The Gist

Episode: Dan Soder & Moshe Kasher: A Lighthouse for the Mentally Ill
Date: January 3, 2026
Host: Bryan Safi (of Peach Fish Productions, guest hosting for Mike Pesca)
Guests: Dan Soder, Moshe Kasher

Episode Overview

This special "Saturday from the Vault" episode features two comedians, Dan Soder and Moshe Kasher, in separate interviews from earlier in their careers. The conversations delve into their comedic approach, personal history, perspectives on the evolution of comedy, social issues, and how the landscape for comics continues to change. Lively, candid, and sharp-witted, the episode combines the comedians' distinctive voices with thoughtful discussion about growth (both personal and cultural), the pitfalls and payoffs of their craft, and engaging observations on current societal debates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dan Soder: Craft, Growth, & the “Lighthouse for the Mentally Ill”

(Timestamps: [03:59] - [18:34])

Comedic Career Trajectory

• Soder discusses his early move from Tucson to NYC at 21 ([05:39]), citing a draw toward New York’s aggressive, punchy comedy scene vs. LA’s performative style.
  • “I always kind of identified more with New York comedians. I think they were more my sensibilities. And it felt right when I moved.” ([05:44])

NYC vs. LA Comic Culture

• Strong opinions on what defines each scene, including the “killer be killed” New York mentality and LA’s polish ([06:04]).
  • “LA comedians are amazing at performance. In fact, I think New York lacks that.” ([06:04])
  • “I was done driving. ... The rain [in Arizona] smelled like hot nails.” ([06:15])

On Comedy Style and Fundamentals

• Soder’s "rat-a-tat" joke style, learned out of necessity in New York, is compared to athletic fundamentals ([07:48]-[08:42]).
  • “You learn that simply like a basketball player learns fundamentals.” ([07:48])

Evolution of Material: Personal Growth Reflected

• Compares his half-hour special (“the EP”) and hour special (“the LP”), explaining how his act mirrors his personal journey—moving from stories of his childhood to introspective analysis ([09:15]-[12:39]).
  • “The first special, the facts. The second special, the analysis.” ([12:35])

On Quitting Substances

• Soder opens up about quitting drinking after his first special, shifting to weed and caffeine ([09:40]-[10:20]).
  • “I quit drinking maybe a month and a half after I recorded that half hour special. So then I built this special on just smoking weed and drinking coffee.” ([10:00])

Memorable Analogy: “Lighthouse for the Mentally Ill”

• On quitting smoking, he observes how lighting a cigarette in public attracts odd and unstable personalities ([10:20]):
  • “That little orange ember becomes like a lighthouse for the mentally ill.” — Dan Soder ([10:20])

Signature Bit: The Russian Accent Joke

• Discusses his widely popular “Russian accent” bit, which became his comedic “Freebird,” the closer he could always count on ([14:59]-[16:57]):
  • “Whenever I think someone might try to beat me up or mug me, I fake a Russian accent. … Russians are the scariest white people. … There is no way I'd ask a Russian for directions.” ([15:07])
  • On Russian fans: “Russian people love being told they're terrifying.” ([17:23])

Challenge of Being Known for One Joke

• Soder expresses the comic’s anxiety about being a one-hit wonder and the drive to always create new, better material ([16:48]).

Life Reflected in Work

• Soder on drawing from real life—his day job waiting tables, his low confidence, his upbringing by a single mom—as rich comic fuel ([12:11], [18:19]):
  • “I never really had confidence. Hence the name of the special, Not Special.” ([12:18])
  • “I waited tables for five years in midtown and it's just a nice realization that that didn't go to waste.” ([18:19])

Moshe Kasher: Problematic, Comedy’s Purpose, & Cultural Change

(Timestamps: [20:05] - [36:06])

Launching “Problematic” on Comedy Central

• Describes his interest in doing a talk show blending audience/panel discussion—wants the show to reflect social issues but also the overuse and “therapy speak” of “problematic” ([21:04]-[22:31]):
  • “Problematic is the ad hominem screech from across the ideological divide.” ([21:51])

Episode Topics: Cultural Appropriation & Attention-Spans

• Reviewing their debut episodes, he discusses cultural appropriation ([22:59]) and how the Internet is “shallowing” our brains ([23:06]) per Nicholas Carr's research.
  • “Our brains are becoming shallower and shallower as we take in more and more information, we retain less and less... there are behavioral scientists at work right now attempting to get your focus on an app on the screen and never ever let it go.” ([23:06])

How Twitter & Social Media Change Comedy

• Kasher points out how instant sharing platforms impact joke development ([24:12]):
  • “You used to have a funny idea, and you would, like, you'd nibble on it… now you just type it in Twitter and send it out into the world, and then it kind of blips out of your brain.” ([24:12])

Philosophy of Comedy & Belief

• Debates the relationship between holding beliefs and stand-up; argues for laughter above activism ([26:13]-[28:33]):
  • “If you're not more worried about being funny than you are about being just then I guess you're not really a comedian. You're like a clever activist, if that.” ([28:33])

On Progress, Outrage, and Change

• Kasher urges credit for people’s growth—both in comedy and culture, critiquing rigid “outrage culture” where people are held forever to old tweets ([26:39]-[27:43]):
  • “When you find a tweet, it doesn't represent the person you're looking at. It represents where the person was years ago.” ([27:06])

Privilege, Identity & Limits of Humor

• Plans for future episodes include identity and privilege, advocating for tough discussions ([28:33]):
  • "I want everything to be on the table—not as fodder for comedy but as fodder for conversation." ([29:52])

Changing Standards & Words in Comedy

• Discusses how certain slurs (“F-bomb”) became taboo even in “correct” comic contexts ([32:08]-[33:16]). He notes this is likely better for society, but bittersweet for comics:
  • “That is too bad for me as a comedian and probably really great for the world as a whole that we have progressed in such a way…” ([33:16])

Comedy’s Pulse: Adapting to Real Social Change

• Observes differing comedy expectations by audience and venue. The “business” of standup is to surf that ever-shifting line ([33:59]-[34:09]):
  • “There’s a different reality at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles than there is at the UCB Theater in Los Angeles.” ([33:36])

On Offensive Material

• “If you’re not more worried about being funny than you are about being just… you’re not really a comedian.” ([28:33])
• “You know, the controversy around like rape jokes and or Holocaust jokes or anything else, it better be the best joke you’ve ever written… not because you don’t have the right to tell it, but because it comes preloaded and with a hypercharge.” ([34:26])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Soder:

  • “That little orange ember becomes like a lighthouse for the mentally ill.” ([10:20])
  • “I was drinking at a dive bar in Boston down the street, I was going after it.” ([09:46])
  • On the Russian accent: “Russians are the scariest white people. They've earned it.” ([15:07])
  • “Russian people love being told they're terrifying.” ([17:23])

• Moshe Kasher:

  • “Problematic is the ad hominem screech from across the ideological divide.” ([21:51])
  • “Our brains are becoming shallower and shallower as we take in more and more information, we retain less and less...” ([23:06])
  • “If you're not more worried about being funny than you are about being just, then I guess you're not really a comedian. You're like a clever activist, if that.” ([28:33])
  • “That is too bad for me as a comedian and probably really great for the world as a whole…” (on not using gay slurs anymore, [33:16])

Highlighted Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Dan Soder interview start | [03:59] | | Soder on NY vs. LA comedians | [06:04] | | Soder discusses specials and growth | [09:15] | | Soder on quitting smoking/drinking | [10:00] | | “Lighthouse for the mentally ill” | [10:20] | | On the Russian accent bit | [15:07] | | Soder on being a one-hit wonder | [16:48] | | Moshe Kasher interview start | [21:04] | | On “Problematic” – the show and the word | [21:51] | | Cultural appropriation and attention spans | [22:59] | | How tech is “shallowing” our brains | [23:06] | | Social media and joke development | [24:12] | | Comedy’s purpose: belief vs. laughter | [26:13] | | On privilege, identity, and tough convos | [28:33] | | On evolving language and taboo words | [32:08] | | Differing audience and venue expectations | [33:36] |

Tone & Style

The episode is sharp, conversational, and self-aware. Both comics blend wit with real insight about their work and the environment they operate in. They’re willing to be self-deprecating—sometimes brutally so—and display an openness to change, even as they acknowledge the challenges it brings to their art. The language is direct, peppered with genuine comic timing, irreverent asides, and a willingness to name the odd, awkward, or outright “problematic.”

Recommended If You Missed the Episode

This episode is great for anyone interested in stand-up comedy’s evolving landscape, the comedic mind, and how personal and societal shifts influence joke-telling. It’s a chance to meet two distinctly different but kindred comedic spirits, honest about their doubts and ambitions, and to get a sense of the cultural crosscurrents shaping contemporary humor.