Funny You Should Mention...Again - Nimesh Patel

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Gist – “Funny You Should Mention...Again” Featuring Nimesh Patel

Episode Information:

• Title: Funny You Should Mention...Again - Nimesh Patel
• Host: Mike Pesca, Peach Fish Productions
• Release Date: December 25, 2024

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Introduction to the Episode

In this special holiday episode of The Gist, host Mike Pesca launches the inaugural episode of the new series, Funny You Should Mention. This series delves into the intersection of comedy and intellectual discourse, featuring comedians who use humor to explore and critique societal issues. The first guest, Nimesh Patel, a rising star in the comedy scene and the first Indian American writer for Saturday Night Live, joins Pesca to discuss his comedic journey, philosophies, and experiences navigating sensitive topics through humor.

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Interview with Nimesh Patel

Comedic Philosophy and Evolution

Nimesh Patel begins by outlining his evolving approach to comedy. Initially, his stand-up routines were thesis-driven, aiming to make specific arguments while eliciting laughter. However, he has recently shifted towards a more spontaneous and joke-focused style, preferring to share silly and personal anecdotes without an underlying agenda.

Nimesh Patel [05:11]: “In my recent stand-up, I've tried to veer away from any thesis-driven material only because I don't want to make arguments any longer. I’d rather just be. Here's something silly and stupid that happened to me.”

Pesca probes into the similarities between crafting jokes and forming arguments, highlighting how both can dismantle expectations and build toward a punchline. Nimesh acknowledges that while both forms share structural elements, his preference now leans toward pure humor over persuasive discourse.

Pesca [05:18]: “What are the similarities between a joke to win an argument?”

Nimesh Patel [05:29]: “They are similar in the sense that I'm trying to get to a point, but with jokes, it's like jab, jab, jab... where's the hook to put you to bed?”

Comedic Content: Healthcare Critique

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Nimesh’s bit on the American healthcare system, where he provocatively labels it a "criminal enterprise." He reflects on his transition from making argument-driven jokes to focusing on purely comedic elements.

Nimesh Patel [11:50]: “Americans do not deserve health care.”

Nimesh explains that while his early material involved critiquing the healthcare industry’s flaws, the reception was mixed, especially among his medical professional peers who felt he was oversimplifying complex issues. This led him to abandon the argument-heavy approach in favor of more universally relatable humor.

Nimesh Patel [12:14]: “What was funny to me was to annoy doctors.”

Despite the mixed responses, Pesca notes that the audience appreciated the humor intertwined with the critique, highlighting the effectiveness of blending comedy with social commentary.

Pesca [16:45]: “Maybe you'll go back to that form of comedy?”

Nimesh Patel [17:11]: “Maybe. It really depends on what happens to me and what life I'm living.”

Experience at Columbia College Show

Nimesh recounts a pivotal moment in his career during a performance at Columbia College, where his attempts at making provocative jokes about sensitive topics led to his removal from the stage. This incident underscores the challenges comedians face when balancing humor with respect for diverse audiences.

Nimesh Patel [41:12]: “I was like, I only use that word a couple times in my act on purpose. But being called a liar was annoying.”

Reflecting on the backlash, Nimesh shares how the experience taught him valuable lessons about audience perception and the importance of context in delivering jokes.

Nimesh Patel [46:29]: “I took more into the context within which I was operating into effect. I was definitely on stage a bit cockier than I should have been.”

Approach to Social and Political Comedy

The conversation shifts to Nimesh’s stance on political and social issues, particularly his critiques of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He emphasizes that his jokes are more about highlighting inconsistencies and deconstructing societal norms rather than outright condemnation.

Nimesh Patel [28:18]: “Hindu nationalists taking it a step further bothers me from a human perspective.”

Nimesh discusses the delicate balance between making pointed jokes and maintaining a respectful tone, acknowledging the fine line comedians walk when addressing contentious topics.

Nimesh Patel [31:05]: “It's more a joke than a point, but there's definitely intention.”

Voice and Comedic Style

Nimesh delves into the distinctive qualities of his comedic delivery, particularly his deep, gravelly voice, which often surprises audiences given his appearance. He credits his multicultural upbringing and diverse musical influences for shaping his vocal style.

Nimesh Patel [54:32]: “The voice is very disarming because they don't expect this voice to come from this face.”

His experimentation with vocal intonation and cadence, such as during his voice acting for the cartoon "Zoo Idiots," showcases his commitment to refining his comedic presence.

Nimesh Patel [56:04]: “I was like, Zoo idiots was a learning experience. A tremendous exercise in developing cadence for each particular word.”

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Conclusion and Future Directions

As the episode wraps up, Pesca and Nimesh discuss the future trajectory of Nimesh’s comedy. Nimesh hints at ongoing projects and potential shifts back towards more structured, thesis-driven humor, depending on his personal growth and experiences.

Nimesh Patel [53:57]: “I'm just on this path to see what comes when you crow.”

Pesca commends Nimesh for his resilience and adaptability, recognizing the challenges comedians face in an ever-evolving landscape. The episode concludes with a positive note, celebrating Nimesh’s contributions to comedy and his continued exploration of humor as a tool for both entertainment and subtle critique.

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Notable Quotes

• Nimesh Patel [05:11]: “In my recent stand-up, I've tried to veer away from any thesis-driven material only because I don't want to make arguments any longer. I’d rather just be. Here's something silly and stupid that happened to me.”

• Nimesh Patel [11:50]: “Americans do not deserve health care.”

• Nimesh Patel [54:32]: “The voice is very disarming because they don't expect this voice to come from this face.”

• Nimesh Patel [56:04]: “I was like, Zoo idiots was a learning experience. A tremendous exercise in developing cadence for each particular word.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The Gist offers an insightful look into Nimesh Patel’s comedic philosophy and his journey in balancing humor with meaningful critique. Through candid discussions and personal anecdotes, Nimesh provides listeners with a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in being a comedian who seeks to challenge societal norms while keeping the audience entertained.

For those interested in exploring the full conversation and experiencing Nimesh Patel’s unique comedic style, be sure to listen to the complete episode of The Gist.

Transcript

[Mike Pesca]

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[Nimish Patel]

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[Mike Pesca]

Visit McAfee.com/Cancel anytime terms apply. It's Wednesday, December 25, 2024 from Peach Fish Productions. It's the gist. I'm Mike Pesca. It's weird to call it December 25th, right? It's known as Christmas, which literally means the mass that we had for the newborn king totally wasn't on this date, 2000 some odd years ago. I say we scrap the whole thing and just go straight in. Not with a celebration of the Lord our God or the Lord, depending on your predilections and demographic position within America, but let us go ahead with a celebration of comedy. So we're going to kick off the full replaying of season one and there will be a season two of Funny you should mention. And the first comedian we had on our show in which we use comedy to explore the idea of ideas and the premises of comedians. The first comedian we had was Nimesh Patel, and it was appropriate because we wanted to define the Funny youy Should Mention series pretty succinctly. We wanted to get across the point that comedians are a lot of things, but they kind of are public intellectuals and they write op EDS on stage with a microphone. Well, Nimesh actually wrote an op ed after what happened to him at Columbia, and he's going to talk about that and he's going to talk about actually his pivot away and from idea or away from trying to make a big point and get you to laugh along the way and towards joke, joke jokes. To watch a video of this, and you should because you really get so much of the facial expression along with the intonation, you should go to our YouTube channel. We'll have a note right for that. If you're the kind of freak who likes to type it in directly, it's YouTube.compesca gist. And now enjoy the first ever episode of Funny you should mention, which starred Mike and Nimesh Patel. Also, Merry Christmas. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, are your ulcerative colitis symptoms proving difficult to manage?

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[Nimish Patel]

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[Mike Pesca]

Tremphyaradio.Com Nimish Patel, son of Parsippany, New Jersey, whose special is called thank youk China, is a comedian who's blowing up. He was the first Indian American Indian Indian of any stripe to write for Saturday Night Live. He's a very interesting survivor of the culture wars, I would think. A winner of the culture wars. He won. Nimish welcome to the gist. How you doing?

[Nimish Patel]

Good, how are you? Thank you for having me. Good.

[Mike Pesca]

So what I like to do on this show is talk about the jokes that comedians make and regard them as arguments. Regard them as like an op ed is how I often phrase it. And you've written an op ed for the New York Times, actually. So they're kind of different things. I know. But what are the similarities? Since you have written to win an argument and you've also written jokes to.

[Nimish Patel]

Get a laugh, what are the similarities between a joke to win an argument? I mean, a joke to get a laugh and an argument?

[Mike Pesca]

Well, the kind of routines. I know you do a lot of different kinds of jokes, and a lot of jokes are based on upended expectations and you command the stage really well. But you also have a lot of jokes where you're building a thesis.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, I've tried. In my recent standup, I've tried to veer away from any thesis driven material only because I don't want to make arguments any longer. I rather just be. Here's something silly and stupid that happened to me. Now let's. What's the turn I can make in it from like a writing perspective?

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

In. In the earlier iterations of my stand up, there was definitely, okay, what am I trying to say? What I think about a particular thing. What's the point? And now how do I get there? And how do I have a joke about each thing along the way?

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

And then that makes it funny. And then hopefully the end is some turn.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

That ultimately subverts the entire argument upon me because I, I found early on that, like, trying to convince a group of people to agree with me, it just didn't. Didn't fulfill the comedic ego, which is.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, I've heard you. Like, like, you'll get applause. Don't clap. You're like, you'll say, shut up.

[Nimish Patel]

See, we don't need to stop Asian hate. We need to stop American stupidity. That's what needs to happen. Stop. Don't clap. People started beating up Asians because some asshole got on TV and said, Asians have a highly contagious virus. Someone tells you Asians have a highly contagious disease, and your first instinct is to get within fighting distance of this person. I want to be annoying. Like, that's, that's like my, like, annoying, but like, you still having a good time. That's my comedic kind of sensibility. And if that means I'm annoying you and because I'm winning you over with an argument. Sure. Because I'm making you agree with something you don't want to agree with. Right. But that's where I'm headed now. So, I mean, to answer your question, they're similar in a sense. I'm trying to get to a point, but I think with, with the joke part, it's like, let's pepper along to, like, soft. It's like jab, jab, jab. Okay. Where's the, where's the hook to put you to bed?

[Mike Pesca]

Do you think that's compared to the trajectory of most comedians backwards? I would think that most comedians start with, here are jokes. Here are a bunch of Jokes. And then they say to themselves, all right, what's the truth of these jokes? Or what really is this adding up to?

[Nimish Patel]

You know, I can't speak much to a lot of other. My peers or however, whoever. How. However whoever approaches any particular set of. Of jokes. For me, it's always been I'm going through different phases of my joke writing life, right? And yeah, I'm only 12 or 13, 14 years into comedy, which I know is a lot, but for me, I feel like a baby, you know, like a rookie and a vet at the same time kind of thing, where there was times like, okay, I definitely started with jokes. Yes, these are all the jokes. And then it became, okay, now let me try to say something with my jokes and say healthcare is. Or whatever it is. And now I'm at a point where I think the, the subtext of the joke, if you get it, you get it. Otherwise you just appreciate it on the surface, which is also fine with me. But if you appreciate, if you're really listening, I'm saying stuff that's not that, that I'm not saying, at least in the current hour that I'm working on right now.

[Mike Pesca]

What do you mean you're saying stuff that you're not saying? Let's see, like you're saying things that you don't believe in.

[Nimish Patel]

No, I'm saying like I'm trying to think of an example of, of a finished joke that I can tell without telling you the joke and still get to what I'm trying to get at. I, I have a bit about how I used to work for a billionaire, right? And on its surface, the joke is about this billionaire was an whatever. But the subtext is money is everything, right? And like that, like, annoyingly, as. As much as we want to not believe that, that's what it is. And I could be up here bullshitting about how unhappy this guy was or whatever the it was. At the end of the day, I still work for him, I still need a job, and I still am driven by money. And that's the whole. That's that subtext is not that if you pick up on that you pick up on.

[Mike Pesca]

If not, you know, never say, you never say. It is connective tissue. You never say. It's when people say you follow your bliss. Yeah, you never say that.

[Nimish Patel]

No, yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

It's just clear that your point, or it should be clear. If the audience gets right, if they.

[Nimish Patel]

Get it, if they don't, that's fine.

[Mike Pesca]

Right?

[Nimish Patel]

And they will glue their own values onto what I'm saying, which is also okay.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. So was it about two years ago when thank you, China came out?

[Nimish Patel]

Thank you, China came out this, I think, April 2022. I want to say something like that.

[Mike Pesca]

And maybe by the time it came out, you were moving on, but at least let's talk about what you were thinking of and what excited you about doing that material.

[Nimish Patel]

Health care is a criminal enterprise. It is. I wasn't concerned about getting Covid and dying. When it's your time to go, you go. I was concerned about getting Covid, being in a hospital for two weeks and then come out with a bill for $2 million. That's what I was terrified of. That happened to multiple people in this country, the greatest country in the world, Multiple people got 2 million dollar bills for having coronavirus. If I was in a coma for two weeks and I came out with a bill for $2 million, I would laugh myself back into the coma. $2 million. Yeah. Put this shit on China's tab. I paid for that shit. Call up Xi Jinping. Tell them Nevis Patel owes him 2 million. $2 million. $2 million. Because healthcare is a criminal enterprise.

[Mike Pesca]

You have a long bit about health care, and there's a thesis statement in.

[Nimish Patel]

It, and the thesis is, Americans do not deserve health care.

[Mike Pesca]

That's a funny thesis. And another one. You level the health care industry, and I think you're tweaking your cousins by.

[Nimish Patel]

Saying healthcare is a criminal enterprise.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. So I thought there were great jokes around that.

[Nimish Patel]

Thank you.

[Mike Pesca]

Did you stop? Did you start resenting the clapping? Did you start saying, all right, just by saying this, I feel like I'm not being as pure, I can't be as a comedian.

[Nimish Patel]

I think I started. I didn't resent the clapping so much as I resented that it wasn't a fully. It wasn't a complete argument. And much to my detriment and much to the annoyance of many physicians who. Who re. Who watch comedy and think it's supposed to be complete. You know, like when a comedian gets on stage, they're not. They're not on stage to win anything or make an argument.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

Is to be funny.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

And then on the off chance that they are making an argument, to me, it's like you can, if you're watching, you either hate that their argument's incomplete or you understand that they're not up there to make a complete argument. They're there to just say whatever they find funny. And if it bolsters their argument, sure. If not, they left it out on purpose. Because it didn't for me when I was developing that it was boring to talk about how much insurance companies are actually evil and how much evil private equity plays in the healthcare industry and how evil insurance companies and private equity companies, they're. They're then working together is in hospital. It wasn't funny. And so I just dropped it.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

What was funny to me was to annoy doctors.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

And, and what I would. The pushback I got was like, from doctors saying, like, you don't understand what's going on in health care. It's like, no, I fully understand what's going on in health care. I know doctors aren't fully to blame. I know they deserve some of the blame, but not. Definitely not the lion's share. But trying to talk about the 90% of blame belonging to other people. It wasn't funny.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. So if. Right. So you were saying to yourself, like, guys, it's just supposed to be funny. Concentrate on the jokes. And then you say to yourself, well, if I'm telling them to concentrate on the jokes, guess how I could help them? Just by giving them the jokes.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes.

[Mike Pesca]

Not giving them the other connective tissue.

[Nimish Patel]

Exactly. And that definitely, in hindsight was like, man, I could have just left one or two shitty insurance jokes in there. And that would have been like, okay. But I said, I think I said at one point, it's not fully your fault. Yeah, but I don't know people that work in insurance companies.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

I know plenty of doctors and I have plenty of doctors who are doing. They shouldn't be doing on the, on the right side of the law, but on the, on the gray side of what you would find morally correct. And so, you know, that was because.

[Mike Pesca]

You have 16 first cousins and what.

[Nimish Patel]

Five of them are doctors? And all we do is argue about health care prices in America. Why don't you do something about health care prices? And all my doctor cousins say the same thing. Our hands are tied, okay? Our hands are tied. It's a system that's broken. Which is the dorkiest way of saying don't hate the player, hate the game. Doctors don't do. Because their hands are tied with money. That's what the problem is. Listen, we care about people. We don't do it for the money. And then they drive off into Tesla. It's like, wait, what, bro? What? Mother Teresa never had no Model 3. And so I know, and one of them now works for an insurance company and three of them are like hyper specialized. And one of them who is indirectly employed by Private equity because he's a ER physician at a urgent care center which is owned by a private equity company.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

So, like, I know a lot of what. And I've been a patient like a billion times. And I, when I was that Sambi full front with Samantha B. For six months as a field producer, like, the piece that got me hired was a piece on the healthcare industry. And so, like, I always find it funny when people like you don't know what you're talking about. It's like, yeah, I do. But I can't present the argument if all of it's not funny.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

I'm just here to make jokes. Like, stop thinking I'm trying to change the world here.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you think, though? Let's look back.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

A couple observations. One, the audience loved it, too. I, as a member of the audience, loved it. Not just the jokes, the argument. I don't, by the way. I'm not one of these people who always has to believe in an argument. I just appreciate the fact. So maybe I'm not a doctor, but then again, a doctor doesn't go halfway. Once they open up a patient, they know they have to suture him closed to be complete. But my question is, now where you are now, you look back and say, a, it was annoying to have to say this to doctors, and B, I acknowledge there was a bunch of stuff that wasn't funny 100%. Right. Does that mean you. Does that mean you won't change your mind? Like, maybe you'll get back into. You'll go in phases and you'll get back into a phase where you say, okay, now I'm going to. To say, use my jokes to lard and make points along the way. Might you go back to that form of comedy?

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, maybe. I mean, it. It really depends on what happens to me and what life I'm living. You know, it's. Right now I'm just taking what comes in. I. I think there's a lot of value in approaching a joke or a situation from an argument perspective because it can help you. It. It's always good to play the contrarian with yourself and then in that sense, like, argue with yourself.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

It's always. That's a good writing exercise to do.

[Mike Pesca]

You find things there.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes.

[Mike Pesca]

It's surprising things. And that's where comedy lies, not what's expected.

[Nimish Patel]

Right.

[Mike Pesca]

So you know what you expect because that's your own brain. So you say to yourself, all right, what's the other side? You'll come up with things you didn't expect. Guess what? There's often comedy.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes. 100 like if I'm talking, if I'm talking to myself from the perspective of my billionaire boss, that's a fun way to challenge the jokes that I'm making, right?

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

But again, that just really depends on if the joker, the thing I'm trying to make funny beckons an argument versus beckons a silly story or a character or something like that.

[Mike Pesca]

Other than that process of being a contrarian and playing it out in your head, do you think that creatively there was anything to approaching those. That bit as I have this tree and the branches from the tree are gonna be jokes. Like if you didn't do that, if all you said was I'm just gonna think of jokes of healthcare, maybe you'd only think of two and stop there. And you wouldn't think of the great third joke.

[Nimish Patel]

I think, I think with that bit in particular, that bit came together over like, I wanna say five or six years. That's a long.

[Mike Pesca]

In fact, I'll interrupt you. You have two bits where the NYU Lancome Medical center are connected experiences there. And I imagined. I bet he's in there waiting in the er saying, just thinking of funny things or outrageous things or. He's probably writing. He can't help it, but he's probably writing in this moment just as he was writing in that moment years ago.

[Nimish Patel]

From the same place it was every time any. Anytime I've been to a hospital, a lot of material has come out of it. Whether it be, you know, with the asthma attack or the time I had a. A bowel obstruction or my, my testicular cancer scare. Like all three of those. I was just like, I should have gotten a punch card at nyu, you know, like, oh, he's back. Here it is again. Like clockwork, you know, like 2:00 in the morning. Something hurts. What's going on? I was always in the. I'm always kind of in the writing mode. I think it's one way to, to. I think it. I think at some point as a comedian, your brain just switches into just absolute. They'll be always be writing, whether it be what? Whatever I'm doing you.

[Mike Pesca]

So you weren't pressured to be a doctor per se, right? You were studying what at nyu?

[Nimish Patel]

I wasn't. I was studying. I was a finance premeditate. I was a finance major, pre med. All elective classes. So that's the how you had to do it there. But I wasn't pressured to be a doctor in high school or Anything like that. Like maybe I was incepted into being one, wanting to be one. Like I. I really wanted to be one.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

It seemed at the time and still is, you know, a great profession, a noble one to take care of people and save lives and have that kind of power in your hands, you know. And let's not forget, it's. There's a lot of money. Every doctor that I knew had like a insane car and like a big ass house and never seemed stressed about anything from a money perspective. And so I was like, oh yeah, that seems. And my mom and dad were like, yeah, it's like a great job. You should become a doctor in India. It's like a very respected and noble thing to become one. Junior year, nyu. I get a C plus in orgo. I'm like, my heart's really not in this. I was in a personally not dark, but just like sad place, you know? Yeah. My relationship was going poorly. My parents were struggling in their own right. And so it was just like a lot was going on and it just felt like just my heart was not in medicine. And so I dropped it my junior year. And finance was just something I picked up. Like I was at cas, the College of Arts and Sciences.

[Mike Pesca]

Funny fallback, man.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, it was, you know, it was just something I did.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

Because I didn't want to be. I was at the college arts and sciences at NYU my freshman year. I got a 4.0and I was like, I could transfer to Stern, the undergrad business school. It's like one of, you know, top something 20 program in the country for business. Whatever it was then it might have been higher then. I was like, why wouldn't I do that if I can still do pre med and just make all my. I don't really want to be a chem major. Why not just make all my major classes Finance, like. But I did not know I'd be competing against kids who were like trading stock at like ninth grade, you know, like people who love finance who knew what it was.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I was going in just like, how hard could this be? It was hard. It was hard.

[Mike Pesca]

Wait, did the, did the professor gave you the C? Was that the literal professor that all the kids rose up?

[Nimish Patel]

Oh, no, no.

[Mike Pesca]

Complained about the fact that he graded them fairly.

[Nimish Patel]

That would have been so funny. But that I think, I mean, that story made me laugh so much because like back in my day, we, if we got to see an orgo, we just dropped that and pursued stand up comedy.

[Mike Pesca]

There you go.

[Nimish Patel]

That was a champion's way out. But no, that guy was. He might be dead because that was. I was in. That was 2007.

[Mike Pesca]

No, he's still around. He's still. Because, I mean, it just got reported last year and he was a. He was retired from Princeton, but then.

[Nimish Patel]

Oh, no, no, the guy, the guy. I'm talking about your guy. Yeah. He might be dead. Yeah, yeah, that guy was old.

[Mike Pesca]

The cowards way out.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, he was old.

[Mike Pesca]

Think about organic chemistry. It doesn't change that much over time. It's not like new innovations in breaking down the carbon molecule.

[Nimish Patel]

No, it's just like I couldn't. Like this looking or looking at a molecule like this and this.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I just, for whatever reason, couldn't wrap my brain around visualizing things happening like this and. Right. That's. That's the whole class.

[Mike Pesca]

And so what about the argument that the. Some of the disappointed kids made that you don't really need it? It's not that. I mean, the ability to manipulate 3D molecules in your mind, does this come up that often when you're dealing with. When you're dealing with cancer patients or especially someone who just got, you know, t boned by a semi in the er? It doesn't seem like it does.

[Nimish Patel]

I mean, I don't. I haven't progressed.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

But I'm a firm believer in everything you learn can be applied to everything else that you'll ever do.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

In some way or another. And I'm sure that, like, if you knew how to take a molecule and turn it this way, then, like, maybe you'll be able to reposition a spleen that someone.

[Mike Pesca]

It must correlate to something practical. And then there's the other idea that it should be hard. Like being a doctor should be. Yeah, it should be the way we've always defined that. It's hard. It's not totally random.

[Nimish Patel]

Right.

[Mike Pesca]

So, yeah. Your complaint is it's hard. That's not the bug, that's the feature.

[Nimish Patel]

But that's the thing. It's like that class shouldn't be the, the, the feeder. You know, it should be like human anatomy and physiology should separate the. The MDs from the people that don't become MDs.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

Because organic chemistry exists as almost like a. If you're gonna go down the research path or if you're gonna go down the. Making drugs.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

Sure.

[Mike Pesca]

Want to mint Doctors for society. This is a little bit of a weird sideline. And don't let it have that much.

[Nimish Patel]

Exactly.

[Mike Pesca]

Impact and control.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah. Yeah. It's like making it's like, why, why do you need a, an NBA player to bench like £500? It's great. But that shouldn't be the test for, you know, that'd be great for an old lineman, but it's a different sport entirely, you know.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. It's somewhat related, but yeah, I, that's, that's a good argument. So not to get psychological. Was there a part of your health care system is a lie in a scam and a sham that was addressing either the people in your family or your parents who I take it, weren't that disappointed. I know your grandparents weren't. But a self assessment of self justification where you say to yourself, I'm doing something much more pure than you guys are doing, even though you guys are seen as the ones who've had success.

[Nimish Patel]

Not exactly, but it's more like the take on doctors is from a perspective of I wanted to be one and I hold the, the nobility of physician dom, or if that's a word in such high regard. It's like you are literally have, you have literally people's lives in your hands and you to me should be of the most utmost ethical and moral standards. And to see the role that some doctors play in either not affecting change in the healthcare system or willingly taking advantage of the healthcare system, it bugs me.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

From a person, from a perspective of someone who thinks that if they were in the same position, they would not be doing that or they would be a lot more active in like be making a union and fighting against the MB MDAs where MBAs coming into the hospitals to, to up without knowing exactly what they were doing, trying to maximize the dollar that the hospital gets out of each patient. That's what, that's where that really comes from. Doctors like, are you just jealousy to become a doctor? It's like, yeah, maybe, maybe there's some deep subconscious like man, I could have been a hero maybe. But one layer above that, it's like, okay, if I were a doctor, I would like to believe that I wouldn't, I wouldn't try to maximize the dollar I get out of every patient. But who's to say, I don't know who's, you know, like I try to get the most dollar out of every.

[Mike Pesca]

Fan, out of every, out of every scummy club owner. A little bit different.

[Nimish Patel]

Oh, it's, it's, it's different, but it, it's different in the sense that I'm not held to, I'm not holding your life hostage.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

Anytime with, with a dollar, you Know, that's my. That's where that really comes from.

[Mike Pesca]

So is that that impetus, putting this profession, this position in a somewhat exalted place and being disappointed when the people actually occupying it don't live up to that? Does some of that drive your scathing criticism of Narendra Modi?

[Nimish Patel]

I like, I like how you made.

[Mike Pesca]

That leap because it's notable to me. I'm like, okay, here's a Hindu and Indian American who. I know of no one who does more anti Modi material than you.

[Nimish Patel]

Much again, to my detriment. I think I've been shadow. Banned by a lot of people who are brainwashed by.

[Mike Pesca]

And you're not even taking the stand that, like, very progressive people in America will recognize as morally correct.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, it's just. But here's the thing with that. It's. It's. I only know the, the negatives for the most part. I know he's done a lot for the economy. I know he's open. I know he's done a lot for opening up trade and all that. And he's. If he's kind of taken Trump's playbook and kind of made it a little stronger, he's put India first.

[Mike Pesca]

He said he's kind of a competent Trump with four times as many people behind him.

[Nimish Patel]

Exactly. And, you know, with, like, his deal with Russia, him. Him taking on China, he's being, he's being a very good statesman. But, you know, as. As a un. Impacted observer from my cushy apartment in, in New York City.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

Seeing how the vitriol that gets put out against certain groups of people, and even that is from just what I see. You know, I'm not on the ground there, so I don't know how hard it is to be Muslim or anything else in that country, but from what I read and see, it doesn't seem it. It's not a strong play. And, like, and then you have, you know, Hindu nationalists who are taking it a step further, and that just bothers me from a human perspective.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

Like, anytime someone thinks their religion should be the superseding one in, in all matters, it's like, all right, well, this is fucked. I can't. I can't agree with this. I'm gonna talk some.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

And then on top of that, as a, as a, as a grandson of a Hindu Brahmin priest, it makes me feel like I'm in a better position a little bit to be like, you Hindus don't know what Hinduism is because the religion says love everybody. Like, everybody Treat everybody the same. At no point does it say like, talk shit to Muslims. And then you can't, you can't, you can't stake your claim as a Hindu person and still be like this evil, angry person.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you think the Modi critique falls into the kind of category like what we were talking about with health care? Are you trying to, are just trying to make a joke or are you trying to make a point?

[Nimish Patel]

I think it's more. More joke than point. But there's definitely intention and there's definitely intention of point.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

But it's all.

[Mike Pesca]

That's not the kind of thing you're running away from these days.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah. I mean, not.

[Mike Pesca]

You're less interested.

[Nimish Patel]

I'm less interested in.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, you are?

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, yeah. It's just like I found in the last three years in comedy will last forever. If I think about it for real. It's like as comedy becomes more and more distributed and easily accessible and easier to do. Yes. And easier to, to, to market that you're doing it and put your out there takes on anything political or social or what they have to either be. They have to be first and then they have to be the best. And that's very, That's a hard thing to achieve when everyone's making the same noise and everyone. If a billion people are shooting at the basket and they're all some kind of proficient.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

Some are perfect. Some. And some are going to get lucky or whatever, then you just got to shoot at a different basket.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

You know, this is a social, political, Narendra Modi, all that bullshit.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I'm be over here talking about, you know, how I grew up in Parsippan.

[Mike Pesca]

Right, right, right. So this is. I've seen you talk about this, I guess on Instagram, the late night comedy jokes. Those are the easiest jokes to make. Anyone can make it. You don't want to, you don't want to do that anymore.

[Nimish Patel]

Right. Yeah, in, in all in the aspect of like political whatever. Like, yes, I'll still play the political game and I'll still do jokes that I think will market well. But you know, I, I always say this whenever it comes up, even intangentially. It's like there's a great Jay Z line where he says, for those who think that bling blinging is what I'm about either haven't heard the album where they don't know English. It's like that's just what I do to market and keep the registers ringing. That's what Jay Z says. So just so people are like, oh, because that's what people want to hear a lot of times. And then you kind of swing them towards what you actually want to talk about.

[Mike Pesca]

But you don't want to let the form the fact that Instagram videos and reels and these, you know, quick videos where you've had a lot of success, you have a million followers, you don't want to let that dictate your content. Right?

[Nimish Patel]

It does dictate content in the sense of like what you know is going to grab people's attention.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, it.

[Nimish Patel]

Content I think of. It's funny you say content because it to me, it's like there's content and then there's the stand up that I'm doing at the shows. It's all the stand up I'm doing at the shows all becomes in some way or another content. But the content that that goes out that you see on the Internet is dictated by what does. Well, on the Internet that makes sense because I need that, I need you to know that I can do that so that then you could come and see what I actually really like doing. And that's like the game that gets played every day with my social media manager and, and all that. And some days I'm like, no, let's put out a joke that I really like and I just want to burn but has nothing to do with anything that's going on in the world. And then other days it's like, let's put out a Taylor Swift joke, you know, even though she's like a very lovely person.

[Mike Pesca]

I will be back. We'll talk more with Nemish in about a minute about playing Columbia. You'll also hear a well crafted joke whose punchline I give away and ruin. Still a good joke. Up next.

[Nimish Patel]

This episode is brought to you by the Nissan Armada Pro 4X. With a twin turbo V6 engine, ready to propel your adventures. Up to 8500 pounds of towing capacity to haul all your favorite toys in space for eight passengers. Nissan's most powerful car yet will chew up and spit out anything you throw at it. Learn more about the all new 2025 Nissan Armada at nissanusa.com Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner's manual for additional information.

[Mike Pesca]

Always secure cargo. If fashion is your thing, ebay is it. Ebay is where I find all my favorites, from handbags to iconic streetwear. All authenticated for real this time. A little supreme, some Gucci. I even have that vintage Prada on my watch list that's why ebay is my go to for all my go tos. Yeah, eBay, the place for new pre loved vintage and rare fashion. EBay, things people love. We're back with Nimish Patel. So I do have a question though with thank you, China, which was the title and the thesis. What you're thanking them for, among other things, are inventing TikTok. Inventing TikTok. TikTok made you.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes.

[Mike Pesca]

Is it tongue in cheek? Do you really mean it? I mean, you can't both be a critic of Modi and what he did and his morality and not apply that to.

[Nimish Patel]

Of course I Chinese leaders. I fully.

[Mike Pesca]

But then again, maybe I'm like one of those physicians saying, oh, the thesis is not perfectly coherent.

[Nimish Patel]

It's. No, I mean, obviously China's not. Not a good player in the world. It's definitely tongue in cheek. The second joke is Hong Kong she woman dough, which means Hong Kong belongs to China. It's like, I don't actually mean that. It's just again, like I, I'm always pro joke before I am pro anything. And like whenever, whenever. When I was touring that hour, working on it, I would say China is the best in Texas.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

In Florida.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

And it would. I know that's. And then I would follow. I know that's never been said before in Texas. And that would get a big laugh. And. Yeah, that's the point.

[Mike Pesca]

I know. Okay. So the basic, the surface similarities between thank you, China and healthcare is a scam is that they're part of an overall thesis. In fact, what you're explaining to me is that they're opposites. You do believe healthcare is a shame and a scam, but you don't believe. Thank you, China. You know all of the flaws of China. It is interesting to you to play with that idea. And also you don't feel that the audience is just giving you cheap applause or you're saying things the audience. Audience wants. It's kind of exciting. Maybe if you have a thesis that goes totally against what the audience's expectations.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes. 100.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you have any jokes like that in the current hour you're doing?

[Nimish Patel]

I'm working on a lot of personal stuff right now. So it's all like therapy driven.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

And I got, got some political stuff, but it's mo. It's. It's very. It's all personal. So there's nothing just yet where I'm like taking them along for a ride. There's one or two actually, but I won't reveal them. It's more just about, like, sexism. And so.

[Mike Pesca]

But that's the sort of thing you're not jettisoning from your act. The thesis that. I know you don't believe in it, but look what I found here.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah. It's just I like with people.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

And. And my favorite is knowing that they don't want to laugh at something and that they shouldn't laugh at something, but they are. Because I'm just kidding.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

Like, you cannot if you. I have a joke about being a sexist. Right. But if you watch my comedy at all and the. The surrounding bits, you can't walk away thinking I am that.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

Even though the joke definitely says that I am.

[Mike Pesca]

Although in the past, in 2018, people just read your. You know, undergraduates of Columbia just read, in a very unsophisticated way, the surface level. Your comedy didn't see the intent at all. So you've been, I guess, if you want to say, victimized, but, you know, you've been punished by audiences not getting it.

[Nimish Patel]

Everyone is allowed to be dumb. We are all stupid at some point or another.

[Mike Pesca]

You're very generous, I think, to that crowd. I've listened to a lot of interviews you've done about them. And to me, if it were me, so. So my audience understands. Nemish was up at Columbia, was invited to play an Asian American themed event. He guess what is South Asian? That wasn't good enough when he started talking about and making jokes that I'm not going to attempt to replicate, because when they do it on the page, it kills the joke. But it's a joke about gay people and black people, but not at gay people and black people. And then they basically kicked him off the stage.

[Nimish Patel]

Thank you so much for being here already. Yes, thank you so much. Whoa, Whoa. I have 30 minutes left. Yeah, there's a change of program? Why? Because we. We have, like, some AAA remarks that we need to make. But some people are enjoying this, I think. Oh, this is going to be real uncomfortable for y'all. Well, look, I. I mean, I've been booked before, but this is strange. Let's do a vote. Actually, we have a change of program. I'm sorry, the tech has to leave for an event. The tech has to leave? Yeah, they better be leaving. No, they have a dance marathon tomorrow. Damn it. So why. Why did this come up now? Because they have to leave earlier than expected. Is it because I'm talking about uncomfortable stuff? I think you can be respectful while being uncomfortable. Like, I. I think there's distinction between being uncomfortable and being disrespectful, as I think I'm being respectful, I just don't think you are entitled to certain jokes you're making.

[Mike Pesca]

And I don't think it's. I just don't think it's.

[Nimish Patel]

But, like, what, What? I think the comments that you were making about being gay and black was.

[Mike Pesca]

Very disrespectful to the.

[Nimish Patel]

That got that from a gay black dude. He gave me that joke. I remember exactly when it happened. It's 20002011 in stand up, new York. There's a guy in the corner was like, I was talking about being gay and black. He gave it to me. This would be. This. This is. This is strange. Let him stay. Now, look, look, like I said, I already got paid, so I'm good. If you have any closing remarks. Closing remarks. We got this on camera. Let me. Hold on. Closing remarks. Look, it's a strange time to be an Asian person in this country, I'll give you that much, because it feels like there's a lot of racial tension, and at any moment, black and white people are going to go to war and Indians are going to have to choose and Asians are going to have to choose. But I don't think this. I don't know if it's overtly political correctness, but you can't. You can't insulate yourself from how the real world is. And this. I'm. I'm quite confident that none of this is disrespectful. I'm a generation older than y'all. I know what comedy is. I know what disrespect is. I've been through a lot, so I'm offended, but I'll take it in stride, which I think everyone should do. Like, there's a way to change things. And by marching on stage and being like, you gotta get the fuck off stage. That's quite disrespectful. I'm gonna leave because it's your stage, but know that you are incorrect in this. Jesus. Cut the mic. Have a good night, Liz.

[Mike Pesca]

Then he did a round of interviews afterwards where he kind of, you know, tried to think about what that meant, wrote an op ed in the New York Times, and this is what would have gotten me. I was 100% on your side. Then I became 200% on your side when someone from up there, one of the undergrads, started describing what you did or rebutting the language you used in the op ed and started alleging that you had a tantalus Tantrum. And you said it. I got the entire footage of what I did. Now you be the judge. And I just wonder, I mean, was that the most annoying thing to you?

[Nimish Patel]

It was. I didn't like being called a liar. Yeah. I. You could. You could certainly say I should have performed better at the show. I mean, Grant, like, I was. If I'm in my headspace at that show. I'm three. I'm a week after. It's a week after I've proposed to my now wife. It's five months since I've been let go from snl. It is. I have no job prospects. I got a lot of hope for a camera crew with me because I'm. I'm hoping to shop this hour that I'm cobbling together to a Netflix or an hbo. And I'm doing the hour after that show at ucb. So this is like my warm up.

[Mike Pesca]

Set for literally that night.

[Nimish Patel]

Same night.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I'm just. I'm taping both.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

But knowing that the second show is the one that I really care about.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

And going into this college gig like this college this, I know it's gonna be bad. It's a walk in. It's, you know, 500 kids and the ceilings are insanely high. It's bright as a bunch of break dancers on stage. I'm like, oh, this is not made for comedy. And I'm 30 something at the time and everyone there is like 20. And on top of that, I was rejected from Columbia, like, you know, in 2004. So I already got some animosity. And so that was the context within which I was performing. And so, yes, should I perform better? 100. But being called, like they said I said, I called all them, like immediately.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I was like, I only use that word, like twice in my act on purpose. I've definitely probably said it like, to a crowd member, like if the moment decided it, and to like a comedic effect. Not like you, but just like, wouldn't be funny. Yeah. But that bugged me, just being called a liar. And I was like, all right, well, here it is. This is. You want to watch it? Go for it. Here. Here's me middling, doing like a. Performing mid. At this show that they said I did all this stupid at. And that was. That was annoying. But, you know, I've been taught to be forgiving, and that's really all I'm trying to do.

[Mike Pesca]

It got you a lot of attention. Maybe before you were ready for the attention, but actually, I think you played it well, do you think in any way it made you a better comedian?

[Nimish Patel]

Probably, if I think about. Made me a better comedian in a sense. Like, I definitely took more into, like, the context within which I was operating into effect. I definitely was on. I was definitely on stage a bit cockier than I should have been.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

But also, like, the first few minutes, I'm doing well.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Nimish Patel]

And I know this crowd and I know. I know it's college students, so if I'm getting like 60% of them, I think I'm killing.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, yeah. In this high ceiling cathedral that's inimical.

[Nimish Patel]

And I feel like. But it was also, like, I was playing this, like, apathetic but also really cared role and I wouldn't. I learned to not approach situations like that. But that's like a life lesson, not necessarily just a comedy lesson. Right. But yeah, I mean, I'm sure it made me a better comedian in the sense, like, I. I definitely pace the stage more. I'm definitely a bit more active. I definitely will never do any kind of remote crowd work at a show, College show, ever again.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Nimish Patel]

Because I was talking and like, like, it's their first comedy show, they're in front of their student, but pacing the stage.

[Mike Pesca]

I mean, that might have happened without this one specific. Yeah, that's just your evolution.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, I think. I think that last part is probably the one takeaway from that, like, that I could apply to another comedic.

[Mike Pesca]

So it seems to me. Let me draw out a couple. Oh, some of what I'm hearing, that the growth was based on you having lost the crowd and not doing so well in the moment. The thing that wasn't growth or didn't help was really unfair, was them literally taking the mic from you. Although if that whole thing didn't blow up, maybe you wouldn't have looked back at the tape and really played it back in your head and say, why did I lose the crowd? Maybe you're like, that was a shit show.

[Nimish Patel]

I knew I lose. I lost a crowd because I talked to one girl a bit too long and I had it. I hadn't, in the moment realized when to bail.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I thought I.

[Mike Pesca]

Would you think of an act? Would you think of a, you know, set that didn't go so well as much if all the extra stuff of them essentially banning you from the stage hadn't happened?

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, for sure. Oh, I definitely would have thought about that. I think about all the sets all the time, but, oh, I could have done this differently and I could have said this. I would have this, this, like I wouldn't still be thinking about it, but definitely like for a few days or a few hours afterwards, at least on the car ride down from there to ucb, I would have been like, oh, okay, that should have, should have done this, should have done that. When I look back at that tape, which I haven't in a very long time, but in the aftermath of it, my biggest regret was just not being funnier when they asked me, like, closing remarks. And like, I wish I was trying not to be mad.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

But in trying not to be mad, I definitely stopped myself from being funny.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. You weren't operating at the top, your calm mind.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Different things were going on.

[Nimish Patel]

Exactly. I wasn't like, I, I felt like I could have said some funny that at least not, maybe not in that room would have been funny, but at least to the outside world it would have been funny.

[Mike Pesca]

If a community doesn't feel safe, like, it's hard to come up with that.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, no, it's not. I didn't feel safe. I just felt like, what the is. What is happening?

[Mike Pesca]

Well, yeah, you're unmoored. It's uncle.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, Yeah. I was embarrassed.

[Mike Pesca]

You're being psychologically defensive, which is.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Not going to allow the greatest jokes to flourish. Maybe Chris Rock felt the same way when he punched by Will Smith.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

He really could have come out with some amazing jokes and I guess it's good that he didn't. But.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, no, I think he, he did. He handled exactly how should have as a consummate professional.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. You know, so when I listen to, I, I don't know what's gonna happen with your career. I think I take you at your word. You'll probably go in phases or cycles and you'll get back to some longer thesis type jokes. Although I love, you know, your Jeffrey Epstein.

[Nimish Patel]

Oh, thank you.

[Mike Pesca]

It's very funny.

[Nimish Patel]

Oh, thank you. I admire Taylor Swift as an artist. That's like, she's been on an incredible rise since like 2007. She was just straight fucking killing it. She's taken control of her own destiny. It's really fun and interesting to watch. She's accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars by gathering like countless young women together. That's two things she has in common with Jeff Epstein. And it's really interesting.

[Mike Pesca]

I do wonder, you know, I know you love Chris Rock, right? Everyone. Yeah. So he, I mean, he does this joke, he does these kind of jokes with the. Through line, with the. It's all right if it's all white and you know, he's the cadence of a preacher to some extent. He has, he's the king of. I am making an argument and making a joke. Would you just say, well, that's good for him, or do you still. Do you admire that? But, but say that, you know, different direction. Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

I mean, Chris is, you know, the biggest influence in my comedy. The biggest influence and has had an outsized impact in my career in general. But, you know, I think for me, right where I'm at right now. Yeah, I'm just having fun with the things I'm saying right there. It's maybe come August when I. September, when I actually hit the road for real, when I start my theater tour, like, I will have to apply some principles that, like structure stuff. But right now I'm, I'm being pretty loose with the fast and Loose is the name of the tour. But that's, that's just like. Because that's how I want to approach this next, this next piece, you know, like, thank you. China was what it was. That was written almost as a, A movie. If you watch it, it's got like a real film structure to it, or at least a lot of it does. And then Lucky Lefty with the cancer special was written as just like a one story kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, by. By design and by. Because of. That's what happened. And I was like, okay, Look, I got 40 minutes on this one thing. Let's just shoot, talk it through, figure out how to tell the story. Well, this next one, I don't know. I, I've got a lot to think about and a lot to say. It's kind of, it's coming together as vignettes at the moment, which I'm also very fine with. But yeah, just, I'm just on this path to see what comes when you crow.

[Mike Pesca]

When you call a crowd soft, what are you trying to do there? What effect does that have?

[Nimish Patel]

When I call a crowd soft, what effect am I trying to do? What effect am I trying to engender? And what does it actually do? I'm trying to remind them that this is just comedy and that they shouldn't get their feelings hurt.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Nimish Patel]

By anything in particular. What I think it does is puts people on the defensive a little bit. It makes them think, are we soft? You. We're not soft.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, you think it goes you. I think you challenge them not to be soft.

[Nimish Patel]

Yeah, I think I, I, I, I, I hope that they are challenged and the challenge is successful.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, if they like you and if they have the Mamba mentality. Maybe they will rise to the.

[Nimish Patel]

Exactly. But I don't think a lot of them. I don't think some do.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, now that people are coming to the shows for you, I think they might.

[Nimish Patel]

Yes.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Last question, last thing I want to ask about. What does a comedian have? What if his stand up have his expressions, his jokes, his mannerisms, his voice, her voice. Your voice is really distinctive. It's low, it's gravelly. It fits in with your personality, I think. Did you have to cultivate that? Was this the voice you were talking with when you were an undergraduate at nyu? Tell me about how you think, how you use your voice and how you think your voice helps your comedy.

[Nimish Patel]

I think the voice is very disarming because they don't expect this voice to come from this face.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Nimish Patel]

Which is mildly racist. But I think I've sounded like. People have always told me my voice is very deep, very early, like high school, early college days. It's not something I cultivated. It's definitely something that's just come. This is just how I sound. I think, I think it's. I. It would take a lot for me to try to figure out where it came from. Yeah, I, I know how much what you hear, how that impacts your, your vocal growth and definition.

[Mike Pesca]

Sure.

[Nimish Patel]

But I grew up, you know, listening to DMX and then Incubus and Coldplay and then War, DMX and Redman and Method man. And my dad, who worked in a black neighborhood would come home and talk and. But my mom would speak Gujarati. So this voice is a accumulation of that. And maybe, you know, all the weed I've smoked and damage I've done otherwise. But I wish. No, I don't wish, but I think people think I'm faking this voice, but this is what I sound like if I, if I'm talking like this. It's a lot low. I can, I can fuck with it. But yes, this is what I sound like.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Nimish Patel]

I can't really change it. And I, I don't even hear the depth.

[Mike Pesca]

No, I don't think that's how voices possibly work in the sound cavity of your head. Do you ever. I'm sure you tweak lines and you'll put a word here or a word there. What about intonation? You ever say if I go down on this joke or if I pop it with something of a higher octave, it gets a laugh? Is that. Do you play with vocal quality?

[Nimish Patel]

I've, I've, I, I definitely have. I can't Remember specific instances, but there's definitely been moments where I recognize on stage that I said something differently and like, oh, okay, I just said it a little less mean or a little, like, more joyful or a little sad or it's like, it definitely impacts it all. But I'm not at the hyper expert level yet where I can. Where I'm doing it, like, on every single word. You know, when I was in during pandemic, my friend Mookie Thompson and I, we created a cartoon together called Zoo idiots. It was about a bunch of animals stuck in quarantine for unknown reasons. And I got to play a bunch of the characters, and I had to learn how to become a voice actor. And I'm not saying I got good at it, but it was definitely a learning experience. A huge. A tremendous exercise in developing cadence for each particular word and knowing how each word can impact how and what you say. And I wish I could keep that up. It's. It's just very difficult to do. But I, I, I, hopefully one day when I got nothing else to do, I can work on changing every fucking word. That'd be awesome.

[Mike Pesca]

Nimish Patel is sonorous. He's touring the country. He's frequently hospitalized. You can find his YouTube special or you can find a special of his on YouTube called Thank you, China. A new hour will be out soon. That'll be based on the touring he's doing. Hey, thank you so much.

[Nimish Patel]

Thank you very much, man. I appreciate you.

[Mike Pesca]

We should also point out that it's about 100 degrees in here the day where we're talking.

[Nimish Patel]

I'm not just lying about everything. It's just. It's hot as balls.

[Mike Pesca]

Thank you so much.

[Nimish Patel]

Thank you very much.

[Mike Pesca]

And that's it for today's show that just was produced by senior producer Joel Patterson. Producer Cory Wara, who was the producer of all the episodes in the funny you should mention series. He also did all of the video. Leo Baum was essential in his assistance in these projects. I always identify Michelle Pesca as CBSO of peach fish production. She gets a sincere title for everything she's done with funny. You should mention she is the executive producer of this series. Special thanks to the comedy sellers Noam Dwarman and Liz Furiati and also Nicole Lyons for engineering this session. To advertise with us, go to advertisecast.com the gist Ooperu G Peru. Do Peru. We'll say it now. We say it always. Thanks for listening.

[Nimish Patel]

Hey, lights. Hey, swipes. You ready for the nasty weather.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, yeah. That's what we windshield wipers were made for.

[Nimish Patel]

How about you, Light? You remember your training, right? Of course. When you guys are on, so are we. We're shining a light, too. Really? On safety for Oregon's ropes. Making it so everyone can see each other coming. Aw, we all go together so well. Oh, here comes the rain.

[Mike Pesca]

We're on.

[Nimish Patel]

Let's go. Remember, when your wipers are on, make.

[Mike Pesca]

Sure your headlights are on, too.

[Nimish Patel]

Lights and swipes.

[Mike Pesca]

It's the way to go.

[Nimish Patel]

A reminder from odot.