The Gist: Funny You Should Mention — Dusty Slay (Nov 7, 2025)

Episode Overview

Comedian and host Mike Pesca sits down with Dusty Slay, the Alabama-born stand-up known for his inviting, observational style, to discuss Dusty’s recent Netflix special Wet Heat, his Southern roots, his comedy approach, and his knack for mining humor from everyday language and life. The conversation is both richly detailed and relaxed, moving from Dusty’s early life in Opelika, Alabama, to his unique takes on country music, work history, and comedic philosophy. The episode delivers genuine laughs while exploring what makes Dusty’s comedy both specific and warmly relatable.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Dusty's Southern Background and Opelika’s Snow Festival

• Opelika, Alabama Roots:

  • Dusty shares stories from growing up in Opelika, including being crowned the "King of Snowpilika," a tongue-in-cheek winter celebration involving artificial snow due to the local climate ([06:04]–[07:09]).
  • On receiving the key to the city:
    “All my friends are like, I don't know if they're disgusted by it, but they're like, of all people, all the things we used to do here in this. And now the mayor's given you a key to the city.” ([06:38])

• Opelika’s Quirky History:

  • Mike relates the town’s wild 19th-century political riots, which Dusty riffs on for its odd phrasing and names, like "Mayor Dun Bar." ([07:43]–[08:53])
  • Dusty jokes about locals shooting at trains:
    “I think they were just drunk and bored and they were like, here comes something to shoot at.” ([09:30])

2. Comedy Style: Inviting the Audience In

• Audience Connection:

  • Dusty is self-aware about his lower-key delivery compared to more high-energy acts. He prefers guiding audiences gently:
    • “I just try to bring them in rather than force it on them. Yeah, it doesn't. Forcing it on them doesn't work well for me.” ([11:23])

• Meta-Jokes and Framing:

  • On labeling certain jokes as “good, but you won’t like”:
    “I like to go, no, that is a good joke. I like to do that sort of thing.” ([10:11])
  • His famous “well over 50 years” joke and the value of setting up an audience’s expectations before the punchline ([10:36]–[12:01]).

3. Wordplay, Song Lyrics, & Comedic Inspiration

• Language Humor:

  • Dusty’s love for word-based jokes, reminiscent of George Carlin but always in service to larger stories ([13:08]).
  • Example: The improvement and “framework” in his songs routine:
    “It starts off as a longer joke, and then I start to find the real funny parts and whittle it down, and then you got a really nice framework…” ([14:25])

• Country Song Lyric Bit:

  • Dusty’s method for dissecting country lyrics for laughs, e.g., “Five O’Clock Somewhere” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Hard Working Man” ([15:19]–[17:10]).
  • “You just gotta find a song that has a story...you make fun of the character as if that character's really telling his story.” ([14:38])

• Expanding Beyond Country:

  • Potential bits on rap and Fleetwood Mac; recognizing the limits of “clean” material when evaluating what works on stage and what’s better suited for podcasts ([17:57]–[18:55]).

4. Comedy Business & Stage Craft

• Navigating Showcases and Differentiation:

  • On following somber or huge acts (e.g., after Vince Gill at the Grand Ole Opry):
    “It usually takes them a minute to really get into what I'm doing. But then by the end, I really got him.” ([21:25]–[22:09])

• Comedy Seller vs. TV:

  • Contrasting the pressured environment of the Comedy Cellar with prepping for the Tonight Show, and Dusty’s experience with both roaring and bombing sets ([22:18]–[24:08]).

• Signature Phrases:

  • Origin of “We’re having a good time”:
    “All the comics will always ask, hey, you having a good time?...It’s very welcome for someone just to take the reins and say, we are having a good time.” ([24:08])

5. Accent, Identity, and Family Background

• Dusty’s Unique Accent:

  • Traces the “blended” aspect of his speech from his Alabama upbringing, northern-influenced family, and Canadian wife ([26:32]–[28:32]).
  • “My accent, I don't know. ...I’m obviously still Southern, but...there's certain words that I think don't...like, my parents are both very country, and then my wife's dad is very Canadian...” ([28:11])

• Cultural Parallels:

  • Drawing similarities between rural Canada and rural South; both sets of family are farmers ([28:45]–[29:28]).

6. Work History: Pesticides, Food Service, and “Resting Clerk” Face

• Odd Jobs Inform Comedy:
  • Selling pesticides for Spectracide; the absurdity of being mistaken for staff due to uniform colors ([31:29]–[34:31])
  • “The great thing about working in a store, but not for the store, is you got some free rent. You go, no, they didn’t.” ([34:12])
  • The circuitous “corporate” job, getting laid off, and comparing sales spikes with effort or lack thereof ([37:31])
  • “So I would just, you know, drink on the clock...I started dating a girl that was on the compet[ition]...Bayer girl.” ([37:54], [38:03])

7. Trailer Park Upbringing and Life Skills

• Not Glamourizing Poverty, but Appreciating Lessons:
  • Dusty explains the realities and camaraderie of growing up in a small, single-wide trailer ([47:26]–[48:53]).
  • “It wasn’t until a certain age that I even thought about living in a trailer. I was like, yeah, this is my house.” ([48:51])
  • “I really feel like I learned that you don’t really need money to be happy.” ([50:12])

8. Podcasting, Conspiracies, and “Chill Comedy”

• Nateland & Conspiracy Bits:

  • Dusty is the “disbeliever” personality on the Nateland podcast, often playfully skeptical of dinosaurs, science, and accepted narratives ([51:23]–[55:06]).
  • On his comedic philosophy:
    “For stand up. I like to provide people with, you know, just relaxing comedy. Right. You're not going to get mad about anything.” ([53:05])
  • “I'm not saying I'm not an idiot. I'm just saying I don't believe it.” ([52:31])

• Separation of Stage & Podcast Persona:

  • Enjoys exploring edgier or more off-center opinions in podcasts, but keeps stage material inclusive and “as many laughs as I can...not pressuring you to do anything.” ([57:22], [58:32])

9. Observational Bits: Milk, Hand-Washing, and Gas Station Names

• Milk Routine:

  • The comedic process of turning life observations (milking cows, buttermilk vs. sweet milk) into longer bits ([65:12]–[67:16]).
  • “I would say a braver person might be the one that tried cheese for the first time.” ([67:16])

• Hand-Washing and Science Skepticism:

  • Dusty’s bit on society’s hand-washing obsession and his own shortcuts:
    “It's all performative. Now, if you're pooping, let's wash our hands. Right.” ([62:16])

• Gas Station Naming Riffs:

  • Ponders why so many store names are barely-disguised puns: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Come and Go, Pick and Save ([59:32]–[61:16]).
  • “I'm just like, why are we doing this? I think they'd still shop there if we just called it Richards or just.” ([60:10])

10. On “Bombing,” New Material, and Stage Zone

• Making the Most of Bad Gigs:
  • Uses unsupportive crowds to experiment:
    “Once you go out and you give them your best jokes and they're not really laughing, you go, all right, well, I'm just going to try this new jokes because...if I get anything, that's a win.” ([73:33])
  • Describes the physical and mental “zone” he enters while performing ([71:29]–[71:43]).

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On his approach to comedy:
  “If I come out and I'm like, dinosaurs aren't real, I feel like that's not relatable to everyone. And I don't think they're not real. I just think they're not. What? I just don't believe everything.” (Dusty, [54:58])

• On his “We’re having a good time” catchphrase:
  “So I like to go, 'Yeah, we're having a good time.' And then also it's like...are we having a good time? You worried the audience is going to go, no.” (Dusty, [24:08])

• On country lyrics and comedy:
  “I like that song because, like Alan Jackson, I believe that you should never let your personal responsibilities get in the way of your alcoholism.” (Dusty, [16:06])

• On comedic development:
  “It starts off as a longer joke, and then I start to find the real funny parts and whittle it down, and then you got a really nice framework...” (Dusty, [14:25])

• On rural commonality between north and south:
  “You get so far north in Canada, you're like, back in the South.” (Dusty, [29:01])

• On skepticism and science (“the sun”):
  “What thermometer did you use on this?” (Dusty, [55:28])

• On not pushing buttons with stand-up:
  “I just want people to know that if they come see me, it's just going to be laughs...” (Dusty, [58:32])

• On memory and performance:
  “I feel when I'm on stage, I feel so sharp, and it's really great...That would be the worst thing for me to, like, lose the sharpness of memory.” (Dusty, [71:10])

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Opelika hometown and being King of Snowpilika: [06:02]–[07:29]
• Language jokes & “well over 50 years” bit: [10:36]–[12:01]
• Country music breakdowns: [13:29]–[17:10]
• Comedy philosophy—inviting vs. provocative: [53:05]–[54:58]
• Podcasting, conspiracies, and the “dinosaur debate”: [51:23]–[56:08]
• Milk and hand-washing routines: [65:12]–[63:29]

Highlights & Episode Takeaways

• Dusty Slay’s humor is approachable and gently subversive, rooted in linguistic quirks and relatable experience rather than provocation for its own sake.
• His background growing up in rural Alabama—complete with small-town festivals, trailers, and unusual jobs—deeply informs both his worldview and comedic material.
• While he enjoys poking holes in accepted narratives (dinosaurs, science “certainties”) on podcasts, his stand-up consciously aims to unify and comfort, not divide or challenge.
• Dusty’s process is iterative: jokes start long and are gradually refined, often springing from personal memories and wordplay.
• His conversational, inviting tone makes his humor work for a broad audience—both in the South and beyond.

“I want everyone in the audience to be happy. I want them to leave the show going, you know what? That was really fun. I had a good time at this show.”
— Dusty Slay ([57:22])