I like that. I like things to try and be fair, you know. And it's hard to equivocate that or figure that out. Right.

It's hard to figure it out. So I think you have to have people that are hot on the case, you know. That's a good description. That's a really, really good description, man. Yeah. Yeah, and we're not trying to start any shit. I'm just, we're just curious about how people see the world. And from our perspective, we, you know, we both come from backgrounds

where we feel fairness is important. People not being mistreated is important. You know, people not being picked on the, because of the way they grew up or what their skin color is or whatever. Yeah. You know, either way, black or white, it doesn't really matter, right?

Yeah, it was tough. Yeah, I mean, like, there's never, like, the, when it came to, like, black, white stuff, it always felt like it was the white person's fault, even if you felt like, you know. Because in our town, black people were having a tougher time overall. Yeah. You know, and so,

you know, a lot of times I felt like they got the benefit of the doubt from people, maybe from authorities and stuff they didn't. I don't know what, you know, that's like. I just have only been just me. That's interesting that you say that, because, like, in the UK, like, we talk a lot about, like, white privilege. And look, if you've come from money and you're white, you're definitely privileged. But there's loads of places in the UK, which is just like the places that you grew up in,

Like where these people legitimately have nothing. They've got nothing. You know, and every day for them is a struggle. And then for people to come along and go, you're privileged to meet. That's crazy. You know? Right. Well, yeah, it's crazy.

You're like, oh, well, if I am, at least give me some of it. Yeah. You know? Yeah, it's crazy, man. I think, but also it's like a lot of the people that say that, they've never, they're not from those places. No. They've never been there.

They don't know what it's like, you know. A lot of people. People like in, like, in Los Angeles, you know, in some of the community, they didn't know what's even, none of them could even relate to anything I was talking about because they just didn't know it, you know. They were all, like it was mostly people from New York or L.A. or Boston, you know, and it was more like just from a different kind of class of society sometimes. Not always. But maybe that's going to start changing too. I think if that. there's less, if a lot of like that overtly woke programming kind of goes numb, eventually that will have to evolve because I don't think that the entertainment industry really has any cooth. I don't know if that's the word or not.

What does that mean? I don't know what it means. You know what it means, man? He doesn't know what it might even be a word. It doesn't have, do you mean like cloud? Do you mean like the entertainment industry is dying for you? No, I think, but they don't have any real, like, moral compass, I don't think. Yeah.

Or maybe that's not it. That's fucking crazy. No, no, no. Talk about that small. That's interesting. But they, no, no, this is what it is. They just follow where the money goes. Yeah.

Yeah. That's it. Okay. So today it's woke, we go this way. Tomorrow it's not work. We go that way. Right. And sometimes the rest of us, I feel like, get played.

I don't know if we get played. It's almost like we're all just chasing. this tale and I don't know how it got started but it's like because no they're just doing it or whoever they are this hypothetical day right are just doing it just to get uh you know they just want us to like they're just doing it to create a trend or to make money or to do whatever our reaction to it also becomes its own business in a way it It's all bizarre. I'm not smart enough to know.

No, but that's... That is a very smart point that you just made. Yeah. I don't think it is. I do. Yeah. You know... Well, I don't even know what the point is.

To be real honest with you. Yeah. No, but that was a great point. You know, the fact that that is its own industry, and then the reaction to the thing is its own industry as well. And, you know, that creates jobs and money, so that everybody is in their interest to keep this shit going. Right, in a weird way.

Yeah. It's what it all is. And then in the end, it's entertainment. So it's like, what can we really even say? But that we were entertained, you know? Yeah. I mean, it's painful sometimes. Some of the entertainment can, you know,

it can be painful or it can hurt your feelings. But, yeah, I don't know. You know, I don't know also what it feels like to be different ethnicity in America. I don't know what a lot of that feels like. So it's really tough to say things. But I shouldn't feel ashamed to be able to also say what my own experience was like. Right. No, not at all.

Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah. So it's interesting. It's been an interesting line to walk. It was definitely tough, though, when people were making fun of just, like, we were the, I was, like, my place where I was from was, like, the last scapegoat, you know? Yeah. And then they ran out. or they'll just keep using that one, you know.

Yeah. But. And what is that like when you just see people all the time, like go towards like the butt of the joke, the butt of the joke, you're the butt of the joke? Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I think I didn't take it personally, but I took it personally for the people from where I'm from.

Yeah. You know? And I guess maybe I did take it personally some. Like, yeah, I would see, I would see comics say like all these white motherfuckers and just things that was just like, if I ever said that about somebody else, it would be, you know.

That's why, you know, some people think I'm white, some people think I'm not white. And that was one of the reasons we started the show because I saw this happening. Like, people were just using it as like a thing that you can just use like that, you know? Yeah, and it's crazy because if something happens to another, you know, it's never a racial thing

when it happens to a white person, but it happens to a black person, and it feels more racial more often. But then that's also, I can't tell if that's real sometimes or if that's just my perspective. Right, and there's a terrible history there, right, as well. Yeah, totally. We're all responding to.

Yeah, so it's like, yeah, and that's where I think, yeah, those people, a lot of those people are probably mad at time, just like I was, you know, probably had a grudge against it in some ways. Well, Theo. We're done? You're happy we're done. Oh, I don't even know if we are. No, no, no.

I was just going to say, we ask a couple of questions from our supporters. once the interview's over. But thank you for your time. I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you, man. It's just we like to find out what makes people tick, what they think. And you probably don't think this, but you've got a very interesting perspective on life that most people don't not only have,

but they never get to hear on the screen. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I guess I do, man. I don't know, man. I mean, I don't know. I try. Sometimes I wish I serviced my own... opinions better.

Do you ever feel that way? How'd you mean, Stan? Do you mean like you communicate them better? Yeah, or just, yeah, I sometimes wish that I could service them better even within entertainment, you know, or within my stand-up and stuff. It does feel, I guess, a little sometimes restrictive, you know. You know, or it's just tough to navigate. Yeah. Yeah.

But then in my life, man, nothing's ever really been fucking. easy, you know? And I probably wouldn't like it if it was, honestly. How come? I don't know. I just don't think I would take to it, really,

if something were real easy. You like the hard stuff, you seek it out. I don't know if I like it, but I just think that it becomes like a right, it becomes what it feels, it becomes common enough for, you, I don't know if you trust it more. I don't know. But they say nothing, you know, I don't know what I'm talking about.

But. No, I hear what you're saying. So, Thea, last question we ask, and this is going to sound funny, given what you've just said, is what's the one thing? Not bad, not bad. Been a long day, dude. You ask him the question. Yeah, okay. So Theo, the last question we always ask is, what's the thing.

Is this a mere, this is a good mirror? Yeah, it is a good mirror. Did this chain be out the whole time? Oh, no, it's good. All right. What's the one thing we're not talking about that we really should be? I think they... Oh, dude, I remember one time I saw these massive birds, right?

They call them in your country. Massive birds. Beautiful, strong. I swear, bro, I went to this place called Newcastle. Have you heard of this? Yes, we've heard of Newcastle. And this taxi drops me off, and there was these, it was like a part, like a, I don't know if it was it looked like a Bachelorette party or something.

And in this foyer of like a big, there was a big room, like a big window, and they were in there naked, you know. What do you call it? Tits? Yes. Tits. And they were beating each other with pillows in there, bro. And I sat out there and watched, smoked a cigarette out.

out there. Right out there. And that's the one thing nobody's talking about. Huh? And that's the one thing that was talking about. There was seven of these women in there. I can see why you brought it up. It's an important point, though. And it was fucking, it was serious, man. Oh. That's fantastic. Well, Theo. It was serious, bro. See, I can't even do it justice because you can't even believe that it could happen, could you? How who would get seven women naked and have them pillow fight in front of a big, huge picture window. It's almost like they wanted to be seen, Theo.

I don't know, man. That's fucking, that's beautiful, bro. It's good shit, man. So where are you guys headed next, man? We're going to see the comedy show that you're part of. Oh, shit, man, I forgot. Oh, man. Listen, thanks for coming on, Thea.

Where can people find you online? Where do they follow you? Just find me online, man. Are you on tour? Nope. Not right now. I'll probably get back over there to the UK at some point, though. I want to come to Welsh.

I want to come to Scotland again. I want to come to... Island? Stonehenge. Do people play Stonehenge? Yes. Hell yeah. Not played Stonehenge. You've been to start?

What do you mean played Stonehenge? I want to play it. Do people ever play it? Do a show there? Stonehenge? Yeah. No. I want to fucking play it for you.

You see, that's what made you, that attitude. That's it? I've never met anyone. You want it tough. No one's ever played Stonehenge? No, man. So historical monument. Yeah.

What are you talking about, man? You see? We got to play it, Bob. See, that's the mentality that makes you fear of on. Yeah, that's a difference between an American and a Brit. A Brit will look at that and go, that's an ancient monument. An American will be like, yeah, I could fill this. Yeah, man, that'd be wild, dude.

Yeah, I got to get over there, man, and see what's going on more and get a little bit more intel on you guys, man. But, yeah, I appreciate it. All right, let us know when you're all right. Let us know when you're over. We'll look after you. Yeah, man. We'll take you out.

All right, Theo. A couple of quick questions from our locals, then we'll let you go. All right. All right. We didn't even have any British kids. We had some guy with like, not like a list or something, but something had happened to him. He'd gotten hit in the jaw real good.

And people thought he was British all the time. Well, because he had a speech impediment. This is going to make a great behind the scenes bit. They called him a queer all the time. And they said he was British and stuff, but he just had a speech impediment here. Thank you.