Episode 1619 - Mo Amer

Summary

WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 1619 - Mo Amer

Release Date: February 20, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 1619 of the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast, host Marc Maron engages in a profound and heartfelt conversation with Mo Amer, a renowned Palestinian American comedian. The episode delves deep into themes of cultural identity, representation in media, personal struggles, and the intricate balance between comedy and political activism. Through their candid dialogue, Marc and Mo explore their unique backgrounds, the challenges they've faced, and the ways in which their heritage shapes their comedic voices.

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Background of Mo Amer and Marc Maron

Mo Amer's Journey: Mo Amer is celebrated for his two stand-up specials on Netflix, his role as a cast member on the series "Ramy," and his own Netflix series titled "Mo," now in its second season. Mo's work is heavily influenced by his Palestinian heritage, offering audiences a nuanced portrayal of Palestinian American life. In the episode, Mo discusses his family's history and the significance of their roots in Palestine, providing listeners with a window into the complexities of his cultural background.

Marc Maron's Influences: Marc Maron, known for his robust interviewing style, shares his own immigrant experience. Moving from Houston to Los Angeles at a young age, Marc grapples with cultural assimilation while maintaining his Palestinian identity. He recounts early influences, including iconic figures like Bill Cosby, who inspired his passion for stand-up comedy.

Notable Quote:

"I'm a person in real distress. I stay calm and I watch and I listen..."
— Marc Maron [02:19]

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Cultural Representation in Media

Breaking Stereotypes: Both Marc and Mo highlight the scarcity of authentic Palestinian and Arab representations in mainstream media. They commend shows like "Ramy" and "Reservation Dogs" for bringing underrepresented communities to the forefront, emphasizing the importance of showcasing diverse narratives.

Personal Impact: Marc shares his admiration for Mo's series "Mo," noting how it offers a deep dive into the Palestinian American experience. He reflects on the lack of nuanced portrayals in previous shows and the significance of having their own platform to tell their stories.

Notable Quote:

"The most important thing about the conversation is that we're both comedians and we both love comedy..."
— Marc Maron [02:19]

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Personal Stories and Experiences

Marc's Early Life: Marc narrates his tumultuous childhood, marked by the loss of his father at 14 and the subsequent challenges he faced. His mother, a devout Muslim, played a pivotal role in grounding him, teaching him resilience and the importance of maintaining cultural traditions.

Mo's Stand-Up Beginnings: Mo recounts his entry into the world of comedy, inspired by mentors like Danny Martinez and experiences touring with Muslim comedy groups. He discusses the balance between entertaining audiences and addressing serious socio-political issues through humor.

Notable Quote:

"I was 17. I was screaming like, yeah, I'm 17, bro."
— Marc Maron [55:11]

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Political and Social Issues

Impact of Current Events: The conversation turns to the repercussions of real-world conflicts, notably the events of October 7th. Marc expresses his devastation and the personal toll it took on him, especially witnessing the effects on his family's village in Palestine.

Public Perception and Responsibility: Both comedians grapple with their roles as public figures amid political turmoil. They discuss the pressure to represent their communities accurately and the challenges of navigating complex geopolitical landscapes while staying true to their comedic roots.

Notable Quote:

"This doesn't make sense. Like, if everyone's trying to kill you, wouldn't you want to not be all in one place?"
— Marc Maron [37:00]

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Comedy Career Journeys

Mentorship and Growth: Marc delves into his formative years in stand-up, highlighting the mentorship he received from Danny Martinez at the Comedy Showcase in Houston. Danny's guidance was instrumental in shaping Marc's comedic style and career trajectory.

Avoiding the "Middle" Phase: Both comedians discuss the notorious "middle" phase in stand-up careers—where many struggle to advance from local clubs to national recognition. Marc credits early mentorship and relentless touring for helping him bypass this slump, ultimately leading to headlining gigs and major comedy specials.

Notable Quote:

"He taught me everything. Like, just from eye contact to mic technique..."
— Marc Maron [61:00]

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Family and Community

Maintaining Cultural Identity: Family plays a central role in both Marc's and Mo's lives. Marc shares heartfelt stories about his grandparents' house in the West Bank, emphasizing the importance of preserving family heritage amidst conflict and displacement.

Building Community: Mo highlights the significance of community in his comedic endeavors, discussing how touring with Muslim comedy groups fostered a sense of belonging and mutual support. Both comedians stress the importance of connecting with one's roots to navigate the complexities of American society.

Notable Quote:

"I'm so tied to it... I wish my mother who was born there could even move freely and go there."
— Marc Maron [32:04]

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Conclusion

Episode 1619 serves as a compelling exploration of identity, resilience, and the power of storytelling through comedy. Marc Maron and Mo Amer's dialogue offers listeners an intimate look into the lives of Palestinian Americans, the challenges of representation in media, and the healing power of humor amidst adversity. Their shared experiences and mutual respect underscore the universal themes of humanity, making this episode a poignant addition to the "WTF with Marc Maron" series.

Final Notable Quote:

"We're just humans. And this is me talking to Mo Amer."
— Marc Maron [12:29]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Marc Maron [02:19]:
  "The most important thing about the conversation is that we're both comedians and we both love comedy..."

• Marc Maron [37:00]:
  "This doesn't make sense. Like, if everyone's trying to kill you, wouldn't you want to not be all in one place?"

• Marc Maron [55:11]:
  "I was 17. I was screaming like, yeah, I'm 17, bro."

• Marc Maron [61:00]:
  "He taught me everything. Like, just from eye contact to mic technique..."

• Marc Maron [12:29]:
  "We're just humans. And this is me talking to Mo Amer."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its depth and authenticity, showcasing how Marc Maron and Mo Amer use their platforms to shed light on underrepresented narratives. Their conversation not only entertains but also educates, fostering greater understanding and empathy among listeners.

Transcript

[Marc Maron]

Lock the gate.

[Mo Amer]

All right, let's do this.

[Unknown Comedian]

How are you?

[Mo Amer]

What the fuckers?

[Unknown Comedian]

What the fuck, buddies?

[Mo Amer]

What the fuck, Nicks? What's happening? How's everybody holding up? How are you doing? How's that thing you went to see? What's going on with that thing on your hand? I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you lost your job. How are you doing with all the insanity, weather wise? How are you doing with the snow, the floods, the fires? How are you doing with all the insanity that's going on culturally, politically? What's happening? Are you holding it together? Are you eating correctly? Try to, you know, stay engaged in a way where you can manage it. Try and be realistic and adapt and figure out how to move forward. Because as old Hunter said, in a generation of swine, the one eyed pig is king. And that is, that's diplomatic in terms of, you know, where we're at now. But old Hunter knew what he was talking about. Gonna go back and read some of those books. So I don't know, man. Today I'm here. I'm here and I'm aware and I'm trying to figure out a way through day to day, figure out how I can help, what I can do, who needs help, how can I help them, that kind of stuff. Being charitable, being decent, being respectful, having tolerance, having empathy. Stay on top of it, will you? Stay on top of it? Today, actually, I get to have a real conversation about real, real global things with Mo Amer. He's a comic with two standup specials on Netflix. He was a cast member on the series Rami. He's got his own series on Netflix called Mo, which is now in its second season. And it's terrific. You know, I welcome and I completely consume and learn from television series created by artists who are of a certain background that is not necessarily contextualized culturally. Good examples are Sterwin Harjo.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

And Rami Youssef. Like, these are things, the world of the reservation, you know, I knew nothing about. I just didn't. And maybe that's on me. And Rami's experience as an Arab Muslim here in the States was unique to me in terms of what that community was like, what that, what that. The struggles within the community, his struggles with Islam, all that stuff in terms of how these communities live in this country. And with Mo's series, he's a Palestinian American and comedian and his family is Palestinian and what they've lived with and been through and what they hold onto historically, traditionally and familially in Terms of being in this country was an eye opening, mind blowing experience. And we were able to, to really kind of have a discussion about that, about his life, about Palestine, about American Palestinians and you know, I as a Jew and Mo as a Palestinian. But the bottom line is, and oddly the most important thing about the conversation is that we're both comedians and we both love comedy and have a personal history with comedy and some heroes in common. But, but we were able to talk about the other stuff. Look, I talk about things, I talk about my fears, I talk about the politics of this country. Look, I knew and know what's going on in Gaza is awful and I've stated that, but I do get a little preoccupied with what's in my own backyard in terms of the ongoing shift from democracy into some sort of competitive authoritarianism, which is a documented term that you should probably look up. There's been some articles about it. It's sort of what Hungary is and what Hungary became through that autocrat Viktor Orban, who is a big hero to some of the right wing pseudo intellectuals in terms of the shameless shift that they support away from liberal democracy in this country. And as it's starting to unfold, you know, we're gonna, it's just, look, we're gonna start hearing questions we haven't heard in a long time, if ever.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, so what you got polio?

[Mo Amer]

Damn, dude. Damn. Well, you know, Tesla has an iron lung available. It's pretty. Yeah, it's kind of weird looking, but it's bulletproof, so that's good. And wait a couple years. So how, how was, how is Paris? You know, I haven't been there since it's been part of Russia. Yeah, these are all possible questions. Have you gone to Canada lately? Yeah, they won't let Americans in. I guess rightfully so. Yeah, it's all going to get more and more exciting. But the bottom line is for me it's understanding, you know, what is happening to the best of my ability with real facts and adjusting to that and then hopefully as we move into this, figure out how we can resist in a way that's not just personal or self centered or self righteous in terms of the small things you can do in your life to push back because I don't know how much that really affects anything. I got a friend of mine who's, you know, boycotting Amazon. All right, well, good luck with that. Good luck with it. Boycotting Whole Foods.

[Unknown Comedian]

Good luck with it.

[Mo Amer]

I don't know if that's gonna make a big difference, but if it makes you feel better, I guess that's not nothing, but actually, it might be nothing. Look, I'm in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Orange Peel this Thursday, February 20th Nashville, Tennessee at the James K. Polk Theater this Friday, February 21st Louisville, Kentucky, at the Bomhardt Theater, Saturday, February 22nd and Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Opera House on Sunday, February 23rd. Back at Largo here in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 25th. In March, I'll be in Oklahoma City at the Tower theater on Thursday, March 6 Dallas at the Majestic Theater, Friday, March 7 Houston at the White Oak Music Hall, Saturday, March 8 and San Antonio at the Empire Theater on Sunday, March 9, before I head to south by Southwest that week. Then I'm coming to South Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, Toronto, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York City, then at the end there for my special taping, go to wtfpod.com tour for all of my dates and links to tickets. All right, folks, home security is important for everyone. I have home security because I want my place to be safe whether I'm home or not. And we've recommended Simplisafe for almost a decade as home security you can trust. During that time, SimpliSafe has only gotten better. And right now the SimpliSafe system is the best it's ever been. Thanks to SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection, which prevents crime before it happens. Stop break ins, package theft and vandalism with live monitoring agents who can see, speak to and deter suspicious individuals outside your home before they can do anything. Put the box down, stupid. And SimpliSafe is not only effective, it's affordable. Pricing starts at around a dollar a day with no hidden fees. You'll never be locked into a long term contract, so you can cancel anytime. Right now, WTF listeners can get the same peace of mind we get by using SimpliSafe and we wanted to make sure you can get the best deal possible. WTF listeners get 50% off a new SimpliSafe system with professional monitoring and the first month is free. Go to SimpliSafe.com WTF that's SimpliSafe.com WTF for 50% off and the first month free, there's no safe like simply safe. Can you dig it? Yes. I'll tell you, it's funny talking to to Mo Ammer. I, I kind of knew him, but I didn't really know him. And you know, he's a Texas guy.

[Unknown Comedian]

So we were able to sort of.

[Mo Amer]

Get into that history of Texas comedy. You know, I was sort of Involved in some ways with the legacy of that through Kenison. And I'm back into the original Houston Outlaws, but. But Amber's been doing it a while, and he's been doing it since he was a kid. So it was kind of. It's kind of wild to. To share these. These American comedy histories about places you came up in, if they have a. A comedic personality or profile or. Or backstory. So that was good. It's. It's all very weird entertainment business right now. I watched that SNL 50, and it's just. I don't know, man, that. That was quite a room full of people there. That was quite an audience outside of the people that have been on the show. Man, that just must have been a battle of the publicists to get people into those seats, the ones who wanted them. And, yeah, I looked at that. I looked at show business. I looked at all of them in one room, and fucking Keith Richards was there, which always makes me happy when he's sitting anywhere, to be honest with you. But there were a lot of people in there. And I'm looking at him, I'm like, oh, my God, that's. Is that the face of the resistance? We've got to broaden that thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

We.

[Marc Maron]

We got to get.

[Mo Amer]

Got to get the people out there. People are getting out there, which is encouraging, but. But also, people are getting so old, it's difficult. I don't know that I'm comfortable with old, and I'm getting old myself. It was quite stunning that Garrett Morris got out there and sat in a chair, and he almost looked like a character Garrett Morris was playing. He was playing an old Garrett Morris. And that conversation I had with him was kind of amazing. But I do like seeing everybody in the room and having a good time. And some of this stuff was funny, but Jesus Christ, I mean, come on. Eddie Murphy doing Tracy Morgan outside of Sandler song was really probably the high point of that thing. It's kind of incredible when you see. Oh, anytime you see Eddie Murphy choosing to turn on the juice, you know, to be funny, Eddie Murphy is always a treat. If you're like me, I'm sure you've forgotten about some subscriptions you've signed up for. Even if just a couple subscriptions fall off your radar, those recurring payments can really add up. I knew this was probably true, but I didn't know how true until we got Rocket Money as a sponsor. 85% of people have at least one paid subscription going unused each month. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps Find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. See all of your subscriptions in one place and know exactly where your money is going. And if you don't want any of those subscriptions anymore, Rocket Money can help you cancel them with a few taps. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all the app's features. Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com WTF? That's RocketMoney.com WTF? RocketMoney.com SL WTF? Stop wasting cash. So, look, Mo Ammer is here. We get into it. But more than anything else, it's two comedians talking. One a Palestinian American and one a Jew. It's just people. We're just humans. And this is me talking to Mo Ammer.

[Unknown Comedian]

So. I didn't realize you still live out there in Texas.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, I never wanted to leave.

[Unknown Comedian]

There's, like, that one place, like. Like, when I go to Houston, I always like Houston, you know, more than the other places because there's my favorite. Well, there's so much great art around.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

And then there's, like, this Indian place. I eat at some mall.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, in the mall? Well, it's not strip mall.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, it's. No, it's in, like, Himalayas. No, it's in a. It's in, like, a fancy kind of shopping area. They do kind of a hip Indian thing. Oh, man.

[Marc Maron]

Listen, man. In Houston, it's all about August.

[Mo Amer]

August.

[Unknown Comedian]

That's the Indian.

[Marc Maron]

That's. That's. Yeah, it's Pakistani, but. Same shit.

[Unknown Comedian]

But yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's like, the greatest South Asian food you've ever had. These guys have, like, 13,000 Google reviews, and it's 4.8 stars.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, yeah, it's right there. August. What the Am I thinking of, like.

[Marc Maron]

Because I, you know, is, like, insanely delicious.

[Unknown Comedian]

Now that I'm, like, vegan, I'm always.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, you love it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, Pondicherry. That's what I'm.

[Marc Maron]

Ponded cherry. Yeah, that's all right. Love Sponda cherry.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, it's good.

[Marc Maron]

It's all vegetarian, I think, right?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, I think so.

[Marc Maron]

But it's.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's good. It's a little. It's a little hip. It's not, like, traditional.

[Marc Maron]

It's good. No, no. There's also, like, a Hindu temple, like, up north that's the thing about Houston.

[Unknown Comedian]

It'S so huge and there's so many different kinds of people. It's crazy.

[Marc Maron]

It is. It's like most diverse city in America.

[Unknown Comedian]

That's what I was just going to say. Like I used to live in Queens and in Astoria and I thought that's pretty diverse. But there's not as many people.

[Marc Maron]

No, no, nowhere near as many people. But also like, I think that once you think of Texas, you imagine the deep South. That's the way you imagine. But now the Houston's, you know, it's the most diverse city in America, according to magazine. And when I was pitching my show, I was like, yo, this is kind of insane that no one's ever filmed the series in Houston.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, because of the diversity is diversity.

[Marc Maron]

But also like the export of music that's come out of Houston from the hip hop scene. I mean, my God, Beyonce and everything in between, from Bumby to the hip hop scene itself. Slim Thug, Paul Wall, all these guys. I mean, Lizzo's from there. Travis Scott's the top grossing artist in the world right now.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's all Houston.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, but nobody like. Well, there was also 50 Cent just moved there. But he's not from there.

[Unknown Comedian]

But he's kind of like 50 Cent moved there.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, he just moved to Houston and.

[Unknown Comedian]

Back in the day, the, you know, the comedy outlaws. Hicks Kennesy.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, of.

[Unknown Comedian]

Who is it? Freddie Asparagus Friedman, a couple other guys.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, Ron Chock.

[Unknown Comedian]

Ron.

[Marc Maron]

Ron is one of my all time favorites.

[Unknown Comedian]

I interviewed him years ago and then he died. Ron was kind of fun.

[Marc Maron]

I actually filmed this. Helped put like, they asked me to put together a camera crew to film his like last appearance before the one here.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, before he died?

[Marc Maron]

No, before he died. Get the fuck out of the comedy showcase in Houston. I get emotional thinking about it because to me, he's one of the greatest storytellers I've ever seen in my life.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, he was great.

[Marc Maron]

So I had that footage has like never released. I don't know what happened to it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, oh, really? You don't know what happened to it?

[Marc Maron]

No, it's not mine. I just helped direct it and put it together.

[Unknown Comedian]

Being up in Canada with him, he'd always be stocking up in those Tylenols with codeines. He'd get like a year's supply.

[Marc Maron]

Tylenol threes. Yeah. My back.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. You don't even need to complain in Canada. Right there on the shelf.

[Marc Maron]

That's nice.

[Unknown Comedian]

So I can't remember when did we Meet. I remember having some moment where we were on the show, same show together, and I didn't even know you, and I just looked at you, I'm like, ah, do I gotta follow that guy? I don't know what he's gonna do.

[Marc Maron]

I don't even remember, honestly.

[Unknown Comedian]

I don't know what he's gonna do, but it's gonna be big.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it just kind of like everything kind of mashed into like, you know, you see comedians in all these different settings. It's hard to remember exactly what you.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, I think it was that.

[Marc Maron]

I think it might hung out a.

[Unknown Comedian]

Lot at the store.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it was definitely at the store, too.

[Unknown Comedian]

At the Comedy Store is when I saw you first. But, like, I didn't know your shit that much. And then I watched. I watched both seasons of the show.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. And you saw the second season? I did. You sent it to you. Oh, amazing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, it's great. The whole thing's great.

[Marc Maron]

Thank you.

[Unknown Comedian]

And, you know, and I. I love it because, like, I'm. You know, there's so much I don't know.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, even I had the same experience watching Rami show, and I'm like, I didn't know about this.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

These Muslim guys are just living here. You know, they got whole communities and lives.

[Marc Maron]

Halal guys.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, that's it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

I mean, I know, but I just don't know. And I. And I think it's a unique thing that. That the way of life and the community is represented. You know, I felt that way when I watched Reservation Dogs. I'm like, how the fuck, you know, we all. We have this sense of, you know, what natives or Arabs are like, but you don't, you know, you can't frame them in. In. In just the sort of ordinary context unless you know them.

[Marc Maron]

No, absolutely.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because we don't travel. There's not a lot of crossover.

[Marc Maron]

No, there isn't. There isn't. And it's not like there's been a great depiction in film and television at all.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, of course.

[Marc Maron]

If any. You know what I mean? It's always been like Jafar, you know, like, it's like with some guy on a carpet flying around. Which is very entertaining, honestly.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, it is.

[Marc Maron]

Those carpets.

[Unknown Comedian]

Why don't they.

[Marc Maron]

They do. I mean, if you pray enough, if you really pray enough, you could teleport to another dimension.

[Unknown Comedian]

I will tell you, after watching the last special and both seasons of the show, my appreciation for hummus and olive oil has taken. It's a new depth. I have new Depth. Well, I always liked it, but it's so omnipresent in both the special and the shows. I'm like, holy fuck. I've really got to consider this in a real way now.

[Marc Maron]

Yes, please do. Please do. Because it's wildly irritating when we. People don't. Like, you just walk into a fucking restaurant, and they're like, here's your almost. I'm like. It's grainy. It's, like, in a side, and it's, like, burnt. And what is this? What is this?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, well, I'm relatively. I understand the purist approach to it, because when I was in Astoria, you go up to the Egyptian place.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

And they give you hummus, and you're like, I can't. No matter what kind of food processor I have, I can't. I can't get it to this texture. There's, like, no way I can get it this smooth. And then, like. And I get obsessed with it. And even watching your show, I'm like, what is the special grinder? Yeah, that's gonna get it this smooth.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, no, you're right. It's really. I even have problems with the. Cause you talked about smoothness is kind of an issue. Yeah, for sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

But you don't know what the hell they use.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, no, it's. It's. We use at the house, man. I'm just blanking out right now. My son's, like. With the machine. No, it's the. It's the one that's, like, thousand.

[Unknown Comedian]

The Vitamix.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, Vitamix.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, the blender.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, the Vitamix. No, there's blenders and there's Vitamix.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, the Vitamix blender.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

So use that.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, we use the Vitamix, and it gets. It brings it in. And it's also, like, in the lemon. The lemon people forget. Like, you got to use lemon juice.

[Unknown Comedian]

A lot of lemon juice. Yeah, a lot of lemon juice, garlic and tahini.

[Marc Maron]

Right. Why? I prefer no garlic myself.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you just go lemon juice tahini, and that's it.

[Marc Maron]

It was lemon juice, tahini, salt.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Right, right. But no, no, no cumin. No garlic.

[Marc Maron]

You could do Cuban, a little bit of cumin if you want. Just for the gas, to counteract the gas, if you want. Yeah, I avoid cumin at all. I falafel. In the falafel. I do cumin.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, but no garlic in the hummus.

[Marc Maron]

I prefer no garlic.

[Unknown Comedian]

But is that, like. Is that a purist.

[Marc Maron]

It's a preference thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, but so you can be in Palestinians.

[Marc Maron]

Palestinians I know, as a whole, like, really don't mess with garlic in the hummus itself.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, but garlic in general is okay.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, garlic in general is fantastic. Yeah, of course. Yeah. Oh, you can eat it whole. Like, we eat it all. We don't mess around. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you have a fever, like, you put onions in your socks or something. You know what I mean? Apparently, that works. I've never done it.

[Unknown Comedian]

People will do anything if you tell them it'll work.

[Marc Maron]

I ate raw onions the other day. I was like, oh, man, I'm. I'm getting old. Like, who does that?

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, eat raw onions.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, just like.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, what a sweet onion. You're just yellow on you.

[Marc Maron]

Blue onion, white.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, really?

[Mo Amer]

Just.

[Marc Maron]

I mean, I ordered Persian food to the house, and I just saw them. I never eat them.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, oh, I just had the Persian food. What'd you have?

[Marc Maron]

I'm gonna do that. You know, the kubide, the classics. The kubide, I always get.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, I'm vegan, so I got Fool.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I love Fool. Well, fool is like, Egyptian thing, for sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Well, it all seems to cross over a little bit.

[Marc Maron]

You know, I. You know, I think these guys, they come up here and they're just like, hey, I'm just gonna mismatch my menu.

[Unknown Comedian]

I don't know. Well, I know I don't like it. Persian.

[Marc Maron]

Make Persian food. This is what you do.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's a little. Literally the B story of both seasons of. Of your shows.

[Marc Maron]

Your.

[Unknown Comedian]

Your problem with food mixing.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah. I'm obsessed with.

[Unknown Comedian]

But you're telling me that Persian, that there's not crossover. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know there is.

[Marc Maron]

Like, they put an insane amount of garlic in their hummus.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Like, their hummus is like garlic with a side of chickpeas. It's like, you eat it, you're like, wow.

[Unknown Comedian]

But the Persian baba is fucking great.

[Marc Maron]

Delicious. No, Persian bubble ganoush is probably the best.

[Unknown Comedian]

That smoked eggplant.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It's fantastic.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

If it's done well.

[Marc Maron]

No, but now worse spot does it decent.

[Unknown Comedian]

Now I got to ask the guy if fool is Persian.

[Marc Maron]

No, no, Fool. Fool is definitely an Egyptian thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right. But now I got it. Like, I gotta question his integrity.

[Marc Maron]

Yes, I do. Yes, yes.

[Unknown Comedian]

I have to say to him, so, like, what is the story on Fool?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. Is your mother Egyptian? Who's Egyptian in the family?

[Unknown Comedian]

Why are we having this?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, why? What's your expertise? Who gives you the license to start making food that's what I want to know.

[Unknown Comedian]

The first time I had fool was at a place in. In Boston that was. I guess it was Egyptian. It was a hookah place, which is another theme of everything you do.

[Marc Maron]

It does cross over to, like, Palestine and Lebanon because they are. They do, like, touch borders. So it's like ish, you know, something like very, very close. So they do, like, leak over, like we do, for instance, like. Yeah, food with tania in the middle. Like, drown. Yeah, no, tahini.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, tahini.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So I have to. I have to pronounce things.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I, like, get on myself. If I say. If I say, like, falafel.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I'll die inside.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I mean.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, a little bit.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. A part of me, like, disappears. How do you say, like, goes away.

[Unknown Comedian]

And heaney is the haney.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

I love it, man.

[Marc Maron]

No, it's the best.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

And when you're vegan, it's, like, great, but they. How about that Persian cabbage salad? That's the best.

[Marc Maron]

You know, you lost me. You lost me a cabbage salad. Really good. Yeah, I'm. Cabbage rolls. It's a whole nother thing that's cooked and raw.

[Unknown Comedian]

Cabbage salad with the. With the garlic and the mint.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I'll just skyrocket into space. I mean, how much cabbage? You'd be farting all day.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, well, I mean, but it.

[Marc Maron]

So much gas in that. I mean, like, I figure, like, you.

[Unknown Comedian]

Get used to it, dude. You get used to it. Yeah. The combo of the foo and the cabbage. You're good. You're good.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown Comedian]

You'll surprise yourself.

[Marc Maron]

You'll kill everybody in sight. I'll get deported tomorrow. It'll be over.

[Unknown Comedian]

So this is a good conversation for me to have with you around. Like, I imagine the first season. So the first season came out, what, 20, 23, 22 now, when my luck has been extraordinary.

[Marc Maron]

We were pandemic pushed, push, pushed ahead. All kinds of issues with that.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

We had the writing strike also this season, so, yeah, we were behind five.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you're saying it's bad luck?

[Marc Maron]

No, no, I'm just like.

[Unknown Comedian]

It just happened.

[Marc Maron]

It just happened.

[Unknown Comedian]

But.

But how? Like in. In the wake of October 7th. What?

[Marc Maron]

My nephew's birthday, you know. Oh, no, I'm just kidding. It's not a great joke.

[Unknown Comedian]

What show is I just watching? Was that your show? Wasn't your show about the September 11th thing?

[Marc Maron]

He's like, oh, it's. When's your birthday? Nine, eleven. I go, actually, it Is.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, but I saw some show where they. Somebody induced labor on the 10th so they wouldn't have a September 11th baby. I can't remember what it was.

[Marc Maron]

I respect that a little bit. Sure. Good for you.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, but when that happened, you know, what were your feelings then on that day in terms of, you know, Palestinian, Americans and what was happening? How did you feel on that day?

[Marc Maron]

Devastated. Shocked.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Just to give a little background, you know, we started the writing room. This is the only Palestinian show in America.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, it's the first in history.

[Marc Maron]

Kind in history. Sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I show. Run the show. I run the show.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's my baby. And I have. You know, we started April 1st, and we. We went on strike May. May 1st. And we came back October 1st.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then six days later, October 7th happened. And of course, like, you know, it's kind of pandemonium. Right. Everyone starts reacting. Everyone online. And then our writing room is just chaos. Yeah. You know, everyone is in a state of shock.

[Unknown Comedian]

And how do we handle it?

[Marc Maron]

How do we handle it? Right? How do we handle it? What's the next step? What's the next move? And me being, like, a stand up in front of the camera and Palestinians, everybody kind of. What are you gonna say? What are you gonna do? Like, the pressure started happening and mounting, and, you know, I just. I'm a person in. In like, real distress. I stay calm.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I watch.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I listen, because I feel like everyone was just being wildly. Just reactive.

[Unknown Comedian]

Sure.

[Marc Maron]

Versus just like, hey, what's actually going on here? What's happening?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Because I was mortified. I was like, oh, this is gonna be it. Because the bombings in Gaza has been happening for.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I remember filming Black Adam, and they were bombing us.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I. You know, and I have to walk on set, and there's, like, rubble everywhere, you know? Super. It's just, like. It was kind of messing with my mind a lot, actually, in my emotions and my psyche. And so just seeing that, I was just mortified, honestly. I was mortified for what happened. I was mortified for the hostages. I was mortified for what's gonna happen.

[Unknown Comedian]

To Gaza and also how people will see Palestinians in that moment.

[Marc Maron]

How people will see Palestinians in that moment also. Like, what's the story? Like, it's just kind of.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I just. Just as a. Just as a logical. But forget that I'm Palestinian. Like, I'm very. I try to think things through and see what happened. How could this even happen?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

This is supposed to be, like, this you know, you have the. Israel has the most advanced technology in the world. You have Iron Dome. I don't even know how the. That even works. Right. So how guys, on.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. And then there's the stories about Netanyahu knowing about it.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It just sounds very similar to, like, 9 11. Right. This happened. Right.

[Unknown Comedian]

Did they let it happen for political reasons?

[Marc Maron]

Right, right.

[Unknown Comedian]

But I think the.

[Marc Maron]

The interesting is just noise because in the end, the people.

[Unknown Comedian]

People are dead and people are both.

[Marc Maron]

Sides because you radicalize both sides. Like, no matter what. Like, this is a really, really terrible thing either way you look at it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, that. Well, that's it. Like you said, like, as a Palestinian, that happens. And all of a sudden, everyone's looking to you.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

And then, you know, as the attempted annihilation of the Palestinian people progresses from that point, on behalf of Israel, which is, you know, clearly, you know, a heinous moral and human tragedy that they set out to, you know, clearly destroy the Palestinian people, then me, as a Jew people are like, well, what do you think?

[Marc Maron]

Right. Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, like, well, I'm.

[Mo Amer]

I'm a Jew.

[Unknown Comedian]

I live in Los Angeles.

[Marc Maron]

Right, right.

[Unknown Comedian]

But, you know, you're kind of put in this position, you know, to. To, you know, make these statements. I'm like, I'm a comic.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, because once it becomes political, especially stateside, that people need to be validated in their points of view that you are with them.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly. But. But. And for me, from my perspective, I'm like, I spent my entire career being myself.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

I've never liked. You know, I'm not like. I mean, this is kind of an example, kind of throw him under the bus, but everybody kind of knows. It's like DJ Khaled. Like, nobody really knows, right? Yeah, nobody really knows. He doesn't talk about it. It's not part of his, like, ecosystem. That's not what he's known for, you.

[Unknown Comedian]

Know, what's his backstory?

[Marc Maron]

He's Palestinian, right? Yeah, yeah, he's Palestinian. Saying nobody really, like, it's not part of the zeitgeist. Right. Really, like, knows that, you know, like, this has been my foundation, because most people don't know what the hell I am and what that means and where I come from. That's why I did the specials the way I did and what the show's about. And so I have to stop answering these questions and kind of fill this massive gap. Right, right. So when that started happening, it's like, man, I. Of course you have to say something, but how you say it and how you do it is like everything.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, as a public person, you know, it's expected of you.

[Marc Maron]

Sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, you know. But then you get into a zone where, you know, if you are not careful about how you speak about it on either side, you become a representative of something.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly.

[Unknown Comedian]

And even though what you are going to say isn't necessarily going to solve any problems, is that people need the alliance so they validate their own point of view. There's no denying the fucking horrible massacre and annihilation on the part of Israel in relation to Palestinians. But if you start the dialogue on whatever platform you have, you're expected to continue that dialogue every day.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly. You are. And that's like a massive trap. Yeah, a massive trap. That's why I didn't even talk about it. Within the season itself, also.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, that was. Yeah, because I was wondering about that because, you know, you're in the shadow of this thing, but yet your choice, and I think on stage as well, to identify as a Palestinian American to the point where in the second special, you know, you talk about, you know, white Americans don't have to put anything before American.

[Marc Maron]

Right. But.

[Unknown Comedian]

Or Arab American. But. But there is this need to, like, as an American, you are an American.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly.

[Unknown Comedian]

So the community that you have, both with peers and with your Palestinian family as Americans is the story. Right. So. And the way I thought you handled it in the second season, because the tensions have always been there. There's never been a time in your life or my life.

[Marc Maron]

It's like you have the killings, everything.

[Mo Amer]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

You can't. It almost makes it sound like everything started on October 7th.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And it's just. Couldn't be further from the truth. And then also, you have to factor in, like, you know, by the time the show comes out, it's a year from filming.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, right. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Almost 14 months from writing it. All the things that could change and unfold within that time frame.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you kept it within the family.

[Marc Maron]

You have to keep it within the family. I started writing about it. We tried. I tried. I attempted to go down that rabbit hole and. And we started going through it and it became really didactic and it became not about the characters. You were really attached to each other's emotions, and it just became about the thing. And it was. It was just. It was a trap. It was a clear trap. To me. I saw it so clearly. I was like, oh, you know what? We end on October 6th, actually.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

The whole season ends on October 6th.

[Mo Amer]

Okay.

[Marc Maron]

So, you know. Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

Okay.

[Marc Maron]

There's like a little hidden nugget at the end. I don't want to, you know, spoil it, but.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, but in. And because of that you're able to address the. The historical and what has been an ongoing threat. Intention of, you know, from. Because your family in the show is in the west bank, right?

[Marc Maron]

Yes, they are. And they are actual in reality. And everything that we show in like all the cutaways, all the village in the west bank is the actual footage of my family's, you know, village. And it's my grandparents house. It's actually my grandparents house. Like I was very deliberate about all of that, just to be as realistic, as grounded as possible. And Bourin also, as a village is very unique in itself, which had a lot of artists come out of there. And my family's contribution to that village has been significant and what is given to us has been huge as well. So, you know, I'm so tied to it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I wish I could live there. I wish I was able to go. I wish my mother who was born there could even move freely and go there.

[Unknown Comedian]

Even now.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, even now. Of course. I mean, obviously I wish the situation was different. My aunts can't even go to the doctor. I mean, it's like a 10 minute ride. It's six hours.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

That's crazy.

[Marc Maron]

You know, you can't go anywhere. You're completely confined to your home. And then there's all the settler violence.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And so that you can't like any day could be your last.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like it's terrifying, it's fucking horrendous.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

And I thought that the way you handle that in the show was good because it kept it personal that, you know, you finally get to go over there.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It's my genuine for the first time.

[Unknown Comedian]

And then like you got to deal with. It's not even the Israeli army, it's the fucking settlers.

[Marc Maron]

Right.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Now I'm going to get in trouble for just saying fucking settlers, let alone if any, you know, I. Mohammer did not say.

[Marc Maron]

No, I'm just kidding.

[Unknown Comedian]

And this is not my real last name. And.

[Marc Maron]

I.

[Unknown Comedian]

Know, but I mean it kept the conflict and the reality of the conflict personal.

[Marc Maron]

It had to be. Yeah, it had to be. Anything outside of that is not true for myself. And then that's the best story I could tell.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

How can I tell the most honest story.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Is by, you know, my own personal direct experience.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And of course there was some storylines, you know, some news cycle or anything that I would, you Know, just hear would happen in the village. I would, you know.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I would write down. I mean there was one that didn't even make it into that. It was like a flashback I kind of wanted to do in the show, but it would never fit. It was like my mom told me this story how the settlers came down to our village. They stole all the, all the olives that they had picked for. For the press. They stole everything. And so what did the Palestinians do? They went up to the settlements. It was very dangerous. And they stole their donkeys. And then the two elders got together and they did a swap for donkeys and olives. I wanted to call the episode Donkeys and Olives.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I just thought it'd be really funny what that was do. But also like a little insight.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And how you and.

[Unknown Comedian]

And how that there was a negotiation.

[Marc Maron]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

[Unknown Comedian]

But now you, you have aunts that still live in.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah, plenty on both my father's side and my mother's side.

[Unknown Comedian]

And are they okay?

[Marc Maron]

I mean. Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, they're alive.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. They're alive.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yes.

[Marc Maron]

Well, thank God. Yeah, they're alive.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

There's no, there's no. It's not a normal life, you know, you're confined to your home.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And my grandparents house was like ransacked recently. And it's just, it just, it just so. I don't even know how to describe it, man. It's like your heart being ripped out of your chest. You know, it's like. This is my grandparents house. I want my son. I just had a baby boy like 14 over a little bit over a year ago.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I want to go experience this with him. I want him to see where he comes from. And it's just. I'm mortified. This is all gonna be gone soon, you know, like they're just gonna take it. It's fucking. It just like. You know, it's so disappointing because my. There's all these wonderful stories from my grandfather and the relationships they had with Jews, Palestinian Jews that lived there pre 48 Israel and it was just like they used to watch each other's kids.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Oh really?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, they used to watch each other's kids because like, you know, and they had this kind of life where they just would hang out all the time.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

They actually like as far as, like. Yeah. Coexisted in a. In a. In a beautiful way. And it was. They're both Abrahamic religions, both believe in one God, one exists. It's like. It's like they're really very Similar.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And both worked off the lunar calendar. Everything kind of cycled together, and it was just like. It was. It was really a beautiful life. From what I've heard, pre 48. I mean, obviously there was some. A lot of refugees that were coming in from Europe, even within World War I, and that was escalating, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as 48.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

And not to make any comparison in any way, but the association that happened immediately and implicitly on the left was that, you know, Jews are Israelis, that there was no, you know, like. And it's the other way around. Israelis are generally Jews.

[Marc Maron]

Right.

[Unknown Comedian]

But Jews, Diaspora Jews, you know, it's a complicated thing to understand, given what you're taught. And that's where it's sort of, you know, kind of. It was kind of bizarre that it kind of moved into almost anti Semitism that, you know, any Jew is aligned with this. This, you know, this annihilation of. Of Palestinians.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It doesn't make sense. Also, the whole thing. This doesn't make sense. Like, if everyone's trying to kill you, wouldn't you want to not be all in one place? Like, it feels like the Jews are being set up, too? Like, it feels. It feels. It feels like, hey, hey, you know, everybody wants to kill us, so we're gonna go all to one place, make it easy for everybody. Like, hold on. Okay, so then who am I going to work with? Evangelicals. Who. What do they want? They want to put you all in one place.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

So Jesus can come back.

[Marc Maron]

What is going on? It just on a logical level, and.

[Unknown Comedian]

I'm not equipped to really speak to the history of it, but ultimately, I thought you depicted it in a very honest and visceral way so that people even, like me or anybody else can understand the way of life and the cultural history. Because the cultural history, you know, even as a Jew is fragmented. Every very few people have a real sense of historical community. And I think that what comes across in this, in the series, both seasons is not like, the way that religion is. Like, it's not. It's not like Rami show. Like, Rami's got a. You know, he's got a crisis of faith.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

But, you know, he talks about religion. But in your show, you know, it's just a given.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it is.

[Unknown Comedian]

There's no, like, there's no unbreakable faith. Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's different, but it's a fine line between, like, you know, the religion. This is the thing. I think. I think in this day and age. Like, people say, I'm not religious. I'm spiritual. Right, Right. Like, I'm not.

[Unknown Comedian]

Whatever that is.

[Marc Maron]

Like, yeah, whatever. And I heard a beautiful summation of it. It's like there was a man that converted Islam, and he's just like, he used to be a crackhead. He's in jail, all this. And he changed his life, transformed everything. And he said. He says religious people don't want to go to hell.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Spiritual people have been to hell and don't want to go back. Yeah. You know.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

It's like an AA thing almost.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. Is it? Yeah. I'm not familiar, but I'm, you know, I believe the family is definitely, you know, mom is religious, prays all the time, I think, you know, Mo tries. He up a lot, you know, in the show.

[Unknown Comedian]

But it's not a question.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, no, it's not a question at all. They do believe you just get a little lazy. Yeah, exactly. Definitely. Right. Yes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because, like, secularism, in my mind, is that you identify as the religion, but, like, yeah, I don't go to the mosque. You know what I mean? You know, I'm not, you know, I don't go to church. You know what I mean? You're culturally Jewish.

[Marc Maron]

Sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

But religiously, maybe not.

[Marc Maron]

Right, right. We still pop in, for sure. We still go to the mosque every once in a while. We don't show it in the show, but we pop in.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

We check in with God regular, for sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

But even in greetings, it's kind of beautiful that there's just this, like, it's all inclusive.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

In, you know, just the beginning of any social interaction.

[Marc Maron]

It's actually one of the. My favorite things in common. Who scored the show with Kareem and Patrick. Shout out. And he. They were. He would always comment on, like, man, I love how you guys speak to each other. Yeah. You know. Yeah, it is like that. It's like the greeting, peace be upon you, and may peace be upon you and unto you and your entire family. It's like, wow. And then you say, hey, listen, did you pick up the tiny. Exactly. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? It's like that.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

But also, like, in the time of the prophet, upon him, he used to say. They used to say. Before him, they used to say, kefak means how you do it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then after him, he would say, which is, how is your state?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

How is your state? How is your heart?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So it's this. It's. It's just one Word. But it changes everything. Wow. It's not just like, hey, yeah, yeah, how you doing?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Like, no, how is your really doing? How are you really doing?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So all these, like, little nuggets to me that are just really special.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

In communication and connection.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And understanding. Like your spiritual self.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

The heart, the cleansing of the heart. Mind. Like, I'm not equipped to talk about it at all. What little. I know. But blows my mind.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, but, but, but the habit.

[Marc Maron]

Beautiful. The habit is beautiful.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Because it keeps you connected and it does have meaning.

[Marc Maron]

And it's very sad, though, because even, you know, Arab Christians will also greet each other this way. But it's become such a stigma because of how Muslims are depicted. And so they won't even say salam alikum anymore. Which doesn't make. Not everyone, but there is some. That feel like some kind of tension about it because. And I understand, like, the history of it all is. Is so baked with so much tension, so they kind of want to separate themselves, but it's really not good, actually. You should. You should power through it and maintain this beautiful tradition where you greet each other.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

With such, you know, love.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I talk about it in my special mom in Texas when it's just like, hey, how are you? You know.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Versus assalamu alaikum. Versus, like, really. Really greeting each other.

[Unknown Comedian]

Having that connection.

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Having that connection with the intention of it. Like, yeah, I'm away. I'm, like, really tuned in.

[Unknown Comedian]

And this is like all the, you know, the friends you grew up with and from the community, it's all this.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And my uncle, like, it comes from my elders, for sure. Like, my uncle who passed away, like, a year and a half ago. He's easily one of the greatest men I've ever known.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

What a. What a. Just a beautiful man, but so consistent. Never wavered like always. He's just an example of a human. Like, for me, as a real man, he took care of his seven kids. He's so successful.

[Unknown Comedian]

He was in Texas.

[Marc Maron]

No, no, he was in Amman, Jordan, and he worked for the United nations, actually. And he spent his whole life making sure that kids who were affected by war received restitution and were taken care of, essentially spent his whole life just, you know, getting. He was a doctor as well. I had a doctorate.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Law degree. The guy is just an overachiever, basically.

[Unknown Comedian]

But you knew him. He had a relationship.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's the way. Because I lost my dad when I was 14. And he was the one that always, like, he was like my guiding light with my mother. He was always, always that.

[Unknown Comedian]

For me, that's. It's amazing because, you know, I read a book recently about, like, the. The fact that there is no, you know, cultural adhesive anymore for people from anywhere, because even people from places don't necessarily have a community.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, they may have a history or they may have, you know, like, you know, something that they came from. But I think what's great about your show and what you're talking about is that the connection to the people that you come from is active. And, And. And also you have a community here.

[Marc Maron]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Comedian]

So it has, you know, it runs deep.

[Marc Maron]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Comedian]

And for, you know, for centuries.

[Marc Maron]

No, absolutely. And when I came to Houston, it was a key milajuan for me. It was like the, The. I was like, oh, that's the guy. It was like, I didn't know. I didn't see any other Arabs. Really?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I didn't see, like, many Muslims.

[Mo Amer]

How old were you?

[Marc Maron]

I was nine when I first came to the States. And Hakeem was like, that guy?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

He's like, oh, my God, he's fasting.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

During playoffs. And like, like, I. I would have failed for sure. Like, he's so better than. So much, much better than I am. But it just, like, he was the guy in Houston that I looked up to. Like, oh, there is a sense of community. And then you see how diverse Houston kept getting, and then you start meeting all these people and you create your own community in your own pockets and you become like, the guy, like, oh, he's from, you know, he's the first Palestinian or he's the first Iraqi guy. And the more war that would happen in the Middle east, the more Iraqis would pop up, which is really funny. Yeah, it's not funny. It's just how it works.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. Well, that's interesting too, that, like, Hakeem represented a way to maintain your cultural identity.

[Marc Maron]

It did. And he was so attainable. Like, he was. I would see him at the mosque.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

He'd just pop in.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And he would spend time with everybody. He was so nice. And actually before my dad passed, he became friends with his brother.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And took me to a Nigerian mosque and it was. Just won the championship. He's like, at that point, the best son in the game.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And just signing, hanging out, saying hi, being human, high fiving kids. It's being a great guy. And like, zero. Like, I got to go. Last autograph. Nothing yeah. You guys good? Done. Boom. Leave. He, like, felt like this Muhammad Ali type presence.

[Unknown Comedian]

Wow.

[Marc Maron]

To him where it was just so special.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you got there when you were nine with your. All your siblings?

[Marc Maron]

No, no, it was my sister and I. Yeah, we. So my mom got us on a bus, went through Iraq during the Kuwaiti War. Through there. Yeah, during the Gulf War Part 1. And then took us to Jordan and then got us on a flight and ended up to Houston. And then. Yeah, I just had a brother there that was studying. And that's, you know, that's how we, you know. And eventually my mom followed my brother, my other brother followed and. And my dad came about two years later, and then he passed away, like, three years later.

[Mo Amer]

What happened?

[Marc Maron]

He had a heart attack. He had a heart attack. Was in a hospital.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

You know, I really believe, like, first of all, rags to riches, and then riches to rags. Like, just. And he was in his 50s. Like, I gotta start over. Like, I think that all just took it out of him.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Like, it just really, really took him out. You know, I really believe, like, it was just the stress of everything.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, the fact that they're. The Whatever education or position they held. Like, I had a landlord in Queens. Yeah, Well, I think he was Colombian, and he was a dentist in Columbia. And he was now the landlord because he owned this building. And if your oven would fuck up, he'd come in and be like, you know, if it was a mouth, I could fix it.

[Marc Maron]

My father was a telecommunications engineer. He worked for the Kuwait Oil Company. He went to school in England. I mean, he was the first guy to really, like, introduce electronics to the village in Burin.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, yeah, it was the second season.

Yeah, it is.

[Marc Maron]

But he owned the electronic shop there, and. And he would teach people how to, you know, this is what this is. This is what that is, how this. How it works. And I was surrounded by this tech, like this early tech and what he would do with it. And. Yeah, now it just. It's part of my life.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, it's so sweet that the. The second scene is in. Is such a. Honors him all the way through. Yeah, like, that was sort of like the. The destination of the thing is to honor your. Your people and then to honor your father.

[Marc Maron]

Absolutely.

[Mo Amer]

Because that scene in the mosque where.

[Unknown Comedian]

You got to do the call to prayer, it's kind of funny, but kind of sweet.

[Marc Maron]

Tear jerked. It's a real thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

I know. I saw it from the special.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it was a real thing. And I wanted to add, like, another layer to it, it's like what really happened is when I found out, I kind of snuck away and just lost it. It was like joy and sadness all at the same time.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Filled with it. It just immediately hits me every time I think about it. But it was just. Yeah. It's just really special. Be able to tip the hat. And the whole video camera thing is also real. Yeah. Whole like miracle was it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Was the encounter with the Israeli customs guy real?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I had. Not with the VHS tape, but there was like several other things that I had from my grandparents house.

[Unknown Comedian]

It was kind of interesting that you went out of your way to. I don't know if it was driven by empathy, but you humanized even the worst of the people in the show.

[Marc Maron]

Did I really?

[Unknown Comedian]

A little bit. I mean, you like. Well, not specifically that guy with the VHS tape, but certainly the person, the woman asking the question. And you did it by making them comedic characters.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah. On some level.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so that makes them a real person as opposed to like this fucking monster.

[Marc Maron]

Right?

[Unknown Comedian]

You know?

[Marc Maron]

No, no, no. I think it's important to like break through.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

We spend so much time like seeing the other version.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Regularly.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I think seeing that part where it breaks through, even the dream in episode eight.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Where he's just like, these Palestinian families are like moving back and just joyful and leaving and seeing the guns being melted by the IDF and.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Reveal of Bob Ross. But Bob Ross is just like me, just speaking to them. Speaking to everyone.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, that was funny.

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Just speaking to everyone. It's like, it's amazing what you could do when you change your mind.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

You know, right? It's amazing what you can do to change your mind. No more guns, no more war.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. That's nice. I'm in my happy place. You know, it's just telling them like, man.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Think. Yeah, think what it could be without all this nonsense.

[Unknown Comedian]

I don't know that people like. Because people are so brain fucked.

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I don't know how like historically, historically, like Jews who were fleeing persecution in Europe went to like Morocco, Tunisia, these Muslim countries and sought refuge and they were fine.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Why is, why are they the enemy? This is why I'm like, man, I don't trust anything. I don't trust it. I feel like it's a setup. Like the whole thing is a setup.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

So you just put that as your foundation and then move through your life.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I mean, what am I supposed to do? Like, I just don't Believe what anybody says.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's hard to believe. Like, this is a world of fake news. Like, I don't know what's real, what's wrong, whose personal interests, who's doing what. I have to maintain who I am, stay grounded in the stories that I tell is from my own lens. Right. My own experience.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, exactly.

[Marc Maron]

And keep it moving. And stand up is just like. That's why I fell in love with stand up when I saw it when I was 10 years old. Who'd you see? When I was 10, I went to. My brother took me to the Houston livestock show and rodeo.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And it was co. Headlined by the band Alabama in Cosby.

[Unknown Comedian]

Wow. This is a pre Monster.

[Marc Maron]

Pre Monster Cosby. He was America's dad at that time.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I didn't even know who that was.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I just. I've been in the country, like, six months. I have no clue what Alabama is. Livestock.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I arrived, like, two days before Halloween, two days later. I thought Americans were out of their fucking minds. It was like, I've never seen. I've never seen cleavage. Like, I didn't even know what the hell is it. It just freaked me out. Like, everything, like, freaked me out. I was like, this place is a nightmare.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It was just. I couldn't believe it. I was like, what is going on? Why are they dressed like this? Freaking me out. I was just didn't know what to do with it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I didn't know anything.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

And even when I first started stand up in the late 90s, like, there was all these comedians. Oh, you sound like this guy. You sound like. I'm like, who? Sam Cannis? I don't know who you're talking about. In the country. Eight years.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I don't think you sound like Sam.

[Marc Maron]

No, I mean, like, back then, I was sure I was 17. I was screaming like, yeah, I'm 17, bro.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, you're full of it.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, I'm full of it.

[Unknown Comedian]

But.

So Cosby made an impression.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, Cosby. Cosby. Just.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's interesting how many comics. It's interesting how many comics that. And I didn't see it till later, but you know, Bill Cosby himself.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, that.

[Unknown Comedian]

That special.

[Marc Maron]

Well, they showed it in our school also. They would show it in, like, free time. It was clean. They would bring it in and watch it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. It's sort of an astounding. Because that approach to stand up, you know, which. That, you know, regrettably, he is who he is. But that special, you know, changed my Approach. Yeah, that you know, that, you know, jokes are important, but stories are all jokes.

[Marc Maron]

No, absolutely.

[Unknown Comedian]

You construct the story.

[Marc Maron]

And I come from a storytelling tradition. My mom would tell me all these amazing stories and it's within my family. So when I saw it live.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

In front of like 70,000 people.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

On this rotating stage, on a pile of sand.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

And he had everyone just at the edge of their seats, including me. I don't even know the he's talking about. I'm nine, you know. But I just realized this was so funny. And his act outs was just like the way he told the story and how deliberate he was and, and, and how patient he was. It just blew my little nine year old mind. Like I just couldn't believe it. I looked at my brother, I was like, this is what I'm gonna do for a living.

[Unknown Comedian]

And you were 10?

[Marc Maron]

I was, yeah. I wasn't even 10. I was nine.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And he, he goes, you're out of your mind.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's like, okay, yeah, yeah. I was like, no, you don't understand.

[Unknown Comedian]

And it stuck with, this is what.

[Marc Maron]

I'm supposed to do. Idiot.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, that was your moment.

[Marc Maron]

I'm like, okay, Nobody gets it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Religious moment.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It was absolutely.

[Unknown Comedian]

That saw your whole life ahead of you.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. No. Four years later. I started doing stand up.

[Unknown Comedian]

When you were 15.

[Marc Maron]

I was, I was actually ninth grade in high school. Was 14 years old. My father just passed. I was skipping school. I was like, didn't care about any.

[Unknown Comedian]

That sent you on a tailspin.

[Marc Maron]

Send me out. I mean, I didn't give a shit. I was gone all the time. I would go to ball games.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Sit on the third baseline. Like I didn't give a shit. I was just going with my buddy.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because you were sad.

[Marc Maron]

I was very, very sad. I was very, very sad. Distraught. Like my life was so. Everything's upside down completely. You know, everything's up. I'm living. We're living in a one bedroom apartment. Like, what's happening? Right. So, so yeah. So my teacher, my English teacher is the one who actually changed my life. She goes, don't you want to be a comedian? I was like, yes. She goes, also, don't you want to graduate high school? I was like, of course. Be embarrassing. She goes, how would your father feel if you don't graduate?

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, wow. I was like, you're played the dad.

[Marc Maron]

I was like, this, you're evil. Like this up right to the right to the kisser, man. I was. Then I started to cry. I was like, oh, my God, it'd be terrible.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And she said, listen, if you do stand up in class, you incorporate anything with that we're studying, which was Shakespeare at the time. Then I'll give you extra credit and help you get by this year, but you're probably gonna fail, you know. I was like, that's fine. I was like, I'll do it. I was like, can I do it now? She was like, yes. I went up and did some stuff for Macbeth and for. Right out of the book, we had a text and I was doing with the British accent to be, you know, to me. And I just. And the kids ate it up. Yeah, kids. I was their age, you know, like. And everybody's dying laughing. And I. I was like, can I do it tomorrow? And she was like, yeah, she let me do it every Friday.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then she took me to the art department. No, no, no. I would just write my own material and do whatever and so you're doing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like 14 year old kid stuff.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, exactly. And then I would. And then she took me to the theater arts department. She's like, listen, Lujean, she's my theater teacher. She was like, this kid's been doing like, all these accents. Original material I've never heard before. I think he belongs here. And then the following year, I was like, doing leads and plays and. And.

[Unknown Comedian]

And then you were able to lift up your other grades.

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, yeah. Because you felt graduate early, graduated 17.

[Unknown Comedian]

So it gave you a sense of self worth, bro.

[Marc Maron]

I would skip. I got so good at it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I would put like the little Chris Farley jacket on. Yeah. Fat guy in a little coat. And I would roast the class.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I would roast all the class. As Chris Farley. As a fat guy, a little coat.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I got so good at it. My. My Spanish teacher, Senorita Ferreira, she was like, can you do it for my other classes? So she literally wrote me a note to skip the other classes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I had three shows in one day. I'd be out in the hall wearing the little jacket. It was like, mo, what are you doing? I got two shows. I got two more gigs coming up. You know, just hang out. Yeah. And I would just do these things. Like.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I couldn't believe it was getting as.

[Unknown Comedian]

Many sets in as I can.

[Marc Maron]

I got to do it, man. I'm about to graduate.

[Unknown Comedian]

Got to go up the hall.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. And that's. That's it.

[Unknown Comedian]

That's interesting that it saved your life, because who the fuck knows, you know, if you. If you Weren't able to process that grief.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, who. That.

You know, who the hell knows?

[Marc Maron]

I felt so alone. Like, everybody was dealing with so much. My mother was doing so much. It's like, he's just like, I was by myself. I felt very alone.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Very alone in the process, but I wouldn't change a thing, honestly.

[Unknown Comedian]

So when do you start doing clubs?

[Marc Maron]

I did, immediately. So I. I. My. I just. Like, this is hilarious. So Arab moms will volunteer you to other Arab business owners for work?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So I didn't even have a social at that point. So I woke up one morning, my mom was like, you have a job? I was like, I'm gonna be a comedian, mom. She's like, no. So she forced me to work at this flag shop. We sold fucking flags and import export shit. So I'm reading the Houston Press.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I see Houston's Funniest Person competition at the Laugh Stop off west.

[Unknown Comedian]

Still around?

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

When it was like, one of the best.

[Unknown Comedian]

Was Babbitt there?

[Marc Maron]

He was. Yeah, he was. He was. And so I go. It was like, oh, shit, today's the deadline. I called my buddy Nick. I was like, you gotta take me. I didn't have a car. He drives me over. I sign up. Before we went in there, Nick goes, you ready, Mo? This is the first day. The rest of your life. He was, like, being corny, but he was also very serious. I signed up, and then I went up on stage, you know, the next day, I had to write some new shit. I was like, I've been writing for, like, high schoolers. Just, like, adults in there. Oh, my God. You know, I gotta, like, figure this out. So I wrote a bit. Figured out, like, you needed five or six minutes. Came in the next day, did well. Like, made the wild card position. And Babbitt walks up to me, he goes, listen, it was great. How old are you? I was like, I'm 17. He goes, no shit jokes. Okay. If you want to ever work this club again, no shit jokes. I'm like, I'm 17, bro.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's all shit jokes.

[Marc Maron]

17. It wasn't even all shit jokes. Just, like, one.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I was like. Just like. I'm so.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because he saw you do a shit joke.

Joke.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I was like. He was like, don't ever. I was like, I'm 17.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I just got here.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, shit is funny.

[Marc Maron]

What are you talking about?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I was like, okay. I get it.

[Unknown Comedian]

There's always that guy, though.

[Marc Maron]

Dude, I'm gonna build that. He was a Huge prick to me. It was a huge prick to me. But then Danny Martinez, who owned the comedy showcase.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Was like. Everybody was like, go develop there.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I just saw everybody, like, just getting hammered. And I'm like, man, I got a Arab mom to prove wrong. You know, I gotta get out there, bro. They gotta get this going.

[Unknown Comedian]

And you can't get hammered.

[Marc Maron]

He can't get hammered. And Danny Martinez, who took me under his wings, who owned the comedy showcase, who mentored Ralphie May.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

When nobody would put him on stage, Ralphie was like, 700, 800 pounds.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And nobody would put him on stage.

[Unknown Comedian]

It was hard to get him up there.

[Marc Maron]

It was hard to get him up there. Rest in peace, Ralph. So it was like one of those things. And he, like, mentored him and went to Tishawn Shannon, who's, like. Who wrote for SNL for many years, so.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, that was also, like, Ron White probably was around.

[Marc Maron]

I'm not sure. Ron White was around. Yeah. Old school. More last stop. Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, he was.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, he was. More last stop.

[Unknown Comedian]

But Tishawn Tshawn had a brother, too, that did stand up, I think.

[Marc Maron]

Charlie Shannon.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I knew Tishan. What the happened to that guy?

[Marc Maron]

I think he retired. I don't know.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, he was around for a while.

[Marc Maron]

He was the head writer, SNL for, like, 10 years.

[Unknown Comedian]

And then he wrote some other stuff. He wrote books. And he was kind of around, but I haven't heard his name or talked to him in a long time.

[Marc Maron]

After his brothers died, it was really tough because they used to do, like, the Shannon's Christmas.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And all that. I can't even imagine what that felt like. And Charlie was hilarious. Probably just so funny. Spontaneously hilarious.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Maybe he's back in Texas.

[Marc Maron]

Maybe. I gotta check on him. I gotta see. Yeah, I'm sure somebody has his number.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. Usually if we have these conversations, someone will chime in.

[Marc Maron]

Someone will chime in, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, he's great. He's. He's great. And so he took me on his ring, and Danny, like, literally mapped my entire career.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

He goes, listen, you're 17 years old. He said, all right. Did it set at his spot. He goes, listen, this is what's gonna happen. By the time you're 20, you're gonna be headlining clubs. By the time you're doing this, 25, you're gonna be headlining all over the country, traveling the world.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

This and that. And he's like, by 20 years, you're gonna have your own TV show. You're gonna have your own special. This is what it is. But if you don't listen to me, you know, I'm not gonna waste my fucking time. He goes, do you want it or not? I was like, yes. Immediately, yes.

[Unknown Comedian]

What's this guy's name?

[Marc Maron]

Danny Martinez.

[Unknown Comedian]

I didn't know that guy.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, Danny's the one who knew, like, you ran with the Ron shocks and he said, he told me this great story. We had to fire Bill Hicks one night. That's a long showcase. He was hammered, walked the whole club. And he apologized to Danny. He's like, listen, tomorrow I swear I'm going to give you the best shows of my life. And he let him come back. He got two standing O's. Oh, yeah, yeah. Next night, standing ovations. Couldn't believe it. But he was like with the Ron shocks and Jack Mayberry, you know Jack Mayberry, Is he still alive? Yeah, he's still alive. Yeah, yeah. Jack Ross, bro, on like Tonight show and all these.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, yeah, I remember Jack Mayberry.

[Marc Maron]

These were all like my men, mentors like Danny was.

[Mo Amer]

They were all still alive.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

But Danny was a comic or just a producer?

[Marc Maron]

Danny was a stand up comedian. Yeah, he was stand up. He did like radio disc jockey for a while and then he. Jack Mayberry is the one who got him into stand up. And then he started doing that at the, like the time where Kinnison and Hicks were around.

[Unknown Comedian]

Sure, the Outlaws. But he stayed in Houston.

[Marc Maron]

He stayed in Houston. He started his own club. He's like, I don't want to, like, I don't think he really, like wanted it. Wanted it. He just wanted to. He loves staying up. He toured, he did all the runs and stuff, but he just like opened up his own club and became like this developmental place in Houston.

[Unknown Comedian]

That's great.

[Marc Maron]

And, man, that's where I.

[Unknown Comedian]

But it wasn't the workshop.

[Marc Maron]

No, it wasn't the workshop. No, no. He did do stand up at the workshop.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Was that around when you started or was it gone?

[Marc Maron]

No, no, no, no, it was gone. Yeah. I was too young at that.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

Well, it's amazing that you were able to see. It's a. It's a real gift because, like, when I was a doorman at the comedy store at 23.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, you know, in the 80s, I got to see all these dudes.

[Marc Maron]

That's amazing.

[Unknown Comedian]

And it's. It's a life changer because you can see all the different styles. You can see that, like, it's really up to you. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Just figure it out and, you know, if you had some guy teach you, well, what did you learn from him? How did he take you through the paces?

[Marc Maron]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

What'd you learn from him, though?

[Marc Maron]

Well, from Danny.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, my God. I learned everything. Like, just. Just, like, from eye contact to, you know, mic technique to.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, really?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, to like, you know, being thoughtful with your words to.

[Unknown Comedian]

What's eye contact? I don't think I know that one.

[Marc Maron]

Well, the eye contact thing and the eye contact thing is like, you know, you bring the audience closer. Like, you just don't be afraid of eye contact.

[Unknown Comedian]

I got a lot of people, but I don't. I end up locking in on one poor fuck.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I switch it up, and I don't.

[Unknown Comedian]

Realize that I'm doing it. And these poor people are, like, terrified.

[Marc Maron]

I switch it up. I always switch it up. And then he said, you know, you'll spend most of your life trying to be yourself.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Well, that's it.

[Marc Maron]

It's like, imagine this brick wall, and then every time you go up on stage, a little piece of that brick falls, and eventually there's no more wall.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, that's nice.

[Marc Maron]

It's just you.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It kind of made sense to me, because I do. Like, when you look, when I watch myself at, like, 17 or whatever, I have all those DVDs and stuff, and I look at him, like, who is this kid?

[Unknown Comedian]

Look at this kid. I just saw some old stuff of mine. Cause some guy's making a doc about me, and I gave him all these old tapes I hadn't watched in forever.

[Marc Maron]

That's awesome.

[Unknown Comedian]

And, you know, I see these. These bits and pieces of me in my 20s, and I'm like, I had all this swagger, but there was no.

[Marc Maron]

There's no joke.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, there was no there there. It was just like, you know, who was I pretending to be?

[Marc Maron]

That's right.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you got to come into it. But, like, when I watched it, I'm like, oh, my God. Who do I think I am? You know?

[Marc Maron]

You reminded me of Jimmy Pineapple. Do you know Jimmy Pineapple? When he said swagger, do you know that guy Freddy?

[Unknown Comedian]

No, I don't.

[Marc Maron]

Jimmy Pineapples for Easter run with Hicks.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, he did. I didn't. Freddy Asparagus.

Yeah, but.

Yeah, right. Jimmy Pineapple used to be one of those guys.

[Marc Maron]

I knew I was it. I was always it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Even on the playground, his kid walked up and goes, you're it. And I Go. You're goddamn right I am.

[Unknown Comedian]

Who's that other guy that used to run with them? That, what was it? Steve Stevie Epstein.

[Marc Maron]

Epstein, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like he was another guy.

[Marc Maron]

I didn't know him.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, Riley Barber.

[Marc Maron]

Riley Bar. I knew Riley. Yeah, I used to see Riley. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, wild.

[Marc Maron]

So you got tease all these names.

[Unknown Comedian]

You got to see him.

[Marc Maron]

I was so young, man. I was so young and I just watched these guys and they were just. It was a whole different world to. To just like observe.

[Unknown Comedian]

And when does it take off? When do you do you just go.

[Marc Maron]

The route touring immediately. I just started touring a whole middle. Yeah, I would middle. I middled for like a year and a half and that was it. And then it was like headlined right after that. I was just like, so that's at it, man. I just wanted it so bad.

[Unknown Comedian]

I didn't spend too much time with the middle.

[Marc Maron]

No, I didn't give a. I hosted for like a month.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. It was like, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then you middle and like nobody wants to follow you and you go on and you start headlining.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

You just figure it out.

You got the.

You gotta figure out that 40 minutes and you're like, I can make up the other 10.

[Marc Maron]

Prove I had to like survive.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

That's why when somebody says like, oh, I got a job and I just stand up like, oh, you're not real. No, not real. You can't do it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

If you're not like, where am I gonna live? How am I gonna survive? Absolutely you're not gonna be successful.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, no, it can't be. Can't have a plan B or a second job.

[Marc Maron]

What are you talking about?

[Unknown Comedian]

Doesn't even exist near.

[Marc Maron]

You're a failure.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

It's crazy.

[Marc Maron]

Never going to make.

[Unknown Comedian]

I was just fortunate that I started after I was here as a doorman. I got fucked up on drugs, went back to Boston and that was a great spot, but it was a one nighter economy, so. And they were two man shows. So the way I avoided road middling right, was I'd go out on these two man shows when I was just starting out. I was just thinking about it because I watch your shit. The other night I was like maybe two or three years in.

[Marc Maron]

Amazing.

[Unknown Comedian]

And I get like, what the. You know, when I see two three year comics now, I'm like, holy. You can't do anything.

[Marc Maron]

No, you can't do anything. But I'm going all in one place. They don't travel, they don't go see.

[Unknown Comedian]

But I'm going Out to these hell gigs one nighters. And I got to do a half hour, have to. And. And so like after, you know, a couple years of that, I was, you know, I was ready to headline.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You know, but it was it. And I thank God that I avoided that whole opener middle kind of thing. I middled a bit, but not much.

[Marc Maron]

So Danny really fucked with me. He goes, he kept having me open, you know, whenever he started, actually you were paid and all that. I was like, why are you, why are you doing this to me, man? I'm so much better than some of these guys. What are you doing to me? He goes, mo, I want you to be an amazing mc. Until I see you're an amazing fucking mc, I'm not gonna do it. Because if you're an amazing mc, one day you might host Oscars. One day you miss host the Globes, maybe you'll ask me host some giant like, this is the great MCs always come back. Look at Billy Crystal, this and that. I was like, oh, interesting.

[Unknown Comedian]

But also.

[Marc Maron]

But then I looked at hosting in a completely different light.

[Unknown Comedian]

The job of a comic.

[Marc Maron]

A comic.

[Unknown Comedian]

It's a comic.

[Marc Maron]

He goes, look at you. You always say, let's keep the train rolling. You guys ready? The show is already fucking started.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

What do you mean you're ready? Are you ready to get the show started? You just did a set, asshole. The show already started. So you're not part of the show, is that what you're saying? Until you stop doing these little stupid things that you keep repeating.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, let's. Come on. Let's keep the train going. Everybody's keep the train going. Yeah. Let's get you saying the same. It's not interesting. That's why you're not moving up.

[Unknown Comedian]

Wow.

[Marc Maron]

But you're ready. You could. Yeah, you could feature. You could headline them tomorrow. Yeah, I'm sure.

[Unknown Comedian]

But not here.

[Marc Maron]

But not. But not. Not until you start doing this stupid, stupid, like, rookie.

[Unknown Comedian]

I guess it makes you change my whole mind. It gives you a sense of graciousness too.

Yeah.

You know, you, you know, it's your job to hold. Hold the show together.

[Marc Maron]

Yes. Yes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

But also he taught me. He was like, you can't host. You, you know, you're like, you only got like, you know, 30 minutes or something. You need like an hour to host.

[Unknown Comedian]

To host.

[Marc Maron]

That's what he would tell me. I was like, okay. I was like, I need an hour to host. I was like, why?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, why?

[Marc Maron]

He goes, well, there was a time where I Was on stage and the guy wasn't ready or the guy wasn't there.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I end up opening.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

With 47 minutes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

You gotta be ready.

[Marc Maron]

That shit's gonna happen. So I tore Chappelle for years, Right. Dave is filming Equanimity with Chappelle. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. And we're. He's filming Equanimity. He hits me up to go do the shows with him. I don't even know. It's just he. And I'm usually done hanging out with that. It's just Dave and I doing it. The tapings.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then I'm on stage and I see Cena. He's probably. He's like, five more minutes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I wasn't getting a problem. No problem. Five more minutes. Boom.

[Unknown Comedian]

So they're waiting for Chappelle and.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. So something's happening.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Stuck up there. Are you kidding? It's the fucking Warner Theater. Give it to me, baby. You know I'm in. Let's go. 15 minutes turns into 20. Okay. No problem. He runs out. He goes, 10 more minutes. I was like, okay, great. I hope Dave is okay. I'm doing the jokes. I'm thinking. I was like, oh, he's fine. Okay. I do know. It's just like, we had two shows. He's got a tape.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yes.

[Marc Maron]

Another joke. So I do. I'm like, 30 minutes in. Right. And I started doing this, like, look at the clock. I'm like, okay. I'm like, 12 minutes. I'm sure it's good now. He hasn't come back out.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So I'm about to say goodnight. He runs out and goes, 10 more minutes. I was like, well, I'm editing all the jokes.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So. Because I don't want to go over.

[Unknown Comedian]

I was like, shit.

[Marc Maron]

So I do another. Yeah, another. Like, I do 15 more minutes. Okay.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you get 45.

[Mo Amer]

15.

[Marc Maron]

I'm like, 45 something minutes. And I say, okay, thank you. Good night. He runs out and says, stretch.

[Unknown Comedian]

My God.

[Marc Maron]

So I already said, thank you, Good night.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So it can't go back into materials. So freestyle.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Start smashing, freestyling. And it was like. That's what it was about. That's what. All that training.

[Unknown Comedian]

That's what he was. Danny was trying to tell you.

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It just hit me. It was the first time I ever experienced that. And it was at the biggest stage.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It was his home. D.C. big homecoming. First time he does a special after all these years.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

This and that. You know, like, it just.

[Mo Amer]

What the Fuck was the problem?

[Marc Maron]

It was a patch. Sewing a patch on his. On his fucking jacket. On his jacket.

[Unknown Comedian]

Chappelle patch.

[Marc Maron]

And I was doing this joke. It was so funny. He was cracking me up because I was doing this joke. I sat next to Eric Trump. It became a whole thing or whatever. And before I taped it, I said, yeah. And I see Eric and he's wearing his, you know, his own last name. It's like, that's for like the stupid kid that don't remember where he's from.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Look at it. And he was getting his name. Dave was getting his name stitched on his jacket as I was doing that joke. And he was like, aww.

[Unknown Comedian]

Did you bust on Eric?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, during the show. I fuck with him.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I remember when I sat. It was right after his dad was elected the first time. And I sat with him and I didn't intentionally sit with him, obviously, I gotta upgrade and all that. Yeah, did that whole thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

So by the time you work with Chappelle, you've been. You're a national headliner anyway.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

You've been going for a while.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

But did that change the career trajectory?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it just. It was like, you know, whatever mentorship I had with Danny.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It was another level that Danny didn't really know about.

[Unknown Comedian]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

You know, didn't experience it that consistently.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

But he sets a different level. Yeah, it was a setup of more of like. It was just a different grind and a different experience.

[Unknown Comedian]

Danny was like, this is how you work as a club.

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

This is how you work as a club. This is how you be great. This is what you can do. But then to experience it firsthand.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

To do it day in and day out. And then each venue is different than the other. I mean, you could be in a huge outdoor. You could be in a little theater. You could be, you know, at an amp, a shoreline amphitheater, which I'm sure you've done when they were doing those shows. It's like you could be following NAS one night. You know what I mean? What are you going to do? That.

[Unknown Comedian]

Not exactly my world, but yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I'm saying it could be any situation. You had to be ready for it. And then when you're just like. You're just. Your gun's always loaded and ready to go.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, when did you feel like, you know, that you had your people?

[Marc Maron]

I've always. It was so odd that I've had this, like, very unique trajectory. I started in the clubs, hammering away and then there was this tour call. Allah made me funny. And I was like, this sounds like Disney. Like, what the hell is this? What is this? So religious. I don't know about it. And it was two, like, real comics that put this whole thing together, like, in 2004. 5.

[Unknown Comedian]

Muslim comic tour.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it was like a Muslim comedy tour. But it wasn't like, this is for Muslims only. Like, it was just like this community project. And then it blew up and they asked me to be a part. I was like, yeah, let me try it. Let's see what this is.

[Unknown Comedian]

Sure.

[Marc Maron]

We started touring the world.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, the world.

[Marc Maron]

Like the world, man. We were doing the Apollo in London. We sold like 8, 000 tickets in South Africa. We did Australia. We did, you know, Scandinavia. We were just touring all these markets mostly.

[Unknown Comedian]

Not going to pronounce it right. Mostly Muslim audience.

[Marc Maron]

Muslim audiences. Yeah. It was like. It was a mix. We were like, in Amsterdam, it was like half Muslims, half.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Half Dutch people. And it was just mixed because of all the different, you know, politics that were going on in those regions. So people were interested and, you know, all these different reviewers would come out. In England, we did like 30 shows in 28 days. And the. And we're in a van, just touring Europe. Yeah, just. But we were just. I was just doing my own shit that I was doing in the stand up. It's something that Danny taught me early on, too, is like, be clean. You don't know when you're going to use it. It's easy to be dirty, but learn how to be clean. I was like, yeah, no problem. So when I stepped into that world, I was still doing my regular material. Yeah, it wasn't. And then I would find new nuggets, Right. That I didn't experiment with before. Yeah, it was. It was completely clean. And I would come back to the States, do the club thing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So it was like, I had my peoples, but I didn't. You know what I mean?

[Unknown Comedian]

But that built you a huge audience.

[Marc Maron]

It built me a huge audience. It built, like. It built, like, quite a history of it. And it also inspired a lot of these kids that would come to you. So sometimes there would be, like, you know, young teenagers that come to these shows because it was a clean that eventually started staying up because of it.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And we were in markets before even Live Nation got there. I remember we connected like Bill Burr with the promoter in. In Copenhagen. Yeah, Like. Yeah, Bremen Theater. And. Yeah, it was like, yeah, yeah, we should, you know, you should get Bill. You should Start building. Doug Stanhope.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

They weren't like theirs. It was just people couldn't believe, like, you're really doing shows over there. Like, you still do stands before YouTube, like, really popped off.

[Unknown Comedian]

It was a while back.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it was a while.

[Unknown Comedian]

Like, those are markets. I did. I think I did Amsterdam.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. I'm talking about, like, Norway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was, like, a thing. It wasn't, like, really a big.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because I noticed in the. In the. The special you taped in Houston that. And it's kind of beautiful that you do have a big Arab community.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Unknown Comedian]

That shows up.

[Marc Maron]

Well, those people were Mexican. You know, you just love Brown is Brown.

[Unknown Comedian]

What, are you getting nitpicky?

[Marc Maron]

No, no, I'm just saying, like, you know, from show to show. Honestly, it's. It's. I'm so blessed. Because it'll be like, yes, it'll be a lot of Arabs one show, and then the next show, it's like, we're, you know, two Arabs.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's like, what's going. Like, it's just.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And also, Arabs are kind of, like, lazy with buying tickets.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So then it'll at me, like, hey, y'all, tickets are gone. Like, buy tickets. Yeah, yeah, get on it.

[Unknown Comedian]

And you really speak Spanish?

[Marc Maron]

No, I do. I'm very. I'm conversational in Spanish. Completely conversational.

[Unknown Comedian]

Did you just pick that up?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, basically, I learned it in three months. Yeah, I learned in three months. And I'm just gonna say I saw. I. I fell in love with this girl. I was 19. Of course, she was a Brazilian. Still friends to this day. Anyway, it doesn't matter what her name is, but she spoke Portuguese and Spanish.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

So, I mean, Portuguese, Brazilian, Portuguese is, like, impossible to learn. So in three months, I was, like, fully conversational. Figured it out. And my mother and my family could not believe what was happening. My brothers thought I was full of shit. Then I would be translating on the spot. And they were like, I don't know how this happens. I was like.

[Unknown Comedian]

Because in the show, I'm like, wow, you really fucking knows it.

[Marc Maron]

No, no, no, I do. It just takes me, like, a couple of senses just to feel comfortable, and then I could run with it.

[Unknown Comedian]

But that must be helpful when you're performing in Houston.

[Marc Maron]

It's great when I'm performing anywhere.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I'm in Europe. I could just switch at any moment in time. Like, I could just get through life.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Just getting through life, period.

[Unknown Comedian]

I wish I had a knack for it. You must have a knack for It.

[Marc Maron]

I think it's just learning Arabic first really helped everything. Yeah, my father was very diligent about education, and in the beginning of, like, I was three years old, I was learning multiple languages.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It was just.

[Unknown Comedian]

So you had.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, I was going to school. Had a brain for English and Arabic.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Go to Arabic class. English class. And it was just mandatory.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, the show is great.

[Marc Maron]

Thank you, man.

[Unknown Comedian]

Comedy's great. It's good talking to you.

[Marc Maron]

Comedy's great. I can't believe it's over already.

[Unknown Comedian]

How long in LA for this week?

[Marc Maron]

I'm just leaving Sunday doing spots to do press. Yeah, I'm gonna pop in tomorrow night.

[Unknown Comedian]

Probably over at the store.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, I think so.

[Unknown Comedian]

I gotta go up to Santa Barbara.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, do you. Oh, do you sound like you're so rich? I just have to go to Santa Barbara.

[Unknown Comedian]

No, no, I gotta do a show.

[Marc Maron]

I'm just kidding.

[Unknown Comedian]

I gotta show Santa Barbara, and then I do San Luis Obispo. And then I do Monterey. Gonna take Blair Saki.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, that's dope.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh, yeah, Go do the shows.

[Marc Maron]

No, I love it. No, I just. I just wanted to make sure it was, like, clear about what the message of the show is. It's really, like, about family. It's really about this beautiful Palestinian family trying to be seen and trying to fit in in a world where they are completely misunderstood.

[Unknown Comedian]

And also, you deal with, like, the. The whole notion of deportation, and that's another. That. That device of getting you into Mexico without a passport and then, you know, and without having asylum status.

[Marc Maron]

Thank you. Recognize that. Thank you.

[Unknown Comedian]

Well, but it was another case where you deal with that customs, that border official, and you make him a person.

[Marc Maron]

No, I did. Yeah. That was something that really was important to me because it was just, like, first of all, showing how privileged the character was in being a refugee. Like, Mo, as a character, even though he's a refugee, he's very lucky and he has it. He's so well off in comparison. So just in a half hour show, trying to execute all that is kind of difficult. So we having a guy talking about his experience navigating through the jungles of Panama, you know, dodging snakes and then the cartel and, you know, drinking the juice of a Vienna sausage can, like, so we had to survive. And then he's asking Mo, like, how did you get here? Like, I took a bus. Mexico.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

But also, like, this detention center officer, too, is very interesting to me. Like, this guy's in a detention center of himself. Like, he's in jail himself every day. Like, I'm very curious about what he feels inside.

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah, it was good.

[Marc Maron]

It was so it was all that. Just exploring all that. But yeah. Thank you for having me. Me, man.

[Unknown Comedian]

Great man.

[Marc Maron]

I just love always wanted to talk to stand up with you and and I knew that we would vibe on the H and singing.

[Unknown Comedian]

Oh yeah. It was great, dude.

[Marc Maron]

It was dope, man. Good to see you, man.

[Unknown Comedian]

Good to see you. There you go.

[Mo Amer]

Great conversation. Great guy. Funny guy. His show Mo is streaming on Netflix. Hang out for a minute, folks. All right, guys, listen up. If you're dealing with hair loss, it doesn't mean you can't find it again. When you try hymns, you'll be joining hundreds of thousands of subscribers who stopped hair loss and grew back their confidence. When you use hims, you get clinically proven treatments that can regrow hair in as little as three to six months. And you don't even have to visit a doctor to get started. It's 100% online. You just answer a few questions and a medical provider will determine if treatment is right for you. If prescribed, your treatment is sent to you for free. No insurance is needed, and one low price covers everything from treatments to ongoing care. Start your free online Visit [e-mail] WTF that's H I N for your personalized hair loss treatment options. Hims.com WTF results vary based on studies of topical and oral minoxidil and finasteride prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. Hey people, check out the new Audible original podcast. That's anything but typical. The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell. This unlikely duo is speaking with some of the world's most influential figures to hear their unexpected success stories. Here, guests like Jimmy Kimmel, WNBA legend Sue Bird, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Dr. Dre and others. Listen to the Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell on Audible. Now go to audible.com unusual suspects we've got new outtakes from recent episodes available for full Marin listeners. You can hear stuff that didn't make it into the shows I did with Ariana Grande, Demi Moore, James Mangold and Bill Burr.

[Unknown Comedian]

I still like the guy. Just some people turn a certain way and, you know, you hold on to what's good and you let go of the other stuff.

[Mo Amer]

I know there are so many people that like, I just, you know, when I hear sometimes they'll say things and it's just like. Have you ever just thought about, like, maybe taking a couple days off the Internet?

[Unknown Comedian]

Yeah.

No, no. I mean, like, it's a very hard.

[Mo Amer]

Because no matter what you think, no matter how fucked up a thought you have, there is a website that agrees with you.

[Marc Maron]

Sure.

[Mo Amer]

Of course. That's the latest bonus episode for Full Marin subscribers. We do bonus episodes twice a week, and you get every episode of WTF Ad free. To subscribe to the Full Marin, go to the link in the episode description or go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF Plus. And a reminder before we go, this podcast is hosted by Acast. Yes. Here's some this is some this good vibey guitar here. Okay. Boomer Lives Monkey and lafonda Cat Angels everywhere.