Joe Rogan Experience #2001 - Gabriel Iglesias

1. 0:00 – 1:37

   Finally on JRE: Icehouse matinees, clean vs. late-night sets

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) Finally, finally you're here. Finally.

   4. GIGabriel Iglesias0:14

      Finally. (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      You're one of the most requested guys ever.

   6. GIGabriel Iglesias0:17

      (laughs)

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      And I was like, "I gotta see him somewhere. I gotta run into him." We'll make it happen. So we made it happen. I'm excited to see you, brother.

   8. GIGabriel Iglesias0:24

      It's a, it's a pleasure, finally. I mean, we've, we've run into so many similar circles for so many years, and it's like-

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:28

      Well, we ran into each other at the Canelo fight.

   10. GIGabriel Iglesias0:30

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:31

       Yeah.

   12. GIGabriel Iglesias0:31

       But I mean, I, God, I've, I've been seeing you for 20 years.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:34

       Yeah.

   14. GIGabriel Iglesias0:35

       You know?

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:35

       Well, you were always the hero of the Icehouse. We'd go down to the Icehouse, well, "How the fuck does he sell out so many shows?"

   16. GIGabriel Iglesias0:41

       (laughs)

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Gabriel's doing like a 2:00 in the afternoon show, (laughs) a 4:00 PM show. How many shows did you do in a day at one point in time?

   18. GIGabriel Iglesias0:47

       Uh, the most I ever did in one day, uh, like full sets, not just like-

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       Yeah.

   20. GIGabriel Iglesias0:50

       ... a 10-minute spot? Four shows.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:52

       Four. (laughs)

   22. GIGabriel Iglesias0:52

       Four, four full one-hour shows.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:54

       (laughs)

   24. GIGabriel Iglesias0:54

       But yeah, we were doing, uh, matinee shows at the Icehouse.

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:57

       It's wild. It was wild. Like, you know, it would, we'd go down there and see the signs and all the p- It was like, "This is crazy." Like, "Who the fuck is doing that?"

   26. GIGabriel Iglesias1:06

       You know, 'cause I was doing, uh, like, they were calling them kid shows because I was allowing all ages, like-

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:10

       Oh.

   28. GIGabriel Iglesias1:11

       Bob Fischer was bending the rules to let me have, you know?

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:13

       That's great 'cause your act is perfect for that.

   30. GIGabriel Iglesias1:16

       But, you know, I mean, I ge- I, I, I tailored it. I tailored it.
2. 1:37 – 4:13

   From clubs to Dodger Stadium: the calmest “pressure” and a costly overrun

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:37

      Yeah. So you go from, go from that to doing Dodger Stadium?

   2. GIGabriel Iglesias1:42

      Well, there was a couple shows in between. (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:43

      I know, but what the fuck, dude? What is that like?

   4. GIGabriel Iglesias1:47

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:47

      That had to be a trip.

   6. GIGabriel Iglesias1:49

      Y-

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:49

      What the fuck was that like?

   8. GIGabriel Iglesias1:50

      You know what? Um, I, I thought that I was gonna be super nervous doing that show, but it, it was probably one of the most calm experiences for me as far as, like, not feeling pressure because it felt more like a celebration-

   9. JRJoe Rogan2:04

      Ah.

   10. GIGabriel Iglesias2:04

       ... versus me having to perform. Like, all these people are already here because they know what I've done-

   11. JRJoe Rogan2:10

       Right.

   12. GIGabriel Iglesias2:10

       ... over the years.

   13. JRJoe Rogan2:11

       Right.

   14. GIGabriel Iglesias2:11

       And it's not like, "Oh, I gotta make s- I hope I have a good set."

   15. JRJoe Rogan2:14

       Right.

   16. GIGabriel Iglesias2:15

       There's, I forget how many people total, but there were so many people there that all they want is for you to do good.

   17. JRJoe Rogan2:21

       Right.

   18. GIGabriel Iglesias2:21

       They want, they wanna see you succeed.

   19. JRJoe Rogan2:23

       Look at that. (laughs)

   20. GIGabriel Iglesias2:25

       They want this, they want this to go well for you.

   21. JRJoe Rogan2:27

       Bro, that's so crazy.

   22. GIGabriel Iglesias2:28

       And, and to feel that energy of, of people wanting you to succeed, wanting you to do good.

   23. JRJoe Rogan2:33

       Wow.

   24. GIGabriel Iglesias2:33

       You know, people that were there for, for the ride back at the Icehouse, you know, 20-some-odd years ago.

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:38

       Look at all those people.

   26. GIGabriel Iglesias2:38

       And so, yeah. (clears throat)

   27. JRJoe Rogan2:40

       That, that is insane. That's insane. (laughs)

   28. GIGabriel Iglesias2:44

       It was, it was a beautiful moment. I was choked up in the first 30 seconds walking out there because they-

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:48

       Wow.

   30. GIGabriel Iglesias2:48

       ... just kept cheering, like, like, you know. And then I said, "We did it."
3. 4:13 – 6:55

   Starting in ’97: bar gigs, one-nighters, and the pre-social-media grind

   1. GIGabriel Iglesias4:13

      You gotta figure, 20-some-odd years ago, um, you know, maybe they had a Latino night, you know. It, you had to really know somebody, somebody had to really vouch for you, or you, you just ... It, it was weird. I, most of my shows were at bars.

   2. JRJoe Rogan4:26

      So what year did you start?

   3. GIGabriel Iglesias4:27

      Uh, I started in '97.

   4. JRJoe Rogan4:29

      '97. So most of those years you were hopping around, doing bars, doing-

   5. GIGabriel Iglesias4:34

      One-nighters and stuff like that.

   6. JRJoe Rogan4:35

      ... one-nighters.

   7. GIGabriel Iglesias4:36

      "Oh, so-and-so has a room. So-and-so has a room." You know, blah, blah, blah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan4:38

      Joey Diaz took me to a lot of those places.

   9. GIGabriel Iglesias4:40

      Oh yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan4:41

       Joey Diaz would tell you, "Come on, motherfucker. You wanna go to the real place?"

   11. GIGabriel Iglesias4:44

       (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan4:44

       He would take you to some Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere that's run by Mexican people.

   13. GIGabriel Iglesias4:49

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan4:49

       It was amazing. Joey would take ... He knew where all-

   15. GIGabriel Iglesias4:51

       You wanna see where Escobar would spend his weekends? (laughs)

   16. JRJoe Rogan4:53

       He would go to all these fucking crazy shows, but he had a philosophy behind it. He was like, "You know, I wanna go everywhere. I wanna go everywhere. I wanna get in front of these fucking momos. I wanna go down to the east side and rock those motherfuckers." He would just like, he wanted to do all kinds of different shows, like just to like f- feel it out, you know? And y- I think he's right, though. Like, those dingy bar shows, there's something about those shows that teach you a little extra, a different muscle.

   17. GIGabriel Iglesias5:18

       It's, it's humbling.

   18. JRJoe Rogan5:18

       Yeah.

   19. GIGabriel Iglesias5:18

       But the cool part was, is that I was used to performing in places like that before I actually got an audience that was willing to just be quiet and listen.

   20. JRJoe Rogan5:26

       Yes.

   21. GIGabriel Iglesias5:27

       So I felt like, "Oh wow, that was hard."

   22. JRJoe Rogan5:29

       (laughs)

   23. GIGabriel Iglesias5:29

       You know, 'cause you have to come out the gate swinging-

   24. JRJoe Rogan5:32

       Mm-hmm.

   25. GIGabriel Iglesias5:32

       ... to get people in a bar, people that are focused on the game, focused on trying to hook up, having a drink-

   26. JRJoe Rogan5:38

       Yeah.

   27. GIGabriel Iglesias5:38

       ... trying to wait, you know, waiting for somebody. There's-... all kinds of different things happening. And so the fact that, you know, to be able to go out there and get their attention.

   28. JRJoe Rogan5:45

       Yeah.

   29. GIGabriel Iglesias5:46

       You know? That, that, that was like a, a ... Like, it was school.

   30. JRJoe Rogan5:49

       Yeah.
4. 6:55 – 12:06

   Quitting the day job: cellphone sales, eviction, repo threats, and resolve

   1. GIGabriel Iglesias6:55

      ... I knew that with time, money would come as long as I, I stuck it out, you know? I, I was in a very cush position when I started doing standup.

   2. JRJoe Rogan7:04

      Ah.

   3. GIGabriel Iglesias7:04

      So it was, it was a little, you know, challenging to say goodbye to security.

   4. JRJoe Rogan7:09

      Yeah.

   5. GIGabriel Iglesias7:09

      You know, I had a, I had a great gig selling cellphones. I was making about 5K a month.

   6. JRJoe Rogan7:13

      Hmm.

   7. GIGabriel Iglesias7:14

      You know, and I ... In 1997, you know-

   8. JRJoe Rogan7:16

      Yeah.

   9. GIGabriel Iglesias7:16

      ... working in sales, making that, I, I'd never had insurance. I had a, you know, a nice little PPO plan.

   10. JRJoe Rogan7:22

       Couldn't you work there during the day?

   11. GIGabriel Iglesias7:22

       Brand new ... I did.

   12. JRJoe Rogan7:24

       For how long?

   13. GIGabriel Iglesias7:25

       I did. I lasted about a year, because I found out that (clears throat) I couldn't just do my job and then go do shows at night and then go home. You couldn't go home. You had to stay out. We had to wind up at a Denny's. You had to wind up at some freaking taco shop or whatever at two, three o'clock in the morning-

   14. JRJoe Rogan7:40

       Right.

   15. GIGabriel Iglesias7:41

       ... talking to other comics, because that was the only other way you were gonna find out about another show.

   16. JRJoe Rogan7:45

       Yeah.

   17. GIGabriel Iglesias7:45

       You couldn't send a tweet. You couldn't send a text, 'cause you, you didn't have that as an option. You had to talk to people.

   18. JRJoe Rogan7:50

       Right.

   19. GIGabriel Iglesias7:50

       You know, "Hey, so and so has a room." "Oh, really? What's his ... Okay, give me that number." And you had to learn to write numbers and save numbers and information and learn how to follow up.

   20. JRJoe Rogan7:58

       Hmm.

   21. GIGabriel Iglesias7:59

       "Hey, what do you think about," you know? And then, "Yeah, yeah. Uh, can you vouch for me?" That meant a lot back then, someone calling-

   22. JRJoe Rogan8:04

       Yes.

   23. GIGabriel Iglesias8:04

       ... on your behalf. "Hey, so and so's got a tight ten."

   24. JRJoe Rogan8:07

       Yeah, it's huge.

   25. GIGabriel Iglesias8:08

       You know?

   26. JRJoe Rogan8:08

       That's huge.

   27. GIGabriel Iglesias8:09

       So, staying out late at night, uh, coming home at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning and then having to be up at 7:00 to go do my nine-to-five. It ... Fortunately, I was young and I was able to hang for about a year, and then I just couldn't.

   28. JRJoe Rogan8:22

       Hmm.

   29. GIGabriel Iglesias8:22

       I was falling asleep at work and I got caught.

   30. JRJoe Rogan8:25

       (laughs)
5. 12:06 – 15:19

   Learning to be onstage: speech classes, silence, and mic technique

   1. JRJoe Rogan12:06

      Yeah, for sure. The only thing, like, a comedy class is good for is it actually gets people on stage.

   2. GIGabriel Iglesias12:10

      Getting on stage is the first thing.

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:12

      (clears throat) Yeah.

   4. GIGabriel Iglesias12:12

      Um, one thing that, that I w- I feel like I had an advantage when I f- started doing standup was, uh, I took, um, speech classes in high school.

   5. JRJoe Rogan12:21

      Mm.

   6. GIGabriel Iglesias12:22

      And so I was very comfortable getting up in front of the class and, um, just talking.

   7. JRJoe Rogan12:27

      Right. (clears throat)

   8. GIGabriel Iglesias12:27

      Just talking. There was no jokes back then. It was just, can you get in front of the crowd? Can you, can you, uh, convey a message? Can you talk about whatever? So, I got very comfortable with people being quiet.

   9. JRJoe Rogan12:38

      Mm.

   10. GIGabriel Iglesias12:39

       A lot of times people don't... They, they freak out when the audience is quiet. And I like it when they're quiet because it means they're listening.

   11. JRJoe Rogan12:45

       Mm.

   12. GIGabriel Iglesias12:46

       They're listening to you. And at this point, if the crowd is quiet, they trust that whatever I'm gonna do is gonna work 'cause they're paying attention and-

   13. JRJoe Rogan12:54

       Yeah.

   14. GIGabriel Iglesias12:54

       ... you know? It's-

   15. JRJoe Rogan12:55

       Yeah.

   16. GIGabriel Iglesias12:56

       ... it's, so it's one of those like, it, it took a long time for me to get used to that.

   17. JRJoe Rogan13:00

       Mm. Yeah, getting used to talking to people, that's huge. Just getting used to being, like, the center of attention, that's huge.

   18. GIGabriel Iglesias13:07

       Having eyeballs on you.

   19. JRJoe Rogan13:08

       Yeah.

   20. GIGabriel Iglesias13:08

       'Cause a lot of times, you know, it's like people say, "Oh, the scariest thing in the world, jumping out of a airplane or doing this or, you know, going cliff diving." But, you know, most people cannot handle being in front of a crowd. Most people get uncomfortable. They're like, "Ugh, this is not-"

   21. JRJoe Rogan13:20

       You know what Whitney told me? Whitney Comics told me that that originates from, uh, the ancient tribes that we used to live in when you were brought in front of the tribe to be judged. That's why they were all looking at you.

   22. GIGabriel Iglesias13:31

       Mm-hmm.

   23. JRJoe Rogan13:32

       Like, when there's all these people looking at you, it's not... It's either there's some sort of a dilemma that you have to warn people about or you're being judged. Both those things are riddled with anxiety.

   24. GIGabriel Iglesias13:40

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan13:41

       So, people get-

   26. GIGabriel Iglesias13:41

       Totally.

   27. JRJoe Rogan13:42

       So we have, like, a natural instinct. Not like, "Oh, look. All my friends. What's up, guys?" It's just like, "Oh, Jesus. Everyone's looking at me. Holy shit." Yeah. I used to-

   28. GIGabriel Iglesias13:52

       And-

   29. JRJoe Rogan13:52

       I was teaching martial arts, so I was used to people listening to me. So, I was used... I did that. I think that helped me a lot 'cause I had a lot of social anxiety when I was young, like, just talking to people. But then when I had to learn how to teach people-

   30. GIGabriel Iglesias14:04

       Mm-hmm.
6. 15:19 – 19:03

   Early road ‘mentors’: Joey Diaz & Marilyn Martinez, plus comedy’s lost “home base”

   1. GIGabriel Iglesias15:19

      Yeah, so, uh, first time out on the road I was, uh, I was doing a, a comedy club called Bart Reads Comic Strip in El Paso, Texas. And I was there as an opener, and that was the first time I did a comedy club, was Bart Reads Comic Strip El Paso. That's where I had to go, and I'm from LA.

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:35

      Mm.

   3. GIGabriel Iglesias15:35

      You know what I mean?

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:35

      Yeah.

   5. GIGabriel Iglesias15:35

      Like, I'd done a million bars-

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:37

      Yeah.

   7. GIGabriel Iglesias15:37

      ... and dives and little holes in the wall.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:38

      But that was the first real comedy club.

   9. GIGabriel Iglesias15:39

      But first actual comedy club. And then, um, I remember I went on the road actually with Joe Diaz and with Marilyn Martinez.

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:46

       Mm.

   11. GIGabriel Iglesias15:46

       And so, uh, I- I did (laughs) a show with the two of them. And getting a comedy course from Marilyn Martinez and Joey Diaz at the same time-

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:53

       (laughs)

   13. GIGabriel Iglesias15:53

       ... is something I will never forget because the two of them are so, like... They, they were just yin and yang, you know?

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:58

       Yeah.

   15. GIGabriel Iglesias15:58

       I remember how, how awesome that friendship was. And they were just so real and raw with me, and I'm just sitting there and I'm this 21-year-old kid and I'm just like-

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:07

       (laughs)

   17. GIGabriel Iglesias16:07

       ... "Oh, my God." (laughs)

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:08

       (laughs)

   19. GIGabriel Iglesias16:10

       You know? And if you knew the two of them, you'd know, like, wow, that's, that's a hell of a, uh, a lesson that you-

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:15

       Yeah.

   21. GIGabriel Iglesias16:16

       ... you get.

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:16

       Well, that is a beautiful thing about people when they think you're funny, that they will take you, take you under their wing. They will give you some advice and will talk to you about stuff.

   23. GIGabriel Iglesias16:23

       Both of them were super nice.

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:25

       Yeah, yeah.

   25. GIGabriel Iglesias16:25

       Super nice.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:25

       They were both super nice. Yeah, I miss Marilyn. She was always cool to have hang around at the store. She was hilarious.

   27. GIGabriel Iglesias16:31

       Oh, I'd sit in the back and listen to Marilyn critique the comics.

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:35

       (laughs)

   29. GIGabriel Iglesias16:35

       Like, "Oh, look at him. He thinks he's gonna make it."

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:39

       (laughs)
7. 19:03 – 21:16

   Comedy clubs by design: why Joe’s club has no food (and the roach problem)

   1. GIGabriel Iglesias19:03

      Hey, how come you don't have food at your club? (laughs)

   2. JRJoe Rogan19:07

      (laughs)

   3. GIGabriel Iglesias19:07

      I just... Sorry, I just put that out there. (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan19:08

      Why do I not want to have food in my club? Because it's a distraction. Do you wanna look down and see people eating while they're watching a show? They're there for a show.

   5. GIGabriel Iglesias19:15

      I get it.

   6. JRJoe Rogan19:16

      Yeah. I get it with you.

   7. GIGabriel Iglesias19:18

      (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan19:19

      I get it. I get what you're saying.

   9. GIGabriel Iglesias19:20

      (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan19:21

       But... Yeah, no. It gets in the way. It used to be no food at the store and then they started adding food and it was just like... I think it just gets in the way. I mean, I don't have a problem with clubs that do it. I've... A lot of clubs have great food. The Improv's always have great food. But I think it's a distraction, you know? And also, it brings roaches.

   11. GIGabriel Iglesias19:41

       Okay.

   12. JRJoe Rogan19:41

       Yeah.

   13. GIGabriel Iglesias19:41

       I didn't think about that.

   14. JRJoe Rogan19:42

       Yeah. You know, if you have food laying around... One of the things that we found when we first, um, um, looked at the club, the club was the Alamo Drafthouse before it was, uh, the, the comedy club-

   15. GIGabriel Iglesias19:52

       Mm-hmm.

   16. JRJoe Rogan19:52

       ... so we went in there and they had this huge kitchen that they would make pizzas and shit in, and there was fucking giant roaches everywhere.

   17. GIGabriel Iglesias19:58

       Ugh.

   18. JRJoe Rogan19:58

       Like, you were seeing these fat boys just running around with big, thick, b- l- u- c- cigarette lighter-looking motherfuckers-

   19. GIGabriel Iglesias20:04

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan20:04

       ... running around, like, "Jesus Christ."

   21. GIGabriel Iglesias20:05

       Them Texas roaches don't play.

   22. JRJoe Rogan20:07

       And-

   23. GIGabriel Iglesias20:08

       Hey, those fly too.

   24. JRJoe Rogan20:09

       ... there was a very brief time where we entertained the idea of having a restaurant in the club too, and then I was like, "No, no, fuck that." And, uh, e- everybody that I talked to, all the comics were like, "No, no food. No food. It's just a distraction." When people have mouthfuls of food and they're barely paying attention, it's just like... It's weird. It's just-

   25. GIGabriel Iglesias20:25

       Hm.

   26. JRJoe Rogan20:25

       ... you know. Eat before you go.

   27. GIGabriel Iglesias20:27

       Got it. (laughs)

   28. JRJoe Rogan20:28

       Bring snacks. You can always get something to go next door, there's a pizza place next door, there's a Mexican joint that's, eh, right next door to that. There's, uh, there's all sorts of burger places on 6th Street, there's a lot of different food. There's food trucks. Just send one of your boys to go out and get something. You're good.

   29. GIGabriel Iglesias20:45

       I'll do it. I'll do it. (smacks lips) I just had to ask.

   30. JRJoe Rogan20:47

       I hear you.
8. 21:16 – 23:32

   ‘Volkswagen bus guy’: 20+ VWs, restorations, and collecting as investment

   1. JRJoe Rogan21:16

      Yeah. Do you collect VW vans? Explain.

   2. GIGabriel Iglesias21:21

      Uh, that's more like hoarding, I gotta admit.

   3. JRJoe Rogan21:23

      (laughs)

   4. GIGabriel Iglesias21:24

      I got a lot of Volkswagens.

   5. JRJoe Rogan21:26

      (laughs) How many do you have?

   6. GIGabriel Iglesias21:27

      Um... I, I don't wanna sound like a douche but I lost count. It's over 20.

   7. JRJoe Rogan21:31

      You have more than 20 Volkswagens?

   8. GIGabriel Iglesias21:33

      Yes.

   9. JRJoe Rogan21:33

      But why them?

   10. GIGabriel Iglesias21:35

       Um, it's... A Volkswagen was- A Volkswagen Bus, a 1960 Volkswagen Bus was my first car and for some reason, uh, once I started talking to Jay, uh, Leno, um, you know, he showed me his collection and he, he started telling me about investing money and being able to enjoy your investment. And so, um, I had gotten my ex-girlfriend her first car back and then his guys helped me get my first car back, which was a bus, and they said, "Well, if there's anything else you want, let me know," and I go, "Well, if you come across another one of these, let me know." They call me three days later, "We got one," and I said, "Well, I'll take it," and that just kept going. And the reason why is it's just... It's such a cool, iconic car, you know? It's like so- there's some guys that collect nothing but Porsches and-

   11. JRJoe Rogan22:19

       Yeah.

   12. GIGabriel Iglesias22:19

       ... with a bus no one's looking at you like, "Oh my God, look at... Another Porsche."

   13. JRJoe Rogan22:22

       Right.

   14. GIGabriel Iglesias22:22

       But with buses it's just... It's, you know, it's, it's a fun bus, it's a, it's a cool car and I, um, I wanted to be known as the Volkswagen Bus guy.

   15. JRJoe Rogan22:32

       Look at all your buses-

   16. GIGabriel Iglesias22:34

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan22:34

       ... that's so crazy.

   18. GIGabriel Iglesias22:35

       I started collecting them about 10 years ago.

   19. JRJoe Rogan22:37

       So do you, do you buy them in this condition or do you have them refurbished?

   20. GIGabriel Iglesias22:41

       No. No. Well, in the beginning I would try to buy them as, as, as, you know, in as good a s- uh, condition as possible. But then I, you know, I- I met some people that do some am- amazing work. There's a friend of mine named Henry Marcheno who does all the restorations and he will take, uh, you know, a bus that's all rusted out and completely just in shambles and he'll make a, a, a Picasso. He'll make a work of art.

   21. JRJoe Rogan23:01

       Wow.

   22. GIGabriel Iglesias23:01

       These, uh, these buses are just... When people come in and they see 'em, I mean, they light up.

   23. JRJoe Rogan23:07

       (laughs)

   24. GIGabriel Iglesias23:08

       They light up and, uh, it's a gift to, to be-

   25. JRJoe Rogan23:10

       So you got some other cars in there too though.

   26. GIGabriel Iglesias23:12

       I do. I do. I actually, I actually ha-

   27. JRJoe Rogan23:13

       What is that? Is that a 356? That pu- the one to the r- oh, th- oh, that's another VW.

   28. GIGabriel Iglesias23:17

       ... yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan23:19

       I can't see. What else do you have there?

   30. GIGabriel Iglesias23:21

       (smacks lips) Uh, well, I no longer have the, the Bugs. I only have, uh, one Bug now, um, but it's mostly buses.
9. 23:32 – 41:42

   Muscle cars, restomods, and California smog rules (plus a Subaru swap)

   1. GIGabriel Iglesias23:32

      Um, well, from what you see right there. Um, I do have muscle cars. I got a, a (sighs) -

   2. JRJoe Rogan23:36

      That's what I'm talking about.

   3. GIGabriel Iglesias23:38

      Okay.

   4. JRJoe Rogan23:38

      Now we're talking.

   5. GIGabriel Iglesias23:38

      Um, let me see. I have two 69 Chevelles.

   6. JRJoe Rogan23:40

      Okay.

   7. GIGabriel Iglesias23:40

      I have one that's a resto mod and one that's all original.

   8. JRJoe Rogan23:44

      Man.

   9. GIGabriel Iglesias23:44

      Um, I have, uh, two Camaros. I have one that's a resto mod, a '69, and another '69 that's all original.

   10. JRJoe Rogan23:49

       Yeah.

   11. GIGabriel Iglesias23:49

       So I got one and one. Um, I got a 1964. Yeah, there it is. I have a 1964, uh, Impala that's actually stock.

   12. JRJoe Rogan23:58

       Ah.

   13. GIGabriel Iglesias23:58

       So I didn't, I didn't low rider it out-

   14. JRJoe Rogan23:59

       Oh, wow.

   15. GIGabriel Iglesias23:59

       ... 'cause everybody thought I was gonna do that. Um, I-

   16. JRJoe Rogan24:02

       That's a beautiful year, that 69.

   17. GIGabriel Iglesias24:04

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan24:04

       '69 Chevelles are gorgeous. Look at that. Is that the resto mod or is that the original?

   19. GIGabriel Iglesias24:09

       No, that's the o- original.

   20. JRJoe Rogan24:10

       That's the original.

   21. GIGabriel Iglesias24:10

       It's got all the paperwork.

   22. JRJoe Rogan24:11

       Wow.

   23. GIGabriel Iglesias24:11

       I actually got that one at the, uh, Barrett-Jackson car auction.

   24. JRJoe Rogan24:14

       Oh, yeah, it does.

   25. GIGabriel Iglesias24:15

       So-

   26. JRJoe Rogan24:15

       396. That's the same one from John Wick.

   27. GIGabriel Iglesias24:19

       And then, uh-

   28. JRJoe Rogan24:19

       No, he has a 70.

   29. GIGabriel Iglesias24:20

       ... (clears throat) I have a, a black Chevelle, uh, that I call Cocaine Bear because, uh, man-

   30. JRJoe Rogan24:25

       (laughs)
10. 41:42 – 45:10

    Night driving therapy, Magnus Walker’s Porsche culture, and LA’s decline

    1. GIGabriel Iglesias41:42

       ... I'll get it on the 405 if there's an opportunity. All my driving I do o- um, after midnight.

    2. JRJoe Rogan41:48

       Hmm.... oh, you like to get out of the house?

    3. GIGabriel Iglesias41:50

       ... I, I get out of the house at night-

    4. JRJoe Rogan41:52

       Hmm.

    5. GIGabriel Iglesias41:52

       ... and I like taking my drives between midnight and 3:00 in the morning because there's nobody out there.

    6. JRJoe Rogan41:57

       Just enjoy driving.

    7. GIGabriel Iglesias41:57

       And I can just drive.

    8. JRJoe Rogan41:58

       Yeah.

    9. GIGabriel Iglesias41:59

       You know, so I'll do a, I'll do a lap. So I'll take, like, the 605 to the 210 to the-

    10. JRJoe Rogan42:04

        Yeah.

    11. GIGabriel Iglesias42:04

        ... you know, the, the, the 134 and I'll just go through LA.

    12. JRJoe Rogan42:07

        Do you know who Magnus Walker is?

    13. GIGabriel Iglesias42:09

        I know the name.

    14. JRJoe Rogan42:09

        Magnus Walker is, is a Porsche expert. He re- he rebuilds old Porsches, (clears throat) makes them amazing. But he, like, he has these videos about Porsches that are like a love letter to Porsche.

    15. GIGabriel Iglesias42:21

        Mm-hmm.

    16. JRJoe Rogan42:21

        He takes these old Porsches and drives them on the highway and he's a cool looking dude. He's got crazy dreadlocks and fucking wears funky clothes and shit. I think he made his money in clothing business. Pretty sure. Um, and so he has this warehouse in downtown LA where he keeps all these Porsches-

    17. GIGabriel Iglesias42:36

        Mm-hmm.

    18. JRJoe Rogan42:37

        ... and he's got a video where he gets out and drives them. So that's like-

    19. GIGabriel Iglesias42:39

        He looks like a Magnus.

    20. JRJoe Rogan42:41

        Yeah, that's Magnus.

    21. GIGabriel Iglesias42:42

        Magnus.

    22. JRJoe Rogan42:43

        He's got a, um, cool English accent. But see if you can find one of the videos of him, because there's a video of him, I think it's called 911 Outlaw. There was like ... there was a video called 911 Outlaw, I think. It was, like, one of the oldest videos where it just sort of ... it, like ... Urban Outlaw, that's it. So this was, like, the video where I found out about it. This was a long ass time ago. But this dude makes all these cars. Give me some volume. (upbeat music) So this is a real old car. This is probably like a '68 or a '69 or something like that and he's got, you know, like, just sort of a juiced up stock engine, but it's all air cooled. Everything is super, super lightweight. Like that car probably only weighs 2,000 pounds. (engine revs) And when, you know, he's got, like, the little air ducts he's put into the side. A lot of the stuff that he's done on the car is very custom. But listen to that. (upbeat music) So then he takes these motherfuckers out in downtown LA and it's ... when you watch him do it, it's very addicting. Like, here, give-

    23. NANarrator43:59

        911s were such ... Red and blue stripes. (instrumental music) I even wrote a letter to the Porsche factory that they-

    24. JRJoe Rogan44:05

        Go, go earlier when you see him actually going fast in these things.

    25. NANarrator44:09

        ... see it's not seen as- Mm-hmm. ... hotel law.

    26. JRJoe Rogan44:10

        No, no, no. Yeah. (instrumental music) Yeah. So this is, this is it. Like, that is a beautiful little car. And it's not fast, not compared to modern standards, but the pleasure you get out of driving one of those things. It's like everything is analog. You feel every bump, it's like it's all just giving you feedback. It's exciting and, and you know the inside-

    27. GIGabriel Iglesias44:36

        And you, and you see how there's no traffic and he's enjoying it? It's a nighttime drive-

    28. JRJoe Rogan44:39

        Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

    29. GIGabriel Iglesias44:39

        ... and he can actually, you know, give it gas if he wants to or chill.

    30. JRJoe Rogan44:42

        This was before the pandemic though. Go out now, it's a goddamn zombie movie.
11. 45:10 – 50:12

    Homelessness, policy incentives, and why cities feel unfixable

    1. JRJoe Rogan45:10

       Like, that place is crazy. Dude, I remember filming Fear Factor in downtown LA in like 2003 or something like that. It was crazy back then. I was like, "This is wild." There's so many homeless people down there.

    2. GIGabriel Iglesias45:22

       It is insane the, the amount of, I mean, tent cities everywhere you look.

    3. JRJoe Rogan45:27

       Insane.

    4. GIGabriel Iglesias45:27

       Everywhere you look and it's just like, "What the hell?"

    5. JRJoe Rogan45:30

       Yeah.

    6. GIGabriel Iglesias45:31

       You know, it's-

    7. JRJoe Rogan45:31

       What, what the hell?

    8. GIGabriel Iglesias45:32

       ... so much. It's like, it's ... And what kills me is some, some of these tents have, like, electricity. Like, they got generators-

    9. JRJoe Rogan45:39

       Oh, yeah.

    10. GIGabriel Iglesias45:39

        ... and TVs, I'm like, "Whoa!"

    11. JRJoe Rogan45:41

        They're kind of wiring right into, like, these-

    12. GIGabriel Iglesias45:42

        Are, are you homeless or are you camping?

    13. JRJoe Rogan45:44

        ... poles and shit. They're opening up poles and pulling wires out and diverting power, like ...

    14. GIGabriel Iglesias45:48

        Mm-hmm.

    15. JRJoe Rogan45:50

        Some of these guys are like homeless electricians.

    16. GIGabriel Iglesias45:52

        Yeah, no, it's like, okay, that's-

    17. JRJoe Rogan45:54

        Yeah.

    18. GIGabriel Iglesias45:54

        You know, I, I don't... I, I feel like that they're making that choice.

    19. JRJoe Rogan45:57

        Well, there's probably, as fucked up as it is, some kind of community to being a part of this struggle with all these other people that are sleeping on the streets.

    20. GIGabriel Iglesias46:05

        Mm-hmm.

    21. JRJoe Rogan46:06

        You know? And then there's open air drug use and it's tolerated and, you know, and then there's places where you can go, especially in Skid Row, and you can get some help, you can get food. It's fucked because it doesn't seem like it's getting any better at all. It j- they move them places, they shift them out of certain spots when it becomes inconvenient, and then they sort of drift back in eventually-

    22. GIGabriel Iglesias46:26

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan46:26

        ... and then the other places, they get bigger and bigger. The places where they neglect it, they just keep getting bigger.

    24. GIGabriel Iglesias46:31

        That's, that's all I'm saying is they're getting kicked out and then they're finding, you know-

    25. JRJoe Rogan46:34

        Yeah.

    26. GIGabriel Iglesias46:34

        ... they're not like, "Oh, that, they're, that, that community is now over here."

    27. JRJoe Rogan46:38

        It's crazy that this was never an issue when we were kids. It was never an issue. Like, when do you remember when you were a kid seeing tents?

    28. GIGabriel Iglesias46:45

        Ever seen tents?

    29. JRJoe Rogan46:47

        Never. Never. And it's like we're just supposed to accept that there's nothing that can be done. Like, what are you gonna do? Now there's tents. Now what did you do? What did, what did the... what the fuck did you neglect that you let these people camp out on streets? Why would you let that happen ever? You know? And is it encouraging them if you do let them do that? I mean, I don't know. But I know there's a lot of them and you're letting them do it and seems like there's more all the time and you're letting them do it and there used to be none.

    30. GIGabriel Iglesias47:14

        Mm-hmm.
12. 50:12 – 57:17

    Considering Texas/Florida: comedy infrastructure, clubs, and Joe’s venue journey

    1. JRJoe Rogan50:12

       What are you gonna do, Fluffy? You gonna make your way to Texas?

    2. GIGabriel Iglesias50:14

       Hey, man, uh-

    3. JRJoe Rogan50:15

       Let's go.

    4. GIGabriel Iglesias50:16

       You know many times I've be-

    5. JRJoe Rogan50:17

       Let's go, Fluffy. Let's go.

    6. GIGabriel Iglesias50:18

       (laughs)

    7. JRJoe Rogan50:18

       We're gonna wine ya and dine ya this weekend.

    8. GIGabriel Iglesias50:20

       You know how many times I've come close to, uh, to moving out here? Uh-

    9. JRJoe Rogan50:23

       How many times?

    10. GIGabriel Iglesias50:24

        Oh, man. I've been, I've been talking about San Antonio for at least 10 years.

    11. JRJoe Rogan50:27

        San Antonio's dope.

    12. GIGabriel Iglesias50:28

        At least 10 years. Yeah, it's right up the street.

    13. JRJoe Rogan50:29

        I got a good real estate agent.

    14. GIGabriel Iglesias50:32

        I actually already own a house in San Antonio. Do you? Yeah.

    15. JRJoe Rogan50:35

        No shit.

    16. GIGabriel Iglesias50:36

        Yeah, I bought it a long time ago.

    17. JRJoe Rogan50:37

        Oh.

    18. GIGabriel Iglesias50:38

        Um, but it's just... I, I feel like I'm gonna get homesick.

    19. JRJoe Rogan50:43

        Totally.

    20. GIGabriel Iglesias50:43

        And, and I, I feel like, "Ah."

    21. JRJoe Rogan50:46

        Yeah, fly back home when you want to.

    22. GIGabriel Iglesias50:47

        You know you can, you keep... (laughs)

    23. JRJoe Rogan50:49

        Whenever you feel bad, fly back home and go, "What the fuck is wrong with me?" And after a while, San Antonio will be your new home. And there's that nice club out there, too. Was it LOL?

    24. GIGabriel Iglesias50:57

        Yeah, they got, they got LOL, you know.

    25. JRJoe Rogan50:59

        Yeah.

    26. GIGabriel Iglesias50:59

        And, uh... Oh, God. What's the other one? Cap, not Cap City. That was here. Um, the, um...

    27. JRJoe Rogan51:05

        They reopened Cap City.

    28. GIGabriel Iglesias51:05

        River Center. The River Center Comedy Club.

    29. JRJoe Rogan51:07

        They reopened Cap City, but not really. It's, uh... The Helium guys opened it, and it's, um, in, uh, The Domain out here.

    30. GIGabriel Iglesias51:14

        Oh, it's not in the same place that it was?
13. 57:17 – 1:07:37

    Back to clubs on purpose: writing, peace of mind, and the ‘machine’ of success

    1. JRJoe Rogan57:17

       When you go on the road, do you go on the road-

    2. GIGabriel Iglesias57:18

       Ugh.

    3. JRJoe Rogan57:18

       ... for just weekends or do you do like long stretches?

    4. GIGabriel Iglesias57:21

       Uh, I guess it depends on if it's a- a big tour. If it, like right now I'm just doing nothing but clubs.

    5. JRJoe Rogan57:26

       Mm-hmm.

    6. GIGabriel Iglesias57:26

       It's a, I, you know, after the Dodger Stadium show-

    7. JRJoe Rogan57:28

       Nice.

    8. GIGabriel Iglesias57:29

       ... um, my agent and my manager wanted me to- to ride the wave of the success of the Special and go back and tour hard. And I'm like, "No. I- I- I wanna, I wanna just pump the brakes for a little bit." I wanna remind myself why I love this so much. So I said I just want to do nothing but clubs-

    9. JRJoe Rogan57:46

       Mm.

    10. GIGabriel Iglesias57:46

        ... for at least half a year.

    11. JRJoe Rogan57:47

        Mm.

    12. GIGabriel Iglesias57:48

        And so just doing shows, you know, I'll- I'll still do, you know, my four sets a week 'cause I was doing, you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But now I'm just doing it at one place-

    13. JRJoe Rogan57:57

        Mm.

    14. GIGabriel Iglesias57:57

        ... and then doing two shows Friday, two shows Saturday, you know?

    15. JRJoe Rogan58:01

        That's beautiful.

    16. GIGabriel Iglesias58:01

        So get- get my sets in and- and- and go home. And yeah, I'm not making the same money but the peace of mind is incredible, you know? I'm not stressing about money, I'm not stressing about, uh, paying for these tour buses or paying for the rigs or paying for the production, uh, you know, what- what's going on at the end of the night at the arena, what's... I mean, there's so much that goes into it and to be able to just walk into a club and focus on let me just be funny and have fun.

    17. JRJoe Rogan58:23

        Yeah.

    18. GIGabriel Iglesias58:23

        You know? So I-

    19. JRJoe Rogan58:24

        It's a great way to write a new hour too.

    20. GIGabriel Iglesias58:26

        Yeah. You know, and I love the fact that when I'm doing these clubs everybody's a lot more excited. First of all, the staff is incredible. No matter where I'm going, the, everybody's been super great and the crowds have been super appreciative that they can watch an intimate show like that.

    21. JRJoe Rogan58:42

        Yeah.

    22. GIGabriel Iglesias58:42

        'Cause even if you're sitting in the back row of the club, you know, at an arena that's like row three.

    23. JRJoe Rogan58:46

        Right. Right.

    24. GIGabriel Iglesias58:47

        You know what I mean? And so it's, you know, it's- it's been a lot of fun and I've enjoyed it and it reminded me how much, um, I love this. Because I think at a certain point, um, I became a ho.

    25. JRJoe Rogan58:57

        (laughs)

    26. GIGabriel Iglesias58:58

        I became a ho and it became more about the money.

    27. JRJoe Rogan59:01

        Yeah.

    28. GIGabriel Iglesias59:01

        'Cause dude, once the money started coming, it's like you get scared 'cause it's so much and it's coming at you from all these different angles and you're having these meetings and you're, they're going over your portfolio and-

    29. JRJoe Rogan59:12

        Yeah.

    30. GIGabriel Iglesias59:12

        ... you gotta invest this and we gotta do that and blah, blah, blah, and you're like, oh my god. And now you- you know, I have employees. I never had employees and now I employ like 30 people-

Episode duration: 2:28:27