CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:47
Tom Segura’s fan-made animation and the “Your Mom’s House” fandom
Joe and Bert open by praising an animation trailer made by Tom Segura’s circle, riffing on how talented and oddly specific the fan community is. They talk about Tom and Christina’s dynamic and why their couple-podcast chemistry works so well.
- 1:47 – 2:40
Having kids while building a comedy career (and touring broke)
The conversation turns to Bert becoming a dad while still early in standup, and how chaotic that timing can be. Bert recounts scheduling childbirth around a gig and how comedy ambitions and family realities collide.
- 2:40 – 3:40
Miami comedy crowds: phone bags, chaos, and no attention span
Joe describes doing shows in Miami with phone-lock bags and how the crowd kept leaving to access their phones. Both of them paint Miami as uniquely distractible and rowdy compared to other cities.
- 3:40 – 6:57
Bert’s wildest Miami club story: gangbangers, stage invasions, and shock escalation
Bert tells an extended story from headlining in Miami when a threatening front row forced him to ‘tread lightly.’ His crowd-work strategy somehow succeeds—until multiple people get onstage and expose themselves, culminating in Bert walking off.
- 6:57 – 9:00
How comedy clubs go off the rails (free tickets, language barriers, and surviving chaos)
Joe and Bert dissect why certain rooms become uncontrollable, including free ticketing and very young crowds. They reference working with comics like Joey Diaz and how ‘chaos training’ at The Comedy Store helps.
- 9:00 – 13:54
Filming specials: how many shows, pressure vs looseness, and learning from bombing
They compare strategies for taping specials—two shows vs four vs nine—and what pressure does to performance. Joe explains how bombing and bad moments sharpen material, while Bert describes a disastrous first taping that led to the best set of his life.
- 13:54 – 16:03
Building material with strangers vs fans (internet comics and Montreal bombing)
The discussion shifts to the danger of only performing for supportive fans. They talk about internet-famous comics struggling in neutral rooms and why The Comedy Store’s mixed crowds are valuable for honest feedback.
- 16:03 – 20:58
Comedy ‘shouldn’t preach’? Hannah Gadsby, Nanette, and genre confusion
Joe and Bert push back on arguments that comedy must fit one definition, using Hannah Gadsby discourse as the example. Joe frames comedy like music—many genres under one umbrella—and criticizes journalists for manufacturing culture-war narratives.
- 20:58 – 24:57
Gender, bathrooms, and the awkwardness of shared private spaces
They riff on how quickly social norms changed around gender and bathrooms, including stories of accidental bathroom mix-ups. The bit expands into why bathrooms feel more ‘tense’ than other shared spaces like elevators.
- 24:57 – 29:44
Old viral videos, Redban’s editing, and the content game (YouTube/Twitch/vlogging)
Bert credits early Rogan/Redban/Ari/Joey videos as foundational internet-era comedy content. They discuss editing as an underrated skill, the grind of vlogging, and the tradeoff between documenting life and living it.
- 29:44 – 34:27
Bert’s ‘Open Tabs’ podcast brain: internet rabbit holes to spearfishing obsession
Bert explains his solo podcast concept—closing browser tabs while discussing what he watched—and describes falling into extreme niche content. The focus lands on spearfishing, freediving, and admiration for elite underwater hunters.
- 34:27 – 38:40
HECS suits, diving adventures, and endurance inspiration (Goggins/Cam Hanes)
Joe introduces HECS suits that allegedly mask electrical signals underwater, and they talk about diving trips like the Great Barrier Reef. The conversation pivots to endurance culture—marathons, suffering, and how it reshapes respect for elite athletes.
- 38:40 – 55:42
Cutting back on drinking, panic loops at night, and coping tools (tank/sauna/Sober October)
Joe notices Bert isn’t drinking much and Bert explains how training and aging changed his relationship with alcohol. They discuss nighttime anxiety patterns, how sobriety shifts sleep and dreams, and the benefits of Sober October as a reset.
- 55:42 – 1:05:44
Food and cooking detour: Something’s Burning, humane crab killing, dry-aged beef, and sous vide
They go deep into food content—Bert’s cooking show, odd platform rules about crab killing, and Joe’s fascination with extreme dry-aging. The talk becomes a mini-masterclass on beef aging, sous vide cooking, and wild game like elk.
- 1:05:44 – 1:18:03
Family gross-outs, puke immunity, backyard chickens, and the realities of pets
A run of domestic stories: Fear Factor made Joe immune to vomit, while Bert can’t handle it. They compare chicken-keeping problems (squirrels) and dog behaviors, then shift into the emotional weight of aging pets and expensive surgeries.
- 1:18:03 – 1:40:30
Wild dating stories, early-career nostalgia, and the craft of capturing jokes
They swap outrageous dating/sex stories, then reflect on what era of their careers they’d revisit. The chapter closes with practical talk on writing—capturing ideas fast, notes apps, rhythm in storytelling, and developing new hours post-special.
- 1:40:30 – 1:49:44
Autonomy vs network bosses: Travel Channel, making your own studio, and wrapping with ‘Secret Time’
They discuss why creator-owned content beats network TV: fewer notes, more authenticity, and faster output. Bert describes wanting a dedicated content space and editor help; Joe cautions about hiring and then wraps the episode promoting Bert’s Netflix special.
