#621 - Andrew Santino

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• Andrew Santino experienced significant stress and paranoia while taping his Hulu special "White Noise," stemming from external political controversy and internal medication changes, which affected his performance confidence.  Copied to clipboard!
• The difference between live stand-up and taping a special is immense, involving numerous elements that can cause a comedian to second-guess material they previously felt confident about on tour.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation touched on the intense scrutiny specials face online, the difficulty of maintaining creative control amidst production teams, and the general tendency of media to focus on drama over positive events.  Copied to clipboard!
• The rapid advancement of technology, particularly in areas like AI-generated content and smart home devices, raises concerns about future loss of personal decision-making and privacy.  Copied to clipboard!
• The difficulty of maintaining friendships in one's 40s due to friends becoming occupied with family responsibilities highlights a common challenge in modern adult life.  Copied to clipboard!
• Despite the noise and criticism on the internet, the core purpose of comedy remains spreading joy and uplifting people, exemplified by Theo Von's commitment to charity work like the Special Olympics fundraiser.  Copied to clipboard!
• The speaker prioritizes spreading love, comedy, and uplifting others over public expectations or internet drama, emphasizing personal responsibility in comedy.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation highlights the pervasive hypocrisy in modern society, noting that nearly everyone is a 'walking contradiction' due to systemic complicity.  Copied to clipboard!
• The speakers reflect on personal growth, noting that changing views and goals over time is a healthy and necessary part of the human condition, contrary to the advice to 'never change.'  Copied to clipboard!

Segments Expand All Collapse All

Merch Shop Updates and Guest Intro

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(00:00:30)

• Key Takeaway: The Theo Von merchandise shop has restocked ‘bubby tees’ and added new items including tour merch and ‘camo gang’ apparel.
• Summary: Remaining tour merchandise has been moved online for those who missed the live shows. New items like restocked ‘bubby tees’ and hoodies are available. The host thanks supporters for holiday gift purchases.

Santino’s Special Taping Stress

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(00:02:03)

• Key Takeaway: Andrew Santino felt immense pressure during the taping of his Hulu special ‘White Noise’ due to external political backlash and internal anxiety from stopping antidepressants.
• Summary: Santino was concerned about the taping quality after feeling overwhelmed by stress, including backlash from a DHS video taken out of context. He had stopped taking antidepressants to allow for more emotional connection, which made feeling anything difficult. This internal turmoil led to self-doubt about joke delivery during the taping.

Comics and Special Taping Nuances

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(00:04:35)

• Key Takeaway: Taped specials involve far more technical elements and pressure than live stand-up, often leading comedians to over-analyze and doubt material that performed well on tour.
• Summary: Live stand-up is described as ‘drinking out of the hose,’ whereas a taped special introduces elements that make the comedian self-conscious. Santino changed material extensively backstage, aided by fellow comic Zach Townsend, due to jokes not hitting as strongly as they did during touring.

Post-Taping Media Fallout

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(00:09:15)

• Key Takeaway: Negative media narratives, often focusing on isolated incidents like Santino speaking to fans after the show, are prioritized over positive experiences like celebrating with friends.
• Summary: The media focused on a circulated video of Santino interacting with fans after the show, which he barely remembered due to running hot post-performance. The hosts noted that websites thrive on negative drama, ignoring positive stories like celebrating with Glenny Balls and friends at a country bar.

Coping with Negativity and Daily Reset

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(00:17:53)

• Key Takeaway: The best way to counteract pervasive public negativity is by focusing attention on simple, grounding daily routines, such as drinking coffee and playing with a dog.
• Summary: Theo Von emphasizes the importance of washing away negativity by focusing on simple routines, like his morning coffee and dog walk, which he does without his phone. This routine acts as a necessary reset amidst the constant barrage of negative public discourse.

Real Estate and Living Situations

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(00:18:24)

• Key Takeaway: Theo Von is actively seeking more space outside of LA, prioritizing a home suitable for podcasting while contemplating the balance between personal space and future family needs.
• Summary: Von is looking for property near the interstate but is wary of the noise, preferring quiet space for his home podcast setup. He is weighing whether to buy a house just for himself or one large enough to accommodate a future family.

OCD and Military Aspirations

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(00:20:09)

• Key Takeaway: Theo Von exhibits mild OCD related to shoe placement, stemming from his father’s military background, contrasting with the perceived lack of commitment in ROTC participants.
• Summary: Von’s need for organized shoes is described as a ‘sickness’ inherited from his father’s military influence. This led to a tangent about ROTC students who often buy flashy cars but lack true military discipline, exemplified by a college roommate who was asked to leave the program.

Redhead Genetics and Extinction Myth

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(00:20:53)

• Key Takeaway: The belief that redheads are going extinct by 2045-2060 has been debunked; the recessive MC1R gene will continue to resurface when two carriers reproduce.
• Summary: The conversation explored the rarity of red hair, noting that it requires inheriting two copies of the recessive MC1R gene. While the gene is passed down quietly, scientific organizations confirm that redheads are not facing extinction.

Dating Anxiety and Airplane Encounter

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(00:26:16)

• Key Takeaway: Andrew Santino struggles with dating anxiety, particularly in confined spaces like airplanes, leading him to retreat from a potential connection by offering an incomplete email address.
• Summary: Santino felt a spark with a flight attendant but feared the unprofessionalism and lack of escape in the small environment if things went poorly. He ultimately gave her an incomplete email address, feeling like a ’loser’ for failing to secure the connection when the opportunity was ‘wide open.’

E-commerce Reviews and Shipping Solutions

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(00:33:18)

• Key Takeaway: Customer reviews significantly impact e-commerce conversion rates, and businesses can scale operations up to 40 times using ShipStation for efficient shipping.
• Summary: Customer reviews successfully convert shoppers into buyers, with a 4.7 rating being cited as influential. ShipStation is promoted as a tool that helps businesses wow customers with cheaper, faster shipping, offering a 60-day free trial.

Santino’s Future Touring Plans

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(00:34:36)

• Key Takeaway: Andrew Santino is taking a break from his current commitments to return to smaller clubs and casinos to work out new material and reconnect with the live comedy experience.
• Summary: After finishing his golf show season, Santino plans to work out a new hour by performing in smaller rooms like Punch Line and Tempe Improv. He also intends to play casinos in the new year to ‘feel it again’ and use travel to visit friends.

Brian Regan’s Touring Style

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(00:35:59)

• Key Takeaway: Comedian Brian Regan tours in a bus with his partner, stopping at locations based on preference rather than a rigid schedule, which is viewed as an ideal lifestyle.
• Summary: Regan was observed touring the country on a bus, stopping at places they felt like visiting while performing shows. This flexible approach contrasts with the rigid, city-to-city schedule most comics must adhere to.

Bus Life with Bobby Lee

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(00:36:40)

• Key Takeaway: The primary rule of tour bus life is ’no pooping on the bus,’ a rule Bobby Lee broke within the first week of their three-month tour.
• Summary: Living on a bus with Bobby Lee for three months was described as very difficult, especially regarding bathroom etiquette. Due to Lee’s physical difficulty defecating without traction, Santino sometimes had to massage his back to help the process.

Bobby Lee’s Weight Loss and Dating

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(00:38:11)

• Key Takeaway: Bobby Lee has lost over 30 pounds by switching from Ozempic to Wegovy due to adverse reactions to the former, and he remains heavily reliant on dating apps.
• Summary: Lee experienced severe sickness on Ozempic and switched to Wegovy, resulting in significant weight loss. Despite his physical improvement, he continues to live and die by dating apps, unlike Theo Von who avoids them due to sensitivity to rejection.

Women’s Attraction to True Crime

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(00:43:30)

• Key Takeaway: One theory suggests women are drawn to true crime because it affirms the belief that any man could be a killer, valuing the commitment shown in a complete act of violence over prolonged, non-committal mistreatment.
• Summary: Kristen Bell’s playful anniversary post joking about Dax Shepard potentially killing her was cited as an example of this dynamic. This attraction may stem from an ingrained protective instinct that views a man committed to murder as more decisive than one who wastes time.

Animal Reproduction Facts

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(00:46:08)

• Key Takeaway: Female raccoons cannot conceive while nursing a litter, and male lions may kill cubs to induce female estrus.
• Summary: Female raccoons must complete raising a litter before becoming pregnant again. If a male kills a female’s existing offspring, she will return to estrus within days. This behavior ensures the male can sire his own offspring immediately.

Genetic Engineering and Ohtani

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(00:46:28)

• Key Takeaway: The ability to engineer human traits like height and eye color is seen as ‘playing God’ with potential negative consequences.
• Summary: The hosts joke that Shohei Ohtani’s exceptional athletic ability suggests he might have been created in a lab. Ohtani was actually born in Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. His mother was a badminton athlete, and his father was an amateur baseball player and factory worker.

American Manufacturing Decline

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(00:48:08)

• Key Takeaway: If China’s supply chain were shut off, the US would primarily be left with beef jerky, wind chimes, and garden gnomes.
• Summary: The conversation touches on efforts to support small, American-made companies, but notes the lack of infrastructure for producing many goods, especially electronics. Companies like Good Ranchers (sourcing American meat) and American Giant (textiles) are cited as exceptions to the outsourcing trend. Made in the USA products often come with significantly higher prices due to limited infrastructure.

Advanced Japanese Sidewalk Tech

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(00:50:48)

• Key Takeaway: Japan utilizes kinetic energy sidewalks that store energy from footsteps for future use, contrasting with local infrastructure issues.
• Summary: Japanese sidewalks are being developed to store kinetic energy generated by walking for later energy usage. This advanced technology is contrasted with the hosts’ local experience of unrepaired potholes. The segment also mentions sidewalks in Japan that can reportedly detect a person’s sexual orientation.

Smart Toilet Health Monitoring

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(00:52:42)

• Key Takeaway: Kohler is developing a smart toilet attachment that analyzes excretions for health metrics like blood, gut health, and hydration for an annual fee.
• Summary: A device called the Decoda clamps onto the toilet rim, using an optical sensor to analyze waste. This technology aims to monitor gut health and hydration status, costing between $70 and $156 per year. The hosts express apprehension about this level of constant health monitoring.

Avoiding Knowledge of Doom

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(00:54:41)

• Key Takeaway: The desire to live without ‘impending doom’ leads some to prefer not knowing about potential health issues or external threats like incoming comets.
• Summary: Following a discussion about full-body health tests, the hosts reflect on preferring ignorance regarding potential negative outcomes. This sentiment extends to external threats, suggesting a preference for living freely until an event occurs rather than preparing for it. The government’s changing statements on UFOs are cited as a reason to distrust official information.

Conspiracy Theories and Subway Tunnels

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(00:55:45)

• Key Takeaway: The government’s reversal on UFOs and the bizarre incident involving a Hasidic Jewish man crawling from an underground tunnel reinforce public distrust.
• Summary: The hosts reference the Denver Airport as a potential bunker and note that the government later admitted to the existence of UFOs after initially denying them. They recall a widely publicized incident where a man was found crawling out of a secret underground tunnel structure in New York.

Time Magazine Trump Photo Critique

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(00:57:01)

• Key Takeaway: The Time Magazine photo of Donald Trump, which he claimed deleted his hair, featured an unflattering neck structure described as ’long nut neck'.
• Summary: The hosts analyze a specific Time Magazine cover photo of Trump, noting its poor quality and the subject’s reaction to the depiction. They observe the strange appearance of his neck in the image, suggesting media outlets often use unflattering photos of public figures. Theo mentions taking control of fan photos to avoid having a ‘dumb fucking photo’ used posthumously.

Hanging with Kid Rock

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(00:58:33)

• Key Takeaway: Kid Rock’s Nashville home is a replica of the White House, and he maintains a close relationship with Donald Trump.
• Summary: Theo recounts witnessing Kid Rock call Donald Trump late at night, indicating a direct line of communication. Kid Rock’s residence is described as a dupe of the White House, perched prominently on a hill in Nashville. The host notes Kid Rock is a thoughtful person despite his public persona.

New Country Music Talent

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(00:59:14)

• Key Takeaway: Dylan Marlowe and Cameron Marlowe are noted as handsome and talented country/gospel singers, alongside the Irish artist Dermot Kennedy.
• Summary: Theo mentions seeing several artists recently, including Ella Langley and Dylan Marlowe, whose talent is attributed partly to his handsome appearance. He praises Dylan Marlowe’s singing voice as phenomenal, blending country and gospel styles. Dermot Kennedy, an Irish artist, was also recently seen performing.

The Value of Live Interaction

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(01:06:45)

• Key Takeaway: As digital simulation technology advances, live entertainment will likely remain the only viable form of human interaction that cannot be replicated digitally.
• Summary: A conversation about advanced golf simulators that replicate all sensory experiences suggests a future where digital immersion is complete. Theo believes that despite this, people will still crave the human connection found in live events. Younger generations are showing a resurgence of interest in analog media like records and tapes as a throwback.

Friendship Strain and Aging

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(01:21:37)

• Key Takeaway: As friends enter parenthood, maintaining close relationships becomes difficult, often leading people in their 40s to socialize more with older, empty-nester couples.
• Summary: Theo notes that the responsibilities of raising young children make it hard to spend time with friends who have families. He finds himself connecting more with friends whose children are already grown, allowing for a return to couple-focused socializing. He acknowledges that losing touch with close friends for a few years due to life changes is a difficult reality of aging.

Riyadh Comedy Festival Backlash

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(01:29:47)

• Key Takeaway: Jimmy Carr’s perspective on Saudi Arabia is that focusing on future progress is more valuable than judging its past flaws, which resonated with the experience of meeting young, modern Saudi fans.
• Summary: The trip to the Riyadh comedy festival generated significant backlash online, which Theo found strange due to the hypocrisy present in the criticism. He observed that many young Saudi attendees were dressed in modern street clothes, not traditional cover-ups, and were eager to meet the comedians. Jimmy Carr suggested focusing on a country’s future direction rather than its past when assessing progress.

Comedian’s Responsibility and Charity Work

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(01:31:53)

• Key Takeaway: The speaker defines his personal responsibility as spreading love and comedy, contrasting it with the public’s perception, and highlights his commitment to charity fundraising.
• Summary: The speaker views himself as a ‘stupid clown’ whose goal is to make people laugh and feel good. He is actively involved in a fundraiser called ‘Ho Ho Homers’ on December 6th at LA City Valley College for the Southern California Special Olympics. This charitable work holds more importance to him than internet opinions about what a comedian should or shouldn’t do.

Travel and Cultural Misconceptions

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(01:33:28)

• Key Takeaway: Visiting the Middle East, specifically Qatar, revealed that local individuals often have Western education and are not defined by broad, negative stereotypes.
• Summary: The speaker plans to return to Qatar, noting that many locals he met were educated in the US, such as at the University of Oregon. He critiques the media’s tendency to create controversy and highlights the contradiction in judging others while ignoring systemic issues in one’s own country. He emphasizes that different cultures have their own rules and ways of life that outsiders should respect.

Hypocrisy and Personal Evolution

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(01:34:32)

• Key Takeaway: The human condition is inherently contradictory, and personal growth requires changing views and affiliations over time, making advice to ’never change’ detrimental.
• Summary: The discussion posits that everyone is a walking contradiction, and criticizing others loudly is difficult when no one is perfect. The speaker notes how his own views on marriage and family changed drastically between college and adulthood. He asserts that continuous growth and changing one’s perspective are essential, contrasting this with remaining stuck in immature behaviors.

Comedian Infighting and Media Narratives

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(01:37:00)

• Key Takeaway: Attacking peers in public specials, like the reference to Mark Maron’s comments, is an unnecessary and strange move within the comedy community, especially when context is lost online.
• Summary: The speaker addresses a clip where Mark Maron allegedly suggested Theo Von would interview Hitler, noting the absurdity of the comparison given the context of interviewing people from different cultures. He believes that jokes made in jest usually carry obvious affection, and he dislikes the trend of comedians attacking each other publicly. He concludes that he will continue making comedy for his fans regardless of external drama.

Commercialization of Institutions and UFC Growth

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(01:43:59)

• Key Takeaway: Major American institutions, including the Post Office and the White House, are increasingly commercialized or used for entertainment spectacles like hosting the UFC.
• Summary: The government shutdown is discussed in the context of privatization, exemplified by chaotic conditions at the post office. The upcoming UFC event on the White House lawn, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the US, is cited as evidence that untouchable institutions are becoming performance venues. The UFC’s massive growth, increasing 40% in 2021 alone during the pandemic when they were ’the only show in town,’ is attributed to Dana White’s business acumen.

Nature of Fighting Sports

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(01:49:21)

• Key Takeaway: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the more dynamic and complete sport of fighting, encompassing all aspects, whereas boxing is merely one limited aspect of combat.
• Summary: American culture is drawn to one-on-one competition, which fuels the excitement of MMA, described as ‘human cock fighting’ in its comprehensive nature. Boxing is viewed as a ‘silly agreement’ limiting combat to only the hands. MMA is exciting because it includes ground game, kicking, punching, elbows, and submissions, reflecting a more total form of human combat.

Hawaii’s Appeal and American Changes

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(01:53:33)

• Key Takeaway: Hawaii represents an appealing escape due to its unique, self-contained culture, contrasting with the increasingly chaotic and commercialized nature of American life.
• Summary: The flight time from the West Coast to Hawaii is comparable to New York, making the islands an attractive destination for those seeking to ‘disappear.’ The speaker admires the bootleg, self-sufficient nature of some locals who have chosen to retire there permanently. He notes that American institutions, like Mount Rushmore, are subject to the same cultural shifts and changes seen elsewhere.

Finding Purpose Beyond Personal Family

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(02:02:08)

• Key Takeaway: As one ages, purpose can shift from having biological children to nurturing a community, such as mentoring younger producers and comics, serving as a form of legacy.
• Summary: The speaker is accepting of not having children and is focusing his energy on being of service to his community and younger colleagues. He views his producers and editors as adopted children whom he mentors, seeing this service as his current focus and source of fulfillment. This mirrors the concept of loading coins in an arcade game: one may not see the immediate reward, but the action benefits the future social structure.