175. Malik Elassal: One of The Adults

Summary

Podcast Summary: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out – Episode 175: Malik Alassal: One of The Adults

Release Date: June 30, 2025

In Episode 175 of Working It Out, comedian and actor Malik Alassal joins host Mike Birbiglia to delve into the creative process behind his stand-up material, discuss his experiences on the FX show Adults, and explore deeper personal and cultural topics. This engaging conversation offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at Malik's journey in comedy and acting, his perspectives on faith, and his approach to tackling sensitive subjects through humor.

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1. Introduction to Malik Alassal

Mike Birbiglia opens the episode by introducing Malik Alassal, highlighting his dual role as a comedian and actor, notably in the FX series Adults, produced by Nick Kroll. Mike praises Malik's versatility and mentions his YouTube comedy special, setting the stage for an insightful discussion.

Mike Birbiglia (00:49): "Then we have the bulletproof hijab. That is the voice of the great Malik Alassal."

2. Malik's Comedy Journey and Background

Malik shares anecdotes from his early days, including a humorous yet true story about accidentally revealing his stand-up set list to a fellow passenger at the airport. This incident sparked initial confusion but ultimately served as fodder for his comedic material.

Malik Alassal (00:05): "The real story is I was sitting next to this girl at the airport and we were just chatting and our flight was delayed... my set list just lit up and it said like, bulletproof hijab."

He also touches upon his unconventional path into comedy, having previously worked as a long-haul truck driver—a background not commonly found among his peers in the comedy scene.

3. Working on Adults and Cast Dynamics

The conversation shifts to Malik's experience filming Adults. He describes the camaraderie among the cast, emphasizing how the extended time spent together in Toronto fostered genuine friendships. Malik humorously explains how his open acknowledgment of past acting roles earned him a more spacious hotel room, underscoring his commitment and presence on set.

Malik Alassal (05:06): "It feels like that we became friends. We got really close... everybody would just come into my room every single night."

4. Personal Insights: Marriage, Faith, and Growth

Malik discusses his views on marriage, countering the stereotypical image of comedians as perpetual singles. As a practicing Muslim, he reflects on how his faith influences his outlook and comedic approach.

Malik Alassal (06:08): "Yeah, I'm Muslim, so it's a good thing to be married."

He further explores personal growth over the past decade, acknowledging a shift from seeking definitive answers in life to embracing uncertainty and the natural progression of events.

Malik Alassal (23:09): "I used to think I got to define everything... now I'm like, oh, I don't need to know the answers."

5. Comedy Process and Advice for Aspiring Comedians

Malik offers valuable advice to up-and-coming comedians, advocating for a focus on the craft rather than immediate career advancement. He emphasizes the importance of developing material organically and cultivating a supportive community within the comedy landscape.

Malik Alassal (07:32): "Don't try to be so career-oriented right away because comedy changed a lot when I started."

He credits podcasts, specifically Pete Holmes's show, as significant influences in his development as a comedian, highlighting the role of continuous learning and exposure to diverse comedic voices.

6. Tackling Sensitive Topics: Islamophobia and Personal Experiences

Delving into more serious territory, Malik recounts experiences with Islamophobia, including an incident where a journalist heckled him by calling him a terrorist during a stand-up set in a small town. This encounter underscores the challenges he faces in addressing his faith through comedy.

Malik Alassal (17:37): "The journalist was in the crowd, and she got, like, hammered, and she, like, called me a terrorist."

Malik discusses how these experiences shape his comedic approach, opting to present his faith authentically rather than deflect or overly critique it, thereby normalizing discussions around religion in his performances.

Malik Alassal (16:20): "I'm a practicing Muslim, so I don't feel the need to explain myself about it. I'm just gonna talk about it as if it's a normal thing for you guys."

7. Developing Comedy Bits: From Personal Stories to Observational Humor

The episode features Malik working out various comedy bits, showcasing his creative process in real-time. From the humorous mishap at the airport to exploring conspiracy theories influenced by his family, Malik demonstrates how personal experiences and observations fuel his material.

Malik Alassal (37:00): "My cousin told me that Tupac was still alive, but I didn't know who Tupac was yet, so he had to explain to me who Tupac was."

Their collaborative effort includes refining jokes about everyday interactions, such as dealing with demanding customers as a retail worker, and exploring the absurdities within his own belief systems.

Malik Alassal (30:10): "I have a bit in my hour right now about going to the mosque during Ramadan."

8. Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions

As the episode wraps up, Malik and Mike reflect on the dynamic nature of comedy and the ongoing process of refining one's craft. Malik expresses enthusiasm for his future projects and the continuous evolution of his comedic voice.

Malik Alassal (45:13): "Thanks, man. Love the show. Love your stand up. Can't wait to see what you do next."

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Key Takeaways:

• Authenticity in Comedy: Malik emphasizes the importance of being genuine in his comedic endeavors, especially when addressing personal and cultural topics.

• Community and Collaboration: Building a supportive network is crucial for creative growth, as evidenced by Malik's experiences with the Adults cast.

• Navigating Sensitive Topics: Addressing topics like faith and Islamophobia requires a delicate balance of humor and respect, which Malik navigates by presenting his perspective without defensiveness.

• Creative Process: The episode offers a window into the iterative process of developing comedy bits, showing how personal stories and societal observations intertwine in Malik's work.

This episode serves as both an inspiration and a guide for aspiring comedians, illustrating the blend of personal experience, cultural awareness, and creative collaboration that fuels successful comedy.

Transcript

[Mike Birbiglia]

You have a joke where you accidentally show an airport desk attendant your set list.

[Malik Alassel]

The real story is I was sitting next to this girl at the airport and we were just chatting and our flight was delayed. And then my phone was sitting there charging and I went up to go and get some information about the flight and I got a text and my set list just lit up and it said like, bulletproof hijab. Yeah, like all this. This crazy. And then she came back and she wasn't as like, nice to me for like a second. She was like being like, weird because she was just like, okay, what is this plan? What is this? What is this to do list?

[Mike Birbiglia]

By the way, great plan.

[Malik Alassel]

Great plan. Bulletproof hijab.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh my God. Are you kidding me? Sharks. That's the other bit. Yeah, sharks.

[Malik Alassel]

Sharks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

First we start with Sharks.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Then we have the bulletproof of jobs. That is the voice of the great Malik Alassel. Malik is a comedian and actor. He's one of the stars of the new FX show Adults, which I love. Produced by my good friend Nick Kroll. We talked about that show a few weeks ago on this podcast. He is a great actor. He's great on that show and he's a great stand up. He has a don't tell comedy special on YouTube that I highly recommend. And by the way, thanks for all the great feedback on my special the Good Life, which is on Netflix. Now if you haven't seen it this summer, I have five live shows coming up. I am performing, I think about a 20 minute set on a bunch of John Mulaney's shows along with Nick Kroll and Fred Armisen. We will be in New Haven, Connecticut, as well as Bethel, New York and Portland, Maine, as well as Halifax. That's all in August and then September 13th at the Stanley park in Vancouver. [e-mail] Check out the good Life on Netflix now if you haven't already, this is a great chat today with Malik. We don't know each other. We're just meeting. We have a good time. We do a bunch of bits. He has great stories. He talks about the time someone spotted his stand up comedy set list on a phone at an airport, which led to confusion. He used to work as a long haul truck driver. Not many comics have done that. We talk about Islamophobia, conspiracy minded cousins, as well as working with Nick Kroll. Enjoy my conversation with the great Malik Alassel. So you're in a show that I really like. It's called Adults.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And you're great.

[Malik Alassel]

Thank you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike, for being just like thrilled.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, this is amazing. It's good. It's. Yeah. Who doesn't want to be in a. In a show that's not a ring endorsement? Yeah, I guess people. Yeah, that's not. Yeah, I guess not everybody wants to be an actor. Yeah, there's a lot of people that don't want to be in a show. I do. I wanted to. I want to be in a show.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So that's. That's what your answer should have been. You should have been like, yes, I want to be on the show.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes, I want to be in a show. So it's perfect for me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What's funny is I noticed this because there's a clip of Nick Kroll, who produces the show, telling your cast one by one over zoom that you got cast and you are the least excited in the video.

[Malik Alassel]

I'm not. It's not that I'm not excited. It's that I knew that I had it already.

[Mike Birbiglia]

How come?

[Malik Alassel]

Somebody had leaked. Like my manager had called.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It got leaked.

[Malik Alassel]

My manager, it was Julian Assange, gave me a call. Assange from back then. He had that. He had the info back then that I was. That I had the part. So. So he gave me a call.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Assange does interfere with some casting work.

[Malik Alassel]

He's got his hands on a lot of pots.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He cracked into Juliet Taylor's files. Yeah, that was a big thing. Ellen Lewis.

[Malik Alassel]

Uh huh.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm naming casting directors. This is way too inside.

[Malik Alassel]

I didn't know. I just was smiling, submitting breakdowns. The point is, you knew I knew about it. And I was at Rami's house and. And it was Ramadan and we were waiting to go and break our fast. And then I got the call and they were like, you got to come upstairs and improvise. Yeah, with. With Kroll.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're like, what's this bullshit? I already know I have it.

[Malik Alassel]

Whatever. Yeah, let's just. Yeah, okay, fine. Let's do it right then I. Yeah. To fake it, I had to fake, like, being like shocked by it, which was probably not great for their confidence in me acting in the show because I was just like, oh, what? Really? I have it. Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Meanwhile, I'm watching the clip going like, he is not that excited about being on the show. Yeah, I think the show is great. I said this to Nick on this, on this podcast a few weeks ago. The first episode, I don't think represents. It's not a bad episode. I don't think it represents how good.

[Malik Alassel]

The show gets okay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And I think the reason the show gets so good is partly the writing. The writing's great. And then the chemistry in the cast. Like, I totally believe you're friends. Are you guys friends in real life? Is that what happened?

[Malik Alassel]

It feels like that we became friends. Yeah, we. We got really close. We. We got flown out to Toronto where we filmed it like, like three weeks early. And then we just kind of hung out for three weeks. I had this like, hotel room that was like, just bigger for some reason. They just gave me this, like, big room. So then everybody would just like come into my room every single night and we'd get like, room service and just.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know why it was bigger.

[Malik Alassel]

Why is that?

[Mike Birbiglia]

They knew who the fucking star is.

[Malik Alassel]

Well, that. Well, I had, I had fucking. I had. I had called and laid down the.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah. You were like, you know who the fucking star is.

[Malik Alassel]

I said, guys, do you understand that I've been on Joe Picket on Paramount plus for three episodes? I did a three episode turn on Joe Pickett.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't know that show.

[Malik Alassel]

Nobody knows that show. Do you know that I played Calvin on Joe Pickett and I got shot in the head after three episodes? No, but give me a bigger room.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You once said that a. A married comedian is more impressive than a comedian who sells out Madison Square Garden. Are you more likely to get married or sell out Madison Square Garden?

[Malik Alassel]

Oh, God, I hope get married.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

I hope get married.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Do you think is there. Is it seem promising?

[Malik Alassel]

I think so.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're dating someone?

[Malik Alassel]

I'm not dating anybody right now. I mean, there's not, you know, there's some steps in front of that, but that is what I would like to do.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You want to be married?

[Malik Alassel]

I would like to be married, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah. I've never heard that take from a comedian. I feel like comedians. Yeah, I feel like comedians want to be single somehow.

[Malik Alassel]

No. You know, I'm Muslim, so it's a good thing to be married.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Is that part of it?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, it's good to be married, you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Know, in the Quran.

[Malik Alassel]

I don't know if it's specifically like how I said it. Is it in the Quran?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm going to fact check you on this after every episode. After every episode. All the producers read the Quran on a zoom.

[Malik Alassel]

I got to see if any of what he said is in there.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. The thing about marriage, I don't.

[Malik Alassel]

I'm not seeing the Corona just says, yeah, I think it's good to be married. No. Yeah, I'd like to get married. How old Were you when you got married?

[Mike Birbiglia]

30.

[Malik Alassel]

30, yeah. Okay. I'm 29, so, yeah, you are one.

[Mike Birbiglia]

First of all, you're one of the only Canadians we've had on. We had Malcolm Gladwell, we had Michael J.

[Malik Alassel]

Fox.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're definitely one of the younger guests we've had. And so my. My question is, because we have a lot of creatives with us on the show, is like, what's your advice for people coming up in comedy in their 20s? What is, like, how, like, what is a path to success, like, at this moment? Because to me, from where I am, I feel like it's elusive. Like, I look at people starting right now, and I would go, like, man, I don't know what I would do. It seems like there's. There's so many comics I would be.

[Malik Alassel]

Like, don't, like, try to be so, like, career oriented right away because I feel like that's like something that, like, when I started, it was still, like. I feel like comedy changed a lot by the time that I started. Like, it was 2014 when I started. And honestly, like, right after that is when people started to, like, really, like, hone in on, like, posting a lot and then, like, cancel culture. And then there were all these, like, different things opening up. But, like, I started, like, right before that. So, like, me and my friends were kind of just like, doing standup and going on the road, and we never, like, posted. We didn't really think about getting ahead. We kind of just, like, fucked around for, like, five years.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's really interesting.

[Malik Alassel]

And I think that's, like, really, like, valuable to be able to just like, fully not think about your future and just do stand up. Yeah, Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think I always. I always recommend to people who are starting out, like, just building a community of, like, people who want to do the same thing. Because so much of it's just like, first of all, if it's not fun, then what's the point?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, it gets to a point where you're, like, just doing it and then you're on the road and you're kind of just by yourself, right. For the most part. I mean, like, it's nice, like, you see your friends out doing spots and stuff like that. But, like, it's really like, that beginning part where you're, like, with your friends and, like, you're at the show that, like, you start at and it's like that kind. You kind of don't get that back. And then, like, later on, like, you kind of have to start thinking about that and, like, being like, okay, all right. I gotta, like, figure out what my life is. But, like, that time is kinda crucial and so, like, if you can, like, hold onto that and not. I saw a guy do his first set ever and he clipped it up and he posted every single second of it. Yeah, yeah. His first set ever. So it's like, that's kind of like where people are at now. So it's like, as long as you can hold off on that and just develop.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I saw you in an interview say that everything you learned when you're starting out was from Pete Holmes's podcast.

[Malik Alassel]

Quite a bit of it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I want you to look in the camera and tell Pete Holmes that you were being sarcastic when you said that.

[Malik Alassel]

You want me to.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You have to tell him that you were joking.

[Malik Alassel]

Pete. Come on, man. Pete.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, of course he's not serious.

[Malik Alassel]

Pete, be for real.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Be real. Why would they learn any. Why would anyone learn anything from your podcast? Yeah, it's kind of like we've all. We've all heard it and it's okay. It's so, so.

[Malik Alassel]

It's a bunch of crap, Pete. It's a bunch of hog. It's supposed to horse shit.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You listen to a lot of Pete Holmes.

[Malik Alassel]

I listen to so much. Pete Home. I listen to you on Pete Holmes. I listen to. It was just how I learned about every comedian.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

And it was like, I used to just like, work this. This job when I was out of high school. I would, like, drive these trucks and then I would just.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What kind of trucks?

[Malik Alassel]

Like, five ton moving trucks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like big box trucks.

[Malik Alassel]

Big box trucks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Malik Alassel]

I would drive them, like, between provinces in Canada and so I'd have these, like, long hours on. I just like, listen to so many podcasts. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This is like in your early 20s kind of thing.

[Malik Alassel]

This was like 19 when I was 19 and 20. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You ever see what. What's the wildest thing you saw driving a box truck?

[Malik Alassel]

Honestly, it was just like. You just drive for like eight hours straight and you just kind of like go into like a hallucinatory kind of like you're just like the. The highway just becomes like one. Just nothing. And you're like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's what we all want to hear as drivers.

[Malik Alassel]

I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, yeah, no, that the guy in the scary box truck is like. It's all a hallucination. Yeah. Dude. I don't know what's going on out there, Pete.

[Malik Alassel]

Homes in my ears, just being like. It's all nothing, man. We're on. Pete going. We're on A. We're on a. You know, a rock floating through space, and we're these meat puppets. I'm like, we are just meat puppets.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's a great. I mean, one of the things I love about the show is the looseness of the show. And do you feel like you got that from, you know, improv or an acting teacher or like. I went to study theater.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Theater and stand up definitely helped. But I did this class, like, it's what I moved to New York to do. I was doing this, like, Meisner class at the William Esper Academy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Cool.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And that. That, that, like, really helped me just kind of relax and. Yeah. Just not worry so much when I was acting.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Meisner is that, if I'm not mistaken, is the one where you basically. You say a phrase to your partner and then until they believe you, you kind of have to say it over and over again. Yeah, I'm boiling it down a little bit.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, you kind of. The way I describe it is like, you're kind of like, you. You pick a word or a phrase and it. Until you start communicating, like, past whatever the words are.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Almost like, like the word is almost like the sandbag that you're putting on, like the Indiana Jones, like, to trade for the gold statue.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Malik Alassel]

And then the gold statue is like, the communication of, like, your behavior.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

But you just put this, like, sandbag of just a word down.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And then you, like, repeat it over and over again.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Or am I misremembering that some.

[Malik Alassel]

There's a version of it where you just repeat over and over again. Should we try it?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, let's go. Mike Birbigli is working it out. That's what the mug says.

[Malik Alassel]

Okay. That's what. So then that's what we'll say, is that. Yeah, yeah. So we'll say it, but it's like, you know, but respond to my behavior and how we're saying it. You know, about this. This is crazy. Okay. Mike Birbigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Birbigli is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Birbigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Birbigli is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Birbigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then when does this end?

[Malik Alassel]

Well, you gotta keep going until we find some.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Until we find something special.

[Malik Alassel]

We're gonn find something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. See, like right there. See right there where you were like, a little bit like. What is this?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What the is this?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, that. Put. Put that into the. Mike Brigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Perigli is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Per is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Per is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Per is working out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Per is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think we did it.

[Malik Alassel]

I think we. Yeah, we did something. We definitely did something.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We got there.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we worked.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's why the show's so good.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, we do that for about. Yeah, Kroll makes us do that with each other in my hotel room for about. Yeah, three weeks we did that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What's your favorite thing and least favorite thing about working on the show?

[Malik Alassel]

Huh? Favorite thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I saw all the blood rush out of your face.

[Malik Alassel]

Huh?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Brigley is working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Brigley's working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Mike Brigley's working it out.

[Malik Alassel]

Mike Brigley is working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You have a joke where you accidentally show an airport desk attendant your set list.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This is a great story. It says basically you try to put your ticket on your phone so that you could just kind of zap through at the airport. But then it had your set list and your set of your stand up comedy set list. And the set list said, bulletproof hijabs. Yeah, that's a true story.

[Malik Alassel]

There's.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You do it as a bit. But is it real story?

[Malik Alassel]

The real story is I was sitting next to this girl at the airport and we were just chatting and our flight was delayed. And then my phone was sitting there charging, and I went up to go and get some information about the flight, and I got a text and my set list just lit up and it said, like, bulletproof hijab. Yeah, like all this. This crazy shit. And then she came back and she wasn't as, like, nice to me for, like, a second. She was, like, being, like, weird, and I was like, okay, all right. We were, like, having, like, a nice chat. And then she was like, are you like a comedian or something? And I was like, yeah. And she's like, okay, okay, that, that. Yes, that makes sense. That makes sense.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, my gosh.

[Malik Alassel]

Because you just say, okay, what is this plan?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is this?

[Malik Alassel]

What is this to do list, by the way?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Great plan.

[Malik Alassel]

Great plan. Bulletproof hijab.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me? Sharks. That's the other bit. Yeah, yeah, sharks.

[Malik Alassel]

Sharks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

First we start with sharks.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Then we have the bulletproof of jobs. You do jokes. I've talked about this with brahmin. Before, too. You do jokes about your faith.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But traditionally, comedians have just made fun of religion. Truthfully, like. Yeah. And I think it's a recent trend, and I enjoy it where comedians are like, yeah, no, I have faith. I'm serious about it. Do you ever. Do you go both ways on it? Like, do you mix it up? Do you ever go hard on your religion?

[Malik Alassel]

Like. Like, holding it to the fire of, like. This makes sense. This doesn't make sense.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

I think maybe earlier in doing stand up, I kind of was doing that a little bit in literally just me, like, growing up and trying to figure it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Since I was 18, so I've been, like, trying to figure out being right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What's your take on?

[Malik Alassel]

It just takes on anything, like, through the lens of stand up. So, like. Yeah, I'm not really, like, kind of going through the rights and the wrongs of, like, how I feel about the specifics. I'm kind of just like, this is just a thing I feel, and this is my lens. And then that's kind of like how I'm viewing the world.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right. Your POV is you actually are faithful.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, I'm, like, practicing Muslim, so, like, that's like, I don't. And I don't feel the need to, like, explain myself about it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

I feel like there's a lot of comedy, like, earlier on, like, in me doing it. And I think a lot. Anybody who's, like, a religious comedian, like, has to, like, be like, and here's what we're doing, and here's why it's not weird. And it's like, I'm. I'm sure it's weird, and I'm sure it's, like, seems strange to you guys, but this is how I feel. So, like, I'm just gonna talk about it as if it's, like, a normal thing for you guys, because it's a normal thing for me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

You know what I mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, that makes sense.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I'm just like. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Is there ever heckling on it on religion?

[Malik Alassel]

Not a lot. Not a lot. Early when I was starting out, I used to do standup in these, like, small towns a lot. And I got interviewed by, like, this journalist in this town called Fort McMurray, which is, like an oil town. And then during the show, the journalist was in the crowd, and she got, like, hammered, and she, like, called me a terrorist.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, my God.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Are you serious?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. The journalist, she heckled you and said you're a terrorist? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I was like, are you the lady that works for the newspaper?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, my God.

[Malik Alassel]

And she's like, yeah. No, she's like, I'm helping.

[Mike Birbiglia]

She must have seen bulletproof her job.

[Malik Alassel]

This is before the days of bulletproof a job.

[Mike Birbiglia]

She must have seen sharks. She cracked your sharks plan.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. So this was like early.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's crazy.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. So there's a little bit of that. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Have you ever done that as a bit?

[Malik Alassel]

No.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I feel like that could be a bit.

[Malik Alassel]

The journalist calling me a terrorist.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. It's a pretty interesting story. I mean.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Obviously need punchlines for it, but it's like, that's a good setup.

[Malik Alassel]

It is a good setup for like the level of journalism in certain small towns in America. In Canada and America. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What did you say back? What a strange.

[Malik Alassel]

I think I happened. I think I did ask. I'm like, aren't you the journalist?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Aren't you the journalist?

[Malik Alassel]

Aren't you the journalist? Yeah. I mean, I didn't really. Islamophobia is always. I've never been in like a real like dangerous situation with Islamophobia. So it's always. Every time it happens to me, I'm like, this is ridiculous.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

That's how I feel about. I think a lot of my jokes about it are like absurd because I'm like, this is an absurd concept. Islamophobia feels so absurd to me. So I'm like, whatever. My solution on it is going to be absurd or as absurd as the thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wait, what is the bulletproof hijab bit?

[Malik Alassel]

The bulletproof hijab bit is. So my mom was followed in her car one time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

And this guy like started like screaming at her and like flipping her off and like was like yelling at her for like being a Muslim woman. She like told me about it and. And I was so worried that I was like trying to like figure out how to like protect her.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, I can see where this is going.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And I was like trying to. You figure out how I could have like a hate crime proof.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

Hijab. And my first thought was, I just have like a Confederate flag hijab. Cuz that's like, you know, that's best of both world. He's. What's he going to say?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Support for working it out comes from Quince. I am a big fan of clothes that feel good and also that last. What lasts anymore. That's why I keep going back to Quint's. Their lightweight layers and high quality staples have become my everyday Essentials. Actually, I got a cashmere sweater from Quint's. I wore it, actually wore it on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show last week. You can check that out on YouTube. And it was comfy and it looked great. And it's much less expensive than your, than your other retail sweater places. All Quint's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices. And premium fabrics and finishes. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from quince. Go to quince.com burbigs for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com burbigs to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com burbigs support for working it out comes from Helix. I love my Helix mattress. If I could bring it on tour with me, oh man, I would love that. I don't think I could get it on a plane, but if I could, I would bring it out there because man, I stay in a lot of hotels where I'm like, man, I wish I had my Helix mattress with me. And I'm talking major hotels, two and three star hotels. Even in really good hotels you see some mattresses where you go, what, what has this been around 25 year old mattress? It's crazy. I love my Helix mattress so much and I have never slept better than on my Helix mattress. And that's saying something because if you listen to this podcast and you know my comedy, you know I have sleep issues. So it's a high bar and my Helix mattress never lets me down. Always comfy, always cozy. Your sleep will never be better. Go to helixsleep.com burbigs for 20% off site wide. That's helixsleep.com burbigS for 20% off site wide. Make sure you enter our show name working it out after checkout so they know that we sent you helixsleep.com burbigs this is called the Slow Run. What are people's favorite and least favorite thing about you?

[Malik Alassel]

Oh, I think I'm pretty emotional and like sentimental and I think that's like, you know, I think that's like a nice, a nice thing that people like kind of might like about me. I like try to make moments out of things. But also I think that might be a little annoying sometimes of being like, hey guys, like here, we were here in this spot 10 years ago.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sure.

[Malik Alassel]

Can't, like, look how far we've come. And it's like sometimes you just gotta like, just actually be in the moment. That's like not actually being in the moment.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

It's like trying to like, narrate the moment.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Just narrate the moment.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's what. In my last special, the Good Life, I talk about how I'm the narrator of our marriage who nobody asked for.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I have the same. It drives my wife nuts.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Like, you think like, it's. It's always for you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, I know.

[Malik Alassel]

It's always like, oh, man.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I've sadly come to that realization.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is. What's. What's something you believe 10 years ago that you don't believe now?

[Malik Alassel]

Oh, man. Something I believed 10 years ago that, that I don't believe now that I. That I believe 10 years ago, and I don't believe now or the other way around. I think that you have to figure everything out, that everything needs an answer.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. You used to think that.

[Malik Alassel]

I used to think I'm like, I got to define everything.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We got to crack it.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I got to. Yeah. I got to get to the bottom of this.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Malik Alassel]

I don't got to get to the bottom of anything.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Interesting.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Has it come up recently?

[Malik Alassel]

I think it just kind of like as time goes on, I'm like, there's like kind of like everybody's just kind of doing things into the wind. Like there's no. There's like. Like nothing ever feels like it has like a. A complete defined end. Like you're just kind of doing one thing and then another thing starts and then it's all just happening at the same time. There's no, like, ends to things.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I don't know. That might be too like, woo, woo of an answer, but I think I just like, wanted a lot of answers back then about like, what my life was going to be.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

And like about faith and about like. Yeah, just like life. And then now I'm like, oh, I don't. I don't need to know the answers. Like, it's like, nice to not know. And that can be like its own thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. It's special. Have you ever been punched in the face?

[Malik Alassel]

I remember I told my best friend John Tasker one time at New Year's that I wanted him to punch me in the face as hard as he could.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Whoa.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And did he?

[Malik Alassel]

He did, John. I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Come on. I know he didn't mean it literally.

[Malik Alassel]

I did. Punch me in the face. Yeah. He, he shocked me like, like right here across the cheek.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Across the job. Wow.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Did it hurt you to break your jaw?

[Malik Alassel]

You just hear my jaw just crack right there?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I think I might be from, from that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Holy cow.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Why, why did you ask him to punch in the face?

[Malik Alassel]

I don't know. It was like a bravado thing, ego thing or something like that. I just wanted to know, hold on.

[Mike Birbiglia]

When he punched you in the face, did everybody stop what they were doing? Go. This is crazy.

[Malik Alassel]

Well, it had become like a moment where, like, he's going to punch me in the face. So, like, everybody gather round. So there was kind of, what a great party once. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

How come I don't get invited to parties like that?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Can you think of a time you were so scared you ran away?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. When I was in grade 12, there was a, I had a physics teacher who I, I was taking physics strictly because all my friends were taking physics. I did not know anything about physics, and my friends were a lot smarter than me, so they were in this physics class, and I took it just to hang out with them. So. But then I would ditch a lot just because I didn't really want to. But the seizure was so nice. He kept giving me chances to, like, make up grades, and, like, he didn't want me to fail, so he kept, like, trying to, like, help me out. And so he kept telling me, like, hey, you can come, like, after class and do this test that you missed. And I kept being like, I'll be there. And then end of class would show up. I would just not show up. And then that kept happening, kept happening. And then one day we go to prayer. Prayer is like a class basically. Like, you go to, like, there's a mosque in the school. And he's showing up and, like, he's on my tail. So I start praying so that he can't really talk to me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right. It's like a force field.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Yeah. I got into it. So I started praying and I'm, like, looking at him, and then he sees me do that. So he starts praying. He goes, okay, yeah, he does that. And then while, while he starts praying, I start praying really fast to, to get through it. And then, and then I, I, I finish praying and then I get up and go. And then he kind of, like, is like, he's locked into the prayer, but he still wants to tell me. He's like, don't. Like, he, like, it, like, comes out of him, like. And then I just, like, run away. And then later, that day I was, like, leaving to go home, and I see him down the hall literally holding the test in his hand. And he's running down the hall towards me and he's going m the test, and I'm just literally, like, running away from him. So I, like, literally, like, ran from my problems.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I love that.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And he didn't fail me. He. He didn't. He didn't fail me. He. He. He gave me a passing grade and he called me during the summer. He got my phone number and he was like, that wasn't cool. He could have just been like, not. I'm not coming. Yeah, you made me chase you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

When you pray, you ever think of jokes?

[Malik Alassel]

Yes. That's what I would do sometimes when I go to Friday prayer here. Like, there's one in Brooklyn that I go to and it's insane in there and they're. It's so dusty and the guy's yelling so loud on the mic and it's just like things always come up. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I have something in my notebook I think about.

[Malik Alassel]

I lock it in and I'll put it in my phone.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

And then afterwards I'll walk around there. I have a bit in my hour right now about going to the mosque.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

During Ramadan.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Prayer is great for jokes.

[Malik Alassel]

Prayer is great for jokes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

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[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's all I wrote down. Do you ever wait tables?

[Malik Alassel]

No, I never did. Working at Walmart was kind of a version of that. I feel like, where you're just, like, at the mercy of. That's the thing about that, where it's just like, you do any one of those jobs and you're just at the mercy of the public.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

They can just abuse you or treat you nice.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, the Bloody Mary thing is quintessential. I feel like every day was another.

[Malik Alassel]

Example of that where just somebody, like, bringing you this, like, giant, huge amount.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Of baggage from their relationship and.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah. And you can't. You're actually not allowed to give real advice. You can't be, like, there and be like, Well, I actually feel like it's not about the Bloody Mary, is it?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, exactly.

[Malik Alassel]

I feel like there's something else going on here.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Sometimes you're just like, I can't. I. I'm working.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm getting you your Bloody Mary and your eggs. Like, just fucking. Let's just do this regular.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Don't use it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's maybe the joke. Let's just do this regular. Can you do regular? Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

And how about. Yeah, and how's everything tasting? And how's everything. Can we. Can we go back to how's everything tasting? Don't use me as an extension of your fist to have a. Get in a fight with your spouse. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just have to be like an avatar for just neutral feelings for nothingness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That. That's maybe a bit an avatar for nothingness.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah. The best thing you can be as a waiter is an avatar for nothingness.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Do you have bits you're working on right now that are unfinished or in process?

[Malik Alassel]

Let me. Let me pull up some bits. I do have some bits. Yeah. Okay. So it's about believing in God. Like, about how, like, my belief in God has, like, changed over the years. And, like, so when I was, like, younger, I had this feeling of, like. Like I believed in God, but God was like this. Just this man in the sky that was mad at me for jacking off.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Totally.

[Malik Alassel]

That was the only version of God I had in my head. Man in the sky, mad at me for jacking off. That's it. And then when I Got out of high school, and I started, like, meeting all these different, like, kids who had, like, more granola upbringings. They'd be like, yeah, I don't really think it's like a man in the sky. I think it's more of, like, you know, it's like the trees and all this stuff. You know, it's like the trees being connected. So. And then I was like, well, the. So are the trees mad at me for jacking off? Like, who's mad?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Who's mad? Somebody's got to be mad.

[Malik Alassel]

They'd be like, I think it's all just love. And I'm like, so the love is mad.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's a great bit. Oh, that's fantastic.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Have you done it?

[Malik Alassel]

I did it, like, I think, like, once or twice, but I think it's.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, so the love is mad.

[Malik Alassel]

So the love is mad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So the. Oh, okay. So the. The everlasting love that connects us all is mad at me when I.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right. And it should be.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, well, I'm doing it a lot. Yeah, it's. Well, I'm doing it. It's everlasting, the amount that I'm doing it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Love is mad.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. What are, like, the different definitions? Yeah, exactly. That can be mad at me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Eternal love, unconditional love is mad at me. That's funny. Like, I think you just have to go to increasingly positive. Like, you couldn't possibly have that thing be mad. You have to figure out the escalation.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, the pure light is mad at me.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Yeah. The pure connectedness has turned its back on me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Yeah. One million babies pacified is mad at me. No, no. I'm trying to think of, like, what.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is. What is more pure than pure?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I'm trying to think, like, what. What is the. The. The next. Because there's that bit I'm like, is it just that? And then I do that for, like, infinity tags. Or is there another way to realize.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Or, like, you could. You could. In your. In the argument of your. In your head with the granola people, you could be like, no, a man is mad at me.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It makes a lot more sense that a man would be mad at me.

[Malik Alassel]

Actually, one guy being mad at me makes a lot more sense than all the trees.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yes.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. That's a lot of trees.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's interesting how I. I similarly, I've had bits in the. From based on my childhood of, like, you know, when you're A kid. It's just like, you're going to hell.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, when I was a kid, like, yeah, Catholicism, Massachusetts. It's like, you're going to hell and this and that. It's just like, oh, my God. It's so ominous.

[Malik Alassel]

And then, like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then at a certain point, you know, you meet people, like your people you're describing, and they're like, no, it's. There's. There's no one. It's nothing. It's the trees. And you're like, wait, what? I thought. But I thought there was a. Yeah, but then I was telling me hell.

[Malik Alassel]

But then the thing is, even if. Even if. Then you start to believe, okay, there's nothing. That feeling is still there. And then that just becomes like your. Your resting state.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

Of, like, I'm going to hell. It's like, how am I going to hell? And I don't even believe in God. This sucks.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right? There also might be a joke of like. Of like, being like, wait, is God the trees or is God.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know what I mean?

[Malik Alassel]

So he's hiding in the trees?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Yeah. Where is he in relation to the trees?

[Malik Alassel]

Okay. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, in the trees. He climbing the trees?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Because I literally didn't get that idea when people would talk about that. I'm like, no, he's a guy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, he's a guy. You understand?

[Malik Alassel]

He's. He's a guy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Apparently, we're not reading the same books.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I don't think you guys are reading the Quran like, I'm reading.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Apparently, we're not in the same book club.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And also. Yeah, also. That's another thing about it that I try to, like, get at in my standup is that that feeling of God isn't a guy. He's not just some guy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

That's upset. But it's a hard thing to nail down, even talking about this. I think the couple times that I've done this bit, it's kind of. You're talking about God. It's like this weird thing. You kind of have to nail it down a little bit, but then you also don't want to nail down the whole thing because that's the whole idea of God. You want there to be some kind of unknownness.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But I almost feel like you should do that as crowd work. Work.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Like, do you believe in God?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Because how uncomfortable is that?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is a good look at a comedy show. If the guy's like, you believe in God?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You have to say a real answer.

[Malik Alassel]

That's a Good. Yeah. And I'm. And I'm like, don't try to be funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I would love to see that.

[Malik Alassel]

That's a good question. But like, yeah, doing that, like, following up, like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, that's one of my favorite types of crowd work is when someone asks a question, like, no one's asking. Yeah, casually.

[Malik Alassel]

Hey, you guys, you believe in God?

[Mike Birbiglia]

But I think what. I think what you'd want to do is if. To construct it is just know that you have the bit about trees or the. The thing that you were saying at the end. At the end, yes. Because then you go in and they're like, oh, this just gets. This guy's winging it with. Is there God crowd work? And then it's like, no, no, you actually have a full swing.

[Malik Alassel]

It's a good question. I have another. I like to ask people what conspiracy theories they like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's nice.

[Malik Alassel]

That's a good question. And also, like, it shows you who's in the crowd.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Does it lead it into a bit, though?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, I have like a. Well, there's this bit that I have where sometimes I do it. I like have like different bits about conspiracy theories. But I have this thing where it's like I. I asked that question, like, in all these different places and in like in America and like, people are like chomping at the bits to like, give me their conspiracy theories. Like in like certain, like southern states. They're like, they're, you know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

They're putting estrogen in the water.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Malik Alassel]

And then I come and do like, shows in Brooklyn and they're like, they're not putting enough estrogen.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Competing conspiracy theories. Yeah, that's funny.

[Malik Alassel]

See, I have a thing about conspiracies because my. All my cousins are like this.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They have conspiracies.

[Malik Alassel]

They're very, very conspiracy theory minded. And they have been since I was a kid and they've been kind of giving them to me and they just. Since I was a little kid, they used to like, take me and show me all these, like, weird websites and like, tell me their conspiracy. Yeah, so I have this bit that I'm working on where my cousin told me that Tupac was still alive.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's a good one.

[Malik Alassel]

But I didn't know who Tupac was yet, so he had to explain to me who Tupac was and show me his music and be like, what do you think of this? And I'm 10, so I'm like, this is amazing. And he goes, what if I told you this guy's dead and I'M like, oh, no. And he goes, hold on. Don't fret. He's still alive. And I'm like, oh, no.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Malik Alassel]

And then that's, like, what opens it all up. So that's, like, something I'm working on. But what is the.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Where does the bit go? The Tupac bit?

[Malik Alassel]

The Tupac bit goes to, like, it was me being a child and just really thinking that I knew where he was.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

And just trying to figure it out. And that being, like, the framework of the first. It was the first thing that I learned about the world where it was like, oh, the world might not be what it seems.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

You know, it was the first, like. It was just the first conspiracy theory that I had known about is like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You'Re coming of age.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're coming of age into nonsense.

[Malik Alassel]

Yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess my question is, like, in terms of that being a bit. The Tupac thing is, like, how do you feel about it?

[Malik Alassel]

I don't know. Yeah, I guess I don't know, but I like it. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I mean, it's an interesting story.

[Malik Alassel]

That is a good question.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's an interesting idea. This idea of being like, listen to this. And you're like, oh, that's great. He's dead. Oh, no. Yeah, yeah, he's alive.

[Malik Alassel]

All of that happening in five seconds.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, exactly.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. Me being like, thank God. And they're like, no, but it's the reason I go, no. Just, like, back and forth between that. Yeah, that can be the. The. The, like, the game of the joke is like, yes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, you could also add, he's in jail. Oh, and he's dead. Oh, but he's alive.

[Malik Alassel]

And they go, no, but it's connected to all these other things. Oh, no.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Funny.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I do got to figure out how I feel about it. It's part of, like, a longer thread of things in my hour. But I do need to nail down kind of how I feel about it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, it's possibly like, that you can think about, like, how do you feel about. Honestly, about disinformation and about, like, the. The. The universe we live in right now, which is, like, swirling disinformation, and I. Because I find it vortex orienting.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I think it's been. Since I was a kid, it's been like that. That's kind of when it started.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right? Like, 2010 or so.

[Malik Alassel]

No, I mean, like, since, like. I mean, like, there's, like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right. 2005. Yeah, yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Since. Yeah, since 9, 11. The world has been in a complete cultural spiral.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

And there's. Yeah. Nobody knows what's going on. And there's like, there's war and nobody knows, like, there's no end in sight of, like, of it being kind of like a normal world again. And that's kind of been like my whole life.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

So that's kind of like the feeling that I'm like, have been brought up in.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, that's pretty deep. I mean, to go there seems really interesting.

[Malik Alassel]

That's kind of like, that's. I think that I would like the. The Tupac thing to be like a jumping off point.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Malik Alassel]

Into that. Into those feelings.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, I love that. I mean, that makes me just go, oh, maybe that's the show. You know what I mean? Like, in other words, like. Like expounding out on that because it's like, it's interesting to start maybe with a Tupac thing exp. To like your whole life experience and then come back to the two pack thing. And then lights go down. Lights come up and it changes.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. I need to have a lot of light cues.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're going to have to license the song.

[Malik Alassel]

That's awesome. To have my debut special. Have a Tupac song license. Yeah, yeah, we can do that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then you'd have to license it through Suge Knight. That's the hard part.

[Malik Alassel]

That's the end. Then you got to talk to Shug, and he's. He's a nightmare to deal with.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He's hard. He's hard. I was in the back of an Uber and the driver was scrolling on his phone, and so the car was swerving, which is the automobile version of scrolling.

[Malik Alassel]

And yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sometimes when a person who's a stranger is doing something so egregious you don't even want to bring up because it's too embarrassing for everyone, you know, Feeling.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, you're like, isn't it crazy that you're about to kill both of us?

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And you. And you're in a position where you can really see what he's looking at.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

You're seeing what he's choosing over your safety. Yeah, he's doom scrolling the car.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's a great joke. He's doom scrolling the car. Oh, that's great.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. And he just wrote the joke. We got. We got a tag.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right.

[Malik Alassel]

It feels like it's the same feeling as the. The waiter thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Interesting.

[Malik Alassel]

Where it's the same thing of like, I. Why are you putting me in this position where I have to be the one to tell you? You're Being an asshole.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Of course.

[Malik Alassel]

You should just know that you're being insane.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, I think that's right. I think it's like. And that is. I think my POV in a lot of my old, like, notebook jottings is like, these situations where you're just like, why. How are we doing this? Like, this is terrible.

[Malik Alassel]

Why are you making me have to be this the sane one? I don't want to be the voice of reason.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Malik Alassel]

I'm an idiot, right?

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, I love that.

[Malik Alassel]

Okay. This is something I've been doing on stage lately, kind of about the show being out because, like, it's like a thing right now where it's like, okay, this guy from adults.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right?

[Malik Alassel]

And then I come on stage, and then some people have seen it. So, you know, the people are, you know, cheering. So I. The bit is like, yeah, I'm on, you know, I'm on this, this. This show, you know, now. So I had to kind of go into my, you know, I had to go through my old tweets and just make sure that I didn't say anything crazy, you know. And then I. I went. I went through all of them. And. And in 2011, I. I was tweeting a lot about how much I love the Big Bang Theory.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's really funny.

[Malik Alassel]

And so I tweeted the Big Bang Theory equals awesome, great. And I was like, I wish I said a slur.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's so funny.

[Malik Alassel]

I wish I had just said, at least I would have had some edge.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

I was just being like, bazinga. I was like, I was that lame.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're going to. Yeah. You're going to be canceled for Being Earnest.

[Malik Alassel]

I have to do like a notes. Apology about.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I started it. Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Having, like, not cool taste as a young man.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I had a. Yeah. It's like I started a Facebook group for Canadians for Two and a Half Men. Had. I had to delete it. The last thing we do is call working it out for a cause. Is there an organization you like to contribute to? And I will contribute to them, link to them in the show notes and encourage listeners to contribute as well.

[Malik Alassel]

Oh, man. I. I give to the Red Cross because they. They cornered me on the street over there one time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's how you do it.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah. They gave me, you know, you gotta do that. Yeah. Well, because. Okay. Can I tell you what happened?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Malik Alassel]

Is I was having a day where I had like, like, maybe like a eight dollar, like, matcha latte in my hand and I was going to hot yoga and then I had like 20 minutes to spare it. And then this nice lady was like, hey, do you want to give to the Red Cross? And I was like, yeah, I have to, right? I'm.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're going to hot yoga.

[Malik Alassel]

I have.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're drinking a lot. Of course.

[Malik Alassel]

I'm the most blessed person of all time. I have to give to the Red Cross, right? Yeah. Can you imagine if I'm like, I really don't. I can't. I don't have it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, I know.

[Malik Alassel]

Yoga mat and matcha latte.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I love that.

[Malik Alassel]

I had to give to the Red Cross.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, we're going to contribute to the Red Cross. We're going to link to the Red Cross in the show notes. And I want to thank you for coming out.

[Malik Alassel]

Thanks, man.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This is like so fun.

[Malik Alassel]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So fun talking to you. Love the show. Love your stand up.

[Malik Alassel]

Thanks, man.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Can't wait to see what you do next.

[Malik Alassel]

Working it out because it's not done.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We're working it out because there's no. That's gonna do it. For another episode of Working it out, you can follow Malika Lassell on Instagram at Malika Lassell. Check out Adults on FX and on Hulu. The full video of this podcast is on our YouTube channel, Ike Birbiglia. Subscribe. We are posting more and more videos. Don't miss it. Check out birbigs.com to sign up for the mailing list. To be the first to know about my upcoming shows actually contributed to a thing in the New York Times recently. They did the top 100 movies of the last 25 years according to like filmmakers, actors, comedians and folks. And. And there's like my top 10 list. So if you want to find out what my favorite top 10 movies are in the last 25 years, go in the New York Times. It's a really cool piece graphically, like really interesting. And I was very honored to be a part of that. Our producers of Working it out are myself, along with Peter Salomon, Joseph Birbigli and Mabel Lewis. Associate producer Gary Simon. Sound mix by Kate Balinsky. Special thanks to Jack Antonoff and Bleachers for their music. Special thanks as always to my wife, the poet J. Hope Stein and our daughter Oona, who built the original radio fort made of pillows. Thanks most of all to you who are listening. If you enjoy the show, go over to Apple Podcasts and rate us and review us. It helps out. We've been doing the podcast for five darn years this month. I can't believe it. We couldn't do it without you. We've got 170 episodes, all free. No paywall. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell your cousin who's obsessed with conspiracy theories. Be like, hey, cuz, while you're waiting for Tupac to come back, why don't you try this podcast? It's hosted by a comedian named Mike Birbiglian. He talks to other comics and creatives about the creative process. In fact, there's a conspiracy that the podcast is pretty good. Thanks, everybody. We're working it out. We'll see you next time.