CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:34
Pauly’s Mothership set: being loose, silly, and riding the room
Joe opens by praising Pauly Shore’s recent set at the Comedy Mothership, emphasizing how relaxed and in-the-pocket Pauly looked. Pauly describes standup as rhythm and improvisational momentum where you discover the set in real time.
- •Joe calls it the funniest he’s seen Pauly and notes how comfortable he looked
- •Pauly describes standup as a rhythm where anything can happen
- •Backstage antics and playful physical comedy as part of Pauly’s onstage energy
- •How being ‘loose’ changes timing, risk-taking, and crowd connection
- 1:34 – 4:45
The building’s history: from the Ritz era to the Mothership renovation
They dive into the venue’s lineage—past incarnations as a punk club, nudie theater, pool hall, and the historical ‘Ritz’ identity. Joe explains the renovation process, architectural constraints, and why the building feels like a rock-and-roll room.
- •Stevie Ray Vaughan photo and the stage’s musical legacy
- •The Ritz as a historical landmark and what that means for the building
- •Previous uses: Alamo Drafthouse era and earlier transformations
- •Two-room layout origins and using an architect who knew the building’s ‘bones’
- 4:45 – 6:57
Austin’s comedy ecosystem: reps, stage time, and phone-free rooms
Joe and Pauly talk about the importance of a comedy community and how Austin’s scene accelerates comic development through constant stage time. They praise phone-locking systems for improving attention, freedom, and show quality.
- •Why comedy thrives with dense communities and ‘killers’ in the mix
- •Two shows per night in both rooms and frequent open mics
- •Naming rising comics in Austin’s orbit and how they’re tightening fast
- •Yonder bags: reducing distraction and creating a safer creative space
- 6:57 – 10:11
Phone addiction, Pauly’s therapy work, and reframing trauma
The conversation shifts from audience distraction to personal well-being. Pauly describes a long-running intensive group-therapy program, processing grief and trauma, and the challenge of comparing yourself to others—especially in the social media era.
- •Pauly’s five-day group therapy: helping others while being helped
- •Trauma as something that happens to you—not your identity
- •Grief related to his parents’ deaths and personal life struggles
- •Social media comparison loops and mental health impacts
- 10:11 – 15:15
Booking the show, podcast origins, and interviewing as a craft
Pauly asks how guests reach Joe and uses Nicolas Cage as an example, prompting a discussion about booking, direct outreach, and Joe’s selection process. Joe recounts the show’s early couch/bedroom days and how podcasting improved with repetition and inspiration from radio hangs.
- •How Joe books: a team exists but Joe chooses and responds directly
- •Nicolas Cage interest and the ‘just text me’ reality of access
- •Podcast origin story: couch → spare bedroom studio → evolving format
- •Preparation varies by guest (friends vs scientists) and why it matters
- 15:15 – 17:23
Politics and cities: ‘not red,’ ideology backlash, and the LA homeless crisis
Pauly probes Joe’s perceived politics in Austin, leading Joe to clarify he’s not Republican and is reacting to ideological extremes. Joe criticizes government spending outcomes in LA/SF homelessness and argues the root causes are mental illness, addiction, and trauma—especially among veterans.
- •Austin as a blue city in a red state; Joe’s voting history and stance
- •Distinguishing social programs from ‘crazy ideologies’
- •Homelessness incentives: budgets, bureaucracy, and worsening outcomes
- •Root causes: mental health, addiction, and veteran trauma
- 17:23 – 23:30
Solutions: mental health institutions, AA analogies, and psychedelic therapy (ibogaine)
They discuss how deinstitutionalization increased visible homelessness and what a modern humane system could look like. Joe argues for exploring all effective treatments—including legal psychedelic therapies—spotlighting ibogaine as a potential addiction intervention.
- •Reagan-era policy changes and releasing patients into the streets
- •Need for dedicated, funded care facilities as a societal investment
- •AA as a model for structured support and community accountability
- •Ibogaine: intense experience, addiction interruption, and legalization debate
- 23:30 – 26:55
Mitzi Shore’s Parkinson’s, stem cells, and ‘medical tourism’ stories
Pauly recounts taking his mother to the Bahamas for fetal-cell injections, both comedically and emotionally, believing it helped prolong her functioning. Joe connects the story to the broader stem-cell controversy and how misconceptions shaped US research and funding politics.
- •Pauly’s mother pursuing experimental treatment abroad
- •Cost/package logistics and the surreal nature of the procedure
- •Stem cells vs ‘aborted fetus’ misconceptions and political backlash
- •How medical desperation collides with ethics, regulation, and hope
- 26:55 – 32:49
Urology detour: Rezūm procedure, catheters, and bodily comedy
The talk takes a hard comedic turn into Pauly’s bladder/prostate issues and his Rezūm procedure. Pauly describes the catheter/piss-bag week as both inconvenient and oddly liberating, and Joe riffs on how humans handle bodily functions (and why bidets rule).
- •Frequent nighttime urination and incomplete emptying symptoms
- •Rezūm: steam therapy shrinking prostate tissue to improve flow
- •Catheter and leg bag logistics; the ‘piss while eating dinner’ bit
- •Bidets and the broader theme of hygiene technology being underrated
- 32:49 – 40:23
Building a comedy capital: club ownership, operations, and dialing in the rooms
They return to comedy infrastructure: Austin’s cluster of clubs, what it means to own a venue, and how hard it is to run one well. Joe details the management team, booking pathways, and obsessive design tweaks—plus Louis C.K.’s input on stage/ceiling changes and backstage signaling systems.
- •Austin’s club density and comics doing multiple sets per night
- •Why owning a club is stressful—artists, audiences, and constant fires
- •Operational roles: experienced staff from the Comedy Store ecosystem
- •Room design details: stage size, ceiling height, lighting cues, green-room monitors
- 40:23 – 1:13:23
Comedy Store origin stories: Kinison, Westwood chaos, and Pauly’s upbringing
Pauly and Joe swap deep-cut Comedy Store lore: Pauly as a teen short-order cook, comics ‘babysitting’ him, and wild nights with Kinison. Pauly paints the ‘80s scene as a combustible mix of fame, drugs, mentorship, and constant surprises—then pivots into his father Sammy Shore’s overlooked role in founding the club.
- •Pauly’s Kinison stories: after-parties, coke on the fish-tank lid, idol worship
- •Westwood Comedy Store ecosystem and the era’s hard-partying culture
- •Iconic drop-ins and the unpredictable energy of Mitzi’s Store
- •Sammy Shore’s career (Sanford and Son, Ed Sullivan) and founding partnership
- 1:13:23 – 2:39:49
Mitzi Shore’s legacy: ruthless taste, industry feuds, and comedy as salvation
They reflect on Mitzi’s talent for developing comedians and how her harsh standards created a gold-standard proving ground. Pauly gets personal about caring for her during her decline, the emotional weight of the Store, and how touring and performing became a lifeline; they close by discussing greats (Chappelle, Eddie), celebrity isolation, music culture, and drug temptations that artists avoid—or don’t.
- •Mitzi’s ‘call you over’ approval system and throwing comics into the fire
- •Why Pauly feels pressure at the Store versus freedom elsewhere
- •Caring for Mitzi in her final years and the heavy emotional reality
- •Comedy as a shared drug: stress relief, meaning, and community
- •Later tangents: Eddie Murphy returning, celebrity isolation (Dre/Cage), music/heroin discussion, and Joe’s refusal of coke/heroin
