I'll be 100% honest and answer as many questions as you guys can throw out. I'll give you, let's say, 2 to 3 hours. But ask me questions for me, not for other people. I won't tell you which of my friends have cheated on their wives or girlfriends, but just about anything else. Why would you even ask that? Ask shit about me, not my dirtbag friends. And I mean, ask whatever you want. Ask me about standup in general. Ask me for romantic advice. Ask me about sports. Ask me about my own standup. Ask me about your chlamydia. I don't know. There's a shitload you could ask. You think of the questions, idiots. And I'll answer all of them. 2 to 3 hours. The more fun I'm having the longer I'll go.

My new special, "Double Negative" is now on Netflix

I have a podcast called Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank

Here's a story of me having a weed scavenger hunt at the Mall of America.

I have another podcast called Punch Drunk Sports

Proof: Twitter post or

The same exact post but on instagram because Twitter is dying

Comments: 786 • Responses: 73  • Date: 

MrSadaka211 karma

Hey Ari, congrats on your new special man! From what I've gathered listening to you and JR's podcats, I really dig your outlook on life. I have a question and then something to share with you.

Of all the places you've visited while backpacking, which place could you have definitely moved to if you wanted to?

Also! I made an animated short yesterday to go alongside a portion of the podcast titled "Ari And Joe Go On A Hike" - the part where you and Joe come across some rocks that look like animals.

Have a good AMA and keep doin you man!

AriShaffir148 karma

I posted it on twitter hours ago. Good job. DM me your paypal and I'll send you $20.

Your_Aunt_Jemima99 karma

Okay then... So what exactly happened between you and Comedy Central that led to them having Roy Wood Jr. host your show instead? I'm really bummed out we're not getting anymore Ari Shaffir & Friends TINH stories. And I don't live in the US so I can't go see your storyteller shows.

Is it as simple as CC being pissed because you sold your special to Netflix instead of them, or was there more behind the scenes?

Second question: Any plans to do another Asian tour? I had heard that you were possibly doing a show in Hong Kong back in May but that it didn't pan out. I just moved to HK a few months ago, would love to be able to see you do a set here.

AriShaffir101 karma

I'm not an executive at Comedy Central so I can't tell you what was in their minds. That's a question you'll have to ask them.

But know that if it were up to me, I would have done the show for them forever.

Your_Aunt_Jemima4 karma

Fair enough.

Any plans to tour Asia again? Namely Hong Kong?

AriShaffir45 karma

I'll be back in Hong Kong eventually. That was one of my favorite comedy scenes in the world. Just about everyone I knew is now gone, but I can't wait to meet the new people and go on another junk boat excursion.

Man, I forgot about that junk boat. Some fan had given me one hit of acid. So I took it on the junk boat without telling anyone (never tell people you're on psychedelics. Why would you want them staring at you) and I layed on my back in the water and swam around some jellyfish. Great god damn day.

shroomfactory24 karma

Would you share some insights you got from the mushrooms?

AriShaffir118 karma

Damn. There's so many.

I'll give you a couple.

1) We're all meaningless. In the grand scheme of history, we are a blink on the timeline. A blink. So I took that to mean I should live what makes me happy before I'm dust.

2) I can tell people what I think about them when it's a good thing. I was holding it back too much. After my first real shroom trip, I sat in my car on the way down and texted Chris Fairbanks to tell him that I thought his delivery style was really unique. Things like that. Why keep it to yourself.

There are hundreds more. These are just a deep one and a simple one.

AriShaffir66 karma

Fuck it. Let's start early.

eddie_jr32 karma

can we expect to see any more AMAZING RACIST videos? those were epic!!!

AriShaffir64 karma

Hahah. Thank you. I doubt there'll be any more of those. They were great. They got me a lot of death threats, so it's my biggest win as a troll, but I didn't want to become defined by them. So who knows. Maybe way way way down the line. But don't hold your breath.

_Amarok57 karma

Have you talked with Leeann Kreischer since your infamous Instagram post? If so, how did the conversation go?

AriShaffir76 karma

I'm nervous as fuck. There's nothing that scares me more than an angry woman.

AriShaffir51 karma

Ok, you guys. Thank you for all the question. I think that's it for me. Please watch my special on Netflix, subscribe to my podcast. And if you like any of them, you'd be doing me a great service and paying me back by telling as many people as you can about what you liked.

Thanks!

MoesBAR40 karma

Is Tom fat or is Bert fat?

AriShaffir98 karma

They're not mutually exclusive. #botharefat

LBK939 karma

Hey Ari,

I've been writing stand-up jokes for about 6 months now, but I'm having trouble mustering up the courage to get on stage. I think I have about 5 minutes worth of stuff I think is good enough for an open mic. How long did it take you to go from the thought of "I want to do stand-up" to actually getting on stage? I'm 19, and I'm afraid that the longer I wait, the more I'll psych myself out. Do you have to embrace the fear and doubt, or is there anything you can do to (somewhat) eliminate it before doing your first open mic?

Really enjoyed your new special and your cock's recent podcasts appearances.

AriShaffir107 karma

This is something I get asked a lot. My answer is to just set a date, maybe a month out or 3 months out. Whatever. Find an open mic and set yourself a date when that open mic is happening. And then tell people that you'll be doing an open mic on that date if that'll help drive you. You don't (and shouldn't) tell anybody to come. Just set that date and stick to it. You will be nervous. But once it's done you'll have already started standup.

standardalias36 karma

Have you and Henry Rollins spoke since your podcast? I have been a fan of his travel stories for years and am glad he rubbed off on you a bit more. I would love a follow up podcast where you catch up on your travels since the last episode. Maybe like a yearly chat session kind of episode.

AriShaffir49 karma

That's a great idea. We e-mailed once or twice. But then when I went off the grid I lost touch completely. I'll give him a buzz to see how he is.

DrinkingBathtubGin35 karma

Ari, what's the most savage thing you have done out of revenge in your life?

Also, loved Double Negative and it was the first special I got work friends to check out. They loved it too. Thanks for your world view!

AriShaffir206 karma

Thanks! I'm glad you liked my special!

One time I waited for a year after my friend ratted on me. Waited till he thought I had long since forgot about it. And then we took a trip to San Diego. Super fun couple of days. And then I left him there. Drove back to LA on my own and left him a note that said "rat" on the outside. On the inside was a photocopy of the letter he had written ratting me out a year before. #neverforget

baldostuart18 karma

I think I speak for everyone when I ask, what did he do?

AriShaffir50 karma

He ratted on me for doing what I did to Bobby Lee's car. Even though he's the one who did it and I just helped.

I just looked for the clip of what we did. It's the last 19 minutes of my Passive Aggressive special. If you find it, share it. If it's in the whole special, please make a standalone clip of it.

jiujitsu_Jedi31 karma

Why did you quit Jiu-jitsu?

AriShaffir64 karma

Because I kept getting injured and catching ring worm (twice) and staff (once).

colony2630 karma

Could Rogan REALLY take on 12 twelve year olds in hand-to-hand combat?

AriShaffir95 karma

The more I thought about it, the more I realized he could. He'd have zero mercy. I've rolled with him before. He doesn't have a half speed. He'd kick 3 of them in the face hard and then punch another without stopping. Then he'd pick up a rock and bash a kid skull in and throw another off a cliff. It would be brutal.

Cael_of_House_Howell31 karma

I wish someone would animate this like they animated you and Joe looking at that elephamt/lion rock

AriShaffir21 karma

Hahahah. Good call.

RobbyZero29 karma

Hey Ari, I opened for you at Helium (Philly) a few years back. You, Ian Karmel, and myself. That weekend you were hiding "treats" for fans under seats before the show for them to find. Do you still do that or was that more legal trouble than it was worth?

AriShaffir36 karma

I still do it. But only when I'm coming from LA. Now that I live in New York, I'm not as keen to fly out with edibles. Nor do I have access to pharmacy grade and professionally packaged stuff like I did in LA. But, yeah, I still do it once in a while. It's fun as fuck watching everybody run back and forth around a comedy club while the managers wonder what's going on.

LSU_Tiger_162 karma

What "treats" though?

AriShaffir7 karma

Edible marijuana. It was in the form of breath strips at that particular club that time. There's a story that talks about it in the bio of this AMA.

Cael_of_House_Howell28 karma

Hey Ari, first off loved the special. Fucking pregnant from a tinder date?!

Anyways, I wanted to ask what it was like for you losing your religion. I grew up in a pretty religious family and have become pretty agnostic over the last 5-10 years. Im not really atheist, because who fucking knows, but I really don't believe in the traditional idea of religion. What was it like for you and did it put a lot of strain on you and your family?

AriShaffir113 karma

It put tons of strain on me and my relationships with the people in my life. I only knew orthodox Jews. It was the hardest thing I had ever had to do at that point and my first real decision as a man.

But agnosticism, that's just immaturity. You only say "who knows" because so many other people believe in it. You're not saying "who knows" because you've seen some studies on it but you're not quite convinced. There's zero proof the other way. And yet you're letting them off the hook only because there are a lot of them. Well, there are a lot of rapists but you wouldn't say "maybe they have a point" just because there's lots of them. Make your own decisions. Grow up. You know the answer.

POCKALEELEE25 karma

Why did you start your post with a 3?
Will you buy me a pizza?

AriShaffir26 karma

Hahah. I don't know why that starts with a 3.

Oh! Because that was the 3rd thing I had to give them to set this up. proof, my reddit account, a description, and a bio.

POCKALEELEE14 karma

What about my pizza?

AriShaffir27 karma

Good follow up. If I see you when I'm about to buy a slice, I will.

AriShaffir91 karma

A SLICE, though. Not a whole pie.

SeedlessJam25 karma

Mr. Schaefer,

Who would win in a fight? Tom Segura or Burnt Christhairs?

and why?

AriShaffir68 karma

I believe Tom would win. While Burnt outweighs him considerably, Tom is the only one of the two who has boxing experience. And Christhairs main move is his laugh, which I don't see him being able to properly use as a weapon.

oldirtywalrus23 karma

Was the omission of the J in Luis' name in your special on purpose just to fuck with him?

AriShaffir52 karma

I have no respect for that J. None. When I got him to sign a release form to allow me to use his name (because of past problems I've run into) he said yes on the condition that I use his middle initial, too. I outright refused.

And this "doggie" thing he's got going right now is even worse. Fuck Gomez.

eqt18 karma

What was the biggest difference between playing sports with orthodox Jews and regular people?

AriShaffir50 karma

Injury timeouts were far more frequent and lasted considerably longer. #pussies

mspyer30 karma

Regular people don't offer to prep your taxes for you after you own them.

AriShaffir20 karma

Hahahaha

erictheold17 karma

Ari, fellow depression sufferer here. You are an inspiration to me as someone who has found their way to happiness after a brutal depression. Are you still medication free? What helps more career success or doing what you really enjoy?

AriShaffir121 karma

Depression actually helped me find career success and the ability to commit to doing what I really enjoy. Not the other way around.

I hope you get better, dude. I know how much it sucks. I just lost a friend to hanging and I think I could've done something if I knew how bad it was.

Try to take in some sun every day. Like 15-30 minutes of direct sunlight. Every day. And stay on the medication until you and your doctor are ready to go off as a team. And when you do go off, challenge the people in your life to stay up on you and to tell you when or if they think you're starting to slip.

I'm sorry this is happening to you.

onelapse16 karma

Do you think podcasts are hurting standup? I know they are helping build an audience. Many comics are great podcasters but their stand up falls flat. I think you balance them both well but can see that you focus on standup as your craft and leave podcasting secondary.

I'm mostly talking about the newer generation as well, the comics that never put time in but launched a hip podcast idea and sell out shows but can't craft a full set of good material.

AriShaffir28 karma

It's a touch question.

What we're talking about here is comics who are way too undeveloped on stage to be where they're at in their careers. The same thing happened with some of the roasts. It elevated features into headliners. That doesn't hurt standup, that just exposes audiences to standup who are less developed than they'd normally be exposed to.

On one hand, though, people leave those shows thinking the whole art form isn't that great. So that does hurt the perception of standup.

On the other hand, those people bring in new audiences to shows. People who would normally never have seen anything. And they'll then be fans of the craft and many will see other shows. So that's really great for standup finding audience members.

But you're right. A lot of comics focus on podcasting and any time you shift your focus, the thing you shift from is gonna lose out. So I've seen good comics fall prey to podcasts. The same as I saw good comics fall to sitcoms. The same as I saw good comics fall to family. It's tough to focus on multiple things at once and not many people (myself included) are very good at it. So for me, standup is always number one. And then I let other things fill up the time I have left.

Chtorrr15 karma

What is the very best cheese?

AriShaffir48 karma

Whatever rubs off the bottom of my balls in the morning after I play basketball and then go right to sleep without showering.

zeddamous15 karma

When you were in Southeast Asia, what did you use to find hostels without bedbugs? Word of mouth doesn't seem like it would be trustworthy enough.

AriShaffir57 karma

Legitimate question. There are two sites. Hostelworld and Agoda. Both have reviews. And word of mouth actually does kind of work. A bedbug rumor is the worst thing that can happen to a hostel and when it happens, word spreads fast. Like chlamydia around the Comedy Store fast.

mikeosteenstra17 karma

Would you rather have bedbugs in your apartment for life or herpes?

AriShaffir37 karma

Daaaaaaaaaamn. Good question. I think with bedbugs, you'd actually be way less likely to get laid. So maybe the herpes. It's not like there's other people out there just living with bedbugs and not doing anything to rid themselves of it. Yeah, for sure herpes.

cavscout438 karma

There are two sites. Hostelworld and Agoda. Both have reviews. And word of mouth actually does kind of work. A bedbug rumor is the worst thing that can happen to a hostel and when it happens, word spreads fast.

Yep, used those and Hostelbookers as well. If the site has a robust review system, you'll likely be fine.

Backpacked SE Asia 4 times now, nearly a month's length each, hit every country in the region and yet to see a bed bug. Some of those mosquitoes can be unforgiving however...

AriShaffir13 karma

The mosquitos suuuuuuuck. You gotta wear long sleeves overnight to protect yourself and then it's 88 degrees at night so it's impossible to sleep.

AriShaffir28 karma

Also, my friend Sean Hebert gave me this advice. Before checking in to a hostel, ask to see the room. And then lift the corner of the mattress up. If there's bedbugs, you'll see them scatter there. If you see that, get the fuck out. Don't look back. Like Pacino in Heat.

staceylala13 karma

Danish and O'Neil said you pretended to have a video of Carlos Mencia doing something onstage but wouldn't say what it was (on Bert Kreischer's podcast). They said Mencia was terrified you'd do something with it. What was he doing on stage??

AriShaffir20 karma

It wasn't when he was on stage. It was something he did off stage. I tried filming it with my old LG EnV phone but I couldn't it to record fast enough. But he thought I saw him and recorded him and he lost his mind. Hahahhahha. I love trolling!

iHerby12 karma

Would you rather watch Bert and Tom make fatsex or never travel again?

AriShaffir36 karma

Fatsex. But I'd pay to watch that so it's not a good would you rather.

Princeherman5112 karma

Who would you Marry, Fuck, Kill? Steve Rannazzisi, Big Jay, Bert

AriShaffir61 karma

Marry Steve (nicest home), Fuck Bert (softest ass), Kill Big Jay (worst taste in music).

JennyBun857 karma

But you said you really like the newest Avenged Sevenfold album!

AriShaffir21 karma

Jay just left it there! A signed copy and he just left it there. Most disrespectful reaction to a birthday gift I've ever seen.

CUZNGEORGE11 karma

Watched Double Negative the day it came out - really enjoyed it, I'm a big fan - have met you a few times around LA and you've always stopped for a quick conversation, so thanks for that.

I too am a big fan of camping/mushroom trips, and you've mentioned going to Malibu Creek State Park a few times.

Have you been inside the watertower there? It's accidentally one of those soundwash/resonators and is my favorite place to end up doing mushrooms at.

AriShaffir11 karma

That sounds awesome. No, all we did was hike to find the abandoned MASH set. And we failed at that. So we just walked and walked and then walked back when the sun came up.

bear_melon11 karma

what was the last quality prank you pulled?

AriShaffir65 karma

When I was in Nashville, Bert Kreischer showed me a really big check he had just gotten. He hadn't been home yet to cash it. And he was really proud of the large dollar amount. We were all hanging out in his hotel room. And he came over and was like, "check this out!" and handed me this massive dollar amount check to look at.

So I tore it into a hundred pieces.

rarelikesteaks6 karma

How hard was it to get another one made??

AriShaffir90 karma

Who cares? Fuck him.

ryanman999200311 karma

How long does anal bleaching last?

AriShaffir40 karma

It didn't last for shit (so to speak). And all it did was make the rest of my asshole look extra dark. Like the villagers in King Kong when that white lady got taken captive.

Yes, that is how I'm describing the look of my asshole after one anal bleaching session.

thesnides11 karma

What was your favorite bag of bets that someone, you included, had to pay off on Punch drunk?

AriShaffir22 karma

I loved loved loved Sam sucking a fart out of my ass.

But the one that sums up what the bag of bets is all about is Thibault having to watch every episode of Whitney in one sitting.

-Kilgore_Trout-11 karma

Hey Ari, loved the specials and your podcast is one of my favorites.

Ive got 2 questions.

What is your favorite podcast to go on as a guest?

Who is your favorite stand up comedian of all time?

AriShaffir24 karma

As a guest, hmmm. That's tough. Lately I had a really good time on Your Mom's House and The Dollop. But also I love going on Diaz's. And Tigerbelly was fun getting Bobby Lee to do one of the craziest things I've ever seen on a podcast

And for favorite standup comic of all time. (I hate the word favorite. It's too exclusive). But for one special, Sam Kinison was fucking perfect. One special. Then it went to his head and the rest of his career served as a warning to me on what to avoid.

And then currently, I'll never miss the chance to watch a set from Bill Burr, Dave Attell, Rory Scovel and Kurt Metzger.

Who are your all favorites?

fridayfan1310 karma

Would you do more hiking podcasts with Joe? Maybe with a gopro? camera? It was a great podcast!

AriShaffir13 karma

Of course I would. What a fun podcast and a beautiful hike. I found equipment from Bobby Kelly that'll let me do it wirelessly with lapel mics. So we don't have to worry about distance or tripping over cords.

DontMakeMeAuditUrAss6 karma

You mentioned going camping with Bobby Kelly and Big Jay on a the skeptic tank with Bobby, are you going to podcast on that trip?

AriShaffir7 karma

I'm sure.

Kirranium10 karma

What do you think is the best part of South East Asia to visit?

Also, I think your podcast is great.

AriShaffir22 karma

Thank you. I don't think you can say there's a "best" part. It comes down to what you're into. Thailand has a way bigger party scene than Myanmar, for instance. So if you're into partying, I'd go to Thailand. But Myanmar is far less mapped out. So if you're into exploring, I'd say Myanmar.

Each country is its own thing. And the experiences you have will depend on your attitude, who you meet, and even things like the weather. So find some place that interests you and realize that no matter where you choose, it'll be the right place because you'll be traveling.

Bonjojongo10 karma

Will you be on Duncan's podcast anytime soon?

AriShaffir20 karma

Yes. Very soon. In August for sure.

Petworth_dude8 karma

Hi Ari - I'm a fellow U. of Maryland alum and current DC area resident. I haven't heard too much about your time in College Park, so I'd be curious to hear of any funny stories or things that happened to you there. Also, would you ever consider doing stand-up at UMD? I know at lot of comedians are avoiding colleges these days but it didn't seem too PC while I went there from 2006-2010, and during that time we had a lot of great people come in like Aziz, Big Jay, Kurt Metzger, Dave Attell, Greg Giraldo (RIP), Jeff Ross, Jamie Kennedy and Bob Saget.

AriShaffir43 karma

I never thought colleges were too PC either. And when I went to Maryland, it was the 2nd most diverse college in the country.

I wonder if a lot of that "kids are too PC" talk is from out of touch comedians who don't know how to relate to a younger crowd. And sometimes they blame that on political correctness.

Here's an example. I used to play these teen tours at the Improv. Other comics hated it, but I loved it. The room was full of 14 and 15 year olds. And I would get absolutely FILTHY. Just the dirtiest sex talk and crowd work I could think of. And the kids loved it. But when I did a joke about fucking in the shower, it'd always fall flat. Now, that's not due to political correctness, because it's not any more correct or incorrect than any of the other sex jokes. But it involved a more detailed sex move. A sex move that a lot of those virgins couldn't even wrap their heads around. So it baffled them.

I actually really want to play some colleges so I can see for myself. There's definitely a thing going on where a lot of people at universities will try to silence seemingly opposing viewpoints. But there's also another thing at universities that gets almost no press. A bunch of college kids who want to hear really funny material. They just don't write angry blogs about it. I was one of those kids. I love Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. I liked things that walked the line. There are those kids at school and I'd venture to say they're actually the majority. So who cares what an angry blogger writes? I'm here to entertain the people who want to be entertained.

Newdeegurl648 karma

Have you seen Norm's special?

AriShaffir9 karma

Not yet. What do you think of it?

zenahcim7 karma

Were you worried at all about offending anyone with kids? My girlfriend's brother just had his second kid and he lives in a tiny apartment and works two jobs to barely get by so we didn't congratulate him because his "decision" was dumb and of course he got mad. Do you think we are wrong for that? My uncle never had kids and his life seemed awesome because he followed bands around with his wife but he became a terrible alcoholic. His wife left him, he lost his job and ended up drinking himself to death a few months ago because he felt he had no reason to live. I often think that maybe if he had children he would have found a reason to live. What do you think? I don't have kids but most of the people I know do and I made sure to recommend your special to all of them so thanks for being the voice of humerous reason.

AriShaffir10 karma

That's alcoholism. The same disease that makes people lose their families. So I don't know if that would have saved him. I mean, his wife didn't have kids either and she was fine. I don't think having or not having kids was the problem there. No more than having the money to follow bands around was the problem. Are you gonna blame his job for his death?

GivesDecentAdvice7 karma

All of your travel shenanigans have really made me feel attempting to go on my own adventure. It's completely possible if i just save 20 bucks a paycheck or so for half a year. I'm going to try and make it happen ! I really enjoy the content you put out. There is something so genuinely unique about you. Where would you recommend traveling to in the future? What would you recommend to someone who doesn't know how they want to spend their time doing things before they die?

if you ever need inspiration, i recommend the series tengen toppa gurren lagann, its a lot at first, but worth it.

AriShaffir44 karma

You'll probably have to save more than that. $20 a paycheck is $500 a year.

I'll refer to some paraphrased advice from "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts. Once you decide you want to travel, stop by EVERYTHING. Make no new purchases. Every shirt you don't buy puts you closer to being in some faraway place. Every lunch you pack from home gets you a little closer to crazy foreign street foods. Every pregame session and snuck in flask put you that much closer to drinking a local beer in a new country.

You can save way more than you think. But you gotta stop making all purchases. And spend as little on recreation as you can. You can save up thousands like that in no time.

And you could go to SE Asia for 4 months on $5,500. Guaranteed. Flights included.

So do you want that or the new iPhone?

Have fun on your trip.

coonlover4196 karma

Hello Mr Ari. You have always been seen here and elsewhere as a horrible person. I'm saying this from podcasts that I've listening too and personal stories from people who have met you. Examples being You screaming at fatman on lunch drunk sports , punching bobby lee in the head , not paying Tommy Buns for the bet you set with him and also you making Whitney Cummings cry. With all this being said you also have your annual shroom fest. My question is are you still this horrible person that people make you out to be or have psychedelics changed you and these traits being something from the past ?

AriShaffir23 karma

Hahah. I'd say a lot of that "horrible" stuff is misunderstanding of the details from people who weren't there. That mixed with me almost never defending myself to people I don't know.

But if I was really such a horrible person, I feel like more comics would have stopped being friends with me, no? People like Bobby, Buns, the fat man, and Whitney would avoid me instead of laughing with me. Right? Or no?

I've generally found in life that when someone does something and my reaction to it is "That's crazy" there's almost always details I didn't know about. Because generally people aren't crazy. Generally they're all pretty normal in some range. So when something doesn't add up it's because not all the inputs were included. Next time you hear a woman say "He just started screaming at me for no reason" think if that seems likely. Was she talking about a deranged homeless person? No? She was talking about a normal guy? And he started screaming at her for no reason? Sounds fishy.

But I used to believe that stuff at first glance, too, so I don't hold it against anybody.

Cael_of_House_Howell3 karma

He didn't Welch on the bet btw they talked about it on Berts podcast.

AriShaffir6 karma

Shhhh. If you tell people that, they'll stop thinking I'm a horrible person.

shpongolian6 karma

If your name wasn't Ari Shaffir, what would it be?

AriShaffir9 karma

That's a question for my parents.

maybeUknowtheanswer5 karma

What's the best thing a fan can do after a show? Worst thing? Buying the comics a drink, asking for pictures, etc? What do you love and what is annoying/downright awful?

AriShaffir14 karma

Don't care for pictures. They're so impersonal and it's just annoying to have to line up and fake smile over and over and over. I know people want a picture, so I do it, but it's not enjoyable at all. My brain completely shuts down and I lose an hour of my life. But I do it for the fan experience.

Heavy handshakes are pretty great.

Ster0iddz5 karma

Were Tom's fans really outside your door and did you really trap yourself in your closet?

AriShaffir11 karma

Yes. They were merciless. I feared for my safety for weeks before I snuck out of the country under the cover of darkness.

dearhero5 karma

Hey Ari, what's the most fucked up sexual experience you've ever had? Also while we're on the subject: your balls. I've heard you talk a lot about them but have never seen them, please post a picture of your balls.

AriShaffir14 karma

Can't. Reddiquette.

Gonzofu4 karma

Any word on you being a guest on Norm's show? It would be so cool.

AriShaffir7 karma

Oh, man. That'd be great. I love him.

AriShaffir13 karma

Well, I like him a lot.

WeirdWelland4 karma

Who created the concept and art for Revenge for the Holocaust? Brilliant.

AriShaffir5 karma

Kevin Christy and I came up with it together in his car on day. And he illustrated it because he's great.

Mygauze4 karma

I had a vasectomy at 23. I am 26 now. Best decision ever. Super easy. Nearly painless. Covered by my insurance. Why havent you gotten snipped?

AriShaffir8 karma

Waiting for an appointment to open up with a 5 day window of when I'm not going to be doing anything strenuous or having a bunch of sex.

hdean1734 karma

Have you ever taken a heroic dose of mushrooms (> 5 grams), and, if so, how did it change you? Also, how seriously do you take psychedelics? Are they recreational for you, or more of a serious sacrament? Thanks, and love the new special!

AriShaffir6 karma

I never take them seriously. The mushrooms or acid decides when to take me seriously. I just take them to have a good time and once in a while I go on a journey in my mind that changes me. No plan.

WellRespectedMan4 karma

Any new bands/albums you're listening to these days?

AriShaffir17 karma

Gimme some.

Right now I can't wait for the new Arcade fire to get on Piratebay or Spotify. But I've really fallen off in the last year or so.

Ask Nick Youssef for a playlist of new bands. He used to be my go to for finding new music. But then he got radicalized and now he won't help Jews any more because he thinks they're all zionists.

lylethecrocodile943 karma

Hey Ari, love the podcasts, especially punch drunk sports which i recently got into. Just was wondering what the worst thing you've had to do as a result of a bet was?

AriShaffir5 karma

Getting a nipple pierced. Wearing Nick Youssef's sock that he came inside of. And wearing a diaper for 24 hours with no bathroom breaks and only 1 change allowed.

Koongh3 karma

Were you the "class clown" in junior high?

AriShaffir6 karma

Yeah. All through grade school and high school. For sure. Got me in a lot of trouble, too.

JeffTheJackal3 karma

Do you think you'll go back to the Edinburgh festival again?

AriShaffir8 karma

For sure. It's the saddest thing I'm missing this year.

But I was just gone for too long already and I want some time at home. If the Fringe was in November, I'd for sure be there. It's one of my most favorite things in comedy.

I'll definitely be back next year. Both with my solo hour and my Ari Shaffir's Renamed Storytelling Show. No name yet for the solo hour but last year I did an American style hour and next year I'll be doing a UK style hour that's all about Judaism.

For this year, though, my one recommendation is to see Sean Patton. It's his first year there and he's gonna KILL!

mikeosteenstra2 karma

Hey Ari! I'm a huge fan of the pod. Interesting topics and guests and your intros are always entertaining. Because of the podcast, I know that you're in to skiing (or snowboarding?) and you seem to make a point to go somewhere cool each season. I make a yearly trip from Rockville, MD (oh yeah, I live near where you grew up) to Vail/Breck/Keystone but am curious to hear what your favorite mountains are and what kind of riding you're into (trees/bowls...). Also, do you have any places you go to on the East Coast? I'm a big fan of Jay Peak up in Vermont and think it's well worth the trip.

AriShaffir3 karma

The back bowls at Vail are one of my favorite places on earth.

But I loved Zermatt, and I loved the half day I had in Whistler before I broke my ankle.

This year I think I'll go back to Switzerland and I think I'll try skiing Utah for the first time. And then finally get my revenge on Whistler.

International_Cow1 karma

What the situation with you and comedy central like now?

Also any plans to get to Scotland anytime soon?

AriShaffir3 karma

I'll no longer allow people to put me in a position where they can pressure me to do what goes against the best interests of my art form. That's where I'm at in my life.

And I'll for sure be in Scotland in August of 2018. For the whole run of the Fringe. My agent hates that but it's the best thing for me and he can't pressure me so we're all good.