Podcast Summary: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

Episode 193: Vir Das Returns: How to Find Your Voice, Literally

Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Mike Birbiglia
Guest: Vir Das, comedian, actor, author

Overview

In this episode, Mike Birbiglia welcomes Indian comedian, actor, and writer Vir Das for his second appearance on the show. Their conversation explores Vir’s recent memoir Outsider, his creative process and struggles—literally finding his voice after vocal cord cysts—his journey between cultures and art forms, and the unique tension comedians navigate between authenticity and acceptance. Together, they "work out" both new jokes and bigger existential questions about comedy, storytelling, and personal growth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Finding One’s Voice, Literally and Artistically

• Vir’s voice crisis:

  • Vir describes waking up with vocal cysts the morning of a sold-out special taping, consultations with an ENT, and working with "Adele's speech therapist" to get his voice back in a week instead of six months.

  "The guy's like, all right, six months. And I'm like, fuck you. … Then I got taken to Adele's speech therapist and she was like, I'll get you back on stage in seven [days]." —Vir Das [04:00]

  • Mike shares his own experience with vocal health as a comedian, noting comedians are “vocalists of a sort” and often forget how much they rely on their voices [04:15].

• The sensation of memory in storytelling:

  • Vir reflects on how much writing a memoir forced him to comb through dim childhood memories, especially his formative years in Nigeria.

  "I have very few childhood memories before nine ... I just have these flashes." —Vir Das [06:13]

  • Both discuss the authenticity of not pretending to remember every detail, citing Mary Karr and David Sedaris as inspirations [06:44].

Cultural and Artistic Transitions

• Feelings of being an outsider:
  • From Nigeria to India to the US, and from Bollywood to stand-up, Vir has consistently felt “out of place.”

  "I'm kind of like the loser at the party who's like, how the fuck am I here?" —Vir Das [09:31]

  • The title of his memoir, Outsider, reflects this ongoing sense of confusion and failure as legitimate narrators of experience [10:00].

Creative Process & Experiments

• Creating new comedy formats:

  • Vir describes his new show Sounds of India, which blends rapid-fire stand-up with 80+ evocative sound cues from Indian life (rickshaws, parliament, school songs, etc.).

  "It's kind of like stand up meets tech a little bit...very rapid fire … and I try to do the thing of, here's what it is and here's how I feel about it." —Vir Das [12:10]

  • The innovative staging: a tree of cans representing sounds, audience wristbands that light and vibrate, and immersive concert-like effects [13:12].

• Performing two shows simultaneously:

  • Vir discusses alternating between deeply personal one-man storytelling (Hey Stranger) and the sensory-forward Sounds of India.

Authenticity in Comedy & Industry Observations

• Authenticity vs. Inauthenticity:

  • Vir and Mike discuss the challenge of transitioning from film to stand-up, noting that stand-ups “have the curse of authenticity.”

  "The audience would be like, you wouldn't watch this shit. Why would I pay to watch this shit? I've seen your stand up." —Vir Das [16:46]

• Family feeling of the Comedy Cellar:

  • Both comics find camaraderie and authenticity at the Comedy Cellar, NYC, because status and fame give you no advantage—you're judged by fellow comics and audience.

  "They don't care how famous you are...Do two seller comics think you're funny and then you're in." —Vir Das [17:41]

• Comfort with bombing & trying new material:

  • Mike and Vir reflect on the unique pressure to kill at the Cellar and how they “bury” new jokes in the middle of proven material.

  "I will do new jokes, but only in the middle of my set." —Mike [18:46] "If like a random Indian dude walks up and he's like, here's my new stuff guys, they're like, yo, you are new stuff." —Vir Das [19:29]

• The camaraderie of comics as 'lonely people':

  • The comfort found among other comedians is attributed to shared hardship, honest interaction, and being understood without social graces:

  "At any given point, your life experience probably isn't the shittiest at the table." —Vir Das [20:16] "It's interaction without social graces... A 45-second silence is fine." —Vir Das [21:07]

Personal Growth, Grief, and Relationships

• On marriage, grief, and connection:

  • Vir shares a vulnerable period when his wife wanted a divorce, his dog was dying, and the pandemic forced them into close quarters, ultimately strengthening their relationship through mutual compassion and caretaking.

  "Your achievements...are: Hey, he ate today. He did a good job. You know, I'll take the night shift. You're just cooperating all of a sudden." —Vir Das [26:01]

  • Observes how their bond was healed through shared loss and responsibilities [27:46].

• Rescuing street dogs:

  • Vir shares the story of two street dogs, Stupid and Lucy, joining his home—a metaphor for finding belonging [29:04].

Creative Habits and Philosophy

• Journaling & joke-writing:

  • Vir admits to journaling daily in a way he can’t read back—“regurgitation, not writing”—just to clear his mind for creativity [29:47].
  • Both discuss the importance of capturing rough ideas, then revisiting to extract promising bits [30:53].
  • Vir’s flow state: writing 90–120 minutes every morning right after waking for dream-fueled creativity [31:18].

• Filmmaking as stand-up:

  • Vir and Mike agree that directing a film is the closest experience to doing stand-up—control over every aspect, “infect[ing] every part of it with your madness" [32:39].
  • Discuss the Indian “narration” tradition: performing an entire film solo for producers as an immersive pitch [34:03].

• Influences and cultural upbringing:

  • Vir grew up on a mix of Bollywood and American/English-language TV and comedy, with Richard Pryor as an early stand-up hero [34:41].
  • Notes that "stories are not told, they are remembered," a wisdom passed from his diplomat grandfather that influences his pacing and comfort with silence on stage [39:05].

Craft of Storytelling and Stand-Up

• Elements of great stories:

  "If you were the same at the end of the story as you were before the story, don't tell the goddamned story." —Vir Das [41:26]

  • Transformation and interaction are the heart of personal stories [42:12].
  • Both note the importance of not forcibly injecting jokes when a moment isn’t funny, and trusting in the emotional arc [40:30].

• Working on bits live:

  • Vir “works out” a new observational bit about childhood games with a guard holding an AK47, playing with game mechanics like tag or hide and seek turned dark [52:00].

  "Hide and seek with an AK47 is really just cry and hunt." —Vir Das [52:04] "Tag with an AK47 is just a one-round game." —Vir Das [51:57]

Reflections, Advice, and Memorable Moments

On Music, Envy, and Advice

• Vir is deeply jealous of musicians and admires their instant sense of identity and cool [47:27].
• Best advice received:

  "You won't know when it's good. You'll only know when it's bad. So make sure to look around a lot." —Vir Das [48:31]

On Milestones and Savoring Moments

• Vir reflects on performing at Carnegie Hall and the importance of recognizing “you brought them, they brought you” and soaking in fleeting triumphs [50:20].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On finding your voice:

  "You don't think of yourself as a vocalist. And you go, no, you are a vocalist. Just a different type of vocalist." —Mike Birbiglia [04:15]

• On memoir writing:

  "Nobody tells you writing a book is writing it seven times, you know?" —Vir Das [05:41]

• On authenticity in comedy:

  "We have the curse of authenticity. We don't get to be inauthentic." —Vir Das [16:32]

• On the Comedy Cellar:

  "They don't care how many Netflix specials you've had. They don't care about any of that.” —Vir Das [17:41]

• On comics’ camaraderie:

  "We're lonely people." —Mike Birbiglia [20:47]
  "It's interaction without social graces.” —Vir Das [21:07]

• On the craft of storytelling:

  "Stories are not told, they are remembered, and they just come out of your mouth." —Vir Das [39:05]

• On change through story:

  "It has to have advanced you. And if it hasn't, I don't think it's worth telling." —Vir Das [41:13]

• On savoring success:

  "You won’t know when it’s good. You’ll only know when it’s bad. So make sure to look around a lot." —Vir Das [48:31]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:15] — Vir Das's vocal health crisis and recovery
• [05:30] — Writing a memoir, unreliable memory, crafting authenticity
• [07:15] — Sensory details and childhood in Nigeria
• [09:31] — Always feeling like an outsider
• [12:10] — Sounds of India show: concept and execution
• [14:35] — Influence of 'Old Man in the Pool' and taking stories to Lincoln Center
• [16:46] — Discussing authenticity/inauthenticity in comedy and Bollywood
• [17:41] — Entry rules and the spirit of the Comedy Cellar
• [20:47] — Comics as lonely people; camaraderie
• [24:32] — Pandemic, near-divorce, marriage, and healing through grief
• [29:47] — Vir’s unreadable journaling habit
• [32:39] — Parallels between stand-up and film directing
• [39:05] — Storytelling: pacing, silence, remembering
• [41:13] — What makes a great story
• [48:31] — The importance of “looking around” and recognizing good moments
• [51:57] — Vir’s AK47 childhood game bit
• [57:09] — Shout-out to the Goa dog rescue charity Yoda

Additional Highlights

Working It Out for a Cause:

• Vir’s chosen charity is Yoda (Goa-based stray animal rescue); the podcast donates and links in the show notes [57:09].

Closing Compliments:

• Vir credits Mike’s Old Man in the Pool as a major influence, aspiring to reach such craftsmanship in his own storytelling [57:37].

Conclusion

This engaging and deeply personal episode stands out for its blend of humor, vulnerability, and creative wisdom. Vir Das and Mike Birbiglia offer listeners a rare look at the intersection of cultural identity, voice (in all senses), and the art of making people laugh in the face of misadventure, uncertainty, and change. Their open, self-effacing tone is both inspiring and instructive for anyone interested in the craft of comedy or the journey toward self-understanding.