Joe Rogan Experience #1401 - Iliza Shlesinger

1. 0:00 – 1:27

   Cozy LA weather and the “permanent 25–45” culture

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      (singing) And the first sound is a slurp.

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger0:06

      (slurping)

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:08

      Hello, Eliza.

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger0:09

      It's a cozy morning.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:10

      What's going on, my friend?

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger0:11

      I don't-

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:11

      It is kinda cozy, right? For California?

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger0:13

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      It's like a little chill in the air. Makes you feel like there's real weather here.

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger0:16

       It does, like we're in a normal place.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:18

       Yeah, a normal place.

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger0:19

       With normal people.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:20

       Like, where things change, like you get a winter and a summer and a spring.

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger0:24

       Yet not-

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:24

       Here, w- we get a slight chill, and we're like, "Oh, my God. It's real."

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger0:27

       With the season changing, though, nobody ages. Like, it's still that perennial somewhere between 20 to 45-year-old. Nobody ages.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:34

       What do you mean?

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger0:35

       Everybody in LA... Like, there's, like, this nebulous age where it's like behavior-wise and everything, like, you're somewhere between 25 and 45. And then on either side of that, you're too old or too young. But, like, everybody is this kind of-

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:47

       Hmm.

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger0:47

       ... like, just... You can act like a child here.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       That's an interesting observation. It's totally true, right?

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger0:52

       Yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:52

       Because they don't have the responsibility of having to, like, shovel snow and prepare for the winter and get up and scrape your windshield-

   24. ISIliza Shlesinger1:01

       Or-

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       ... 'cause there's ice on it.

   26. ISIliza Shlesinger1:02

       Or prepare for life.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:03

       Yeah.

   28. ISIliza Shlesinger1:03

       Like, you could be, like, 40, a 45-year-old dude, and you're like, "I do improv." And I have a-

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:08

       Right.

   30. ISIliza Shlesinger1:08

       ... roommate, and girls are, like, awesome. Like, I'll have-
2. 1:27 – 3:13

   Showbiz drift: failing laterally in comedy and the “myth of the hang”

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:27

      ... in our life that are on this show business path, and they are fucked. And you know they're like, like a stampeding herd of buffalo that are headed for a cliff.

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger1:35

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:36

      And there's no way out. You're not gon-... You're either gonna get some kind of a job, and you're gonna be bitter and angry, or you're, you're just gonna keep doing this forever, and it's never gonna happen.

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger1:47

      I feel like with comedy in particular, it's one of those careers where it's not even you fail upward. You just fail laterally. Like, comedy is one of those things where you can kind of just continue to exist in and around it despite actual talent.

   5. JRJoe Rogan2:01

      Right.

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger2:01

      Like, we all know the comics where it's like, "You're not dead yet?" They're like, "No."

   7. JRJoe Rogan2:05

      (laughs)

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger2:05

      "I'm, I'm writing, uh, ads that go on the back of tickets. I'm, I'm writing commercial parodies for, like, comedy.net," like, just-

   9. JRJoe Rogan2:13

      Right.

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger2:14

       ... existing in subdivisions of the realm of comedy. And they think that they're in the game, but really, they're in the parking lot.

   11. JRJoe Rogan2:20

       Well, then there's the weird ones that come to the store, and they come to the improv, and they hang out.

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger2:26

       Mm-hmm.

   13. JRJoe Rogan2:27

       But they don't really go up, ever.

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger2:29

       I don't understand that.

   15. JRJoe Rogan2:31

       I don't understand that.

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger2:31

       The myth of the hang. The idea is that you would be hanging if you don't know anyone, you wanna meet some new friends, or your friends are there. But I see people that just bob and weave, and I'm like... And they act like they're looking for someone. I'm like, "There's no one there. You're just here hoping someone talks to you, but you've been doing this for so long. Go home. Write something."

   17. JRJoe Rogan2:50

       Yeah, but, but it's not gonna happen.

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger2:52

       I'm not gonna be there.

   19. JRJoe Rogan2:52

       Comedy, comedy's one of those things like I feel like you could learn how to play music. Someone could teach you how to move your fingers in the right direction. I mean, you might never be Jimi Hendrix. You might never be some virtuoso who's, like, stands out. But you might get good at music-

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger3:09

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan3:09

       ... if you could put the practice in.

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger3:10

       You could learn the math of it.

   23. JRJoe Rogan3:11

       Comedy's not that.

3. 3:13 – 4:08

   Can comedy be taught? Comedy majors, innate funny, and the ‘Walking Dead of unfunny’

   1. ISIliza Shlesinger3:13

      Uh, my college, Emerson College, offers, now offers-

   2. JRJoe Rogan3:16

      Shout-out to Boston.

   3. ISIliza Shlesinger3:17

      Shout-out.

   4. JRJoe Rogan3:18

      Whoo.

   5. ISIliza Shlesinger3:18

      Offers a comedy major. And-

   6. JRJoe Rogan3:20

      Sp- oh, good luck with that.

   7. ISIliza Shlesinger3:22

      Right. I'm like, "You're either funny, or you're not." And you can learn what makes a script funny, and you can learn about timing and things, but you have it innately, or you don't.

   8. JRJoe Rogan3:30

      Yeah.

   9. ISIliza Shlesinger3:30

      And I firmly believe that.

   10. JRJoe Rogan3:32

       I do, too.

   11. ISIliza Shlesinger3:32

       And, uh, the amount of people, you know, you can't tell someo-... But there are plenty of people who aren't naturally funny that make a huge career out of things, you know, 'cause someone else unfunny finds them funny. But it's one of those things where I'm not gonna be the one to tell you to give up on your dream. Like, that's not my position to tell someone that. But you're constantly surrounded by these, like... It's almost like this Walking Dead of unfunny.

   12. JRJoe Rogan3:55

       Hmm.

   13. ISIliza Shlesinger3:56

       Like, they're just at the shows, and they're just there for decades of your life.

   14. JRJoe Rogan3:59

       Yeah. It's hard.

   15. ISIliza Shlesinger4:00

       Pro-

   16. JRJoe Rogan4:00

       Sometimes they'll ask me to get on the podcast, too. And I'll be like, "What? What are you saying?"

   17. ISIliza Shlesinger4:04

       (sighs) What do you say?

   18. JRJoe Rogan4:05

       I don't... No.

   19. ISIliza Shlesinger4:06

       You don't? You say no?

   20. JRJoe Rogan4:07

       I say no. I say I can't.

4. 4:08 – 7:49

   Setting boundaries with fans: backstage access, safety, and gender dynamics

   1. ISIliza Shlesinger4:08

      You're very good. I remember watching you. I've told you this before. We were at the store one time, and there's this, um, 'cause you're so alpha, like, a proper... And I say this to you every time I see you. Like, a proper definition of one. And I think that, like, a real alpha male doesn't seek to disempower, doesn't seek to make anybody else feel bad. Like, you're just like, "This is what I do, and I set my boundaries." And we were in that back outside bar where only comics are allowed. And this guy walked up to you. Do you remember this? And he was a little bit in your space, harmless. And he was like, "Oh, Joe, can I get a picture?" And you firm-... You were like, "You cannot be back here. You've gotta go."

   2. JRJoe Rogan4:42

      Well, I saw him weasel through. He came from the show and then went through the back-

   3. ISIliza Shlesinger4:47

      You remember this.

   4. JRJoe Rogan4:47

      ... kitchen area and then went to... It's happened a few times, where people know that we hang out back there-

   5. ISIliza Shlesinger4:52

      Mm-hmm.

   6. JRJoe Rogan4:52

      ... because we talk about it on the podcast. We go back there to smoke, and then all of a sudden, there'll be, like, me and, you know, Callan or whoever and you and... Comics just talking-

   7. ISIliza Shlesinger5:01

      Mm-hmm.

   8. JRJoe Rogan5:01

      ... about sets, like, "Are you doing Tripoli show? Like, what's going on?" This and that.

   9. ISIliza Shlesinger5:05

      Not cool stuff, folks. (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan5:06

       And then all of a sudden, vrup, someone's right here.

   11. ISIliza Shlesinger5:08

       Right there.

   12. JRJoe Rogan5:08

       Like, "Hey, man. Hey, what's up? Hey, dude. Can I get a picture?" You're like-

   13. ISIliza Shlesinger5:12

       You-

   14. JRJoe Rogan5:12

       ... "You're not supposed to be back." It's a, there's a sign.

   15. ISIliza Shlesinger5:13

       You said that. I, I don't-

   16. JRJoe Rogan5:15

       Yeah.

   17. ISIliza Shlesinger5:15

       ... know that... It's like we all... I put my foot down for certain things, and of course, as you get older, you get better about it. But I straight up... I, I don't know that I could say that to someone. I, I allow people in my space, and I... Like, you kinda just tolerate it 'cause you never know, and there is that fear, like, "What is this person?" But you were very like, "You can't be here." And the guy was like, "Oh, so sorry."

   18. JRJoe Rogan5:33

       Well, I'm happy to take a picture with somebody. But I would, I knew that that guy had gotten t- into the employees' area. He, he had weaseled his way back through.

   19. ISIliza Shlesinger5:41

       Yeah. I don't... Yeah. But you did that, and I, and I remember watching, and I was like, "Fuck, I don't know that I could've."

   20. JRJoe Rogan5:46

       You could do it. The problem is with women, like, men get really fucking creepy. Men get really shitty with women if a wo- if a woman says, "You can't be here." You know, who knows? You, who knows what kind of a man you're dealing with?

   21. ISIliza Shlesinger5:57

       We can bring... I can, I can speak to that.

   22. JRJoe Rogan5:59

       Yeah.

   23. ISIliza Shlesinger6:00

       And I also remember, I was on your podcast forever ago, and, uh-I had done this show and I brought up this thing, I- I get a lot of incels, uh, Instagramming me about this, 'cause this guy came into our group, it was a group of women standing outside, and he asked for a lighter.

   24. JRJoe Rogan6:14

       Oh, yeah, I remember this.

   25. ISIliza Shlesinger6:15

       And all of the betas, uh, you got a lot of great fans, but on the fringe ones, they were like, "Oh, don't ask her for a lighter." And I'm like, "Tell you what, when someone bigger and stronger than you that has the ability to hurt you comes into your personal space, not really wanting a lighter, wanting something else-"

   26. JRJoe Rogan6:30

       Right.

   27. ISIliza Shlesinger6:30

       "... and your sensors go off, make sure that you stay silent and see how great you feel." I don't think there's any respect for the idea that, like, sometimes you feel scared, and it's not like a cry wolf thing. Like, I'm a tough chick. I don't walk around, like, afraid, but every once in a while-

   28. JRJoe Rogan6:43

       Show me some knuckles. Show me some knuckles.

   29. ISIliza Shlesinger6:44

       (sighs)

   30. JRJoe Rogan6:44

       Tough chick.
5. 7:49 – 12:04

   Iliza’s Laugh Factory fallout: podcast move, ban, and the revenge-hire assistant story

   1. JRJoe Rogan7:49

      ... I was your first guest on your podcast that you were-

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger7:52

      Mm-hmm.

   3. JRJoe Rogan7:52

      ... doing over there.

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger7:53

      I know. And you were, and that was so cool of you 'cause it was a podcast, uh, i- w- there was no money in it. There was n- you know, but you were a friend. Like, I didn't get any... Like, it was a dinky podcast run in the-

   5. JRJoe Rogan8:06

      Yes.

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger8:06

      ... attic of the Laugh Factory.

   7. JRJoe Rogan8:07

      And when you decided to leave-

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger8:09

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan8:09

      ... the Laugh Factory as a venue for your podcast, you wanted to expand, Jamie said, "Buddy, you can no longer do your sieg heil in my club."

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger8:19

       To the j- two Jews.

   11. JRJoe Rogan8:20

       Yeah. (laughs)

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger8:20

       He yelled at me. And, uh, this was four years ago. He yelled... I- I was offered my podcast. This is- this is a old podcast ta- run it out of the Improv. And so I called Jamie and I said, "I, uh, I got offered my podcast somewhere else and I'm gonna take it there. I just wanted to respectfully-"

   13. JRJoe Rogan8:37

       'Cause they had set up a whole podcast studio there.

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger8:39

       The Impro- uh, Levity.

   15. JRJoe Rogan8:40

       Yeah.

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger8:40

       Yes.

   17. JRJoe Rogan8:41

       Yeah.

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger8:41

       They set it up. They were like, "Come over here. We'll get you advertisers. We'll, like, we'll produce this."

   19. JRJoe Rogan8:46

       Yeah.

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger8:46

       'Cause the Laugh Factory, they would put it up, but that was it. There was no business behind it.

   21. JRJoe Rogan8:50

       Right.

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger8:50

       And I was fine with that. I wasn't trying to make money. Improv asked me over there, like, "Okay, great." So man-to-man, I called Jamie, I go, "I just wanted to say, you know-"

   23. JRJoe Rogan8:57

       Man-to-man?

   24. ISIliza Shlesinger8:57

       Man-to-man. I talked to him like a man.

   25. JRJoe Rogan8:59

       Whoa.

   26. ISIliza Shlesinger9:00

       I called him up and I said... Listen, fucker.

   27. JRJoe Rogan9:01

       Whoa.

   28. ISIliza Shlesinger9:01

       No, I just said, "Hey, I just wanna let you know, I've been offered to take my podcast somewhere else and I'm gonna take that opportunity and I just wanna give you the respect of telling you versus just leaving." "Absolutely no problem. You are family."

   29. JRJoe Rogan9:11

       Really?

   30. ISIliza Shlesinger9:12

       And by the way, I-
6. 12:04 – 15:11

   Clubs filming sets: why workshopping material can’t be ‘content’

   1. JRJoe Rogan12:04

      Did he, um, put your video up on YouTube? Did he film your set-

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger12:07

      I told-

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:07

      ... without you knowledge?

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger12:08

      ... I told Brian Monarch, I go, "I'm going," because I'm, uh, I'm doing another show there too. I go, "I'm going. If you film me, I will have a Kramer moment."

   5. JRJoe Rogan12:16

      (laughs)

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger12:16

      Like, I will flip out on you in an epic way. Like, it is, it is a non-negotiable thing. So they said no, they're not filming it.

   7. JRJoe Rogan12:24

      I talked to Bill about this. He goes, "No, they don't do that. If you ask them, they don't put your video up." I go, "Yeah?" I go, "Look for your videos."

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger12:31

      Yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan12:31

      We're in the fucking green room of, uh, the Icehouse.

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger12:34

       Mm-hmm.

   11. JRJoe Rogan12:34

       And he goes, "What the fuck?"

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger12:36

       (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan12:36

       (laughs) He sees videos on YouTube.

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger12:38

       It's like old comedy too.

   15. JRJoe Rogan12:40

       I go, dude. Yeah. Well, it doesn't matter. I mean-

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger12:42

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan12:42

       ... Chappelle, that's one of the reasons why Chappelle won't go there.

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger12:44

       Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan12:45

       He went there just to work out, and they, and this is when he was not doing shows and not doing specials. And they put all his shit online. No-

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger12:52

       Not cool.

   21. JRJoe Rogan12:52

       ... no asking him, no nothing.

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger12:54

       I think that they, the, I'm s- I think they've got, like, new management there, whatever, but, like, it's-

   23. JRJoe Rogan12:59

       It trickled down from the top.

   24. ISIliza Shlesinger13:00

       Oh, for sure.

   25. JRJoe Rogan13:01

       There's n- there's no way anybody's, like, just recording people on their own and putting it on the, on the fucking internet.

   26. ISIliza Shlesinger13:07

       No. They know that it's not cool-

   27. JRJoe Rogan13:09

       You know?

   28. ISIliza Shlesinger13:09

       ... and they're doing it anyway. I also, yeah. It's, uh-

   29. JRJoe Rogan13:12

       For people who don't know, like, how comedy works, we need to work out. Like, if you, if, if Iliza comes up with a bit tonight and, and, and works on it tonight, that's, if someone records it and films it and puts it online, that bit's fucked, because that bit is not done, that bit's a baby.

   30. ISIliza Shlesinger13:27

       You're being judged on that bit. It would be like anything, if you were an athlete and you went to a workout and they're like, "Well, you can't make the team," you're like, "Well, I'm still working out. I'm not, I'm gonna get bigger."
7. 15:11 – 20:11

   Performing across Florida: Miami chaos, quiet crowds, and audience archetypes

   1. JRJoe Rogan15:11

      ... is the best, because Miami, everyone is doing coke and no one is paying attention-

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger15:16

      (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan15:16

      ... to anything, and they're all looking at their phones constantly. So you could loo- you could use your phone, but you had to leave the building to use your phone.

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger15:23

      Oh.

   5. JRJoe Rogan15:23

      So everyone was getting up and going out and coming down and coming in. So during the show, it was just constant people-

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger15:30

      Oh my god. Oh my god.

   7. JRJoe Rogan15:30

      ... coming in and sitting down. The only place, out of all the places I did, Miami was the only place where people were constantly-

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger15:36

      It's so fucked up.

   9. JRJoe Rogan15:36

      ... getting up and sitting down.

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger15:37

       Not even aware that, like, you're doing a performance.

   11. JRJoe Rogan15:40

       Yeah.

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger15:40

       They're like, "We don't care."

   13. JRJoe Rogan15:41

       Well, Miami is just crazy.

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger15:43

       It's its own thing.

   15. JRJoe Rogan15:44

       Yeah. It's another country.

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger15:45

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan15:45

       It really is. It's wild. It's fun. It's a great place to visit. I, I love Miami.

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger15:49

       I-

   19. JRJoe Rogan15:49

       I love the food. Uh, I love the people. I love the attitude down there. But it's just, it's not the best place to perform.

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger15:55

       You said that to me in an airport once. I remember everything you say. Uh, you said that to me ... Now I feel bad repeating it, but we were in an airport and you were going to Miami. I was going somewhere else. And you were like, "If you ..." Like, something like, "If you-"

   21. JRJoe Rogan16:07

       "If you want to starve to death."

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger16:08

       "If you want to starve to open a library in Miami."

   23. JRJoe Rogan16:10

       Open a bookstore.

   24. ISIliza Shlesinger16:11

       Open a bookstore. Because I remember thinking, "Well, no one makes money off a library."

   25. JRJoe Rogan16:14

       (laughs)

   26. ISIliza Shlesinger16:14

       Uh, open a b- You said that. And I always remembered you said that. I've only played Miami proper once. But I always play, like, Fort Lauderdale and all the things around it.

   27. JRJoe Rogan16:22

       I used to do the improv with Joey Diaz. We used to go down and do that improv down there in Coconut Grove.

   28. ISIliza Shlesinger16:26

       (laughs)

   29. JRJoe Rogan16:26

       Holy shit. It was a battleground. (laughs)

   30. ISIliza Shlesinger16:29

       It's a ... But all the Florida clubs ... And I love Joel Bashoff with all of my heart.
8. 20:11 – 29:49

   Comedy Store as a proving ground: lineups, community, touring ‘family,’ and mentoring

   1. JRJoe Rogan20:11

      The OR is the fucking ultimate university for comedy. You learn so much about whether your act sucks or where your act's at, like, whether or not it's getting better, where-

   2. ISIliza Shlesinger20:20

      Mm-hmm.

   3. JRJoe Rogan20:20

      You know, it's, it's such a g- we're so lucky. I think about that sometimes, like, when I think about living somewhere else, 'cause I do wanna live somewhere else. And I probably will never totally live somewhere else, I'll probably keep a place here always, 'cause I feel like there's something about being able to go to The Store that's so goddamn powerful. It's like, we're so fortunate that we all work together.

   4. ISIliza Shlesinger20:41

      Mm-hmm.

   5. JRJoe Rogan20:41

      You know? And at any given show, it would be you and me and D'Elia and Whitney and Joey Diaz and Callen, and it's like, "Fucking goddam, we're so lucky."

   6. ISIliza Shlesinger20:49

      Sebastian.

   7. JRJoe Rogan20:51

      Yes. It's, we're so fucking lucky. Burr drops in.

   8. ISIliza Shlesinger20:54

      It's always, like, a thick, like, there's always, on the lineup, there's always, like, a dense, murderous chunk.

   9. JRJoe Rogan20:59

      Yeah.

   10. ISIliza Shlesinger20:59

       And I think to myself, like, "Wow, I'm so proud to post these lineups, because these are the people that comic, these are the comics that people wanna see. Like, this is special for them. And that's, this dangerous, weird energy place is our home." And other comics, you know, people are very intimidated by The Store, which I totally get, 'cause there's a dark energy there. But I always feel like I'm part of the Addams Family. I'm like, "Yeah, but that dark castle is my home." (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan21:21

       Yeah. Well, we're s- it's a, a tight-knit group of humans, you know? We're all real close to each other, in a weird way.

   12. ISIliza Shlesinger21:27

       In a weird way, but I've never, like, I'll never go to Brian Callen's house.

   13. JRJoe Rogan21:33

       Never?

   14. ISIliza Shlesinger21:33

       Like, I don't know where you live. (laughs) Like, not never, but, like, we're close.

   15. JRJoe Rogan21:37

       Right.

   16. ISIliza Shlesinger21:37

       And I love seeing you guys, but, like, but outside of that, for some of us, I mean, I think it just depends.

   17. JRJoe Rogan21:43

       Yeah, I think we spend enough time with each other at the fucking store. (laughs)

   18. ISIliza Shlesinger21:46

       I get excited.

   19. JRJoe Rogan21:46

       I mean, I go on the road with a lot of guys, you know, so that's different, 'cause when you're on the road together, you're really like family. You know, like if I'm on-

   20. ISIliza Shlesinger21:53

       Oh, yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan21:53

       ... the road with Diaz or Ari or Hinchcliffe or any of those guys, like, you know, we eat together, we work out together, we're just bullshitting together, we're walking to the mall together and hanging out. Like, it's all, we're together all day.

   22. ISIliza Shlesinger22:05

       And you have systems in place. There's, like, a comfort you bring, you know, you bring your friends because there's a trust there.

   23. JRJoe Rogan22:12

       Mm-hmm.

   24. ISIliza Shlesinger22:12

       There's a shorthand. My, my feature is Hunter Hill. Do you know Hunter?

   25. JRJoe Rogan22:16

       No, I don't.

   26. ISIliza Shlesinger22:16

       He's huge. Um, and he's so funny. And it's like, I, I'm so proud to be able to be at a place in my career where I can f- uh, foster, bring another comic and watch them grow, and I'm so proud of him, and to get to share my audience with him. Like, that's part of being an established comic, that joy. It's like having, like, a child, like, of giving them these opportunities.

   27. JRJoe Rogan22:38

       Yeah.

   28. ISIliza Shlesinger22:38

       And to show them you also have this opportunity to show other comics the, the right way to tour and the right way to treat a comedy club waitress and the right way to speak to your tour... Like, there's-

   29. JRJoe Rogan22:49

       Mm-hmm.

   30. ISIliza Shlesinger22:50

       ... so many shitty comics out there that do things wrong, and I very early on decided, like, these are the rules that I want to tour with and this is how I want to treat people. And you pass that on. Other comics learn from older comics.
9. 29:49 – 34:28

   Global touring and censorship: Malaysia surprises, Vietnam warnings, and Hong Kong unrest

   1. ISIliza Shlesinger29:49

      And you get to tour. Like, I got to go on tour. I got to go to Malaysia to do comedy.

   2. JRJoe Rogan29:53

      What was that like?

   3. ISIliza Shlesinger29:55

      Fucking lit.

   4. JRJoe Rogan29:56

      L- lit? (laughs)

   5. ISIliza Shlesinger29:56

      Like, they were... I... To me... I did this whole Asia tour and I was like, "Malaysia is, of all the countries I did..." 'Cause I did Hong Kong, uh, and I did Japan and, uh... There was one more and I'm blanking on it. Oh, Singapore. And of all of them, I had not been to Malaysia. I'd been to the others and I had less context for Malaysia. I knew some of my clothing was made there.

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:16

      (laughs)

   7. ISIliza Shlesinger30:16

      And I knew that we ship a lot of our recycling there, or try to.But I had no context. And it's interesting, because you're there and everyone is in, uh, a hijab, and they're Asian, so that's like... You don't see that a ton.

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:27

      Really?

   9. ISIliza Shlesinger30:27

      Yeah, 'cause they're all Muslim.

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       Muslim Asians?

   11. ISIliza Shlesinger30:30

       Uh-huh.

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:30

       Did they look like Asian, like Japanese or Chinese?

   13. ISIliza Shlesinger30:32

       Yeah, like Asian.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:33

       Wow.

   15. ISIliza Shlesinger30:34

       And they were just... The crowd was on fire.

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:38

       Really?

   17. ISIliza Shlesinger30:39

       I thought it was gonna be super conservative and weird. I made fun of the Chinese a little bit. They were like, "Yes!"

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:43

       (laughs)

   19. ISIliza Shlesinger30:43

       And they just went nuts, and they were awesome. And I just remember thinking like... And some people are expats, but a lot of them were just full-on Malaysian, and it's all because of Netflix.

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:53

       Oh.

   21. ISIliza Shlesinger30:53

       And I was like, "That's... It's so special to have your comedy..." I'm gonna go tour in Russia. Like, places that you have no real context for are feeling your heart, and they're understanding what you're saying, and it's resonating with people that are nothing like you.

   22. JRJoe Rogan31:06

       You're gonna tour in Russia?

   23. ISIliza Shlesinger31:07

       Yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan31:07

       Whoa. That's heavy.

   25. ISIliza Shlesinger31:09

       I'm going to Europe. Like, it's just cool, and then they know other comics.

   26. JRJoe Rogan31:13

       Right.

   27. ISIliza Shlesinger31:13

       Like, they know who you are, they know who other people... And it's just... It's this sec- it's this, like, language, this community that we're, you and I, are members of, and people all want to be part of it.

   28. JRJoe Rogan31:22

       Right.

   29. ISIliza Shlesinger31:23

       Because people want to feel seen and heard, and that comedy validates that weird voice in your head, and it lets you know that you're not alone. And for so many people that feel alone, it's so powerful to feel like y- you're being seen and that somebody understands you.

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:37

       Mm-hmm.
10. 34:28 – 1:07:39

    Culture wars and language: pronouns discourse, trans support, and online outrage dynamics

    1. JRJoe Rogan34:28

       I know. It's so interesting. I mean, we're at such a strange tipping point culturally, uh, in this country and then worldwide, you know? (laughs) I mean, just watch, you know, England just had their, uh, big elections.

    2. ISIliza Shlesinger34:41

       Mm-hmm.

    3. JRJoe Rogan34:41

       Jeremy Corbyn lost, but he did a video where, uh, he was saying how he's running for president or whatever it is, prime minister. What is it over there?

    4. ISIliza Shlesinger34:49

       Prime minister.

    5. JRJoe Rogan34:50

       Yeah. And, uh-

    6. ISIliza Shlesinger34:51

       I'm watching The Crown.

    7. JRJoe Rogan34:51

       He said his fucking pronouns. He said, "My pronouns are him/he."

    8. ISIliza Shlesinger34:55

       Okay. Can I just put this out there?

    9. JRJoe Rogan34:57

       (laughs)

    10. ISIliza Shlesinger34:57

        I'm super pro-trans. I'm pro-fluid sexuality. If you are straight male, we know your fucking pronouns are him/he.

    11. JRJoe Rogan35:06

        Well, even if you're a gay male.

    12. ISIliza Shlesinger35:08

        Uh-

    13. JRJoe Rogan35:08

        If you're a gay male, your pronouns are-

    14. ISIliza Shlesinger35:10

        If your pronouns-

    15. JRJoe Rogan35:10

        ... could be he/him too.

    16. ISIliza Shlesinger35:12

        If your pronouns are something, are what it looks like you are-

    17. JRJoe Rogan35:15

        Yeah.

    18. ISIliza Shlesinger35:16

        ... I don't think you need to... That, to me, that feels very white nighty.

    19. JRJoe Rogan35:18

        He has a fucking beard. He has... It's 100% white nighty.

    20. ISIliza Shlesinger35:21

        Yeah.

    21. JRJoe Rogan35:21

        It was very cringey, and I think a lot of people were like... There was, like, some borderline people were like, "Fuck this guy with this he/him shit."

    22. ISIliza Shlesinger35:27

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan35:28

        "Your pronouns."

    24. ISIliza Shlesinger35:29

        You wanna say him/they, ze, whatever? Great. He/him when you o-, when you're he/him.

    25. JRJoe Rogan35:34

        Hmm. Yeah.

    26. ISIliza Shlesinger35:35

        Everybody, you know?

    27. JRJoe Rogan35:36

        It's just such a, a thing, a ploy, you know? "My pronouns are he/him." Like, oh, no, you didn't, you fuck. You're 60 years old.

    28. ISIliza Shlesinger35:44

        Because what it does-

    29. JRJoe Rogan35:44

        You stop this.

    30. ISIliza Shlesinger35:45

        ... it gets other... It's, it's such a valid thing for other people, and then it makes people eye-roll just a little bit.

Episode duration: 2:26:51