What Now? with Trevor Noah - Jokes, Outrage, and the New Rules of Comedy with Sam Morril

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

Comedian Sam Morril joins Trevor and Eugene to talk about comedy in a world addicted to outrage, how algorithms shape our taste, why nuance is disappearing, and what it means to be a comedian when everyone is watching with a scoreboard in their hand. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

He's one of my favorite all-time comedians. Give it up for Mr. Sam Moran! There's a lot going on with you. You just came out with your sixth stand-up special since 2020. He's worked with comics like Conan Colberry as a Netflix special, same time tomorrow that tackles everything from awkward conversations to America's gun epidemic. Don't do morning news just to ruin a segment. I do it all the time.

You did a good one in Columbus. Tell us what we can expect with that. I'm going to talk about the human trafficking epidemic in Columbus, Ohio. What is going on? What are you talking about? I just kept making up that they had a human trafficking problem in Columbus, and the guy lost it on me. Is this a joke? Are you trying to be funny? What are you trying to do?

We'll be right back at the break. Wait, I was just trying to explain. The audience saw just saw the same thing, too. Okay, we'll go to break. This is What Now with Trevor Noah. This episode is presented by Whole Foods Market. Eat Well for Less. Am I visibly sweaty? I was, I was like, I walked here?

Were you running here? I walk at a brisk pace. Oh, New York. I hate to be late to anything. And I was like, if I don't walk at a brisk pace, I'm going to be late. And I was like, you can't cab it at this time either. So it's like, I got to walk it. No city bike?

Oh, dude, I can't ride a bike. Well, like at all. I can, but I'm so bad on a bike. My balance sucks. I'm also scared of the bikers in this city. They're so reckless in the bike lane. that I don't want to get... Yeah, but you don't need to worry about them

when you're one of them. I do worry about them because I would do it during COVID like on the West Side Highway and they were fucking terrifying. Also, you can... You just choose not to anymore. No, yeah, I can...

I'm a bad, dude, I'm... My motor skills are terrible. It's like I can. I can drive. I have a driver's license, but I shouldn't have one. I don't drive. I had respect for people.

I don't drive. You know what's... You know what I've always found interesting about drivers? licenses or anything that requires you to pass a singular test. I always think it's fucking crazy. Like, there's crucial things out there, you know, like doctor, pilot, all it. Pilots actually because you have to do like multiple hours.

They go prove that you can fly for a bunch. At some point with certain jobs, it's just like, did you pass the test? Yeah. Okay, you're good forever. Yes. I know. Did you pass your driving test? Yeah, one time.

I failed the first too also. You see. That's pathetic. For me, that means, I think for a driving test. The first two. Yeah, it was, it's kind of hard in the city, honestly. It's terrible. Have you done a driving test in New York?

First of all, they don't do them in the city, like city, city. I did two in the Bronx and then one was in like the suburbs, but Bronx was fucking hard. No, it's terrible. It wasn't easy. I mean, I suck too, but. Wait, so there's the first part where they, they let you drive at the traffic department. In South Africa, that's how it works. No, we don't have that.

You drive in the traffic department first? No, it was like, uh, it was like, uh, where was it? It was in Bronx, like, no, it felt like very urban. It was like city for sure. No, no, yeah, they don't have that what we have. You go straight to the street. I really felt about it. Wait, so you failed the first one?

My rest of my family couldn't understand it. My brother's like, you failed? I was like, yeah, I'm not good. I don't know. What did you do wrong? What did the guy said? Everything. It wasn't one thing.

They were just like, you're just bad at this. It wasn't like one thing. I wish it was one thing. I suck. I'm terrible. Horrible is like, you're just fed of this. that was what it was dude I was like this is

I was an embarrassment oh man wait so first time second third time third time I made the woman laugh out of the gate and she was like she just liked me she was like oh he's cool whatever I shouldn't have been I suck

I should be oh for three but she I made her laugh and she was like just cool I don't know I mean not a good instructor is that the laughing jury is not a hanging jury. Oh, yeah? That's the saying. Is that really a saying?

You don't know that saying? No. But the jury laughed a couple of times in Dedy's trial? Yeah, but they didn't hang him. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, that's probably a laughing jury. Yeah, it's not a hanging jury. Yeah, it's not a hanging jury.

That's an old saying. I've never heard that. For real, for real? No, for real. They say, like, I always love that four stand-up because I always thought the art. And it's funny, I don't even say this. just because you're here, the art of being like the best comedian is doing what you do, where you go,

you've got the jury to laugh, but you committed the crime. Oh, geez. I never call it an art stand-up. I think it's like entertainment. You don't call it an art? I get, like, cringy way. Because we're, because we're, it's a pretentious way to describe what we, and what we do is so unpretentious, you know?

Yeah, and I think you're right about that. But it's the same way, like, a lot of, chefs will call themselves cooks. And a lot of cooks will call themselves chefs. Yeah. They were like, whoa, whoa, hold on. Your dinners drives in and dives. Religious, I feel like, there's no mission in here, just lard.

No, but it's true. If you think about it, like, we're running like a diner. Yeah, but that's my point. But I'm going, you, I understand why you wouldn't want to call it an art or an art form or any of that, but it has all of the exact same principles. Let me put it this way. If you, if you got into a room with like a painter, like, you know, a fancy painter. and a musician, anyone else who's in the arts.

No one was allowed to tell each other what they do. Yeah. Right? And then each of you has to describe the trials and tribulations of what you do. So you go, man, I've got to put myself out there and I've got to create these ideas and hope people like it and then half of the time they don't and then I feel like shit and then I try it again and then sometimes they like it but they didn't used to like it and then all of a sudden it's popular and sometimes I'm dead by the time it's popular and then

I'm, you know, it's popular. People wouldn't know what you do. They'd be like, are you a painter? Are you a... That's true, but instant feedback does. That's what separates this, right? You've read a screenplay, like, I don't know. That's true.

You write a book, you don't know. You don't know until it's... Maybe an editor's like, this is not good, but I think people get older. That's why I always should Tarantino say, like, I'm done at 10. Because I think some critics will praise work of older directors where it's not their best work, but they're kind of grandfathered in. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, like, no, that wasn't a good movie, but they're like,

It's 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. You're like, but that sucked. But they're just in, you know? Explain the grandfathered in. Like, they were great. So they're remembering a time when they were great. And now... Where did grandfather didn't come from?

God, please don't say it has like a racist history. No. I'm like, what is Graham? According to Google, it's from American slavery. I'm like, oh, boy. Oh, shit. Jeez. Oh, man.

But I do. You think like, no, I hope it is. Stand up, you know if you're slipping because the audience will tell you if you're slipping. I think grandfather didn't, if I guess, is probably about, I think it's passports, probably. Hmm. I think there's something around, something in the, or maybe before passports even, is like, your grandfather was the reason you could get into a college or your grandfather was here so you can get into this institution.

So you get grandfathered in. My grandfather came here. Like legacy. That's, and I think that, I'm guessing. I'm not going to look it up because I prefer to guess this shit, which is more fun. And Sam, what is your theory of? Slavery. I think it's slavery.

I think I just, I really have said a lot of listeners. I'm sorry. But yeah, okay, that's interesting. So you don't, so that's the part where you think it separates it from ours. Well, yeah, instant feedback. You kind of know, I mean, that's the thing too, is we focus test our stuff more than anyone else. You know, you go to the cellar, you go on the road. Is this funny?

Scorsese, is like, this is the movie, this is it. I don't think those guys, maybe you focus test if you make a comedy movie a little, if you see what's seen. I heard that Jordan Peel with Get Out, he had a different ending, a darker ending, and people hated it. So he changed the ending. Like originally in the ending, he doesn't get out. Oh, shit.

And the original movie. Yeah. Little Rell's character, in the original, he doesn't get out. And people are like, this fucking sucks. We wanted, we don't want him to lose. You want him to get out. It's like a more artsy ending, but I think like, you're just rooting for him so hard at that point

that you're just like, nah, he's got to get out. You know, so this is something I've struggled with philosophically. I sometimes wonder if Hollywood has made people less resilient in life because it's conditioned us to believe that they are always happy endings. Well, there was that movie that just came out, and I'm sorry if I'm spoiling it, but, you know, they made, I think it was Danish the original, speak no evil yeah remember that one the the danish version and i'm sorry if it's not danish it's from

that part of the world but uh they don't get offended on that side you're good yeah the movie is so fucked up and it's like the darkest ending you'll ever see and then they made an american version or maybe it was it was james mackerel maybe it was british i don't know but came out in america and i was like this is this is like a happy ending yeah it's a happy ending i i enjoyed both but yeah i mean there's something to be said like i don't know like we yeah we're conditioned for that every single fairy tale almost every single but i think every single fairy tale that we know of from disney was rewritten from a fairy tale that had a grim ending i think it was the brother's grim but it was like they all like and i don't know which one did what but like apparently like snow white

just dies in the one and then cinderella doesn't like people still get offended about people were still mad a couple years ago about kissing uh they they they kiss a past out woman in snow white That was, like, a big thing. The same people that are worried about a past-out woman being kissed were not worried about a teenage girl going on a voyage on a catamaran by herself in the Atlantic Ocean. Who, Moana? Yes. People were like chicken, pig.

Good luck. Yeah, but she was fine. What do you mean? My man, it's hard when you let your child go to school. When you see them walking away. But why are you worried? So people were offended by that or no? No, I'm saying that people were less offended by that.

Oh. Yeah, what? But I feel like they get, every movie that, every Disney movie, people were like, they've gone, I didn't see the Buzz Light year one. Because I've seen enough of the toy story movies. I liked them. I thought they were great. But I'm like, I'm good. I'm too old.

But then they had like, I didn't see the snow white one. I tried a joke about this. It did not work at all. What was the joke? Let's try fix it. We got it. I don't think it's fixed. I like it.

I think it's good. Oh, then it doesn't work. But so I say, um, what do you mean doesn't work? It doesn't work. And it doesn't work like anywhere. I feel like both sides are like. So I say, uh, So my angle was how they're like Snow White.

You know, I didn't see the Snow White movie. They say it's, I'm not the target demo, obviously, but I didn't see it. And they say it bombed because it was woke. And I was like, well, let's make some non-woke Disney classic. So my idea was The Little Mermaid, but instead of looking for a print, she just does a bunch of swim meets. And the whole movie is Dad's who are like,

my daughter's got to compete against this shit. She's not a girl. She's a fish. It's not fair. That's a great premise. Yeah. He didn't say joke. He said premise.

No, that's a great premise, though. It's going somewhere. Yeah, it's going somewhere. I'm going somewhere. I like the idea that it's like... That it is rational. It does make sense. But also, I feel like I'm kind of...

Is it making fun of both sides? I don't know why it's not working. Okay, I'll tell you why I think it's not working. I'll tell you why I think it's not working. Sometimes I find with comedy, the reason a joke won't work is not because the joke doesn't work, is because the people are still dealing with the current release of the joke. So they can't...

The punchline... So oftentimes in comedy, the punchline has to release you from reality, oftentimes, right? But if the punchline of the joke brings you back to reality and a reality that you haven't resolved, audiences aren't happy. So you didn't let them get out in that joke. I didn't Jordan peel it, dude.

Yeah. They're stuck in the house. You got what I'm saying. Because think about you went, it's the joke about the mermaid. She's swimming with other girls. Parents are complaining. She's, oh, and it's like, oh, and it's trans.

People are like, oh, fuck, we haven't even figured that out yet. I don't know how I... Right, so I'm reminding them of something that they're like, what do we do? Yes. That's interesting. That's a good observation. I never thought of it that way.

That's a very good observation. I used to have a joke, like, back in the day, when I first came to America, I had this joke about how the premise was basically whoever invented Santa Claus was the same person who invented Osama bin Laden because I was like, you know, I was like writers run out of ideas

and they just thought, you know, people make the same songs, people make the same. So I was like, whoever made Santa Claus made Osama bin Laden, I can tell us the same. it was a lazy it's like the same reused premise got a beard got it like a weird little costume they're like in a cave with their helpers they like pop out once in a while you don't know where they really are was this whole thing no one laughed wasn't september no one laughed like and i could never figure out how to get the joke going how to get after they killed bin laden that joke murdered

everywhere wow people would who i should i see a team six a thank you note for that one can i'm not even I remember, because I remember just trying that joke. People were like, yeah, people were laughing hard. They're like, I never thought about that. Yeah, he's got the same. Because I even had the same thing. I had Santa Claus. That was the one that started working the hardest was I said.

They even had the same catchphrase. You better watch out. That's good. And then people were like, no. After bin Laden was dead, joke was amazing. I love the idea that you were doing. You better watch out. And you're like, this isn't working on 9-12.

Why isn't this joke hitting? Guys, it's you better watch out. You don't get it? Jesus. How about you get out? No, it's funny. I always love jokes where you're like making the weirdest comparison. You're like, where the hell is this going?

Yeah. You know, those are fun ones because it's fun to watch them like, oh, it's fun. That's a fun moment. That's the best moment. When you can find an audience or when you can take an audience to a place with you that no one should rationally be in, that's the greatest. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's a sadistic part of being a comic.

You want to see how far this can go, where it can go, and when it's going to end. Yeah. I mean, you definitely, when you have a joke, you stretch it as possibly far as you can take it. You say what? You're searching for the cul-de-sac. Yeah. You're going to drive, drive, drive, and go, mm, the road is finished. Shop!

See you guys next time. Yeah. Yeah. So when you, one thing I wanted to chat with you is like, I go, you are, man, how can I put it? Like, you're one of the most honest comedians I know. Jeez, thank you, man. And what I mean about that is, like, as a human, I don't know you that well. But what I mean by comedians, as a comedian, you're one of the most honest comedians I know.

I care more about comedy than me as a human. So this is great. That's more important. Because one time you describe me as like, I remember I did a daily show and you're like, this guy's a great guy. And I was like, fuck, does that mean I'm a hack? Jesus. No, no, I know. I'm fucking with you.

No, but because I mean, I mean, you got to remember. I have an interesting perspective meeting people. Eugene has had a similar thing, is that like, when you come from random places in the world and you meet comedians in the biggest places in the world, they don't have to be nice to you. They don't even have to like acknowledge you in that way. So you'll meet some people who are just dicks because they see no value in you as a person. And then you meet people where you go, oh, shit, is that guy? And you're like some random, because remember, as an, let's say as an African, a lot of the time.

when we first get somewhere we might not even realize how African we are or aren't being in that moment so we arrive somewhere and we're going like well hello hello my friend

and then what they're saying like oh hello you know what I mean I didn't see that but I'm not saying I'm not trying to trap you Sam I'm not trying to trap you you're just trying to call me racists on this podcast

God damn it I'm not trying to trap you no but what I'm saying is we often take for granted how we're perceived versus how we perceive ourselves right so you show up as an African in some places

You are so random to the people you show up to that it becomes way more apparent who is and isn't like just a nice person in that way. One of the instances I remember was Joseph Opio, comedian friend of ours. You might have met him, you might not. He's from Uganda. He's one of the quirkiest human beings

you've ever met in your life, right? He basically did the daily show of Uganda by himself, wrote it the whole thing. He's the most abnormal human being you've ever met. right amazing guy i remember seeing him at the comedy seller nobody knew who he was i didn't know who he was right and he walked up to louis k after louis had just been on stage and he was like ah excuse me uh mr louis can i offer you a few tags i noticed that you were that you said there and i remember thinking oh god this is it's not going to end well and louis looked at him and he was

like oh yeah what and he talked to him and he's like oh shit yeah i didn't think of that and he took the tag and he like engaged you whether or not louis was just being nice or taking it actually i didn't care i remember just going man that's a cool dude do you get what i'm saying yeah no i'm i love that louis that way i think i think most comics at the cellar like first off i it's always weird do people know what tags are by the way it's like you know oh yeah a tag i don't even know it's like the end of a joke like one more line at the end of a joke but yeah it's an extra it's a but louis gave me a tag once i remember being like whole it took a joke from here to here. It's a joke that I used to have a joke where I said, you know, I don't even

remember if I'm going to butcher it, but it was like I said, I think women look at sex like buying a car where they're like, can I see myself in this long term? Is it safe? Is it reliable? You know, and then men look at sex like parking a car. Like, there's a spot. There's another spot. Oh, I have to pay. Never mind. And then the line Louis gave me was handicapped. Yeah, what the hell? I hope no one sees this. So Louis took it over the top. I was like, It was already killing, but then he gave me that one extra line. I was like, oh, shit. And I end up doing that joke in the movie Joker.

I did like 20 jokes, but he was like, oh, that's perfect. And I was like, all right, but Louie gave me that line. Yeah. I already had a handicapped angle I try, but hope no one sees this, just perfect amount of words. There's certain things you can't substitute word choice for. No, you can't. So, yeah, Louis, I love, like, pure comics because he'll watch and he'll be like, oh, what if you did this?

Like, he's so interested in jokes. I love, so when you say, like, comics are nice to each other, because That's the language we speak is jokes. Yeah, but that's, I don't think that's, I don't think that's the case as much as it was before, partially because I think stand-up comedy became, stand-up comedy for a long time was the bastard child of entertainment, right? It doesn't matter where you're from in the world. There was always like, oh, and the comedians. And then in many countries, comedy started having this ascendancy.

Oh, yeah, when porn star started doing stand-up, I'm like, we're the last stop? The hell. You went from that to this? Which plus dollars is this? Oh, well, well, Stormy Daniels is one. There's been a few. I don't want to name too many names. Yeah, there was a brief.

I like how you said, like, I don't want to embarrass them. I don't want to expose their statured. I don't want to spoil their porn careers. Well, let's be real, they come off better in the other videos. So, you know, come on. At least they're good at that, you know. Shit. But this is what I mean is like stand-up comedy used to be the bastard child of entertainment.

Yeah. Then Netflix comes along, you know, there's like a boot. There's like a boom that you see where all of a sudden it's a gold rush. Yeah. And now comedy is not like an afterthought. Comedy is the thing. And comedy has waves.

Don't get me wrong. You know, there's periods where like the comedy clubs die and improvs are doing bad and blah, but then comedy comes up again. And then people are back on TV. They're in movies, et cetera. And I'm saying in some of those waves, you'll meet comedians where you go,

oh, this comedian doesn't care necessarily about comedy, but he sees comedy as the perfect vehicle to get them into acting, being famous in some other way. And then there's comedians who love comedians. And I find those comedians are generally just great people. That's what I meant by you. You just, I've never met somebody who is as good and loves comedy as you do, genuinely. Oh, thank you, man.

Jeez, that means a lot. You're like a full on. He's a full-time comedian. Yeah, you are. Thank you, man. I love stand-up, man. I love jokes. So, I mean, I'd probably spend too much time at the cellar.

Like, I've definitely had those moments where I'm like, I got to do other stuff. I remember Chris Rockwin said to me, he's like, you got to go out and live. Your audience is living. You have to have stuff to talk about. And I was like, oh, yeah, you can't just be like, I got off stage the other night. That can't be like the set up the jokes. You have to like go do stuff. I hate vacations.

I hate, like, I don't like, it's hard for me to shut off. I went to, I was like, I'll go on a vacation. I want to get in a plane. I'll go to Lake Placid for two days. I'll disappear with three days with my friend. We just went there and just chilled. We're like, well, paddleboard. I was miserable.

The current took me. I had to like, I had to like swim to the side and hitchhike back to the place I was staying at. Yeah, I was, I came back early. I hate it. I'm like, I need the city. I need the energy of the city. I don't know. I'm bad.

And then back in the club. I'll take nights off the clubs now and I'm touring a lot. So like I do, and I'll spend an extra day in the city. I'm like, let me experience the city too. Because I did the tour bus the first part of the year. Oh yeah, you're one of those. Oh, man. I remember you try to convince me on this.

Did I? You did. You did. So there's a real bus. Sam loved, I mean, you explain it because I'm not going to sell it well. So I want to, I want you to do it. Well, I don't need to sell it to be. I mean, I don't want to sell it too hard because people take them.

I don't get a bus. You know, they're hard to get. These are hot properties. I said to Sam, one day, I was, I was complaining. I was not even complaining. I was just like, oh, man, I'm tired because I was flying around. It's like, you know, you've got to get to the airport and get to the next airport. And the thing that drops you off and the door.

And then Sam went, oh, man, I just right on the bus. So the first thing I thought was like a. greyhound and I was like damn this guy loves getting material that's the first thing I thought I was like wow this guy loves new material no no I and then it turned out you were talking about a tour bus and he's like no I get on the bus after the show sleep in the bus get to the next place and then if I remember correctly you would then go to like a like a place where you could play basketball every day on the road so we get off stage usually we either go to dinner in town or like just get dinner and eat on the bus and watch a movie.

I bring a ton of DVDs. I still buy DVDs. Love having DVDs. So that way if Wi-Fi is an issue, you're like, oh, I'll throw in whatever criteria on edition. And then you watch a movie. They got so mad at me. I made them watch a film noir from the 1950s once.

And everyone was like, dude, what the fuck? Let me tell you something. By the end, they were like, this is the best movie. It's called The Big Heat Fritz Lang movie from the 50s, Glenn Ford, fucking incredible revenge movie. Oh, but they loved it in the end. They loved it. It's good.

You should give us before, at the end of this. podcast you must give us like a list of some old flicks yeah or maybe we could find a hat and then you can reconnect some of the scenes film noir style because you look like we come from that era who oh you do after human me i was like if you go no you do well first line the director is one of the uh german jews who emigrated to uh america during world war two but right before the nazis took over gerbils was like you should be you should make our movies you're this great director was that the guy yeah yeah and and no he wasn't the guy, because Fritz Lang goes, but I'm a Jew.

And Goebbels goes, we decide who's Jewish. And he was like, it was that point that I realized I should leave. So he came to America and made a bunch of movie, a bunch of great movies. That's insane, man. That moment when he stares into Goeboe, yeah? You decide? Are you sure? Because that's not what I've read.

And that time, Goebbels was undecided about what to have for dinner. He was like, I don't know, chicken, schnitzel. And then he was like, I decide, you, I'm out. What a moment. So the tour bus is great, though, because we throw in movies, we sleep. You sleep like a baby when the bus is moving. I love when the bus is moving because you forget how, because I just sleep in the bunks. I like the bunks.

How many guys are in this bus? Four or five. Okay. And, yeah, I rock to sleep. I love it. So I'm a big fan of the bus. And then you wake up in the city and we hit like a YMCA or a rec center, play basketball. Some of these Ys are nice now.

You get a little sauna action. Listen to this guy. I love it. There's a toilet in the bus. Do you see what I mean by selling it? You can pee. You can pee. on the bus.

Yeah, that's a rule. You can physically, but all tour bus is sort of like an agreed upon rule. The guy I had, Jeff is the man. I love Jeff. He's a bus driver and he was like, I said, give me the names who have pooped on the bus and he was like, Tom Segura. I said, Segura pooped on the bus. He goes, yeah, he hotboxed it.

He put it in a, and my camera guy also, he did poop on the bus. I was furious at him. I was like, dude, you got it. Because we were in Nashville and it's my fault. I was like, let's get hot chicken. It's Nashville. My camera guy is like a jacked giant dude who eats like four hot chickens. I was like, dude, I don't care how big you're going to hotboxes the bus.

I made him like, I was like, dude, you got to go to a gas station. You got to throw that out. You can't make the driver throw that out. Damn. Well, he emptied it out himself like physically. He put it in garbage bags. They would do it. This is gnarly.

Wait, how does it work? They would poop in a garbage bag. Because I'm in an airplane kind of flies through the sky and it lands on whoever. No, what are you talking about? Man, they've got a container. Okay. Really? You think planes are just like pooping the shit?

I thought the same thing. I'm going to be honest. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Because I figured it would disintegrate before it came down, right? You think that they just spring shit. Is when the plane opens underneath and goes, wait, no, wait, really? No.

I really thought that. I hope that my version is real because the way I thought, I thought there was a container. Listen to the sun. Yeah. That's the, like, they're using a vacuum to pull. You think planes are just spring. I thought the same thing.

We need to find. But you seem confident and I don't know. No, no, no, no, no. now you are both thinking... Don't let this confidence. Yeah, no, I'm not confident. Oh, okay. Yeah, I think it goes into the air.

It just spray shit into the air. Yeah, that's our revenge on the birds, dude. We get one right on their heads. Get them back. That's what I thought. I don't know. You know what? When did the cycle start?

Those are the types of things. Those are the premises that I, like, I go, what if we were the ones who first shed on the birds? And the birds are like, okay. We're going to get them. Okay. We got you. For the rest of time.

time. Yeah, man, it's a bad feeling when you go on a plane. It really is. You don't like being on a plane? No, I love, I don't mind flying, but having to poop on a plane is one of the worst feelings. You just feel, you feel dirty. I travel with wipes. I don't like being dirty. I feel horrible coming in here sweaty. I don't like it. I don't know. But dirty, sweaty is not dirty. I guess not. You just don't like the idea of being like in a prim state. You want to be as, as, what is it? Is it? Yeah, you just want to feel clean. I don't know. You want to feel, I want to, if I'm traveling, I want to feel good. That's why, I think that's why I do the, the bus.

I feel good if I do it that way, you know. Yeah, no, I don't, I don't like the bus thing because you, I don't like waking up. Somewhere else. Somewhere else. And now I can't just shower. Like, I have to get out to then go and shower. It's, it's like. So you start your day with a shower.

Wait, you don't? No. That's the airplane toilet. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You don't start your day with a shower? Usually not, but I'll, usually I'll, like, go to the gym or something or I'll, like, I'll do an afternoon shower, like an afternoon. Okay, wait, wait, you mean like off the activity and, okay, I thought you're saying,

you're just like, you don't shower until nighttime. No, yeah, usually before that. Oh, no, that's fine. That's fine. You do stuff and then you, yeah. What I'll do is I will shower, then maybe go to the gym and everything, and then, because I don't like going to the gym. and not knowing if that smell is coming from my gym.

You shower pre-jim? Yeah. Oh, my God. No, because I don't know if this effort that I'm exerting is causing this smell. I like to know. Do you go to like a public gym? Yeah. What gym?

We can believe it, right? No, no. Ours is not even like a name. It's like a public gym. People go to it. No. I want them to care. No, I just, why do you care?

This is the one place where you're going to sweat and come out smelly. Why do you want to go in looking for it? Okay, I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Yeah, I also think that's a little strange. I'll tell you why. We're really teaming up on him here this episode. The pooping, this.

I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Number one, I don't like it when people leave any type of stench on the leather of the seats and, you know, the workout equipment. Don't you put a towel in. Don't you come out. Yeah, but I don't like that they leave a smell. I don't like that. Trevor, what must they leave?

That's my point. I don't like, I'm not saying that they should or shouldn't. I'm saying I don't like that they leave. So for me, I do not wish to be a lever, okay? I don't want to do that. I also don't like it when like people are smelling up a place. So I think to myself,

let me not be contributing to the smell of this place. I can shower before I come here and then I'll shower when I'm done with the workout. And the post workout shower is a quick one because you've already like

washed the bacteria off. All you're really doing is like a quick super rinse with a bit of soap and you're done. He's a considerate. He's a considerate guy. I think if the shower

is going to be shorter it should be the first one. No. Because you slept the whole night. When you've actually worked out you're getting dirty sleeping. You're stewed. You don't get dirty sleep.

What are you doing in your sleep? No, you're probably right. Guys, you're sweating the whole night. Wait. So when you wake up, the morning shower is the one where you put the most effort. Yes. So, more... Exactly.

Do you shower again before you go out at night if you're going out somewhere? Sometimes it depends on how humid the day was. If it's not humid, then no. Because I'm just conscious of my sweat. But if I was like brisk walk, hot day, I'll shower. Before or after. Before I go out. It's just like, why are you taking it on to the next thing?

This is not about me. This is about Sam, though. We'll be right back after the short break. What got you? I want to know, like, what got you into stand-up? And not, like, who got you in or, like, what was the thing? Because you kept on saying, I love stand-up, I love stand-up, I love stand-up, and it shows. but like what do you think is the thing that like got you into like stand up stand up

and not being funny and not funny movies and like stand up specifically um i think like just i played some team sports growing up but our school really sucked at basketball so everyone was on drugs and they were terrible and i was like i was pissed i took it seriously and we just always lost and i was like this is bullshit so i was like i can't do like improv i can't do a team sport so i was like i'll do a thing where i rely on myself and stand up i was like it's like that's like, you know, the tennis or golf, you know, that's what standup is. You're, it's all on, I always respect tennis players because I remember reading Agassi's book and he just talks about like how you're on an island and it's make or break. It's all you. Yeah. And I kind of like,

tennis players kind of just have breakdowns. You know, they'll just snap. Like, you'll just seem like breaking a racket or losing it. I'm like, oh, that's like, they're kind of the head cases because they're in isolation. You know, I don't know. I always, I respected that about and that they have to kind of just live in their head. And that's kind of the life of a of a comic. But that can be painful. I was just watching the Billy Joel documentary. And I noticed this about comics too.

Like he would disappear to write his new album and it would make him crazy. And he was like, I have to get fucking hammered. I have to just like get so drunk because so many of his songs were coming from just him doing bad behavior. You know, like, oh yeah, him just, yeah. He drove home drunk on a motorcycle and his and his wife was like, Are you a lunatic? And that became the song like, you may be right. I may be crazy, but I just might be the lunatic you're looking for.

That's from driving drunk on a motorcycle. And it's like it's amazing that he took that and made that something. I don't know. I just think like, I guess I'm given a really long answer here. But I think I like that it was all. There's no rush. I like that it was all on me. So I like that part of it.

And holy shit, my mom at that time was like, please just be a writer. And I'm like, oh my God, thank God. I didn't pursue just being a writer because it's so much harder to get stuff made. She thought that was this, no, no. She thought writer-producer was the safe route, which maybe at that time it was, but now stand-up,

at least I can make my own career for the most part. And I just liked, yeah, and then I got into stand-up. You know, you listened to it, and I liked albums. I liked something intimate about the jokes, like just being in your head, you know, as a put, watching's cool, but I always liked, I remember hearing like prior Carlin, Chris Rock album, Chris Rock albums were very big, David Tell, like those albums where they were just like,

wow, rock would, you said something about me before, which I take as a high compliment, where, you know, you say the wrong thing, but then kind of get them on your side. Rock is maybe the best ever at that. Yeah, every premise was wrong. Yeah. And by the end of it, you were like, oh, no, we were wrong to not think that in the first place. Yeah, it was, he had so many bits like that where I was just like, I mean, I love so many of his takes.

I mean, bigger and blacker and bring the pain were like fucking crazy. Those are crazy albums, you know? So I remember listening to a Chris Rock album

as a kid. I probably got like half. I was probably 11. I probably got half the jokes. But my mom just saw, she said, she said, what the hell is he listening to?

And she grabbed it and she put the headphones on. And I just saw this look of horror on her face. And 30 seconds later, she laughed. And I was like, that's fucking beautiful

that a joke can do that. That's amazing. she could. She loves them. I mean, she respects comedy very much. So that's, that's also influential when you see what makes your, because when you're a kid, you're, you know, rebelling at first. But then you get to a certain age, you're like, well, what makes my parents laugh? This is kind of cool that they're in on it, too. My mom's not going to like everything I do, obviously. But I would see her laugh at stuff. And she loved like Mitch Headberg. She loved dry jokes. She loves sarcasm. Do you think that shaped your comedy? Because, I mean,

you're on the drier edge of the comedy spectrum, I'd say. Um, yeah, probably. Because when you, because it feels good to make your mom laugh. It's like a great, it's a nice sound. You're like, oh, shit, this is the person who gave me life and she finds, yeah, I made my mom reluctantly laugh at a dick joke. That's kind of cool. Those are the, can I tell you something? Yeah. When you make your mom reluctantly laugh.

At what? Not at any, I wasn't going to say anything else. I just said reluctantly laugh. Oh, sorry, because I thought you were actually finishing off what Sam had. You wanted me to say it at a dick joke. Okay, sharp. There's no African who is. making their mom laugh at a dick joke?

None. But our version, I would say for me, of a dick joke and that is I'll make my mom reluctantly laugh at a religious joke. Right. And she'll laugh and then she'll go, that's not funny. My mom does the same thing.

She does the same thing? Yes. Yeah. But then you're like, but I got the reaction. Yeah. She'll be like, no. My mom said to me, she's like, no, you forced me.

I didn't want to laugh. Too late. Then I said, but you laughed. You found it funny. She's like, I didn't find it funny. You tricked me. I don't like that. Then I'm like, I didn't do anything.

I just told you a joke. She's like, no, no, there's nothing funny about what you said. I'm like, but you laugh. And they get mad when they make the act, but then they're like, I feel like they're kind of also into it a little bit. I had a joke about her because she's such, such a warrior dude. I mean, we're talking about this before the pot, but I mean, she worried about everything. I was walking on the street with her once when we saw a dead bird. And I was like, and she goes, ew, dead bird, don't touch it.

And I was like, don't, are you really telling me? I'm an adult. Like, you think I'm going to pick up a dead bird and be like. I thought this was like. I thought this was like a child story. No, I was an adult. And my mom saw, I saw a dead bird and I go, ooh, and she goes, don't touch it. And I was like, I was in my 20s.

I was like, are you kidding me? Like, that's her level of worry. She worried so much. So we were talking about COVID before and like, oh, my God, having a mom, having a hypochondriac mom during COVID, it was like, I know, look, I'll never see you again, whatever you want. Like, whatever makes you feel safe, mom. We'll zoom forever, you know.

You know, it was mental. That is so beautiful. So take me through some of your story. I'm immune compromised. I'm like, but you're not really. You're pretty good. You're in pretty good shape. Where was she living at this time?

They live in Midtown in Manhattan. Oh, so they're here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was still like, can I see you? I'm getting dinner with him after this. Yo, man, in her defense. Behind glass doors still. Yeah, but do you remember, like, in her defense,

New York was no joke. It was no joke. Like New York was, I was telling him the other day, walking past, I don't know if you ever went through Central Park when they had like the body bags and stuff. stuff. That was, I still refused to believe that. My mind doesn't want to. Let me tell you something. Depending on where you experienced COVID, I see why everyone has a different

feeling about COVID. Because everyone's experience of it was different. For some people, it was completely a theoretical thing. They were at home and then they were told there was a death toll. Watched it on the news. Yeah. And then there were other people. Like, if you were in New York during that time, you didn't go to Florida, you didn't run away anywhere. You just stayed here. The streets were empty. There was only sirens. Yeah. Like all day, it was just sirens. siren, siren. And then when you could go outside, I remember walking around Central Park and they turned it into like a makeshift. It literally looked like an apocalypse movie where they

had the white tents and then they had body bags and you're like, what is going on here? I was like, oh, this shit is like it's like real real. It was, you know what's so weird? This is something about the city is like just the way you hear a song and it takes you back to a time. I haven't been on this exact block since COVID. And I did a show on this block at some hotel. I don't even know if it's still here. But I did a show three nights a week because they had an outdoor space with heat lamps. So I was able to do a three,

I would just do an hour three nights a week to stay in shape. Oh, during COVID. During COVID. Like when we could do the outdoor shows. Because it was, it was heat lamps, but I was on this block late at night one night with Phil Hanley. We were just like sitting around waiting watching. Like it's one of the things where the night's over,

but you're both so happy to be around another human because it was still COVID. What a time. So I remember cabs were going by and some creepy kid just kept riding by us on a bike. And he did it like five times. And we're like, I mean, should we move? It was so creepy. I was like, I mean, he's a kid.

We shouldn't be scared of him. But like, there's a reason to use kids in horror movies. It was like scary. He just kept circling us and we're like, I guess we just. He was happy to see other humans. He was happy to be around us too, maybe. I don't know. But yeah, it was a dark time.

That's, you see, that's when you knew who like loved comedy. Oh. There were comedians during COVID. They were like, I'm not stopping. Yeah. You were doing it in parking lots. I was my main thing was roofs but yeah I did a lot of parking lots

but roofs were my big thing during COVID yeah I loved it I got really hooked on it because it was like I mean I don't know if I think I got worse at comedy because it was hard to tell what was hitting because you're like you're doing the math and you're like that hit on this roof but it didn't hit on this roof like I'm doing

roofs and Bushwick I'm doing them in the Lower East Side I'm doing them in Hell's Kitchen I only works on the 30 second floor dude it was it was a confusing time And also, you know, some nights it would be packed and some nights, you know, 18 people,

but people were desperate. Yeah. They were desperate. I remember reading this book, I forgot the title, but it was about these, like, ancient settlers. And it's like how, like, music just got them through the winters. And I was like, oh, shit, people need, this is the same way, okay, they'd be freezing,

but they'd be playing music and they just gather around. And it was like, oh, this is keeping us going. And I felt that way about comedy a little bit because I saw people laughing. I was like, holy shit, that joke wasn't even that good, but that guy needed to laugh. that's why I had a hard time telling it was good I think people like wanted it was the same way

it was the same way people came out right after COVID like I was about to say yeah they were coming to shows like I'd never seen I was like and some of them forgot how to behave some of them they'd be in public they'd be in a movie theater and they'd be like yeah I'm just gonna scream drunk I'm like no you can't do that you know but they were like that's what I do in my place

you know people forgot how to be humans during it was so and some people still aren't good dude I mean I go I mean you see it around the country you go to downtowns now in every city and you're like people are there's like a real drug problem in this country that they're not addressing you just go around and you're just like this is someone's kid this is crazy you know i think the the the worst thing we did around the world there were two countries

i know that did it in some way but it's almost like they it's almost like they stumbled onto it one was intentional but it wasn't for covid i think there was a stampede in korea stand to be corrected but i think it was in korea It's a huge stampede and a bunch of people died. And it was at a party. Originally, it was a whole thing. But they had a day of mourning. And I remember watching that and I was going, wait, what is happening here?

And the whole country just had to pause and go, we are going to collectively mourn this loss. And the second version of it I saw, which wasn't intentional, was when the queen died in England. And she died just on the other side of COVID. You know what I mean? and people were lined up to go to the church and I remember like one story David Beckham was standing in line like didn't like VIP it didn't skip the line

waited with people for hours just in the line with them and people were crying and I remember looking at that and thinking to myself I know some people are crying for a legacy and a time that's lost and a piece of their country

but I was like yeah but a lot of people here are crying because they didn't get to cry about COVID. Do you know what I mean? Oh dude I cried at Simpsons episodes during a COVID I was like, I don't think it's, I don't think it's the Simpsons that's breaking me right now. I think there's some other.

Yeah, but we didn't. We never like, we never, those are like the moments I think of where as a comedian. Yeah, I go, everyone just went back to, it never was a thing. Whether you, forget what you believe or don't believe. Forget everything. Forget vaccines. Forget COVID even as real or not real. Just remember a time when we couldn't go outside and a lot of people were.

dying okay people from florida you can skip this part of the podcast but uh you lucky bastards you had a great time you had a great time during covid remember i do a weekend once in a while in like florida texas and i'd be like i'm grateful to be working right now this is crazy but i'm like you guys know what's happening in new york right now you're like reporting news you're like did you hear what happened i felt like a messenger boy you know on the youtube video when they're like People commonly skip this. Yeah, people in, they skip this part. But like, I don't know, man.

I think that collective thing, it's, you're not wrong. That's why people didn't forget just how to act. But we also forgot how to feel in a certain way. When's the last time we were all on the same page about anything as a country? Like, we're not on the same page about the super. Oh, no, as a world. As a world. Trust me, it's gone everywhere now.

I mean, the Super Bowl used to be a thing. We're like, it's the Super Bowl. Yeah. And now it's like, now people were like, fuck Taylor Swift. I'm like, who gives this shit? Yeah. Or, you know, or they'll be furious about the, I don't even remember who did the last Super Bowl, what band? Kendrick?

No, no, before. No, it was Kendrick? Wait, wasn't Kendrick the last one? Yeah. No one's, I, I think Prince is the last time everyone's like, all right, that was a good show. Everyone else, people would like, they either love it or they're like, fuck that, you know? It always means something. It's always the end of your, like, side.

It's always, I will say it's become worse in America in that, in that way. But it's become pervasive all around the world, where everyone has made everything. seemed like it is a loss or a victory for them. You know what I mean? What do you mean by that? So like, I remember a time. I remember a time when, like... It's going to go into black and white film noir.

Yeah, right? Let me tell you about a time. When I was young, boy. No, no. I said this to a friend the other day. I said, do you remember when people were allowed to just not like something, but not say that it was shit.

Like when I was younger, people would say, what's your favorite sitcom? And someone would go friends. And then you would go, oh no, mine is family ties or family matters. You know what I mean? Family matters.

And they'd be like, no, mine is, you know, full house or mine is. But no one, I don't remember anyone going like, friends is shit. People just went like, oh, I don't like friends and I don't watch it. And they would move on. and then over time gradually and I don't know if it gets more engagement they call it rage bait

exactly you get rage bait if you're just like this the soprano sucked do something and you're just like yeah it didn't suck you know but they're just like I think it sucked and you're like we could have said that but that's what I mean but I think that's what I mean about like the loss and the win for your side is like if Taylor Swift performs

then the world we now live in tells you that you are losing if you're not a Taylor Swift person how dare you not get it yeah it's like I can't believe they chose Taylor Swift as the or if Kendrick performs it's like you've now lost I can't believe Kendrick is now

but it's like yo man every year someone would just perform at a thing and something would happen and it's not your thing and some this movie wins an Oscar that one doesn't but it doesn't mean that you've lost but now I feel like we've made it in society

tribal yeah but we've made it that people have lost for no reason also you're allowed to just be like for me personally like I don't have like a strong opinion on Taylor Swift. I think she has some good songs. I don't really listen to her.

That's a very strong opinion, Sam. My niece loves, my niece is obsessed with her. Very strong opinion. But it makes my niece happy. So I'm like, oh, good. You know, that's my opinion basically on her. You know? Very strong. It's funny. No, it's funny you say that. We were chatting yesterday. Obviously, we knew you coming on and we were chatting about this.

And I said, I feel like Sam, and please don't feel like this is like a lot of pressure. I was like, I feel like you are like one of the final bastions of comedy right now. Oh, fuck. Yeah, I know.

I said, don't feel the pressure. I specifically told you not to feel the pressure. Don't feel the pressure. I'll tell you why. Because your comedy specifically, in my opinion, still exists in a place where everyone feels like it's for them. Do you know what I mean? You weren't in my show last night at the comedy seller.

Jesus Christ. I still have rough ones there sometimes, dude. But rough is part of comedy. I love it, yeah. No, no, rough is part of comedy. I mean, like Dave Chappelle taught me you can go to a show and bomb. It doesn't matter how great you are. that's part of comedy.

You're working the craft. I'm not saying that. Yeah. What I'm saying is your comedy is for everyone. What I mean by this is I've seen somebody who considers themselves Republican, conservative, whatever, go, I love Samarrel. Oh, thanks. I've seen somebody who goes like, I'm a full on liberal Democrat. I love Samarrel.

I've seen someone go, I don't care about politics. I hate both sides. I love Samarrel. And I go, oh, man, this guy is keeping something that society is losing more and more of. Well, I said earlier, like I don't see that. I see myself as like an entertainer. So if I'm, my goal is to kill the room and,

you know, be who I am. Like you're not going to, you know, compromise yourself and pander. But I think the crowd is too smart. They can tell if you're pandering. So you have to just be you.

And if it works, it works. But, you know, sometimes it's not for everybody. I see some shows and I'm like, oh, that joke's not for everybody,

but I like it. So I'm keeping it. Every once in a while, you get like one or two of those per special. But, no it's hard man it's hard to stay true to who you are and still connect because you get older and you're kind of just like I don't I want to do this joke I think this joke is funny I think there's something here and I'll get stubborn with it and I'll keep hammering it like I have some

jokes that I think are I don't want to call my crowd pleasers but they're they're for everybody they're a little safer you need to have those safer jokes to get to the ones I'm like this one's a little unsafe this is this going to work I don't I like this a lot but you know know it also it depends on the crowd like I have a whole new chunk on going to Amsterdam and not getting into the Anne Frank house they wouldn't let me in and it was a long story and I was like I was so mad when they didn't let me in and then I was like oh wait a second I'm gonna get a bit whenever something bad happens to me in any way even that's not even that bad what happened to Anne Frank was worse let's face it but I was upset too

but I had a rat in my home last month and I live on the 14th floor of a of a nice building so I was shocked to see a rat and I was so upset but then I was like that Comedy is the one thing that you're like, I'm going to get a joke out of this. That's the one thing that like, if I don't get a joke out of this, I suck. If I, I'm telling my mom about it on the phone and she's laughing so hard

because I'm making jokes about the rat and stuff. And she was like, you'll get a joke out of this. I said, I'll get a joke. So it's, it's exciting to, you know, write new stuff. Like, I hate bombing, but like, I don't know. I still love, I love doing this still. I get, every once in a while, I'll do too many shows and I'll get like, I'll be like, oh, I don't.

I don't want to do a show. I hate when I feel that way. I try to stay very excited about, like, so I try to not overdo it so I can stay, oh, I'm so excited to go on tonight. Speaking of excitement, why weren't you lent into the N. Frank house? Because it's a hot ticket, apparently.

I booked, I booked the walking tour. Wait, wait, wait, there's a stay in tour. There's, where you can stay inside the closet. They want, they want you to buy, they want, it's like a house, and then there's a parent. I didn't know there was a walking tour. But yeah, the line I said to the lady was,

I was under the impression she was cooped up. I didn't know there was a walking tour. Damn. And I was like, oh, this is a bit. I got a bit cooking. So I kept going with it. But I kept going and I got a long bit out of it. But now I'm going back to Amsterdam next month.

And I'm like, I better fin it. I want another part to this bit. I want part two. I get in. I posted like a joke how I didn't get in. And the Jewish mafia came after me. like Amy Schumer Jessica Seinfeld, they're like, what can we do?

I was like, what do you do? I'm, you have a hookup for the Anne Frank house? They're like trying to help. I'm like, I don't know. All these Jews are like hitting me up. Like, we must do something. I'm like, it's not that big a deal. I'm just making it.

I'm going to go to the Van Gogh Museum. It's fine. It's not. Yeah, but you see, okay, so now let's pause. This is what I mean about you. This is exactly what I mean. It's like you have a, man, it's, it's superpower might be the wrong word, But it's almost like...

Let's dial it with that. Yeah, no, no, no. Okay, that's what I'm saying. It might be the wrong word. Here's what I think it is. You are almost less allergic to the things that a lot of people in society are now allergic to. You with me? So what I think a lot of people...

As a Jew, I never hear that. So we complain about everything. But this is what I mean is... This is what I mean is you go. You don't get into the Anne Frank Museum, whatever. Now, the people around you're responding, like, ah, how could this happen? You get there, there's a reaction. I get that for a second, but then immediately it's like,

But that's what I mean. You have more of a resistance. You have to just think, like, anytime something bad happens, you think, if I don't make it funny, then I'm worthless. I really feel that way as a comic. Like, if I can't make a bad – as you said, like that trans swimming joke, that's not something – that's something that happened to me. That's just like an observation, but that's something that hasn't been to work through. So I have to work through my stuff. Right.

That's why, like, a breakup joke – you ever write a breakup joke that's – it's too soon where you're like, oh, that's just – You're the audience. I guess for both. But I'll write the joke and I'm just like, well, this is funny. And then they're just like really sad. You're like, oh, shit, I think that's funny. But like I remember I had a joke that never worked about my biological father that I thought was really funny. It never worked.

It was about how when my dad who adopted me, he was a great, I love my dad. He's a great dad. He was talking to my stepdad. I just call him dad. But when that, when you have that adoption, you need to get the signature of your biological father. Of the biological father. So I said it's kind of like the opposite of a UPS package. Like, here's my signature.

And I don't want this. never worked. It just made the crowd sad. To me, I was like, that's a funny joke, but it just, I could, I heard the crowd go, oh, I remember telling my therapist. And he was like, well, and awe means they care about you. I'm like, I know, but I'm going for a laugh.

You want the laugh. If I sign this, it means I don't have to take responsibility. Yes, yes. Same here. That's what it felt like. Yeah. I'm trying to figure out why that wouldn't connect, though. No, because it is funny.

I'm just trying to figure out why. It didn't work. Like, never worked. Well, look, it's not a science. Like, sometimes you just, yeah, it just never worked. I think it is a science. And I think that's how you treat it, yeah. If it were science, I think I would know before it was on stage.

No, but that's what science is, if you think about it for the most part. Science is constantly running an experiment to try and figure out why the thing does or doesn't. And then you're trying to narrow down why one element does, you know what I mean? It's a process of elimination for the most part. So you're going, this causes this reaction. Is it because of this or is it because of that? And you try to remove what the correlation is. And then you try and figure out if this is causing this or if this is just having,

happening because this is happening at the same time. And that's why I think it is a science in many ways. It's a social science. You know, so you're going, you might find, like, you change one thing. That's what I love about comedy. You change one word in that whole joke. All of a sudden it worked. You might find changing it from I felt like a UPS package versus it was like a UPS package.

You never know what happens. I feel like I felt personalizes it too much. To me, that makes it sadder. I felt. I try to remove feelings. I think when I feel in a joke. The joke's not funny. I have to be a little numb to it at this point.

Like, that's why breakup jokes, they hit so much harder, like, six months after, as opposed to like a week after. Because it's too real. They're just like, oh, that's sad, you know. They feel for you. They feel like they almost shouldn't be laughing sometimes, too, I think. I think they can sense the rawness of it. No, that's true.

Yeah, that's true. But what I'm saying is sometimes, that's what I think is magical about comedy is we sometimes don't even know. Like, we have an assumption, right, as comedians. and then we'll do a thing. We've all had that. You tell a joke and you're trying to get to this part of a punchline and the audience loves like a random thing that you didn't even consider. You don't even realize the words that you're saying are eliciting something.

And sometimes you go, why are they laughing? What are they? I'm sure have you ever experienced that? And then an audience member goes, man, I loved how you said that. And you're like, oh, I wasn't trying to say that actually. Yeah, you stumble backwards in one. That's a gift. When that happens, that'll happen in stories sometimes.

Sometimes you ever have a story where you're like, I know the ending. I know what the ending is. And now that I know of an ending that works, I can now experiment for like two minutes in between and see what's funny. Because I don't know yet. So yeah, I had a whole thing about the rat. And I didn't know what was funny until I just kept saying it. But I had one of the exterminators kept describing the rats as smart. And for some reason, that kept hitting.

I was like, I guess it is funny to be like complimenting the rodent. But I just kept using that. I kept being like, oh, the glue top's going to work? They're like, we don't know. He's smart. And I was just like, oh, my God, was annoying me so much. And for some, like, little words, you're just like, I guess calling a rat smart is kind of funny. Especially the exterminator calling the rat smart.

Because for me, it evokes this idea of it's like a, it's like a, it's like a, it's, now it's like a trope in a way. It's like they've got this little rivalry amongst them. They've got like a, I don't know. I just think, you know, Sylvester and Tweety, it's a whole like. We've got an understanding. and respect for each other's trade. Exactly. He's smart, he tried to kill me, how we do it every day.

Yeah, you know what I mean? It's like, you don't know these rats. They're smart, man. They're smart. Like, you know what I mean? I gotta respect them. Well, the annoying thing is I hated the first exterminator because he was just putting glue traps everywhere

and I was like, what do you get? How many rats did you have? Just one, but it was, I mean, just one doesn't even sound good, by the way. You came with it. Can't really bring a woman home either way. You're like, I just have one red. It'll be fine.

It'll close the door. But, no, it was disgusting. I can't. Did you see the rat or did you see the droppings? Both. I saw him. He was a fat dude too. Oh, he was big.

On a high floor? 14th floor. Yeah. Look, it's New York City, so it doesn't matter. I was asking the building, you're like, yeah, like every building has them. You just got to be nervous about the walls if there's a hole anywhere they can find. But it's so gross. Yeah, they chew through the drywall in America.

Yeah. Yeah, because we use bricks for most of our housing. So there's no. But here, the rat can just chew through the wall. It's so gross. Just like in the cartoons. Oh, yeah, I didn't think about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, you want to hear the most violating shit the rat did to me? I had one of those camelback backpacks, you know, with the straw that you sip. He nibbled the straw down for the water, and I was like, oh, this is so violating. I'm so upset because I went to it because I would just drink out of it because I would just like walk around. You did? No, I didn't drink. After I saw it, I just looked. I was like, oh.

Oh, shit. I felt so violated by it. I hated the, and my friend had just told me a story. I have a friend in L.A. and she was telling me how she had a rat in her home in LA and how this is way worse because she was so scared of the rat. She just woke up and the rat was starved

trying to nibble her finger and she freaked out in her bed and she flipped over a dresser, the rat ran behind it and she just fell on the floor and panicked and kicked the dresser into the rat and I was like, that's fucking... Yeah, and then she told me she had another rat. There were two and I was like, what the fuck?

Where were you living? You know? she had a nice place and she was another one and she got it on a glue trap which is hard because they smell the human scent on the so they if they smell human scent they're like oh i'm out of here i'm not touching that but she she just took the other rat on the glue trap and just dropped it in her pool because she didn't want to deal with it's like a tarentino movie but of rats yeah oh it's but dude they got it the crazy way they got it was i had two exterminators come by and the second one was like he was even worse.

The first one sucked and the second one it was Liz from the comedy seller got me this first exterminator. Oh, I thought you're saying Liz was the exterminator. No, he would actually... I would trust Liz.

But no, he just leaves glue traps anywhere and he wasn't even like confident. That's the first one. Yeah, and I was like, I was like, oh, he's gonna work? He's like, maybe. He's the one who kept calling him smart

so I was so annoyed. And then he's leaving glue traps everywhere and I'm like, will they work? He's like, probably, like, probably. He was not confident at all. And then the second guy who came by I was like, I need a better guy because that guy sucked And he was just looking at all of his stuff

And he was like, no, the last guy did a really good job And I was like, I called you because I don't think he did a good job So I got two guys who sucked So the guys that eventually got him were five days later And five nights I had to rat in my apartment And I was devastated going to bed every night Because you know, we're night people So I was just like, this sucks

I know he's going to come out soon And on a Sunday morning I called these guys and they show up with hockey sticks three dudes with hockey sticks and I was like what's with the hockey sticks so like we usually would use people's like you know baseball bats or brooms to kill rats if we were at their place but we just like got our own things so the three dudes with hockey sticks I leave because I play in a comics basketball game on Sundays and he texts me a picture of a dead rat 10 minutes later and they found it and I just and I wrote you found him dead and he wrote I made him

dead yeah damn yeah he they took care of it's like the mighty ducks of hockey sticks just imagine how random it is you open your door and there's three guys with hockey sticks dude my doorman hated them they were like they were like these guys are assholes I was like how were they assholes I was like I guess they were like cursing when they came in but I was like I fucking love these guys they were cursing and they had guys in jumpsuits They were cursing, and they all had, and they had weapons, which I was like, he was like, why did they. Wait, who were they cursing? I guess at the doorman.

They were characters. They were colorful. I mean, look, you need rough around the edges. The basic exterminators weren't getting the job. Then these guys found the rat in 10 fucking minutes. It was incredible. I was so grateful. I slept like a baby that night, dude.

So that hasn't been that rat ever since? No. This was like a month ago. I hope there's not. I mean, geez, I, yeah, no, that was awful. It was an awful experience. It was just, you know, because. You just don't.

It's your home. You want to walk around barefoot and feel good, you know. It's weird how rats, they are smart, by the way, just generally. Do you recognize this guy? No, no, no, but they are smart. Sometimes I wish we could, like, just negotiate with, like, what we consider pests. Yeah. Because, like, rats are really smart.

Apparently, they make great pets. They're really easy to train. But, God, it's weird when people have a rat as a pet. No, it's weird because we think of rats as weird. Yeah. I agree with you. Well, they're filthy. Those are, like, different types.

No, but they're not filthy, apparently. Well, that rat was really dirty. Yeah, no, no, no, no. But here's the thing. Like, humans can also be filthy if you just leave them in the streets. Hmm. You sound like a rat sympathizer, dude. I don't know.

Same guy who showers before going to the gym. I don't know, guys, listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is the culture, whatever you grow up with, you think that's weird or normal, right? Yeah. So if we grew up with rats, we would think that dogs are weird. Uh-uh, uh-uh. We would.

I think we're in too deep with this rat hate, dude. I see him on this. I can appreciate like celebrity rats pizza rat he was great Ratatooee was great celebrity rats pizza rats

I saw a rat in the street last night and I was charmed by it I thought it was funny he ran he was like grabbing his food and I was like good you should be in the street

okay if you're in the street I got no problem with you but in my home no I can't do not in my backyard no Samarrel the nimbie

the rat nimbia the rat nimbia I don't want I don't want to I got no problem with rats in the street But you don't bring that rat around my house Not around my daughter

Okay, you can marry who you want to marry This is a leaf You want to marry you want to marry Trevor was the gubles of red I decide who's around here Oh man That was the book mouse weren't they They were they were

Oh yes that is actually what it was Yeah you're not wrong You just brought it around Because that actually That actually was the book Yeah They were mice so we were Jews You see you think

This is what comedians do We stumble on some deep shit You know, by the way, they banned that. It was some Florida school ban that for nudity. Wow, that's one reason to ban it. That's why you ban a book about the Holocaust is a nude mouse. Hmm. Whoever was doing the book banning, like, they went,

because when you saw some of the books that were banned, it almost felt like an AI that didn't know what the banning. Because they just went like no nudity in kids' books. Right. And then this is going back to what you were saying about people, you remember what I was saying like everyone wins and losses I remember someone who's like

we shouldn't ban the books and then I asked which books are being banned and someone the person responded they were like it doesn't matter I was like well it might matter which books are being banned

and then they're like your book was banned I was like I think that's weird I think it's weird I don't know why they banned my book I don't know but I said which other books have been banned

and then there was like a book that it was like a children's book but it had like dicks out and like boobs and it was like a weird book I forget what the premise of the book was I'm glad you forgot

they banned hustler in children's schools this is crazy and I remember and I remember saying and I remember saying I remember saying I was like oh that's a weird book

yeah that's a weird book you know kids shouldn't read I mean and then a bunch of the other books were not weird and so I was saying the thing that I didn't like

was that no one was able to have like a normal logical conversation about it was either your no books should be banned or all books should be banned and I was going wait wait wait wait wait wait wait

maybe we could just do this on a case by case basis maybe we but it made these books punk rock like all those books were selling out on Amazon you go to Barnes & Noble they have a banned book section and you're like they're not really banned if I'm going to them like where the banned books are like right in the front right here so it wasn't that bad

it just became like a you know so yours was one of those yeah it was That's crazy. I bet it helps sales, though. I bet they're like, you know. I don't know if it did or it didn't, but it just like, I just remember being like, why is my, it was a weird emotional feeling

because on the one hand, I was angry that my book got banned. On the other hand, I was like, yeah. But then I didn't know what to be yeah about. You shouldn't put that whole full penetration chapter in the middle, dude. That's what did it. And the pictures.

Yeah. Yeah, the sketches didn't help. The coloring. Me and my naked rats. It didn't help at all. Don't press anything. We've got more, what now, after this? I want to talk to you about, you know, when you're talking about, like, being adopted

and what do you mean being adopted? Well, I wasn't adopted. That was just the term was legally adopted because when my mom raised me for the first few years and then she married, who is my dad, so, and then I got a stepbrother and step-sister. I just called my brother and sister. they are. I love that you guys have to say this. Who's you guys?

White people. Oh, shut. Because, no, because like in... Yeah, we're grandfathered in. It's okay. No, because if you think about how we grew up, it can be like super... You could just grow up in the same house.

And you don't have to say, I call them my brother and... No, this is my brother and sister. I just say that because people look at my... When I'm like, there's my brother, they're just like, you guys don't look alike. I'm like, just fucking go with it. Oh, yeah, no, no, you move to Africa. No one will even...

No one kids. You don't, there's no... You just go, this is my brother, this is my sister. No one is even allowed to say, but you don't look, just keep it moving. So wait, so. So he legally, my dad's a lawyer. So he was like, I want to take you to court. I want to make it official.

So he made it official. So it was like legal, I called it legal adoption, which is just, it's, yeah, it wasn't Oliver Twist. You know, it's just, it's just. Oh, no, I didn't know if it was like a, no, I had a good shout. It wasn't, uh, you know. I like the rat you got murdered. I was just wondering if it was like, you know, I was like, oh, damn, got adopted

and it was a whole thing and had to fight for you legally and, you know? Wait, so for the first few years, it was just you and your mom. Yeah. Then he gets married to your dad. Yeah. Then it's you, your mom,

and your dad for a while. And a brother and sister. So they came immediately after. I mean, your brother and your sister. They got married when I was probably six or seven. Yeah. How many good years did you have before? How many good years?

The steps came in. Ooh. Well, yeah, that is the one thing that's weird, right? You used to having your mom all to your And then she gets married. You're like, hey, you used to watch all my fucking antics a second ago. Now I got to share you with his dad. What the hell?

Yeah, I remember one time when I was really young, I wanted my mom's attention so much all the time. I was probably like six. I just ran into the room. And they clearly were trying to have sex. And I was just like doing some like thing. And I just remember my dad's face just like, oh, God. Like this kid's such a cock block.

What the hell? Yeah, you go for it I didn't know at the time I just knew he was annoyed I didn't know why he was annoyed I was too young to know what sex was I didn't know what it was But I was yeah I was a kid

The idea of you I was just trying Oh dude I was a real show kid I did at their wedding I sang give my regards to Broadway I had a top hat on No I had a terrible

I told you Yeah yeah You told me what At some point has to wear a top A hat You did say that about You did say this Yeah but I didn't picture you

I know this sounds crazy but I pictured you as like also like a dry witty kid. I was, but I love, but I was in New Yorker, so I love, I was very dry, but then for some reason I was like, they were like, do you want to give a speech at the wedding? I was like, no, I'll perform, is what I thought. Huh, for some reason. What did you perform?

Uh, give my regards to Broadway, the song. So I was in a top hat and, uh, and a cane and I sang that. Who was like a paper top hat? It was like a fake top hat. You made it? No, it was like a, from a party store. It wasn't like a fancy top hat. It was, like, a stupid...

Oh, man, this is amazing. How old are you in this is happening? Probably six or seven. Legend. It killed. Please tell me you have video. I got to ask my mom if we had to...

You got to put that in, like, a special at the end of one of your specials or at the beginning. You know what? That's not bad. Think about it. That's like an amazing thing to just put in the end

or the beginning of one of your specials. It's just... And here's another thing about their wedding. They got married the day of the Puerto Rican parade so they couldn't get any good pictures. Every picture was just like that was like pushed to the sides.

This is just mayhem in the city But, uh, no, it was, uh, no, it was, uh, it was definitely like, you know, now, I definitely wasn't that type of kid. It was weird that I did that, but I just loved. Oh, so that was out of character? It was a little out of character. I just liked, I had a weird thing where like, I kind of liked musicals because I was a kid. And I was never like a song and dance kid, but I just thought, I was like, oh, that's like a cool New York thing. That's a cool New York song.

I'm giving like a cool, this is like a cool moment from my parents. They were like, this is ridiculous, but just let me. I think I just wanted I think it was important to be the center of attention you have that weird comic thing where you're like I need to like I need to show awful I need to because my family was very quiet at the table like my mom and I weren't but my my brother sister and dad were my dad was a little more talky but my brother and sister were very quiet so I was kind of just like you know you're just like you're working stuff out constantly you're like let's I'm used to noise at dinner so I'm making noise I'm making jokes and I think

think, you know, I would see like, let's see the furthest. You want to see the furthest you can possibly go. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Did they break? Yeah, sometimes. I would do really stupid stuff. I was definitely in my mind the lowest brow member of the family. Like, you know, my brother and sister were super smart and overachievers. And I was horribly behaved in school. So I think I was like, I was, how can I get attention? I'm not going to be smarter than them. So I just would be outrageous. And I would just say the fucked up thing always. And that would break them. And then, you know, but you also have that thing you don't realize. You're like, well, maybe I have a low self-esteem because I'm, you know, the,

I'm starting to feel like the black sheep of the family. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm, you know, you start acting out in school and the teacher, like, why is he doing this? And you're like, why just, I'm trying to get attention to something. I'm trying to find my lane. I don't know what my lane is. So you go from being like the bad kid in school to eventually, like, how can I turn this? And then eventually I started just getting good grades because they medicated me.

and that really helped oh they medicated the shit while you had the top hat on they saw that hat they're like that kid's got to be on drugs jazz hands yeah they uh

they uh no they gave me some ADD stuff I started I was all over the place so they I finally started focusing and then getting good grades and then I was like okay let me let me try to get the teachers laughing too

and that kind of went to like so now my mom got so sad because she thought I was like I saw myself as this fuck up And I was in that point I was I was you know I just I'll be the fun guy I'll just get drunk all the time And you want to be that uncle in the family

Oh I am they have kids and I don't I mean I'm totally that I mean I'm not opposed to having kids But that's where I'm at right now I am like the fun drunk uncle That's totally what I am I was about to say I spoke to someone who was in a similar situation as you And they realized when they had half siblings And they had a stepdad

They saw their mom mothering and they saw their stepdad as a dad. And then they felt, oh, observer of the whole family dynamic and they saw themselves as a little bit of an outsider at times. Oh, that's interesting. Like, it's almost like they watched the family. Yes.

Oh, that's interesting. And they were here first. You were in it, though. Yeah, I feel like they made an effort. If anything, I felt like it got weird for my sister for a minute because my dad would be like, let's go out, we'll do guy stuff. And I'd be like, why does she get to come?

She's not a guy. You know, I was more like, I was like, I'm going to make her the outsider. know. But no, I didn't feel weird. They were, they were, they were inclusive with me. You were just like a full on. So keeping, keeping with that theme, though, do you, do you revel in being the outsider? Because I mean, like, I feel like different comedians have different vibes in terms of what it seems like they're trying to do, you know? So some comedians seem like they're trying to stay as the outsider in their act. Other comedians are trying to become

the insider in the act. You know, it's like, this is all of us. Some comedians are trying to, like, make the audience feel like they're the outsiders and they're the normal. Everyone has, but I never saw myself as an outsider. I always saw myself, like, as I said, entertainer before, like, trying to bring the room together, like, finding common ground. Like, I always like comics like that.

And I think it probably stemmed from some thing in my family where I was like, let's, like, we're a family now. Let's get on the same page. Let's be, let's get a good, if I could get everyone laughing, it felt so good, you know? So how do you find the balance between? So for instance, one of my favorite things I love of yours is your interviews. Oh, yeah. If you, we'll actually play one for this episode.

Samaril on a local news station somewhere is the greatest thing. Because, yeah, my publicist texts me, you give me nightmares. I have nightmares when I book you on these because I know I'm going to get an angry email. She gets so mad at me. And she, I'm like, well, then don't work with me. You don't have to work with me. She's like, no, it's fun. She admits it's fun.

But then she's like, she'll get email some people where she'll be like, she'll try to book. I'm like, I bet they don't even remember that you represent me when you pitch your other clients to these shows. And she's like, maybe. And then she told me there was some interview I did where I just made up. There was a human trafficking problem in Columbus, Ohio. Oh, man. And I wouldn't let it go for the whole interview. And the guy just got so mad by the end.

And then she, she messaged him a month later for another one of her clients. And they were like, we'll have. have your person on, but just, you know, we had this guy last month. He wouldn't shut up about human trafficking. And she had to pretend like, oh, that's horrible. I said, I told you, no one knows. No one remembers you. But she'll get really pissed in me. But then she, like, it's like the reluctant, like, your mom, that's not funny, but she laughs. It's not funny, but I found it funny. She gets so uncomfortable, though. She's come to a couple and she's just like, oh, she's like, yeah, she's, she's so, I don't really get uncomfortable because I know it's going to be funny.

So I'm like, yeah, just fake a, just fake that it's fine, you know. What do you make of the schism that we've seen in comedy? Maybe it hasn't even been inside comedy versus how people have seen comedy. I feel like over the past, maybe it's been 10 years, five years. I don't know. I'm bad with time. People have sort of tried to make it, they go like, there's this comedy and there's that comedy.

And they try and put comedians in a place. In a box. Yeah. And I remember, like for me, because I was on the daily show, people automatically just assumed they knew everything about me. Do you know what I mean? They were like, okay, we know who you are. We'd think we know your politics, your beliefs,

your everything because you're on the daily show. It's like presupposed. And if I would tell a joke that didn't line up with what people thought I was thinking, then the people who were like, let's say, on my side, they would go, that was a mistake. And then the people who were not on my side would go, I guess every now and again he can be funny. but the rest of the time he's shit

you know what I'm saying and the craziest moment for me was I did the White House Correspondence dinner and it's one of the few places left where everyone is in the same room do you know what I mean they got rid of it too right

it's oh yeah I mean now it'll come back I think but it's one of the few places where it's like Fox News is sitting right there next to MSNBC and CNN is sitting right there next to and by the way this is something I keep telling people and I wish more Americans knew about their news, about their politics,

about all of these forums, they're a lot more friendly with each other than you are with each other. Do you know what I mean? Oh, they know it's a game. Yeah, but like, I wish people knew this. I remember one of the first times I experienced this, I just joined the Daily Show.

There's a tangent, but still I was, we were on the road in New Hampshire. It was for the primaries. Yeah. And I remember Hillary Clinton's staff going out for dinner and hanging out with oh man Lindsay Graham's stuff

and I remember being like whoa don't you guys and they were like no no they get along and people they go to dinner and we got the night off Lindsay's in a hotel room with a guy so good and they were just like they went we get along

what do you mean they were like we get along and so anyway my point is I mean Trump was friends with the Clintons you know And the lock-em-up thing, I really believe, was theatrics. I don't think he gave a shit. I think he was just trying to win. It was wrestling.

Yeah, it was wrestling. Yeah, that's all it was. So anyway, I'm in that room. Everyone's there together. So now you get to make jokes that everyone can laugh at because if I make a joke that goes, that hits Biden, then Republicans will laugh. If I make a joke that hits Trump or Fox or whatever, then you know what I mean? So I'm telling these jokes. But the Democrats get mad at you when you make too many Biden jokes.

Oh, completely. Yeah? Yeah. So I did the joke. show went really well. The room, to its credits, had a great time. That week, on Facebook, on Fox News, MSNBC, wherever it was, people only had the portion of the set

that told the jokes that they, you know what I mean? So literally, there was right wing or conservative or, you know, Republican each group on this side going, oh man, this was a lot. actually quite funny. And the other side was like, oh man, this is actually quite funny, but no one was watching the mixed thing. And like when I watch your comedy, I go, I think specifically about like some of the jokes you've done where you always feel like a reluctant hero for me. Because people try to make you a hero, right? A good name for a special. Yeah, that is a great name for your special, to be honest, because you'll tell a joke and then

I'll see people go, Sam Morel. That's what I like, man. He's here and he's telling jokes that are great for women and finally he's standing up to the manosphere. It sounds like I was just telling a joke about my perspective on dating. Oh, I told this to everyone. I remember I was at the Kelly Clarkson show and one of the producers was talking to me, trans person, and she was like, oh my God, you're like, I love your joke about trans swimmers. Like it's one of my favorite. It's not that joke.

It's a different joke from a Netflix special that went viral about like, and I was, you know, it was pretty, I just saw so many anti-trans jokes and I was like, my mind is trained to go the other way. Yeah. I have no bad feeling. towards any group in this country. My process is what's funny in my head? And it's to think differently a lot of the time with a joke.

And I thought it was a funny take defending trans swimmers. The angle was basically like, who give, you don't give. People getting mad, I'm like, you don't watch women swimming. That was basically the bulk of the angle. But I told the person, I said, just so you know, I have a joke in my new special making fun of one trans person, not all but one trans person who really hated me. and she goes oh great like i was like i just don't want you to think that i'm like some like

savior i'm literally just making jokes that was literally i just didn't want to i don't want to get praise where you think i'm something i'm not so as i said i have no problem with anybody i'm good with anybody until a person is an asshole on their own basis just one person but uh yeah like i'll have a joke defending women and then all of a joke making fun of women because that's what jokes are i think they they are they are no one thing they're whatever pops to my head at that time if something is sound shitty and not like me i'm not going to tell it but you know yeah i had i had like eight minutes of me too jokes that were pretty pro women in a special because to me that's where my mind was at the time i thought i heard a lot of guys doing

jokes like you can't do anything with women anymore and i'm like really you're really having a hard time like you just don't rape that's really the main thing you know that's what they're pissed about like it's not that big a deal so that was what my mind was with with the Me Too stuff. And I had a story about getting roofied in college. It was like a whole thing about, you know, to me, it was a hilarious time to be a man because of how low the bar was for men, you know? So that was what my head was with the Me Too stuff.

And then, you know, it's like you go in phases. I have a joke now that like I have to cut because I think it's women feel it's hitting them too hard. And I'm like, damn, I like that. I just thought it was a funny joke. Yeah. But sometimes you have jokes where you're like, I like this. I have a joke about the WMBA. That's, like, pretty pro WMBA.

But women get pissed at that one. I'm like, shit, I guess I have to cut this one too. Yeah, but how do you decide? I'd love to know how you decide that because you, like I said, you're an honest comic and you're doing your thing. But I'd love to know, like, how you choose this, especially in a world where everyone's trying to choose it for you. The batting average has to be high enough that I'm not keeping it just to be stubborn.

You know? Okay, got it. So, look, if I like it and it's funny, that's part of it. but it's got to work. If it doesn't work, then something's wrong with it. As you just said with that, as you pointed out with the train thing, I think you're right, the swimming, the one I said earlier in the thing, I think you're right.

But, you know, I'll have a joke that I think is really funny and something that'll kill. And then you're like, I always said if a joke is getting groans in Portland, Oregon, you still got like 10 years to tell it in like St. Louis. You know, it's still got some legs to go in other parts of the country, but you're like, it's catching up. So if you want it to live forever, you might want to drop it. I think I think

yeah I think you just go with your gut ultimately I have friends who I really trust who I tour with Gary Veter and Gary's such a great joke writer and I'll run jokes by and be like is this too harsh because I don't want to ever

I didn't feel those jokes about women were pandering to women I felt they were honest how I felt and I felt like I can playfully call out men and women because I'm gonna have more jokes about women because I'm straight

and I date women So my frustration is going to be more with women I date than just with my guy friends who I don't really fight with that much. But yeah, I mean, some of your relationship jokes are going to have bite and they're going to be like, I always think of them like music. Like it depends on the musician. Like Bob Dylan's, Colin Quinn has this great joke about how Bob Dylan, all his breakup songs are like, fuck you. Like, you know, how does it feel to be on your own? Like they're so angry. But, you know, I listen to Leonard Cohn a lot.

And his music, his breakup songs are pretty nice. They're pretty much like, I fucked up. That's the tone of it. You know, so it's like it's over now. It's like this is the journey. This is the, it's a different type of peace. So it's really like, where's your mind and where's your heart at? Are you still broken or are you kind of healed?

And now it's kind of funny to you. I mean, I have a joke. Oh, I like that actually. I have jokes about X's that I wouldn't. I'm like, oh, I'm not really. I was angry in that moment. And it hit, but I was angry. And I'm not angry anymore.

I'm kind of just like, oh, I'm at peace with it now. And, you know, in absence will make the heart grow fonder. So you don't think of that when you're in it, you're like, oh, my God, all we do is fight. And then after a while, you're like, ah, she was cool. We both have problems. It was a bad match, really. So sometimes you're in those relationships where you're just so frustrated because it's just not, and you like the other person. And when it's good, it's great, but you just can't get along.

And you get mad at the other person, but you're like, no, we're. just weren't right they're not a bad person we just weren't right for each other yeah but in the moment you can articulate that and it just comes out like oh fuck you you know but after six months you're just like yeah i hope i hope she's with someone who's better you know so that sets the tone sometimes you need to give yourself time you know sometimes you need to give yourself time do you ever think you wish that your ex is with someone better yeah i do for real for real for real yeah i don't you hope she suffers forever

I wish she's just chilling you hope she's in a wheelchair somewhere and then all of a sudden there's three guys and jumpsuits and three hockey sticks at the door the door man is upset I'm like how does it feel beyond your own no direction home

I get rolling home this is a man at peace man that's what this is I feel yeah I mean let's us to write that no this is a man at peace I think you know I struggle with knowing what the tone for like I'll have jokes hit all the way through

yeah I was in Oklahoma over the weekend and I had good pretty good shows I think but then I came and I did an hour at the cellar one of those like pop-up hours fab like pussy cat and I was like man some of these are getting groans I don't know why they're getting groans and uh wait some of the stuff from Oklahoma yeah some of the stuff that killed in Oklahoma I'm like wow this really killed and now I'm like well this what's got to me I like part of the reason I tour because I want to make it bulletproof. I want it to be really, really strong. But yeah, you do have to make judgment calls at the end of the day

and say, is this strong enough? I think that's probably one of the hardest parts and one of the most rewarding aspects of comedy is there comes a point when you have to decide how many is enough and whether or not you're even trying to go for the majority. Do you get what I'm saying? Because I think comedy a lot of the time

is like democracy in that. that the majority is not always right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's also like the majority's not always right. Yeah, for sure. You know, like, but that's a dangerous way to think. No, but I think it's the way we should think. Yeah. It is dangerous, but I think it's the way we should think because you go,

damn, if just because the most people are laughing at this joke doesn't necessarily mean that I have to believe that it's the best version of the joke. You know what I mean? And that's what I think is great about it, is that it's dangerous and that it's precarious and that is it's it's wrong and I always think comedy's like yeah it's like playing with nitroglycerin it's yeah man one wrong move and boom boom you know saying the wrong thing is thrilling so that's that's I get excited I get excited when something goes because also it's we're we're so blessed to get to perform for people that know us at the point like I people ask about like offend I'm like my crap

doesn't really ever get offended because they know who I am and they know that the motives aren't bad They know that all I'm trying to do is make them laugh. So if I missed them trying something new, I tried something over the weekend that fucking bombed. It was a Harvey Weinstein joke. I had a joke about, it's a bad joke. It was about how he hit on my friend. And then was like a gentleman.

He was like, oh, I'm so sorry. And I was like, you never hear that story? And I was like, yeah, because he did the other shit. Like, that was the angle of the bit. But it just didn't really hit. And I was like, all right. And they were just like, cool. Go to the next one.

They want me to throw shit at the wall. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They want me to like, and I find that comedy crowds are so sophisticated now that they like, they know the process. They know that we're all trying new stuff. And they actually, every once in a while, they'll be mad. I ran to a guy at a bar recently who goes, I saw you in Dania Beach. You were just reading out of a notepad. And I was like, well, I built it as a workout show.

He goes, well, I didn't read that. And I go, I don't know what to tell you. And he goes, the tickets were $40. I'm like, it's over. What do you want for me? This is what I have to do to write an hour. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I had a bad night at my show. And my, he wouldn't let it go. My friend was like, what the fuck is wrong with the guy? I don't know. Let's go to another bar. He was so, I was like, I never, that's never happened. I feel for that guy, though. Yeah.

Just take a moment to consider it from his perspective, right? You go out on a night. Let's say you bought tickets to like a Taylor Swift show. Yes. You go there. And then Taylor Swift is like strumming on a guitar, but like getting every, every note. Yeah, tuning it. Yeah, tuning.

And you're like, what am I doing here? go like, oh yeah, that wasn't like a real show. That's like a, you know what I mean? I get it from his perspective. Jaylor's just like, fuck John Mayer. And she's like, whoa, too much, too much. I'm working it out. I'm working the bit out.

Yeah, I'm working the bit. I'm angry. Yeah, I don't know. Sam is an MMA fighter who met a gym dummy that can talk. I was like, so you're not punching for real? Oh, that's exactly whatever. You are you not? Yeah.

Yeah, no. I saw she did Saturday. So that's what you do? I know. And you feel bad too, but I also like, I thought the crowd was in. I remember that gig. I was like, oh no, they were into it, I thought. Yeah, but I actually think what that man said to you

is the perfect encapsulation what I think has gone sort of wrong with society today. And I don't blame society for this. I think the system has put us in a situation where, you know, people love to talk about like cancel culture or one of the big things, people still ask me, I've seen them ask you, they go like, can comedians even tell jokes anymore?

Oh, aren't you so bored with that? Every time they ask me, I'm like, man, come on. They're like, are people, people are so sensitive. No, I'm actually quitting. You didn't hear? We're retired. People are so sensitive. of these days.

Nobody laughs. Nobody. And I'm like, no. They're trying to bond with you over that. Exactly. Now, let's bond over something else because I don't care. That's what it is. It's pretty much never a problem.

The only thing that worries me comedically is these tech companies that only care about ad sales, muting certain words. That's what worries me. When I see things like, you know, Instagram and they just bury, like, if you say the word Nazi and you're like. Oh, but they don't know the context. But they don't know the context, but some AI thing is being like, bury this post. It's like the word Nazi.

Exactly. Back to the book banning. But you're like, okay, but that, so I can't make a joke condemning Nazis? And I'm like, well, this is like Nazi shit. Yeah. You're not allowed to even say it. So then gay. Like, I think people like, they'll post jokes with the like, instead of kill yourself,

they'll be like, I unalived myself. And I'm like, so now you're changing speech. And this, it worries me that comics will start writing for the algorithm and stuff. And I also just think like, you know, they keep moving the goalposts in. And that's what, it doesn't worry me. about like oh you can't say this my worries about like them burying like you you build this following a certain way that's why i use this thing called punch up a lot now that's why i post a lot of my videos because youtube and and and uh and it's also nice to have like a free speech

thing that isn't like some crazed right wing thing like yeah i don't want to fucking be on rumble you know i don't want to i don't come follow me on rumble no just punch up is cool because it's just like you know instagram or youtube a lot of them just bury jokes that now that are just like, oh, this isn't aligned with our values. We're not sure what it even means, basically. It's like harder than Fallon. Like, you used to put a set together for a late night set for like Fallon or one of these late night shows. And they're like, you can't say this.

You can't. I remember Nick Griffin, who's one of the best late night set comics ever. Like his Letterman sets, I think, are like, go watch Nick Griffin on Letterman. You want to see like a master class on just joke writing. But they made him change a joke of his that I loved where he goes, you know, young women are filled with sugar and spice and everything nice. And I'm filled with anger and semen and shame. And I thought that was such like a poetic line. And they made him to change it to anger and Prozac in shame.

And I was like, seaman, first off, it's a clinical term. And secondly, the alliteration made it funnier and flow. I hate when they change. But he's like the king of late night where it's like, you got to open with self-deprecating stuff. And he just knew how to suck you in. It was great stuff. When I was on Letterman, I did a joke. And it was, I had a set.

and there was one part of the joke that had the word maybe oh it was Hitler Hitler was in the joke in one part of the joke and then there was another part of the joke where I talked about homeless people like you know and it wasn't it wasn't slamming homeless people at all who just talking about bumping into a homeless person and they came to me afterwards and I was like man I know the Hitler joke maybe you know what I mean and they came and they were like hey listen we love the set we just needed to change something and I was like yeah I know and they're like yeah man we don't want you to say homeless I knew that was coming. I was like...

Yeah. Wait, but the person was homeless. I was like, this is not... The joke doesn't go against the whole at all. Yeah. They're like, yeah. Would you rather... Can you rather say, like, crazy person or...

Yeah. Well, I was like... It's meaner. Yeah. I was like, I don't think the person was crazy. Yeah. I think they just... They were just homeless.

They're just homeless. Although I would rather be crazy than homeless. Well... Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. Wait, wait. I would choose homeless any day because I can always change my mind.

Crazy. I'm crazy. How do you know what you're crazy for? your mind, though. You might think you're homeless by choice? Yeah, but you can be temporarily homeless. Yeah, that's true. But temporarily, yeah, that's a big difference. Yeah, but you are. You're temporary homeless until you get a home. But they were weird. You're not the first comic I've heard. They're like, no homeless jokes on Letterman. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a weird homeless, though. They were doing a similar thing. They were just going the word homeless.

Yeah. We don't want, and you're like, no, I'm not making a joke about a person being homeless. They have homeless sponsors? Like, what? Why are you so mad? I don't get it. They had such weird rules on late night always. But I think this is the, this is, this is what we experience. Maybe in the world of, let's say, late night TV back in the day, and now it's becoming more ubiquitous when you look at major tech companies, I think it's because we live in a world where corporations are less concerned about the actual issue and more about the appearance of caring about the actual issue.

Do you know what I'm saying? So they don't care about a homeless person. They conduct studies. They just don't. Facebook, all these, like, studies, young women are suicidal because they can achieve their body types. And they're like, are you going to change anything? No, but we conducted the studies. Yeah.

That's it. Yeah. But the appearance of it's like football. They're like, this is really bad for your brain. Are you going to change anything? Ah, it's fucking, it's entertaining. No. We know guns are a problem.

Are we going to change anything? No. So it's going to change anything. We just want to know there's a problem. Oh, wow. That's all it is. And so that's what I think that guy reveals. It's like when a woman tells you her problem and you're just like,

You're just like, well, how can I fix it? She's like, I just wanted you to listen to the problem. That's basically what we're doing with everything in the country. That's all we're doing. We're just listening to it. Yeah, we're just listening. I never know why you have a problem. When I'm saying that guy revealed funny enough, the one who complained about the notepad,

he actually revealed what the real problem is, context. So when he's saying to you, I didn't read that, I didn't see that. He came to your show, not knowing that you're working material out. So to him, the promise that was sold to him was incorrect. He didn't have the context. And I actually think that's what's happened to comedy. in the world is that anyone who's in a comedy club, for the most part, they know that they're in a comedy club,

they know Samaril, they know Eugene Kozo, they know Trevor, they know that like, okay, you do a thing. But then what the internet does is it strips the context away, and then they'll just throw you up there and being like, the Jewish mafia, and it'll be like, look at this guy and what he said about, you know, and they just take a clip and no one tells you who Samaril is, they don't tell you about his family.

What's what they did with your White House speech? Yeah, it's become tribal. So it's like, we're looking. living in an echo chamber, this is, this is what will make me happy. And the algorithm knows you. I mean, it's sad when you realize, when you look at your explore page and you're like, oh my God, this knows me so well. Oh, it's crazy. And it's, and it realized how, oh, my God, it's the most mundane shit I've ever seen. Yeah. Like, my whole algorithm is dudes eating sandwiches. Wait. In their car and then, you don't see these? Because I guess I like watching

people eat. It's like a food network type vibe. I like, I like how you're saying this. Like, you're not sure about this of yourself. You're like, I guess, I guess I like watching people eat. Well, I don't think I actually enjoy it, but I keep. watching. Are they in a drive-thru? Are they, did have a tray? What was the first one you watched?

A lot of people who are just like, we're going to see if this sandwich is overrated or underrated, it's a lot of that shit. And you're just like, all right. And then you just watch them eat it. They'll be like, these are the top restaurants in this area. And I'm like, I don't, like, I like, I like, I like, I like, I like, I like, I don't think of myself as like a insane foodie. But I guess that a lot of my algorithm is like old basketball story.

So it would be like that and it would be like Kevin Garnett like, oh, man, I remember the time we busted LeBron's ass. I'm like, oh, this is my whole algorithm, you know? I sometimes think that we should switch algorithms. Like, I wish there was a system where you could say for a day, I just want to be in somebody else's algorithm completely. Like being John Malkovich? Yeah, I just want to, I just, because I think, to your point,

we're living in a world now where everything, that is one thing I do miss, even though it was less convenient. One of the things I do miss about like linear television was that you had to sit through so much shit that wasn't for you to get to the stuff that was for you. And you'd also find stuff that you didn't know you liked. That's exactly what I mean. So now I'm sitting through like murder she wrote with my mom.

Murphy brought on this on a Sunday night. Because I'm trying to get to the comedy, you know. If you asked me as a child, do you like Frasier without me knowing? And I was like, what is Frasier? And you're like, well, it's New York story. And this guy is Seattle. Seattle, sorry. And he's a therapist.

And this guy works on a radio station and the dad. I'd be like. And his brother's just basically him times 10. Yeah. And I'll just go like, I don't think this is for me. I would be like, listen, man. I'm eight years old. I don't think any of this is for me.

But when I think of Nile and that whole family, just because I had to sit through it, it became, do you know what I mean? It became like my thing. It's incredible that he was just, like, out of his mind, whacked out on drugs the first few seasons. And he's still, and Kelsey Grammer, and he's just bringing it still.

Oh, wait, I thought you meant the character. No, no, no. Kelsey Gramer was just on drugs the first few seasons. And they gave him interventions and stuff. Oh, he was killing it, though. Oh, he's unreal. I mean, he's like one of the best sitcom actors ever. Oh, yeah, easily.

But yeah, they became like... No, he was killing it. Good for him. He's a phenom, obviously. But then what? Did he stop? Did he... Yeah, he got sober. Oh, good for him.

The cast was like really loyal to him. Yeah, it's crazy. And then the show got canceled. No, it made it like 13 years. It's crazy. What was it? You know those stories where it ends like that? And then the cast came together like, Kelsey, you can't do this anymore.

And then he stopped. And it wasn't funny. And they got canceled. They're like, Kelsey, I'm going to need to take some of this shit right here. We brought a bag. That would be great, though, if he got sober. and he just were like, yeah, like, wow, you're really, you got to get back on this.

Yeah, man, you just got to, yeah, no, this is not working for us. Do you see yourself getting into film, TV, anything? I've written a bunch of stuff. Yeah, I wrote a, for yourself to be in? Yeah, I wrote, I'm making a movie with Gary Veter. It's like a mockumentary. I'm filming it now. It's like a, it's like spinal tap, but about my tour.

It's pretty fun. We got a lot of funny cameos in it. I'm really pleased with it. And then I wrote a movie with Mark Norman, hopefully we're going to film next year. You guys are funny, man. I love Mark. You guys are like funny, funny. I love that, dude.

And then we have, I wrote, dude, it's very hard to make shows. I wrote a show that I got Brian Cox, the actor attached to, and he's to play my dad, and we're basically, we're still having a hard time selling it, but I wrote it with Mike Lawrence, who's an incredible writer, just like a phenomenal writer. And we'll see if we can sell it, but it's, I mean, just getting Brian Cox to be like, yeah, I love this script, I'm in. It's crazy to see him on pitch calls, too, because his presence is, like, like unmatched.

It's the Brian Cox. He's a legend. Brian Cox, Brian Cox. Yeah, Succession, Brian Cox. Yeah, you think his first project after succession would be a slam dunk, but I guess they're looking at my face. They're like, ugh, I don't know. But I think the script is amazing.

I think that's how we got him. So I hope we figure that out. That's, I mean, that would be amazing. But I was so angry during pitches how long, because, you know, these companies, like, these people don't work. Like, you're like, said in a meeting with a company and they're like, cool, can you meet next month? And you're like, yeah, I guess.

next month sure and then they're like oh shit they're out on vacation this week and I'm like all right next week next week we're actually closed and then they're like okay well how about the day after they're like well that's MLK day we take that whole week off and you're like all right how about next year can we push next year so we did that

and it was literally and then on top of that you take like a month to hear after that so so and I'm so I'm a doer I'm not so that's why I'm making my own thing with Gary we have I think that movie's really good but then during the time I was so angry that no one was doing this.

I was like, I'm going to write another movie. So I just wrote a movie about like a basketball comedy. So I think I'm going to try to do something with that next year. I'll just, I'm going to tour a little less next year. I'm burnt out from touring on it. How many dates did you do? I don't know how many I did this year. I did like 50 in the first three months.

I mean, that's a hell of a lot. And then I'll do like weekends here and there just to kind of keep it tight. Yeah. So I'll do like theaters the first half of the year, but I'm doing some clubs again. I'm doing Europe coming up. So I'm pumped to go back to Europe. than like Chicago, New York, just stuff like that

to do like fun shows but I do a lot of the road. I'm surrounded by comics who are just psychos so when you come up with Mark Norman and guys like that

who are just like they never take a night off you're like oh if I don't do four sets in a night am I a piece of shit? I don't know so you're surrounded

by these kind of psychos it motivates you for sure oh man I'm excited I'm excited to see like where it goes how it goes because it's been fun watching, you know, I said this to you the other day when we're talking. I said something a lot of people don't get about comedy.

This is just my opinion, but is a lot of the time people will go, they'll say to me like, oh, that comic is funny and that comic isn't, and I go, no, no, no. Sometimes I think what you're missing is the time is just meeting up with the comic and their talents. Do you know what I mean? Louis C.K. was funny forever. And then something in and around the recession connected with him and people were like, this is my guy and this feeling connects with me and then they rolled.

It was him talking about his kids. Exactly. That broke him. Exactly. And then Kevin Hart was funny forever. And then something connected around that time. And people like, this is the guy. So I feel like there's so many comedians where people will tell a comedian, I don't know.

Or they're funny now. And I'm like, no, no, no, no. No, now is just catching up to their funny. And I feel like we're witnessing your nowness. So nice. No, but I mean this genuinely. I love comedy. I'll tell you this.

It's not even about niceness. I'm just, I love comedy so much. Yeah, no, I love what we do. I mean, I feel very fortunate. Like, I, I am excited. I'm almost always excited to work, which is pretty cool. Yeah.

I'm always, and like, even writing, I get pretty pumped to look over stuff. You know, I don't really feel drained from what I do. And that's why people are, like, wanting to take more time off. I enjoy it. I really do like it. I understand I have to do other stuff just to live, to have stories. But I'll do.

So many of my best. bits or me making a terrible drunken decision that led to a night of regret and I'm like oh that's a bit that's a story so I'll still do that I just think you know it's hard to not work when you love what you doing it yeah you found your purpose and I love I love going up and part of why I'm always at the comedy seller just like oh I just I live walking distance from there uh it's it's fun to just you know go up and just be like let me try these ideas well you know what's funny is people will often And not like the broader, but some people might judge a comedian for that.

They'd be like, you're always there. Yeah, I remember one saying this stuff. They're like, you're always at the cellar. And I was like, yeah, you're always in your office. Yeah. Every day, Monday to Friday, you are at the office from eight until five. And I'm only there for 15 minutes. What the hell are you doing?

Yeah, I might be here every day for like 45 minutes, an hour, two hours at most. It's like, yeah, you relax. You know what I mean? This is your office. And you love it at the same time. Yeah. You're torn like crazy, right? I've slowed down now.

So I spend more time in South Africa. I've slowed down. down I uh because because you know what it is is there's an interesting thing that happens and it can happen to you anywhere in the world but america is very good at amplifying this gun violence is America is the land of more yeah right so if you can do 50 dates You want to do 60 dates? Yeah.

You want to do 70 dates? You know, we can add a second show that night. Yeah. What do you think about a third show? Have you ever done those? How many four? You know, afternoon shows have gotten real popular. You could do a 1 p.m. and then 5 p.m.

And the thing I've learned is one of the reasons America is the economic powerhouse of the world is because it's the land of more. Like quarterly earnings, get that money up, pump that thing, get it going. But I also think one of the reasons it's, you know, one of the most. like depressed, violent and unequal places despite how much money it has is because it's the land of war. So the thing I'm trying to search for in life is that balance, like you're saying.

I don't ever want to hate comedy because I chased the money side of comedy and not the comedy side of comedy because none of us here got into it for the money originally. There wasn't the money. Remember that time? I mean, I was like,

I was so satisfied to be just like a guy who played clubs on the road forever. It's the best feeling in the world. I was just like looking at people who had that career and I was like, that would be amazing. It's the best feeling in the world, yeah. Because I remember the first time you started headlined,

you're like, this is amazing. It's my show. I get to, you know, it's so cool. So, yeah, the money is great, but, and obviously, you know, there is that fear that it could go away and all that stuff. But, yeah, no, it's so freaking fun. I mean, I think comedy movies are fun. I love movies.

So I want to do, there's other stuff I want to do, but stand-up's always going to be number one. That will be the base. Yeah. Hopefully, if we leave this earth before seeing you make some sort of noir comedy slash something slash something. Oh, play Luigi Mangione. It would have been.

Oh, dude, I'm not in good enough shape for that. Come on. That kid was ripped. I mean, that's the whole point, the transformation. The transformation? I think I'm too old, too. No, that's the transformation. Come on, we got AI.

Come on, man. Oh, yeah, but we saw that in the Irishman. That was rough, dude. You don't want to see old-ass Sam shooting a guy. All right, before we wrap up, give us a list of movies. We've got to watch. Everyone says this about you. They go Samaril, the movie bus.

I just like movies. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't say that. Yeah. You are like a savant when it comes to you. You don't just like movies. I like movies.

I'm the kind of guy who'll recommend leatherheads. I like, I just like movies. You know movies. Give us five movies we have to watch. So what's the one you said on the bus that everyone started? Oh, that was called The Big Heat. It's a cool movie. It's a cool movie.

It's like a cop, unhinged cop, revenge movie. And this actress Gloria Graham is. Graham is in it as well. And she was, like, awesome actress of her era. She's in, it's a wonderful life. She's in, um, in this great Humphrey Bogart movie called In a Lonely Place. And she's famous for banging her stepson

and then marrying him. In real life. In real life. Oh, damn. And that got her like basically thrown out of Hollywood, but she's a great actress. Council culture. Yeah.

Damn. Yeah, dude. She was, uh, she was a wild one. But then, uh... Yeah, that's more than just a wild one. Big Heats a good one. Banging your stepson is more than just a wild one. I'll go another old man.

Noir from the 40s called Double Indemnity. That's like the prototype. Okay. It's like it's perfect. It's like 90 minutes. I love a 90 minute movie, tight script, hard, hard, killer dialogue. Okay.

And yeah, it's Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwick, and you got to know Edward G. Robinson. I mean, old school, like talks like this, shit, like that talk. Love that. Sunny. Yeah. And I'll give you one more noir from those old ones. I just love these movies because the scripts are airtight.

And for a movie to stand the test of time, like 80 years old, to me, you have to have such a tight script and has to be relevant. You know, like, it has to hit into feelings of like, you know, morality that haven't changed. So out of the past is a big one for me. Robert Mitchum, awesome movie. I now, I'll go a little more modern. Let me think modern. Fuck. Should I go all noir?

Yeah, just go on. We know modern. Just give us like, okay. We have 15 hours like coming up from. that not enough people have seen. Sam or Amy movie called A Simple Plan. I love that movie. That's in the 90s.

That's an awesome one. Who's on it? Bill Paxton, RIP, great actor. He was in a lot of movies. Billy Bob Thorndon. Bridget Fonda. Good cast. Billy Bob's unreal in it.

It gives this monologue in it that it breaks you. It's so good. I'll go another shit, man. This one's kind of obvious, but I love it. Fargo. Killer. Okay. That one.

All right. I love that one too. I've seen one. You've seen Fargo? Fargo's killer, right? At least I've got one. Yeah. This is good.

I've got a 15-hour flight coming up. Yeah, man, you're going to do it. Yeah. Hell yeah. I'll send you some more if you want. Yeah, we'll take them. Yeah. Man, and come join us again.

I would love to, man. It's great talking to you guys. Thanks for coming through. Thanks for being sweating with us. Can I tell you Carnegie Hall, December 4th? Do you have like a website? Yeah, samarl.com slash shows. Or you could just go to punchup.

dot live slash Samarrel. Okay. Everything's there. But yeah, I'm all over, London, Dublin, Paris. Which one of these has a notepad and which one doesn't? None of them. Okay, no notepad. I'm locked in right now.

There's no not. I just want, I don't want the same thing to happen. It's a locked in a show. All right. No notepad. I've never been to a lot of these places. I've never been to Berlin. I've never been to Milan.

I'm doing shows these places. So I'm pumped. Oh, you're going to love Berlin. I'm pumped. You're going to love Berlin. I'm excited. That's one of my favorite places to do comedy. I'm excited.

Yeah, I'm all over. Do you have any recommendations as to where he could go in Berlin? There's a sex club I've heard about. Perhaps a nightlife kind of excursion where he might go. Oh, Bergheim. Oh, there. Is that the sex club? Oh, have you heard of it?

I don't think, I don't think to call it a sex club is to diminish it. It's like it's focusing on the aspect of it that is the most shocking to most people. Gotcha. But Bergheim is also arguably the best nightclub in the world. Right. I think they've won the award for best sound system 10 years running, maybe more. Really? Yeah, but like easily.

It was one of the best sound systems because it's perfectly in phase. So you don't even realize how bad most sound systems are when you go out. Until. Because the sound is just loud. And then the sound system at Bergheim is so perfectly tuned that you can have a conversation like this while the music is like thumping away. Because the sound waves are perfect. Does that make sense? It's like perfectly caribated.

The room is measured, everything. Any DJ you talk to in the world. who's like a DJ DJ. They go, man, playing at Bergheim. Because people will go there to dance from Friday night until Monday night, I think. Is it? Are you a dancer?

Oh, I love it. I'm not really a dancer. It doesn't matter. If you can get into Bergheim, go. Like, if you can get in, go. But you might not. It's a tough... Yeah, but it's not a tough door because it's fancy.

It's tough door because they're just like, you're not going to fit the vibe. Yeah, I'm probably not going to fit this. What's the vibe inside there, and? The vibe is just whatever. It started as a, it was like a gay club originally And then like, it was just like very free and non-judgmental And then I just, I think they want to maintain that

They're just like, yo, don't come judgey vibes here, don't come Sam would fit right in there Yeah, you would actually He's a non-judgy guy, he just wants to have a good time Not judy at all Yeah, just go in there I judge a little, but it's like I pick apart But I'm like, nah, but you're good

That's usually where I'm mad That's fine, that's fine, that's fine You know who would also fit in there? A photographer based on what he did in the bus Don't remind me Don't hotbox that bus. When you find out what happens at Bergheim, you'll understand the little nugget this man left you with.

All right, Samarrow. Thank you, man. Appreciate it, buddy. Thank you, guys. This episode is presented by Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market is the place to get everything you need for Thanksgiving, with great prices on turkey, quality organic produce, grab-and-go sides, and everyday low prices from 365 brand.

You can prep for the holiday with big savings. Shop everything you need for Thanksgiving now at Whole Foods Market. What Now with Trevor Noah is produced by Day Zero Productions in partnership with Sirius XM. The show is executive produced by Trevor Noah, Sanaziamen, and Jess Hackle. Rebecca Chain is our producer. Our development researcher is Marcia Robiou. Music, mixing and mastering by Hannes Brown. Random Other Stuff by Ryan Hardoof.

Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for another episode of What Now. Thank you.