Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank

Don Barris and I discuss the craziest show you will ever see, The Ding Dong Show. If you ever get a chance to see this show live, do yourself a favor and go. It's one of the wildest things in Hollywood.

An upscale prostitute came to the Skeptic Tank to share with us about her job. It was one of the most interesting conversations I've had in a very long time. She was open and honest and very friendly. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Jon Reep, John Heffron, and I got together to do each other's podcasts. They're on my Skeptic Tank and I'm on their Last Podcasting. For the purposes of the Skeptic Tank, we talked about Last Comic Standing. They're two past winners, and I'm just a regular loser so it was interesting to me to hear what that show did for them. I should've gotten more into what their feelings were heading into each round but I didn't because I'm sometimes a bad interviewer. Regardless, enjoy.

Jon Reep and John Heffron continued talking with me after we took a quick pot break. The addition of marijuana into the mix made us completely abandon the Last Comic Standing topic and meander into movies from our childhood and lies we're trying to spread.

David Taylor stopped by Skeptic Tank Studios (my apartment) to talk about his days as a working professional in the software industry during the tech boom. He gave it all up to become a struggling comedian and talented non-working writer.

Mike Recine was visiting LA last week and he came over to talk while he was in town. We shared some beers and talked about having a brother with severe autism.

Willy and Helen Luksenburg were kind enough to share their experiences in the Holocaust. It's an amazing tale that we're lucky enough to have on record. Please don't expect much in the way of comedy. This interview was recorded in August of 2011. The sound isn't great because I was recording it with Audacity just using my laptop. Still, I think it's an important thing to hear.

Ashley Macomber invited me into her home to talk about her new art project she’s created with Will Oldham (aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy). Ashley is an amazing artist and she’s got a really clear way of thinking about the creative process and about life in general. It’s always fun to talk to her.

Joey Diaz invited me over to talk about his time in Hollywood as a working actor. We sat on his porch and soaked in the sun as we discussed how he managed to get his start. Joey has been making a living as an actor for as long as I’ve known him. He’s one of the very few comics who actually does it and he’s been a looper since forever. Check out Joey's IMDB page. It’s shockingly long.

Dean Delray stopped by my apartment to talk about his days as a professional rock musician. He made his living from music for almost two decades and he had a shit ton to share about it. Eventually, we just diverged into talking about music we liked but even that was pretty fun. Listen and enjoy and check out Dean’s podcast on the Toadhop Network called Poolside with Dean Delray.

Jayson Thibault, Steve Rannazzisi and I sat in one of the back rooms of the Comedy Store and talked about Jayson's recent breakup. It's not sappy at all, so don't worry about that. We just covered what it feels like and what you have to do to be a mature adult in a breakup and if Steve gets boners on shoots.

Duncan Trussell and I shared a ride out to Brea, CA to do shows at the Brea Improv. Duncan has always been into Buddhism and I figured what better time to talk about modern Buddhism than on a ride to the Inland Empire. It was a really interesting talk and it completely enlightened me to the humongous differences between that and the Judeo-Christian religions in regards to daily life. Enjoy.

Mat Edgar, Tony Hinchcliffe and I went on a comedy road trip from LA to San Diego to play Justin Hollister's new downtown room, The American Comedy Company, and we decided to take you guys along with us. We stopped the tape every time we got out of the car and tried catching you up on our extravehicular activities once we got back. It was a really fun trip and you guys will have fun being in the car with us.

Christina Pazsitzky had me over at her house for wine and Skittles the other night and we talked about a shit ton of stuff and then some. We centered on the topic of depression but we meandered so much that this went for almost 3 hours. But it was so interesting the whole time, that's why I kept letting it go. Well, that and the wine.

Danny Lobell met me at The Comedy Store to talk about his time in Israel. We both spent periods of our lives there. We eventually got into a discussion about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Danny's a bit of a peacenik so it took a lot from me to accept some of what he was saying and that made for some interesting conversation. Don't turn it off too early because towards the end we got onto the topic of Danny's weight. It's the beginnings of what I'll eventually do with someone else. And at the end of the episode is a shroomfest announcement.

Sarah Tiana and I were talking at The Comedy Store one evening. During our conversation, I came to realize that in my head, I had mistakenly classified her as a sexual "good girl." I guess I've always known her as girlfriend material. So we met back there a couple nights later to discuss how she came into her own, how she operates, and how she likes having become this sexual butterfly.

Frazer Smith shares his story of how he went from being a radio god to how he lost it all. It's a really interesting tale. And I had my friend David Taylor cohost with me because he knew a lot of Frazier's stories already and I wanted his help guiding it.

Justin Martindale talked to us about his gay adventure in Dallas. I was there with him and Shawn Halpin to play the Addison Improv and Justin stopped by my hotel room and talked to Shawn and I about the gayest day I have ever heard of. And I live in West Hollywood, CA.

Justin Martindale, Shawn Halpin and I talked in my hotel room about Justin's qualifications to run for mayor of gay. This episode is unbelievably gay. If you're Christian, you probably shouldn't listen to it. Unless you're a Catholic priest, then it might turn you on.

Joey Diaz invited me over to his house to talk about the daughter he barely ever mentions. As always with Joey Diaz, some of these stories are amazing. He's so honest and colorful, I could just sit and listen to him for days.

Tait Fletcher stopped by my hovel to talk to me about stunt work. Tait works as a full stuntman for TV and movies. We meandered into talk about Bruce Lee, Master P and how horrible actresses are.

Ralphie May bought me breakfast and took me up to his house to talk to me about what it's like to be a fat guy. Interesting conversation. I split it up into 2 parts because it went so long. There's still a good hour plus left.

Ralphie May finishes up our fatastic conversation about what it's like being so big. Interesting conversation. It's always a good time with Ralphie. Also, there are instructions on how to podcast at the end of this episode.

Manolis Zontanos came to my hotel room while I was in Toronto and told a little tale of being a 41 year old who still lives with his parents. It's sad and funny and intriguing all at the same time.

Patrick Coppolino came to my hotel room in Toronto to talk about being a 21 year old out of work father. I tried my best to make him and that girl get an abortion but nothing worked. Let this be an inspiration or a clear warning to everyone who wants a baby. This is all in the realm of possibility.

Patrick Coppolino comes back to my hotel room after our secret show in a Toronto pot room and we talk about some of the things he managed to forget during the first podcast. Manolis Zontanos is there to help the story along, too. He was the only one who hadn't been smoking because of how he still lives with his parents because he smoked before.

Joe Rogan and I got rowdy on the plane from Los Angeles to Edmonton. This podcast is a coproduction of the Joe Rogan Experience and the Skeptic Tank. We talked about marijuana edibles, coming out of the closet (neither of us had the guts to do it ourselves on this podcast), the caveman diet, Bobcat Goldthwait, and our stewardess. Pretend like you're the oil refinery guy sitting next to me and listen in on our whole conversation. It's like you're there with us in coach.

Cort McCown invited Steve Rannazzisi and me to his apartment to talk about his old days as a Hollywood heartthrob. He had some crazy times when he was younger. He boned women I could only dream of. And a few of them that I actually did dream of.

Brendon Walsh had me over to his place in the cool part of town and we talked about drugs for a while. Good, old fashioned, drugs. The kind our forefathers had in mind when they killed the Indians over the last of the heroin. Brendan was still bombed off the night before's relaxation cookie, so he shouldn't be held accountable for anything he says or forgot to say.

Rick Ingraham and I went into the old Comedy Store phone room to talk about his medical problems. Ingraham's stomach has been a cauldren of hatred for the last half decade or so and recently found out that he's got childhood dieabetes. Listen to the story of this crazy medical problem by a hilarious comedian.

Andrew Themeles met me at the Comedy Store to talk about his role in the economic collapse. It was a beautiful LA day, so we sat in the front patio and watched all the madness on Sunset during our conversation. It was an insightful look into where we all went wrong. And we also talked a little about fucking British sluts without condoms.

Andrew Themeles and I get way deeper into this conversation about what he saw leading up to the loan scandal in this country. We got interrupted by almost everyone on Sunset but still managed to make it through. Get the first part first and then listen to this one.

Johnny Pemberton met me at the Comedy Store and we talked about his horribly sick colon. Most of us take going to the bathroom fof granted. Not Johnny. To him, every dump is a blessing. A smelly, smelly blessing.

My friend came to my apartment and let me ask her questions about cutting herself. It turns out, the problems went way deeper than the cuts did. She spent multiple stints in rehab facilities to try and overcome her problems with self abuse. See, cutting was just the beginning. She also had to deal with anorexia. It's a complex web.

Al Jackson stopped by Casa de Shaffir while he was in LA for a nice long talk about black people. Of course, I forgot to ask some key questions, but there was still plenty of time to have 3 hours of conversation about it. In case you didn't know, Al Jackson is black.

Al Jackson continues his talk with me on all things African American. Man, that term seems racist to me. He's black. We're talking about black people. Enjoy.

Nick Thune came over to the slop haven I currently call my apartment to talk to me about monogamy. I don't know anyone who would have an easier time getting laid than Nick. So for him to only bone one girl for more than a month is hard for me to comprehend.

Bonnie McFarlane met me in Montreal to talk about this theory going around that women aren't funny. She just finished shooting a movie on the subject and she's a funny woman herself, so she had a lot of really good insight on the subject.

Kurt Metzger and I went to see Batman with his girlfriend, Karen Margolis, and her sister wife, Sade. Kurt and Karen are boyfriend/girlfriend. Karen and Sade are BFFs. And Sade and Kurt have sex. So we did podcast about the movie but mostly about this unique relationship they all have. It works so great for them they couldn't even understand why I was interested. The sound sucks, sorry, but it's better in part 2.

Stevie Ryan had me over to her home during heat wave of oh-twelve. We huddled under the air conditioner like dogs and talked about introversion. Since I've known her, Stevie has always seemed happiest just sitting on her couch watching reality TV. She never leaves her apartment if she doesn't have to. She also gave me relationship advice and broke down her Twitter war with some dumb reality show star.

Al Jackson came over to my apartment to talk about black people. But we got on a huge tangent that lasted an hour before we got on topic so I decided to let you guys hear it instead of throwing it out. Al is hilarious so I'm sure you'll enjoy it

Sarah Tiana met me at the Comedy Store to talk about her crazy experience with love in the Middle East. It's sort of a sad story. We're comics, so it was still funny, but it was still really sad at the same time. So it averages out to sort of sad.

Yoshi Obayashi came over to my apartment on 2 hours of sleep to tell me about his time editing pornography for Evil Angel. I'm warning you right now, this gets dark. The 2nd part is even darker. Yoshi saw some stuff during his 10 years at that job that shouldn't be told to the world. So of course, that's all I wanted to talk about.

Yoshi Obayashi came back to my apartment after putting change in his meter and we continued our conversation about his job editing porn. It was more based on the things he saw while he was an editor, which includes small children in the offices and slightly less small children having sex on camera before they turned 18.

Kurt Metzger invited into his Spanish Harlem tenement where we talked about censorship of comedians. I don't know anyone who gets more upset every time the issue comes up. He gets so angry. I love it. Keren Margolis was also there and she gave her perspective as a comic who's new to the game. What we can and can't say on stage is probably the biggest hot button issue in the world of stand up.

Bert Kreischer invited me over to his Man Cave and we talked about our egos. For real. We talked about how we're hoping to keep it in check and what we're afraid of becoming. And we talk about when it's already gotten out of control. And we talked about Will Smith.

Kevin Shea came over to my apartment and we talked about standup for a while. I kept waiting to start getting into a full topic but then we ran out of time so we never got into anything specific. So enjoy the fruits of my mistakes. Some fun talk about nothing with Kevin Shea.

Kevin Christy invited me over to his now finished house to talk about the horror of sinking a bunch of money into a crap shack. This is a tale of caution to anyone out there thinking of buying a house. Of course our talk meandered everywhere from art to Andrew WK. Plus a special guest appearance in the intro by The League's Steve Rannazzisi

Tom Segura and I went over to Brendon Walsh's palatial hotel room in Toronto and celebrated Tom's CD release by barely talking about it. We're pretty tuned up so the whole conversation was relatively hilarious. Just like Tom's new CD, White Girls with Corn Rows. This podcast brought to you by the JFL 42 Comedy Festival.

Luke Harder and Star_Fawkes met me at the Comedy Store to talk about Anonymous. It was a really enlightening conversation. I think we all got the wrong idea about these guys. This is one to spread around.

@Anonyphant and @Star_Fawkes came back to the Comedy Store to finish off our conversation about Anonymous. It was a really interesting and enlightening conversations and one of my favorite podcasts I've done. They're not out to get us, you guys. They're here to help us. They are us. We are Anonymous.

Dale Dudley came over to my hotel room in Austin, TX to shoot the shit and talk about his childhood molestation. It's way more fun than the subject matter. This is a really good, honest, and funny podcast. It's exactly what I envisioned when I started the Skeptic Tank.

Don Barris invited me over to his studio where I tried and failed to get him to talk about his road rage. Instead we stumbled upon an amazing topic that I'm glad to have explored. Sam Kinison. He wasn't just a comedian. He was a leader. When he had his run of the Comedy Store, he was a force of nature around there.

Dwayne Perkins had me over to his apartment to talk about Brooklyn. He broke down all the different parts of the area, where the crime is, where the cockroaches are, and where the Jews avoid. Nothing serious here, just a lot of fun.

Steve Rannazzisi and I were on our way down to San Diego to perform at the La Jolla Comedy Store for the weekend and we thought we'd record a short podcast on our way to promote the new season of The League on FX and just to have fun. It's pretty funny and devoid of any specific subjects. Just two idiot comics shooting the shit for half an hour.

Mike Young invited me over to his luxury apartment to talk about his super power. Mike has the unique ability to pull tail. He's always had it. You really can't quite imagine. He's magic. Magic Mike.

I met up with Mike Young again to finish off our marathon of a conversation about his skills with women. I won't call it game, because it's not thought out or devious like that. It's just skills. He's just better than us at picking up super hot women.

Sam Tripoli, Jason Rouse, and Chris Neff joined me, Ari Shaffir, in the old phone room at the Comedy Store to talk about the comedy tour we all went on 2 years prior. It was one of the funnest months of my life. It was the opposite of any road gig I've ever done. We drove from gig to gig, we slept 3 to a room at cheap motels and we did a lot of drugs. Join us as we recap the adventure.

Pauly Shore had me up to his office at the Comedy Store to talk about his unique childhood. Pauly is the son of the woman who owns and runs the Comedy Store. He was a 12 year old in the middle of the madness. It's a different side of him that I kind of like.

Steve Rannazzisi and Steve Simeone came over to my abortion of an apartment to talk a little about faith. Each of us is in a pretty different place in terms of belieif. Simeone goes to church every Sunday, Rannazzisi is in this in between place where he doesn't pray but he does the ritual things, and I am the only one who believes in logic and provable things. It was a good discussion, I wish it had gone longer.

Bill Burr and I sat out on the patio of the Comedy Store one day and talked about Boston Sports. Bill grew up a homer in the homerist city in America. Sports, comedy, and conspiracy theories are all I want to talk to him about. It was a fun discussion and a good hour before we even got to the sports talk.

Claire Brosseau had me over to her apartment to talk about her experience with electro-shock therapy. She was suffering from depression and her parents checked her in to a clinic that recommended shock therapy. Of course, we didn't just stick to talking about that. We covered sex, Canada, and baseball. It gets really fun.

Tom Brady had me over to his house to help teach me about our economy. The more I learn about this stuff, the more I realize how little I know. Tom is an economist of sorts and he helps break a lot of it down in idiot stoner terms so I can start to understand.

Jamie Caparulo brought me some crazy Japanese ice cream cookies and we talked about how she's going to let herself get fat. She's married now and she's made a decision to let it all go to waste. I don't think I've heard anyone properly express how little marriage makes you care about your looks.

Steve Lemme had Kevin Heffernan and I over to his house so we could all talk about what it's like starting standup comedy. I've been wanting to talk to somebody about it for a long time, but those comics are usually so new that they aren't quite funny enough. Lemme and Heffernan have been funny for over a decade already. We talked about learning the art form, dealing with drunks, and Christmas.

Broken Lizard's Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme and nothing's Ari Shaffir continue our discussion on starting standup. We talked about what it's like learning the game, how our parents took to all of it, and they help me come up with a name for my new comedy special.

Dov Davidoff came over to my pig sty to talk to me about his overactive libido. He's pretty adamant that it's not an addiction. So I'd say it's more of a compulsion. Anyway, it was a fun conversation. Join us.