CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:46
Friendship, gratitude, and the ‘rising tide’ of comedy circles
Joe and Bert open with an emotional appreciation of each other and the idea that careers are built together. They talk about how surrounding yourself with great peers keeps you grounded and pushes everyone upward.
- •Mutual gratitude and shared success over decades
- •Why strong peer groups matter more than individual credit
- •Comics comparing themselves breeds unnecessary conflict
- •Advice: don’t be the ‘top dog’ in your friend group—level up your circle
- 1:46 – 2:55
Comedy jealousy, old-school sabotage, and why it’s better now
They discuss how envy can turn into misplaced resentment toward more successful comics. Joe recalls stories of deliberate onstage/industry sabotage in earlier eras, while Bert says today’s scene feels more supportive—especially during his movie promotion.
- •How jealousy morphs into social hostility
- •Dice-era stories of comics undermining each other
- •Bert’s experience: supportive texts while promoting the film
- •Chappelle as an example of kindness and generosity
- 2:55 – 4:17
Meeting Chappelle and idolizing comedy ‘jazz’ masters
Bert describes finally meeting Dave Chappelle and how it felt like encountering a “great white shark” level talent. He compares different comic styles (Chappelle, Attell, Hedberg, Patrice) to different kinds of music and performance energy.
- •Chappelle’s presence and reputation among comics
- •Comedy style comparisons: jazz vs jam-band weirdness
- •Comics who shaped Bert’s taste in NYC
- •Why some comics’ greatness feels unmistakable in the room
- 4:17 – 5:24
Fame as a social game: working the room vs escaping it
They reflect on how celebrity spaces create weird incentives and behavior, where interaction can feel transactional. Bert admits he often leaves overwhelming rooms, while Joe notes how fame changes how open people can be with newcomers.
- •Transactional social dynamics around fame
- •Different personality types at celebrity gatherings
- •Bert’s anxiety about saying the wrong thing while drunk
- •How long-term familiarity differs from meeting ‘already famous’ people
- 5:24 – 11:04
The Israel Adesanya story: joking about fighters and nearly starting a bar brawl
Bert tells a long story about joking he could beat Israel Adesanya (if both drank 12 beers), then meeting him in New Zealand. The night escalates into shirtless bravado, table-to-table challenges, and buying rounds—cementing Adesanya as a ‘ride-or-die’ friend.
- •How casual jokes become real when the person hears them
- •Adesanya’s playful intimidation and surprising size
- •Late-night bar chaos: ‘who wants it?’ challenges
- •Ending the night by buying the whole bar shots multiple times
- 11:04 – 14:08
‘Earn your Mondays’: celebrating wins, tour-benders, and promoting The Machine
Bert shares his wife’s phrase “earn your Mondays” as a philosophy of working hard, then genuinely celebrating success. He ties it to Adesanya’s victory tours and jokes about the chaos he’ll unleash if his movie performs well, then makes a direct pitch for audiences to see The Machine in theaters.
- •Concept: work hard enough to deserve guilt-free rest/celebration
- •Adesanya’s ‘celebration tour’ mindset after wins
- •Bert’s extreme humor about needing ‘chloroform’ at the premiere
- •Call-to-action: get people back into theaters for The Machine
- 14:08 – 17:38
Awkward on-set intimacy: kissing scenes, honesty in promo, and actor myths
Bert explains how being ‘too honest’ complicates promotion, then tells a highly specific story about filming kissing scenes—body reactions included. They riff on the idea that ‘it’s just acting’ often conflicts with human biology and attraction.
- •Bert’s discomfort with PR questions and ‘acting’ expectations
- •Discovering a kissing scene late due to script-reading habits
- •Physical reality vs the ‘just acting’ narrative
- •Comedic riffing on celebrity relationships and on-set chemistry
- 17:38 – 21:20
Turning a signature bit into a movie and surviving press questions
Joe asks what it’s like to have a famous story become a film, and Bert describes the vulnerability of being publicly ‘defined’ by it. He talks about crowds chanting for “The Machine,” the Comedy Mothership moment with Ron White, and how interviews can distort the premise into accusations.
- •Audience expectations: chants and ‘you have to tell it’ pressure
- •Comedy Mothership anecdote: Ron White and ‘Tater Salad’
- •Press framing that turns comedy premises into moral indictments
- •Bert’s sense of vulnerability during the movie’s media cycle
- 21:20 – 30:16
Premiere culture, not ‘playing it cool,’ and celebrity energy (Arnold vs Ed Norton)
Bert describes the premiere guest list and his desire to treat the red carpet like a party, not a staged hierarchy. He contrasts Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fan-friendly energy with Ed Norton’s reserved reactions, and Joe suggests Bert’s high-energy enthusiasm can overwhelm some people.
- •Bert’s premiere ‘algorithm’: Snoop, porn stars, radio DJs, watch dealer
- •Why some actors won’t watch themselves on screen
- •Bert’s ‘host the carpet’ approach vs industry norms
- •Arnold matching fan energy; Ed Norton keeping distance
- 30:16 – 44:34
Action movies, John Wick fandom, and how culture changes what feels ‘corny’
They nerd out on John Wick’s choreography and why audiences root for a morally gray assassin—because of the puppy. The conversation expands into how older action scenes (and older comedies) look fake or unacceptable now, highlighting how quickly tastes and standards shift.
- •John Wick set-pieces and the ‘sexy assassin’ archetype
- •Why revenge over a dog creates instant audience buy-in
- •Roadhouse as a ‘great bad movie’ and shifting action realism expectations
- •How comedy and film norms evolve (and what ages poorly)
- 44:34 – 51:24
Old comedies under modern scrutiny: Ace Ventura, Sixteen Candles, and Revenge of the Nerds
They cite examples of classic comedies whose premises now read as overtly transphobic, racist, or sexually coercive. Joe and Bert discuss how normalizing these depictions shaped audiences, and how impossible it would be to recreate them today without backlash.
- •Ace Ventura’s infamous reveal scene and disgust gag
- •Sixteen Candles: problematic plotlines and consent issues
- •Revenge of the Nerds scene reframed as sexual assault
- •The speed of cultural change within one lifetime
- 51:24 – 58:41
War, barbarism, and ceasefires: from trench warfare to wolves
The talk pivots to how close modern society is to historical brutality, focusing on World War I trench warfare and the 1914 Christmas Truce. After a break, Joe adds a story about Russians and Germans pausing hostilities to deal with deadly wolves—then returning to war.
- •How quickly civilization’s norms can revert to violence
- •Christmas Truce (1914) and leadership fear of losing control
- •Myth-busting and fact-checking mid-conversation
- •‘Wolves caused a ceasefire’ anecdote and the absurdity of war
- 58:41 – 1:01:43
Modern mysteries: viral wolf videos, UFO balloons, and SpaceX reentry ‘alien’ moments
They debate whether a dramatic ‘wolves running through a city’ clip is real or composited, then shift to UFO footage near Roswell that might be a balloon or monitoring device. Bert recounts seeing SpaceX rockets reenter over LA and genuinely thinking it was an alien invasion.
- •Forensic analysis of viral footage (shadows, timing, compositing)
- •Roswell-area object: balloon vs surveillance vs misinterpretation
- •Why rocket reentry looks supernatural to laypeople
- •Speculating about what would happen if aliens arrived (politics, freedom)
- 1:01:43 – 1:15:02
Drugs, stimulants, and nicotine debates—ending with a cigar break
They riff on nicotine’s perceived cognitive benefits (via Huberman), decriminalization, and the insanity of selling hard drugs openly. The conversation veers into meth/Adderall/cocaine stories and gambling culture, then transitions into enjoying cigars together and talking wrappers and ring gauges.
- •Nicotine: delivery methods vs smoking harms
- •Decriminalization and ‘The Drugs Store’ controversy
- •Adderall vs meth comparisons and stimulant focus effects
- •Cigar break: Foundation cigars, wrappers, ring gauge preferences
- 1:15:02 – 2:54:00
Joey Diaz love, loyalty, therapy, and the roots of insecurity
Over cigars, they celebrate Joey Diaz’s unique presence and why certain places fit certain personalities (Jersey vs LA). Bert opens up about therapy, oversharing, and feeling ‘not good enough,’ linking it to upbringing and his relationship with his dad, while Joe shares his bullying origin story and martial arts path.
- •Joey Diaz stories: ‘Get it together, bitch’ and offstage hilarity
- •Agents/managers as ‘fulcrums’ and miscommunication in showbiz
- •Bert on people-pleasing, oversharing, and insecurity
- •Joe on bullying, wrestling/TKD, and why martial arts became central
