Joe Rogan Experience #1826 - Fahim Anwar

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast,…

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. FAFahim Anwar0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) Cheers, sir.

   4. FAFahim Anwar0:13

      Cheers.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      Good to see you, my friend.

   6. FAFahim Anwar0:15

      Likewise. Thanks for having me. I was commenting on the round ice. I'm a fan.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:20

      Yeah, I like the round ice. It makes you feel fancy.

   8. FAFahim Anwar0:22

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:23

      You're a fancy person, drinking bourbon on round ice.

   10. FAFahim Anwar0:26

       Yeah, when in Rome. Like, I was like-

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:28

       Yeah.

   12. FAFahim Anwar0:28

       ... "Can we do this again?"

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:29

       Yeah. You don't ever, uh, smoke cigars and drink whiskey unless you're with me.

   14. FAFahim Anwar0:34

       No. I do other people, but, like... Yeah, this is, like, the thing to do.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:38

       Yeah.

   16. FAFahim Anwar0:38

       You know what I mean?

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:39

       Yeah.

   18. FAFahim Anwar0:39

       Last time was fun, we did it.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:40

       Yeah, we're conversating.

   20. FAFahim Anwar0:41

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:42

       I like that word too.

   22. FAFahim Anwar0:43

       I think you're... Yeah, conversating.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:44

       Conversating. Doesn't seem like it's a real word, but I think it is.

   24. FAFahim Anwar0:47

       I think so.

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       Yeah.

   26. FAFahim Anwar0:50

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan0:51

       Yeah. Good to see you, buddy.

   28. FAFahim Anwar0:52

       Likewise. Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan0:53

       It was fun hanging out last night.

   30. FAFahim Anwar0:54

       Yeah. I mean, I was here when things were shut down in LA with the pandemic-
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Mm-hmm. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan15:00

   2. FAFahim Anwar15:00

      Mm-hmm.

   3. JRJoe Rogan15:00

      Which is rare, you know, to have a network that just sort of goes, "Go ahead."

   4. FAFahim Anwar15:04

      But it's always... It's nice when you do have a conglomerate like that that just trusts the artist-

   5. JRJoe Rogan15:09

      Mm-hmm.

   6. FAFahim Anwar15:09

      ... because look what gets produced. I think it's tough when you have a lot of cooks in the kitchen who don't... My favorite things artistically are pretty singular in, in vision.

   7. JRJoe Rogan15:18

      Yeah.

   8. FAFahim Anwar15:18

      Like Chappelle's Show.

   9. JRJoe Rogan15:20

      Right.

   10. FAFahim Anwar15:20

       They didn't have a lot of meddling in that, you know?

   11. JRJoe Rogan15:22

       Yeah.

   12. FAFahim Anwar15:22

       Um.

   13. JRJoe Rogan15:23

       Well, they started to meddle when it started to make a lot of money, and that was one of the reasons why Dave quit. When Dave, you know, got the offer, it wasn't the money that corrupted him where he's like, "I don't need this $50 million," it wa- it was what it came with. It came with them trying to censor the show to make it more friendly to advertisers.

   14. FAFahim Anwar15:41

       Mm-hmm.

   15. JRJoe Rogan15:41

       Like they were literally telling him, "Don't say this, don't say that. Do this, don't do that." And, and Dave was like-

   16. FAFahim Anwar15:48

       "Yeah, I don't need this."

   17. JRJoe Rogan15:48

       ... "I see the fucking writing on the wall here." And it was quite a legendary move to fucking vanish for 10 years. And remember, do you remember when he was doing shows in like Seattle?

   18. FAFahim Anwar15:58

       Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan15:58

       Where he would pull up with like a little portable speaker in the park and do a standup set, and everybody's like, "What the fuck is going on? Is that Dave Chappelle?"

   20. FAFahim Anwar16:06

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan16:06

       And he would just set up shop in the park and do standup.

   22. FAFahim Anwar16:10

       It just added to the legend. I think at the time-

   23. JRJoe Rogan16:13

       Yeah.

   24. FAFahim Anwar16:13

       ... the world was like, "What a dumb move. He's gonna regret this." 'Cause I guess that's not betting on yourself to people, you know?

   25. JRJoe Rogan16:20

       Yeah.

   26. FAFahim Anwar16:20

       Or it is betting on yourself and they're like, "Why would you do that?" And then from the vantage point that we're at right now, like what a move.

   27. JRJoe Rogan16:27

       Yeah.

   28. FAFahim Anwar16:27

       Fucking legendary.

   29. JRJoe Rogan16:28

       Yeah, just incre- and when he came back, you know? He came back and started doing shows and st- kinda got into the groove again, and then started killing it, and then started putting out specials and, and then getting attacked (laughs) on stage.

   30. FAFahim Anwar16:43

       What's your take on that? What do you think is going on?
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Yeah. …

   1. FAFahim Anwar30:00

      at the store. It... People didn't know I'm shooting a special. Like, very small footprint. Like, people had no idea I was taping. And it was conscious because when I did my CSOP thing, it's like you load in the audience, there's lights, and it's sort of a recreation of your act that you've been developing in, like, grimy clubs. But that's, that's standup-

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:19

      Yeah.

   3. FAFahim Anwar30:20

      ... when it's not being filmed.

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:21

      Right. Right. Right.

   5. FAFahim Anwar30:22

      So I wanted to capture the material, not do a recreation presentation of the real material. You know what I mean?

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:30

      I know exactly what you mean. Yeah.

   7. FAFahim Anwar30:31

      Yes. Because it's a different type of laugh when people know they're being filmed as opposed to just them acting natural.

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:38

      Right. Yeah.

   9. FAFahim Anwar30:40

      So there's a beauty to that too.

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:42

       Right. It's like when you go to ... Have you ever been to a filming of, like, The Tonight Show and they have the applause signs?

   11. FAFahim Anwar30:47

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:47

       They tell you when to applaud. Like, (barking) .

   13. FAFahim Anwar30:51

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:52

       Trained seals.

   15. FAFahim Anwar30:52

       Or a sitcom, where they-

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:54

       Oh, yeah.

   17. FAFahim Anwar30:54

       Yeah. Well, you were on one.

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:55

       Oh, God, yeah.

   19. FAFahim Anwar30:56

       So they have-

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:56

       Five years.

   21. FAFahim Anwar30:56

       ... in, in between, you know, the scene-

   22. JRJoe Rogan30:58

       Yeah.

   23. FAFahim Anwar30:58

       ... the warmup guy. Like, "Where are you from? Yeah? Well, let's have a dance contest. You from Detroit, and where are you from? Michigan?"

   24. JRJoe Rogan31:03

       (laughs)

   25. FAFahim Anwar31:03

       "All right, guys. Break." And it's, like, two dads-

   26. JRJoe Rogan31:05

       Did you ever do that?

   27. FAFahim Anwar31:06

       The warmup?

   28. JRJoe Rogan31:06

       Did you ever do warmup?

   29. FAFahim Anwar31:07

       No.

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:07

       No?
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Uh-huh. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      under the pressure of the audience, improvise. I think you should do all those things.

   2. FAFahim Anwar45:04

      Uh-huh.

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:04

      I think you should write. I think you should improvise. And I think you should, you know, you should go up as much as possible. I think all those... Like, people say I write on stage. I'm like, "I can write on stage too." Like, anyone can write on stage. But I actually sit down. Like last night, I got home-

   4. FAFahim Anwar45:19

      Mm-hmm.

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:19

      ... I sat in front of the fucking computer for two hours. And I might have nothing outta that, or I might have my best bit ever.

   6. FAFahim Anwar45:27

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:27

      I never know. And you don't know until you try, you know? Just stay the fuck off of YouTube.

   8. FAFahim Anwar45:32

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan45:33

      Don't jerk off. (laughs)

   10. FAFahim Anwar45:35

       (laughs) No incognito mode.

   11. JRJoe Rogan45:37

       Yeah.

   12. FAFahim Anwar45:37

       I gotta, I gotta buckle down.

   13. JRJoe Rogan45:38

       And just write, you know?

   14. FAFahim Anwar45:41

       Yeah. Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan45:42

       So the way I do it is I have two laptops. I have a laptop that is like my, like, what's going on in the world laptop, and then I have a laptop like, "Okay, time to write." I pull that fucker out, and I'm writing.

   16. FAFahim Anwar45:53

       I found I will... I like maximizing my stage time. Any show I do, I know what I want to achieve with that show. I know what... This is a lesson that came later in life for me too, is when I was... I just... The part of standup I love the most is chasing the new bit. I'm always chasing. I did it to a detriment early on. And, uh, what clicked for me was knowing what to do, what bits to do on what show.

   17. JRJoe Rogan46:14

       How'd you do it to a detriment? What do you mean?

   18. FAFahim Anwar46:16

       It might be a showcase or something, and I'm like, "Oh, let me try this new thing-"

   19. JRJoe Rogan46:20

       Oh, God.

   20. FAFahim Anwar46:20

       "... I thought of tonight," or, uh, like earlier today.

   21. JRJoe Rogan46:22

       (laughs)

   22. FAFahim Anwar46:22

       I think it's f-... You know what I mean?

   23. JRJoe Rogan46:23

       (sighs) Yeah.

   24. FAFahim Anwar46:23

       Where I didn't realize I need to shine in this show-

   25. JRJoe Rogan46:26

       Yeah.

   26. FAFahim Anwar46:26

       ... not try a new bit.

   27. JRJoe Rogan46:28

       Right, right, right.

   28. FAFahim Anwar46:28

       So, once it clicked for me knowing what to do, what needs to be achieved on what show. Is this a impress show? I'm beyond that now. Like, I'm known in LA and shit. Like, it's kind of nice to be farther enough in your career where the store trusts you and you can take big swings and like, "I'm a made man, I'm fine." You know?

   29. JRJoe Rogan46:47

       Mm-hmm.

   30. FAFahim Anwar46:48

       But when you're coming up and the, you're not a paid regular yet, you-
5. 1:00:00 – 1:08:31

   Right. Right, right. …

   1. FAFahim Anwar1:00:00

      sitcom as a standup, no one really cares. I feel like podcasting and this world is the new acting. So now, when I get an audition and they go, "Hey, it's, like, three months in Atlanta," and it's- and it's, like, a very small show or some cable thing, that's great if you just wanna be an actor, but it's not gonna help your standup.

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:00:22

      Right. Right, right.

   3. FAFahim Anwar1:00:23

      Whereas back in the day, it would.

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:00:25

      Well, it'll help you a little. Like, there's some guys that get on TV shows and they- they start doing really well on the road-

   5. FAFahim Anwar1:00:31

      Standups?

   6. JRJoe Rogan1:00:32

      Yeah.

   7. FAFahim Anwar1:00:33

      Like who?

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:00:34

      Um, that's a good question. It used to be r- the only way, right? So, it became, like, a well-worn path and everybody would wanna get on a sitcom. You got on a sitcom or on some other show, like Soup to Soup or, you know-

   9. FAFahim Anwar1:00:50

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:00:50

       ... like, uh, some kind of a show where you could be on television and showcase that you have, like, a funny personality.

   11. FAFahim Anwar1:00:58

       Mm-hmm.

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:00:58

       And then, that would be an ad to get you to come to the clubs. Like, Stanhope said that best. We were talking about doing TV projects and he goes, "Let's be honest, like, every time you do a TV project, it's really just an ad to get people to come see you at the clubs." I was like, "You're 100% right. You're 100% right." But the- the problem with that way is that everybody wanted to do a specific kind of comedy because you wanted to get a television show. So, like, you wouldn't try to be ... Like, I remember there was a guy who was the host of an open mic night when I was up and coming, and he was, like, a local headliner in Boston, local professional. And he was telling me to stop swearing.... and telling me that I should stop talking about sex and t- talk about things that make people uncomfortable. And I said, "But the, but my favorite comedians all do that."

   13. FAFahim Anwar1:01:44

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:01:44

       I go, like, "My favorite comedians, so, like, Sam Kinison and, and Dice Clay." He goes, "I got news for you. You're not Dice Clay."

   15. FAFahim Anwar1:01:51

       (laughs)

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:01:51

       And I was like, "Well, how do you become Dice Clay?"

   17. FAFahim Anwar1:01:54

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:01:54

       Like, "What are you saying? Like, y- you're saying that there's only one style of comedy, even though the best ones are like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy, who didn't follow that at all?"

   19. FAFahim Anwar1:02:03

       Yeah. Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:02:04

       Like, "What are you saying?" And this was, this is me back then, trying to figure out what was going on here. And so, the, the path was... And Jay Leno still believes this to this, to this day. We actually talked about it when we were doing that Comedy Store documentary.

   21. FAFahim Anwar1:02:17

       Uh-huh.

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:02:17

       He still thinks to this day, you gotta be clean, and that's, that's the way you get the, the big, long market. You know, you're just gonna get short-term success if you're dirty. I'm like, "This is-"

   23. FAFahim Anwar1:02:26

       I know, yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:02:26

       "... such a crazy conversation." Like, d- clean or dirty, like, I do not give a fuck. Some of my favorite comedians are clean. Gaffigan-

   25. FAFahim Anwar1:02:32

       Mm-hmm.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:02:33

       Clean, genius, brilliant.

   27. FAFahim Anwar1:02:34

       Yeah, yeah. Bargatze, clean. Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:02:35

       Brian Regan, Brian Regan, clean, genius, brilliant. Nate Bargatze, clean, genius, brilliant. It doesn't matter.

   29. FAFahim Anwar1:02:42

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:02:42

       It's just good.

Episode duration: 2:56:53