South Beach Sessions - Sheng Wang

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show – South Beach Sessions

Guest: Sheng Wang
Date: July 9, 2026
Venue: Live from The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Theme: Comedy, Nature, Gratitude, and Slowing Down

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Episode Overview

In this South Beach Sessions episode, Dan Le Batard sits down with comedian Sheng Wang for an unusually contemplative and uplifting conversation about the intersection of stand-up comedy, empathy, the natural world, and gratitude. Sheng Wang—whose Netflix special “Purple” has garnered widespread acclaim—discusses his unique journey in comedy, the role of sensitivity in his art, and his deep reverence for nature. The lively discussion explores how slowing down, paying attention, and being present enriches both his jokes and his life philosophy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Connection to Nature and Slowing Down

[01:52–07:56]

• Childhood Outdoors: Sheng reflects on how much joy he found as a child exploring outdoors, digging holes, catching tadpoles, and simply being free with no screens and little supervision.

  • Quote: “That time is dead... Everybody’s in their devices. There are no kids outdoors anymore.” – Dan [03:08]
  • Sheng notes that this connection often fades in adolescence but has resurfaced in his adult life.
  • Being in nature inspires awe and gratitude: “You can just stand next to a giant tree...there’s something inside you that is also that, and there’s a connection.” – Sheng [03:43]

• The Value of Slowing Down:

  • In a world obsessed with speed, Sheng advocates “slow the hell down” as essential wisdom, for both life and creativity.
  • “I'm aware of how limited the time is, how precious this time is, and how none of it is promised.” – Sheng [07:18]

2. The Comedy Journey: Late Bloomer, Observational Wisdom

[07:56–20:54]

• Unconventional Path:

  • Sheng didn’t consider comedy until his 20s, having grown up in Houston after emigrating from Taiwan at age two.
  • “I was very lost. I really didn’t know [what I wanted to do].” – Sheng [10:24]
  • Family and immigrant expectations favored “safe” careers (law, medicine, engineering).
  • “I think it was hard for me to find something in the safe path that felt compelling enough for me.” – Sheng [15:04]

• Entry Point:

  • Comedy found him in college via an Asian American student theater group. His first attempts borrowed from comics he’d seen on TV, but he loved the energy of performing live.
  • The grind involved years of open mics and day jobs in creative environments (photography, production).
  • “At some point you’ll stumble onto one good joke... You try to bring every other joke up to that standard.” – Sheng [19:04]

• Money and Milestones:

  • First “real money” arrived with road gigs—though environments like bar shows (with Christmas parties happening in the background) were often brutal.
  • “It was one of the worst shows I ever did... But it felt good to be on the road.” – Sheng [24:08]

3. Finding His True Voice & Artistic Growth

[20:54–36:42]

• Not a Natural Clown:

  • Sheng was never the class clown, nor seen as funny by peers or family.
    • “No one ever said, 'You’re a funny person.'” – Sheng [20:21]

• Late Pop Culture Exposure:

  • Lacked traditional comedy influences—preferred nature documentaries over Carson or Letterman, a latecomer to the grind compared to most comics.

• Growth Through Reflection:

  • He regularly records, listens to, and critiques his sets: “It’s very crucial as a comedian if you want to continue to grow... You mark the points mentally... and work on that.” – Sheng [35:01]
  • Reluctant but objective about watching his own specials: “I was still happy with what we did there.” [35:26]

4. Empathy, Sensitivity, and the Comic’s Role

[36:42–41:42]

• Empathy as a Superpower:

  • Sheng identifies sensitivity and empathy as his most valuable traits as a comedian.
    • “Being sensitive is a feature. It’s a strength.” – Sheng [37:50]
  • Empathy drives his observational humor: “I’m just collecting little moments that I think are funny or interesting and I’m just sharing them.” – Sheng [38:50]
  • The concept of “sonder”—the realization that every stranger has a vivid inner life—profoundly shapes his perspective (and his act). [40:10]

• Serenity Amidst Chaos:

  • In a “cutting acid soaked society,” he finds beauty and gratitude (and comedy) even as the world seems to burn.
    • “You have to. I mean, you could get lost in the fire… but there is some hope.” – Sheng [41:42]

5. Rage, Disappointment, and Productive Emotions

[41:42–44:38]

• Not an Angry Comic:

  • Sheng admits he’s more likely to feel sadness/disappointment than rage, especially at injustice, environmental harm, or societal disconnect: “There’s just so much right between corporate oligarchy... and our relationship to nature.” [42:55]

• Focus on Gratitude:

  • Sheng channels these feelings into gratitude; “just recounting what is worthy, meaningful and beautiful.” [44:38]

6. The Role of Gratitude and Joy in Grief and Comedy

[45:51–48:58]

• Dan’s Reflections:

  • Dan shares how gratitude became essential to finding joy after personal loss: “Gratitude is an answered prayer... I can’t get to joy if there’s not gratitude around.” [45:51]
  • Sheng credits “the ether” (Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, wellness wisdom) and his general sensitivity for being able to access awe daily: “There is just so much that is so incredible if we just pay attention.” [47:25, 48:07]

• Memorable Anecdote:

  • Ali Wong teases Sheng for his “slowness” on hikes: “She’s ahead and I’m way back there... talking to a tree, engaging with all the quiet ferns and the moss.” – Sheng [48:28]
  • Dan: “Shang’s back there again talking to the moss.” [49:01]

7. Integrating Nature and Comedy

[49:13–56:33]

• Nature in His Act:

  • Sheng weaves his love of plants and daily beauty into both his social media and stand-up. He’s done whole “plant-based slideshow” shows—comedy sets using photos of plants he took himself.
    • “I would tell them this is a plant-based slideshow... I'm just talking about this image, why I took this photo, what kind of imaginary conversations could be happening within these plants.” – Sheng [50:30]
    • The goal: “People just walk away from this show with a little bit heightened awareness of the plants that are in their lives.” [51:21]
  • This integration makes his art inherently purposeful: “I think I’m trying to give people an opportunity to pause at these little moments in their lives.” [51:32]

• The Wider Dream:

  • Sheng aspires to blend comedy and science communication to help connect people more deeply with the natural world: “Something within that in the future.” [56:33]
  • Dan marvels at the uniqueness of this “lane.”
    • “None of them [other comics] have said their dream… is to do a special about plants.” – Dan [56:33]

8. Fitting Into the Comedy World

[57:44–60:14]

• Peripheral Figure:
  • Sheng is socially connected but not fully immersed; his circle of friends includes many outside the comedy world.
    • “In some ways, I’m not too deep in the comedy community... I’m out there talking to the moss.” [59:04, 59:06]
  • Notes that regular walks and time in nature are crucial for creative comic writing.

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Memorable Quotes and Moments

• On Nature’s Wisdom:

  • “Take a walk, look at a plant. I told you, the man's wise.” – Dan [60:14]

• On the Impact on Families:

  • “I am so touched when people tell me their mom introduced them to me or they watched it with their kid... I get to provide them an opportunity to spend time together where they both enjoy it.” – Sheng [61:04]

• On Channeling Sweetness:

  • “I want to punch you in the larynx. You’re so sweet... I want to end this just by hitting you until you crumble onto the ground... you’re just so syrupy sweet.” – Dan [62:02]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Connection to Nature, Botanical Gardens: [02:35–05:47]
• The Slowdown Philosophy & Comedy Connection: [07:02–08:53]
• Career Start, College and Family Influence: [09:01–15:49]
• First Paying Comedy Gigs: [24:02–25:21]
• Worst Comedy Gigs/College Circuit: [26:04–28:38]
• Finding His Comedic Voice: [34:17–36:42]
• Empathy as a Comic’s Strength: [37:09–39:46]
• Serenity, Gratitude, and Joy: [41:10–48:28]
• Plant-Based Humor and Science Communication: [50:21–56:33]
• Comedy World Integration and Friendships: [57:44–60:14]
• Family Audiences and Intergenerational Appreciation: [61:04]

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its genuine exploration of what it means to “slow down and be present”—both in life and art. Sheng Wang’s comic persona is a gentle rebuke to contemporary cynicism: his comedy, suffused with presence and awe, is an invitation to seek joy in overlooked places—from a bowl of blueberries to the root system of a tree. The episode is a refreshing meditation on slowing down, connecting with nature, gratitude, and, ultimately, what it means to live and laugh well.

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Specials referenced: “Purple” (Netflix), “Sweet and Juicy” (Netflix)
Find Sheng: @shengwangtime on Instagram, shengwangtime.com for tour info

Transcript

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[B]

This gentleman is a bit of a mystic. I believe he's got some of the secrets to life and one of them is just slow down. Just slow the hell down. Thank you for joining us. I have enjoyed your special Purple on Netflix. Chiang Wang is somebody whose observational comedy, if you're not familiar with it, is spot on. Thank you. A cornucopia actually is not a very good container. Thank you for being on with us. And the reason I say you're a bit of a mystic and somebody who knows a little bit about life is at least in part because of how connected you are to nature, that everything seems to be moving too fast all around us. So let's start there with your love of the outdoors and botanical gardens.

[A]

Sure. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. I'm grateful to be here. Yeah, I don't know, I think it's something that most of us as kids had like an enjoyment for the outdoors, an appreciation for just being out outside the house, running around outside with no supervision, riding bikes around the neighborhood, playing in the backyard, playing with my dad's tools, using shovels and different implements to just dig holes. That time is dead that time is

[B]

dead just for everybody. Like, everybody's in their devices. There are no kids outdoors anymore.

[A]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, naturally they still want to get out, but we just live a very different. Yeah, we have a very different situation with how we parent and how we raise our kids these days. But, like, yeah, I used to just be free. I was outside running around all the time, hanging out at the bayou, catching tadpoles and frogs and turtles. And then I eventually grew up a little bit. And I think middle school, high school, you start to drift away from those kinds of things that you found entertaining before. Now you're into hanging out at the malls and the food court and trying to talk to girls and stuff like that. So we kind of drift away from that. And then you go to college and you go to work. And I think I'm kind of, at this point, my life coming back around to that, what I used to enjoy as a child. And it's just. It's just a feeling, you know, like you can just. You can just standing next to a giant tree. Just stand next to a giant tree and look at it, you know, look at this thing. Look at how big these root. The roots are, how thick this trunk is and how many individual leaves are shivering up there in the breeze amongst the thousands. And that's one tree. And I feel like when you just hang out there next to a tree and you recognize this is a giant living thing that's intelligent and totally at peace and thriving, and there's something inside you that is also that, and there's a connection. You can bond with that. You can be with that tree. You can have that tree remind you of what it is to be alive, what it means to be here and how to be.

[B]

What does it mean to be here? Not to go too deep on this, but if you're sitting here, we've started with the connection between a living thing. You're talking about a gratitude for life and an awe for life.

[A]

Right. I don't really know exactly what it means, but I think it's just enjoying life, enjoying this moment, being present, being here, and taking none of it for granted. And I think partly it's the immensity, the infiniteness of nature in terms of the styles, the colors, the technology, the stories, the ecosystems, all of that is incredibly advanced. And we lose sight of that, we lose connection. And we don't value it as much as we should, because everything.

[B]

I gotta think, though, you're not running to a whole lot of people in comedy who have this particular commonality with you where it's a competitive field. It's crazy. There are a lot of distractions. You're looking for the validation of the laugh. I don't know how many people are going to the botanical garden because they need to connect with Earth.

[A]

Right? I mean, part of it. I think it's important to have that awareness, you know, especially for the comedy that I do. I'm trying to examine daily life situations and pluck little moments that I find interesting and worth sharing. And nature. Wait, let me gather my thoughts. Where were we before?

[B]

We were just talking about the size of life, right. And how it doesn't fit in the comedy world because you're an unusual sort. In a group of outsiders who convene and have community around the copies, you're living life in a way that is not botanical gardens. And connection to the awe and discovery of life and the wisdom of telling people to slow down isn't valued in front of a microphone.

[A]

Maybe not, but it's definitely, I think, helpful in the creation of this material. Right. And I think another thing is I'm just getting older. I'm in my 40s, I've been doing stand up comedy for 20 plus years. It's been a long dream and journey. And I'm definitely at this point in my life where like, I'm aware of how limited the time is, how precious this time is, and how none of it is promised. You know, we have friends that have passed away already. We have friends that are dealing with illnesses. We have parents and, you know, aunties and uncles that are. It's. It's all in flux and constantly moving. And so I think the ability to slow down and to appreciate all the little things that are magical right now, right here is really crucial in our, like in just how we live our lives and how we enjoy the time that we have left.

[B]

Tell me about the 20 plus years, the journey, the timeline, the arc. This is you coming into your own, right? Right now?

[A]

I think so. I mean, I think there's multiple moments in one's career where you feel like you're hitting a stride. You know, I think it happened to me sort of like it's just different periods of your career. And when I was five, six years into my stay in New York, that's when I first I started hitting one of my strides there. And then I got an offer to come right, for a TV show in la. So I had to like uproot and come over here. But yeah, I feel like at this moment I'M in a bit of a cycle in terms of, like, the schedule of how material is created and moved. Like, I basically spent a year or two to put together an hour tour for a while, put it onto a special, release that and retire everything and then move on to a blank slate. And try to repeat.

[B]

When you said television show Fresh off the Boat, that's the one that you. Was that what you were making the move for?

[A]

Yeah, that's the one show that basically offered me the writing job for TV back in 2015. It wasn't something that I actively pursued. I always was just wanted to be a standup. That was my. That's what I enjoy, that's what I like to do, and that's what I like to watch. But this writing, you know, writing for TV is a dream for so many people. And when it was offered to me, I had to take it. And I was grateful for that experience. But after three years, I knew I wanted to go back to pushing my stand up as far as I could go and at least put out one one hour special.

[B]

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a comedian?

[A]

I was quite. I mean, this is not a childhood dream. This was something that kind of occurred to me in my 20s. Yeah. Late teens, early 20s, college time and then post college trying to figure out this path.

[B]

How long were you in Taiwan before you moved to Houston?

[A]

I was born in Taiwan. My parents immigrated when I was about two, two and a half, almost three years old. It was 1983. There was a lot of movement. There was family coming, and we were kind of just here to. We moved to Houston first is just to see is this something they wanted to do? And eventually they stayed. And I grew up in Houston.

[B]

And the first 20 years or 23 years, you were thinking about doing what with your life professionally?

[A]

I was very lost. I really didn't know.

[B]

I had no.

[A]

I'm quite indecisive as an adult. And I think it was the same thing as a kid. This idea of choosing a major, choosing making these big decisions that are gonna impact your whole life seemed ridiculous to me. And I'm still pushing against that. In some ways it is ridiculous.

[B]

It's a ridiculous age to decide what you're gonna do for the rest of your life when you don't know yourself yet.

[A]

Absolutely. I'm still learning about me and how I work. So I was very. I was so scared. I remember in college, I told my girlfriend at the time I was lost. I was trying to figure out I was taking My prereqs and I was thinking about going to business school. And then I had this one. This is a good day. And I told her, maybe I'm going to be a filmmaker. And I just remember she being so excited for me. And then I immediately felt the pressure of that commitment and I backtracked immediately. I was like, I don't know, maybe I won't be a filmmaker. Maybe I'll apply to this business school. And I got into the business school, this was at UC Berkeley. And it's a pretty competitive program. So once I got in I was like, I guess I'll just go. I didn't really know what else to do. I just didn't. I ended up majoring in business and almost a minor in ethnic studies. But I really just enjoyed my time learning all different types of things. All the one on ones, right? From soc to psych to poetry to photography. I just enjoyed learning in college. I mean, I could probably have done a better job of appreciating what that was. Having all these resources, living near campus or on campus and being just amongst some of the. It's such a beautiful campus and it's such a good time in your life to be free and to learn so much. I mean, I definitely did my fair share of partying, probably more than. But it was a really cool time.

[B]

When you say scared though, what were you scared of?

[A]

Making the wrong choice, going down the wrong path. I was also scared of. I just didn't make. It didn't make sense to me to go to school for 20 years and then suddenly you're just gonna go to work for a company or somebody else and dedicate the next 40 years of your life to this other thing and these shareholders or you know, people that have no.

[B]

The system. The system?

[A]

Yeah, the system. Like it just didn't make sense to you. I don't wanna, you know, I just. It just. It felt so. I don't know, it didn't make sense to me coming out of college and I was very lost and I was scared to jump into something that was, I guess, more creative and less stable.

[B]

That. I don't know how much that has to do with patterns and upbringing. A lot of times what comes up here, I'm Cuban. And when parents come to this country, they just want you to choose the safe paths, whatever they are. Law, doctor, architect, those are the paths. Anything else feels unsaf. Some of that happening in your home.

[A]

There was a little bit of that for sure. I mean, some of it is self imposed, some of it. They don't even have to say it. It's just the fact that I don't have any other relatives doing anything, you know, doing Hollywood things or even anything remotely creative in terms of, like, being on stage or. You know. I had cousins that were great artists that just drew. In my first halloween in America, my cousin drew a he man mask that was my first Halloween, which is a homemade he man mask. But they were smart. They were all very smart. One of my cousins went to mit, Stanford. And so they went down the engineering route. As far as what examples for me to follow. My other cousins were doctors. My other cousins were engineers. I just didn't have a lot of examples to follow. I kind of. I was a good student. I remember first grade, I tried to cheat on a test. I couldn't cheat. I couldn't pull it off. I got a bad grade because I couldn't see. I couldn't cheat properly, and I got a bad grade. And then from that point forward, I was like, okay, I'll just do the right thing and I'll just try.

[B]

I'll just be good at school.

[A]

Yeah. And I just did. And so as long as I did decent, my parents never had anything else to say about.

[B]

But were you scared intuitively? Because, you know, that you weren't built for one of the safe careers. Like, did you did something inside of, you know, intuitively, I shouldn't be choosing something for the next 20 years. That's gonna be a discipline that traps me.

[A]

Maybe. Maybe. You know, I did a number of, like, internships. I worked in the summer for, like, a law firm in high school, and they were pretty successful. I think it was a decent law firm, and I got treated very well. But even still, none of this seemed like something that I would really want to dedicate my life to. So I think it was hard for me to find something in the safe path that felt compelling enough for me to want to do that outside of getting that stability. Yeah, I think I was scared of. I just didn't. None of it was compelling enough to me.

[B]

But why would you have anything in your life that you'd be able to look at and say, there is a path for me to follow, Laughter toward money and happiness later in life. Like, you have literally no examples of this around you. Right. They'd be on television, maybe. But there's none of them around you. Correct. In school or anywhere else. So how does comedy end up grabbing you in your 20s?

[A]

In college. In college, I saw this student group put on a show. It Was called Theater Rice. It was a newly formed student group that wanted to encourage Asian American students to get on stage in front of people and do something fun, creative, Whether it's a dance, a play, a poem, a standup set. So I went to go see a show and then I said, my second sophomore year, I said, I'm gonna check out this group. I wanna be a part of this and see what happens. And I had no real clear idea of what I was gonna end up doing. I saw the sketches, I saw their comedy. It seemed fun. I just wanted to be a part of the group. And then when we showed up on the first day, they were like, what do you. What do folks feel like doing? Someone mentioned stand up comedy on a whim. I just said that as well. And I got to try doing stand up comedy. I mean, it was a horrible. It was horribly written material. It was like, you know, stolen and just copying stand up comics I saw on TV at the time. But I enjoyed being in front of the audience. I enjoyed the dynamic of performing in front of a crowd.

[B]

And how long do you start going before you're making anything in the way of real money from that point to give me the number of years before you're making enough money that you think, okay, I can do this for a career successfully. This is stable.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's a number of years. It's a number of years of just going to all the open mics. And this is San Francisco, early 2000s. And so I'm just doing open mics. I'm doing my internships and my little day jobs in the daytime, and then at night I go to San Francisco and I do, you know, an open mic and I go home. And then just this was a site every four, four or five days a week. You want to be out there doing

[B]

a set day job's unfulfilling day job is okay.

[A]

You know, I did. I was working at a photo store. So there's creative kind of things happening around me. We're selling photography equipment and supplies. I was working at a production company, low budget cable stuff. So I'm around production and creative things. And then at night I would go and try my own, you know, I would write my material and then try it at open mic. And so it was a busy time. I filled my day with a lot of things. And basically, in addition to doing stand up, I mean, to doing open mics during this pursuit, it's good, it's healthy for comedians to go watch the professionals every weekend. There's A new comedian coming through town playing the club, the local club in sf. So every Wednesday or Thursday you go and see them do their thing and you get a sense of this is professional comedy, this is what it looks like right now. Can you get to this level? You know, and so it was just a matter of like, if you keep trying to write a joke, at some point you'll stumble onto one good joke, you'll find one somewhere, it'll just happen. It might be just being conversation with your friends, something just happens. But the goal is to try to stick to that standard. And so you try to bring every other joke, every other idea up to this point where you can do five minutes of great, a great five minutes and then you try to go to the 10, then 15, then 20. And so basically you have the open micrs. Eventually you get to a level where you can host the show at the comedy club and then you can do. And then eventually you can be middle the feature act, which is about 20 minutes and then the headliner, which is about 45 to an hour. So after maybe like four or five years of doing the mics and watching people coming to town every week, I got a sense of like, I, I could at least be this good. The average of all these comedians that are working at this club, I could be at least as, as good as the average of all this.

[B]

Were you considered funny before that? Like friends, classmates, family? Would any of them have picked you as a comedian 20 years later? No.

[A]

No.

[B]

None of them.

[A]

I was not a class clown. No one, no one ever said, you're a funny person.

[B]

Nobody?

[A]

Nobody. I mean, maybe one on one, I wasn't like super social. I'd have like one good friend in middle school, one good friend in high school.

[B]

So most people wouldn't really know you, right?

[A]

Yeah, it would just be casual. I wouldn't open up like that to everybody or to the class. Normally I'd be more timid and maybe with my best friend, you know, in childhood, I could be funny or fun, but I definitely wasn't trying to pull attention in front of an accident.

[B]

Were you surprised that you liked being in front of the crowd? If you weren't any kind of class clown and you weren't looking for attention and you were just trying to fit in the first you're on a stage and you're terrible at it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But you enjoyed the feeling of connecting with the audience. Were you surprised by that feeling?

[A]

A little bit. A little bit. I mean, I got little glimpses of that, you know, when you're in middle school and you go to summer camp and then you're forced to do a performance in front of your parents when they come pick you up. Those little moments where I had to be in front of the crowd, I didn't want to do it. But when I was in the moment, I kind of rose to the occasion and I just like committed to the whatever I was doing and so I enjoyed at the time. But I was never like, I'm gonna go back. I never sought it out. I never went to go seek out these, you know, opportunities to try to be on stage until after I got to college. And then I realized this is a incredible thrill. Boar's Head brings to the deli the taste of deep fried turkey. One bite and flavor takes over. Perfectly seasoned and deliciously golden fried. A backyard tradition available at the deli. Presenting the Friar's Turkey Breast only from Boar's Head. Discover the craftsmanship behind every bite at your local Boar's Head deli or deli counter. Boar's Head Committed to craft since 1905, the cup knockout round is here and DraftKings Sports has you covered for every single match. The DraftKings app is now available in all 50 states and includes includes all markets, bringing the action straight to your fingertips wherever you are. New DraftKings customers sign up with code BEACH, spend five bucks and get $200 in rewards within 21 days. That's called B E A C H in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours. Bet with DK Sportsbook Gambling Problem Call 1-800- Gambler 1-800-My reset Connecticut Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill Casino in Kansas. Vet Tax Pass through May apply in Illinois 21 and over void in Canada. Event Contract Trading with DraftKings Predictions invol Availability varies. Bet to get bonus bets that expire in seven days. Trade to get $50 in predictions dollars that expire in one year issued every seven days via click to claim for 21 days.

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[B]

terms at DKNG Co Audio do you have any particular memory of like the first check the first time that you registered getting money for doing it and realizing that that was something that had value?

[A]

I mean, I remember so before you even get paid, the local comedy club, they have a showcase on Sundays where the show is just local comics. So it's like maybe 10, 15 local comedians and so that's your first step into the comedy club in terms of, like, getting work there, and you're not getting paid. You're just showcasing in front of. For the. For the crowd, but also for the booker, and you're doing, like, four minutes. And that was a very big deal to get that first shot to get in front of the book or to show I can at least do four minutes, you know, and then.

[B]

That's not money. That's not money.

[A]

There's no money.

[B]

There's very clearly. What I asked you about was money, and that's not money.

[A]

So I don't think I got paid. So eventually, once you get to the showcase, you can start after a while, you can maybe be a host for a week for the local. For the comedian that comes by that weekend. But I think the first time I got paid was probably my first road gig. W. Kamau Bell is a comedian in the Bay, and he was a veteran. He was already a veteran at the time, and he took me on the road to Modesto to open for him for a couple of nights at the Modesto Fat Cat Bar performance space. And Jackie Cation was the middler I was hosting. W. Kamau Bell was the feature. I mean, the headliner. And I remember it was just terrible. It was one of the worst shows I ever did. I was happy because it was my first road gig ever. We drove, you know, an hour and a half out to Modesto, and we ate Denny's like, six times that weekend. So it was like, this is the road. It felt good to be on the road, but the shows were terrible. There was like a Christmas party at the same room that the show was happening in. So there's a party and a bunch of people drunk and laughing and talking at the same time. The show is going on, and it's not a good formula for a good show.

[B]

Do you have a spot that you point to where you're like, that's the saddest I've ever been doing this. This was the most distracting of the circumstances. Bob Saget, when I asked him this question one time, he said that there was a strip club in Alaska that he played in one time, and that the strippers or the performers came out with pie tins that had actual matches on the. On the pie tins, and then they were. I don't know whether that's true or not, but it's a great story. Do you have a place where you found yourself? Where you're. There is a story about you in Iowa where you ate it, but I don't think that that was necessarily sad. That just sounded like it felt bad.

[A]

I mean, I think that Iowa experience was basically part of a phase in my career that was pretty rough as a whole. I mean, basically, there's many paths here, right. Especially now that you have social media and everything. But when I was starting out, you can kind of climb up in the local comedy scene. Open mics to the club, hosting at the club, featuring the headlining at the club, and then ideally, you can start working nationally. I couldn't quite crack the national touring circuit. Another way you can go to make money or make a living is to break into the college circuit. They have these conferences nationally and regionally. They're usually tough gigs because they're college students, and you're oftentimes performing in a small college that gave you a little budget. But the show is not really well produced. It's oftentimes during the lunch hour or just tough situations where it's not really a show scenario. It's daytime, there's sunlight coming in, and people are eating their lunches and people are walking in and out. And I just remember. Yeah, I remember doing a show in a kind of like a partial hallway. Not even in an auditorium. It's just like this weird kind of space. And this was one kid sitting there the whole time just nodding his head. And you could have just left or I don't know. But the whole hour I was there. He was not having a good time,

[B]

but he stayed just nodding his head no, just so that you could eat all of his disappointment and frustration. It's not laughter. It's the very opposite of laughter. And you would have preferred he just left.

[A]

Yeah, you can just go. No one's making you do this. You don't have to. If you don't like it, go study. Go do something. Go eat your lunch now. I mean, so that was, like. It was good because it gave me work and there was a schedule and there was income. But you're very lonely out there because you're not at that point in career where you can bring a friend to open for you. You're just making enough money to pay for rent and your living expenses, and you're out there driving a rental car from little college to little college and having a bad time, having rough sets, but learning and also eating cheese curds, you know?

[B]

Yeah. It seems like it would hurt and be awful, and yet you knew it was the right thing. Like, there wasn't a lot of doubt or was there?

[A]

There was doubt at that time. There was multiple phone Calls to friends to be like, this is really hard, and I'm just really sad right now. Yeah, definitely. But you're making rent, you know, but it's tough. It's tough to not do well. It's tough to be in front of crowds that don't care for your stuff. And then you're away from your home and you're away from your friends and your comedy community.

[B]

How long is it before you find your footing?

[A]

I mean, again, I mean, in terms of what?

[B]

In terms of comedy, in terms of comfort, in terms of knowing you're good at it, in terms of having

[A]

the

[B]

knowledge that you're someone who can do this well.

[A]

Right. I mean, I think those years in New York really helped me get to this place mentally and, you know, just creatively, where I was like, I'm writing stuff that I find interesting and compelling, and I'm, you know, and I'm making it work. It's. Sometimes you have a mismatch between what you want to do or the idea that you have and then your performance and skill. Writing abilities. Your writing abilities. Right. And so I felt like at that time in New York, around 2013 or 2015, I was hitting a stride.

[B]

Are you enjoying it?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it was a beautiful time. I mean, New York City is one of the best places to do stand up. I'm walking, I'm biking, I'm hitting clubs and bars, and I'm doing between two to five shows a night, and I'm having a great time. And I'm making a little bit of, you know, I can make rent staying in town without even touring. So that was one of the moments where I felt like it's working out.

[B]

Did you feel like you had made it at that point? Like that? Did that seem like I'm no longer lost? Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I think there's multiple points in your career where you feel like you made it. Right. Because you always set goals that keep moving, moving as you get there. Right. Your first goal is to get five hot minutes. Check that. Now get 10. Now get 15. Now be a host. Make host money. Make. I don't know how much. I think you make like a couple hundred dollars a weekend. Hosting. Then do that as a feature so there's all you. And then try to get a set on TV or late night or. I mean, nowadays, I don't know if that even is that big of a deal anymore. But you just keep having these little goals that, well, what's next? And then you strike. You know, you cross that notch, and then you move on to the next one. Eventually you want to pay rent with just standard comedy. You know, eventually you want to pay rent and also try to help other people. You know, just basically my goal was to get to a point where I felt like, creatively, like I'm doing what I want. And financially, I just. I don't care to be like, I don't. I'm not a materialistic person. I just want to not ever have to worry about it, you know, and I want to be able to help, like, family and friends and family that need, you know, help. And I felt like, yeah, I've gotten there.

[B]

Now, when you talk to other comedians, you know, your path is unusual. Right. That so many of them wanted this with a great desperation before they got to their mid-20s. And many of them had some sort of pop culture savvy. You didn't evidently have because you weren't watching any of the things that comedians were watching. Right. What was going on in your childhood that you weren't getting the cotton candy nutrients that are required for pop culture observational type of comedy?

[A]

What was I doing? Yes, I was just outside. I was hanging out. I was riding my bike, making little ramps, jumping off of them. I was watching some pbs. I like nature stuff. I like watching animal, you know, animal docs and nature docs like that. Yeah.

[B]

Other comedians tell you this is not that your pursuit of the laughs came pretty late. According, like, my experience with your world is not. I didn't know what I was doing. And then at 20, you know, mid-20s, I decided that's when I'm going to get on the grind.

[A]

Right, right. A lot of people started much earlier or they had, like, inspirations. They watched Carson or they watched Letterman. And so that's. Yeah. More traditionally, a lot of people have that experience. I just didn't. Yeah, for me, it all came much later. And I think it's good. I think it worked out the way it did. I think sometimes people who start comedy a little too young can be a little detrimental to their growth. I think sometimes people, like, when they're too young, they start doing comedy. They do an impression of what they think comedians are, and they do impression of a comedian that they've seen, and then they get stuck in that and it's, you know, and then. So it's a little weird. Like, it's cute to see the young person do comedy, but then after a while you see them, like, not being able to grow into themselves. And every comedian starts out with a comedy that they like. A comedian that they admire a comedian, that they are inspired by, are motivated and, you know, motivated to, like, mimic and try to be like. But eventually, the hope is you find your own voice, you discover who you are, and you start to understand who you really are, and you try to bring that into your comedy, and hopefully you bloom into your own.

[B]

Did you realize at a certain point that you had arrived at knowing what your voice should be like? Is there a year, a time period?

[A]

I mean, I think I'm still getting there. I'm still finding what that is. I think it's still changing as I grow, you know, as a person. Yeah. I think the first special is different from the second special just in terms of some of my writing, but also in my performance, in my movements on stage.

[B]

Can you watch it? Can you watch the first one?

[A]

I can. It's hard for me to watch and listen to myself. It's hard for comics to do that. But it's very crucial as a comedian if you want to continue to grow, you have to at least record the audio of every set. I mean, for me, the way I pursue this, I record every set and I listen to it, and that's how you get better. You mark the points mentally or you write it down. This area is not good. This area needs to be. There needs to be a bigger laugh here. And so you just work on that. But you have to record it. Shoot. I'm lost. Where were we talking about?

[B]

We were just. I asked you if you can watch it, if you can watch your first special.

[A]

So I've gotten used to listening to myself. I think that's still hard for comedians to do that, but I think it's so important for your growth, is to listen, to review your sets. But as comedians, we're in the medium of the ephemeral of right now and right here. And so we're used to things not lasting. Right. It's just in the moment. And so it is hard for us to watch ourselves being recorded or having, you know, a documentation of what we did. It's very hard. So I avoid watching myself. It's hard. You know, after you shoot the special, you have to edit the special. And that's many iterations of watching this hour over and over. And that stuff is really, really challenging for me. But in preparation for the second one, I went back and watched some of the first one, and I was like, this is good. This is still good. It's not hard for me to watch. And I can sort of almost enjoy some of these jokes. I don't Remember anymore? Yeah. So going back to watch the first special, I was still happy with what we did there. So. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I can watch myself here and there sometimes.

[B]

Yes, you diluted that in many different ways. They had a lot of shadowy doubt in it. But you expressed, well, the idea that it's useful so that you can constructively criticize yourself and then grow. If I ask you what one personality trait about you is the one most valuable to what it is that you do that makes you special, what would you say that is?

[A]

I think it's just being sensitive, empathetic. You know, being sensitive, being. And, yeah, being sensitive to your environment, to yourself, to your own feelings, to other people, to your relationship to yourself and others. I mean, being sensitive, being present, paying attention, that's really.

[B]

It is sensitive, usually in male circles a pejorative?

[A]

Probably. Probably.

[B]

I'm an empath and I can be sensitive. But generally speaking, in Latino culture, sensitive is not a good thing to be.

[A]

Sure, sure, sure. Yeah. I mean, we just have to get past that, you know, like, it's a power, it's a strength. Being sensitive is a feature. It's a strength to have, you know? So, yeah, I think it's. It's only. I think it's a good thing.

[B]

For those unfamiliar with your work, can you expound on what it is that you're saying and why it is that you're saying it? That your empathy. It's an unusual answer. I don't know that a lot of comics I would go to who would say that. That's the first. I don't know that off the top of my head, there are any that I would go to that would choose that as their most unique, valuable trait as a comedian.

[A]

Huh. And so the question is what?

[B]

I think it's unusual that. How does it help you? How does sensitivity. How does your empathy. You're citing it as the single reason most obvious to you for your success. And I'm saying, how. How does it help you?

[A]

Right. I mean, I think it's just being engaged with life. You know, when you're being empathetic, you're considering. You're putting yourself in other people's shoes. You're just considering life as a whole, you know, and each individual in it, including animals and plants. I think it's just a. By being empathetic, you really do value life. And you want to enjoy it, and you want other people to enjoy it as well. And I think that's kind of what I'm doing. I mean, A lot of my stand up, I think I'm just collecting little moments that I think are funny or interesting and I'm just sharing them, you know, that's it.

[B]

Well, your whole thing, when I say you're a mystic, you really do give off. Life's funny, huh? Because it is. It is and it is. And I'm sure you're amused 100 times a day that I don't think the act writes itself. But observationally, if you're totally connected to the present moment, it might.

[A]

There's. Yeah, there's tons of things happening all the time. You know, I like the idea of sonder. You know that word, sonder?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That is an incredibly powerful idea to me. You know, and I engaged in that, like that idea of like, you know, looking at somebody, looking at a random stranger on the street, seeing all these people and knowing that each individual one has a whole universe inside and, you know, around them. That is, that. That's that one life, you know, and they have their own dreams and their own regrets and their own love and all that. Everything that you have that makes you feel full and rich, each individual person has that as well. And so I just think that's just. It's just a very powerful way to move through life and just to be aware of all of this and to value all of it and try to be kind and try to make it good for you and everybody else.

[B]

To be awed that everyone is their individual universe and to be amazed by that is one thing, but the way that you're speaking about things in today's cutting acid soaked society, some of that stuff gets burned under raging fire. Sensitivity and empathy because things are moving way too fast for that right now. Everything's nuts. So you are able to find serenity somewhere, somewhere in there because you're seizing on the gratitude even as the fire fills the sky.

[A]

I think so. I think you have to. I mean, you could get lost in the fire. The fire is very big and it's close and it's easy to get lost. And I'll get lost there too. I'll get very upset or very depressed by just how some of the. How things are going. But there is, I think there is some hope. I think there's still so much beauty. I think that's why I like gardens and that's why I like being an uncle and hanging out with nieces and nephews and goddaughters and just being around Joyful.

[B]

I'm having trouble though, summoning sort of angry shang, like the vigil I want to know what an enraged you looks like, what summons that.

[A]

I mean, I guess I'm not. I don't really like. I don't really engage with rage. It doesn't usually go to a good place for me. You know, it doesn't really work.

[B]

I'm gonna need you to calm down. You're really coming off strong here and I need you to.

[A]

I think I get you to back

[B]

off a little bit.

[A]

I think I get disappointed more. More and sad. You know. And for me it's just. There's just so much right between. Corporate oligarchy, you know, just how things are going in this country, how much people don't have, how we were in the 60s, we were talking about eradicating poverty and we're so far from that right now. And that's just one country, that's just us. And then the bigger picture, that's just our relationship to nature. And again that disconnect and our inability to value what is truly worth something.

[B]

Well, the reason that I bring up the idea of your serenity amid what we're doing with oil and the very clear destruction of a planet, that if you're sensitive, you're feeling even more just the general disrespect to rainforests and animals that just that. That humans, before they will destroy themselves, will destroy everything else. I would imagine would somebody socially conscious could make them engage with rage.

[A]

It's upsetting. Yeah. I mean I. I feel it. I feel it a lot, but I don't know. I don't. I can't channel that to somewhere.

[B]

I'm not advising it. I'm. Your way is the best. Yes.

[A]

Good for.

[B]

Good for you that you can't even find it. Good for you that it's not repressing that you can't even locate it.

[A]

I mean it'll just come out every now and then, but it's not a productive emotion for me.

[B]

Which ones are. Which ones are the productive emotions for you?

[A]

I think gratitude. I think just recounting what is worthy, meaningful and beautiful. I think that's what does it for me right now. Get up to 15% off select storage solutions. Put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid impact resistant design prevents cracking and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15% off at the Home Depot. To organize every room in your home from your garage to your attic, visit homedepot.com how doers get more done now playing the ocean chose you to save

[B]

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[A]

The story has changed. Just begun

[B]

From Disney Moana of Motanui, daughter of the chief. Let's save the world. Ready?

[A]

It's Maui time.

[B]

I'm gonna eat whatever that is.

[A]

His name is Heihe Boat's neck Disney's Moana now playing in theaters Rated pg. Parental guidance suggested get tickets now.

[B]

I. I believe I could say and this is something that didn't happen until I started grieving that gratitude and joy, they're very close to synonyms. Like when you talk about. Because gratitude is a feeling. But I'm incapable of sort of getting to something that feels joyous to me. I don't do enthusiasm well unless there's gratitude there. It's almost an ingredient that is necessary for me. It's fact. In fact, I would say that since my brother's death, I would say that gratitude is an answered prayer. Almost like having gone through just whatever is the upheaval of having your whole life perspective changed so that because you realize that something you had never considered a younger brother, the mortality of a younger brother. And now he's gone. It just sort of shook me into. Yeah, just a totally altered life perspective where I can't get to joy if there's not gratitude around what it is that I'm doing. You came by that. Do you have an idea of when you came by that because your childhood had sadness, had lost in it. So where do you arrive at the serenity of no gratitude is the way.

[A]

I mean, I think that's kind of in the ether the idea of gratitude. I mean, Oprah and between Oprah and Who is that power of now?

[B]

Oh, Eckhart Tolle.

[A]

Eckhart Tolle. You know, I subscribe to that. I listen to those podcasts. You know, I'm really into wellness and just trying to maintain mentally. But yeah, I think. I think it goes with the sensitivity thing and just paying attention. There is just so much that is so incredible if we just pay attention, if we just notice it enough to appreciate it.

[B]

You're awed daily. Yes, you're awed daily. You can be awed by a bird landing on a wire near you, a

[A]

tall tree, a beautiful flower, your love, a love, a friend, laughter. You know, like it's all. It's all worth something.

[B]

Ali Wong makes fun of you for this.

[A]

Yes, probably. Probably. Yeah. When we go hiking, she's usually the joke is she's like 50, 50, 50ft away. 50. You know, and I'm 50ft on the other. She's ahead and I'm way back there. I'm like talking to a tree, you know, she's, she's, she's strutting, hiking. I'm back there just trying to engage with all the quiet ferns and the moss.

[B]

The moss, yeah.

[A]

The begonia.

[B]

Shang's. Shang's back there again talking to the moss.

[A]

Yeah. We got things to be petting the moss.

[B]

We got places to be. And I've lost Shang again. He's talking to the moss.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Do the people who love you most understand this about you? Like, do they understand and appreciate this about you? Because I suspect that in the areas of love, understanding and acceptance have to be some of the ingredients, I think.

[A]

So I try to put it out there. Some of it's creeping into my standup. I try to include it in my, you know, social media when I have to promote stuff. I also try to include just daily little snippets of beauty that I find usually in plants or lighting or something interesting visually.

[B]

How's it sneaking into your standup?

[A]

I'm talking about stuff. I'm talking about going to a botanical garden. I'm talking about fruits and vegetables. Yeah. I'm just engaging with nature more. I have done shows in the past where the whole show is based on plants and pictures of plants. It's been a while, but I might want to engage with that project at some point. So, yeah, it's my regular life, but it's definitely creeping into the standard.

[B]

How does that one go over shows where you are doing nothing but plants and people didn't. So people. But did people come in thinking that that's what they were going to get?

[A]

I would tell them this is a plant based slideshow. It's comedy, but it's a plant based slideshow featuring pictures of photos of plants that I took. And I'm just talking about this image, why I took this photo. What kind of imaginary conversations could be happening within these plants here? Or what's the thought of this plant here? Just kind of anthropomorphizing. I don't know if that's a healthy way to approach science and science communication, but it's a fun way to engage with plants, to tie comedy and plants together and it's a fun time. Every image has a few jokes, so it's all fun and laughter. And then afterwards, people just walk away from this show with a little bit heightened awareness of the plants that are in their lives. And when they walk around they see this.

[B]

What a lovely thing for you to have as a relationship with your art, to have something feel that fulfilling because it's purposeful. It's not just the emptiness of, yeah, I made you laugh because whatever.

[A]

Right? I mean, I think that's. I don't think I intentionally do. I don't set out to do these things. When I sit down, when I'm writing my hour. My hour is just like notes of things that I kind of put together. But I think in the end, there's. The thing as a whole, I'm trying to give. I think I'm trying to give people an opportunity to pause at these little moments in their lives, right? When they're eating berries with their kids, when they're picking a new toothbrush, when they're sleeping on a lumpy mattress. These are all things that we all have experienced. But through the. The special, the Condon special, I'm putting these things in a slightly different light, a different context or different angle, and I'm making it humorous. And I'm hoping that when people go through these things in their daily lives, they can, like, have a quick moment that connects back to the special and the funny and the joy we had with this, and so that they can have that again and be a little bit more conscious right then and there.

[B]

It is adorable. And you start your special talking about blueberries and your appreciation for blueberries, and you realize that all of America is moving so fast that everyone's leaning on the car horn and telling you to get the fuck out of the road like that. You're telling people to slow down, and there's like, there's no time for that. There's no time. There's no time for your serenity. Serenity, Peaceful guy. Like, I don't want to slow down. It just. It really does seem like what's happening outside of that theater as you're watching the plant and enjoying the magic of the butterfly, is that everything outside of the theater is burning.

[A]

Yeah, but why? You know, I mean, our lives. I thought things were going to get better. I thought things were going to get easier, greener, more sustainable, more justice, just better, you know? And I'm trying to, I don't know, enjoy what we can, you know, do what we can to make things better, but also, like, yeah, enjoy those things in our lives that we often take for granted.

[B]

What kind of opportunities are coming your way now with the success of the specials? What are some of the things that are making all of this feel not only to be the choice that was made wisely a long time ago, but something that allows you to even dream a little bit about what's next.

[A]

I don't have huge, big dreams beyond what I'm doing now. I wanted to just help out people, help folks as much as I can, whether it's paying for college tuition for my friends or my nieces and nephews, or just helping people with their creative projects. But I think based on our conversation so far, I do have, like. I think eventually I might want to engage with that plant slideshow again or do something that's even more further into science communication and sustainability and plants and native plants. And I don't know. I don't know exactly what. But moving in that direction and somehow somewhere in the future, connecting that a little bit more.

[B]

It hasn't been done by anybody. You understand that, right? What you're talking about there, which is the degree of difficulty of, I'm gonna make plants. I love plants, and you're gonna love plants, too. When I'm finished with how it is I make you laugh about the relationship of these living things, that I really do not feel that most people wandering the earth consider trees, you know, it abstractly as a living thing, but you don't treat it with the respect of a living thing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Like, you do realize that all over the world, people are not respecting this thing the way you respect it.

[A]

There's not everybody. There's some of us. You know, I mean, I'm just learning. There's plenty of professional botanists and real scientists that could speak more to this. But, yeah, I mean, I'm understanding that there is. There's a disconnect in our society, in our world, and I think, I guess, in terms of a bigger dream in the future, I would like to do something fun and funny that bridges that gap a little bit more and connects us and humans to the natural world, which we are part of. But we seem to forget that and cut ourselves off from that. And we don't understand. Without the natural world, we will not be here. So, yeah, I think that area. Something within that in the future.

[B]

I'm just explaining to you, having interviewed a great many comedians, that none of them have said that their dreams. After arriving at great success, I want to do a special about plants. Like, it's not. It's not. It's the first time I've gotten that answer. And you can feel secure in the knowledge there's no one else working in comedy anywhere else that is dreaming that particular dream that the lane is. Because what you're articulating there is like maybe my next step creatively, when I've arrived at knowing the most I know about myself is to do something that I really care about, about something that I really care about that perhaps others don't care about. Now your art becomes something that is nourishing, teaches people and advances one of your causes.

[A]

I think so. I'm not the only one. Zach Galifianakis recently put out, or is putting out a new special, a new series.

[B]

No, he has put it out.

[A]

You're right.

[B]

It's about him gardening. You are correct. You are not the only one. In fact, it's now been taken and now you're late to the party and you're a thief, just like you were when you were young and trying to figure out stand up comedy and you were just doing stolen jokes. You've taken Zach's thing is what it appears like.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, I gotta figure out a new thing now. Maybe the oceans.

[B]

Do you fit in the comedy world? That's another one you can save when you're at it. Maybe after you save the plant, you can save the oceans.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Do you find that it's a very small world. It's a very competitive world. There are a lot of vanities in it and I think I can say a good amount of unhappiness, although not while performing. Do you fit in the comedy world?

[A]

I think so. I do feel like I have a lot of just regular friends. I did a little release party for the last special for Purple and it was mostly civilians. It wasn't a lot of industry there. A few comedy friends, mostly comedy friends that started with me in San Francisco. So I try to main not every comedian. A lot of comedians are just in the comedy world solely. They've kind of maybe a couple of hometown like high school friends, but they usually are just kind of immersed in comedy. I like to have both. I like to have my regular friends that I came up with or just are in different aspects or different industries. But I also do feel like in some ways I'm not too deep in the comedy community. Also, I think I'm kind of in

[B]

the peripheral talking to the moss.

[A]

Yeah. I'm out there talking to the moss. Yeah.

[B]

I don't know what I have found. These are all generalizations. But what I have found is in most occupations where people are ambitious or driven, their friendships end up being shortcutted with people who have a great many commonalities of those interests. So you don't have to learn what someone else is interested in. You're both interested in the same thing. It's comedy. And therefore, a lot of comedians become friends with comedians because they care about only that thing. How do I make people laugh? How do I get better at this? What do I need to do to get ahead in this? And it's not moss and plants and a great many other interests. And furthermore, they get rewarded for being that way. Because the more you care about getting the joke right, the better the joke will become.

[A]

Yes, probably, yes. But it helps to take a walk. Some of the best comedians, best writers, love taking walks. You know, they understand that creatively, that's very helpful. And so when you're out there, look at a plant, you're walking, you know, just. I mean, I don't think we're that far from it.

[B]

Take a walk, look at a plant. I told you, the man's wise. Like, there's very good wisdom in that. The special is great. Purple, it's on Netflix. Anything you want the people to know about that. And also shanghwang.com is where you can go if you want tour dates and information.

[A]

Yeah, I'm not gonna be touring for a while. It's gonna be. I gotta write a new special, but shaneweng time. Shangwengtime.com is where I will eventually be posting all the schedules. It's also my Instagram handle, Hanwangtime. Purple is the special on Netflix now. Sweet and Juicy was the first one. They're both pretty family friendly. It's not like I'm not a child performer or a children's entertainer, but if your kid's in the teenage years, it's probably safe, depending on your mode of parenting and what kind of teenager you have.

[B]

Stop with the Diluters. It's family friendly.

[A]

It's pretty family friendly.

[B]

Pretty close to PG 13. It's not dangerous.

[A]

Yeah. So you can. You know, I didn't know this about myself, but I have since found that I'm really touched when people tell me their mom introduced them to me or they watched it with their kid or. You know, I am so touched when I hear about this. When I see this at the shows, when people come out as a family, for me, I just am so grateful that I get to provide them an opportunity to spend time together where they both enjoy it. You know, as an uncle or as a parent, like, you start to hoard, you grab on the little things that you can enjoy with these other people. And it's oftentimes not many things, and especially if they're both if they're things that both parties can enjoy equally. So I don't know. I'm really grateful when people come and they have intergenerational quality time together.

[B]

I want to punch you in the larynx. You're so sweet. You're so just like I want it. I want to end this by just like hitting you until you crumble onto the ground. Because I. Because you're just so syrupy sweet.

[A]

Let's do that. Let's do a slap box.

[B]

Oh, really? Yes. Yeah.

[A]

You think one slap each?

[B]

Yes. I think people would enjoy a really shocking ending of you just slapping me until I go unconscious. Purple on Netflix. Thank you for the time. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for the work.

[A]

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[B]

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