258: #258 From Russia with Love, Psychology & America ft. Yakov Smirnoff

Summary

The Nateland Podcast - Episode #258: From Russia with Love, Psychology & America ft. Yakov Smirnoff

Release Date: June 25, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Nateland Podcast, hosts Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, and Dusty Slay welcome the iconic Russian-American comedian Yakov Smirnoff. The conversation weaves through personal anecdotes, career highlights, and profound insights into the intersection of comedy and psychology.

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Upcoming Specials and Announcements

Mike Vecchione's New Special

• Brian Bates announces the release of Mike Vecchione's second Nateland special titled "Low Income White," set to premiere on Friday.

Dusty Slay’s Netflix Special: "Wet Heat"

• Dusty Slay shares exciting news about his upcoming Netflix special, "Wet Heat," launching on July 29th, 2025. He discusses the creative process, including collaboration with editor David Shambang and director Jordan Levy, expressing enthusiasm for the project's reception.

Notable Quote:

Dusty Slay [02:30]: "Wet Heat, I think it's got a pop to it."

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Personal Stories from the Hosts

Brian Bates: Redemption in Lebanon, Tennessee

• Brian Bates recounts his experience performing a corporate gig in his hometown for the Kim Alvareson Foundation, a cause supporting cancer patients. Despite initial nerves, the performance was a success, providing him a sense of redemption.

Notable Quote:

Brian Bates [07:01]: "I feel like I redeemed myself a little bit."

Aaron Weber: Adventures at Fanatics Fest

• Aaron Weber shares his recent trip to Fanatics Fest in New York City, detailing encounters with celebrities like Tom Brady, Mark Wahlberg, and James Harden. He also narrates a harrowing flight delay experience that culminated in a humorous in-flight toilet paper relay race organized by the flight attendants.

Notable Quote:

Aaron Weber [16:06]: "We did a toilet paper relay race. Each side of the plane had a roll of toilet paper..."

Dusty Slay: Family Time and Relaxation

• Dusty Slay talks about taking time off in June to engage in family activities, such as mowing the lawn with a zero-turn mower, walking his kids along a creek, and visiting the Chattanooga Aquarium. He emphasizes the joy of simple, relaxing moments with family.

Notable Quote:

Dusty Slay [19:24]: "Went to the Chattanooga Aquarium. Just a relaxing, relaxing week."

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Audience Interactions and Memorable Moments

Melissa Lewis’ Praise for Yakov’s Story

• Brian Bates shares a listener comment from Melissa Lewis, praising the episode and expressing amazement at Dusty’s story involving Christian Bale.

Notable Quote:

Melissa Lewis [21:00]: "Dusty's story is unbelievable. That's insane. I would have never taken Christian Bale as a Dusty fan."

Encounter with Christian Bale

• Dusty Slay and Brian Bates recount their unexpected encounter with Christian Bale at the Nashville airport. Bale acknowledged them as podcasters, leaving a memorable impression despite the brief interaction.

Notable Quote:

Dusty Slay [24:58]: "She still yelled your name. She did, though."

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Guest Segment: Yakov Smirnoff’s Journey and Insights

From Soviet Union to American Stage

• Yakov Smirnoff delves into his immigration from the Soviet Union to America in 1977, initially settling in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1978 to pursue a comedy career. He discusses overcoming language barriers and cultural differences while working as a bartender in the Catskills, where he began performing comedy.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [40:18]: "I didn't speak English, so that was the beginning of my routine."

Breakthrough and Interactions with Legends

• Yakov shares pivotal moments in his career, including performing alongside legends like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, and Richard Pryor at the Comedy Store. These experiences significantly boosted his visibility and success in the comedy world.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [44:40]: "I got a standing ovation... it felt like that ugly duckling found the swans."

Academic Pursuits in Psychology

• Transitioning from comedy, Yakov pursued higher education, earning a master's and doctorate in psychology. His dissertation, titled "Law of Laughter," explores how meeting each other's needs fosters laughter and stronger relationships.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [74:42]: "The dissertation was called Law of Laughter. Lol."

Mural Project Post-9/11

• Responding to the tragic events of September 11, Yakov painted a mural symbolizing American resilience. Despite initial challenges securing a display spot, he successfully collaborated with local union members to exhibit his work near Ground Zero, emphasizing hope and unity.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [116:08]: "It needs to be a mural at the ground zero. And so I start... Metaphorically, God wanted it up there."

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Psychology Meets Comedy

Negative Bias in Media and Audience Perception

• The hosts discuss the psychological concept of negative bias, noting how media leverages this to dominate narratives. Yakov agrees, emphasizing that the media thrives on fear to captivate audiences.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [89:05]: "The media is built on. The media people, they understand our psychology. They understand that we're wired for survival."

Reactance: The Pushback Against Restrictions

• Brian Bates introduces the concept of reactance, where perceived restrictions lead to stronger opposition. The hosts discuss how mandates, like mask-wearing, can inadvertently provoke greater resistance among people.

Notable Quote:

Brian Bates [90:15]: "If they tell you, like, you got to wear a mask on a plane, not only are you not going to wear the mask, you're going to smoke a cigarette."

Pygmalion Effect: Expectations Influencing Performance

• The Pygmalion Effect is explored, illustrating how teachers’ expectations can significantly impact student performance. Yakov shares insights on how expectations and positive reinforcement can enhance outcomes.

Notable Quote:

Brian Bates [90:31]: "It basically says if you tell people they're going to do well and tell other people they're not going to do well, it'll often come true."

Comedians as Psychologists

• Yakov posits that comedians act similarly to psychologists by conducting social experiments through humor, gauging audience reactions to understand human behavior better.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [79:08]: "Every joke. Every joke. So I called the podcast the Comedy Couch because... It gives me a chance to kind of play around with this."

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Promoting Upcoming Shows and Projects

Brian Bates’ Tour Dates

• Brian Bates promotes his upcoming shows in Raleigh, Chattanooga, Tulsa, and Hattiesburg, highlighting his “clean” comedy shows and charity events like Laugh for Life, supporting cancer research.

Aaron Weber’s Tour and Website

• Aaron Weber shares his extensive tour schedule across cities like Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, and San Diego. He encourages listeners to visit his website for tickets and more information.

Yakov Smirnoff’s Performances and Podcast

• Yakov Smirnoff announces his performances at the Grand Ole Opry and other venues, promoting his Comedy Couch podcast, where he interviews fellow comedians about their personal journeys and psychological insights.

Notable Quote:

Yakov Smirnoff [117:25]: "Comedy Couch, because we're having a good time... it's a mixture."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Nateland Podcast offers a rich blend of humor, personal stories, and insightful discussions on psychology, anchored by the remarkable journey of Yakov Smirnoff. The hosts and guest provide a deep dive into how comedy serves as both entertainment and a tool for psychological exploration, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Key Takeaway: Understanding the psychological underpinnings of humor enhances both the craft of comedy and its impact on audiences, fostering deeper connections and meaningful laughter.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Nate Bargatze]

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[Brian Bates]

Hello, folks. And hey, Bear. Good to see everybody. I'm Brian Bates.

[Aaron Weber]

I guess you're running things today, huh?

[Brian Bates]

Well, he asked me while you guys were talking.

[Aaron Weber]

We usually have a conversation about that before we get started. We did. I think I'll just take the reins to. That's all. No, I'm happy. I'm happy to.

[Brian Bates]

Happy to be here, as always. And I shouldn't say always. I'm the only one that's truly always. But as often, Dusty Slay.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Most of the time. Aaron Weber. And coming in a little bit later, very, very special guest.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I'm excited.

[Brian Bates]

Yakov Smirnoff.

[Aaron Weber]

Big deal.

[Brian Bates]

In a little bit. So excited to see him. So we're back in the studio, back in our location after a little road trip last week, back in the real world.

[Dusty Slay]

This sign is new to me.

[Aaron Weber]

It is new.

[Dusty Slay]

That's a good sign. We got our little bobbleheads up there on the top.

[Aaron Weber]

Funko Pops. Yeah, that's the new Nate Land branding right there. The new logo.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I like it.

[Brian Bates]

Looks good. Looks good. Speaking Nate Land, our buddy Mike Vecchione special comes out this Friday.

[Aaron Weber]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Low income white. Even the title's funny.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it is. It's a good title.

[Brian Bates]

I was here for the taping. He's so funny. It was great. Everybody's gonna love it. It's gonna be. This is his second special with Nateland.

[Aaron Weber]

The first one did really well.

[Dusty Slay]

Very excited people.

[Aaron Weber]

People loved it.

[Dusty Slay]

So, Mike, Becky owns. Very funny.

[Brian Bates]

Yep. Yep. And Dusty, I think you might have some news.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I do. As of now, it's not been announced. It's supposed to be announced today, meaning Monday, and so far it hasn't been. But it is going to be announced soon. My new special coming out to Netflix July 29th called Wet Heat. All right. Yeah, Wet Heat.

[Aaron Weber]

You've been soft launching the title for a while now.

[Dusty Slay]

Yes, I have.

[Aaron Weber]

I see all over Twitter, you're like, yeah, it's a real wet heat out.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Let's get that phrase going.

[Dusty Slay]

Really putting it out into the ether, as they say.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And yeah. Wet Heat coming. Very exciting. July 29th. So, you know, long as, you know, things in the world don't fall apart between now and then, it's gonna be great.

[Aaron Weber]

I think we'll be good. I mean, Netflix's first two hour special.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that's. Well, I meant, you know, two parter. We should have that. We should have that. But yeah, as the last, like the last one, it is above an hour.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Are they gonna put it all out at once or they're gonna do it.

[Dusty Slay]

In series, miniseries each week? No, yeah, that's. That would be a good one.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. But a little cliffhanger.

[Dusty Slay]

I could do that.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

But yeah. WET Heat coming. July 29th. Netflix, mark your calendars.

[Brian Bates]

It's just a month from now.

[Dusty Slay]

Just a month from now.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

So exciting.

[Aaron Weber]

They do it quick, huh?

[Dusty Slay]

Go ahead, add it to the queue.

[Aaron Weber]

Have you seen the, have you watched the whole, the whole thing? You feel good?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I'm, I, you know, I, it's my special that I, you know, I, I, you know, funded myself and I have been involved in the editing process all along the way. So I've been watching it, been very involved, very excited about it.

[Aaron Weber]

But you're not physically going in there editing it?

[Dusty Slay]

No, no, no, I'm not doing the editing, thank God. But I, you know, actually there's a guy, guy who works with the editor named David Shambang. He is doing the editing.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. And the same director as last time. Jordan.

[Aaron Weber]

Jordan. Jordan.

[Brian Bates]

Jordan Peele.

[Dusty Slay]

Jordan. Jordan Peele. No, horror movie. I don't know why I can't think of his last name right now. That's embarrassing. Jordan Levy. Yes, Jordan Levy.

[Aaron Weber]

That would have been a guess of mine, but I'm glad.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that's embarrassing that I couldn't come up with that. But that's what I do. I forget names.

[Brian Bates]

I feel like we're on his podcast because he'll always start every week with. Had a great weekend in. Worked with a very funny comic. Oh geez. What is his name? I don't know, but I wanted to.

[Aaron Weber]

Give a shout out to. Can't remember his name, but shout out. But that's exciting.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, very exciting. And so I'm pumped about it. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait for people to see it. I think it's better than working man. I think it's better than the last one.

[Brian Bates]

That's impossible.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, thank you, Brian.

[Brian Bates]

For me it is.

[Dusty Slay]

That's no Way, but I think it's better.

[Aaron Weber]

Is this your first special where there's not an apostrophized word in the title?

[Dusty Slay]

I guess so, because I remember you.

[Aaron Weber]

Had Son of or Making that Fudge.

[Dusty Slay]

Making that fudge.

[Aaron Weber]

And then you wanted it to be a series, right?

[Dusty Slay]

I wanted it to be. Yeah. I had a whole idea, cuz. Making that fudge and it had a picture of me holding a kitten thing. And then I wanted to do. Drinking that gas because I had a joke about drinking gas and I wanted, I had a picture made with me in the gas can.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And I wanted to keep that going, but I, I chose Son of a dick with a D. So. Yeah. So.

[Aaron Weber]

But then Working man, he came back.

[Dusty Slay]

Working Man. Yeah. Yeah. So Wet Heat.

[Brian Bates]

That's so awesome.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Wet Heat. Wet Heat. The title was debated amongst my team for a while, but ultimately throw out some other titles. Well, we're gonna go Hot show. Because I like to call things a hot show. Yeah, it's a hot show. So that was, that was the only one other really considered one.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

But Wet Heat, I think it's got a pop to it.

[Aaron Weber]

Wet Hot. American Joe.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Because it feels, people are like, oh, feels dirty, but it's not. It's about humidity.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I, I didn't think it was dirty at all. That's the only thing I thought it was. Humidity.

[Dusty Slay]

It's hot out here, guys. Hot.

[Aaron Weber]

Summer's in full swing.

[Dusty Slay]

Summer's in full swing and man, it's.

[Aaron Weber]

Hot out there and it's going to be hot. July 29th.

[Dusty Slay]

Yes.

[Aaron Weber]

Special comes out.

[Dusty Slay]

So good branding for it.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Get out of the wet heat. Turn on the wet heat.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Turn. Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's fine. Yeah, use that, use that.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Well, that's awesome. Congratulations, Dusty.

[Dusty Slay]

Thank you. Thank you, Brian.

[Brian Bates]

We didn't really talk about last week's show. We didn't talk about what we'd done. And I, I want to share. I went and did a corporate in my hometown of Lebanon, Tennessee.

[Aaron Weber]

Nice.

[Brian Bates]

For many of the same people that was at my all time classic bomb at the Wilson County Livestock.

[Dusty Slay]

My favorite story of all time.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. My mom was there, her friends were there. The guy who hired me for the Wilson County Livestock association, your mom's friends.

[Dusty Slay]

Were like, oh, here we go.

[Brian Bates]

This again.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Here we go.

[Dusty Slay]

They keep hiring this guy.

[Brian Bates]

Helen, why do you keep dragging us to this? So there was a lot of pressure on me and thankfully it went well.

[Aaron Weber]

Great.

[Brian Bates]

I feel like I redeemed myself a little bit. So that was It. I was more nervous about that.

[Dusty Slay]

I like that you say I redeemed myself a little bit.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I'm not saying it was a inning ovation. Our corporate is a corporate, so.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. It's never going to be the greatest show ever.

[Dusty Slay]

And it's going to be tough to take the same people and put them in a different room and go, now, now, this guy's funny. Right? Because they watch. It's like when people see you do bad, they always think you're bad.

[Aaron Weber]

Tough to forget that. Yeah, but there may be. Some of them were old enough, they don't even remember the first time around.

[Brian Bates]

Well, some of them are dead.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay. He killed.

[Aaron Weber]

What was. Who is the corporate for?

[Brian Bates]

It was for the Cracker Barrel. Kim Alvareson Foundation. It's. Kim Alvareson had cancer. She passed away, but her family created this foundation to help people with cancer.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Great organization.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Brian Bates]

Glad to be part of it. It was at the Capitol theater in Lebanon. That's a big theater there.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I used to go see movies there as a kid.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

That'd be a fun idea. I don't know if it's a TV show or what, but you go, you track down your worst bombs, you reassemble the audience years later, and you get a sh. At redemption.

[Brian Bates]

I could do a lot of episodes.

[Aaron Weber]

Be a long season.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I mean, that's hard. That's hard to do. It's hard to go like. I felt like people in my hometown, I felt like I had. I don't know, I had some. Some good shows, but I felt like I. A lot of the venues around my hometown, same kind of. They were all. It was all not good. And I was always just doing okay. And I just wanted.

[Brian Bates]

Well, it. The story you tell about your dad coming to see you. And I think Columbus, Columbus, Georgia, it really hits with me because I feel it, you know, it was hard. Was that his first time to see you?

[Dusty Slay]

No, but is that the loft? What it was was I was doing some jokes that were a little dirtier for me at least at the time. And the first time he came, the show was sold out. It was still. It was me and Chris Killian doing these shows. I was opening for Chris Killian. And you know, the first when we're packed, my dad couldn't even get into the room. He showed up, he couldn't get in, so they let him just kind of walk off, come into the side and just peep in. And he came in about the time I was doing These dirty jokes which involve him sort of.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And. But it crushed. And he loved the jokes. He was like, oh, yeah, because it crushed.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And then the next year, by the time he comes back the next year, I've perfected these jokes now. These jokes are really good. And he brought. My dad came with his wife and then his cousin and his cousin's wife, and then people from their church. And then like so much so that this lady, little bit to host. Probably still does, if it's still.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah, she hosted for me.

[Dusty Slay]

She would always do this thing where she goes, I want to do a toast. She's real country. I want to do a toast. Do you want to hear a clean toast or a dirty toast? And every time people yell dirty, of course. But this night, I think there was enough of my family in there that they go clean. And she didn't know what to do. I think she had never heard people yell clean. And so then I come out and I'm like the dirtiest I've ever been, which is still not even that dirty, but it was the dirtiest I've ever been. And I was doing these jokes and man, they were bombing so hard. Same jokes, but they're actually better now. I perfected them.

[Aaron Weber]

Right, right.

[Dusty Slay]

But they bombed. And then my dad hated them. My dad yelled at me on the phone and. Oh, I think. I think my dad was ready for me to quit comedy.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And there's still time.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. And I did not bring him back until. To see me. Until I did the Opry. That was probably 2015. And then I did the Opry in 2018. So three years before I would bring him back to the show.

[Brian Bates]

Well, you redeemed yourself. Yes, too.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

So I did that last weekend. This past Sunday, I did. I hosted Nateland Presents, the showcase, season three.

[Aaron Weber]

Nice.

[Brian Bates]

It was great, great show, great comics, great audience. Aaron came down, closed it out. I think they were just tired. But overall the show was good. It was just a long show, Aaron.

[Aaron Weber]

That's all.

[Brian Bates]

Now, Aaron. Aaron killed at the end. So it was just a great night all around.

[Dusty Slay]

It's hot, you know it's hot.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it's a real wet heat outside.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Yeah. So that's what I did. What about you, Aaron?

[Aaron Weber]

I. I was in New York City this past weekend. Last minute gig. I. I got. I got hired to film some content at Fanatics Fest in New York City, which is the world's largest sports and trading card convention. Kind of up my alley.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

If you watched any sports media from this past weekend. Chances are you saw something about Fanatics Fest. It was the headline generator.

[Brian Bates]

I saw Tom Brady ripping up an Eli Manning jersey.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, we saw. I mean, anybody you can name. I was within 10ft of him. Tom. I got. I Got Tom Brady 10ft to my left. Mark Wahlberg 10ft to my right. James Harden walked right by me. I saw wrestlers, and just like, wrestlers. I wish I could remember the name. They're like the defending American champion.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, new stuff.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, Some newer stuff now. Some of the older guys were there, but they're a little more. They're not walking through the crowd.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Crowd like the newer guys are. Wemby. I saw Victor Women, Yama up close. That guy, he cannot hide from a mob because he's a foot and a half taller than everybody else. Seven foot five.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, Wimby. I'm thinking about Giannis. Yeah. Wimby is like seven.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. And he. I saw him hug LeBron. He made LeBron look like a little kid.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

So it was pretty great. I talked to Gary V. I got to talk to that guy. I don't know if you've seen him on Instagram. He's pretty intense. But it was just a fun time. I had maybe the worst travel day of my life getting out there. I traveled in the night before. I had a 5am flight. I woke up at 5:30 in my bed.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, no.

[Aaron Weber]

And I was like, oh, no. I've never overstepped a flight in my life. So I'm traveling with a buddy, and I wake up and I have like 10 missed calls from him. He's just at the airport. So I call him. I go, look, just get on the plane. I'll see you in New York. I had Yankees tickets that I bought on SeatGeek. He went to the game alone.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Oh, no.

[Aaron Weber]

Just a New York. I just go, have fun in New York for a day, dude. I can't get there till later. So I booked a Southwest flight at like 11. Supposed to be. Supposed to get there at 2:30 in the afternoon. Yeah, I'm on the plane. It's like three o' clock. I go, what's happening? I pull up the flight map, you know, where you can see the plane. And the plane is just doing little circles. So I'm like, something's going on. Pilot comes on and goes, well, we're going to land in Baltimore. Everyone's like, oh, God. So we land in Baltimore at like 3:15, 3:30. And they go, laguardia's closed. There's bad Weather up there. We're probably not going to get going until about 8:30 tonight. So just walk around. So I walk all the way. I go. I might as well just walk around. I walk to the other end of the Baltimore airport and there's an announcement over loudspeaker. Scratch that, we're taking off from Baltimore. Get here now. So I sprint through the airport. I've never run through the airport before. I sprint all the way across the airport. I get there, I get to the gate, they go, false alarm. We're not going anywhere. So I'm just furious. I'm drenched in sweat.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm mad for you right now.

[Aaron Weber]

It's so embarrassing. So then nobody will give me a straight answer on when the plane's taken off. We don't have a gate. So I'm just sitting around waiting to find out. We finally get on the plane and then we sit on the Runway. I guess I don't know where we're sitting, but we're waiting for a spot to take off. We sit there for three hours before we're allowed to take off. So I got into New York. Around, around. I was supposed to leave at 5am I didn't get into New York till about midnight that night. So it was just a long day at the airport. Now I posted this video, but we're on the plane for three hours just sitting there. Yeah, you know, nothing to do. The pilot keeps coming on and going. You know, we're just waiting. They go, we're waiting on. A little more information. And then the. The Southwest flight attendants, they played a game I'd never seen before. I'm sitting. Well, you'll just see. We got a relay race.

[Brian Bates]

If you're listening. Yeah, they are passing. Toilet paper roll, one behind the other.

[Aaron Weber]

We did a toilet paper relay race. Each side of the plane had a roll of toilet paper and we had to pass it over our heads from the front of the plane to the back and then the back of the plane back to the front. I have never seen this kind of stuff happen.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm furious on this plane.

[Brian Bates]

Were they mad at you for filming it while you were.

[Aaron Weber]

No.

[Brian Bates]

Trying to win.

[Aaron Weber]

I think everybody reckoned. Well, I. I mean, I was. I probably had the best performance in this.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, you helped you win.

[Aaron Weber]

I got a little competitive. Our side did win, if it means anything to you.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I can tell from the video you did, you're in a huge league there.

[Aaron Weber]

Look, everybody's filming. Everybody knows this is absurd. And I'll admit there's been plenty of times in my life where I would be so mad that this is happening. So annoyed. But I heard a flight attendant say her day started at 2am So I had a moment where I was like, you know what, dude? They're not enjoying this either. This probably stinks worse for them. It's out of their control. It's not a Southwest issue, it's a LaGuardia issue. So we're just sitting around waiting. And also the people around me were being so annoying, complaining out loud that I chose to enjoy it. I chose to just go, let's just. We'll just have fun. And just recognize the absurdity of it. The guy, when they started doing this relay race, the guy behind me goes, you can't force us to do this.

[Brian Bates]

You're like, dusty.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. And this guy, this dude behind me, so annoying, dude. He kept going, at least bring us some shots.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh.

[Aaron Weber]

And that got a laugh the first time. And then he kept saying it and I wanted to be like, dude, shut up.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Like we're not getting shots, you know?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. It's like there's something about other people complaining that make you go, you know what? This is okay. Take it.

[Aaron Weber]

Dude. If everybody else on the plane were like, this is awesome. I would have been that guy.

[Dusty Slay]

I would have been like, oh, you just take it. Oh, everything's okay, huh? It's just. You got nothing to do, huh?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. But the people around me stunk that. That whole flight. But it was just a crazy long day, dude. And, and, and then, anyway, then the whole weekend in New York was fun. I got to do some spots around New York City. Chappelle did. Did. I was at the stand. Chappelle did a pop up show there.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

If Chappelle. It's a secret smoking headliner.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

And it was like clearly him in the silhouette on the, on the website. So I saw him walk through the hallway. It's kind of cool.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I saw him in a hallway at the Comedy Store one time. But yeah, it didn't seem approachable.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I get that. Yeah. But fun weekend in New York and shout out to Southwest.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Airlines. For getting us through. Getting us through day. What about you, Dusty?

[Dusty Slay]

I was off. I got really. The month of June off for the most part, just trying to not travel. But I, I went to McMinnville, went out to the cabin and cut grass on a zero turn. Took my kids walking in the creek.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Went to the, went to the Chattanooga Aquarium.

[Aaron Weber]

That's a good aquarium.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

It's only an hour from McMinnville. So we went down there to that. That was fun. Just a relaxing, relaxing week. I mean, I, I cut a lot of grass, but riding a zero turn is very relaxing.

[Aaron Weber]

It is.

[Dusty Slay]

I could just do it all day.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I listen to music while you do it. No, I just, just soak up the sounds of.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I love it. I could do it all day. I love riding a lawnmower.

[Brian Bates]

That's great.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I'm jealous.

[Brian Bates]

All right, you want to get to these comments?

[Aaron Weber]

Let's do it.

[Dusty Slay]

I say that, but if my job was to cut grass, I would hate it.

[Aaron Weber]

That's true.

[Brian Bates]

I was actually thinking that there's a baseball stadium. I think I could.

[Aaron Weber]

That's because you're doing it when you want to do it.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Making progress with your finances can be such a headache. Whether it's overdraft fees, missing a payment, or just wishing you saved more. You know what I mean? Chime understands that every dollar counts. That's why when you set up direct deposit through Chime, you get access to fee free features like free overdraft coverage and more. Learn [e-mail] Nate With Chime, you get. You can get paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Plus they have 24. 7 customer service, not to mention over 50,000 fee free ATMs nationwide. 50,000. Chime is banking done right. Open a checking account with no monthly fees and no maintenance fees. And with qualifying direct deposits, you're eligible for free overdraft up to $200 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals. Work on your financial goals through Chime today. Open an account in 2 [e-mail] Nate that's chime.com Nate Chime feels like progress.

[Nate Bargatze]

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[Brian Bates]

All right. Comments come From Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Apple podcast reviews and Nate land@nate bargazi.com Melissa Lewis this is the best episode ever. Dusty story is unbelievable. That's insane. I would have never taken Christian Bale as a Dusty fan. Love it. I'm glad Brian was there too. Definitely makes the story even better.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm going to say. Melissa, I agree with you that I couldn't see him as a Dusty fan. But also, why couldn't you see him as a Dusty fan? You know what I mean? I can agree with you. And also question why you don't think he'd be a fan of just great comedy.

[Brian Bates]

I'll answer for Melissa. I mean, where do I start?

[Aaron Weber]

He's British, first of all.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I see. He's Australian, but he's. He's British and he just doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would follow any stand up comedy, much less a Southern.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, he just seems so serious and everything. He does. He's a very serious actor.

[Brian Bates]

Intense.

[Dusty Slay]

It does, it does. I do have a hard time picturing Christian Bale just at home kicking back.

[Aaron Weber]

In his mansion watching Working Man.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Making that fudge.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Now he's been watching Wet Heat, but.

[Dusty Slay]

I was already a fan of his and now a much bigger fan, so.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Don't you think it would have been a better story if he. If you went up and talked to him and then he spotted Brian and was a huge fan of Brian?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I mean, not for me, but it would be. I would be happy for Brian.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. It would be a better story even for everyone. Did you ever consider once saying, hey, can you take a picture with my buddy Brian?

[Dusty Slay]

Honestly, I'm surprised I even got any words out. I was really like, this is amazing.

[Aaron Weber]

He forgot you were there, though.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It changed the whole course of my day. And. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, I know. I was with you.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Christian Bell, he looked at me when I said, can we get a picture? Like, dude, we're two celebrities here talking. Yeah, just back off. Back off.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Pretty awesome, though. Doug Brulette. I think that's how you say it.

[Aaron Weber]

Bruyer. Maybe.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm thinking Bruye.

[Brian Bates]

Bruya.

[Dusty Slay]

That's a fancy.

[Aaron Weber]

Sure.

[Dusty Slay]

Fancy last name for a Doug.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah, it's like that. He's probably Douglas.

[Dusty Slay]

Douglas Bruye.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I gotta go by Doug. He probably went by Dougie as a kid. Just to balance it out.

[Brian Bates]

If Christian Bale recognizes and speaks to you in an airport, you are certified public figure.

[Aaron Weber]

I'll give it to you.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, that is true. I said public figure long ago and it got such a big reaction from the room, but I knew it was true.

[Brian Bates]

Then Christian Bell proved it.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Brett. Pardon? Think you got that right.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Imagine my shock and surprise to be filling in at my sister's business and see two of my favorite podcasters walking across the. I completely fangirled and ran outside to make sure it was them. Thank you both for chatting and taking the time for a selfie. I smiled the rest of the day.

[Dusty Slay]

I'll say this. You know what? We didn't. We didn't talk about this last week.

[Brian Bates]

No, I meant to.

[Dusty Slay]

We were walking across the street, and right after Christian Bale, Britt yelled breakfast.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. And she come running over.

[Aaron Weber]

Y' all were walking into the skin society.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I was getting a facial.

[Brian Bates]

I think that's where she works. I think that's on her.

[Aaron Weber]

Y' all are her Christian Bale.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I thought. Because she did yell breakfast, and I thought, oh, if she knows me, then we're tied. One. One for the day.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, that's right.

[Brian Bates]

Even though this is Christian Bell. Yeah, mine's better looking.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, Christian Bell's British. Her name's Britt.

[Brian Bates]

There you go.

[Dusty Slay]

You know what I mean?

[Brian Bates]

But then I should have known if she's gonna yell breakfast. She knows me from the podcast, so of course she's gonna know Dusty. And she was excited. So Dusty beat me 2 to 1. But it was pretty cool.

[Dusty Slay]

She still yelled your name. She did, though.

[Brian Bates]

She did, yep. Well, she yelled breakfast.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

So it was. She was very nice.

[Dusty Slay]

It was nice to meet her.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Adrian Mathena. Mathena. I think that's right.

[Dusty Slay]

Athenia.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Anybody else feel secondhand nerves for the guys hanging out with these celebrities? Like watching your friends sit down with Mandy Moore and thinking, don't say anything weird. Well, I'll say this. People commented like, oh, they seem nervous talking to Mandy Moore. I don't think that's the case. What they don't know is we shot these out of order. Mandy Moore was the very first thing we did all day.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. We sat down, hadn't seen Nate in six months or however long. And then that was the first thing we. Mandy Moore was just there.

[Brian Bates]

So that's how we started.

[Aaron Weber]

It's like the beginning of the episode. Awkwardness plus Mandy Moore sitting right between us.

[Dusty Slay]

I'll be honest. I know the name Mandy Moore, but I don't. I never watched Entourage.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And I just don't know Mandy Moore stuff. So I know the name, and obviously she was very nice. Yeah. But I didn't feel any kind of, like, you know, celebrity.

[Aaron Weber]

Sure.

[Dusty Slay]

Shock with her.

[Aaron Weber]

She was just like a pop icon of my. Of my generation, at least.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Like Hillary. Hillary Duff or somebody like that.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's how I thought of her.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Throw Christina Aguilera in there, and, you know, that's more my era.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it was just a few more. If you came a few more years later. Yeah, that would have been Mandy Moore.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Madonna.

[Dusty Slay]

That's more your. Yours. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Although you like young share.

[Aaron Weber]

Judy Garland.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Trying to think of someone alive.

[Dusty Slay]

Mandy Moore was very nice, though. They were all very nice.

[Aaron Weber]

She was.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Everybody, Everybody.

[Dusty Slay]

We had breakfast. I don't know if you. Me and. And me and breakfast. Had breakfast with one of the.

[Brian Bates]

Martin.

[Dusty Slay]

Martin.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, really? The next morning makes more with the.

[Brian Bates]

Atlanta airport and.

[Dusty Slay]

A TGI Friday. I'm telling. I'm like. I'm like. To Brian. I'm like, I never sit. Come in one of these restaurants in the airport. I never go to a chain restaurant in the airport and sit down. And then we're there. Here comes Martin.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. He joined us.

[Dusty Slay]

We yelled at him from across the restaurant and forced him to sit with us.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I don't think he wanted to, but he had no choice, Martin.

[Dusty Slay]

And then we left him.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, he's a nice guy.

[Dusty Slay]

He was very nice.

[Brian Bates]

I'll say this about the movie, too. We get to do this podcast together, but we never get to travel together. We're always different parts of the country doing shows. So I got to go down, shoot the scene with Aaron, hang out with him a couple of days, fly down with you to do the podcast. So it was just fun hanging out with you guys on the road.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, it was fun. It was awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Dirk Glob Key.

[Dusty Slay]

These are some tough names.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I've been watching this podcast regularly and really enjoy the bond you all share.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, boy.

[Brian Bates]

You all seem to appreciate each other, are very supportive of successes you all enjoy on camera. Yeah. These guys are so jealous of me off camera. I love the Dusty Aaron exchange regarding seeking employment in the dessert industry. And Aaron comes back with, it's not too late for a pivot.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It.

[Brian Bates]

It's clear how much you all enjoy each other's company, and it's fun to go along for the ride. Well, thank you, Dirk.

[Dusty Slay]

Appreciate that, Dirk.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, look, we're all riding away, but it could all come crashing down at any moment, so you never. You never know.

[Dusty Slay]

We're all well aware, you know?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, I could. I could be working at a gelato.

[Dusty Slay]

Spot next week and enjoying yourself and.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, and really enjoying it.

[Dusty Slay]

But I. I have always been curious about the samples thing when I asked Martin, because I get so annoyed when I'm in line and people keep asking for samples. I'm like, it's ice cream. Okay. It's all going to be Good. You get. You get two samples. That's it.

[Aaron Weber]

Hot take. I don't think you should get any samples.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

No other restaurant works like that.

[Dusty Slay]

That's true.

[Aaron Weber]

You don't go to McDonald's and go, let me try a chicken nugget before I order. Yeah, it's like part of ordering food part of a restaurant is you order it. It's a little roll of the dice. Also, can you not look at the name of these things and just guess how it's going to taste?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. You got an idea.

[Aaron Weber]

You're like, what is cookies and cream gonna taste like?

[Dusty Slay]

What's salted caramel?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, exactly.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I think no samples. I think you get it. All sales are final. Leave the store. Don't say anything.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I'm with you, but I'm gonna get. I'm saying.

[Brian Bates]

Never seen you so fired up.

[Dusty Slay]

At best. I give you two samples. That's it. You don't get.

[Aaron Weber]

What are you sampling?

[Brian Bates]

I would have thought you went the opposite direction.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay, here we go.

[Brian Bates]

Endless samples for everything.

[Dusty Slay]

Two samples, and only for kids. But why adults don't get us.

[Aaron Weber]

Why only ice cream places do we do this a different thing?

[Brian Bates]

All the flavors. It's already 31 flavors at a restaurant.

[Aaron Weber]

Even if you get, like, a flight of beer at a. You know, or, like, at a nice brewery or something, that costs money.

[Dusty Slay]

I like that.

[Aaron Weber]

Who's giving out free?

[Dusty Slay]

Give you a flight of ice cream. I never heard that term, but I. I'll give you a flight of samples, but that costs money.

[Aaron Weber]

That would be great. A little. A little spoonful of everything. Yeah, I'd much rather do that, but, yeah, it's not free. Like, I don't know why we expect these ice cream places to. To do that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

For every.

[Dusty Slay]

You get one sample for every scoop that you buy, you go, I want two scoops, and I'll give you two samples just to see what scoops you want to get. That's it, though.

[Aaron Weber]

There you go. Well, you got to pay for it.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I'm gonna skip ahead to last. Crummy.

[Aaron Weber]

All right, Sorry.

[Brian Bates]

Well, trying to be respectful to Yakov.

[Aaron Weber]

It's Yakov, by the way.

[Brian Bates]

I'm not being very respectful, am I?

[Aaron Weber]

Let's go ahead and iron that out before we bring them in here.

[Dusty Slay]

Now I'm confused.

[Brian Bates]

Emily Wells. Brian's impressions are my new favorite segment on the podcast, though I don't know if it's the impression itself or Aaron's laugh and Dusty's response that makes it so great. I was Laughing so hard I was crying. His impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger, well, I nailed it. So what's funny about it?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, you're good. You got great impressions.

[Aaron Weber]

Did you see the one of him doing, like. Well, who was it? Who'd you do? Lawrence Fishburn? Denzel Washington.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

No, I'd love to see a quick sample, if you don't mind. Just two samples.

[Brian Bates]

You can watch the podcast.

[Aaron Weber]

He's not watching the guys. He's barely here for the ones he's on.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know why. I got a lidless cup, by the way.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, you got water on your mustache there.

[Dusty Slay]

I got the one. Oh. Open air cup out here. Let's do. Let's just see Denzel.

[Aaron Weber]

Hold on. Let's give him a new one. Let's do it. Can you do Morgan Freeman?

[Brian Bates]

We've already done that, hadn't we?

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, I did a Morgan Freeman. I think you.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I think you danced.

[Aaron Weber]

I tried.

[Brian Bates]

No, I tried it because I said.

[Dusty Slay]

Just looking for a black guy.

[Aaron Weber]

Will Smith, 100.

[Dusty Slay]

All right, you be Chris Rock.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. There's two types.

[Brian Bates]

Will Smith.

[Aaron Weber]

Yep.

[Brian Bates]

This is gonna be a punch. Pretend like I just punched alien.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Welcome to Earth. That's what I call a close encounter.

[Dusty Slay]

That's not bad. Boom. That's not bad.

[Brian Bates]

I did it again.

[Dusty Slay]

Dang.

[Brian Bates]

That's Independence Day, if anybody was wondering.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that is good. Yeah, that is really good.

[Brian Bates]

See, everybody's impressed.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Should we get Yakov? Yakov in here?

[Aaron Weber]

Let's get Mr. Smearing off in here. We're gonna get. Ladies and gentlemen, after a quick commercial break, you won't feel a thing. We'll be talking very soon. Comedic legend Yakov Smirnoff. Let's talk about something we all deal with, some more than others. Bad hair days. But what if those bad hair days could become a thing of the past with the Irestore Elite? I'm holding it in my hand. You can say goodbye to thinning hair and hello to fuller, healthier locks. The Irestore Elite is clinically proven to help regrow hair using 300 lasers and 200 LEDs that send light therapy directly to your scalp for a limited time only. Our listeners are getting a huge discount on the Irestore Elite when you use code [e-mail]. that's promo code [e-mail] to get huge savings on the hair regrowth device you've been wishing for. And start.

[Brian Bates]

I'm already feeling a difference.

[Dusty Slay]

You should be doing this as a thing to show that it works.

[Aaron Weber]

It's the best at home laser device in the world. It has more lasers, LEDs, and power output than the competition, ensuring that you'll see results. It also has more scalp coverage and is surprisingly comfortable, would you say, Brian?

[Brian Bates]

I wasn't even surprised, but yes, it's very comfortable.

[Dusty Slay]

It looks comfortable.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Give yourself the gift of hair confidence. This year, for a limited time only, our listeners are getting a huge discount on the Irestore Elite when you use code [e-mail]. head over to irestore.com and use code Nate for our show's exclusive discounts on the Irestore Elite. Please support our show. Tell them we sent you. Look, hair loss is frustrating. You don't have to fight it alone with Irestore.

[Brian Bates]

Welcome, welcome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. I've been watching you guys from afar and enjoying the podcast very much so. I'm. I'm happy to.

[Brian Bates]

When you say afar, you mean Branson, Missouri.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Well, it's another world. It's a different world. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Us.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. We have Internet, by the way. Just got it.

[Aaron Weber]

Branson. You just got it? Yeah. Getting to Walmart soon, I think.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

No, it's there. That's. That's where it started.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Branson. Yeah, Branson. That Walmart's got to be good in Branson.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It's good. Yeah. It's a good wall. It's good. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I. You and I talked on the phone because I tried to do your podcast, but first time I met you in person was for the Nashville Comedy Festival a couple months ago.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes.

[Brian Bates]

I was on Dusty show at Zany's. You came by watch the show. Then he went over the Ryman.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And did a set on that Nateland show. And I came over later and Aaron.

[Aaron Weber]

Said Yakov killed standing ovation at the Ryman Auditorium.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, it was a very cool moment in the show. And I was thinking. I was so. I don't know if jealous is the word, but it got to me. It's like to get to a level where you show up at any show and they're like, obviously, put him on the show. Like Yakov's backstage was. Yeah. See if he wants to do a spot.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It wasn't that. I mean, it's just Brian Dorfman, who you well known, he just saw me and he goes, you want to go up? And I didn't even know where I am. I had no idea. And so I go, okay, what do I do? Just do 15. I go, okay, and that's how it was, you know, so. But it was a very important moment for me because I've been in Branson bubble kind of for the last 32 years.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Entertain over 6 million people. So I, I, I, I had a Really, I have 2,000 seat theater. So I'm, I'm in a good spot. Yeah. But lately, and I think the person who is responsible for this chair or wherever he sits, that's normally Brian's chair.

[Dusty Slay]

You're talking about that chair.

[Brian Bates]

Nate usually sits here.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That chair is responsible for me kind of coming out of semi retirement, Whatever. I was just phoning it in. Basically. I, the show has been going on for years and I, people coming and it's wonderful. However, he kind of woke me up saying, this is what I used to do in the 80s. And at that time, just there was no arenas for clean comedy. And he kind of paved the way. And it was, I, I couldn't believe, I mean, I was blown away. So when I saw that he was coming to Springfield, Missouri, and he sold out this arena and I wanted to be in the proximity, so I, I bought two tickets, $500 each, to sit right in the front. And he told you the story, that it happened to be at the right place at the right time, that they lit up the whole thing.

[Aaron Weber]

You're the only person you could see in the audience spinning around in the round going, is that Yakov?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So what an honor. You know, I mean, I believe in that power of proximity when you're close to something. And I was just doing a part my podcast next door to you guys here. I'm like going, this feels so good. So the rhyme and experience was kind of awakening for me because I, I, as I was flying to Nashville, I called my wife forever from Dallas or wherever I was connecting. And I said, you know, I'm really nervous. And she goes, why? I go, I feel like I'm an ugly duckling who kind of been hiding in Branson for years and doesn't really know where I belong. And I don't know. I've been to la, I've been to New York. I did a Broadway show. I didn't feel like I was, it was not part of where I supposed to be. And I'm going to a next place, which is Nashville, and I have no idea what's going to happen there. And then I think it was next day that Ryman Experience happened and Dorfman said, come on, come and say. And getting a standing ovation that all of a Sudden, I literally felt like that ugly duckling found the swans, which you guys are. And I didn't realize that that's where they hang out. And I didn't even know realize that I belong there or not.

[Aaron Weber]

But.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But once I. I heard that laughter and I saw these people stand up and going, I, I'm here. I'm. I. I gotta be here.

[Aaron Weber]

And you're.

[Dusty Slay]

These guys have been hoping for that laughter for a while.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. What's it like?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

What's it like? Well.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, you're gonna be making your grand Old Opry debut later this month.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

The day this comes out.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

After tomorrow. Yeah. Wednesday. Yes. So that's. That's another experience that I don't have a clue where I'm walking into. I don't have a clue.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm so nice at the opera. You're gonna love the opera. Yeah. They're the nicest people.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Gary Milder just texted me saying that we're all very excited having you here, you know, and so I'm going into another place where I'm hoping that they'll like me, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, you're gonna do something.

[Dusty Slay]

They're gonna love you.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And so I'm. I'm excited.

[Brian Bates]

I love that. Your jacket. Class reunion, 1988.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That was 1988. Yeah, that's the one that I was doing with Robin Williams and Richard Pryor and. And all of this big guys that.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm like, who else was Howie Mandel?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Howie Mandel, Paul Rodriguez. David Letterman.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Forgot that. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You think about the group of comics we started with, like, your little class. That was. That one's pretty crazy.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, that was crazy. Beyond that, on the same show with them was amazing too.

[Aaron Weber]

So you started when you. When you moved to America. Was it Los Angeles first?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

No, New York. New York was first. I didn't speak English, so that. But I wanted to do comedy because I was a comedian in the Soviet Union.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I. I got a taste of laughter, but I didn't know if I'll ever be able to actually get on stage because I didn't speak English. And so that was beginning of my routine. Started with misunderstandings and all of those things.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I got a job as a barboy in Catskill Mountains. And there are a lot of vaudeville comedians were there. And so I kind of was watching them and learning English from them. And then I would became bartender and I would start telling jokes in a bar to the customers. And I knew if I'm funny, then I get tips yeah, sure. So. So that was my gauge. I didn't, you know. And so that's how it started. And then when did you move to New York? What year New York is? 77. Okay, 77.

[Brian Bates]

I read on your Wikipedia page that you almost got sent back because you registered as comedian, which they translated to party organizer.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It was, it was exactly what happened. Walking through the immigration office and get an interpreter who's kind of like speak some of both languages, whatever. And so they're asking me, what do you want to do? And I said, I, I want to be a comedian. And he didn't know how to translate it, so he said, party organizer. And I see officers there are in the walkie talkies now, they're surrounding me. We got one. We got a commie here or whatever. And so I, I'm like, what did you say? And he said, so he start backpedaling. I said, no, it's like birthday party. And. Oh. And they go, oh, okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Then they start laughing. So, yeah, it was a good thing because otherwise you're. Yeah, you're not in a good place.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. And then when did you move to LA?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

LA was 78. Pretty soon. 78. When I moved to LA and I didn't know again, where I'm going. I just, there's some friends said that they, they know a person who, he was an executive. Trees company, executive producer.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And so I, I watched Massive show at the time.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, huge.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I watched that show and I was like, if, if, if he, he can make me a star, I mean, so I, I took a 10 minute, a 10 day, a pound. I just, I bought a ticket for 10 days. So I had a plan that in 10 days I become a star. And then I go to.

[Dusty Slay]

I know some guys with plans like this.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I still have that ticket. I still have it. And so I, I go there and I'm thinking 10 days, then I come back to New York and I'll buy my parents fifth Avenue apartment. That was part of the plan. Okay. So I go there and, and Ted Bergman is the guy's name. And he says, well, you know, I need to see you perform. And I, so I go, where do I. And he said, well, there's Comedy Store, there's Emperor. So I, I went to a Comedy Store and got a spot. I think it was a Sunday open mic. And then I get a message that he can't make it. And I go, I'm bombed. I'm like, day four, I'm nowhere. I'm like, I'm kind of got six.

[Brian Bates]

Days left to be a star.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I know, I know. I, I, I. And I'm, I'm dead serious. I'm like, how am I gonna tell my parents that there will be no.

[Dusty Slay]

Fifth Avenue apartment four days in? And you got a spot at the Comedy Store. Yeah, that's already, that's very good.

[Aaron Weber]

Unbelievable trajectory already. So they're guys that live their years, they can't get a spot.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Right. So I, But I don't know. I mean, I literally don't know if it's good, bad and whatever.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I go there and, and I did my set and I did about five minutes and got. Laughs Was, you know, pretty good. And, and then. But I'm leaving and I'm going, man, I need to figure something else. I need to. And I'm walking sunset and I'm. I'm bombed. And, And Mitzi had the secretary, Chrissy, and, And she was a British, A British girl. And she runs after me and she goes, yakov, Yakov, congratulations. And I go, for what? And she goes, because she knew that I'm expecting this guy and he didn't make. And I go, he didn't come. And he said, no, no, no, Mitzi liked you. And I go, who, who is Mitzi? And, and she goes, she's the owner of the Comedy Store. Go talk to her. She's sitting there. So, So I go sit down. And Mitzi and her, you know, she goes, you were, you were good. You know, you should stick around because there's always place for good and different.

[Aaron Weber]

Good and different.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah. And, And I don't know who I'm talking to. Right? And. And she goes. I go, mitzi, you know, I gotta go back. My parents are in New York. And she goes, what does your dad do? And I said, he is a building construction engineer. And she goes, well, can he be a carpenter? I go, yeah, I think he's really good in that. She goes, bring him here, I'll give him a job.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Wow, right? And then she goes, where do you live? And I go, I'm staying with some friends. And. And he goes, she goes, I have a house about the Comedy Store and you can rent a room for $120 a month. And so. And there are other comedians will live there. And I go, okay. So all of a sudden, I got my dad a job. And then the last thing, she goes, and come back tomorrow and see a regular show. So I come back tomorrow at day five, and I'm sitting on the back of the original room and first person on stage is Robin Williams. Second, followed by Billy Crystal, followed by David Letterman, followed by Richard Pryor.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I'm sitting there and I'm going, I'm ahead of schedule. She likes me and she likes those guys. I'm sticking around.

[Dusty Slay]

Did you know who those guys were?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I watched them on tv. I mean, I was, I was so wanted to do comedy, but I didn't know if I can because of my English. And so. But I was glued to TV and watching Johnny Carson, whatever. I could watch and learn. That was my whole thing. And so then the rest is history. I, you know, Mitzi, just by being there, she gave me, basically, she gave a job to my dad. She did not, not put me on stage for like two years. I was just helping my dad do carpentry. But I was in the best school of comedy. I could watch comedians for free. And, you know, and it was amazing. And, and that's how I got the movie was Robin Williams Moscow on the Hudson. And then I got movie with Tom Hanks. Those are, those are. Things were happening before I even became a regular.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But I was just hanging around the right place, right time.

[Brian Bates]

What did your dad say when you called home and said, I don't have you a place on fifth Avenue, but you have to quit your job and move to la?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

He didn't have a job.

[Brian Bates]

He was an engineer.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But he, he was an engineer in the Soviet Union. He came here. He didn't speak English. They're older, you know, and so they were not employed.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So son said, let's go to la. So they, they came and. And he was able to do a couple years at least of work there. I'll help. I was helping him, but that was, you know, it was good. And we, we did a lot of good things in the Comedy Store. So a lot of legends are going around that, you know, Jacob built this and Jacob built that. I go, I don't remember that. Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You know, so. But it's been, you know, it's been a blessing in disguise there. Not in disguise. For real.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So that's how my, my career took off.

[Brian Bates]

I also read on Wikipedia that there's a style of joke that kind of developed from you, the whole. In this country, you. And then in Russia.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. They call it reversal jokes. And they attribute it to me. I don't know. I, I'd say I'll take the credit, but it was the commercial that I did, Miller Light commercial was. In America, you can always find a party In Russia, party always finds you. And that was very successful. And so that. And then after that, Jay Leonard picked it up and going in Russia, car drives you, etc, you know, so. So it was. It was. It was significant, actually. Having a commercial probably was the most impactful in my career. Out of all the things that I've done, people would just start recognizing me because it wasn't during super bowl and I was in everybody's living room.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And so that was a big break.

[Aaron Weber]

And a Miller Light one, too. I mean, that's a big. That's a big.

[Dusty Slay]

That's a good beer.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I'm a little bit older than these guys, so. I remember you on Night Court.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes, that was a big deal.

[Dusty Slay]

I remember a little Night Court.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I couldn't tell you any characters, but I do remember Yakov.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I was one of them. Yeah, I was one of them. I did seven episodes. It was very. A great show. And Harry Anderson and I worked in a club together with Jerry Seinfeld one time. And I was opener. Harry was middle, and I was. Jerry was the headliner. And after, when he got the show, Harry Anderson, then he brought me up to the producers and they brought me in and it. They liked it, and it kept bringing me back, which was wonderful. You know, this is really the dream.

[Dusty Slay]

That every comic has, that they just go to LA and people go, you know what? I like you. I'm gonna. I'm gonna put you in some stuff.

[Brian Bates]

I mean, what a country.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

What a country. But, you know. You know, to be honest. Honest, I was so in. I mean, I was in it. And I Only. Until it kind of ended, the. The career kind of went down. I didn't realize I was so busy doing it that I thought, every immigrant gets that opportunity.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Which is kind of a myth. But I just happened to be at the right place with right set of skills.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I mean, it's. Your story is what everybod thinks can happen to them. Everybody thinks I'm gonna go to LA and they're gonna see me and I'm gonna be a star.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And it does happen. Obviously, it happened to you. It happens to other people, but it's. It's an amazing story.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. And. But. But I gotta tell you what I learned later on, as I was getting into my education later in life, getting my master's and a doctorate degree, all of those things I was trying to understand what's the secret, what was happening, because my talent was obviously part of it, but there was something Bigger than that. Way bigger than that. And I didn't know what it was. And it was that the Soviet Union was a major threat to America to the point that people had to get under desks in school and wait for a nuclear attack. I mean, that's right. That's. So I met the needs of America. They saw a human. They saw the Russian person. That is not threatening. It's not banging shoe on. The United nations say, we will bury you. You know, whatever. And I was like, I came in this innocent guy, and then they're going like, we're afraid of this. Are you kidding me? And that's what America needed. And when you meet. If you can figure out what is the need that. Whether it's a country, whether it's a group of people had and you can meet that need, you can do well.

[Brian Bates]

And I think it worked for you, obviously, because you. Sincerely, you weren't playing a character. You did love this country and still love this country.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I still do.

[Brian Bates]

It was a fake thing. It would have eventually came through.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Eventually. There was. Well, Robin Williams used to do a lot of Soviet impressions. I think he was calling them Soviet suppressions. And. And then. And that was right before I came on the scene.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So people who thought I. They thought I was playing a character.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And then there was a guy, his name was Morris Moskovitz. And at the time, when I was still bartending in the Catskills, my lead bartender said, oh, you know, I know you were a comedian, but that place is already taken. Because this guy. And there was a. A huge New York Times article about this guy, how he immigrated from the Soviet Union and how he started doing comedy. And I. And I'm going, yeah, I guess I'm. I'm too late, you know? And then about two months later passed. 60 Minutes did an expose on this guy and exposing, right in front of, like, the whole country that he was just a. A guy from New Jersey that took. Took this. He knew probably some people who immigrated and decided, I'm gonna do that gig.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I honestly, I went to see him in Greenwich Village in New York, and I thought he was for real. Really? No idea. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow. So the accent, everything was perfect.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It was. It was perfect. Stories he was telling was similar to my story.

[Dusty Slay]

So it was like, we need more exposes like that. There's a lot of that going on.

[Brian Bates]

Is that guy still around?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I don't know. I think it was the end of his comedy career. I don't know what happened to him after that.

[Dusty Slay]

It's tough when the whole media comes after your character. You're like, I'm just doing a joke thing here, guys.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Right.

[Dusty Slay]

And they worked out for you, though.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Well, but he did with it. But then he didn't. Then it didn't. Because once the Soviet Union collapsed, I realized that, you know, Leatherman had a top 10 list of things that will now change, and I made number one on the list. Yaakov Smirna will be out of work.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I thought it was kind of funny. I'm going. I'm still. You know, I have contracts in Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Tahoe. I got. I'm. I got this. No problem. Six months later, none of those contracts were renewed. None. And we live in Pacific Palisades next to Tom Hanks, next to Goldie Hawn, next to, like, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And. And we're like, we can't afford the mortgage. There's no money coming in anymore. So it was scary. And. And so I started looking for a place where they did not know that the Soviet Union collapsed. You got it right. I ended up in Branson, Missouri, and I got 32 years out of that. They still don't know, and I'm not about to tell them. So this is. This is. The gig is working.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. It doesn't broadcast in Branson.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. No, no, they don't. But. But to your point that it works for you or it can work against you.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

If you canceled. And that was. Original version of that. In 1991, I was canceled, basically because we don't need, you know, the. The Soviet Union was like, a pain in the butt, and I was like. My jokes were like Preparation H. So all of a sudden, we don't need that anymore. And I'm like, what do I do? So thank God for Branson.

[Dusty Slay]

It turned out so shocking to me that it would just end. Like, I would think the jokes are still funny. There's no need. Well, it feels like David Letterman ruined.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Your career, but I wish I could claim him personally, but I think it was the industry that kind of pigeonholed me as a Soviet comedian. And then when. When there was no need for that, you know, burning and itching went away. So we don't need that anymore.

[Dusty Slay]

Happiest guy during that time. That guy in New Jersey.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Probably.

[Aaron Weber]

Yes.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes. Probably. Probably. Finally. Finally. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

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[Dusty Slay]

Okay, past the knee looks silly. 5.5 seems short even to the knee.

[Aaron Weber]

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[Dusty Slay]

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[Dusty Slay]

I've always loved chubbies.

[Brian Bates]

Ronald Reagan loved you, right?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

He did. He did. That was a very interesting relationship. Very, very special relationship because he, I mean the way I met him, he was very much into like Soviet humor that he was. You know, I didn't know that at that point, but he. So he. I was performing in Washington D.C. now I see why you don't take the cap off because there's ice in there.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh yeah, let me have a cap. They don't even let me have a.

[Aaron Weber]

Cat we had to give ours to Yakov.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I was at the Comedy Comedy Cafe, it was called, in Washington, D.C. and after the show, this guy comes over and he said, you know, I'm hosting. I'll have President Reagan and Nancy Reagan in my house for dinner. Would you like to join us? I'm not exaggerating. And I'm thinking this guy is off the rocker. It's like, who are you talking? And. But he was. He was a chief editor of Washington Times, okay. And I didn't know. And so he calls me a couple of weeks later, says, here's a ticket for you to come to join us. And so. So I'm flying there, and we're in the car and we're pulling into this neighborhood. And then. And there is. Is like two helicopters are hovering over the neighborhood. And then there is like, barricades and the guys in bulletproof vests and with machine guns. And. And I'm going, I'm. I'm there. There's no way they're gonna let me into this. So they get the Arno, the bajagraf, his name, and he get him out of the car and they frisk him and they ask for one id. But he said, I'm hosting. I'm the owner of the house that the President is coming to, and so we don't care. And so finally. And then now it's. I'm sitting next to him and the guy's putting flashlight on me, and I'm going, I'm dead meat. So I'm.

[Dusty Slay]

They're going, we got the party organized.

[Brian Bates]

Finally we got him.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I'm sliding into this chair and he goes, miller Light commercial, right? I go, yes. And he goes, go in.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So it's opened that. I mean, look at that, you know, So I. I go there, and there was only like 18 people. Dinner party. And this is the night when President Reagan sent military helicopters to Libya to scare Gaddafi. And so behind him. So this was a. A big deal to have like a. A hospital set up in a guest bedroom with all the operation. If. If there's a need to be. All the windows are blocked with, like, you know, some special plywood, whatever. And so I'm sitting there. Oh, my God. This is not. This is. I don't know where he's going. And the President walks in and he just. He just. They said this Yakov Smirnov, he's a Russian comedian. He's. He just smiled and he said, have you heard this joke? And he proceeds to tell Me, a joke. And people now, they're looking at me, and I'm now telling him a joke. So 18 people like this, and him and I are sitting across from each other and just telling jokes.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That was amazing.

[Aaron Weber]

What a moment.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And behind him, there's a guy with the football, which is a briefcase with all the nuclear codes, and he's a Marine, and he is not supposed to smile. And I have a goal to just crack him up, you know, So a couple of times I did, but. But I was, you know, nervous.

[Brian Bates]

You put our country at risk.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I know.

[Brian Bates]

For your own ego.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I did. I did.

[Aaron Weber]

Pretty crazy to move to America knowing no English, and within a few years, you're going joke for joke with Ronald Reagan at a dinner party. I mean, that's crazy.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It is. It is. And. And it continued. I mean, I felt like after that, he just. You know, when he was going to the Soviet Union to meet with Gorbachev for the first time, I get a. I bet I get a call from Dana Rohrabacher, who was his head speechwriter, and he said this, confidential. President Reagan is going to go to Russia to meet with Gorbachev for the first time. It's a big deal. So he not only he wants to do. Meet with him, he wants to do a speech in the Kremlin in front of all the Russian politicians. So President Reagan asked if you were to write jokes for his speech. And I'm thinking, if this doesn't work, I don't have any countries to go. Where am I going after this? Right. But I was honored. I wrote some jokes, they put them in a speech, but then they go, do you mind reading the speech and seeing if we have a right tone? And I'm going, am I the most qualified person to do this?

[Aaron Weber]

Yakov, you're the most important person in the world right now. It sounds like it's. Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So. So I go, okay. And I wrote. I read it, and. And I didn't care for it that much because I think I thought they were talking down to the Soviet government, which. Not. Not a good idea.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And so I said, you know, I think you should probably change the tone a little bit. And they go, why don't you rewrite it? And I go, this is not getting any better. This is gonna be. And so I. I did. And. And they liked it. And they. It wasn't a lot of changes, but just a little bit to make it. Make them look more important. And. And it worked, you know, and they had a great summit. And, you know, after that, the Berlin Wall came down and I was responsible.

[Brian Bates]

I was.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

No, but I was chiseling it. Literally chiseling it. And with Bob Hope on the USO tour, we went to Germany and we chiseled that wall. But there was a writing on the wall that I just didn't think of reading, and it says, yaakov, get a day job. But I didn't even suspect that anything like that could happen.

[Dusty Slay]

Happen.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. And then.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, how did the jokes go?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

In the speech, did the jokes hit?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Good.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Well, yes, and it was nerve wracking because I was watching. I was watching it at my home in Hollywood, and it was satellite broadcast. And first joke that he opened with, the joke was that you. I know you've been having some challenges with old politicians because they've been sitting in one place for so many years. They don't want to. They don't want to leave. And, And. But I heard this tale that in Russia, when a child is born, an angel comes down from the skies and kissed that child. If the child is kissed on his forehead, he's going to be ingenious. If he is kissed on his lips, he's going to be incredible speaker. If he's kissed on his hand, he's going to be amazing artist. I don't know what place this angel kissed. Those politicians that they will not give up their seat. No one laughs. Joke. Well, but the reason, then he goes.

[Dusty Slay]

Yakov wrote that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I was done. He was done. I'm sure. But I forgot those days, none of the Russian politicians spoke English, so they were waiting for the translation for this little headset.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It was the longest 30 seconds of my life. And then the crowd went crazy and I went and changed my pants. Yeah. So. But. But it was an honor to be there. And then I kind of, kind of became a. A supplier of jokes to Reagan. You know, I was like, official dealer, joke dealer, you know, for the White House, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

That's amazing.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And then when did you pivot into getting a master's and a doctorate in psychology?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That was way later. That was. I need to do something with this cord. Because it's kind of. Yeah, it happened later in life. I. I went, so I've moved to Branson. And then. And then I went for a divorce. And the divorce was pretty painful because my parents were married 52 years. I didn't know people that. So all of a sudden I'm getting divorced and I didn't understand it. And then I started trying to figure out, you know, why, why it happened? And then it. It was what I noticed. And I started asking my audience, I said, you know, there was laughter in the beginning of the relationship, and, and in the end, the only people are laughing are attorneys. What. What happened to laughter? So as a comedian, and my dad was an engineer and very much into inventing things and reverse engineering stuff. So my brain was like going, something happening in the beginning and something happening in the end. And I didn't know what it was. And so I started asking audiences, I said, do you. How many of you remember laughter being part of this honeymoon stage of the relationship? And everybody is just so much into. And then I would say, how many of you would go on the second date if you didn't have laughter? And no one. Yeah, right. So it was like, oh, there's something here that I want to research. So that's kind of where I went at first. I was trying to do kind of my own. Trying to understand it and make sense out of this. And my kids were little. My son was 5 and my daughter was 7. And I was trying to explain to them. So I actually brought this little, little thing that I put here earlier there that I. It's this how I explain my children divorce. Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I. I got. I got magnets. I got magnets from the store that sells, like, equipment for teachers. And I figured, well, maybe they'll understand this. Okay. So, so I. I took two magnets and I. And I'm like going, okay. So in the beginning of the relationship, it's work. Somehow something works. And because we attract each other and then love and laughter live in this space. So that's how I was explaining it to my kids.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I'm going, okay. And. And then, you know, something happens and. And I didn't know what it was. And then they start repelling each other. I'm telling my kids this is what's happening, and then not to repel each other. They want to fight, so they meet their own needs somehow and they no longer repel, which was kind of mesmerizing for the kids. So I said, so if. If I can figure out what that was, then maybe I can have a good relationship somehow that I can predict something. So I. I worked on this for. And I would do that as part of my show. I was so into it, and I wanted to understand it. So I. Then I start playing with those magnets, and this is what. What happened. So when you understand what to give. And later on it happened that I realized one is giving, one is Receiving both of us can do that. But if both people give the same things, then it's. It's going to repel. But if they do do the right things for each other, then love and laughter lives in this space.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. So that was the beginning of that educational kind of process. I'm going, there is a law of nature. Here's here it's, you know, magnetism and in relationship there's something else. But I didn't know what it was. So that's when it was. I got my masters at UPenn and that wasn't enough. I didn't feel like I. My dissertation wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. So I went to Pepperdine and got a doctorate degree there. And that was. The dissertation was called Law of Laughter. Lol. That was the only joke original.

[Dusty Slay]

Lol.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes. Yes. Yeah, they. They let me keep that joke. The rest, 190 pages of no jokes. Wow. Nothing. Just straight research. And so I was able to prove that it's basically meeting each other's needs. Is. That's. That's a setup. If you look at that as a laughter, like when you're telling a joke, you have a setup. You have a punchline and then you have a laugh. Meeting the needs is the setup. Your humor is the punchline. Laughter is a result of that. Yeah, that's what this helped me figure out.

[Dusty Slay]

And this is a very Branson thing. These men.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It is very much, very much easy to understand.

[Aaron Weber]

Yes.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

We sell them in the gift shop. It's all good. It's so good.

[Aaron Weber]

Got great margins on it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Absolutely, absolutely. Made in China. It's all good. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Summer is in full swing.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it is.

[Brian Bates]

More sun, dusty. Do you like summer?

[Dusty Slay]

I love summer.

[Brian Bates]

You love the sun, the wet heat.

[Dusty Slay]

That's what I'm into.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Well, there's more things to do outside and we get a lot busier, so. Summer has so many activities you don't want to miss out on. Number one thing you should do for the summer Cook.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

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[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I haven't been that diligent about it, but what I do and I see results.

[Dusty Slay]

Factor is good.

[Brian Bates]

It is great endorsements from both of you. I started trying it out and I love it and you will too.

[Aaron Weber]

And that is true.

[Dusty Slay]

My family loves it.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, well, I like the breakfast option, obviously.

[Aaron Weber]

Breakfast.

[Brian Bates]

But on the go lunches, they're super helpful too. My wife's out of town. She's in California this week. So I'm a stay at home dad and factor is going to be a big factor in my life this week. So get started@factor mills.com Nate 50 off off and use code NATE50OFF to get 50 off plus free shipping on your first box. That's code [e-mail] Nate 50 off for 50 off your off plus free shipping. Factormills.com Nate 50 off well, I did a little research on psychology when I found out we had an expert.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Coming on. You're the most educated person we've ever had on podcast.

[Aaron Weber]

Do you ever go by Dr. Smirnoff?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You ever want to die? My sign, my, my, my emails, Dr. Smirnov, otherwise Dr. Jakob, Dr. Yakov. But that's it. Yeah. I don't.

[Aaron Weber]

Nobody calls, not on stage or anything.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I tried it for a little while.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It didn't, it didn't mean a rebrand.

[Dusty Slay]

A rebrand.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I tried it, but I actually walked out after my graduation in the word in a robe. And, and it went well, but it wasn't like, like something. Yeah. We want to see more of that. Yeah, sure. So that didn't go.

[Brian Bates]

You know, Aaron, we did this about four years ago. One of the live tapings is Amy's.

[Aaron Weber]

We talked a little bit about psychology.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. But it was a little bit over Nate's head. So we thought since he's not here.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I. Nate, I had nothing to do with this. It's their setup. Okay. I'm walking into something. Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Well, you'll find this interesting. I think I want to hear your opinion on this. So psychology is the scientific study of the human mind, especially those affecting behavior. And I read an article said comedians are the closest thing to psychologists because we do experiments, we give a scenario that we think will have a certain reaction and we get immediate feedback.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's correct.

[Brian Bates]

And that's what psychologists do. Would you say that?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I would say it's close. That's why my podcast, it's called. It's called Comedy Couch. And the reason I called it that, because it's kind of a mixture. We're having good time. However, the more. And I.

[Brian Bates]

That's his catchphrase. We're having a good time. So, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Oh, sorry. Sorry.

[Brian Bates]

Trademarked it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

What a country. There you go.

[Dusty Slay]

You get it?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You get it. I got it. So, yeah, I agree with you on that. I think that it has to. Do the comedians have that sense? I don't think we all ever think about this except, like, some weirdos like me who kind of goes, I want to understand this, why people laughing and why they're not laughing. So we also. Every laugh, we're tested. Every laugh that tells you. Tells me I met their need. I talked about what they wanted to hear from me, and then my humor triggered the laughter. Every joke. Every joke. So I called the podcast the Comedy Couch because. And I'm talking to comedians who obviously have some issues. All of us have some issues. And so it's a wonderful opportunity to actually talk to younger comedians who are, like, you know, might have questions about their relationship or their. Or their, you know, children or whatever. And it gives me a chance to kind of play around with this. And. And their insurance doesn't cover it, unfortunately, but. But it's still fun for me to shine some light on that.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Here's an interesting tidbit I found. TV executives did studies on test audiences and found that canned laughter got more laughs than shows with no laugh track. People are 30 times more likely to laugh in the presence of others than alone.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

100%. Well, you. You know this. You watch a show on TV and you just kind of go, that's funny. Yeah. But you. You see the same show, right, with a bunch of people, and you just. I think it's a communication between people saying, I'm having a good time. Are you again?

[Brian Bates]

That's his phrase.

[Dusty Slay]

You don't. You don't. You don't ask it. You tell them.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You walk out, you're having a good time.

[Dusty Slay]

Don't ask. You tell them.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. No, but. But that's exactly what's happening when we're laughing together. It's like a tribal thing that we're, you know, we're communicating to one another. We really like this. We like that we bought a ticket to come here. We like where we are. We like that person, and this is our way to approve that. Or.

[Dusty Slay]

So the problem when I'm watching Brian Specials is That I keep watching them alone. That's the problem.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's the only problem.

[Dusty Slay]

I need more people in the room.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But the magic about your podcast, also, that you have four or five people right here, and that's great. That's a great audience, you know, to. To be able to know if it's working or it's not. And you make fun of each other, which is great.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

We were talking, so we just all acted a small part in Nate's movie that he's filming right now. He gave us all a little part, but. But none of us have had that much experience filming something on that scale. Definitely not. And, you know, we're doing the scene, and I don't know how y' all felt, but I was like, I have no idea. Is this going well? Like, there's no. You know, it's just quiet. And then they cut and they go, let's do it again. And you're like, I don't know. Was that good? And like, oh, it's great. And they go, well, give me something here.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It's only technical. Yeah, this not. You just keep doing it. Yeah, yeah, but.

[Aaron Weber]

But I want a crowd there to let me know if I'm bombing or not.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's why Stand up, I think, for all of us is probably the best form of that we can offer, and it gives us feedback immediately. So we need that as well. Because I've. I've made movies, and sometimes it takes, like, six months to a year to go see it, and then you go see it, and you hope that they're laughing.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But it's done.

[Aaron Weber]

Obviously, culture has changed since you started Stand Up. Like, in America, people's references are different. Do you think people are basically the same and laugh at the same things, or do you think things have changed at all?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I think that if, like, let's use Nate as an example, his comedy comes across. A lot of other comedians have to kind of adjust because the. The. The. The world became a lot more sensitive to some topics or things that. So. So from that perspective, definitely the audience is like, oh, you can't say that.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I used to be able to say some things, you know, about Russian women, for example, now, oh, no, you can't do it. They'll kick your butt, you know? No. And so. So you have to be more. More cautious and more careful about that. And social media. I'm. I'm kind of there on Instagram and stuff, but I was afraid of it. I was afraid of Instagram because people follow you, and in The Soviet Union, if you get followed, that's not a good thing. Right. So, So I was not a good.

[Dusty Slay]

Thing in certain areas of America, probably.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But I don't, I don't read comments. I don't, I just kind of oblivious to this.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I go, I just gonna do what I gotta do and somebody will let me know if it's not. Right.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[Dusty Slay]

You know, I have a real comment reading problem.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Do you?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I love reading the comments.

[Aaron Weber]

He gets in there and fights with people.

[Dusty Slay]

I love to do it.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't fight with them. I joke, fight with them, but.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

I think they get pretty bad.

[Aaron Weber]

Analyze that as a psychologist and tell us what's wrong with them.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Oh boy. Okay. Well, if we open that now, I'm.

[Aaron Weber]

Having a good time.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know that we have the.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Job if we open that can of worms, man. So I, I, I guess it's a dependency.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

For you. Right. And you want the feedback good or bad, and you want to win them over. Yeah, right.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Sometimes if it's all good feedback, it can, It's a little boring. Yeah. I want, I want a guy in there going, you know, somehow heckle me.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Ducks here. And then I like to go. Yeah, I like to get in there.

[Aaron Weber]

It's the thing when you're on stage and, you know, 500 people are laughing, but there's one guy with his arms. You focus on that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Absolutely, absolutely. But, but some people like it and some people like me just don't read it, you know, I don't care. But it's, it's in your hands.

[Dusty Slay]

What a blessing. What a blessing to be in that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. You can turn on, off that phone. You know that.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't think so. But mine doesn't turn off. Actually, you know what? I tried to turn mine off the other day. I was like, I'm done with it, but it needs to charge. So I plugged it in, turned back on.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I'm like, I can't. Took 20 seconds and you're back. Yeah, you're back. Yeah. Well, they need you. They need you. But it's also, you know, you were sold out in, in Springfield, Missouri was a hot show, but 1200 people, really a beautiful theater.

[Dusty Slay]

It's happening.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Yeah, I was, I was impressed.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Thank you.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So, So I guess you're, you keep fighting with those Springfield comics.

[Dusty Slay]

I go to Springfield a lot. I love Springfield. It's great.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It, it is, it's folks very down to earth and they're, they're, they they give you. They like. If they like you, they just. But Nashville audience is pretty great, too. Yeah. So. Yeah, I'm. I'm happy that I'm here.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[Brian Bates]

You know, Dusty was in a Cracker Barrel commercial, so that's kind of his Miller Light.

[Dusty Slay]

It's not. You know, I don't know that it's gonna get me out of any presidential.

[Brian Bates]

It goes to Mar A Largo. Oh, you're in the Cracker Barrel. Come on in.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. But I am in a Cracker Barrel commercial.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Good for you. Is it still running?

[Dusty Slay]

I think so.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

All right.

[Aaron Weber]

It's too much, honestly, I can't get away from.

[Dusty Slay]

Actually, my neighbor told me that. That she goes, people are gonna hate you. That thing runs all the time.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I gotta look into. I don't have. I don't watch tv, so I'm like, I gotta start doing that at some point. But. But last 32 years, I. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm just trying to watch sports. And then the commercial break is Dusty. And then I go to the airport and Nate's doing the announcement over the thing. I can't get away from these people.

[Brian Bates]

That's why I keep a low profile.

[Dusty Slay]

I do it for these guys bug people.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't want to overexpose myself.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's very nice.

[Brian Bates]

Here's another psychological term, though, based on what we were just talking about. Negative bias. Our brains have something called negative bias that makes us remember bad news more than good news, which is why you quickly forget someone's compliment. But remember, if someone says something insulting, to feel balanced, we need at least 5 to 1, good to bad, 100%.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Right. And that's what the media is built on. The media people, they understand our psychology. They understand that we're wired for survival. So we see danger first and they feed on that.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's why I don't. Hallmark Channel is, like, tiny. And. And, you know, all the other channels are. Because it's all negative. It's all something that people crave, even though, you know, it's not healthy for them. I really believe that. You know, I feel so, so much healthier when I don't pay attention to any of that stuff. Just. Just enough to know that where I live, what year is this? And that's all that' me.

[Dusty Slay]

And who even knows if that's real? You know, that's what I always say. The year. Who knows?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. As long as we know we're having a good time.

[Dusty Slay]

Exactly.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

What a country.

[Brian Bates]

The two most positive catchphrases of all time.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, probably. Probably.

[Brian Bates]

All right, Dusty, here's another one right up your alley, I think. Reactants, it's a phenomenon called reactance. When people perceive certain freedoms being taken away, they, they not only break that rule, but they break even more than they otherwise would have. So if they tell you, like, you got to wear a mask on a plane, not only are you not going to wear the mask, you're going to smoke a cigarette.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, exactly. If people don't want to breathe, I'll help them not breathe. That's what I always say.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You served. You, sir, you're here to serve.

[Dusty Slay]

Exactly.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's sweet. Very nice. Beautiful.

[Brian Bates]

The Pygmalion effect.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Oh, I didn't know. I don't know that.

[Brian Bates]

It basically says if you tell people they're going to do well and tell other people they're not going to do well, it'll often come true. And they told a group of teachers, these students have really high iq, and they told other teachers these students don't. And the ones that they told that about did do better because the teachers treated them differently.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Makes a lot of sense. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I, I feel like I fell into the other side. You know, when I was in school, I was not getting a lot of positive feedback.

[Dusty Slay]

I would never take an IQ test. And this is why. If I did well and scored really high, then for the rest of my life, I would think that I'm smarter and better than everyone.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Right?

[Dusty Slay]

And if I scored bad, I would not even, I wouldn't even talk anymore. I don't even think I could do a podcast.

[Brian Bates]

You just say it's rigged.

[Dusty Slay]

I, I, I, but it, but deep down inside, I would go, I took that test, and I have a low iq, and I just, I can't even face myself.

[Aaron Weber]

It's like, I think Forrest Gump's IQ was 58 or something. Wasn't it 58?

[Brian Bates]

I don't know, 68 or something.

[Aaron Weber]

And he did great.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, he was a fake person.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Don't listen to those guys. Don't listen. No. Yeah. But, but I gotta tell you one thing. I gotta tell you one thing. That, that people, comedians or people who are funny, not just comedians, it's researched over and over and over again. CEOs of the companies, Fortune 500, whatever, they, they have a good sense of humor. And that's a sign of, in the higher intelligence that any average person has.

[Dusty Slay]

That's all the ACCU test I need.

[Aaron Weber]

But so you got, Isn't there also a disproportionate amount of sociopaths and stuff on that level.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Probably.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, probably. So it's tough to see the.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I do the read. I didn't want to know. Yeah, but. But the point is that once you understand that you are already. Just because you can make people laugh, just because you have a good sense of humor, you already score way higher than majority of people.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So that's enough for me.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

That's my goal is to be happy, successful and you're those things.

[Aaron Weber]

So I'd like to see the number though.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, I know.

[Dusty Slay]

If it's good, I want to see it.

[Aaron Weber]

You want to take the test and just let me look at the results.

[Dusty Slay]

You're the last person I would tell.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

He wants you to be like Forest. Yes.

[Dusty Slay]

Unless it were high. I would not. You would. You would never know.

[Brian Bates]

They did a conformity study to show how we can conform to certain beliefs. Students were told they were taking a vision test and were asked to identify which of these three lines was the same thing length as a target line. When asked alone, students were highly accurate in getting it right. But then they put in fake participants who intentionally picked the incorrect line. And the real participants started answering that way as well. Even though they knew it probably wasn't right. Yeah, but the bias, you know, group think.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I. I just did a couple of shows. One was here in. In lab. The story wars. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That was great by the way.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It was fun.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

But I don't. I don't really. It's. It's basically Liars Club. Right. It's. It's just on steroids. But I don't like to lie. I mean I don't. I don't want to lie especially so. So. But that bias because there's two other people. Actually it's. It's for other people are convincing you that this is what you're supposed to do. This is probably the correct answer. You go with it. And then you realize I didn't even have time to really analyze it. I just went with the crowd. Yeah, right. Yeah. So I agree with that.

[Brian Bates]

There is a psychologist did a study on how we a social experiment how we view beauty. Beauty. And they took a claim violinist named Josh Bell and who had just sold out a concert hall. 100 tickets each. And they put him on the street as a street musician in Washington D.C. and no one stopped to hear.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

He was playing with a three and a half million dollar violin.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

And no one stopped cared about wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Well so good thing. Good thing he doesn't have to do that.

[Dusty Slay]

Our violin, right?

[Brian Bates]

Somebody take it.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It. Yeah. It's not. It's a good thing for him that he can. He has something to fall back on on his real career. Right.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, that's true, like, too. It's like comedy works like that, right? It's like, you can go up, you do the ryman. If no one knows who you are, you're at the ryman. And they go, well, this guy must be good because he's playing the ryman. But if you're in the, you know, coffee shop, they go, this guy's no good. He's in a coffee shop. You might still get some laughs, but.

[Aaron Weber]

I think about that sometimes if you're in a bad open mic or a bad show, you're like, the best comedians in the world could be in here right now. And I don't know if they would destroy.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Right now.

[Brian Bates]

Especially if you didn't know who they were.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. If they're just a random guy, nobody heard of them. It's like, you know, they figure it out on some level. But, like, sometimes the environment just doesn't lead itself.

[Dusty Slay]

I was doing Acme downtown years ago, and these people kept talking the entire time I was on stage. I was the headline liner. They kept talking the entire time. And then Ron White was in the bar. And then he comes up after me and starts doing jokes. And they're still talking. They. And he goes, if y' all shut up a minute, I'll do some time. And they never stop talking.

[Aaron Weber]

Does that make you feel better on some level? Yeah, because it wasn't personal.

[Dusty Slay]

Yes.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I had a situation like that. Minneapolis, big club, like 500 people. It was probably in the 80s and packed, and there are two people up front sitting talking to each other and would not shut up. Nobody else hears them but you do. And so you can't really do the heckle line because nobody understands why. What are you picking on people for?

[Aaron Weber]

Right?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I. I said to the guy, I said, said, you know, why don't you guys. You seem to like you're enjoying each other, so let me give you a hundred dollars so you can go home, have a bottle of wine and enjoy yourselves. They would not shut up.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And then. And then the security start, like, coming to them and going, can you. No. Didn't show up. They had to call the police.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

The police came. They would not shut up. I said, you know what? I'm gonna take a break because this is like during the show.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, the police are in the room. Yeah, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I go take a break when they're, they're gone, then I'll continue. And that was dangerous kind of thing because the audience like could turn on you because they could go, oh, you, you couldn't, you couldn't handle this. Right. And so I walked out in the hallway. They had to handcuff those people. They would not leave. They did not want to leave. Handcuffed them, took them, was taking them out. And the guy turns to me and says, can I still get that hundred dollars? And I go, timing, timing, timing. Yeah. So, you know, it made a great story. But I walked back on stage and people gave me a standing ovation.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

I was gonna say, by the time the police are there, I bet the rest of the crowd hated those people too.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

You've seen some crazy stuff. Career. I mean, stand up comedy is, we think of, it's only been around for like 60 years or something. You've been here for almost all of it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Well, yeah, yeah, I, well, vaudeville. Been here a long time.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, sure. I'm thinking more like, yeah, modern stand up.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Right, Right. Yeah, No, I, I, I, I was part of a lot of it from the early 80s to still doing it. So thank God for Branson to give me that place where I can continue to perform.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And, and not lose my shape of, and, and interest in it. Right.

[Aaron Weber]

And now you're, you're hitting the road a bunch. Right. You're doing a bunch of dates all over.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I'm, I'm excited about this. My wife is supportive, which is great. We're, we're, were expecting a baby. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Congrats.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Thank you. Thank you so much. August 10th, big time. It's like seven weeks from now.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And she's still supportive of me being here and doing stuff that I'm doing. And so it will be interesting. She wants to do in house birth.

[Dusty Slay]

I support it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I support it.

[Aaron Weber]

Did you do it?

[Dusty Slay]

I didn't do it, but I support.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It in the bathtub job.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, I love it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It's like scuba lessons instead of Lamaz.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I mean, I, it's, it boggles my mind that. But she's like, okay, yeah, that's what I want to do. I go, okay, I'll, I'll hang in there, you know, whatever.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So is it, is it her first kid?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. That's awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Congratulations. Very exciting. She's excited. I'm excited. We, my kids, I have 32 year old and 34 year old, so they don't have kids yet. So we decide to get our own grandchild. Basically, we're. We're just skipping a generation.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You know, they're slacking off. Fine, we'll do it ourselves. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So you got to.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It's been. It's. It's wonderful. I'm really. I'm psyched. I'm. I doing Grand Ole Opry for the first time, and it's just.

[Dusty Slay]

When are you doing the opera for.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

The first Wednesday day.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, Wednesday.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Tonight.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, tonight.

[Brian Bates]

Tonight comes out all right.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Tonight is the night.

[Dusty Slay]

I love that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

That's amazing.

[Brian Bates]

So I think we looked up Charlie McCoy's on there.

[Dusty Slay]

Charlie McCoy's great harmonica guy, plays Orange Blossom Special.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

It's gonna be good.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Do you know a lot about country music?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Which Country.

[Aaron Weber]

Which.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I. I know that it's sad. You know, a lot of it's sad.

[Dusty Slay]

What'S happened to it these days. I'll say that.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Is it really. I know.

[Dusty Slay]

It's more popular than ever.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, Branson is the country music after you guys. This is like a lot of country music people.

[Aaron Weber]

You probably can't get away from it out there in a lot of places.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah. I don't. I mean, I actually. Country music was my favorite out of all the. All the other music. Because it's slow.

[Dusty Slay]

Rhonda Vincent.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Del McCory Band. Randall King, Mandy Barnett.

[Aaron Weber]

It's a good lineup. It's a good lineup.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. So, yeah, I could understand the lyrics of because it was Slow.

[Aaron Weber]

Sure.

[Dusty Slay]

I could.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I could. I could understand it.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Other songs I couldn't understand. I still don't. I still. I would listen to, you know, old Kenny Rogers songs.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Just because they make sense.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

There's like, storytelling. Right, Right. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

The gambler.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

The Gambler or Lucille. I mean, it just. It's great songs. They're great songs. They. They have meanings. They have. They touch you.

[Dusty Slay]

Coward of the County. That one tough scene mid. Mid second verse. But.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Somebody had to do it, right? But, yeah, I actually just. My. My son was going for something, and I sent him that song long. Because I said, you know, promise me, son, not to do the things I've done. And so he said, it's perfect timing, dad. Thank you.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So something cool about the opera that I'm sure they'll. I'm sure they'll tell you about when you're there, but, you know, the original home of the Grand Old Opry was the Ryman. Where you performed.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's how.

[Aaron Weber]

On the Nateland show. Yeah. So when they moved to what is now the grand old Opry, they cut a circle from the original stage. And now if you. When you go to the Opry stage tonight, you'll see there's a circle from the original stage and then when you perform there, you get to step into the circle.

[Dusty Slay]

So you stand where all the great legends.

[Aaron Weber]

Johnny Cash.

[Dusty Slay]

Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Dusty Slay, all the legends, Ryan Bates and Aaron Weber.

[Aaron Weber]

So yeah, that'll be. That'll be awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Looking forward.

[Brian Bates]

And how did it feel to be back on the Tonight Show after what, 40 years?

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah. You were just on it.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I was. Happened here again. I got this because of Brian Dorfman kind of squeezing me into that showcase.

[Brian Bates]

Because there was not no Brian Dorfman a long time. He's never once put me on a show.

[Dusty Slay]

You should move to Nashville. Yeah, sounds like Nashville.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's what he said. He was. You were just talking about this couple of days ago and he was. He said, move to Nashville. This is a good day. I go, well, would. Could I get 2000 seat theater in Nashville? I don't think so. And I'm kind of feel like a big fish in the small pond. I'm in Branson 32 years. It's like I feel like. Remember that movie It's a Wonderful Life?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Where he was trying to get out of there every year and then he couldn't. And then. And so the same way for me, I thought I'll be. Just for a year. Just for a year. Just for a year. 32 years.

[Dusty Slay]

Let's at least advocate for direct flights.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I would like that.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, let's do.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Or I was actually as I was. As I was flying here took like 10 hours to get here. And then I would have. If I drove, I would be here at 7.

[Dusty Slay]

It's the Springfield Airport, Branson. Yeah. It's a. Yeah, it's a tough connect right there.

[Aaron Weber]

Look how cool this is. This picture Yakov put up from 1985. Yakov with Johnny Carson. And then 40 years later, the Tonight show. You sitting down with Jimmy Fallon. How cool is that?

[Brian Bates]

You look the same.

[Aaron Weber]

You do.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Thank you. Yeah. I grew up in Chernobyl, so that's what it was. But it's interesting. Yeah. It was amazing to. Jimmy was so sweet and respectful and I did not expect that kind of welcome of I just. Because, you know, I did not have Jay didn't have me on and Letterman didn't have me on So I didn't really do any of that.

[Brian Bates]

Letterman kind of had you on.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah. Thank you. And there's my wife right there. Go back. There we are. And Jimmy stood there for, like, three minutes talking to a baby in her womb. You know, he was like saying. Saying, uncle Jimmy's gonna cheer you up when you are not feeling good. That just let me know. I mean, it was adorable. It was adorable.

[Dusty Slay]

He's very nice.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Yeah. Lucky. Lucky to be able to do this, you know? Yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's so cool, man.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I. I'm. I mean, I'm blessed that I am still feeling. I feel like I'm 35. I feel like that when I was on Death Tonight show, and now with the new baby, I'll probably have to feel like. Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

What a country.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

What a country. Yes. Yes.

[Brian Bates]

This is pretty awesome because next week's Independence Day, so we have the most American.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, completely.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. I. I was sworn in as an American citizen at the Statue of Liberty ceremonies.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, really?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. And on July 4, 1980. No, no, no, no. I'm not that tall. Come on. Chernobyl didn't even happen before that. No, but July 4th, what year? 1986.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, so you weren't American citizen when you're on Johnny Carson.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, that was 1985.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

In the beginning I wasn't, but then I. Then I did seven times. So. Yeah, so that's not even an American citizen.

[Brian Bates]

He got on seven times. What have I got to do?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You just leave the country and try to come back in?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, we've been trying to get him to live.

[Brian Bates]

I gotta go to another country.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I've been very blessed. And I had this vision. I mean, I literally fell in love with Statue of Liberty when I was a little. Little boy and my dad, we lived in a communal apartment. So a whole family, like, three of us lived in one room till I was 26. But my. My dad would get up in the middle of the night and quietly listen to Voice of America. And I. One time I woke up and I saw him sitting there with his ear to the radio. And I go, what are you listening to? And he goes, don't let neighbors hear us because it was forbidden to. To listen to. And so I sat next to him and I heard, like, in. They were obviously in Russian saying, give me your tired, you're hungry, and you're poor. And I'm, like, going, I'm. I'm qualified, you know, And. And my dad, you know, tired for sure. And so I'm like then. Then the whole thing fades into the night because shortwave radio. And so I go, who was that? And he goes, it's a. It's Statue. Lady Liberty. Said she is like this tall woman standing in the harbor holding a torch, waiting for people like you and me and your mother who might someday go to America.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And so I literally. I had this vision and. And then he told me about her and. And I liked everything except she was green. I didn't know how to deal with that. But as a child, I kept drawing pictures of her, and that was very, very important to. To do that as a kid. Yeah, that was something I did at. That was a tough moment. That was when I. When. When the 911 happened.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And this is. Paul Harvey did the story about this.

[F]

Yakov stared, disbelieving at the television screen, knowing he'd be held forever after in the grip of that awesome scene. But Yakov's impressions were more personal than most. For the twin towers of lower Manhattan, now tumbling like sand castles, were themselves newly arrived when Jacob and his parents, near broke and speaking no English, first came to America, specifically to New York City, where icons like the Statue of Liberty and those shining towers held forth such exciting promise. And Yakov was an artist and art professor in his native Russia in the days of Soviet repression. He knew the power of his crime to herald and to heal. And so immediately, standing otherwise helpless in the shadow of his adopted homeland's darkest day. At first mainly hoping to heal himself, Yaakov began to paint. His vision was lower Manhattan, ominously smoldering after the towers fell, as seen from behind the Statue of Liberty, symbolic of the indestructibility of American ideals.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I mean, you mentioned you're an incredible painter until right now. I mean, this. This looks unbelievable.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. And you. It. It's worth probably finishing the story because your audience is going to go, wait, wait. So what's the rest?

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, sure, sure, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Because he was pretty good about.

[F]

Uncle signed the painting simply with these words. The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart. Heart? Oh, yes. You know that painting. It was displayed as a huge mural, one as big as the building on which it was recreated. 135ft wide and 200ft tall, looming triumphantly over the ground zero site. His love letter to a city and a nation. His message of hope to the watching world. Its display had been financed for the hundred thousand dollars out of the artist's own pocket.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[F]

But there had been no press conference, not even an announcement. For Jacob's solitary stipulation was that he as the murals benefactor remain utterly anonymous. For since he is worldwide recognized not for his art but for his humor, Yakov Smirnoff had worried that somebody might laugh, might mentally picture the Russian born comedian and recall his catchphrase, what a country. But now you know how deeply he feels that exclamation. Now that you know the rest of the story.

[Brian Bates]

That's awesome. That's awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So that last picture was taking this swearing in ceremony at the Statue of Liberty. Yeah. And the reason I think I wanted to do this, this mural is because I, this is when, when the 911 happened. All the footage that we saw was coming from the same place where I was sworn in. So here's this, the most exciting moment of my life. And this is the worst moment of my life. And so I stayed up all night painting because this was my way of life. Like maybe I can fix it somehow. And, and that's, and I, I, I had a vision that it needs to be a mural at the ground zero. And so I start going to, from Branson to New York to just kind of see if I can find a spot for it if I was willing to pay for it. But at that time security was so tough, nobody would allow you any. And so I went several times and then finally I, I decided to reach out to people who do big billboards and I thought maybe they will help me. And it was a steel workers union and they agreed to meet me and I found a building where they would allow me to put it up for like 10 days. And so I, I went there to meet with those guys and they're like, you know, guys from other like Polish Italians cussing, you know, they're like, we hate this place. We were, we were taking the, the dead bodies out of here. We don't want to be here. What do you want? I said well I would like to put up this mural and I want to do it for first anniversary memorial. And, and they're like going there's no way. I said I'll pay for it. And they said Donald Trump doesn't have enough money to pay for something like that. And they're leaving and I'm like going just. I came to New York and they're gone, they're leaving. And then I, they see I had a mock up of this and they said what is that? I said well this is exactly what I'm to trying, trying to put up there. And they, and they start Stop cussing. And they looked at each other, and the leader said, I. I sell pay. And. And he said, don't worry about that. He said. I said, I have permits. You know, I have a scaffolding permit. He said, you don't have enough permits, and you'll never get it, but we'll put it up anyway. Way.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And I said, why. Why did you change your. And. And the leader of this, he said, because I want to drive with my son. Sorry. I want to drive with my son, and I want to show him this, and I want to tell him that I helped to put this up in his car. Guys.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

And they were as good as they were. I mean, they. 50 people came three days before the anniversary memorial, and they worked for 12 hours. Did not charge me a penny to do this. And. And they. They put it up, and then it was a little bit crooked or something. They went back up and they fixed it. So it was just. It was just that moment in life when you go, God wanted it up there. And I just helped that happen.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's incredible, man.

[Brian Bates]

What a great story. Well, thank you for sharing that.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

You're welcome.

[Brian Bates]

Well, yeah, you're just. You're incredible. Incredible story.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

That's a great story. This is very fun.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Good.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Thanks for sharing the story.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Sure, sure. I'm happy to, too.

[Brian Bates]

So we end with promoting shows we got coming up.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes. Tonight at the Opry Land. And then it's just seem everything I'm doing on yakov.com y a k o v.com social media, all of this that I'm scared of. Yeah. It's Yakov Underscore Smirnov, and then come to Branson. There's. I do shows every Wednesday, so this Wednesday, I took off because I. I needed to be at the Grand Ole Opry. So.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, you should take off the week of August 10th.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

I, I already. My schedule is clear. Absolutely.

[Aaron Weber]

And make sure you check out Comedy Couch, too. A lot of great interviews on there. I. I got to sit down and talk with Yakov for a while.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's great.

[Aaron Weber]

There's a lot of comedians are friends of this podcast and comedians that we know you'd like. So be sure to check that out.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, I have fun doing it.

[Brian Bates]

July 6th, I will be at the Comedy Catch in Chattanooga. No, I'm sorry. July 6th, I will be at Good Nights Comedy Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. July 9, I'll be at the Comedy Catch in Chattanooga. So that's a Sunday night and a Wednesday night. And I have a lot of church people that are fans of mine. They're like, oh, it's church night. Bring your church group. It's a, it's a clean show. It's a clean show from top to bottom. I know the openers, they're all clean. So, yeah, bring them all. Bring your pastor. And then July 18th and 19th, I'm at the Looney Bin in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And July 25th, I'm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with Derek Stroop and Andrew Stanley doing Laugh for Life. It's an annual event event they do every year to raise money for cancer research and, and other things.

[Dusty Slay]

And what are the other things?

[Brian Bates]

Well, I guess maybe you called me out because I don't, I don't know. I don't know. But get back to you. But July 25th, Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

[Aaron Weber]

I got a bunch of dates coming up. Second half of the year, Chattanooga, Lowell, Arkansas, Phoenix, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, Huntsville, San Diego, Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse. I'm going all over Aaron Weber, comedy.com if you want to come see me. The shows are hot and wet. Wet Heat.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay. Yes, I have. I'm taking a little time off in the summer, but July 29, new Netflix special coming out called Wet Heat.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And then 22nd of July, I'm here at Zany's. And the 25th of July, I'm in Las Vegas. So come check those out.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Where in Las Vegas?

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know if it's in.

[Brian Bates]

Thank you for calling him out, too. Yeah, put it back right now.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I don't know. Right off hand, it's.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

They'll find you, but I can tell.

[Dusty Slay]

You they'll look it up. But since you asked, though, I should know.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

So I'll pull it up and you can. And you can pull up my website.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, July 20th, also, I'll be in Winnipeg, Canada.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's cool.

[Dusty Slay]

July 22nd, Zanies. And July 25th at the Palazzo Theater in Las Vegas.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

That's cool. Yeah, Yeah. I don't. And I don't know. And my. I have probably couple of. A couple of. I think I'm in Lowell, Arkansas. Have you played that?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, the Grove. Yeah, we're all, you know, friends of the Grove. For sure.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yeah. I'm there on September 6th and 7th. So.

[Aaron Weber]

Have you been there before?

[Yakov Smirnoff]

One time I did one nighter. I loved it because he, he sold it out like two weeks before.

[Aaron Weber]

That's great.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It was like, yeah, cool. I still can come out and do something out there. Not just being in in Branson. Then I got a gig in Philadelphia. I don't think it's on my website yet because it just happened yesterday. So that's in October, sometimes 17 and 18 of October. I'm in Philadelphia.

[Brian Bates]

Awesome.

[Aaron Weber]

Good deal. Yakov, thank you so much for coming on, man. It was. Appreciate it, buddy. Yeah, you're the man. What a country.

[Dusty Slay]

What a country. We're having a good time.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

Yes, we are.

[Dusty Slay]

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[Yakov Smirnoff]

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[Dusty Slay]

Go wild like an untamed animal.

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[Yakov Smirnoff]

To keep those interiors superior.

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