CV Hustle
A Podcast created to educate, inform & inspire entrepreneurship here in our Coachella Valley.
We will be talking to some of the best & brightest entrepreneurs in the Coachella Valley about how they started their journey in entrepreneurship.
CV Hustle
Ep#24-From Thrift Shops to Stand-Up: The Elijah James Story (How to Make it in Stand Up Comedy)
We sit down with local comedian Elijah James to explore how he's building the comedy scene in Coachella Valley through his Upcycle Comedy shows at a vintage thrift store in downtown Indio.
• Palm Desert native who discovered comedy as a way to connect with others while moving around as a kid
• Started comedy shortly before COVID after attending Arizona State University and working various jobs including valet parking
• Created Upcycle Comedy at Return of the Goods thrift store, bringing comedy and vintage shopping together
• Discusses the challenges and rewards of producing comedy shows, including the behind-the-scenes work of promotion and content creation
• Explains how the Coachella Valley comedy scene is more collaborative and welcoming compared to larger markets
• Shares insights on his creative process, including when to write jokes and developing his own unique style
• Performs his spot-on impression of RFK Jr. that had us in stitches
• Recommends following @upcycledcomedy and @elijah.james on Instagram for information about upcoming shows
Follow Upcycle Comedy on Instagram for upcoming shows happening every other Friday at 8pm at Return of the Goods in downtown Indio.
What is going on? Everyone, I'm Robin Mraz and I'm Pina Mraz, and this is CV Hustle, the podcast dedicated to entrepreneurship here in the Coachella Valley. And, for those of you that may not know, the Coachella Valley has a burgeoning comedy scene here in the Valley and it's spearheaded by a bunch of local comics, and today our special guest is one of those guys that's bringing that comic flair to the Valley, mr Elijah James. Thanks for coming in today, man.
Speaker 2:Hey, thanks for having me. How are you? I'm doing great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's throwing shows down in the downtown Indio upcycle comedy shows. That's how we kind of came to meet you, so thanks for coming in today, man Upcycle comedy.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me. This is the nicest couch I've been on in a while. We try, man. Thanks for having me. This is the nicest couch.
Speaker 3:I've been on in a while. It's already a good start. You got to go to Mathis Brothers. They got some nice ones there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I run a comedy show. I don't got Mathis Brothers money.
Speaker 4:True, true.
Speaker 3:So I have a question for you. I don't know if you're local. I mean, we just met you that night. You heckled us. Thanks a lot. I went home and cried, yeah.
Speaker 2:Starting off swimmingly.
Speaker 3:Dude, that jacket you were wearing. You were on fire. Legitimately yeah it totally had the flames and all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was good.
Speaker 3:Does your car have the flames on it? Does my car yeah?
Speaker 2:no, I do sleep in a race car bed, though.
Speaker 1:Lightning McQueen, action Exactly.
Speaker 4:Oh, that's Lightning McQueen action. Exactly, it was on sale.
Speaker 2:But yeah, Upcycle Comedy. Yeah, you guys are great. It's a fun time. I got that jacket from the thrift store that we were running out of in Indio called Return of the Goods, the guys over there. They have a wonderful shop. Everything is so unique, as you've already seen. The space is really great and I feel like comedy and thrifting kind of goes hand in hand, because none of those hands got a lot of money. So then when you bring them together, you're like it's the best, you're like it's a family.
Speaker 3:Well, we're gonna, we're gonna delve into that yeah so you're, you're a young gentleman thank you I would like to know are you are you from the valley? Or or how did where are you from yeah Valley? Where are you from?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I am from the Valley, I'm from Palm Desert. I came out here when I was really young, though, moved here with my mother, went to Palm Desert High School. Yeah, all that fun stuff.
Speaker 3:Came out here from where.
Speaker 2:The Beaumont area.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, they have so much family out there Really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my mom grew up there.
Speaker 1:It's crazy yeah so did you go to high school down here?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah, I did, went to high school here, palm desert palm desert high school.
Speaker 1:All right man, that's awesome. So you were a local guy. Comedy is not really a thing down here. So how, I mean, how did that progression do something you always wanted to do? Is it something that you as a kid you saw? Like you know, dave chappelle, were there like inspirations that kind of led you in that direction?
Speaker 2:you know, I I feel like when I was younger I was like always kind of like I moved around a lot when I was young.
Speaker 2:Uh, so, like making friends and keeping friends, all that stuff, the one constant was like, oh, I had to learn to like be funny, to like it's like, I guess, like a social skill. Yeah, I about. But yeah, once, like in high school, once I went to college, I never really thought of it as like something, you know, that I could like do, as like a career or even as like a passion. I just really didn't put a lot of thought into that. But then, you know, I came out here and you know I was doing like a little bit of this, a little bit of that and yeah, I just kind of like fell in love with like seeing other people do comedy and then kind of think like, oh, it's like I want to try that and a lot of people do that. You know, it's like that's a lot. I feel like a lot of people go to shows and they're like, oh, I can do that.
Speaker 2:And then you get there and you're like oh, can I do?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll use that tomato, but it's honestly, it's going from the first show to like there's really nothing out here, you're right. So I'm lucky enough to be like a part of like a group of people that have really started to like, you know, dig up a lot of like. You know the hard work to get comics to come out and all that stuff, and I mean there is a lot of like really good local talent, so it's really not that hard. The promotion part is a little difficult, but you know we, you know we make it work. You know it's good.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So when you said you went to college, where did? And hold on, let's go back to like. You jumped around a lot yeah. So, do you consider yourself a chameleon?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, we can get into the trauma. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know who I am.
Speaker 3:No, I'm kidding, yeah yeah, we can go back into the therapist's office. Yeah, so like 1994.
Speaker 2:No, I feel like kind of you know, you kind of like when I was younger, I mean, one comedy is all about like trying to like find out, like where your niche is, you know where you fit in, just like in life uh. So you kind of like do there's a lot of trial and error with that. Um, so when it comes to like comedy my comedy specifically I try to just be, like you know, open to like everybody, like not like putting down anybody, uh, unless, like I did put you guys down uh at the show. But you guys had fun. Yeah, oh yeah, we knew what we were doing. We're sitting in the front row for a reason. Yeah, yeah, I did put you guys down at the show, but you guys had fun.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we knew what we were doing.
Speaker 2:We were sitting in the front row for a reason, yeah yeah, yeah, and like it's all lighthearted stuff, you know, I really do. People want to laugh at themselves and, like you know, I want to laugh at myself. You know, self-deprecating a bit. So it's like that's the type of comedy that I feel like I enjoy. It's the type of comedy everybody enjoys to a certain degree, absolutely. Yeah, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Speaking to that. So you kind of mentioned that you guys are kind of the forefront of comedy down here and I mean honestly, like I said, we went to your show kind of by accident.
Speaker 2:Yeah, most people do you guys are trying to get away. Well, we were eating downtown. We wanted a funnel cake.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at the food trucks.
Speaker 2:She was disappointed.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 1:I heard there's a comedy show in like 10 minutes on the corner shop at the Urban Donkeys. So we're like let's go, we ain't got no kids, let's go check it out. So just having those events I mean speaking to that from the business perspective what group of guys kind of got you going and how did you guys kind of come to the realization? Because traditionally in comedy, right you?
Speaker 1:got to go do your rounds, you know, in LA and the bigger scenes, right and try, and you know, get your Netflix contract and all that. So how did you young guys, because there's a group of you guys, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:How did you guys kind of come together and what was like the inspiration for hey, maybe we can do this ourselves and throw our own shows?
Speaker 2:I mean I I kind of did like follow suit. There were some people that came before me that I kind of like laid like a little bit of groundwork and so like I was lucky enough to kind of like learn from them and uh, you know, so I wasn't going in completely like blind. Obviously, doing a production on your own is like there's a lot of like things that you're like not really aware of, because I'd only been like performing on shows for years. Um, so I feel like, with the young group of people that are here, um, yeah, dakota miracle, he was one um, he does a lot of shows around here.
Speaker 2:Actually, he was like the first show he put on, a show that I first went to in the desert, and I remember, like years uh ago, when I asked him, I was like, oh, hey, just like an open mic and all that stuff. And so, yeah, I mean, you know, went to open mics, you know continue going. You know was good enough to get on shows, to continue getting on shows. And then you know, from there on, you're just kind of like, okay, you make the connections right. Yeah, it's all networking honestly and just doing it at like most of these shows are happening at like bars, yeah. So it's really difficult to network with alcohol, you can imagine.
Speaker 1:Yeah it makes it tough right a lot of heckling going on.
Speaker 3:So, um, I want to talk about you. So you said you went to college. Where did you go to college?
Speaker 1:arizona state asu sun devil here amir went. I like we love their logo right the, the sparky sun devil, yeah, sun devil, yeah, yeah, the sun devil I was like the pitchfork. Yeah, yeah, sun Devil here.
Speaker 2:Amir went I like we love their logo right the Sparky, the Sun Devil, yeah, yeah the Sun Devil.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Sun Devil. I was like the Pitchfork. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:We love that. It was a great time. Didn't do a lot of studying, but yeah. So what did you major in when I?
Speaker 3:went out.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean because, you know, honestly, it's funny thinking back to it. I mean, I was young, I was raised by a single mother. I really wasn't like, oh, what can I do with my life to be like giving back, you know, in this type of sense, to feed me, and, yeah, just being a cop. What seemed like it was like was, like, you know, oh, that that can be something. That'd be great, that'd be a good pathway, very secure, and all that stuff. But yeah, yeah, just as time went on, I kind of just found out that, like I, I wanted to be like giving back and also validated in a different way, as opposed to just, like you know, having a badge, I guess. And then I, yeah, I mean I went to a couple classes and then they showed me videos of like you know, just cops getting shot like when they're doing like traffic stops, and I was like Autopsy photos.
Speaker 2:I was like man, yeah, not worth it, it's a tough job.
Speaker 3:I'm good.
Speaker 2:People say being a comic is a tough job. I'm like there's some tough jobs out there. There's definitely some more tough jobs, Wow. But that definitely steered me away and I was like you know, let's search, let's try and find something else.
Speaker 3:And that's what you should do when you're young. You should do this and do that and then kind of figure out what you like to shit. But like that you're kind of finding yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's trial and error.
Speaker 4:Right, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Especially these days, Nate, because you're switching careers all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Gone are the days of working for a company for 50 years. You know, we're kind of all kind of doing it.
Speaker 2:On the railroad, so then you were over there On the railroad, on the railroad, back in the day, on the railroad back in the day. I was like, were you?
Speaker 4:working on a railroad?
Speaker 3:I don't know where that came from. Maybe in Monopoly?
Speaker 4:we were talking about like yeah yeah stuff, stuff.
Speaker 2:You know, back when we were on the railroad all day shoveling that coal.
Speaker 3:So then you came back to the desert, like everybody does, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, I went to one desert back to another back to the other desert. Arizona was fun, different than California.
Speaker 1:For sure, right yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean slightly different. They act like they're so much different. It's just like the laws are just like a little weird, you know. It's like you can't go to like bars with like a vertical ID, you know, because it's like that could be like seen as like a fake. Essentially, you know how we have like horizontal ids yeah, yeah yeah, so it's like a vertical one.
Speaker 2:It's like, oh well, they're just turning 21. Yeah, yeah, that was, that was a weird thing and uh, but they can also um, you can like ride in the back of a pickup truck on the freeway, like just really no problem just hanging out.
Speaker 3:See, it's what I we used to do.
Speaker 1:I mean, we used to do that like in the 90s, but that was a long time. That was back on the railroad, that wasn't in the 90s, but that was a long time ago.
Speaker 3:That was back on the railroad. That was in the early 80s.
Speaker 1:Well, no, even in the 90s I can remember jumping in the back of a pickup truck and being driven around town.
Speaker 2:Those were the good old days that's been outlawed a long time ago, so Arizona can still do that. Huh yeah, pretty sure that's crazy man.
Speaker 1:Let's go and you can also carry.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and I was not really paying attention to my studies and so I was like let me come back out here, get refocused, go to COD.
Speaker 1:Shout out to the Roadrunners.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, shout out to the Roadrunners. I don't even know why I shout that out.
Speaker 4:You guys do good work, but it's like I'm getting a sponsorship.
Speaker 3:Never know, yeah right.
Speaker 2:Like hey, you guys got a scholarship.
Speaker 3:Hey, maybe you can perform at their uh, their uh, what do you call it graduation?
Speaker 2:yeah, you guys won't lose all your funding, yeah, yeah, yeah, that'd be great, um, but I went to cod and yeah, I was just doing like you know, finishing up my schooling and stuff like that, and yeah, I was kind of just working, trying to focus on that and yeah, I mean, comedy came about and that just became like you know, the thing that I was really passionate about. That made me just like want to continue doing it the most so when did it come about?
Speaker 1:you said, like when did you get those? So you said you had a bug. Younger, like what years did you really start going? Because I mean it's, it's kind of a rough. It's a rough start. Any any comic I've ever talked to or heard interviews about, it's a rough start right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's really not like a blueprint, you just got to go up there and do it, right? Yeah, exactly a lot of people ask. You're like, oh, how do you get started? And it's like the same way. You know, I did find out for yourself.
Speaker 1:I'm not gonna give you the secret yeah, exactly, give you the secret.
Speaker 3:I don't want no competition, you can't have, have my notebook.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, it's, but it genuinely isn't. That is one thing I do like about this valley is that bigger markets will be like that here, you know, it's one come one all because it's, you know, it's so growing and there's a lot of talent out here and I feel like we kind of get overlooked because we are, like you know, in between San Diego or LA.
Speaker 3:Or the redheaded stepchild.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yeah, yeah, exactly. That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 3:The black sheep, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And so when we get new people, we're very accommodating Because it's a big community. The more minds the better, and the more eyes that are on us is the better too. We get just so many different types of people older, younger that are all interested in comedy, and you don't want to like be having to go out to, like you know, a casino all the time to be seeing a show Cause.
Speaker 2:I mean like you can. You know those are good shows like 100%, um, but like, like I used to perform at the, at one of the casinos around here, like consistently, uh, hosting shows and it's good, but it's, like you know, the casino vibe is like it's very niche, you know, it's not for everybody, you know, but it's like I feel like with Upcycled Comedy, it's kind of like a more like I don't want to say grunge, but it's kind of like it's like it kind of is, you know, it's like for comedy, you know, and it's like there are a bunch of other like venues out here that are like that and it's just cool. You know, you're starting to see a lot of people come out here from la, from san diego, um, just, you know, to live, yeah, just to visit and to come through. I get a lot of people that hit me up to just be on shows, like last minute. They're like big names. I'm like, yeah, totally like this. It's a, it's a great place. But to answer your question, um, what was the question?
Speaker 2:no, no no, yeah, the question was when did I start? I started before COVID.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I want to say it was. That's kind of bad timing.
Speaker 3:No, we needed to laugh. Well, I mean with everything I said, To start your dreams, to start when you had to be with people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, where you right, no it was right.
Speaker 2:I want to say it was like maybe like seven or eight months, like before COVID.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I mean COVID was great.
Speaker 3:You could do your comedy routine on Zoom. You know, yeah, I mean that's what a lot of people did. A lot of people did that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up. I know, I was just joking.
Speaker 2:I know In front of monitors.
Speaker 4:How do you get paid? I don't know.
Speaker 1:That didn't make any sense to me.
Speaker 4:I just started, yeah, so I wasn't like book me on AIM.
Speaker 2:No one was doing that with dial-up back in the day.
Speaker 1:The kids don't know what that is.
Speaker 2:No, they don't you youngins? Don't know what dial-up is? Check it out.
Speaker 3:YouTube it. I have a question because I'm trying to take it back. I want to know was anybody funny in your family? Because, you know how artists or musicians, somebody in their family kind of passed that down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean genuinely, I feel like a lot of people in my family were funny, or at least they thought they were. It's back to trauma. We can take this to therapy. I think that, yeah, I, I felt like my mother was a very funny person. Um, I think that I, but also I kind of just feel like I used humor to you know, cope with so many different oh yeah, it's a nice little exactly.
Speaker 2:So it's like you know, people in my family were very funny. It's it's hard not to be when're when you have this much melanin. You know everything is everything can be turned into a joke, and then you're just like, oh yeah. So you kind of learn that along the ropes.
Speaker 3:And the right. The more trauma, the better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. I mean yeah, without making this like show like too depressing. No, no, no, I'm not trying to do that.
Speaker 3:but I mean, I got a tissue.
Speaker 1:Well, some of the best guys that ever do it in your world had some big time trauma. I mean, richard Pryor was born in a in a in a in a had. His mom was like, yeah, like a drug house.
Speaker 3:He lived with prostitutes, so that's why he was such a great.
Speaker 1:he basically did what you did, Just turned all that into.
Speaker 2:Yeah, grew up into prostitutes. No, no, I'm saying, we'll take the trauma, took the trauma and spun it he turned out to be the pimp, yeah yeah, that's we can cut.
Speaker 2:No, no, uh, yeah, as my arms are like this with all these nice pillows uh, but yeah, no, you're, it's very much so. Like you know, that was something I've. I kind of learned to be funny in that respect because I mean, I was left home alone a lot, so I was, and this was before the internet, so I had to really use my imagination to kind of get myself by. But yeah, my mother was working two jobs, so it's like when I was doing my thing I wasn't. Sometimes I was out doing things I shouldn't have been, some things, you know. You know, just like kids stuff, you know, just being young.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you kind of learn along the way and that's kind of like you know I feel like that's where my humor came from is you know just kind of how life, you know kind of teaches you things, yeah, yeah exactly um, now that I look at it more you know I'm more like introspective I feel like I have a better way to like grasp those ideas into like a productive way. Yeah, um.
Speaker 3:So when you said you were working jobs, what kind of jobs were you working?
Speaker 2:um, I was a valet for a while, oh, god how was that? I mean, it was cool Did you crash any cars, you know.
Speaker 3:We won't talk about that.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, I didn't crash any cars but, like you know, that has happened where, like you know, a car gets dinged, you know, and it happens to be a Ferrari. No, I never did that. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:No, those cars, you're almost like too scared to even like move them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's, but it was a really good job it was at one of the uh, the resorts around here, so it was uh 24 7, uh, you know really good money. Uh, you know great cardio, you know, oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Great, exactly running car to car to car awful during summer. Oh, I could imagine yeah, you're like stepping into cars that are like 500 degrees.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Awful.
Speaker 3:Where's that AC All?
Speaker 2:leather too. You know real proud of it too, like some assholes. But yeah, no, that was a good job. I got tipped a lot in weed. What? Yeah for that job? I don't know why. I mean it's not the worst way to get it to you and then you're driving the car.
Speaker 3:Exactly, but that's what I'm saying yeah, everyone's.
Speaker 2:Be like you know, be like, hey, bro, you, you know, and I'm like you know, like am I getting shopped right now?
Speaker 4:is this a test? And he's like do I have any cash on me, dude?
Speaker 2:yeah, exactly, but yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1:I accepted it because that's right, man, I mean street value right. That's what street value is.
Speaker 2:Exactly. You know my bills. It was hard to pay them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, california Edison does not take marijuana, which is surprising.
Speaker 1:I mean, who would have thought, get it together over there? Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:It's maybe like more of an IID type of thing, but yeah.
Speaker 3:So you did that, and then what did you end up doing? Like was there anything you liked, or is it like?
Speaker 2:what is there anything I liked? Right? I hated it all what I'm saying. You know you're trying out different things but no, I did enjoy uh being a valet. I was there for a while. You know I met a lot of, like you know, saw a lot of celebrities, you know uh, yeah, any any famous autographs you got? Uh, no autographs here's my here's my sleeve um and Garcia.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Andy Garcia, where's that from?
Speaker 2:Sounds familiar, exactly.
Speaker 1:He was in my Godfather 3. Oh, he's my brother.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, he gave me $5. Nice, you laugh at that, right? Yeah, yeah, andy Garcia man, he came back to give me $5, too. I was like, okay, so it's tough, you know, being an actor, you know, sag, all that stuff, it's not as hard as it looks, yeah, um, but I'm trying to think of who else. You know, I met, I met a bunch of people, dmx oh, yeah, yeah yeah, I saw dmx. Yeah, I remember he complimented me on my watch, you know.
Speaker 3:And I was a big dmx. Uh, I am, yeah I love, I love his that voice that talk about that grunge?
Speaker 2:Exactly right when my nose at. That's right. I think that he just couldn't not talk. Remember, have you guys heard his Christmas song?
Speaker 1:No, he does not have a Christmas song. He has a Christmas song. James Earl Bell, you never heard the Christmas song. Dmx has a Christmas song, yeah.
Speaker 3:What are you guys talking about? We're going to go YouTube it go.
Speaker 2:YouTube it. You could pull it up, you could cut through this interview and if you go find the Christmas song by DMX, it's like Rudolph the Red-Nosed.
Speaker 1:Reindeer.
Speaker 4:I'm not even kidding.
Speaker 1:No way.
Speaker 2:Your kid knows I'm going to look that up after this show you already got me thinking about that now. I'm trying to think of what else there was. Mac Miller, yeah, mac Miller, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, mac Miller. Yeah, yeah, we like Mac.
Speaker 4:Miller, talented, talented dude, yeah, very talented.
Speaker 2:Talented.
Speaker 4:Trouble dude.
Speaker 2:I just named off two rappers that have died, so it's like there's some other celebrities outside of Mac.
Speaker 3:Let's quit while we're ahead.
Speaker 2:But the trauma it makes me funny. But yeah, mac was really cool, that's nice. But yeah, you meet so many because a lot of people come here for Coachella and just to get away from the town, for sure. Yeah, and it's just a great time. Other jobs I did. I mean, I work in the restaurant, a lot of different restaurants and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:Good money, I hear, for a short amount of hours, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, currently yeah yeah, yeah, I currently I bartend at a place. Now yeah, oh, okay, okay, while also doing comedy. Comedy. Yeah, yeah. So how many hours would you say you do comedy? Like a week? Is it like a full, not a full-time job? I mean, is it like regular?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean right now we're doing two shows a month at the location that we have for Upcycled. I personally that's what I run, and so any other shows I get on in a week. It's kind of tough because you're kind of doing a lot of editing, you guys know. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff getting ready for shows. But on stage time, yeah, I can't really even tell how much, like in a week, like it's not enough?
Speaker 3:well, it's too, it's too. So what do you mean editing? What are you editing? Like all?
Speaker 1:this content, yeah, yeah, the content.
Speaker 3:I mean it's all about content in his world right, yeah, yeah, I mean you don't say the same jokes over and over I mean, I try, I you know if I'm in a different city I don't yeah, no, I know I try not to um, okay, start shaking, no, uh stop questioning everybody has like yeah, bits, you know it's like you do all that stuff like it is the same.
Speaker 2:You know it is repetitive that sometimes you know that's kind of like why I enjoy doing crowd work.
Speaker 2:You know that's how I met you guys, right, um, but because you know that stuff is always uh authentic and like brand new, yeah, but yeah, I mean like the jokes, you know you, you gotta run them through. You know that stuff is always uh authentic and like brand new. But yeah, I mean like the jokes, you know you, you, you gotta run them through. You know you gotta see what works, what works in different situations and but like editing, like you know the footage, you know you film everything, you know you gotta do like all like the promotion, all the other stuff which I hate.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's not your thing. I'm just like why do you think we hired Danny? You know we're like bye.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. It's a grind, you know, but also when you're having to see yourself after you perform, you know oh yeah, that's got to be the worst.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because you're constantly critiquing yourself right. It is yeah, every little thing you're like, oh I like.
Speaker 2:Why are my eyes going in two different directions?
Speaker 1:Right. You're like Stuff that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of the performance, but you're always your worst critic. If you're an artist, you know you're always going to be the worst. If you're a good artist, you're always going to be your worst critic.
Speaker 2:Right, I think yeah, thank you, I appreciate that Well.
Speaker 3:I mean, we'll critique, yeah, no thanks, thanks, yeah, hop on.
Speaker 2:But yeah, that is a part of it, because the whole social media world is everywhere. Now You've got to try to be your best promoter, you've got to put yourself out there. But if you're a perfectionist which I am, and I'm recovering from that trying to work through that is awful? Yeah, because you want things to be done a certain way, but sometimes just doing them is awful. Yeah, cause you like you want things to be done a certain way but, like, sometimes you know, just doing them is is all that matters you know, and that's the thing you know, a lot of people talk about like doing standup or doing anything in life, entrepreneurship and all that.
Speaker 2:It's like oh, if it isn't like this and I'm not going to do, it is like not gonna happen. While you're like waiting, while you're for something to be perfect, you know, you just gotta like continue to make steps forward.
Speaker 1:Trial and error, yeah, yeah. How often are you writing? I know you got as a comic. You got to sit down and write, right yeah consistently right, just to keep a little bit of trial.
Speaker 2:Like you said, trial and error right a lot of this trial and error definitely want to take from like what's happening in the world.
Speaker 3:You know all the time oh my gosh, didn't you do rfk or whatever I was gonna?
Speaker 4:ask about rfk later. Yeah, we're gonna. We're gonna talk to rfk at the end. Oh man, I don't know.
Speaker 2:We'll see if we can get them here let's channel them just shirtless with like a bear, um, but yeah it's, uh it's. I definitely have to take time to like you know you know, separate myself and like write you know, it is something that you kind of want to be cautious of, because back in the day I would be like I feel like everybody kind of does this. Like you'd be laughing, having a good time with your homies, you're like, oh, it's a funny idea, and it's like you'll forget that idea ever happened right comedy is like all about like having that idea and writing it down and then coming back to it and then like putting more thought into it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, trying to like put yourself in that situation, like why was that funny? Why would that be funny to people that like aren't in that situation or don't like aren't my homies, you know?
Speaker 2:or aren't drunk you know so it's like you kind of have to like be introspective in that way and just think about it from all different avenues, um, but yeah, I mean open mics. Uh, doing it on stage is the best way to do it, uh. But yeah, definitely, I try to take time to write, so I'm like you know you get peace right?
Speaker 1:do you and your homies in the comedy world share jokes? I mean because some things might be. You know, you may need to look a certain way to tell a certain joke or something like that I've heard of instances where comedy crews, kind of you know, write for each other. Sometimes that go down. Oh yeah, no, no definitely, definitely it does.
Speaker 2:It's important, uh, because, like you know, if you're in a good, you're in a good like setting, like a good like comedic, you know, environment, everyone's kind of like thinking about things as like, oh, this could be a good punch line, this could be something you can expand on, you know, and it's like there are no egos. Then it's like that's where, like the best, growth can come from.
Speaker 2:And I feel like that, like the group, that like is out here. There is like that, like synergy, which is important because you know it's it's hard to do it as like, as a family.
Speaker 1:You know it's like a bunch of different people like coming together yeah, it's easier to do it as a village and not as an individual right. Exactly, I think that's true a lot of things.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of like comedians that we've seen or we've because we, you know, we we like to watch documentaries and things like that they always had kind of this like little crew that they see a lot. Everybody just goes in the same circles, kind of. They're a little gang, if you will.
Speaker 2:My fiance watches a lot of murder documentaries.
Speaker 3:I go to bed to them. You go to bed to them. I hear it's not healthy.
Speaker 2:She's crazy man. I hear it's not healthy.
Speaker 1:When I know when the date line's on that she's going to be in the room asleep, the pillow's over my head, she's just taking in all that the pillow's over your head. Taking in all that she's getting ready.
Speaker 2:Mommy's ready to? Yeah, she's like, I'm just going to go to sleep.
Speaker 1:Setting me up right there, don't you run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know what's happening. Oh man.
Speaker 3:So how did you meet your fiance?
Speaker 2:I hear in the valley I was the funniest person she met. Yeah, she would say that she's not here to say it.
Speaker 3:But I know she's thinking it. Yeah, I know she's constantly thinking it. She constantly tells me yeah, she can't help but think it.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God. But thank you, because now this is out. You know, in the world it's on the internet.
Speaker 1:Oh, nobody's gonna watch this. That's always facts. Yeah, we're good so what?
Speaker 3:I, I work, or my building is on highway 111 in Palm Desert, like on that little frontage road, so I'm right next door, not next door, but a few doors down from the red barn. Oh okay, so are you? Are you gonna hit them up?
Speaker 2:because I know it's music, but yeah, they have a stage in there, yeah, they do I haven't been to the new one, uh, because it just like renovated on stuff but yeah, I remember. I mean, I've performed at the red barn before when it was uh, yeah, when it wasn't nice right when it was three dollar drinks, yeah, when it was all the local alcoholics were in the crowd.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, scared to go into those bathrooms. Oh yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:You know, I performed at some pretty sketchy places. You know, yeah, Red Barn was one of them. What's another one I performed? At this one place like out in like DHS, where, like they paid us, like in like catfish and like the promoter, got in a fight with some random dude. It used to be a church, but they turned it into a kitchen.
Speaker 3:What? I don't even know what it was. Wow, did they pay you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they did. I need payment before they did pay us, before A couple of us got hit up and we went out there and the tickets to go out there it was kind of overpriced Because I had heard about it last minute and I was like, yeah, sure, I'll go out and do a show, so-and-so, a couple other people are going, and then I was like, oh man, this is a little bit.
Speaker 3:This is intense.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Whenever the guy, the host, is fighting somebody, you're like this is a legit comedy venue. We're all going to get big after this Netflix.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean, something could go viral in there. There's a fight you know. That could help.
Speaker 2:It could, it could have been you know, but it was mostly used for evidence.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's true. I'm trying to think of like it could have been a producer in the crowd, a scout, right.
Speaker 2:Like yeah, yeah, a producer. If there was a producer out there and they weren't producing anything I wouldn't be a part of it.
Speaker 3:Maybe, like one of them, dateline murders or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe Now you're talking what is up with that? Like women, y'all are like obsessed with, like murder.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's weird man.
Speaker 3:I don't know, because I think I'm just like how can people do that, and how is this really somebody's life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, somebody's life. Yeah, thank god it's not mine. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:So maybe I'm just doing the same thing with, like reality dating shows. Oh yeah, do you watch those? Oh yeah, oh wow, wow, I'm an addict dude.
Speaker 3:Have you watched the golden bachelor? No, oh, that was awesome because I'm old, so I like to see people fall in love, yeah, yeah, that one is like it's heartfelt, you know, it's like it makes sense.
Speaker 2:You know like, oh, this is good tv, I'll be watching. Like, uh, like, love is blind, you know, or?
Speaker 3:like something island, temptation island, yeah temptation island is amazing oh my, you want to feel good about yourself.
Speaker 2:Uh, feel about how, like I'm in a great situation you do. You know what temptation island is oh yeah okay, gotcha, all right, I was gonna like well, talk to bobby.
Speaker 3:I don't know hates it I will not watch any reality TV, too badly.
Speaker 2:They take it's. You say that, so they take these couples. It's like four couples usually. They've you know, they're sort of like at a make or break point, and so the idea is to put them on this island and the guys will get separated and the girls will get separated into different villas and these different vill villas. There will be like 12 new like singles that are like, essentially trying to tempt them that's freaking horrible.
Speaker 2:It's amazing it's the best thing to ever happen on television, and so like, as like, as like, the days, the weeks go on, they'll the four guys, the four girls they'll like meet up with like the host and they'll do, they'll get snippets of like what the other person, the relationship, is doing. Oh wow, with no context. So, like you might see something you'll be like, well, what's that mean? But then you might see some stuff where you're like our relationship is over.
Speaker 2:Right, it's amazing they had it they had like one in, I think, spain recently and it went viral. This guy like he ripped off his shirt, like when he was at the bonfire, because his like his girl was with another guy and he was like ayo, what up man and ran on the beach. It was, it was great TV Wow man, but yeah, Golden Bachelor, you know a little bit more slow paced yeah. I don't think you You're like, yeah, yeah, my sciatica, what's the date?
Speaker 3:I'm not doing that. I got vertigo. They're like I'm 68. I better get it together. I better find love. You know what Find?
Speaker 1:love. You can find love at any age. I mean, you're going to croak pretty soon. You better get going.
Speaker 2:I didn't want to say that, but I was thinking that I didn't want to say it.
Speaker 1:So the whole point of that show is just to watch people fight, basically Like couples fight, not like necessarily fight, but like because a lot of them.
Speaker 2:It's like the guys are like oh man, like I cheated, she can't let go of that. Like I'm a good dude, and then they'll like go there. And he's like I'm here to prove myself and then he sees like 12 women in bikinis. They're just like all like gorgeous and he's like I'm going to be fine and they fold immediately.
Speaker 1:Oh my God. And then?
Speaker 2:they meet back up and they're like I love you and it's like man, we saw what you did. It's just honest, you know, and that's what I think. I'm like that's the most honest thing on TV, wow.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God. So you know, I have a tidbit for you. So you were saying that you're in situations and something could be really funny and like you're like. I got to remember that. Yeah, get out your voice notes, oh yeah, Just be like go to the bathroom. I got to remember that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, that's a good one.
Speaker 3:You ever dream about stuff?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, but like I hate dreaming right because you forget.
Speaker 3:Right like, not even like I forget. I feel like you got any sleep. I exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's it I feel like my dreams are like I mean tiktok's. Like I feel like I'm adhd, like tiktok diagnosed me at this point. But yeah, my dreams are awful, like I'm just like oh, can I just get a rest. Like I just wish I couldn't dream anymore which sounds dark, but like it's just too active, you kind of want to just pass out.
Speaker 1:So that's a creative curse, then? Huh, it is.
Speaker 2:She's probably dreaming about getting murdered or running away from a murder, or solving a murder. Solving a murder, yeah, solving a murder.
Speaker 3:And I think it's because I used to play Clue when I was a little kid oh my God, that's a natural progression You'd be like.
Speaker 2:why do you want to join the FBI?
Speaker 3:Well, I used to play Clue and it worked. Wow, yeah. But I told Bobby yeah, everybody that comes in here does have ADHD and it's a superpower. So you get stuff done, don't you think it's a?
Speaker 2:superpower Like realign this like four times.
Speaker 1:Makes you good at business apparently mean a lot of people a lot of the most successful people we've talked to. There's some adhd going on, because I I know, I know it when I see it these days.
Speaker 2:So oh yeah, I've already counted all the toothpicks.
Speaker 3:That's ozempic, you know I'm just like right, you know where I can get some you know, I honestly I don't.
Speaker 2:I think that if you, just if you're hyperactive on ADHD, that's like a natural. Right oh my gosh, thinking about trains.
Speaker 1:So upcycle comedy show. Can you kind of tell us where the inspiration for that came and how that kind of came came to be?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, so I was. I was going to a thrift store, return of the goods and Indio.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Mata.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mata puts on a great place. All the pieces are amazing. I was going there for a while and before it was just like just full of like so much crap, like it wasn't just, like it wasn't spacious, like there was a lot of stuff in there before, and so, like my head I've always been like, I was like, ah, you know, I just like like the idea of like thrifting and you know like I think a comedy space would be cool, because you know, I feel like a lot of people that are into comedy would also be like oh, comedy works when it's like nostalgic, in my opinion.
Speaker 4:You know, it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, I guess you could. You know they'd probably murder you like on sight. You know, like that'd be a Dateline episode about that. He just walked on to the small world Matterhorn.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's jacked up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they'd be like oh, you're not signed by us, buddy.
Speaker 3:I'm talking about a comedy show, though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:I'm going to get drone strikes right now.
Speaker 2:Disney with this um, but I digress yeah, but I think, uh, with the, the thrifting aspect of that, uh, I mean, I was going there a lot and I it always connected to me and so I was doing comedy. Manta had saw me in a video, uh, from like one of his like friends had like shown him, and he was like, oh, I think I, he's like, oh, I sold that guy like that jacket, or like friends had like shown him. And he was like, oh, I think I, he's like, oh, I sold that guy like that jacket or like that shirt or something like that. And so, because I wear a lot of his pieces, you know, around town while I'm on stage, you're a vintage guy. Yeah, yeah, very much so.
Speaker 2:And so when he came up to me when I was shopping, he was like, oh, like you do comedy. And then we just kind of vibed and, yeah, I, I was like, yeah, let's get a show going. And then first show went really well, second show went really well, and now it's just been like you know, a good progressive, like you know learning experience, you know where we're just like constantly thinking of new ideas and like how to make the shows better.
Speaker 3:I have an idea to make the show better Get.
Speaker 2:Disneyland.
Speaker 4:Everybody sits in a recliner and gets a bag of popcorn you know, like vip or what, yeah right, you pay 20 bucks, you're in the front with it, 20, you know I think 30.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, the recliners our chair guy. We did a good deal on chairs. I don't know if, like, recliners are gonna be in the budget yet, but we'll let you know. That'd be cool. You guys will be the first ones to know vip.
Speaker 1:We want to be the first ones to sit in one. I want the VIP recording.
Speaker 3:Well you guys drifted this, see, yeah, I need a show before and afters, exactly.
Speaker 4:You'd be amazed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hey, I'm down. I get a lot of videos on TikTok of people refurbishing stuff. Oh yeah, I'm like a real old white lady when it comes to that. All I see are just like it's sourdough bread and people making a dresser really nice and I'm just like man.
Speaker 1:This is crazy, you're going to be knitting pretty soon, man.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you know you want to see this. No, forget it.
Speaker 3:Bobby loves him some sourdough too.
Speaker 2:I do. Oh yeah, Sourdough's amazing.
Speaker 3:I started making it at home, you did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have a sourdough starter.
Speaker 3:I made my own.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was like.
Speaker 3:But with my ADHD I'm over it because it took too long. I need something. I need something fast.
Speaker 4:So now you're, going to Panera.
Speaker 1:This is true. You stunk up the house for two weeks. For Now what I'm into.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm going to do this weekend Make some beef jerky.
Speaker 1:RFK Jr over here, dude.
Speaker 3:Going to do some roadkill, nice segue there.
Speaker 2:She's going to make her own beef jerky.
Speaker 3:Going to start going on gambling riverboat trips. That's cool. That sounds kind of fun.
Speaker 2:I think it's the plot to Step Brothers.
Speaker 3:I'll be the youngest person on there, so that makes me feel good.
Speaker 2:Yes, you will. That's funny. You're going to make your own beef jerky? Yeah, why not? I'm not on that side of TikTok, but what's the process? How long does it take? I?
Speaker 3:bought a dehydrator. I don't know, I'll let you know we're going to figure it out. Well, this is how we went to Big Bear recently. We went to the House of Jerky and I bought the best jerky and I turned it around Ingredients and I bought all those ingredients. And I'll make it this weekend Dude pineapple juice and soybean paste. I had to buy it off Amazon. It came with some Chinese wording. I don't even know how to use it.
Speaker 1:You might need to double check that.
Speaker 3:You'll be my taste tester. I don't know how to use it. You might need to double check that. You'll be my taste tester.
Speaker 1:I don't think I'm volunteering for that taste test.
Speaker 3:Bobby's, my potato salad test tester.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 3:Needs a little more salt.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm half white, so I can.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was going to say I'm not a potato salad. Yeah, I can get the potato salad. Cracking man that. And coleslaw.
Speaker 2:Coleslaw, he's favorite, that's a half white coming through man, I can do slaw if it's not mayonnaise-based Not a fan of mayonnaise. Get that slaw going. He's like I love mayonnaise, I brush my teeth with it, I mean. He's looking right at the camera. He's like, oh, you did all that.
Speaker 3:I'm like you're going to eat that from KFC.
Speaker 1:So Upcycle, you're just going to make beef jerky.
Speaker 2:You're going to eat KFC. I can make you KFC, as you were saying.
Speaker 1:Back to Upcycle. So you said the first couple shows were success. So how long has that been running? How long have you been doing that show? I mean, it's been a while right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been, like I want to say four or five months.
Speaker 1:That's it Really. Yeah, it really has not been that long, wow, four or five months.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you sent me the email and you were like what was your first year, like? And I was like we're in it. You're part of it, baby.
Speaker 1:I'll let you know at the end.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you, you know I'm telling you right now I doing it that long, but I mean two shows a month. You know it, the time flies. It kind of just feels like it's like oh wow, yeah, we're already here, but yeah, it's um, it's been good. Uh, you know great responses, you know from everybody. Uh, this is like because, like you know, the desert, seasonal so it's like we got like the whole tennis tournament, you know like cello's coming out cello's coming up, all that stuff, and yeah, now it's windy here all the time.
Speaker 1:I know it's horrible man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what the hell? I don't know. I think it's the Disney.
Speaker 1:They're building something on some burial ground or something like that. Hey man, the spirits are upset, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not going to be windy there at all Watch. You'll be like how is this happening? But yeah, yeah, it's, uh, it's been a good process. You know, I mean like monta's been really great, uh gracious about like you know, like you know the space and like how everything has like been working. It's very collaborative, you know, and everyone's like putting their heads together to make it work and you know people coming through. You know it's it's more, you know it's happening and india is a great area.
Speaker 2:I feel like I love that spot you know it's so much like you know younger business, you know like, so they're just like all these big businesses, big, uh, big businesses that are coming in uh, which you see in like certain areas, you know, like I like on el paseo uh, it used to be like more mom and pops, but now it's starting to become more like mainstream you know which is good. You know I get it like, but also now all that stuff's getting pushed out to indio and I.
Speaker 2:I feel like the people that are locals, their vibe is to go out to those local spots. Oh yeah, so I think that it actually works. It's beneficial, it works, yeah it works Right.
Speaker 1:And I mean, if you haven't been to the show, it's every other Friday, right, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, every other Friday, Every other Friday we do it. Yeah, two shows a month um 8 pm. Uh, yeah, well, it's like 8, 30, 8 pm. You know, it's like if you follow us on like instagram, you know you can get tickets to eventbrite, um, you'll, you'll see the times. You know, unfortunately, with things with comedy, people show up like they'll get tickets and they still show up like later. You know, and I'm like shows at eight and they'll just like be like oh, we're here for the short, did you get tickets? And like, yeah, it like, yeah, it's like, well, you're here at 830. Right, so we kind of do push it a little bit. But the good thing about that is, though, it gives more time for people to enjoy the space, which is very unique. It's like you can do a little thrifting, you can see the art. They have all these old vintage cameras. It's a really cool, unique spot.
Speaker 2:Oh, totally so it's not like you're just waiting around for someone to tell you a joke.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want one of those boom boxes. Yeah, exactly, those are cool man.
Speaker 2:All these really cool stuff. It's very unique.
Speaker 3:I have a question how did you come up with the name Upcycle and hold on? Let me tell you what I thought.
Speaker 2:I you what I thought. I thought you were bicycling up that hill of success.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, totally. Yeah, that works, I'll use that from now on.
Speaker 2:I hey, you know I gotta put like a bike on the logo. Now I'm like sponsored by schwinn yeah, no, well, uh, upcycling is like, is like a term that you use for, like, refurbishing something you know, like.
Speaker 2:It's like because, like the whole thrifting, you know, recycling stuff I put a lot of stuff into chat gpt and it came back really crappy. So, like there was a lot of like, I was like maybe I can just like figure out a little something. I wanted something that like is short, to the point. Uh, you know, they're gonna be like some, like I didn't want to do something. That's like oh, oh, hand-me-down jokes or anything like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's like upcycling. It's you upcycle the jokes. Upcycled comedy. It's not like the same type of comedy. We're not doing the same jokes. You just can't go to the same show. You just can't go to the same show in the same month. But yeah it's like everything should be like upcycled. You know it's, it's up to scale, you know, huh yeah and don't talk about chat.
Speaker 3:Gpt, that's like my best friend. Hey, I'll put my phone away talking about talking about on my phone.
Speaker 1:You're always having conversations with chat gpt yeah no conversations conversations our cousin tell them. It's your story, you tell it, I'll tell it.
Speaker 3:So our cousin says I need to be talking to ChatGBT about my business, about this. You know, give Fina software for a tile company. No, but I mean I talk about, like how come Bobby doesn't tell me he loves me every day?
Speaker 1:Oh my God, what did they say?
Speaker 2:ChatGBT starts hitting on her. I have to. He's like, you don't need that.
Speaker 4:It's like wait for my wait for my.
Speaker 2:Call me baby. Yeah right, where did Chad GPT get this voice?
Speaker 3:I'm here 24-7 for you.
Speaker 2:He doesn't understand you like I do. He doesn't know that you're Aliyah Rising. Oh my god, I mean it's coming.
Speaker 1:We can watch dateline to get exactly yeah, they won't hate on your dateline, that's for sure it's gonna be temptation island, it's gonna be her and her phone speaking of chat gbt. How is it with uh comedy? Is it giving you any good, any good material for your? I know I do not I mean you gotta be there's gotta be some temptation to see what it spits out, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean, but like I think that all that ai software and a lot of people are kind of like oh man, it's like it's really like taken over. It's like, yeah, it is in a sense, but that's more like technical stuff, you know, like that. That's more like I things that are matter of fact. Comedy's not like a matter of fact, it's more of like you gotta be like with the people, you know it's like yeah you gotta think on your that thing has no soul, man.
Speaker 2:It just takes my soul away when it's like you know, oh, you got two legs, nevermind, it rips your soul out but you're right, though it doesn't have the human touch, and I think comedy is is human touch, right you?
Speaker 1:know in your audience, knowing the environment you're in human touch with consent, yeah what I'm saying it's a very human art form right, it's like human to human yeah I don't think a chat bot or anything could ever really duplicate that yeah, yeah, I, I don't, I don't see that happening.
Speaker 2:I mean, you see about, like uh in the news, like some production companies, like movie studios, are starting to use, like ai yeah, um music drake drake did a song, that somebody did a song with drake, with ai, and that was crazy, yeah yeah, it was good. Um, so that does happen, but I don't think that comedy it can. It can work like that. Luckily there's enough stuff to talk about in this season of of america oh gosh.
Speaker 1:I mean, you guys are gonna have a field day they honestly need to take a break with the government.
Speaker 2:The government needs to give you guys time to keep up so you can write some material, man between the tesla you know it's they need to take a break, like I'm just like we need to start writing something that makes more sense, because they're just throwing everything at us now but the kitchen sink, I mean it's a lot.
Speaker 3:So, with that being said, like, do you have any mentors in the comedy world? I mean, some are funny, some guys are not funny, you know, honestly I haven't really been lucky enough to like have like, who makes you laugh in the comedy world?
Speaker 2:um this really funny guy named elijah james. No, um, now, uh, I so many people, uh, honestly, uh, shane gillis is really funny. Bill burr um, there's, those are like I would say like the two big names uh, namish patel, um oh my gosh, I think I follow him on nikki glazer's really good.
Speaker 2:Oh my god she was hilarious yeah, I'm trying to, I'm trying to think I there are a lot of comedians that I enjoy, um, but I genuinely try not to watch too much stand-up. Really, yeah, uh, just because, like I don't want to like be influenced you know, it.
Speaker 2:I do watch it. It'll be short form or if I really like somebody, then I'll take time to enjoy that. But all comedians are different. I can't be the one that's just like oh, if I'm trying to think about writing jokes or something like that, it's like I have to shut myself off from watching other stuff Because I don't want to be influenced. I don't want to be taking jokes or taking like that. It's like I have to shut myself off from like watching other stuff because I don't want to be influenced.
Speaker 3:I don't want to like be taking jokes, no, but I mean different things, well you know. But it's also about like their style, right, like we loved a chapelle well, exactly, that's the goat, that's to me, that's the goat, yeah and then just because my generation chapelle show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I watched tons of chapelle show, so like all the skits that was very much so, like that is what formed me, I've watched a lot of Conan Conan's hilarious oh yeah.
Speaker 3:He's a funny guy A lot of late night.
Speaker 2:Conan, even like the stuff where he's like in the streets and how he's like dealing with people, he's like probably the wittiest person like ever and that would be like the goal is just to be like striving to be like that quick and that like well friendly, because he'll say some stuff that's like off the handle but everyone just like gets into it. Um, I would say like those are kind of like my biggest inspirations. But yeah, I try not to watch too much because the mannerism thing when you go to bigger markets, like in la, you'll see a lot of people that like do jokes and how they say things, how they like talk. It'll be just like Dave Chappelle, yeah, but it but it's been, it's been a good time. Honestly, I feel like, um, I've been doing it for like I want to say five, six years. Um, actually, and it's um, I know right, it doesn't look like it.
Speaker 3:You're like a baby, like 12. With facial hair, I guess.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I am like a baby, a baby child, and if you'd like to come support this baby child, my cash app and Venmo.
Speaker 3:Please donate here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's I. That's what's cool about like comedy is you do feel very like young in a sense, always Cause you're always looking for like new stuff, new inspiration. You got to be locked in with the culture, right. Exactly, it's not too like mundane and like uh, like you have older like people that do it and you don't be stagnant, you know. So it is very like a young, like type of like energy, constantly, right?
Speaker 3:well, and they do say laughter is good for the soul. Yeah right. So like you want to hang out with some comedians and just laugh your ass off, exactly.
Speaker 1:But when you go to the shows you see all kinds of ages, young, old. I mean comedy's pretty universal right, exactly, it's a universal language. I mean, if you're funny, you're funny, you could be, you know, 15 or Funny's funny, so that's what's up? Man, I love the art form. I think it's, you know, very underrated in our culture. I think what you guys do is really hard. Oh, thank you. You know it's not like you think. Everybody thinks, oh, they're just going up there and telling jokes Like, oh, you go try that bro no-transcript.
Speaker 2:But it happens, right yeah but like, even if, like, a joke doesn't hit, you know a seasoned comedian, you know someone that's good at what they do. They can, you know, use that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but are you expecting people to laugh at every single thing you say You're like, yes, yeah, people to laugh at every single thing you say you're like, yes, yeah, that was that's the goal, I do comedy.
Speaker 2:If you're like one laugh I'm good. No, but I'd be like, don't do too much laughing. It's like everything get hit, I don't know. No, no, but you know that is. You try to throw out stuff like it's funny, because when you go to open mics you'll be doing shows in front of other comedians mostly, so no one's laughing, you know, and that's a good thing. It's like it's supposed to like make you tough. You know you're supposed to work on the things, but also you're trying to be like well, is this working, is this funny? All that stuff in your head. But then when you go to like actual shows and you try something, something will crush. You know something will be like oh wow, I didn't realize it was that good. So you know it's all about steps and levels and there's like obviously you take steps back, but that only takes you to a place to where it's like okay, well, now I can think about this in like a different way like the trauma it's back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, the trauma.
Speaker 1:It's like dateline all over again, mommy so I hear you do a good uh rfk uh, I don't, I never really thought it was that good I mean, when I first saw you, that was the, that was the bit that kind of stuck out to me.
Speaker 4:Yeah so I mean, you got the you got the voice.
Speaker 1:You got the voice down. Uh, does rfk care to take a question today?
Speaker 2:I you know mr uh health secretary.
Speaker 3:Let me take a drink.
Speaker 1:Mr health secretary of the united states.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna speak to rfk he's all yeah, so, mr rfk you have my bear meat uh-huh, mr rfk.
Speaker 1:Uh, mr health sec secretary of the united states, there's been a measles. There's been a measles outbreak in Texas this year. Do you have any comment or concern about that?
Speaker 4:I can't even spell measles. No, I can't. Is there a three? What is measles? I think that measles is just like a phone call. It's just like a ringer. I haven't. Is that a rapper?
Speaker 1:Next question Is there any truth to the rumor that you think bear meat is the cure to cancer?
Speaker 4:I think bear meat is the cure to most relationships. It is the one love drug that everybody can use. I approve this message.
Speaker 1:Well, I think we're in good hands with Mr Secretary of Health here.
Speaker 4:Thank you, sir, you can reach me at Twitch, where I'll be cutting into my house-made brief jerky from hamsters that were disposed of by Petco. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, that was see. I mean, like, do I expect laughs, you know, maybe like one Give?
Speaker 3:me one little.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thankfully RFK came out and you know.
Speaker 3:Gave you some content.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean. I mean, that guy gives you some good content.
Speaker 2:He really does, you know, and I never really I never thought that I was like wow, that's, that's a you try impressions like the trump one, everyone does the trump one, you know, it's like tesla, you know everybody's saying everyone's saying hi elon elon's a good guy he's, he's the
Speaker 2:best guy he's bigly. He's got bigly ideas but like, see, everyone does that. And then I was like you know RFK? You don't know if you can do RFK until, like, you smoke like a pack of cigarettes and then you like scream into a pillow yeah, what is wrong with him, like, what is wrong with his voice? He has like a worm in his brain or something like that. Yeah he's something weird, but it's like they try to play it off like that's normal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Dude, but he looks his face looks like a piece of beef jerky.
Speaker 4:I know I look great. It's all the other thing.
Speaker 3:No, he looks like jerky. He does look like beef jerky, maybe like alligator.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He's a character's a lizard. Let's just be honest, he's a lizard person.
Speaker 1:I think when netflix sees this, I think you might be getting the call man that rfk. That rfk is pretty spot on snl.
Speaker 2:You know you need somebody to, I don't know. Just make your guys's show a little bit.
Speaker 3:You know more political, I can do that wow I sure really want that we were uh watching the documentary for for snl remember yeah I was bored of it, but, but I guess. I guess, because I know it now I don't really know it from way back then. So I don't know, maybe that was the whole thing yeah, and I don't even know, it's kind of.
Speaker 4:It was kind of hard.
Speaker 1:It was a little dry yeah, it was a little hard to watch with the cinematography and the. But yeah, that's, it was kind of hard to watch. It was a little dry. Yeah, it was a little hard to watch with the cinematography.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what it was. It was like all over the place, Going all over the place hey shout out to them.
Speaker 1:You know some people liked it. Shout out to SNL.
Speaker 4:You guys are the real heroes.
Speaker 1:So we always ask our entrepreneurs and our talent what advice would you give to somebody maybe younger than you, coming up in the game, maybe thinking about jumping into doing some stand-up comedy, getting that comedy world? What advice would you give them, knowing what you know now?
Speaker 2:Stay in school.
Speaker 1:Stay in school. As long as you can Get a degree in comedy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, stay in school, be a cop. Honestly, do something else, please. I don't need more competition. No, um, honestly, I would say like, just, I mean it's weird because now there's internet you know well that sounds dumb, I've been around since the internet but it's like. You know, the social media is huge, right. So it's like really like people get big and you see a lot of people like that are big from social media. They'll do like skits or they'll do jokes in their room, in their studio apartment or whatever, and they'll get really big and then they start doing comedy and it's like they're not. They didn't start out as comedians, you know. They started out like doing like tiktok or something like that you know they started dancing, you, you start doing that.
Speaker 2:I want to do the Kendrick. What's the Kendrick Come on.
Speaker 4:Oh okay, the.
Speaker 3:Super Bowl one, the one where he's going like this, to the side.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was like I'm just going to wear like bell-bottom pants, yeah, I want Bobby to wear some. They're back.
Speaker 3:He looks you do it, I'll do it. Yeah, you go first. Okay, I'm in, we'll put it. We'll do it on the show. Yeah, we're to his next comedy show.
Speaker 4:Yeah why not um?
Speaker 2:but yeah, I tell young people to you know, just chase your dreams and if this is something you want to do, like 100 like, look into it. You know, like try to think about how you can get in locally. But also, like what you, what your like style is, you know, like what makes you funny, what like what you feel like you can uh really resonate with the audience about, uh consistently. Uh, that that's what's most important. Um, you know, you gotta like definitely do a lot of search, searching like uh soul searching. I'm kidding. You gotta do a lot of searching through social media to see like where they do uh open mics. Um, if you're young, they're probably, probably can't get into like a brewery.
Speaker 2:I feel like breweries are like where they have a lot of open mics now yeah he's going there with like a fake mustache. You know, get a fake id and just tell them like hey, I'm here, um, but yeah, I'm trying to think of like. I think like there's like a lot of theaters that might be like having tryouts. Where are you?
Speaker 4:on, I don't know Okay. Ask ChatGPT.
Speaker 2:Don't ask me, what are we doing? Ask ChatGPT.
Speaker 1:Got the answers for everything my bestie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's what I would do.
Speaker 3:I'm actually gonna ask ChatGP too how to start a comedy career.
Speaker 4:One last question. I love that question when you're saying your vows.
Speaker 3:Are you going to throw something funny in? There Are you going to write your own vows. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you should. You should mention about Dateline. Don't kill me.
Speaker 2:I should mention Dateline. Don't worry I've been keeping a journal about all your locations. I know the routes you take. Yeah, see, yeah I know where you live uh, I mean I think I might I've. It's funny, I kind of helped her write her. Her sister got married uh most recently, and then I helped her like write her um speech. I almost said vows. Yes, so that that worked out too. Um, but yeah, I mean I'll probably be serious you know Really. Yeah, yeah, you know what?
Speaker 3:Remember I called your phone and then you're like a voicemail and I was like dude, come on, I I was expecting your voicemail to be funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you thought me I was like, come on, like I'm 15.
Speaker 3:Like I'm going to be like hello, are you there?
Speaker 1:I do a skit on his voicemail.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everyone's calling me and just being like yeah, we're not hiring this guy, oh, come on. If you make them laugh, they'll talk to you. I don't answer my phone, like if I don't recognize the number.
Speaker 3:Oh, like if I don't recognize the number. Oh God, this guy right here. Yeah, exactly True, never yeah right.
Speaker 2:You're like oh God, this guy here. Safety first, what are you like Drive with? Like a seatbelt, Like you're a dateline till you die.
Speaker 1:I don't know no one at 1-800. So I ain't answering that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, even you had an area code that.
Speaker 3:I was like I I don't know what that is Really 7-6-0?. Oh, it was.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm dyslexic too on top of being ADHD. It happens, it does right, but that's what makes entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, the ADHD. I brought that around.
Speaker 4:It does I mean it helps her.
Speaker 1:It helps her, she gets stuff done.
Speaker 2:But then she crashes and burns on the other side. But we don't, we don't talk about that part.
Speaker 1:I know, there's a caffeine's for it. Crash and burn, crash and burn, man, but that's the cycle of life, you know ooh, upcycle, it is the upcycle of life, that's right so, speaking of upcycle, where can our viewers and listeners find you? Find upcycle. Where are they looking to get tickets? Where can they find you?
Speaker 2:so we have an Instagram. It's at upcycledcomedy. Do you want me to spell it?
Speaker 3:No, okay, thank you, just upcycled Gotcha, gotcha.
Speaker 2:My Instagram is Elijah James. That's E-L-I-J-A-3-H's James, elijah.
Speaker 1:James, yeah, I got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, see, I thought about that. I was like James, james, yeah, got it. Yeah, I thought about that, you know, and I was like it's already taken. Yeah, yeah, but um, yeah, you guys can follow me there, follow upcycled. There we post when we're doing shows a lot. Um, you know the lineups come out, you know people come out more local, you know. Just, I'll just get this big comedy, like you know scene growing. You know who needs to go to austin, who needs joe rogan keep it here, baby, keep it local and downtown india.
Speaker 1:We got upcycle comedy. We got, we got, we're coming people. Yeah, coachella valley's coming, so thanks for uh coming in.
Speaker 4:Man, you're, you're, you're a legend I think this is only gonna, I think this is only this is all this, this interview, is only gonna make that, make that go, your legend grow.
Speaker 2:So you guys are nice. I appreciate that. Yeah, sometimes, you know, I always feel like I'm like am I doing this the right way? And yeah, it's like moments, like moments like this, meeting people in these situations. It really is reassuring and validating.
Speaker 1:It was fate, man. It was fate that we went to that show and it was fate that I saw you do your RFK and it was like hey, we got to get that guy in the show man I need.
Speaker 2:RFK on the show. Yeah, that's what he said. If you ever want an RFK guest spot, I'll put in a call.
Speaker 1:That's your guy man.
Speaker 3:I'll call his agent, yeah.
Speaker 2:I can do some breathing exercises for you too.
Speaker 3:Oh nice, I love it.
Speaker 2:Did you ever get that funnel cake after the show?
Speaker 3:Heck yeah, I did, and I got a faux-o. When I first met Bobby, all he drank was 40s. Oh really, I'm from India, man. What do you?
Speaker 1:want from's the devil from.
Speaker 4:India. What do you want?
Speaker 1:that's how we grew up, man, exactly. We didn't drink milk, we drank old English.
Speaker 2:I was like we didn't drink milk and I was like such a man back in my day. You know all these progressive milks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know old English milk, true, thanks for putting me out there on blast, honey. Aww, those were honey.
Speaker 3:Aww, those are the good old days, man, yeah but, elijah, thanks for coming in, man we really had fun, appreciate it.
Speaker 1:You're hilarious. Everybody go check him out. He's even funnier on stage, I gotta say so. If you found some value in today's show people, you know the routine Like subscribe and follow and we'll see you next time on TV Hustle.