CHAPTERS
- 0:01 – 1:39
Golf resistance, Jamie’s simulator obsession, and Joey’s long-awaited memoir
Joe and Joey riff on Jamie’s golf addiction and Joe’s fear of getting hooked himself. The conversation quickly pivots to Joey finally finishing his book—something he says took decades—and the relief of getting his life stories “off his chest.”
- •Jamie’s golf routine and the allure of sports-skill rabbit holes
- •Joe’s fear of becoming addicted to golf like his friends
- •Joey’s book taking 22 years to complete
- •Getting help organizing the manuscript and the catharsis of finishing
- 1:39 – 2:44
Recording the audiobook and the ‘I got my money’s worth’ philosophy on life
Joey explains how he approached narrating the audiobook and how quickly he knocked it out once he found a rhythm. Reading his own life back to himself leads to a core takeaway: whatever happened, good or bad, he lived fully and restarted countless times.
- •Audiobook process: pacing, scheduling, and finishing in weeks
- •Seeing his life as a series of ‘restarts’ and reinventions
- •A sense of closure and gratitude even amid chaos
- •Joey’s self-description as unsettled and constantly moving
- 2:44 – 3:16
How Joe and Joey bonded instantly—and why Hollywood people felt ‘weirded out’
Joe describes meeting Joey in early LA and recognizing him as someone familiar compared to the performative vibe of Hollywood. They laugh about Joey’s blunt presence in executive spaces and how that authenticity made Joe comfortable while it unsettled others.
- •Joe’s discomfort with actors vs comfort with comics/degenerates
- •Instant friendship and shared social ‘language’
- •Joey’s intimidating early persona and reputation
- •Authenticity vs performative Hollywood networking
- 3:16 – 5:40
Catered-green-room chaos: shrimp cocktail, chili, and crashing the executives
They relive specific set-piece memories from NewsRadio and other gigs where Joey fearlessly wandered into VIP areas. Joey recalls being broke and hungry, eating enormous amounts, and then charming executives while taking their food—creating equal parts fear and laughter.
- •NewsRadio-era green-room segregation and catered executive perks
- •Joey eating “10 bowls” of chili while broke
- •Walking into the executive room for shrimp cocktail and mingling
- •Comedic tension: executives too scared to confront him
- 5:40 – 7:20
Pitch meetings and the funeral-parlor idea that echoed ‘Six Feet Under’
Joey tells a story about a late-’90s HBO meeting where he went off-script into vivid tales of working around dead bodies and funeral homes. The execs loved the shock value and asked for notes; months later, Six Feet Under appeared, prompting discussion about parallel development vs idea theft.
- •Joey’s frustration with polished Hollywood pitch culture
- •Funeral-parlor stories as compelling raw material
- •Exec enthusiasm followed by rejection and industry skepticism
- •Comparing Joey’s concept to what Six Feet Under became
- 7:20 – 10:30
Death, souls, and why open-casket wakes messed Joey up as a kid
Joe reflects on seeing his grandfather in an open casket and the eerie sense that the ‘person’ is gone, sparking questions about souls and energy. Joey describes early exposure to wakes in New Jersey and how it left lasting psychological effects, to the point he’d shield his daughter from it.
- •The uncanny ‘absence’ felt around dead bodies
- •Formaldehyde/makeup and the strangeness of viewing rituals
- •Joey’s childhood wake experiences and long-term impact
- •Choosing to confront fear by working at a funeral parlor later
- 10:30 – 14:25
Mortuary-industry realities: embalming, casket upsells, and cultural alternatives
They dig into the practical and financial side of death care—training, pay, embalming steps, and how families are pressured into expensive caskets. The conversation contrasts modern American practices with older or different cultural approaches (Vikings, Aztecs, Chinese), questioning what’s healthy or necessary.
- •Funeral-director track: time-to-income and why it’s attractive
- •Embalming basics and the taboo around the process
- •Casket marketing and guilt-based upselling
- •Alternative death rituals and returning the body to nature
- 14:25 – 15:51
Epstein autopsy talk and the broader ‘power can hide anything’ argument
Discussion jumps to autopsies, Michael Baden, and the Epstein case—fractures, ligature strangulation indicators, and why the story still fuels suspicion. Joe uses it as an example of institutional power, media distraction, and how public outrage gets redirected to culture-war topics.
- •Autopsy culture and the appeal of forensic truth-finding
- •Epstein neck injuries and strangulation vs hanging debate
- •Ghislaine Maxwell, missing client lists, and public complacency
- •Distraction dynamics: outrage cycles vs accountability
- 15:51 – 23:18
Politics fatigue, presidents, and a deep dive into JFK conspiracy threads
Joey argues he avoids politics because it rarely changes day-to-day life, sharing a restaurant story where he calls himself “a felon” instead of a party label. Joe and Joey then spiral into JFK: Bay of Pigs fallout, CIA tensions, Oswald-as-patsy theories, and MKUltra-adjacent figures like Jolly West.
- •Joey’s rejection of partisan identity and ‘everyone’s an analyst’ culture
- •Joe’s view on morale, leadership, and the cost of bad figureheads
- •JFK: Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, CIA conflict narratives
- •Oswald as patsy, Jack Ruby’s breakdown, and MKUltra references
- 23:18 – 29:03
‘Godfather of Harlem’ and how gangsters, civil rights, and CIA plots intertwine
Joey recommends Godfather of Harlem, praising its casting and political-historical weave—Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali’s name change timing, and organized crime’s influence. The conversation branches into Castro assassination attempts (Operation Mongoose), documentary references, and the overlap of crime and geopolitics.
- •Why Godfather of Harlem stands out beyond typical crime drama
- •Ali, Malcolm X, and sponsor/power dynamics
- •Castro assassination attempts and CIA schemes as pop-history education
- •Casting choices (e.g., D’Onofrio, Esposito) and historical texture
- 29:03 – 32:22
Bathroom break energy: aging realities, peeing logistics, and traffic war stories
After a quick pause, Joey launches into brutally practical stories about bathroom urgency, keeping a bottle in the car, and surviving the New Jersey turnpike. They compare NYC vs LA traffic and relive the insane LA-to-San Diego comedy commute—sometimes fueled by drugs and reckless speed.
- •Aging and the end of ‘holding it’
- •Joey’s car-bottle routine and turnpike survival tactics
- •LA vs NYC traffic comparisons and choke points
- •Old road-gig logistics: timing, shoulders, and risky speed runs
- 32:22 – 35:56
Fentanyl era fear: why old coke habits would be deadly today
Joe asks whether Joey is glad his heavy drug years happened before fentanyl contamination; both agree today’s risk is drastically higher. They discuss Narcan, overdose numbers, and how fentanyl’s potency makes contamination a constant threat across substances (including counterfeit pills).
- •Cocaine as ‘Russian roulette’—now compounded by fentanyl
- •Why sourcing and testing became necessary for some users
- •Narcan availability and parents sending it to college kids
- •Fentanyl’s extreme potency explained with the penny comparison
- 35:56 – 56:52
Pain pills, Xanax stockpiles, panic attacks, and the brutal benzo taper
Joey describes learning that opioids and benzos can worsen overall wellbeing—sharing a post-surgery pain-pill experience and a huge Xanax stockpile from years of prescriptions. He recounts panic attacks (including a frightening Comedy Store blackout), escalating Xanax use during the pandemic, and a difficult months-long taper due to dangerous withdrawal effects.
- •Opioid prescriptions varying by state and addiction safeguards
- •Joey’s realization: some meds seemed to amplify pain/anxiety
- •Panic attacks, stage ‘autopilot,’ and why Xanax became a crutch
- •Benzo withdrawal dangers, tapering strategy, and central nervous system effects
- 56:52 – 1:01:32
Weed, freedom, and vice policy: Texas laws, casinos, and ‘let people live’
Joe argues cannabis prohibition is a misguided culture-war relic and frames legalization as a freedom issue rather than a left/right identity marker. The conversation extends to gambling—casinos as addiction magnets, extreme stories of slot-machine obsession, and the broader idea that adults must be allowed to make risky choices.
- •Cannabis legalization framed as personal freedom and harm reduction
- •Comparisons to other legal vices: alcohol, gambling, junk food
- •Casinos and visible addiction: oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, nonstop play
- •Anecdotes about gamblers urinating/diapers to avoid leaving machines
- 1:01:32 – 1:08:53
Comedy careers and community: riding the internet wave and building a new club
Joe reflects on aging, purpose, and getting better at life with experience, while Joey shares fears of becoming a bitter, stagnant comic. Joe explains how comics benefited from timing—podcasts/YouTube arriving when they were fully formed—and recounts the pandemic-driven move to Austin and the decision to build a club with a ‘Comedy Store dream team.’
- •Aging well: learning, positivity, and resisting cynicism
- •Joey’s fear of becoming a resentful ‘stuck’ comedy-store fixture
- •The internet as the new mainstream for comedy distribution
- •Pandemic catalysts: leaving LA, creating a standup community hub in Austin
- 1:08:53 – 1:28:17
LA’s pandemic-era chaos, guns, defund-the-police backlash, and crime policy debates
Joey describes how visible neighborhood breakdown in LA amplified his fear more than the virus itself—violence, disorder, and feeling forced to buy weapons despite hating them. Joe and Joey argue defunding police was misguided, discuss bail reform and repeat offenders, and broaden into deterrence, prison’s failures, and the long-term burden of felonies.
- •Neighborhood instability as a psychological trigger during COVID
- •Fear-driven gun acquisition vs discomfort with weapons ‘energy’
- •Defund/bail reform critiques, repeat-offender stats, and deterrence logic
- •Prison as warehousing: lack of programs, recidivism, and felony limitations
- 1:28:17 – 1:51:15
Rediscovering standup: Joey’s ‘switch’ moment, residency idea, and Comedy Store mentorship
Joe asks about the specific moment Joey leveled up on stage, describing a sudden transformation from stiff joke-telling to full storytelling dominance. Joey talks about focusing on standup without overcommitting to travel, the anxiety of stacking dates, and how Mitzi Shore’s pressure-testing and Sunday-night reps built real confidence.
- •Joe’s observation of Joey’s sudden performance ‘jump’
- •Joey’s plan: limited travel, potential residency, and lowering anxiety
- •Mitzi Shore as a confidence builder through high-pressure spots
- •The grind logic: doing it for craft, not money, and the open-mic ecosystem
- 1:51:15 – 2:20:30
Music rabbit hole: Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Beatles contrarianism, and James Brown greatness
They pivot into a long music appreciation segment—Soundgarden’s emotional power, Zeppelin’s sonic experimentation, and how tastes evolve (including later Beatles appreciation). They watch a famously chaotic James Brown interview and performance clips, using them as examples of once-in-a-generation talent and era-defining courage.
- •Soundgarden’s ‘Blow Up the Outside World’ as a ‘spiritual’ track
- •Led Zeppelin album-by-album evolution and production quirks
- •Beatles vs Stones/Zeppelin identity debates and changing tastes with age
- •James Brown clips: charisma, chaos, cultural impact, and live intensity
- 2:20:30 – 2:29:24
Book release details and the deeper pattern: anxiety coping from pacifiers to pills
As the conversation circles back to Joey’s memoir release date, he describes writing during a turbulent period of surgery and withdrawal. He connects his adult reliance on substances to childhood coping behaviors—pacifiers and ritualized habits—ending on the idea that anxiety can be trained through breathing, meditation, and healthier routines.
- •Release timing: book and audiobook availability
- •Writing during withdrawal and post-surgery health scares
- •Lifelong coping mechanisms: pacifiers, rituals, and ‘smoothing bumps’
- •Post-benzo life: breathwork, meditation, sleep hygiene, and reducing morning internet
