WEBVTT

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Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out.

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>> The Joe Rogan Experience.

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>> TRAIN BY DAY. JOE ROGAN
PODCAST BY NIGHT. All day.

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>> Let's go, Yakov. [music] What's
happening, baby? How are you?

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>> I'm good. >> Good to see you.

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>> Nice to see you. >> I know.
Jamie snucking up on us. Bam.

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Just turn it on. Bam. [laughter] >> That
way you don't have a chance to freak out.

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>> Um, thank you. >> What's in the bag?
What you got in there?

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>> Okay, so there are a couple of things.

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Uh, oh, a couple things.

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>> One, yeah, one is, uh, it's a mir mural

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piece of the mural that I painted at the
ground zero, and I thought it would be

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interesting for you to have >>
You painted a mural at ground zero.

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>> Yeah. >> Oh, wow.

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>> Yeah. So,
that that was something. And I

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actually sent them Paul Harvey did a um

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the rest of the story about that and I
I sent them a video if they wanted to.

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>> Yeah. Don't know if we could play that
unfortunately. I think it's got like a

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copyright to it. >> Actually, I was >>
We were told Jamie, that's Isn't that

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what they said? >> It would be tough.

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>> Yeah. >> Right. >> And >> so
there's the mural. There's a photo of

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the mural.

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>> Right. Right. And uh it was I was in

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touch with Paul Harvey Jr. asking if
that would be okay and they said it's

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fine and they'll send >> Yeah.
But I don't think they own it. You

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know what I'm saying?
>> They own his voice. So,

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>> right. But it's probably if it's
on Paul Harvey's television show, right?

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>> No, no, no. Radio. Yeah. >> Right.
If it's on Paul Harvey's radio

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show, it's probably copyritten. Did we
have a problem when we played the Taylor

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Sheridan one? Remember we
played that whole thing?

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>> It's just I would >> It's
just an issue. It's an issue.

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>> It's an issue. >> Don't sweat it. We
don't want >> So anyway, you had a mural.

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>> Yeah, that's that's And >> there
was a couple of other little bur.

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>> You got to talk into the microphone.

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>> Sorry. >> That's all right.

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>> Yeah. You wear headphones if you want.

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That way you can hear yourself.

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>> Yes. >> You don't have to.
>> This is this is real. This

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>> this is real. What do you mean?

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>> No. Like I watch you and I'm in such an

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awe of what you were able to your your

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career, your trajectory, how you were

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able to sustain that longevity and then

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transition to this amazing voice. Um,

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it's just it's been an honor to know you

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and be here. So, I'm I'm a little nervous.

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>> Well, don't be nervous. Uh, cuz listen,
it's all just dumb luck. [laughter]

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There's a a giant percentage of it
that's dumb luck. That's a fact. I mean,

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I'm very persistent. That helps. But,

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uh, this thing, this the podcast is a
lot of it is luck. You know how people

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like talk about like having a vision
board. Oh, I had a vision board. I

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imagined. And people say that to me all
the time. Like, I'm sure you did that

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with this show. I'm like, [laughter] I
didn't do anything of the sort. I just

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kept doing it and it got big. But it's
uh just people talking. Simple. Just

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like you and I talk in the green room.

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Yes. >> We're talking here.
It's no big deal.

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It's just a bunch of people
get to listen to it.

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>> Yes. Yes.
>> It's nothing that spectacular.

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[laughter] The spectacular
thing is my guests.

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That's the fortunate thing.
I'm the fortunate one cuz I get to talk to

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>> so many cool people. Look at you
with your [__] American flag on your on

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your uh phone cover. Look at that. Yeah.

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>> Don't get fooled by the accent, ladies
[laughter] and gentlemen. Um, you know,

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we were talking about your story in the
green room and I was like, we have to do

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a podcast because your your story is so
crazy how when the wall fell, so did

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your career. >> Yes.
>> Like you had this massive career. I

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remember you from the Tonight Show. I I
remember you all the time, you know, in

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Russia. You always had
these jokes about Russia

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>> and it was great because like you were
a Russian comedian doing standup in the

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United States. >> Yes.
>> And then once once the Soviet Union

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fell.

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>> Yes. The Leatherman uh David Letterman

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had a top 10 list of things that will

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now change that the Soviet Union is no
longer there. And I made number one on

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the list. Yakov Smeirnov will be out of

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work. And I thought it was humorous

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because I was living in Pacific

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Palisades next to Tom Hanks and Arnold

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Schwarzenegger. I mean I thought

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American dream will never end. And all

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the sudden it six months later none of

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my contracts in Las Vegas, Atlantic

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City, Reno, Tahoe, none of them were

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renewed. And I could not find work.

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Literally I mean I tried back to clubs

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and they wouldn't have me either.

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>> What? Yeah, it was um the comparison uh

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there was uh Van Meter uh that was

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impersonator of John F. Kennedy um he

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was um um an an impersonator. It was

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very popular at that time and then after

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the assassin assassination his career

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went nowhere right away. And so somewhat

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in in some ways it was similar to that

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that uh I was associated with the Soviet

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Union and my humor was associated with

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that and it was helping

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I was helping um President Reagan write

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jokes for his speeches for when he would

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go to Moscow. Um, you have a picture

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somewhere, Jamie, of I mean, it was

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amazing. All of the sudden I was like a

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joke supplier for the White House and it

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was my career was just growing higher

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and higher and all of the sudden it was

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gone and I >> It doesn't
make any sense. I mean, you

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still had great jokes. >> Yeah.

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>> And I'm sure people still wanted to see

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you. That's what didn't make any sense.

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>> It wasn't I guess I wasn't relevant

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because they associated me so much with

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that. And so I started after not having

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work uh and not be able to pay mortgage.

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I start looking for a place where they

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did not know that the Soviet Union

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collapsed and [laughter] I ended up in

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Branson, Missouri. I joke about this in

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my show, but it's was a blessing in

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disguise because I was all of a sudden

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my f uh my humor was family friendly and

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this town is very much like that and

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they embraced me and I I mean it wasn't

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right away but it grew and grew and grew.

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>> Wow. And what what is Branson like? cuz
I would always hear about it like it was

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always like we we would hear about it in

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LA that it was this like freaky Bible

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town that it's like creationist museums
and stuff like that like here's a

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reconstruction of the ark like that's
what the kind of stuff that you would

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hear. I obviously I never
went so I don't know.

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>> Yeah. Um I didn't
want to go to Branson.

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Okay. I was living in LA.
I didn't I mean I

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>> Did you move to Missouri?
>> Eventually I had to. Yeah. Because I I

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had to sell my house. I mean, the whole

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thing went Yeah.

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>> So, uh, what happened is I didn't have

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>> I didn't know where to go. I mean, it

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literally was scary. I have two little

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kids at that time and I can't find work.

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So, my agent calls me and he said, "Uh,

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Willie Nelson is doing this, uh, farm

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aid concert and um, would you like to

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co-host with him?" And I didn't have it,

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you know, I said, "Sure." But I don't

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think farmers would know who I am. And I

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got there 50,000 people. I did my SAT

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and they gave me a standing ovation and

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I went like, "Wow, this is I didn't

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expect that." So I go to say goodbye and

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say thank you to Willie and I open the

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door and the smoke comes out and

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[laughter] will and I was proud to say

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that I you know I I I didn't do drugs

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but after I opened that door I couldn't

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say that anymore. So I through this

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through the smoke he goes Yakob you

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should go to Branson they'll love you

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there. And I was like, "Okay, I heard

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about it, but I was not sure." So, I go

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to Branson just to check it out. And

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it's

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um March of 2000, it's 1993.

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Um, and I've been struggling now for two

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years after the Soviet Union collapsed.

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And I go in and and I walk into one of

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the shows and it was Soji Tabuchi show.

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It was a a Japanese fiddle player

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uh that was just playing uh country

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music. I didn't know about him. And I

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walk in and it's a matinea and there
are 2,000 people in that room.

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>> Whoa. >> And I'm going,
what is going on? And

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[laughter] right, this is crazy. I was

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in Vegas at university. Right. So then I

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go Andy Williams uh show and it's the

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same thing. 2,000 people full. And I'm

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going, well, if if they can do this, I

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can do it as well. And so I in May I

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rented the small theater and I just set

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my shop there, put my name on the wall,

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and I got first show 17 people came in.

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And I'm going, "Oh boy, I I I don't have

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a place to go, but this is not gonna

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work." But then I start doing I I was

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pretty creative. I started I said, "I'm

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going to serve breakfast in this in the

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showroom. I I I I'll call it yak in a box.

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And I'm just going to make my mother

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recipe of breakfast and people will pass

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it eat and hopefully
more people will come.

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>> Wow.

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>> So I would do two shows a day uh um on

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on in the morning and in in the evening,

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dinner and breakfast. And little by

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little it grew, it grew, it grew and

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then a year later my average was like

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400 people a show. And then the buses

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that's the big business there is the the

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people come by bus in those days a lot

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of them and they would just um f

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discovered me and I started to become

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more and more popular and then I bought

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2000 seat theater

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and now I entertain over six million

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people there and it became yeah this is

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uh this is kind of it's
>> that's your theater.

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>> Yeah. >> Look at you.

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>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it's been uh a

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very successful

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uh journey overall. I'm, you know, I'm

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kind of the the the only celebration

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known person there now. >> Wow.
And so, how often you do shows

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there?

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>> Now, I got down to like 30 shows a year

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towards uh the fall. Uh but I used to do

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400 uh a year just to make more money

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and >> people were
coming and I it it worked

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out for me. >> Well,
good for you for adapting. I'm

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sure that must have been very
nerve-wracking though. It was

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>> especially with young
children >> big time.

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>> And you're, you know, from another
country. You come to America, you're

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killing it. You think, "Oh my god, I'm
the American dream. This is incredible."

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And then it's nightmare all of the
sudden and you don't know what to do.

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Yeah. >> That's the problem
with the world before

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social media, right? Because before
social media like you you couldn't just

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put some clips out there and show that
you're still performing and still going

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places. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Cuz back
then there was like a narrative

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and if that narrative
got out, you were done,

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>> you know? So the narrative was so Yeah.

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It was cancelled and I didn't have
anything to do with it. It's not like I

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had a scandal or something. It just I

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was helping Reagan to chisel the wall

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down, but there was a writing on the

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wall that I didn't see. It says get
a get a day job, you know, and I didn't

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see it, >> right?
So that's how it happened.

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>> It's amazing that you found Branson and

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it's what would happen if you didn't.

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That's what's really crazy. Like what
do you think you would have been able to

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figure out a way to tour? And was it

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that clubs wouldn't book you or people

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wouldn't come? uh both at some some

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because people were not buying tickets,

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the clubs didn't book me
and the whole effect is just you know

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>> so it was just the fall of the Soviet
Union that people got in their mind oh

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Yakava is done. >> Yeah.
It was that quick.

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>> That's what's [__] up about it
is cuz like you have very funny jokes

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>> like you're a good comic. It's like
>> the the idea that you can't be a great

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comic and talk about other stuff is so

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stupid. But but what happened it was an

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evolution for me. I I think that I look

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back and I'm going thank you for this

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because it was kind of a a one note um

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tune and and then it made me forced me

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to go okay that topic is not necessarily

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the right thing uh right now. It's not

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nobody cares because Soviet Union not

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there and nobody's scared of it because

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I was kind of like a you know it was a

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headache from the you know or the pain

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in the butt Soviet Union and I'm

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preparation H and I they used me and

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then after swelling and itching went

00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.597
away you don't need it anymore right so

00:14:23.680 --> 00:14:27.197
that's how it happened so so I went into

00:14:27.280 --> 00:14:31.357
That also coincided with my divorce

00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.877
and um and I was struggling trying to

00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:37.677
figure out what's what direction do I go

00:14:37.760 --> 00:14:41.597
and I realized that this I was helping

00:14:41.680 --> 00:14:46.157
the cold war to end in some ways by

00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:49.037
being in involved with Reagan and and

00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:53.597
helping with that. And um when when that

00:14:53.680 --> 00:14:56.717
happened, I figured, you know, my

00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:59.837
divorce is happening, I know laughter

00:14:59.920 --> 00:15:04.317
helped the world become a better place.

00:15:04.400 --> 00:15:06.397
Why is there laughter in the beginning

00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.837
of the relationship with men and women?

00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:12.877
And then when there's divorce, the only

00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:15.837
people laughing are attorneys.

00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:18.477
And I put that question to my audience.

00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:21.357
So it became kind of like my laboratory

00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.637
of laughter. I just start asking people.

00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:29.117
I said, "How many of you remember
laughter being part of that honeymoon

00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:31.037
stage of your relationship?" And they

00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:34.157
all applaud. And I go, "How many of you

00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:36.637
go on the second date if you didn't have

00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.117
laughter on the first date?" And no one

00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:42.157
applauded. So I became like this is kind

00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:46.717
of a universal thing that I was my dad

00:15:46.800 --> 00:15:49.357
was an engineer and inventor. So my

00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.317
brain is kind of constantly I I'm

00:15:52.400 --> 00:15:54.957
looking for reverse engineering. Why is

00:15:55.040 --> 00:15:57.837
it that laughter goes away in a

00:15:57.920 --> 00:16:01.437
relationship? So as comedians we gauge

00:16:01.520 --> 00:16:05.597
our relationship with the audience
with laughter every time.

00:16:05.680 --> 00:16:09.837
>> Did the relationship fall apart
because you had to move to Missouri?

00:16:09.920 --> 00:16:12.477
or was it just challenges? Yeah, it it

00:16:12.560 --> 00:16:15.517
added to this. But I think I was looking

00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:19.837
for the root of this more uh like what

00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:23.517
is that that I am uh missing that I

00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:26.877
didn't do because you know
I was >> you had a gimmick,

00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:28.637
>> huh? I had a gimmick. Yeah.

00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:32.477
>> But but that was with my audience. What

00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:35.197
was happening with my wife? Why was that

00:16:35.280 --> 00:16:38.237
falling apart? So I start seeing the

00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.957
parallel and the kids were little at

00:16:41.040 --> 00:16:44.077
that time and I um was trying to explain

00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:48.317
to them uh what was going on and I can

00:16:48.400 --> 00:16:50.317
show you what I did. I brought this with

00:16:50.400 --> 00:16:52.557
me.

00:16:52.640 --> 00:16:55.917
It's uh I I showed this to I know show

00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:00.877
and tell. I I I bruh for my I started I

00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.837
I took magnets and I was showing my

00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:06.637
kids. I said, "Look, mommy and daddy,

00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:11.117
and we um we attracted one another and

00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:13.597
we had you and we had love and laughter

00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.557
and what was happening and then

00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.117
something happened and I don't
know if you can show it, Jamie. Uh

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:22.557
>> there's people listening as well."

00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:24.557
>> Okay. Oh, okay. So, the magnets,

00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.917
>> the magnets,
they attract, but then when

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:30.717
things don't go well, they repel,

00:17:30.800 --> 00:17:33.277
>> right? So I was going what is it that

00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:38.317
attracting us and what is it that's
repelling us and then after doing this

00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:40.157
and I I went to University of

00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.317
Pennsylvania got my um master's degree

00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.277
in psychology got my doctorate degree at

00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:50.557
Pepperdine I mean I was digging in I was

00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:54.557
>> you did all this while you were
doing >> performing Branson. Yeah.

00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:55.597
>> How were you doing that?

00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.317
>> I would travel. I would just go do a

00:17:58.400 --> 00:18:01.997
weekend uh just I would take my

00:18:02.080 --> 00:18:05.117
schedule, make it the way I wanted and

00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.997
whatever I had to do, I would just

00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:12.797
travel to uh Pennsylvania to uh and and

00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:15.197
do that. >> And you were
taking in-person classes.

00:18:15.280 --> 00:18:19.437
>> Yeah. Yeah. >> But how were you doing
that weekend for you were on the weekends?

00:18:19.520 --> 00:18:20.957
>> You can do that. There were classes.

00:18:21.040 --> 00:18:24.157
Yes, there was. >> Wow.
You would work all week and then

00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.277
fly in the weekends
to Why were you doing that?

00:18:27.360 --> 00:18:29.597
>> Well, that sounds exhausting.

00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:30.957
>> It's interesting.

00:18:31.040 --> 00:18:33.917
>> I was searching for a purpose. I think

00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.517
that was I I noticed something that was

00:18:37.600 --> 00:18:40.797
universal. Um, and I wanted to prove

00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:44.877
that scientifically to myself and to um

00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:48.477
and I and I did because it was important

00:18:48.560 --> 00:18:51.997
to me. And what I figured out and as a

00:18:52.080 --> 00:18:54.237
comedian you'll understand that every

00:18:54.320 --> 00:18:58.237
time we tell a joke uh we're uh this

00:18:58.320 --> 00:19:00.797
setup is we're meeting their needs.

00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:03.197
They're interested in that topic. you

00:19:03.280 --> 00:19:05.917
and I talked in the green room like you

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.317
need more topics for example for your

00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:11.997
one hour more uh to to add and so the

00:19:12.080 --> 00:19:15.757
topics that you're looking for are the

00:19:15.840 --> 00:19:19.117
the uh you're meeting the needs of

00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.357
people they want they don't curious and

00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.957
then your humor is the punchline and

00:19:25.040 --> 00:19:27.437
that creates laughter. If you don't meet

00:19:27.520 --> 00:19:30.077
their needs, if they're not interested,

00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:33.357
then your humor doesn't matter much. So,

00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.517
in a relationship, the same thing

00:19:35.600 --> 00:19:38.397
happens. So, if I put this, and I know

00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:40.477
people are listening, but they they can

00:19:40.560 --> 00:19:45.917
maybe picture that.
If you put needs in the middle,

00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.797
then you >> you're talking
about magnets. You got to

00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:52.477
remember a lot of these people are not
>> listening. Okay. So, I'm going to I'm

00:19:52.560 --> 00:19:55.597
going to abandon that. >> Yeah,
it's abandon. Um, this episode is

00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.517
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to save 10% off your first purchase of a

00:20:28.800 --> 00:20:31.517
website or domain. >> So,
>> I get what you're saying.

00:20:31.600 --> 00:20:35.597
>> Yeah, the the needs is uh the flexible

00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:40.237
thing in our humor stays the same,

00:20:40.320 --> 00:20:44.077
>> but the needs
or the setup is different.

00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:47.437
So if every business

00:20:47.520 --> 00:20:50.717
uh is successful when they figure out

00:20:50.800 --> 00:20:53.997
what is the need of people like Apple

00:20:54.080 --> 00:20:58.157
for example they say we de we develop

00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:02.477
product that you don't know you need but

00:21:02.560 --> 00:21:04.797
then you can't live without it. That's

00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:07.597
their motto. So the same thing a

00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.157
restaurant if they figured out what need

00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:12.557
is that community has they're

00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:15.437
successful. you figured out what is the

00:21:15.520 --> 00:21:19.757
need that people have and they're
listening to you and they love it.

00:21:19.840 --> 00:21:22.157
>> I don't Is it a need?
Like we're talking

00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:26.397
the word need is a weird one because
for me need is like food and shelter and

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:28.237
community. That's the real needs.

00:21:28.320 --> 00:21:30.557
Everything else is desires.

00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:32.317
>> Well, in or interests

00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:35.677
>> in the hierarchy of needs was Muslow,

00:21:35.760 --> 00:21:37.677
they just go higher and higher.

00:21:37.760 --> 00:21:43.437
>> I see what you're saying. So when
when you find he called them needs. I

00:21:43.520 --> 00:21:44.637
couldn't find a better

00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:46.717
>> No, it's that makes more sense now.

00:21:46.800 --> 00:21:50.717
Yeah, I get it. Yeah. Um it's uh I I

00:21:50.800 --> 00:21:54.717
feel like the most important thing about
comedy is you have to be actually excuse

00:21:54.800 --> 00:21:57.677
me, you have to actually be interested
in what you're talking about. Obviously,

00:21:57.760 --> 00:22:00.557
it has to be funny. That's the most
important thing. But other than that,

00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.517
the second most important thing or the
thing that like really resonates with

00:22:03.600 --> 00:22:07.197
people is uh when someone's on stage
and they're talking about something that

00:22:07.280 --> 00:22:09.517
means something to them,
>> I get invested.

00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:12.717
>> Yeah. Exactly.
>> I'm invested in people that are

00:22:12.800 --> 00:22:16.877
fascinated with stuff. I'm invested with
people that are that have like hobbies

00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:20.637
that they love. Even if I'm I have no
interest in it at all, I want to hear

00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:24.637
them talk about it. >> Exactly.
Exactly. And I I totally that's

00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:26.557
you found that whatever you want to call

00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:31.677
it desire need whatever you want to call
it but whoever zooms in on that and

00:22:31.760 --> 00:22:33.277
understands it they're they're

00:22:33.360 --> 00:22:35.837
successful in what they do. So in

00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:40.877
marriage um my focus switched from us

00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:44.157
the cold war between countries to cold

00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:46.237
war between couples

00:22:46.320 --> 00:22:49.437
>> and understanding
that men and women are

00:22:49.520 --> 00:22:53.597
different is uh very important because

00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:56.077
they have different needs

00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:00.477
and so part of my dissertation was to um

00:23:00.560 --> 00:23:04.317
to give that understanding so then the

00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:06.477
person's is not like searching. It

00:23:06.560 --> 00:23:08.557
doesn't know what he's looking for

00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:11.837
there. I'm I'm married and I'm happily

00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:16.157
married now. And my main goal is to

00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.437
figure out what does my wife need and if

00:23:19.520 --> 00:23:22.557
I can anticipate it then we have love

00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:25.117
and laughter and it's living there. But

00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:29.357
if I don't or if she doesn't then we

00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.917
start arguing and that happens in every

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:36.637
family. M so I'm easier. So there's a

00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.357
book by Dr. Willard Harley called his

00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:42.877
needs her needs. And what he did

00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:45.277
um he was dealing with a lot of couples

00:23:45.360 --> 00:23:48.317
that was getting a divorce and he was

00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.157
trying to help them in marriage

00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:55.197
counseling and he asked um uh he

00:23:55.280 --> 00:23:58.397
identified like 10 emotional needs and

00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:02.077
he asked um these uh people to

00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:05.357
prioritize men and women and it was

00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:08.557
interesting that he said I was shocked

00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:13.037
that five top needs for men were totally

00:24:13.120 --> 00:24:16.637
different from five top needs for women.

00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.957
So if we don't know that so the the

00:24:19.040 --> 00:24:21.357
needs for women were affection,

00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.917
conversation, openness and honesty,

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:27.037
family commitment and financial support.

00:24:27.120 --> 00:24:29.597
Not for every woman but that's was

00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:32.957
majority. And then for men it was sexual

00:24:33.040 --> 00:24:36.477
fulfillment, it was admiration.

00:24:36.560 --> 00:24:41.037
um sexual fulfillment again um but it

00:24:41.120 --> 00:24:44.637
was admiration um attractive spouse

00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:49.357
recreational companion
and domestic support

00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:53.037
>> makes men f seem really base
>> they are >> base and stupid

00:24:53.120 --> 00:24:56.877
>> we are [laughter] >>
sexual attraction is number uno

00:24:56.960 --> 00:24:58.477
>> and then it's
in there how's it in there

00:24:58.560 --> 00:25:02.477
twice that doesn't make sense [__] it
up >> yeah I was joking around yeah I was

00:25:02.560 --> 00:25:07.117
joking around >> yeah that's funny like
admiration's a funny one. That's funny.

00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:09.837
>> Admiration is huge.
>> That's hilarious. I ask

00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.277
>> you need admiration from your wife.

00:25:11.360 --> 00:25:12.397
That's hilarious.

00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:15.197
>> Well, but it's not
because if you if you

00:25:15.280 --> 00:25:20.797
think if you think that uh I ask the
audience, so here is what I do in my show.

00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:23.357
>> Uhhuh. >> Uh and it's
they're laughing, but

00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:25.997
they're also learning something. I say,

00:25:26.080 --> 00:25:28.557
how many of you gentlemen here at least

00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:30.717
once in a while would like to hear your

00:25:30.800 --> 00:25:33.277
wife said, "You're such a good man.

00:25:33.360 --> 00:25:36.477
thanks for um doing things for us.

00:25:36.560 --> 00:25:40.237
Applaud. And few people applaud. And I

00:25:40.320 --> 00:25:43.997
go, "Well, not every man is applauding

00:25:44.080 --> 00:25:46.717
because they're scared." And they laugh.

00:25:46.800 --> 00:25:50.157
And then I go, "So, let me ask you the
same question from an opposite point of

00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:52.637
view. Any of you gentlemen disagree with

00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:56.397
that silence?" Then I go, "You see

00:25:56.480 --> 00:26:01.357
ladies, you used to do it. You You don't
do it now, but you used to do it in the

00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:03.357
beginning. That's what that attraction

00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:07.117
was is was the man needed that. And

00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:10.157
women don't. They don't want to be

00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:12.877
acknowledged or uh admired for what they

00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:15.517
do. They want to be loved for who they

00:26:15.600 --> 00:26:19.517
are. Kind, beautiful, smart, selfless.

00:26:19.600 --> 00:26:22.237
And I I ask women, is that true? And

00:26:22.320 --> 00:26:26.317
they applaud. So it so and it it's

00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:30.317
subconscious but I know
for me that's a very

00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:32.397
important thing that if I'm doing

00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:35.037
something all I need is like thank you

00:26:35.120 --> 00:26:39.597
and sometimes it's overlooked
>> and that doesn't feel right.

00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:43.517
>> That's interesting. It it definitely
resonates that men don't necessarily

00:26:43.600 --> 00:26:46.397
care if a woman does a thing. Like if

00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:48.077
she's really good at a thing, right?

00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:51.597
>> Like men I mean I
mean this is obviously

00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:54.477
a great generalization because
they're probably some men

00:26:54.560 --> 00:26:55.997
>> that one of the things
that they love is

00:26:56.080 --> 00:26:59.677
the talent that a woman possesses
or the drive and >> absolutely

00:26:59.760 --> 00:27:04.717
>> but for the most part what men
want is someone to be nice. [laughter]

00:27:04.800 --> 00:27:08.237
>> Be nice to be pretty. Like my friends
have joked around about this before, my

00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:11.757
single friends, about like I don't give
a [__] if a girl works at McDonald's. Is

00:27:11.840 --> 00:27:15.997
she nice? Is she pretty? And is she nice?
You know, and is she not like

00:27:16.080 --> 00:27:19.517
completely annoying to talk to? Is she
fun to talk to? Like, you don't care

00:27:19.600 --> 00:27:22.637
what her job is.
If she's cool and she's fun,

00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:27.037
>> but a woman meeting a cool,
good-looking guy that's nice that works at

00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:29.277
McDonald's, like you [__] loser, you

00:27:29.360 --> 00:27:32.637
know? Unfort no shame to the people work

00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:37.677
at McDonald's. I worked fast food when I
was younger, too. I did uh I worked at a

00:27:37.760 --> 00:27:40.877
couple The first place I worked at was
a burger place called Newport Crearyy. I

00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:43.197
worked at a place called uh Papaginos.

00:27:43.280 --> 00:27:46.797
It was like Italian fast food place.

00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.757
>> Nothing wrong with working
at McDonald's. Point is, women don't

00:27:49.840 --> 00:27:52.557
respect it >> for whatever
reason. Especially women

00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:55.597
that want to have a family and settle
down and all that jazz, they look at a

00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:59.357
guy working at McDonald's like, "You
don't have any ambition." And that's the

00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:01.837
thing that women uh want from men that

00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:03.837
men don't seem to really care that much

00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:09.437
from women. Women want a guy that has
ambition and men do not care, right?

00:28:09.520 --> 00:28:13.917
Generally, >> although I
got to say, Phil Hartman when

00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:18.477
he obviously did not have a good
marriage because his wife killed him and

00:28:18.560 --> 00:28:20.157
then killed herself. Obviously didn't

00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:22.317
have a good marriage, right?

00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:27.757
um when he had almost got divorced a few
times and one I remember one one time he

00:28:27.840 --> 00:28:31.597
and I were having a conversation about
it and he said he goes he goes if I

00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:35.117
[__] get divorced he goes my next wife
she has to like something he goes I

00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:38.157
don't give a [__] what it is I don't
care it's rock climbing you have to be

00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:40.477
into something so that was his thing was

00:28:40.560 --> 00:28:43.517
like that he was really into things like

00:28:43.600 --> 00:28:46.797
he uh got his pilot's license like the

00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:50.797
place that I actually bought
in California I found out about that part

00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:55.037
of California because of him cuz he took
me up on a plane and he was explaining

00:28:55.120 --> 00:28:59.197
to me like there's other counties
that you could live in and these counties

00:28:59.280 --> 00:29:03.277
like they have land that's like you're
yeah it's a drive but it's like more

00:29:03.360 --> 00:29:07.277
peaceful and relaxed. You don't have
to be like in the heart of everything.

00:29:07.360 --> 00:29:09.837
>> Um so he was he was into being a pilot.

00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:12.317
He he had like he played music. He he

00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:17.197
always had a bunch of different
interests that he was pursuing on top of

00:29:17.280 --> 00:29:22.077
being an actor and being a comedic actor.
And so he was very frustrated.

00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:24.877
One of the things he was frustrated
is that his wife didn't have any ambition.

00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:27.997
She didn't have any interests.

00:29:28.080 --> 00:29:33.037
>> Well, but she also probably
didn't admire him for what his uh

00:29:33.120 --> 00:29:36.717
accomplishments were. >> I think
she wanted to be famous as well.

00:29:36.800 --> 00:29:40.237
I probably shouldn't talk about this too
much, but uh and I think there was

00:29:40.320 --> 00:29:42.157
probably some resentment at his success.

00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:44.157
I think she was trying
to be famous as well.

00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:46.557
>> Well, that's like those magnets repel.

00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:50.477
Yeah. Well, it's like sometimes when
a couple I've seen it the opposite. Like a

00:29:50.560 --> 00:29:53.757
friend of mine, she was dating this guy
who was a comedian and when she started

00:29:53.840 --> 00:29:56.397
doing well, he started
getting really shitty with her.

00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:00.557
>> He uh he started getting very resentful
and he would be insulting and she could

00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:04.157
tell that there was she was he was not
happy that she was doing well. Yeah.

00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:06.397
>> Cuz she started to take
off and he wasn't. Yeah.

00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:09.517
>> And it was like he was very frustrated
and they broke up and she was like that

00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:13.597
always really hurt cuz I really felt
like if I was doing well, if he loved

00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:17.357
me, he was he was going to be happy,
too. and he wasn't happy. It

00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:21.837
>> It's nice if this was discussed in the
beginning of the relationship. It's like,

00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:23.437
>> well, sometimes
the man doesn't know and

00:30:23.520 --> 00:30:25.917
the woman doesn't know how they're
going to behave. You don't know what your

00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:29.357
character flaws are until you're
presented by something that tests you.

00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:32.797
>> Absolutely. Absolutely. So, my my goal

00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:36.317
was to understand it better. And um

00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.957
there's a painting I sent Jamie if you I

00:30:39.040 --> 00:30:41.997
painted this painting uh that kind of

00:30:42.080 --> 00:30:45.197
helped me uh if you can find it. It's a

00:30:45.280 --> 00:30:48.397
tree of love and it helped me to

00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:51.277
understand m better what my role is

00:30:51.360 --> 00:30:55.757
because my first marriage I did not know

00:30:55.840 --> 00:30:59.917
um what my role was. I was I I met a

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:03.757
woman American girl beautiful everything

00:31:03.840 --> 00:31:06.397
was great. Uh when I shook her hand or

00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:08.237
shook she shook my hand. She almost

00:31:08.320 --> 00:31:13.197
broke my hand and my my subconscious was

00:31:13.280 --> 00:31:16.637
like my mother was very strong in my

00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:19.357
parents' relationship. Mom was the

00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:22.477
leader and dad was creative wonderful

00:31:22.560 --> 00:31:27.437
man but he would follow her. And I

00:31:27.520 --> 00:31:31.517
subconsciously went with that um that

00:31:31.600 --> 00:31:35.357
script the manuscript of my life. And so

00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:39.837
this helped me uh to see something that

00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:43.117
I wanted who do I want to be? I wanted

00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:46.557
to be that strong man who is able to

00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:50.557
give life to a woman that she can be

00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:55.837
free, creative, uh bring um our um you

00:31:55.920 --> 00:32:00.077
know fruit uh children so she doesn't

00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:02.557
have to worry about that. In my previous

00:32:02.640 --> 00:32:05.277
marriage I didn't understand that. So on

00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:09.997
stage I came across like I was this you

00:32:10.080 --> 00:32:13.117
know strong guy who was invited to the

00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:17.357
White House to perform. Um I was you

00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:20.237
know I was commanding a big group of

00:32:20.320 --> 00:32:23.837
2,000 3,000 people and she saw that and

00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:27.837
then in a relationship I became like now

00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:30.077
she knows what to do. I don't have to do

00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:33.117
anything. So I said I do and I didn't do

00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:35.517
it. I didn't know what it was, what my

00:32:35.600 --> 00:32:38.877
role was. So, it took me 20 years and

00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:41.517
all of that education to get to that

00:32:41.600 --> 00:32:45.437
place that who do I want to become to

00:32:45.520 --> 00:32:50.317
attract a woman that wants
to be in that role.

00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.237
>> Damn, dude.
You thought about this [__] deep.

00:32:52.320 --> 00:32:56.157
>> I did. Going through it, man. I got
>> you going through it cuz you're going

00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:59.437
through that, which is always a bummer
for people, especially with children

00:32:59.520 --> 00:33:03.117
when you're getting divorced. But then
on top of that, your career goes away

00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:04.957
cuz the Soviet Union collapsed.

00:33:05.040 --> 00:33:07.517
>> Yes. >> And then you
said, "Fuck it." That's

00:33:07.600 --> 00:33:08.797
very admirable that you said, "Fuck it.

00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:12.317
I'm going to get educated and figure out
what's wrong with me and what's what's

00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:14.477
you know." >> Yes. Yeah.
And I don't know if you have

00:33:14.560 --> 00:33:17.597
a picture of my my wife and and the kids

00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:21.517
and the kid. Now I'm 75
and I have a one-year-old.

00:33:21.600 --> 00:33:23.517
>> What? >> Yes. I am to I know.

00:33:23.600 --> 00:33:27.277
>> When did you get married? How long
did you >> Seven Seven years ago. So this

00:33:27.360 --> 00:33:29.517
>> So you spent like 20 years single?

00:33:29.600 --> 00:33:32.877
>> Yeah. just trying to figure yourself
out. Damn, man. You went on a walk.

00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:35.517
>> I went all Tony Robbins. Uh, what?

00:33:35.600 --> 00:33:38.717
>> Yeah. All of his trainings. I mean, I

00:33:38.800 --> 00:33:42.077
needed to become I wasn't that strong

00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:45.357
person. I was more like my dad and I

00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:48.237
needed to become who I wanted to be. I

00:33:48.320 --> 00:33:51.837
wanted a woman to trust me that I can

00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:55.437
sustain no matter what. Um, and I have a

00:33:55.520 --> 00:33:57.757
feeling there's my wife. And

00:33:57.840 --> 00:33:59.517
>> did you meet your wife in Missouri?

00:33:59.600 --> 00:34:04.157
>> No, she is from Ukraine.
Uh, that's an interesting

00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:07.437
>> You have a one-year-old, dude.
It's time to get you on some peptides.

00:34:07.520 --> 00:34:11.437
>> All [laughter] right, we got That's
crazy. You're 75. You have a one-year-old.

00:34:11.520 --> 00:34:15.597
We got to go to work on you. [laughter]
>> We got to keep you alive. That's That's

00:34:15.680 --> 00:34:18.477
nuts. >> Uh, it's it's wonderful.

00:34:18.560 --> 00:34:21.517
>> You're almost 20 years older than me
and you have a one-year-old. That's crazy.

00:34:21.600 --> 00:34:24.957
>> Well, I'm I'm I'm excited. I'm excited

00:34:25.040 --> 00:34:29.037
because I figured that I figured out

00:34:29.120 --> 00:34:33.677
something. So the way So I was

00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:36.237
you'll you'll get a kick out of it. So I

00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:38.077
was married to an American woman. Then I

00:34:38.160 --> 00:34:42.237
was dating other women. Wasn't it wasn't

00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:46.237
happening. So I took my kids uh grown

00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:51.117
kids to uh Ukraine and I wanted them to

00:34:51.200 --> 00:34:54.877
show I'm from Odessa. All right. So went

00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:57.517
there uh with them. They were like

00:34:57.600 --> 00:35:01.597
probably in their 20s and so and on the

00:35:01.680 --> 00:35:05.277
way back I forgot my uh passport on the

00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:08.557
plane from Odessa to Kiev and I had to

00:35:08.640 --> 00:35:11.837
stay behind for a day to get a temporary

00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:15.917
passport. So, I went to a a park and I

00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:19.517
was waiting for this and um and I see

00:35:19.600 --> 00:35:23.357
this lunchtime and this gorgeous women

00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:26.877
are going to lunch and back and and and

00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:29.277
they're like I feel like I'm in Paris

00:35:29.360 --> 00:35:31.437
watching a runway show. I mean, it's

00:35:31.520 --> 00:35:35.757
like beautiful women and and I'm going I

00:35:35.840 --> 00:35:40.397
I'm can relate to that.
I would like one of those women.

00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:42.637
>> Wait a minute. How?
But how old are you at this time?

00:35:42.720 --> 00:35:45.837
>> That was 10 years ago, so 65.

00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:48.557
>> And how old are these ladies?

00:35:48.640 --> 00:35:53.197
>> Uh, well, my wife is 42, so but in in

00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:55.997
their in their 20s, 30s.

00:35:56.080 --> 00:35:59.277
>> 42 and 75 doesn't seem offensive for

00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:02.157
whatever reason. You know what I mean?

00:36:02.240 --> 00:36:06.637
>> Like 20 and what
would be the equivalent?

00:36:06.720 --> 00:36:10.557
>> Well, I wasn't looking. I I wasn't
looking. I wasn't a playboy. I was

00:36:10.640 --> 00:36:14.397
looking for a wife. I had a I had a >>
But women don't care about that. If they

00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:17.677
find out that a man is like that much
older than a woman, they kind of get

00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:20.397
upset. >> Well,
it probably in that culture is a

00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:22.957
little bit different
than American culture.

00:36:23.040 --> 00:36:25.837
>> Um, and so what I did, I said, "Okay,

00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:30.077
how do I do that?" So I went to Ukraine

00:36:30.160 --> 00:36:32.637
and I tried to meet women through like

00:36:32.720 --> 00:36:36.397
agencies that introduce people. It

00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:39.757
wasn't working a couple of times. Then I

00:36:39.840 --> 00:36:44.957
decide I'm going to just hire three
different agencies at the same time and

00:36:45.040 --> 00:36:48.957
I'm just going to go for two weeks.
And I had 51 dates.

00:36:49.040 --> 00:36:51.437
>> So you went to Ukraine
just to meet a woman.

00:36:51.520 --> 00:36:56.477
>> I went to look for a wife. It wasn't
a woman. It was just But I mean it has to

00:36:56.560 --> 00:36:57.677
be a woman, right?

00:36:57.760 --> 00:37:00.157
>> Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. And

00:37:00.240 --> 00:37:03.837
so uh Yes. So that's what happened. And

00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:08.637
I would just have breakfast, lunch,
and dinner with different ladies. And it

00:37:08.720 --> 00:37:10.637
didn't take me very long because I had

00:37:10.720 --> 00:37:13.197
all that training and education. I was

00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:18.077
new and I was looking for a woman who um

00:37:18.160 --> 00:37:21.917
has um a a father

00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:25.037
that um is really good for her. I mean,

00:37:25.120 --> 00:37:28.237
I I knew that if the father

00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:30.477
if they're afraid of masculine energy,

00:37:30.560 --> 00:37:33.597
if they're being with the abusive dad or

00:37:33.680 --> 00:37:35.597
something is not right, they will not

00:37:35.680 --> 00:37:38.637
trust my energy.

00:37:38.720 --> 00:37:41.277
>> And that was with a handshake. I could

00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:44.957
tell pretty much if that woman and and

00:37:45.040 --> 00:37:48.877
all 51 dates were I it didn't work. I

00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:51.437
mean I just knew in couple of seconds

00:37:51.520 --> 00:37:53.517
that it wasn't right but then I have to

00:37:53.600 --> 00:37:56.397
eat you know so I gained weight just

00:37:56.480 --> 00:38:01.517
because I I had to eat all this
time three meals a day and anyway

00:38:01.600 --> 00:38:04.797
>> you were going out with three different
girls a day to try to find a wife.

00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:08.077
>> Yeah, >> that sounds kind of crazy.

00:38:08.160 --> 00:38:11.037
>> Well, it so then a little crazy.

00:38:11.120 --> 00:38:13.997
>> So then so then I go it didn't work

00:38:14.080 --> 00:38:17.197
right. So what do I do? So now I I

00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:20.637
decide I'm going to do a seminar

00:38:20.720 --> 00:38:22.717
in Kiev

00:38:22.800 --> 00:38:25.277
uh on relationships because I was

00:38:25.360 --> 00:38:27.997
teaching at Missouri State University at

00:38:28.080 --> 00:38:31.517
that time. So a professor from America

00:38:31.600 --> 00:38:35.917
is going to teach this course
on relationships and laughter. Right. That

00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:37.917
was my hook. And I

00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.997
>> But you did this all
just to meet women.

00:38:40.080 --> 00:38:43.997
>> Yeah. Yes, I did. Well, I'm I'm not I'm

00:38:44.080 --> 00:38:49.997
I I'm not ashamed of it because I
was I was very >> It's pragmatic.

00:38:50.080 --> 00:38:51.597
A good strategy. >> Very focused.

00:38:51.680 --> 00:38:53.757
>> It seems like
the same strategy that led

00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:56.397
you to like serve breakfast in Branson.

00:38:56.480 --> 00:38:58.957
You're an industrial >>
get out of the Soviet Union.

00:38:59.040 --> 00:39:00.077
>> You find solutions.

00:39:00.160 --> 00:39:04.237
>> Exactly. Exactly.
So then so then I uh I

00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:08.077
need somebody to promote this uh and to

00:39:08.160 --> 00:39:11.757
find the venue and uh bring women. But

00:39:11.840 --> 00:39:14.957
the the logic was the logic was that the

00:39:15.040 --> 00:39:19.837
women who will come uh to uh a seminar

00:39:19.920 --> 00:39:22.157
are different kind of women that go to

00:39:22.240 --> 00:39:25.117
those agencies. Those agencies they're

00:39:25.200 --> 00:39:29.437
hunting for somebody from outside
the country. They're looking for somebody.

00:39:29.520 --> 00:39:34.237
These women were just wanted
to know more about relationship. And

00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:36.797
>> so what do you mean they're hunting for
someone outside the country? So they're

00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:40.957
trying to escape Ukraine. That's what
they're doing. So they're trying to find

00:39:41.040 --> 00:39:42.637
a husband that's going to take them out.

00:39:42.720 --> 00:39:45.437
>> Exactly. Exactly. So they're more in a

00:39:45.520 --> 00:39:50.077
masculine energy. They're more like I'm
going to get somebody. And I wasn't into

00:39:50.160 --> 00:39:52.237
that. I wasn't interested.

00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:56.797
>> So someone recommended uh this lady who

00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:00.157
can do this, promote this. And it was my

00:40:00.240 --> 00:40:03.517
uh future wife. It was my uh Olivia who

00:40:03.600 --> 00:40:07.677
I'm now married to. And when I met her

00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:11.117
and she promoted this, I already knew

00:40:11.200 --> 00:40:14.797
that I didn't need the seminar. I just I

00:40:14.880 --> 00:40:19.117
met somebody that I really um wanted to

00:40:19.200 --> 00:40:22.637
to be with. And uh it didn't it wasn't

00:40:22.720 --> 00:40:24.877
immediate because we're age different.

00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:26.877
So at first I was like, "What? What are

00:40:26.960 --> 00:40:29.437
you talking about?" And I wasn't I was

00:40:29.520 --> 00:40:32.317
just professional and doing this

00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:34.877
professionally. But little by little we

00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:37.997
started learning about each other. And

00:40:38.080 --> 00:40:41.597
then I I invited her to America,

00:40:41.680 --> 00:40:45.597
proposed to her on her uh birthday and I

00:40:45.680 --> 00:40:50.237
had her balloon ride. I mean I
was you know >> very romantic.

00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:54.797
>> Yeah. Yeah. That way >> she
could not get out. That way I could

00:40:54.880 --> 00:40:59.517
keep her there. >> Wow. Yeah,
>> that is a creepy place to propose.

00:40:59.600 --> 00:41:01.277
>> Propose like you're already scared.

00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:03.397
You're >> going to take
care of me, please.

00:41:03.480 --> 00:41:06.877
[laughter] >> But I get
this thing down on the ground.

00:41:06.960 --> 00:41:09.277
>> I put a big big banner on the ground.

00:41:09.360 --> 00:41:11.197
Will you marry me? A

00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:14.077
>> uh and and she didn't know how to read

00:41:14.160 --> 00:41:16.637
English, so she

00:41:16.720 --> 00:41:21.117
she did not say yes. Uh and then then I

00:41:21.200 --> 00:41:25.117
opened the ring and you know
and then she said yes. So,

00:41:25.200 --> 00:41:28.397
>> um, does she speak Russian?
Is that what they speak in Ukraine? Yeah,

00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:31.197
>> primarily.
Is there a Ukrainian language?

00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:33.357
>> Yeah, there is. There is. That's the

00:41:33.440 --> 00:41:37.037
tension between two sides of Ukraine.

00:41:37.120 --> 00:41:40.157
One is very western, very Ukrainian. The

00:41:40.240 --> 00:41:43.837
other one is Russian speaking and they

00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:48.717
uh Russian speaking don't mind the the
other side. The other side doesn't mind.

00:41:48.800 --> 00:41:50.317
So, >> yes.

00:41:50.400 --> 00:41:53.757
>> Got it. Got it. Got it. Well, it's like

00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:58.317
what was it like starting out doing
standup in the Soviet Union? That's

00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:00.637
where you started, right?
Yeah. How old were you?

00:42:00.720 --> 00:42:03.997
>> I was 15. >> And what
is it like over there when you

00:42:04.080 --> 00:42:06.317
were 15? Is there like a a version of

00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:08.637
the Tonight Show in Russia?

00:42:08.720 --> 00:42:13.037
>> Well, no, it's a lot at those days, you

00:42:13.120 --> 00:42:17.997
know, uh it was very structured, very

00:42:18.080 --> 00:42:20.717
communist party controlled. So there was

00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:23.117
only like two comedians in the whole

00:42:23.200 --> 00:42:27.117
country that were government approved.

00:42:27.200 --> 00:42:29.997
So they they would be on the radio and

00:42:30.080 --> 00:42:34.157
television and nobody else was really

00:42:34.240 --> 00:42:39.837
doing comedy. So >> what were the
comedians like? Do more like Vladville.

00:42:39.920 --> 00:42:40.717
>> What were the names?

00:42:40.800 --> 00:42:44.397
>> Uh Arcadi Reichen. You could probably

00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:47.677
Google him. Arcadi Reichen. He was the

00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.717
main guy that I would listen to and in

00:42:50.800 --> 00:42:54.397
each each um apartment there would be a

00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:57.517
little speaker that would be on all the

00:42:57.600 --> 00:43:01.037
time so they could brainwash you.

00:43:01.120 --> 00:43:04.557
>> You had a speaker
in your apartment all the time.

00:43:04.640 --> 00:43:08.237
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Wow. >> Yeah.

00:43:08.320 --> 00:43:10.797
>> So, so but then on Sunday mornings

00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:13.037
>> uh this is what 66.

00:43:13.120 --> 00:43:17.837
>> Uh yeah. Yeah. I'm 51. So, yeah. Yeah,

00:43:17.920 --> 00:43:22.157
that's about that time.
>> Yeah, that was the guy. Yeah.

00:43:22.240 --> 00:43:24.397
>> Wow. Very that was the guy.

00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:27.597
>> Very famous. Uh the only people from

00:43:27.680 --> 00:43:32.157
America that we saw were
Charlie Chaplain and that's it.

00:43:32.240 --> 00:43:34.317
>> So, >> just Charlie Chap.
So, you thought

00:43:34.400 --> 00:43:36.157
America was just silent movies?

00:43:36.240 --> 00:43:39.597
>> Well, they they they portrayed it.

00:43:39.680 --> 00:43:42.797
>> Oh, he even had a he did
a Charlie Chapman impersonation.

00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:47.277
>> Yeah. >> Wow. Oh >> yeah. >> So, uh,

00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:49.197
>> he's got wacky wigs and [__]

00:43:49.280 --> 00:43:52.157
>> I would listen to his

00:43:52.240 --> 00:43:54.957
So, every other Sunday or every once a

00:43:55.040 --> 00:43:56.797
month, he would have a different

00:43:56.880 --> 00:44:00.077
monologue that was written and approved

00:44:00.160 --> 00:44:02.397
by the Communist Party.

00:44:02.480 --> 00:44:05.677
Yeah. So, I was really into it. So I

00:44:05.760 --> 00:44:09.197
would record it and we had a big tape

00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:12.077
recorder like this and I would record it

00:44:12.160 --> 00:44:14.877
and I would memorize it and because

00:44:14.960 --> 00:44:17.197
there was nothing to be approved because

00:44:17.280 --> 00:44:19.677
it's already been approved then I would

00:44:19.760 --> 00:44:24.797
go to like a club in my um uh school and

00:44:24.880 --> 00:44:28.557
I would tell jokes his jokes and people

00:44:28.640 --> 00:44:30.477
knew that it was his jokes but they

00:44:30.560 --> 00:44:33.677
would they would laugh and that's how I

00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:38.797
got my understanding that I
really wanted to do that.

00:44:38.880 --> 00:44:39.677
>> Wow.

00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:42.877
>> Yeah. And and little by little then I

00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:47.037
went to military and I did that there

00:44:47.120 --> 00:44:52.477
kind of as an amateur and then uh >>
So you did you did stand up for the

00:44:52.560 --> 00:44:53.277
military?

00:44:53.360 --> 00:44:56.397
>> Yeah. Yeah. But it would be just like

00:44:56.480 --> 00:44:59.517
holidays like if it was Mayday or event

00:44:59.600 --> 00:45:01.597
>> Octo Yeah. October Revolution, they

00:45:01.680 --> 00:45:04.957
would look to me to to entertain. So I

00:45:05.040 --> 00:45:08.877
would do that and then I went to came

00:45:08.960 --> 00:45:11.917
out of the military, went to college for

00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:14.237
art degree. My parents didn't think that

00:45:14.320 --> 00:45:17.277
I could do anything. Comedy would not be

00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:19.917
like nobody even thought that that's

00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:23.197
even a possibility.

00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:27.197
And so um I kept doing it and then start

00:45:27.280 --> 00:45:31.117
working on the uh Soviet cruise ships

00:45:31.200 --> 00:45:34.237
um and they they had in the Black Sea

00:45:34.320 --> 00:45:37.677
Soviet cruise ships. So I went uh they

00:45:37.760 --> 00:45:40.957
asked me to go and perform there on the

00:45:41.040 --> 00:45:46.077
cruise ship. Yeah.
You're you're like really they have Yeah.

00:45:46.160 --> 00:45:48.477
>> Yeah. So it was >> How
old were you at the time?

00:45:48.560 --> 00:45:51.197
>> I was 20 21.

00:45:51.280 --> 00:45:51.677
>> Okay.

00:45:51.760 --> 00:45:55.677
>> Yeah. Um, now I'm getting paid and I'm

00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:59.837
getting um a cabin. And now prior to

00:45:59.920 --> 00:46:05.197
that I lived in a communal apartment
with my parents in the same room till I

00:46:05.280 --> 00:46:07.197
was 26 years old. >> Whoa.

00:46:07.280 --> 00:46:11.117
>> So yeah. So no phone. Uh nine families.

00:46:11.200 --> 00:46:13.997
>> What if your parents wanted to get
frisky? They tell you to go phone.

00:46:14.080 --> 00:46:17.997
>> Go look out the window.
>> Go look out the window.

00:46:18.080 --> 00:46:20.637
>> Well, I I joke about
this and then Okay.

00:46:20.720 --> 00:46:24.317
>> Yeah. And then and then they say,
"What do you see? What do you see in the

00:46:24.400 --> 00:46:26.317
window?" >> I might jump
out that [__] window.

00:46:26.400 --> 00:46:30.317
[laughter] >> Yeah. And they say, "What do
you [snorts] see in the window?" I said,

00:46:30.400 --> 00:46:34.557
"Our neighbors being frisky." And and
they say, "How can you tell?" I said,

00:46:34.640 --> 00:46:37.277
"Because their son is looking at me." So

00:46:37.360 --> 00:46:41.117
that's that's a joke I tell. But um but

00:46:41.200 --> 00:46:44.557
uh that was my my life. And here all of

00:46:44.640 --> 00:46:49.837
the sudden I'm introduced to this uh so

00:46:49.920 --> 00:46:52.157
tourists from other countries would take

00:46:52.240 --> 00:46:55.677
those cruises around Black Sea and all

00:46:55.760 --> 00:46:59.437
of the sudden I'm introduced to this
group of people that I was not allowed

00:46:59.520 --> 00:47:03.677
to talk to foreigners.
We were not allowed to even

00:47:03.760 --> 00:47:05.357
>> What countries were they from? uh

00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:09.197
Germany, uh Britain, some Americans,

00:47:09.280 --> 00:47:11.597
some Australians,

00:47:11.680 --> 00:47:13.837
uh Yugoslavians,

00:47:13.920 --> 00:47:18.477
whatever from uh Soviet block and and

00:47:18.560 --> 00:47:21.917
was who was the president of or the

00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:23.437
>> Brvn

00:47:23.520 --> 00:47:26.157
was the president that time. Yeah. And

00:47:26.240 --> 00:47:29.677
so I started so I did one week of

00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:31.357
performances

00:47:31.440 --> 00:47:34.637
and um and then they said, "Would you

00:47:34.720 --> 00:47:38.237
like to stay on board?" And I said, "Um

00:47:38.320 --> 00:47:42.397
I I I said, "Can can I bring my parents

00:47:42.480 --> 00:47:45.357
with me? Can can we give another cabin

00:47:45.440 --> 00:47:47.437
for them?" And they said, "No, you don't

00:47:47.520 --> 00:47:50.077
get any special privileges. We have

00:47:50.160 --> 00:47:52.797
hundreds of people like you. Get out."

00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:57.117
And I I was like, "Okay." So I left and

00:47:57.200 --> 00:47:59.997
um uh a couple of hours later a

00:48:00.080 --> 00:48:01.917
messenger comes. We have no phone. So

00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:04.717
it's like messenger comes and brings two

00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:08.877
sets of um sets of tickets for me and my

00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:11.517
parents. And I never heard that it's

00:48:11.600 --> 00:48:13.757
even possible like that they would go

00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:16.077
back and they're worried.

00:48:16.160 --> 00:48:20.797
So I go on the cruise and um and the uh

00:48:20.880 --> 00:48:22.957
I go to a cruise director. I said, "What

00:48:23.040 --> 00:48:25.437
happened?" and he said, "Well, here's

00:48:25.520 --> 00:48:28.557
what happened. These ships normally are

00:48:28.640 --> 00:48:31.517
rented to European companies for like

00:48:31.600 --> 00:48:34.477
nine months out of the year, and we

00:48:34.560 --> 00:48:37.357
learned from them that if somebody is

00:48:37.440 --> 00:48:42.717
valuable, we give them more uh perks."

00:48:42.800 --> 00:48:45.997
Um, the captain liked your performance

00:48:46.080 --> 00:48:49.357
and he told them, the company that even

00:48:49.440 --> 00:48:52.397
if you have to give him my own cabin, I

00:48:52.480 --> 00:48:57.197
want him on the ship.
And the light bulb went in my head. I

00:48:57.280 --> 00:48:58.717
said, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are

00:48:58.800 --> 00:49:03.037
you saying that in capitalistic world if

00:49:03.120 --> 00:49:06.237
you're more talented, you get more

00:49:06.320 --> 00:49:10.637
things?" and they go, "Yeah, that was

00:49:10.720 --> 00:49:14.077
It's hard to imagine.
That was like changed my life." It was

00:49:14.160 --> 00:49:17.757
>> Well, it's hard to imagine for people
that didn't grow up in the environment

00:49:17.840 --> 00:49:20.157
that you grew up with a speaker
in your apartment. Yeah.

00:49:20.240 --> 00:49:24.637
>> Like just you saying that to me, my
mind is rattled. I was like, "Oh my god."

00:49:24.720 --> 00:49:28.237
Like they could just broadcast
in your apartment anytime they wanted.

00:49:28.320 --> 00:49:29.117
>> Yeah. And

00:49:29.200 --> 00:49:31.597
>> what a great way to brainwash people.

00:49:31.680 --> 00:49:35.757
And uh they would jam like uh because we

00:49:35.840 --> 00:49:38.957
had a big radio and they would jam Voice

00:49:39.040 --> 00:49:43.437
of America. Uh but my dad would wake up

00:49:43.520 --> 00:49:46.317
like in the middle of the night he was

00:49:46.400 --> 00:49:48.077
wanted to know what's happening out

00:49:48.160 --> 00:49:50.797
there and he would sit there and listen

00:49:50.880 --> 00:49:54.237
to that quietly. And I remember as a kid

00:49:54.320 --> 00:49:57.917
I asked dad, "What are you listening
to in the middle of the night?" And he

00:49:58.000 --> 00:50:00.717
goes, "Shh, don't let neighbors hear us.

00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:04.557
This is Voice of America.
We're not allowed to listen to it.

00:50:04.640 --> 00:50:06.717
>> Wow. So, you had to keep it secret.

00:50:06.800 --> 00:50:09.597
>> Yeah. But at night time,
>> how did he listen to it?

00:50:09.680 --> 00:50:11.517
>> Just quiet. It just sat there.

00:50:11.600 --> 00:50:13.117
>> Right. But if they jammed it,
how did he listen?

00:50:13.200 --> 00:50:15.997
>> No. Uh, they would
jam it during the day.

00:50:16.080 --> 00:50:19.677
>> But at night time, they didn't think
anybody would wake up at 3:00 in the

00:50:19.760 --> 00:50:21.757
morning and sit there and listen to it.

00:50:21.840 --> 00:50:26.557
>> How do they jam it? >> Just I
don't know. Sometimes [laughter]

00:50:26.640 --> 00:50:30.077
>> Say that again. >> Yeah. I don't know.

00:50:30.160 --> 00:50:33.917
So they had some way to jam
that signal, whatever signal was on.

00:50:34.000 --> 00:50:38.477
>> Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. It's shortwave,
so it goes in and out. Anyway,

00:50:38.560 --> 00:50:42.317
>> what did he get out of listening
to Voice of America? Like what what was he

00:50:42.400 --> 00:50:43.997
does he did he talk about it?

00:50:44.080 --> 00:50:46.797
>> Yeah. Yeah. I would then start also

00:50:46.880 --> 00:50:49.757
waking up and listening and and it would

00:50:49.840 --> 00:50:52.717
be just standard American thing. Give me

00:50:52.800 --> 00:50:54.397
you're tired, you're hungry, you're

00:50:54.480 --> 00:50:57.837
poor. Uh something like that. and you

00:50:57.920 --> 00:51:00.557
know and they would that there's a

00:51:00.640 --> 00:51:04.317
Statue of Liberty waiting to greet you

00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:07.037
uh if you come to the United States and

00:51:07.120 --> 00:51:10.077
he would always say you know this this

00:51:10.160 --> 00:51:12.477
would be something that I would love you

00:51:12.560 --> 00:51:17.597
to experience and um and my mom was she

00:51:17.680 --> 00:51:19.677
hated that because she was afraid that

00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:23.197
we'll get in trouble and so she didn't

00:51:23.280 --> 00:51:25.837
want to even talk about this. So, if I

00:51:25.920 --> 00:51:30.877
drew a picture as a kid, I would draw
a picture of Statue of Liberty. Uh, and

00:51:30.960 --> 00:51:32.557
she would like, "Don't do that. Don't

00:51:32.640 --> 00:51:34.637
let anybody see this. We'll get in

00:51:34.720 --> 00:51:38.957
trouble." And, um, when after I

00:51:39.040 --> 00:51:42.637
experienced the cruises and got to know

00:51:42.720 --> 00:51:45.037
this different environment, I came home

00:51:45.120 --> 00:51:47.197
and I go, "Mom, dad, I think we should

00:51:47.280 --> 00:51:51.597
consider try to get out of." And mom was

00:51:51.680 --> 00:51:55.917
like mad at my dad. And my dad stood up,

00:51:56.000 --> 00:51:58.157
which was good for him at that time.

00:51:58.240 --> 00:52:00.237
Normally, he would just be quiet, but he

00:52:00.320 --> 00:52:03.917
said to my mom, Clara, don't you would

00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:08.477
you like your son when he is my age sit

00:52:08.560 --> 00:52:11.197
there by the radio and listen uh to

00:52:11.280 --> 00:52:14.157
Voice of America hoping wishing that he

00:52:14.240 --> 00:52:19.197
would be doing something like that
or would you like him to be in America

00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:21.117
doing this?

00:52:21.200 --> 00:52:25.037
And my mom kind of went,

00:52:25.120 --> 00:52:27.037
you know what's going to happen when we

00:52:27.120 --> 00:52:30.797
apply for a visa? People who are

00:52:30.880 --> 00:52:32.717
consider your friends, they will cross

00:52:32.800 --> 00:52:35.437
the street and they will not want to

00:52:35.520 --> 00:52:38.797
talk to you and be seen with you and

00:52:38.880 --> 00:52:41.757
you're going to go through hell and and

00:52:41.840 --> 00:52:43.917
and and

00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:47.917
my dad said, "Yeah, we will." and she

00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:52.157
said, "Well, if you're
willing to do it, so so am I."

00:52:52.240 --> 00:52:54.477
>> And that's all you had
to do is apply for a visa.

00:52:54.560 --> 00:52:57.837
>> Well, what was happening at that time,

00:52:57.920 --> 00:53:00.797
Jimmy Carter was the president here, and

00:53:00.880 --> 00:53:05.917
he wanted to uh see some human rights in

00:53:06.000 --> 00:53:09.117
the Soviet Union and and the Soviet

00:53:09.200 --> 00:53:11.437
leadership was they were starving. They

00:53:11.520 --> 00:53:15.037
didn't have food. Uh so they needed food

00:53:15.120 --> 00:53:18.077
from America. So Jimmy Carter made a

00:53:18.160 --> 00:53:20.717
deal that we're we're going to give you

00:53:20.800 --> 00:53:24.397
grain and you allow people to get out

00:53:24.480 --> 00:53:26.877
>> and that's how we we were kind of

00:53:26.960 --> 00:53:30.157
exchanged for some wheat, you know.

00:53:30.240 --> 00:53:33.997
That's how we got out.
>> Wow. Holy [__] man.

00:53:34.080 --> 00:53:36.637
>> Yeah. >> Yeah.

00:53:36.720 --> 00:53:39.357
Just you um sometimes need to be

00:53:39.440 --> 00:53:42.717
reminded how fortunate you are.

00:53:42.800 --> 00:53:46.797
You know, Americans
in particular, we're very uh

00:53:46.880 --> 00:53:50.237
>> you know, it's not our fault. You know,
people become accustomed to where they

00:53:50.320 --> 00:53:53.197
live. >> Yeah. >> And they
think this is normal, which is

00:53:53.280 --> 00:53:55.277
one of the reasons why this uh push

00:53:55.360 --> 00:53:57.437
towards communism amongst young people

00:53:57.520 --> 00:54:00.317
is so infuriating to me. It's like I I

00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:03.197
understand that it comes from this

00:54:03.280 --> 00:54:05.597
desire for empathy and kindness. I get

00:54:05.680 --> 00:54:10.717
that the idea of socialism comes from
an idea of empathy and kindness that you

00:54:10.800 --> 00:54:13.917
want you think the world would be
better if we all shared and that why are

00:54:14.000 --> 00:54:15.517
there's people that are so rich and

00:54:15.600 --> 00:54:17.197
people that are so poor and you're

00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:21.197
right. Uh but the solution is not to

00:54:21.280 --> 00:54:23.917
make the government decide who gets what

00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:25.997
because they never decide the right way.

00:54:26.080 --> 00:54:30.397
They they do what people do. What people
do when they have power is they enact

00:54:30.480 --> 00:54:34.477
total control over the population so
that they can maintain power and then

00:54:34.560 --> 00:54:38.397
they live in luxury and then you wait
in line for bread and that's how it is all

00:54:38.480 --> 00:54:41.917
over the [__] world and if you step
out of line they shoot you. That's where

00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:44.557
communism goes. So what we need is like

00:54:44.640 --> 00:54:48.557
a more a more moral and ethical version

00:54:48.640 --> 00:54:53.517
of capitalism. So we need capitalism
but with empathy. capitalism, but with

00:54:53.600 --> 00:54:58.237
philanthropy, like real philanthropy,
not like scams where you you find out

00:54:58.320 --> 00:55:02.717
that 90% of the money is actually going
to all the people that work there and

00:55:02.800 --> 00:55:05.517
small. >> We need to figure
out a way to be more

00:55:05.600 --> 00:55:09.037
empathetic as a culture, but recognize
that the pursuit of freedom and the

00:55:09.120 --> 00:55:13.517
ability to have freedom is so huge
and it's such a great gift. We're so lucky

00:55:13.600 --> 00:55:17.517
that we have this experiment
in self-government that is the United

00:55:17.600 --> 00:55:21.437
States of America and that we were
that at least I was born here. Yeah,

00:55:21.520 --> 00:55:25.357
>> we're we're lucky as [__] you know,
and you don't throw that away because it's

00:55:25.440 --> 00:55:29.837
not good enough. Don't throw that away
because it's not it's not perfect.

00:55:29.920 --> 00:55:31.517
You're not going to get perfect with

00:55:31.600 --> 00:55:33.677
human beings, but this is the best

00:55:33.760 --> 00:55:37.037
system. Is it corrupt? 100%. Yeah, that

00:55:37.120 --> 00:55:40.877
should be fixed. The corruption should
be fixed and guard rail should be put in

00:55:40.960 --> 00:55:44.877
place and maybe more regulations
in regard to some things should be put in

00:55:44.960 --> 00:55:47.597
place. But the purpose of this whole

00:55:47.680 --> 00:55:50.157
thing is to allow people to have freedom

00:55:50.240 --> 00:55:53.437
to do whatever they want and that's not

00:55:53.520 --> 00:55:57.437
ubiquitous in the world. That's not
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>> No. No. And I've been I've been kind of

00:56:59.520 --> 00:57:03.757
a poster boy child
for American dream in a way.

00:57:03.840 --> 00:57:07.197
>> Look at your phone. [laughter]

00:57:07.280 --> 00:57:09.117
>> Look at that phone case.
That's if I had

00:57:09.200 --> 00:57:11.497
that on, people would call me a fascist.

00:57:11.580 --> 00:57:14.237
[laughter] >> We [clears throat]
have a giant American flag

00:57:14.320 --> 00:57:17.437
>> in Branson. Yeah.
In Branson, that's that's not

00:57:17.520 --> 00:57:21.677
>> that that flag to me doesn't represent
whoever is in it didn't represent Biden

00:57:21.760 --> 00:57:24.877
when he was in office. It didn't
represent Obama. It didn't represent

00:57:24.960 --> 00:57:28.397
Trump. It that represents all of us,

00:57:28.480 --> 00:57:31.117
right and left, independent, black,

00:57:31.200 --> 00:57:35.597
white, Asian, Russian, fill in the blanks,
Filipino, everybody from

00:57:35.680 --> 00:57:38.077
everywhere. Who cares? It's America.

00:57:38.160 --> 00:57:41.597
This is America. This is the great
melting pot. And that's that's how we

00:57:41.680 --> 00:57:44.397
really should be. And that flag
shouldn't represent Some people think

00:57:44.480 --> 00:57:46.957
the flag represents racism or

00:57:47.040 --> 00:57:49.437
colonialism. Like, come on, stop. That

00:57:49.520 --> 00:57:54.557
flag represents hope. And if you were
a kid like Yakov Smeirnoff, Is that your

00:57:54.640 --> 00:57:56.717
real name? >> No. No.
>> What's the real name?

00:57:56.800 --> 00:57:58.877
>> Pocus. >> Say that again.

00:57:58.960 --> 00:58:01.517
>> That's why. [laughter]

00:58:01.600 --> 00:58:06.317
Pocus. P O K H I S is my real name. But

00:58:06.400 --> 00:58:09.757
uh I was a a bartender, a bar boy at

00:58:09.840 --> 00:58:12.557
first when I came here and I my first

00:58:12.640 --> 00:58:18.157
job was a bar boy in Ginger's
Hotel uh in the Catskills.

00:58:18.240 --> 00:58:21.277
>> Oh wow. >> Yeah.
And >> what year was this?

00:58:21.360 --> 00:58:23.917
>> 77. >> Who did you
get to see perform there?

00:58:24.000 --> 00:58:28.237
>> Oh, Freddy Roman.
>> Wow. >> Eddie Fisher.

00:58:28.320 --> 00:58:31.997
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
>> Freddy Roman. Old school, baby.

00:58:32.080 --> 00:58:34.477
>> Old school. I was learning >>
Red Skeleton. Did you see those guys?

00:58:34.560 --> 00:58:37.437
>> Uhhuh. I did uh later later in in

00:58:37.520 --> 00:58:39.357
Atlantic City, but yeah.

00:58:39.440 --> 00:58:44.157
>> Yeah.
I I was learning English. Uh I was

00:58:44.240 --> 00:58:48.317
um learning about Chapa Quitic or stuff

00:58:48.400 --> 00:58:50.397
like that. I was like, "What is that?"

00:58:50.480 --> 00:58:54.637
You know, so I was >> I
was definitely learning English uh

00:58:54.720 --> 00:58:57.597
there. >> Have you ever
seen the television show

00:58:57.680 --> 00:59:00.717
on Amazon, The Marvelous Mrs. Masel?

00:59:00.800 --> 00:59:02.157
>> It's [clears throat] really good, man.

00:59:02.240 --> 00:59:04.237
Yeah. The first scene, uh, the first

00:59:04.320 --> 00:59:06.717
season rather, is incredible. It's about

00:59:06.800 --> 00:59:10.317
a a young woman who's married and

00:59:10.400 --> 00:59:12.957
decides to become a stand-up comedian.

00:59:13.040 --> 00:59:17.597
Like she's married with kids, the whole
deal, and she decides to do standup. And

00:59:17.680 --> 00:59:21.517
part of what she does, she does
some standup like in the Catkills.

00:59:21.600 --> 00:59:24.237
>> Interesting. >> And like
that is for people that don't

00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:26.957
know, standup, there's like standup

00:59:27.040 --> 00:59:32.237
comedy as an art form is a very new art
form. Yeah. very new in terms of human

00:59:32.320 --> 00:59:35.197
history. >> Yes. >> It's only
existed like in this form that

00:59:35.280 --> 00:59:37.997
we call standup where you have comedy
clubs and stuff like that. It's only

00:59:38.080 --> 00:59:39.997
existed like that since the 60s.

00:59:40.080 --> 00:59:42.717
>> That's true. It's it's Vivville pretty

00:59:42.800 --> 00:59:44.797
much started that, right? Yeah.

00:59:44.880 --> 00:59:49.677
>> Uh it's a different form.
>> Uh but that was I was learning from

00:59:49.760 --> 00:59:52.317
those. >> But a big part
of it was the cat skills.

00:59:52.400 --> 00:59:54.797
a big part of it because people from New

00:59:54.880 --> 00:59:59.597
York and Pennsylvania, they would they
go into the Poconos or the Catskills and

00:59:59.680 --> 01:00:03.357
they would do that on summer vacation
and people would get jobs there and

01:00:03.440 --> 01:00:06.797
comedians would go and book
themselves at these places.

01:00:06.880 --> 01:00:07.917
>> It was a big deal.

01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:12.397
>> It was it was and I I didn't know um

01:00:12.480 --> 01:00:16.397
about that. Uh I >> So
you just got a job there to

01:00:16.480 --> 01:00:18.957
>> how it happened. I I decided I need to

01:00:19.040 --> 01:00:20.637
learn English. I didn't speak English,

01:00:20.720 --> 01:00:24.397
right? So to to start with, so how do I

01:00:24.480 --> 01:00:26.877
learn English? And I I thought maybe if

01:00:26.960 --> 01:00:28.717
I can be a bartender because in the

01:00:28.800 --> 01:00:32.397
cruise ships bar was in the same uh

01:00:32.480 --> 01:00:35.597
proximity as the stage was. So I figure

01:00:35.680 --> 01:00:38.397
it's the same people coming to enjoy

01:00:38.480 --> 01:00:40.957
evening and I can talk to them

01:00:41.040 --> 01:00:43.277
individually and learn English. That was

01:00:43.360 --> 01:00:47.117
my clever idea, right? And so I went and

01:00:47.200 --> 01:00:48.637
got

01:00:48.720 --> 01:00:52.637
uh a a bartending, it's called degree of

01:00:52.720 --> 01:00:56.877
mixology. Uh in New York there was a uh

01:00:56.960 --> 01:01:00.877
makeshift school on Fifth Avenue. Uh two

01:01:00.960 --> 01:01:05.117
weeks uh $200 and you get a degree of of

01:01:05.200 --> 01:01:07.117
being a mixologist. And I don't speak

01:01:07.200 --> 01:01:11.037
English, but I collected that's $200.

01:01:11.120 --> 01:01:13.597
Got the degree. So, and they promised

01:01:13.680 --> 01:01:17.037
you to get a job, right? So, first job

01:01:17.120 --> 01:01:20.157
they get got me uh there was a

01:01:20.240 --> 01:01:22.077
restaurant in Lincoln Center called

01:01:22.160 --> 01:01:26.397
Monks in and it was uh you you dress as

01:01:26.480 --> 01:01:30.877
a monk and it's a French [laughter]
restaurant and you don't have to speak.

01:01:30.960 --> 01:01:32.797
You're a waiter but you don't have to

01:01:32.880 --> 01:01:36.877
speak. Was perfect. Um, and then uh I at

01:01:36.960 --> 01:01:39.597
the same school said they're requesting

01:01:39.680 --> 01:01:44.557
some uh bar boy in uh the Catskills at

01:01:44.640 --> 01:01:47.437
the Gingers Hotel. And I didn't know

01:01:47.520 --> 01:01:51.037
anything about it. And I uh on my day

01:01:51.120 --> 01:01:55.037
off I went upstate New York and went

01:01:55.120 --> 01:01:57.917
walked into this place and it was

01:01:58.000 --> 01:02:01.037
gorgeous. It was a beautiful bar like an

01:02:01.120 --> 01:02:04.717
18 bartenders or whatever. huge and then

01:02:04.800 --> 01:02:09.197
2,000 seat uh uh theater and when I saw

01:02:09.280 --> 01:02:11.837
it at my in my brain I said I don't care

01:02:11.920 --> 01:02:16.477
what they pay me I want to work here

01:02:16.560 --> 01:02:21.757
>> and so I um I took that job and

01:02:21.840 --> 01:02:24.557
uh actually I I was I was nervous

01:02:24.640 --> 01:02:27.197
because I didn't know that I can quit

01:02:27.280 --> 01:02:28.877
the other job because they just gave it

01:02:28.960 --> 01:02:32.797
to me like a week ago and right and So,

01:02:32.880 --> 01:02:36.157
I go back and I'm so nervous. I go to

01:02:36.240 --> 01:02:40.797
the manager. I go, "Um, I know this is

01:02:40.880 --> 01:02:43.037
you gave me a break, but there is an

01:02:43.120 --> 01:02:46.317
opportunity here." And and he said,

01:02:46.400 --> 01:02:48.317
"Yakov,

01:02:48.400 --> 01:02:50.877
um, it's America. You should take the

01:02:50.960 --> 01:02:53.677
opportunity." And if you ever need the

01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:57.197
job, you get it here. And I was like

01:02:57.280 --> 01:03:01.357
Rocky. I was like, >> "Was he
calling you Rock? Yakov or was

01:03:01.440 --> 01:03:03.677
he calling you?"
You'd already used that name.

01:03:03.760 --> 01:03:07.197
>> Oh, yeah. Yakov is my real name.
Yakov is my real name.

01:03:07.280 --> 01:03:08.397
>> But you said it wasn't your real name.

01:03:08.480 --> 01:03:10.317
>> Pocus. Poke is my last name.

01:03:10.400 --> 01:03:14.077
>> Oh, >> yeah.
Yakov is my real name. So I took

01:03:14.160 --> 01:03:16.957
>> Yakov Pocus would poke.

01:03:17.040 --> 01:03:18.397
>> Yeah. Do Spirnoff.

01:03:18.480 --> 01:03:21.197
>> And I and I people could not pronounce

01:03:21.280 --> 01:03:25.597
my name. So in a bar they would I would

01:03:25.680 --> 01:03:28.237
see that they can say I'll have some

01:03:28.320 --> 01:03:31.197
spirnov and I'm going h maybe that's a

01:03:31.280 --> 01:03:36.797
good name and [laughter] I and it
stuck and yakov became my name

01:03:36.880 --> 01:03:39.037
>> that makes sense >> but when
you think about how many

01:03:39.120 --> 01:03:42.557
different people in show business
changed their names back then

01:03:42.640 --> 01:03:46.157
>> that was a super common thing like
you didn't keep the name that you were if

01:03:46.240 --> 01:03:49.597
you had a goofy name like Arnold
Schwarzenegger was a groundbreaker cuz

01:03:49.680 --> 01:03:53.037
he was like one of the first guys to say
regardless whether or not you could

01:03:53.120 --> 01:03:56.397
spell my name or even say [laughter]
that's my name. I'm going to keep that

01:03:56.480 --> 01:04:01.677
name. >> So many people changed their
names and made them their name sound more

01:04:01.760 --> 01:04:02.637
appealing.

01:04:02.720 --> 01:04:05.677
>> Well, mine mine kind of worked because

01:04:05.760 --> 01:04:11.357
Yaks is like jokes. Yaks >>
and Smeirnov kind of makes people happy,

01:04:11.440 --> 01:04:13.677
>> right? >> So, it kind of worked.

01:04:13.760 --> 01:04:15.917
>> Oh, it works great. It's a great idea.

01:04:16.000 --> 01:04:20.077
So, you're a young kid and you're
at these Catskill shows. How long did you

01:04:20.160 --> 01:04:21.837
work there?

01:04:21.920 --> 01:04:25.597
Uh not very long about

01:04:25.680 --> 01:04:27.757
eight maybe seven eight months.

01:04:27.840 --> 01:04:29.997
>> And did you slowly
learn English when you were?

01:04:30.080 --> 01:04:31.997
>> I was learning English and I was

01:04:32.080 --> 01:04:34.077
translating jokes and I would try them

01:04:34.160 --> 01:04:37.837
on the audience or my my customers and I

01:04:37.920 --> 01:04:39.757
would just tell a joke and if they laugh

01:04:39.840 --> 01:04:43.677
then I knew that I I I'm understood and

01:04:43.760 --> 01:04:45.517
if they didn't laugh or I didn't get a

01:04:45.600 --> 01:04:49.517
tip then it wasn't working. So, so that

01:04:49.600 --> 01:04:53.357
was my that was my gauge.
And you were a bus boy when you

01:04:53.440 --> 01:04:56.317
>> I was a bar boy bar boy

01:04:56.400 --> 01:05:00.797
bringing ice and mixing pinina
coladas whatever and then became

01:05:00.880 --> 01:05:03.597
>> automat and then >>
then became a bartender

01:05:03.680 --> 01:05:06.957
>> and then I would
ask the guy I asked the

01:05:07.040 --> 01:05:09.117
guy who was

01:05:09.200 --> 01:05:12.957
uh uh the manager of the main room uh

01:05:13.040 --> 01:05:17.197
Barry Wise his name and he I asked him

01:05:17.280 --> 01:05:22.957
uh if I could try my comedy and

01:05:23.040 --> 01:05:26.557
and he said, "No, you can't do it in

01:05:26.640 --> 01:05:29.677
this room, but in the lobby,

01:05:29.760 --> 01:05:33.277
uh, in afternoons, they have a game with

01:05:33.360 --> 01:05:37.677
older people." Simon says, and,

01:05:37.760 --> 01:05:41.117
uh, the the guy who master of ceremonies

01:05:41.200 --> 01:05:44.797
there, uh, will probably let you do a

01:05:44.880 --> 01:05:48.077
couple of minutes of standup.

01:05:48.160 --> 01:05:52.477
So, I did. I I walked on stage and I

01:05:52.560 --> 01:05:54.877
it's a little stage in the lobby and I'm

01:05:54.960 --> 01:05:57.917
I'm telling a couple of jokes and some

01:05:58.000 --> 01:06:00.957
woman on the back started I thought she

01:06:01.040 --> 01:06:04.077
was laughing. It was like

01:06:04.160 --> 01:06:06.877
she had seizures

01:06:06.960 --> 01:06:10.477
and and I didn't know and I'm thinking

01:06:10.560 --> 01:06:14.397
I'm doing well and they're
getting her on a [snorts]

01:06:14.480 --> 01:06:17.197
herni out of there and people coming

01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:19.677
over and saying you were killing you

01:06:19.760 --> 01:06:21.437
were killing. I'm going no no no I

01:06:21.520 --> 01:06:25.037
wasn't killing the whole thing was but

01:06:25.120 --> 01:06:27.517
at least I told couple of jokes and that

01:06:27.600 --> 01:06:31.277
gave me some confidence and then I uh

01:06:31.360 --> 01:06:34.237
did couple of shows in uh catcher rising

01:06:34.320 --> 01:06:37.837
star which wasn't very good uh for me

01:06:37.920 --> 01:06:41.357
>> in New York.
in New York. Yeah. And then

01:06:41.440 --> 01:06:44.077
and then I was working as a shipping

01:06:44.160 --> 01:06:46.877
manager in a company called Greeting

01:06:46.960 --> 01:06:51.037
Bells and just to make some money and

01:06:51.120 --> 01:06:55.037
the lady said I know somebody in

01:06:55.120 --> 01:06:56.717
Hollywood

01:06:56.800 --> 01:07:00.077
um uh his name is Ted Bergman. He is the

01:07:00.160 --> 01:07:04.717
producer executive producer of Threes
Company which was a huge show at that

01:07:04.800 --> 01:07:07.757
time. >> Sure. said,
"If you go to Hollywood, I

01:07:07.840 --> 01:07:10.477
can arrange a meeting."

01:07:10.560 --> 01:07:14.637
And I I I I said, "Okay, I'll go." So, I

01:07:14.720 --> 01:07:18.397
had a plan. I I bought a ticket uh for

01:07:18.480 --> 01:07:22.397
10 days to go to Hollywood uh become a

01:07:22.480 --> 01:07:25.917
star and then come back to New York and

01:07:26.000 --> 01:07:28.317
buy Fifth Avenue apartment for my

01:07:28.400 --> 01:07:32.397
parents. That was my desire.

01:07:32.480 --> 01:07:37.437
It's crazy, right? But I go, "Okay, he's
an executive producer of Tre's company.

01:07:37.520 --> 01:07:39.197
He'll put me in the show. I'll become a

01:07:39.280 --> 01:07:42.797
star right away." It I know it's it's

01:07:42.880 --> 01:07:45.677
crazy, right? But I I really was that

01:07:45.760 --> 01:07:50.077
naive, right? So I go there and Ted

01:07:50.160 --> 01:07:52.237
Bergman says, "I would like to see you

01:07:52.320 --> 01:07:55.517
perform, so I need to find a spot." and

01:07:55.600 --> 01:07:58.397
I go to the comedy store and I get on

01:07:58.480 --> 01:08:04.637
the uh open mic list and uh and then the

01:08:04.720 --> 01:08:06.957
message comes

01:08:07.040 --> 01:08:09.917
uh that he is not going to make it but

01:08:10.000 --> 01:08:12.157
I'm already committed. So, I'm doing my

01:08:12.240 --> 01:08:16.717
five minutes and and I'm bummed because

01:08:16.800 --> 01:08:20.397
now it's day four and I'm not even close

01:08:20.480 --> 01:08:25.197
to getting a a a television show.

01:08:25.280 --> 01:08:29.037
So, I'm walking away and I'm on on

01:08:29.120 --> 01:08:33.277
sunset and this uh girl Chrissy, her

01:08:33.360 --> 01:08:37.037
name was Mitsy's secretary at that time

01:08:37.120 --> 01:08:41.277
and she runs after me and she goes,
"Yakob, Yakov, congratulations."

01:08:41.360 --> 01:08:43.917
And I go, "Why? I mean, the guy didn't

01:08:44.000 --> 01:08:46.477
show up." And she goes, "No, no, no, no,

01:08:46.560 --> 01:08:50.877
no. Mity liked you." And I go, "Who who

01:08:50.960 --> 01:08:52.717
is Mity?"

01:08:52.800 --> 01:08:55.357
I know. I know. It's silly to see in

01:08:55.440 --> 01:08:58.557
front of her portrait. And she goes,

01:08:58.640 --> 01:09:00.637
"She owns the comedy store. Go talk to

01:09:00.720 --> 01:09:04.477
her." So, I go sit down uh next to her

01:09:04.560 --> 01:09:07.117
in that booth that is next to uh

01:09:07.200 --> 01:09:08.157
>> Yeah, sure.

01:09:08.240 --> 01:09:11.757
>> Uh original room,
and I have no idea who

01:09:11.840 --> 01:09:16.317
I'm talking to, but And she says,

01:09:16.400 --> 01:09:20.397
"You're very funny. Stay in Los Angeles.

01:09:20.480 --> 01:09:22.797
There is always place for good and

01:09:22.880 --> 01:09:25.117
different.

01:09:25.200 --> 01:09:29.277
And I'm again I'm like, okay, I said I I

01:09:29.360 --> 01:09:32.237
I'm sorry, but I, you know, I have

01:09:32.320 --> 01:09:38.077
parents in in LA in in uh uh uh New

01:09:38.160 --> 01:09:40.877
York, and I need to go back because I

01:09:40.960 --> 01:09:44.157
they rely on me. And she goes, "So, what

01:09:44.240 --> 01:09:47.837
does your dad do?" And I go, "He's a

01:09:47.920 --> 01:09:50.637
building construction engineer." And she

01:09:50.720 --> 01:09:52.317
goes,

01:09:52.400 --> 01:09:55.917
"Can he be a carpenter?"

01:09:56.000 --> 01:10:00.077
And I go, "I think so." And she goes,

01:10:00.160 --> 01:10:03.277
"Okay, why don't you bring him here?

01:10:03.360 --> 01:10:08.337
I'll give him a job." I like your
Mity impression. It's pretty close.

01:10:08.420 --> 01:10:12.397
[laughter] >> And and she
she goes, "And where do you

01:10:12.480 --> 01:10:15.197
live?" I go, [laughter]

01:10:15.280 --> 01:10:17.917
I I am staying with some friends. She

01:10:18.000 --> 01:10:21.357
goes, I have a house up the hill and you

01:10:21.440 --> 01:10:25.917
can rent a room for $120
a month if you want to.

01:10:26.000 --> 01:10:28.157
>> That was a Crest Hill.
>> Crest Hill. Yeah.

01:10:28.240 --> 01:10:29.997
>> Yeah.

01:10:30.080 --> 01:10:33.437
>> So, I I I still
don't know again who I'm

01:10:33.520 --> 01:10:36.477
talking to. Uh and she goes, "And and

01:10:36.560 --> 01:10:41.677
come back tomorrow and watch
a regular show." [laughter]

01:10:41.760 --> 01:10:42.957
So I come back.

01:10:43.040 --> 01:10:44.477
>> How old are you at this time?

01:10:44.560 --> 01:10:49.437
>> I'm 2 26 27 now. Yeah.

01:10:49.520 --> 01:10:52.237
>> So I go in next day and I sit in the

01:10:52.320 --> 01:10:57.277
back and first person uh that Harris

01:10:57.360 --> 01:10:59.517
Pete, you probably remember. Yeah.

01:10:59.600 --> 01:11:01.997
>> Harris Pete introduces Robin Williams

01:11:02.080 --> 01:11:08.157
first on stage and he was he
just hit number one uh show on

01:11:08.240 --> 01:11:10.477
>> Morgan Mindy. >> Yeah. >> Yeah.

01:11:10.560 --> 01:11:13.277
And after him is Billy Crystal. After

01:11:13.360 --> 01:11:18.477
him is David Leatherman.
After him is uh Richard Prior.

01:11:18.560 --> 01:11:21.837
>> Wow. >> Yeah. Yeah.
It's a lined up like and I'm

01:11:21.920 --> 01:11:25.437
sitting back there and I'm going

01:11:25.520 --> 01:11:30.217
this is day five. I'm ahead of schedule.

01:11:30.300 --> 01:11:31.517
[laughter]

01:11:31.600 --> 01:11:36.637
If she likes them and she likes me,

01:11:36.720 --> 01:11:39.757
I'm staying. I don't care.

01:11:39.840 --> 01:11:42.637
And that's how it started and she gave

01:11:42.720 --> 01:11:45.037
me a job. So basically I was helping my

01:11:45.120 --> 01:11:48.717
dad uh as a carpenter because she wasn't

01:11:48.800 --> 01:11:52.317
I wasn't ready to perform there really but

01:11:52.400 --> 01:11:55.837
>> Well, she believed in you. >> Yeah.
And she gave me a break and little

01:11:55.920 --> 01:11:57.917
by little once a month she would say why

01:11:58.000 --> 01:11:59.917
don't you go up and do what you you know

01:12:00.000 --> 01:12:02.957
and I was practicing. I would do other

01:12:03.040 --> 01:12:05.997
clubs meantime just to get better and

01:12:06.080 --> 01:12:10.317
better and better and and then you know

01:12:10.400 --> 01:12:14.477
she been an amazing supporter you know

01:12:14.560 --> 01:12:18.477
and I continue I built the a lot in the

01:12:18.560 --> 01:12:21.437
bell room. I built a lot of things in in

01:12:21.520 --> 01:12:23.197
in

01:12:23.280 --> 01:12:27.517
she my my my main job was to go to her

01:12:27.600 --> 01:12:31.917
house and uh Paulie was a young kid who

01:12:32.000 --> 01:12:35.677
was smoking pot and to pre prevent Mits

01:12:35.760 --> 01:12:39.357
from walking into on him. He would take

01:12:39.440 --> 01:12:41.917
off the doorork knobs of the door and he

01:12:42.000 --> 01:12:44.557
would throw them away. [laughter] And my

01:12:44.640 --> 01:12:47.677
job was to go and buy door new doorork

01:12:47.760 --> 01:12:50.477
knobs and put them in. It was like a

01:12:50.560 --> 01:12:54.717
full-time job, you know. And so, yeah, I

01:12:54.800 --> 01:12:57.597
she been a blessing. A blessing for me.

01:12:57.680 --> 01:12:59.117
>> Pauliey's at the club this weekend.

01:12:59.200 --> 01:13:00.797
>> Oh, is that right? Oh, cool.

01:13:00.880 --> 01:13:03.597
>> Yeah, he's on the 25th weekend.

01:13:03.680 --> 01:13:06.877
>> That's crazy. That and and so how good

01:13:06.960 --> 01:13:10.877
was your English back then? >> It
was getting better, you Were you were

01:13:10.960 --> 01:13:12.477
you taking courses or

01:13:12.560 --> 01:13:15.677
>> Yeah, I was I was relentless. I would I

01:13:15.760 --> 01:13:19.277
would do whatever it takes uh to learn.

01:13:19.360 --> 01:13:22.477
Uh I was I mean I isolated myself

01:13:22.560 --> 01:13:26.077
totally from uh Russian speaking except

01:13:26.160 --> 01:13:30.637
my parents. I was speaking to them
in Russian but everybody else I spoke in

01:13:30.720 --> 01:13:32.717
English. So it got was getting better

01:13:32.800 --> 01:13:35.757
and better and then little by little I

01:13:35.840 --> 01:13:40.717
got you know u kind of Robin got me a

01:13:40.800 --> 01:13:46.077
part at Moscow on a Hudson movie.
Uh that was the first um

01:13:46.160 --> 01:13:49.277
>> this is all in the 70s, right? So this
is probably like you got arrived there

01:13:49.360 --> 01:13:53.917
like what 78 >> 78. Yeah.
And then the movie was 80

01:13:54.000 --> 01:13:56.237
started in 82

01:13:56.320 --> 01:14:00.237
came out in ' 84. Uh so at that point I

01:14:00.320 --> 01:14:04.397
was doing night court a lot. Um did like

01:14:04.480 --> 01:14:08.157
seven episodes. Um I could not get on

01:14:08.240 --> 01:14:11.437
the Tonight Show. Uh uh there was a

01:14:11.520 --> 01:14:17.247
producer Jim Macaulay who didn't think
that Carson's gonna like me, right?

01:14:17.330 --> 01:14:17.997
[laughter]

01:14:18.080 --> 01:14:21.837
And so I became and he would come every

01:14:21.920 --> 01:14:24.717
day. Mity was very supportive of this.

01:14:24.800 --> 01:14:26.637
She would have like a showcase once a

01:14:26.720 --> 01:14:31.277
year of people for uh him to look at and

01:14:31.360 --> 01:14:35.117
he would come and he would say Carson's
not going to like he's not going to like

01:14:35.200 --> 01:14:37.677
he's not going to like and on on year

01:14:37.760 --> 01:14:41.197
six he came and he said YaKob let's save

01:14:41.280 --> 01:14:46.077
time for one another uh you'll
get on that show when the hell

01:14:46.160 --> 01:14:48.157
freezes over

01:14:48.240 --> 01:14:51.437
I swear and I so I start watching

01:14:51.520 --> 01:14:54.637
weather channel [laughter] just well I I

01:14:54.720 --> 01:14:58.957
didn't have a shot. I mean, and and I

01:14:59.040 --> 01:15:02.077
just kind of moved on. And then I got uh

01:15:02.160 --> 01:15:05.517
Miller Light commercial uh which uh

01:15:05.600 --> 01:15:07.517
became very popular. I don't know if you

01:15:07.600 --> 01:15:10.157
can show that, Jamie. You could probably

01:15:10.240 --> 01:15:12.877
see it. It became really big. All of the

01:15:12.960 --> 01:15:16.157
sudden I was uh during Super Bowl shown

01:15:16.240 --> 01:15:18.477
and all of a sudden people kind of got

01:15:18.560 --> 01:15:25.037
got to know me and um I um and and and

01:15:25.120 --> 01:15:28.797
then Carson saw this commercial and he

01:15:28.880 --> 01:15:32.637
told Maui he said uh this guy is funny

01:15:32.720 --> 01:15:35.757
how come we don't have him on and Maui

01:15:35.840 --> 01:15:37.837
said oh yeah we were just about to get

01:15:37.920 --> 01:15:39.837
him

01:15:39.920 --> 01:15:43.437
and so Mitzy calls me I'm in uh Raleigh,

01:15:43.520 --> 01:15:46.557
North Carolina in the club and she calls

01:15:46.640 --> 01:15:50.397
me and um and I remember on the pay

01:15:50.480 --> 01:15:54.077
phone I call her back and I go, "What's

01:15:54.160 --> 01:15:57.517
going on?" She goes, "Guess who?" Hall I

01:15:57.600 --> 01:16:01.037
go, "Who?" "Maui, he's an a he's such an

01:16:01.120 --> 01:16:03.837
ass. He now wants you on the show right

01:16:03.920 --> 01:16:08.797
away." And my gut reaction was like, uh,

01:16:08.880 --> 01:16:11.277
I want to tell him to go shove it. And

01:16:11.360 --> 01:16:15.837
then I go, "No, no, no. I got to." So I

01:16:15.920 --> 01:16:19.597
I I did the Tonight Show and Carson

01:16:19.680 --> 01:16:21.917
liked me and called me over to the

01:16:22.000 --> 01:16:25.117
couch, which was Uhhuh. Yeah.

01:16:25.200 --> 01:16:29.917
>> which was kind of a um a big deal at

01:16:30.000 --> 01:16:33.677
that time. And I and I sat down and I

01:16:33.760 --> 01:16:36.237
said, "Johnny, you know, in America you

01:16:36.320 --> 01:16:38.877
have things we never had in Russia like

01:16:38.960 --> 01:16:42.237
policeman's have warning shots." And he

01:16:42.320 --> 01:16:44.797
almost fell off the chair. And we went

01:16:44.880 --> 01:16:47.917
to a commercial and Maui comes over. It

01:16:48.000 --> 01:16:50.077
gets between me and Carson. He goes,

01:16:50.160 --> 01:16:53.197
"Can you do can you do another shot like

01:16:53.280 --> 01:16:56.317
this like couple of months from now?" I

01:16:56.400 --> 01:16:59.517
go, "When the hell freeze is over?" He

01:16:59.600 --> 01:17:03.277
goes, "Touche. Touche and I did six,

01:17:03.360 --> 01:17:06.797
seven, seven episodes of Carson.

01:17:06.880 --> 01:17:09.597
>> And people today, young people

01:17:09.680 --> 01:17:14.317
especially listening, don't understand
what a big deal it was to be on Carson.

01:17:14.400 --> 01:17:17.757
And I think the only thing
that's close today is Kill Tony.

01:17:17.840 --> 01:17:20.957
>> Yes. >> Kill Tony is uh
a place where people's

01:17:21.040 --> 01:17:24.797
careers are actually really legitimately
launched. And there's a bunch of people

01:17:24.880 --> 01:17:27.517
like Cam Patterson's on SNL now. You

01:17:27.600 --> 01:17:32.317
know, there's guys like when when I did
a show uh a podcast with the Black Keys,

01:17:32.400 --> 01:17:35.757
they were asking for William Montgomery
to perform. Like, can we go see William

01:17:35.840 --> 01:17:38.957
Montgomery? Like there's people
that are stars from that show now.

01:17:39.040 --> 01:17:40.637
>> Amazing. Well, that's pretty cool.

01:17:40.720 --> 01:17:42.397
>> I'm here with you because I did that

01:17:42.480 --> 01:17:45.437
show and here I saw you and you invited

01:17:45.520 --> 01:17:50.397
me. So, I'm very grateful
to Tony that kind of got us.

01:17:50.480 --> 01:17:54.317
>> So, Tony has done that for a lot
of people. I mean, he he's blown up Adam

01:17:54.400 --> 01:17:56.877
Ray. He's blown so many so
many of these guys. Yeah.

01:17:56.960 --> 01:18:01.437
>> Kyle Dunigan. So many of these
guys have taken off because of Tony.

01:18:01.520 --> 01:18:05.837
>> It's a really amazing platform
because it's just it's just comedy.

01:18:05.920 --> 01:18:08.397
>> Yeah. >> You know. >> Yeah.
Totally. Totally. Love it.

01:18:08.480 --> 01:18:10.637
>> It's like a more important uh platform

01:18:10.720 --> 01:18:13.357
for comedians than a regular podcast

01:18:13.440 --> 01:18:18.317
like this one because this podcast
is not always comedy. Like sometimes I'm

01:18:18.400 --> 01:18:21.357
talking to scientists, sometimes I'm
talking, you know, talk to a lot of

01:18:21.440 --> 01:18:23.757
weird different people.
>> Yeah. Absolutely.

01:18:23.840 --> 01:18:28.717
>> That show is just funny. And there
was nothing like that back then. So the

01:18:28.800 --> 01:18:32.237
closest thing to it was the Tonight Show.
And if you got on the Tonight Show

01:18:32.320 --> 01:18:36.717
and you did stand up, I mean that was
the first time uh I remember watching

01:18:36.800 --> 01:18:40.317
Richard Jenny was on the Tonight Show
and uh there was a bunch of other people

01:18:40.400 --> 01:18:42.877
that I saw on the Tonight Show too,
but everybody would stay up late at night

01:18:42.960 --> 01:18:45.997
and when there was a comedian on the
Tonight Show, you get excited like, "Oh,

01:18:46.080 --> 01:18:51.517
I was a comedian. Let's see if they're
funny." And um if you were good and you

01:18:51.600 --> 01:18:54.637
were on the Tonight Show, then you could
perform at clubs all over the country

01:18:54.720 --> 01:18:58.397
and they would say as seen on the
Tonight Show. Oh, the Tonight Show.

01:18:58.480 --> 01:19:02.877
>> It was a huge deal. And if you had
that credit and people had seen you

01:19:02.960 --> 01:19:06.157
>> also back then like what were
the numbers? The numbers were crazy.

01:19:06.240 --> 01:19:08.877
>> 30 million. >> Yeah.
Because there was only four

01:19:08.960 --> 01:19:12.397
channel three at the time, not even four.
Fox didn't even exist yet.

01:19:12.480 --> 01:19:16.637
>> So there was three channels >>
and a huge percentage of the country was

01:19:16.720 --> 01:19:20.877
watching this one thing. >> Yes.
Yeah. I I was very blessed.

01:19:20.960 --> 01:19:23.597
>> Isn't that crazy?
>> Yeah. And >> 30 million.

01:19:23.680 --> 01:19:27.677
>> Yeah. And I one time I offered them He

01:19:27.760 --> 01:19:31.037
loved to do impressions of Reagan uh

01:19:31.120 --> 01:19:35.117
Carson. He was and I uh I offered them

01:19:35.200 --> 01:19:40.157
to do a skit of me as an interpreter. He

01:19:40.240 --> 01:19:42.477
is Reagan and then had a Gorbachev

01:19:42.560 --> 01:19:46.077
lookalike. And it was a huge hit. it was

01:19:46.160 --> 01:19:50.077
really uh very very wellreceived. So,

01:19:50.160 --> 01:19:52.797
uh, and and that's another interesting

01:19:52.880 --> 01:19:57.357
thing that, you know, like when I met

01:19:57.440 --> 01:20:00.637
the Reagan, uh, I was still fairly

01:20:00.720 --> 01:20:04.477
unknown and and I was playing a club in

01:20:04.560 --> 01:20:07.677
Washington DC and it was called Comedy

01:20:07.760 --> 01:20:11.677
Cafe and u, and somebody came over to me

01:20:11.760 --> 01:20:14.877
after the show and a guy, I didn't know

01:20:14.960 --> 01:20:17.837
who he was, and he said, "I'm having

01:20:17.920 --> 01:20:19.197
President Reagan

01:20:19.280 --> 01:20:23.837
and um Nancy Reagan as my guests, dinner

01:20:23.920 --> 01:20:28.557
guests at my home in the two weeks. Uh I

01:20:28.640 --> 01:20:30.877
would like to invite you to be one of

01:20:30.960 --> 01:20:33.917
the guests and I'm thinking this guy is

01:20:34.000 --> 01:20:36.637
nuts. Who is this? You know, and he was

01:20:36.720 --> 01:20:38.877
chief editor of Washington Times

01:20:38.960 --> 01:20:41.037
newspaper.

01:20:41.120 --> 01:20:45.037
and he um the reason I brought this up

01:20:45.120 --> 01:20:48.877
because so he sent me tickets, we I come

01:20:48.960 --> 01:20:52.717
back and then this is like a scene from

01:20:52.800 --> 01:20:55.277
like a die hard or something. We're

01:20:55.360 --> 01:20:58.317
pulling into his uh house towards his

01:20:58.400 --> 01:21:00.797
house. There's helicop two helicopters

01:21:00.880 --> 01:21:03.117
are hanging over the neighborhood.

01:21:03.200 --> 01:21:07.277
There's FBI everywhere and I'm going

01:21:07.360 --> 01:21:09.437
this is going to be a mess. you know,

01:21:09.520 --> 01:21:11.837
they're going to they won't let me in. I

01:21:11.920 --> 01:21:14.557
I just didn't think it's possible. So,

01:21:14.640 --> 01:21:16.717
they get him out of the car, they frisk

01:21:16.800 --> 01:21:19.597
him, they ask for his IDs, and he said,

01:21:19.680 --> 01:21:21.597
"I'm the owner of the place where the

01:21:21.680 --> 01:21:23.997
president is going to dinner, and they

01:21:24.080 --> 01:21:26.797
said, "We don't care." So, they get him

01:21:26.880 --> 01:21:28.637
and then they shine the light. I'm

01:21:28.720 --> 01:21:33.837
sitting in in the uh uh in the passenger

01:21:33.920 --> 01:21:36.477
seat and they shine the light on me and

01:21:36.560 --> 01:21:41.837
the guy goes, "Miller light
commercial, right? [laughter]

01:21:41.920 --> 01:21:43.917
Go in." >> Wow.

01:21:44.000 --> 01:21:46.237
>> That's how I met That's how I met the

01:21:46.320 --> 01:21:51.037
president. And then it was uh he the

01:21:51.120 --> 01:21:53.357
moment we met each other, it's like

01:21:53.440 --> 01:21:56.797
locked in like the same wavelength. And

01:21:56.880 --> 01:22:00.957
all of a sudden he was like, "Have you
heard this joke?" And he starts telling

01:22:01.040 --> 01:22:03.597
me Russian jokes. And then it was back

01:22:03.680 --> 01:22:06.397
and forth and suddenly 18 people in the

01:22:06.480 --> 01:22:08.717
room and everybody's laughing. And

01:22:08.800 --> 01:22:11.437
that's how it started that relationship.

01:22:11.520 --> 01:22:13.917
>> Wow. That's crazy.

01:22:14.000 --> 01:22:16.877
>> Yeah. And then and then I get a call

01:22:16.960 --> 01:22:19.837
from his uh Dana Orbacher who is his

01:22:19.920 --> 01:22:23.997
head speech writer and he calls me
a couple of weeks later and he said Reagan

01:22:24.080 --> 01:22:25.997
is going to go to Russia to meet with

01:22:26.080 --> 01:22:29.197
Gorbachev. He is going to do a speech in

01:22:29.280 --> 01:22:31.837
front of all the Russian politicians in

01:22:31.920 --> 01:22:34.157
University of Moscow.

01:22:34.240 --> 01:22:36.877
Uh he would like you to write some jokes

01:22:36.960 --> 01:22:40.477
for his speech. And this is like insane

01:22:40.560 --> 01:22:43.677
for me to hear this. I'm going

01:22:43.760 --> 01:22:48.157
if something go doesn't go right,
I don't have any countries to go to. This

01:22:48.240 --> 01:22:50.637
is like where am I where am I going?

01:22:50.720 --> 01:22:54.600
Right. So,

01:22:55.040 --> 01:22:57.757
and so I I write some jokes, they put

01:22:57.840 --> 01:23:01.197
them in the speech, and then uh Dana

01:23:01.280 --> 01:23:05.277
goes, "Do you mind looking over the speech

01:23:05.360 --> 01:23:07.197
because we want to make sure that the

01:23:07.280 --> 01:23:10.637
tone of the speech is right."

01:23:10.720 --> 01:23:12.797
I'm going, this is too much. This is too

01:23:12.880 --> 01:23:14.557
much responsibility.

01:23:14.640 --> 01:23:17.837
But I was honored. I I read it and I

01:23:17.920 --> 01:23:21.997
said, I personally don't think that the

01:23:22.080 --> 01:23:23.997
tone is correct. I think you're kind of

01:23:24.080 --> 01:23:26.557
talking down to them and they're not

01:23:26.640 --> 01:23:30.157
going to like it. And he goes, he goes,

01:23:30.240 --> 01:23:33.277
"Then rewrite the speech."

01:23:33.360 --> 01:23:37.197
I'm going, "Okay." So, I just changed I

01:23:37.280 --> 01:23:39.437
I didn't rewrite the speech. I just

01:23:39.520 --> 01:23:42.557
changed some tone of kind of putting

01:23:42.640 --> 01:23:45.997
them on the equal level as opposed to

01:23:46.080 --> 01:23:48.717
being talking down to the Soviet

01:23:48.800 --> 01:23:50.637
leaders. They didn't appreciate that.

01:23:50.720 --> 01:23:53.117
>> Can you explain how
he was talking down?

01:23:53.200 --> 01:23:57.357
Uh just teaching them that capitalism is

01:23:57.440 --> 01:24:01.037
so much better than what they got and

01:24:01.120 --> 01:24:04.397
they should switch to that form of

01:24:04.480 --> 01:24:07.597
politics as opposed to kind of

01:24:07.680 --> 01:24:11.517
appreciate what they and their you know

01:24:11.600 --> 01:24:15.197
their empire at that time that is still

01:24:15.280 --> 01:24:19.357
very big. So I didn't I I just felt that

01:24:19.440 --> 01:24:23.277
I would be just nicer and and they liked

01:24:23.360 --> 01:24:25.437
it. They they

01:24:25.520 --> 01:24:28.157
changed some of the things that and they

01:24:28.240 --> 01:24:31.997
kept it that way. And um so

01:24:32.080 --> 01:24:34.877
I don't know how Mitsy used to tell me

01:24:34.960 --> 01:24:38.077
you and Reagan changed the world. I go,

01:24:38.160 --> 01:24:39.997
"Yeah, Mity, you're right. I'm just

01:24:40.080 --> 01:24:43.357
telling jokes." He goes, "No, it was his

01:24:43.440 --> 01:24:47.357
secret weapon that he used to get to

01:24:47.440 --> 01:24:51.917
Gorbachev." Well, maybe
there's some truth to that.

01:24:52.000 --> 01:24:57.197
>> Well, certainly truth in that you
kind of understood how they would receive,

01:24:57.280 --> 01:24:59.197
>> right, >> what he
was saying that he was saying

01:24:59.280 --> 01:25:02.957
something that would they would become
defensive and they would be offended by

01:25:03.040 --> 01:25:06.637
it. >> Exactly. Yeah.
Yeah. That that was my

01:25:06.720 --> 01:25:11.277
concern that but you know I >> well
you know that culture way better

01:25:11.360 --> 01:25:14.717
than >> and that's what
he was he was asking me

01:25:14.800 --> 01:25:17.517
I mean at at some point he goes how

01:25:17.600 --> 01:25:21.917
would you deal with Gorbachev he
was literally it's like and I'm like going

01:25:22.000 --> 01:25:24.477
am I the most qualified person to answer

01:25:24.560 --> 01:25:26.797
this question and he goes you are

01:25:26.880 --> 01:25:29.517
because you you lived there 26 years

01:25:29.600 --> 01:25:32.237
none of us politicians have so he was

01:25:32.320 --> 01:25:36.557
really very receptive to my suggestions,

01:25:36.640 --> 01:25:39.197
whatever they, you know.

01:25:39.280 --> 01:25:42.797
>> Wow, that had to be weird. I mean,

01:25:42.880 --> 01:25:46.237
you're talking to Ronald
Reagan in the 1980s.

01:25:46.320 --> 01:25:51.597
>> Yeah. >> Well, Mr.
Gorbachov, tear down that

01:25:51.680 --> 01:25:54.317
wall. >> I didn't write
that joke. I did not.

01:25:54.400 --> 01:25:56.877
>> It wasn't a joke.
>> It was a joke. Yeah.

01:25:56.960 --> 01:26:00.637
>> But crazy that >> changed the world.
Yeah. Changed the world.

01:26:00.720 --> 01:26:01.437
>> Literally changed the world.

01:26:01.520 --> 01:26:03.037
>> Changed my my world for sure.

01:26:03.120 --> 01:26:05.917
Unfortunately, that's what's crazy.

01:26:06.000 --> 01:26:08.797
>> What's crazy is it's like But that was

01:26:08.880 --> 01:26:13.037
the problem with the world back
then with only a few channels.

01:26:13.120 --> 01:26:15.597
>> They could just decide you
were done and you were done.

01:26:15.680 --> 01:26:16.477
>> Yeah. Yeah.

01:26:16.560 --> 01:26:18.557
>> I mean that that happened to a lot of

01:26:18.640 --> 01:26:22.877
>> like if actors ran
a foul of per certain

01:26:22.960 --> 01:26:27.837
people, right? You got cast out, you
got black ballalled and that was it. You

01:26:27.920 --> 01:26:29.437
never worked again. >> Yeah. >> Yeah.

01:26:29.520 --> 01:26:30.877
>> And that happened to a lot of people.

01:26:30.960 --> 01:26:31.677
>> Yeah. you know,

01:26:31.760 --> 01:26:34.957
>> well, I I'm I'm happy that I found

01:26:35.040 --> 01:26:38.317
Branson. I'm happy that I was able to

01:26:38.400 --> 01:26:41.117
adjust, you know, and it just like when

01:26:41.200 --> 01:26:44.957
when you look at trajectory of my life,

01:26:45.040 --> 01:26:47.917
uh I I realized that that's one of my

01:26:48.000 --> 01:26:51.357
strong skills to be able to adjust. uh

01:26:51.440 --> 01:26:55.837
coming uh just having the idea that I

01:26:55.920 --> 01:26:58.797
will be able to do comedy in America was

01:26:58.880 --> 01:27:03.037
insane for most people. >> Well,
just adjusting from the culture of

01:27:03.120 --> 01:27:06.717
living in Russia to living in America
is insane too. You you made a lot of

01:27:06.800 --> 01:27:09.757
adjustments. >> A lot.
And uh when we were came because

01:27:09.840 --> 01:27:13.197
we were coming through Italy uh to come

01:27:13.280 --> 01:27:16.157
to America and they would in Italy they

01:27:16.240 --> 01:27:20.797
kept us 3 months to check all the

01:27:20.880 --> 01:27:23.597
documents and make sure that we're not

01:27:23.680 --> 01:27:26.957
like communist party or uh don't have a

01:27:27.040 --> 01:27:28.237
a record spy.

01:27:28.320 --> 01:27:32.077
>> Yeah. Right. Right. Right. Right.

01:27:32.160 --> 01:27:34.717
>> And we had to survive. That was another

01:27:34.800 --> 01:27:39.917
interesting moment of our life because
we're going and they're uh they they

01:27:40.000 --> 01:27:43.997
wanted they didn't want people to leave
because that looked bad for the Soviet

01:27:44.080 --> 01:27:46.637
Union. So they

01:27:46.720 --> 01:27:49.517
uh they would do all the they would only

01:27:49.600 --> 01:27:53.197
like change you $100 per person and you

01:27:53.280 --> 01:27:56.477
supposed to survive like three months of

01:27:56.560 --> 01:28:00.237
living in a foreign country. And so, but

01:28:00.320 --> 01:28:02.477
they would give you a list of things

01:28:02.560 --> 01:28:06.077
that you could take with you. So, like a

01:28:06.160 --> 01:28:09.437
a photo camera, hat, something you could

01:28:09.520 --> 01:28:14.637
sell there to live on. And yeah, and two

01:28:14.720 --> 01:28:17.197
suitcases for each person and very

01:28:17.280 --> 01:28:19.917
strict list of things.

01:28:20.000 --> 01:28:25.197
What was an interesting kind
of loophole, we found out through the

01:28:25.280 --> 01:28:26.717
grapevine

01:28:26.800 --> 01:28:28.477
that

01:28:28.560 --> 01:28:35.560
um um condoms was a very um um expensive

01:28:35.840 --> 01:28:38.557
item in Italy for some reason. In the

01:28:38.640 --> 01:28:40.637
Soviet Union, you could buy them for a

01:28:40.720 --> 01:28:43.597
penny and in Italy you could sell them

01:28:43.680 --> 01:28:45.917
for a dollar. M

01:28:46.000 --> 01:28:50.477
>> and so my quest was like when I learned

01:28:50.560 --> 01:28:54.397
that and there was no restriction how
many you can take with you. So I would

01:28:54.480 --> 01:28:56.877
go to each pharmacy, whatever whatever I

01:28:56.960 --> 01:29:01.837
could get and just I was, you know, I we

01:29:01.920 --> 01:29:06.237
got like half of the suitcase of condoms

01:29:06.320 --> 01:29:08.877
and we put it in my mother's suitcase.

01:29:08.960 --> 01:29:11.437
So that way hopefully nobody's going to

01:29:11.520 --> 01:29:15.677
ask her what what why, you know, they

01:29:15.760 --> 01:29:17.597
would be embarrassed or whatever. So

01:29:17.680 --> 01:29:21.357
they didn't ask and we got through.

01:29:21.440 --> 01:29:25.197
And so my job and my parents' job was to

01:29:25.280 --> 01:29:28.557
go on the open market every Saturday and

01:29:28.640 --> 01:29:32.317
Sunday and try to sell those condoms so

01:29:32.400 --> 01:29:35.277
we can pay rent and food and whatever

01:29:35.360 --> 01:29:36.877
else.

01:29:36.960 --> 01:29:39.517
So my parents, it was so funny how they

01:29:39.600 --> 01:29:43.277
transition. They were this uh two very

01:29:43.360 --> 01:29:45.677
conservative people and they're

01:29:45.760 --> 01:29:47.917
embarrassed, but then they realize we

01:29:48.000 --> 01:29:52.797
need money to eat. So they would mom

01:29:52.880 --> 01:29:57.277
became pretty smart. She translated from

01:29:57.360 --> 01:30:03.037
Russian into uh uh Italian. Um um if you

01:30:03.120 --> 01:30:05.597
don't want to have a kid like this and

01:30:05.680 --> 01:30:08.717
would point at me and would hold that

01:30:08.800 --> 01:30:13.677
card and said, "Then buy a condom."

01:30:13.760 --> 01:30:16.957
And people would laugh. They would laugh

01:30:17.040 --> 01:30:21.997
and they would and they would buy two
or three. It was just more of a joke, but

01:30:22.080 --> 01:30:26.877
we were >> we were, you know,
surviving on that for a long time.

01:30:26.960 --> 01:30:30.797
>> Wow. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Wow. Yeah.

01:30:30.880 --> 01:30:33.357
>> So, it was kind of bang for the buck

01:30:33.440 --> 01:30:36.957
kind of a, you know, uh it it was not

01:30:37.040 --> 01:30:39.837
expected, but we survived. So, a lot of

01:30:39.920 --> 01:30:43.437
those moments in life when you I I look

01:30:43.520 --> 01:30:46.557
at my life and I go, that was a

01:30:46.640 --> 01:30:49.357
survival. than coming to America and

01:30:49.440 --> 01:30:52.477
getting a job and getting to

01:30:52.560 --> 01:30:56.637
uh God is that helped you and me to

01:30:56.720 --> 01:31:01.437
become who we are. Uh that's just God's

01:31:01.520 --> 01:31:03.277
hand on that.

01:31:03.360 --> 01:31:05.837
>> That's amazing. Yeah. You adapted, man.

01:31:05.920 --> 01:31:08.717
You adapted multiple times. That's so

01:31:08.800 --> 01:31:13.197
crazy. God. Yeah.
>> Just trying to survive in Italy. You

01:31:13.280 --> 01:31:16.317
didn't speak Italian. >> No.
Did you guys speak anything other

01:31:16.400 --> 01:31:20.477
than Russian? >> No,
we just But there was immigration.

01:31:20.560 --> 01:31:23.117
There was other Russian people that you

01:31:23.200 --> 01:31:26.877
could kind of communicate with. And I uh

01:31:26.960 --> 01:31:30.637
I would go even in Italy. I would go to

01:31:30.720 --> 01:31:34.477
a movie theater and I was so determined.

01:31:34.560 --> 01:31:37.437
There was a one movie theater in Rome

01:31:37.520 --> 01:31:39.917
that would for a dollar you can sit and

01:31:40.000 --> 01:31:43.917
watch English uh speaking movies and you

01:31:44.000 --> 01:31:47.117
can sit there all day for a dollar. And

01:31:47.200 --> 01:31:52.557
so I would go, it was like my I was
learning English, listening to listening

01:31:52.640 --> 01:31:53.597
and

01:31:53.680 --> 01:31:57.917
>> and and then one time I remember a a

01:31:58.000 --> 01:32:01.037
couple I I needed to practice and there

01:32:01.120 --> 01:32:03.837
was a couple I asked them uh speak

01:32:03.920 --> 01:32:06.637
English and they said yes. And the guy,

01:32:06.720 --> 01:32:08.557
the girl was from Belgium, the guy was

01:32:08.640 --> 01:32:12.637
from Washington DC. And uh they said,

01:32:12.720 --> 01:32:15.117
"Uh, we'll help you and we'll just come

01:32:15.200 --> 01:32:17.437
every week like on Monday or some

01:32:17.520 --> 01:32:20.237
whatever it was, and we'll just go to a

01:32:20.320 --> 01:32:22.957
coffee shop and we'll talk to you so you

01:32:23.040 --> 01:32:27.037
can practice English." And I remember

01:32:27.120 --> 01:32:32.077
they asked me um like, "What what did

01:32:32.160 --> 01:32:35.517
you do in Russia?" I said I was a comedian

01:32:35.600 --> 01:32:38.477
somehow through dictionary whatever I

01:32:38.560 --> 01:32:43.437
could to make that and and uh and they

01:32:43.520 --> 01:32:46.717
said what what do you want to accomplish

01:32:46.800 --> 01:32:50.157
uh when you're in uh in America and

01:32:50.240 --> 01:32:51.917
again I don't know anything about

01:32:52.000 --> 01:32:55.997
America and I have this I asked him I

01:32:56.080 --> 01:33:00.797
said where is the most successful

01:33:00.880 --> 01:33:03.437
people comedians perform form and they

01:33:03.520 --> 01:33:06.157
said Las Vegas

01:33:06.240 --> 01:33:08.477
and I said

01:33:08.560 --> 01:33:12.557
in five years somehow I deliver I'll be

01:33:12.640 --> 01:33:14.797
in Las Vegas

01:33:14.880 --> 01:33:17.517
and it's exactly what happened. Five

01:33:17.600 --> 01:33:22.157
years later I was at the Tropicana Hotel

01:33:22.240 --> 01:33:25.597
with Murray Lanston the unknown comic

01:33:25.680 --> 01:33:29.277
doing a show in Las Vegas.
>> I remember that guy with the paper bag

01:33:29.360 --> 01:33:31.757
over his head. Yeah. From the Gong Show.

01:33:31.840 --> 01:33:35.517
Yep. >> Yeah. Which was a great show.

01:33:35.600 --> 01:33:38.157
>> Yeah. It was kind of an
early version of Kill Tony

01:33:38.240 --> 01:33:41.037
>> in a lot of ways. Yeah. In a lot
of ways. Cuz some of the people were just

01:33:41.120 --> 01:33:46.477
like unbelievably untalented [laughter]
>> and then you would hit the gong.

01:33:46.560 --> 01:33:48.237
>> Exactly. >> That show was great.

01:33:48.320 --> 01:33:51.037
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
>> Didn't they try to bring that back?

01:33:51.120 --> 01:33:53.757
Didn't they try to bring the Gong Show
back at one point in time with someone

01:33:53.840 --> 01:33:57.437
else? >> I think they did.
>> Who did they bring it back with? Do you

01:33:57.520 --> 01:34:01.197
remember, Jamie? >> But do you
remember? You don't remember?

01:34:01.280 --> 01:34:03.677
Don't off top my head. No,

01:34:03.760 --> 01:34:07.037
>> it was someone that you're like, "Huh,

01:34:07.120 --> 01:34:09.997
>> I wonder why they chose that person."

01:34:10.080 --> 01:34:13.277
>> Actually, Oh, yeah. 200 Oh, David Tell.

01:34:13.360 --> 01:34:16.157
>> Oh, it was That's right. >> Who was it?

01:34:16.240 --> 01:34:19.117
>> It was David Tell. >> Oh,

01:34:19.200 --> 01:34:23.757
>> that's right. It was 2012.
>> Well, it says briefly in 2008 and then

01:34:23.840 --> 01:34:27.357
again in 2017 and then I don't
think he was involved in that one.

01:34:27.440 --> 01:34:29.997
>> Oh, two 2008. Is that what you said?

01:34:30.080 --> 01:34:31.117
>> Yeah.

01:34:31.200 --> 01:34:35.837
Wow. Yeah, he's perfect for that.

01:34:35.920 --> 01:34:39.437
>> The problem is once a show's been done,
you try to redo it, it's like it's

01:34:39.520 --> 01:34:41.917
always going to be >> Yeah.
>> There's been the three different

01:34:42.000 --> 01:34:45.037
versions of Fear Factor now, >> you know?
There's like now they're doing

01:34:45.120 --> 01:34:50.477
it with Johnny Knoxville. >> Uh
it's uh kind of crazy like the amount

01:34:50.560 --> 01:34:54.077
of different things that have happened
in your life, you know, and then now to

01:34:54.160 --> 01:34:57.277
find yourself with another
revival because of Kill Tony.

01:34:57.360 --> 01:35:00.717
>> Yes. Like >> Yes.
and and going back on tour. I have

01:35:00.800 --> 01:35:05.027
a I have a poster. I don't know if
people on the radio can't see it,

01:35:05.110 --> 01:35:07.917
[laughter] but I have
a poster of of my tour.

01:35:08.000 --> 01:35:11.117
>> Well, what we'll send them
to the website so you have to look at

01:35:11.200 --> 01:35:15.117
>> I am I'm excited.
>> And where are you going? Comedy clubs.

01:35:15.200 --> 01:35:19.037
Yeah. All over the place.
>> Yeah. Atlanta is the next one.

01:35:19.120 --> 01:35:20.317
>> No one can read that. >> Oh, okay.

01:35:20.400 --> 01:35:22.237
>> Yeah. Put that down. Go to the website.

01:35:22.320 --> 01:35:24.027
Jamie will pull up the website.

01:35:24.110 --> 01:35:29.117
[laughter] >> Yeah. Brought >> It's on
yakov.com. Yeah. Yeah, God brought a sign.

01:35:29.200 --> 01:35:30.877
>> That's hilarious, man. So, what was the

01:35:30.960 --> 01:35:32.317
Kill Tony experience like?

01:35:32.400 --> 01:35:37.197
>> It was great. I mean, I am um obviously

01:35:37.280 --> 01:35:41.837
my my show is kind of a G-rated

01:35:41.920 --> 01:35:48.237
and so uh Kilton is not and uh so but

01:35:48.320 --> 01:35:49.917
yet it was >> it doesn't matter.

01:35:50.000 --> 01:35:51.517
>> It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter. He

01:35:51.600 --> 01:35:55.437
he was so respectful of of this uh uh

01:35:55.520 --> 01:35:59.277
Tony and set me up, you know. I mean, I

01:35:59.360 --> 01:36:03.837
I felt like my head was this big and um

01:36:03.920 --> 01:36:06.877
he was seeing me as a super legend and

01:36:06.960 --> 01:36:09.277
and I am I'm very grateful. It's hard

01:36:09.360 --> 01:36:12.077
for me sometimes to accept that that

01:36:12.160 --> 01:36:17.117
people see me because I've
been doing this for 60 years.

01:36:17.200 --> 01:36:19.437
60 years comedy. >> That's crazy.

01:36:19.520 --> 01:36:21.277
>> Yeah. Well,
I remember the first time we

01:36:21.360 --> 01:36:24.717
met. We met at the comedy store

01:36:24.800 --> 01:36:29.037
>> I want to say was that like 15 years
ago or something like that. You dropped in

01:36:29.120 --> 01:36:32.477
and I had never seen and I was like,
"Oh, like what is he doing in town?"

01:36:32.560 --> 01:36:34.397
>> Yeah. >> And you just
decided you wanted to come

01:36:34.480 --> 01:36:37.757
by the store and see what was going
on with the young guys and do some standup

01:36:37.840 --> 01:36:41.197
and we hung out for a little bit in the >>
in the green room. I'm like and I

01:36:41.280 --> 01:36:44.797
remember telling everybody, "You mirn's
really funny, man. He's [__] cool."

01:36:44.880 --> 01:36:47.437
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> It was fun.
It was fun to hang out with

01:36:47.520 --> 01:36:51.277
you, you know. It was like it was fun
to see you hanging out with all these

01:36:51.360 --> 01:36:55.837
weirdo young pot smoking [laughter
and clears throat] [__] animals

01:36:55.920 --> 01:36:57.277
>> coming from Branson, right?

01:36:57.360 --> 01:36:58.797
>> Yeah. You were coming from Branson.

01:36:58.880 --> 01:37:01.677
You're hanging out with
Joey Diaz and [laughter]

01:37:01.760 --> 01:37:05.117
>> we were laughing though. We had a good
time, man. It was a It was a really good

01:37:05.200 --> 01:37:05.597
time.

01:37:05.680 --> 01:37:08.637
>> It was fun. It's fun. And I go back uh

01:37:08.720 --> 01:37:13.277
to clubs and I my goal was really to uh

01:37:13.360 --> 01:37:16.637
last year I would go to small clubs and

01:37:16.720 --> 01:37:19.437
develop an hour of material that is

01:37:19.520 --> 01:37:24.797
totally current. I talk about
relationships. I talk about uh having a

01:37:24.880 --> 01:37:26.317
one-year-old

01:37:26.400 --> 01:37:29.117
in my life. I talk and and it's an

01:37:29.200 --> 01:37:32.557
interesting I was doing it at uh at uh

01:37:32.640 --> 01:37:37.597
uh your club and it it's great to watch

01:37:37.680 --> 01:37:40.797
um the the reaction of the audience how

01:37:40.880 --> 01:37:45.197
they have a lot of respect but they're
also laughing and they're seeing it.

01:37:45.280 --> 01:37:46.797
It's fun because I talk about

01:37:46.880 --> 01:37:50.397
relationships. So they might come in

01:37:50.480 --> 01:37:53.277
disconnected, but then all of a sudden

01:37:53.360 --> 01:37:58.797
you see how they put their hands next to
each other and then they put Yeah. Yeah.

01:37:58.880 --> 01:38:01.597
But I like it. I >> look at you.
You're a uniter. You're

01:38:01.680 --> 01:38:03.837
bringing couples closer
together with your comedy.

01:38:03.920 --> 01:38:06.877
>> I I [laughter] That's really my goal.

01:38:06.960 --> 01:38:09.517
>> I like that you like that. I enjoy I

01:38:09.600 --> 01:38:13.117
enjoy seeing families like Nate Burgetti

01:38:13.200 --> 01:38:15.517
is really the one who kind of got me out

01:38:15.600 --> 01:38:17.437
of Branson

01:38:17.520 --> 01:38:21.917
because he um shown that that there's a

01:38:22.000 --> 01:38:25.357
need for that um humor. >> Yes.

01:38:25.440 --> 01:38:28.077
>> And families come
and when you go to his

01:38:28.160 --> 01:38:31.037
show it's like looking around grandma

01:38:31.120 --> 01:38:35.757
and and and grandchildren and parents >>
but everyone's laughing. The thing about

01:38:35.840 --> 01:38:37.917
Nate that's so unique is Nate is

01:38:38.000 --> 01:38:43.147
hilarious to me. Nate is hilarious
to a 20-year-old kid in college.

01:38:43.230 --> 01:38:46.237
[clears throat] Nate is hilarious
to their grandmother, right?

01:38:46.320 --> 01:38:50.077
>> Nate is hilarious to your children. You
could bring your 10-year-old kids to see

01:38:50.160 --> 01:38:53.117
Nate. >> Nate is a genius.
And he's got and that

01:38:53.200 --> 01:38:57.197
is who he is all the time.
He's like a really funny,

01:38:57.280 --> 01:39:02.317
>> very smart guy. Yes.
>> Who's got a perfect style. It's like

01:39:02.400 --> 01:39:04.637
he's >> I mean he's Didn't
he make like the most

01:39:04.720 --> 01:39:08.237
money ever or something like that last
year doing stand up? He sold the most

01:39:08.320 --> 01:39:10.157
tickets ever. >> Made a million dollars.

01:39:10.240 --> 01:39:14.717
>> Something crazy. But it's like he's
doing this like selling out stadiums two

01:39:14.800 --> 01:39:17.837
times in a night. >> Exactly. >> Yeah.
And [snorts] he does like 3 p.m.

01:39:17.920 --> 01:39:20.397
shows. It's nuts. It's It's incredible.

01:39:20.480 --> 01:39:23.277
>> But it shows that there
is a need for that.

01:39:23.360 --> 01:39:25.677
>> Well, it shows that it doesn't matter.

01:39:25.760 --> 01:39:29.837
It's just funny. Like Brian Rean's
another great example. Brian Regan,

01:39:29.920 --> 01:39:32.317
squeaky clean. Unfucking believably

01:39:32.400 --> 01:39:35.117
funny. So talented, so funny.

01:39:35.200 --> 01:39:37.757
>> And it's just funny. It doesn't have to

01:39:37.840 --> 01:39:41.277
be clean or dirty or And we have that at

01:39:41.360 --> 01:39:44.957
the club, too. I mean, this is like
the club gets labeled as some like kind of

01:39:45.040 --> 01:39:47.837
extreme anti-woke thing. It's nonsense.

01:39:47.920 --> 01:39:51.117
Like >> I played I
performed there at your club

01:39:51.200 --> 01:39:55.997
a couple of weeks ago. They totally
loved it. Nobody expected anything and

01:39:56.080 --> 01:39:57.837
they just enjoyed. They laughed all the

01:39:57.920 --> 01:40:00.797
way through. I love doing that. So to

01:40:00.880 --> 01:40:03.997
me, I see young people who don't know me

01:40:04.080 --> 01:40:09.197
and they're totally relating and I'm
relating to them, which is great. That's

01:40:09.280 --> 01:40:12.077
what I want to do. >> We're
human beings telling jokes, that's

01:40:12.160 --> 01:40:16.717
it. That's all it is. And and if
comedy done correctly is done from your

01:40:16.800 --> 01:40:20.797
perspective, whether your perspective
is Nate Barazi or your perspective is

01:40:20.880 --> 01:40:24.317
[__] you know, fill in the blank,
David Tal, whoever it is, right? Joey

01:40:24.400 --> 01:40:27.437
Diaz, Brian Holtzman, like whatever it is.
It doesn't it doesn't matter. It's

01:40:27.520 --> 01:40:30.957
like it's what's funny is funny. And it
might not be your thing. Like that's the

01:40:31.040 --> 01:40:34.877
thing, too. The one of the problems with
comedy is that there's only one there's

01:40:34.960 --> 01:40:37.757
like one label and you might go see like

01:40:37.840 --> 01:40:42.477
Brian Holtzman is like death metal
comedy or you might see Nate Batsi who's

01:40:42.560 --> 01:40:47.117
like, you know, I don't know what's the,
you know, what's equivalent. Well, uh,

01:40:47.200 --> 01:40:49.437
Leanne Morgan is another one that was

01:40:49.520 --> 01:40:52.957
kind of out of nowhere, uh, became very

01:40:53.040 --> 01:40:56.637
successful because she has that, uh,

01:40:56.720 --> 01:41:00.557
clean southern humor and,

01:41:00.640 --> 01:41:04.317
um, the Netflix embraced her and all of

01:41:04.400 --> 01:41:08.797
the sudden she is touring
and doing concerts.

01:41:08.880 --> 01:41:10.237
>> Yeah. All you have to do is be funny.

01:41:10.320 --> 01:41:13.277
It's like funny from whatever
perspective you're coming from. And

01:41:13.360 --> 01:41:16.477
again, it's not going to be for everybody.
That's just how it is, >> right?

01:41:16.560 --> 01:41:20.637
>> There's a lot of people that aren't
going to like A or B. It doesn't matter.

01:41:20.720 --> 01:41:23.757
Doesn't matter. It's just But the thing
about comedy is like when you go to a

01:41:23.840 --> 01:41:26.077
comedy club, >> you don't
know what you're going to get.

01:41:26.160 --> 01:41:29.677
You might get Run DMC or you
might get AC/DC. You have no idea.

01:41:29.760 --> 01:41:32.797
>> Right. Right. >> It's just
it's all just comedy. But I

01:41:32.880 --> 01:41:34.877
think that's one
of the cool things about it.

01:41:34.960 --> 01:41:37.757
>> Right. And I um I
totally agree with you

01:41:37.840 --> 01:41:41.917
and I want to uh be able to do that one

01:41:42.000 --> 01:41:46.237
hour straight comedy. No. Uh there was

01:41:46.320 --> 01:41:49.357
an interesting thing that happened

01:41:49.440 --> 01:41:54.637
about a a year ago or so. Um I a young

01:41:54.720 --> 01:41:56.317
comedian

01:41:56.400 --> 01:42:00.797
uh um he he said, you know, I was

01:42:00.880 --> 01:42:04.397
writing some jokes and he was helping me

01:42:04.480 --> 01:42:07.197
and he said, "Yakob,

01:42:07.280 --> 01:42:09.597
you know that you're not a stand-up

01:42:09.680 --> 01:42:13.597
comedian. You're a one-man show." And I

01:42:13.680 --> 01:42:16.557
go at first I was like kind of what what

01:42:16.640 --> 01:42:20.157
are you talking about and because I tell

01:42:20.240 --> 01:42:24.317
I tell in France it's
like more storytelling

01:42:24.400 --> 01:42:26.797
and not just punchline punchline

01:42:26.880 --> 01:42:29.997
punchline and and he was he was correct.

01:42:30.080 --> 01:42:34.477
So I at first I got kind of like what do

01:42:34.560 --> 01:42:36.397
you mean who are you to tell me I'm not

01:42:36.480 --> 01:42:40.317
a stand-up comedian? And then I go uh

01:42:40.400 --> 01:42:44.237
Chad JPT uh is Yakov a stand-up comedian

01:42:44.320 --> 01:42:49.597
or is he one-man show? And Chad GPT said

01:42:49.680 --> 01:42:51.917
Yakov Smeirnov used to be a stand-up

01:42:52.000 --> 01:42:55.837
comedian and now he is a one-man show

01:42:55.920 --> 01:42:58.237
and now coming from Chad GPT I'm going

01:42:58.320 --> 01:43:01.197
dang [laughter] that's

01:43:01.280 --> 01:43:04.497
that's now official. Wait a minute. So,

01:43:04.580 --> 01:43:07.197
[snorts] it took me a whole year to

01:43:07.280 --> 01:43:10.157
rewrite everything that I needed to

01:43:10.240 --> 01:43:12.877
rewrite to say it's punchline,

01:43:12.960 --> 01:43:16.317
punchline. It's just straight comedy.

01:43:16.400 --> 01:43:18.637
So, I became a stand-up comedian again.

01:43:18.720 --> 01:43:22.317
>> Well, there's nothing wrong with one
man show standup comedy either cuz some

01:43:22.400 --> 01:43:25.037
people do their comedy like a one-man

01:43:25.120 --> 01:43:29.437
show and some of the best comics like
Colin Quinn. Colin Quinn does a series

01:43:29.520 --> 01:43:34.077
of oneman shows, but if you ask Chat GPT,
who is Colin Quinn? He'll say he's

01:43:34.160 --> 01:43:39.197
a stand-up comedian, >> right?
But Chad GPT got me wrong.

01:43:39.280 --> 01:43:42.557
Whatever it was, >> it doesn't
matter. It's not even a person,

01:43:42.640 --> 01:43:44.877
>> right? [__] But but [snorts] it's

01:43:44.960 --> 01:43:49.277
actually helped me to um tune in uh my

01:43:49.360 --> 01:43:53.517
comedy and because I was maybe a little

01:43:53.600 --> 01:43:57.677
bit more relaxed being in my own theater

01:43:57.760 --> 01:44:00.957
with all people coming to see me.

01:44:01.040 --> 01:44:04.477
>> So it's not like you're
in a club when you're like

01:44:04.560 --> 01:44:08.397
>> with other comedians when you
have to be really really sharp.

01:44:08.480 --> 01:44:10.717
>> And that's what I think it did for me.

01:44:10.800 --> 01:44:13.917
So I spent a year doing that. Now I have

01:44:14.000 --> 01:44:17.677
that hour and I'm ready to go and that's

01:44:17.760 --> 01:44:19.837
why I went on the tour.

01:44:19.920 --> 01:44:24.797
>> That's awesome. I love I love when
comics are still interested in it and

01:44:24.880 --> 01:44:27.757
still writing and still love
it after all these years.

01:44:27.840 --> 01:44:29.997
>> Absolutely. >> You know
who I I draw some inspiration

01:44:30.080 --> 01:44:31.837
from as well as Argus Hamilton.

01:44:31.920 --> 01:44:35.117
>> Yeah. >> Argus is still killing it.

01:44:35.200 --> 01:44:37.517
>> Still killing it in LA. >> Keeps going.

01:44:37.600 --> 01:44:40.397
>> And every time there's something new
in the news, he's got always got a great

01:44:40.480 --> 01:44:43.437
[__] line about it.
He's a funny dude. He is

01:44:43.520 --> 01:44:46.157
>> and he's still getting
after. He still loves it.

01:44:46.240 --> 01:44:50.237
>> And you know, Argus used to like
famously be into the substances. And uh

01:44:50.320 --> 01:44:54.957
now all he does is run. And >> I
remember one time we were uh at the

01:44:55.040 --> 01:44:57.917
comedy store and we were in the parking
lot and it was uh after the show and

01:44:58.000 --> 01:45:01.597
Argus showed up with [__] running
shoes on. Just ran in and I'm like,

01:45:01.680 --> 01:45:05.037
"What are you doing, man?"
And he's like, "I I have to run every day

01:45:05.120 --> 01:45:08.717
>> and do a set." Because to him
that's his motivation. Yeah.

01:45:08.800 --> 01:45:12.557
>> He does like I think he runs like 10
miles a day. Yeah, >> he's in his 70s.

01:45:12.640 --> 01:45:15.117
>> And interesting that, you know, when I

01:45:15.200 --> 01:45:19.437
was so naive because uh Argus was uh

01:45:19.520 --> 01:45:23.597
very friendly with Mitsy um and I I

01:45:23.680 --> 01:45:26.317
would go to their house and I would see

01:45:26.400 --> 01:45:28.957
Argus there in the morning and I was

01:45:29.040 --> 01:45:34.497
like why is you know and I I couldn't
connect those two things. I mean

01:45:34.580 --> 01:45:38.317
[laughter] I I could not
I I mean honestly it was

01:45:38.400 --> 01:45:40.637
it [snorts] was I'll tell you how naive

01:45:40.720 --> 01:45:44.237
I was. Uh so Mitzy gives me that work

01:45:44.320 --> 01:45:50.077
right up um and I live in that house
and Andrew Dice Clay moves into that house

01:45:50.160 --> 01:45:51.197
right [laughter]

01:45:51.280 --> 01:45:54.877
and Andrew teaches me English. Okay, can

01:45:54.960 --> 01:45:58.077
you imagine that? Rob

01:45:58.160 --> 01:46:01.597
[laughter] and so but but that was a

01:46:01.680 --> 01:46:05.517
party house. I mean,
this was a house where uh

01:46:05.600 --> 01:46:06.797
>> was Kenisonson living there then?

01:46:06.880 --> 01:46:09.117
>> Kenisonson would
just hang out there all

01:46:09.200 --> 01:46:11.917
the time. And

01:46:12.000 --> 01:46:14.477
uh they would scream at each other,

01:46:14.560 --> 01:46:18.317
Andrew and uh and Kenisonson. And and

01:46:18.400 --> 01:46:19.997
that was just kind of a joke between

01:46:20.080 --> 01:46:22.557
those two and they go

01:46:22.640 --> 01:46:25.357
and I would have to go to bed because I

01:46:25.440 --> 01:46:30.237
got to get up early in the morning to go
work and those guys are screaming at

01:46:30.320 --> 01:46:31.997
each other.

01:46:32.080 --> 01:46:34.797
uh just for fun. And I go downstairs and

01:46:34.880 --> 01:46:39.677
I go, "Hey guys, your friends, stop."
So I'm we're playing this joke and they're

01:46:39.760 --> 01:46:41.597
Yeah.

01:46:41.680 --> 01:46:44.717
screaming. And I go, "You know what? Why

01:46:44.800 --> 01:46:47.117
don't you you're close to the comedy

01:46:47.200 --> 01:46:50.237
store. Why don't you go downstairs and

01:46:50.320 --> 01:46:52.957
scream there?" And they looked at each

01:46:53.040 --> 01:46:56.717
other and go, "Okay, let's go." So, it's

01:46:56.800 --> 01:46:59.597
midnight and we're all going whoever

01:46:59.680 --> 01:47:03.677
lived there going to the comedy store

01:47:03.760 --> 01:47:07.117
and Sam gets on stage and start

01:47:07.200 --> 01:47:09.997
screaming. This is the first time that

01:47:10.080 --> 01:47:13.517
he ever got on stage and he went to the

01:47:13.600 --> 01:47:18.317
and there very few people in the
audience and he went into their face.

01:47:18.400 --> 01:47:22.077
Ah, you >> No way.
>> That's where it came from.

01:47:22.160 --> 01:47:23.837
>> That's where it came from. And then

01:47:23.920 --> 01:47:27.597
after that it just became like his his

01:47:27.680 --> 01:47:30.637
thing and the rest is history.

01:47:30.720 --> 01:47:31.917
>> That's crazy.

01:47:32.000 --> 01:47:35.677
>> Yeah, that was that
was happening there.

01:47:35.760 --> 01:47:37.757
A lot of stuff was happening there. They

01:47:37.840 --> 01:47:41.517
would come and do drugs, you know, like

01:47:41.600 --> 01:47:44.877
uh Robin and Richard Richard Prior, they

01:47:44.960 --> 01:47:47.357
would do. And I

01:47:47.440 --> 01:47:50.237
tells you this is silly, but I would

01:47:50.320 --> 01:47:53.277
wake up in the morning and I would see a

01:47:53.360 --> 01:47:56.477
mirror on the table, right? [laughter]

01:47:56.560 --> 01:48:01.917
Okay. So, bear with me. So, and there's
like white powder on the table.

01:48:02.000 --> 01:48:03.437
>> So, you'd clean it up.

01:48:03.520 --> 01:48:06.477
>> I was thinking they're eating donuts

01:48:06.560 --> 01:48:09.117
off the mirror. So I would clean

01:48:09.200 --> 01:48:12.317
whatever it was, hang it up. And next

01:48:12.400 --> 01:48:14.637
morning I go, Argus,

01:48:14.720 --> 01:48:17.437
why don't you guys use plates? You have

01:48:17.520 --> 01:48:22.157
a dishwasher. What? And they would laugh
at me and they wouldn't tell me what's

01:48:22.240 --> 01:48:24.877
going on. >> Well, weren't they
mad that you threw away their

01:48:24.960 --> 01:48:28.727
>> No, no, there was not much. I mean,
it was just Yeah. Well, there residue. I I

01:48:28.810 --> 01:48:31.597
[snorts] had no idea. I wasn't testing.

01:48:31.680 --> 01:48:34.397
>> That's how much coke they had
that they left some of it on the mirror.

01:48:34.480 --> 01:48:34.877
>> Yeah. Isn't

01:48:34.960 --> 01:48:38.317
>> that crazy? That's crazy. It it was and

01:48:38.400 --> 01:48:42.397
but I didn't know. So I kind of lived in

01:48:42.480 --> 01:48:48.077
that wholesome kind of a world in that >>
So you were there while Kenisonson was

01:48:48.160 --> 01:48:50.237
developing? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Wow.

01:48:50.320 --> 01:48:55.117
>> Yeah. Did he arrive at the store
around the same time that you did?

01:48:55.200 --> 01:48:56.957
>> A little bit later. A >> little later.

01:48:57.040 --> 01:48:59.677
>> Yeah. A little later. >> Well,
like what year did he arrive?

01:48:59.760 --> 01:49:03.037
>> Probably 79, I would say.

01:49:03.120 --> 01:49:07.037
>> And he really around like what? 85.

01:49:07.120 --> 01:49:11.277
86. >> Yes. Yes.
>> I think 85 he did Letterman.

01:49:11.360 --> 01:49:16.317
>> Yes. Yes. >> And then 86 he had
that HBO special that blew him up.

01:49:16.400 --> 01:49:19.197
>> Probably. Yeah. >> Probably.

01:49:19.280 --> 01:49:21.997
>> But >> you know how I found out about
Kenisonson? It's a funny story. I've

01:49:22.080 --> 01:49:25.917
told it before. I apologize if the
audience has heard it. I was working at

01:49:26.000 --> 01:49:28.957
a health club at a a gym called the

01:49:29.040 --> 01:49:31.117
Boston Athletic Club in South Boston.

01:49:31.200 --> 01:49:35.437
And I was a trainer. I teach people how
to lift weights. And there was this girl

01:49:35.520 --> 01:49:38.717
who was a volleyball player. She
was hilarious. She was this big girl, big

01:49:38.800 --> 01:49:43.037
athletic girl. She was very funny. She
was just like boisterous, like a really

01:49:43.120 --> 01:49:48.077
loud, funny lady. And she was like
my age. And um she told me about

01:49:48.160 --> 01:49:51.917
Kenisonson. And then she told me about
his bit. She's like, "Oh my god, I saw

01:49:52.000 --> 01:49:55.997
this guy on HBO." She had a like heavy
Boston accent. This guy on HBO. He was

01:49:56.080 --> 01:49:57.917
so [__] hilarious. And he did this

01:49:58.000 --> 01:50:01.437
bit about uh people having sex with

01:50:01.520 --> 01:50:04.877
corpses. So she does this bit. She laid

01:50:04.960 --> 01:50:07.277
down in the parking lot of the Boston

01:50:07.360 --> 01:50:09.517
Athletic Club and did that bit. So

01:50:09.600 --> 01:50:12.237
Kenisonson had a very famous bit about

01:50:12.320 --> 01:50:15.117
homosexual necriliacs who were paying

01:50:15.200 --> 01:50:18.397
money to spend moments alone with the

01:50:18.480 --> 01:50:21.517
freshest male corpses. So she is lying

01:50:21.600 --> 01:50:26.077
down on the parking lot in on the ground
in the parking lot. She's and she's like

01:50:26.160 --> 01:50:28.157
in like, "Oh, I'm going to lie down."

01:50:28.240 --> 01:50:31.677
She's she did the whole thing. I'm going
to be with Jesus and now I'm dead. OH,

01:50:31.760 --> 01:50:35.757
WHAT IS THIS? FEELS LIKE SOMEONE'S
[__] ME in the ass. YOU MEAN LIFE

01:50:35.840 --> 01:50:37.597
KEEPS [__] you in the ass? EVEN AFTER

01:50:37.680 --> 01:50:40.317
YOU'RE DEAD, IT NEVER ENDS. SO, SHE was

01:50:40.400 --> 01:50:43.117
doing his bit and I was laughing at her

01:50:43.200 --> 01:50:47.517
doing his bit. I'm like, I got to see
this guy. This is crazy. So, that was my

01:50:47.600 --> 01:50:49.757
introduction to Sam Kenisonson, my

01:50:49.840 --> 01:50:54.717
friend, lying on her stomach doing an
impression. I'll never forget that, man.

01:50:54.800 --> 01:50:56.397
Because I was 19 years old. I remember

01:50:56.480 --> 01:50:58.717
that and I remember think so it was 86.

01:50:58.800 --> 01:51:01.997
So, I remember thinking, "This is crazy.

01:51:02.080 --> 01:51:05.597
Unbelievable. That's >> it was so
I had no desire to do comedy

01:51:05.680 --> 01:51:09.757
back then. I wasn't even thinking about
it. It wasn't even on my radar. It was

01:51:09.840 --> 01:51:12.797
never even a thought. I loved comedy.
I loved watching it, but I never thought

01:51:12.880 --> 01:51:15.677
about that. >> So,
what made you What was the the

01:51:15.760 --> 01:51:17.597
transition when you started?

01:51:17.680 --> 01:51:21.277
>> Well, I was uh heavily invested in

01:51:21.360 --> 01:51:23.677
martial arts. That's all I wanted to do.

01:51:23.760 --> 01:51:28.717
All I wanted was I was my my goal was to
compete and that's all I was doing. It's

01:51:28.800 --> 01:51:31.677
the reason why I got the job at the gym
so that I could have a place that I

01:51:31.760 --> 01:51:33.997
could work out and also I could make

01:51:34.080 --> 01:51:37.197
money there. And um my friends that I

01:51:37.280 --> 01:51:41.437
used to train with, they're the ones
who told me to do comedy. But I was like,

01:51:41.520 --> 01:51:46.797
"Listen, you laugh at me because you're
also psychos. Like the things I'm saying

01:51:46.880 --> 01:51:50.477
are [__] crazy. [clears throat] Like
you're we're all fighters. We're all

01:51:50.560 --> 01:51:52.237
traveling around the country fighting.

01:51:52.320 --> 01:51:54.397
Like this is not a normal activity.

01:51:54.480 --> 01:51:56.397
You're these This is not normal humor."

01:51:56.480 --> 01:51:59.517
But my good friend Steve Graham, who I'm
still friends with to this day, he's the

01:51:59.600 --> 01:52:02.797
one who talked me into doing it.
And then I went to an open mic night and I

01:52:02.880 --> 01:52:06.317
realized, oh, everybody sucks in the
beginning. Like it's just like martial

01:52:06.400 --> 01:52:09.357
arts. You start off, you suck
and then you get better at it.

01:52:09.440 --> 01:52:13.757
>> But my introduction to comedy
was that lady really my introduction to

01:52:13.840 --> 01:52:17.197
Kenisonson rather. The idea >> cuz
I when I saw Kenisonson, I was like,

01:52:17.280 --> 01:52:21.117
"Oh, comedy is a lot of different things.
It's different. There's a lot of

01:52:21.200 --> 01:52:24.397
different forms to it." >> Yeah.
cuz I always saw guys like Jerry

01:52:24.480 --> 01:52:27.837
Seinfeld who were very funny and they
tell these jokes but I never thought

01:52:27.920 --> 01:52:29.837
that was me. I couldn't do that.

01:52:29.920 --> 01:52:32.877
>> But I saw Kenisonson I was like,
"Oh, this a bunch of different kinds of

01:52:32.960 --> 01:52:35.597
comedy. This is very interesting."

01:52:35.680 --> 01:52:37.517
>> And then when I started out

01:52:37.600 --> 01:52:41.117
>> in 88, boy, the guys in Boston used to

01:52:41.200 --> 01:52:43.517
talk about the comedy store like it was

01:52:43.600 --> 01:52:45.997
mecca. Like you had to go there. You had

01:52:46.080 --> 01:52:48.717
to go to the store. The store was where

01:52:48.800 --> 01:52:53.197
Richard Prior started and Sam Kenisonson
and all the all these comics and David

01:52:53.280 --> 01:52:57.117
Letterman, they all made they all came
out of the store. Bill Hicks, he was a

01:52:57.200 --> 01:53:00.637
door man at the store >>
and everybody talked about the store.

01:53:00.720 --> 01:53:03.997
>> It was one of those things where it
was like, you know, you had to go there.

01:53:04.080 --> 01:53:07.197
>> And then uh when I first made uh got on

01:53:07.280 --> 01:53:11.677
a television show, I flew out to LA to do
a pilot and that was the first time I

01:53:11.760 --> 01:53:14.877
ever went to the store. And I remember
being so weirded out just being in the

01:53:14.960 --> 01:53:16.877
building like, "Wow, I can't believe I'm

01:53:16.960 --> 01:53:19.517
at the comedy store."

01:53:19.600 --> 01:53:21.997
>> Now, when you when did you meet Mity?

01:53:22.080 --> 01:53:25.917
>> I met Mitsy in 94. So, I did the pilot.

01:53:26.000 --> 01:53:28.397
The pilot wound up getting picked up.

01:53:28.480 --> 01:53:32.237
Then I came out and I was on a TV show
that it was it only lasted like six

01:53:32.320 --> 01:53:34.237
episodes. It was called Hard Ball. It

01:53:34.320 --> 01:53:37.437
was a sitcom about a baseball team and I

01:53:37.520 --> 01:53:41.757
played the star player. I played
this crazy dude who's always crashing his

01:53:41.840 --> 01:53:43.917
Lamborghini and that that kind of [__]

01:53:44.000 --> 01:53:49.037
you know, and so um I would spend
my nights every night at the store. I

01:53:49.120 --> 01:53:51.917
didn't have any friends and I didn't
know anybody there. So I just would just

01:53:52.000 --> 01:53:54.637
go to the set and then after the set I'd

01:53:54.720 --> 01:53:56.077
go hang out at the store and then I

01:53:56.160 --> 01:53:59.117
eventually uh Mitsy uh showcased me. I

01:53:59.200 --> 01:54:02.397
got uh became a non-paid regular so I

01:54:02.480 --> 01:54:06.237
got to go on after the comedians
performed. So, the way it worked at the

01:54:06.320 --> 01:54:10.637
comedy store, they'd have a show
that was scheduled from like 8:00 p.m. to

01:54:10.720 --> 01:54:14.957
like 1:00 a.m. or close to it.
And then after it was probably like really

01:54:15.040 --> 01:54:18.717
midnight, but it always was like 1:00 a.m.
by the time I got up. And then I

01:54:18.800 --> 01:54:22.157
would go on after everybody else.
And I did that for a few months.

01:54:22.240 --> 01:54:25.837
>> And then she passed me. And I remember
thinking like when when she passed me,

01:54:25.920 --> 01:54:30.877
like I was like, "Oh, no. I I think I
can be a comedian now." Like this is I

01:54:30.960 --> 01:54:32.557
actually can make a living doing this.

01:54:32.640 --> 01:54:34.957
Because before then I
wasn't sure, >> right?

01:54:35.040 --> 01:54:38.157
>> Even though I was getting paid and I
would do comedy, I'd get paid to do

01:54:38.240 --> 01:54:42.637
comedy. It was still like very iffy.
I'd bomb a lot. It was like it wasn't

01:54:42.720 --> 01:54:44.797
>> right. >> Also,
it was like in the middle of this

01:54:44.880 --> 01:54:49.597
sitcom, so I was was working all day
and I I didn't want to do that anymore.

01:54:49.680 --> 01:54:53.117
>> I mean, I I liked it because it paid
a lot of money, but it wasn't really my

01:54:53.200 --> 01:54:55.357
thing. I wasn't into acting that much.

01:54:55.440 --> 01:54:57.437
It was to me it was like

01:54:57.520 --> 01:55:00.397
>> comedy was more exciting. It was live

01:55:00.480 --> 01:55:04.637
live audiences. The sitcom thing was fun
because you got to use like your skills

01:55:04.720 --> 01:55:06.957
and in telling jokes as a comedian,

01:55:07.040 --> 01:55:09.837
>> but it wasn't the same thing.
And then I

01:55:09.920 --> 01:55:15.357
got news radio, which was a much more
uh much better show. And then then I was

01:55:15.440 --> 01:55:18.157
like, well, this is different. This is
there's other levels to this. And that's

01:55:18.240 --> 01:55:22.157
how I met Hartman and all those other
people. But it was to me the most

01:55:22.240 --> 01:55:25.197
important thing was getting passed
at the store. I was like, wow,

01:55:25.280 --> 01:55:28.237
>> that was more important to me than
getting a sitcom or anything. I was

01:55:28.320 --> 01:55:30.397
like, I can't believe it. I got past my

01:55:30.480 --> 01:55:32.237
name's on the wall of the [__] comedy

01:55:32.320 --> 01:55:35.277
store. Like, wow. It was so exciting.

01:55:35.360 --> 01:55:37.677
>> In lights, too, now, right? Do you have

01:55:37.760 --> 01:55:40.797
it? Is it in the neon inside?

01:55:40.880 --> 01:55:45.517
>> Yeah, I'm on the wall inside. It's just
like this lady, Mity Shore, like people

01:55:45.600 --> 01:55:49.357
don't understand. She was the most
important figure outside of all the

01:55:49.440 --> 01:55:52.717
comedians, the most important
figure of in comedy. Yeah.

01:55:52.800 --> 01:55:54.877
>> By far. There was no one like her. She

01:55:54.960 --> 01:55:58.797
was and she was a mentor. She was like a

01:55:58.880 --> 01:56:04.750
she was a she was a curator of a
mental health asylum. [laughter]

01:56:05.040 --> 01:56:08.797
And she would joke around about it.
She was like, "The inmates are running the

01:56:08.880 --> 01:56:13.037
asylum." >> And that was
originally when we came to

01:56:13.120 --> 01:56:16.077
uh Texas, I was going
to call it the asylum.

01:56:16.160 --> 01:56:19.597
>> Really? >> Yeah. Cuz I thought as a nod

01:56:19.680 --> 01:56:24.397
>> as a nod to Mitsy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It turned out. But as a nod to Mitsy, the

01:56:24.480 --> 01:56:27.837
idea was that like cuz she was always
saying the inmates are running the

01:56:27.920 --> 01:56:31.837
assai. She would say that all the time
while we were there, like she encouraged

01:56:31.920 --> 01:56:34.717
it. She liked when >>
comedians were out of their [__]

01:56:34.800 --> 01:56:39.757
minds. She she loved it. She loved
that environment. And so as a nod to her,

01:56:39.840 --> 01:56:42.477
>> we were going to call
it the asylum. But then

01:56:42.560 --> 01:56:45.597
>> I was like, one of the
things that someone said,

01:56:45.680 --> 01:56:48.797
>> because you know, Ron White was the
first guy to move here. He was really

01:56:48.880 --> 01:56:53.117
like patient zero in the Austin comedy
experience. the new version of the

01:56:53.200 --> 01:56:56.637
Austin Comedy Experience. And he
was like, "It's in the center of the

01:56:56.720 --> 01:57:00.237
country. I love it cuz I could fly
to New York. I go to Florida. I go

01:57:00.320 --> 01:57:03.917
everywhere. It's in the middle.
You know, it's like the flights aren't as

01:57:04.000 --> 01:57:06.317
long. People are nice. I love it here."

01:57:06.400 --> 01:57:10.157
And I was like, "Oh, well, it's like
the mother ship." And then all the other

01:57:10.240 --> 01:57:15.357
places like Lynch launch out.
And also, I'm obsessed with UFOs.

01:57:15.440 --> 01:57:17.437
[laughter] >> Obviously.
>> I can see. Right.

01:57:17.520 --> 01:57:20.317
>> Yeah. Obviously,
I have a bit of a UFO problem.

01:57:20.400 --> 01:57:23.837
>> Yeah. So that's why we called it the
mothership. But I mean the bar is named

01:57:23.920 --> 01:57:24.717
Mitsy's.

01:57:24.800 --> 01:57:28.877
>> Yes. Yes.
And it was I, you know, losing

01:57:28.960 --> 01:57:33.917
her that early. I still think
she went too early, you know, in

01:57:34.000 --> 01:57:38.157
>> Well, for me it was like she suffered
for so long. It was really hard to see

01:57:38.240 --> 01:57:42.077
her. Uh, you know, she had
a neurological condition later in her

01:57:42.160 --> 01:57:45.437
life. It was very hard to see her.
She would come around a store.

01:57:45.520 --> 01:57:47.917
>> Yeah. >> But you know,
she nurtured so many

01:57:48.000 --> 01:57:50.877
comedians and and helped us

01:57:50.960 --> 01:57:55.757
Oh, and not always. Like sometimes
she had terrible advice. [laughter]

01:57:55.840 --> 01:57:59.917
She would change your whole act, make
you have a fake name. She tried to turn

01:58:00.000 --> 01:58:01.917
Joey Diaz into Fat Baby. Is that right?

01:58:02.000 --> 01:58:04.157
>> That was his nickname or his name.

01:58:04.240 --> 01:58:06.637
>> So on the lineup, instead of Joey Diaz,

01:58:06.720 --> 01:58:10.397
it would say Fat Baby. [laughter]

01:58:10.480 --> 01:58:12.717
>> She did that for like a couple years.

01:58:12.800 --> 01:58:15.677
>> Wow. >> Yeah, it was nuts.
Yeah, you can find

01:58:15.760 --> 01:58:19.517
some of the old lineups. Uh Jamie's
found them before online. It'll still

01:58:19.600 --> 01:58:24.237
like line up from like 2001
or something like that. It says fat baby.

01:58:24.320 --> 01:58:26.157
>> That's what she was calling them.

01:58:26.240 --> 01:58:27.677
>> Yeah. And uh

01:58:27.760 --> 01:58:30.237
>> she was a special person.
Such a special

01:58:30.320 --> 01:58:33.597
person. And just that lady loved having

01:58:33.680 --> 01:58:37.837
that place. She was she knew that there
was something going on there and there

01:58:37.920 --> 01:58:42.397
had been something going on there that
was very unique in the world of comedy

01:58:42.480 --> 01:58:47.117
and it was necessary, you know, to have
a place like that where the comics all

01:58:47.200 --> 01:58:50.237
felt at home. Yeah. >> Like we
would perform in other places

01:58:50.320 --> 01:58:52.797
like we would do sets at the improv. We

01:58:52.880 --> 01:58:58.237
would do sets at the I remember one
time I did New Year's at the improv and I

01:58:58.320 --> 01:59:01.437
came back to the club and Harris Pete
says, "I love it. You go over there, you

01:59:01.520 --> 01:59:03.837
do your shows, but you come back home."

01:59:03.920 --> 01:59:07.837
>> I was like, "Yeah, we're all this
is our home. This is our our weird [__]

01:59:07.920 --> 01:59:11.837
home." >> Yeah. >> You know,
the home for lost children.

01:59:11.920 --> 01:59:16.237
>> Like Mitzy would call it the the
home for the island of broken toys.

01:59:16.320 --> 01:59:21.277
>> Yeah. just a bunch of weirdos, you
know, and but all like like feeding off of

01:59:21.360 --> 01:59:22.557
each other.

01:59:22.640 --> 01:59:26.317
>> But to be able to see somebody who is

01:59:26.400 --> 01:59:28.797
barely speaks English

01:59:28.880 --> 01:59:33.757
and does five minutes and

01:59:33.840 --> 01:59:37.917
spot him somehow. >> Well,
she loves developing comics. She

01:59:38.000 --> 01:59:42.317
loved developing comics. She loved
finding a comic and and and getting

01:59:42.400 --> 01:59:46.397
them, which is one of the problems like
she didn't It's really interesting like

01:59:46.480 --> 01:59:50.477
Jerry Seinfeld went and she didn't pass
him because he was already developed,

01:59:50.560 --> 01:59:51.677
>> right? >> Isn't that crazy?

01:59:51.760 --> 01:59:54.077
>> Yeah. >> Like she didn't
like that. She She was

01:59:54.160 --> 01:59:56.157
already He's [laughter] done. He's done.

01:59:56.240 --> 01:59:58.957
>> She liked taking people
when they were really raw.

01:59:59.040 --> 02:00:00.877
>> That's true. And shaping them.

02:00:00.960 --> 02:00:04.157
>> Rosanne was her big project. Sure.

02:00:04.240 --> 02:00:05.517
>> She came a lot of big projects.

02:00:05.600 --> 02:00:09.757
>> Denver. Yeah.
and uh and and so is um uh

02:00:09.840 --> 02:00:13.357
Jim Carrey >> uh and many many others.

02:00:13.440 --> 02:00:17.837
>> She also had like very specific like
techniques she would use to test you

02:00:17.920 --> 02:00:21.117
like she would always take comics
and put them on like especially the Young

02:00:21.200 --> 02:00:25.357
New ones after all the the really good
comics like she did with you when you're

02:00:25.440 --> 02:00:29.037
talking about like doing that set
Richard Prior going up and Robin

02:00:29.120 --> 02:00:31.357
Williams and that's what she would do.

02:00:31.440 --> 02:00:34.397
She would take young comics that she
thought had potential and she would

02:00:34.480 --> 02:00:38.077
shove them after the biggest names,
people that were killing.

02:00:38.160 --> 02:00:42.557
>> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. She was a >>
such a unique person and such an

02:00:42.640 --> 02:00:44.077
important person in comedy

02:00:44.160 --> 02:00:48.317
>> and and Peter um that was a big moment

02:00:48.400 --> 02:00:51.437
of my life. I went to her funeral and

02:00:51.520 --> 02:00:54.317
Peter her son asked me to be one of the

02:00:54.400 --> 02:00:58.637
polebears in her um funeral and I felt

02:00:58.720 --> 02:01:02.957
like full circle you know she gave me my

02:01:03.040 --> 02:01:05.517
life you know to in a totally different

02:01:05.600 --> 02:01:09.037
way if I didn't meet her god knows what

02:01:09.120 --> 02:01:12.237
what I would be doing. No, I mean she

02:01:12.320 --> 02:01:16.237
she helped all of us and I think uh it's
one of the reasons why we talk about her

02:01:16.320 --> 02:01:19.037
so much and it's the reason
why we named the bar after her.

02:01:19.120 --> 02:01:21.677
>> Yeah. >> Just to and
the spirit of what she was

02:01:21.760 --> 02:01:25.277
trying to do at the store we try to do
at the mothership. It's all the weirdos.

02:01:25.360 --> 02:01:28.157
Welcome weirdos.
[laughter] >> Welcome weirdos.

02:01:28.240 --> 02:01:31.277
>> I'm in. >> Let's have fun. Let's go.

02:01:31.360 --> 02:01:33.677
>> Yeah. >> How many times
have you uh performed at

02:01:33.760 --> 02:01:35.677
the club now? Just do regular sets.

02:01:35.760 --> 02:01:40.237
>> Twice. Yeah. Yeah.
It it it's feels like

02:01:40.320 --> 02:01:44.237
the the original room uh the little
room, the little boy's room.

02:01:44.320 --> 02:01:45.677
>> Well, you know what I say?
It's like the

02:01:45.760 --> 02:01:49.517
little room is like if the original room

02:01:49.600 --> 02:01:51.757
and the belly room had a baby [laughter]

02:01:51.840 --> 02:01:54.317
>> and then the [clears
throat] big room is

02:01:54.400 --> 02:01:56.637
like the original room
and the main room had a baby.

02:01:56.720 --> 02:01:59.437
>> Right. Right. It's true. Very close.

02:01:59.520 --> 02:02:01.437
>> It's true. But you've done a great job.

02:02:01.520 --> 02:02:06.237
It feels It feels like home when you
walk in there. Well, I basically copied

02:02:06.320 --> 02:02:07.677
everything that I learned from her.

02:02:07.760 --> 02:02:09.837
Yeah. >> And added more Yes.

02:02:09.920 --> 02:02:12.557
>> stuff that the comedians requested.

02:02:12.640 --> 02:02:15.357
>> And it's interesting that I was helping

02:02:15.440 --> 02:02:19.997
to build that belly room
and then Kill Tony started

02:02:20.080 --> 02:02:22.477
>> in the belly room. >> Yeah.
You might have been the last

02:02:22.560 --> 02:02:25.917
person to work on that belly room,
too, because that that [__] room scares

02:02:26.000 --> 02:02:27.837
the [__] out of me. I' I've been in the

02:02:27.920 --> 02:02:31.517
bottom like in the the uh bar area

02:02:31.600 --> 02:02:35.357
ordering [snorts] a drink and like roast
battle will be on stage and you see the

02:02:35.440 --> 02:02:39.117
ceiling move. You're like Jesus y off
get back up there with a [__] hammer

02:02:39.200 --> 02:02:41.680
and [laughter]

02:02:41.920 --> 02:02:45.277
add some support.

02:02:45.360 --> 02:02:48.877
>> I'm not taking the responsibility.
I was just doing

02:02:48.960 --> 02:02:53.987
>> booths and go structure.
That's good. Somebody was

02:02:54.070 --> 02:02:57.197
[laughter] somebody. I just think
sometime [clears throat] like especially

02:02:57.280 --> 02:02:59.517
there is no >> Rose Battle
when when you have Rose

02:02:59.600 --> 02:03:01.437
Battle up there like they would get so

02:03:01.520 --> 02:03:05.037
wild and rowdy and it would be packed.

02:03:05.120 --> 02:03:09.517
It would be packed and it's only supposed
to seat like what 70 people or 80 people,

02:03:09.600 --> 02:03:12.327
>> right? >> It would
be a lot more than that.

02:03:12.410 --> 02:03:16.237
[laughter] The [__]
ceiling would move a little

02:03:16.320 --> 02:03:19.357
when you were in the bar. You're like,
"Bro, I hope this doesn't cave in. That

02:03:19.440 --> 02:03:22.157
would suck." >> Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep.

02:03:22.240 --> 02:03:24.157
>> That place is a magic place. And it's

02:03:24.240 --> 02:03:26.237
also a magic place because it was like a

02:03:26.320 --> 02:03:31.517
a magnet for crazy people. You'd have
the weirdest, nuttiest people that would

02:03:31.600 --> 02:03:33.037
just come there. Like that one guy.

02:03:33.120 --> 02:03:36.157
There's one guy that we used to come
there. He was a really nice guy. And he

02:03:36.240 --> 02:03:40.397
would always dress as Jesus.
>> Yes, I remember that. Yeah. Do you do

02:03:40.480 --> 02:03:42.157
you remember his name,
J? >> Heavenly Light.

02:03:42.240 --> 02:03:45.197
>> That's right. And uh he wind up dying

02:03:45.280 --> 02:03:47.197
and everybody was so sad. They were

02:03:47.280 --> 02:03:49.277
really sad because this guy was it seems

02:03:49.360 --> 02:03:52.397
like a gimmick, but it

02:03:52.480 --> 02:03:57.117
we got used to it and he was really nice
and he was just like this nice guy that

02:03:57.200 --> 02:04:00.077
dressed like Jesus all the time.
There he is. [laughter]

02:04:00.160 --> 02:04:02.797
But it was part of the [__] cool,

02:04:02.880 --> 02:04:06.317
crazy, weirdness of the comedy store is

02:04:06.400 --> 02:04:10.797
that we had a guy that [clears throat]
dressed as Jesus that was there all the

02:04:10.880 --> 02:04:15.037
time. >> Yeah. >> You know,
and like I don't know if he

02:04:15.120 --> 02:04:17.917
ever did standup. Did he ever do standup?

02:04:18.000 --> 02:04:21.197
>> I never saw him on stage, but he would

02:04:21.280 --> 02:04:25.117
be in the room sometimes and he
definitely had timing to, you know, to,

02:04:25.200 --> 02:04:27.757
you know, give a joke, but like I don't
remember ever seeing him like with a mic

02:04:27.840 --> 02:04:30.077
in his hand. >> Isn't
that crazy though? Like he was

02:04:30.160 --> 02:04:33.197
just always there hanging out and he was

02:04:33.280 --> 02:04:38.157
like, but that was the part
of how nutty that place was,

02:04:38.240 --> 02:04:40.797
>> right? >> The place was just strange.

02:04:40.880 --> 02:04:43.677
>> Yeah. >> We ran into
so many like completely

02:04:43.760 --> 02:04:45.437
schizophrenic people in the parking lot.

02:04:45.520 --> 02:04:48.077
Not like they would they would just
wander their way back there and start

02:04:48.160 --> 02:04:51.277
talking to us and [laughter]
explain to us about the voices there

02:04:51.360 --> 02:04:55.437
>> on Brody's show with Zach. >> Oh wow.

02:04:55.520 --> 02:04:58.637
>> Wow. Yeah.
I mean Brody had him on his show

02:04:58.720 --> 02:05:01.437
was just that's how weird that place

02:05:01.520 --> 02:05:07.437
was. It was just such
a [__] just an unusual spot.

02:05:07.520 --> 02:05:09.837
>> Yeah. >> And so we've
done our best to make our

02:05:09.920 --> 02:05:14.157
own version of that here. and and the uh

02:05:14.240 --> 02:05:19.037
uh that Crest House was also
a crazy place, you know.

02:05:19.120 --> 02:05:21.837
>> Yeah, I'm not doing that. I think that
was a terrible idea. [laughter] I'm not

02:05:21.920 --> 02:05:25.837
going to buy a house and have a bunch of
comedians live in it. That sounds like a

02:05:25.920 --> 02:05:31.197
recipe for [__] disaster.
I just can't manage all that. You know, I

02:05:31.280 --> 02:05:34.157
almost bought Crest Hill at one point in
time. Really? Yeah. They were selling it

02:05:34.240 --> 02:05:36.157
and I was really thinking about buying it,

02:05:36.240 --> 02:05:38.717
>> but I had a dog
at the time. His name is

02:05:38.800 --> 02:05:41.277
Frank Sinatra and Frank Sinatra was an

02:05:41.360 --> 02:05:46.877
escape artist and that was not a big
enough I you know if you I'm a firm

02:05:46.960 --> 02:05:50.077
believer that if you have a dog you
really have to have a big yard I think

02:05:50.160 --> 02:05:52.797
otherwise it's cruel. I think the dog

02:05:52.880 --> 02:05:57.437
dogs need exercise. They need they need
something. If you don't have a big yard

02:05:57.520 --> 02:06:02.077
you got to be able to be able to take
that dog out every day and exercise and

02:06:02.160 --> 02:06:04.317
bring them around. Otherwise it's rude.

02:06:04.400 --> 02:06:07.197
>> And Crest Hill had that little tiny
backyard remember? And it was on the

02:06:07.280 --> 02:06:09.837
hill. I'm like, "He's getting over this
fence like he was a pitbull." I'm like,

02:06:09.920 --> 02:06:11.517
"He's getting over that fence like that.

02:06:11.600 --> 02:06:13.517
That dog could get out of anything."

02:06:13.600 --> 02:06:16.157
>> I was like, "That poor guy.
I'm not doing that to him."

02:06:16.240 --> 02:06:18.157
>> So, I never bought
it because of my dog.

02:06:18.240 --> 02:06:22.637
>> Like, literally, I was thinking about
buying that house and she was selling it

02:06:22.720 --> 02:06:26.397
>> and but it was I went to look at it.
I went to look at it to see if I could buy

02:06:26.480 --> 02:06:30.237
it. I think some comics might have
been even living there at the time.

02:06:30.320 --> 02:06:34.237
>> So, this was like >> they sold
it several times since then. I

02:06:34.320 --> 02:06:37.197
was just there not too long ago and

02:06:37.280 --> 02:06:40.557
there it's all kind of destroyed because

02:06:40.640 --> 02:06:42.557
the guy is kind of wacky and he's

02:06:42.640 --> 02:06:47.997
remodeling it. >> But but it
was a a big part of my life.

02:06:48.080 --> 02:06:49.117
Um

02:06:49.200 --> 02:06:51.037
>> as I was living there in the little

02:06:51.120 --> 02:06:55.437
room, Andrew Dlay downstairs

02:06:55.520 --> 02:06:59.617
and he's teaching me how to date women.

02:06:59.700 --> 02:07:02.397
[laughter] I know. I know it's it's

02:07:02.480 --> 02:07:05.677
crazy but I was so naive and he was

02:07:05.760 --> 02:07:08.477
clean at that time you know his act was

02:07:08.560 --> 02:07:11.277
very clean he would tell you know he

02:07:11.360 --> 02:07:14.957
would do impressions of uh Elvis and

02:07:15.040 --> 02:07:18.077
John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone. So

02:07:18.160 --> 02:07:23.757
he's and um and and he would be very

02:07:23.840 --> 02:07:25.517
funny. We were pretty good friends. He

02:07:25.600 --> 02:07:29.357
would just but he would play with me. He

02:07:29.440 --> 02:07:32.957
would say, uh, he would play that, you

02:07:33.040 --> 02:07:35.037
know, I would have a girlfriend come and

02:07:35.120 --> 02:07:38.477
he would say, "So now you want me to go

02:07:38.560 --> 02:07:40.957
downstairs? Can you imagine Andrew being

02:07:41.040 --> 02:07:44.477
this, you know, crazy?" Said, "Now I got

02:07:44.560 --> 02:07:48.797
to go downstairs and I'll
be all by myself and you're

02:07:48.880 --> 02:07:51.357
going to be with this girl and you're my

02:07:51.440 --> 02:07:54.157
best friend and how is that going?" I

02:07:54.240 --> 02:07:56.637
go, "Get the hell out of here. She's

02:07:56.720 --> 02:07:58.477
going to be here." And then she would

02:07:58.560 --> 02:08:01.437
come and he would do it in front of her.

02:08:01.520 --> 02:08:03.917
Well, you guys are going to have fun now

02:08:04.000 --> 02:08:06.557
and I'm going to have to go downstairs.

02:08:06.640 --> 02:08:08.797
There's nothing there. And you just play

02:08:08.880 --> 02:08:13.677
and play along, you know. And then uh uh

02:08:13.760 --> 02:08:16.637
Tom Wilson was living there, too. Uh Tom

02:08:16.720 --> 02:08:20.957
is the guy who did um Biff in Back to

02:08:21.040 --> 02:08:23.917
the Future. He was the the the bad guy,

02:08:24.000 --> 02:08:28.717
right? And so Tom was kind of a cleancut

02:08:28.800 --> 02:08:34.157
guy and Andrew was, you know, um, not.

02:08:34.240 --> 02:08:38.237
So, so, uh, so one time I was supposed

02:08:38.320 --> 02:08:40.637
to break up with this girl. I wanted to

02:08:40.720 --> 02:08:43.037
break up with her. And he goes, Andrew

02:08:43.120 --> 02:08:45.837
goes, "I I have an idea for you. We're

02:08:45.920 --> 02:08:47.837
going to go to a jewelry store. We're

02:08:47.920 --> 02:08:50.637
going to get a a gift for her so it will

02:08:50.720 --> 02:08:55.037
be easy to break up." So, we go, we buy

02:08:55.120 --> 02:08:58.397
a ring and I'll bring it I brought it

02:08:58.480 --> 02:09:03.117
back and I go, "Uh, Tom, um, Andrew told

02:09:03.200 --> 02:09:05.197
me to buy this ring to give it to this

02:09:05.280 --> 02:09:08.397
girl so it would be an easy breakup."

02:09:08.480 --> 02:09:10.557
And he looks and he goes, "It's an

02:09:10.640 --> 02:09:13.677
engagement ring. You know that, right?"

02:09:13.760 --> 02:09:18.237
And I go, "But Andrew
told me to buy it." Hungry.

02:09:18.320 --> 02:09:20.237
He goes,

02:09:20.320 --> 02:09:23.597
uh, uh, Tom goes, Andrew is not a

02:09:23.680 --> 02:09:28.717
representative of a human race,
[laughter] so don't listen to what he's

02:09:28.800 --> 02:09:32.877
saying. So that's how it was kind of a fun

02:09:32.960 --> 02:09:35.117
relationship, but it was interesting

02:09:35.200 --> 02:09:38.397
because I was very enterprising

02:09:38.480 --> 02:09:40.717
and I'm working for Mity, you know,

02:09:40.800 --> 02:09:44.477
she's paying me whatever minimum wage um

02:09:44.560 --> 02:09:48.237
and but I'm saving money and we live

02:09:48.320 --> 02:09:50.557
with those guys and to have a twocar

02:09:50.640 --> 02:09:54.877
garage but no cars in it. So, a friend

02:09:54.960 --> 02:09:58.317
of mine says to me, "Why don't we go to

02:09:58.400 --> 02:10:01.517
Germany together? We borrow some money.

02:10:01.600 --> 02:10:05.677
We buy two Mercedes and we'll sell one

02:10:05.760 --> 02:10:09.997
and we'll get one for free." It was kind

02:10:10.080 --> 02:10:13.917
of a interesting idea. So, we went with

02:10:14.000 --> 02:10:16.957
some complications. I was able to bring

02:10:17.040 --> 02:10:18.717
two cars

02:10:18.800 --> 02:10:21.597
and sold one. So, so here's these guys

02:10:21.680 --> 02:10:26.157
are sleeping till like noon and they

02:10:26.240 --> 02:10:27.997
don't have a car and they don't they're

02:10:28.080 --> 02:10:31.757
just bombing and I have two Mercedes in

02:10:31.840 --> 02:10:34.477
the garage. I sell one

02:10:34.560 --> 02:10:38.317
and then I go to Europe. They hired me

02:10:38.400 --> 02:10:41.117
to do a Bob Monhouse show which was a

02:10:41.200 --> 02:10:44.237
kind of a Johnny Carson show for um

02:10:44.320 --> 02:10:46.717
England. and I fly there and they give

02:10:46.800 --> 02:10:51.597
me a bag of money, 10,000 euros, not

02:10:51.680 --> 02:10:55.677
eos, pounds, uh, in a bag to do their

02:10:55.760 --> 02:10:58.797
show. So, I buy a Rolls-Royce and ship

02:10:58.880 --> 02:11:03.197
it to America. So, now I have a Mercedes

02:11:03.280 --> 02:11:05.197
450 SL [laughter]

02:11:05.280 --> 02:11:09.117
and a Rolls-Royce, but I live in a room

02:11:09.200 --> 02:11:11.517
for $120

02:11:11.600 --> 02:11:15.917
a month, right? And so,

02:11:16.000 --> 02:11:19.997
um, this is how weird it is. And, and

02:11:20.080 --> 02:11:22.157
this, and I want to buy a house, but I

02:11:22.240 --> 02:11:25.597
don't have enough money. So, this

02:11:25.680 --> 02:11:29.197
realtor passes by one day, and I'm

02:11:29.280 --> 02:11:31.997
polishing a Rolls-Royce. And she goes,

02:11:32.080 --> 02:11:36.637
"Can I borrow like a hammer
to put the sign in?"

02:11:36.720 --> 02:11:38.637
I go, "You know what? You're a realtor.

02:11:38.720 --> 02:11:40.637
Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a

02:11:40.720 --> 02:11:42.477
house."

02:11:42.560 --> 02:11:46.397
um on and I liked when Mity had that big

02:11:46.480 --> 02:11:49.597
house, 5,000 square feet overlooking LA.

02:11:49.680 --> 02:11:52.477
I'm like, I want something like that.

02:11:52.560 --> 02:11:56.717
And I I said I tell her, I want a 5,000

02:11:56.800 --> 02:12:00.397
square foot house um with an an acre of

02:12:00.480 --> 02:12:05.517
land and I want to buy it for uh with

02:12:05.600 --> 02:12:08.557
the view of LA and I want to buy it for

02:12:08.640 --> 02:12:12.637
$150,000. And I'm thinking
she's going to hit me

02:12:12.720 --> 02:12:14.557
with a hammer.

02:12:14.640 --> 02:12:16.877
She goes, "I may have something for

02:12:16.960 --> 02:12:20.477
you." And I go, "Really?" And she goes,

02:12:20.560 --> 02:12:25.437
"Yeah." And she There was a house

02:12:25.520 --> 02:12:28.157
uh literally like a block away from

02:12:28.240 --> 02:12:31.437
where Mits was. Similar structure, only

02:12:31.520 --> 02:12:34.717
it was destroyed. It was a house that

02:12:34.800 --> 02:12:37.197
Laney Bruce used to live in

02:12:37.280 --> 02:12:39.437
>> years ago.

02:12:39.520 --> 02:12:43.357
uh was um the Seymour Cassell who is a

02:12:43.440 --> 02:12:45.757
he is a character actor. I don't know if

02:12:45.840 --> 02:12:48.797
he's still around. Maybe Jamie can find

02:12:48.880 --> 02:12:52.797
it of him. Uh he was a character actor

02:12:52.880 --> 02:12:58.077
and he got into drugs and lost that

02:12:58.160 --> 02:13:05.117
house to his attorney who and and so um

02:13:05.200 --> 02:13:07.117
so I go look at the house. It's totally

02:13:07.200 --> 02:13:09.357
destroyed. But my parents needed a

02:13:09.440 --> 02:13:12.477
project. They were and I needed them to

02:13:12.560 --> 02:13:17.597
have a project. So I said, "How much
would he?" And he said, "He'll take

02:13:17.680 --> 02:13:19.197
$150,000

02:13:19.280 --> 02:13:22.477
because it's totally destroyed. There's

02:13:22.560 --> 02:13:26.317
stuff swimming, but like there is a

02:13:26.400 --> 02:13:30.237
stuff in the basement like flooded. The

02:13:30.320 --> 02:13:33.277
the windows are broken, destroyed.

02:13:33.360 --> 02:13:37.997
So, I buy that house and uh but I want

02:13:38.080 --> 02:13:41.277
to buy it, but I have to get all the

02:13:41.360 --> 02:13:42.797
paperwork

02:13:42.880 --> 02:13:46.877
and I I go um I need this. There's some

02:13:46.960 --> 02:13:50.717
kind of discrepancy that a sliver of the

02:13:50.800 --> 02:13:53.357
land belongs to a neighbor or something

02:13:53.440 --> 02:13:56.557
like that. So, I need to sign that guy

02:13:56.640 --> 02:14:00.477
Seymour Cassell supposed to sign
something off. And I go, "Where am I

02:14:00.560 --> 02:14:03.117
going to find him?" I go, the attorney

02:14:03.200 --> 02:14:06.397
goes, I know where he is. He's in jail.

02:14:06.480 --> 02:14:10.077
So, I go to jail and I figure I'm going

02:14:10.160 --> 02:14:13.997
to offer him money to sign this paper.

02:14:14.080 --> 02:14:19.277
And uh I I go in, I have like $500 in my

02:14:19.360 --> 02:14:23.437
pocket. And I go, "Uh, I need you to

02:14:23.520 --> 02:14:25.677
sign this paper."

02:14:25.760 --> 02:14:29.117
And he goes, I said, "How much?" And he

02:14:29.200 --> 02:14:31.117
goes, "50."

02:14:31.200 --> 02:14:37.037
I go, "$50,000?" He said, 'N no $50.

02:14:37.120 --> 02:14:39.677
I go, "Why $50?" He said, "They won't

02:14:39.760 --> 02:14:43.917
allow us more than $50 in jail." So now

02:14:44.000 --> 02:14:47.837
I'm in jail with a $100 bill trying to

02:14:47.920 --> 02:14:51.037
get change, which is not a good place to

02:14:51.120 --> 02:14:56.157
do it. I got it and now I own that that

02:14:56.240 --> 02:14:58.637
beautiful home. >> You still have it?

02:14:58.720 --> 02:15:02.397
>> No, I sold it. uh and uh moved to

02:15:02.480 --> 02:15:04.397
Pacific Palisades

02:15:04.480 --> 02:15:07.917
that time and when my kids were my

02:15:08.000 --> 02:15:11.117
daughter was born and then had to sell

02:15:11.200 --> 02:15:16.317
that house and lose a lot
of money to move to Branson. So,

02:15:16.400 --> 02:15:17.837
>> and are you in Branson still?

02:15:17.920 --> 02:15:21.517
>> I do. Yeah. I own Yeah, I owned a

02:15:21.600 --> 02:15:22.717
theater there. And

02:15:22.800 --> 02:15:25.837
>> so, how did you start coming out here?

02:15:25.920 --> 02:15:30.717
It was a desire to kind of um do what I

02:15:30.800 --> 02:15:36.877
I felt compelled that I can still offer

02:15:36.960 --> 02:15:39.757
something valuable to the audience out

02:15:39.840 --> 02:15:44.397
there watching Nate Burgazi

02:15:44.480 --> 02:15:47.837
uh doing that. and he had me actually I

02:15:47.920 --> 02:15:49.837
was in Florida

02:15:49.920 --> 02:15:54.557
and uh I I wanted to go see his show and

02:15:54.640 --> 02:15:59.037
he's in a um uh this uh Herz arena

02:15:59.120 --> 02:16:04.157
12,000 something people and I I um I

02:16:04.240 --> 02:16:06.157
asked if I could just go come see the

02:16:06.240 --> 02:16:08.317
show and he said why don't you go on

02:16:08.400 --> 02:16:13.437
stage and do a set and that was like I

02:16:13.520 --> 02:16:16.237
walked out there

02:16:16.320 --> 02:16:20.477
And I felt like I was

02:16:20.560 --> 02:16:23.677
back in the 80s. You know, the audience

02:16:23.760 --> 02:16:27.357
just the moment they said my name, they

02:16:27.440 --> 02:16:29.837
knew who I was. That audience knows who

02:16:29.920 --> 02:16:34.237
I am. So they just went crazy and I felt

02:16:34.320 --> 02:16:37.117
like Rocky standing there bowing and

02:16:37.200 --> 02:16:41.197
then I did like eight minutes and um so

02:16:41.280 --> 02:16:44.637
he's very respectful and very he feels

02:16:44.720 --> 02:16:48.397
like I one of the people that kind of

02:16:48.480 --> 02:16:54.077
paved the way for comedy
to be what it is today.

02:16:54.160 --> 02:16:57.837
>> That's awesome. >> So I've
been very blessed that you know.

02:16:57.920 --> 02:17:00.797
And so how did you wind up in Austin?

02:17:00.880 --> 02:17:06.397
>> Um I came here uh
for the festival that was that um

02:17:06.480 --> 02:17:07.037
>> Moon Tower.

02:17:07.120 --> 02:17:11.837
>> Moon Tower. And then I had Adam your

02:17:11.920 --> 02:17:15.437
Adam got me a spot. Uh and that's when I

02:17:15.520 --> 02:17:19.997
met Tony and Tony said why don't you be

02:17:20.080 --> 02:17:23.597
a guest judge on my show? And I was

02:17:23.680 --> 02:17:28.237
going with my family to Europe. um uh

02:17:28.320 --> 02:17:31.517
because my family's from Ukraine. So my

02:17:31.600 --> 02:17:36.237
wife's family from Ukraine. So they
moved to Europe and so we went there for

02:17:36.320 --> 02:17:38.477
two months and I said, "Tony, I can't do

02:17:38.560 --> 02:17:43.837
it right now, but end of August, I would
love to do it." And that's how it all

02:17:43.920 --> 02:17:46.237
kind of came together. >> Wow.

02:17:46.320 --> 02:17:49.757
>> Yeah. Small world,
but >> What are you doing tonight?

02:17:49.840 --> 02:17:52.557
>> I don't have any plans. I was just was

02:17:52.640 --> 02:17:55.357
hoping to get through through this, but

02:17:55.440 --> 02:17:57.837
because you never know. I I'm hoping

02:17:57.920 --> 02:18:00.397
that, you know, I I'll be happy to do

02:18:00.480 --> 02:18:05.277
whatever is out there. You know, >>
you were hoping to get through the show.

02:18:05.360 --> 02:18:05.917
You

02:18:06.000 --> 02:18:09.677
>> Well, you have to know.
I mean, you your

02:18:09.760 --> 02:18:14.637
show I don't think you can phantom how

02:18:14.720 --> 02:18:16.957
big your show. I mean, I know you know

02:18:17.040 --> 02:18:21.597
the numbers and you know, uh, but

02:18:21.680 --> 02:18:24.397
to to get

02:18:24.480 --> 02:18:27.197
to to have the conversation for three

02:18:27.280 --> 02:18:30.637
hours and not really knowing where it's

02:18:30.720 --> 02:18:34.237
going to go, what's going
to happen, how it's going to be,

02:18:34.320 --> 02:18:36.557
you you get nervous, you know, and I

02:18:36.640 --> 02:18:41.437
feel uh like I was uh going to uh

02:18:41.520 --> 02:18:43.997
Nashville and there was Nashville comedy

02:18:44.080 --> 02:18:46.877
festival Well, a year and a half ago and

02:18:46.960 --> 02:18:51.277
I went there and um I walked into

02:18:51.360 --> 02:18:55.517
Ryman's auditorium and um Brian Dorfman,

02:18:55.600 --> 02:18:58.237
you probably know he's a promoter,

02:18:58.320 --> 02:19:00.877
>> he remembered me from

02:19:00.960 --> 02:19:03.837
the years in the past and there was a

02:19:03.920 --> 02:19:09.677
show that uh uh all the Nate Betts

02:19:09.760 --> 02:19:11.437
protes

02:19:11.520 --> 02:19:15.357
were doing uh and and I walked in. I

02:19:15.440 --> 02:19:17.437
didn't know what was going on. And he

02:19:17.520 --> 02:19:21.437
said, "You want to go up?" And I go,

02:19:21.520 --> 02:19:25.437
"Okay, I'll I'll go up." And I I went in

02:19:25.520 --> 02:19:28.717
the middle of the show and I did 15

02:19:28.800 --> 02:19:31.917
minutes and the crowd gave me a standing

02:19:32.000 --> 02:19:35.037
ovation in the middle of the show. And I

02:19:35.120 --> 02:19:38.317
I know it's I get emotional because I

02:19:38.400 --> 02:19:41.357
feel like

02:19:41.440 --> 02:19:44.637
an ugly duckling that goes in and

02:19:44.720 --> 02:19:47.837
doesn't know if this young people going

02:19:47.920 --> 02:19:51.197
to accept you or not. And can you still

02:19:51.280 --> 02:19:53.997
do it? I was I'm in Branson for 33

02:19:54.080 --> 02:19:56.717
years. I'm very comfortable in that

02:19:56.800 --> 02:19:58.557
environment.

02:19:58.640 --> 02:20:01.757
But going into with the young comedians,

02:20:01.840 --> 02:20:04.237
it's like a boxer who hasn't been out

02:20:04.320 --> 02:20:07.757
there. And there is um there is respect,

02:20:07.840 --> 02:20:12.637
but also respect only last 30 seconds uh

02:20:12.720 --> 02:20:14.877
after they introduce you, but then you

02:20:14.960 --> 02:20:17.757
have to you have to prove that you got

02:20:17.840 --> 02:20:21.837
what it takes. And that's what I feel

02:20:21.920 --> 02:20:26.157
like I uh I want to continue to do this

02:20:26.240 --> 02:20:29.197
because I believe I can still offer

02:20:29.280 --> 02:20:32.317
something valuable uh to the audience

02:20:32.400 --> 02:20:36.637
that that family audience that uh could

02:20:36.720 --> 02:20:39.997
learn something from me, could
laugh with me, whatever it is.

02:20:40.080 --> 02:20:43.037
>> That's very wholesome,
Yakov. You're a wholesome guy.

02:20:43.120 --> 02:20:47.277
>> Well, thank you. [laughter] >> I
mean that with all sincerity. Well,

02:20:47.360 --> 02:20:49.677
I'll tell you, it's interesting. I was

02:20:49.760 --> 02:20:54.477
when I graduated from my um uh from

02:20:54.560 --> 02:21:00.957
Pepperdine and I came to comedy
and magic club in my beach. I love that

02:21:01.040 --> 02:21:03.357
place. >> Yeah, me too.
>> Shout out to Mike Lacy.

02:21:03.440 --> 02:21:04.637
>> Yes. Yes. He's the best.

02:21:04.720 --> 02:21:07.837
>> And I I showed up in my uh cap and gown

02:21:07.920 --> 02:21:12.077
kind of proud. And Jay Jay Leno is there

02:21:12.160 --> 02:21:17.437
all the time every Sunday.
And Jay goes, "So, what's up? What's up?

02:21:17.520 --> 02:21:18.957
What's up with that? What's up with

02:21:19.040 --> 02:21:21.757
that?" And I go, "Well, I decide to get

02:21:21.840 --> 02:21:25.037
a a doctorate degree because I really

02:21:25.120 --> 02:21:28.317
think that there is a

02:21:28.400 --> 02:21:31.437
research on laughter that you could

02:21:31.520 --> 02:21:33.997
really help people understand it

02:21:34.080 --> 02:21:35.517
better."

02:21:35.600 --> 02:21:39.037
And he goes, "Yakob, you're a comedian.

02:21:39.120 --> 02:21:42.957
You write a joke, you tell a joke, you

02:21:43.040 --> 02:21:46.557
pick up a check, and you go and you go

02:21:46.640 --> 02:21:49.677
and and and that's it. And I go, "But

02:21:49.760 --> 02:21:52.797
what about like humanity?" And no, no.

02:21:52.880 --> 02:21:55.117
He goes, "No, no, you don't get it. You

02:21:55.200 --> 02:21:58.957
write a joke, you tell a joke, and you

02:21:59.040 --> 02:22:02.317
pick up a check, and that's it.

02:22:02.400 --> 02:22:05.757
I I feel like there is more that I can

02:22:05.840 --> 02:22:10.557
do." Well, you know, that's Jay's
perspective, right? My perspective is

02:22:10.640 --> 02:22:14.557
much more aligned with yours. I think
there's a lot more going on. And I think

02:22:14.640 --> 02:22:16.317
comedy is very valuable to people,

02:22:16.400 --> 02:22:18.557
including me. If I don't feel good, then

02:22:18.640 --> 02:22:21.757
I can go watch people tell great jokes

02:22:21.840 --> 02:22:26.477
and laugh. I feel better. I like it.
I like it. People like it. People keep

02:22:26.560 --> 02:22:29.597
coming to see it. There's a reason
why people come. It's It's medicine. It

02:22:29.680 --> 02:22:32.077
really is. I know that's like very cliche.

02:22:32.160 --> 02:22:33.757
>> Say laughter is medicine, but it is.

02:22:33.840 --> 02:22:37.117
There's something to it.
>> It's a lubricant. It's like engine

02:22:37.200 --> 02:22:40.717
without if you don't have oil in the

02:22:40.800 --> 02:22:44.877
engine, it will not go.
And I think laughter

02:22:44.960 --> 02:22:48.317
>> in the relationship is that lubricant.

02:22:48.400 --> 02:22:52.157
>> Well, and with friends,
it's just a fun thing to do. Absolutely.

02:22:52.240 --> 02:22:56.157
>> That's one of the reasons why I like
going there is like we get to hang out

02:22:56.240 --> 02:22:59.997
together and laugh. >> Yes. >> Speaking
of which, do you want to do a set tonight?

02:23:00.080 --> 02:23:04.637
>> Sure. You know anybody? >> Yeah.
I got I know a guy. It's It'd be

02:23:04.720 --> 02:23:08.717
my show on my short. Yeah. Okay.

02:23:08.800 --> 02:23:12.957
>> I'd love it. Oh my goodness. Wow.
We'll have some fun. What a gift.

02:23:13.040 --> 02:23:16.877
>> And if people want to see you other
than that, you're on tour. Um what is the

02:23:16.960 --> 02:23:22.317
website? Is it yakov.com? Yeah.
My next show is in Atlanta this

02:23:22.400 --> 02:23:25.757
weekend. >> Well, people can go to it.
It's up on the screen. There it is.

02:23:25.840 --> 02:23:30.317
>> Yeah. >> Standup podcast host legend.
You have your own podcast?

02:23:30.400 --> 02:23:32.477
>> I I did for about a year.

02:23:32.560 --> 02:23:36.557
>> What happened? Uh uh the baby was born.

02:23:36.640 --> 02:23:39.917
>> Oh, you you're doing a lot of good
spots. You're doing the Punchline.

02:23:40.000 --> 02:23:41.597
You're doing Punch Line in Sacramento.

02:23:41.680 --> 02:23:44.957
You're doing Cobbs in San Francisco.

02:23:45.040 --> 02:23:49.677
>> Comedy Works in in Greenville with uh
Greenwood, rather. That's the other

02:23:49.760 --> 02:23:50.957
comedy works. There's two comedy works.

02:23:51.040 --> 02:23:53.597
Nice. Sid spplitters. Great spots.

02:23:53.680 --> 02:23:57.117
Beautiful. >> Yeah.
>> People will come see you, man.

02:23:57.200 --> 02:23:58.717
>> And you're very funny. So, it's good.

02:23:58.800 --> 02:24:00.157
It's good to see you out there still.

02:24:00.240 --> 02:24:02.877
>> Thanks for having me. I really
appreciate it. I really enjoyed talking

02:24:02.960 --> 02:24:06.477
to you in the green room. I'm glad we
did this cuz that's a crazy ass story.

02:24:06.560 --> 02:24:09.597
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> My pleasure.
You're a good dude, Yakov.

02:24:09.680 --> 02:24:11.037
I love you. >> Thank you. All right.

02:24:11.120 --> 02:24:15.320
>> I love you, too.
[music] >> Bye, everybody.

02:24:17.890 --> 02:24:19.910
[music]