Adam Carolla Show – Dave Dameshek (Carolla Classics)

Episode Date: January 18, 2026
Guests: Dave Dameshek
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Adam Carolla Show" brings together Adam Carolla and Dave Dameshek, revisiting their dynamic chemistry full of sharp comedic banter, personal anecdotes, and cultural observations. They discuss pet peeves, sports (including a lively debate on boxing), the state of late-night television, 1980s music tropes, and the absurdities of daily life—all in the show’s characteristic irreverent style. The episode is a highlight reel of classic conversations from episodes #204 and #235, celebrated for illustrating the unique rapport between Adam and Dave.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Annoyances of Daily Life: Arrival Times & Family Gatherings

• [02:25–09:10]

• Adam launches with a rant about people arriving early for appointments, arguing that showing up much before the scheduled time is worse than being mildly late.

  • Quote (Adam, 03:17): “You’re rarely ever sitting there with your nose pressed against the glass, petting a Persian cat, thinking, when will my guests arrive?”

• Dave shares his own frustrations about house guests, recounting three family affronts:

  • Collectible Steelers glass broken by his stepmother, blamed for making it accessible (06:43).
  • His father’s rule against eating cold cuts for both lunch and dinner (07:52).
  • His father-in-law putting bare, sweaty feet on the furniture after a day at the zoo (08:20).

• Adam and Dave debate the most egregious of these offenses, leading into a broader discussion on the public display (and disgust) of men’s feet (12:21).

2. The Rise of Specialized Shoes and Decline of Shoe Etiquette

• [13:26–16:14]

• Adam and Dave joke about the proliferation of specialized shoes for every activity, poking fun at the marketing for volleyball, spinning, and even driving shoes.

  • Quote (Adam, 15:14): “Basically, between wrestling, boxing, and driving, you only need one shoe.”

• Both reflect on societal changes: more people going barefoot or wearing flip-flops in inappropriate places, and the resulting blurring of public/private boundaries around personal grooming.

3. Sports Talk: Mayweather vs Pacquiao and the Business of Boxing

• [41:52–27:12, 22:42–27:12]

• Caller from Arkansas asks about the prospect of a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
• Adam analyzes fighting styles, predicting Mayweather’s defensive skill would edge out Pacquiao, barring Mayweather’s inactivity.
  • Quote (Adam, 23:25): “The matador always wins the bullfight, so to speak. Even when Sugar Ray Leonard is going against Hagler… The slick, athletic, elusive guy always seems to win.”
• Dave counters with references to historical bouts (Ali-Frazier), pondering style matchups and Pacquiao's unique hand speed.
• They lament the business politics that stop great fights from happening, and riff on how money can lure even “retired” athletes back (22:18).

4. Inside Baseball: ESPN “Bans” and the Hypocrisy of Sports Media

• [27:26–31:54]

• A caller asks why ESPN personalities like Dameshek and Bill Simmons can’t appear on Adam’s show.
• Dave clarifies he isn’t formally banned, just informally discouraged from “working blue” due to ESPN’s image concerns.
  • Adam calls out the double standards in sports media: the audience is adult men, not easily offended, yet the league enforces family-friendly facades even as it profits from violence and beer commercials.

5. Pop Culture & 1980s Music: Love Songs and Stalking

• [32:00–38:51]

• Dave and Adam deconstruct 80s love ballads (“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car”, Toto’s “Africa”) and point out how their lyrics would be horrifying if said in real life.
  • Quote (Dave, 33:29): “All great love songs in real life would involve a restraining order.”
• They comedically parse the grandiosity and semi-stalker-y threats implied in these songs, plus Billy Ocean’s forgotten hit catalogue.

6. The Gatorade Bath & How to Properly Fire a Coach

• [39:11–40:46]

• Dave fantasizes about giving a fired football coach a parting “Gatorade bath”—as public humiliation rather than celebration.
• Adam ups the ante: “I think someone should take a shit in it and then do it.”

7. Late Night TV: The Leno/Conan Shakeup and the Nature of Celebrity Friendships

• [43:21–52:00]

• Returns from the classics vault: Adam and Dave on Leno’s work-centric persona and lack of close friends, compared to Kimmel’s gregariousness and penchant for hosting.
• Analysis of the NBC drama between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno.
  • Adam’s take on abrupt network changes, golden parachutes, and why Leno made sense as a target but was also a victim of circumstances.

8. Fashion and Aging: Uniforms, Shoes, and Sartorial Sadness

• [57:58–63:00]

• Adam’s philosophy—“pick a lane” with clothing, either a strict uniform (like Leno’s all-denim) or a fresh outfit every day. He pokes fun at his own tendency to wear the same shirt for days on end.
• Both discuss the sad fate of men transitioning from “just old” to “old and quirkily dressed,” from Velcro beige shoes to elderly men in inexplicably young shoes.
  • Quote (Adam, 60:42): “Flesh color works great on human beings, but on everything else it’s horrible… Everything looks like shit, that color. Except for, except for us. Yeah, we look awesome.”

9. Air Travel Rants: Snack Mixes, Luggage Fees, and Airline Economics

• [65:14–82:09]

• Callers prompt Adam’s signature gripes about lousy airline snacks—particularly the “Fiesta Mix”—and the logic behind checked baggage fees.
• Adam’s “know your audience” moment: launching into a monologue on baggage fees in front of his brother-in-law… only to find his brother-in-law is the aggrieved party who writes vitriolic complaint letters to airlines.

10. Sitcoms Old and New: MAS*H, Laugh Tracks, and Hair Faux Pas

• [82:09–89:09]

• Debate about MAS*H: its tonal shifts from slapstick to melodrama, laugh track incongruity in a war setting, and egregious anachronisms (70s hair in 50s military settings).
  • Adam: “Find me a new picture of MAS*H... the guy’s name was BJ, huge bushy mustache, long sideburns—it's the military!”

11. Meta Comedy: The “Biggest Fan” Running Gag and Podcast Future

• [41:50, 93:40–99:24]

• Adam and Dave riff on the declaration of “biggest fan” (by Donnie and by Dave’s mother-in-law)—despite clear ignorance of actual content.
• Dave pitches more integration into Adam’s network, sharing about his own podcast (AccuScore) and memories of classic football Sundays at Kimmel’s house.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Adam (03:17): “Much better for you that they show up at 9:40 than at 9:15.”
• Dave (33:29): “All great love songs in real life would involve a restraining order.”
• Adam (55:15): (on Jay Leno) “We’re like two guys who like the same fetish porn who end up bumping into each other at the same German novelty shop.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:25] – Adam’s rant on guests arriving early
• [06:43] – Dave’s “broken glass” story
• [08:20] – The father-in-law’s sweaty feet
• [12:21] – The “male feet” debate
• [15:14] – Specialized shoes satire
• [22:18] – Fight money and athlete retirements
• [23:25] – The “matador wins the bullfight” in boxing
• [27:26] – ESPN’s informal “ban” on guests
• [33:29] – 80s love song analysis (“restraining order”)
• [39:11] – Gatorade bath for a fired coach
• [43:21] – Leno, Kimmel, and celebrity relationships
• [57:58] – Fashion philosophy and uniform debate
• [65:14] – Airline snack and bag fee rant
• [82:09] – Why MAS*H is overrated
• [93:40] – “Biggest fan” gag climax

Memorable Closings

• The episode closes with classic Adam and Dave interplay—Adam, ever the contrarian, and Dave, equal parts self-deprecating and insightful—along with a plug for Dave potentially joining the Carolla Digital podcast network, and another dig at the randomness of Kimmel’s football party guests.

Final Thoughts

For both long-time listeners and newcomers, this episode is a showcase of Adam Carolla and Dave Dameshek’s comedic chemistry, their take-no-prisoners approach to cultural critique, and their talent for turning the mundane into the hysterical. With topics ping-ponging from family frustrations to airline economics, from late-night TV infighting to the latent dangers of Gatorade baths, it’s a masterclass in observational comedy and old-school radio camaraderie.