The Weirdest Thing About the Midwest W/ Aaron Weber #151

Summary

Bellied Up Podcast Episode Summary

Title: The Weirdest Thing About the Midwest
Host: Miles the You Betcha Guy & Charlie Berens
Guest: Aaron Weber
Episode Number: #151
Release Date: May 15, 2025

---

Introduction and Guest Background

The episode kicks off with Miles welcoming comedian Aaron Weber to the Red Door Saloon in Nashville, a pivotal spot for the local comedy scene. Aaron shares his admiration for the hosts and delves into his past experiences working at a marketing company that ultimately collapsed due to its lack of legal registration.

Aaron Weber [00:36]: "It was a marketing company that we found out years later was never legally registered as a company. Oh. And so there's a lot of... There are some illegal activities potentially."
(00:36)

Miles and Charlie humorously navigate the fallout of Aaron's failed business venture, discussing the challenges of transitioning from a shaky job to full-time comedy.

---

Transition to Comedy and Personal Journey

Aaron reveals that his financial struggles with the marketing company propelled him to pursue comedy full time in 2019. This bold move marked a significant turning point in his life, allowing him to focus on his passion despite previous setbacks.

Aaron Weber [02:59]: "Well, that was what actually gave me the confidence to quit my job, because I wasn't getting paid for a while there at the end. So, you know, the thinking is, can I survive on just comedy?"
(02:59)

Charlie and Miles express their support, highlighting Aaron's courage and dedication to his craft.

---

Cultural Differences: South vs. Midwest

The conversation shifts to cultural nuances between the Southern United States and the Midwest. Aaron notes the stark difference in accents and social interactions, recounting his first comedy show in Minong, Wisconsin, where local customs, such as avoiding jokes about the town's beef jerky factory, posed unexpected challenges.

Aaron Weber [05:10]: "When you've never been there and, like, you've only seen it in movies and stuff. And then, like, you see a guy at a gas station and you're like, oh, my God, you really talk like that."
(05:10)

The trio discusses regional phrases like "I appreciate you" versus the more reserved "I appreciate it," reflecting on emotional intimacy and social norms.

Miles [04:08]: "As opposed to 'I appreciate, appreciate it.' That's what we say up there. Because to say 'we appreciate you,' that's a different level of emotional intimacy. We're not ready for that."
(04:08)

---

Comedy Experiences in Wisconsin

Aaron shares a memorable experience performing in Minong, where restrictions on joking about beef jerky—central to the town's economy due to Jack Link's presence—left him baffled. This incident not only challenged his comedic repertoire but also highlighted the deep-rooted connection between local businesses and community standards.

Aaron Weber [06:22]: "I go, why did you think I was gonna talk about beef jerky? You know, forget why I'm not allowed to."
(06:22)

Charlie empathizes, mentioning similar restrictions impacting his own sets.

---

Parenting and Modern Childhoods

The discussion transitions to parenting styles and the evolving landscape of childhood. Aaron and Charlie delve into topics like skin-to-skin contact during childbirth, contrasting it with their own upbringing. They humorously explore the disparities between past and present parenting techniques, emphasizing the balance between fostering independence and ensuring safety.

Aaron Weber [17:02]: "I had a tax guy tell me. He said... I hope he's doing well."
*(Note: This timestamp seems out of context and may be a misreference; ensure accurate alignment in the final summary.)
(Incomplete timestamp)

They share personal anecdotes about managing young children, highlighting the universal challenges of modern parenting.

---

Health and Personal Struggles

A candid conversation emerges about the struggles of maintaining health, particularly regarding weight management. Both Miles and Charlie discuss the societal pressures and personal challenges associated with being overweight, blending humor with relatable experiences.

Charlie [21:54]: "It's like, yeah. Buying a 5XL shirt, it costs twice as much."
(21:54)

Aaron adds his perspective, acknowledging the stigmas and everyday inconveniences faced by those dealing with weight issues.

---

Interactive Segment: Mock Political Campaign

The highlight of the episode is an engaging and humorous interaction with James Devini, a caller pretending to run for Governor of Oklahoma. Aaron, Miles, and Charlie playfully interview James, dissecting his mock campaign promises and branding strategies. This segment serves as a comedic take on political campaigns, blending satire with sharp wit.

James Devini [24:50]: "Can't wait to tell you guys a whole bunch of promises and then not follow through on any of them."
(24:50)

The hosts and Aaron enthusiastically brainstorm campaign slogans, such as "Pave the Way," and joke about the logistical challenges of running a political campaign.

Charlie [39:11]: "Yeah, that's what you gotta do is I gotta pave the way type of slogan, I think."
(39:11)

---

Voicemail from a Young Listener

A heartwarming yet comedic voicemail from an 11-year-old named Aries adds depth to the episode. The young caller discusses his dating life, prompting the hosts to humorously reflect on their own childhood experiences and the rapid maturation of today's youth.

Voicemail Host: Aries [46:47]: "Oh, my Name's Aries. I'm 11 and I'm dating this girl. And they actually met each other and they started talking about me."
(46:47)

The trio navigates the conversation with humor, offering sage-like advice to the young caller while maintaining a lighthearted tone.

---

Regional Humor and Observations

The episode wraps up with a series of regional jokes and observations about places like Fargo and Oklahoma. They discuss local cuisine, historical references to mob activities in the Midwest, and playful jabs at neighboring states like Texas and Iowa.

Aaron Weber [45:20]: "I had a... I saw the sign. Yeah, I was just out there in Fargo. Yeah, that's where I live, at Sioux Falls."
(45:20)

These light-hearted exchanges reinforce the podcast's focus on Midwestern quirks and cultural idiosyncrasies.

---

Closing Remarks

Aaron promotes his comedy projects, including his MySpace page and YouTube special "Signature Dish," produced by Nate Bargetzi. The hosts express their appreciation for Aaron's participation, anticipating future collaborations and supporting his comedic endeavors.

Aaron Weber [52:32]: "It's called Signature Dish. 30 minutes. It's easy. Put it on while you mow the lawn or whatever."
(52:32)

Final humorous exchanges emphasize the camaraderie among the hosts and their guest, leaving listeners with a blend of laughter and genuine connection.

---

Key Takeaways

• Cultural Nuances: The episode highlights the distinct cultural differences between the Southern United States and the Midwest, particularly in language and social interactions.
• Comedy as a Career: Aaron Weber's transition from a failing business to full-time comedy underscores the challenges and rewards of pursuing one's passion.
• Parenting Insights: The hosts explore modern parenting techniques and the generational shifts in child-rearing practices.
• Humor in Politics: The mock political campaign segment offers a satirical take on political endeavors, blending humor with sharp wit.
• Engagement with Listeners: The inclusion of voicemails from young listeners fosters a sense of community and relatability.

Notable Quotes

• Aaron Weber: "I've kind of looked up and I was like, oh, I've been doing that for a while because this job hasn't paid me, so I might as well quit and go full time."
  (03:18)

• Charlie Berens: "That's the whole thing with these guys. They're very charismatic."
  (02:15)

• Aaron Weber: "The Red Door Saloon, Nashville. This is an important bar for the Nashville comedy community."
  (00:27)

• James Devini: "I'm talking to the future governor of Oklahoma."
  (24:46)

---

This episode of Bellied Up delivers a rich tapestry of humor, personal stories, and cultural insights, making it an engaging listen for both regular followers and newcomers alike. The blend of candid conversations, comedic sketches, and interactive segments exemplifies the podcast's unique charm and appeal.

Transcript

[Miles]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bellied up podcast. I'm here with Miles the you bet you guy, and special guest comedian Aaron Weber. Aaron, how you doing?

[Aaron Weber]

I'm great. Thank you guys for having me, man. I'm excited. I've been a fan of your guys stuff for a while. This is cool to be sitting with y' all.

[Miles]

Nice, man. I'm a fan of your stuff too.

[Aaron Weber]

Are you revealing where we are right now? Oh, yeah.

[Miles]

Let's do it. We're at the Red Door.

[Charlie]

Saloon.

[Miles]

I knew there was another word.

[Aaron Weber]

The Red Door Saloon, Nashville. This is an important bar for the. The Nashville comedy community. This is kind of the spot that people go to.

[Charlie]

Oh, it is?

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Because there's a big smoking patio after. After show. Zany's is down the street. Come over here. Spent many a night here. I also used to work at Music Road, right around the corner, about two blocks from here. And after work, we'd walk over and have a beer here. And, you know, the company collapsed around us, so we spent many a night sitting at this bar talking about, you know, what we're going to do for work.

[Miles]

Commiserating.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah.

[Miles]

What was that company?

[Aaron Weber]

It was a marketing company that we found out years later was never legally registered as a company. Oh. And so there's a lot of. There are some illegal activities potentially. Whoa.

[Miles]

Do you think it was a front?

[Aaron Weber]

If it was a front, it wasn't a successful one.

[Miles]

Yeah, that's the whole point is it's got to be registered, stays afloat. Right, right. Well, I'm sorry that didn't work out.

[Aaron Weber]

I quit that. Now I've been doing comedy. So what was.

[Charlie]

What was like you. When you guys started realizing something was going.

[Aaron Weber]

What was the moment when we started getting paid through Venmo? It's usually not a good sign.

[Charlie]

And it just like, is like, this is one third of your paycheck. The last thirds are coming later.

[Aaron Weber]

IOUs, that kind of stuff, gift cards.

[Miles]

You know, the whole thing supporting it is just this guy trying to scam people on Facebook, you know, did you go to Walmart, get 15$50 gift cards?

[Charlie]

He shows up to a bank with a napkin and tries to deposit the iou, and they're like, sir, this isn't gonna work.

[Aaron Weber]

You know what the weird thing is? I still. I kind of like the guy that did it to us.

[Charlie]

Well, that's the whole thing with these guys. They're very charismatic.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I'm not as mad at him as I should be, I guess.

[Miles]

You still buddies?

[Aaron Weber]

No, he Went MIA we haven't seen him, heard from him in a while. He owes all of his money.

[Miles]

Oh. Oh, wow. He's really. He's out there with a new name, a new family, a new town.

[Aaron Weber]

But, you know, if he walked in here today, I' shake his hand and say, how you doing? How's your family?

[Miles]

Oh, that's good.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm not as mad at him as I should be. Yeah, I had a tax guy tell me. He said. I explained the whole situation to him, and he goes, hey, this guy is not your friend. And I was like, yeah, but he's kind of. He's a good dude outside of that, so I don't know. I hope he's doing well.

[Miles]

Well, is. Is getting out of that company. Is. Is that what. Like, were you doing comedy at that point, too?

[Aaron Weber]

Well, that was what actually gave me the confidence to quit my job, because I wasn't getting paid for a while there at the end. So, you know, the thinking is, can I survive on just comedy? And then I kind of looked up and I was like, oh, I've been doing that for a while because this job hasn't paid me, so I might as well quit and go full time. That was 2019.

[Miles]

Nice.

[Aaron Weber]

So, yeah, I've been doing it full time since then.

[Miles]

That's awesome. And you are from here originally?

[Aaron Weber]

I moved here in high school. I'm from Alabama originally.

[Miles]

Okay, nice.

[Aaron Weber]

You guys spend a lot of time in the south, the two of you?

[Charlie]

Not really. I don't. Charlie probably been there a little more.

[Miles]

Than I. I've been there doing some shows. I was in Alabama. I was in Birmingham.

[Aaron Weber]

Wasn't as much of a culture shock as. As you thought it would be, or do you think people are pretty much the same?

[Miles]

I think people are the same everywhere, but there are distinct differences. In the South, I lived in South Carolina for a year and a half.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, okay.

[Miles]

And they would say, I appreciate you appreciate.

[Aaron Weber]

I say that all the time.

[Miles]

As opposed to I appreciate, appreciate it. That's what we say up there. Because to say we appreciate you, that's a different level of emotional intimacy. We're not ready for that.

[Charlie]

I mean, that's a lot of commitment.

[Miles]

We appreciate the task you are doing for us, or we will say it politely, but we do not. We cannot for any reason say, we save I appreciate you for marriage.

[Charlie]

You know, that was actually my vows.

[Aaron Weber]

So you never say you appreciate the person.

[Charlie]

All right, let's exchange vows. And then I went, appreciate you. And she said, I appreciate you, and he Said, you may kiss the bride. That's how it went. That was the scariest moment of my life. That was a lot of commitment.

[Miles]

There is a. There is a lot of the differences, obviously, you know, there's the whole bless your heart thing.

[Aaron Weber]

That's.

[Miles]

That's kind of been done. And. And. But what? You know, you've been around, too. You've been in the Midwest. What. What. What do you find that's weird up there that you may not do down here in Southern places?

[Aaron Weber]

Well, thing that strikes you is the hearing the accents in the wild is crazy. When you've never been there and, like, you've only seen it in movies and stuff.

[Miles]

You're telling me.

[Aaron Weber]

And then, like, you see a guy at a gas station and you're like, oh, my God, you really talk like that.

[Miles]

It's like that Eminem's commercial where the Eminem meets Santa, like, you do exist. They do exist, and they both faint at the same time.

[Aaron Weber]

I did a commercial. I have a. I have a big bit about this, but it was the first show I ever did in Wisconsin. It was in a town called Minong, Wisconsin. Have you heard of Minong?

[Miles]

Top left hand.

[Aaron Weber]

See, I love that you do that. People don't like that. Y' all do the hand to Michigan likes to claim it.

[Miles]

Michigan at the hand would be top.

[Aaron Weber]

Left of your pinky. I mean, borderline, way, way up there. Yeah.

[Miles]

By past Stillwater, yet still potentially.

[Charlie]

Yeah, dude, I just. Yeah, I just drove.

[Aaron Weber]

I haven't looked at a map in a while, but population 528. Wow. Small. We did a show at the Minong City Hall. 5% of the town was at the show. But as they were bringing me on stage, they say, hey, by the way, just. Just don't do any jokes about beef jerky. And I was like, like, that's my whole set.

[Charlie]

That's my whole set.

[Aaron Weber]

I go, why did you think I was gonna talk about beef jerky? You know, forget why I'm not allowed to. Why did you think this would come up? So I was just so blown away by it. It's such a bad set. I was thinking, like, why can't I talk about beef jerky? And I get off stage, and I finally. I asked the woman, and she goes, well, this is the. The headquarters of Jack Link's Beef Jerky is in Minong, Wisconsin. The whole town works at the factory.

[Miles]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

I was saying Jack Link could have been at the show. I don't know.

[Miles]

Mr. Link was there. Good God.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So they all and then we got like a Jack Link's like gift bag on the way out. But it was such a. It really messed with my head. I was like, why can't I talk about beef jerky? But the reason I bring that show up is because that was my first time in Wisconsin. And I remember a woman in the back, anytime somebody would start a joke, she would go, uh oh. And I lost it. Dude, I. I've never heard a human being make that noise in life. Also, the stuff we're saying is not that crazy. It was wild.

[Charlie]

The terrible part is I know exactly what you're talking about. I've heard it.

[Aaron Weber]

That noise too.

[Charlie]

Yeah. God, we do that, don't we?

[Miles]

It's. It's almost like like that ant at the family thing when like the, the younger cousin or whatever is about to say a story. Like almost like they're humoring you a little bit. You're like, you're just taking the piss out of. I'm going to say right now.

[Aaron Weber]

Exactly.

[Miles]

So it was a bad show though.

[Aaron Weber]

You said it was as good as it could be for a town of 500 in the city hall.

[Miles]

And you said 20. You said 5% of 500.

[Aaron Weber]

I haven't done the math exactly, but there may be 30 people.

[Miles]

Okay, that's pretty good. I think that's what I was going to say.

[Aaron Weber]

But there's a lot of other stuff going on in mine. Long that night probably.

[Miles]

Yeah. I mean, they had the Jack Links party.

[Charlie]

Raffle.

[Miles]

Meat raffle.

[Aaron Weber]

You know what I remember else about that. That night I was with Dusty Slay. I was opening for Dusty Slay there. And the next morning we went to some mom and pop restaurant. Dusty was like, I'm gonna get a breakfast sandwich to go and we'll hit the road, right? So we walk in, it's like a 12 year old working the cash. He's the cashier. Yeah. No adults in the building. It's just a 12 year old kid.

[Miles]

He's also the mayor.

[Aaron Weber]

So Dusty goes, can I get an egg sandwich and please make sure it's not runny. I'm going to try to eat this in the car. So just like a not runny egg sandwich. And the kid goes, yeah, my dad's working in the kitchen. We're like, okay, great. It's about 20 minutes later, the dad comes out and he hands Dusty an egg sandwich. And Dusty opens it up. It's the most runny. I mean, it's spilling all over him. And the dad who just cooked the sandwich goes, yeah, it's pretty runny, huh? And I was like, aren't you the guy who made it? He's like, yeah. And then we left. And that's all I remember about that place.

[Miles]

Steve's trying to. He's trying to big dick you with a runny egg sandwich or.

[Charlie]

The kid just thought, like, make it as runny as possible.

[Aaron Weber]

Something got lost in translation there. I mean, it was like a game of telephone. By the time it went five yards back to the kitchen, something went wrong. But that was my first trip to Wisconsin. Things have gotten better since.

[Miles]

I'm glad.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I'm going to Milwaukee and places like that.

[Miles]

Good, good, good. Yeah. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with my long.

[Aaron Weber]

I'd love to go back.

[Miles]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you. You.

[Aaron Weber]

I can do the funeral home next time.

[Miles]

Was it a corporate gig or was it.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it was a funny business gig. One of those.

[Miles]

Oh, one of those, like, systems there where they have a thing and some people.

[Aaron Weber]

It was a. It was part of a long run of like 40 different shows and. R.A. harbor, Wisconsin.

[Miles]

Oh, yeah. We were just talking to Dusty yesterday. Didn't he bring up Egg Harbor? I think he did, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He wasn't a fan of Egg Harbor.

[Aaron Weber]

Might have been the least fun I've ever seen him have on stage.

[Miles]

Yeah, he was, he.

[Charlie]

Was that the place. He said that he got out of there before everyone else got out of there.

[Aaron Weber]

He got off stage and he goes, meet me at the car. We're going right now. I watched Dusty. He, he, he got to the part of his set where he normally would do his merch pitch and I watched him. He picked up his T shirt and he looked at it and he goes, nah, that was great.

[Miles]

That's awesome. So did he. So you guys just walk out the door, grab the rest of the merch and then head for. Because you were staying, like, a ways away, weren't you?

[Aaron Weber]

We were. It was at a resort where they didn't get us a room, so I don't even think we had a hotel that night. So we had to drive like another four hours after that show. I'm not hanging around here for this crowd that hated me. Let's just hit.

[James]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

He said, you know what? Sunk cost.

[Aaron Weber]

Leave the merch. I don't even feel like boxing it up.

[Charlie]

Yeah, it'll end up going to the Goodwill. It's fine.

[Miles]

It's a write off at this point. That's cool. So you got any dates coming up in Milwaukee, by the way?

[Aaron Weber]

I am Going to be in Milwaukee, November 13th on my birthday.

[Miles]

No. Happy birthday to you.

[Aaron Weber]

Thank you.

[Charlie]

It's the most Midwest thing you've ever done. You wish someone a happy birthday?

[Aaron Weber]

Seven months.

[Miles]

Well, in case I miss it. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I appreciate it.

[Charlie]

Yeah. I don't want you to go without a happy birthday on your birthday, so I might as well just do it right now.

[Aaron Weber]

You ever not tell people your birthday and just see how many people actually know it?

[Charlie]

Yeah, I mean, I don't. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You don't have it on your Facebook or anything?

[Charlie]

Like, I probably do, but I haven't logged into my Facebook in a long time. Like, my personal one.

[Miles]

God, you probably have so many birthday messages on there. Just, happy birthday, exclamation point.

[Aaron Weber]

But I don't know if you're like me, if you take it off of there, you. You'll be shocked how few people know when your birthday is. I got a text from my mom and my wife said, happy Birthday. That was it.

[Miles]

Really?

[Aaron Weber]

Which I kind of like. I'm not a huge birthday guy. It makes me uncomfortable. I'm fine with that.

[Miles]

I'm with you. Because how much of your birthday do you want to spend replying to texts?

[Aaron Weber]

It's like, you got to go to work.

[Miles]

Yeah. Every few hours.

[Aaron Weber]

People you barely know. That's why you just take the birthday off. And then it's only people you actually love will reach out to you.

[Miles]

Yeah, that's the way to do it. There's also the people who will text you twice a year. Once on Thanksgiving, once on Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving, exclamation point, or merry Christmas. That's it. Like, two people in my life will do that twice a year.

[Aaron Weber]

Those are usually the people that still have a signature at the end of the text. See those?

[Charlie]

They're probably a Realtor.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. My dentist will text me, happy Thanksgiving.

[Charlie]

It is nice that Dennis do that, though. It is, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, you got to go in for a checkup. You got to get reminded. But don't you think this will sound bad? Don't you think birthdays are for women?

[Miles]

Yeah, they're. They're definitely.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Miles]

They're for moms, specifically, because they should be the only ones being wished a happy birthday. They did all the birthing. You know, you just went on a little slip and slide.

[Charlie]

You know, birthdays are a great way for women to keep score. Right. Who put up an Instagram story wishing me a happy birthday. You know, who reached out, wanted to go for brunch. You know, all that stuff. Then they can Keep the mental checklist in their head of who's keeping up with them.

[Aaron Weber]

You got to do a story tag them, and then you got to share all of them. Yeah. It's a whole performative thing.

[Charlie]

Correct.

[Miles]

When did that start? Like, when did we start, like, doing, like, I see people do like a story of their friend with like five different pictures. Like, how do you find those in your phone? First of all. And then second of all, you're going through the effort to make a whole Instagram story collage. And then you got to think of all the friends you don't do it for.

[Aaron Weber]

Exactly. But I think that's what the gift is, is the effort.

[Miles]

Oh, really?

[Aaron Weber]

It's such a nice gesture. Yeah. To go. I went out of my way to type out this meaningless thing. Happy Birthday.

[Charlie]

It is also very funny. Like, the caption will say, be like the strongest woman I know. And then the next friend has a birthday and they're like, the strongest woman. And it's like the girl is just like a teacher at a middle school, you know, and just like never has any trials or tribulations in their life.

[Aaron Weber]

Go to example. I have a weak woman. I would say that middle school teacher.

[Miles]

No, you clearly haven't been to a middle school.

[Charlie]

Dude.

[Miles]

It's a war zone in there.

[Charlie]

Yeah, you're right.

[Miles]

War zone.

[Charlie]

These kids so meant that she just doesn't have anything bad really going on in her life.

[Miles]

The entire school situation.

[Aaron Weber]

It's like the woman posts that. Then she's just a nurse at a nicu.

[Charlie]

Yeah, I'm g. Catch some flack for that.

[Miles]

That's fine.

[Aaron Weber]

That's all right.

[Charlie]

That's fine. That's fine.

[Miles]

It's fine. You own it.

[Aaron Weber]

I get what you're saying. But then.

[Charlie]

But then you go, oh, she's just a stay at home mom. And then you have all the people coming at you like, that's a job.

[Aaron Weber]

You're saying they're writing about her like she was in Fallujah or something.

[Charlie]

Like she fought in a war.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, I get that.

[Miles]

Yeah. It was really progressive what you said. After further review. After further review. Miles sexist stance has been overturned.

[Aaron Weber]

Much more pro military than anti woman.

[Miles]

So. Yeah, I think it's just people aren't.

[Charlie]

Thinking about marketing guy. Weren't you?

[Aaron Weber]

I could spin something around. I can spend things.

[Miles]

Oh, man, that's good. So what else is going on?

[Aaron Weber]

Not a whole lot, man. I had a. Had a baby. Got a six month old baby at home.

[Miles]

That's awesome.

[Aaron Weber]

It's fun. The in laws are here helping out. In laws are great. My mom will come spend a week. Now they're here for a week. Just, you know, you just want to put the, you just want to put the kid somewhere. That's the value of it.

[Charlie]

I'm not following. What do you mean?

[Aaron Weber]

Because I want to do stuff and you're like, I love the. I love my child, but I just want to put her somewhere for a minute. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charlie]

Oh, 100%.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That was not great how it worked. I just want to stick her in a corner somewhere.

[Charlie]

I just want to leave her in the car when I go in places. But I'll crack a window.

[Miles]

Miles is trying to one up his phrase before, you know, just, just, just throw a bunch of mud on this interview. So none of it'll stick.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Miles]

Good tactic.

[Aaron Weber]

But my wife and I, like last night, my wife and I were both out at the same time. That just hasn't happened in forever because it's had to be one or the other. Would. Yeah, yeah.

[Charlie]

I got a 9, almost 10 month old. So I'm, I'm in the same stage that you're in, so. Yeah, I get it. Yeah. It's like we. There's a sweet spot though, where it's like right away. Yes. They like can't do anything, but you can just like lay them there and they don't move. So you can go do other stuff.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Where as soon as they start crawling around, you're like, you, you're constantly thinking about what they're doing.

[Aaron Weber]

Even early on, they can just fall asleep on your chest or.

[Charlie]

Correct.

[Aaron Weber]

Now she can't do. I gotta do stuff with her. Jingle a chain or something.

[Charlie]

Were you a skin to skin contact dad?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. To the point where it made people uncomfortable.

[Charlie]

Ah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

The doctor was like, aaron, you don't have to be shirtless during the C section. So I, I walked in the room like Bert Kreischer. They're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yo. They, they emphasize skin to skin.

[Charlie]

Well, so I was telling my dad about this and he's a, you know, he's a boomer. So there was. That didn't exist back then.

[Miles]

I don't even know it myself. I got nothing.

[Charlie]

Yeah. So basically I was like, yeah, dad. Like apparently they do skin to skin contact, whatever. And he's like, kind of like, that's just dumb.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

That doesn't make it.

[Aaron Weber]

So they've learned. It's pretty recent, but they've learned there's all these benefits to literally just putting the baby skin against your skin. Not with the shirt in between or anything, but skin to skin contact.

[Charlie]

It's like a connection between and all of that.

[Aaron Weber]

So immediately after birth, they're like, put that baby on the mother's skin and just like. So the first thing they do when they come out is just skin to skin.

[Miles]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

There's like immediate actual health benefits too.

[Charlie]

Yeah, it's a great thing. And so I was explaining this to my dad and I was like, dad, I didn't get it. Like, should we try it now?

[Aaron Weber]

We pop that top off, dad. We got a lot of catching up.

[Charlie]

And that made him pretty uncomfortable, so.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, isn't it wild just raising a kid now? Like the differences between how you were raised. We're probably around the same age. What are you, 30s?

[Charlie]

32?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're the same age. So like I was raised, I slept on my stomach in the crib. They threw all kinds of crap in there, stuffed animals. I had a blanket on. And now they're like absolutely nothing in the crib. And the baby has to be on its back.

[Miles]

Cuz it's a suffocation situation.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Cuz kids kept dying, so they were like, all right, we gotta switch something up. Yeah, so now you gotta sleep on your back. But just the fact that I, as a child, I slept on my stomach.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's how my mom would just lay me down.

[Charlie]

We're survivors, you know, we made it through. We're the lucky ones.

[Aaron Weber]

That's why I'm as strong as I am now, I think. Yeah, I had a teddy bear in the crib with me.

[Charlie]

You're the strongest guy. I'm gonna put that on my Instagram story after this.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm just a teacher.

[Miles]

That is true.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, it's funny is my mom. My mom's a middle school teacher. She's retired now, and she would jump around different grade levels, but she, she taught me algebra one in middle school. My dad was the high school principal. My mom was my middle school math teacher. I'm one of four kids. There was a year where all six of us got ready for school, we all got in the car and went to the same place and then we all went home after. Isn't that crazy? It's only a year because at a certain point, you know, kids were in high school or whatever. But yeah, dude. So a lot of teachers in my family and I love, I love trashing them, so.

[Charlie]

So that was about the worst thing I could say.

[Aaron Weber]

No, I loved it. I get it. My mom doesn't work hard. Just kidding. I've worked very hard.

[Miles]

What do you. What do you think parenting, though, is going to be like, in like 20 more years, you know, if that. If this is how far we've come from, like.

[Charlie]

Well, luckily we'll be kind of done.

[Miles]

With it by then.

[Aaron Weber]

You hope so.

[Miles]

Starting probably. So I'll let you guys know, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, they'll probably make you. You have to sleep. You have to suspend a baby by its ankles.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And that's how it sleeps.

[Charlie]

Vampire style.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. To prevent scoliosis or something.

[Charlie]

There'll be a study that comes out.

[Aaron Weber]

You ever do one of those where you hang those machines where you hang from your feet?

[Charlie]

I haven't, but I know what you're talking about.

[Aaron Weber]

Doesn't it look awesome? It does, yeah.

[Miles]

Have you done it?

[Aaron Weber]

No, but I want to so bad. But there's a weight limit on a lot of.

[Charlie]

This is the second podcast in a row where weight limits came up because I used to be 60 pounds heavier than now, so. Yeah, I was. Last podcast it said Charlie didn't. He doesn't have the struggle of having to look at weight limits.

[Aaron Weber]

There's stuff you can't do.

[Charlie]

Correct.

[Aaron Weber]

You couldn't have gone skydiving and we.

[Miles]

Did talk about skydiving.

[Aaron Weber]

You'd have to pay 100 bucks extra. That's crazy.

[Miles]

For the extra parachute shoes.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

It's like, yeah. Buying a 5XL shirt, it costs twice as much.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, you're a 5x. Oh, my God, 5. How do you not fix things at 4? And I've been up to a 4. I'm not trying to knock people. That are.

[Charlie]

The one thing about being overweight is like you're on an elevator and like it makes a weird noise and then everyone's looking at you, you know?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Like you were the guy who brought it over the window. Exactly. You start doing the math. You're like, okay, this has thing a 3,500 pound weight capacity. I mean, I'm not the only guy to blame here.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

So you.

[Aaron Weber]

10% of that farts too. You get blamed. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. And it is you most of the time. You know, I get it. I get it. Yeah.

[Miles]

Yeah. Well, what do you think, Miles?

[Charlie]

Should we take some callers?

[Miles]

Let's do it.

[Charlie]

Let's do it. Charlie.

[Miles]

What's up?

[Charlie]

Miles, I don't know about you, but you. I graduated high school.

[Miles]

Oh, no, I did that.

[Charlie]

Okay. Okay, good. Yeah. I didn't know you had a graduation party.

[Miles]

Yeah, actually I did. It was really nice. My band played.

[Charlie]

You had a band?

[Miles]

Yeah, I had a band. Pretty good. Called your project Y O R E. Music of Yore.

[Charlie]

Okay.

[Miles]

Yeah, yeah, that means yesterday. Like music. We were cover band. Mostly Grateful Dead covers. That's a few old folk tunes.

[Charlie]

Nice.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

I don't know about your dad, but my dad had a lot of work to do to get ready for that grad party.

[Miles]

I don't know if my dad did a whole lot.

[Charlie]

He had to clean the garage. He had to put a tarp up in the garage to hide all of our shit so he could put the tables in the garage.

[Miles]

Oh, yeah, now that you mention it. Yeah.

[Charlie]

And it's a stressful time for parents, so if you're a parent out there preparing for a graduation party and you get all frazzled and you're worried about people coming over and you happen to end up in a car accident because you're distracted.

[Miles]

Oh, the frazzled accident. Yeah, the fracident. The frazident. Yeah.

[Charlie]

If you end up in a frasident, you gotta call Nicolay Law. They're gonna help you out. They're gonna make sure that the insurance companies are staying in line, and then you can enjoy the graduation party with the peace of mind that you called Nicolay.

[Miles]

I'd like to give a peace of mind to you, Miles, but I won't. I'll call Nicolay instead. Yeah, I'll let the insurance companies settle this one. Actually, no, I'll let him settle it with the insurance companies.

[Charlie]

So, guys, give Nikolay a call.

[Miles]

Hello?

[Charlie]

Hi, is this James?

[James]

That's right, James.

[Charlie]

Not much. You got the Belly Nub podcast here with Charlie and special guest comedian Aaron Weber on the line as well. How's it going, man?

[James]

Oh, hell yeah, it's going great.

[Miles]

So word on the street is you want to run for a little governorship, huh?

[James]

That's right. You guys are talking to the future governor of Oklahoma.

[Aaron Weber]

I love.

[Charlie]

Spoken like a true politician.

[James]

Can't wait to tell you guys a whole bunch of promises and then not follow through on any of them.

[Charlie]

You have step one in the bag. I like where this.

[Aaron Weber]

I can hear the bolo tie on you now.

[James]

Yeah, well, hey, actually, that's funny. I don't. I don't know how to tie a tie, so I only.

[Aaron Weber]

We wear both. I know. I can hear it.

[Charlie]

Well, in your ad campaigns, make sure you don't wear a tie and have your sleeve rolled up so people know.

[Miles]

You get to work just below the elbow.

[James]

That's right.

[Charlie]

That's Right.

[Aaron Weber]

So can I ask you, James, what's the elevator pitch? Let's say I'm a. I'm a voter in Oklahoma. I'm literally on an elevator with you. You've got 10 seconds to tell me what your campaign's about. What, What. What are we saying?

[James]

Hey, man, you know that pothole in the road that you hit on the way here that probably threw out your alignment?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[James]

Let that. Let's get that puppy fixed.

[Charlie]

Who's going to pay for it?

[James]

You are, good, sir. All right, have a good day. See you at the poll.

[Aaron Weber]

I respect the honesty. I also love the idea that the governor is hand handling potholes. I mean, yeah, I'm a man of the people. That's right. We're going to dig in and handle these things at a local level. Let's get the governor in.

[Charlie]

I like that he's kind of just running his campaign off mild inconveniences that he has personally.

[Aaron Weber]

Right, yeah.

[Miles]

You know, that's actually a genius. You get out there, start fixing those potholes right now and make that, like, your campaign thing. Like I'm. What's your name again?

[Charlie]

James.

[Miles]

James. James, what's your last name?

[James]

Devini.

[Miles]

James Devini.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's gonna be an uphill battle in Oklahoma with a name like that, I think. Yes.

[James]

A lot of letters.

[Aaron Weber]

You're gonna have to distance yourselves from your Italian roots, I think.

[James]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, right now, the current governor' got five letters in his last.

[Aaron Weber]

Easy to spell.

[Charlie]

We don't.

[James]

We don't have the best education system over here right now.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, that's one of the things they're going to work on right now. Let me ask you this, James. I think a lot of people are frustrated with the state of American politics right now. People say it's too negative. Right. We talk down to each other. We don't try to find common ground. Is that the kind of campaign you're going to run? Are you going to run a lot of negative ads, negative messages against your opponents?

[James]

No, I'm not that kind of guy. You know, I don't really like to be hateful. I'm actually very polite most of the. Unless I don't like somebody, but then it's not, you know, I'm not rude. I kind of. I kind of, you know, know how to do that politician thing where. Where maybe you're telling somebody to go to hell, but they kind of think they're gonna enjoy the trip. Hell's actually quite nice this time of.

[Aaron Weber]

Year compared to Oklahoma Yeah.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's awesome, man. I love this. Now, have. Are you worried about. I think a lot of good people are afraid to get into politics. Know, all of a sudden people are digging through your closet. They're trying to find skeletons. Right. Have you prepared yourself for this kind of vicious attack from. From other politicians?

[James]

Well, now, this is actually a very real concern I have because. And I'll tell you, my wife is actually more concerned about it than I am because she is not an American citizen. She's from Germany, and she could be a German spy. I don't.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow. Wow.

[James]

I don't think she's a spy, but this is.

[Charlie]

This is smart. Get ahead of it.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Right. I would try to firm up a stance on this before things get rolling.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

As a marketing guy, how would you firm this?

[Aaron Weber]

I would go decide definitively whether your wife is a German spy. That's probably step number one.

[James]

But she says she's not a spy. But that's exactly what a spy would say.

[Charlie]

That is true.

[James]

This could be part of the master plan. I don't know.

[Charlie]

Well, they say keep your enemies close. Are your friends close and your enemies closer.

[Aaron Weber]

I'd maybe not use the term master plan about your German wife.

[James]

No, no, I don't think she's a spy. I. I don't.

[Aaron Weber]

That's good.

[James]

You know, I don't know what the press is gonna say.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[James]

Especially after this phone call. They might be like, you know, James Davidi's wife is a German spy.

[Miles]

Always driving around in a Volkswagen. We know.

[Charlie]

So he gives the weirdest high fives.

[Miles]

So. So, James. What? What? Aside from the potholes, what's another element to your campaign platform here?

[James]

Well, yeah, so. So like I said, you know, I'm. Well, I said it in my voicemail, so. I'm a road builder, so roads are very, very important to me. That's definitely a firm stance on the old campaign. I work in the asphalt business, so, you know, we've got a lot of guys that are in shape and doing things, you know, not necessarily healthy, but, you know.

[Miles]

They have Usher in a shape.

[James]

Well, you know, it's so hot out there, you know, you kind of get unfatted real quick whenever you're on a nascar.

[Aaron Weber]

Right, right.

[James]

You know, we're going to. You know, we're gonna make the state a little healthier. People driving around. Yeah, yeah. We got a Mohawk. We're pretty far behind on that. You know, there's a lot of people that. That drive trucks, but it's not because they need a truck necessarily to work. It's just that's the only thing that won't pot them out.

[Miles]

And that's causing all the potholes right there.

[James]

That's right. Yeah.

[Charlie]

So you're just an asphalt guy that's got a. That wants to make change around here. It's like you're not actually in politics. You. You work on the. On the tarmac.

[James]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're working on the. On the hot stuff. You know, I am, I would say. I mean, I'm involved on some levels politically. You know, I do kind of go to some of those events and stuff where those people are around and those kinds of meetings and stuff, so. Sounds like, well connected.

[Miles]

Yeah. An asphalt man with a dream.

[Charlie]

He's like, I had to go to city council meeting once to pay my. To fight my parking ticket. I'm involved in politics.

[James]

Yeah. No, no, actually, I went to lunch with a Congress congressman the other day.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[James]

So it was. It was interesting. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

So you're building alliances already. Let me ask you this. Have you thought about what's your team going to look like? Do you have a transition team in place? Have you already talked to other friends, other asphalt guys? Maybe bring in, you know, a concrete mixer to run, you know, the economy, things like that.

[Charlie]

The cabinet. What's your cabinet going to look like?

[James]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, it might be tough to get a concrete guy in there. Concrete guys and asphalt guys don't always get along.

[Miles]

You know, a cabinet guy, though, finished carpenter, that could be good.

[Charlie]

Actually, I have a friend, so for my cabinet, I just have cabinet guys.

[Aaron Weber]

I got an Amish guy to do all the woodwork.

[James]

Well, it's funny to say that one of my friends owns a cabinet company.

[Miles]

There you go.

[Aaron Weber]

Look at that.

[James]

So. And. And she's Asian. So it's an Asian woman who runs a cabinet company. And I already told her, you're my DEI pick.

[Miles]

There you go. There you go.

[Aaron Weber]

I love it.

[Miles]

Good. So, yeah, I mean, what, what, like, aside for the roads, though, I'm just trying to suss out a few more things that's going wrong with Oklahoma right now. In your mind?

[James]

Yeah. Well, you know, as I mentioned, education is not exactly on par, you know, not, not necessarily that teachers are doing a bad job.

[Aaron Weber]

It's just.

[Miles]

Look at them walking the line already.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. The teachers union's been doing good work.

[Miles]

But blame it on the kids. They can't vote, you know.

[James]

Well, it's not the teachers are doing a bad job. It's just they're basically paid the wages of an indentured servant.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[James]

So, you know, you know, maybe, maybe we oughta, maybe we ought to help them out. Maybe raise that pay a little bit. Maybe attract a little better talent in some areas.

[Aaron Weber]

Right, right. So cut the pay of the firefighters and the policemen. Give it to the teachers. I like that.

[James]

You know. Yeah, we gotta.

[Aaron Weber]

Look, I don't know, where does Oklahoma rank? Where Oklahoma rank in education? You know, I grew. I'm from Alabama. We're proudly. We hover around 4,950.

[James]

Well, I think you and I are fighting for that same spot.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, how about that? All right.

[Charlie]

Little competition, toilet bowl between the two.

[Aaron Weber]

But this sounds like this whole campaign is rooted in a deep and abiding love of your home state, Oklahoma. Talk a little bit about, just give, give, tell me the love story that you have, have for the state of Oklahoma and get me excited about it.

[James]

Yeah. So I'm born and raised in Oklahoma and it's a great place. You know, it really is. You know, it's a, it's a well kept secret that's kind of been getting out lately.

[Charlie]

I have heard that. Yeah, I have heard. I have heard Oklahoma.

[Miles]

I heard whispers of that, actually.

[Charlie]

There's been some murmurs on. On R. Oklahoma.

[James]

Yeah. So all those, you know, everybody left Oklahoma during the Dust bowl in the 20s and went to California.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[James]

And now I think due to current political state there, they're all, they're all moving back.

[Charlie]

Yeah. That's your whole campaign. Come on home.

[Aaron Weber]

Come home. Come home.

[James]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Oklahoma. Come home.

[James]

That's right.

[Miles]

Trying to get the Beverly Hillbillies back, you know, Come on back.

[James]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So they're all, they're all coming back and, you know, it's. It's been a little interesting there, but yeah, it's a great place. You know, it's. You can actually afford to live here, which is awesome. You know, buy some houses and that kind of stuff and live a decent life without having to make a dumb amount of money.

[Aaron Weber]

So affordable. I love that.

[James]

Great.

[Aaron Weber]

And you don't have the arrogance that a Dallas or a Houston or an Austin has, right?

[James]

Oh, absolutely not. No.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, that's. I respect that.

[Miles]

You guys got a big feud with Texas, don't you?

[James]

Yeah, yeah, it's, you know, I don't know that Texas has a feud with Oklahoma so much as Oklahoma. You know, people from Oklahoma really hate Texas and people from Texas, I don't even think know that there are any other states.

[Aaron Weber]

I love. Well, I'm getting fired up about this campaign, man. And I know, you know, you've never heard of me. I'm just a, a, a lowly comedian out here in Nashville, Tennessee. But if you, if you, if you need someone to get a super PAC started, anything like that, I'm happy to chip in and, and you know, serve your campaign in any way that I can. So this is, this has been great. Thank you.

[Miles]

See, you already have an offer to send in money from out of state. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[James]

Let's, let's touch base. I'll send you my Venmo.

[Aaron Weber]

The whole campaign's finance through Cash app. This is not.

[James]

Yeah, Cash App. And, and failed crypto. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, that's what we needed, some comedians on the campaign.

[Aaron Weber]

All right.

[James]

Because I think all these politicians are taking things too serious. I mean, you know, Trump's got Kid Rock, and I think that's a good, good choice politically, I think. Kid Rock, the great, great. A great political influencer, thought leader.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[James]

Our lord and savior, Bobby Kid Rock. So, you know, we need some comedians on our side. I think it's, you know, I mean, I don't know. Kid Rock's all right, but, but I'd rather make people laugh.

[Charlie]

I think actually it's kind of onto something because I do feel like comedians see the world clear, clearer than everyone else. Yeah. Because you're trying to make fun of everything, so then you look at everything how it should be looked at.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, I'm on board. I like that. You don't talk like a politician. You don't think like one. I get things figured out with your spy wife.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And then I think we're ready to this campaign. What's the timetable here? Is there an election coming up in Oklahoma?

[James]

Yeah, well, there is one coming up next year. I'm probably like 20, 25, 30 years out, you know, so it's a long term play.

[Aaron Weber]

I was ready to get the grassroots going, dude. I was getting a street team together over here.

[James]

Well, you know, first I have to become independently wealthy because I think anymore to run for governor, you've got to have at least like $10 million to make that campaign work.

[Aaron Weber]

You got to be T. Pickens grandson or something.

[James]

Yeah, that's right.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[James]

Yeah. And I'm not. I went to Oklahoma State. I've been to Boone Picking stadium. I don't, don't have any relationship to that family. Otherwise.

[Miles]

Well, it's a good start. What's your slogan gonna be?

[James]

I think that's a Good question. I guess I haven't quite figured that part out.

[Charlie]

Come Oklahoma.

[Aaron Weber]

Come on.

[James]

I mean, it was gonna be something lame like, you know, you know, for the people or something like that.

[Charlie]

How about we the people.

[Miles]

There you go. We the people kicking asphalt or something. Yeah, you know. Yeah, lean into that. I think you should just run this year and see what happens, you know, because you'll get headlines being. Yeah, you'll get headlines being the youngest one, you know, and. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, I think in Tennessee, I don't know what the exact rules are in Oklahoma, but in Tennessee, to get on the ballot, all you need is a thousand signatures. Oh, I think we can drum up a thousand signatures here in Oklahoma and we could have that done by nightfall.

[Miles]

Yeah, I'll send you four just from me. You know, let's get this going.

[James]

Yeah, yeah, I'll send you guys. I'll send you guys a mail in deal and then.

[Aaron Weber]

Perfect.

[James]

Four mail in deals and if I could get a thousand back, that'd be great.

[Miles]

Well, you'll make that happen.

[Aaron Weber]

I love it, man.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[James]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Well, we appreciate you calling in today, man. We're excited for your political journey. Embarking on.

[Aaron Weber]

On.

[Charlie]

We'll see you in 30 years at the top.

[Miles]

Good luck paving that red dirt road. Yeah, like that.

[Charlie]

Yeah, that's what you gotta do is I gotta pave the way type of slogan, I think.

[Aaron Weber]

Pave the way.

[Miles]

Yeah, paving that river.

[James]

Yeah, yeah, we could do that.

[Charlie]

Yeah, we'll find it. We got 30 years.

[James]

Yeah, we got 30 years to workshop this. And so I've got 30 years to become independently wealthy and workshop.

[Aaron Weber]

It's time to put Oklahoma in the HOV lane.

[James]

It's time to teach Oklahomans where we are on the map.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. It's a little clumsy, the wording, but I like the idea.

[Charlie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we can work.

[James]

The high schools had state testing today, and I'm a little concerned about.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, those numbers are going to play into this election, you know, so.

[James]

That's right.

[Aaron Weber]

This was great.

[Miles]

Yeah, we'll look out for this. Okay. Do kind of get to the bottom of the stuff with your wife, though. That's. That's going to come up to bite you in the ass.

[James]

All right, so when she gets home from work tonight, should I just, like, have a lie detector test?

[Charlie]

Like waiting for interrogator?

[Miles]

Yeah, one of them.

[James]

Just.

[Miles]

Yeah, it's all nine. Or how do you say no?

[Aaron Weber]

That's how you say no.

[Miles]

Okay. What's yes in German?

[James]

I think it's just.

[Miles]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Charlie]

I don't know. You can't have that answer that quick. It starts to get suspicious. You need to fumble with a little.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, it's inspiring. How? Well, you've embraced your wife's heritage. You don't know how to say yes or no.

[James]

Hey, I know how to say footer, please.

[Aaron Weber]

There you go. There you go. All right.

[James]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Well, man, we appreciate calling in. Have a good one.

[James]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You're the man. Good luck, buddy. That guy was great.

[Miles]

Yeah, I'll vote for him.

[Aaron Weber]

He was funny. He.

[Charlie]

Would you actually vote for him, Charlie?

[Miles]

Yeah. In Oklahoma. Sure.

[Charlie]

Do you have any plans to move to Oklahoma?

[Miles]

No, I just want to mail in one from Wisconsin.

[Aaron Weber]

You might, though. Never say never, you know?

[Miles]

Yeah. I guess you could live anywhere. I've. I've been to Oklahoma before, you know.

[Charlie]

I never have.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

I can't believe they have an NBA team in Oklahoma.

[Aaron Weber]

I know.

[Miles]

Yeah. Iowa doesn't even have one, you know, Iowa doesn't have shit.

[Aaron Weber]

Oklahoma's way bigger than Iowa. Iowa.

[Miles]

Right. Is it?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Miles]

I mean, space wise.

[Aaron Weber]

I bet by a factor of three in population.

[Miles]

Really?

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's my guess. Based on nothing.

[Miles]

I always got Cedar Rapids, though. And Dubuque.

[Charlie]

Dubuque.

[Miles]

Davenport.

[Charlie]

Cedar Falls.

[Aaron Weber]

Cedar. Rap of the city. I thought you said you meant like a water park.

[Charlie]

They got six flags.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Okay, that sounds like me trying to pitch North Dakota. We have interpretive centers right there. You can interpret that how you want. Continental Divide is in North Dakota.

[Aaron Weber]

That's big time. Yeah, I drove across. I saw the sign. Yeah, I was just out there in Fargo. Yeah, that's where I live, at Sioux Falls.

[Charlie]

It's a good trip.

[Aaron Weber]

Different state.

[Miles]

But make it to East Fargo at all.

[Aaron Weber]

What is East Fargo? I think I was just in the middle.

[Charlie]

Morehead.

[Miles]

Morehead. It's just a bad joke because there's no East Fargo.

[Aaron Weber]

Because it's small.

[Miles]

No, it's right next to Minnesota. It's a Geo. It's a geography joke. You know, it's okay. Not a lot of people get it.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't look up on that part of the map that often.

[Miles]

Yeah, it's kind of keep it in the middle.

[Charlie]

What'd you think of Fargo when you were there?

[Aaron Weber]

Great people. I had a. What's the food that everybody tells you to get? I had a. Okay, so I was at some diner in Fargo.

[Charlie]

Crow's Diner.

[Aaron Weber]

I can't remember what it was. It didn't feel like. It wasn't Like I looked up the place to be it was just the diner and I was there in. The server goes, oh, man, you gotta try. It's the signature food of Fargo. Nephila soup, sour cream and raisin pie.

[Miles]

Sour cream?

[Aaron Weber]

You've never heard of it?

[Charlie]

You heard of that?

[Aaron Weber]

She was like, we cannot keep sour cream and raisin pie.

[Charlie]

I didn't. I've never.

[Aaron Weber]

On the. On the shelf. We can't keep it.

[Miles]

Really?

[Aaron Weber]

And then she went back to the kitchen. She came back, she goes, I'm about to make your year. I found a piece of sour cream and raisin pie back there, and we ate it, and it was all right. But she made it sound like you haven't been to Fargo unless you've had the sour cream and raisin, but you never even heard of that. What's your food? What's your thing?

[Charlie]

Oh, you know, pizza. There's a. So the diner I brought up.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

New York style pizzas.

[Aaron Weber]

Domino. It's this place. Yeah.

[Charlie]

I mean, you're. If you're asking about food and Fargo, you're asking the wrong question.

[Aaron Weber]

That's true. You're there for the wrong reason.

[Charlie]

Yeah, exactly.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

There's way better places to go if you're looking for food. You know, we do a lot of left around the holidays. You know what lefse is?

[Aaron Weber]

No, what's that?

[Charlie]

Basically just flattened potatoes that kind of looks like a tortilla.

[Miles]

Norwegian stuff.

[Charlie]

It's like. Oh, yeah, it's like. It's like a tortilla, but with potatoes.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Miles]

Not a potato pancake, though.

[Charlie]

No. Not like a crepe.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Charlie]

It's like this whole process that takes a long time.

[Aaron Weber]

It's good. You eat it. You eat it once. Yeah.

[Charlie]

So you put butter on it.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Charlie]

And then I usually put some sugar in there as well. It's pretty good.

[Miles]

That does sound good. Does sound hungry for some laughs. And right now, Fargo is a huge money laundering place too.

[Aaron Weber]

For whom?

[Miles]

I read it on the Internet once. It's like the Cayman Islands and North Dakota. There's a lot of shell companies that they put there.

[Aaron Weber]

Just because it's hard to get out there, I don't investigate.

[Miles]

I don't know what it is. I think you guys have some laws that are favorable. Favorable to shell companies? Some somehow. I mean, someone can double check that with the Google machine, but. Or not.

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, it's interesting. All a lot of cities in the Midwest are a mob run. People don't like to talk about it.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

But a lot. A lot of them out there. Northern Indiana, Illinois, and.

[Charlie]

And Yeah, I even think I was. Got some mob members.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[Miles]

Yeah. I mean, we, we in Wisconsin, all the gangsters went on vacation in northern Wisconsin. Al Capone, really? Yeah. Yeah. And they still have their hideouts out there, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Miles]

Yeah. John Dillinger. Okay. You know, Bugs Moran, they would all just head up to Wisconsin. They had tunnel systems to run their booze up there. A lot of bars and homes have tunnels underneath them.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

From the cool.

[Miles]

From the gangsters.

[Charlie]

So I like how like after the fact, now we're like, oh, that's so cool. But it's like, like what these guys have done to society.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah. They're horrible people.

[Miles]

Takes a while.

[Aaron Weber]

A while.

[Miles]

Takes a while to like, embrace.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Look, I ate at Genghis Khan Grill yesterday.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I can separate the criminal from the food.

[Charlie]

You can appreciate a pad thai.

[Aaron Weber]

That's right.

[Miles]

Killed more people on the planet than anybody else ever.

[Aaron Weber]

I think it's like one out of every six people has his DNA.

[Miles]

Yeah, because he was a big pillage. He would pillage. Yeah. Not a thing you want to think about, but, you know, he did populate a lot of the deal. And now we have grills named after. I mean, at what point are people going to start making grills after other bad people? Pol Pot, fill in the blank there. That's a mad lib. That's for you guys to figure out so you get in trouble. Muffins.

[Charlie]

All right, boys, we got a voicemail on deck here. Here we go.

[James]

Oh, my Name's Aries. I'm 11 and I'm dating this girl.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm dating this other girl. Oh.

[James]

And they actually met each other and they started talking about me.

[Aaron Weber]

And then she said, we're gonna have a long talk, but I'm kind of.

[James]

Scared now, but I have to go to sleep, so.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, my God.

[Charlie]

Are you kidding me? Oh, my God. That's. That's the best voicemail we've ever gotten.

[Aaron Weber]

That's incredible. 11 years old.

[Miles]

11 years old, dating a girl.

[Charlie]

Date another girl. They met in class.

[Miles]

In the same class.

[Aaron Weber]

Must be a different school.

[Miles]

It must be. Yeah, that's true.

[Charlie]

And now she said, we gotta have a long talk. He like just got the Snapchat from her saying, we need to have a long talk. And this is where he turned.

[Aaron Weber]

That's so interesting that these 11 year olds are able to. I wasn't texting people at 11. I would have just had to show up at school and have a long talk.

[Charlie]

No, you first would have got A note in your locker.

[Aaron Weber]

That's true. We need to talk. You know, see at kickball, something like that. Wow. 11 years old. The kid flew too close to the sun.

[Miles]

Yeah, that's. That's unfortunate. You know, at 11 years old, you got to be kind of. You gotta be playing, you know, the field a little bit. You can't be out there, like, committing yourself.

[Aaron Weber]

You're 11.

[Miles]

It's never gonna work, you know? Why are you bringing sand to the seashore? You're in school, dude. Just enjoy it.

[Aaron Weber]

What's the earliest couple that you know of? Like, the earliest they started dating. I know a few that like, started dating in, like, middle school and now they're married.

[Charlie]

The guy who worked for me did that.

[Aaron Weber]

Really?

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

So this kid's not far off from finding his wife. One of these two women could be as well, bear his children. That's. That's kind of beautiful when you think about it.

[Charlie]

It really is.

[Aaron Weber]

And this will be part of the story he tells his grandson.

[Charlie]

And it's nice they're getting it out of the way right away.

[Aaron Weber]

In fourth grade, I cheated on your mom. And now it's kind of a sweet story. By the time the other guy's running for governor, this will all have been smoothed over.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Miles]

Oh, my God. I can't believe that we got 11 year olds listening to us. I'm kind of rethinking some things now.

[Aaron Weber]

Where would you go at 11 to like, hang out? I'm just imagining like an 11 year old date. Where do you go?

[Charlie]

Trampoline.

[Aaron Weber]

Were y' all big mall? Trampoline park.

[Charlie]

I didn't. Now they would do that. They got trampoline parks.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I don't even. I know if I had heard of that as a kid, that's.

[Miles]

That's a new deal.

[Aaron Weber]

That's a post 911 thing. I think I feel, I mean, unrelated to 911, but post 911 there was a.

[Charlie]

There's a bunch of murmurs about, like, who did 9 11. And so to distract us, they invented trampoline parts.

[Aaron Weber]

All smoke screen. I know that.

[Miles]

False flags and trampolines.

[Aaron Weber]

But were you big mall people? Was like the mall, the move.

[Miles]

I. I never. I worked at the mall. That was about it. But that wasn't until I was like 15.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Miles]

You know, at 11 years old, I think I was out on my bike.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Miles]

You know, 100%.

[Charlie]

Just around the neighborhood.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

Then my mom would stick her head out, just yell my name, and I come running between things.

[Miles]

Depending on the tone, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, ye.

[Miles]

Let her call again. See if this one's an important deal. Then if dad starts calling, then you run your ass home. You know, that's how that goes. But yeah. 11 years old, no, just messing around. And, you know, there's this one, me and my buddy, we would go find the used cigarettes outside the church and go take them to the woods, smoke them, you know, just the butt. Well, a little bit of nicotine in there still. You know his. He stole his dad's Winston lighter and we had to put that thing to use. Wow. So that was 11 for me.

[Aaron Weber]

Good times.

[Charlie]

Yeah, yeah, 11. Probably around the neighborhood. And then like as I got a little older, we just hang out.

[Miles]

The Dairy Queen, the dq. What a spot.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah. We were doing this. This kid's in a love triangle and having real problems with it. And he sounded scared there at the end. These kids are. These kids are growing up faster, man.

[Charlie]

But it's also something beautiful about a kid's first long talk with a girl. You know, there's just something so pure about that, that.

[Miles]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

He's about to learn so much.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Charlie]

About how the world works.

[Miles]

God, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. It would be pretty. Probably put me in jail, actually, you know, you don't want to be.

[Charlie]

Why are you in the closet in this kid's bedroom?

[Aaron Weber]

Who's that guy behind the skee ball machine? But I think my advice, dude, man to man, I think, look, I think you've been caught. I think you. I think you own up to it and I think you move on. I mean, you're 11. By the time you're 12, you know, things are going to look different. The world's going to look different. You'll be a different man.

[Miles]

You will.

[Aaron Weber]

And, and I know you seem scared and things are overwhelming right now. I can promise you there will be a time in your life when you reflect back on what you're going through now and you'll laugh.

[Charlie]

Or he'll just. He could go the other route. Just start gaslighting both of the girls. It's like, isn't that funny thing? Like there's 11 year olds out there that are just going to be the worst gaslight years when they get older.

[Miles]

I wasn't talking to her.

[Aaron Weber]

I didn't know who she is.

[Miles]

Yeah, that's a fake account.

[Aaron Weber]

But I think you're gonna have to pick one. Even to do that, you got to pick one.

[Miles]

Yeah, right.

[Aaron Weber]

So flip a coin and the truth.

[Miles]

Will set you free.

[Aaron Weber]

That's right.

[Miles]

Truth will set you free.

[Aaron Weber]

God bless America.

[Miles]

Amen.

[Charlie]

Well, man, we appreciate you coming on the podcast.

[Miles]

Super.

[Aaron Weber]

Thank you, guys. Thank you all for having me, man. Y' all enjoy your time in Nashville and let me know when you're your back.

[Miles]

Yeah, for sure.

[Aaron Weber]

And it sounds great.

[Miles]

Where can people get tickets to come see on the road?

[Aaron Weber]

Aaron Weber, comedy.com is my MySpace page. Check it out. I got all it is a MySpace page. Check it out. I got all my dates and everything on there. I have a special out on YouTube. Nate Bargetzi produced it. It's on his YouTube channel.

[Charlie]

Let's go.

[Aaron Weber]

It's called Signature Dish. 30 minutes. It's easy. Put it on while you mow the lawn or whatever. And thank you guys for having me. This was great, dude.

[Miles]

Thank you.

[Charlie]

You 100%. Well, guys, thanks for tuning into another episode of Belly Duck podcast. Tip your bartender and we'll see you in the next one.

[James]

Okay.

[Miles]

Hope you guys have a good one.

[James]

Goodbye now.

[Aaron Weber]

Oodaloon.