Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank
533 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 6.4K ratingsA comedy podcast to help better understand humanity and also to make fart jokes.
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Episodes
#139: Farmboy (@Wil_Anderson)
November 05, 2013 00:37 - 1 hour - 51.5 MBWil Anderson and I day drank on a weekday at a beach bar on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia. I got sunburned in the ozoneless air as we talked about Wil's upbringing on a farm. We meandered around a crap-ton, too. Wil's a real cool guy and I'm glad I got the chance to hang out with him. The stuff he's doing with his standup is inspiring.
#138: Black Friday (@JCAlvarado1, @MatEdgar)
October 28, 2013 17:35 - 2 hours - 78.1 MBJuan Carlos Alvarado met me at a secluded beach in Los Cabos, Mexico and we did a podcast about poker. We talked some about how he became a professional poker player, how he deals with losing streaks, and what his family thought of it all. And then we went into Black Friday and the end of the golden age of online poker. Mat Edgar helps me with the intro and outro, too.
#137: Care What You Wear (@KevinGChristy, @NickYoussef)
October 21, 2013 16:23 - 1 hour - 45.8 MBKevin Christy had Nick Youssef and me over to his house to talk about what I need to change with my wardrobe. Kevin and Nick have always been my fashion advisors and we used it as an excuse to do a fun little podcast. In honor of fashion week (probably) (somewhere) I present to you a guide to what to wear as a man in late 2013.
#136: You Can't Live With 'Em, You Can't Live Without 'Em (@NealBrennan, @NickYoussef)
October 14, 2013 09:30 - 2 hours - 56.4 MBNeal Brennan invited me to his tropical rainforest hotel room in New York and we had a nice talk about chicks. It's one of the driving influences in my life and it was nice to hear someone with some thought out views on relationships and love. Nick Youssef joins me for the intro on the drive back from San Francisco.
Cabo Bonus Episode (@MrJimFlorentine, @BretErnst, Mexican Dirt Weed, @AriShaffir)
October 11, 2013 01:40 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBJim Florentine and Bret Ernst joined me in Bret's hotel room in Cabo to record a bonus podcast. We were drunk, so I have no idea what we talked about. Maybe girls? The middle east? Your guess is as good as mine. I remember it being a fun conversation till about 10 minutes left when Guidus Interruptus took over the conversation again and we all got tired.
#135: Loudmouth (@BretErnst)
October 07, 2013 21:26 - 2 hours - 58.7 MBBret Ernst invited me up to his hotel room in Cabo San Lucas to drink beers, smoke cigars, and do a podcast. I love these on location episodes. We talked about Bret's habit of overzealously arguing his points. Bret has always been passionate (i.e. a guido), and it really comes out when he talks to someone with an opposing viewpoint.
#134: Maniac (@JFodComedy)
September 30, 2013 08:15 - 2 hours - 63.8 MBJohn F O'Donnell met me in Bushwick to talk about his manic depressive disorder. He's gone off the deep end a few times in his life and we got into it all. How it started, what happens, how it's affected him. It was a fun podcast that only got interrupted a couple times by a gang of 8 year old handball punks.
#133: Fuck the Government (with @ComicDaveSmith)
September 23, 2013 03:37 - 3 hours - 94.8 MBDave Smith came over to my apartment so we could talk about this growing disillusionment I'm experiencing with our federal government. Dave is a devout libertarian and he knows a lot more of the facts than I do, so we discussed a lot of where we've gone wrong and where our politicians and generals have betrayed the will of its people. Listen to it now, because when the revolution comes, downloading podcasts won't be easy.
#132: N'awlins (@MrSeanPatton)
September 16, 2013 01:50 - 2 hours - 68.2 MBSean Patton came over to my apartment in New York to talk about his hometown of New Orleans. Sean was born there, he was there for Katrina, and through both of those events, he was severely drunk. It was a fun conversation that took us through some of the history and to today's best tourist attraction, watching closeted gay guys pretend to not know they're going into a gay club.
#131: 1-900-You-Suck (@1GlitterGoddess, @BigJayOakerson @AriShaffir)
September 09, 2013 07:22 - 3 hours - 96.9 MBGlitter Goddess spoke to Jay Oakerson and I about her new jobs as a sex therapist, and as a phone dominatrix. It was really fun. She has a bunch of guys getting her off by taking orders from her. And they pay her for it. That's like a heckler paying you to make them feel bad. Outstanding.
#130: Whatever Doesn't Kill You (@WhitneyCummings, @BillyWayneDavis)
September 02, 2013 09:25 - 2 hours - 62 MBWhitney Cummings had me over to the place she was staying in while in New York and we talked about her hardships at The Comedy Store, with her sitcom, and as a child of an alcoholic. I had no idea she felt that way about when she was starting at the Store. She always seemed so on top of it all the time, I couldn't even imagine it being difficult for her. Billy Wayne Davis joins me for the intro.
#129: A Brownie A Day Keeps The Doctor... Wait, What Are We Talking About Again?
August 27, 2013 02:09 - 2 hours - 66.2 MBAuntie Dolores (that's not really her name) met me at the Comedy Store patio to talk about edibles. She makes some of the best brownies, pretzels, lolipops, nuts, and popcorn you can find in California. We talked about how she makes things, her worries with the authorities, and when she got started. Plus we also reminisced about our history with pot cookies.
#128: Boozer (@BertKreischer, @JoeRogan, @AriShaffir, @RickyLundell)
August 19, 2013 06:30 - 2 hours - 68.7 MBBert Kreischer met me on the patio of the Comedy Store to talk about his history with alcohol. We covered how he got started, when it became a major part of his life, and where he stand with it now. It was a fun talk that got a little dark in a couple places when we discussed his ex and again when another comedian walked by. And Joe Rogan makes an appearance on the intro.
#127: The Rosa Parks of White Atheist High School Sophomores and boyfriends that look like Lucas Hirl (@JessicaAhlquist)
August 12, 2013 20:38 - 3 hours - 92.5 MBJessica Ahlquist drove all the way from Rhode Island to my New York apartment to tell me about her lawsuit to have a prayer banner removed from the walls of her public school. She's an amazing woman and her courage really helps make me feel like a coward for not standing up for more things I believe in. Really interesting conversation.
#126: Bag Man (@CortMcCown)
August 05, 2013 23:25 - 1 hour - 54.2 MBCort McCown came over to my LA apartment before I left for New York and we talked about his sweet ass job as a professional caddy on the PGA tour. It's the golf equivalent to being a ball boy. But way cooler than that because you get to make money and you're a grown man now.
#125: @DadBoner (Mike Burns, Karl Welzein)
July 29, 2013 18:08 - 1 hour - 48 MBMike Burns came by my apartment during his trip to New York to talk to me about his new book, Power Moves. Burns hasn't been on Skeptic Tank since the old Deathsquad days. He's hilarious and I'm glad he had a chance to come over while he was here for promotions. We talked about Karl Welzein, staring in people's windows in NY, getting stabbed, and meeting girls at bars. You know, normal stuff.
#124: Rape & Eggs (@Kathleen_McGee)
July 22, 2013 08:57 - 2 hours - 76.4 MBKathleen McGee invited me over to the apartment she was staying in while we were in Winnipeg together and we talked about her rape. It's about as lighthearted a conversation as possible considering the subject matter. This is kind of what this podcast is all about. Stark, realistic views of the world told in funny ways. Enjoy.
#123: You Know What Dad (@RobertKelly)
July 15, 2013 08:03 - 3 hours - 83 MBRobert Kelly invited me over to his beautiful Manhattan apartment so we could talk about becoming a father. He had his first son 45 days ago and we had a nice discussion about what it was like. It was nice for me to hear how a former degenerate like Robert could transform himself into the type of dad that won't get child services called on him.
#122: Exspecially Cutting: (@JustyDodge)
July 08, 2013 08:03 - 3 hours - 90.2 MBJusty Dodge came over to my New York apartment on the hottest day of the summer. We talked about her various mental disorders but centered on cutting. Justy is a New York based standup who spent her teens in and out of rehab for self mutilation. It was a great conversation despite a couple of her white trash words slipping out.
#121: Big Babies (@BigJayOakerson)
July 01, 2013 07:28 - 2 hours - 66.2 MBBig Jay Oakerson and I recorded a podcast upstairs from The Stand comedy club about how little we resemble grown men. Neither one of us know how to pay a bill on time. We had to break halfway through and picked the rest up near my apartment in the East Village. This was the first podcast I've done where I watched sex during the interview.
#120: Shroomfest 2013 (@MatEdgar, @PeteeC, @TonyHinchcliffe)
June 25, 2013 03:11 - 2 hours - 60.8 MBTony Hinchcliffe, Mat Edgar, Pete Cornacchione, and I spent Shroomfest together this year. We drove out to Joshua Tree, ate some shrooms, and wandered out into the wilderness. And then we had, what I believe, is probably the first podcast recorded at Joshua Tree National Park.
#119: Mud Master (Don Barris, Mary Jane Green, Wiki)
June 18, 2013 03:52 - 2 hours - 67.2 MBDon Barris had me over to his secret location Big 3 Studios and we did a podcast about his old days working at the Tropicana. Don hosted oil and mud wrestling nights over there for years way before I met him. There's also a road rage story in here and a special appearance by Brian Redban's 4 inch dog.
#118: Womb of Doom (Vanessa Ragland)
June 10, 2013 05:07 - 2 hours - 57.8 MBVanessa Ragland came over to my rodent den of an apartment in LA and talked to me about her miscarriage. She was honest and open about the whole ordeal and it really gave me a nice look at one mother's experience. And don't worry, it's not all gloomy.
#117: Ain't No Sister Wife (@StevieRyan)
June 03, 2013 08:44 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBStevie Ryan invited me over to her apartment to smoke pot and watch reality shows one day about a year ago. We ended up recording a podcast about introverts and then we recorded another one about our short lived relationship. Of course we meandered into all sorts of stuff but it was fun seeing two sides of a whole bunch of different scenarios. Catch Stevie on her own show on VH1 called Stevie TV.
#116: 'Cid Down and Shut Up (Brendon Burns)
May 28, 2013 02:36 - 2 hours - 72.1 MBBrendan Burns came to my LA garbage heap apartment to talk about his rock bottom. Brendan's rock bottom lasted for 3 years and while he was there he did A LOT of drugs. Especially psychedelic drugs. And they were not kind to him.
#115: Heroin - Down In A Hole (Donovan Pee)
May 20, 2013 22:55 - 2 hours - 81.8 MBDonovan Pee met me in my hotel room in Vancouver to talk about Heroin. Donovan was a heavy heroin user and lived on the streets of one of the most drug addicted blocks in North America. He was involved with the drug for decades and has only recently gotten away from it. It's a fascinating look at the life and exactly the kind of thing I like for this podcast.
#114: Rounders (John Caparulo, Jamie Caparulo, Ari Shaffir)
May 14, 2013 00:28 - 4 hours - 110 MBJohn Caparulo had me over to his palatial estate to do a podcast and we spent most of it talking about poker. Cap was the reason I started playing poker at casinos. He introduced it to Steve Rannazzisi and me about 10 years ago and I caught the bug hard. We had some great times going down to the LA casinos late night after the Comedy Store was over. Hustler, Commerce, Hollywood Park, we hit them all. The last hour was just fun memories. So enjoy. And please enjoy an extra long introduction t...
#113: Lefty Liberty (@Jimmy_Dore, @MatEdgar, @AriShafir, George Carlin)
May 06, 2013 09:04 - 2 hours - 80.4 MBJimmy Dore came by my slop haven of an apartment to tell me the truth about politics. I've never been very political, but lately I've started to become increasingly angrier about how little representation the average citizen has. Jimmy was always into the leftist side of things and he did a great job of explaining the problems with how things are run. And Mat Edgar joins me for the intro and outro to talk about Shroomfest and to share a few extra stealing stories that he forgot to mention on...
#112: Ramblin Man (@_TomRhodes)
April 29, 2013 06:00 - 1 hour - 37.6 MBTom Rhodes and I met up at the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival and we talked about his vagabond lifestyle. Tom has no home. Every week he travels to a different location for standup comedy. He has no place to go back to. Just on and on and on forever. He sees every corner of the earth in his travels and it's really cool.
#111: The Closet (@ChipPope)
April 22, 2013 17:57 - 2 hours - 73.6 MBChip Pope met me at the Comedy Store to talk about the time he spent in the closet. I know a lot of gay people, but very few who are gay but not open about it. As always with Chip, the talk moved to music as well. But most of it was about what it was like not having people (including the comics in the LA scene) know he was gay.
#110: Klepto (@MatEdgar, Josh Martin, Ari Shaffir)
April 15, 2013 09:12 - 1 hour - 51.2 MBMat Edgar and I talked about our shoplifting days on a trip back from San Diego. We both had pasts as thieves and this was a nice way to fill half our drive home. I forgot about how much I used to steal when I was little. I don't know how I never got caught.
#22: Holocaust (Nat Shaffir)
April 08, 2013 09:31 - 1 hour - 32.5 MBMy father, Nat Shaffir, talked to me about his experience in the Holocaust as a young boy. My father rarely, if ever, shared any of this with us growing up, so I'm glad I got a chance to hear him say it. This was originaly posted on the Skeptic Tank feed on Deathsquad, but since a lot of people didn't know about it there, and being Yom Hashoah today, I thought it was a good oportunity to repost it. These stories are hard to digest at points but I think it's important enough to continue to li...
#109: Lady Heroin: What Are You Asking Me For? (Jesse, Joey @MadFlavor Diaz)
April 01, 2013 10:19 - 2 hours - 56.6 MBJoey Diaz helps me introduce the first of my two interview about heroin use that I did from my hotel room in Vancouver. This one gives an overview of how heroin makes you feel and how much pull it can have on you. This kid managed to get out of it's grasp while he was still young. It's a good talk on being a "functional" dope fiend.
#108: Sex Monkey (@ChrisRyanPhD)
March 25, 2013 22:12 - 2 hours - 69.5 MBChris Ryan met me at the Comedy Store to talk about monogamy, cheating, sexual desire, ownership over women and almost everything else associated with the nature of sex. It was the first doctor I've had on but it wasn't stuffy at all. We sat on the front patio and had a really nice conversation that helped me become more at ease with who I am and what I'm into.
#107: Frenchie le Poo-Poo (Mike Ward @MikeWardCA)
March 19, 2013 05:57 - 2 hours - 62.7 MBMike Ward came to my hotel room while I was in Montreal to talk to me about his amazing journey of learning to do his standup in a 2nd language. He's got about as much to say as I can imagine anyone saying about French comedians.
#106: Find Your Dry Hump (@KevinGChristy)
March 11, 2013 10:45 - 2 hours - 61 MBKevin Christy and I sat in his backyard and talked about relationships. Everybody has one friend who jumps from long term relationship to long term relationship and Kevin is that guy for me. As long as I've known him he's been with somebody. This is the first time in his life that he is single and it's a strange place for him to be. It's an interesting conversation on how to make relationships work and how to make them fail.
#105: Going Blind (@TomSegura)
March 04, 2013 04:03 - 2 hours - 61 MBTom Segura invited me to go to his new Barbie Malibu Beach House so we could talk about masturbating. Just two best bro dudes intimately talking about making their penises shoot out loads of semen. And then somewhere at the end we talked about drunk driving. I don't think we ever talked about masturbating while drunk driving but we should have at least brought it up, huh?
#104: The Art of War (Greg Jackson, Ari Shaffir, @KevinGChristy)
February 25, 2013 08:50 - 2 hours - 74.8 MBGreg Jackson of Greg Jackson's MMA met me in a hotel room in Vegas a few hours before UFC 156. Greg has always asked me about standup comedy and how comics will handle different situations. After some time he told me why he was so interested. He sees similarities between all art forms. He tries to find universal truths that apply to many art forms so he can apply that knowledge to MMA fight theory. It's really fascinating stuff. We've been talking about this stuff for years now and it's so i...
#103: Oscar the Grouch (Kristian Harloff, Mark Ellis, Faizon Love, Pauly Shore, Ari Shaffir)
February 18, 2013 19:34 - 2 hours - 76.5 MBMark Ellis and Christian Harloff met me in the Belly Room of the Comedy Store to talk about the movies. We used the Oscars as an excuse to talk but really it was about movies in general. Those guys have made a life for themselves reviewing movies in a fun way and it was nice to talk to them about my problems with today's films. There's something about the Comedy Store that lets comics feel at ease.
#102: The Ones Who Hurt Me (Doug Benson, Marc & Brian from Chill, Bike Tour, Homeless Man, Ari Shaffir)
February 14, 2013 11:59 - 2 hours - 70.1 MBDoug Benson met me at the Comedy Store on a beautiful 75 degree February day. We talked about those few girls that hurt you more than all the others. The ones who you couldn't shake from your heart. It was a very revealing and honest talk. We also made friends with a random tour group that was going by. It was a lot of sides of Doug that I'd never seen before.
#101: Prank Tank (Jim Florentine)
February 12, 2013 04:58 - 1 hour - 48.9 MBJim Florentine met me at the Comedy Store to talk about pranks. As long as I've known about Jim, I've known him as the guy who is always willing to go for the goof. He went to a damn abortion protest, for God's sake. He was always doing so many fun jokes that I even forgot he used to be the voice of Special Ed on Crank Yankers, which was probably my favorite characters. Really fun episode.
#100: Deliverance (Ryan O'Neill, Jeff Danis, George Saint Pierre, Nate Diaz, Ari Shaffir)
February 07, 2013 11:53 - 2 hours - 59.7 MBJeff Danis and Ryan O'Neill came by my apartment to talk about their jobs as grocery delivery drivers. Oh my god, there were so many hilarious stories. They're both comedians from the Comedy Store and their job is so ridiculous. For delivery drivers, there's a shocking amount of talk about nipples and Down syndrome.
#99: Scrappy Doo (Greg Fitzsimmons)
February 04, 2013 08:08 - 1 hour - 30.5 MBGreg Fitzsimmons had me over to his garage to tell me how much he loves to fight. Not organized fights. Just fights. Just regular, two dudes don't know each other and then one is punching the other, fights. It's a pretty fun podcast. What he does in the car is hard for me to wrap my head around.
#98: Road Rage (Don Barris, Mary Jane Green, Ari Shaffir)
January 28, 2013 11:55 - 2 hours - 70.5 MBDon Barris invited me over to the studio in his apartment and finally opened up to me about his road rage. I've been waiting for this podcast for over a year but Don never felt comfortable enough talking about it. But now it's here. We talk about his enormous mood swings he experiences while driving. We discussed the possible causes of it. Then Don tells some first hand accounts of what it's like being a madman behind the wheel.
#97: Vegetable Face (Mac Danzig)
January 21, 2013 21:26 - 1 hour - 30.5 MBMac Danzig met me at the Comedy Store to talk about veganism. He's a UFC fighter and 100% Vegan. It's an odd choice for a fighter. Come listen in on the conversation. He's a really chill guy. Not like the normal vegans who shove their views down your throat so you don't have room to eat burgers.
#96: Hemorrhoad Trip (Brent Weinbach)
January 14, 2013 11:40 - 2 hours - 74.2 MBBrent Weinbach and I took a road trip home from San Francisco to Los Angeles on New Years day. We stopped at all the places we've always wanted to stop and tasted some delicious new foods. It was the best time I've ever had with an extreme sufferer of OCD. So, take a trip with us back to a time of wonder, a time of innocence, come back to January 1, 2013.
#95: Childless (Dom Irrera)
January 07, 2013 10:12 - 1 hour - 44.2 MBDom Irrera met me at the Laugh Factory to talk about not having children. Dom is one of the only guys I know who has gone through most of his life while avoiding parenthood and we talked all about what that's like. It was a great podcast with an amazing comedian. Twitter him at @DomIrrera.
#94: Sex: Take It Or Leave It (Dov Davidoff)
December 31, 2012 06:48 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBDov Davidoff came over to my pig sty to talk to me about his overactive libido. He's pretty adamant that it's not an addiction. So I'd say it's more of a compulsion. Anyway, it was a fun conversation. Join us.
#93b: Noobier (Steve Lemme, Kevin Hefffernan
December 26, 2012 19:02 - 2 hours - 59.6 MBBroken Lizard's Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme and nothing's Ari Shaffir continue our discussion on starting standup. We talked about what it's like learning the game, how our parents took to all of it, and they help me come up with a name for my new comedy special.
#93a: Noobs (Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Ari Shaffir)
December 24, 2012 11:49 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBSteve Lemme had Kevin Heffernan and I over to his house so we could all talk about what it's like starting standup comedy. I've been wanting to talk to somebody about it for a long time, but those comics are usually so new that they aren't quite funny enough. Lemme and Heffernan have been funny for over a decade already. We talked about learning the art form, dealing with drunks, and Christmas.