#343: How To Resurrect What You Thought Was Once Dead w/ Mo Mandel
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
fucking podcast shit jackie mason people movie funny comedy episodes joke tampa minutes weird comedian jewish julio years town cities shows
SPEAKERS
Law (51%), Speaker 2 (41%), Speaker 3 (3%), Matt (1%)
Loading Transcript
Law Smith
0:02
This is a good Jewish jindao podcast, isn't it? We got Moe Mandell, stand up comedian, actor, producer writer had an awesome show and discovery Plus, you can look that up on your Roku TV things streaming whatever. For small town throwdown. This is sweat equity podcast in streaming shows. The number one comedy business business comedy podcasts in the world. Dynamic entrepreneurial advice and real RAW Talk. No apologies. Isn't that right, Liz? Oh, suck my pussy from behind. All right. Okay, we get it. We're 2020s best small medium enterprise business advisor podcast in United States in 2020 ones and 2021 best podcast and streaming entertainment studio eastern United States mirror embedded rewards hosted by corporate vision magazine. Listen to us on iTunes, Apple podcasts, Spotify, everywhere you listen with your earholes give us a five star review write any holes in any Orpheus
1:10
if you can hear through your other holes.
Law Smith
1:13
If you can hear through your asshole you can be a guest on this show. Hit us up sweat equity pod.com And we need video for this episode is sponsored by our new sponsors. Gut intelligence test settlements, you want to know the flora and fauna. You want to gut biome diagnostic tests, I want to know what's going on in my belly. I want to know what's going to tell me how I can optimize my life hit 70% off via biomes gut intelligence test and supplements with our link for Health Insights, personalized food recommendations, and precision supplements formulated just for you and you get to mail your food to somebody you get to mail your poop in. That's how they used to do it. The gut biome test. The link for that hookup is in the episode description that get this Yo yo, what's up, man? How you doing? Man? Yeah.
2
Speaker 2
2:37
What's up sweet JC VD shirt? Yeah.
2:41
You know what that stands for?
Law Smith
2:43
Oh, Jesus Christ. Very,
2:47
might as well be used to me tell you that much. I mean, that's the thing for me. Love John Claude Van Damme?
Law Smith
2:57
Well, we kind of so
3
Speaker 3
2:58
it's such a rejuvenating experience to sit down and just watch it.
Law Smith
3:03
What Moe doesn't know. This is a this was all ruse. This isn't sweat equity. This is the J CVD. Podcast thought about doing it we just talked about.
2
Speaker 2
3:13
I legitimately for four episodes had a podcast in the beginning of pandemic called John Claude Sean. John Claude Van Damme girl, and it was gonna be action movie podcast. I made four episodes. I was like, yeah. Okay, cool. So you work that out for me ahead of time. All right, cool. Well, did I sell the artwork? You buy it off?
Law Smith
3:37
Can you NFDA what is the what is the what I love? JCVD? Not I don't think as much as y'all. What? What did you glean out of those four episodes? Did you gain any insight?
2
Speaker 2
3:51
Well, I mean, you know, it's funny. I was I had sold a movie that I was getting paid to write, there was an action movie right before COVID. So we're locked down. And I was like, going back and watching all these old movies. And my wife was like, Yeah, you like watching these movies so much. You're so excited about wanting to do a podcast, but I was like, That's a great idea. So I'll just have different comedians Come on, and we'll talk about you know, our favorite old movies and old and then I realized like, it was just sort of like guys like getting excited talking about a movie from like, 1980 I just don't think you're going deep enough. Like there's a guy's neck that was awesome.
Law Smith
4:33
Well, I mean, time cup could be a whole season series of episodes right there
3
Speaker 3
4:37
such nuance to these movies that you got to pick up on. I mean, for one thing, John Claude Van Damme, he's got to be one of the most prolific actors, and the guy was making action movies every year and a half for I don't know. 40 years. How old is the 81?
Law Smith
4:52
I don't know, man. You lit up like a pinball machine. I haven't seen you this excited. Exactly.
4:58
Yeah, this is the other shirt. I have with actors on
Law Smith
5:01
this is your Bo Jackson yeah man crush Hall of Fame.
2
Speaker 2
5:04
I think you should take the take take the the torch run with it. Although, you know, it's so funny. Like with fucking podcasting like there's every idea has been done so I was like oh John Clark Yeah, I looked up like nine other John
Law Smith
5:20
I know but we we do that because we have the comedy angle to be unique but it doesn't and even then like because we're so we're so in our head about this has to be original there's no cover bands and comedy and we try to carry that in everything else and it's like Look there's a lot of business podcasts out there there's a lot of comedy podcasts out there. We're just happy we're always saying like if we just have a good amount of listeners or just us to talking in a room for whatever amount of time to someone like yourself for just have a good conversation. You know like that's good enough.
5:54
John Claude choses button like every movie.
5:58
Yeah, we could also just go back to John Claude
Law Smith
6:00
mess shorts. Idea. We're doing yeah JCVD dude, he says
6:06
he does show us but a lot that had to have been in the contract. Oh yeah, there's a lot of gratuitous oil that he
Law Smith
6:11
no hair on his ass I believe like he's very hairless got no, he's almost Asian in that way. Yeah, another weapon that took that to a screeching halt.
2
Speaker 2
6:22
In this climate if anyone identifies anyone by any race or anything I just sort of ignore I doubt it. I just I just don't engage in anyone's I don't I don't ever know how it be interpreted in like eight years.
Law Smith
6:33
Are you that? Are you that concerned with that kind of stuff?
2
Speaker 2
6:38
No, gives a fuck what I'm doing. But yeah. But it is sort of fine. Sometimes I do think about like, cuz I look at I had to submit a script the other day for something and it was only like six years old. And I reread it. I was like, God damn. This was like written for NBC races. They were fine with it.
Law Smith
6:59
I was thinking about this today. Calling people of color seems more racist than anything else. When I read that. Right thoughts. Anybody
3
Speaker 3
7:08
will say colored people, right? Like I don't What color were they? Why?
Law Smith
7:12
Why? Why are we doing that?
3
Speaker 3
7:14
Yeah. Why is that? Why do we keep talking? What do we keep talking about it? You mean? I
2
Speaker 2
7:18
mean, I don't know. But I think us three white dudes should figure it out to get it figured out. Well, anyway, guys, you get it done.
Law Smith
7:25
Well, at least you have the Jewish side to you. You got that? That kind of counts for something. Right?
2
Speaker 2
7:31
That's always that's always been a real feather in our cap over the last 2000 years.
Law Smith
7:35
I'm a Gentile that wants to be Jewish. I'm the most Jewish Gentile. I'm all about it. I'm brought
3
Speaker 3
7:42
wrapped in a Star of David wrapping paper. So why don't you?
Law Smith
7:47
Well, that's that's because it's really gifted. Oh,
7:51
even you'd even wrap it.
Law Smith
7:52
Oh, no, I wrapped it. I'm in my games getting good. No, I love I love my Jewish friends. How there. A lot of them are intelligent. A lot of them are very family oriented. usually have a good work ethic, you know, sometimes sometimes pushed by fear or insecurity. But still, what Jewish people's like what? How many 2% of America? I think maybe, maybe, where'd you get? Something like that? I don't know. I feel like I pulled out my ass but I think we all feel that maybe 0.2 I don't know. I'm gonna look it up over time.
8:28
Would we listen to the second one?
Law Smith
8:29
How about this? How about this? I always love how how funny. Almost all my Jewish friends are. They're not hysterical. But like they're mediocre. Really funny. No, I'm just saying not all of them are fucking hilarious. Gentile Funny. Funny, but I'm Presbyterian funny, which isn't very high on the ranking is what I'm saying is they're not as funny as mo Mandell was what I was gonna say. Wow, really? Up on that?
2
Speaker 2
8:58
That? That Jesus killing thing that was just, that was just a bit. Yeah. Yes,
Law Smith
9:06
yeah. Pontius Pilate was in on it, dude.
2
Speaker 2
9:09
He knows. Some people even get it. Love your workshop. And I have
Law Smith
9:13
a thing for Israeli chicks. I love Israeli chicks. They're the hottest really that really? I love I don't know, I like the work ethic. But mainly I really like the camaraderie even if they're if the Jews person isn't funny. They recognize funny. I feel like I don't know. Yeah, everything. This is like really deep. Every everything surrounds on on notching. It's all about eating food.
2
Speaker 2
9:37
Yeah. And it really dovetails with the beginning of our conversation because John Claude is Orthodox Jew, of
9:43
course. Yeah, obviously. Everybody knows that.
Law Smith
9:44
Yeah, yeah. How does he
3
Speaker 3
9:46
never takes the yarmulke off only has a hair colored. It's the exact same as his hair
Law Smith
9:52
makes a lot of sense movies. If he's orthodox can do electricity, you know that? On the on the Sabbath, so he's probably just kicked by all day like, no electronics. Nothing. No, no, nothing from you know, wait,
10:05
you're on the seventh you can only turn on the lights by jump kicking.
Law Smith
10:08
We used to jump kick a Gentile to kick it on. Yeah, it's a double kick. Look, man, I'm glad we kind of reconnected. It's been a while since we've talked. I think the last time we hung out, you were doing the Tampa improv. And all I can remember it was the last episode of Breaking Bad, I think. And we were trying to figure out you were doing a show with Mike Stanley, who was also a very good headliner. And I remember he'd be like, god dammit, dude, you can't put this feature on fucking, he's not a feature. He's fucking headliner. And then I was like, Let's go watch Breaking Bad. You're like, I'm too fucking pissed. It was like a Sunday night show didn't matter at all. I think you were like, I got I
2
Speaker 2
10:47
do remember that weekend? Yeah, cuz Mike is like, he is very funny. And he was like, featuring which he should have been doing he was clearly trying to like make a statement to the club that he shouldn't be featuring. Yeah, just got there like demolishment 20 minutes. Yeah,
Law Smith
11:00
he like murder and then it was like, But you you you put yourself in this own hole. You were murdering too, but you felt like you weren't. And I was like, I had to be like, the the batter. The batter girlfriend like no, you're doing good.
11:17
You know how we secure comedians?
Law Smith
11:19
Yeah, yeah,
11:20
but I get that metaphor. How you're a battered woman.
Law Smith
11:24
Yeah, well, you're just like, you're doing great. Like, I you know I
11:29
where you're afraid I was gonna strike you Right exactly.
11:32
What do we not
Law Smith
11:33
know about? Oh, he did put up the what do you Max pair Jewish boxer. Let's go back
11:42
to 1912 Wow. Hey, guys,
Law Smith
11:44
that's pretty good pool for me to be here. No. And, and you have been good to me. Since I was like a little jabroni comic, you know, asking you for advice and stuff. Yeah, you helped us get to San Francisco punchline so I like to be grateful when anybody comes on the show. If there's anything like that, that maybe I didn't say thank you for previously like 2008
2
Speaker 2
12:07
Awesome. I'm glad I did that. I don't quite remember that. But that's awesome. Yeah, you are like were you on a tour? It was like you and
Law Smith
12:12
Nick off. Yep. Yeah, we had the walk of shame. And then we did one with Susan G. Komen. I know you from before we realized Susan G. Komen doesn't do any research and they're all that awareness we didn't know that at the time
3
Speaker 3
12:25
right? You aware you're using my shit? Well if I'm gonna sue
Law Smith
12:29
No, no no we were we worked with him we went to the Dallas headquarters and for them I had to write a business plan and send it to him to submit and all that stuff to work with him Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Bunch of stuff. You both are given me like diarrhea face he
12:43
wrote this plan dude. Yeah, for
Law Smith
12:45
a tour. I'm
2
Speaker 2
12:46
sometimes I look at myself doing these zoom podcasts and I have like a rescue bizarre like weird face and I'm like, why am I doing it? I don't know what it is. It's like I'm squinting at the screen so your face to what law was saying? That was just Yeah, it's like, I noticed that when I do any kind of like film thing I was doing I did like an episode where you that's where we got in contact and tag you text me after that did Corolla? Yeah. And there's like one listen to him talk in certain moments. I just noticed my faces like, like in this fucking bizarre. I don't know what it is. It's not resting. bitchface it's like resting, like dementia. Like confused and sort of scared. I don't know what it is.
Law Smith
13:20
Yeah, it well, first off,
3
Speaker 3
13:21
it's like, did he just say what I think he said he's not a great look. It's like I'm almost mad, but I'm not mad yet. Say it one more time. And that's the face. Yeah,
Law Smith
13:32
you're listening faces bemused. It's, it's like, confused, amused, not sure. Somewhere in the middle of something like that. But yeah, so
2
Speaker 2
13:40
then I try to I try to remedy it by purposely like kind of holding a smile on rather than looking at you look like Hillary Clinton when she's
Law Smith
13:49
like you have a Corolla. It was good. It was a I listened every morning. Kind of as I'm getting up and stuff. So it's a good surprise to see you're on as a guest. You had an amazing Jackie Mason gig. I, my my worst gig ever was opening forum. And I was like, oh, man, I loved every second of it. If you didn't give the cliffnotes you don't have to do the whole thing but just you shot a movie with them that may have
14:18
but then you got to tell me yours though. Because I don't know that. Of course.
Law Smith
14:21
I'll tell you everything and I'll sweat the whole time.
2
Speaker 2
14:25
i Yeah. When I first basically got got an agent Daniele them to represent Jackie Mason. And I had told them that like you know, my I was a huge Jackie Mason fan even though you know he wasn't like you know Shakeel anymore at the time, of course, but this was in 2009. And so then at some point like that that year, like he was producing some like indie movie you know, low budget, whatever movie in the line you want to send you want to audition so I didn't actually got it and so I went and shot a movie with him in the Newark courthouse in Newark, New Jersey. Good luck. The phone. Yeah, yeah. Beautiful place to go. Yeah. And I shot it for a month in the in this one room was one of those fucking stupid movies that all takes place in one room and rip ah, you know, satire. That's what it was yes. Ridiculous. Like, I think he was only there because his wife wanted to do it was producing it. He didn't even I don't think he even had read the script. Didn't have the lines memorized at all. And we kind of have to feed him like line by line. It was ridiculous.
Law Smith
15:28
Oh, my favorite part is when you tell him your comic. And he tells you to tell them a joke, right?
2
Speaker 2
15:34
Yeah, like every day, I would tell him because I knew his act by heart. I still know his whole his whole life special. But
Law Smith
15:40
you grew up listening to him to your parents, I think right? Yeah,
2
Speaker 2
15:43
totally. I mean, for Jewish people of a certain generation. Jackie man's nation is like the biggest deal. Yeah, he was such a big deal for like Jews and my parents.
Law Smith
15:52
Caddyshack too, bro. Yeah, yeah.
2
Speaker 2
15:55
Caddyshack, too. Exactly. And like all the standard stuff. So I would always tell him like, oh, you know, I'm a comedian. You'd be like, oh, yeah, you're a comedian, and he would never remember. And then finally the last day, he goes, Okay, you're a comedian. Tell me a joke. And so I did my best joke at the time, which I thought he would like because it's kind of a rip off. One of his jokes was like, I got a friend who's half black and half Jewish, she can open a history book up to any page and go fuck he just goes, he just goes you know that jokes. Only funny because you say fuck. That's right. No, I mean, he's kind of right. I tried it many times without saying fuck, and it never really got the same.
Law Smith
16:34
Weird. Yeah, you might didn't feed back. My only way I'd on when I heard that. I have thought about that since I heard you say it on the on girls podcast. And I was like, you know, the only thing I could think you could do with that joke was like the Mike Birbiglia Thank fuck, but don't say it. Like, you know how you kind of would dance around it, but pretty much say say it in a different way without actually saying it. You know, I'm saying, right, right. You know,
2
Speaker 2
16:59
another funny thing about that joke is that is the only joke that I know of that somebody just outright stole from me. Seems to be this guy. The obvious door was like a. I don't know if he was a door guy, but he's like a low level comic would hang on the Comedy Store like 2010 or 2011. And I remember him starting to do a joke. I'm like, do this. You know, like, I did that on Comedy Central. It's six months ago. So it's probably not the best joke to steal. It's like, oh, no, I didn't I don't know. I have a cousin who's half black.
Law Smith
17:27
I had to do a weird
17:29
that it was worded again. Yeah, in the
Law Smith
17:31
book. I have a book I had a dude steal a joke for me in the same show. And then do it. Like I was hosting at room five on the on the briah. It was LJ Montenegro, I think was the stage name. And like huge, jacked black dude. And I joke about like, I think it was about like, some about like, rappers get a shout outs for for MLK, Malcolm X and stuff what they should be. I know that y'all. I love this job. Give a shout out for Lincoln and just like rain, make it rain. Five $5 bills. He got up did the same thing verbatim. And then I was like, he's too. He's bigger than like, he could kill me. So I was like, I remember. I was like, ah, yeah. Again, same joke. He like yeah, he Def Jam did up. And like it did better. And I was like, better. Yeah. And he was like, yeah, man, that jokes.
18:28
I can see that now. I would think it
2
Speaker 2
18:31
was like Toto. So the joke is hilarious. I always liked that joke, but it is funnier for black guys. For sure. Sort of like a better point. Well, it funnier
18:39
that he did it because you already said it too.
2
Speaker 2
18:41
That's actually pretty funny that he actually said
Law Smith
18:45
the crowd realized that's not cool. I think there's an LA proud to have them in there. Um,
18:52
I actually think it would be hilarious.
Law Smith
18:55
It was just like,
18:55
No, that guy. He is humongous. Yeah.
Law Smith
18:59
And he's, I don't know, it was just like, did he know he was doing that? He just came off, like really positive. And I was like, I don't I don't know how to handle this at all. I think it was like three years in of doing
2
Speaker 2
19:11
so funny. The other day, I got a chance to open up for Hasan Minaj. And he was doing this huge theater of like, two shows in this place of like 2500 seater. And I hadn't seen him in a while and and you know, he's got Hassan does his whole show. Now we have like multimedia components. And it's like a one man show. And right before we go on, he sort of like he asked me because I was what did your wife do on my go? She's a urologist. He's like, he's like, Oh, I go. He goes oh, man, I'd love to talk a lot about Urology. He's like, because I do all this fertility stuff that I've been doing and a lot of my my active beginnings about that. I'm like, Wait, you're not talking about fertility stuff. I was like that's exactly what I was about to talk about. Oh, yeah, don't do that. I'm like, oh shit. Right before I go on stage. I like completely scrapped the 15 minutes I was gonna talk about It went fine. It actually went really well. But I was just like, Thank God, it didn't talk about it because the first 10 to 15 minutes of his thing. And it's so similar to what I was talking what. So
Law Smith
20:13
what's so weird is we're kind of all up in our own head and not to be organized to even like, kind of check in on that, even though it feels weird. Even if you're the headliner saying it to someone, like, Hey, what are you going to talk about? Because you're like, I should be able to talk, I should be able to navigate anything kind of if you're headlining. But at the same time, it's like when urology is pretty specific. I know. But I'm saying like, right, but yeah, we there are guys that come that you open for that will be like, What are you talking about? And you're like, Oh, my God, I don't know. Yeah, they're like, we're going on five minutes. And it'll come to me. And the thing
2
Speaker 2
20:47
is, like, ordinarily, I'm sure he wouldn't give a fuck, and I wouldn't give him advice. But he since he has a multimedia show, it's like, Oh, right. It's like script. Like there's music user sound cute video, so he couldn't just not do it. Yet. I mean, so like, if I would have gone up there and been like, man, you know, so hard to get away for the ovulation cycle this and then he talks about that. It's so annoying. I'm so glad I did that. He told me that. I was able to change it. 15 minutes. It was easy. It was still a great set. It was easy, but it was still like, oh, shit, that would have been?
Law Smith
21:17
Yeah. 15 minutes for you. I mean, you I do. Remember you had kind of prolific and having so many jokes and just being like a factory and kicking them out. Like, that's got to be kind of nothing for you. Like, at this point, especially if you've been doing it. How long? 20 years?
21:34
I think it's like 6000 years now, I
Law Smith
21:36
think. Yeah. Yeah.
2
Speaker 2
21:38
I mean, it was like 6000 out of the 20 years. I know we were you said you saw what I wrote on Instagram. But yesterday was no I don't think it's been 20 minutes.
Law Smith
21:44
You just came in from Canada, your punch your worst flight
21:49
experience I've ever had.
21:51
Get into it. Tell me Tell us. Dad hate
2
Speaker 2
21:55
on here. So I get picked up an edit in Canada, where it's like negative 1000 degrees. By 15. In the morning.
Law Smith
22:04
Yeah, you realize, like, when you're booked in the cold places in the winter time, and the hottest shit places in the summertime, you're like, I gotta I gotta step it up a little bit.
2
Speaker 2
22:15
But the weird thing is, those are the only those are the best times that go because more people come to the club. Right? Right. No, right is it is taxing on your physical well being. So I get to the airport at 545 My flight took like, seven so I should be fine, you know. And amazing at 730. But it's one of those things where like, I couldn't check in on the machine because American backs cards are not the same as Canadian backs. Proof would wait in the checkout line is like an hour long. Wait by time I get up there. My plane leaves in 4543 minutes. And their rule is you have to check in 45 minutes before I'm like, but I literally couldn't because you're fucking lies. And so I missed that flight. It's a nightmare. So then, instead of flying from Vancouver to Portland, where I was going, like you have to fly from here to Calgary to Vancouver. to Seattle deport me there's something insane. It was like it was just gonna be like a three flight monster and I was like, This is crazy. So I fly to Calgary. wait around for three hours right as I'm going through security, they cancel my flight. Oh, so that I have to like wait another three and a half hours to take another flight to fucking Vancouver. I think it was like the whole day ended up being like a 15 hour journey. It was just
Law Smith
23:29
unbelievable. How are the shows in Edmonton? I heard that's like, Texas of Canada. Like it's
23:35
that very say yeah, very rednecky.
Law Smith
23:37
Kind of,
2
Speaker 2
23:38
you know, Canadian redneck II mean is not Tampa redneck.
3
Speaker 3
23:42
All right. Oh, hey, shots are still north of Minnesota.
2
Speaker 2
23:46
But right. It's like they still have like, you know, free health care. Education. So, like, I feel like every rednecky thing of Canada, like that just kind of brings it down to Connecticut. Here. Yeah, exactly. It's
Law Smith
23:59
a PG 13. Texas. That's the way I thought about it. Like it's just a watered down, kind of, you know, kind of a quieter redneck.
2
Speaker 2
24:08
It is one of those funny gigs and, you know, like, we're, like, I have been to Edmonton now twice. I can't say I've ever seen more than the four blocks around the mall. Like he just stayed near the mall. You hang out in the mall the whole time. And then it's like so many cities I've been to on this comedy journey. And I really only know like the four blocks around the club and the condo. Yeah, well,
Law Smith
24:29
if you forget how like, you think you're going to you'll have these moments where you're like, I'm gonna you know what, see the world this is gonna be different. I'm gonna see the city this time. And then you're like, Fuck, I'm fuckin tired. Like I'm I'm gassed to show
2
Speaker 2
24:44
Uber to downtown 20 bucks No, I don't think
Law Smith
24:48
and your friends like Hey bro, what time you go on and like the shows a 10 just go at 10 Like I can't I don't know. Don't I'm not giving you a minute marker. You're never that punctual ever in our friends. You know like that kind of shit and really you want to hang out before the show no, no I don't know I'll be pacing around or doing nothing. I want to sleep you know
25:09
where are you before shomo pensive
2
Speaker 2
25:15
depends I mean if like if I'm just sort of like you know working on some new shit that I'm not I don't know it kind of depends like if it's a scary as room like most you know rooms you know usually you know you feel like you can do your thing but this summer was we you know but like there's not gonna be into what you're really your your vibe is and so then it'll be a little more nerve wracking. Yeah until you get them going.
Law Smith
25:37
I like going through the room a little bit not and just kind of feeling it just feeling like even before the show starts and like you can kind of get a feeling like this crowd is going to be rowdy or this crowd is going to be tough or tight or whatever whatever that is. But you're like help like this and then you then you put like a doughnut on your own bat. Yeah, but you see my You do seem a lot more chill I don't know if that's the sleep deprivation but you do seem like you have a more chill demeanor now is that is that because you have a successful podcast the full release with Dr. Success
2
Speaker 2
26:11
Oprah podcast we haven't done it a year. I was pulling up
Law Smith
26:15
I was pulling up all the like what plugs Do you have?
2
Speaker 2
26:18
Oh, I'm really focused on building my my YouTube thing right now. So people go to momen Dell on YouTube. I'm putting up a lot of different Stanhope clips and videos. And part of what I was doing in Edmonton is I filmed my new hour so I'm hoping that between that and some other tape I can try to like submit to try to get like a special or something like that
Law Smith
26:35
nice man or or do the YouTube route like all the New York guys are doing. Yeah,
2
Speaker 2
26:40
maybe that if I can get the numbers up, but I don't know. It's interesting. Why did I seem chiller I you know, I guess I mean, I'm married. I'm happily married a great wife. You know, I'm a little older. So probably chemically, I'm a little more. But yeah, I don't know what to think what I was doing. I was Tampa was like still drinking?
Law Smith
26:59
No, no, I'm also I'm talking like all interactions. Not just like the last time I saw you in person, but like, you know, you had you had some energy to Yeah, I'm saying like, this is a more chilled McConaughey version of
27:12
yeah, I've been getting a lot of McConaughey comparisons lately.
27:14
Yeah.
27:15
I'm glad you picked up on
Law Smith
27:16
anybody watching this on videos. Like when will they say God damn, how did they get my car? Well, how was that show you we're doing small town showdown. I really love the premise of it. Because I really, I don't know, maybe it's the Tampa in me. But I you know, I always used to get mad like, we'd watch ESPN. They never do any small small city highlights because doesn't doesn't help their bottom line kind of thing. Like they'll be like, and the Bucks lost again, we'll show you one highlight kind of thing. And you're like, fuck, so I always had this weird, like reverence for these small cities, especially after touring like a Texarkana. And like, everyone's like, you're like the mayor of the town. If you do a show there that doesn't have comedy or anything. I'm wondering how that show went for you. Was it fine? Was it exhaust? Yeah.
2
Speaker 2
28:06
Well, a small town throwdown was yeah, sorry. It's okay. You were very close. He got the first the first part of it. And that's really the most important part. That show was an idea I had for years and I was trying to get, like, get it going. And the idea is that you go to these towns that have like really bad reputations and give the town a chance to kind of like redeem itself I love that. Yeah, yeah, it's known as like this the the grossest town America or the ugliest town or the I love unhealthy down
Law Smith
28:37
love is always loving Texas was a
2
Speaker 2
28:40
dangerous town. Yeah, was the last what was known as the K remember what that was? But the Appleton which was the drunkest town Lubbock was
Law Smith
28:53
I want to say it was like the most boring town or some
2
Speaker 2
28:56
boring town. You're right, you're right. Right. Something was most point down. So anyway, we shot those two cities. And then it was great and Discovery Channel was loving them and then fucking COVID hit, and then they just talked it, you know, all of a sudden, you couldn't travel anywhere. But those two episodes that we shot I'm very proud of you can still see him I think on Discovery plus, and the really good i
Law Smith
29:15
i Remember he posted it on why I watched the Lubbock one I was like, that's, that's, that's an awesome idea. I like that it has a, an actually optimistic turn to it. Other than where a lot of shows aren't like that.
2
Speaker 2
29:28
Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm from a tiny little town myself that is often reviled and stuff. So it was Gary, Indiana. Not Gary, Indiana. Oh, that was
Law Smith
29:37
northern Northern California would have been awesome. If it was your like, your north north of the Bay Area, California. Yeah.
2
Speaker 2
29:47
Mendocino County is attacked by the town is called Boonville California Boonville. It's like this little kind of Burg tucked into the mountains and stuff and yeah, people would give a lot of shit around there and You know, he grew up and always having to get appreciation for your hometown and then realizing that sort of be missed by people who are around it. So that was kind of the impetus for the show. It's a real bummer didn't go to because not only was it super fun, and you got to try all these cool things in the towns, but like I would I was writing articles for USA Today. For each town. We went to a really cool thing but
Law Smith
30:20
pay for everybody gets at their hotel. Yeah,
2
Speaker 2
30:22
I know. Fuckin good old COVID That's probably the biggest tragedy of the whole COVID pandemic, that show
Law Smith
30:30
totally, totally, totally agree. That's the first thing.
30:32
I think that's fair. That's a fair assessment. Yeah,
3
Speaker 3
30:35
my grandma, and then you know, the bigger shows number,
2
Speaker 2
30:38
right, right. But she she probably had a lot more time. She only got the last like,
Law Smith
30:43
well, the show was OB so you know, it couldn't survive it anyway, comorbidities and whatnot.
2
Speaker 2
30:49
You guys probably beat COVID After a few weeks down there in Tampa, right? Hey,
Law Smith
30:53
I go on stage and say fucking everybody should think Floridian because we're the goddamn petri dish, test test state. Right? You know, like, welcome. And then I you know, all this. We live in a weird misinformation disinformation age. And it's like, I just remember like, oh, man, I really can't trust anything when they showed the beaches here. And it was like, not only was it at an angle, where people are really spread apart. But if you take it at an angle, it looks like everybody's bunched together. Nope. What beach? Have you gone to where you want to be around that many people a right. And then B, they found that the picture was a stock picture from another beach. And here's
3
Speaker 3
31:34
seven years ago, right? Right. So it's like, the cleanest place there is everybody knows that. So
2
Speaker 2
31:41
it's funny when I went to school and said, I went to college in Santa Barbara. And the brochure is like you see the dorms is like, gorgeous view of the ocean. And then you go there and you realize they shot it at the exact angle. You don't see like the five oil derricks thing. It's like how did they
Law Smith
32:00
really, I always thought Santa Barbara is beautiful every time I beautiful but
2
Speaker 2
32:05
by the college or artists oil derricks all out there on the horizon. And they somehow magically shot it in a way that you didn't see. But it was pretty impressive little piece of photography. Well,
Law Smith
32:17
every time I've gone I think my only analysis with the students there were they were hoodies in cargo shorts, all the guys everywhere. And then every time I've gone I think I've done the wine tour where you go up the hill, and go down all the way you can go like Fez, Parker, and then you keep bouncing around all the wineries around there. So my memory is probably not too great. But what do you do? What do you do with this show? Cuz to me, I'm frustrated for you to get show. I don't know, get around. We don't know how this stuff works.
2
Speaker 2
32:49
Well, the problem is like, I mean, a It's so frustrating, because I mean, it was years and years and years of trying to sell that show. We had like one producer, he couldn't really like get it gone. He was good. But he just didn't quite have the connects. I don't think over there. Maybe things change. I know. And then, because when I was first trying to do it, we couldn't get a pitch with discovery. And finally we do I do it to other producers and the other guy anyway. So it was a huge process, they gave us money to shoot like a sizzle, which we shot in Coalinga, California with the homeless monster trucking, like the mud, which is really cool. And then so they gave us money to shoot those two episodes, those two cities. But the problem is, like, once they ultimately you know, they couldn't do it for you know, somebody, these things are like the momentum. And once they have to kind of shut down the momentum, because they can't do it. And then you revisit it like a year and a half later, and I don't even know if you could still do it now. I mean, the way things are going now, you know,
Law Smith
33:37
well, I was gonna say, you know, a lot of comedians limit doing stuff for a network because there's a lot of externalities. They can't, they can't sell it right? Totally. And you're trying to make it a cheap show, too. Right? You want to have the best profit margin. You can. That's why Netflix bought up all those stand up.
33:57
It's a to make it yourself. Well, they're like,
2
Speaker 2
33:59
right, but it's like, yeah, I know where you're going. And I thought about doing it. But that shit is just like, it's just
Law Smith
34:06
do a mini version. But what about a mini version of it? Where you're going to Edmonton? I'll pull up your tour dates, if you want, but you're going you're going to Plano Texas, right. Like, make it make it short. Just make it a couple minutes.
34:20
Now a four minute thing. Yeah. And
34:23
yeah, uh, yeah, that's not a bad idea. I could do a
3
Speaker 3
34:25
couple of those do 10 of them. And whatever I put it, I even put it together. Have your camera on? Yeah, get four minutes, shit over two days.
Law Smith
34:34
And you can probably look at the Wikipedia of the city and try to find a couple of interesting things. Plus, you're sharp on your sharp on your feet. Like, you can do it. You can easily kind of write on the fly. It's it. Yeah, I know. And if you
2
Speaker 2
34:48
want to like it, and this probably brings it back to more what this show is generally about it's like the EQ, economics or whatever, like all this stuff, but I feel like I'm in like the sort of place where I spend So much of my time over the last like 15 years, like trying to write scripts, trying to sell shows. And that's kind of what I've gotten the most success at. Like with that show, I haven't on TV for a while, that's probably like, why I was able to financially, you know, profit the most for how much time I was doing for how much I was getting for it. But now it's like, yeah, it is frustrating to like, put all this time into like, shows a script, and then if they get cancelled, it is then nothing and you got nothing at the afterwards, you know, on a show like that. So I'm like, Well, is it better to just put all that effort and time into trying to do like you're saying, the problem is, for the first long time, you're not gonna get shit, you're just gonna lose a lot of money doing that, like, you know, editing your own.
Law Smith
35:38
But the reason I'm pushing it only as the advisor you didn't ask for is that
35:45
because you want to bankroll it. No, no rebranding,
35:47
no branding.
Law Smith
35:49
You had an inertia to do it. You had the idea for a reason. I didn't really put it together. I knew you're from a small town. So you have that that thing like, hey, this isn't as bad as everybody makes it out to be. Just because it's a small town. You know, like, there's good there's, there's good in everywhere, kind of thing.
3
Speaker 3
36:07
And now there's post COVID Now you can see what the small towns are doing post COVID Oh, you guys ought to work for Hmm.
2
Speaker 2
36:14
Interesting. For sure. I definitely think it would be super cool. Do it
Law Smith
36:19
in 15 second clips to start with just go like when you're in Plano, just go I'm gonna seriously like do it for story.
2
Speaker 2
36:26
What was 15 seconds? Like? They say Plano, Texas is this. It's not good night. Yeah. But you
Law Smith
36:31
know what I mean? Like, I'm thinking about it in the position you're putting it out in and like, if you can kind of make it or a story, a legit story, kind of told him 15 Second chunks, where you're not, but you're going like, I'm gonna have it be three minutes. It'll be a three minute video on YouTube. But let it be unedited. If there's anything we learned in COVID, the AV quality pales in comparison to like, what if it's actually entertaining, right, or interesting? Or like infotainment a little bit, too, because you're, you're telling people about these places that they might think is the fucking road stop right
2
Speaker 2
37:06
now. Yeah, I mean, you're right. I mean, I think it's sort of like it's mentally having to get around that, like, I don't know what it is, like, I can sit there and try to write a script for a year. And I feel like Well, the good thing is, you know, eventually, I'm gonna bring this out, see ourselves, so we get some going, but doing this stuff, it's like, yeah, you just have to do the nuts and bolts of the shit. And you have to put it up there and have nobody watch it and then just have to keep on doing it. We
3
Speaker 3
37:27
do the same exact, yeah, it's not for yourself. It's for you.
2
Speaker 2
37:31
And it's hard to mentally and that's why I've stopped doing my own podcasts. I just feel like it's just frustrating. It's like, it seemingly is impossible to get anyone to really listen to it. It's so hard to get on, you know, the big podcast that can launch it.
Law Smith
37:44
Oh, that's That's fucking that's a whole other ballgame. Like to get like on the Apple list and shit like
37:49
that. Like, Rolo? How can we grow? Yeah,
37:54
that's true. That's true.
Law Smith
37:57
My thing is, like, one doesn't get one doesn't take the other's place, right, you can still do all the things you're doing. I'm sure you can find, you know, pockets a time. If anything on the road, you have these weird amounts of time to like, at least you're doing some productive. And I'm willing to bet because this is how I roll. Like, the more stuff I'm doing in the right direction. Even if it's not getting the exact result I want right away. It helps me do other things. Right. So you're while you're doing that, it might get your brain moving to do the script or, or a scene from a script because you're out there observing stuff.
2
Speaker 2
38:33
No, no, you're absolutely right. In fact, I have a video on my YouTube right now called Live from the Edmonton Mall that I edited all together in the airport yesterday. Sitting around killing wanting to go already
3
Speaker 3
38:44
pretty good. You already did the template. You already have it. You just did it and
Law Smith
38:48
do it for you. Anyway, we do jokes for yourself kind of on stage. We all do.
2
Speaker 2
38:53
I do jokes for pussy. Oh, I met my wife. Doctor. Yeah, yeah, no, I literally Yeah, I met my Yeah, I met my wife at a comedy show. So my whole goal has always been to just do comedy didn't make a girl it makes a lot of money follows me off the sweet sweet.
Law Smith
39:12
Yeah. And she's like, I know about dicks. Yeah. What, um, what is it? I'll tell the will ask you the question we asked everybody. First time on. I'll tell you the Jackie Mason story real quick. I flew. I got flown back. I lived in LA got flown back by a family friend who was booking Jackie Mason at the Straz Theatre, which is a big theater here. And I was like he thought I'd be a draw for some reason. To this show. Jackie Mason, this is probably 2010 2009 Somewhere in there. So I'm been doing it for years. Five months.
2
Speaker 2
39:49
That's like right around the same time, but I shot that movie. Really? It was really yeah, he was really busy that year.
Law Smith
39:54
Well, it could be 2008 I don't know I push this memory out. Is the worst first gig I've ever done. So it's like 4pm Showtime, something like, ridiculous. You're like, this is really leaning into the old crown. Now I get now it's like you're gonna do 10 minutes. And I'm like, do I don't have 10 Clean minutes like I don't, I don't have 10 minutes for this crowd. He's like me fine, you don't worry about it. Like the guy who booked me a family friend kind of thing. And I was like, okay, and my dad who's never seen me do stand up. brings his three best buddies that know I'm doing stand up. They've never seen me. They don't think I'm funny my whole life, nor does my dad. And so, so they're trying to be supportive. The theater, what do you think? 2500 Theater? Bigger. Maybe she'll feel
3
Speaker 3
40:43
like it was there but I will tell her that right. Oh, stress in her. Oh, that's right. Jesus says it worse big
MF
Matt Fernandez
40:49
theater right. house lights are up. I can see everybody. The first five rows, no one sitting in my dad in his for his three friends for their center. For first people from good out. Like, it was like, it might as well be the halo around them. I can see everybody has either no hair or blue hair. There's no
2
Speaker 2
41:12
oh my god, that was me. The oldest plus Jewish crowds are generally horrible. Because they're so hard Jewish crowds because they don't drink. They're too smart to laugh at the hacky shit. They're to crack to rap to laugh at the fucked up shit. And they're not going to have the dirty stuff, right? It's really tough,
Law Smith
41:34
right? Especially for pm and look me being like 60 years younger than Mason at the time or something like that. And so we're not gonna like your rap job, you know? And I probably I think I did like that material because I was like, This is my age stuff.
41:51
Whatever man lookers every time I hear it
Law Smith
41:53
I remember being in the in the in the dressing room like I'm gonna I've never been this nervous to puke but I might puke get out there bomb. Jackie Mason like gives me like a like I pass him like I don't even get to shake his hand like he just gave me like a look at like a fat kind of thing we I can picture perfect as you walk by gets up does the happiest if I can what you think he would do? Fucking murders the place is alive. It is Def Jam Central. And there it is like the Apollo Theater. Fucking crush. That's
2
Speaker 2
42:28
pretty impressive. Because he was at at that time. Yeah, he must have been 79 or 80 I mean, that's pretty
42:36
comeback from your shitty set? Yeah, to
