1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: We start the rehearsal and I'm up there, I'm singing, 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: I'm dancing, I'm smiling. And then she stops. The whole rehearsal. 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Everybody stops stop. She goes look at him, Look at him. 4 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: You see him. He's sick, he's here, he's singing, he's smiling. 5 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: You gotta learn from him. And I was like, oh, 6 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: that's me. So it was a moment of like positive 7 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: reinforcement made me feel I can do this. And then 8 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: the year later, eighth grade, I come back and I 9 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: get the lead. I'm little Abner and Little Abner and 10 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: you know, I've been bitt and I loved it and 11 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: I just wanted to do it. And every time I 12 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: tell I tell a story, how like throughout my schooling, 13 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: they would always be like, oh, you've got what it 14 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: takes to do this. So my parents would come to 15 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: the shows and the director or the teacher would say, 16 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: you know, your kids got the thing for this, and 17 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: my parents, oh, thank you, thinking and we get in 18 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: the car. My dad would be like, that bitch is crazy. 19 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: Don't listen to her. You're gonna be a doctor or 20 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: a lawyer. Hi, I'm maz Jobrani and I am bald. 21 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: Hi friends, welcome back here to Off the Beat. It 22 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: is I your trusty host, Brian Baumgartner. Today I have 23 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: a very special treat for you, because, as you just heard, 24 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: my guest is the hilarious actor and stand up comedian 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,919 Speaker 1: Moss Joe Brownie. Now, if you know anything about Moss, 26 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: you know comedy isn't his only specialty. He actually studied 27 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: political science at UC Berkeley and then later dropped out 28 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: of his PhD program to do what yes, to pursue comedy. 29 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: It's what all smart folks do. This was a great 30 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: move for Moss. He now has six comedy specials, a memoir, 31 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: and countless TV appearances. Today, we're going to dive into 32 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: his unique take on comedy, not shying away from hard 33 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: time tompics like politics and race and why humor has 34 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: a unique power to make this kind of statement and yeah, okay, 35 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: we're gonna crack some jokes along the way. This one 36 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: it is pretty pretty special. Let's jump right in with 37 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: my friend and yours, Moss Joe Browny. Bubble and Squeak. 38 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: I love it, Bubble and Squeak. A Bubble and Squeaker 39 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: cookie every month left over from the Natio. Hi mas, 40 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: Hey Brian, how are you? I'm great, how are you? 41 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me, Thanks for having me, buddy. What's 42 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: going on? Hey? You know what? Not a whole lot, 43 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: but I'm excited to see. Where are you right now? 44 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 1: I'm in Los Angeles. Where are you? Okay? Well, so 45 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's a rainy day in southern California. 46 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: I'm there as well. It's insane, crazy, right, yeah, And 47 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: there's nothing more boring than talking about the weather. But 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: it's a reality. That's it's a reality. And it's also 49 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: I've been my whole life. I've been in California, like 50 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: since I was six years old. And the only time 51 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: I remember raining almost as bad was I think I 52 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: was like in the fifth grade in northern California and 53 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: cars were literally like the water was up to the window. Yeah, 54 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: and it was crazy, and they made us evacuate. We 55 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: lived on a on a hillside, they made us evacuate. 56 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: I don't think I've seen it this bad since. And 57 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: this might be worse than that, I mean worse and 58 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: better and all of the above. Yeah, No, it's insane. 59 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: Cars stopped today, stuck right around my house in rivers 60 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: of water trying to get through. But it's so nutty. 61 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: But you know what, it's warm and cozy here between 62 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: the two of us. I want to talk about your career. 63 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: I have a little bit of an existential conversation about 64 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: comedian versus actor. Will do that, but I first want 65 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: to start back at your youth. You were born in Iran, 66 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: but came to California very early on. Is that right? Yeah, 67 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: So I was born in Iran and then late seventy 68 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: eight as there was protests. There's protests in the streets 69 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: of Iran. The leader back then was the Shaw, and 70 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: the Shaw was a monarch. He was a king. He 71 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: had helped modernize the country and he had gotten the 72 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 1: country to some level of prosperity. But he had people 73 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: that didn't like him because he was a king, and 74 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: so clearly, you know, there were many groups that couldn't 75 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: be vocal against him, you know, you know, he had 76 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: a secret police and all that kind of stuff. Okay, 77 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: so there was all these different groups that were critical 78 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: of him or opposed him. And what happened was these 79 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: protests started started out in the streets of Irun. They 80 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: got bigger and bigger and bigger, and what would happen 81 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: is his military or somebody would show up at the 82 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:13,559 Speaker 1: protests and they would shoot into the crowd and somebody 83 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: would die, and then that would cause more protests to 84 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: just grow and grow and grow. And so eventually, late 85 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: seventy eight, my father was on business in New York 86 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: and he told my mom, He's like, why don't you 87 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: bring the kids to New York for a couple of weeks, 88 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: And he said, you know, hopefully things will cool down 89 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: and we can all return. And we didn't expect to 90 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: stay this long because really we left my baby brother 91 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: back there. I came with my older sister, Mariam. At 92 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: the time, I was six. I guess you must have 93 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: been eight. And I always like to say we packed 94 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: for two weeks and we stayed for forty four years. Now, yeah, 95 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: you just never went back, whatever back because things got 96 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: worse and worse, and early seventy nine the Shaw actually left. 97 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: Then that's when the revolution really happened. And there was 98 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: actually a great documentary that was on HBO recently called 99 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: Hostages that kind of talked about that time and how 100 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: Ayatollahomeni comes in and really, I think a lot of 101 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: people at that time, thought, oh, this is going to 102 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: be great because now that the Shah's gone, will have 103 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: a democracy and everyone will get along. Well, actually it 104 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: got worse because what happened was you ended up with 105 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: this religious fundamentalist regime that didn't care about you know, 106 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:34,840 Speaker 1: women's rights, LGBTQ rights, religious minority rights. They led us. 107 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: Then we ended up in a war with Iraq, so 108 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: millions of people died there, and we've seen now more 109 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: and more recently how brutal the regime is with executing 110 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: people and imprisoning people. And just last year they killed 111 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: Massa Amini, who's this twenty two year old girl walking 112 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: on the street with her hair out of her job 113 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: just a little bit, and so it became even more brutal. 114 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: And it's been hard to be away from Iran for 115 00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: forty four years. And I'm very American. I grew up 116 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: watching baseball and football and you know, playing those sports 117 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: and knowing American media. But there's always been a part 118 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: of my heart that has remained in my childhood home. 119 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: And it also breaks my heart to see the young 120 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: people of that country suffer the way they have. So really, 121 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: all I could hope for is for a free run 122 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: where they could be fully democratic, like we are, well, 123 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: we're kind of democratic, we're going the other way. Would 124 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: you say, growing up, like, how important was it for 125 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: your parents for you to feel a connection to Iran 126 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: or were you just trying to become sort of fully 127 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: Americanized as a six, seven, eight year old. I mean, 128 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: not that you were fully conscious. But looking back, I 129 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: don't think that my parents have even thought about it 130 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: like that. I think I think that they were just 131 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: they were like they assumed because my parents, imagine, imagine 132 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: being in your at that time. My mom was probably 133 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: in our mid thirties or so, and my dad was 134 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: in his mid to late forties. Imagine if that far 135 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: into your life you had to get up and just 136 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: go to a totally different country. You don't speak the language, 137 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: you know, you know, you barely speak the language. They're there. 138 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: The good news was my father, since he was a 139 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: successful businessman, he had the resources financially, he brought a 140 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: lot of money over which, by the way, he ends 141 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: up losing them in bad real estate investments, but still 142 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: to come over here. I don't think that they were 143 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: consciously going, oh, we must make sure our kids speak Persian. 144 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: And eat the Persian food and all that. It would 145 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: just assume that that's what it was. So they would 146 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,959 Speaker 1: speak Persian to us, we would speak Persian to them. 147 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: There were times actually, because my reading and writing in 148 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: Persian continues to not be that great because I left 149 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: when I was in the first grade, so there weren't 150 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: times when they would sign us up for like Persian 151 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: classes on a weekend and I hated it. I was like, 152 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: oh God, what I hate this. So but but but 153 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: really culturally speaking, and for them, it wasn't like they 154 00:08:57,920 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: even had an option. It wasn't like my mom was 155 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: going to be like, oh I'm gonna my dad wasn't 156 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: gonna be like I'm gonna watch less American sports so 157 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: that you become more Iranian. It was just like, I'm 158 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: only going to speak to you in Persian and you're 159 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: gonna respond to me in Persian, and that's all there 160 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: is to it. You know. Okay, what about you assimilating 161 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: into learning English going to school? Obviously you're learning English 162 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: in school, right, Yeah. Well, I actually went to an 163 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: international school in Iran, so I already spoke English. But 164 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: coming to America, I mean, you know, as a six 165 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: year old, and then seven and all those young ages. 166 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: You don't want to be different, you know what I'm saying. 167 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: It's like the last thing you want is to be different. 168 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: And first coming over from Iran to America, Iran I 169 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: think had some European influence, so my mom would dress 170 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: me up a little more European e and already in 171 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: America they're like, you know, what's wrong with you? Why 172 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: are you wearing those clothes? And then and then there 173 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 1: was times when like just little minor things became big 174 00:09:57,240 --> 00:09:59,319 Speaker 1: things in our grade. Right, so we had a day 175 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: called Pizza Day, and Pizza Day was where every kid 176 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 1: was going to bring some ingredient to the school. We're 177 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: gonna cook pizza together. This is I think third grade. 178 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: And so I was in charge of sausages. So I 179 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: go grocery shopping with my mom and my aunt and 180 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: in Persian the word for hot dog is so cease sausage. 181 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: So so we're there, I go I need sausages, like, oh, 182 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 1: you need so cis. So they give me a pack 183 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: of hot dogs, which really is like, I mean it's 184 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 1: a it's a small sausage. Really, I mean sausages are 185 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: it is? So I show up with a you know, 186 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: pack of hot dogs, and of course all the kids hah, 187 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 1: he brought hot dogs. I know these are sausages. Those 188 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: are hot dogs, you know, like ruined my my, my 189 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: whole life. And I go home and tell my mom 190 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,199 Speaker 1: these are not this is hot dogs, like this is socias. 191 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,839 Speaker 1: Now that story comes full circle when years later I 192 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: went to study abroad in Italy. When I was in college, 193 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,680 Speaker 1: I go to pizzeria and they have pizza with hot 194 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: dogs on it, and I'm like, you bastards. I was 195 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: right all along. So yeah, so I was just trying 196 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,319 Speaker 1: to blend in. Man. I just wanted to be American. 197 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: I mean I played baseball, I you know, American culture. 198 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 1: Like that's probably where I discovered listen. By the way. Also, 199 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: my dad and I think this was just parenting of 200 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: the time. But I didn't play catch with me or 201 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: any of that. I mean, he was a great father. 202 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: He was very generous, he was giving. It wasn't like 203 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 1: let's go outside and play catch, you know. So because 204 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: of that, like I was learning a lot of stuff 205 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: from American television. So I'd sit there and watch hours. 206 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: I'd watch Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, Leave it to Beaver all 207 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: these reruns. That's that's how I think I came upon 208 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: comedy my first you know, like finding Eddie Murphy when 209 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: I was ten years old and going, what's Saturday Night Live? 210 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: I want to do this, you know? So, yeah, I 211 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: was trying to blend in. Yeah, I read Eddie Murphy 212 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: was one of your first loves. That sounds weird, but yeah, 213 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: one of your heroes, one of your first heroes. There 214 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: you go in comedy. When did you start performing? Were 215 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: you in school plays or yeah? It was basically so 216 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: in the seventh grade, they had they had a musical. 217 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: I went to Delmar Middle School in northern California and Tibron. 218 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: They were doing The Boyfriend and I don't know why 219 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 1: we all decided to do it, but it's a handful 220 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: of guys decided to do it some girls and went, 221 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: I go, let's try this. So I go and I auditioned, 222 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: and again it was seventh and eighth, so most of 223 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,319 Speaker 1: the leads went to the eighth graders. Seventh graders were 224 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: just background dancers. And there was a lady named Shirley 225 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: bomb Bright. She was our director. And Shirley Bombright said 226 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: when you're doing a musical. When you're on stage, you 227 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: always need to be smiling, when you're dancing, smiling and 228 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:39,719 Speaker 1: singing and radiating. Oh, and she said. The other things 229 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:41,599 Speaker 1: she said is you're part of an ensemble, so you 230 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: better be here. So one day I go to the rehearsal. 231 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: I go, Miss bomb Bright, I just gotta let you know. 232 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 1: I'm a little under the weather. I got a cold, 233 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: but you told me I gotta be here. So I came. 234 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: I'm here, and then we start the rehearsal and I'm 235 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,760 Speaker 1: up there, I'm singing, I'm dancing, I'm smiling. And then 236 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: she stops. The whole rehearsal. Everybody stops stop. She goes, 237 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: look at him, Look at him. You see him. He's sick, 238 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,079 Speaker 1: he's here, he's singing, he's smiling. You gotta learn from him. 239 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 1: And I was like, oh, that's me. So it was 240 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: a moment of like positive reinforcement made me feel I 241 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: can do this. Then the year later, eighth grade, I 242 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 1: come back and I get the lead. I'm little Abner 243 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: and little Abner and you know, I've been bitt and 244 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: I loved it and I just wanted to do it. 245 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: And every time I tell I tell a story how 246 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: like throughout my schooling, they would always be like, oh, 247 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: you've got what it takes to do this. So my 248 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 1: parents would come to the shows and the director or 249 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: the teacher would say, you know, your kids got the 250 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: thing for this, and my parents, oh, thank you. Thinking 251 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: we get in the car, my dad would be like, 252 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: that bitch is crazy. Don't listen to her. You're gonna 253 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: be a doctor or a lawyer. So they had they 254 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: didn't see the spark inside you. They were not interested 255 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: in you pursuing this as a career. Right, Yeah, it 256 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: wasn't that they didn't see the spark. It's that I 257 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: think you know again, immigrant parents, that's all they knew, 258 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: and it was a previous generation. I was just talking 259 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: to somebody about how my daughter or twelve now and 260 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: I'm encouraging her to become a dj okay And I 261 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: was like, if I went to my Irani dad back then, 262 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: I want to be a DJ, like a d what 263 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: you know, You'd be like, what are you talking about it? 264 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: But you know, we live in a different world where 265 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: people are making millions on TikTok or whatever, and so 266 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: back then I don't think they understood at all what 267 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: this meant or how it went. There was nobody in 268 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: my family. There was one. My aunt had married this 269 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: American guy. He was the only guy who kind of 270 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: was like, oh, you're interested in this, let's go to 271 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: the bookstore and get some books on acting. And it 272 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: was kind of having me look at that. But other 273 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: than that, they I just think my parents didn't know 274 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: what this was. And there was a lot of throughout 275 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: my life. It was a lot of detours, you know, 276 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: because of my parents. I started political science thinking I 277 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: was going to be a lawyer. Then when I went 278 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: to Italy to study abroad, I thought maybe I'd come 279 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: back and be a professor. So I got into a 280 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: PhD program, and then I dropped out of that, and 281 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: then I was going to go work in advertising. But 282 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: all along I always would find opportunities to get on stage. 283 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: I would kind of play a local play here there, 284 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: and I was always like, I love this. Right then 285 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: I was like, what am I going to do with it? 286 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: I mean, you know how it is. It's like, it's 287 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: not like you just apply to a school and then 288 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: you come out of that school and then Hollywood starts 289 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: hiring you. You know, what I'm saying, Oh, if it 290 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: was that easy, right exactly. So you mentioned getting into 291 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: political science. This ends up being a significant thing for 292 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,680 Speaker 1: you in your career. Were you doing plays at Berkeley 293 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: or well, because it was Berkeley, were you just finding 294 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: other other ways to perform? Well, it's interesting you said 295 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: that because again at Berkeley too. So I sot some year, 296 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: I forget what year it was. Maybe it was like 297 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: my I don't forget what year it was. To be 298 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: honest with you, must have been senior. One of the years. 299 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: As I was signing up for classes, I was like, oh, 300 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: maybe I'll take an acting class, and I remember it 301 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: was all very last minute. Did one semester of an 302 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: acting class at Berkeley, and the teacher was like, you 303 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: got what it takes. So every time I encountered somebody 304 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: who was teaching, it was like, you've got what it takes. 305 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: And I think that just meant like I like being 306 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: a ham. I was comfortable. I wasn't self conscious. I 307 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: was up there doing it, you know, And so even 308 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: there I was like, wow, people could tell them. The 309 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: people that are in this world keep telling me go 310 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: for it. But you, within yourself, you didn't couldn't make 311 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: the choice to listen to them. Yeah, I think you know, 312 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: I've I've read about this. First of all, your brain 313 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: isn't developed till isn't fully developed till like your mid 314 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: twenties or so, so you have a lot of stuff 315 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: going on in your head right that maybe you're not 316 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: I'm always I'm always amazed by comedians who go I 317 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: started when I was seventeen, I go, what, how did 318 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: you know? You know? Chappelle started when with fourteen? I go, 319 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: why does that even happen? And I had dabbled in it, 320 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: I kept doing the plays and my parents, I think 321 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: it convinced me do something legit and then do the 322 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: plays on the weekend. So I think in my mind, 323 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, that's right. You know, I'll just 324 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 1: you know, do the local playhouse and I'll be a 325 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: lawyer whatever. So while I was in high school, there 326 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: was a talent show and they said, anybody any talents. 327 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: I said, I'd like to try my hand to stand up, 328 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 1: and so I would write this material. And back then 329 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: I'm a teenager, So the materials are mostly sex based. 330 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: And also, you know, my influenced by Eddie Murphy and 331 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: all this stuff. So one of the jokes I remember 332 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: I came up with it was like, why is our 333 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: genitalia in the middle of our body, which is the 334 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: least comfortable place, Like it should be on our palm 335 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: of our hands to just go around high fiving and 336 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: having sex all day? And so I would write this 337 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, this is great, and then 338 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:45,479 Speaker 1: the next day i'd read it, I go, this is 339 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: horrible because I'm in my head right, and I ended 340 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: up canceling. I was like, guys, I can't do this. 341 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: I just freaked out. And I was actually lucky. I 342 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:55,239 Speaker 1: think that I canceled because they said, Okay, if you're 343 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:56,640 Speaker 1: not going to perform, you need to at least show 344 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: up and help run the show, just like by seating 345 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,640 Speaker 1: people and stuff. So turned out the audience for that show, 346 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: we're basically a bunch of juvenile delinquents. So if I 347 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: went up there and died in front of those guys, 348 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 1: it would have probably, you know, quashed my dreams for 349 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: the rest of my life, right, But I didn't do it, which, 350 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: by the way, just a side note. Years later, there's 351 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: a comedian named Jeremy Hats. It was very funny. I 352 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: saw him doing that joke. I'd never done it. I 353 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:24,679 Speaker 1: saw him doing it, which makes you go, oh, a 354 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: professional did it. It wasn't it wasn't that bad material, 355 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: But so I tried. I didn't do it. Then when 356 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: I was at Cow one day, I was having just 357 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 1: this like horrible day, and I'm sitting at this bar. 358 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:40,679 Speaker 1: It's called the Bear's Lair, and they say stand up 359 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,199 Speaker 1: comedy competition and it was already on. It was like 360 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: we got to watch it, and it was like National 361 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: Lampoon's Comedian, Young comedian, you know of the country or whatever. 362 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: And the two guys who went up there I knew 363 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,159 Speaker 1: one of them, and the other guy I didn't know, 364 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: but they were horrible. And I'm watching them and I, oh, 365 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 1: my god, if they can do it, I can do it. 366 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,639 Speaker 1: And I always say I would say, you're inspired by 367 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: greatness in mediocrity, right, And so then I said, the 368 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: next time I get a chance, I'm going to do this. 369 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,160 Speaker 1: So then I was listening to the hip hop station. 370 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,479 Speaker 1: They go, there's a comedy competition, submit your tapes. So 371 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: I just came up with a tape of me doing 372 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: different accents and like like a dating tape, and me 373 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,439 Speaker 1: being different characters. I submitted it and then they hit 374 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: me back. They go, congratulations, you want a sixteen finalists. 375 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:28,120 Speaker 1: So all of a sudden, I was in this stand 376 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: up comedy competition. I had no material, right, and I 377 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,159 Speaker 1: had to start writing it. And I wrote like this 378 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,400 Speaker 1: five minute sketch that was just me doing different accents. 379 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: And then I went to the hip hop station to 380 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: promote it, and I quickly found out I was the 381 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: only non African American comedian and the whole thing. And 382 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 1: then while we're promoting it, they start doing yo Mama 383 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: jokes and they all know each other. They're all on 384 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: the stand up comedy circuit. I'm not, and they're like, 385 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: Yo Mama, this is yo Mama that I'm sitting in 386 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: the middle. IM like what am I doing? And again, Brian, 387 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: what was interesting was the guy who put this competition 388 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 1: together was like a real estate agent who I think 389 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: was trying to make a quick buck. So he'd gotten 390 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: a theater in Oakland and was going to do this 391 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:13,719 Speaker 1: show with all these people, and I guess he had 392 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: trouble selling tickets. And again I think I lucked out 393 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: because if I'd gone up in front of whatever it 394 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: was few thousand people African American crowd and done my 395 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: little stupid act. I would have bombed. It would have 396 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: been the death of me, you know. And so again 397 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: I didn't get a chance to do it then. And 398 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: so then I was like, okay, I've got this in 399 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: my back pocket. I see what I do. So then 400 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,199 Speaker 1: I come down to La I'm working in that summer, 401 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: and it just so happens that another person working in 402 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: this place I'm working is Alex Borstein, you know, marvelous 403 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: missus Mazel and all that. So she tells me, she goes, yeah, 404 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: I'm doing some standup. You want to come, come with me, 405 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 1: we'll go. So we went to a place called Gallagher's 406 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: in the Valley and I took that stinky act of 407 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 1: mine with the accents, and I did it at Gallagher's 408 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: and the owner of the club was like, hey, you're 409 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,200 Speaker 1: pretty good, you know, give me your name and number. 410 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:04,920 Speaker 1: I gave it to him. Then I did it at 411 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: the Improv in Santa Monica, and again it was mediocre. 412 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: This my two first two times doing stand up. It 413 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 1: was you know, you're horrible, but you're you got a 414 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,040 Speaker 1: little something right. And then I just went back to 415 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: school and again with my parents, you could go to 416 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: grad school and all that, and I just let it go. 417 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: And it wasn't for another few years until I really 418 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: got serious with it. What helped you make the decision 419 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: to be serious with it? So I go to grad 420 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 1: school for political science at UCLA. I go audition for 421 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,159 Speaker 1: their mainstage play. I get in. I love it. It's 422 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: very avant garde, and by night I'm doing a play. 423 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: By day I'm going to my poly CID classes, and 424 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: all the polysyd conversations are like, what is the purpose 425 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: of a political scientist? And it's like, well, it's not 426 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 1: about teaching. It's about publish or perish. Come up with 427 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: a thesis, go around the world and defend it, and 428 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: then write another book. If you're lucky enough, some politician 429 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 1: may use one of your ideas to like, you know, 430 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: this horror. So by night I'm like loving it at 431 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 1: the play. By day I'm like, oh what am I doing? 432 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: So I drop out of grad school. Then I get 433 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: a job in advertising, because again I felt like I 434 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: needed some sort of secure job. While I'm there, I 435 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: start doing some plays just as a hobby, and then 436 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: I was in my mid twenties and I was at 437 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,200 Speaker 1: the advertising agency. There was a guy by the name 438 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 1: of Joe Ryan who was in his sixties. And Joe 439 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: was a producer at the ad agency, one of the 440 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: nicest people ever, kind of like a guardian angel with 441 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: sorts for me. And there was a play I was 442 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,199 Speaker 1: doing and I was making copies of the tape, dubbing 443 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 1: the tape in the dub room to give to the 444 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: other actors, and Joe happened to be in the dub 445 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: room and he watches. He goes, hey, you're pretty funny. 446 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: Have you ever thought about doing this professionally? And I 447 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:44,919 Speaker 1: was like, Joe, my middle school teacher told me to 448 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: do it my high school universe I've been wanted to. 449 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 1: And I said, you know what I'm gonna do, Joe, 450 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna work for a few more years, you know, 451 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: put away some money, and then when I'm thirty, I'm 452 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:56,160 Speaker 1: going to try it. And he goes, let me talk 453 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: to you for a second. Took me in his office. 454 00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: He goes, look I'm in. He goes, I'm in my 455 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: sixties right now. And he goes, there were some things 456 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: I wanted to do when I was in my twenties 457 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: and I never did it because we really want to 458 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: do it, do it. And it was a lightbulb moment. 459 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 1: I was like, you're totally right right then and there 460 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,640 Speaker 1: I went and signed up for improv acting classes at 461 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: the ACME Theater, which is where Alex had gone. And 462 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: then while I was there, Judy Carter, who was a 463 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 1: stand up comedian who teacher stand up comedy, she happened 464 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: to be in the class with me, and she was like, hey, 465 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 1: you know at t stand up comedy classes. I go, 466 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: oh my god. I always felt comfortable on stage, but 467 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:31,679 Speaker 1: I just never knew what to write about. So I 468 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: took her class and then from there I just went 469 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: and that was it. I was in my mid twenties 470 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,439 Speaker 1: and I was twenty four years ago, twenty five years ago. Chase, Wow, 471 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 1: were you into did at all in becoming an actor 472 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,440 Speaker 1: or for you was it about being a stand up comedian? 473 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 1: It was both. I love both, you know. So I 474 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,479 Speaker 1: came from acting, you know, the whole time, as from 475 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: a kid, I was always acting, acting, acting up and 476 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, this is great. You get to 477 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,199 Speaker 1: work with people, you get to put something up. And 478 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: then and then once I got into acting in front 479 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: of the camera again a lot of fun. But I 480 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 1: also was a big fan of stand up. I just 481 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 1: I you know the problem. I'd been intimidated by stand 482 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: up because when you do play, if if something doesn't 483 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: go right, you can blame the other actors, the director, 484 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: the right. There's a lot of people to blame. Right 485 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,440 Speaker 1: when you do stand up, I thought, oh my god, 486 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,440 Speaker 1: if people don't laugh, this is my soul that they're 487 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: not laughing at, you know. But then I've come to 488 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 1: learn now that I do stand up, stand up is 489 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,120 Speaker 1: also a work in progress, so you should never give 490 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: any set too much weight. Whether you kill or you die, 491 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: you're gonna get up again that same night or the 492 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: next night, and you'll go again, you know. I like 493 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,080 Speaker 1: to compare it to like a canvas of piece of 494 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: artists never done until you film it, put it out 495 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: as a special, and then you work on your next canvas. 496 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: So I love both. I've always loved both. I guess 497 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,439 Speaker 1: the immediacy of stand up comedy is pretty amazing. Do 498 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: you consider yourself a comedian or an actor? I? You know, both? Again, 499 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: Like I was, just it's interesting because recently I haven't 500 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: had as many acting gigs for probably multiple reasons. One 501 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: is I'm touring a lot. Two is, as you know, 502 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: it's just like this world seems to have gotten I 503 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: was just reading an article about how competitive it's gotten 504 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 1: past the pandemic, because before the pandemic, that casting director 505 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: would call in fifteen or twenty people he knew or 506 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:40,879 Speaker 1: she knew wead audition and one of us would get it. 507 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,239 Speaker 1: Now they're getting one hundred tapes coming in from all 508 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:46,199 Speaker 1: over the place, so it's even harder to get parts. 509 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: And so because of that, I've been acting less. But 510 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 1: I was just looking because somebody was asking for my 511 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: real and I was looking at some acting stuff I did, 512 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, that was fine. I'm pretty good. 513 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,720 Speaker 1: So I'm confident in what I've done, and I'm confident 514 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: in being able to do it again, and I want 515 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: to do it again. And really it just comes down 516 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,200 Speaker 1: to like a wanted to be involved in quality projects, 517 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: be getting a chance to do stuff that's fun and challenging. 518 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: You know, you know, I took I took an acting 519 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:18,400 Speaker 1: gig one time. They were doing this play called Homebody Cobble, 520 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: which was written by Tony Kushner and the director was 521 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: Frank Gallotti, and they put it up at the Amindson 522 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 1: Center and Maggie Gillenhall was playing one of the parts, 523 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: and Lindami there was. It was a good you know, 524 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: all New York actors, and I thought to myself, Gosh, 525 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 1: when else am I going to get a chance to 526 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: do a show at the Amindson Center. And the only 527 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: thing was I played this doctor. I do basically like 528 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: a two or three minute monologue describing the injuries that 529 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: have happened to this woman. And it's all very technical, 530 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: and then I'm done, and I got nothing else in 531 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: a three hour play. And I'll be honest with you. 532 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: At first, I was, Oh, it's gonna be cool. And 533 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: then the more I did it, I was like, what 534 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: am I doing? Because also it was taking away my 535 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 1: night because I usually I'm a stand up so I 536 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: gotta go do stand up. And it got to a 537 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,000 Speaker 1: point where I like brought a guitar. I was learning 538 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,640 Speaker 1: guitar backstage. I was having fun with the other actors. 539 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: I would go for a run, like around downtown LA 540 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,680 Speaker 1: while they're acting, while they're doing the play, I'm jogging. 541 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,439 Speaker 1: A couple of times I left the show went to 542 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,239 Speaker 1: the Comedy Store, did a set and came back just 543 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 1: to take a bow, and I started and then I thought, 544 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,640 Speaker 1: I was like, you know what, I'm never gonna do 545 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: a project again because oh, so and so is in it. 546 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 1: I want to be in it. It's like, no, you 547 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,200 Speaker 1: should do it because it's something that excites you. Otherwise 548 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: he's just gonna be like a weekend. You're gonna be like, 549 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:41,160 Speaker 1: I'm done. You know the Comedy Store you just brought up. 550 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: Talk to me a little bit about your history with 551 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: the place and how it affected your career. Comedy Store 552 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 1: is like the mecca of stand up comedy. I guess 553 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:56,480 Speaker 1: it was like ninety nine or so. And the way 554 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:58,720 Speaker 1: you used to become a regular. Mitchie Shore, who's poably 555 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: Short's mother was the owner of the club, and you 556 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: would have to be recommended by another comedian. There was 557 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 1: a comedian named Mike Marino. He's still a friend of mine. 558 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: He I got him to recommend me. And then when 559 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 1: you recommended, that means on Sunday night when they're doing 560 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 1: the open mic night after all the open micers, which 561 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: by the way, it's a circus. It's like you get 562 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: you get like you know, pimps, and you get like 563 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: crazy people. It's really crazy. After all those you get 564 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: the showcasers and so people that have been recommended. So 565 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: you do three minutes, and if Mitsi likes you, they 566 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:31,880 Speaker 1: get word back to you to come back a few 567 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 1: weeks later. Do six minutes. You do six minutes. If 568 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 1: she likes you, you get somebody gets word to you. 569 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: She doesn't talk to you, by the way, it's like 570 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: very mafia. She doesn't talk to you. Yeah, yeah, she's not. 571 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: She would sit in the back. There's an exit, like 572 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: a little exit sign right at the back of the 573 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: original room. The original room is this dark room, and 574 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: there's an exit sign at the back of the room 575 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: from the stage you have to walk through, and Mitzi 576 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: would sit at the chair right next to it. She'd 577 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: be eating her popcorn. So every time you're done, you 578 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: walk past her. But she wouldn't talk to you, like 579 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: you're not you're you're nobody still, So three minutes, six minutes, 580 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: no talking, come back and do ten minutes. If once 581 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: you did the ten minutes, if she liked you, on 582 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: the way out, she would grab your arm and then 583 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: you know, she'd tell you you're a regular, which means 584 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 1: now you can come perform there on a regular basis. 585 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: So I did my three six ten and then I'm 586 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: passing by her and it felt like a lifetime. Like 587 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,320 Speaker 1: it's only twenty feet, but it felt like a mile. 588 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 1: And then she grabbed my arm and I was like, 589 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: oh my god, it's happening. I go this is where 590 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: Eddie Murphy used to perform, this is where Robin Williams. 591 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: I'm thinking to myself, this is it. My career is 592 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: taking off. She pulls me and she goes, you're very funny, 593 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: and that's how she used to talk. You're very funny. 594 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: I go, thank you, missy. She goes, I'm gonna make 595 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 1: you're a regular. I go, thank you, missy. She goes 596 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,720 Speaker 1: there every thought about wearing the outfit. I go, what outfit? 597 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: She goes, you know, the hat in the gown. I go, 598 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: hat and gown. Yeah, the hat in the gown. I go, 599 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. She wanted me to wear a turban 600 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: and a Dishtasha on stage, and I was like, uh, sure, 601 00:29:55,480 --> 00:30:01,120 Speaker 1: that sounds like a great idea. Walk down the stairs 602 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: and I go, what did I just agree to do? 603 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: And I'm freaking out. Oh my god, I got to 604 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: wear a turban on stage, and I was like, this 605 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: will be the end. And so then she was old 606 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:11,719 Speaker 1: at the time. So I'm thinking to myself, Okay, this 607 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 1: is a Sunday night. I go by tomorrow when the 608 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: booker calls me. I'm hoping Mitsy's forgotten about the outfit. 609 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,120 Speaker 1: So the booker calls me. The first thing she says, 610 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 1: her name is Corey. She goes, Moss, congratulations, I heard 611 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: you're a regular. I go yeah. She goes, and Mitzi 612 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: told me you're gonna wear the outfit. I was like, 613 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: oh no. So now I'm talking to Corey. I'm like, Corey, listen. 614 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 1: I don't know if I should. I'm not. You know 615 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: what happens if I don't. She goes, do I really 616 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: have to tell you, like meaning like you're not gonna 617 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,360 Speaker 1: get any spots? And then I and then she's tried 618 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: to convince me. She goes, listen. Mitsy is a genius. 619 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: She sees something in you. She helped Rosanne Barr create 620 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: her character Andrew Dice Clay came up with the Dice 621 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: Man at the comedy store. This is Mitsy seeing something 622 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 1: for you. Just do it. And now I'm like debating, 623 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: how do I get out of not wearing a turban 624 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: on stage? So now starting negotiating with her, I'm like, listen, 625 00:30:58,160 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: what if I do my act and then at the 626 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 1: end I have a character and he puts on the turbans. 627 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: She's like, that's great. And then I go, what if 628 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: I do the act and then at the end he 629 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: doesn't put on the turban, but he's like this, like this, 630 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: like Palestinian guy whatever. I had all these different characters right. Finally, 631 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: after a little bit of research, I was reminded, first 632 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: of all, my father had moved back to Iran at 633 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: that point. And then there had also been some Iranian 634 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: I don't know, commentator or comedian or something who used 635 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: to go on the Persian TV stations here in Los Angeles, 636 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: which does everything in Persian and it broadcasts all over 637 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 1: the world, and he used to make fun of the 638 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: Mullahs in Iran. So supposedly he was at an outdoor 639 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,520 Speaker 1: rally somewhere and some supporters of the mullah showed up 640 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: and they threw rocks and they blinded the guy. So 641 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,000 Speaker 1: I took that as my ammunition, and I called Corey 642 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 1: the book or I said Corey. Listen, I've been doing 643 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: the research. I'm getting the turban together. Just so you know. 644 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: First of all, my father's in Iran, So if I 645 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: do this and word gets back that his son is 646 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: making fun of Mullah's, he might be in trouble. I go. Secondly, 647 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: there was a guy here who made fun of them, 648 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: and they threw rocks. They blinded him. So I said, 649 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: they might even come after me. I go. Worse yet, 650 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: they might come after the club. And so she was like, 651 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: She's like, let me call you back in a few 652 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: minutes later she calls. She's like, you know what Mitzi said, 653 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: Where's something comfortable. You'll be fine. So I got out 654 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: of where the outfit? Man, how do you credit your 655 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: time there as as launching your career? Do you believe 656 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: that resolutely? I arm grab by Mitsy change your career absolutely, 657 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: because that's where I grew exponentially. Because what happens is, 658 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: and this is what I tell young comics all the time, 659 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: you need to grow in uncomfortable situations. So Mitsi used 660 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: to put me up at like midnight on a Tuesday, 661 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:56,800 Speaker 1: and I'd be at the comedy store, like hanging out 662 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: with Joe Diaz, and there's Joe Rogan and there's like 663 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: you know, and then Andrew Dice Clay bumps you, and 664 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:04,440 Speaker 1: then Eddie Griffin bumps you. And they're all doing like 665 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: really dirty material and you got to go up after 666 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: that and do jokes about the Iraq War, you know, 667 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: But I learned. I learned so much from that. Like 668 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:18,720 Speaker 1: one of the things I learned was to always, you know, 669 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: if you can, if the comedian before you says something 670 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: outlandish or something that just kills, reference that because the 671 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,719 Speaker 1: audience then knows you were in the room. But if 672 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 1: you go up and go did that guy just say 673 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: blah blah blah and they laugh, that already is a 674 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: laugh and you're in the room with them, and then 675 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,920 Speaker 1: you go from there. Yeah, I learned so much, you know. 676 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: Joe Diaz told me one time that there was another 677 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: comedian who he saw I think I think he was 678 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: the laugh factory or something, and there was a comedian 679 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 1: that was killing and there was another comedian who was 680 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: supposed to go next, and the other comedian was like, 681 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: oh god, her, I don't want to go next. For 682 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 1: those people who don't know Joey Diaz is like it 683 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 1: talks like this, he's very gruff like that, and he 684 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 1: goes comedy store comics. We just go for it, like 685 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: And the truth is, because I'd had to go up 686 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 1: after these killer comedians, it never came to my mind that, oh, 687 00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 1: you have an option to go to the booker and 688 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 1: be like, hey, I don't want to follow that. It's 689 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,680 Speaker 1: like you got to follow it, you know. So, yeah, 690 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,439 Speaker 1: I grew exponentially at the Comedy Store and I owe 691 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: that club and Mitzi Shore a lot. And that's why 692 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: I filmed my special there was because it was really 693 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: special to me. You've also played a lot of roles 694 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 1: in film and television, the West Wing descendence, Malcolm in 695 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,880 Speaker 1: the Middle. What was the first role in film and 696 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: television that you feel like helped you to grow in 697 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: that industry, both in terms of awareness and in terms 698 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,759 Speaker 1: of your own work. It's interesting, Brian, because you know, 699 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:48,320 Speaker 1: we think we're known for one thing, and then somebody 700 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,840 Speaker 1: knows us for a completely different thing, right, and you 701 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: just never know what that thing is going to be. 702 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 1: So I did the movie Friday After Next where I 703 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,280 Speaker 1: played Moley, who was this guy who was a donna shop. 704 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: I hired Mike Epps and ice Cube to work at 705 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 1: my strip mall. And as I did it, you know, 706 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 1: Kat Williams was me. Kat Williams and Terry Crews were 707 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 1: the three new cast members that joined the Friday family 708 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,920 Speaker 1: on that And when I was on set, a lot 709 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 1: of people coming up going like, this is this is 710 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: going to launch your career. This is the thing, man, 711 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:23,239 Speaker 1: this is the thing, right And it did help my 712 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:28,799 Speaker 1: notoriety or my people knowing me within certain communities, but 713 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 1: it wasn't a movie that was seen by the industry 714 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 1: as much. But still like in the comedy scene, when 715 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 1: I would go do comedy shows, you know, sometimes I 716 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: go do like Latino rooms or something and people like, hey, Moley, 717 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 1: you know, and like my buddy who was a comedian, goes, 718 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: you got to bring some headshots. They'll buy them from you. 719 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 1: So I was like selling merchandise. After my show, I 720 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:48,080 Speaker 1: was like, I'm I was like, I'm nobody, but these 721 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:50,240 Speaker 1: guys are buying this stuff. But it was interesting because 722 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: I'd done Friday After Next and I had also gotten 723 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:55,239 Speaker 1: this commercial. There was a commercial for I think for 724 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:58,799 Speaker 1: like Chevy or something where I'm driving a car and 725 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,360 Speaker 1: the song come on. The song they used to be 726 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:05,839 Speaker 1: a song that goes under umm oh up and then 727 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,239 Speaker 1: now whatever that is. So when that song comes on, 728 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: I start breaking to the song, like taking breaks and 729 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 1: I mean breaking the car. And so the guy's trying 730 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,280 Speaker 1: to drink his coffee and he keeps and I'm messing 731 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,560 Speaker 1: with him basically, and it became kind of a popular 732 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 1: commercial was running a lot. So Spike Lee is going 733 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: to direct the Pepsi commercial and it's for the Super Bowl, 734 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: and I get an audition for it, and I go 735 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,960 Speaker 1: there and there's like a thousand people lined up just 736 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: all the way out, and my brother in law, who's 737 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:36,239 Speaker 1: also an actor, I think he was there, and a 738 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,360 Speaker 1: few other people that are recognized. We're all standing around 739 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:43,400 Speaker 1: and we're all standing in line, and then they're on breaks. 740 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 1: So Spike Lee has walked out and he's walking past everybody. 741 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:48,400 Speaker 1: Everyone's kind of got their eyes on Spike Lee. They're like, oh, there, 742 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: there's Spike Lee. And then he walks up to me 743 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,919 Speaker 1: out of everybody, and he goes And and now so 744 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,560 Speaker 1: Friday AFTERNXT has just come out, the commercials just come 745 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 1: out and Spike Lee goes, hey, man, you're the guy 746 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:03,800 Speaker 1: from and I was waiting for him to go Friday. 747 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: He goes, you're the guy from that commercial, and I 748 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,520 Speaker 1: was like yeah. And then and then when I went 749 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 1: in to do the audition for him, they would say 750 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 1: step forwards, say something about yourself, and then step back. 751 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 1: So I stepped forward. I go, yeah, my name is 752 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,680 Speaker 1: Mojo Briannie. I'm a comedian. And then Spike Lely goes 753 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:24,360 Speaker 1: and tell them you're the guy from the commercial. And 754 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:27,759 Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, I guess I am. To Spike 755 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: lee I was the guy from the commercial. Meanwhile, I 756 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:30,799 Speaker 1: thought it was gonna be the guy from the movie. 757 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 1: So really it's hard to tell, like, oh that thing, 758 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: you know that that that led to the next thing. 759 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:38,400 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I was on a couple of 760 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: TV shows, you know. I did Descendants was a Disney movie. 761 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:44,840 Speaker 1: I didn't think anything of. I played Jaffar and it 762 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:47,640 Speaker 1: was kind of a small part. And then one day 763 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:50,439 Speaker 1: I'm sitting there at a pool at a tennis club 764 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:52,239 Speaker 1: with my kids at the time. They were like, I 765 00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: don't know, eight or nine, I'm just sitting there, they're swimming, 766 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:57,560 Speaker 1: I'm like eating a burger or something, and this group 767 00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 1: of kids they all start kind of like on the 768 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: in the swimming pool, like five or six kids. They 769 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: started kind of coming towards me. Yeah, I'm like, what 770 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:08,279 Speaker 1: the hell is going This is weird. And then they 771 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:11,320 Speaker 1: come over they excuse me, Oh yeah, are you Jaffar? 772 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: I go yeah, oh my god, you go you're his favorite? 773 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 1: And I'm like there was a small part. I don't 774 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: know if I think the kids lying bullshitting but okay, 775 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: but still I was known to them as Jafar. I 776 00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 1: had no idea. I hadn't even thought about the fact 777 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:27,080 Speaker 1: that I was gonna have like eight year old an 778 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:31,320 Speaker 1: eight year old fan base, right, right? Did you feel 779 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,799 Speaker 1: like there was a learning curve once you got on 780 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,520 Speaker 1: set and we're acting in front of a camera as 781 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:40,799 Speaker 1: opposed to you know what at that point you were 782 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:44,080 Speaker 1: doing a lot of which was standing up in front 783 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:47,239 Speaker 1: of people and having that immediate response. Well, the first 784 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 1: thing I learned. So the first movie I did was 785 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,360 Speaker 1: a movie named Maryam written and directed by my buddy Roman. 786 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:56,400 Speaker 1: Sarah and I had been used to doing plays, and 787 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,880 Speaker 1: as you know, when you're doing a play, you performed 788 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 1: the last seat in the theater, right, It's all very large, right, 789 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,239 Speaker 1: and you do it once and you're done. And I 790 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:08,400 Speaker 1: remember just like the first day on the shoots an 791 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,480 Speaker 1: independent film and h and I think we started my 792 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:14,000 Speaker 1: first take, I was, you know, like, hey, how are 793 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 1: you you know, like speaking loudly, you know, and then 794 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 1: it comes back He's like, you can just bring it 795 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 1: down a little bit, and I was like okay. And 796 00:39:19,719 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: then the next take was like medium level, Hey how 797 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: are you? Like no, no, like really bring it down. 798 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,400 Speaker 1: I'm like, hey, how are you? It's like that's perfect. 799 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: I'm like really because yeah, he's like the cameras right 800 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: there and like okay. And then we did like we 801 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 1: did the master shot and then go, okay, actress, take 802 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,439 Speaker 1: a break. You guys this that and I'm walking away. 803 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 1: I go that's it, and then come to find out, no, 804 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 1: that's not it. There's gonna be this. You're gonna do 805 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,480 Speaker 1: this same scene fifty different angles. So yeah, that was 806 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:49,839 Speaker 1: the learning curve of it. Um. You know, I think 807 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: you learn on on set that it's just about getting 808 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,240 Speaker 1: yourself there emotionally after you've been sitting in your trailer 809 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: for several hours, right, So that's really what it's about. 810 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:01,719 Speaker 1: And then and then there's the live audience was a 811 00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: whole different ballgame performing in front of a live sitcom audience, 812 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:07,640 Speaker 1: which is it goes back to a little bit of 813 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,839 Speaker 1: like playing to the back but also playing within the room. 814 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,680 Speaker 1: So it's all I love it, man, It's I love 815 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 1: being on sets. I love doing stuff. You know, I 816 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 1: could do it all day long. I have heard or 817 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:24,560 Speaker 1: read that you have said that there are roles that 818 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:28,360 Speaker 1: you would not play, that you and that you have 819 00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 1: turned down. Can you talk to me a little bit 820 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: about about that. Well, you know, early on in my 821 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,560 Speaker 1: career's funny because again I come from this place where 822 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: as a kid, I played Little Abner. Then in high 823 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:43,040 Speaker 1: school we did we did a musical of Batman. It 824 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:45,320 Speaker 1: was like our own version of Batman. So I was Batman. 825 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: So in my mind, I'm like, Okay, I could be 826 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:48,839 Speaker 1: Little Laberner, I could be Batman, I could be a cop, 827 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 1: I could be what, I could be everything. And then 828 00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:54,480 Speaker 1: I come to Hollywood and the first audition I get 829 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,680 Speaker 1: was actually for a security guard in the TV show 830 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,759 Speaker 1: Chicago Hope audition And the next my agent calls me, 831 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 1: he goes, hey, I got another audition for Walker, Texas Ranger. 832 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:06,160 Speaker 1: He's like a European terrorist and then we get calls 833 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,279 Speaker 1: from both saying you got both parts, but you gotta 834 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: choose because they both shoot the same week. I go, okay, 835 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:13,560 Speaker 1: I said, let's do the security guard. But then as 836 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,799 Speaker 1: people find out more and more that you're of Middle 837 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,560 Speaker 1: Eastern descent, clearly going to be offered parts of Middle 838 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,920 Speaker 1: Eastern descent. And now we're in the late nineties, early 839 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 1: two thousands, so auditions are coming in for terrorist parts. 840 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:29,719 Speaker 1: And so I was at a date. I was at 841 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:31,440 Speaker 1: my day job at the AD Agency, and I was 842 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: looking for I was hoping to get enough film and 843 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:38,799 Speaker 1: TV work where I could quit my day job. So 844 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,799 Speaker 1: I got this. So Chuck Norris was doing a movie 845 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 1: of the week called The President's Man, A Line in 846 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,279 Speaker 1: the Sand, and the audition with the part was an 847 00:41:49,320 --> 00:41:55,480 Speaker 1: Afghan physicist who's come to Chicago to build a bomb. 848 00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: He wants to this is before September eleventh. He wants 849 00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,239 Speaker 1: to blow up a building. And in my mind, I'm like, 850 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,399 Speaker 1: you know what, I'll take this part, but the way 851 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,800 Speaker 1: I will perform it, I'm gonna show through my acting 852 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,759 Speaker 1: why this guy has chosen to kill innocent Americans. So 853 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,520 Speaker 1: in the biography that I wrote, you know, his parents 854 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:14,000 Speaker 1: suffered at the hands of the Americans, so he's always 855 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:16,600 Speaker 1: wanted vengeance and all this stuff. So I go down 856 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 1: to Dallas where they where they filmed this, and I 857 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: show up and I'm playing I'm gonna being an Afghan 858 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:27,320 Speaker 1: in America. And so I go to to the fitting 859 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:29,440 Speaker 1: and they go, here's your shirt, here's your pants, here's 860 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:32,120 Speaker 1: your turban. And I go, oh, no, no, I go, 861 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,719 Speaker 1: Afghans in America don't wear turbans. I go, especially if 862 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,000 Speaker 1: I'm an Afghan who's thinking of blowing something up, I'm 863 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:39,880 Speaker 1: not gonna be walking around with a turban in Chicago. 864 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:43,840 Speaker 1: And the lady was like, well, the producers and they 865 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:45,480 Speaker 1: all want you to wear it. I go, let them know. 866 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:47,799 Speaker 1: I've done my research. You know. If I were like 867 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:51,160 Speaker 1: with the Northern Alliance or the Taliban in Afghanistan. Yeah, 868 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,360 Speaker 1: but I go in Chicago. Trust me, I'm Iranian. I 869 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:56,359 Speaker 1: know Muslims. They don't. I go, maybe a little bit 870 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:58,960 Speaker 1: scruff on the cheeks, you know, the beard, maybe a 871 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,640 Speaker 1: button all the way button up, But the turban is 872 00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 1: a bad idea. She goes, all right, I'll tell them. 873 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:05,600 Speaker 1: Next day, I go to my dressing room there's my shirt, 874 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: my pants and what looks like a scarf. And I'm like, oh, yeah, see, 875 00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:10,360 Speaker 1: clearly they want me to wear a scarf. She's like, no, 876 00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:11,960 Speaker 1: that's a turban. You just gotta wrap it back up. 877 00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:15,800 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh great. So I did the part and 878 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,719 Speaker 1: I felt kind of I felt bad doing it. I 879 00:43:18,719 --> 00:43:20,279 Speaker 1: was like, what am I doing? So when I came 880 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,399 Speaker 1: back to Los Angeles, I told my agents, I said, 881 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:26,839 Speaker 1: you know, no more terrorist parts. And then the TV 882 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:29,359 Speaker 1: show twenty four I just started taking off and they 883 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: got in touch. And they were notorious for not telling 884 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:35,640 Speaker 1: you the plot of the show. You'd get an audition, 885 00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:38,839 Speaker 1: you'd be like, he's a whatever, he's a guy who 886 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:41,279 Speaker 1: owns a laundromat. But there's gonna be a twist. He like, 887 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:43,680 Speaker 1: what does that mean? They go, well, we can't tell you. 888 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,680 Speaker 1: It's all right. So the audition was for a terrorist 889 00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 1: and I said no thanks. They go, but he changes 890 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:51,719 Speaker 1: his mind halfway through the mission. I go, oh, the 891 00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:56,320 Speaker 1: ambivalent terrorist. That sounds cool. So that was the last 892 00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:58,040 Speaker 1: time I did a terrorist part. And then after that 893 00:43:58,080 --> 00:43:59,759 Speaker 1: I said no more of this stuff. So there's been 894 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:02,239 Speaker 1: a lot of auditions that have come in or now 895 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,840 Speaker 1: my managers and agents know. Like my agent called me 896 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:07,800 Speaker 1: one time. He's like, listen, I'm getting ready to pass 897 00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 1: on an audition that came in. I just want you 898 00:44:09,640 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: to make sure. I want to make sure you're cool 899 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:13,600 Speaker 1: with that. I said, sure, what is it? He goes 900 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:16,800 Speaker 1: just two words, flight ninety eight or whatever with United 901 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:20,719 Speaker 1: ninety eight or the airplane that went down. Oh yeah, yeah. 902 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:23,399 Speaker 1: I go, are there any like FBI parts I can play? 903 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:25,279 Speaker 1: And he goes, yeah, but they're all white guys. I go, 904 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:46,400 Speaker 1: I forget it. I don't want to play therorist. You 905 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:51,640 Speaker 1: you've written a film script called Jimmy Vestwood American Hero? 906 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:54,880 Speaker 1: Is this true? Is this? Is this? Is this? No? 907 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,200 Speaker 1: This was a movie that we actually did a few 908 00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:59,480 Speaker 1: years did Yeah, we did it. We filmed it. So 909 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,279 Speaker 1: it was my the first film I ever wrote. I 910 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:04,759 Speaker 1: wrote with my friend Amir ohebs In, and then our 911 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:08,520 Speaker 1: director was Jonathan Kesselman. It was basically my homage. I 912 00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:10,480 Speaker 1: was a big fan of Pink Panther growing up, so 913 00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:13,760 Speaker 1: it was kind of like my Persian Pink Panther. Because 914 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:17,200 Speaker 1: the storyline of a guy who's in Iran he wins 915 00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:19,759 Speaker 1: the green card lottery to come to America and he's 916 00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:21,680 Speaker 1: always wanted to be an American hero because back in 917 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:24,319 Speaker 1: the day he used to watch Steve McQueen movies. And 918 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:25,880 Speaker 1: he comes to America and he wants to be like 919 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:27,480 Speaker 1: a cop and save the day. But the best job 920 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,440 Speaker 1: he can get is working as a security guard a 921 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:32,759 Speaker 1: Persian grocery store, and from there he goes on to 922 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:37,279 Speaker 1: get involved in this plot. Anyway, the movie was. It 923 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:39,000 Speaker 1: was such a great experience because I got to get 924 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,279 Speaker 1: a lot of my friends to come on and do 925 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:43,359 Speaker 1: the movie with us, and it was just a lot 926 00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:44,960 Speaker 1: of fun. But it was a lot of work. I 927 00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:50,359 Speaker 1: have so much respect for filmmakers, you know, because we 928 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:54,759 Speaker 1: wrote it together. We crowdfunded the money, so we ended 929 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:59,080 Speaker 1: up distributing it ourselves. And the truth is it was 930 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:02,759 Speaker 1: like it wasn't a financial success. But the first week 931 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:07,000 Speaker 1: we came out, we were in four theaters and per 932 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:11,880 Speaker 1: screen average, we were number four in the box office 933 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:15,120 Speaker 1: Mojo after Captain America. That's awesome, And I was like, 934 00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:16,640 Speaker 1: look at that. I got. I got the I got 935 00:46:16,719 --> 00:46:19,960 Speaker 1: the screenshot of it and everything, and to this day 936 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:23,320 Speaker 1: there's clips of it now that people put on social media. 937 00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:26,279 Speaker 1: So every once in a while, I'll see it circulating 938 00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:28,600 Speaker 1: and I'm like, that's my film. So yeah, it was. 939 00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:32,560 Speaker 1: It was a cool experience. You've done not one, not 940 00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:38,520 Speaker 1: even two, but five comedy specials starting with Access of 941 00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:44,880 Speaker 1: Evil in two thousand and seven. The Access to that 942 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:48,080 Speaker 1: started as a tour, right, Yeah, so I've actually done 943 00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:51,879 Speaker 1: six comedy specials. Six comedy specials. Yeah, I just keep 944 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:54,200 Speaker 1: you know that. I think the key is Brian that 945 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:57,759 Speaker 1: I keep talking about my life and so as my 946 00:46:57,880 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: kids grow, as I grow, as things change, you know, 947 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:05,440 Speaker 1: and also things I'm observing. I think, like, you know, 948 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:07,719 Speaker 1: I'm not a sit down and write jokes kind of 949 00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 1: guy where there are just evergreen jokes that I'm gonna 950 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:14,080 Speaker 1: be telling forever and ever So because of that, I've 951 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:16,839 Speaker 1: I've been forced to or I just keep I keep 952 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:19,200 Speaker 1: getting up at the clubs in LA and I keep, 953 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:24,000 Speaker 1: you know, writing new material. And so the Access of 954 00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:27,719 Speaker 1: Evil Comedy Tour was a tour that actually started at 955 00:47:27,719 --> 00:47:30,480 Speaker 1: the Comedy Store Mits. Sure put me and a few 956 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:33,959 Speaker 1: other Middle Eastern comedians together, right a little bit before 957 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:35,880 Speaker 1: September eleven, she was like, I think there's gonna be it. 958 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:37,759 Speaker 1: She was almost she had like an epiphany. She goes, 959 00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:40,960 Speaker 1: there's gonna be a need for a positive voice for 960 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:46,280 Speaker 1: Muslims in the world. Yeah, and so so she saw 961 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:49,400 Speaker 1: that and U and then we toured and then that 962 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:53,160 Speaker 1: turned into a comedy special that was an OH seven, 963 00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:57,040 Speaker 1: and then my first solo special was called Brown and 964 00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:59,240 Speaker 1: Friendly and O eight and then I've gone on and done. 965 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:01,960 Speaker 1: You know, the lie one was called Pandemic Warrior, where 966 00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:04,279 Speaker 1: I filmed it in Dubai, and now I got the 967 00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:05,880 Speaker 1: new one coming out that I just filmed at the 968 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:08,400 Speaker 1: Comedy Store, which I'm calling The Birds and the Bees. 969 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:13,520 Speaker 1: The Birds and the Bees. How do you decide when 970 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,680 Speaker 1: it's time to film the special? Is there a date? 971 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,239 Speaker 1: And you say to yourself, I gotta be ready by 972 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:22,440 Speaker 1: now because if not by this date, because if not, 973 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:25,640 Speaker 1: I'll just keep tinkering. Or do you wait until you 974 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:28,320 Speaker 1: feel like you're you're ready for it? You know, I've 975 00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:32,560 Speaker 1: been doing stand up comedy consistently since I started in 976 00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: ninety eight and then really touring in oh six oh 977 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:41,799 Speaker 1: seven around there just constantly, like all the time. And 978 00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:45,879 Speaker 1: so you're out, you're doing you know, in town, you're 979 00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:48,440 Speaker 1: doing fifteen twenty minute sets. You tour, you do one 980 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:52,440 Speaker 1: hour sets and it just keeps chiseling. It's just chisel, chisel, chisel. 981 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:54,359 Speaker 1: And then there's nights where you're like, wow, what a night. 982 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,920 Speaker 1: We should have filmed that, and really, like you know, 983 00:48:58,160 --> 00:48:59,879 Speaker 1: usually around a year and a half to two years 984 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:04,000 Speaker 1: in you've got this nice hour plus I think you 985 00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:06,959 Speaker 1: start talking to your agents and managers. You're like, listen, guys, 986 00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:09,480 Speaker 1: this is ready to go. You're ready now, Yeah, let's 987 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:12,680 Speaker 1: find the right place for it's what's gonna make it special. 988 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:17,080 Speaker 1: And you know, this time around, like I said, I thought, 989 00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:20,720 Speaker 1: since I've done I've done I've filmed specials in Dubai, 990 00:49:20,760 --> 00:49:23,920 Speaker 1: I've filmed the special in Stockholm, Sweden, i filmed the 991 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:27,920 Speaker 1: special the Kennedy Center, I've done LA And I was like, 992 00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:30,719 Speaker 1: I've never done a club special. And I said, this 993 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:32,799 Speaker 1: is where I got my start. So let me go 994 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:35,480 Speaker 1: back at the beginning of the special, I tell the 995 00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:38,600 Speaker 1: story of the whole turban thing again and uh, and 996 00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:42,000 Speaker 1: yeah it was great. I mean, it's um. You know. 997 00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:43,799 Speaker 1: The other thing I've learned in this business is you 998 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:47,000 Speaker 1: have to create your own opportunities because if you don't, 999 00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:51,600 Speaker 1: ain't nobody gonna call, you know, So I'm constantly just 1000 00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:56,520 Speaker 1: trying to create opportunities, and it's just in my nature. 1001 00:49:56,560 --> 00:49:58,880 Speaker 1: I can't stop running. I think some immigrant mentality. I 1002 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,960 Speaker 1: can't just pick my feet up play video games. In 1003 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,560 Speaker 1: case it's not clear to everybody listening now, Mas is 1004 00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:11,400 Speaker 1: an incredibly smart guy. Gave the commencement speech at UC 1005 00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:17,200 Speaker 1: Berkeley in twenty seventeen. I would say that there are 1006 00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:21,080 Speaker 1: two through lines through, if not all, most of your work, 1007 00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:26,800 Speaker 1: which is politics and also your family. As you mentioned before, 1008 00:50:27,640 --> 00:50:32,080 Speaker 1: do you feel like over the last twenty years that 1009 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:34,840 Speaker 1: are twenty plus years you've been doing it and touring 1010 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:38,239 Speaker 1: close to twenty years, do you feel like your politics 1011 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:42,399 Speaker 1: has changed? Do you feel like how you express your 1012 00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:46,319 Speaker 1: politics have changed? Well, let me go. Let me first 1013 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:48,279 Speaker 1: of all, thanks for saying I'm smart. I honestly like 1014 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,399 Speaker 1: don't feel smart, like I mean, I think. I think 1015 00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm relatively Listen, if you took the country of three 1016 00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:57,839 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million people, I would probably fall into 1017 00:50:57,880 --> 00:51:02,640 Speaker 1: the smart category. But there's so many people to half. Yeah, exactly, 1018 00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:05,000 Speaker 1: I think I think the median. I think in the 1019 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:08,399 Speaker 1: Median I'm in the top half. But I've always been 1020 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:12,040 Speaker 1: interested in politics and I've always been a very I 1021 00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:14,000 Speaker 1: don't know why, but I've always been a very kind 1022 00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:18,480 Speaker 1: of liberal, bleeding heart, kind of like help, you know, 1023 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:20,360 Speaker 1: if I can save the world, let me try and 1024 00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:22,520 Speaker 1: help save the world. Listen, first of all, coming from 1025 00:51:22,520 --> 00:51:26,240 Speaker 1: Iran and seeing what happened there with this religious fundamentalism 1026 00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:29,680 Speaker 1: and how all the rights were taken away last year 1027 00:51:29,719 --> 00:51:32,080 Speaker 1: when the protests happened in Iran, I went to some 1028 00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:35,080 Speaker 1: schools around Los Angeles and was speaking to these students 1029 00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:37,680 Speaker 1: about it, and I said, why should you care about Iran? 1030 00:51:37,719 --> 00:51:39,439 Speaker 1: First of all, I should care about Iran because they're 1031 00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:43,120 Speaker 1: fighting for democracy, and there is really a battle in 1032 00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:49,120 Speaker 1: many countries around the world of democracy versus autocracy or 1033 00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:52,759 Speaker 1: or or or dictatorships. And then I also said, if 1034 00:51:52,760 --> 00:51:55,200 Speaker 1: you guys think this stuff ain't happened in America, let 1035 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:57,759 Speaker 1: me remind you that just last year they took away 1036 00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:02,040 Speaker 1: a woman's right to choose and the decision. Clarence Thomas 1037 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:04,200 Speaker 1: said that we're going to look at gay marriage next. 1038 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:08,440 Speaker 1: And so again, whether you whether you're pro or anti abortion, 1039 00:52:08,520 --> 00:52:11,120 Speaker 1: isn't the issue. It's the idea of like do we 1040 00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:14,040 Speaker 1: want to live in a society where people have more 1041 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:16,160 Speaker 1: freedoms and choices, or do we want to live in 1042 00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:22,319 Speaker 1: a society where someone's traditional or fundamentalist ideology is going 1043 00:52:22,400 --> 00:52:27,200 Speaker 1: to tell me how and what I can do. So 1044 00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:31,800 Speaker 1: I've always been pretty consistent with being very left leaning 1045 00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:34,960 Speaker 1: and and and I've also also been a big fan 1046 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:39,240 Speaker 1: of comedians who are able to be funny but also 1047 00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:42,239 Speaker 1: have a statement underneath it. So the truth is I 1048 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,520 Speaker 1: kind of watch Colbert religiously because I get my news 1049 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:50,520 Speaker 1: from there, you know, John Oliver, I participate myself. I'm 1050 00:52:51,239 --> 00:52:53,239 Speaker 1: one of the panelists from time to time on Weight 1051 00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:55,719 Speaker 1: Weight Don't Tell Me on NPR all of those things, 1052 00:52:55,760 --> 00:52:57,719 Speaker 1: and then you can go also also back to like 1053 00:52:57,920 --> 00:53:01,279 Speaker 1: the George Carlins and the Richard Priors and all those 1054 00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:05,759 Speaker 1: other guys who were making political statements. I'm always I've 1055 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:08,239 Speaker 1: always been a fan of that what's the best joke 1056 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,640 Speaker 1: you've ever written? You know, it's funny you say that, 1057 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:15,439 Speaker 1: because it's not even about the best. It's about it's 1058 00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:18,360 Speaker 1: about the jokes. Sometimes when I'm in my head, because 1059 00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:21,000 Speaker 1: sometimes the jokes are like stories, so you gotta go 1060 00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:23,360 Speaker 1: a while, you get the punch lines in the middle. 1061 00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:26,920 Speaker 1: Sometimes I'm on stage, I'm like what joke can I 1062 00:53:26,960 --> 00:53:29,960 Speaker 1: do right now that's a minute or less that will 1063 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:33,759 Speaker 1: help me get a laugh and finish the set right. 1064 00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:35,759 Speaker 1: So one joke I do is I do a joke 1065 00:53:35,840 --> 00:53:40,160 Speaker 1: about how the worlds are different now now kids run 1066 00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:42,400 Speaker 1: the world. I said, when I was a kid, I 1067 00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:44,279 Speaker 1: used to have to play with the kids of my 1068 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:46,360 Speaker 1: parents friends. Now I have to play with the parents 1069 00:53:46,520 --> 00:53:48,560 Speaker 1: of my kids friends. And I go. When I was 1070 00:53:48,560 --> 00:53:50,080 Speaker 1: a kid, we walk into a party, I was five 1071 00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:51,600 Speaker 1: years old. As soon as we walk in, my dad 1072 00:53:51,600 --> 00:53:54,279 Speaker 1: would be like, go go play with Amir. And I 1073 00:53:54,320 --> 00:53:55,640 Speaker 1: was five years old. I was like, I don't want 1074 00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:57,080 Speaker 1: to play with am Heir. He'd be like, go play 1075 00:53:57,120 --> 00:53:59,960 Speaker 1: with Amir. And I'd be like, I'm here twenty nine 1076 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:02,320 Speaker 1: years old, and he'd be like, that's not my problem, 1077 00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:04,399 Speaker 1: that's his problem. He's their son. Till he finds a wife. 1078 00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:06,680 Speaker 1: You have to play with him. So that's one joke 1079 00:54:06,760 --> 00:54:09,120 Speaker 1: that I do. The other joke that I'll be honest 1080 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:11,680 Speaker 1: with you now that you're asking my favorite, it might 1081 00:54:11,719 --> 00:54:14,760 Speaker 1: be my favorite. I was a big fan of Bjorn 1082 00:54:14,880 --> 00:54:17,200 Speaker 1: Borgs when I was a kid, and a lot of 1083 00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:20,600 Speaker 1: people that aren't of you know, our era, don't know 1084 00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:23,400 Speaker 1: who beyond Borg is Bjorn Borg for those you don't know, 1085 00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:27,040 Speaker 1: was a tennis champion. He was like the Roger Federer 1086 00:54:27,120 --> 00:54:29,719 Speaker 1: or the Djokovic or the Nadal of my era. He 1087 00:54:29,800 --> 00:54:34,600 Speaker 1: was this amazing tennis champ. And he famously played John 1088 00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:37,960 Speaker 1: McEnroe in a US Open match in the early eighties. 1089 00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:40,919 Speaker 1: He lost, and he said what he did. He didn't 1090 00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:44,000 Speaker 1: wait around for the trophy ceremony. He walked out. He 1091 00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:46,880 Speaker 1: went to his hotel room. He jumped into the pool 1092 00:54:47,239 --> 00:54:49,399 Speaker 1: and he said, I never played tennis again. Like that 1093 00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 1: was it. He was done. Well. He was my tennis 1094 00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:55,279 Speaker 1: hero and I hadn't heard about him in a long time. 1095 00:54:55,320 --> 00:54:57,719 Speaker 1: I'm on tour in Sweden. He's Swedish. By the way. 1096 00:54:57,800 --> 00:55:00,719 Speaker 1: I'm on tour in Sweden. It's this ruling tour with 1097 00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:03,680 Speaker 1: a different city every night. So I run out of 1098 00:55:03,719 --> 00:55:07,120 Speaker 1: clean underwear. So I tell the promoter, I go, I 1099 00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:09,160 Speaker 1: need underwear. He goes go over there with the airport. 1100 00:55:09,160 --> 00:55:10,360 Speaker 1: He goes go buy it over there. So I go 1101 00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:14,960 Speaker 1: to buy underwear. They have Borg underwear and it hits me, 1102 00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:18,880 Speaker 1: Oh my god, born Borg has a line of underwear. 1103 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:20,560 Speaker 1: That's what he's been doing all this time. He's got 1104 00:55:20,600 --> 00:55:24,759 Speaker 1: like underwear line. So I buy the underwear. And so 1105 00:55:24,920 --> 00:55:26,920 Speaker 1: when I do this joke on stage, I told that 1106 00:55:26,960 --> 00:55:28,600 Speaker 1: whole story and I go, and I'll be honest with 1107 00:55:28,640 --> 00:55:31,320 Speaker 1: you guys, I bought this underwear. It's the most amazing underwear. 1108 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:35,200 Speaker 1: I've been recommending to all the guys. Buy the Borg underwear. 1109 00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:37,880 Speaker 1: It's amazing. I go. Now when I walk down the street, 1110 00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:40,920 Speaker 1: my balls just play tennis with each other. And then 1111 00:55:40,920 --> 00:55:45,719 Speaker 1: I made the sun and I go, and then I 1112 00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:50,320 Speaker 1: go advantage left not I go. It comes with an announcer. 1113 00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:55,359 Speaker 1: So it's a fun bit, and it was. It was. Yeah, 1114 00:55:55,440 --> 00:55:58,600 Speaker 1: So that's one of my fun favorite ones. Oh that's awesome. 1115 00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:03,520 Speaker 1: You all have written it a memoir. Yes, I'm not 1116 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:06,719 Speaker 1: a terrorist, but I played one on TV. Writing is hard. 1117 00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:08,919 Speaker 1: I mean, I know you do a lot of it 1118 00:56:09,160 --> 00:56:13,040 Speaker 1: in small form, writing jokes or telling or writing stories. 1119 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:17,879 Speaker 1: Rewarding for you absolutely. First of all, what was great 1120 00:56:17,880 --> 00:56:20,880 Speaker 1: about writing a book it was like about it's about yourself. 1121 00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:26,080 Speaker 1: Is it's therapeutic because you're writing about stuff in your past. 1122 00:56:26,160 --> 00:56:27,480 Speaker 1: You have to think about it, you gott you talk 1123 00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:29,600 Speaker 1: to your parents about it. A lot of a lot 1124 00:56:29,640 --> 00:56:31,560 Speaker 1: of memories come back and it was it was great. 1125 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:35,000 Speaker 1: It was very daunting, and what I would do is 1126 00:56:35,040 --> 00:56:37,360 Speaker 1: so I actually I got a guy, originally as as 1127 00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:39,359 Speaker 1: a touring comedian. I got this guy. I go, hey, 1128 00:56:39,440 --> 00:56:42,360 Speaker 1: his name was John Methven. I said, why don't you 1129 00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:45,439 Speaker 1: We hired him to write it with me. And the 1130 00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:48,359 Speaker 1: truth is, as I got going, I realized, you know, 1131 00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:51,279 Speaker 1: I like writing, like I want to write with my 1132 00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:53,080 Speaker 1: own voice. So I would write it, I would send 1133 00:56:53,080 --> 00:56:56,400 Speaker 1: it to him, he would help, you know, shape it, 1134 00:56:56,520 --> 00:56:58,360 Speaker 1: send it back and then we'd go. So it was 1135 00:56:58,440 --> 00:57:00,800 Speaker 1: kind of like having an editor before having the editor, 1136 00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:06,200 Speaker 1: and it helped because also I do better if I 1137 00:57:06,280 --> 00:57:09,160 Speaker 1: have a deadline, and if I have a partner, that 1138 00:57:09,280 --> 00:57:11,720 Speaker 1: helps with the deadline, because if I don't have a partner, 1139 00:57:12,200 --> 00:57:16,520 Speaker 1: I've got fifteen projects just swirling in the air and 1140 00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:19,640 Speaker 1: I might not get to it between walking the dog, 1141 00:57:19,760 --> 00:57:22,760 Speaker 1: dropping off my kids, you know, kissing my wife. There's 1142 00:57:22,800 --> 00:57:26,960 Speaker 1: a lot going on. So so it was daunting, but 1143 00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:31,720 Speaker 1: having deadlines having an outline, So it's about don't look 1144 00:57:31,760 --> 00:57:33,160 Speaker 1: at it as like, oh I got to write a 1145 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,080 Speaker 1: three hundred page book. Look at it as I got 1146 00:57:35,080 --> 00:57:38,880 Speaker 1: to write fifteen chapters and then start with each one 1147 00:57:38,880 --> 00:57:40,640 Speaker 1: and go and go and go, and in the end 1148 00:57:40,680 --> 00:57:48,760 Speaker 1: you're done. Right, You're clearly thoughtful. I wonder you're you're 1149 00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:53,400 Speaker 1: feeling about this. For me, so much about telling jokes, 1150 00:57:53,440 --> 00:57:57,560 Speaker 1: being funny and stand up is about that live delivery, 1151 00:57:58,080 --> 00:58:01,360 Speaker 1: whereas when you're writing and you're expecting someone to read it. 1152 00:58:01,400 --> 00:58:02,800 Speaker 1: By the way, this is why I think Steve Martin 1153 00:58:02,880 --> 00:58:05,040 Speaker 1: is such a genius, because I will read his books 1154 00:58:05,360 --> 00:58:09,080 Speaker 1: and they still make me laugh. Did you find anything 1155 00:58:09,200 --> 00:58:13,360 Speaker 1: particularly challenging about that? You know, it was interesting because 1156 00:58:13,360 --> 00:58:17,600 Speaker 1: the first I think my first draft came across almost 1157 00:58:17,640 --> 00:58:21,320 Speaker 1: too serious, okay, and the editor came back and said, 1158 00:58:21,320 --> 00:58:23,840 Speaker 1: listen to you're a comedian. You need to make it funnier. 1159 00:58:24,560 --> 00:58:25,960 Speaker 1: So then I was like, okay, now I got to 1160 00:58:26,000 --> 00:58:30,320 Speaker 1: find ways, like you said, for it to read funny. Right. 1161 00:58:30,440 --> 00:58:32,960 Speaker 1: That's a little bit of a challenge too, because, as 1162 00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:36,040 Speaker 1: you said, like how does it read funny? But the 1163 00:58:36,120 --> 00:58:38,920 Speaker 1: one thing that it does give you is it gives 1164 00:58:38,960 --> 00:58:42,200 Speaker 1: you whereas in stand up you're going to cut a 1165 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:43,840 Speaker 1: lot of the fact because you're telling a story. You 1166 00:58:43,920 --> 00:58:49,040 Speaker 1: gotta keep it moving with writing, you know, keep it in. 1167 00:58:49,120 --> 00:58:51,520 Speaker 1: It's even like The Godfather when you read The Godfather, 1168 00:58:51,560 --> 00:58:55,440 Speaker 1: it's very different than watching it because I tell people 1169 00:58:55,440 --> 00:58:57,600 Speaker 1: I go, when you read The Godfather, you find out 1170 00:58:57,640 --> 00:59:02,360 Speaker 1: that Vito Corleone yeared one man and that was Luca Brazzi. 1171 00:59:02,760 --> 00:59:05,040 Speaker 1: And the only reason he feared Luca Brazzi was because 1172 00:59:05,120 --> 00:59:09,280 Speaker 1: Luca Brazzi was kind of a wild card in terms 1173 00:59:09,320 --> 00:59:11,760 Speaker 1: of his level of intelligence. Now when you watch it, 1174 00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:13,960 Speaker 1: in the movie, they try to convey some of that, 1175 00:59:14,000 --> 00:59:17,919 Speaker 1: but Luca Brazzi is nervous of Vito Corleone. Right, So 1176 00:59:18,240 --> 00:59:22,240 Speaker 1: the thoughts their thoughts, and Luca, you know, you get 1177 00:59:22,280 --> 00:59:26,840 Speaker 1: to go into that, which is kind of cool. So yeah, 1178 00:59:27,120 --> 00:59:30,320 Speaker 1: being funny was a little a little difficult, but I 1179 00:59:30,360 --> 00:59:32,680 Speaker 1: tried as much as I could, and I think, I mean, 1180 00:59:33,040 --> 00:59:35,440 Speaker 1: you know, for the most part, I've gotten pretty good feedback. 1181 00:59:35,480 --> 00:59:37,760 Speaker 1: I'm always like pleasantly surprised when somebody shows up at 1182 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:39,400 Speaker 1: one of my shows and has my book. I'm like, 1183 00:59:39,400 --> 00:59:44,240 Speaker 1: oh wow, and I sign it. You know. Yeah, All 1184 00:59:44,480 --> 00:59:48,320 Speaker 1: Things Comedy. You have a podcast on All Things comedy 1185 00:59:48,360 --> 00:59:51,760 Speaker 1: called back to School? Right, Well, I had I had 1186 00:59:52,000 --> 00:59:55,360 Speaker 1: so done, We're done, because so what happened was I 1187 00:59:55,400 --> 00:59:57,760 Speaker 1: did this podcast called back to School with Maz Jobrani. 1188 00:59:57,800 --> 01:00:00,680 Speaker 1: It was me and my opening act, Tehran, who another 1189 01:00:00,720 --> 01:00:04,320 Speaker 1: fellow comedian, and really it was just like it became 1190 01:00:04,360 --> 01:00:07,680 Speaker 1: an excuse to talk to interesting people. But really it 1191 01:00:07,840 --> 01:00:11,320 Speaker 1: started with my kids asking me questions that I didn't 1192 01:00:11,360 --> 01:00:13,200 Speaker 1: have the answers too. So I was like, rather than 1193 01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:17,120 Speaker 1: me googling, why don't I bring experts right? So we 1194 01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:19,440 Speaker 1: had like a guy named Frank Figluzzi who used to 1195 01:00:19,440 --> 01:00:22,440 Speaker 1: be an FBI agent. We had a guy named fears 1196 01:00:22,760 --> 01:00:27,080 Speaker 1: Naderi who helped land the rover on Mars. We had 1197 01:00:27,080 --> 01:00:29,440 Speaker 1: a lot of interesting people come on and it was 1198 01:00:29,520 --> 01:00:33,560 Speaker 1: very interesting to me. But as the touring started again, 1199 01:00:34,120 --> 01:00:36,439 Speaker 1: I realized I don't have as much time, and I've 1200 01:00:36,480 --> 01:00:39,680 Speaker 1: really got to start focusing on dedicating my time. So 1201 01:00:40,200 --> 01:00:42,760 Speaker 1: we basically put it on ice for now, and perhaps 1202 01:00:42,760 --> 01:00:44,640 Speaker 1: I get back into a podcast at some point, but 1203 01:00:44,720 --> 01:00:47,880 Speaker 1: for now, I'm just really focused on the touring and 1204 01:00:48,600 --> 01:00:52,160 Speaker 1: maybe pitching TV show ideas and all that stuff. I 1205 01:00:52,280 --> 01:00:57,560 Speaker 1: know how difficult the touring schedule is. I respect the 1206 01:00:57,640 --> 01:01:00,640 Speaker 1: hell out of you for doing it. I think I'm 1207 01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:02,600 Speaker 1: in the middle of being on the road for eight 1208 01:01:02,640 --> 01:01:08,000 Speaker 1: consecutive weeks, part of weeks, so I feel you and 1209 01:01:08,080 --> 01:01:10,680 Speaker 1: I want you to know how much I appreciate you 1210 01:01:11,040 --> 01:01:13,880 Speaker 1: coming on here and taking a little time to share 1211 01:01:13,920 --> 01:01:17,200 Speaker 1: with us your your journey and your experience. I wish 1212 01:01:17,280 --> 01:01:22,800 Speaker 1: you all success and congratulations on the sixth comedy special 1213 01:01:23,360 --> 01:01:29,480 Speaker 1: seven seven seven year seven. You said six nowause, let's 1214 01:01:29,480 --> 01:01:32,360 Speaker 1: count them actually evil, brown and friendly. I come in peace. 1215 01:01:32,600 --> 01:01:35,680 Speaker 1: I'm not a ter. I played one on TV Immigrant 1216 01:01:36,040 --> 01:01:38,640 Speaker 1: Pandemic Warrior and this is The Birds and the Bees 1217 01:01:38,840 --> 01:01:42,840 Speaker 1: the Birds YouTube. It's coming out. It's coming out at 1218 01:01:42,880 --> 01:01:46,080 Speaker 1: the place of your comedic birth. Mosa. Thank you so 1219 01:01:46,160 --> 01:01:48,320 Speaker 1: much for joining me, Brian, thank you for having me. 1220 01:01:48,320 --> 01:02:02,320 Speaker 1: I really appreciate you. Moss, thank you so much for 1221 01:02:02,400 --> 01:02:07,200 Speaker 1: joining me today. This was such a fun conversation this weekend. 1222 01:02:07,280 --> 01:02:09,680 Speaker 1: You know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna bene watch 1223 01:02:09,720 --> 01:02:15,800 Speaker 1: every one of your specials. Kidding well, kind of maybe, listeners, 1224 01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:18,080 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for tuning in. I'm going to 1225 01:02:18,160 --> 01:02:22,160 Speaker 1: see you next week. Or another very exciting guest, one 1226 01:02:22,920 --> 01:02:28,160 Speaker 1: that you might say is the opposite of ornate, Well, 1227 01:02:28,320 --> 01:02:31,120 Speaker 1: their name is at least okay, that's a terrible hint. 1228 01:02:31,160 --> 01:02:34,080 Speaker 1: You're never gonna get it. That's okay, because guess what, 1229 01:02:34,880 --> 01:02:45,760 Speaker 1: I'll see you next week Off. The Beat is hosted 1230 01:02:45,800 --> 01:02:50,280 Speaker 1: and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive 1231 01:02:50,280 --> 01:02:54,400 Speaker 1: producer Ling Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our 1232 01:02:54,400 --> 01:02:58,360 Speaker 1: producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our 1233 01:02:58,360 --> 01:03:02,400 Speaker 1: talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is 1234 01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:06,720 Speaker 1: Sammy Kats. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by 1235 01:03:07,040 --> 01:03:08,880 Speaker 1: the one and only Creed Brett,