Transcript

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Mandy Kaling (1:00)

How can you tell if you have sex with a dolphin? How can you tell when it's. It's always making that noise. I am very excited to be sitting with a man who's an actor, a writer.

Dax Shepard (1:23)

Oh, keep going.

Mandy Kaling (1:23)

A director.

Dax Shepard (1:24)

Oh my God.

Mandy Kaling (1:25)

A husband and a father. And more important than that boring ass. He's a podcast host. Baby.

Dax Shepard (1:32)

The sweet stuff.

Mandy Kaling (1:33)

Co creator. Creator and co host of Armchair Expert, one of the OG biggest podcasts of all time. One that I've been on many, many times.

Dax Shepard (1:41)

Yeah, up four just recently.

Mandy Kaling (1:43)

I just got my four time challenge challenge coin.

Dax Shepard (1:46)

Coin, Coin.

Mandy Kaling (1:47)

It was a ring you guys gave me. Today is payback. And on top of all this, he claims to know something about cars and motorcycles, anthropology and geography. Dax Shepard, welcome.

Dax Shepard (2:00)

Summary

Funny You Ask with Ike Barinholtz

Episode: What Does Dax Shepard Know About Classic Cars and Anthropology?

Date: April 29, 2026

Overview

This episode of Funny You Ask brings together host Ike Barinholtz and renowned actor, director, and podcast host Dax Shepard for a riotous trivia-fueled deep-dive into classic cars, anthropology, history, geography, and much more. The conversation veers from absurd banter about airplane bathroom disasters to genuinely thoughtful moments about the human story, all filtered through their irreverent and quick-witted chemistry. The episode is equal parts game show, comedy show, and accidental masterclass in random expertise.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Car Fandom, Legends, and Car Clubs

Edsel Ford & Car History (06:48–08:27)
- Ike quizzes Dax on Edsel Ford, leading to jokes about bad names, family legacies, and Henry Ford’s problematic beliefs.
- Dax shares insights from recently hosting a Ford event.
- Dax: "It's Bill Ford, you know, like fourth generation, that family, which is almost impossible in America in this day and age." (08:03)
- Both riff on "car gang" versus "motorcycle gang" culture, with Dax explaining the post-WWII origins of motorcycle clubs.
- Ike: "How come we have motorcycle gangs but not car gangs?"
- Dax: "I want to act humble, but that's how they started." (13:02)
Celebrity Car Enthusiasts & Motorcycles (08:55–11:11)
- Contemplating who would win in a celebrity car race: Dax, Seinfeld or Leno?
- Dax: “I actually race... Jay’s a hobbyist. He’ll be the first to say it.” (09:03)
- Fun anecdotes about Jay Leno’s garage and celebrity car culture.
Animals as Drivers (17:42–19:00)
- Playful segment where Ike prompts Dax to pick which cars animals would drive (wolf = Chevrolet Corvair, flamingo = Miata, armadillo = Volkswagen Thing, rhino = Ford F350 Dually).
- Dax (about the Volkswagen Thing): “They call it the Thing because it’s... repugnant in a way, but it’s also charming, like an armadillo.” (18:24)

2. Anthropology and Human History

Storytelling and Early Civilization (22:54–26:09)
- Dax successfully identifies The Epic of Gilgamesh as the oldest story.
  - Mandy (Ike's pseudonym for the show): "My hint was going to be Gilligan’s Island… sounds like the noise you make when you tickle someone." (23:40)
- Tangent on Bronze Age collapse, the challenges of prehistoric life, and the importance of oral storytelling.
Hunter-Gatherer Life (26:09–28:42)
- Dax and Ike debate whether they’d be hunters or gatherers in the Paleolithic era.
  - Dax: “The fantasy and illusion is that the hunting was the big part. All these hunting and gathering societies, 90% of the calories came from gathering.” (28:01)
Hammurabi’s Code and Ancient Laws (40:45–42:08)
- Trivia and jokes about the lawgiver Hammurabi:
  - Dax: “What’s the famous law from Hammurabi’s code?”
  - Ike: “I think it’s basically... one of the first versions of the golden rule?... An eye for an eye.” (41:16)
- Banter about strange ancient laws and oxen.

3. Random (and Hilarious) Knowledge

Presidential Trivia & Drunken Histories (19:15–22:46)
- Lesson about Abraham Lincoln being America’s only licensed bartender/tavern owner to become president.
  - Dax: “He was a stick up his ass kind of guy... Not fun Charlie. We had some very drunk presidents.” (20:20)
- Stories about Andrew Johnson’s drunken inauguration and historical boozing.
  - Mandy: “At Lincoln’s inauguration, Johnson got so drunk he was up there just like, naming people he had grudges with...” (22:22)
Media, Timber, and Marijuana Laws (30:18–32:29)
- Dax quizzes Ike on William Randolph Hearst's anti-cannabis crusade to protect his timber empire.
  - Ike: “Citizen Kane. Does that not feel like my Epic of Gilgamesh?” (30:51)
- Dark Hollywood tales: the mysterious party, Charlie Chaplin, and Thomas Ince’s death.
Geography & Travel Fails (34:20–39:11)
- Dax reveals his love for people-watching in European piazzas.
- Ike’s embarrassing memory of drawing a “map of Europe” in Amsterdam that looked like the US.
  - Ike: “I drew a map... a line in the middle and wrote... ‘France’ and on the other side, ‘England.’ Underneath, ‘Germany.’ The guy was disgusted.” (40:14)
AI Videos & Digital Life (16:06–17:33)
- Skewering the modern dilemma of calling out deepfake videos friends keep sending.
  - Dax: “Do I yuck their yum and tell them like… I don’t know what the protocol is in modern society to just… let them enjoy that?” (16:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Dax on car club names:
- “Horsepower Strong. And then our tagline would be—Feel the Power.” (11:06)
On pigs:
- Dax: “Pigs are aggressive as hell. They have huge tusks. They want to eat you. I remember having to go in the pen… every time you went in there to feed it, you had to fight it or it would try to eat you…” (15:26)
On celebrity car races:
- “If you had said Patrick Dempsey… Oh yeah, he’s very, very good. He’s better than I am.” (09:29)
On the logic of ancient man:
- “I need a stick in some dirt... It was like a circle with another small circle.” (25:47)
Hammurabi joke:
- Ike: “Hammurabi, Margot Robbie’s brother. Robbie Hammer.” (41:10)
Dax’s take on Heinz ketchup:
- “No one can fuck with Heinz ketchup. It’s a joke… People are like, ‘It’s artisanal’… It’s gonna suck.” (51:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[06:48–11:15]: Car trivia & celebrity car stories
[12:32–15:15]: Animal personalities and car/motorcycle club culture
[19:15–24:08]: Presidential and ancient history trivia; storytelling
[26:09–28:42]: Anthropology, gender roles, and ancient society debates
[34:20–40:26]: Geography, European travel, and American ignorance
[43:13–49:58]: Speed Round—trivia battle and lightning questions
[50:16–53:59]: Coca-Cola, Heinz ketchup, and business permanence

The Trivia Speed Round Highlights

Ike’s Questions to Dax (selected):

Motorcycle movies: “What classic 1953 movie is credited for creating the motorcycle rebel stereotype?”
- Dax: “The Wild One.” (44:37)
Hieroglyphics: “Famous artifact found in 1799 that decoded Egyptian hieroglyphs?”
- Dax: (Pass) Answer: Rosetta Stone
Largest hot desert: “Sahara.” (44:48)
Famous anthropologist: (Not answered)
Car auction record: (Missed; Mercedes, not Ferrari)
Largest country in Africa: (Missed; Algeria)

Dax’s Questions to Ike (selected):

Flintstones dino name: “Dino.”
Eddie Van Halen performing on Beat It: Correct.
Ferrari’s symbol: “Cavallino Rampante, prancing horse.”
VP residence: (Missed; Naval Observatory)
Biggest company by sales (2026): (Answered “Apple,” correct answer “Amazon”)

Final Notes, Running Gags, and Sign-Off

Kate Hudson as trivia ringer:
- Ike: “Of the six guests, you are in the top 50%… Kate Hudson… she says things that I’m like, ‘That’s not true.’ And then they’re true.” (51:57)
Parting gift (mini Ducati):
- Dax: “You single-handedly ruined my show with this beautiful gift.” (53:50)
Travel dreams:
- Both hatch plans to run away to Brazil and annoy their families.
Ongoing love for distilled facts:
- “Facts are... kinda awesome.”

This episode perfectly distilled why both Ike Barinholtz and Dax Shepard are beloved in comedy: irreverent, quick, knowledgeable, and always up for exposing how daunting and hilarious the pursuit of random knowledge really is. If you somehow didn’t know you wanted to hear about Mesopotamia and car exhaust in the same conversation, you do now.

Listen for:

Dax’s unfiltered car nerd wisdom
Banter about pigs, anthropology, and the sordid world of presidential alcoholism
Joyous, rapid-fire trivia exchanges with just the right dose of absurdity

(All quotes and segments attributed to speakers by context and transcript lines; timestamps in MM:SS are approximate starting points of discussions.)