135: Behind the Instrument with Isabel Hagen | Soder Podcast | EP 133

Summary

Soder Podcast Episode 135: "Behind the Instrument with Isabel Hagen"

Release Date: May 26, 2026
Host: Dan Soder
Guest: Isabel Hagen

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Episode Overview

This episode of the Soder Podcast dives deep into the intersection of music and comedy, as Dan Soder sits down with stand-up comic and classically-trained violist Isabel Hagen. Together, they unpack what it means to transition from the rarified world of Juilliard and classical music to the unpredictable realm of comedy clubs, the shared DNA of discipline and creative struggle, and the unique anxieties faced by performers on both sides of the artistic spectrum. Throughout the episode, Soder and Hagen reflect honestly (and hilariously) on bombing, finding joy in your craft, and the pressures of building a career in today’s social media-driven comedy landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Inside Baseball" of Stand-Up and Comedy’s Evolution

• Timestamps: 01:21–04:42
• Dan opens with his love for “inside baseball” talk within comedy (and pro wrestling), paralleling how fans and practitioners love shop talk that outsiders might find tedious.
• Discussion about the evolution of storied comedy venues (e.g., The Bitter End) and their place in comedy history.
  • “Both versions of Carlin and Pryor did the Bitter End... watching really good comics before they get good, you see a glimmer of who they become.” — Dan (03:59)

2. Isabel’s Musical Roots & Juilliard Years

• Timestamps: 06:23–14:00
• The two compare the discipline of classical musicians with athletes, and how those childhood habits shape a person.
  • Isabel describes starting in Juilliard’s preparatory program at age 12, growing up in a family of self-directed musicians in NYC.
    • “It was super my choosing because I was so like isolated and had no social skills… this is what I'm good at. All my friends play music. This is my world.” — Isabel (10:22)
  • Dan draws parallels to self-discipline learned in wrestling.
• Isabel and Dan joke about the social lives (or lack thereof) in classical music, and the notorious self-deprecating “viola jokes.”

3. From Classical Music to Stand-Up: Facing Performance Anxiety

• Timestamps: 17:35–36:29
• Isabel describes her struggles with performance anxiety on viola, which grew more severe the more pressure she experienced.
  • “The older I got and the more serious I was taking it and the more pressure I was putting on myself, it was just botching everything.” — Isabel (17:50)
• Turning to comedy, partly inspired by watching comedians like Carlin and Chappelle (20:01–21:12).
• The difference between feeling expressive confidence in solitude versus freezing up in performance settings.
• Both discuss the transferability of discipline between music/wrestling and comedy, and the importance of “just playing” or following your natural instincts in creative work.
  • “I think that's right. A lot of comedians... forget they're supposed to be funny. They get really into the math of the joke.” — Isabel (13:45)

4. The Tragic and Comic Realities of Open Mics

• Timestamps: 25:15–34:23
• Isabel recounts entering the NYC stand-up scene:
  • “Being introduced to a New York City open mic... it was six guys not listening and you just waiting to talk on a stage that’s two feet by one foot.” — Dan (25:44)
• The “pain and shame” of failing in front of other comics and how it toughens performers.
• Reflections on bombing, momentary breakthroughs, and memorable “unlock” moments—like seeing Nate Bargatze find his voice through adversity.

5. Stand-Up as Craft—Pacing, Set Length, and the Viola Mashup

• Timestamps: 36:29–43:08
• Why Isabel waited years before incorporating viola into her act (“I wanted to prove I could do stand-up”).
• The unique challenges of learning how to headline and sustain a crowd over long sets.
  • “If even if you have 45 minutes of jokes... it's still a muscle of sustaining the crowd. If you're losing them, knowing how to get them back...” — Isabel (37:54)
• The “court vision” of comedy pacing, likened to elite athletes.
  • “In stand up, that's kind of like pacing... it's an elite level that people don't understand how hard of a skill that is.” — Dan (41:51)

6. The Double-Edged Sword of Artistic Joy and Burnout

• Timestamps: 48:02–53:20
• How rediscovering music in a low-pressure context (like wedding gigs) reignites joy.
  • “But we end up playing like a beautiful arrangement... and I’m like, I love music. This is great, you know?” — Isabel (48:02)
• Both discuss the perils of content burnout and constantly feeding the social media beast versus focusing on craft.

7. The Realities of a Life in Music—and What Could Have Been

• Timestamps: 53:54–59:50
• Isabel contemplates an alternate life as a full-time classical musician (e.g., playing in Broadway pits), and the steady, low-stress appeal it sometimes holds.
  • “What if I just did that and didn't have to constantly be making these calculations and strategies and just started a family?” — Isabel (50:29)

8. Rejection, Triumph, and the Bitter End

• Timestamps: 54:50–61:02
• Isabel details her college audition experiences, including her devastating Curtis Institute rejection (and crying at Qdoba), as well as the bittersweet joy of her Juilliard acceptance (“that was the best day”).
  • “Put up a piece of paper, cut. No. So no.”—Isabel (Curtis)
  • “My mom and I, we went to 16 Handles. We walked around in the warmth. It was the best day.” (59:18)

9. Community, Friendship, and the Difference Between Comics and Musicians

• Timestamps: 63:18–66:13
• Isabel admits she feels more at home with musicians than with comics, and discusses the loneliness of trying to “break in” to the comedy scene despite her deep roots in NYC.
  • “Everyone's like, who's your crew in comedy? And I'm like, nobody.” — Isabel (63:33)

10. Joy vs. Metrics: The Real Rewards of Art

• Timestamps: 67:01–73:56
• The duo swap thoughts on what truly makes the grind worthwhile: fleeting moments of transcendence, fun with audiences, not money or follower counts.
  • “The payoff is being in the moment, doing the thing you like, and going, I really enjoy this.” — Dan (68:11)
• Isabel on the frustration of today’s landscape: doing everything “right” on social media but still struggling to sell tickets.
  • “I'm doing well. My special's coming out and I can't sell a ticket to save my goddamn life.” — Isabel (72:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On performance anxiety and switching careers
  “It was a miracle I didn’t botch my Juilliard audition... I felt like, oh, I suck at this instrument. I’m not getting any better.” — Isabel (17:50, 18:23)

• On the pain of public rejection
  “Best audition of my life [at Curtis]. I come out, I see my mom. I’m like, I nailed that. Twenty minutes later, they put up a piece of paper: cut. No." — Isabel (55:26)

• On musical prowess as a secret weapon in comedy
  “Comedy fans are just like, wow, an instrument. Like, I’ve never seen that before. You are showing fire to cavemen.” — Dan (36:09)

• On surviving NYC open mics
  “The pain and the shame is something you get exposed to so quickly. It toughens you really quickly.” — Isabel (25:57)

• On the trap of chasing social media metrics
  “We're all being lied to... the only thing that makes it worth doing is the love of it.” — Isabel (69:52)

• On fleeting joy after a good set
  “If you love comedy and you have a good set, for at least an hour, nothing can get you down.” — Isabel (68:24)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 03:32 – Isabel’s special “At the Bitter End” and the venue’s history
• 09:00 – Isabel’s Juilliard origins and upbringing
• 17:35 – Performance anxiety in music and comedy
• 25:27 – First open mic experiences & early comedy lessons
• 36:29 – Bringing viola on stage & finding her voice as a headliner
• 48:02 – Rediscovering the joy in music after leaving it for comedy
• 53:54 – Isabel’s thoughts about “the road not taken” in classical music
• 55:26 – The Curtis Institute audition and heartbreak
• 59:07 – The joy of getting into Juilliard
• 63:33 – On not having a comedy “crew” and why musicians are her people
• 68:11 – Defining what really matters for lifelong performers

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Tone & Language

Conversational, irreverent, self-aware, and emotionally candid—true to both Dan Soder’s and Isabel Hagen’s comedic sensibilities. The episode balances laugh-out-loud asides with honest reflection on self-doubt, joy, and the grind of creative careers.

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Final Thoughts

For comics, musicians, or anyone navigating creative pursuits, this episode offers a funny and refreshingly real window into how joy, discipline, disappointment, and perseverance are deeply intertwined in the lives of artists. Above all, listeners are left with a message to keep searching for meaning in the work itself—not its external rewards.

Watch Isabel Hagen’s special “At The Bitter End” on Veeps, and follow her for more music/comedy mashups.

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(Note: Advertisements, intro/outro, and non-content sections have been omitted as per instructions.)

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody, if you are in Key West, Florida, June 1 and June 2, I'm going to be doing comedy Key West. Go to dansoder.com to get those tickets. And then if you live in the Bay Area, we are going to open up more tickets for this special June 13th. I'm probably going to do that through Instagram, so keep a lookout on my Instagram outside of that. Got a huge announcement coming up of all the clubs I'm going to be hitting soon, including the Comedy Vault in Batavia. We also got what else we got coming up. We got New York Comedy Club in Stanford. That's going to be awesome. The Port in Baltimore and a bunch of other clubs where I'm working on the building the new hour. So we're going to have an announcement soon with a poster and everything. It's not a tour because it's not really a tour. It's just me on the road building a new hour. But we're going to let you know what all those cities are dates all throughout the rest of the year very, very soon. I appreciate you watching the podcast and of course, I appreciate you coming out to the show because doing standup rules and you guys are the best audiences. That's what everyone says when I bring them on the road, they go, damn, these audiences rule. And that's a. That's because of you. It's because of you. So I appreciate that. Dance order.com for tickets. Enjoy the episode. I think people like Inside Baseball about stand up to a certain extent.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Like, I'm a huge pro wrestling fan. I could listen to Inside Baseball about pro wrestling all day.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Like, I watched a video on YouTube one time of Stone Cold Steve Austin talking about the different ring sizes between companies and how it affected his matches in a way that I was like, this is for a very few nerdy wrestling fans.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Right. Because he's just talking about how the speed of it changed the momentum of the match. And. And I'm like, oh, I want to listen to that. But anybody that isn't a wrestling fan would be like, what the Are they talking about?

[B]

What about actual wrestlers? You think it's interesting to them or is it like, too.

[A]

It's still kind of like young wrestlers. I think the way that we get interested when we hear people that, thanks, buddy. That we like comedy. Talk about comedy. I think it's like, I could listen to Colin Quinn talk about comedy for hours.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

I could listen to Chris Rock. I could listen to Adam Sandler or, you know, I always liked listening. Norm was Always funny. But yeah, I love, I love Inside Baseball for that. But I think sometimes comedy podcasts can slip too easily into like. But then the green room is right.

[B]

And. Oh, well, are you past there? Oh, well, you know.

[A]

Well, you know, you know, Brian.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Also, there's a lot of things now where, like, people could see your comedy. So you can't talk about it if you suck.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because they'll go, well, I'll just watch you.

[B]

Let me watch one clip. Let me find out if this is true in 30 seconds.

[A]

Or even if you see somebody in a room. I've watched very popular podcasters do stand up and go, like. And you go on yours and say, you're good at this.

[B]

Yeah,

[A]

that's. But that is also like. So you said you're. We were fixing the mics. Hey, welcome to my podcast. I never do a real intro. I don't know why I'm doing this. This is Isabella Hagen. Please watch her special. She's hilarious. It's on a website that I tried operating and it made me feel very old and I thought I was gonna remember it. What's it called?

[B]

It's on Veeps.

[A]

Veeps. V v e-p s.com go watch her special. Isabella Hagan at the Bitter End. Which you think, oh, she's at her bitter end. But no, you did a show at the Bitter End.

[B]

It was my first special, so I thought it'd be funny to call it at the Bitter End too.

[A]

Like, well, we're talking about comedy nerdom. You know what happened in that room?

[B]

Well, I know the, like, Carlin's been there and stuff. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

But like, both versions of Prior, when he moved to the city from Peoria, Illinois and was doing, like, clean and, like, nice. He was working, like, both versions of Carlin and Prior did the Bitter End.

[B]

Right?

[A]

The I'm. I'm buttoned up in a suit. Isn't that like that. And then the long hair or the tie dye.

[B]

Carlin.

[A]

Yeah. Or Prior after he went to Berkeley and was wearing like dashikis and. And being like, yeah, I suck dick. I'm addicted to it. Which is crazy. Watch Prior's special. I think it's called up in Smoke. It's like a really shitty thing that was shot at the New York improv and he bombs. But you, like, see the beginning of a lot of bits that became, like, huge.

[B]

It's fun to watch really good comics, like, before they get fully good. Like, there's a lot of late night sets you can watch of comics early on, you're like, I see it, though. Like, there's like one joke where you see a glimmer of who they become.

[A]

And you're like, the best example of that is the HBO Young comedians special from 1995, I think. Can you look this up? I think it's 1995. It is Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Dave Attel and someone else. And all three of those guys, there's moments where they slip into the thing where you go, that's like, Louie's doing like, joke jokes. And then he has a moment where he's like, Louie, Right. Same with a tell. A tells the one that you notice the most because it tells. Doing jokes. Then he does like a. Well, maybe I did it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the biopic. That would be the moment where someone goes, that's the song, right?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. But something that we were fixing the mics for that I wanted with Young Comedians by Gary Shandling. And it's Chappelle, Louis Attel. Who else? Harlan Williams? No, I think it's the guy from Boston Common. What was that actor? I want to get the full lineup. We'll get it. We. Sometimes we get stuff in real time and you watch it, but Isabelle. Anthony Clark, I don't know who he is, but Anthony Clark, who you would know from the USA show Boston Common and did a bunch of other stuff. But that special is crazy because you watch him go like, oh, you have it for just a split second, I

[B]

have to watch that. I've watched some old, like, Louis late night stuff. And you see he's doing like a lot of absurdist things that he kind of drops.

[A]

That's what that is.

[B]

And then. But then you see one, like, premise where you're like, that's such a Louis Math kind of premise where he talks

[A]

about his life in a way where you go, no one's doing that. Yeah, no one's doing that. You. What's. What's crazy is you are a classically trained musician. Yeah. And in a way, I don't mean like, you played the piano for three years. You played the viola. Yeah, the viola. Which is insane because it's. This is an outsider speaking to me. It represents like actual art. Like, actual art to me is like painting music in. In a strings sense. I don't know why guitar doesn't do it for me. But a piano in, like, the viola, the violin, the cello.

[B]

Yeah. Well, guitar has been butchered by, like,

[A]

singer songwriters and guys in court at college trying to get pussy.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. There's like an ulterior motive. No one's. No one's playing the viola to get pussy.

[A]

I mean, I don't know. There could be some sweet Asian pussy that at the end of that, I don't know.

[B]

I will also say, like, classical musician girls are generally pretty hot.

[A]

Yeah, they are. You guys are also, like, kept in your tower.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You have to practice for so long.

[B]

We are like an untapped. I remember I dated a drummer for a few years.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

I think it was him who said this. Like a jazz drummer. And he would meet all my friends and just be like, oh, my God, like, you guys gotta get in this classical music world. All her friends are so fucking hot.

[A]

Just him going back and being like, you have no idea what I sound. El Dorado of pussy. It's just they're all trapped behind these sheets of music. They're buried under this avalanche of notes. So he does. Was he in, like, a jazz band? Because to me, jazz drumming is still art.

[B]

It's still art. But he wasn't meeting this group of girls. But yeah.

[A]

I mean, God, you guys are such nerds that jazz drummers are bad boys.

[B]

Oh, they were. Yeah, totally.

[A]

What?

[B]

They're like, yeah, right.

[A]

Sunglasses on, and they're like, did I tell you we smoke weed? Meanwhile, real drummers are like, I woke up from a heroin overdose. And then I wrote this.

[B]

Well, because Juilliard has a jazz program.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So those were like the bad boys. But then there were the classical percussionists, who are like the six mallet marimba players. And, like. But they were also, like, a hot level above the, like, you know, guys who played violin.

[A]

So. At Juilliard. Because you went to Juilliard. Yeah. Which is. Look it up. If you don't know, it is like, an elite form. It's an elite art school. I would say it's the. It's the school.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

What age?

[B]

Most famous one.

[A]

At what age did you think Juilliard was a. An option?

[B]

Oh, well, I went to their preparatory program on, like, on Saturdays. So honestly, since age.

[A]

You grow up in New York.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you're a city kid.

[B]

I'm a city kid since age 12, where my brother went before me. So I was like, oh, he can go. I could go.

[A]

You know, for my simple brain, athletics wise, this is like, you come from a basketball family that's like, going to go play at a top. Like, you're going to North Carolina.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're like, my. My brother went there. I was going to go. So, like, was your Parents kind of letting you know, like, you kids are going to learn instruments and you're going to go to Juilliard.

[B]

Not Juilliard. My dad's a jazz sax player, so he had a very like, chill approach to it. But he's like a lover of learning and like, was learning music theory just like stage self teaching himself. And so he was like teaching us triads on the piano and just being like, just wanted to like, expand our mind.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And then we got really. And then because they were like paying for lessons, they're like, you're gonna practice. But they were also kind of like, don't go to a music conservatory. Go to like a real school where you can have like a broader options.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

But my brother and I were both like, no, fuck that. We just want to do music because we were so, like focused and nerdy about it.

[A]

Did that feel like your choosing or did you feel like you were kind of like led to the water?

[B]

It was super my choosing because I was so like isolated and had no social skills. And like, all I could do was like, I had friends, but I was just like practicing and I was like, this is what I'm good at. All my friends play music. I'm just, this is my world and

[A]

I don't mean to dance on your pain but ain't nothing better than hearing a lonely girl play a viola from a far away room. How haunting is that? It's that sadness of no social life. And this is. Yeah, I. I am impressed by the discipline of it. I would say musicians that do, you know, whether it's woodwinds or like pianos and stuff like that. To me that's like the same discipline as I think about Mike Vecchione with wrestling, where I'm like, you have to watch your diet. You have to like, wrestler. Yeah, he was a collegiate wrestler.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Which makes a lot of sense.

[B]

It does make sense.

[A]

And I lived with him for 10 years and he's the most self disciplined person I've ever seen in my life.

[B]

Really.

[A]

As far as diet, exercise, doing the things. But you realize those were fundamentally built as a child. Wrestling. Him coming up through wrestling, the way that probably you have disciplines in ways that you're like, oh, that's good for comedy.

[B]

Totally. It's transferable. That's why, like, it does. It's okay if you're serious about something and then you quit it. You still get that discipline, which is like, that's the thing.

[A]

So do you have an easier time sitting down and writing jokes?

[B]

I think so.

[A]

Because of the. The reason I asked that is because of the repetition of like practicing. Do you get pissed if people say violin by accident?

[B]

Not anymore.

[A]

But you did.

[B]

I used to be like, actually. And now I just.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm already so like border unlikable because of my like. I just. I let it ride, you know.

[A]

Yeah. I mean that is a thing where. When you were, when you were coming, when you were growing up, did. Were you territorial about it? Like.

[B]

Well, I was around mostly people who just definitely knew that like it was mostly just other string players. So there was no issue and. But I was very like proud of it. And also there's a tradition of like viola jokes. Like the viola is the butt of the, like it's the one we make fun of in the orchestra really. So I was always like telling viola jokes and like really leaning into the like self hating identity of a violist. That.

[A]

That's interesting to learn.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Those tuba players, they don't like self deprecation. It's probably the instrument that makes them feel bad. Walking around going, when you play the fat guy walking instrument, you can't be really be self deprecated. I'm always. Well, because I grew up like the transferable thing was I was, you know, which is kind of hacky. I was the class clown, but I was the guy at work that always get in trouble for being funny. And then I realized that was transfer to comedy. Like just like take that.

[B]

And do you realize being funny was transferable to comedy?

[A]

Well, yeah, that's how stupid I am. This is why I stayed away from woodwind instruments. But I just, I. I think honestly. And this is kind of embarrassing, didn't realize that.

[B]

No.

[A]

I like went into comedy and I would write jokes and you stand there and you tell jokes and I was like, oh, I have the skill of like just bring the energy that you have getting in trouble at work to stand. That was when things started to click, which on paper you go, yeah, dipshit. Be funny in the funny place.

[B]

I think that's right. A lot of comedians, like new comedians, I think they forget they're supposed to be funny.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they get really into like the math of the joke.

[A]

That was exactly what happened.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where I was so insecure about my actual joke writing that I was like, no, there has to be a premise in a setup and a punch instead of just probably what you're able to do now with music is just play. Like, I was like, just play and then find out the shit.

[B]

Right.

[A]

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[B]

I was. It was a few things. Like, I have really bad performance anxiety. My hands shake.

[A]

So, like, great for stand up holding a microphone.

[B]

I mean, it's. I clutch it and it's kind of my Persona. Honestly, it's a lot better than trying to play a viola when you're shaking.

[A]

So that would happen to you.

[B]

That would happen. Like, and the older I got and the more serious I was taking it and, like, pressure I was putting on myself, it was just botching everything. Like, it's a miracle. I didn't botch my Juilliard audition, but I was just, like, really falling on my face in a lot of situations.

[A]

Was it. Was it like a thing where if the audience was there, you were shaking, but if you were by yourself, you're just like, oh, yeah.

[B]

No, I'm like, I'm. I was like, oh, I sound so good. I can't wait.

[A]

And I'm not gonna lie, this isn't helping you beat the sad girl in the tower allegation. You're just softly playing something whimsical.

[B]

Oh, yeah. But just like, I wanted to give it up. I felt like, oh, I suck at this instrument. Like, I'm not getting any better. I just don't want to do this anymore. And then I would watch, like, it was kind of the time when, like, Louis started putting a lot of stuff on YouTube. I feel like maybe, but like, my. My roommate from Iceland was like, have you heard of this?

[A]

Sorry. I love it. No, because it's the Icelandic accent, the way they are. They're very like. And this is a. I have a small sample size. I've only been a Reykjavik once. But like, they're very like. Do you hear about those, y'? All? They're very like, I'm sorry to all the Icelandic people that are watching. You're beautiful people. Yeah, you're all inbred, but you're beautiful people. But they're very. I was doing this joke because I went to Sweden and Iceland and I went like. The joke was, I went to Sweden and I found out that I'm half boring because my family's half Irish and half Swedish. And you're like, oh no man, I'm half boring. And then I was like. And then I went to Iceland and the people in Iceland made the Swedes look Italian. Like the way that. They're like gelax, the fish so open. You're like, are you mad at me?

[B]

It's a virtuosic practicality over there.

[A]

Yeah. They're very like, listen, you live on a tiny island in a very cold part of the northern hemisphere. You're going to be like, what the. Okay, Right, right. Why are you here? I don't trust you. Show me El Salvad. Whereas like, they don't have the equator where they could be hot and naked and being like, come here, I love you. There is in the north, like, I do not trust you. You've come to ashore, go on to fish soup. So. But your neighbor, your roommate from Iceland was like, she was like, Were you exposed to comedy at all before that?

[B]

Yeah. So my brother would watch George Carlin and I would always be like. And Chappelle, like early Chappelle. And I was like, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I think I caught like an early Bill Maher special on cable one time even and was like, that was amazing. Like he calls it back at the end.

[A]

Like I just loved first time seeing a callback. You go, black people with street magic. You go, you're like. He talked about that earlier.

[B]

It was like more impactful than the first time I came, you know, so

[A]

funny a callback being better than the first orgasm.

[B]

Bill Maher callback, mmkay

[A]

mmkay. I've never liked him and I don't give a shit. I know it's cool to hate Bill Maher now. That smarmy fuck always bugged me. And I went through the 18 to 22 year old phase of getting heavily, heavily into Bill Hicks, heavily Into Bill Hicks. Shout out Celeste, this girl I went to college with, she gave me a DVD of all the Hicks stuff. And I, like, would watch it nonstop and listen to the albums. And then I found out Politically Incorrect was written for Bill Hicks. And then he died, and Bill Maher took it over, and I was like, man, all my homies hate Bill Maher.

[B]

Yeah. I was just at the tail end of the era where you still would, like, give someone your CD or your. You know, there's something so romantic to that.

[A]

A CD or.

[B]

Here's my DVD.

[A]

Yeah, DVD was. For me, it was CDs.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Early 2000s, Doug Stanhope became one of my favorite of all time because of all, like, comics in Arizona would give each other burnt CDs, and you're like, oh, you haven't heard. So it's like, I know Stanhope hours that I don't know the hours knowing by the bits because I'd listen to that CD so much. But you know what was a special that, because of the CD changed, was David Spade's Take the hit.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I watched it back in the day and thought it was funny, but Bargetsy was obsessed with it, and we would listen to it, and I was like, this is one of my favorite hours. Because you're listening to it, and you. When you listen to something, you really like, give your time to it, you know? I don't know.

[B]

You mean, like, versus watching it or dvd.

[A]

Like, we're driving, listening to it, and so there's nothing else to do but just look at the road and listen to the standup. And that was how I listened to a lot of albums, and then no

[B]

one listens that way anymore because we have the competing phone.

[A]

But I know just from being on the bonfire with, like, a lot of truckers as fans and. And having YouTube and stuff, people like to listen while they're driving. Podcasts and standup, though standup is still popular for people to listen to, which I think is without seeing it live. Outside of seeing it live. I think the best way is to

[B]

listen to it while driving, not watch a special.

[A]

I think for different people. I think my preferable thing is I like to drive and listen to an album.

[B]

Yeah, well, because you can't focus on anything else except the road and the.

[A]

And that's it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And there's, like, probably because of my age, I romanticize stuff with it. Like when I used to listen to Bill Burr's Emotionally Unavailable. There's a point where I was doing comedy where I could hear them Printing the checks to do the check spot. And I went, oh, he's really. Because he did it at the Laugh House in Philadelphia. And you're like, oh, he's doing it at, like, a club. Like, you can hear. Like, you can hear the chits coming up. And you're like, oh. And that just. To me, I heard that because I was listening to it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Not because I was watching a special.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

Like I was somewhere and like, oh, I can hear that.

[B]

And there is, like more of a. I don't know if you're taking out senses.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You're kind of almost watching it more

[A]

or, you know, you're hyper focused on. Yeah, but with you, with the state. That's why I'm so intrigued by the stage fright thing. When did that start becoming a problem?

[B]

It was always kind of. I would always be a little shaky when I played, but I kind of got through it. And then I started getting nervous about getting nervous. You know, I'd anticipate the nerves, and then I was done. I got total yips. I would take beta blockers that, like, slow down your heart rate. That would help a little.

[A]

But was there a moment taking the beta blockers where you go. Were you just, like, frustrated where you're like, well, then, fuck. I'm not.

[B]

I'm like, I can't do this without taking a fucking pill. Like, there's no. I didn't feel ashamed. Like, I don't judge anyone who takes them, but it's just for me, I was like, like, why can't I just do this? Like, what's wrong with me?

[A]

What was your way out of it?

[B]

Well, and then I got an injury. I got, like, a repetitive stress injury while I was at school. Just from, like, you know. Wanking. Yeah. From ripping.

[A]

It's like, oh, no, this. Oh, sorry. I got this injury from just. Absolutely. Are you familiar with Mozart?

[B]

Yeah. No. It was the Bachelor third partita, I think, that did me in.

[A]

That's crazy that you have a Jeopardy answer for your injury. A lot of people go, I was a. I was running. I was a running back in high school. Second and seven. Isabelle's like, yeah, it's. I don't know if you're familiar with the overture where. It's crazy.

[B]

I mean, it's just. It's. It's meant for violin. The viola is a little wider. So you're playing violin music on an instruments even. Like, it's just really hard on your hand. And I. I just. I kept getting hurt, so I was taking time Off. And then I was in New York because Juilliard's in New York. So I just wanted to say I went to Julia.

[A]

Sorry, I left my Julia sweatshirt in the other room. I went to Julia. You forgot.

[B]

But so then I just started going to open mics because I. I think I met like a wannabe comedian at a party, someone who was doing mics and he was like, well, I do stand up. And I was like, how do you do it? And he's like, oh, you just go to open mics.

[A]

Worse than being introduced to a sex club or a fight club is being introduced level New York City open mics. I started open mics in Tucson at Laughs. It was a comedy club there. It was a show. Even though it was an open mic.

[B]

What a concept.

[A]

People would come, there would be an audience. And then you come to New York open mics and you go, what the is this? It's six guys not listening and you just waiting to talk on a stage that's two feet by one foot.

[B]

There's nothing like it. And I think. I mean, in a way it takes longer because you can't get accurate feedback. But also the pain and the shame is something you get exposed to so quickly. I think it's a good. Like, it toughens you really quickly.

[A]

If I were in the corporate world, I would do a team building exercise where we go sign up for a mic together at 5pm and everybody watches each other. Bomb.

[B]

That would be the best.

[A]

Because you go, where's your ego at?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Because then anytime you're in a group think meeting and you go, no, no, no ideas or bad ideas. Remember when he thought it was a good idea to talk about his wife and he ate. And you're like, oh, oh, my God. You. You're all. That's why it's crazy to me that guys that I went to Mike's with are now famous comedians. Because you go like, I remember a couple of mics. Oh, like Norman List. And I would watch each other just. And pargetzi. I watched Nate. I watched Nate let go. I literally watched him. It was at the Broadway Comedy Club. Used to have this side room called the World. And they would bark in people from Times Square most of the time that did not speak English, right? And they'd put a re. They would put a comic, and then they'd do like four barkers and then another comic. But the barkers would be doing stand up. So it was a nightmare show. And I watched Nate one time, he went first, soft spoken, just doing his jokes, they're not listening. And I watched him just go, like, man, y' all aren't even. And then he just. Like. I watched him fall back, and it truly unlocked him. And he started.

[B]

You need that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, if you're just doing mics in places where the. It's kind of like a decent show, you might not have that moment, as. I mean, you'll have it eventually.

[A]

Yeah, but that moment of, like, I trust myself.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

That's what I saw him have. Because what's funny is if you look at his first album, yelled at by a clown, he. The way the title is is the way that he used to get through bombing. Where you go. Y' all aren't even listening. Track two. Oh, y' all are. Y' all are getting up for the bathroom. Track three. Oh, this joke's starting to work. It's really funny if you. In fact, I have it.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

But see, if you look at it the way it's titled, it's like, titled like, he's giving up. I hope the crowd is great. Number two. I'm losing them. Three. I got him back. For what if I just walked off stage and never came back? 5. I can't do that. Can I tell you what's even interesting? I know I'm doing a lot of Nate Bargets stuff. You know, Go see the Breadwinner in theaters now. I think this picture on the back is from the night he got Lasik. He's like, whole because his hat. He. We did a show in Brooklyn and he. He did stand up the night he got Lasik. No one knows. I don't know why I just remembered that. But he will confirm that. But see what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Track 16. I'm hungry. Oh, this is great number. Track number nine. Where's that guy going? Track 10. I hope he comes back. Track 11. Probably went to the bathroom. Track 12. Or to smoke. Track 13. Or is he walking out and never coming back?

[B]

That's like, yeah, but then. I don't know. That's just such a.

[A]

It's a give up. It's great. That's. How. So with your yips, was there a moment that you were like, it? I'm either. Because I think the worst part about yips is you go into it. It's like being nauseous. If you're like, don't feel nauseous. You're gonna throw up.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Versus going just like, let me puke.

[B]

There was no. With classical music, you can't really be like, you know, fuck it just play like, you know what?

[A]

Bach needs my twist on it.

[B]

It's not like save the Last Dance where she's, like, auditioning for Juliard and then she, like, does her own. Like, that's not how it works.

[A]

You know, I completely forgot that she's on issue for Juilliard in that movie. And that makes me want to know if. Did you want to do a hip hop thing with your viola?

[B]

Not ever. No.

[A]

You do still dre. And they're like.

[B]

They're like, okay, welcome to Juilliard. No, there's, like, no reward for, like, doing your own thing.

[A]

They go you up the thing that everyone's supposed to nail.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

How many? Like, what. What's the timeline of you getting nervous to the beta blockers? To you being like, I'm not gonna use the beta blockers.

[B]

Well, I. No, I still occasionally will even use them.

[A]

Stop. A little bb.

[B]

I mean, you know, take a little

[A]

BB if I'm feeling nasty, you know,

[B]

makes you feel nice and dead inside. It's. Well, so I had a bunch of college auditions. The first one I had was for New England Conservatory. Botched it, like. No. Didn't expect the nerd. I wasn't ready for the pressure.

[A]

What. What is the pressure of that? You go into an empty room with,

[B]

like, you own a room with, like, five teachers there, and you have a. Maybe it prepared, like an hour of repertoire, and they just ask you play this, and then they stop you after like, two minutes. Okay, now play this. And so you're you. They could ask you for anything of

[A]

like an hour in that hour over.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you go, this is everything I know.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Everything I've prepared for this audition, which is like a full concerto, a full box suite, you know, an etude. All the scale. I don't know. Maybe not the scale. I mean, that was pre college. Anyway, so I go in love the

[A]

fact that there is maybe one, I hope, one to five fans that know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah, maybe I know my audience. I'd put it at one to five people.

[B]

There's probably a truck driver who played some violin back in the day.

[A]

Son of a.

[B]

I remember the Kreutzer

[A]

H. Oh, this girl's speaking my language.

[B]

But so, yeah, like, I played so badly that it. I could see, like, the. They look. They looked really like they felt sorry for me.

[A]

Would they do. Did they. Do they ever do the thing where they go, you can do that again?

[B]

I had that happen once in a master class where I played and then he was like, do you want to do that again? And then he said, if I were you, I'd want to do that again. Oh, yeah. It was so bad.

[A]

I want to kill myself.

[B]

I mean, I did.

[A]

I want to.

[B]

I did want to.

[A]

If I were you. That's. Can I say that's not your fault. That's his fault. That's a character flaw with that guy.

[B]

You didn't hear how badly I played, though.

[A]

But did he do the thing?

[B]

Like, it's just like my hands, like, fell off the instrument. I tried. You know, it's like. It's like messing up in a skating routine, you know, but you're just falling.

[A]

I mean, you're talking to a guy that watched a lot of figure skating over the Winter Olympics. So did I. I'm an Alyssa Lou guy.

[B]

Oh, that. That was like, should I just quit, stand up and try to, like, go back to playing viola? Because she was like, I tried. What was it like, another sport?

[A]

Well, she was at the Olympics in Beijing, and she was 16. She's very young. And she didn't do well, didn't meddle, kind of was over it. Was too stressed out, and then lived her life and went on a ski trip and really loved skiing. And she was like, if I can find the competitiveness of this, obviously I'm doing a paraphrase version.

[B]

She was like, I felt the fight. And I was like, well, I'm already good at skating, so why don't I just use this fight? So that's when I was like, oh, should I just take the fight of stand up and just. Just go back to Viola?

[A]

That's the problem with when you watch someone be their. Their true selves. Because if you haven't watched Alyssa Lou's program from the Olympics, it is perfect. The Donna Summer song. The way that she. When she lands that first and it kicks into the disco, you're like. Like, this is. And you. The thing that Katie and I always talked about is how happy she was doing it. There's a picture of her that they took from the top where she's spinning and she's smiling and you're like, this girl's just living her best life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I wonder how many people that motivated in the wrong way, where people went like, yeah, it's like the way a good romance movie, like How Stella Got Her Groove Back probably broke up some good relationships.

[B]

Right, right, right, right.

[A]

Because they're like, no, I should want to fuck on a beach all the time. It's like, not really that should be a flavor, but that can't be the whole flavor.

[B]

When Harry Met Sally, like, these, like, toxic situation ships, they're like, we should be together.

[A]

And that's why Rob Reiner was murdered. And that is the payment for his sins.

[B]

It's just like miserable married couples like you. Rob Reiner.

[A]

Rob Reiner. We fucking had it. But, yeah. Cause sometimes just, you know, for individuals, their thing is gonna make you think. So it made you go like, maybe the viola. Did you pull it out? I mean, did you bust it out and go like, yeah, right. Dance, baby. Did the Devil Went down to Georgia

[B]

I told my husband that night. I was like, I think I'm gonna start practicing again. Then I didn't.

[A]

Yeah. How many people? Just that one night. I mean, I was like. Like, I. I was drunk off. How great of a performance that truly made me be like, I love the Olympics.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I love him so much. Because you see people just like. That's why the quad. God. I don't know if you watched him. He's the only guy that can land, like, a quadruple axle.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

He does a backflip, and he's like. He's the only one that can. In the world that can do this move.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he came in, and everyone's like, this guy. It was an afterthought that he was going to be a gold medalist. He was the world champion. This guy's gonna. Everyone was like, you could suck his dick. He's gonna win. And then he didn't. And he up and he missed his move, and he didn't even. He placed, like, fifth, and he, like, didn't even medal. And I was watching. I was like, this is why I love the Olympics, because this is the start of the 2030 redemption arc, where we're all gonna forget about it in our social media lives. But 2030, wherever the winter Olympics are, you're going to be like. Like, oh, yeah, Quad God. And now I'm cheering for him because he had the failure, and then he

[B]

nails it and everyone's crying.

[A]

Yes. That's what I want. Because Alyssa Lou is a great story, but the reason it's a great story is because of the failure in 2016.

[B]

Right.

[A]

People don't realize that.

[B]

And her coaches were like, you can't come back. Like, this isn't gonna. This isn't gonna work.

[A]

Yeah. And she was like, if I come back, I'm gonna do it my way. And I think that's. Did you ever have a moment like that with music?

[B]

Kind of What I'm doing by playing it in stand up. Yes, that's what it is.

[A]

Which on the special, you do both.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Which is great.

[B]

It' jokes. But then I bring it. It's like a whole thing I do later on in it, but it's like a way for me to play where I'm like, first of all, comedy fans are just like, wow, an instrument. Like, I've never seen that before. Not.

[A]

You are. You are showing fire to cavemen.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

And so it's going like that. That's a real talent. I make noises and buzz sounds. You. When was the first time you busted out? When did you. When did you do the mashup? When did the worlds collide?

[B]

Four years in. I was. I had just done stand up, and I even did like a Tonight show set with no viola. I did JFL with no viola. Like, I was like. I wanted to prove myself that I could do stand up, you know, and. But right when that was happening, I was like, it would be cool. Like, I think I headlined for my first time, and I was, you know, I wasn't very. I wasn't good at headlining it. I was good at doing 10 minutes,

[A]

very hard at doing 45 minutes. When you've never done it, it's like running a marathon without running a long distance.

[B]

And see, I'm interrupting you now.

[A]

No, we were talking about this off mic about. I know. I interrupt and I just get excited.

[B]

I'm like, oh, my God.

[A]

You were saying with the episode. My. My problem is I get so excited that I'm like, I have a thought right now.

[B]

Vomiting words.

[A]

The people that have stuck with me. Your real ones. I have DMs with people where I go, I'm trying, dude, trying. And they'll be like, I know. And then you'll see what's on. Going, what the. The best thing I know we're going off shoot. The best thing is I've seen people I've talked to on Instagram defend me in posts where someone goes, let him finish the story. And someone will go, hey, he's trying. You know I am.

[B]

Oh, it's beautiful when you get people who, like, really know you. You don't even.

[A]

I promise, I'm not trying to up your listening experience. I just get hit with these lightning bolts of questions or saying, you know, sentences.

[B]

Just got a turbo mind.

[A]

Did you feel like taking. Busting out the viola on stage was cheating?

[B]

Well, I did until I was like, you know what? I know how to do stand up now. So Let me if I can find a way. Because what happened was if even if you have 45 minutes of jokes, which I technically did at that time, it's still a muscle of sustaining the crowd. If you're losing them, knowing how to get them back, the check is, I mean there's, you know, there's a whole other skill to headline it.

[A]

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[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Because when you have jokes, you go, I tell the joke now. I tell the jokes. But it's like sitting in. It takes a long time to learn.

[B]

It's like being a jazz musician kind of. I mean, there's a lot of. And it's musical and like, so. So I. Even though I wasn't good at the pacing, I still could sense that that was a skill. I.

[A]

Was that a transferable thing of, like, you kind of understanding, like, maybe secondary with the music.

[B]

Definitely. Like, with structure and like, okay, like the. A little theme here. Okay. Like, let me do all these. If I'm doing, like, a longer story, you can tell, like, oh, you need to, like, build up to it.

[A]

You can't.

[B]

Like, I just had sort of a musical sense about it. It wasn't like I was good at it right away, but I at least had, like, the goal in mind.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I did this, like, kind of dead headlining set. And of course, I should have just been like, it's my first time headlining. I'LL just get better. But instead I was like, well, what if I brought the viola? And maybe this will make it, like. And so then I. I was like, if there, it would be, like, another thing to offer. And I do feel like I'm, like, hiding a part of myself because I do have this skill that I'm. That's so much a part of me.

[A]

I mean, you spent hours and hours and hours. That totals days, weeks, maybe even months of practicing and learning it and, like, going over it and, like.

[B]

Yeah, from age 5 to, you know, at that time. Yeah. And then I was like, 26 when this was. Or 27 when this was happening.

[A]

Can you read sheet music? Yeah, like. Like, you just could pick it up and immediately know what it is.

[B]

Yeah. Like, I go to recording sessions still, or, like, for movies, and it'll be like an orchestra. They just plop the music in front of us and we just read it down. It's easy music, usually, but it's.

[A]

That, to me, is the coolest thing in the world because it is, like, it's the same. It scratches the same part of my brain that people that know multiple languages, which I'm just fascinated by where I go like, oh, you can actually communicate with people.

[B]

It is like being bilingual because, like, you see a note and you don't think that's a G. You just think that note means this physical reaction, you

[A]

know, where it's like watching people that have lived overseas. And, like, I asked Shane because he lived in Spain for a little bit. I'm like. He's like, if I hear it enough, I'm back. I had a friend that lived in Mexico City in middle school, and he's like, yeah, give me, like, an hour. And I hear it nothing but Spanish, and I'm back in it. I'm like, yeah, I have none of that, but.

[B]

But. But you've got it with other stuff.

[A]

I don't think I do. I genuinely don't think I do. I can take orders. Well, I was a waiter, so I spent a lot of my time.

[B]

You can remember a lot of, oh,

[A]

my God, your chips are running low. I'm on it.

[B]

You could recite those specials.

[A]

Oh, I could read you back your drink order. Funny is the times when I was a waiter and I would try to stunt on him and be like, I don't need to write this down. And then you get to the. You get to the micros and you go. Going back and going. That was. But trying to act like you're not losing face.

[B]

I love that. Sorry, you wanted the mask.

[A]

That's exactly it.

[B]

And you just act like you really care. Like, I just make sure I get it right.

[A]

I just want to make sure. So that was. You said tacos. You go. So when you. When you bring out the viola for the first time, headlining set, were you like, sorry, this is kind of a thing I do.

[B]

I used to, like, hide it. Like, I. I used to get there early, hide it behind a curtain, and then at the end, be like, do you want to relate some viola? And like, it'd be like a surprise. Or I'd have the host bring it up to me on stage at the end, Like, I didn't want people to see me come out with it. I'm still like, I'm a stand up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But then at the end, it's kind of like. And I. This other thing.

[A]

Don't worry. Shaquille o' Neal did that in his rap career. There's a song called what's Up Doc? And he goes. At one point, he goes, y' all want me to shoot the ball? And they go, no, you want me to dribble the ball? No, you want me to slam dunk? And they're like, that was you at the viola. Oh, you were just. You were just. What's up, Doc? Can we rock with it?

[B]

Yeah. I think people were confused at first. Now sometimes it'll be like a crowd that can't came specifically for the vo, like, because they know me. So then I'll.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

I can tell they're waiting for it busted out.

[A]

That's when you go over and you put your hand over and they go, not yet.

[B]

You gotta earn it.

[A]

Not yet. With going with picking schools in the audition process when you're starting to have, like, the yips. Was Berkeley an option?

[B]

They are. They're more jazz. Like, my husband went to Berkeley because he's more like.

[A]

So he's a musician.

[B]

He's a musician.

[A]

What does he play?

[B]

He plays keys, but he's also like. I call him more of like a real musician because he can like, like, play guitar, drums, bass, keys. Like, he can. He can, like, jam and like, he just has a more like, wide understanding where I can, like, play the viola and like, sing. But, like, that's pretty sick. It's. It's a cool skill, singing.

[A]

Very difficult.

[B]

But I can't like, just, you know, like, I need things kind of written down.

[A]

So he's just like, literally plug and play.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just give him an instrument. He'll figure it out.

[B]

Kind of yeah.

[A]

Do you got. So here's my question, Katie. I think my favorite thing to do with Katie is watch stuff and make fun of it. That's like what we truly brings us the most joy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of seeing something and making each other laugh by on something. Do you guys jam? Do you guys, like, play music together with two musicians? Is that you're like. Like, we watch bad TV because we're both silly gooses.

[B]

Right?

[A]

We're silly geese. So when we watch something, we want to be silly geese together but do two musicians.

[B]

No, we like to watch shitty tv.

[A]

So everybody does.

[B]

Yeah. Because we.

[A]

We're not original.

[B]

We'll work to y. I'm sorry, we're hacks. You're like, something I like to do.

[A]

If you want to open together. If you want to open the door and yell that she's a hack, I go, isabelle. Isabelle calls you a hack. Yeah. Yeah. It's not unique, people. That's a fun thing to do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I just wondered if. Is there a musical version of that?

[B]

Right? No. Because we're always. We work together sometimes. Like, he wrote music for my movie. Or like, I'll help him. I'll lay down like a viola line on a track that he's making. So it still is like. Like work. So actually when we're playing together, I'm usually like, kind of mean to him. Like, can we just like, look, let's go. Okay. Like, you know, that kind of thing.

[A]

So it's put down a tasty lick on my.

[B]

Like, if he says, like, I don't know, just. Can you just like, do. And I'm like, what do you want me to do exactly? Tell me what to do. Like, I only have so much amount of time. Like, I get really. There's no joy.

[A]

Yeah. Was that kind of did that in any way, going into comedy? Save a little bit of joy with the viola because then it be stopped becoming your primary.

[B]

Yes. No. Now, like. Because I don't do it as much and comedy can be such a slog that, like, sometimes I'll play like a random wedding gig just because I'll take 500 at a. To play like 30 minutes at a ceremony, whatever, and. But we end up playing like a beautiful arrangement of like, Ave Marie and I'm like, I love music. Like, this is so great, you know?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But then if I do it too much, it gets really dark really quickly.

[A]

Yeah. That's the problem with. And where you eat.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where you just go. Like, it stops being fun after a while and starts getting Like, I think, you know, with the content boom that we're going through right now, and everybody's got to make something all the time. I think we'll look back at this time as like, a real time of burnout, of people just being like, you know, I feel bad for people that are really good at sketches on Instagram because I feel like you have to turn. Your turnover is so quick that that burnout is like. Like, stand up. You can sit on a joke for three years.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And still. But still deliver it every night and still make it better every night. Versus, like, content creators have to be like, I made it. Here it is. And here's the next one. And here's the next one.

[B]

Right. Like, there's more left for us as comedians.

[A]

Yeah. You kind of go like, well, I don't want to show you that yet.

[B]

It. Right.

[A]

I'm not done with it yet.

[B]

But if the sketch is the thing, it's like, well, why are you sitting on this? Put it out already. Get the views.

[A]

I think that's always been the difficulty of SNL that people don't realize is you're doing 90 minutes of new stuff every week. So you have to birth it, strengthen it, and get it ready for showtime by Saturday. And it's very hard. That's why that environment is God awful.

[B]

I could imagine it's really toxic. I don't know.

[A]

Was there ever a moment? Moment? Have you ever daydreamed about what your life would have been like had you not gotten a comedy and stayed in music?

[B]

Only very recently, because I've been so burnt out and just like, the. The content, like, I just posting feeling like I. There's just an infinite amount of things I could be doing to help my career. And because of that, I just sit still and panic instead of taking, like, one step.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So very recently I've thought, what if I had just, like, like, gotten my own Broadway show? Because I was subbing in a lot of Broadway shows because. And, like, just playing in the pits.

[A]

So when you mean get your own Broadway show, you would mean you'd be on a permanent orchestra for, like, as

[B]

long as the show ran.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And that.

[A]

Is that the way that most people make money?

[B]

It's one really good way.

[A]

It's like the good job.

[B]

Yeah. Because you work like, three hours a night and you can sub out half the shows, and that's where I would come in and play. And it's a good paycheck. It's steady.

[A]

So there's like a depth chart for Each instrument, like two people.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Well, every pit is different. Sometimes there's like a full orchestra, sometimes it's like just a string quartet and then some wind play. It's. Every show is kind of different, but. But there's part of me that's like, what if I just, like, did that and, like, didn't have to constantly be, like, making these calculations and strategies and just started a family? Like, you know.

[A]

Well, I mean, I think that's a. I think that's a fair thing for anybody to do because. Because, you know, I think a lot of the times I think about, like, what if I would have never moved to New York and stayed in Colorado? Like, what would be my creative outlet? What would I be doing? But also, I think you do that at moments where you're a little burned out on, like, I don't want to go do spots and then I got to go do a fucking thing to promote this. It is, I think. But that's any job, I think any field you pick to go. And. And what's crazy is no one ever gives that credit to doctors or cops or people that are like, yeah, dude, I did want to save it, but it's a lot. Every day, non stop, all the time. Like being a doctor, it's like we watch the Pit.

[B]

Oh, God, yeah, I watch the Pit.

[A]

And you go, that's so hard and sexy and cool. But you go, not if it's seven days a week, 52 weeks a year,

[B]

and all that charting. I didn't know about the charting. I thought you just go in, you save a life, you go to the next room. But there's all this homework work, too.

[A]

That's like cops. You're like, most cop shows should just be paperwork.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

That's what the Wire did really, really well. Was they were like, no, no, no. Like, whenever they had a case, they're like, no, you're filling out my paperwork. And you're like, that would be the thing I would try to get out of if I were a cop. I kind of want to do the paperwork. I want to wear a long duster and smoke cigarettes and show up and touch the dirt and go, he was here recently, right? That's what I want to do. I don't want to go like.

[B]

Like,

[A]

what was the address? Just like 31.

[B]

Doing your taxes. But all year long.

[A]

But after you shot a guy to your hand shaking and you go, okay, it was 3 150. Hate to have it. Oh, sorry. I just keep remember him popping up and me and Then okay, yeah. That's the worst part of shooting a gun's probably got that. You're like,

[B]

yeah. Oh, God.

[A]

I mean, I don't know. I think it's like, you know, we don't give breaks to people that have like, teachers, teachers. It's not talked about enough. You're going every five days a week and you're dealing with underfunding. You're dealing with parents that think they know better. That's the thing where I'm like, dude, if you're a teacher, you're a dog. You're. You're. I think I look up to you.

[B]

They're paid like, nothing.

[A]

And of course they don't want teachers doing a good job because then you're going to raise smart people. They're going to ask questions. They're going to everything up.

[B]

Don't ask questions.

[A]

That's why the curriculum always sucks. That's why whenever you talk to a teacher, a teacher that cares, that truly cares, you see the frustration in their face where they go, I know we could be doing a better job.

[B]

And that's also why you always remember your good teachers. Like, yeah, they're so impactful because they're fighting against this, this system.

[A]

And when you're going to school now, you went to school high in New York City.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When. I know we, we talked about it, but then we frayed. But like Juilliard, when your brother goes there, how much older is he than you?

[B]

He's five years older.

[A]

Do you go, well, I gotta go there?

[B]

Like, yeah, like, he got into the pre college program and then he started later. He only did his, like last two years of high school, but I was like, I want to go. So then I went for five years of like, I went from eighth grade through high school.

[A]

That was your choice.

[B]

Yes, but because he did it, I was like, I want, I just wanted like copy everything he did. Sure, I want to go there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then I. But he didn't. He went somewhere else for college and I stayed for college.

[A]

So he didn't go to Juilliard?

[B]

Not for college.

[A]

Was he like that? That program is.

[B]

No, he played the clarinet. And they only take two clarinetists a year, but they take 10 violas. So I think I just love the odds on that.

[A]

They go, you play a fat neck violin. Get your ass in the air. What in the. How many auditions did you do total for schools?

[B]

5.

[A]

Where was Juilliard in that?

[B]

That was my second highest choice. The place I really wanted to go is this music school called The Curtis Institute. That's even smaller and more like elite, but, like, less known. Didn't get in there.

[A]

Where is the Curtis Institute?

[B]

Philadelphia.

[A]

Philly's like, yeah, sorry. Yeah, you stink. Stay up there.

[B]

They do it where it's like a first round, and then, you know, if you made the second round, like, that day. So I. And I played. I had the beta blockers at that point. Best audition of my life. Best I ever played was my Curtis audition. I come out, I see my mom. I'm like, I nailed that. Twenty minutes later, they put up a piece of paper cut.

[A]

No.

[B]

So no.

[A]

What. Is your mom there? When you look at the.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

At the list.

[B]

Yeah. And just. Just crying, sobbing.

[A]

I know it's a painful memory. Do you try to cry outside?

[B]

Oh, she took me to a Qdoba.

[A]

Honestly, it's just Chipotle with quesadillas.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And that's why I With it.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I cried into the burrito.

[A]

I love a good Qdoba.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

I used to live across the street floor in Jersey, and I was just there all the time.

[B]

We don't talk about Qdoba and Chipotle.

[A]

We got it.

[B]

It's so dry compared. You know what I mean?

[A]

It is. It's. I like that. It's the way no one talks about Burger King's. Burgers are messy versus McDonald's. You're like, yeah, you're all Titan. Yeah. But Burger King, you're like, damn. You're not wearing a bra.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Shit's falling.

[B]

Strip that queso right down my chin. God, finally got a bra.

[A]

Your queso's all over. Your tits are leaking out of your shirt. Yeah. So you go there and just like. Do you. I know this is. I don't. I don't mean to be, like, too in depth. Do you cry walking into the Qdoba, or are you, like, sitting down with your meal and you go like.

[B]

I think I. I don't fully remember it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't remember the walk to Qdoba. I just remember, like, List and then Qdoba. But I probably. I probably waited.

[A]

But then I remember when my mom put my first dog, Izzy, down. I don't. I remember being in the car, being told. And then I remember buying Micro Machines at Target to feel better. That's all I remember.

[B]

Blackouts. I mean, and my mom was a really nice. I'm not trying to make her seem like this makes her seem a little tough, but in the moment, I think she was so worried about me hating myself that she Was like, isabelle, you can't cry about this. You know, it just. It didn't work out. Didn't. You got to stop crying. You gotta stop crying.

[A]

Also, you're crying publicly in Qdoba, so I'm not blaming your mom at all.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Because you'll be going at least. She's at least saying stuff. I'll be going, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Mid burrito bite. What are you doing? Stop. Stop putting Tabasco on it.

[B]

There were probably other people in there with instruments, though. Like, I don't know. It was like, everyone knew in the Philly, it's the Curtis audition.

[A]

I wonder if they know that. They go, yeah, that Q. Dave is great for crying. Get down the street, fucking have a good cry in the Q. Dava, you ain't coming here. Sorry. Yeah, that is posting. And I never had that because I think my football, My. My football team took everybody. You just were third string, like me if you didn't. Or second string. I never had the list slapped on the wall. Do or don't.

[B]

Oh, man, it was the worst.

[A]

Was that the only school that did that?

[B]

Yes. The other ones, you just waited. There was only one round and you would just wait a couple months.

[A]

So Juilliard was just one round?

[B]

One round. And then I was in LA auditioning for another school the day the Juilliard came out online. So I, like, played an audition and then, like, walked back to the hotel and the audition didn't go well. So I was like, this better.

[A]

Did you know when did you know the Juilliard result? Did you know before your audition at that school in la?

[B]

I knew they were coming out that day and there were a ton of other people getting the results that day. So we went outside after I got the results, there were some people, like, crying, some people excited, you know, you were like, oh, they didn't get in. They got in.

[A]

Oh, same kids.

[B]

Because all the kids are staying at the same hotel, you know, and we're all auditioning for the same school.

[A]

Was that like your reverse Qdoba day where you were like, do you remember

[B]

where it was the best day? Because we're in la. I'd never been to LA before, so, like, that kind of sun and warmth, I wasn't familiar with, like, the West Coast. It was the big frozen yogurt boom time. I think it was like 2009.

[A]

God, I loved when froyo was everywhere.

[B]

Like, novel.

[A]

They go, oh, it's ice cream, but it's not ice cream. You go, it's still dangerous.

[B]

Yeah. But 16 handles, you're adding in your own topping. So my mom and I, we went to 16 handles.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

We walked around in the warmth. It was like the best day. And I don't know. I didn't. I spent more time with my dad growing up because he was, like, the freelancer. My mom had a job, but it was, like, spending time with my mom and, like, I don't know, it was just, like, a great day.

[A]

And where did you get the information? At your hotel?

[B]

Yeah, like, online. I had to log into, you know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like.

[A]

And you're logging in. You're like, forget your pastor. You're like, oh, my God, that is so fun. It is. Getting results of that, and it going positive is just. So when you got Juilliard, it was your second pick behind Curtis.

[B]

Right, But I had already gotten rejected from Curtis, so it was my. It was ultimately my first pick.

[A]

And then you're like, I don't care about my stupid audition at this LA school.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Even have workers. They don't even have Broadway in la. So going back, you. What a great flight home.

[B]

It was a good flight home. Yeah.

[A]

I'm going to Juilliard.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then did Juilliard stack up to what you thought it was going to be?

[B]

Sure. I mean, it's. It's one of those things, like, when I got there, I think the magic just died because music was my escape all up until then. It was, like, the thing that I would retreat to. And then all of a sudden, it was all there was. And there were a lot of people, like, way better than me. So I was, like, having kind of an identity crisis of, like, oh, I'm not the best.

[A]

What's that like, seeing someone better than you at a school like Juilliard? Does it, like. Is that. Does that thing make your yips worse?

[B]

Yeah, it's shattering. I mean, because you. Most kids who go to Julia were, like, the best. And, I mean, I was in New York, so it wasn't like a small town, but I was still, like, one of the top in, like, my youth orchestras. And so whatever, you know, I followed. But then you get there, and everyone's like, oh, I'm not special anymore.

[A]

You see the power of Tiger Moms?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You go, damn. This kid didn't have any childhood. This kid was just. This is what he. They did.

[B]

Yeah. I'm like, you guys want to go get something to eat?

[A]

They're like, yeah, must practice again. But this is why I. You were saying your boy Your ex boyfriend, who was the drummer, he goes there and he goes, oh, my God. All these kids have been kept. You guys were like, veal. Your feet had never touched the ground.

[B]

We had never seen the sun.

[A]

Yeah. They were like, oh, my God. There's a whole. There's a whole thing. Do you find in that situation, like, did those kids over party the.

[B]

Because when I was like, the ones who were kept 50, 50, I over partied.

[A]

You did.

[B]

I, like, like. Because I didn't drink until college. So then I was like, oh, this is a thing.

[A]

Let me tell you about what it's like being a kid that excelled in high school at getting up. You go to college and you watch kids like that, where you go. You don't know what you're doing.

[B]

Oh, I didn't know.

[A]

It's like watching. It's so sad that an alcohol bottle is like my instrument. Right. You're playing that. You're playing that all wrong.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Chaser. No, no, you don't do that. What are you doing? Yeah. Liquor before beer, and you're in the clear. Have you never practiced? I just was in my garage practicing. You take the bong hit so that you can fall down. Yeah. That really is like. That's an interesting part of everybody's collegiate experience is watching kids and substances crash into each other and see who can keep going versus who is like, yeah.

[B]

I discovered I had a. A real talent for it. It was lying dormant, but I.

[A]

Isn't that fun?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Feels like you could. I know this is, you know, usually results in you having to quit years later.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

But it feels like you can fly where you go, oh, you guys are all babies.

[B]

Oh, yeah. You've seen people throwing up and you're like, I'm still going.

[A]

And I also moved from Colorado to Tucson. I moved from Aurora to Tucson, which was going from altitude to below sea level, and I was just bodying kids.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

I was being able to drink, like, in a way that I was like, oh, I excel at this. And then it's in your late 20s that you go, that might be a problem.

[B]

Maybe I shouldn't be proud of this bottle of Georgie in the corner.

[A]

Maybe taking down 16 Milwaukee's bests wasn't the best showcase for myself. Did you feel like you get along more with comics than musicians?

[B]

No, I get along better still with musicians.

[A]

I love that. Thank you for your honesty.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It's tough because I don't. Everyone's like, who's your crew in comedy And I'm like, nobody.

[A]

Is it because of the raging insecurities that comics have?

[B]

I. Oh, yeah. I'll put it on them. It's their problem. They're just too insecure and, like, makes sense.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think it's a mix of things. One, I already lived in New York and had like a foundation of friends and family, so I didn't have the drive to go make friends in the comedy community.

[A]

I was thirsty. I was out there thirsty.

[B]

Oh, well, if you just moved here, it's your crew, 07.

[A]

I was just booty shorts, thumb out, walking the streets. Joe took me in like a little quivering.

[B]

You go to the creek?

[A]

Yeah. I was like, I don't know. And he's like, nah. I used to open for Nick Depaolo. You have no idea how much he used to blink. It was crazy.

[B]

I have the blinking thing too. That's why we bonded.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You blink like lisp.

[B]

I do sometimes.

[A]

I don't know if you blink like list. I'm talking about 07. Lisa List. He's a shutter camera.

[B]

I shot him. I shot a movie that I was in, like, every shot of and every take. We had to be like, one more time. We don't blink this time, you know,

[A]

Cuz he was nervous.

[B]

No, for me.

[A]

Oh, for you?

[B]

Yeah. Joe was in the movie too, but he. He was supposed to be nervous in the movie, so it worked.

[A]

Oh, damn. You wrote his blinking in?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Wrote him as a nervous conductor.

[A]

Yeah, he. He was one of the. He was the person that I met. It was like him and a couple other guys. But Joe was the guy that it was like, became the guy where I go. I would call.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Texting was just becoming regular, but I was like. He would like, call him and be like, what are you doing tonight? He's like, I'm going to this mic. This mic. And I'll be like, I'll just come in with you.

[B]

Yeah, Joe still does that. He like, takes in new. Like, he. He always has like a new comic friend. He's like, this person's so funny.

[A]

Like, he loves comedy. Yeah, he truly loves comedy in a very pure way. And it's always been that pure. And I think that's one of the reasons I gravitated him so hard is. And on our friendship was like, oh, I love it. Just like. You love it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it was great.

[B]

Yeah, he. He kind of like, he's my only. He's my only friend in comedy.

[A]

Oh, really? No, I mean, but is that. I mean, that is, like, you know, I don't. I guess I didn't really think about it like that. But you grew up here. You went to college here. Why would you bring in a bunch of weirdos?

[B]

I mean, I. I would love. I would love to have more comedian friends and feel like I'm part of, like, a scene, but I think also, like, I'm kind of. I've got. I don't know if it's spectrum or whatever. I'm pretty divergent.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And I think that gets hidden more with musicians for. Or we're all, like, more similar.

[A]

You can hide behind the instrument.

[B]

Yeah. But with comedians, a lot of times I end up feeling like I did in high school again, where I'm like, I'm not cool enough for these people. Like, I just can't really hang.

[A]

Yeah, I can completely understand that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think. I think the reason I was able to make a group of friends was because of my alcohol.

[B]

Yeah. Well, that helps.

[A]

I was think I truly was able to go out and just get absolutely blackout for, like, six years with people and then being like, all right, well, yeah, Joe got sober, and then I got sober. So it was like a bonding thing of, like, a way to go. Like, yeah, this is my group of friends. Right. But if I went to college here, I couldn't imagine, like, living in Denver and doing stand up, because I don't think I would have a big motivation to go out and like, like, hang with the comics. I'd be like, well, let's go to Danny's house or my friend Joel's house.

[B]

Right. Oh, because that's where you're from, right?

[A]

Yeah. Just grow up and be like, oh, just want to go hang out in their backyard.

[B]

Or if you're like, me, and I'm like, or I just, like, hang out with my parents, they're like, I'm a real nerd.

[A]

I'll go get dinner at my mom's house. Yeah. Thing where I'd be like, oh, that'd be nice. But I knew I would have fallen into that. That's why I left Colorado for college, was because I was like, oh, I'll. I'll absolutely be that guy. So I'm very impressed with New Yorkers that are able to do stuff like that. Because I go, you are. You don't realize the effort it takes for you to go. Like, I'm gonna leave my house with my husband, and I'm gonna go talk to mentally unwell people that are screaming for attention.

[B]

Yeah. Although sometimes you do get those Nights where, like, someone you haven't seen in a while pops up, you have a great conversation about jokes, and, like, you're both struggling with the same thing, and you're like, what a nourishing night of comedy. That happens, like, once a month.

[A]

Month. I got to have that when I was just in Philly and Shane came out and did a guest set, and it was nice watching him go, like, I missed being around. You guys are just nerding out about stand up. And it was like, oh, yeah, that's. You know what I mean? Like, it's, like, fun to go. Like, it's still. It must be the way kind of similarly that you were talking about when you play a wedding for 500 bucks and you go like, oh, I got to play Mozart. And I loved it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It felt really good.

[B]

You're just like, this is the best

[A]

thing in the world, Which I think that's the payoff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't ever think. I think they try to. The business tries to hide it behind money and popularity, but I think, truly, it's the Alyssa Lou thing. I think the payoff is being in the moment, doing the thing you like, and going, I really enjoy this.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, if you're really. If you love comedy and you have a good set, like, nothing for at least an hour, like, nothing can get you down.

[A]

I've thought about, like, what it must be like to be a lawyer and, like, nail a case and go like, ah, I nailed my argument. I got all the filings right. I just did it. And then it's like, great, great. That's gotta be more important than being a partner.

[B]

Or, like, that's what's so sad about comedians who now, like, they rise really quickly on Instagram and they miss the development that makes them able to have these, like, good sets that, like, because you're not. You're not honing the craft anymore.

[A]

Yeah. I would say the reason Arc Theater Tour has been such a success is because I've had so much fun doing it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's because I spent so many years half selling comedy clubs and, like, really begging people to let me headline. And then you just go like, oh, you're overwhelmed. Or you go like, well, it's not. I don't. The money's, you know, beyond my wildest imaginations. But the more important thing to me is, like, dude, I'm having fun. Like, these shows where I'm just like, oh, my God. I'm just hanging out with those. A large group of people. We're Just bullshitting. I'm getting. I'm getting paid to do stuff I would have got fired for at restaurants. So I do. I think you're right. I think like, this quick development of, like, oh, I'm famous now. It's like, but you don't know how to do the thing for the love of doing the thing.

[B]

Right? And we're all being lied to because we're being told that that doesn't matter. It's just like the speed. Like, there's no time get it out there. But we're all being robbed.

[A]

Truly being robbed.

[B]

Only thing that actually makes it worth doing.

[A]

And. And I think what's valuable of people hearing that if there's young comics listening to this from someone like you, is you've been through two different forms of artistic growth that you know that. That's a fact. That you know that with the viola or with stand up, you know that's a fact.

[B]

Oh, yeah. No, just get good at it however you can. Don't even have an Instagram. I don't know. Like, I.

[A]

But see, that's the hard thing is, like, I can't tell someone that right now. Because you go, but, yes.

[B]

For. For a little while. I don't know. Stay offline for five years, dude, me

[A]

sucking is nowhere online. Because it was not around.

[B]

Yeah, it was. Even when I started, that wasn't a thing yet. It was Instagram. And no one was, like, posting their clips.

[A]

No. And then you now you, like, feel this, like, well, I have to.

[B]

Yeah. And I'm like, I have like an hour I could chop up. That's all good stuff.

[A]

But, like, that's the reason you put out a special. Because then you go, because when we were filming on the road, Pimp goes, hey, it'll be a great special, and you'll have a lot of clips to clock. And you're like, because I was just gonna kill that hour. I just. Was just like, yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna film it for anything. I don't want to go through the negotiation with a streaming service or something. And Pimp was just like, we'll film it at Helium Portland, and then we'll chop it up and we'll make it look good. And you're like, that's exactly. So it. Back to the joy thing. It just made it like it. I'm just having fun doing a Wednesday show at Portland. Yeah, I'll put it online. And it was great. And people, it's like, we got to start going back to doing Stuff. I. I think the two things that could really help society are no more investors in businesses. Like, I think if you own a business, you should be at the business. Like, you should be. You should know how it all. None of these things where they try to make you feel like. And you do a week of service at Chick Fil A. If you own. It's like that. You own it. You're there. I need to talk to the owner. That and telling people that are going into the arts do this for the enjoyment. Women.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because if not, you're gonna go crazy.

[B]

Oh, I mean, because I'm going crazy right now. Like, you were asking me, like, do you think about your life without comedy? I'm like, now, right now. I do. I'm, like, doing well. Like, I'm up.

[A]

Why? Because the special's coming out.

[B]

And, like, well, I can't. I don't even know how many people have watched the special yet, because I haven't. It has. I haven't gotten my first report.

[A]

Go to veep.com.

[B]

but, like, we'll put it down here. Like, selling tickets. I can't. I can't sell a ticket to save my goddamn life. Life.

[A]

Because that's. It's. It's kind of similar to. With a thing where you go. Because you're starting to think too big. The thing, the old way, which did suck in a lot of ways, was you would go. Comedy clubs would allow you to headline even if you weren't selling a lot of tickets, because they believed in you.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And that's why you had these relationships where then you do start selling tickets and you go, no, I want to come back here and work with you, because I remember, but they.

[B]

They forgot that now I sell a quarter of it, and I feel deep shame. I'm like, I'm so sorry. You brought me here. Even though I'm gonna. Even though these people are gonna have a nice time, I'm gonna do a good job.

[A]

But, like, I think the import. That's the importance being lost as long as these. If you sell 30 tickets in a room, that sits a hundred, but those 30 people have a fan, you have a great time, and they have a great time. Everything else.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The other people are worried. This is what I mean by like. Like, if owners still own businesses, the owner could go, no, we'll get another night, or we'll sell out. That was really fun and interesting, and I think it's good. It's like, you look at a club like Comedy on State, and you can tell that they weren't like, who sells tickets? How do we sell drinks? They were like, this is a great show. Come watch a great show. And that's why the people of Madison know if I go to comedy on State, I'm going to see a good show.

[B]

It's the same as, like, the seller, Right.

[A]

Sellers, same thing. They go, you're gonna see a great lineup of great no matter what. And then it just built on itself. Louie puts it in his show and then it breaks out like wildfire.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I would say the frustration you're feeling right now is very normal. But also know you're not wrong for feeling it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I don't think people tell you that a lot of times. You're not wrong for feeling that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Keep making good stuff. And just that should be. I don't know. But that's also like, I'm in a very. I'm in a lucky position. I've been doing it for a while. I have a fan base. So there is like this, like, maybe I should shut the up.

[B]

No, it's. I've. I've done this, though. When you're. When you're in a higher position than someone giving them advice, you're always like, I mean, at least this is how it worked out for me. Yeah, there's a bit of like, you got to just. But I think, no, trust that, like, it worked.

[A]

You know, just speaking of that, I just had that happen with Shane's shows at Madison Square Garden. He did Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and I was on the Friday show, and Andrew Santino was on the Thursday show. So he was in town. And we got coffee, and we got coffee, me, him and his wife. And he was like, I'm going first. And I was like, Cuz at the time on the Friday lineup, I was going second. And so I was like, it's similar where you give an advice, where you go, listen, bro, you're not in that position. And he goes, I'm going first. And I go, dude, just go out there, do your jokes, stay relaxed. It's just another set. Yeah, we're all in our pants. It's Madison Square Garden. But you go, bro, you got this. Or whatever. And then I went to the show that night, and Shane pulls me aside, he goes, hey, there's a blizzard coming. So Louie switched from Saturday to Friday, so you're going first. And I was like, oh, I just started laughing. And I was like, four hours ago, I'm giving Santino advice where I'm like, bro, it's not that big of a deal. And then the rest of the day I'm like, go first. I gotta go first on Friday.

[B]

Oh, taking your own advice is impossible. Like, it's the. It's so humbling too. Like, I'll talk just like a really new comic. And I'm like, don't worry about it. It's about the love of doing it. Do not rob yourself of the. And then I like, don't get enough views on a clip. And I'm like, I'm going nowhere. I'm going nowhere.

[A]

He's got to see me. While we're breaking it down, where I go, well, I guess I'm just in this business.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I'm like, I guess I'm just a loser.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, a show. And I'll do with it. I don't hate myself. It's. We're all humans and we're all absolute animals. Isabelle Hagen is extremely talented, extremely funny. Has a new special out. Go watch it. Isabelle Hagen at the bitter end. Or is it just. Is it at the bitter end?

[B]

Yeah, it's called Isabel Hagen at the bitter end.

[A]

I love it. You go, she's at the Bitter End. One of the most world renowned historic standup places.

[B]

Yeah, but they don't really do comedy there anymore, that much, you know.

[A]

Last time I did a show there was big J's what's your deal? Where he did crowd work there and it was awesome. Yeah, it was very cool to be in that place and be like, this is awesome. Yeah, you're hilarious. Watch her and follow her. Thank you for watching.

[B]

Thank you.