Joe Rogan Experience #1629 - Lara Beitz

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast,…

   1. LBLara Beitz0:00

      (drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. NANarrator0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music plays) Hello, Laura.

   4. LBLara Beitz0:15

      Hello.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:16

      Welcome.

   6. LBLara Beitz0:17

      Thank you.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      What's happening?

   8. LBLara Beitz0:18

      Thank you for having me.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:18

      So you said you're in town working at, it's called the Sunset Strip Comedy Club?

   10. LBLara Beitz0:21

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:22

       Is this the first weekend?

   12. LBLara Beitz0:23

       Yes.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:23

       That it's open?

   14. LBLara Beitz0:24

       Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:24

       Whoa.

   16. LBLara Beitz0:25

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:25

       That's awesome. How'd you hear about it?

   18. LBLara Beitz0:27

       Um, they hit me up.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:28

       Did j- so, they just started?

   20. LBLara Beitz0:30

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:30

       Where's it at? What street?

   22. LBLara Beitz0:30

       This is opening weekend. Um, I don't know.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       Oh, wow. You don't even know where you're going?

   24. LBLara Beitz0:35

       No.

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:35

       Did you just get here today?

   26. LBLara Beitz0:37

       I got here yesterday.

   27. JRJoe Rogan0:38

       Oh, did you walk around?

   28. LBLara Beitz0:39

       Uh, I walked a little bit.

   29. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Did you get any brisket?

   30. LBLara Beitz0:42

       Not yet. That's tonight.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   (laughs) …

   1. LBLara Beitz15:00

      that first set was... People were laughing and I had fun, but I wouldn't try to sell it to HBO or anything.

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:09

      (laughs)

   3. LBLara Beitz15:09

      You know?

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:10

      Yeah. My first set I did, uh... What happened? I just lost all sound. I lost... Oh, just came back. How weird. Ghosts.

   5. LBLara Beitz15:22

      I could hear you the whole time.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:23

      Oh, that's so strange. Um, my first set I did, uh, the Houston, uh, Improv with, uh, Moses and, and Hinchcliff. And, uh, we did it in July, but then I got paranoid that I was gonna give it to somebody. I was like, "What if I get it and give it to somebody?" You know, I wasn't as worried about getting it as I was giving it to somebody. But, um, so I said, "Let me just take some time off." And then I didn't do it again until, um, Chappelle, uh, asked me to do these shows out here. And I was like, "Fuck, all right. I'm living out here. He's coming out here. I'm gonna do some shows." And as soon as I doing, I started doing those, I'm like, "Fuck, I'm back."

   7. LBLara Beitz15:56

      That's exactly what happened to me. I did that one show, and then the next night I did another one. And on the way to that show that night, I had this feeling that I, like, hadn't felt in forever. And it was the joy of going to do it. And I remembered that I used to have that feeling every single night when I would go to The Comedy Store-

   8. JRJoe Rogan16:15

      Yeah.

   9. LBLara Beitz16:15

      ... or, like, when I would go do a show. 'Cause I never, I never took it for granted. Like, I was always excited. I was always happy. I always looked around.

   10. JRJoe Rogan16:24

       No, you always were.

   11. LBLara Beitz16:26

       I always looked around at the mountains and was like, "Damn, I'm in LA." (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan16:29

       (laughs)

   13. LBLara Beitz16:29

       Like, I, I'm m- you know?

   14. JRJoe Rogan16:31

       Yeah. It's happening.

   15. LBLara Beitz16:31

       I loved it. Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:32

       It's happening. You're doing it.

   17. LBLara Beitz16:33

       Yeah. So I came back to life and... I don't know. It's interesting to me because it's like the same people who on, like, National Suicide Day will post about how important mental health is, and, "Come talk to me if you ever feel sad," this, that, and the other. And now a year in, it's like, why are people not talking about mental health? And why are those same people saying, like, "You're a piece of shit if you go see your friends"? You know what I mean? 'Cause like people are killing themselves.

   18. JRJoe Rogan17:00

       They're killing themselves in record numbers. Uh, Swardson has a friend who works as a, um, a sheriff and said that there's... they would get like one suicide a week back in the day, and now they're getting five a week. And they, they were just overwhelmed by the, the number. It might have been one a month, and now it's five a week. But it's just, they're overwhelmed. People are... They're not counting that in terms of, like, the amount of people that have drug overdoses and die because they're depressed. They're not counting that.

   19. LBLara Beitz17:29

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan17:29

       And they, they think about the deaths and the, the toll, and they're not counting, like, how many people's lives have gone from... You know, they created a business, they worked hard for years and years, and then it's just been taken away from them through no fault of their own. You know?

   21. LBLara Beitz17:43

       Through no fault of their own, and there's no, like, severance for that. My friend, um, Katie is a nurse in Chicago, and she and I have been in contact f- through this whole thing. And it was... I mean, her hospital was teeming with COVID patients. She said now it's teeming with alcoholics who are having DTs. People who lost their jobs in September and have been drinking themselves to death all day in their homes. She said that she's never seen DTs this bad. Like she said, it's, it's crazy how many people are dying of alcoholism there.

   22. JRJoe Rogan18:17

       Yeah, but-

   23. LBLara Beitz18:18

       'Cause they did, they stopped having AA meetings. Well, they're on...

   24. JRJoe Rogan18:21

       Zoom?

   25. LBLara Beitz18:22

       They're on Zoom, but you have to have, like, the password. You have to, like, know a guy. You know what I-

   26. JRJoe Rogan18:28

       (laughs)

   27. LBLara Beitz18:28

       And it, and it's also just not the same thing, and it's so inaccessible that it's costing people their lives.

   28. JRJoe Rogan18:34

       Yeah, it's an... It's the undiscussed aspect.... of the pandemic. You know, it's, it's uncomfortable for people. When they think about the cost of the pandemic, they only think about how many people are going to get sick, how many people are going to be in the ICU. Th- that's something we have to absolutely consider, but you also have to consider what happens when you shut down the entire economy? Like, what are the other repercussions? And here's the big question, because this is the big experiment, how long is it gonna take before LA bounces back? Because LA's a big fucking city. And where's the money gonna come from? Like, where are you gonna have the money to open up all those businesses? They lost 75% of their restaurants. Like, how is the store and the improv, how are they gonna stay open for another year like this? Because those goofy, draconian motherfuckers that are keeping that place locked down, they're not gonna let it open. They're gonna maybe let them do some outside shows eventually, but like, right now, indoor shows are out of the question. So, how long is it gonna take? It's gonna take, unless people specifically talk about that in the recall for Gavin Newsom, specifically talk about comedy clubs. Until they do that, they're not g- people are specifically talking about restaurants, so they open up restaurants again. Like, he's panicking 'cause they're worried about h- him getting recalled, 'cause they've, they've gathered enough votes now.

   29. LBLara Beitz19:48

       Isn't the Comedy Store classified as a restaurant?

   30. JRJoe Rogan19:51

       No, it's not. No, it's not. W-
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Yeah, I did all…

   1. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      "Folks, this is what we found out. Look, look at these s- charts and statistics about people that have suffered from it. It's really important to take vitamin D." They didn't say that.

   2. LBLara Beitz30:08

      Yeah, I did all that. I went outside and I started taking it and I lost weight. I didn't wanna... And I, and I haven't gotten it.

   3. JRJoe Rogan30:17

      Good.

   4. LBLara Beitz30:19

      But I don't-

   5. JRJoe Rogan30:19

      Katie, aren't you happy you lost weight? Do you feel, like, lighter?

   6. LBLara Beitz30:21

      I (laughs) feel lighter. That's exactly how I feel.

   7. JRJoe Rogan30:24

      Can you move it around?

   8. LBLara Beitz30:24

      Yeah, dude. Well, it's like, it's the equivalent of, like, eight bags of potatoes. And if I think about what it would be like to carry that around in a backpack, like, through an airport and then get to set it down...

   9. JRJoe Rogan30:36

      Well, how about, Kate, one of those- take one of those 45 pound plates? That's a heavy fucking weight, like-

   10. LBLara Beitz30:41

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan30:41

       ... that you put on a, like a, a barbell?... one of those big ones-

   12. LBLara Beitz30:45

       My-

   13. JRJoe Rogan30:45

       ... that's what you lost.

   14. LBLara Beitz30:46

       My ankle weights and my hand weights together are 20 pounds, and if I think about carrying that times two-

   15. JRJoe Rogan30:54

       Yeah.

   16. LBLara Beitz30:54

       ... even across a room, I would-

   17. JRJoe Rogan30:57

       Annoying.

   18. LBLara Beitz30:57

       ... I would be tired, yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan30:58

       And that's what you were doing.

   20. LBLara Beitz30:59

       And I feel so much better. I mean, I had had back pain from the time that I was a teenager. I'd had joint pain, and I thought that I was just gonna have it for my whole life 'cause I didn't think I was heavy enough that it was affecting my joints. And that pain is all gone. And, um, and it makes sense to me, 'cause again, if I carry around a heavy bag through an airport, like, my back will hurt at the end of the day if I do that right now.

   21. JRJoe Rogan31:25

       Yeah.

   22. LBLara Beitz31:25

       And to have to carry that weight around everywhere I go, everything I do, even just sitting, having that extra weight, like, I just don't want it back.

   23. JRJoe Rogan31:35

       I-

   24. LBLara Beitz31:35

       And I think part of it might be 'cause I stopped eating flour and sugar, which I've heard are inflammatory as well, so I think part of it might be that. But the other thing is just getting to set down the weight and feel awesome.

   25. JRJoe Rogan31:46

       I think both are factors, yeah, for sure. I mean, definitely, the, the, the wei- it's just logical that the weight's a factor, but for sure sugar and, and flour and, and any processed foods like that cause inflammation. So what did you do for exercise?

   26. LBLara Beitz31:59

       Um, I play tennis and swim and I do workouts, um, that Stacia Patwall created. She was a comic, she ran a show at the store, and she's a trainer, and she started doing these classes on Zoom for female comics. And a bunch of us have had before and after (laughs) transformations where, like, a bunch of fat comics have gotten hot because of her workouts.

   27. JRJoe Rogan32:25

       (laughs)

   28. LBLara Beitz32:26

       She's onto something, dude. She's so fucking funny and she can, like, work you out for an hour where I'm just, like, laughing. I feel like I'm hanging out with a friend. And she has this specific brand of tough love where she'll, like, she'll call, she'll call me a pussy, like, right before I'm about to drop out of a plank, and she'll be like, "The world has enough pussies. Don't be a bitch."

   29. JRJoe Rogan32:46

       (laughs)

   30. LBLara Beitz32:46

       "Don't bitch out."
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   There we go. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      Yeah, I've listened to it. Yeah, it's called a shared psychotic disorder is what-

   2. LBLara Beitz45:02

      There we go.

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:02

      ... it changes it to.

   4. LBLara Beitz45:03

      Okay. A shared psychotic disorder is a rare type of mental illness in which a healthy person starts to take on the delusions of someone who has a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia. For example, let's say your spouse has a psychotic disorder and as a part of that illness believes aliens are spying on them. Well, what? Hey. (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:23

      Why is this so fucking specific? Are you trying to tell me something, Jamie? If you have a shared psychotic disorder, you'll start to believe in the spying aliens. But apart from that, your thoughts and behavior are normal. People with psychotic disorders have trouble staying in touch with reality and often can't handle daily life. The most obvious symptoms are hallucinations, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So, um, I almost feel like that happens when you watch bad comedy. Like, you will absorb whatever fucking craziness that makes them think that material's any good. And it scares the shit out of me.

   6. LBLara Beitz45:55

      That-

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:55

      Something new? Groups of pe- It can happen in groups of people, like what you're saying. Oh. Groups of people, so cults. Yeah.

   8. LBLara Beitz46:02

      Yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan46:02

      Or being in a comedy show and watching-

   10. LBLara Beitz46:04

       Oh.

   11. JRJoe Rogan46:04

       ... all watching it together.

   12. LBLara Beitz46:05

       Right.

   13. JRJoe Rogan46:05

       Yeah.

   14. LBLara Beitz46:06

       There you go. That reminds me of another phenomenon. They did a study called Being Sane in Insane Places, where a person who was sane checked into a mental hospital and they had to end the study early because the psychological damage that the person endured was so great that it became unethical. So he would be like... He would just ask a nurse, like, "Hey, could I have a piece of paper to, like, write something down?" And she would be like, "Patient engaged in writing behavior." Like, everything... Or he would be like, "Hey, could I talk about, like, grounds privileges?" And the nurse would be like, "Hi, James. It's nice to see you." And then walk away and the dude started to go insane. And the way that I connect that to that is, like, the audiences then expect you to suck. The audiences treat you the way that they treated-

   15. JRJoe Rogan46:53

       Right.

   16. LBLara Beitz46:53

       ... the shitty comedian and that's the worst part. People know who you are. They know you're funny. People don't know who I am and so-

   17. JRJoe Rogan47:00

       At the time when I was in Tampa, they didn't know me either.

   18. LBLara Beitz47:02

       'Cause that's the bitch is when-

   19. JRJoe Rogan47:04

       Yeah.

   20. LBLara Beitz47:04

       ... is when people see a comedian who sucks-

   21. JRJoe Rogan47:07

       Right.

   22. LBLara Beitz47:07

       ... and then another comic gets on stage, they don't know who you are either. They assume you're at the level of the person who just went up-

   23. JRJoe Rogan47:13

       Yeah, they're upset. They paid money-

   24. LBLara Beitz47:14

       ... and sucked, so they're not gonna laugh at your stuff that are... Plus, they're not warm.

   25. JRJoe Rogan47:17

       And they've had a few drinks and they're just like, "What the fuck am I doing with my night?"

   26. LBLara Beitz47:21

       Yeah, it's brutal.

   27. JRJoe Rogan47:21

       I worked all day and some mediocre shithead's on stage spouting out nonsense.

   28. LBLara Beitz47:26

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan47:27

       Yeah, well, you gotta think also when you think about that study, what's it like living with an insane mother or father, right? Like, that's gotta rub off on people. If you're... There's probably people that don't have whatever it is that causes a mental disorder, but then they live with someone who does and that someone imparts that on them just by virtue of living in this house where you're with a fucking insane person.

   30. LBLara Beitz47:54

       Yeah, absolutely. I think it also happens with homeless people. I think that there are people who have been getting treated like they're crazy for so long-
5. 1:00:00 – 1:13:09

   How did you remember…

   1. LBLara Beitz1:00:00

      of, like, telling a joke to a room full of people and having them laugh at it, and I've been hooked ever since.

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:00:04

      How did you remember your material if you were blackout drunk?

   3. LBLara Beitz1:00:06

      I wasn't blackout drunk at that moment. Oh, other times, I don't know. And sometimes I didn't. I mean, I fucked up a lot, you know? There were times where I, like, went on stage and I would repeat my jokes that I had just said.

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:00:20

      (laughs)

   5. LBLara Beitz1:00:20

      Um, I would ask my friends like, "How'd my set go?" And they'd be like, "You are shit-faced." You know? (laughs)

   6. JRJoe Rogan1:00:26

      (laughs)

   7. LBLara Beitz1:00:26

      Like, "You're drunk. It looked like you were really drunk." You know?

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:00:30

      Yeah.

   9. LBLara Beitz1:00:30

      I knew generally if I couldn't remember it that it probably wasn't that good.

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:00:35

       Hmm. Generally? (laughs)

   11. LBLara Beitz1:00:37

       Yeah, generally, I'm like, "Well..." But I mean, that's, like, the difference between then and now, and it's like what you were talking about. Now if you have an opportunity, you make the most of it. Now if I have an opportunity, I make the most of it. I show up early. I'm polite and professional. And, like, nobody wets their pants-

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:00:54

       (laughs)

   13. LBLara Beitz1:00:54

       ... and I maybe get another shot at the thing later. You know? You get to move on-

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:00:58

       Yeah.

   15. LBLara Beitz1:00:58

       ... to, like, the next level.

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:00:59

       Yeah.

   17. LBLara Beitz1:00:59

       On to the next step.... back then, I remember in Milwaukee, there was a headliner who thought I was funny and wanted to see if he wanted to bring me on the road. And so, he got me a feature set at a show, uh, a o- a one-nighter. And, um, I went and did it, and got blackout drunk, and don't remember anything he said to me on the ride home. But I do know he never brought me on the road with him, you know?

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:01:29

       (laughs)

   19. LBLara Beitz1:01:30

       Like, I know I'm not on tour with him right now. (laughs)

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:01:34

       Is he on tour?

   21. LBLara Beitz1:01:35

       I don't know.

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:01:36

       Oh.

   23. LBLara Beitz1:01:37

       I don't know. I don't think I- I don't think I've spoken to him since.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:01:42

       (laughs)

   25. LBLara Beitz1:01:42

       (laughs)

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:01:42

       Maybe he'll h- he'll see this and-

   27. LBLara Beitz1:01:44

       Maybe he will.

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:01:45

       ... forget you.

   29. LBLara Beitz1:01:45

       His name was James Irvin Barry.

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:01:47

       All right. James Irvin Barry.

Episode duration: 2:36:17