178. Alex Edelman Returns: Boston Sports and Hospital Clowns

Summary

Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out: Episode 178 with Alex Edelman Release Date: July 21, 2025

In the 178th episode of Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out, host Mike Birbiglia welcomes comedian and writer Alex Edelman for his fifth appearance on the show. Together, they delve into a rich conversation covering Alex's multifaceted career, personal experiences, artistic aspirations, and reflections on life. This episode offers an intimate look into the creative minds of two accomplished comedians as they navigate the complexities of their professions and personal lives.

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Revisiting "Just for Us" and Alex's Creative Journey

[00:00 – 02:20]

The episode kicks off with Mike and Alex discussing Alex's Emmy Award-winning solo show, "Just for Us," which has now been featured on HBO Max. Alex shares surprising feedback, including unexpected messages from airline passengers reacting to his turbulence-related jokes.

Alex Edelman (00:17): "It's on airplanes now."

Mike highlights Alex's versatility, mentioning his involvement in the upcoming The Office reboot, titled The Paper, and his latest touring show, "What Are You Gonna Do?"

Alex Edelman (02:27): "Stand up is like standup gets discreet moments in my life where it's like the break from everything else."

---

Balancing Multiple Projects and Prioritizing Stand-Up

[02:20 – 05:21]

Alex opens up about managing various creative endeavors, from writing movies to performing stand-up comedy. He emphasizes the importance of dedicating specific times to each project to maintain balance.

Alex Edelman (02:41): "I'll always be a stand-up comic and I like to get to comedy clubs or theaters a couple of hours early because the deadline of a show that you have to do means that I'm definitely putting in time on it."

---

Personal Loss: Remembering Adam Brace

[05:21 – 09:49]

The conversation takes a poignant turn as Alex discusses the passing of his close friend and collaborator, Adam Brace. He reflects on how Adam's death has impacted his creative process and personal life, illustrating the deep intertwining of friendship and artistry.

Alex Edelman (07:15): "Some days it's like the only thing I want to talk about, which is weird also, some days I think I'm like past it and then something will happen and I'll just like not be able to get anything done."

---

Artistic Aspirations and Growth

[09:49 – 14:29]

Alex articulates his desire to push the boundaries of his comedy, aiming for more ambitious and aesthetically rich projects. He aspires to explore different mediums, such as musicals and television shows, to evolve his artistic expression.

Alex Edelman (10:01): "I'd like to be more ambitious aesthetically in my comedy... I'd really love to make stuff that's like... that's a little more like you or like, Kits and Esque."

---

Nostalgia and Reflections on Boston Sports

[14:29 – 18:53]

The duo reminisces about their shared history as Boston sports fans, discussing memorable players like Mike Greenwell and Wade Boggs. They also touch upon the prevalence of doctor parents among comedians, leading to humorous exchanges about family backgrounds.

Alex Edelman (14:15): "Bo Burnham is like a peerless genius to me."

---

Embarrassing Moments and Personal Anecdotes

[18:53 – 32:18]

Alex shares personal stories, including a bullying experience during his teenage years and his stint as a hospital clown. These anecdotes highlight his resilience and ability to find humor in challenging situations.

Alex Edelman (16:04): "He would push me at work... I can never forgive."

Alex Edelman (38:55): "I was a clown at a hospital. It was my first comedy job."

---

Exploring Comedy: Joke Development and Themes

[32:18 – 48:38]

The conversation shifts to the mechanics of comedy, with both Mike and Alex exchanging jokes and discussing the intricacies of crafting humor. They explore themes like AI in stand-up, service dog fraud, and the absurdity of horse-mounted police officers, showcasing their creative processes and comedic timing.

Alex Edelman (46:11): "I've been doing this bit about service dog fraudery has got to be addressed now."

Alex Edelman (48:29): "They don't belong in your epic summer plans? Getting burned by your old wireless bill."

---

Personal Insights and Future Directions

[48:38 – End]

As the episode wraps up, Alex contemplates his personal growth and the continuous journey of self-discovery. Mike encourages him to pursue his artistic ambitions without self-imposed limitations, fostering a supportive environment for Alex's future projects.

Alex Edelman (56:50): "Love working jokes out with you. And yeah, excited to see your office show in the fall."

Mike Birbiglia (57:09): "It's a home run. Thanks, everybody."

---

Conclusion

This episode of Working It Out offers a deep dive into Alex Edelman's life, exploring his professional achievements, personal challenges, and creative aspirations. Through their engaging dialogue, Mike Birbiglia and Alex Edelman provide listeners with valuable insights into the world of comedy, the importance of balancing multiple projects, and the impact of personal experiences on artistic expression.

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Note: Advertisements, introductions, and outros have been omitted to focus on the core content of the episode.

Transcript

[Mike Birbiglia]

The show Just for Us, you know, it came out a year and a half ago.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Having performed this show so many times, seeing the reaction to it being on hbo, what would be the most surprising reaction you've received about the show?

[Alex Edelman]

It's on airplanes now.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, that's cool.

[Alex Edelman]

So I'm getting random messages, and when I say random messages, they're truly random messages.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We're going down.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Call the police.

[Alex Edelman]

Your show was the last thing I saw. And before landing in Newark, I bought WI Fi to tell you that if this is last thing I see in turbulence, I hate it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is the voice of the great Alex Edelman. This is Alex's fifth time on the show. I think this is the most that anyone's ever been on the show. Alex is, of course, a great standup comic. You know him from his Emmy Award winning solo show, Just For Us, which I helped produce. It's on hbo Max. He is currently touring with an all new show called what Are youe Gonna Do? I think it's hilarious. I love his new material. We have a great chat today. I've got a few live shows coming up this summer. John Mulaney is on tour, and so Nick Kroll and Fred Armisen and I are opening up a bunch of those shows. It's a. It's gonna be a blast. It's kind of a. Kind of a dream come true. We're gonna be in New Haven, Connecticut, as well as Bethel, New York, Portland, Maine, and Halifax. That's all in August. And then in September, we'll be at Stanley park in vancouver. [e-mail] and thanks everybody, for everyone checking out the good life on Netflix. I really appreciate all of the notes and messages and Instagram dms. It means the world to me. I love talking to Alex Edelman. We talk about Boston sports, We talk about Alex's new show that he's touring with. He's also a writer and performer on the reboot slash follow up to the Office by Greg Daniels. It's called the Paper. That comes out in separate September. Enjoy my chat with the great Alex Edelman. You're in the reboot of the Office, which comes out September. In September.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're a writer and performer on that. You wrote a movie. I don't know if it's announced, but you. I know you wrote a movie.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That'll probably get made sometime soon. And you're touring a new hour and you're doing God knows what else. It's like, how do you prioritize all these projects.

[Alex Edelman]

Stand up is like, standup gets discreet moments in my life where it's like the break from everything else. And sometimes it's as big as, like. I don't know where this analogy comes from, but there's like a glass and you fill it with rocks and then you fill it with pebbles, and then you fill it with sand. And so like, sometimes sand up is the rock and sometimes it's the pebbles, and in really bad times, it's the sand. But, like, I'll always be a stand up comic and I like to get to comedy clubs or theaters a couple of hours early because the deadline of a show that you have to do means that I'm definitely putting in time on it. But, like, I really prioritize my standup when I don't have a full time job. So when I was on the office, that was time away from standup pretty much. Which is hard, actually, because I've been doing it for so long. But I also wanted a break to think maybe I could incubate something and same with a movie. When I was writing the movie, I went away to a very rural area where there was no standup so I could focus on the movie.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Terre Haute, Indiana.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, of course, you got Larry Bird on the brain, don't you? I could see the I am not Larry Bird index card over there. And I'm like, oh, French lick to niche.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know, I'm all about that Celtic City documentary.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, I haven't seen all of it, but I love it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Beauty.

[Alex Edelman]

But yeah, stand up. The thing. I work on each thing discreetly. And also sometimes I don't really have, like, an approach or a practice. Like, I spent two and a half weeks in Japan last month.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Alex Edelman]

And I was just walking in this rural area and I'm not working on anything there.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wait, hold on. In Japan, did anyone know Just for us?

[Alex Edelman]

No.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

No, it was devastating. Imagine they're like, I'm like, sumi Mahsin. Do you know? Sorry, comedian, big Jew, you know? But, like, it was so rural, but it was really, really cool to be away from everything. And when I was there, standup was still in my brain. I was still, like writing little notes down and, you know, thinking when something would happen, I'm like, oh, that'll make a good joke. Or that could be the basis for a good joke or like a good story. Like, I had lots of, like, sublime experience. And I'm like, well, maybe that will make its way into standup at some point. So, like, I guess to answer Your question. When I take something on, I really go away for a distinct period of time to work on it and stand up sort of occupies the rest of the time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Someday when you have children, what will you do?

[Alex Edelman]

I think about that all the time. I'm not kidding. I think about that all the time. It's a full time job. It's 24 hours a day. It seems really difficult.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. So, like, unless you're my dad.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. Someone asked me the other day, they went, will there ever be. I was moderating a panel on AI for a friend of mine and someone was like, question for the moderator. Will there ever be an AI standup comedian? I'm like, well, how is AI gonna be neglected by their parents?

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know what's funny is I was on Marin recently. He pointed out his dad was a doctor. Your dad was a doctor? My dad was a doctor. Conan's dad was a doctor.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

I told. Have I rejected.

[Mike Birbiglia]

There's a lot of doctor parents in this comedy space.

[Alex Edelman]

But it's so funny because they think of, like, my dad. When I did Conan, he called me. He's like, you did Dr. O' Brien's son's show? And I was like, what? And he's like, yeah, the epidemiologist Tom o'. Brien. I was like, do you know him? He's like, not well, but he's a really good doctor.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Alex Edelman]

And I was like, his son is Conan o'? Brien. He was like, yeah. No, his dad's like, an amazing epidemiologist. Like, it was so funny because he was like, he knows important. Yeah. But 1000%.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

He's so serious about it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're like, dad, what do you think of the masturbating bear? He's like, well, what does it have to do with epidemiology? A lot.

[Alex Edelman]

Well, it's actually good for you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Exactly.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. A really amazing way to distract bears, you know?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

But it's hysterical because he does see things sometimes through the. Like, he'll be like, oh, Alex, you know this comedian? I'm like, yeah. Why? He's like, well, his father's a cardiologist at a hospital in Seattle. Like, they genuinely like their field is so important.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. To them, it's almost like they care about medicine.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. It's nice of them to save lives when we ruin them, you know?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, I don't think we've ruined them.

[Alex Edelman]

No, no, we're doing all right. Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So you prioritize things by, like, breaking off, going away coming back, etc. How do you feel since your director Adam Brace died in relation to art, not just as a friend, but artistically. Like, where, where are you with that?

[Alex Edelman]

Um, some days it's like the only thing I want to talk about, which is weird also, some days I think I'm like past it and then something will happen and I'll just like not be able to get anything done or it's all I'll think about or I'll get angry. Honestly, I'll be like, oh my God, I need him more than ever and he's not here. I'm being like, you know. Also it's not easy to like audition replacements. Cause he was my oldest friend too, so it's like not an easy thing to get into. And also the truth is I don't own his death, which is like he worked with lots of comedians. He worked with a really brilliant performance artist who was also his long term girlfriend, Becca Fuller. And they're touring a show which I haven't been able to see yet because they've only done in the UK about Adam passing away. And it's made its way into good work by Ahir Shah and Ivo Graham and Alfie Brown, who are three comics that he worked with, and Janine Harouni, who I really love. And it's like, it's hard because on one hand there's a craft element that I miss so much. On the other hand, there's a friendship element that I miss so much. And then there's the blending of the two, which is, you know, the best thing in the world is getting to be creative with someone you really like being in the room with, where the thing you're working on is kind of an excuse to. Obviously you and Timbers were really big parts of my show, but also part of the show was kind of an excuse to spend a lot of time with Mike Brebiglia and Alex Timbers. Cause like two people I really like and like, that's a good way to spend your life, which is being collaborative with people that you really enjoy. It's like a really good time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And so I miss the. I miss so much the result of that work, but even more I miss the process of it. Like, it's just not. I miss the fun of like playing ping pong creatively with Adam.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sure.

[Alex Edelman]

And so that's difficult. I'm sort of like, I'm picking myself up though a little bit and like, it's, it's not as hard now as it was like a year ago.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

But I'm slower out of the blocks, and I, I, I would have been. And I'm trying really hard not to, like, punish myself for that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What is, like, through that lens? What is your big picture goal? What's the thing where you go, yes, it's enough. But what I really want is this very big, broad thing.

[Alex Edelman]

I'd like to be more. To be more ambitious aesthetically in my comedy. Like, I'd also love to create work that I'm like, okay. I really did the most with that, like, 700 Sundays, you know, Billy Crystal show, for sure. You're like, oh, that's a full meal. That's a full thing. That's, like, done. And some of the Spalding Gray shows and your shows, you're like, that can't have any more. But, like, when I look at Just For Us, if I'm being honest, I'm happy, so happy with what it got to be. But, like, it still feels a little sophomoric to me. There's still a very specific narrative exoskeleton. Like, something happens and the thing progresses, and there are some offshoots. But, like, I'd really love to make stuff that's like. That's a little more like you or like, Kits and Esque. Do you know Daniel Kitson, the Great Course? So, like, I'd love to be making really great stuff that is a clear, huge artistic leap from where I was.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And some days I can't see that happening.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And also, it'd be nice to do things in different mediums. Like, I'd really love to write a musical at some point. I'd really love to, like, write a television show. I'd really love to, like, make. Make a movie and have that same feeling, which is like, oh, my God. I've artistically progressed in every way from one to the other. That would be, like, a huge thing. Because all the other stuff, like, the career stuff, that'll all be, like, good byproducts of those things.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And, like, if everyone can watch a thing go, oh, that guy was really thorough with that. That feels like a really. You know, that's how you make a, like, pretty. That's how you continue to make a pretty decent living and grow your fan base.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I think this is the slow round. What is the most embarrassing video that gets served in your algorithm?

[Alex Edelman]

I somehow watch a lot of baseball highlights.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's not embarrassing, but I get what you mean.

[Alex Edelman]

But it's like, too many. It's like, every second video on TikTok will also be the top 10 no hitter saving outfield plays of all time. And I'm like, well, why do I do this? And then I watch all the way through, and I'm like, I can't believe I did keep getting served these.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It's crazy because you and I both grew up Boston sports fans. When you live in Massachusetts, you have, I feel like, no conception of that. There are other players on other teams.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, yeah, totally.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, I grew up in the 80s and 90s on the red Sox, just going like, mike Greenwell is one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

[Alex Edelman]

Dwight Evans.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then you get older and you're like, oh, no one knows who Mike Greenwell is.

[Alex Edelman]

He was a backup. Like, he was like. He was like a bridge shortstop before they got Garcia Parra. Like, it wasn't a good.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I remember when. But I remember when he won a pickup truck.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, that's right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, he won a pickup truck because there was, like, a Toyota event. And then they were like, if this person hits a home run tonight, we're gonna give him a pickup truck. And, like. And then I always heard the story that, like, you'd see Mike Greenwell drive away from the game every night in the fucking pickup truck. I was like, that's a great story. What a happy ending. It's like, how many baseball players, they don't get their real money? It's like, that guy got the truck.

[Alex Edelman]

That's so funny. That's so funny. I also love when they give the Super Bowl MVP a car, and you're like, it's Tom Brady.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He has a car, right? Mike Greenwald didn't.

[Alex Edelman]

It's like when Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP the year they played the Seahawks and they gave him the truck, he's like, I'm gonna give it to the rookie that made the interception in the end of the game that really won the game. Cause that guy doesn't have a car. He's. I have my Lamborghini Bentley hybrid. I don't need it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right, I want to put someone put in the comments if anyone knows whether Mike Greenwell still drives the truck. Does he still drive the pickup truck? But, like, like, yeah, in that era, I'm like, Marty Barrett is one of the best players on the planet.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, my God. Wade Boggs.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Wade Boggs, who is legitimately, I think, a Hall of Famer. Definitely a Hall of Famer, went in. But he went in as a Tampa Bay Ray for the. I think the first ever one.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, sorry.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's Your algorithm. Who are you jealous of?

[Alex Edelman]

Bo Burnham is like a peerless genius to me. I don't know him well, and I don't think I know many people that know him well. But, like, I don't know him. I've met him a couple, a handful of times. But to me, that guy is really.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, who are you jealous of that you thought of but didn't say?

[Alex Edelman]

Who am I jealous of that I thought of and didn't say? My. I have a. I won't say his name. Cause he's not an entertainment figure, but he's a friend from childhood, and he lives in Boston, has a couple of kids, goes to the Patriots every Sunday, is Orthodox Jewish, loves going to shul. And every time I see him, he's like, you still doing comedy? And this guy is, like, the happiest person I know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Alex Edelman]

And he's just, like, totally opted out of everything. Like, totally. And is so happy and is such a sliding doors thing for me, where sometimes I'm like, man, if I could just be this guy I went to high school with and, like, not be on, like, a merry go round trying to, like, meet some imaginary goal post.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

To, like, like, heal myself. Like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, that's your problem. You're supposed to kick it through the goalpost. Not. You don't have to meet it.

[Alex Edelman]

I meet it helmet first and keep going into it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't think you understand the game.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, no.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You got to kick it through the goalpost.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, yeah. So I bite the goal post.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, no, no. You don't bite the goalpost.

[Alex Edelman]

No, you're supposed to bite the goalpost.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, that's a real thing. Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

No, no, no, no, no. You're right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're right.

[Alex Edelman]

What else? In the slow round.

[Mike Birbiglia]

All right, who's someone from your childhood who you haven't forgiven?

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, my God. There was a. There was a bully whose name I also won't say, but he was really, really.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What'd he do to you?

[Alex Edelman]

I was working at the Red Sox at a job at the Red Sox. And this guy would literally, like, if he passed me in the hallway, he would, like, push me. And I was always like, what do you. You know what? And he went to Harvard. This guy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He would push you at the Red Sox?

[Alex Edelman]

He would push me at work. It was a guy who was like, a child. I was, like, 15 years old. This guy was, like, 19 or 20. And you, like, push me to the ground. It was like a really.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Which, by the way, when you're 15, feels like an a. Like an age. It feels like that person's like, 40, 40 years old.

[Alex Edelman]

It was crazy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

When they're 19, he had, like.

[Alex Edelman]

He had facial hair. And I was like, oh, my God. I wasn't growing facial hair till, like, my mid-20s.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Five days ago.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. Yeah. I still can't do it. It comes in patchy, but, yeah. That guy, I can never forgive. And I Google him occasionally.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, wow.

[Alex Edelman]

I don't know what he's up to. He's very. Not a huge Internet footprint, but, you know.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Have you ever been punched in the face?

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, but never hard enough. That's what someone said about me. They've been punched in the face a lot, but never hard enough. Not since my. Not in a long time. But when I played ice hockey as a kid, I got punched all the time.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Do they do full punches in hockey?

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, yeah, full punches.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But it's not legal, right? It's only.

[Alex Edelman]

No, it's not legal, but it's forgiven. In the fights?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, in the fights.

[Alex Edelman]

But I got. I would get. I would get punched a lot. I also, like, occasionally do boxing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Where I'm at.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, do you really?

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, but I have the head. I have this thing on. But it's like. There's this gym I go to sometimes in Chicago, whenever I'm there. And there's a guy named Jimmy Mango. Real. Real name, I think, and Jimmy Mango, who's an amazing, amazing boxing coach. Sometimes I'll, like. He'll be like, hook, hook. And I'll do it. And if I'm dropping my other hand, he'll go. And I'm like, yeah, Jimmy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow. Stop. Could you. If someone came at you, would you be able to hold your own in a fist fight?

[Alex Edelman]

I would say, like, yes. But the funny thing is, it's not even knowing techniques. It's the presence of mind to be like, all right, keep your elbows here. Keep your elbows here. Because, like, if someone comes at you, you're just like, yes, yes. Like, exactly. It's your. All your, like, training. And thought goes like. You ever see a video? If you ever get served this in your algorithm of, like, a street fight, there are people there, and they're like. They're, like, set and stuff like that. And I'm like, how do they remember? Because as soon as someone starts yelling at me and comes at me, I'm just like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, I think that those people who are. What you're saying is, like, they're. They're the more professional fighters in those situations. I think they're Thinking about the fights all the time. Oh, that's really imagining the world is a fight at all times.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, there's so much.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And it isn't, of course, but when it happens, they're fucking ready.

[Alex Edelman]

They're a condition red. Immediately, they're DEFCON 5. Just walking around the mall.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And by the way, I want to do it. I want to, like, particularly like jiu jitsu, a few of those ones where it's really tactical and you can, like, take people who are bigger than you. Technically.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's what I want to get involved with.

[Alex Edelman]

One of the people that I'm in the. In the office spin off with, Ramona Young. She is a martial artist. And so every day on set I'd be like, can you show me one move? And she was always like, okay, you put this here. You put one hand here and then one hand here, and then you do this. And then it'd be the worst pain I've ever felt. Like, really, this, this, this, like, you know, like three moves, do this. Or she'd be like, she put one hand here and then one hand here and then somehow turn it in a very n. I'd be like, and she's.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Probably smaller than you.

[Alex Edelman]

Much a foot, like tiny. And it was like, that's what I want.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I want what Ramona has. I need Ramona to give me lessons.

[Alex Edelman]

That's what you're. Ramona Young, who is a really great actor, is like, it was really astounding.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And it is not available for lessons. No, maybe she's absolutely not available for lessons.

[Alex Edelman]

Depends how well our show goes, you know?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, I. Tell me, can you say anything about the show?

[Alex Edelman]

Sure. Donald Gleason is.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Just read me the talking points from the Internet.

[Alex Edelman]

Okay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Because that's what people want.

[Alex Edelman]

No, no, no. I'll try to give you something that's not. Without violating an ironclad NDA.

[Mike Birbiglia]

We want a headline on Vulture.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, I mean, Donal's like a big, you know, like, he's a really amazing dramatic actor. And I've done some acting in movies, but it's all with, like, comedians or television, and it's always with like. And Domhnall's like a big, heavy anchoring presence. And so sometimes you're sat in a room with him and you can feel the reality of him doing his job, and you're just like, okay, well, I guess I have to contend as best I can. But also Tim Key, who's one of the. Who's a stand up comic from England that I worship. Who is in the show. And when they were talking about him joining the show, I was like, oh, God, please. You know, like, he's so good. It was so hard to be in scenes with him. Cause he would always talk his lines closer and closer to me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

So I was trying hard to not break because like, you know, you're saying your lines back and forth and they're funny and then like it's, you know, like you can feel the heat of his breath or something like that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And you're just like, man. Or he would, he would. I'm sorry. He'd reach out to touch you and then almost touch you. And it's just so hysterical and jarring that I would sometimes have to pinch my hand to stop from laughing. He's so good. So, yeah, we had some really big. Sabrina Impacitori who's on White Lotus. She tells Jennifer Coolidge she looks like Peppa Pig, if you remember that. And is like, she is really funny. And this big well kept secret that is now no longer a secret at all. Oscar Nunez from the previous office.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh yeah. I love Oscar.

[Alex Edelman]

He's on the show. And Oscar was very good about never being like, well, in the previous office we did xyz. Because if I was on the previous Office, I'd be like, we did xyz. But it was really in depth. We wrote a lot of drafts of episodes. It was really difficult. It was fantastic. And like, I think it's. I think it came out pretty well.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's great.

[Alex Edelman]

I haven't seen like Greg Daniels and Michael Coleman, the guys that are running it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And Greg's like a legend. Who's done a. Greg did the Office. He did the Office, Parks and Rec, Beat Us and Butthead.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

The Hill. Like, he is a genius.

[Mike Birbiglia]

He was like a. Who wrote with Conan o' Brien and on snl.

[Alex Edelman]

I think he was his roommate. I think he was Conan's roommate when they moved to New York and like was a lampoon guy. I think is like Greg, the writing legend. He's really, really thorough. And. And if something doesn't work, he's like, no, no. And it doesn't matter what stage of the process it's in. He's like, this doesn't work. Yeah, it doesn't work anymore. Let's start from like. And it was really like, I love thorough that people are thorough.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So like that.

[Alex Edelman]

Let's hope. Let's hope it really.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I would guess that it'll be great. Let's see. Can you remember a roommate? You've had in your life who is particularly good or bad?

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, yeah. Nitana Jeffrey was my roommate in rabbinical seminary in Israel.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You were in rabbinical seminary like you were.

[Alex Edelman]

So you take a year. So it's common for modern Orthodox Jews to be. To take a year off between high school and college and go and study Torah in Israel. I'd say like 80% of my high school class did.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Please say it the American way.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, what'd I say? Yeshiva Torah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You said Torah Torah. You guys hate like me. Torah, Torah.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, we studied Torah or I say.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It the Boston way. Torah, Torah.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

My God, dude, don't forget your Torah Torah.

[Alex Edelman]

It sounds like dorm.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Keep going. So you're in rabbinical school, but yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Jeff or Natan El, as he went by then I remember there was a. Not to be serious. There was like a terrorist attack at another school. And we went to the funeral together. And it was really intense, obviously, because, like, it was the Israeli Palestinian conflict in like a microcosm because. Or an aspect of the conflict in a microcosm in that, like we're at this funeral and the mayor of Jerusalem gets up. There are eight kids who have been killed. And he talks about like the need for like, calm and the need for like figuring out a productive way forward. And then someone got up and started screaming about like revenge. And I was like, oh, this is why. This is why it keeps happening. This is this cycle of violence. And I just remember being there with Jeff.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Were you killed while you were there?

[Alex Edelman]

Not at the school, but we were. But we were maybe a 20 minute walk away.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Wow.

[Alex Edelman]

It was a really crazy. We were out the night before when the attack happened because Jewsbury so quick. So quick. Like they were killed Thursday night. The funeral was Friday morning. It was like a really. It was nuts. It was between the funeral and the incident. 12 hours maybe. And so going with Jeff to this thing on a Friday and us feeling really, really a certain way afterwards and processing. I remember a lot of, you know, walking, getting on the bus. The song that was playing on the bus. People on the bus in a certain mood, you know. And yeah, Jeff was there with me and we, you know, we went to. We went to this thing together. And I just like, maybe it's just cause of that one memory. Cause I've had a bunch of really great roommates. Sorry. So heavy. Sorry.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know. It's okay. It's sad though.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What a sad story. I didn't know. I never. I've known you for so many years. I've never heard that story.

[Alex Edelman]

I don't talk about it much, but it was a really sobering, really sobering, like, event. And the funny thing is it didn't. This is really wading into tricky waters. But, like, it didn't make me more, like, Zionisty. Like, it made me more thoughtful about the way the conflict works.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Cause like, imagine that happens on the, you know, imagine that happens to the other side too.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And it was a really, really. It just, like, I think it actually just changed my. It made it much realer for me in a way that was really, really difficult and complicated.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And like, I've never. I don't think I've ever written.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Would you ever talk about in a.

[Alex Edelman]

Show I've talked about. I have a recurring dream that stems from that that I talk about in the show, but I've never found a way to make that part funny. And I don't think I've ever tried. Yeah, I wrote it. I wrote about it. I wrote about it in a college essay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And I got a B on the essay.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And I was like, maybe I'm not ready to talk about this because I'm getting a B on the essay. Not that well written. You know, I respect the person who gave me the b. Cause I looked, I'm sure I checked it a couple years ago and was like, this is pretty sophomoric. And I was a freshman and it's still sophomoric. But yeah, it's one of those things like when I say my ambitions are to get to a place artistically. Like, some comics can talk about almost anything on stage and it works. And then there are some comics who think they can talk about almost anything on stage and it's horrible. So, like, getting to a point where you actually can talk about like, grief, loss, huge geopolitical issues shrunk down to a traumatizing memory. Like, those are really high skill things.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Support for working it out comes from Quint's. We love quints. Quince is an online retailer that has clothes, accessories, home goods and more. It's all ethically made. Made to last. I love shopping on there. It's summertime. You can get some new summer clothes. Go to quinte.com, check out their special summer collections. Click on the Vacation Shop or the Summer Edit. You'll find nice, lightweight clothes for the summer. They've got summer accessories like sunglasses, backpacks, sneakers. Really nice stuff. Great prices. Quint 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 quint. Go to quint.com/bigs for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U-I-N-C-E.com B I R B I G S to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comforbigs support for working it out comes from Rula. Other online therapy platforms might match you with the first available provider. Whether or not it's the right fit, Rula considers your goals, preferences and background to provide you a curated list of licensed in network therapists who are actually aligned with what you need. Because they know that finding the right therapist can make all the difference. No wait lists, no frustrating back and forths. Rula makes it easy to find a mental health provider who's accepting new patients and appointments are available as soon as tomorrow. Plus, Rula sticks with you throughout your journey, checking in to make sure your care is helping you move forward. Go to rula.comprabigs to get started today. That's R U L A.comprabigs for quality therapy that's covered by insurance. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit r u l a.combrbigs to get started. After you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know we sent you. That's r u l a.com brbix you deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. Do you have any new joke jokes?

[Alex Edelman]

I've got a bunch of new joke jokes. I love joke jokes, but how about you go first?

[Mike Birbiglia]

No. No joke jokes. Remember last time you like kids jokes?

[Alex Edelman]

Oh my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Because you're one of my only guests who has good joke jokes.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh my God. So this guy's walking down. I've embellished it slightly with jokes and with other details. This guy's walking down the side of a highway.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And he sees a tent. And. And outside the tent's a sign that says, come see the amazing Walter. And he's like, oh boy. And he goes in and it's dimly lit. There are like a couple people there. And Walter comes out in the bathrobe and he takes the bathrobe off and he puts 10 chestnuts on the table and he pulls out his penis and he smashes each of the chestnuts and then he bows and he leaves. And the guy goes like, that was weirdly. Like, one of the best things I've ever seen. And he goes back the next day, and there's no tent and there's no sign. And he, like. Like 15, 20 years go by, and he can never find. He goes on the Internet. He looks forward. He asks people about it who are sort of in, like, live. The live space. No one's heard of this. And then one day, he's walking through, like, Pier 31 in San Francisco, and he sees a sign that says, come see the amazing Walter. And he's like, oh, my God. It's like the same guy, maybe. And he goes into the tent, same lighting, same setup, table dimly lit. And, like, Walter comes out, and it's definitely the same guy, but it's 20 years later, so his hair is, like, a little thin, and he's got a bit of a paunch. And he takes off the bathrobe this time. He puts 10 coconuts on the table, and then he pulls out his penis and he smashes each one of the coconuts. And he bows and he leaves. And the guy's like, I'm not letting him get away this time. So he waits outside the tent, and Walter comes out, like, a hoodie, backpack and a baseball hat. He's like, Walter. He's like, yeah. And he's like, I saw you by the side of a highway in, like, Mississippi, like, 20 years ago. And the guy's like, oh, yeah, those are good shows. And he's like, but back then, you were using walnuts, and now you're using coconuts. So, like, what? What's the. And Walter goes, listen, my eyesight's not what it used to be.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't even know if I get it. I don't even know if I get it. My eyesight's not what it used to be.

[Alex Edelman]

My eyesight's not what it used to be. Because it used to be walnuts, and now it's coconuts. And it's not the capability.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's really funny. Oh, that's good.

[Alex Edelman]

It's a swing and a miss. The Internet will eat me alive for this. But I love the joke so much.

[Mike Birbiglia]

My eyesight's not what it used to be.

[Alex Edelman]

Listen. My eyesight's not what it used to be.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's funny.

[Alex Edelman]

People on the Internet are like, this motherfucker is the unfunniest motherfucker on the planet.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I like it. I like it.

[Alex Edelman]

Sorry.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Hit me with some jokes. Are you working on new jokes?

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, you first.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay. This is a really quick one after a really bad breakup. In my 20s, I called my mom and she goes, you're not going to find another one like her. And I go, mom, how about this week we root for the home team? I just dug that up from the notebook.

[Alex Edelman]

That's really funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I wrote that in my 20s.

[Alex Edelman]

That's really funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I never did it in anything. And I was like, that actually is a pretty fun little vignette.

[Alex Edelman]

How about this week you're rooting for that.

[Mike Birbiglia]

This week we root for the home team. Team.

[Alex Edelman]

That's really, that's really funny. Listen, with allies like these.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Alex Edelman]

Or with fans like these. I know, that's really good. Hold on.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is like my mom in a nutshell. Even though she's a gray mom, her inclination is always, like, hesitant. Maybe it's like an Irish thing or something. Yeah, her inclination is always like, well, might not be great, you know, which is, you know, as a comedian, it's a hard thing because there's a lot to say that about. Also, when you're starting out as a.

[Alex Edelman]

Comic, the truth is you want to be like, really? Are you in the dating scene right now?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Are you out there?

[Alex Edelman]

You out there meeting everyone?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Then I had this, which is in my 20s, I had a temp job at a fashion magazine where I typed statistics into a spreadsheet. That was the whole job. And when I started asking my boss questions about it, she goes, it doesn't matter. You can just make up the statistics. True story. And that's when I decided to become a comedian. I was like, if we're just going to all go rogue with creative license, I'd rather get some laughs than sit in this cubicle and be by far the ugliest person in the office.

[Alex Edelman]

That's really funny. Where else could you go from there?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I, I, it might be a chunk of things about, about temping.

[Alex Edelman]

What else was working.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Because I worked at fashion magazine, I worked at Pfizer, I worked at, yeah, like a whole bunch of. I worked at blackrock.

[Alex Edelman]

No way.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah. This whole year where I worked at these really high end New York City places. And I would be the receptionist, I'd be the switchboard operator, I would be the data entry person. And what was amazing about that experience of just temping in these places, Like, I remember one job at Pfizer where I did nothing all day. Literally nothing. And at the end of the day, this guy who I worked for goes, can we get you next week? You're the best guy we've had. I've Literally done nothing.

[Alex Edelman]

I mean, what they wanted was par.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Apparently.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. They wanted to do no harm ever.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know they look at me as harmless and just kind of like, you're.

[Alex Edelman]

The best guy we've ever. Maybe it was your vibe. Maybe they were like, yeah, they like my vibe.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, apparently.

[Alex Edelman]

I think that's fantastic. I had a cop. I was a copywriter at an ad agency. But I remember I wrote something about it a couple of years ago where it was like, everything they wanted that was like. Was crazy derivative. I'd be like, have milk. And they'd be like, it's perfect.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's funny.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, it was like the exact opposite of like, it's funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm thinking back to that job where they were like, you're doing a great job and I didn't do anything. I think sometimes at jobs, they don't want you to do anything.

[Alex Edelman]

No.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, they just don't want you to talk. They know they need somebody, but they would prefer that person didn't talk.

[Alex Edelman]

Also, I hate to be serious, but the truth is, sometimes you just need to there in case something happens.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And they're like, if we need something, we'll come to you.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Alex Edelman]

Other than that, we don't want you showing any sort of initiative or ambition.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Exactly. You know, we don't want you coming for our job.

[Alex Edelman]

Exactly. And I bet you previous people at Pfizer, they were like, can we help with anything? And they're like, shut the fuck up.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Alex Edelman]

You know. Yeah, we make the cold medication the way we want to make the cold medication.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Alex Edelman]

I think I've got. Just because we were talking about this earlier, people are like, oh, your parents. Do they wish you were a doctor or a lawyer? And I say to the audience, you guys have known me for 10 minutes. Do you wish I was a doctor?

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's funny.

[Alex Edelman]

I was like, do you wish I was your doctor or lawyer?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Do you want me looking at your X rays or being like, I've. I had a client who, like, got caught for littering. He. He'd face the death penalty. Like, I really.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You could put it in relation to, like, how tangential you are as a comedian. Like, so, like, my doctor was looking at my. My X ray and then in the middle of it, he talked about paper towels for 15 minutes.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. Or I had or had this idea that it was like, where if me as a doctor, where it's like, after surgery, the patient wakes up, I'm like, hey, I decided to Riff a little bit. Once I got in there, I was like, so here's your liver. It looked weird, so I took it out. Or also this X ray. You have a glioblastoma, but it kind of looks like a seahorse. You see? Isn't that kind of interesting? You draw an eye here and a thing here. It's a little like seahorse.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And someone asked my dad, do you wish he was a doctor? And instead of saying, no, we're proud of him. My dad went, he did the best he could with what he had, which is so even handed and also kind of nice, but truly, like, root for the home team a little.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Root for the. How about we root for the. This week we were root for the home team.

[Alex Edelman]

So funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You could have been a doctor, though.

[Alex Edelman]

You know, the funny thing is, I don't think so, because trial and error is such a big part of my job.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

I'm like, okay, this doesn't work. Also, like, even my personal life, I'm still, like, figuring out who I am. That self discovery can happen. As a dog, I can't be like, what kind of doctor am I? You know, like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Alex Edelman]

Am I. Am I still growing into medicine, you know?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. I follow what you're saying, but I think you could have done it. Probably.

[Alex Edelman]

Maybe.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I feel like the term outside the box has been hijacked by people definitively inside the box.

[Alex Edelman]

Great, great. No, seriously, keep going.

[Mike Birbiglia]

These people who are shaped like boxes keep telling me, think outside the box. I'm like, I'm not the one with pointy edges and flat sides.

[Alex Edelman]

That's really good. That's really good. It's really, really, like, metaphorical. Like, people that ask you to think outside the box, they're always yelling it at you from inside their boxes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, that's nice. Yeah, yeah. They're always yelling at you from inside their box.

[Alex Edelman]

Think outside the box. You're like, please. You're 90% corrugated, you know?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. I can barely hear you. You're in the bottom corner of that box.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. Can I tell you one more thing?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

I was a hospital clown. Oh, my first.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's a good story.

[Alex Edelman]

It was my first comedy job. I was 18, and I walked into the hospital and I'm dressed completely as a clown.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And the guy behind the desk went, are you the clown?

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's really funny.

[Alex Edelman]

Swear to God. And he was smoking a cigarette. It was in Israel. It was community service. And he went, are you the clown? And I was like, yeah, but how great would it have Been. If I was like, no, there was a car accident with some of my compatriots and 75 of them are here.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Jesus. That's a crazy story that you were a clown at a hospital.

[Alex Edelman]

I was a clown at a hospital. Was it rewarding? Yeah, there were some rewarding moments, but also I just remember them saying, like, don't touch any of the buttons in the rooms. And I was like, yeah, no, I know. There's no episode of Mr. Bean where he takes a kid off dialysis. Like, I'm aware that I'm not supposed.

[Mike Birbiglia]

To be like, Well, I think it's like, it's an incredible service, the clowns at the hospital.

[Alex Edelman]

It's a really difficult job though. Cause when you're bombing in front of a kid.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. There's a special type of pain that you're both experiencing.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. You're like, hey, I know this is extreme, but I would really rather be where you are than I am.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I know you're going through some stuff, but I am too.

[Alex Edelman]

Once I went into the a kid's room and he burst into tears and the mom went, sorry, clowns are his biggest fear.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, God.

[Alex Edelman]

And I'm like, the kid had like one arm. And I was like. Part of me was like, give me a try. Like, let me, let me, let me try my best. But the truth is, like, the ward was mostly an amputee ward. And I just remember kids were missing things and there was one clown who is like in the hallway, cuz there were like five or six of us.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And I'm like, helene, what's going on? And she's like, most of the tricks I know are like, it got your nose.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay?

[Alex Edelman]

And I'm like. And she's like, I can't be taking more body parts off, right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, God.

[Alex Edelman]

Even if, like, got your nose. And the kids are like, oh, God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I mean, that's a good joke.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. I just don't know. I don't know a ton about where it goes, but I'm working on this thing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And also, I think, honestly, if you did it as a bit. If you did it as a bit, you would have to find a series of jokes and then you would have to, I think, land somewhere that's somewhat redemptive. I think you'd have to, because, like, kids in the hospital is as dark as can be. So it has to be somewhere.

[Alex Edelman]

Maybe it's about, like, everyone. Not everyone, but it's a more common premise about laughter being the best medicine.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

And like, I feel like it's everyone's premise in a way that I don't want to get into, where it's like, that's not true.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Alex Edelman]

But like I've seen laughter in a hospital ward. It's pretty good. Yeah, it's like palliative. It like it helps. It's not the best medicine.

[Mike Birbiglia]

No, it's pretty significant. I Support comes from Mint Mobile. You know what doesn't belong in your epic summer plans? Getting burned by your old wireless bill. While you're planning beach trips, barbecues and three day weekends, your wireless bill should be the last thing holding you back. With Mint Mobile, you can get the coverage and speed you're used to, but for way less money. And for a limited time, Mint mobile is offering three months of unlimited premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month. So while your friends are sweating over data overages and surprise charges, you'll be chilling, literally and financially this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get this new customer offer and your three month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com burbigs that's mintmobile.com burbigs upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to 15 bucks a month limited time new customer offer for three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Support for working it out comes from Helix. It's summertime. It's hot. Doesn't matter how comfortable your mattress might be if you're sweating in your sleep every night, cooling is essential to a restful night's sleep. You want a cool mattress, look no further than Helix. Try Helix's own Glaciotex cooling cover or waterproof mattress protector. Glaciotex cooling fabric uses fibers with high thermal conductivity to allow heat to be quickly and effectively pulled away from your body while you sleep. I love my Helix mattress so much. I don't know about you, but I feel much better during the day when I get a good night's sleep. Go to helixsleep.com for 27% off site wide exclusive listeners of Mike Birbiglia's Working It out get 27% off site wide. That's helixsleep.com birbigs for 27% off. Exclusive for listeners. Mike Birbiglia is working it Out. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you helixsleep.com burbigs this is one I want to put on stage, which is I saw this lady pushing a baby in my neighborhood. And then she looks at her phone and she goes, play Itsy Bitsy Spider. And it played the wrong song. And then she goes, play Itsy Bitsy Spider, walk up the water spout. And I'm like, just sing the fucking song. You have the ingredients. It's like, you know what I should put in this soup? A laptop. That's my favorite new one. I want to try that.

[Alex Edelman]

Really, really funny. Just sing the song.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Sing the song.

[Alex Edelman]

You know the words. Or just go, siri, what does the Itsy Bitsy Spider come down from?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

You don't remember people?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I. People just don't want to sing, I guess.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. It's good that we've outsourced all the good artistic, fun stuff to the machines.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alex Edelman]

So we can still do the pushing of the strollers, but not any of the singing.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right. Push the. Push the stroller.

[Alex Edelman]

We've been about Clippy being like AI in the past, and we hated him.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's so funny. Remember we had a paperclip from Microsoft?

[Alex Edelman]

We had AI in 1995.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Alex Edelman]

And Clippy was like, you look like you're writing a letter. Do you need help? And we're like, shut the fuck up. I've got it. And he would know. It's like, you've made a grammatical mistake. We're like, get the. The fuck. Can we shut him off? How do we shut this guy off? And now we just. Absolutely. And now we're like, if Kloppi was like, are you writing a letter? We'd be like, write it for me.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

I.

[Mike Birbiglia]

How do I format it? You know how to format it. Fucking format. It's like, sorry, I didn't know.

[Alex Edelman]

I've got one about horse cops.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay?

[Alex Edelman]

It's. I've been doing this bit about service dogs. I go, the level of service dog fraudery has got to be addressed now. Like, we can no longer just, like, let it go. I used to be, like, 1 in 10 service dogs. Used to be fake. And now the ratio has flipped to, what, 9 and 10?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

It's crazy. We're living in this, like, insane time. And you can tell because real service dogs are like the Marines. Like, they're at the gate, they're waiting with their arms crossed. They're so annoyed they can't vape. And then the desk attendant is like, group four is boarding, and the dog is like, that's us. And, like, there's an ending to it that I'm still trying to figure out. But he goes, I respect any animal with a job.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Even cops. Which everyone has complicated feelings about. I respect horse cops so much. And I was telling Ben, just telling my friend, you know, a lot of horse cops in Central park today. And he went, what do you mean, horse cops? And I said, what do you mean? What do you mean horse cops? A cop on a horse. Because there's no, like, centaur situation.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

Where stop and frisk is even more problematic, where the guy's like, hey, hey, get over here. Oh, shit. Let's sprinkle some sugar cubes on him and gallop the fuck out of here. You know? But so I'm still like. I'm still working it out, but it's like, wait.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So the point at which he goes, what do you mean, horse cops?

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You're basically. You're saying, like, no, the horse. The cop who's on the horse.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Not the horse.

[Alex Edelman]

But I think. I don't know what he meant, but I just love being able to say, what do you mean? What do you mean?

[Mike Birbiglia]

What do you mean? What do you mean?

[Alex Edelman]

What do you mean? What do you mean? He's like, what do you mean, horse cops? I'm like, what do you mean? What do you mean, horse cops?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm curious, genuinely, and I think it's a really funny joke, but genuinely, I'm curious what he thought.

[Alex Edelman]

He thought it was. He told me he thought it was cops who were there to police the horse and carriages. Oh, come on.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Come on, Benj.

[Alex Edelman]

And I was like, way off. No, bud.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Well, that's way off.

[Alex Edelman]

He was like.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And then what did you mean precisely?

[Alex Edelman]

I meant cops on horses.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Cops on horses.

[Alex Edelman]

I meant the whole unit.

[Mike Birbiglia]

The whole. But, yeah, but then. Then there's the. The horse itself.

[Alex Edelman]

The horse itself.

[Mike Birbiglia]

So what is the horse itself? It's a horse cop in a certain way. Right.

[Alex Edelman]

You're right. The logic of my argument is crazy.

[Mike Birbiglia]

You know what I mean?

[Alex Edelman]

You're correct.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Like, the horse is a cop. The horse is a cop. The horse cop is a cop.

[Alex Edelman]

Also, how do you differentiate between the two parts of the union?

[Mike Birbiglia]

I don't know, but it isn't a centaur.

[Alex Edelman]

You're correct in the bottom half.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

But you can also always tell who's equipped to be what. You never see the top half as you never see the horse riding the cop.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I wonder if. Because I think there's a lot here, by the way, I think, like, horse cops as a topic I think you should go deep on, because it's an outrage that there are horse cops. But also it makes no sense. You say that from the 1800s.

[Alex Edelman]

You say that. But I remember I was in college and I was part of, like, there was a protest that I was at on the southern end of Washington Square park. And they lined up. There was like one horse cop, and I was like, hysterical. A horse cop. And then there were two horse cops, and then there were three horse cops. And then I was like, okay, now I'm scared. Like, they were all lined up and I'm like, if they charge us, we're done.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, but if you blow in the horse's ear, you've got the advantage.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah. We all had carrots. That's.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I just think, like. Yeah, I think horse cops all day for this, for the. I would just go off on that.

[Alex Edelman]

It's so funny.

[Mike Birbiglia]

It feels like of such a different era. I'm trying to think of another thing from a different era that you could bring in as a. Like an example. Yeah.

[Alex Edelman]

You know the NYPD catapults that they use.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's what I'm saying.

[Alex Edelman]

It's so anachronistic. You're right.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah. Catapults, moats.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Birbiglia]

How about when the horse. The horses have the little eye blinders on the side, because if. If that horse could see the whole world, they would flip the out also. They would be like, we're doing what?

[Alex Edelman]

But they also need it.

[Mike Birbiglia]

What?

[Alex Edelman]

You know, this is.

[Mike Birbiglia]

They'd be like, this is unethical.

[Alex Edelman]

The one inside. Yeah. They have them there for plausible deniability.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right.

[Alex Edelman]

So when the horses come to testify, he's like, I only saw half of the story.

[Mike Birbiglia]

That's right. Even the horses know some of the policing is questionable. They got blinders on the side because the cops are like, he can't see all of this.

[Alex Edelman]

Yeah, yeah. But they also don't know certain facts about the world. Like, they're in. And they're like, I swear to God, Columbus is a circle. It's just one street. It's like, no, no. You look this way, this way, this way that you see, it's a big circle.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Bride is not going to be able to handle it if he sees how we're treating people. That's, I think, the horse cop thing all day.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I would just go all day on that.

[Alex Edelman]

The pension, the pensions that they get. You ever go to a horse cop bar out there in Syosset, they're, you know, just full. Full of. Full of, like, retired horse cops.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Also, can we just talk about like the salary for the horses? Are the horses receiving any salary? And when I say salary, I don't mean currency but I just mean like anything. Treats. Are they getting treats? I'm not convinced based on some of the ethics of the, of the cops that the horses are getting treats.

[Alex Edelman]

I think there are tips that are slid in there to make them look the other way. Low bribes the career. Yeah. Hey, if you, you want out of this parking ticket, a couple of apples might really make a difference, you know. Yeah, I'm sure though, someone's got to have a bit about like a horse getting a parking ticket from a horse or not getting a parking ticket getting a speeding ticket from a horse cup. Like, hey, didn't you see me back there?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Here's my last one. When I was in Edinburgh, I got up at 5:30am to catch a flight back to America and this Scottish taxi driver asked us whether we went to the festival. And we go, yeah. And he goes, my wife and I went to see a show and there were five comedians and three of them were good and two of them were rubbish. And then he goes, and they knew they were rubbish. And then it just made me think like, am I rubbish? Oh my God, if I were rubbish, would I know I were rubbish?

[Alex Edelman]

You're not rubbish.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, but there's something about how mean spirited that is, that the guy didn't just hate the comedians, he hated their self knowledge.

[Alex Edelman]

I appreciate a comic that knows they're rubbish because that's going to be a good comic one day.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Yeah, totally. There's something about that that really stuck with me. They, they knew they were rubbish.

[Alex Edelman]

Only job where that works though, by the way.

[Mike Birbiglia]

And also the only city where taxi drivers kind of are comedy connoisseurs.

[Alex Edelman]

I was, I was in Dublin and I went to see Coldplay while I was in Dublin and the guy's driving me to the Coldplay show and he went, oh, you've seen Coldplay? I went, yeah, he's taking me to the. Yeah. He goes, they're, aren't they? I'm like, I'm about to see Cold Blood. I'm wearing my Coldplay T shirt. You know, I've got going Chris Martin friendship bands or whatever, aren't they?

[Mike Birbiglia]

That is hilarious.

[Alex Edelman]

Oh my God.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I, I will say that is one of the charming things about the UK is the frankness of people. It's astonishing.

[Alex Edelman]

Can I do a last one?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, yeah, please.

[Alex Edelman]

There's an ambulance unit for Orthodox Jews called Hatzala, but they'll respond to anyone, but it's a bit of a shock here. Yeah, it's in New York. Brooklyn.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

They'll respond to any call if they're the closest emergency unit.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

But like, I remember seeing this happen once and it was like there was a car accident and it was this, you know, two people who were not Orthodox Jews, and one of them had had a heart attack while he was driving. And he was on the sidewalk and they were like. And he was taking. They were trying to coach him through deep breaths, and a paramedic was there. And I was like, if I had a heart attack and I was by the side of the road and an ambulance pulled up and five ultra Orthodox Jews piled out of the ambulance, I'd have a second heart attack. I'd be like, I'm hallucinating. It's not a beautiful service, but it's so crazy as a concept where there is a Orthodox Jewish only ambulance service and they have like, pay us and beards and yarmulkes.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right.

[Alex Edelman]

And they're wearing scrubs and like ambulance EMT uniforms.

[Mike Birbiglia]

But maybe you've written this out. But it's like, what makes it stressful?

[Alex Edelman]

It's just a question you really have to answer but can't ask. It's just like, if you don't know this exists, you're like, why are they all Hasidic Jews?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right, Right.

[Alex Edelman]

Why is it like, does every Hasidic Jew do this? Is this a thing I don't know about Jews? Do they have to be this? And the last thing is, I went to Japan for this long walk, and it wasn't silent, but you were supposed to only speak if it was a revelation for yourself or a gift you were offering someone else.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Okay.

[Alex Edelman]

So it was silent because I'm like, what am I doing? And there was one person on this thing who was both confidently wrong about everything and a little bit conservative. And it felt very RFK Jr too, because they were very big into auras. And at one point, the place we were in is called the Key Peninsula. It got more rain than the Amazon. And we were discussing it in some way. It's a shame the Amazon's disappearing. And very confidently she went, it's not disappearing. And I went, what do you mean? And she went, it's the biggest company in the world. And then I struggled to think of a gift or a revelation.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Right. The last thing we do is working out for a cause. Is there a non profit that you like to contribute to?

[Alex Edelman]

How about the Sloan? How about Sloan Kettering?

[Mike Birbiglia]

Oh, yeah. Sloan Kettering is a great, great organization that does cancer research and we've given to them in the past. I've done benefits for them in the past through Nick Kroll same and his family. And I think they're fantastic. We will. Yeah, we'll give to Sloan Kettering and we will link to them in the show. Notes and Alex Edelman. Crushing.

[Alex Edelman]

Thank you for having me on doing great work.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Love working jokes out with you. And yeah, excited to see your office show in the fall.

[Alex Edelman]

I'm really hoping it works and is received with as much enjoyment as it was made with. So I'm and I'm always so psyched to be on this. I can't believe I get to do it again. No, it's really phenomenal. Please cut out the parts that didn't work.

[Mike Birbiglia]

I'm going to cut out all of my street jam, all of the parts where you said really disparaging things about Jesus, which I really don't appreciate. But we'll keep this part in. We'll take that part out. Thank you very much.

[Alex Edelman]

Thanks, man. Working it out. Cause it's not done. We're working it out.

[Mike Birbiglia]

Cause there's no. That's gonna do it. For another episode of Working it out, you can follow Alex on Instagram Alex Edelman. You can get tickets to his show@alex edelmancomedy.com you can watch the full video of this episode on our YouTube channel @Mike Birbiglia and subscribe. We're posting more and more videos. I'm actually working on a video just for that YouTube channel. So subscribe. Click subscribe today over on YouTube. Check out birdbigs.com to sign up for the mailing list. To be the first to know about my upcoming shows, our producers of Working it out are myself, along with Peter Salomon, Joseph Birbiglia and Mabel Lewis. Associate producer Gary Simons. Sound mix by Ben Cruz. Supervising engineer, Kate Belinsky. Special thanks to Jack Antonoff and Bleachers for their music. Special thanks to my wife, the poet J. Hope Stein, and our daughter Una, who built the original radio fort made of pillows to make it sound real nice. Thanks most of all to you who are listening. If you enjoy this show, go over to Apple Podcasts and just like write a little review. I enjoy it. This is my favorite episode, you know, because there's like a hundred episodes, all free. No paywall. We've been doing this for five years. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell. Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell you see him tooling around in his pickup truck that he won and I'm sure is still driving today? Hey, Greenwell, while you're out in your pickup, plug this podcast into your stereo. It's where comedian and one time Red Sox fan Mike Birbigli talks to comedian and other creatives about comedy and the creative process. I hear it's a home run. Thanks, everybody. We're working it out. I'll see you next time.