Joe Rogan Experience #1092 - Mary Lynn Rajskub

1. 0:00 – 3:48

   Name pronunciation, early awkwardness, and coming up “through the back alley”

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      ... thing, anything.

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:02

      Oh, shit. (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:02

      Life. Four, three, two, one. (snaps fingers) Live. And we're here with the Arnold Schwarzenegger of comics-

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:10

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:10

      ... Mary Lynn Rajskub. When... How many people have ever, on one shot, spelled your name right or pronounced it right?

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:17

      Uh, y- n- never.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:19

      Never. Never, right? Like, if you're at the DMV-

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:20

      It's kind of exciting, now that you mention it, 'cause they're going to introduce me and it's just, err... It just gives, like, an instant obstacle.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:26

      Like, when you were coming up as a comic, that had to be a big issue. Like, uh, for, for the MC to bring you up, or the, the, the DJ when they bring you up, if you were the MC.

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:36

       The DJ (laughs) or the MC. I don't know. I never really looked at it that way.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Well, somebody had to introduce you, right?

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:44

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:44

       Like, uh, opening acts.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:44

       Someone was introducing me. I think I was in such a, a, a, a bubble, uh, I didn't really... And I wasn't on the road hardcore, and I wasn't... I don't know. I wasn't identifying with, uh, me as a performer so much.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:59

       What does that mean?

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00

       That means I was doing performance art and people were laughing. I didn't know why they were laughing.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:07

       (laughs)

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:08

       Right? I moved to LA and I was like, "Yeah, let's do shows." Like, I didn't know... I didn't think about it as, like, you're introducing me. I'm a per- I'm a performer. I would say only in the past couple years have I done the road proper. But I came in the back alley for everything, for comedy, for, for acting. Like, if I had come to LA with a stack of headshots, like, "Hey, I'm ready for acting," it would have never happened. I just came with a group of people, like, "I wanna do some live shows," and like, no business being in LA.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:40

       (laughs)

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:41

       No business. Just doing weird shows, 'cause that, uh, that's what I was compelled to do.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:45

       Right.

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:45

       Like, I could not have done it had I said, "All right. You're gonna do acting and performing," especially not comedy. Like, I didn't identify with that at all. (laughs) I had to figure out why people were laughing.

   23. JRJoe Rogan2:00

       That's fascinating. So, when you first got into show business, what was the goal? It's a weird word, show business.

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:07

       Isn't she?

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:08

       Show business.

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:08

       Isn't she a special lady? I'm, I'm audition-ready today, by the way.

   27. JRJoe Rogan2:12

       (laughs)

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:13

       If you notice, I have a good brow and a good, uh, sh- eye shadow line.

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:19

       (laughs)

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:19

       (laughs) I'm, I'm such a woman. I'm really more of a woman now than I've ever been. Uh-
2. 3:48 – 8:07

   Comedy Store community then vs. now—and Joe’s Mencia ban fallout

   1. JRJoe Rogan3:48

      ... 'til The Store, you know? That's such an interesting little community, right? It's like everybody just kinda, like, like-

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub3:53

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan3:53

      Like, you wanna talk about a positive community? Like, I was just expla- explaining this to someone the other day. Like, when I first started going there in 1994, there was a lot of conflict between comedians. There was, like, comedians that didn't like comedians. Like, oh, this guy doesn't like this guy, and she doesn't like her, and they all fucking, uh-

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:09

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan4:10

      ... duked it out with each other a little bit. There's none of that now.

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:13

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan4:14

      Think about how super supportive-

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:15

      It's amazing.

   9. JRJoe Rogan4:15

      ... that place is.

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:16

       It's amazing. It's-

   11. JRJoe Rogan4:17

       Like, everybody's friendly.

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:18

       Yeah, I love it.

   13. JRJoe Rogan4:20

       Like, there might be a 100 of us there on a regular basis, like, in and out, doing Sunday through Monday.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:26

       Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan4:26

       And there's no conflicts.

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:28

       It's really fucking cool. Um, did you... I'm sure you've talked about this a million times. Did you e- did you ever stop going there for a chunk of time? Were you-

   17. JRJoe Rogan4:36

       I stopped for seven years.

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:37

       Oh, okay.

   19. JRJoe Rogan4:38

       Yeah. I stopped for seven years, uh, after I had that dispute with Carlos Mencia.

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:44

       Right.

   21. JRJoe Rogan4:44

       Yeah. That was when he was w- way more popular than me, like, especially as a comic. And The Comedy Store took his side, and I was like, "All right, fuck you guys."

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub4:54

       That's right.

   23. JRJoe Rogan4:55

       And I, I took off. And it wasn't really The Comedy Store either. It was this one guy who was the manager. 'Cause Mitzi actually, I called Mitzi and gave her the whole rundown of what was going on. Um, I told her, and, uh, she's like, "Well, you just stay away from him." And then she gave me a spot that night, and then they called me up two hours later to tell me that I was banned. So, I said, "Wait a minute. I just talked to Mitzi. Like, she gave me a spot. She told me when to go up. So, if, if she's not running the store, like, who's-"

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub5:23

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan5:23

       "... who's deciding I'm banned? You are? Like, what are you doing?"

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub5:27

       Uh.

   27. JRJoe Rogan5:28

       Like, do you guys understand what this is? I mean, this is like a little, you're having a little battle for, like, whether or not you're going to let people profit off of crime. Like, this is really what's happening. You have thoughtcrime, you have intellectual crime, you have plagiarism. And you're allowing one person, you're knowingly allowing them to profit off it, and no one's doing anything about it. So, when one of us does something about it, then you're gonna punish that person. You're, you're basically highlighting everything that everyone was afraid of.

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub5:55

       That's a good point. What does, like, what were the... What was the reason for your being banned? Because you were-

   29. JRJoe Rogan6:01

       Well, because-

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub6:02

       ... on their end of it?
3. 8:07 – 12:47

   Caffeine detour, then Mary Lynn’s art-school origins and performance art extremes

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:07

      Should I try one of these, should I try this?

   2. JRJoe Rogan8:09

      Are you ready for one?

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:09

      Is it, is it insane? I was only having like one sip, right?

   4. JRJoe Rogan8:12

      It's fucking crazy. Do you know my friend Tate, Tate Fletcher?

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:14

      Uh-uh.

   6. JRJoe Rogan8:14

      You've probably seen him around the store before, big giant gorilla. Uh, it's his company. They're very good.

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:18

      All right, I'm gonna try it.

   8. JRJoe Rogan8:18

      But if you're into that.

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:19

      Don't drink the whole thing, Mary Lynn. I like it, but I'm gonna-

   10. JRJoe Rogan8:21

       Oh, you can, you can do it. If it's, can you drink a, a grande coffee?

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:24

       Yep.

   12. JRJoe Rogan8:25

       That's about a grande of coffee's worth of caffeine. But it's strong.

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:29

       Oh, sh- fuck. I gotta go.

   14. JRJoe Rogan8:31

       You okay? Jesus.

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:31

       I gotta go work out.

   16. JRJoe Rogan8:32

       Jesus.

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:33

       I gotta go in the isolation tank.

   18. JRJoe Rogan8:34

       Doom, doom, doom. Find yourself.

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:36

       I just found myself (laughs) and I peed a little.

   20. JRJoe Rogan8:40

       That's okay. Um, so you started out as a performance artist, like that was your idea. What did you want to do?

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub8:46

       (laughs) That was your idea, that was your big idea. I went to art school for painting. And I was, uh, um, got really frustrated when people started to, uh, critique the paintings and I was supposed to be, you know, the, uh, getting more serious in art school and more conceptual. And everyone was doing something different and everyone was critiquing it in a different way and none of it made sense to me. And then, the idea of having to sell that object that you made, so you're gonna make something that's useless. I mean, it makes it sound like I don't like or appreciate art. I just, for me, I didn't, I couldn't grasp what the next thing to do was. You know, you're poor, you're in art school, you're making something and then you have to go sell and market that thing.

   22. JRJoe Rogan9:33

       Right.

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub9:33

       And, uh, I also was frustrated and, and kind of like boiling inside and needed to express myself. So I started doing performance art in school. And then-

   24. JRJoe Rogan9:46

       And what kind of stuff, like when you say performance art, that's a pretty open-ended description, right?

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub9:50

       (laughs) Oh, it's so open-ended. There were so many like weird performance art things that would happen. We, I mean, we had performance art class. There was a guy that like taped his genitals to the side and put on lipstick in a mirror, and that was his performance art piece.

   26. JRJoe Rogan10:05

       (laughs)

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub10:05

       Or the girl that like... And we would all sit there and watch it.

   28. JRJoe Rogan10:09

       Oh my God, that's so weird.

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub10:10

       And (laughs) sorry.

   30. JRJoe Rogan10:11

       Did you see his genitals? Did he go naked and pull it aside or how did he do that?
4. 12:47 – 15:31

   Slam poetry, early open mics, and discovering ‘commitment’ as the joke

   1. JRJoe Rogan12:47

      Oh my God. See, there's something about, like, performance art or, and slam poetry, those are-

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub12:53

      I did slam poetry too. That was the, one of my-

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:55

      I bet you did. (laughs)

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub12:55

      You know I did. Here's the best part, s- I got zeros. (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan13:00

      You got zeros?

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:01

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan13:01

      You didn't get any... Why?

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:03

      I never really wrote any poetry. I was just into the performance of it.

   9. JRJoe Rogan13:07

      (laughs)

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:08

       And I... (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan13:08

       So you didn't have a- a poem?

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:09

       I think I was doing comedy.

   13. JRJoe Rogan13:11

       Oh, no. And they wanted it real.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:12

       And I was doing, like, an awkward thing. Well, I mean, which was very real for me.

   15. JRJoe Rogan13:16

       (laughs)

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:16

       But I think I just wanted to express my-

   17. JRJoe Rogan13:17

       Right.

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:17

       I also had an ex-boyfriend who he said that comedy was his life. This was when I was, like, 19. And I think I attached to people... I, like, I thought he was the shit because he would be rude to people. Like, that was his version of comedy, was like bossing people around. Or one of his bits was, like, having a whistle and directing traffic. I mean, really adolescent, like... But for some reason, I was really attracted to him and, uh, like, I wanted to be him. Anybody who was, like, extroverted or something that I wanted, that's, I was attracted to that, right? So...

   19. JRJoe Rogan13:53

       Right.

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub13:54

       So he was like, "Comedy is my life, and I- I do this open mic." And I was like, "I'm gonna do that open mic." And I had taped, like, phrases to my body, and f- and phrases from commercials-

   21. JRJoe Rogan14:06

       (laughs)

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub14:06

       ... or snippets of conversation that I had heard. And I went up and I started reading them, and then s- I would improvise a little bit, and I'd be like, "Waxy buildup," or whatever, and just repeating...

   23. JRJoe Rogan14:18

       (laughs)

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub14:18

       Just letting it all filter through and come out my mouth for five minutes, of whatever the open mic was. And I started getting laughter, but it was, like, awkward laugh- laughter after the fact of that uncomfortable, like, "What is, what is she doing?" But my-

   25. JRJoe Rogan14:32

       Right.

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub14:32

       ... commitment level was so high that the fact that it didn't make any sense just caused laughter, right? So...

   27. JRJoe Rogan14:38

       Right, right, right. Well, that does, that works sometimes with just even with comics.

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub14:43

       Yes, absolutely.

   29. JRJoe Rogan14:44

       You know, like, there's a lot of people that are just really odd, and if you saw them, you would get it. But if you w- you saw what they wrote on paper, or what they said just written down on paper, you would be like, "What? That doesn't make any sense."

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub14:57

       Yeah. Well, I thought you were gonna say, which is a similar point, that the, that it comes in the pause in after what they're saying even if it doesn't make any sense. But you're saying sometimes people write things and it makes its own sense when you hear them say it.
5. 15:31 – 17:48

   San Francisco alt scene: bars, counterculture, and comedians crossing over

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:31

      Um, it was a really fun time in San Francisco because the comedy clubs were closing, so a lot of comics were coming to these open mic poetry rooms. And one of my favorite rooms was in this bar. And also, I was from the suburbs of Detroit, and so just being in San Francisco, uh, that was a real city and a friendly city, you know? Like, it's-

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:49

      Right.

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:49

      ... small enough and it's beautiful, and they have a real arts scene. And it was the first time that I had seen, like, a real counterculture and people that would hang out in coffee shops and, and a lot of young people that looked like I did. So I would go to bars for this open mic and there'd be, um, you know, like, a transvestite who was semi-homeless but was, you- you know, made up, who was, like, reading her poetry. And I was like, "I'm in. Like, I'm done." And I had no money, and I would sit and crouch on the floor and drink, like, a half a beer and be like, "Oh, this is-

   4. JRJoe Rogan16:23

      (laughs)

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub16:23

      ... is crazy." And I would watch her read from her journal. And I did a similar thing where I would just... And then it was always- I didn't, I didn't know my own mind or my own thoughts really, so I would write down random words and I would perform it. I mean, and still now, it- it's, you know, it- I've progressed a bit. (laughs) But it's like it informs you how the audience reacts-

   6. JRJoe Rogan16:42

      Right.

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub16:42

      ... or it begins to. And I just love seeing all these, like, different people and what, what they thought they were saying versus what they were really saying and what their intended effect was and how people were really s- seeing them. Anyway, so, so comics started dropping into these rooms, like Patton Oswalt and, um, Jeremy Kramer and, uh, Blanka Patch and, you know, the, uh, Gregg Behrendt, all these, uh, Ron Lynch people that were more, uh, San Francisco affiliated that were there at that time would start doing these open mic nights. Um, but because th- a comic is so versed in their own voice that watching them was so... I was like, "Oh, the- they know how to speak and they're more polished." And then that was attractive to me, so, so I kind of gravitated towards... And there were all these alternative rooms that weren't comedy clubs.

   8. JRJoe Rogan17:36

      Right, right, right.

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub17:36

      And that was like, I loved that. I just loved it because there was room for mistakes. There was room for the in between, you know? It was like that, the- the- the real alt scene of that time.

6. 17:48 – 22:34

   Getting paid vs. ‘workshop’ culture: UCB, Comedy Store, and the value of stage time

   1. JRJoe Rogan17:48

      Yeah. That alt scene's interesting. It's always interesting when, like, a little branch of a style of comedy breaks off, you know? And some people do it because that's, like, it- it's feels more true to them.

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:02

      Right.

   3. JRJoe Rogan18:02

      And then some people do it because it seems like the cool hip thing to do. And then some people, it's just a combination of both, right?... the alt scene's an interesting scene, you know, 'cause it, uh, it also is attached to that one place that doesn't pay anybody, the UCB.

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:17

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan18:18

      Where I was always like, "Wait, what?"

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:20

      Oh, you mean, 'cause they're making money and no one else is making money?

   7. JRJoe Rogan18:22

      Yeah. I wa- I was always like, "What? Huh?"

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:28

      Yeah, but com-

   9. JRJoe Rogan18:28

      Like, how does that make sense?

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:29

       ... not ... People don't get paid at comedy clubs as well.

   11. JRJoe Rogan18:32

       Well, sure they do. The Comedy Store pays you.

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:34

       You mean, like, 25 bucks?

   13. JRJoe Rogan18:36

       25 bucks for regular sets, and then you get a lot more than that if you do the main room.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:39

       Right.

   15. JRJoe Rogan18:40

       The main room, they pay you real money.

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:41

       So you're saying why doesn't UCB throw-

   17. JRJoe Rogan18:43

       They should pay.

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:44

       ... 25 bucks to people?

   19. JRJoe Rogan18:45

       They should get- You have to pay them something. People are paying to go there.

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:48

       Right.

   21. JRJoe Rogan18:48

       They're paying for gas. They're, they're, they're traveling there.

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:51

       Right.

   23. JRJoe Rogan18:51

       And you're selling tickets to see them do their art.

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:54

       Right, but yeah-

   25. JRJoe Rogan18:54

       That's all you do.

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:54

       ... but if you're gonna take that line, then everybody should be paid a lot more. There should be a-

   27. JRJoe Rogan18:58

       Well, so-

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:59

       ... genuine percentage.

   29. JRJoe Rogan19:00

       It's really only the Comedy Store.

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub19:00

       We're, like, going back to that argument from, uh, The Comedy Store-
7. 22:34 – 27:50

   Comedy as personal development: insecurity, social anxiety, and finding balance

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub22:34

      ... do you feel like you are always, um ... 'Cause I see you w- as somebody who's, like, so powerful and such, such a strong point of view and b- strong belief system. Do you f- feel like you've always kinda been that way?

   2. JRJoe Rogan22:48

      No, I don't think so. I think comedy, for sure, makes you chase down those ideas, like, what is, what is your real feelings on things.

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub22:55

      Yeah.

   4. JRJoe Rogan22:56

      'Cause you're thinking about things so often, and, and then as you're saying things, you're thinking about people's reaction to them. That's a big one. A big one is the ... Comedy's allowed me to really pay attention to other people's reactions more than, like, I think I wanted to, because I think if I had my own way, and I had nothing to do with standup, I probably would be way more antisocial, way more guarded and protected, and way more insecure, 'cause I hadn't answered those questions. I didn't pose them of myself 'cause they made me uncomfortable.

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub23:28

      Yeah.

   6. JRJoe Rogan23:29

      So what standup allowed me to do is like ... I wasn't the most outgoing person. I was a ver-

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub23:34

      Really?

   8. JRJoe Rogan23:35

      Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was very insecure. And, uh, even so, I'd get, like, social anxiety. I, I've talked about this before, but I would ... Like, talking to a bank teller. I'd be k- I'd know that I'm next to talk to the bank teller, and I'd kinda freak out. I wouldn't know how to ... I would, uh, wouldn't exactly know how to talk and say things and do it right. But I ... It changed from teaching martial arts. When I started teaching martial arts, um, I learned how to project in front of, like, this big r- room full of people. It's something I never imagined I was gonna do, any public speaking before that. It was never on the menu. I never even thought about it. But when I taught classes, I had to teach them, and I was teaching, uh, you know, like, in universities. I taught at BU, and I taught at some other places, uh, some other gyms and stuff.... and you know, you have to get these people's attention. You have to be clear and you have to have confidence. And ... But I knew what I was doing with martial arts-

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub24:22

      Right. I was just gonna ask you that. It probably helped a lot.

   10. JRJoe Rogan24:24

       Sure.

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub24:24

       Even if you were nervous, you were like, "Let the skill kind of take over."

   12. JRJoe Rogan24:28

       Yeah. We would oftentimes, like if we opened up a new school somewhere, we'd do a demonstration, and then you, we'd, they'd give a speech afterwards, explain what the martial arts were. But we'd do a demonstration first. Like, people would hold like boards and shit, and he'd kick them and stuff like that, which we never did in real life. We only did for demonstrations. Like, we never trained that way. But my point was, like, getting into stand-up, I didn't have a particularly clean point of view. I think ... I was 21 years old. I was thinking I was a moron. You know, I didn't have any life experience other than martial arts, uh, and girls. Like, that was all I could talk about. And I didn't ...

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:01

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan25:02

       And I knew martial arts weren't really funny, so I was just-

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:04

       (laughs)

   16. JRJoe Rogan25:05

       ... relationship stuff. But, um-

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:08

       Hey guys, how about when we hit that block?

   18. JRJoe Rogan25:09

       (drum beat)

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:10

       We don't really do that. Am I right? (laughs) What's up ladies?

   20. JRJoe Rogan25:12

       (laughs) Who can relate? What's up with us kicking those blocks of wood, guys?

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:14

       (laughs)

   22. JRJoe Rogan25:14

       I mean, seriously. Hmm.

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:16

       Yeah, I mean, I had a, um, a similar thing of ... It, it, it helps-

   24. JRJoe Rogan25:25

       Yeah.

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:25

       ... to just even say anything and to be like, "Oh, I exist."

   26. JRJoe Rogan25:28

       Mm-hmm.

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:28

       "I have a voice." And I'm just now starting to ... I mean, I have a lot of material that's true, but I'm just now kind of starting to build that deeper, um, the belief system thing. You know, like I talk about my personal life and there are kernels of things in there, but it's, it's scary to kind of come out and-

   28. JRJoe Rogan25:49

       Yeah.

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub25:51

       But it's fun, because that's what people want, you know. That's what, like, that's what gets it going and that's what gets everybody excited and that's what, uh ... I don't know, it's cool.

   30. JRJoe Rogan25:59

       Yeah, you know what comedy's taught me? One really important thing, as a person, you're not done. Like there's no done.
8. 27:50 – 37:09

   Bad sets, hecklers, and ‘looking like a sexist’—plus Comedy Store vibes and identity

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub27:50

      Have you ever been on stage and just, uh, been, uh, not, not angry, but like not enjoying ... Kinda not wanting to be on stage and it shows in your performance? Or does, do you always get out of it through performing or, or speaking it?

   2. JRJoe Rogan28:05

      Yeah, you definitely ... You can get upset. There's a w- There was a woman who, uh, kept heckling me in the front row of the Comedy Store, just interrupting, just stopping bits before I had a chance to explain them, and then finally I had to kick her out. And it was so annoying. The way she did it was so, it was so entitled, like she was entitled to voice out her opinion in the middle. It was a b- I was doing this chunk last year on my last special about this guy who broke into the White House, that a guy just broke into the White House. You would think there would be all these things in place to keep someone from breaking into the White House.

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub28:35

      (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan28:35

      The guy just humped across the lawn, ran across the lawn-

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub28:38

      We remember that.

   6. JRJoe Rogan28:38

      ... got to the front door, and there was only a girl sitting there. One unarmed girl-

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub28:41

      (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan28:41

      ... by herself. He smacked her to the ground and just ran through the fucking White House. And I had this whole bit about whose idea it was to ha- just leave a girl by herself.

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub28:51

      I think I've seen you do that bit. (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan28:53

       Yeah, and th- and then I said that ... Th- this was the part like this lady interrupted me. Um, I said, you know, a lot of people think that women can do everything men can do, right? And I go, "Well, that doesn't make sense, because men can't even do everything men can do." So I was in the middle of saying that doesn't even make sense because ... And the joke is, and I e- I explained it to her. I go, uh, "The joke is, lady, I've met Shaquille O'Neal, and his dick is where my face is. And if the White House is experiencing a Shaq attack-"

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub29:21

       (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan29:21

       "... I'm the wrong dude to save the world."

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub29:23

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan29:23

       "He's gonna run me over." But, you know, and that ... I tried to explain that, and like she just wanted to interrupt anything that had to do with men or women. So that was annoying, and I did not have a good set that night, because it was like, "Jesus Christ, just get the fuck out of here." And I had a k- ... And she apparently had done that to some guys that were on before, and she was so drunk when I was looking at her, their eyes weren't focusing. Just some smart lady that was drunk that thought she could stop what she thought was sexism, probably 'cause she was drunk.

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub29:54

       But there's a difference between, like, you then overcoming it and being like, "Ha ha, that was awesome," and then the feeling of, I think what I'm-

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:04

       I was tense.

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:05

       Yeah, like-

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:05

       Yeah.

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:06

       ... where you're just ins- inside your own head going, "I don't wanna be here. Like, that sucked. Like, it's not fun."

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:11

       It wasn't that. It was just like, I shouldn't have allowed myself to get so upset. But I, I came into the stage upset. That was part of the problem, is that I had a crazy day with a lot of fucked up things happened, and I carried that energy onto the stage. There was a lot of weird shit that happened in my life that day. It was just like, "Enough, enough, fucking enough."

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:31

       And then her ...

   22. JRJoe Rogan30:32

       You know? Yeah. It's like weird shit with friends and a couple weird business things. It was like a compounding day, and then this lady was hammered, and just ... And, and I gave her the bene- I t- I tried to talk her into just-... release, and I explained to her, this is how the bit would have gone if you didn't interrupt.

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:46

       (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan30:47

       I go, "Okay. Get it? See, I'm gonna say something outrageous."

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:49

       (laughs)

   26. JRJoe Rogan30:49

       "Then I'm gonna say something more fucked up about myself."

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:51

       (laughs)

   28. JRJoe Rogan30:51

       "This is what I do." So I did it again, and she interrupted again. I'm like, "Get the fuck out. Just get out. Just get out." And I was, but I was really upset, and you shouldn't really get upset. So when you allow yourself to get really upset, it's usually because you came into it unbalanced. And again-

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub31:07

       Right.

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:07

       ... it's always you're neve- you're never done. Like, you might think, "Well, I understand how to behave now. I've got my shit together. I get it." But you don't. You do, you get it right now, but if you let it slip, you won't get it tomorrow. If you have the wrong attitude or the wrong approach, and the wrong dude cuts you off, you're like, "Fuck off!" Like, "Ah!"
9. 37:09 – 58:16

   Road comedy with TV fame: 24 fans, weird crowds, and safety as a woman on tour

   1. JRJoe Rogan37:09

      And you go, "No, thank you."

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub37:09

      So you gave me the confidence to get back in it. So I was on 24 when it came back and we filmed in London, because it had been done for like two years, and they brought it back. And it was the end of that airing, and it was the first time I was going on the road as a comic. So because my face was on TV and people were super into 24, my show's packed out, the first time I'd ever gone on the road, right? My first 45, 50-minute show. And I first hit the stage at like Side Splitters Tampa or whatever, you know? He's like, "You... All your shows are sold out." And, um, first of all, my opener and my middle are like, "This is great. It's sold out." But then, when they got on the stage, they'd come off the... Like, "Your audience is weird."

   3. JRJoe Rogan37:50

      (laughs)

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub37:50

      Because they're 24 fans and they were all... They don't come out to clubs, right?

   5. JRJoe Rogan37:54

      Right, right.

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub37:54

      Like I would sometimes have, uh, somebody sitting like with a, uh... This guy had an article of clothing that I had worn in season three. So I'm like trying to do comedy like, "Oh, okay." Like, "You just want me to sign your thing." But, you know, and my approach was... 'Cause I'm in my own head, so I'm like, "Hi. So my name's Mary Lynn." And doing-

   7. JRJoe Rogan38:11

      (laughs)

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:11

      ... doing my like... I'm uncomfortable and that's where my comedy comes from.

   9. JRJoe Rogan38:15

      Right.

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:15

       And the whole vibe was like, "What?" You know, like, "You're a TV star." Like, "We came to see you." And I, and I had to adjust, and like take that in. And then, not only take it in, but talk about it, you know? Like, uh-

   11. JRJoe Rogan38:28

       Yeah.

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:28

       ... you know? And I would just be like Jack Bauer and they'd be like, "Ha ha ha." Like losing their shit.

   13. JRJoe Rogan38:32

       Wow.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:32

       And like I would just make somebody in the audience like, "You're my Jack Bauer." And then-

   15. JRJoe Rogan38:36

       (laughs)

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:36

       ... I just, you know, had to make it like five, 10, 15 minutes of like let's talk about it. Because it was such an amazing thing.

   17. JRJoe Rogan38:44

       Yeah.

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub38:44

       You know? And it was to me too, but I had this whole... That was the only drama I had ever been on, and I had this whole other world of comedy that I had been doing. But th- th- the intersection of that was just like bizarre. But, uh, but then I, you know... Like you said, you're never done and you never know what's gonna happen and you adjust to it. So I would do the 24 stuff, and then I would go into my stuff. That's my stuff about my life and my personal life and my point of view. And, uh, then that became really gratifying, you know? Once I sort of brought them in.

   19. JRJoe Rogan39:16

       Right.

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:16

       Like did, did the thing that they needed to hear about, which is also part of my life. So, you know...

   21. JRJoe Rogan39:22

       How long did it take before they stopped coming to see you because you're from 24 and started coming to see you because you're a funny comic?

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:29

       Oh, I'm still waiting for that to happen.

   23. JRJoe Rogan39:32

       (laughs)

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:32

       I'm still hoping for a career in comedy. (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan39:36

       (laughs) No, seriously. You-

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:37

       Well, then it dropped off, right? So I did that same circuit a year and a half later, and there would be some super fans, there would be some comedy fans, and there would be some people that didn't know why the hell they were there. So-

   27. JRJoe Rogan39:46

       Oh, so it switched around.

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:47

       ... so then I would have, yeah, the guy that knows me from Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the lady that knows me from 24, and the guy who's out of his mind on drugs going, "You're not funny." And I'm like-

   29. JRJoe Rogan39:56

       Ugh.

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub39:57

       You know, and that... This poor person's like, "She's a superstar." Like, "Why is she in this shit hole?"
10. 58:16 – 1:19:29

    Allergies, allergy shots, and the EpiPen adrenaline rush—into sauna/cryo biology

    1. JRJoe Rogan58:16

       Fluffed pillow. Oh, you get your pets in the bed with you?

    2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:19

       Yeah.

    3. JRJoe Rogan58:20

       Oh, yeah.

    4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:20

       I have to keep them out 'cause of my allergies, but then when they sneak in-

    5. JRJoe Rogan58:24

       (laughs)

    6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:24

       ... and surround me.

    7. JRJoe Rogan58:25

       What are you allergic to?

    8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:27

       Everything. I'm an aller-

    9. JRJoe Rogan58:28

       You have cats and dogs and you're allergic to them?

    10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:30

        Yeah, my husband got the cat. That's what put it over the edge.

    11. JRJoe Rogan58:33

        Mm-hmm.

    12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:33

        I had two dogs for the longest time, and I ignored it, and then it's the weather and the cat, and I just went over this edge where I always had, like, this really bad cold, and then I finally-

    13. JRJoe Rogan58:41

        Ugh.

    14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:41

        ... had to go, and I tried all the, uh, organic things, and then I finally had to go and get the, like twice a week. But when they tested it, it was like everything... Just like paper and pollen and pets and, uh-

    15. JRJoe Rogan58:53

        Paper? You're allergic to paper?

    16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:55

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan58:56

        Wow.

    18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub58:57

        Uh, but then I got those shots twice a week.

    19. JRJoe Rogan59:00

        And what'd the shots do?

    20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:01

        I kinda miss my allergist. We would have little four-minute chats.

    21. JRJoe Rogan59:05

        (laughs)

    22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:05

        Uh, it's like you're inoculating, so you start doing a little bit and then you build up your tolerance.

    23. JRJoe Rogan59:10

        So they can inoculate you for cat dander?

    24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:13

        Mm-hmm.

    25. JRJoe Rogan59:14

        Really?

    26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:14

        Yeah. That's what an allergy shot is.

    27. JRJoe Rogan59:17

        I didn't even know that there were allergy shots.

    28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:19

        Yeah, and he, it's like a little cocktail of, like, all the things, the cocktail for me of all the things that I'm allergic to, and then I just build up my tolerance.

    29. JRJoe Rogan59:28

        Wow. So now if you're around a cat, nothing?

    30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub59:31

        Yeah, I cuddle him.

Episode duration: 2:00:08