Laughing In Their Faces

Luis: Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Hold Your Ground podcast. Yeah, okay, fucking nailed it.
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
Luis: my name is Luis. I'm joined by Joe, and we got a special guest today. but before we get into that, I'm gonna rant a little bit here. So let me get into my rant and then we can get on to the guests. You okay with that, Joe?
joe: Yeah, let it rip.
Luis: Cool. All right, here we go. I even wrote this. We see with the supposed ending of the Iranian war what this regime's intentions are. The Monday after the war ends, this regime arrests fifteen anti-fascists from Minnesota. All fifteen suspects were charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer. Several also faced additional charges, including assault on a federal officer, interstate stalking, destruction of government property, interstate threats, and solicitation to commit a crime of violence. This is, of course, all bullshit in my opinion. These people did not do any of these things as far as I'm concerned. What this is aimed at is crushing voices that are against the racism and fascism that is happening in this country. This is designed to intimidate us as citizens into silence and complicity. We all know Trump needs to win this election. There's no doubt, and he's gonna do whatever he needs to do to win. And the way to rally his base is Is against what they all hate, which is anti fascist right now. They can't fucking stand us. Anyway, now to be anti fascist is to be marked. Some Democrats and liberals think that this is still a game. And what I mean by that is many people are claiming the title of anti fascist now because they see that the regime and its supporters are against it. And that's great. But I wonder, do they also understand what comes with that title? And that we can see the price is our freedom and our possibly our lives? I'm wondering, are they committed to their anti fascist ideology when the feds kick in their doors and drag them into a cage? Will they hold and be solid? Will they cave or will they cave and name every name in their heads? Blah. Words and meanings matter. Definitions matter. To take the mantle of anti fascist means that you can no longer tolerate the status quo. It means you no longer think that voting will lead you solely to freedom, but that it's time for action. It's time for noncompliance. It's time for the destruction of white supremacy by any means possible. So if you're going to use that mantle, if you're gonna use that title, if you're gonna call yourself that, be aware of what comes with that. That's pretty much all
joe: Yeah.
Luis: I have to say on the on the matter. You can take or leave it however the fuck you will. Joe, back to you.
joe: Word. You ain't fucking wrong, dude. You ain't wrong. So as Louise said, this is the next episode of Hold Your Ground where you get working class culture without all the bigoted fucking bullshit. And I want to introduce our guest here. One thing that movements have always needed alongside strategy, solidarity, and commitment is the ability to laugh. Organizing against authoritarianism, racism, and exploitation can be exhausting work, and humor has long been one of the ways people build community, tell hard truths, and remind each other that the power Are not invincible. Today's guest is Ryan Danley, a Portland-based stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, where he is the star of Mr. TV Man and writer for the hard times, where he helps carry on a tradition of satire that takes aim at hypocrisy, reactionary politics, and the absurdities of modern life through a punk rock lens. At a time when the far right is trying to manufacture fear, division, and cynicism, comedy can do something important. It can cut through the propaganda. Ryan's work sits at the intersection of humor, culture, and politics, and I'm excited to talk with him about what that looks like today. I'm down to talk about comedy, organizing, punk rock culture, media, political polarization, how we stay engaged without losing our humanity, our sense of humor, or really whatever the fuck Ryan wants to talk about. So Ryan, my boy, welcome to hold your ground. What you got, homie?
Ryan: Thank you. Thank you both for having me. This is I'm I'm excited to be here. you know, I love you both. So I'm excited to be part of it. yeah, you know, when I when I got into doing comedy, I decided that I wanted to be like kind of a a different sort of voice. I wanted to bring a a different a different like level of like comedy. I I mean it's hard, you know, like I don't even almost sometimes like telling people I'm a stand up comedian because immediately they're like, well are you like a kill Tony Jackass or something like that. And like I'm the opposite of that. You know what I mean? Like I l I literally like, you know, like I I try to bring a different energy and and punch up and sort of like satire like, you know, like masculinity and and white white supremacy and those sorts of things in my comedy a lot. So I I you know I've I've tried to make that sort of the basis of everything I've done in comedy and I like it and I've been fortunate enough to write for the hard times, which is has a really good lens of you know, they've always pushed a very very leftist view of things and I've had some great articles that you know like really tackled you know, some things
joe: Okay.
Ryan: and that I feel strongly about and have gotten some great responses. So I I do I do appreciate being appreciated. Thank you very much. I do. So
joe: Fucking man.
Ryan: yeah, you know,
Luis: Good to have you here.
Ryan: like you know, and it is scary nowadays. I mean, because it is a different it is a different era, you know what I mean? And we we are gonna be targeted. you know, I mean it's part of the whole Project 2025 or whatever, you know what I mean, is to is to start treating anti fascist actions as as terrorism, you know, that the more extreme, you know, that if you're not in the boat. they are going to if you're not trying to go through the proper means, because they want you to go through the proper means because the means are set the fuck up against any sort of, you know what I mean? Like the channels are but broken, which is why we're here, which is why they want us to use them. You know what I mean? Like, so they so if we have people out here doing it and they wanna they want people to be scared. They want like people to have done basically nothing in them to be able to, you know, like like call that remember when Trump had the like all those right wing like the quote unquote journalists an anti new you know and all those guys that they had them to the White House about all the violence they endured and all this short sort of shit, you know, to like sort of s prop up this idea that there's like you know, that there's this dangerous element out here, that is just that it's just violence against ideas. And unfortunately, like there's so many people who are willing to bite on that who live, you know, if you live out in the middle of nowhere, you you and you've never dealt with anybody who's a leftist or an anything like you've been painted in this narrative that is just like like that there's just like these maniac kids out there who are just trying to kill everything and destroy, you know, it's it's it's wild.
Luis: It it it's ridiculous. I mean, to me I think though the problem comes with not that people want to be anti fascist, I think that's fucking awesome, right? But it's not seen through all the way, right? that it comes with silence. That anti fascism is not some fashionable trend, that it's the cornerstone Of any free society, as far as I give a shit, right? And that and that the anti-fascists that we all grew up, and I mean we, the three of us here, idolizing, appreciating, would not understand this mentality that we have in 2026 that are that are in the streets,
Ryan: Right.
Luis: right? Anti fascism means Something watered down now and it cannot be watered down now of all times. I guess is my point.
joe: I mean Like I agree I agree with your sentiment there, but I think the people in our past that we grew up idolizing would totally fucking understand. Look at the entire fucking hippie movement during that era. Right? A bunch of fucking peace, love fucking weirdos sitting out in the trees hugging each other and I don't know, dude, having weird sex that smells like fucking bug spray and fucking anal. you know what I mean? And they're like, Yeah, dude, we're about it, you know, I mean they're fucking not. So like I think
Luis: But but
joe: that they would understand to an extent, right? But I think one of the interesting things that where Ryan was talking about, where you know people have this this idea that there's just these people out there, these kids that are out there just to fucking wreak havoc and kill. It's funny to me because it's like it's like Schrdinger's fucking Antifa, right? Because they've never act they don't know anybody, but At the same point, like, it's a blue haired fucking pop-tart eating fucker in his mom's basement writing shit on a keyboard, but also a very violent fucking terrorist who's gonna come out and kill my grandma and make my fucking family gay.
Ryan: R right. And and they are they and I mean for the record they are gonna turn their family gay. which which I'm
joe: Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Luis: Absolutely.
Ryan: pro I'm pro everybody being just gay. so I I mean they do have the right to fear that because we are coming to turn them gay. But but it's a it's I think that like I think like the past, I mean like the hippie movement ultimately became like like a lot of things like I I think in at its core I think that if the personally, somebody who was raised by hippies, and I I feel like if the civil rights movement didn't happen during the hippie movement, the hippie movement's pretty pretty mild because that was the real revol to me, the the real revolution was the civil rights movement. You know what I mean? Like
Luis: That is the cornerstone of the American left.
joe: A hundred percent.
Luis: That is the first reason for the American left to exist, in my opinion.
Ryan: Yeah, i exact and right, and exactly. And I mean, well, I mean there was you know, there was you know, so you know, unions and shit like that too. But like, but it's but we s you know, so we look at this like situation with like with like the hippies and like they they get constantly being called like a left wing movement and and really but I don't believe that they are. I I think they're like I think they're proto libertarianism and I think like like the big difference between me like Like I th everybody's always said like punks and hippies are basically the same thing and all this shit. And it's not true. Like like hippies are like a very like like in their purest forms, hippies are a very like self-protective movement. Like I don't want to take medicine, I don't want my kids going and learning this shit at school, I don't want my my thing, you know what I mean? Where punks in their at their core, it's this isn't always true, but like are more about protecting neighborhood and protecting community and protecting like ideas and Like and ultimately the hippies, you know, nobody wants to talk about it, but we're kind of a failure, not even kind of, you know what I mean? It's not like I mean we lost Vietnam, you know what I mean? So like I don't like, you know what I mean? Like it didn't like and it was you know, I almost think war is less popular now than even then, but but all those hippies then turned into like, you know, all capitalists and you know what I mean, and kind of and then spawn the liberalism movement. 'Cause the modern liberalism movement is bred out of hippieism and it is exactly what it is in its like purest form, you know, boiled down to just like middle class white liberals, half those hippies too, ended up voting for fucking Reagan. And like, you know what I mean? And like like so
Luis: But they've in they've infected American anti fascism too, I would say, right? What what we call the American left right now, right? I think because it's infected with those same kind of self serving people that you are describing, right? Because before that,
joe: That's and that's where I was trying to draw the comparison.
Luis: the way I learned anything was some dude gave me a subhumans tape
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
Luis: when I was like 14 years old, right? And it was like, here, listen to this. Right? Then in 2020, we have mass street demonstrations that we people want to call about Black Lives Matter, but they're really about COVID,
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
Luis: right? They weren't about black lives. They were they were using black people once again to to be out in the streets and people thought that they were gonna die. And it was such this influx of people. That you had Teen Vogue writing articles about what to wear when you went to rallies. Teen Vogue writing articles about how to dress black bloc, right? So I think that this young generation, and I mean young generation from like two thousand and twenty on, you can be a fucking adult if you're new out in the streets, you're new out in the streets. They have the dress, they have the slogans, they have the ability to smash things in anger, but they don't have the solidarity. They don't have the the we are a part of a team. They have individuality of like like we've bitched about it before. there's social media leftist quote unquote stars that have been seen autographing dildos and passing these dildos out to the crowd.
Ryan: Mm-hmm. I could I could use a new dildo.
Luis: It's
Ryan: But but it's a
joe: Sure.
Luis: We all could.
Ryan: so I'm gonna I I you want a hot take, you want a hot take from me, and you're all gonna everybody can take it the way it is. I a lot of times I'm gonna blame right now in the modern world, I'm gonna blame Bernie Sanders.
Luis: Amen.
Ryan: Bernie Sanders, like we saw We saw a lot of people who were classified as liberals all of a sudden overnight become leftists because they felt like Bernie Sanders. They it was a new identity. It felt stronger. They felt like they were sticking it to corporate, to corporate Democrats, which is fine. They needed to get stuck to, but the reality is at the end of the day, like with that sort of like. Bernie Sanders is the turnstile hardcore band of of politicians. You know what I mean? Like he's the he's the gateway. But the problem
Luis: Yeah.
Ryan: is, and that's gre and in theory, that should be great. That
Luis: Yeah.
Ryan: should be great. But the reality is, is you don't just get to become a leftist because you support one politician. You know what I mean? And we and we have to admit that Bernie Sanders is lifelong politician. He is not he is not he is against he is against reparations, he's against I mean, he is He's very pro college. Well, why do you want be like he's like everybody should go to college? Okay, that's great for what? Like, you know what I mean? Like, like like college is great. Like, love college, love education, but also like like that a it's ableist, b, it's it's it you know what I mean? People should be able to support classists.
joe: Classist.
Ryan: It's you know what I mean? It's a lot of different things. I watched him tell like a l a young black girl about who asked them about it. She's like, Well, you can go to college and you can become basically college, like I like I'm pro education, but a lot of college is geared towards working working for businesses and working for like you know what I mean? Like it's not really geared towards like like it's it's keeping you in the ruts. And you know what I mean? So like the problem is is like you become like so all these people became Bernie Sanders fans and then they flooded the the leftist market and then you started seeing things like people be like Well, A C A B doesn't doesn't necessarily mean all cops. It's the concept of cops and all the shit. You're like, no, motherfucker. No, it means A A
Luis: No, no
Ryan: A C A B. You know what I mean? Like this is the the this isn't this isn't like,
Luis: It means your uncle.
Ryan: yeah, this means fuck you're all but and w so you see start to see movements get watered down because it's there was almost to a point where it's like this is nothing against like Bernie Sanders as a person or whatever. And like and like I and then personally I think he would be nearly useless as a president because like I like he has great ideas, but I don't think he has he has the moves. You know what I mean? Like the he 'cause he's never really done much about it. You know what I mean? Of course it would
Luis: I mean he's kind of a nationalist too, to be honest with you, and some of his and some of his foreign policy at best is suspect in my eyes. And and is not very leftist.
Ryan: Yeah, and a yeah. Like we're gonna need like two tankies, we're gonna need two you know what I mean? We're gonna need two
Luis: No, but I mean you know, like like like for example, Bernie Sanders has not been very loud either about about ice. He's not been very vocal about ice. He's been minimally vocal at best. He was not vocal about the slaughter of a hundred and fifty plus young Iranian schoolgirls on the first day of this war, right? Bernie Sanders at the end of the day is like you said, he's a corporate, he's a lifelong politician. With a lifelong politician's reasons for existing. Like Bernie can say whatever the fuck he wants because he's got great healthcare. Bernie Bernie's paying his rent this month. How many people do we the three of us here? We can between the three of us, I guarantee we could name easily 150 people that we know personally that we love that are struggling. If we added them up all together, like all the people I know that are struggling.
Ryan: could I could I I can barely pay my rent right now. And I mean like I work a full-time job. I get paid through a number of different other sources outside of work, through comedy, through through book book royalties through like I mean I get paid through a number of different sources.
Luis: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ryan: Live in the cheapest apartment in that I could find in this city, me and my kid live together and I I I still can't pay my shit And and it's like I mean, it it's it's nearly impossible to function as as as a human being right now. And like, yeah, and Bernie Sanders is there. And I do I think in the heart of hearts, he probably does care, maybe more than the average politician. But I think the invite to to to liberals deciding that they were leftists. has like i almost thought it was a psyop you know what i mean like it was almost like like yep yeah and
Luis: Ab I it absolutely was and probably still is, right?
joe: I think it is. I think it is.
Ryan: like we're gonna send this guy and it's gonna make all the democrats look bad it's gonna split the democratic vote and every single time whether it was Ralph Nader or Ross Perot or any of these people that they throw out there every time they throw like that third Like we're gonna move it more left sort of person out there. Like the Republicans have been the right wing, I don't even want to call them Republicans, but they're like the right wing has has has has run through that offensive line. You know what I mean? And like and and like they see
Luis: Yeah, absolutely.
Ryan: that hole and they go for it. And because because the the upper hand will always be on the right wing in this country. A we are a very right wing born country, and also like. Like there is a lot of like arguably comfortable people, you know what I mean, who who have who who are convincing themselves that they're comfortable. And so that
Luis: mean so no go ahead, go ahead. I I wanna ex like bounce off that but go ahead.
Ryan: No, convincing themselves that they're comfortable and also like, you know, and boot licking. You know what I mean? There's so many of those people who are are who are so beholden to to the the propaganda, because we're a heavily propagandized country. I think England is probably the only more people I know from England are who will say like you are taught in your school that England is just the best and the the the cornerstone of society. And here in America, like we are very much taught like nationalistic sort of ideals from from the
Luis: I mean Yeah, no, what you're saying is absolutely right. And and and the leadership, the quote unquote leadership of the American left is in my opinion, it's laughable and it's absolutely harmless. Right? And that's why they are our fucking leaders. Even and like I'm not I'm not sitting here fucking putting anything on my personal agenda, but like even the militant left's quote unquote leaders in this country are Are full of shit and want to support their lifestyle. Right? Fucking we forget that like we support. There's all kinds of great fucking leftist literature out there. All right. Some of it's put out by companies that call themselves leftists, but have the same agenda as any other corporation, right? Which is to make money for your fucking CEO at the end of
Ryan: Right.
Luis: the day.
Ryan: I you know, I think like I mean honestly, like I think like one of the reasons they went against TikTok, I mean, is honestly like guys like Joe. Joe terrifies those guys. Joe is a veteran, Joe is pro Second Amendment, Joe is not a blue haired kid who li lives in his mom's basement. Maybe you do, I don't know. But I mean actually you know what? Living in your mom's basement gets a bad rap. I mean, really, like I mean, like in this modern day, like it's like I don't I mean I d I could never I would lose my fucking mind if I don't live in my parents' basements. But like I like but like let people live where they want to be I mean it's it's stuff out there.
joe: You know, y hold on hold on hold on. I wanna I wanna throw something out. No, hold on. I wanna throw something out. Fuck.
Luis: I've been watching I've been watching the righteous I've been watching the righteous gemstones really fast and just say living in a compound.
joe: That's what I was gonna say. I just wanna throw out there too that like I honestly feel like that fucking living in your mom's basement thing is really a fucking underhanded fucking white supremacist fucking dig,
Ryan: Yeah, it is.
joe: dude. Because at the end of the day, there is so many fucking cultures where multi-generational living, it's just it's a fucking way of life, dude. It's what you do to take care of your parents, to take care of your elders, shit like that. Look at in the indigenous community, look in fucking the Mexican community, look fucking all over the world in other places where. people aren't fucking pale fucking
Ryan: Yeah.
joe: whitey and it's all about
Luis: Yes, but
joe: fucking that multi-generational taking care of your family.
Luis: But see here's here here you're right, but you're also wrong. Cause I think that was a great joke that pointed out a certain type of white guy that does live in his mom's basement, whacking it, like right, fucking on the internet. Fucking that chode.
Ryan: Right.
Luis: Like like fucking and Andy No would be the immigrant version of that, right? or
joe: But he's not, dude. He's fucking rich.
Ryan: Yeah, he like
joe: Right.
Luis: He is and he lives in England now. But okay, fucking Joey Gibson then 'cause Joey Gibson had to pay me with his mom's money. Okay, how about that?
Ryan: That's my that's my fa that's my that's my favorite story out there. I y I'm you know so but
Luis: Like he had to give me his check from his mom's money. Ha ha ha.
joe: I got one you wanna hear you wanna hear one real quick, Ryan, that might top
Ryan: Yeah.
joe: it? Alright, dude, so check this out. Since we were talking about since we were talking about these Billy
Luis: wait, wait, wait. Is it yeah.
joe: Badasses in mom's basements and this, that and the other and all that shit. So no shit, there I was in my heyday of the TikToks when I was all fucking blowing up on there. And I get a message from this fool, right? And he goes, I'm gonna come fucking kill you. And I was like, Alright, do whatever you gotta do. Yeah. And he writes me back and he goes, I don't think you get it. I can tell where you're at from your videos. I'm gonna come fucking shoot you. And I was like, Yeah, okay, cool. Like, I don't think you get it, Playboy. I'm not a fucking nineteen year old kid running around Portland in a ski mask. You wanna come get it, baby. Any fucking time. So he goes, I'll be there on fucking Tuesday or some shit like that, right?
Luis: Tuesday rolls around.
joe: Yeah, Tuesday rolls around. Dude doesn't make it, right? But he is on the fucking news. Mind you, this is a self pr self-proclaimed president of the North Coast chapter of Patriot
Ryan: Mm.
joe: Prayer. And he didn't make it to my house, but he made it to the grocery store not far from my house. And he was fucking around, he was appendix carrying a Glock. I don't know if you know anything about Glocks, but they don't have safeties.
Ryan: I do. Yeah.
joe: Yeah, they don't have safeties. So he's fucking appendix carrying this glock and he's fucking around with it, and it goes Kapow and shoots himself through the dick and into his thigh in the fucking in the grocery store like ten minutes from my bed. And so I was Like, shit, I see this fool on the news, this whole motherfucker. So of course I had to go back to the TikToks because this is where it all started, right? And they made him a video and like fucking tagged him in it and everything. I was like, yo fool, I know you think I'm a dickhead, but not all dickheads are the same and you shot the wrong one, homie. And then fucking he deleted all this shit and fucking left and it was a big funny thing and then I got permanently banned.
Luis: Mm mm.
Ryan: That's so good. that is that's the that is that's that's gorgeous. And he never gets to have any more kids. So good for him. I'm sure his sister's
joe: Yep. Yeah.
Ryan: happy. but it's but really like when you started blowing up on there, you know what I mean? But like you scared the shit out of them, you know what I mean? Like because they they don't want they I've gotten this before too, is they don't know how to deal with dudes that sort of could be them, you know what I mean? Like they're real good at being like brown, blue hair, like colors scare them for whatever reason. But like, you know what I mean? Like it's like but like but like when shaved head white dudes start coming around and stuff like that. It's like it's I mean I'll tell you it's it's a little bit of attack on hardcore too because like they they see hardcore shows being being a place where like leftists ideals are going down. Like you see big ass truck. getting fucking in the in London Empire, getting 10,000 white and Chicano kids to fucking cheer and shit like that together. And you know what I mean? Like it's it's it's it scares them. You know what I mean? Because they I mean it's the Fred Hampton shit. You know what I mean? Like on a different level. It's like they don't want any they don't they they like it a lot better when it's like a certain people that they can demonize. But when it's them, all of a sudden it like You know, 'cause I'll go to Deer Camp and start talking about leftist politics and like, you know what I mean? Like, you know, it's and and those dudes are getting you know they'll these guys wouldn't listen to fo these guys watch Fox News and wouldn't do fucking a don't don't think anything and then all of a sudden you're sitting right there next to you know, with a with a with a rifle and and getting ready to do the thing and you're like, No, man, like fun schools, fuck the police. Fucking you know what I They're Well yeah, you know, all of a they start open in their ears because they're so used to like it coming in a package and it's sad that it has to be like that. But that's the fucking it's like they the so they're terrified of a group of three guys like us coming together and fucking chatting because they don't fucking want this shit, dude. They want it they want it to be fucking fucking, you know, weird ass kids in ski masks on the street that they can fucking paint. But when you know when you but when you just look like a fucking like like a tough dude at the fucking convenience store. Yeah. They're like, fuck. Like that that that that breaks the narrative, you know.
joe: Word.
Luis: I I don't know, here's the thing, but like like while we like I think while it's important to remember the base level street level Chud is a dipshit, there's some smart people behind this insidious fascist movement that's fucking taking us over, right? Like like Joe Rogan is complicit i in this and and like i in indoctrinating young young people. A and and playing on I mean because these racist, they're not the races of like the civil civil rights movement. Those people are dead. These are their grandkids.
Ryan: Yeah.
Luis: Right? These kids come from somewhere. I don't know. Sorry, Joe, I didn't mean to cut you off.
Ryan: I think I mean for me though, like r rate Joe, did you were you
joe: No, no, do your thing, right? Go for it.
Ryan: like so I mean to me like racism has always been like such a spectrum. You know what I mean? Like some people are like, you know what it like it's and like that's the and that works against it. Like everybody in their mind has this one thing that's like a racism, you know what I mean? Like they picture it the real racist guy from the movie, you know what I mean? And it's like and you can really see it when people are like, Yo, well, I have black friends and this and that. And it's like there's like a very small percentage of like racists that will like fundamentally not have anybody in their life of you know what I mean? That's a small percentage of of actual racists. Most racists do know all sorts of people and do it's like it's less about like what you have in your life and it's more about like how you function as a like how you vote and how you politicize and how you how you you know what I mean like you can you can say you're anti racist, but like but if you are like actively like still supporting like racist oppressive systems, you're just fundamentally not. You know what I mean? And so yes, but
Luis: No, I was just like, that's an interesting point, right? That you just said that most racists know people of color because I think it's opposite here in this wonderful little bubble in which the three of us reside in. because I know a lot of leftists that don't know very many people of color, if at all. Right? So I just I just
Ryan: Well yeah. Yeah, that's I'm I'm more speaking right wing people, but like yeah, there are definitely tons of leftists who who are I call it I call it this is gonna be a hot take, but I call it, you know, college bookstore blue collar. You know what I mean? Like where it's like
Luis: Ha ha ha.
Ryan: like where it's like like I'm a blue collar supporter and like and I you know, argue with some people like in the leftist movement about shit and like People don't want to hear it. Like sometimes, like, I've been in part of two unions and they both sucked. You know what I mean? And I'm like, you know, that needs to be addressed. And like, you know, like, like just everybody's like, I want to be in a union. And then you get a union, you're like, I'm now I'm just paying for like a shitty protection. You know what I mean? You it ends up being like a second job. So unions need to be addressed. And you say that, and people are like, don't don't say anything bad about unions. I'm like, no, it's okay to it's okay to say like, you know, like another another situation that even like Like you can join a union and have that union be fucking just simply just in bed with the the other corporation that you work for and shit like that. And like, you know, like there's a lot of you know, it's it's all real easy when you read books about stuff, but when you get out there in the real world and you have to look at why why so many blue collar people so many blue collar people end up being super conservative. And and it is because of a fundamental misunderstanding of leftism and working class rights and like the actual realities of being a working class person. I grew up, my dad was a carpenter, my mom my mom was a cocktail waitress when was a kid. And then she ended up being like doing the books for for a roofing company for my most of my childhood. I grew up surrounded by like legitimately like blue collar my dad still is is, you know, still pounds nails and still does projects and you know and worked himself nearly to death on that. And you know, like I grew up in in in real blue blue collar. And then like you hear leftists who grew up in, you know, middle class means and then and and and then went to college and then like and now are like, well, this is what it has to be. And then are kind of explaining it to blue collar people. And it's it's sometimes it's embarrassing to watch. You know what I mean? Like it's it like there's a reason why there's a fundamental miss. between leftism, leftist movements and actual blue collar.
joe: Word.
Luis: Why did what
joe: And you know, so one of the things too that I want to point out with that is that like with what you said, like it is okay to question the fucking unions and the shit like that, right? Because the first step to making anything better is admitting that there's a fucking problem, recognizing that there's a fucking problem. And for anybody who's listening too, I want you to fucking realize that when you are part of a union, you are the fucking union. Everybody bitches about what unions do or don't fucking do. And that's why they either do or don't want to join them, but they don't realize that the union does what you fucking tell it to do, right? So, like, my union has a fucking shit ton of people. I'm part of one of the largest fucking labor unions in the world, right? And there's a lot of things that happen that I vehemently disagree with. But I can show up and voice my fucking opinion on it. And the thing is, is that Not a lot of people show up to fucking union
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
joe: meetings across the fucking board. So you have fucking a group of twenty people who are making decisions for everybody in the fucking union. Because nobody wants to take the time to show up and put in the fucking effort to fucking change it into what they want. You know what I mean? Because at the end of the day, every single union It's up to the membership to decide what fucking happens. Now, are there ones that are fucking totally corrupt and the fucking the business managers and this, that, and the other do the shit? Sure, right? But even then, per international fucking regulation or national regulation, dep depending on which fucking union you're in, you can call a vote of no confidence. And if there's enough people that feel strongly and you can rally people to show up to a fucking meeting, you can make that change. You know what I mean? So
Ryan: Th I've no and and like it's so fundamentally and I should and I should back off this and say, you know, there are there are some unions that are better than other unions in general. I unfortunately worked, you know, I worked in food and like unions with large large labor pools struggle with leverage. It's just the the way it is. Grocery store unions, fucking like all these they just struggle
joe: Word.
Ryan: with leverage, you know what I mean? Like like the groceries to the US, you know, both Safeway and Fred Meyer in the same union, and they the you know, those people constantly like Safeway does better than Fred Meyer, but like Fred Meyer one year didn't like give out fucking ri raises, they just gave out bonuses, real shitty things that like you know what I mean. So it is about making sure that your union is is doing it, and but there are a lot of people who are Like they're like, I'm paying into this every month, and now I have to do all this shit and I have to do all these things. So whether whether we can change unions and things like that, of course. There are methods to that and there are people who are active in that. I'm just saying, like, the fundamental understanding that not everybody who's in a union
joe: Yeah.
Ryan: fucking loves it, and that it's not just an answer to everything is a miss from from leftists. And it's like, and I'm not here to say anything bad about unions, except for the fact that the unions sometimes Aren't doing much that they need to be doing. And and everybody gets so terrified of even bringing that up. But all unfortunately for the mom who who works in the Midwest, who isn't maybe 100% this or that, and just trying to take care of her kids and do the shit, who doesn't have, you know, is like, why am I paying all this money into something? And that's and that's when like populist people like Trump and shit like that sneak their way in because they Because because
Luis: Right but
Ryan: populism is really good for disenfranchised working class.
Luis: But I I I think we also like, you know, grocery unions aren't powerful because we no longer have a tradition of supporting the working class, right? Not in this country at least, meaning that like people will cross a picket line if it's convenient for them. Okay. So
joe: Yeah.
Luis: you're so your your your gr your local Fred Meyer isn't gonna really feel comfortable out there striking 'cause people are still gonna cross because they need fucking lettuce. Right? They need their organic tomatoes. You know what I'm saying? Because we don't respect them. And like I was just thinking, like, why is it in America that we differentiate? Like when we say working class, we mean specifically white working class. It does the working class, like when we when you say like hear it on the news. Amongst us three I know it's different, but like, you know, in in everyday vernacular, working class means white people. It doesn't mean
Ryan: For the record, the the mom that I was thinking the mom that I was thinking
Luis: The working class.
Ryan: of, in the Midwest, for the record, was Puerto Rican. So I you know, it's okay, just kidding. I I just want you to know that I'm one of the good ones. but no,
Luis: Right, right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not that. I was just I was thinking about the news but like but yeah, like no, we don't respect working class people of any sort in this country, right? Like like fucking I know a lot of cump bag vegans that ultimately don't give a fuck where their strawberries come from. And what they give a fuck about is if they have strawberries.
Ryan: No, and that's the I mean like and as somebody who worked in produce for for a million years, I mean we can we can really get into like if you want to have a big long conversation about agricultural economy, we that would be a whole other podcast. But as somebody who Yeah, but it's but it Yeah well and
Luis: I i i it absolutely would. We and we need to get into that how it's exploitive.
Ryan: also the core the the cornerstone of of pretty much all like of all our problems in this world, like I I mean we can h go on. I've been to the I've been to the banana plantations in Kalima, Mexico. I've been to all this shit. And like and if you really want to see poverty, like the real poverty and and what the effects of a unprotected working class are. I I I ventured anybody to fly to Kalima, Mexico, one of most beautiful places on earth, filled with some of the most fabulous human beings in the existence of of humankind and the the most generous, like like walking through Like walking through Kalima, like people like cooking on the street, like offering you the food and so I just the kindest human beings that like have ever that I've I've ever personally encountered and and a sense of community that that this country could actually just take notes from. and and but the in incredible, incredible poverty that is bestowed on those human beings because your bananas have never crossed, nobody will. Charge more bananas should be f two if bananas went the same price. I worked in produce from nineteen ninety-nine. I worked in restaurants before that. I worked in pr I started working in in natural gro grocery stores in nineteen ninety-nine, worked all the way up until tariffs cost me my job two years ago. and that's a very real thing. The tariff conversation cost cost me my job because it sent a w wave through produce. I was a buyer for a large national company and got laid off with 300 other people one morning. and haven't been able to get a produce job since. if you want to see the the true, true realities of unprotected working class, go to Kalima, walk those neighborhoods, see those people living in shacks, literal, like something like like something like 70% of the world's what they call like endangered poor, like like danger and poverty, work in agriculture. and it's it it is it is it it literally literally a crime. In 1999, organic bananas were 99 cents a pound. If you go into a natural grocery store right now, organic bananas will be still 99 cents a pound. and I will tell you that no CEO, no no nobody else has lost any money. I'm just gonna tell you that in that time period wherever the world is twice as expensive to to exist in. No no nobody with white skin or or kids who have college hopes or anything like that ever lost a penny based on the price of bananas. That price has solely been fucking put down towards the people who pick it. And
Luis: I I I can tell you that the banana wars and the power that American companies had over indigenous people, indigenous communities, indigenous lands to exploit them not only for bananas, but sugar, coffee and the last great sin, which is the cocaine, right? Like look, I'll say here, I don't give a fuck what you do in life, but if you do cocaine, you fucking hate brown people.
Ryan: Yeah, my goodness
Luis: Go fuck yourself. If you do cocaine of any sort, you hear me? You fucking hate brown people. So go fuck yourself. But yeah, the like you said, the poverty that that is still felt in these communities because these exploitation these exploitative systems still exist. Right? Like
Ryan: Man, I used to I used to love doing co I'm sober, but like man, big fat quarter gram bump, you know what I mean? Like you do it at work. Makes you better
Luis: Ha ha ha!
Ryan: at customer service, you know what I mean? Like you get that exhaust. It
Luis: Makes you better at life.
Ryan: just like focuses right in. You're like, I got ADHD.
Luis: I I mean, I've often wondered if you could make like you know, if you could organically grow the coca beans, if you could if you could pay the farmers what they what what they are owed and and source everyth everything ethically, what a gram of organic ethically sourced cocaine would go for.
joe: Ethically sourced organic medical cocaine, dude.
Ryan: Yeah. Yeah. I mean
Luis: Absolutely.
Ryan: like if they were if were passing out free free medical cards for cocaine like they did with weed a while back, I'd go down there and be like, I have
Luis: Ha ha.
Ryan: too much feeling in my face. what do we what do you got?
joe: Ha ha ha ha.
Luis: No but
Ryan: I don't talk enough at parties. What do got?
joe: Yeah.
Luis: But but but you know the horrors that we we endure for that that we inflict on people for our taste buds as as a country and we and and we don't think about, right? Like again, a vegan doesn't give a fuck where they get their strawberries from so long as they get their strawberries. Right?
Ryan: Yeah, you know, I I did some veganism in my twenties. You're kind of a punk kid, you know what I mean? I'm a hardcore kid, so you know, you dabble in that shit. And it really did become like A, I fucking hated other vegans. So I really hated telling people I was vegan. Like there are so many, like there are so many vegans that just used it around me. And there are some fine ones out there, very much so. Mostly hardcore vegans were actually okay. Like hardcore kid vegans, not hardcore vegans. You know what I Like people like it. Well
Luis: Yeah,
Ryan: Well people from
Luis: no, like hardcore
Ryan: the hardcore community who were vegans were actually less annoying than just like vegan vegans because they were just simply using it as a like weird look at me sort of thing.
Luis: Bro, and then it's branched out to so many weird fucking things like raw foodists can get fucked, bro. If you're like a fruitarian and you're the fucking type that fucking
Ryan: Right.
Luis: only eats what fucking falls down from the tree, go fuck yourself. Like seriously.
Ryan: Yeah, I it it's just it's
joe: Ha ha ha
Ryan: just like it's and at the end of the day, it's just all elitism and you know what I mean? And like it yeah, and it's like you
joe: That's the thing.
Ryan: you get to be choosy about your food. You better fucking thank you better be pretty fucking thankful every day that you get to be choosy about your food. Because like it's pretty it's pretty like working in food, i it's like w we're all pretty fucking close to like absolutely food collapses and nobody even understands. how easy it is for for something to just to just
Luis: it
Ryan: happen. It's like you know, and it's just like with tariffs and all that, nobody really under just grow shit that's in America. okay, well I what do you you better like eating salt come come February. You know what I mean?
Luis: Yeah.
Ryan: like it's like I it's I don't know what to tell you. You know
Luis: I b I believe we're on the verge of the Great American famine. Like
Ryan: Well, I mean like yeah, it's
Luis: I think I mean we we we we see I mean we're a country that fucking grows way too much corn and fucking soy and wheat anyway, right? We don't we I mean we can't feed ourselves anyway as as a nation, right? I mean we have the landmass but our farmers don't fucking they grow these ridiculous crops. Not enough to feed ourselves. We have fired Or let's be honest, we haven't fired. We have deported and put in cages a whole labor force that we depend upon to get your fucking I I mean, I don't see one white dude at the slaughter f I don't see one dude named Todd at the slaughterhouse.
Ryan: I I I you know like it yeah, it's it's
Luis: I don't see a Tristan.
Ryan: it's it's actually pretty it's pretty incredible. Like so like Oregon strawberries. so we have like you know like dip like different types of strawberries. And unfortunately like so like transient labor like works in California and they're still in California when the Oregon strawberries are Are being picked. So there's nobody really to pick them. So they're all being sent to sense. So when anybody's like, we'll hire Americans, it's like they can't hire Americans in situations that like they have to have they have to grow through cycles. So many decisions are are made on actually having people pick stuff. Like they people don't even understand that like it's like it's like we're already short. people. Like you can't we can't get people to Oregon in the spring because they're the fruit there's still enough work in California to keep them there. So getting people up here is really fucking nearly impossible. So they they come up after that season's done for other things, but they miss that part of the season. So that pretty much all of those Oregon strawberries just get sent to jam because because you know because it's just they're because they can pick that with a machine. Not by hand. You know, so it's like we we live in this situation where it's like, you know, that people just don't understand because like they have this thing in their head where it's like, hire Americans and buy American and stuff like that. Like that ship has sailed. Fucking like if you wanted to save the American car industry and not buy Japanese cars, that shit would have had to stop in like 1980. You know what I mean? Like like yeah, I mean, really
Luis: Before that, bro.
Ryan: when the Japanese cars hit the market. And we we w and we did have bad trade deals and shit like that. But now like there's more jobs and fucking is and fucking coming and going than there are in American factories. You know what I mean? So like
Luis: I mean Amer American factory jobs only really existed because we bombed every German and Japanese factory into oblivion, right? And when those started to come online in the seventies, like you pointed out, with the fucking oil embargo and stuff, I mean, I don't know if you guys are old enough to remember fucking the long lines of gas in the seventies with the oil embargo here for that happened for a minute.
Ryan: Not bad. I'm not bad all.
Luis: I'm barely old enough to remember it. So but like it was I remember it being a thing. I remember seeing people lined up. I remember seeing it on the news. we are fucked. And if we don't find something better real, real quick, we're super screwed for for endless reasons. Cars, fucking food, And I worry about that we have a whole generation of anti fascists that fucking without their phones couldn't get to fucking seven eleven boys.
Ryan: Yep, yeah.
Luis: Right? Let a
joe: So that's a that's a thing, right? It's it's also it's this weird fucking demonized thing I've noticed amongst the left, right? Because like I was a commercial fisherman for most of my life. Like I know how to go fucking find, catch, kill, and process, and prepare fucking seafood better than anybody than either one of you have ever met. Guaranteed. Right? I also fucking hunt. I know how to go fucking hunt deer or elk or pigs or fucking birds or whatever. And I also know That's everybody thinks like, I'll just go fucking shoot. They don't understand like the the whole entire process after you fucking process
Luis: How you gonna address it, yeah.
joe: after you after you fucking kill an animal. There's a whole bunch of knowledge that needs to happen. But that knowledge is like demonized by a lot of people on the left, right? That's viewed as the fucking redneck shit with the fishing and hunting and the fucking this, that, and the other. And it's super fucking weird to me. And when I say I
Ryan: Yeah, they they don't they don't understand the com
Luis: It's because they
joe: want to point out when I say the left, I just want to point out real quick. When I say the left. I don't mean like the fucking legitimate left, but all these people who are claiming that I'm a leftist, I'm a leftist, I'm a fucking this, I'm a that. Like, nah, dude, like you're fucking dumb is what you are.
Luis: No, I think Ryan pointed it out earlier. Yeah, the the the guys that are like like I'm not gonna say his name, but he's a cuntbag and he knows I fucking hate him, but he calls himself a second generation anarchist. Right? Like like this is the problem. And and and I think Ryan pointed it out earlier is the difference is that you have a whole bunch of people, right? That went to college and are educated, but then want to turn around and tell a whole working class that they're doing it wrong.
Ryan: Yeah.
Luis: All right. Whatever it is. That they're they are too smug in in their arrogance and that they know better than fucking all of us. And and these leaders are rooted in every town and community in the United States. And they say that they're not racist. But fucking the litmus test for calling a white person a racist, let me tell you, is just telling them that they're racist.
Ryan: Ha ha ha.
Luis: Fucking right? Like like nothing will make a white anti racist, and I put that in quotations, fucking more angry than if you call them a fucking racist. The people that are real with themselves will look at you and be like, Yeah, you're right. How I'm fucking trying, bro.
Ryan: Yeah, and that's and that's it. It's like it like if you think and I and I've said this forever, it's like I don't it's like I also don't like call myself a feminist. Like I s I strive to feminism. You know what I mean? Like I get up every day and and I I wanna be b I wanna I wanna work towards anti-racism. I wanna work towards feminism, I wanna work those sorts of things. But like to believe that like to to like say that you're not racist or say that you're a feminist or something like that, it's like Like it just takes you out of damage control. And it like, you know what I mean? If you think that if you think fucking thousands of years of indoctrinization. That still is so rampant in our society, just ends at your toes, you are a fucking idiot. You know what I mean? And like you just already have it fucking figured
Luis: Mm-hmm.
Ryan: out. Like if you don't see things daily that like that that trigger like like pattern recognition in your brain and things like that, this isn't like something you just get to decide one day. You know what I mean? This is like something that takes work, it takes effort. And it you know, and it takes like and it takes like a understanding that sometimes that is uncomfortable, not even just as a white person, but just as a
Luis: Yeah.
Ryan: a man, as a the that that this is that we are are fundamentally a flawed culture, and to believe that I'm not part of that for any reason is is is is a mistake and
Luis: So so sh
Ryan: dangerous. You know what I mean? More and more I think it's more dangerous. I think it's sometimes
Luis: So what you're saying is absolutely right.
joe: But
Ryan: it's more dangerous. Than the the active racists who are like, No, this is I'm a piece of shit and I know it. You know what I mean? Like
Luis: Amen. So story time.
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
Luis: Really f short fast. So Joe and I were we were what we called ourselves farmers. Okay? We felt we we met a group of fucking white people. White, white, white, liberals, slash, progressives. And and and they tolerated me and Joe. Right? Like
joe: Well.
Luis: so like like and because no one talked like to them or about things that in a manner that we do, right? we also took fucking w we had battle shits one day on a fucking live stream where we took shits at the same time and we're like,
Ryan: Okay, that's just for sure.
Luis: hey, taking a shit, hey, take so these people had never seen anybody like us, right? And so they thought we were cool and neat and hip, right? With the things that we said. And we felt good about it. Like Joe and I were talking, we were like, hey, we're we're we're doing it, bro. We are fucking we're
joe: Are crops looking good?
Luis: we we're farming these white
Ryan: huh.
Luis: people. We were stroking each other off, Ryan. Right? Fuck, bro. Like two farmers jerking off in a cornfield. Anyway
joe: I will say real quick though, just as an interrupt, there was one out of the two of us who was very apprehensive about the whole thing, like, I don't know, man. These people are fucked.
Luis: Okay, you're right, bro. And I was real, I was real Joe Farmer. I'm not even gonna lie to you. I was fucking goddamn Jan the Appleseed, okay? Fucking I'm like, we are
joe: Ha ha ha.
Luis: doing it, dude. We're building crops. Like like we were playing Farmville. And and here's the thing. They went along with us. They were, bro, they were. We got them to fuck voting. Fucking there is no wrong way to protest. Fuck the police. ACAB means everybody. They were along the line. Ask me where we lost them. Like the whole fucking group.
Ryan: Where
Luis: White women, bro.
Ryan: Yeah.
Luis: Because in the American fucking left, white women are fucking Schrodinger's fucking oppressed class. They are both oppressed and have a shit ton of fucking power. Right? I have seen white women cancel black dudes for using words that are prevalent in the fucking black community, but because white people find them offensive, you're dunzo.
Ryan: Right.
Luis: Get the fuck outta here, bro, right? Like
Ryan: And it it it's
Luis: who was next to fucking old fucking Adolf Eichmann? Fucking Mrs. Eichmann, bro. Fucking
Ryan: yeah, it's it's it's it's hard because like because it is like a Schrodinger's cat it well it is like and I try not to get battle battle oppressed class because women are clearly oppressed. And there is a and there is a problem
Luis: Absolutely.
Ryan: within leftist community that and I'm dealing with it right now where Everybody's can be real, real fucking amazing about like everybody's an ally and everybody's anti racist and everybody's this and that. But then their friend fucking has allegations. I'm dealing with a couple people right now. Their friend has an allegations or beat on or beat on a woman, you know what I mean? And like everybody drags their feet because it's their homies. And so like it's there's like the there's two sides of it, 'cause there is two sides of this. Like w white women can't just sit back and and like And sadly, like I hate to invoke the because I'm a comedian, I hate to invoke the the turn the name Bill b Bill Burr, but like he did have a great piece on white women like just sitting in the fucking hot tub with us. You know what I mean? Like it's like it's like
Luis: Okay, so he did, and I love that piece. That's why he came up with like Mr. Zikman. But you know what? And and I talked to Joe about this when we brought you up. So thank you for bringing him up. Okay? Because here's
joe: Ha ha ha
Luis: the thing. The American left's hypocrisy is found in the acceptance of Bill Burr. Okay? And before I say that, let me let me let me look. Dave Chappelle, okay, is past his prime. His fucking, in my opinion, like w his observations on race have always been dead on. But that's about it, okay? His take on trans fucking the community, fucking anything wrong. Let me fucking go ahead and say that, okay? But Bill Burts hold a trans joke too. About a UFC fighter fucking, what's he what's he says, what's he gonna do? Beat me with his dick, right? But yet we But the American left embraced him, never had any setback suffering of his career. His career only continued in an upward trajectory.
Ryan: Sure. I mean, I mean there's no there and there's no doubt about it. And I'm not a you know, I I mean I I I I am not a I I'm not a pro Bill
Luis: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just wanted to say that
Ryan: Burr guy. I do think that that that bit was funny. And I do like that that as a g as a white guy who is married to like he's a white guy who's married to a black woman and has black kids, that he does use that platform to be like kind of vocalized. like that intersectionality which is which is which is rare. So he can be both things like Dave Chappelle, which is like Dave Chappelle's like race talk right Dave Chappelle i as a stand-up comedian is the most overrated stand up comedian of all time after Bill Hicks. But like but like people just invoke Bill Hicks's name. And if you sat down and watched a Bill Hicks special you would be like you know like and like
joe: Yeah.
Luis: Yeah,
Ryan: And Chappelle
Luis: yeah, yeah.
Ryan: is the same way. Chappelle has one of the greatest comedy specials of all time, and that's his first one, which is Killing Him Softly. Nobody ever talked about the time the fact that though he was in Hollywood for 10 years before that. And I have this weird conspiracy theory that he's actually a a psyop. But anyways, that's a whole different conversation. But but like that they sent him
joe: Yeah.
Ryan: out to to to muddy the waters, and and so to speak. You know, so like of you know of conservativism because Because the great thing about fascism is really all you need to do is hold up one tent pole. You know what I mean? Like you don't need it's not like leftism where we need to be kind of like across the board working on things and being better because we have such a massive amount. They just need you to go over there and be like, okay, you're gonna be anti-queer. Fundamentally, you're gonna be anti-queer.
Luis: Mm-hmm.
Ryan: because even if it's not just trans, it's like queerness gets gets wrapped up into that and this like conservatism. things like that. So they just need him to go out there and hold up that tent pole and speak to a community that that you know can be conservative sometimes socially but like but his joke about what is 15 really is really one of the most brilliant jokes of all time you know what I mean like it's about a 15 year old Elizabeth Smart he's who was kidnapped and like you know and she was like taken a mile from home he's like mud bus stop you know what i mean like i think that was funny and but then talking about a 15 year old black kid who like who murdered a kid playing basically horse playing and how the the different reactions that and that is one of the most brilliant joke writing ever to his trans jokes which are just dumb as fuck you know what i mean not only are not only are they not
Luis: Dumb as fuck.
Ryan: only are they morally morally incorrect but also just bad joke writing and so like it
Luis: They they're they're they're not funny.
Ryan: It's just like you know, like for whatever reason, Dave Chappelle thinks that trans people are still funny like we did when like people like a lot of people did when we were fucking twelve. You know what I mean? And he can't get over that and now is is so entrenched in that that it's become like harmful.
Luis: I mean
Ryan: You know what I mean?
Luis: I I I guess for me and and I agree with you, but I guess for me the problem is is that if you are a person of color, okay? So Look, how many white sexual predators have gone down? Like really boys. Like
Ryan: No yeah.
Luis: right? Like like big big ones, right? But Bill Cosby, fucking Puff Daddy, R. Kelly. And I am not saying that these people are not pieces of shit. I am in no way defending these fucking human beings, right? Fucking but the list is endless, right?
Ryan: I mean everybody hates everybody
Luis: like Mike like like Mike everybody forgets Mike Tyson was a goddamn rapist, right? Fucking and and an abuser. He fucked up Robin Givens too, gave that woman a black eye, right? But like so cool, all these people should be in jail, absolutely. But when the fuck are the white predators gonna go? When are the like when are these aerosmiths gu like Aerosmith, Def Leopard, fucking all these dudes?
Ryan: Who I well, fucking people that don't want to talk about fucking sacred sacred fucking cows that nobody wants to fucking talk about. Fucking David Bowie. I mean David Bowie fucks 14 year olds, you know what I mean? And dressed like a Nazi for a while. Yeah, you know what I mean? It's both Yeah, it's exactly.
Luis: He was a fucking fascist. Yeah. Suzy Sue.
Ryan: So you have all of these things. Yeah. It's we could Yeah, I could talk about that, like the the support of the things like that. Yes, I am I am not a pro Bill Burr or Honestly, celebrity c comedians as a as a working comedian is just like just nothing I'm into at all. I work with some great I work with some amazing people who have decided not to become celebrity comedians. you know, like Kyle Canaan and things like that who are actually good dudes, you know what I mean? And who have just not decided to become celebrities. And so like, you know, so it's a different thing.
Luis: Hey, while we're naming shitbag fucking alternative people, just let me put this on the record. Hey Pat Schmeer, if you're ever listening to this, you're a piece of shit too. Go fuck yourself. And your fucking band. Fuck you, the germs. Fucking get the fuck out of here. Anyway,
joe: Ha ha ha.
Luis: I fucking hate that band. Fuck fuck that band, bro. Fucking
joe: Alright.
Luis: how anyway, but hey, so let me ask you this. Who's your funny fucking Who's your funniest comedian right now? Who besides yourself, who do you fucking really fucking find it going on?
Ryan: God, I wouldn't I would never I I think I'm the worst comedian in the world. it's that's how art works. people are like, become an artist. Hippies were always like, be free, become an artist. No. Real artists hate themselves and hate their lives. That's that's just it's just got it's just never fun. It will never be fun.
Luis: Okay, wait, can it can I can I like some of my work? But I mean I'm on board with hate myself and hate my life, but I do like some of my work.
Ryan: Yeah. You can like some of your work, but I just always think something can be better. That's just like the broken part of my brain. Yeah.
Luis: Fair no, no, fair enough, yeah, absolutely. Who makes you laugh right now? Who tickles your funny bone?
Ryan: God that Rory Scoble. I would say go watch the Rory Scoble's special last year. I can't remember off the top of my head is fucking amazing. I opened for Roy Woods Jr. in downtown, which is like one of the highlights of my highlights of my life. and
Luis: That dude is funny.
Ryan: just was such such a fucking good dude to like such a you never know how people are gonna you know, you're gonna meet these guys and how it's gonna be and you know, he had seen my tape. A friend of mine sent me his tape who who had worked with him when they were young and and he hit me up and he was like, man, I love your stuff. And just to hear that from that guy was like just like one of those moments. so I don't think Roy Woods Jr., his specials are all real good. You know, it's such a tier, you know what I mean? But like I would do Rory Scovel, Ben Roy's special hyena is on Hulu. It's it's super good. He's a great guy. He sings for two good Two like fun punk bands. He sings for a hardcore band called Arson Charge and he sings for a kind of like party punk band called Spells, which is just a super, super good time. Ben Roy, great dude. Bailey Pope, she's a friend of mine. She's a hardcore kid too, trans woman. We just toured the Midwest together and she's great. I got some exciting stuff coming up this year that I can't announce yet, about working with people. But yeah, that's kind of where Eddie Peppitone is amazing. Maria Bamford is a is amazing. Maria Bamford is like is like a just like such a savant of comedy and weirdness and art. Like she's like a pure artist. So I would go, yeah, Bamford, Judah Friedlander is pretty amazing. his crowd work stuff is you guys probably recognize him from being on 30 Rock. he was
Luis: Yeah, Judah's pretty funny.
Ryan: Yeah, he's I like his I like his crowd work shit. It's pretty funny. yeah, it's weird because it's like a tier. You know what I mean? I think John Mullaney's an amazing joke writer, Taylor Tomlinson's an amazing Taylor Tomlinson is an amazing joke writer. like she's like a five tool player. She she might be like truly like the best right now at just like joke writing, delivery. Her shit is so like it's hard to watch it and not like and go tell your stupid jokes supply so you know what I mean? Like you're like you're like,
Luis: Ha ha ha ha.
Ryan: fuck. so yeah, that's that's kinda like it's hard when it when people ask me that, I'm always like, okay, well you better be prepared. Get get a pen pen and paper. but you know, but yeah, I strongly suggest everybody check out Bailey Pope has a special. I think it's on Prime. It's called also known as and then Ben Ben Roy has a special on Hulu called Hyena and I would strongly suggest both of those.
Luis: Nice. Nice. you hopeful for this country, bro? Let's switch gears up again now. Right? Like you got y yeah.
Ryan: Am I hopeful for America? No. I mean, I I I mean I don't I don't like I just think there just needs to be a f such a fundamental change that like and I don't think that there's ever gonna be like a band-aid to like switch it. I think there are a lot of really great people in America. I really do. And but I don't the fundamental changes structurally that would need to ha need to happen and the ideas that need to change are were so I will be impressed. The amount of revolution that would need to occur is going to take i i is is a thing. I mean, we're gonna keep fighting for it. We're gonna keep doing it. I'm not a fucking I'm not you know, I'm in what I call post cynicism. You know what I mean? Like I'm not even like cynical about it all anymore. It just is what it is. You know what I mean? And like I don't know, what do what about you what do you think, Joe? You think you think America's got a future? Yeah.
joe: I don't I mean it's it has a future for sure.
Ryan: Well, yeah, I mean.
joe: Is it one that I is it one that I like? No.
Ryan: Yeah, and then yeah
joe: No.
Luis: Stop line, you're always really hopeful when we talk, Joe.
Ryan: Ha ha ha.
Luis: You're like you're like vote blue. We're getting behind the dims this time.
joe: totally. You know me. So you know what, dude? I wanna I I do I so I read something the other day and it made fucking perfect sense to me and it is why I'm not fucking hopeful, right? Because fucking at the end of the day, white supremacy has such a hold on the fucking United States that it's not gonna fucking change. There's no fucking way that it's gonna change, right? So the thing that I read the other day was that Republicans are racist. And secretly gay.
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
joe: Right? Democrats are gay and secretly fucking racist.
Ryan: Right. Mm-hmm.
joe: And what you know, and and and I I truly fucking believe that shit, right? And obviously there's outliers in both of those fucking groups. But at the end of the day, I watch what is Perviewed as the American left, which is the Democrat Party when you think about it on the fucking on the mass talking scale. It'd be the Democrats, the Prov Progressives, Liberals, things like that. they don't really want things to fucking change. They don't really give a shit about what's happening. They care about the optics of it. And I say that because if we look back in recent history, look at Obama, right? They go, well, Obama fucking deported people, but he gave everybody due process. There were American citizens that were deported under the Obama administration. So if everybody had their due process, how were Americans being deported? You know what I mean? They just but it wasn't open and in the streets like this. It hadn't boiled over into fucking white suburbs. So it was just neatly swept under the rug, and we don't really have to fucking think about it. Right? That's what that's what the the American left fucking wants. They don't give a shit about the the atrocities that are happening as long as they don't have to fucking face it. And that's where.
Luis: God damn it, you're right.
joe: That's where I don't see a future because while we want to rally for change, there's so many people where it's just it's all a fucking fad. We're fucking cattle. And the people in charge view us as such and their right to do so. Look at the things that have been revealed in the last year. Bunches of our fucking powerful fucking people in this country are fucking kids. What's come of that? Absolutely
Ryan: Nothing.
joe: nothing. Right? Then Ice is in the streets fucking murdering people in broad fucking daylight. What came of that? Absolutely fucking nothing, right? It's time to focus on the next thing. Look at this thing. Look at this thing. shiny thing over here. And we just keep going in every fucking direction that they lead us and forget about the fucking past. I mean you don't forget about it, but you definitely don't hear people talking about the Epstein Files or fucking ICE or Gaza like they once did because it's not the
Luis: I mean you're not
joe: fucking cool thing anymore. And I think that social
Luis: Right.
joe: media plays into this so fucking bad so badly because so people who have a platform on social media who have hundreds of thousands, millions of fucking followers, right? That are on the left. They're big, bad leftists, this, that, and the other. They have that platform because they are, as Luis stated earlier, harmless. And the right wing views them as such. So they're allowed to continue on. Like when I had my shit, I blew up and I was fucking canceled immediately. Fucking I'd start a fucking profile, fucking boom, fucking gone. Gone.
Ryan: Yeah, you had to go through. I you kept vanishing and then like a and then like a new TikTok would show up on yeah, it would be so so funny.
Luis: I mean but but you guys are
joe: But
Luis: both are not wrong because like I mean look at Portland guys. Look at where we're from. We're from little fucking Beirut, right? We're a town that fucking there were wars here in this town that every we all know about. And here's the thing, and now look at ice. Fucking there's a Patriot fucking corner at Ice, Ryan. That they allow like like back like Not that far long ago when we took it over in 2020, the right wing did not have a presence in a seven fucking block radius.
Ryan: Right.
Luis: You know what I'm saying? Because they got fucking handled. There's a reason Proud Boys don't come to our streets. Well, they used to not, right? There was a reason why fucking boneheads, how many bonehead crews starting with East Side White Pride bit the dust here? Volksfront bit the dust. Eastside White Pride bit the dust, dude. Fucking All of those boneheads that are still around, they're fucking hiding under
Ryan: Right.
Luis: rocks. But not now. They're creeping out because this new generation of leftists sucks.
Ryan: Yeah. This has been fun, guys.
joe: I think it boils down to rugged indiv rugged individualism.
Ryan: It does.
Luis: Alright you guys, so it's sounding like fucking Ryan's gotta wrap it up. So you know what? We're fucking out of here.
Ryan: Mm-hmm.
Luis: Thanks for fucking listening. Ryan, we can't have you hang up until we fucking do the whole hundred percent
Ryan: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Luis: thing there. Joe, talk to you soon, Joe.
joe: Yeah.
Ryan: You guys could guess. fucking fuck the police, fight
joe: Likewise.
Ryan: the power. Fucking go support good comedy. it's out there. yeah.
Luis: Get one of Ryan's books. Buy one of his horror books. Watch his movie. You know?
Ryan: Yeah. You can watch you can read my horror books if you want. Just be prepared if they're not fun. They're violent.
joe: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Luis: They are scary.
joe: Ryan, thank you for thank you for coming on, my man.
Ryan: Absolutely.
joe: I fucking appreciate you. And we'll fucking see you guys next week.
Ryan: All right. Mm-hmm.