Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank

Pete Johannson met me at my flat in London to talk about the city. He moved here from Canada 5 years ago and he loves it. We talked all about London. The food, the healthcare, the girls, the drugs, and the comedy. It's been a while since I've seen him and it's always a good time. Intro with Katharine Ferns who's another Canadian comic in London.

Louis Katz met me at Union Square to have whole foods salad bar lunch on steps like champions. We talked about being Jewish. I only really have my own perspective on it, so it was nice to hear what another version of a nonaffiliated Jew is. You'll have to excuse the music coming from the live Dance Dance Revolution going on behind us. New York, man. There's no space. And I do the intro from the most fitting place I could think of for a podcast about Jews. Live from Munich, Germany at Oktoberfest.

David Taylor met me at my LA AirBnb to talk about chefing. Chefing? Sure. David has been cooking for a few years now and he's gotten kind of into it. So we just talked about that. And of course, we meandered a crudload. 

Sheng Wang came to my apartment to talk about the Asian American experience. Well, he came over to do a podcast, and then I asked him all about Chinatown, and then it just becomes a whole podcast about Asianness. 

Mark Demayo came over to my apartment this week. We drank some beers and talked about his 20 years as a policeman in New York. It was a fun, open conversation. I asked him a ton of questions about what being a cop is like and Mark answered everything. Fun podcast.

Nick Youssef and I were in Chicago to watch Arcade Fire and to do a show at Zanies to pay for it. So we decided to do a podcast all about concerts. Nick's been to a million concerts and I've been to a bunch of the ones he's been to. So it's a fun conversation about live music. Direct from Chitown.

Christina Walkinshaw met me in Montreal to talk all about Tinder. She's an expert of sorts and she and I discussed all things Tinder, her tumultuous past with Sam Tripoli, deportation and we pretty much just had a fun couple hours. Join us on a Tinderganza!

Jonah Ray invited me into his converted garage studio to tell me all about Hawaii. Hawaiians have always been the biggest homers of any state in the US. And the daily life in Hawaii has always intrigued me. Jonah grew up there. So he was more than equipped to handle all the questions I had. Jonah Ray is one of the nicest, coolest guys you'll ever meet. I'm glad to get a chance to talk to him every time. I also have some good news about the Comedy Store I share in the intro.

Duncan Trussell invited me over to his sweet ass apartment to talk about magic mushrooms. I needed someone for a shroomfest episode this year and as soon as I realized I was gonna be in LA, I thought, "Oh! Duncan!" He's like a spirit guide for this stuff. So knowledgeable on the subject and so smart in his analysis. I hope everybody has a great #shroomfest. Be safe. Start looking for mushrooms for next year now. They stay good in a ziplock in the freezer. Happy Shroomfest!

Dante Nero came over to my apartment to tell me about his days as a stripper. Dante use to work all over New York under the name "Mandingo." It's a life filled with debauchery, sweaty women, and cash. Nick Youssef joins me for the intro and we get majorly sidetracked with talk about Mexicans who don't understand that videos aren't real life.

Al Madrigal, Kurt Metzger, Brody Stevens and John Heffron all joined me at the 2014 Montreal Comedy Festival for the Skeptic Tank's first live podcast. We talked about virginity. About losing it, about who took it from us, about how it felt, and about lots of other stuff. It was a fun time that I wish could've gone on longer.

Luis J Gomez came over to my aparment to talk to me. I was trying to figure out how a guy like him was made. Where he came from. Luis is kind of a degenerate. He might disagree, but that's how I feel. So I wanted to see what makes someone become what I feel is a degen. It involves a mother who loves heroin and child abuse.

Mark Normand met me at Tompkins Square park one day. We sat in the grass, took in some sun, and talked about all the women he's been sleeping with. Mark has been going buck wild since his breakup. He's pretty much boning a new girl every 2 days for 2 months. I've never seen anybody on such a tear.

Kurt Metzger had me over to his apartment in Harlem to talk about drugs. Kurt has always been that one friend that everybody has who can always find anything you're looking to do. From weed, to pills, to coke, Kurt has always been able to find it. And he's tried everything. Keren Margolis picks up the mic from time to time, too.

Des Bishop met me in a park in Beijing to tell me all about China. Des is a comic from Ireland by way of New York and he moved to Beijing a couple of years ago to learn Mandarin to try to do standup for Chinese people. He came as an outsider and after almost 2 years there, he's made quite a few observations about the country and about Beijing in particular. What a cool thing about podcasts that I can record these with minimal effort on the other side of the planet. Dave Smith joins me for the intro and outro.  

Jason Nash met me at his friends deluxe apartment in the skyiyiy to talk about marriage. Nash has always been, shall we say, rageful about his marriage onstage. It was nice to get a good honest negative view of marriage from someone who is still in one. Intro from Hong Kong.

Billy Wayne Davis had me over to his dinge hole of a motel 2 years ago to talk to me about his imploded marriage. It was a wreck and he's finally out of it. I held on to this one for so long because much like a beaten dog, Billy Wayne was still scared of his ex until now. The introduction was recorded on top of the Great Wall of China. 

Jeff Scott had me over to his West Hollywood apartment to tell me the story of his HIV. How he got it, how he's managed to live with it for 30 years, how it's affected his life, how he's been treated by others, and about the friends he's lost. It's one of the most interesting podcasts I've done. You should share it with everybody.

Ms. Pat joined me in a park in Brooklyn (maybe Park Slope? No, that seems wrong) to tell me about what it was like growing up in the hood in Atlanta. Spoiler alert: It was way different than how I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland. It's a story of teen pregnancies, gunshot wounds, and Jimmy Carter.

Bert Kreischer had me over to his house to talk about his first CD, Bert Bert Bert. This is the third one of these album analysis episodes I've done and it might end up as the most interesting. Bert recorded this years before he was ready. Years. It was super fun picking this apart with him. We get to mock a 5 year comic for being so foolhardy. Let it be a lesson to all of you. Slow down or you'll crash.