
Seven-timer Max Silvestri is here with Gabe Liedman, who is a first-time guest (although AI begs to differ!). They talk about their new podcast “I Need You Guys,” which they co-host with Jenny Slate. Then it’s time to get serious with freelance bounty hunter Ethan Merc. Finally, be amazed by the repulsive powers of mentalist Arnaud DeBeaubeau!
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Scott Aukerman
This episode of Comedy Bang Bang is brought to you by Progressive where drivers who save by switching save nearly $750 on average. Plus auto customers qualify for an average of 7 discounts. Quote now@progressive.com to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary discounts, states and situations. Morning, Zoe. Got donuts. Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage? Well, I dig the mattress and I.
Arnold Debobo
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Scott Aukerman
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Arnold Debobo
Wow, impressive.
Scott Aukerman
Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network. Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.
Arnold Debobo
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Ethan Merck
So what are we having for lunch?
Scott Aukerman
Dude, my work here is done.
Max Silvestri
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Scott Aukerman
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Scott Aukerman
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Max Silvestri
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Scott Aukerman
Gardening is a pretty expensive hobby when you're bad at it. Welcome to Comedy Bang Bang. All right, thanks to Fluter Paradigm 369 for that catchphrase. Submission submitted on January 18th of 2023. Thank you so much. Just getting around to it. Hope you're still out there, Fluter. Hope you're still a regular listener and or alive. And welcome to Comedy Bang Bang. For another week we have a fantastic show. My name is Scott Aukerman. Coming up a little later, we have a mentalist. This is exciting. I don't know that we've ever had a mentalist on the show. I guess we had David Blaine. Is he a mentalist? I can't remember. Anyway, he does something indescribable. Perhaps. We also have someone in law enforcement, very popular these days. So we'll be talking to them a little later. But first, let's get to our guests of honor. This is exciting. They're coming in as a team. First of all, you know him from such shows as Pen15Q Force. Never have I ever. A standup comedian of much renown. He's entering the exclusive one Timers Club. This is.
Gabe Liedman
Yes, baby.
Scott Aukerman
Incredibly exciting. Please welcome Gabe Liedman.
Gabe Liedman
Thank you for finally having me.
Scott Aukerman
That's right.
Gabe Liedman
We'll talk on your long running show.
Scott Aukerman
We'll talk a little bit more about that in a second. Let me introduce your partner in crime. In 2019, this guest performed at a certain comedy festival I believe called the Great American Comedy Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. Was it Lincoln, Nebraska?
Max Silvestri
It sure was.
Scott Aukerman
He performed a 10 minute set that rocked the comedy industry. Opening for Dave Coulier. Was it?
Max Silvestri
Yes. He was the headliner. Doing a mix of comedy and storytelling.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa.
Max Silvestri
To honor Johnny Carson, he parlayed that.
Scott Aukerman
Heat into a 15 minute Netflix special. Mini special.
Ethan Merck
Is that.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, it's just a special, right? It doesn't.
Max Silvestri
Quarter hour.
Scott Aukerman
It doesn't matter how long it is. It's a special special.
Gabe Liedman
It's streaming.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, it's. It's the shortest special. That's the longest to say I have an hour special. Okay. That's an hour special.
Scott Aukerman
That's a special.
Max Silvestri
A half hour special. Well, that's a little longer to say quarter hour special.
Scott Aukerman
15 minute is what I would say. Did it, did it go the whole 15 minutes or did you do 10.
Max Silvestri
With credits and the music and stuff? Ye, yeah. It was basically the 10 that you.
Scott Aukerman
Did opening for Coulier.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. And then I took questions about Dave Coulier and Johnny Carson off camera. Off camera, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
And then he has been on this show several times to talk about that. I want to hear if there are any updates. He's entering the exclusive seven Timers Club. Please welcome Max Silvestri.
Max Silvestri
Wow. Thanks for having me back to maybe even arguably do more than just talk about that.
Scott Aukerman
I don't know about that, but let's talk to Gabe first.
Gabe Liedman
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Gabe, I had sworn that you were on the show before. You would think I would think you.
Gabe Liedman
Have so many great comedians on your show.
Scott Aukerman
So I looked it up. I said, let me see what timers club he's entering. Is it two? Is it three? Here's the AI overview when I entered your name in Comedy Bang Bang.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Comedian and writer Gabe Liedman is a frequent and well regarded guest on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast. No way.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, thank God.
Scott Aukerman
He has appeared both as himself and as various characters on the show.
Gabe Liedman
Oh my God. Thank God.
Scott Aukerman
Key details about Liebman's association with Comedy Bang Bang characters and improvisation. Like many guests, Liebman has showcased his improvisational skills by creating memorable characters, such as in an episode titled Franklin and Bash, he appeared alongside Scott Aukerman and others.
Gabe Liedman
Okay. And that was John Levenstein's slightly different thing.
Scott Aukerman
Perennial favorite in 2014. In a 2014 Decider article, he was described as a perennial favorite on Comedy Bang Bang, acknowledging his established status as a welcomed and beloved guest. What the fuck is this?
Max Silvestri
Slaying the elephant in the room by acknowledging, yes, preferred status.
Gabe Liedman
Decider has been hacked. We know that. No one is safe.
Scott Aukerman
Well, welcome back to the show. This is. It's a pleasure to have you back.
Gabe Liedman
I love being here. I love playing characters here. I love being myself here.
Scott Aukerman
We don't have characters on the show. I don't know what that's referencing.
Gabe Liedman
Got it, got it, got it.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
But it's wonderful to have comedians on as well as people from all walks of life.
Gabe Liedman
That's right. That's what I meant.
Scott Aukerman
And it's wonderful to have you on. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time. And yet the stars have never aligned.
Gabe Liedman
I know, it's weird.
Scott Aukerman
Mainly, I don't have any of your contact information.
Gabe Liedman
Well, I. You could probably guess it.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
To be honest, I think probably everyone.
Scott Aukerman
Else out there probably could too.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. But, yeah, I guess the stars haven't aligned, but they finally have. And I think. I think we're set up to do something great today.
Scott Aukerman
Fantastic. And now, Max, let's go. Let's turn our gaze backwards to 2019.
Max Silvestri
2019.
Scott Aukerman
2019. You are booked on a certain comedy festival, the Great American Comedy Festival, I believe is what it was called. And you are flown out there. Was it a pj?
Max Silvestri
Absolutely not.
Scott Aukerman
Absolutely not.
Max Silvestri
No, No. I was given an Avis voucher.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. For midsize sedan and smaller.
Scott Aukerman
Did you drive out there?
Max Silvestri
No, I was just given an Avis sedan and they said, do what you want. It was an all in. An all in offer.
Gabe Liedman
That's awesome.
Max Silvestri
Which I think means you just. You cover your own.
Scott Aukerman
Cover your. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
It sounds like it's going to be like an all in offer. Does sound. If you.
Scott Aukerman
If you're cyt.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. You think, oh, you've gotten a $500 all in offer.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Max Silvestri
To go to the Great American.
Gabe Liedman
Sounds like a resort where you're going to get everything.
Max Silvestri
I'm going to do so many bottom shelf margaritas, they're going to have to escort me out of there with a gun. But instead that just meant that you pay for everything. Check that they send you.
Scott Aukerman
I see. So did you come out in the black or in the red? Do you recall?
Max Silvestri
You know, I think if you were to just think of that distinction from a monetary perspective, which many do. Which many say, like specifically, I may have asked about that, but I feel like now looking. You know how when they say like, oh, a movie didn't do well at the box office, they're. What they're really looking at is like, okay, after eight weeks, it didn't make its budget back with like tickets sold at the box office. But if you look long term in the way that the movie then gets sold to HBO re airs, has DVD ratios, you're like, well, actually, long term.
Scott Aukerman
Long term. It actually was a good, safe investment, as was your 10 minutes at the Lincoln, Nebraska festival. Because you took. Everyone was talking about it. First of all, you came on this show before it happened to plug it. You came on the show a couple months later to talk about how it went. Everyone, I mean, the whole city was a buzz. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
We honored its five year anniversary last year.
Gabe Liedman
So people are still talking about it.
Scott Aukerman
People are still talking about it. And then you capitalized on this in such a canny way.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
By then getting a special ex.
Max Silvestri
A special.
Gabe Liedman
Yes.
Max Silvestri
That was 50% longer than the set. I mean, I do think, look, you could put your money in a savings account at the bank and make what, 2% per year? Sure, if you're lucky. But you got to look for those moments in the market where you can rapidly accumulate wealth. Influence crypto. Exactly. This was my crypto moment where I said, like, I probably should only be doing an 11 minute special based on what I've pulled off in Lincoln. But now with the buzz. Yeah, I can go all in.
Gabe Liedman
I love that.
Max Silvestri
And do 15.
Gabe Liedman
And you and Coulier are still very close.
Max Silvestri
Extremely.
Gabe Liedman
Yes. So that. That paid off.
Scott Aukerman
You are the bald cap along with John Stamos. When you visited him in the hospital, did you not.
Gabe Liedman
Let's bring the picture up.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, let's get the picture, the three of you.
Scott Aukerman
So, you know, a lot of pictures you're cropped out because. Because you're not at.
Max Silvestri
Quite a hand gesture I was making. And it's not the first two, you guess, but no. So Dave and I still have a very fruitful relationship that I kind of think of as the money I got from that, like anytime he needs to give a speech at like a policeman's union dinner or you Know some. A battered children's home or something like that. I'm doing jokes.
Scott Aukerman
They have a home.
Gabe Liedman
I love that.
Max Silvestri
They do. Yeah. They shouldn't be in their main one, that's for sure.
Scott Aukerman
I would think. I would think it would be a home full of kids with other problems, too. But it's just, you know, little problems.
Gabe Liedman
No, they have their own needs, like real soft furniture, stuff like that.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, now, have you. We. We talked about this in the five year anniversary.
Max Silvestri
Yep.
Scott Aukerman
Have you been invited back to Lincoln, Nebraska, to celebrate?
Max Silvestri
I.
Scott Aukerman
Because. Because I would. And we talked about this a little bit a year ago. I would love to moderate a panel about. About this. About this incredible set. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
We put it in the air just a year ago.
Scott Aukerman
We put it in the air and nothing. Yeah. Bupkis. Haven't heard a single thing. I was wondering. I haven't spoken to you in a year.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
I was wondering if maybe you'd heard something.
Gabe Liedman
Are they going behind Scott's back?
Max Silvestri
Right.
Gabe Liedman
To do something, Organize this?
Max Silvestri
Yeah. They're like, let's have it moderated by someone we can afford, someone who's willing to drive their own car out there. Here's what I think, because I was hoping the same thing would happen. I was like, you know, this is a nice opportunity as we round the corner into the sixth anniversary of the set, to do something with me. And what I've also, I think, brought to the festival's awareness because I think we ended up helping each other quite a bit. Sure.
Scott Aukerman
I don't think anyone has talked about that festival as much as we have.
Max Silvestri
Absolutely. Not Ever, Ever in history. Absolutely not. I think that there were some hurt feelings because at the end of the day, this festival is about raising the profile of Johnny Carson's legacy.
Scott Aukerman
Got it. And it seems like perhaps your fame is eclipsing his at this point.
Max Silvestri
It does feel that way.
Gabe Liedman
It's much more current. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. For sure.
Scott Aukerman
You know, anything going on with your childhood home, has that been cordoned off at all? Like. Oh, no, this is a historical preserved site.
Max Silvestri
My mom did redo the carpets in the townhouse she bought after I moved away. So in some ways I do feel like, yeah. Oh, this is, you know, a special space.
Scott Aukerman
What'd she do with them? What'd she redo? Like, redo, like, replace them or. She took the existing carpets and somehow made a quilt, spruced them up.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
She painted them in her basement studio. So now they're just. They're. It's kind of tacky.
Gabe Liedman
I love that Kate's I love that.
Max Silvestri
It's like frosting. No, I mean, because I'm current. Johnny is trying to. And when I say Johnny, I mean the stewards of his legacy. He's long dead, right?
Scott Aukerman
Sure. But he left explicit instructions in his will, I would imagine, of what to do, who to invite to this festival.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. Like, how many steam trays of barbecue to serve at the lunch at his childhood home. Stuff like that. I just think it's like he's clinging on to some sort of primacy that's just not his.
Gabe Liedman
I almost feel bad for him.
Max Silvestri
It's sort of pathetic.
Scott Aukerman
I do.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
I feel really bad for Johnny Carson. It's embarrassing at this point.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. It's weird.
Scott Aukerman
He's being weird.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. So I think if I were to hear right now, like, if I were to get a text from the festival.
Scott Aukerman
Organizers, an emergency text, like one that, like. Do you have the sound on for texts from.
Max Silvestri
They're added to my group that breaks through everything. It's basically my wife, my mother, and then the festival.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah. So if suddenly we hear a noise, a pinging noise or something, we know it's the festival or your wife or your mother.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
And. But if you were to get one right now, what would you say?
Max Silvestri
I would say that I've moved on. I have new. Speaking of talk show and my new. My own. Kind of. My own Carson thing with my friends Gabe and Jenny.
Gabe Liedman
That's right.
Max Silvestri
So I don't have room to just honor a guy who used to do it. Because I'm doing it right now.
Scott Aukerman
Because you're doing it right now. There. There should be. Perhaps some people are saying that there should be a festival in your honor one day.
Gabe Liedman
I would go, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Would you perform at it or.
Gabe Liedman
I would think about it. Yeah. Yeah. We'll see where I end up in the lineup.
Max Silvestri
Okay. Let's say that I'm mowed down by a truck leaving this.
Scott Aukerman
Could you just be hit by a truck, like, mowed down?
Gabe Liedman
I think he wants to be scraped a little bit.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
I want him to back up after, like, thinking it was okay. But then that's when they make it worse.
Scott Aukerman
If you're ever in an accident and you think you hit something back up to check.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
To look out your window.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Real herky jerky.
Max Silvestri
So I'm gone. And obviously a festival is planned to honor, like, both what I did, but also what we were robbed of. By me.
Scott Aukerman
Sure. What you could have done.
Max Silvestri
Exactly. And you and Gabe were in charge with organizing a Q and A.
Scott Aukerman
In charge of organizing it, but not participating in it.
Max Silvestri
That's your choice.
Gabe Liedman
I guess we'll work out who's moderating.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, well, how are we gonna work this out?
Max Silvestri
You're getting 2,000 Rochambeau?
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, I guess so.
Max Silvestri
My wife is giving you guys a check for $2,000 to spend. It's all in. However you want to. And that's venue stuff. You can pay yourself.
Gabe Liedman
Avis stuff.
Scott Aukerman
Whatever you want. When you say venue stuff, what are you talking? Like, we have to rent the venue.
Max Silvestri
It's all in.
Gabe Liedman
Wow.
Scott Aukerman
Venue stuff. I mean, I would think that would be taken care of.
Max Silvestri
Like, hey, this is not the way I would.
Gabe Liedman
We're going to do cash bar.
Max Silvestri
Okay. 100%, and that can go back towards you guys or choose to help my family. But ultimately, what other guests are you asking to come on and speak?
Arnold Debobo
Or.
Scott Aukerman
Wait, is this a. Like a memorial service for you or. I just thought we would do a Q and A or something.
Gabe Liedman
You.
Scott Aukerman
You want us to. I mean, I don't even know who your friends are, honestly.
Gabe Liedman
Well, Coulier is there.
Max Silvestri
Cool.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Max Silvestri
He's probably cool. Yeah, yeah. And you can absolutely. Just softball questions about the show that.
Gabe Liedman
Full House. Full House, yes.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, yeah. It was television shows in the history of the mediums.
Max Silvestri
Like, what are the show. Johnny Carson show. Other shows. No, it doesn't have to be. Like, I didn't know Johnny personally, but they chose me to honor his memory. The 10 minutes.
Scott Aukerman
So who.
Gabe Liedman
Who's keeping your legacy alive?
Max Silvestri
Thank you.
Gabe Liedman
Today.
Max Silvestri
Us, I guess.
Arnold Debobo
I guess.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
And the truck driver.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, we can get him involved.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
He's put you on the map, literally. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, this sounds good. Yeah, this sounds great.
Max Silvestri
I'm just saying that if something were to happen, you kind of now have the. The receipts, as they say. That's not how they use it or how they say it. But you know. Know what I would like, which is.
Gabe Liedman
Right, you don't see.
Scott Aukerman
We know your wishes.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. He doesn't need a will.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
This is a living will. This podcast will serve as a living will for Max Silvestri.
Max Silvestri
If you're my legal Zoom representative listening to this, you can delete the document that I created. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Do you want to get any of your other details of your will out here, since this is, I guess, the podcast of record?
Max Silvestri
I want my baby to live in Seattle. Oh, so someone's got to. Even my wife survives.
Gabe Liedman
It's kind of a big.
Max Silvestri
Gotta move there.
Scott Aukerman
So you guys don't live in Seattle currently?
Max Silvestri
No, no, no. We have no family in Seattle. I just think it's beautiful in the summer. Pike Place, catching fish.
Scott Aukerman
And you don't want to move there just if you were to die.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, if I were to die, I think it'd be a great way to operate.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
To catch the fish in the summer.
Max Silvestri
Catch a mariner's game.
Scott Aukerman
The view of the.
Max Silvestri
Sure. So much sound, so much to catch there.
Scott Aukerman
There is a lot of catching Mariners games. Do you mean fish from the guys throwing it around in the Pike Place market?
Max Silvestri
Of course I do.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
What else would you think I meant? Where else do they catch fish?
Scott Aukerman
I don't know. I was. I was imagining, like. Oh, like fisherman, Your wife going out into the ocean and then throwing a fish at your baby.
Max Silvestri
Obviously, the main way to catch fish is in a newspaper as a tourist at the Pike Place Market. That's what everyone's mind goes to.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
And then the second way might be in a boat to feed your family.
Scott Aukerman
When you go in Gum Alley and you stick it up on the wall.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, yeah. Dry it out nice. Come back a couple weeks later.
Max Silvestri
That's the life I want for my infant.
Scott Aukerman
Well, this is great. I hope that we hear something from the festival just for closure on our parts, because we're going to keep doing this, I think, every year until we hear from them. But let's put all of that aside and talk about what's going on currently with you both, because it would surprise no one to know that you currently have a project together.
Gabe Liedman
Whoa.
Scott Aukerman
You've worked separately in the past, yet you've been such close friends. You have. You have entered into the podcast game. Is this true?
Gabe Liedman
Would you say we're right on time?
Scott Aukerman
I think so. I mean, you're now your peers, your colleagues of mine.
Max Silvestri
Do you remember kind of talking us out of a podcast, like maybe 13 or 14 years ago?
Scott Aukerman
I don't really. Yeah. When was this? Was this when we went?
Max Silvestri
You didn't talk and talk us out? Like, you were encouraging and you were like, you know, you were the. You as you remain the comedy podcast. You know, pro godfather Podfather is an.
Scott Aukerman
Easier way to say that.
Max Silvestri
Oddfather.
Scott Aukerman
Podfather.
Ethan Merck
Podfather.
Scott Aukerman
Did you say odd father?
Max Silvestri
You're our odd father.
Scott Aukerman
That's how we all think of it. Was this when we went to dinner in Venice that one time? Maybe it was.
Max Silvestri
And there was an email where it's like, you know, I do this. You know, Gabe and Jenny and I, like, we do this chatty, fun live show in New York, and it feels like, it would make sense to do as a podcast.
Scott Aukerman
You emailed me this.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, I probably could find it. Okay.
Scott Aukerman
But.
Max Silvestri
No, but you were just like, you guys really should think harder about. In an encouraging way. This is you trying to develop and do the work. Do the work. You're like, what is the show like? What is it each week? And is it about guests? Is. Is there segments you kind of need something.
Scott Aukerman
Sounds like stuff that I would say when I'm trying to get people out of my way. Out of your way.
Max Silvestri
It definitely didn't feel like there were collaborative action items at the end of the email.
Scott Aukerman
It was more. Here's. Here's what you need to do in order for me to pay for. That's what I'm assuming you wanted, is me to open up my checkbook and pay you guys to do a podcast. Is that what this is?
Gabe Liedman
Kinda.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, probably. Yeah. Bias microphones. I don't know. It wasn't a heavy lift. I wasn't. I wasn't taking you out.
Scott Aukerman
Buying microphones is a heavy lift. Yes. If you knew the fucking. All of the hassle it took to get these in here.
Gabe Liedman
Well, these are stunning.
Max Silvestri
They're beautiful.
Gabe Liedman
These are stunning.
Max Silvestri
Gold, covered in gold. But no, it was. You were a little like, it's a hard. It's harder than it seems. Which of course it is. It's a saturated market.
Scott Aukerman
True.
Max Silvestri
So you really got it.
Scott Aukerman
And this was 13 years ago.
Max Silvestri
13 years ago. So we.
Gabe Liedman
So we let it fill up a little more. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
We waited until it was so, like, oversaturated fat, like a balloon about to explode.
Gabe Liedman
And now we're a little meniscus.
Scott Aukerman
Finally. What?
Gabe Liedman
On top.
Scott Aukerman
And maybe my advice back then made sense, and it doesn't now. The podcast game has changed in 13 years because now. What is the concept of your show? It's called I need you guys. Is that right?
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
What is the concept?
Gabe Liedman
The concept is, this is our way of keeping in touch now that we're adults, that we live our lives separately.
Max Silvestri
And our co host, Jenny Slate, she lives on the east coast now. And this is a way of keeping.
Scott Aukerman
The F word on SNL once. Right?
Gabe Liedman
She did. Yeah. It came. Right.
Scott Aukerman
That's what she's famous for, right?
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. Yeah. And since then, she's been taking it easy.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. She's ultimately been making amends to children. And she's still on the show one by one, right? Yeah, exactly.
Scott Aukerman
It takes a long time. That was 10 years or so ago.
Gabe Liedman
It was. I mean, she's still on the show. They Just don't show her.
Scott Aukerman
Right. Because she's so busy apologizing to the crew.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah. She checks all the cue cards to make sure that word's not on there again.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, that was what happened. It was on the Q card.
Max Silvestri
It was.
Gabe Liedman
So it's not her fault.
Scott Aukerman
Why. Why didn't she ever throw the Q card guy under the bus?
Gabe Liedman
Because he's got a family. Oh, he's got a family.
Max Silvestri
15 kids from 16 moms.
Scott Aukerman
Incredible.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Wow.
Max Silvestri
So we.
Scott Aukerman
So he was a donor for a gay couple.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, a couple.
Ethan Merck
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah. But only one worked out okay.
Gabe Liedman
If that makes sense.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. So this, this podcast is us kind of relying on each other to live our adult lives.
Gabe Liedman
Yes. Coming to the table with questions. How would you guys handle this kind of situation? We also let listeners ask us questions and give very nice of you non expert advice.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. So people weirdly look up to us.
Scott Aukerman
It's. It's a, it's a low concept podcast, which I think 13 years ago maybe didn't make sense all that much and now is refreshing. I think my other show, threedom, is. That's what we do is just three friends talking. And, and, and nowadays I would say it's all based on the personalities and if people like you, then they'll follow. They'll follow your show anywhere.
Gabe Liedman
That's what we're hoping. We wanted to make sure that there was no money in the game anymore.
Max Silvestri
Yes.
Scott Aukerman
Yes.
Gabe Liedman
And then we jumped right in with.
Scott Aukerman
Every, every company closing as well.
Gabe Liedman
Exactly.
Scott Aukerman
Exactly.
Max Silvestri
Because if there was money to. I would be so distracted with getting.
Scott Aukerman
It, counting it, and being like, this work equals money. Seeing what color it is.
Gabe Liedman
Coins can be so loud.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
I don't know how you address that.
Max Silvestri
We wanted to wait till it was just the love of the game. And you know what? We weren't ready 13 years ago because.
Scott Aukerman
I would say that's probably. That was the, the kind of subtext of my email. Yeah, you're not ready.
Gabe Liedman
You're not ready.
Max Silvestri
It's a long email. I think it was super text. It felt like you might have even headlined the paragraphs and underlined a part and be like, why you're not ready? And then it was. Then it was like more conversational, but the summary parts were.
Scott Aukerman
So wait. So I wrote, I wrote this email to you.
Gabe Liedman
There was like notes on our bodies.
Scott Aukerman
I had a laser pointer too.
Max Silvestri
I was.
Scott Aukerman
But I wrote this email. Did you ever respond to it? But whatever happened, you guys decided not to go forward, right?
Max Silvestri
Yeah, I remember that.
Gabe Liedman
We're responding right now.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, this is.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, that was good advice.
Scott Aukerman
Gabe.
Max Silvestri
Gabe was going to respond the second he came on the pod. Yeah. He assumed.
Scott Aukerman
Took a while.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. Waiting for that invite.
Scott Aukerman
My.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Were you cc'd on this? Do I actually have your info?
Gabe Liedman
It's possible.
Scott Aukerman
Let me look. Actually, I'm going to look up this. First of all, this email and just see if.
Gabe Liedman
Do I have your customer service at Target.
Scott Aukerman
I got it right there. I have. I have. It looks to be like 20 emails from you.
Gabe Liedman
Please, please, please, can I be on your show?
Max Silvestri
I'm begging you.
Scott Aukerman
I think a lot of. Let's see. Some of them have to do with award shows. Spirit Awards.
Max Silvestri
Yep.
Scott Aukerman
The Golden Globes.
Gabe Liedman
Sure.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, I wrote some Golden Globes for Andy. Yeah, I was in Tokyo that year, but I was sending in jokes. Okay. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
About Tokyo. So they couldn't.
Ethan Merck
Right.
Max Silvestri
It didn't make sense.
Gabe Liedman
A lot of the movies weren't about Tokyo that year.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah. Movie presenters.
Gabe Liedman
But I'm looking for anything personal in there.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, visiting NYC comic here.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, that. Okay. This we could talk about.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
So can I please do your live show?
Scott Aukerman
Here we go. This is to do. To do the live show. This is in 2009.
Gabe Liedman
Can I please do your live show in 2009?
Scott Aukerman
What? What do you. I would have loved to have had you on. What did I say?
Gabe Liedman
What happened?
Scott Aukerman
Oh, I never. Never replied. Oh, oh, oh, oh, no. I said, hey, I'm not booking that far in advance yet. Usually it was the last minute, like the week of.
Gabe Liedman
That's so cool.
Scott Aukerman
And you were emailing me to say you were coming out in two months.
Gabe Liedman
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
And I said, I'm not booking that far in advance. Can you resend this email in 2010 in the future? And you said, 100%. That's easy. And then you emailed in 2009 still.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
And said following up. And then I never responded.
Gabe Liedman
That's right.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
So can I do it? Well, you know, I don't really book that anymore. Cause I didn't write you back.
Max Silvestri
Nbar got weird or whatever.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, actually, and by the way, I think I was. Yeah, I was. I think I was doing. It was a weird first season of my TV show then, too. I think I was filming then.
Gabe Liedman
Congratulations.
Scott Aukerman
It's just not a good time for me to gay. Well, I'll follow up.
Gabe Liedman
I'll follow up.
Scott Aukerman
But, man, you've had this email address for a while.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. And so have you.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Let me look for Max's email.
Max Silvestri
Okay. I Was looking. I couldn't find. I just want to say you were. You were polite and you were just asking us to.
Gabe Liedman
Incorrect. Ultimately, yeah, of course.
Scott Aukerman
And honestly, I didn't really know you all that well or your work.
Max Silvestri
No, it was generous of you to even offer feedback.
Gabe Liedman
You hadn't run. You hadn't been to Lincoln yet.
Scott Aukerman
The earliest. Earliest email I have from you is 2011. And you. And you said happy birthday to me in 2011, and you said it was nice hanging out last week. What did we do in 2011?
Max Silvestri
Oh, yeah, here we go. 2011. Hey, sounds interesting. Can you give me a rundown of the concept idea of the show?
Gabe Liedman
Barf.
Max Silvestri
Oh, you know what? Maybe we got on the phone.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, this makes sense. I don't like to leave a paper trail.
Max Silvestri
I wrote a couple sentences up and it was. They were loose. They were like, we're friends in New York and we have a live show, and now we're trying to monetize it.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Hey, Max, I have thoughts about this. If you want to hop on the phone, I could.
Scott Aukerman
I mean, that's generous. Of course.
Max Silvestri
It's huge. All of this is generous.
Scott Aukerman
And this is in 2011. Yep. So when I'm doing the second season of my television show about Slammed, it.
Gabe Liedman
Was about, like, two years after you ghosted me.
Scott Aukerman
Ghosted me. Yeah. If that just to put it into perspective helps you remember. Kind of maybe a year and a half.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
We got on the phone and you were like, how married are you to Gabe Liebman being as part of this?
Scott Aukerman
Because I intentionally never got back to him a year and a half ago. He's a member of the gate.
Gabe Liedman
I have some thoughts.
Scott Aukerman
This show should just turn into reading old emails, old business emails between friendly peers. Absolutely. Yeah, totally.
Max Silvestri
There was no hard feelings, but I just do feel like it's nice to come.
Scott Aukerman
You're the only one who remembers this occurring. And you intentionally didn't do your show because of whatever feedback I gave you.
Gabe Liedman
Because it just seemed hard. And now it's easy.
Max Silvestri
No.
Gabe Liedman
Yes.
Max Silvestri
And thank you. I don't think our friendship would have survived. We had to do the entrepreneurial work.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, my God. If we had to do the leg work of this industry on a. On our owns nowadays, your.
Scott Aukerman
Your friendship is rock solid. You can.
Max Silvestri
We know who we are.
Scott Aukerman
Traverse through the podcasting game.
Gabe Liedman
We know who's going to take care of what.
Max Silvestri
We're not like, nervously thinking we are all something we're not.
Gabe Liedman
We're just.
Scott Aukerman
You know, one of you is not going to Respond to emails. Not going to be good at scheduling.
Gabe Liedman
Correct.
Scott Aukerman
Which one of that is you?
Gabe Liedman
We're both okay at scheduling.
Max Silvestri
I've gotten better about responding to emails. I used to have the, like, guys, I promise I'll get back to this in two weeks. I'm setting time. I'm putting, you know, that kind of like next Friday, everything clears up for me.
Scott Aukerman
I have a friend who, by the way, anytime I contact him, he responds within 30 seconds. And I find it refreshing because we all pretend that we don't have these devices in our hands all the time where we're getting the messages, emails, or texts immediately and we're not looking at it within five seconds of it being sent. We should just respond. But instead we put it aside, going, like, that'll keep. I don't want to seem too thirsty. And then you forget about it for weeks.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. I'm going to write an absolute essay tonight.
Gabe Liedman
That's the one where I'm like, this deserves more of a response. And then I never get around to it.
Scott Aukerman
It like, double hurts.
Max Silvestri
Right.
Scott Aukerman
I gotta really put some thought into.
Max Silvestri
Exactly me send you an email. Do you think I should white my teeth? And you're like, okay, I gotta. I need to sit with this.
Scott Aukerman
Really Do a pros and cons list.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
What is he looking to hear? What should he hear? Well, yeah, we now know everybody's weaknesses, and it no longer upsets us.
Scott Aukerman
That's good.
Max Silvestri
That's the main thing is that was just like, it doesn't. Jenny's gonna always be bad at computers. I'm not.
Gabe Liedman
Her computer is never gonna work.
Max Silvestri
Yep.
Gabe Liedman
The tech is not gonna work.
Scott Aukerman
And is. Is this via Zoom because Jenny lives in New York. Is that right? And you're both in Los Angeles, so it's over Zoom. Are you guys in the same room.
Max Silvestri
Or are all three.
Gabe Liedman
We're all on Zoom in our. In our comfort.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
And that's.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, that's. That's the sign of a nice, comfortable podcast where you can be on Zoom and. Yeah. And not have to worry about things like timing and.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. Parking stuff. Stuff like that.
Scott Aukerman
Parking. Yeah. I hate listening to a podcast going, where did these people park?
Gabe Liedman
Where did they park?
Scott Aukerman
Was it stressful when they got there? Like, it was for me to do Gabris and. And Adam Pal show recently. And the. The. I wanted to get validated from serious. And they said, oh, no, the gate's open. And then I went down there and the goddamn gate was closed. And I had to call them. And then some.
Max Silvestri
Are they had the head gum thing where you got to, like, park at an angle. Rip.
Scott Aukerman
Rip.
Max Silvestri
Oh, really?
Scott Aukerman
That I have no idea.
Max Silvestri
Seems so.
Scott Aukerman
Who knows? Yeah, but this is a. This is a serious podcast, which also is a copro with smart list.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, smart list, exactly.
Max Silvestri
Kind of the, you know, three people, three friends.
Scott Aukerman
Are you part of the phone plan thing or.
Gabe Liedman
No, but Sean Hayes did plug it.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
On an episode of our show.
Scott Aukerman
He. He plugged the phone plan.
Max Silvestri
He sure did.
Scott Aukerman
On your show.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Right.
Max Silvestri
Kind of like with a natural segue. I mean.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, he's a very professional guy.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. And it was like winking, but also.
Gabe Liedman
He was plugging it, but he fucking lands at it.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, winking, like with both eyes or. Cause that's just a blink. Sorry.
Max Silvestri
He was nodding off.
Scott Aukerman
Yes. He was going to sleep, but you.
Gabe Liedman
Wouldn'T have heard it in his voice.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, wink and blinking and not. That's what he did.
Scott Aukerman
Well, this show is out there right now. A few episodes out already. I need you guys. Is the show and you have guests on? We do. And is it a guest every week.
Max Silvestri
Or is it right now? Until we burn bridges. But yeah, our first couple episodes, we have John Mulaney.
Gabe Liedman
Probably take a week off after coulier because there'll be a lot to sort of talk about.
Max Silvestri
That's a two parter.
Scott Aukerman
Like Gallagher on wtf.
Gabe Liedman
You want to sort of like, do the postmortem on that Also, I think.
Scott Aukerman
I think WTF ended. So you guys are getting in right at the right time. You know, you could be the podcast of record where, you know, you chase after, you know, old comics who are hacks and current presidents. Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Bruce Springsteen or whatever.
Gabe Liedman
I can't wait to see who's president next, because we're going to talk to them.
Max Silvestri
Yep.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, I think so. Well, I need you guys is out there right now. Several episodes are out currently. You can get it wherever podcasts are sold. How much are you selling these for? Is this like 16 an episode? 17 an episode?
Gabe Liedman
Well, it's 15.99.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, that's.
Gabe Liedman
But it's basically 16.
Max Silvestri
Okay, got it. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
16 bucks an episode. It's a steal at twice the price. We're gonna take a break. We have a Mentalist coming up. That's exciting. Right? And we also have someone in law enforcement. Yeah. So it's a good show. That's a.
Gabe Liedman
This is exciting.
Scott Aukerman
You guys stick around.
Gabe Liedman
I would love to. Yeah, I'm going to.
Max Silvestri
Okay, great. Yeah, I will too.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, great. All right. We're going to be Right back with more Max Silvestri, more Gabe Liebman. We'll be right back with more Comedy Bang Bang after this. Hey, this podcast, Comedy Bang Bang is brought to you by Squarespace. What's Squarespace? I've been talking about them for a decade now. Squarespace is the all in one website platform designed to help your business stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or maybe you're scaling your business, Squarespace gives you everything you need to claim your domain, showcase your offerings with a professional website, grow your brand and get paid all in one place. Every dream needs a domain, doesn't it? I've always said that. I said that before Squarespace came along. Every dream needs a domain. Squarespace Domains makes it easy to find the best name for your business at one fair, all inclusive price, no hidden fees or add ons required. And with Squarespace's collection of cutting edge design tools, anyone can build a beautiful professional online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business. Start with Blueprint AI, Squarespace's AI Enhanced design partner, or choose from a library of professionally designed and award winning website templates. I don't, I don't know why I'm doing this.
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Gabe Liedman
I met Jenny and Y2K.
Max Silvestri
Whoa.
Gabe Liedman
That puts us on the dot 25 years.
Scott Aukerman
Incredible.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
And Max, about 20, 21. Yeah. Yeah. And then.
Scott Aukerman
And did you meet them as a. As a couple?
Max Silvestri
Yeah. Romantic.
Gabe Liedman
As a romantic couple.
Scott Aukerman
A married couple.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. And I Was trying to get in there. Right.
Scott Aukerman
You were a unicorn. And it still.
Max Silvestri
The tension drives, I think our show. And it's such a bummer that you have, you know, the like, one woman a month whatever. Like, it just didn't work out for one woman a month policy. Yeah. On the show, it would have been great to have her, which unfortunately works out great.
Scott Aukerman
I tried, you know, I know you guys wanted her on, but unfortunately I never responded to the email. Right, right.
Gabe Liedman
You'll get around to it.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah. We need to get to our next guest. He's in law enforcement. Enforcement. Do you guys. Have you ever met anyone in law enforcement? Ever been in trouble with a law at all or.
Gabe Liedman
I've been pulled over.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, I did, like, an illegal car wash in. Whoa.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, no, like, illegal bikini car wash. Whoa.
Max Silvestri
The bikinis were too modest. That's why we got.
Gabe Liedman
Okay, so it was like a scam was what made it illegal.
Max Silvestri
They were the old style bathing costumes.
Scott Aukerman
In the 20s with stripes.
Gabe Liedman
I would have been pissed as well.
Max Silvestri
No, we were like ninth graders trying to wash people's cars at a time stoplight with no.
Scott Aukerman
No permit.
Max Silvestri
Permit. And kind of just screaming at the cars and yelling at them if they wouldn't let us rub a dirty rag. And then cops pulled in the parking lot to yell at us and ran over my friend's foot.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. There was a lawsuit.
Gabe Liedman
Did they say sorry? Oh, there was a lawsuit.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Because they crushed his foot.
Arnold Debobo
Wow.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, but we were doing the bad stuff, but then ran over a child's foot.
Gabe Liedman
Damn. Did it get huge? Like a. Like a cartoon.
Max Silvestri
It throbbed with his heartbeat.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Well, let's get to him. He is in law enforcement. Please welcome Ethan Merck.
Ethan Merck
Scott. Thanks for having me on.
Max Silvestri
Hi.
Scott Aukerman
Great to have you on.
Ethan Merck
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Wonderful to meet you. This is Max. This is Gabe.
Ethan Merck
Max, Gabe.
Max Silvestri
It's great to meet you. Pleasure.
Ethan Merck
Nice to meet you. This podcast you guys are doing sounds great.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, thanks. You should subscribe.
Ethan Merck
Okay, I'll do it.
Scott Aukerman
Can you smash that, like, button?
Ethan Merck
Sure. Is it required that I hit it with such intensity, or could I just tap it neutrally?
Gabe Liedman
I would go hard.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Ethan Merck
All right.
Gabe Liedman
You want to feel it smash? You want to feel it smash?
Max Silvestri
It startle the people in the library. That's how I feel.
Ethan Merck
Well, I'm a smart list completist, so I'll be all over that.
Scott Aukerman
So how do you like Gabrison Pally show? Is that.
Ethan Merck
It's terrific. Finally, Gabrius is letting loose my monkey. I'm a huge John Gabris fan. And my big complaint about him so far is he reins it in too much. Too much filter.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Great to see him taken off the leash.
Ethan Merck
Great.
Scott Aukerman
Great.
Ethan Merck
Is just a lovely guy that I talk to all the time.
Scott Aukerman
Well, it's great to have you, Ethan. And you're in law enforcement. In what capacity are you enforcing the law?
Ethan Merck
Law enforcement sort of been my lifelong career. Right now I am a bounty hunter.
Max Silvestri
Oh.
Ethan Merck
Freelance. Nice for hire. To return bad guys.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
To either law enforcement agencies or sometimes directly to the wrong department.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa.
Gabe Liedman
For the wronged party to do what to them?
Ethan Merck
If someone has gone beyond the reach of the law or to a point where the law is no longer interested.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
My services are available to bring these people to justice.
Max Silvestri
Wow.
Scott Aukerman
This sounds. And pardon me, maybe you guys aren't getting this sense, but I'm really good. After 16 years of the show, I'm really good at reading people.
Ethan Merck
I can tell. I feel deeply seen.
Scott Aukerman
This sounds a little weird.
Ethan Merck
Oh, okay. Honestly, so far, I feel like this is straight normal. Well, no, I mean, it's like I'm right along the. I mean, you ask any bounty hunter, you're gonna get a.
Max Silvestri
But I. As a private citizen, if I have a disagreement with my wife, I guess, sure.
Ethan Merck
Believe me, that's often how it starts.
Max Silvestri
I can pay you money to have her physically brought back.
Ethan Merck
That's correct. To me, that is correct.
Max Silvestri
Because I told you, you've hired me.
Ethan Merck
You'Ve shared my services, told you with.
Max Silvestri
Money, but, like, told me proof.
Scott Aukerman
This sounds like it sounds like kidnapping.
Ethan Merck
To me because, well, perhaps, you know, we're gonna. We're gonna nitpick and. And try to.
Scott Aukerman
I don't mean to be pedantic about things, but.
Ethan Merck
Please don't be pedantic.
Gabe Liedman
The ransoms up front is what.
Ethan Merck
I'll say that I do. I do a little vetting to see if it feels like there is.
Scott Aukerman
If. If.
Ethan Merck
In my opinion, it feels just.
Gabe Liedman
How much?
Scott Aukerman
What are you talking about? When you say you do fee ranges.
Ethan Merck
But we're talking usually several thousand dollars.
Scott Aukerman
No, I mean what type of stuff do you do to vet them? Not how much it costs.
Ethan Merck
Oh, sorry. Never been good at sales. I jumped right to the.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, I don't. I mean, look, just think about it. I don't think I'm hiring you, honestly.
Ethan Merck
Okay. Just. Couple grand would be just to. Just to have a. You know, for something easy. Quick and easy.
Max Silvestri
What's quick and easy?
Ethan Merck
Quick and easy is if the target is slow. If there's evidence that the target is Easy to.
Gabe Liedman
To get.
Max Silvestri
Like, if I had clear sight lines to her.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, clear sight lines. And it's like your wife, and I don't know anything about your wife, so this is about a hypothetical, but were.
Scott Aukerman
You to do the vetting, you would see how slow or fast, how easily.
Ethan Merck
Gettable she seemed to be. Is she living a life mostly, you know, on the lamb. Is she.
Scott Aukerman
How are you ascertaining this? Are you going on their Instagram page seeing if there's any videos or reels, I guess they call them, of her running?
Ethan Merck
Yeah, sure. If there's. That'd be great. If there's Instagram reels of them actually running to scale with something that I can measure.
Scott Aukerman
That's when you say to scale. What do you mean? Like next to a pencil or.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, like the bone collector. Like a dollar bill. So you understand.
Ethan Merck
Exactly. Next to something where I just.
Scott Aukerman
Like the bone collector.
Ethan Merck
Well, for example, if your wife's running in a meadow. Okay. Next to just a bunch of rocks, I don't know what's going on. She could be 50ft.
Gabe Liedman
The rocks could be running.
Ethan Merck
Right.
Max Silvestri
You know, we have a lot of rings. I mean, I have so much of this footage.
Ethan Merck
Well, then this would be great.
Max Silvestri
A ring security footage of her running flat out as well as hard as she can out the front door in the middle of the night.
Ethan Merck
Great.
Scott Aukerman
Really?
Max Silvestri
Oh, yeah. Well, because, you know, we get into it and we start yelling and stuff, and this is a lot of. What's a lot?
Scott Aukerman
Protect the neighbors because you don't want to be so loud and wake them up.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, I send a next door alert. Being like, it's not an animal. It's, you know, my wife not understanding. It's a lot more common that I had plans already.
Ethan Merck
It's a lot more common than you think. People might be embarrassed to say that their wife's running out in the middle of the night multiple times on camera. Yeah, very common.
Gabe Liedman
Very common.
Ethan Merck
I would, in fact say that in my own anecdotal estimation, 95% of couples experience repeated runnings out in the middle.
Scott Aukerman
If they're coming to you, though.
Ethan Merck
If they're coming to me.
Scott Aukerman
Which means they already have a problem, which.
Ethan Merck
Okay, so it's a little bit self, you know, self selecting people who have contacted us.
Scott Aukerman
It's not like you're. It's not like you're out there being contacted by people saying, like, hey, by the way, I have no problem this week.
Gabe Liedman
I didn't.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, I don't want to hire you. Right.
Ethan Merck
There's no control group that I'm in touch with. I'm not doing a really extensive census. But of the people who find me.
Scott Aukerman
Right.
Ethan Merck
And get in touch with me, 95% of them are in a situation where a loved one or business associate is running away.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Ethan Merck
Yeah. And I. But I want a few. I'm on the right side here.
Max Silvestri
Of course.
Ethan Merck
I'm going after bad guys.
Scott Aukerman
And you said you do some vetting to figure out if they're bad people.
Ethan Merck
I do some vetting to see, hey, is this something worth getting involved in? Do I feel right?
Max Silvestri
Worth getting.
Scott Aukerman
No, you said that you did vetting to see if.
Max Silvestri
If, If.
Scott Aukerman
If they were bad people, not if it's worth it to you to get involved in it.
Ethan Merck
Both, actually. I mean, like, is it going to be worth my time? What's the publicity going to be for this?
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
Can I get it? Am I going to get a good reference after? And also, do I stand by it morally?
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
You know, that makes sense.
Ethan Merck
Gabe, I've never met you before.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
But you're a comedian. You're in the entertainment business.
Gabe Liedman
That's right.
Ethan Merck
I bet you've stabbed some backs. I bet you had your backstabbed.
Gabe Liedman
I have.
Ethan Merck
There you go.
Scott Aukerman
You've had emails unreturned.
Gabe Liedman
I have been ghosted. And I have ghosted.
Ethan Merck
So there you go. You've been on both sides of it. So if one of these cases was ever costing you so much emotional trauma.
Scott Aukerman
Right.
Ethan Merck
Or money, and you needed to get a bounty hunter involved, I would be.
Scott Aukerman
Somebody like to get.
Ethan Merck
But then you'd have to convince me that you were wronged.
Gabe Liedman
Right. Like, if I wanted you to track down, like, the person who hosts, like, a live comedy show in. In Los Angeles that I hosted.
Scott Aukerman
And by the way, just.
Max Silvestri
Just booked.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Scott Aukerman
I wouldn't even perform. I was doing this out of the good, for free, out of the goodness of my heart.
Ethan Merck
You'd have to convince me that you were an ext. Extremely wronged party in that situation. Now, I did just hear the facts of this case that you are so coyly alluding to.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. What do you think?
Ethan Merck
I feel like it's right down the middle.
Gabe Liedman
I could have followed up one more time, couldn't I have?
Ethan Merck
I mean, you were sort of asking a favor out of nowhere.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Ethan Merck
Someone you didn't have a real deep relationship with, and you got ghosted, which is a little.
Scott Aukerman
I don't even know if you gave any references.
Gabe Liedman
Oh, I can guarantee you I did not.
Scott Aukerman
Said you were a comedian.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Which you could. Let me, let me see. Extremely true. You said visiting.
Max Silvestri
Did he say in a funny way.
Scott Aukerman
You probably get emails like this all the damn time.
Ethan Merck
That's kind right there. It's a point in your favor.
Scott Aukerman
You gave no references supplication.
Gabe Liedman
I don't know why.
Scott Aukerman
Said you were a comedian.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Ethan Merck
I mean right now, honestly, I feel that Mr. Aukerman was a bit more wronged and put upon just, just a titch. So not enough for me to get involved.
Scott Aukerman
But I, but were I to come to you and say I want to hire you to go grab Gabe here.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Well, because I've been wronged.
Ethan Merck
Because I would need a little more. I would need a little more.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, I told him to follow up in 2010. He's kept it in 2009.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, it was like the last few thousand nine.
Ethan Merck
Let's say that you were haunted by his initial email. When is he going to get back in touch?
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
Sort of like a nagging open.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Tell heart kind of situation.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, maybe that could be something I would need to, I would need to see that I would need to understand the damage.
Gabe Liedman
Got it.
Max Silvestri
And in both cases the other person would have need needed to physically run.
Scott Aukerman
Like you are on social media or, or on YouTube.
Ethan Merck
I'm just saying that happens a lot. I, part of what my fee is. I didn't mean to get so much into the logistics guys.
Gabe Liedman
Okay.
Ethan Merck
Part of what my fee is how hard is this going to be for me to get them right.
Scott Aukerman
And a lot. You can do the hard work though. You can complete it.
Ethan Merck
I can do the hard work.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Ethan Merck
Wow.
Scott Aukerman
By the way, I'm reminded by the way of another comedian that I need to respond to to be on this show. That email right now.
Ethan Merck
We live in the age of multitasking. Our screens are never away. Go ahead, feel free and do it.
Max Silvestri
No, that's okay.
Scott Aukerman
I'll, I, I, I'm, I'm remembering it now and I'm going to get back to them.
Ethan Merck
That's well and if not, you've got this live recording you can send to them.
Scott Aukerman
That's right. This is my living will in a way. Comedian, you know who you are. Look, you might be on the show next week and we'll talk about it.
Max Silvestri
But, but I doubt it.
Ethan Merck
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Can I ask a bounty hunting in.
Scott Aukerman
Your experience, in your anecdotal.
Ethan Merck
I'd love it. Yeah, I'd love question.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, sure, sure.
Max Silvestri
You're saying a thousand or $2,000, like for a certain level of rough.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, that's A for a slow person.
Ethan Merck
That's an entry fee. There could be more. There's more. There could be more expensive.
Max Silvestri
That's what I'm curious about.
Ethan Merck
Like, let's say it's 3,000 DOL. For the initial consult.
Max Silvestri
Let's say my wife has run to Seattle. I don't know where in Seattle she is, but I know from what I.
Ethan Merck
Know about you, you love this. Right?
Scott Aukerman
Well, you love your baby to grow up there, not your wife to run away there.
Max Silvestri
Right, exactly. But it's the flip side. It's sort of like what you love is what you hate.
Ethan Merck
You actually run away to Seattle and.
Max Silvestri
What is, what is, what is? And you know, you have to go look for her there. You're in L. A. We're meeting.
Scott Aukerman
How much information do you need? Do you need her address? Or, like, can you do the legwork.
Ethan Merck
And find as much as you got? Name, Social Security number would be great.
Scott Aukerman
Date?
Ethan Merck
Of course. Like that.
Scott Aukerman
Do you know your wife's Social Security number?
Max Silvestri
I do not.
Ethan Merck
All right.
Scott Aukerman
I don't know mine either.
Ethan Merck
We're fighting uphill already.
Gabe Liedman
I know both of your wives dirty numbers. Yes.
Max Silvestri
Wow. What are your expenses? A day. And like, beyond gas, what are you spending money on? And how much of that would.
Ethan Merck
Before you get too far ahead, where I think you're going, I would need any evidence of wrongdoing at all from. From this. From this woman.
Scott Aukerman
Well, she left her.
Max Silvestri
My husband. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
She's married.
Max Silvestri
Made a commitment to.
Scott Aukerman
In front of God.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. In front of, actually, my co host. So I need you guys, Gabe and Jenny. Who married us.
Gabe Liedman
Yes. We were the officiates, the co. Rabbis.
Max Silvestri
So she didn't only betray me, she wronged my business partners. David, Jenny.
Ethan Merck
That's some good info. All right, I'm feeling this. This sounds like a real. A real rat.
Scott Aukerman
What are we, 49? 51.
Ethan Merck
For like 51% chance of being a. You know, 50. 50 of these two. Who's bad? She's 51%.
Scott Aukerman
She's 51. Okay, so you'll take the case so far?
Ethan Merck
I'm on that side.
Gabe Liedman
You should know.
Scott Aukerman
She's. I got.
Ethan Merck
I'll be honest. I needed to go, like, to 60. I can't just go on a 51 chance of.
Scott Aukerman
So you're like Sammy Hagar in that regard.
Ethan Merck
I can't. Yeah. I can't chase 55s.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Right.
Ethan Merck
That's the song.
Max Silvestri
But assuming I give you the evidence you need, and I could obviously find emails that just cast her in an insane light for You.
Scott Aukerman
This guy's amazing at finding emails that cast people in terrible.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. Without the context surrounding. So let's say you've gotten to 60%. Whatever you need to.
Ethan Merck
Sure, sure, sure.
Max Silvestri
Are we talking, like, what sort of lunches are you buying yourself? I just. This is my money.
Ethan Merck
Serviceable. Serviceable.
Scott Aukerman
I'm talking like gas station. Higher sandwiches.
Max Silvestri
That's what I'm. Okay.
Ethan Merck
I'm gonna say a waiter is gonna hand it to me, but it doesn't.
Gabe Liedman
Got a waiter.
Max Silvestri
That's my.
Scott Aukerman
So we're talking tips.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, but I mean, it could. We're talking. It could be TGI Fridays. It could be, you know, something, something.
Gabe Liedman
But not Chipotle. Like, not counter service.
Scott Aukerman
Not fast. Casual.
Gabe Liedman
Not fast.
Ethan Merck
You know, I would do Chipotle. Chipotle or high.
Gabe Liedman
It's pretty good.
Scott Aukerman
Chipotle are higher.
Ethan Merck
Chipotle are higher level.
Scott Aukerman
Well, Chipotle has fresh ingredients.
Gabe Liedman
That's right.
Ethan Merck
That's. They're included. I'd be happy with the Chipotle. Let's say that level. Lunch meals. Nope.
Scott Aukerman
But Pollo Loco.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Pollo Loco.
Ethan Merck
Sorry. The authentic Spanish talked me into Spanish mode.
Scott Aukerman
Do you speak multiple languages? Yes.
Max Silvestri
In order to do this constantly crossing.
Ethan Merck
The border, you can't do it conscious.
Max Silvestri
It's only when.
Scott Aukerman
When somebody flips the switch makes me.
Ethan Merck
I, Jason Bourn. I break into a language I didn't expect. God.
Scott Aukerman
Sorry.
Ethan Merck
I'm exhausted. You need water.
Scott Aukerman
Here.
Ethan Merck
Don't need it.
Max Silvestri
Listen, it was like when, you know, what you. You read about, like, where someone has, like, an epileptic seizure and they wake up and they can speak Mandarin. It's like. It's like that.
Scott Aukerman
It's like.
Max Silvestri
It was such an. You never expected that.
Scott Aukerman
That was crazy to witness it anyway.
Ethan Merck
Pollo Loco. Sorry, I can't even say with p. God damn it. El Pollo Loco. Yeah, sure. I love it. I love it. But I'd probably go higher. I mean, like, listen, I'm not gonna be.
Scott Aukerman
You love it. And you would deny yourself the pleasure. I think I'd go.
Ethan Merck
I think I could do better.
Max Silvestri
You setting.
Ethan Merck
I think any place where there's an. I think I'd look around. I bet you I could. Right? I bet you I could beat it. Within eyesight. I think I could.
Max Silvestri
This is my money. And this is a lot of the main reason I'm fighting with my wife. And you're saying Chipotle are higher. There's no ceiling. What is your rain ceiling?
Ethan Merck
I'll give you a ceiling. Caviar chain restaurant waiter.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Ethan Merck
That's the top level.
Gabe Liedman
That's where you're gonna max out. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Okay. So are you doing.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, it could be a Chili's. Yeah, sure.
Max Silvestri
What about, like a Hillstone group? Because there's Houston's, there's Beverly Grill. Those are all. Technically, I'll take those. Appreciate that. Okay.
Ethan Merck
I'm not. I'm not trying to. I'm not trying to nickel and dime.
Max Silvestri
You nowhere with a raw bar. How about we agree on that and if you get my wife home to me by the weekends, we're square.
Scott Aukerman
Then you can have.
Gabe Liedman
Then you can have raw seafood as a reward. Yes.
Ethan Merck
So what are we talking here? No raw bar on the road. But if I succeed in the mission.
Max Silvestri
Raw bar. We go out together and I'm not.
Scott Aukerman
Like a half hour later or upon delivery. Like, what?
Max Silvestri
Well, does he have to wait around your stuff with my wife?
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Scott Aukerman
And this is.
Ethan Merck
Again, I'm not at 60% for your wife yet, but assuming that you can give me enough dirt on her that I think she's 60% the wrong. The wronging party.
Max Silvestri
Sure.
Ethan Merck
In your relationship. Then this is all good.
Scott Aukerman
Do you have any other intel for. I mean, it sounds like you're kind of. You're going to be interested in hiring Ethan over.
Ethan Merck
You're going to have to buy plane fair. We're going to Seattle.
Max Silvestri
I'm going to. That's why I'm paying you.
Ethan Merck
You got to come with me. I need you at my side.
Scott Aukerman
Your business plan?
Ethan Merck
Yes.
Scott Aukerman
He should just go then. And do it by himself.
Ethan Merck
No, I'll handle the dirty work. You got to hire.
Scott Aukerman
He's hiring you because he has shit to do here.
Max Silvestri
He's got.
Ethan Merck
It won't take long. Seattle.
Max Silvestri
I have a podcast. We have an episode a week to go to Seattle.
Ethan Merck
Get on Zoom. No one noticed from Seattle.
Arnold Debobo
Wow.
Scott Aukerman
And I don't know. So this every single case?
Ethan Merck
Not every single. But if. If, if they can.
Max Silvestri
Great.
Ethan Merck
That makes it a lot easier. You can stay in the hotel.
Max Silvestri
Just accompanying you on the flight.
Scott Aukerman
You're sharing a hotel room.
Ethan Merck
Would you eyeballer? I'll be like, okay, you head on back to the Howard Johnson's. I'm gonna. I'm gonna go do this.
Scott Aukerman
What if he's willing to get two separate hotel rooms? One for him, one for you.
Ethan Merck
That's on you.
Max Silvestri
Is this about needing my credit card at Chipotle and stuff? Because I'm willing to reimburse you after.
Ethan Merck
It's not. It's not about that. It's just about the I.D. i mean, it's. Logistically, it's a lot easier if you're there to pay for everything up front.
Max Silvestri
Sure. I gave you 20 videos of her running in her pajamas. And you need me to.
Ethan Merck
I could probably do it. She's. She's running away from the camera, though.
Scott Aukerman
Running multiple other cameras.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, Running away from one to another.
Scott Aukerman
All right.
Ethan Merck
No, you're right.
Scott Aukerman
How many cameras do you have at your estates? You have, like.
Ethan Merck
You have, like, ones at the end of the driveway catching her coming.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, exactly. So it's the kind of thing where you're like, now, let's jump over to this camera.
Ethan Merck
You got good coverage.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, she's always running away.
Ethan Merck
Well, if there's good footage of her face in a way that I. Okay, you're right. I would not need you to come along if I've got good footage of her.
Gabe Liedman
But you would still want him to.
Ethan Merck
I mean, it'd be great.
Scott Aukerman
So if you're.
Ethan Merck
I didn't know it was going to.
Scott Aukerman
Be such a sticky.
Ethan Merck
I thought it'd be fun, but. All right, listen, if this is like, I'm. I'm a businessman and I respect you, so. Yeah, you don't have to come along.
Scott Aukerman
So you're tracking these people from. From their face. You need clear fit.
Ethan Merck
Like, I got a note in my gut.
Scott Aukerman
So you're. You're just wandering around a city like Seattle, just looking at faces, trying to.
Ethan Merck
That's the end game. I'll do. I'll do some. I'll do some legwork on the Internet first and try to narrow things down.
Scott Aukerman
Of course. So what. What kind of legwork? Like, you enter her name plus Seattle, minus AI.
Ethan Merck
So I'm sensing some disdain. It's a little bit harder than that. It's a little bit harder.
Scott Aukerman
Are you on, like, different websites that we're not on? Like, law enforcement websites and stuff like that?
Ethan Merck
My history in the law enforcement agency has given me access.
Scott Aukerman
What is your history?
Ethan Merck
I was an assistant sheriff in New Fairfield, Connecticut.
Gabe Liedman
Wow.
Ethan Merck
For almost two years.
Scott Aukerman
What is an assistant.
Gabe Liedman
Almost two years?
Scott Aukerman
When I was the elect beat cop.
Ethan Merck
Before that.
Gabe Liedman
Okay.
Ethan Merck
Assistant sheriff's not voted. They're appointed by the sheriff.
Scott Aukerman
It sounds like it's an assistant job.
Ethan Merck
It was a lot of secretarial work, but I had a badge and a gun and potentially. Yep.
Scott Aukerman
Would you ever type on the computer with the gun?
Ethan Merck
I mean, I can't say it didn't happen. That wasn't something I thought about a lot.
Scott Aukerman
Right, sure. Right.
Ethan Merck
Yeah. Sort of Chico Mark style.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Ethan Merck
We kind of fun. Shoot the keys.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
You're on one of those websites where ads start popping up. You can't close the windows. You point your gun at the screen. So mad.
Ethan Merck
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
The X isn't the X. The X is actually opening up another ad. It's supposed to close the window. This should be illegal.
Ethan Merck
What's going on with that?
Gabe Liedman
What is going on?
Ethan Merck
So you have access to some law enforcement, some private security info, something that only the lawmen are supposed to have access. Access to. I still.
Scott Aukerman
License plate numbers you can track.
Ethan Merck
I can run a license plate number. I can run a Social Security number. I can check some plane ticket purchases, credit cards. Credit card. Some. Some of the. If it's a major credit card, I have access. If it's a cool fringy one, it can be a little stickier.
Scott Aukerman
So the major one, like a debit card from, like a small smart list.
Gabe Liedman
Card or something like that?
Ethan Merck
Could be, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
But you know, the smart list, you can track that? I'd.
Ethan Merck
Probably not yet. Probably not yet. It's probably too new.
Gabe Liedman
Wow. Are you implying that they don't have a ton of customers yet?
Ethan Merck
Well, I'm not saying anything about your employer. I'm.
Max Silvestri
Are you saying there's not a lot of people out there that aren't willing to transfer, aren't doing cell phone and two.
Scott Aukerman
Three comedians.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
I'm sorry. Two comedians and one actor.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, I'm not saying that at all. Sounds like a great business idea. Sounds like a great business.
Max Silvestri
Because it was a big decision for me to go from Ryan Reynolds to Sean Hayes in terms of all my banking.
Scott Aukerman
It's a lateral move in a lot of respects, but for foam, I don't.
Gabe Liedman
Know phones, it's hard. It depends where you live.
Ethan Merck
The Ride Reynolds Network. Cricket, right? That's Cricket. Is that right?
Max Silvestri
I think so, yeah.
Ethan Merck
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
So I thought it was mint Mobile.
Ethan Merck
Okay. Whatever it is, he's not in the network yet. It takes a while to get off.
Scott Aukerman
To get on the law enforcement radar.
Max Silvestri
Is that because a lot of criminals use Ryan Reynolds networks?
Ethan Merck
Because a lot of criminal crimes don't use it. It's not worth it. It's not worth traffic. It's not worth it.
Gabe Liedman
I see.
Max Silvestri
Got it.
Ethan Merck
But I do have access to a lot of these, so, yeah. I would check these sites, get some background information.
Max Silvestri
I have an accessory girlfriend who. I've always wondered why she got divorced. And I think that's divorced up here.
Ethan Merck
Do you know?
Max Silvestri
No. No.
Scott Aukerman
We were.
Max Silvestri
We never got married.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Max Silvestri
She got married after we were together. That's her business. I'm not mad about her.
Scott Aukerman
And you were not in touch with her at this point?
Max Silvestri
No, we broke up hard. Broke up hard. And then she got married. Okay. There's a wedding announcement.
Scott Aukerman
How soon? Soon after. Yeah. Thanks.
Max Silvestri
Not long enough. Like, I believe that there was some overlap too soon.
Arnold Debobo
Okay. Overlap.
Max Silvestri
So like even though it's all our business to move on, you know, there's some. There's some. There's some emotion in my younger years.
Scott Aukerman
And then you're wondering why she got divorced.
Max Silvestri
They got divorced not much longer after. But I. I am.
Scott Aukerman
Because you thought there was maybe overlap in that as well, or you. You wonder if she was at fault?
Max Silvestri
No, I'm. I'm just wondering if her reason for divorces still feel bad about what I did to my ex boyfriend. It'd be great to see that records. And there are those websites where they're like, if you pay, we can unlock these records.
Scott Aukerman
But it sounds to me like what Ethan does is. Goes and finds her and brings her back to you.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, I can't really get. There's not of. In the records about intention.
Max Silvestri
You have to say why you're divorcing someone.
Ethan Merck
Feelings. Yeah. There could be a stated reason, but that could.
Scott Aukerman
But would you be willing to do that to. You've heard I can round her up. This sounds like a. This sounds like a 60 to me.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, this. She's past 60 already. Yeah, for sure.
Max Silvestri
For sure.
Ethan Merck
She got married right away. Dump this asshole too.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Bring her over to Max.
Ethan Merck
I'll get her. Yeah, that.
Max Silvestri
But I don't want to go with you to get her. I mean, I imagine.
Ethan Merck
Sure.
Scott Aukerman
Are you free this weekend?
Ethan Merck
Where she. How bad is it?
Scott Aukerman
Don't.
Max Silvestri
Must most of your customers come to you at a really low point in their life? Like they don't want to take a vacation with you.
Scott Aukerman
They.
Ethan Merck
They. They want out of their lives. Usually they want a break. But. Look, I'm not. You don't have to come. I'll. I'll send you an itinerary. Go if you want. You don't have to go.
Scott Aukerman
You can pop in and out too if you want.
Max Silvestri
Like if there's something else. Else going on in the city if.
Scott Aukerman
You don't want to do the yoga at 10am you don't have to. These are wedding rules. What. What kind of hotels are you staying at?
Max Silvestri
I'm having a lazy day. That's what I'm gonna say to you.
Ethan Merck
Nothing fancy again. Serviceable. Just.
Scott Aukerman
Just.
Ethan Merck
Just something. Just a Nice place to lay your head.
Scott Aukerman
How many stars?
Ethan Merck
Sheraton, four points. What do we got?
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Gabe Liedman
Beautiful.
Ethan Merck
Look at like a budget business hotel N. I won't go Omni. That's crazy.
Max Silvestri
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Too. Too expensive.
Ethan Merck
That's too expensive.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Ethan Merck
That's too much, but okay.
Scott Aukerman
Radisson's.
Ethan Merck
I'll do Radisson. Sure. Radon by the airport.
Scott Aukerman
Radisson by.
Ethan Merck
So you prefer downtown Radisson's. Now we're talking money. But by the airport.
Scott Aukerman
That's for the valet. Did you ever valet the car? Is that part of the expense? Never.
Ethan Merck
Never valet la.
Scott Aukerman
Okay. Park my own damn self park how.
Ethan Merck
Many Self park it.
Scott Aukerman
How many tickets?
Gabe Liedman
Even off the clock, you're self parking only.
Ethan Merck
Self parking? Yeah, just throw by the airport.
Max Silvestri
It's not always safe in the structure at night. I just be careful, I guess. You're a bounty hunter.
Ethan Merck
I'm a bounty hunter. Let him try.
Scott Aukerman
Yes. Ever gotten. Shit's got heavy.
Ethan Merck
Shit's gotten heavy.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Tell us.
Scott Aukerman
Tell us some of these stories. I don't know why we're getting into the weeds about your process.
Ethan Merck
I don't know either. I didn't invite that line of questioning that I was not the momentum behind it.
Scott Aukerman
Tell us about.
Ethan Merck
I'm happy me to talk about whatever.
Scott Aukerman
Tell us about some of your. Oh, you know what? We're running out of time. Oh, that's all right. That's all right. So sorry.
Ethan Merck
That's okay. Hey, really, it's fine.
Scott Aukerman
We're running out of time. We gotta take a break. This is too bad, but can you stick around maybe Some. Some of the. Some of these stories might pop up in conversation. Yeah, I mean, I got some good ones.
Ethan Merck
I got some very juicy, violent stories. But you're the host.
Scott Aukerman
All right, well, we're gonna take a break. When we come back, Ethan Merck is gonna stick around. We're also gonna have Max Silvestri, Gabe Liebman. We'll be right back with more comedy ban. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. You know, reaching out to someone that you haven't talked to in a long time. It feels good. I just had lunch with a friend that I hadn't seen in a few years. It was great to reconnect, talk our lives, what's different, all that kind of stuff, you know. And as the seasons change, shorter days don't have to weigh you down. This season better help encourage you. So encourage use. Encourages use guys to reach out to people, you know, check in on friends, reconnect with loved ones, remind them you're here. It just takes a little courage to send that text or grab coffee with someone you haven't seen in a while. But you know what? Reaching out for therapy? That can feel difficult too. But it's oh so worth it. It can leave people wondering, why didn't I do this sooner? And with over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms. BetterHelp therapists are fully licensed in the US and BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can just focus on your therapy goals. And this month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend, reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first month@betterhelp.com BangBang that is betterhelp.com Bang Bang Morning Zoe. Got donuts. Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage? Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile.
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Commercial like you teach me.
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So Dana oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.
Arnold Debobo
Wow, impressive.
Scott Aukerman
Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network. Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.
Arnold Debobo
T Mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on.
Scott Aukerman
Us with eligible traded in any condition.
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So what are we having for launch?
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Dude, my work here is done.
Max Silvestri
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Beyond for well qualified customers and $35.
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Ask your doctor about tremphya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit tremphyaradio.com Comedy Bang Bang. We're back. We have Gabe Liebman and Max Silvestri. The podcast is called I need you guys several episodes out there. Wherever you can get your podcast right now. Who. Who's the guest of your first few episodes?
Max Silvestri
John Mulaney.
Gabe Liedman
John Mulaney's up there.
Max Silvestri
Jesse Klein, Michelle Buteau, Sean Hayes.
Gabe Liedman
Kumail the Great.
Scott Aukerman
Yes. I can't get these people on my show.
Gabe Liedman
Wonderful.
Scott Aukerman
Comes on.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah, you can get crawl. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Kumail. Hugh G. Just did it.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Okay. So you get some of these.
Ethan Merck
The rest, though, walking this back.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Geez.
Scott Aukerman
Jesse did my other show. The rest. The rest don't respond anymore.
Max Silvestri
We're calling in a lot of chips.
Gabe Liedman
Yes.
Max Silvestri
And we're gonna burn that. Those bridges.
Gabe Liedman
It will be strangers soon enough.
Scott Aukerman
So how is it for you? Because, you know, you used to be, up till just a couple of months ago, you used to be comedians that people would ask, hey, come do my podcast. And you would roll your eyes and go, all right, now you're the one out there saying, come do my podcast.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
How's it feel?
Gabe Liedman
I have a lot of guilt about it.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Am I bothering this person?
Gabe Liedman
Am I bothering them? I, you know, I. I do feel like I'm getting in their way.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Of the flow of their day.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Especially a Zoom. Like a Zoom podcast, we require a lot of technical know how they need.
Scott Aukerman
To have over ear headphones.
Gabe Liedman
Yes.
Max Silvestri
Not only are we old friends, but you need to navigate Gate Streamyard and QuickTime Recordings.
Gabe Liedman
Man. How.
Max Silvestri
How would you love to leave your computer open in this hotel room while you. You finish the Dropbox upload? Like it's. It's stuff like that.
Scott Aukerman
This is too much on people. Well, it sounds like a dynamite show, though. It's out there right now. We also have Ethan Mercus here, but we need to get to our next guest.
Ethan Merck
Ran right by me quick.
Scott Aukerman
We need to get to our next guest. It's fine with me.
Ethan Merck
I'm just Ethan just sitting there or something. All right.
Scott Aukerman
He's been sitting here Waiting to come on.
Ethan Merck
My apologies.
Scott Aukerman
He's a mentalist. This is so exciting. I'm.
Max Silvestri
I'm.
Scott Aukerman
I'm fascinated with mentalists. Please welcome to the show Arnold Debobo.
Arnold Debobo
Oh, Scott, thank you so much for having me on.
Scott Aukerman
It's my pleasure.
Arnold Debobo
Been enjoying listening to you guys chat. I love the show. I love comedy.
Scott Aukerman
Sorry that we. We took so long to get to you, but Ethan here wouldn't, you know, honestly shut up about it.
Ethan Merck
I didn't know I was running long. My apologies.
Scott Aukerman
Hotels and.
Arnold Debobo
No, it helps me before my shows. What I'll do is I'll kind of scope out the audience. I'll listen to what they say.
Scott Aukerman
It.
Arnold Debobo
I'm not doing sorcery. I can clear some stuff up about mentalism right now.
Scott Aukerman
Is it actual? Is it magic? Is it sorcery?
Max Silvestri
Is esp.
Arnold Debobo
It's not esp. I can't actually read minds. I don't have superpowers.
Scott Aukerman
It's like a trick or. It's.
Arnold Debobo
It's. I'm using techniques that are out there. There's psychological.
Scott Aukerman
So it's like if you went to go get a massage and someone was to. To do the massage, and then afterwards you go, wow, that feels good. Was that sorcery? No, you just say, it's a technique.
Arnold Debobo
I'm able to do this technique.
Max Silvestri
And that's what you do?
Arnold Debobo
Yeah. They've worked at it for their whole life.
Scott Aukerman
Right. Do you give massages ever?
Arnold Debobo
I. I do. I do give foot massages.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, good.
Arnold Debobo
People don't enjoy them.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, they're. They're unasked.
Arnold Debobo
No, they're. They're not good. They make people uncomfortable.
Gabe Liedman
You go right for the bone.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, I'm not good at it. And I think that's actually what makes me maybe the greatest mentalist out there. There's some really good mentalists. Oz Perlman, for example, he charms people. He. He's very funny. I'm more off putting. Audiences are uncomfortable around me.
Scott Aukerman
They put massages.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah. That's one example of. Of what's disturbing about me. Yeah. So they'll immediately kind of put brick walls up and I've got to smash through those walls.
Scott Aukerman
What are your other. Yeah, I'm sorry, Max.
Max Silvestri
I know. It just. It feels like to me, what I imagine and I don't know anything about it, like a mentalist should be able, unbelievably, to read people's cues and micro signals, but you have a blind spot around feet or like, why are you not able to read?
Scott Aukerman
Or your own personality.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
It's my own personality.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Scott Aukerman
So you're unable to mentalize yourself saying, like, oh, I'm annoying.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, that's right. I. I can kind of pick up on it. I know after a while, I'm able to make some adjustments.
Scott Aukerman
You can see, like, people's eyes kind of, like looking past you. Yeah. The other people in the party, I' to.
Arnold Debobo
I've got to scope that out. I've got to work with that and still get that information out.
Scott Aukerman
And yet you don't have the wherewithal to realize, like, oh, I'm not interesting, I should tell better stories or.
Arnold Debobo
Well, it's been helpful for me. It's been my whole life. I mean, like a lot of people, I got into this as a young man to meet girls. Sure.
Gabe Liedman
That is off putting. Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
So I. Well, I would go to parties and they would want me to leave so desperately. I would say, well, if you give me your number, and I would get a lot of numbers that way.
Ethan Merck
What was the rest of that sentence?
Max Silvestri
If you want your sock back.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, if you give me your number. Oh, then you'll leave.
Arnold Debobo
That's right. Yes, you can.
Scott Aukerman
And did any of these numbers actually work or were they a lot of them?
Arnold Debobo
What they call. Yeah, they're. They're phony numbers.
Scott Aukerman
Is a copy. That's what they call. Phony numbers.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. Scott used to give that out for his live show that he booked.
Gabe Liedman
That's right.
Max Silvestri
Sort of a decoy, I think.
Scott Aukerman
I think that you tried to call me on one of those phony numbers numbers for advice about your podcast.
Max Silvestri
Yeah, yeah.
Arnold Debobo
Either it's a friend who kind of is up on it and they'll mess with you a little bit and we'll get a good laugh out of that, or it's just a number that doesn't exist at all.
Scott Aukerman
You know, Ethan, I'm sorry. I feel like we're making the same mistake. Yeah, no, Arnold is your name. I feel like we're making the same mistake that we made with Ethan where we're talking about your process too much instead of actually getting into what you do.
Arnold Debobo
Sure, sure. Yeah. This is entertainment. I can entertain a little bit and can. We can kind of go along with.
Scott Aukerman
Entertain us a lot. That's what I would prefer. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is your one shot to be on Comedy.
Max Silvestri
Bang bang.
Arnold Debobo
Just like Max. Think of a year. Okay. Just clear your mind. Look. Okay, okay, I'm gonna get close here. I'm gonna pick up.
Ethan Merck
Holy crap. He's really Moving in the year.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
Really think about it. Okay.
Scott Aukerman
Why are you taking off?
Arnold Debobo
His son, you got the year.
Ethan Merck
Massaging his feet.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Max Silvestri
Okay, so it's not a blueberry, it's a toe. You don't have to squeeze it like that.
Arnold Debobo
Okay, now let me do some mentalism.
Scott Aukerman
You don't, by the way, just.
Arnold Debobo
I end all these by saying, you've been mentalized.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, okay. But a little feedback from me.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
And Max took feedback from me and he's got a podcast out of it.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
You don't have to say, let me do some mental. Okay, we expect that from you.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Ethan Merck
Hey, Scott, can I give you some feedback on your feedback?
Scott Aukerman
Sure.
Ethan Merck
I thought that was great.
Max Silvestri
Thanks.
Scott Aukerman
Thanks. But it's not your second.
Arnold Debobo
We're doing an audio.
Ethan Merck
I'm not trying to work my way in.
Arnold Debobo
We're doing it in an audio medium. I just want the audience to know what's going on. And Max, you didn't think of a year, did you? You weren't thinking of a year at all. You didn't listen to my instructions.
Ethan Merck
Oh, holy.
Max Silvestri
You're actually. You're right.
Arnold Debobo
And you were thinking, what?
Ethan Merck
And that's not sorcery.
Arnold Debobo
These are just cues I'm picking up from it. You're thinking, why is this guy so close to me? How can he get out of my personal space? And you thought of a number. How far back you want me to be? And it's five feet further away.
Gabe Liedman
That's incredible.
Scott Aukerman
Is that true? Is that true?
Ethan Merck
That's amazing.
Max Silvestri
Both backing myself, like, imagining myself.
Scott Aukerman
Were you imagining like a yardstick and seeing one and two thirds yardsticks?
Max Silvestri
Actually, what I was thinking of the whole time was I immediately pictured a distance. Distance. And then I was like, it's like Rhea Perlman lying down. I was like, trying to, like, figure out how long it was. So I wasn't thinking about it.
Scott Aukerman
Not as far as DeVito, but.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Who's taller? Yeah.
Max Silvestri
And these.
Scott Aukerman
These are the age old questions.
Max Silvestri
The point is, I was thinking about a year. I was kind of like a real taller hair.
Arnold Debobo
Well, I mean, it's interesting. I don't want to tell you how the sausage is made, but.
Scott Aukerman
Right.
Arnold Debobo
You know, toes have what Feet have what nails. Two inches shorter feet of feet of five toes. Okay, okay, five feet. Maybe that put that in your head. And that's kind of how I'm manipulating these things.
Max Silvestri
There was a cadence of how you squeeze my big toe that now I'm realizing maybe you were pulsing. It was sort of like 1, 2 3, 4, 5. Pause. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Scott Aukerman
But this is. Is. I mean, that's incredible that you were.
Gabe Liedman
Able to pick that up.
Scott Aukerman
I mean, a lot of mentalists would maybe just take a stab or try to implant a number in his head or something, you know, but you.
Ethan Merck
You actually, I thought it was just that you had freaked him out so much he was thinking about you getting away with him.
Arnold Debobo
That's part of it. That's part of it. It's my natural ability to kind of turn people off. Wants them, and I know that's coming, so I'll use that. And that's how I book a lot of corporate jobs.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, cool. Okay. Do you want to try again with one of the other people here or.
Arnold Debobo
Sure, sure, sure.
Ethan Merck
So do me.
Arnold Debobo
Okay, great.
Scott Aukerman
You know, you can ask a little nicer.
Ethan Merck
Do me.
Max Silvestri
Now. He has a gun on his.
Arnold Debobo
Ethan, I want you to think of a historical figure.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Arnold Debobo
Actually, let's visualize it. Can you Google image search? You have your phone in front. Let's Google image search a historical figure.
Scott Aukerman
All right. One that he's thought of or just should he Google historical figures and see what pops up?
Arnold Debobo
I think the one that he thought of would be. Be more helpful because then we can actually.
Ethan Merck
The Google image search. And is it all right if I use DuckDuckGo?
Scott Aukerman
I guess. Do you have to.
Ethan Merck
I'm not a fan of Google. Is that all right if I DuckDuckGo image search?
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, yeah, that. All right.
Scott Aukerman
Does it work as well?
Arnold Debobo
And you have it? I'm thinking about it. Okay. Let me look at you.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Arnold Debobo
Okay. Ethan, you didn't actually Google image search, did you? Or DuckDuckGo? You didn't look up the photo.
Max Silvestri
Photo?
Ethan Merck
I. I did not.
Arnold Debobo
Okay. Did you text your partner? You have a romance. You have a girlfriend and you text. Yeah. You have a situation and you. And you. You. You sent her a code that you have when you're socially in trouble and you want an excuse to break away.
Scott Aukerman
I did.
Ethan Merck
I said.
Arnold Debobo
Yep.
Ethan Merck
I sent my.
Max Silvestri
And it's an emoji.
Ethan Merck
It's.
Scott Aukerman
It's.
Ethan Merck
It. It is an emotion.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Arnold Debobo
And it's.
Scott Aukerman
It's a.
Arnold Debobo
It's an alarm. It's a siren.
Ethan Merck
Well, you're a little bit off there. It's a fire truck.
Scott Aukerman
Okay. Okay. It has a siren on top of it.
Ethan Merck
There's two sirens on it, but the primary image is a truck.
Arnold Debobo
Okay. Yeah, sorry about that.
Ethan Merck
It's all right.
Scott Aukerman
But it's a close up of the top of the truck where the siren is.
Max Silvestri
The top down view of a fire.
Ethan Merck
Top level emoji, Top level view of fire truck emoji, the siren and front and center.
Max Silvestri
But I think with the fire seeds.
Arnold Debobo
And you know, this is part of it. This is part of it. And Scott, could you hand me that envelope that I sent to the studio?
Scott Aukerman
Oh, yeah, this, oh, this came a week ago. Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
And you know, and actually hand it straight. I don't even want to touch this thing.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, but you, I don't want to touch it.
Arnold Debobo
Hand it straight. Hand it straight to Ethan.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, here you go, Ethan.
Arnold Debobo
And Ethan, open that up and there's.
Scott Aukerman
You see the postmark?
Arnold Debobo
You see that postmark?
Ethan Merck
Okay, I do see it.
Arnold Debobo
So, and, and that's.
Scott Aukerman
What kind of stamp is that?
Gabe Liedman
That's.
Arnold Debobo
Those are in.
Scott Aukerman
They look to be like commemorative.
Arnold Debobo
They're commemorative for the space program.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, wow.
Ethan Merck
Well, you know what? I still get happy thinking about the space program.
Max Silvestri
And those women were the first astronauts who were.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, those, those were the women.
Max Silvestri
It's all women and they're crying.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, those are the first astronauts rejected. Yeah, those were the teams.
Arnold Debobo
That's when they said caption says first rejects.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Arnold Debobo
And I think that's beautiful that they.
Ethan Merck
Did that deserve to be remembered.
Gabe Liedman
Hidden figures. No longer.
Max Silvestri
The first year they allowed divorced women to apply. None got in.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, but they did. They did apply.
Scott Aukerman
They were allowed to apply.
Ethan Merck
It's an honor just to be applied inside that envelope.
Arnold Debobo
As you can see, toy truck, fire truck.
Scott Aukerman
Oh my God.
Ethan Merck
Holy shit.
Scott Aukerman
That's crazy.
Max Silvestri
Sirens right on top.
Arnold Debobo
You've been mentalized.
Scott Aukerman
Wow.
Ethan Merck
You just got mentalized.
Scott Aukerman
Now.
Ethan Merck
Hang a minute. That is witchcraft.
Gabe Liedman
That's amazing.
Ethan Merck
I'm going to call it what it is.
Scott Aukerman
You didn't say you've been mental.
Arnold Debobo
I think I did. I think there was a lot going on.
Scott Aukerman
Crosstalk.
Ethan Merck
Scott, can I give some feedback on what you just said there? You were right on the money.
Scott Aukerman
This is his segment though, and I'm.
Ethan Merck
Really not trying to extend my real estate here.
Arnold Debobo
Well, when you go back, maybe I'll say it softly and everyone will kind of just have it in their subconscious.
Scott Aukerman
Got it. Well, that this is blown away crazy because I mean, normally a mentalist picks up on physical cues to see or tries to implant. So did you implant, plant something in his head beforehand or while you were here that you knew a week ago that you were going to send this, this fire truck to. I don't know how you did this.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, I mean, I, I, I did start a small, a fire outside the studio.
Max Silvestri
I Don't know if you noticed that.
Arnold Debobo
It wasn't massive but it made a lot of smoke. It kicked up a lot of smoke. I was, yeah, yeah I was kind of putting out cigarettes. It scared some people.
Scott Aukerman
I mean la.
Ethan Merck
You know during fire feel triggered.
Arnold Debobo
It's very dry. But you know what? It did just rain here and it was safe and I thought I could get away with it. And even just that that brief more.
Scott Aukerman
Criminal say I thought I could get away with it.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
I'll just go bad for him now.
Ethan Merck
So. Nice.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah. Okay.
Ethan Merck
Be honesty.
Arnold Debobo
Sometimes the police do use me and.
Ethan Merck
I feel like hiring you right now. I'm scared out of my mind.
Max Silvestri
But I, I.
Scott Aukerman
The two of you working together, that.
Arnold Debobo
Would be a lot of mentalists. They don't want to work with law enforcement. I don't mind.
Scott Aukerman
What way you don't mind?
Arnold Debobo
No.
Gabe Liedman
Why don't most people I.
Arnold Debobo
Why, why don't most Mentalist?
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Gabe Liedman
Why?
Arnold Debobo
Well, because it is again, it's not sorcery. It is for entertainment. They don't want actual cases to be decided. Mentalism isn't allowed in court. They, they won't accept it. They can't use it to process even.
Scott Aukerman
If a lawyer just wanted to do it for fun in court one day.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
I think it's cuz you're not allowed to take someone's shoes and socks off in court.
Ethan Merck
Honestly, it goes both ways. Law enforcement doesn't want to work with Mentalist and I, I'm, I'm sorry to say what I'm about to say because I don't mean to start a Friday or anything because we don't respect your profession and we think you're a bunch of scumbag.
Arnold Debobo
I understand that. Particularly I. A lot of officers have a problem with.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, I have.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Ethan Merck
Up until this.
Arnold Debobo
What I'll do is I'll go in, I'll talk to a suspect and let's.
Scott Aukerman
Say they bring you in when there's a suspect.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, there's a suspect. Maybe they want a confession or they want some evidence so they don't bring.
Scott Aukerman
You in when like it's a cold case.
Arnold Debobo
Someone to read.
Scott Aukerman
They already have someone. They, they know who did it.
Ethan Merck
It's a last resort when you bring in a mental. In New Fairfield, when I was the assistant secretary by the time we brought in the mentalists it was last resort. We had no nowhere else.
Scott Aukerman
But this is when they've already captured the.
Max Silvestri
But there is a ticking clock on the interrogate. Usually you only have 24 hours before you Charge the person. So it's. They. They've tried.
Arnold Debobo
And.
Scott Aukerman
But they're like, they are desperate.
Arnold Debobo
If they're bringing me in, they're extra desperate.
Max Silvestri
Okay, what happens?
Arnold Debobo
Well, I. I'll talk to one of these suspects, and a lot of times they'll think they'll fantasize maybe about hurting me in some way.
Scott Aukerman
Sure.
Arnold Debobo
And I can. I can pick that up.
Max Silvestri
I choose the electric chair, that kind of thing.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
And. And frequently. What they'll do is they'll fantasize about hurting me with maybe a weapon that they committed another crime with, and I can help the authorities find these weapons. You've been mentalized.
Max Silvestri
Take me back to the. The creek. I want to get my hair hammer.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
Right.
Arnold Debobo
And then I want to smash it into Arnaud's face.
Ethan Merck
Right. So I've got a gentle question. I mean, to ask here.
Scott Aukerman
Gentle.
Ethan Merck
Ethan, I'm trying so hard.
Scott Aukerman
Easy.
Ethan Merck
Is it. Is it techniques you're using, or.
Scott Aukerman
Sounds like you're just reading someone's mind.
Ethan Merck
No, I'm trying to be careful about this. I'm scanning ahead. Are you just so insanely gross? I mean, is that a talent?
Scott Aukerman
Are you so contemptuous?
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, I am gross enough that it is beneficial to what I do, but I try to jujitsu that and use.
Scott Aukerman
It because I don't like to talk about physical. Yes. Physical attributes. But you're. You're unattractive.
Arnold Debobo
I'm kind of classically unattractive.
Scott Aukerman
Smell bad.
Arnold Debobo
I do smell.
Ethan Merck
I don't do. My mean.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah.
Max Silvestri
I whisper to gay Boston, too.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa. Yeah, that's low.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, it's low.
Scott Aukerman
You have sort of like a pig pen kind of like dust cloud above you.
Arnold Debobo
A lot of people can actually see my stink, and my diet doesn't do me any favors.
Scott Aukerman
There are also flies next to you, and they're holding their nose, going, pu. Yeah. Yeah.
Arnold Debobo
I have a lot of cartoon characters characteristics. It is off putting. I'll do big events. I'll. Usually it's kind of a punishment, and corporations will say, hey, corporations are trying to punish.
Max Silvestri
They're.
Arnold Debobo
They're having. They're employees saying, hey, come to this big event. I'll come out. I'll do some mentalism. The employees will say, we'll work as hard as you want.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, yeah.
Arnold Debobo
Never do this again.
Gabe Liedman
Retreats.
Max Silvestri
I got it.
Arnold Debobo
And so that's really. I'm bringing up the bottom line.
Scott Aukerman
So when you're brought in, the person goes like, get me out of this room. I'll say anything. I just don't Want to be around this anymore.
Arnold Debobo
It's true. It's true. Okay, Scott, let me ask you.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, yeah, go.
Arnold Debobo
We've never met before. This is the first time you sent.
Scott Aukerman
A mail to my house about a week ago.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, but. But we have. Haven't physically.
Scott Aukerman
You haven't emailed me. I haven't ghosted you with an email.
Arnold Debobo
There'd be no way. I know your ATM pin.
Scott Aukerman
Right?
Arnold Debobo
Nobody knows that. Does your wife know that?
Scott Aukerman
I mean, she. I think she does, but. But I mean, unless you were behind me one day.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
And I was withdrawing. No, I, I. Because I make a lot of withdrawals.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Scott Aukerman
I'm like eight withdrawal a day kind of guy. Because I'm always just like. I always get the minimum.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
I'm like, why didn't I go for the maximum amount?
Arnold Debobo
So this PIN is very important. Important to you.
Max Silvestri
Very important.
Scott Aukerman
It's an eight time a day thing.
Max Silvestri
Yeah. So it's very important, guys.
Scott Aukerman
Got it.
Ethan Merck
I get this guy. You know what? I'm. I loathe you, but I gotta respect the delivery.
Arnold Debobo
So I want you to think about that pin. And, And.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, can you back up?
Arnold Debobo
Oh, Scott. Yeah, you have. You have a sick mind, Scott. You're a twisted man.
Scott Aukerman
Wait, whoa.
Arnold Debobo
Because you didn't think about your ATM pin, did you?
Scott Aukerman
No. I mean, no.
Arnold Debobo
Honestly, it's in there a little bit, but you weren't thinking about it.
Scott Aukerman
I was. When you first brought it up, you.
Arnold Debobo
Were thinking about me in a boat and you pushing me into the water.
Scott Aukerman
Just to wash you off. Honestly, like.
Arnold Debobo
And I can't swim, Scott.
Scott Aukerman
I thought a bathtub wouldn't be, you know, cleanly enough. I thought the ocean might do a better job.
Arnold Debobo
Well, you mentioned I sent you some man mail. That implies more than multiple pieces of mail.
Scott Aukerman
Not when I said it.
Arnold Debobo
Can you open that? Can you open that other piece of mail that came here months ago? That's from months ago.
Scott Aukerman
Why am I still holding on to this? I don't know, but I.
Arnold Debobo
Right. Here's a letter opener.
Scott Aukerman
Okay. Could you back off with the letter opener? I. I have my own. I'll just use my fingers. All right.
Arnold Debobo
Okay, great.
Scott Aukerman
Put that back. Was that like a switchblade letter open?
Arnold Debobo
It's a switchblade. It's handy because you only need one hand.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Max Silvestri
Covered in jam.
Scott Aukerman
So off putting.
Gabe Liedman
He's right.
Max Silvestri
He.
Gabe Liedman
He knows himself.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Okay, I've opened it up and you.
Arnold Debobo
Can see that is a signed autograph from Phil Collins.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, wow.
Arnold Debobo
Of in the Air Tonight. And he says and he says I would not help him drowning either.
Scott Aukerman
Right. This is that song that he was singing to that guy in the. In the audience.
Arnold Debobo
That's right.
Ethan Merck
You might want. You might want a little more context for people who don't. Aren't super familiar with the lyrics to that song.
Arnold Debobo
I mean, everyone knows the lyrics to in the Air Tonight.
Scott Aukerman
He. He signed it. Hey, check out my lyrics to in the Air Tonight.
Ethan Merck
Oh.
Scott Aukerman
Sincerely, Phil Collins.
Ethan Merck
He got Phil Collins to autograph that.
Scott Aukerman
That's incredible.
Arnold Debobo
You've been. You've been mentalized. I got Phil.
Scott Aukerman
And I'm just taking it on faith that this actually is Phil Collins. Yes, that.
Arnold Debobo
That's not.
Ethan Merck
I can check that signature.
Scott Aukerman
Hold on, hold on. There's a picture of Phil Collins holding it up next to a newspaper from four months ago.
Gabe Liedman
Oh my God.
Max Silvestri
Incredible. That's so hard to get a photo of someone holding up the photo on the back of the photo.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, it's a double sided headshot and.
Arnold Debobo
That was pre pandemic.
Max Silvestri
Wow, really?
Ethan Merck
Wow. Months ago.
Gabe Liedman
That's many months.
Max Silvestri
Can I ask a. This is probably a dumb question because I haven't. I've obviously been through a lot of.
Scott Aukerman
Of. That's. How tall Danny DeVito is.
Max Silvestri
Is that what you were going to ask?
Scott Aukerman
How high he is?
Gabe Liedman
How high he is?
Max Silvestri
How high he is? How far from the sky he is? Excuse me? That's how I measure height.
Arnold Debobo
How high he is.
Max Silvestri
I've only seen probably a dozen Mentalist stage shows. Okay, so I'm not like.
Scott Aukerman
Some of.
Max Silvestri
The same guy multiple times, but for the most part it's like eight or nine different guys in the UK and America, different countries, but I don't know mentalism that way? Well, each time you asked us to think of something, but then you guessed. Yeah, a different thing we were thinking of. Is there any way to just get straight to guessing what we're thinking of without the googling?
Scott Aukerman
Yeah. Could you do that? Like just. You haven't done just straight. I don't think you've done Gabe yet.
Arnold Debobo
Straight off.
Scott Aukerman
Straight.
Arnold Debobo
F. Okay, so. So, okay.
Ethan Merck
I want.
Scott Aukerman
Just tell. Tell us what he's thinking.
Arnold Debobo
Just tell us what he's thinking. He's wondering, like, like, why did I eat all that raw onions?
Scott Aukerman
Why did you eat that?
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, he's wondering that about me.
Scott Aukerman
Why? Do you have an answer?
Arnold Debobo
I don't. I. I mean, it's. It's just. I. I'm trying to quit smoking, so I'll just try to just chew anything else.
Scott Aukerman
Anything else?
Max Silvestri
Just raw onions.
Arnold Debobo
Just raw Onions. And that comes out.
Scott Aukerman
Sounds like you're per too, cuz.
Gabe Liedman
I wasn't really. I was thinking the smell of onion every time he talks.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, right.
Gabe Liedman
It's so fresh.
Max Silvestri
It's like the cotton.
Scott Aukerman
It's like chipotle.
Gabe Liedman
Honestly, it's like very fresh onion. Wind.
Ethan Merck
I want to hire you.
Scott Aukerman
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Ethan Merck
I'm gonna hire you to work on a case that's stymied me.
Scott Aukerman
Oh.
Ethan Merck
I need your help, actually.
Scott Aukerman
This is incredible.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
What's the case? Don't go into too many of the details. We don't have time for that.
Ethan Merck
It's a great story. It's a real grip. But I'll.
Scott Aukerman
I'll.
Ethan Merck
But I'll keep it.
Scott Aukerman
Just.
Arnold Debobo
I've got a heart out. So I do have to go.
Ethan Merck
I've been talking for maybe 10 seconds.
Arnold Debobo
I do have to go. I appreciate the offer.
Ethan Merck
Get it. I'll write it. I'll write it down to you.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, just send it. Honestly, this could have been an email.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, I guess it can be an email. Never. Never you mind.
Scott Aukerman
All right.
Ethan Merck
Aol.
Scott Aukerman
Well, I mean, Arnold Debobo, this. This is incredible. You're a loathsome individual. But I mean your techniques work and.
Arnold Debobo
I. I'm probably gonna not survive much longer.
Scott Aukerman
I do.
Arnold Debobo
I do often get hit by cars.
Gabe Liedman
Okay.
Arnold Debobo
So I'm really happy to come on the show while I'm still with everybody.
Scott Aukerman
No cars in here.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, no car. I am safe from traffic.
Scott Aukerman
That's right. Well, congratulations, Arnold. So nice to meet you. We are running out of time though, guys. We only have time for one final feature on the show. This is of course a little something called Plug Bugs.
Arnold Debobo
We have time for one final feature.
Scott Aukerman
That is of course a little something called plug. That was. Open up the plug bag 2025. Then you are alive by G2 pilots. Thanks so much, G2 pilots. If you have a plug theme, head over to cbbworld.com plugin plugs and you can upload your songs there or you can find everything you need to make a remix and upload it. And guys, what do we plug in? Obviously, Max and Gabe, your new show.
Gabe Liedman
Yes. I need you guys.
Scott Aukerman
I need you guys. And you can get this weekly, I would imagine.
Gabe Liedman
Yeah, get it weekly.
Scott Aukerman
Why not? Every six days?
Gabe Liedman
That is a great.
Max Silvestri
We might do some bonus episodes. So there's a world where you get something every six days, but no promises.
Scott Aukerman
You mean on the average? I just think it would be fun to put out a podcast every six days. So like the first week it comes out On Monday.
Gabe Liedman
Right.
Scott Aukerman
Then it comes out on a Sunday. Yeah, it comes out on a Saturday. I love that. You know what I mean? And just like.
Gabe Liedman
And this is why you've been in the biz so long.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
This is the kind of advice that I probably gave you on that phone call.
Max Silvestri
You see the industry from the inside out, and we're outsiders.
Scott Aukerman
Any other award shows that we're all working on together? God, I hope.
Max Silvestri
Not that Gabe and I are also TV producers. So check out Loot season three. I love la Season one.
Gabe Liedman
Yes.
Scott Aukerman
What is. I love la.
Max Silvestri
It's a new HBO comedy on Sunday nights, and then it's coming out six days after the premiere, so the premiere is Sunday, November 2nd.
Scott Aukerman
So every six days. Yeah. See, HBO knows what they're doing.
Max Silvestri
They get it.
Gabe Liedman
New HBO comedy, Rachel Senate.
Max Silvestri
Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
Oh, oh, yes. Okay. I've heard of the show. Great. I'm looking forward to that. And of course, Loot. Alan Yang show, right?
Max Silvestri
Yes, that's right.
Scott Aukerman
Fantastic. And we don't have a lot of time, but Ethan Merck, real quick, what do you want to plug?
Ethan Merck
There's a podcast I'm a fan of. It's about the Beatles called Screw. We're just going to talk about the Beatles by Will Hines and some friends. He's a great comedian, truly noble man who I'm a fan of, and that's what I like to plug.
Scott Aukerman
If I hired you to chase him, would you.
Ethan Merck
In a heartbeat. In a heartbeat. He's a man of low morals.
Scott Aukerman
Because you're.
Max Silvestri
Oh, oh.
Scott Aukerman
I thought you said he was a great man.
Ethan Merck
He's noble, but only for his own bullshit.
Scott Aukerman
Okay.
Max Silvestri
You're. God. I would love to hear about some cases.
Ethan Merck
Yeah, some of them are great. One of them involves a widow, actually.
Scott Aukerman
You know, we got to turn to Arnold de Bobo. Arnold, what do you want to plug?
Arnold Debobo
Oh, nothing really, but thank you, I suppose. I've been listening to the Action Boys podcast.
Ethan Merck
Me too.
Arnold Debobo
It's very entertaining. A lot of old movies these weirdos are talking about.
Scott Aukerman
I mean, they would have to talk about old movies because they can't talk about new movies because they're not out yet.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, yeah, that's really.
Scott Aukerman
That's.
Arnold Debobo
That's a real mind bending way to look at it, Scott. I should work that into my routine.
Scott Aukerman
What are they going to talk about? Like, oh, in five years from now. Let's. Let's break this movie down. That.
Arnold Debobo
No, they can't come out. They don't have a window into the future. No, these are just regular guys. Talking about old movies.
Scott Aukerman
Regular Joe's, just Average Joe's, you know.
Arnold Debobo
Just laughing it up. Talking about these steroid ridden freaks on celluloid.
Scott Aukerman
And what is this now called?
Arnold Debobo
It is called Action boys with a Z. Yeah.
Scott Aukerman
All right. And what do I want to plug? Look, we have new throwback tees out there available. Technicality no down Boo over. Hey Nong man. Ain't nothing to fuck with throwback tees. If you buy one throwback T shirt and you can get a second 30% off with code throwbacks@podswag.com Comedy Bang Bang. We also have action figures. The Entrez P Noir and Italiano Jones ones just came out. Series two is just starting. Started. And these are dynamite looking. They're really great. Series two is going to have four vol and Dalton Wilcox and Jason Manzoukas and Reggie Watts. Really good series. So get in. Right now you can get these@figurecollections.com we also have series one still available. And European customers can go to action figureseller.com. all right, I think that's enough for me. Let's close up the old plug. 2025, open up the plug bag and.
Ethan Merck
Then you are alive.
Scott Aukerman
Open up the plug bag. 2025, open up the blood bag. Then you are a alive. By the way, huge news. I I credited G2 pilots with the opening the plug back theme. No, that was plugastage by Sean Fogel. That was open up the plug back. 2025 then you are alive by G2 pilots. So thanks to both of those freaks for putting those together. Guys, I want to thank you so much. Max, Gabe, first of all, congratulations Gabe. You're in the one Timers Club. So much more prestigious than the Timers Club. Huge. Yeah, it's huge. And please email me again. I, I but I will give.
Ethan Merck
And.
Scott Aukerman
Max, what more needs to be said? Well, I'll see you next year.
Max Silvestri
Many people online have said the same thing about the set in Lincoln. What more needs to be said? And yet we find a way.
Scott Aukerman
And Arnold De Bobo. The sooner you're out of here, the better.
Arnold Debobo
But you knew I was gonna so many times. Yeah, no, that's typically how people say goodbye to me.
Scott Aukerman
Yeah, exactly. You're just influencing us all to say goodbye. Stuff like that.
Arnold Debobo
Yeah, yeah, I kind of put that out there earlier. Yeah, sooner the better.
Scott Aukerman
And Ethan Merck, how's it going? It's good, but we have like 10 seconds before the end.
Arnold Debobo
Okay.
Ethan Merck
I once helped a widow find an ex husband.
Scott Aukerman
I'm sorry, we're out of time. We'll see you next time.
Max Silvestri
Thanks. Bye.
Scott Aukerman
Hi, I'm Jenny Slate and believe it or not, someone is allowing us to have a podcast.
Gabe Liedman
I'm Gabe Liedman.
Max Silvestri
I'm Max Silvestri and we've been friends for 20 years and we like to reach out to kind of get advice on how to live our lives.
Gabe Liedman
It's called I need you guys.
Max Silvestri
Should I give my baby fresh vegetables?
Scott Aukerman
Can I drink the water at the hospital?
Gabe Liedman
My landlord plays the trombone and I can't ask him to stop.
Scott Aukerman
You should make sure that you subscribe so that you never miss an episode.
Gabe Liedman
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Scott Aukerman
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Gabe Liedman
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Scott Aukerman
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Gabe Liedman
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Scott Aukerman
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Gabe Liedman
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Max Silvestri
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Scott Aukerman
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Max Silvestri
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Gabe Liedman
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Max Silvestri
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Arnold Debobo
Why let the clock drag when you.
Max Silvestri
Can let the reel spin?
Scott Aukerman
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Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Scott Aukerman
Guests: Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman, Arnold Debobo (character, played by Ben Rodgers), Ethan Merck (character, played by Will Hines)
This raucous episode of Comedy Bang Bang brings together comedians Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman, both recent entrants to the podcasting game, for a playful debrief about their comedy careers, podcasting origins, and email communication woes. The conversation, full of Comic Bang Bang’s signature meta-humor and character bits, ranges from persistent festival stories to the debut and self-roasting of their new show, I Need You Guys (including frequent shout-outs to co-host Jenny Slate). Later, the show erupts into classic CBB mayhem as characters Ethan Merck (a bumbling bounty hunter) and Arnold Debobo (an off-putting mentalist) join the fun for character-driven silliness that lampoons law enforcement, mentalism, and bad corporate gigs.
[02:01–13:15]
Memorable Quote:
“...at the end of the day, this festival is about raising Johnny Carson’s legacy. And it seems like perhaps your fame is eclipsing his at this point.”
– Scott, 11:57–12:02
[13:15–32:47]
Notable Exchange:
“I think my other show, Threedom, is just three friends talking... now it’s all based on the personalities and if people like you, then they’ll follow you anywhere.”
– Scott, 22:28–22:49
[32:47–38:12]
Memorable Moment:
“We wanted to wait until it was just the love of the game... and you know, we weren’t ready thirteen years ago.”
– Max, 23:10–23:14
[38:12–40:12]
[40:12–54:00]
Notable Quote:
“I can’t chase 55s.”
– Ethan Merck (i.e. won’t take a job unless he feels the target is at least 60% in the wrong), 50:20
[67:00–88:09]
[88:46–end]
A classic Comedy Bang Bang episode: a densely packed, self-referential comedic stew brimming with meta-jokes, running bits, and mock earnestness. Silvestri and Liedman riff with seasoned chemistry, poking fun at the showbiz grind and podcast saturation, while the open-door third act brings in hallmark absurdist characters—making for an episode that rewards both deep CBB fans and new listeners alike.