AND HERE’S MODI
AND HERE’S MODI is an inside look at the man behind the microphone. Hosted by comedian, Modi (@modi_live), AHM features a raw and unfiltered side of the comedian rarely seen on stage. He always finds the funny as he navigates the worlds of comedy, trending topics, his personal life and spirituality. AHM is co-hosted by Periel Aschenbrand (@perielaschenbrand) and Leo Veiga (@leo_veiga_).
AND HERE’S MODI
Mike Vecchione
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Episode 81: Comedian and writer Mike Vecchione joins the AH"M crew and discusses his new special, 'The Attractives', the difference between 'filthy' vs. 'dirty', and Modi calls out some un-Moshiach like behavior.
Follow Mike on Instagram at @comicmikev.
For information about upcoming shows visit www.modilive.com.
Follow Modi on Instagram at @modi_live.
Catch-Up Conversation With Comedian Mike Vecchione
Modibanyak gracias . Welcome to And Here's Modi . Today's episode is sponsored to you by A&H Provisions Meat and hot dogs that are so good . Even goyim understand how amazing they are . It's the next level of Kosher food and the website is KosherDogsnet . Hi hi and hi hi . Welcome everybody back to And Here's Modi . We have a repeat guest , a close friend , a good friend , one of the funniest comedians that I think , joke writing for sure It has a special out now , mike Vecchione . Welcome back to the podcast . Thank you for having me , buddy , it's so good to have you here . Thanks for having me And Periel's here . Hi , we're wearing only at the Concorde t-shirt . Do you know what that is , or no ? No , it's a hotel up in the Catskills And it was the hotel when the Catskills was on fire .
ModiYeah , that was the hotel And it was , believe it or not , the first hotel I've ever performed in . I was there . They're closing their closing weekend .
ModiI was the opening act for the singing group , and the joke I had was you know , they gave me the room . By then the rooms were like garbage . Right , they used to be like this , used to be like the hotel , but then the rooms were garbage . So I opened the show with hi , it's good to be here . I checked into my room . I called the manager . I said hey , i got a leak in the sink . He said go ahead . That was the opening joke at the Concorde hotel . And here you are with the Concorde hotel shirt . Okay , but much has happened since then .
PerielI'm so excited to be here . I feel like I haven't seen you forever .
ModiI know It's been a while And I haven't seen you for a long time .
MikeWell , to give some historical background , we used to I see each other in the city all the time . Yeah , Okay , we used to perform at the cellar all the time .
ModiWe still did it .
MikeI was up before them , we're just busy , you know , Right , just busy , and other stuff , And there's more rooms So you might go to the room around the corner and not see the person who goes to the other room . Like you know , there's all kinds of contingencies And we used to train together Boxing training . No , Yes , we did boxing training together . I'm sorry , it was very tough . The boxing training Look , I'm not , the boxing training was so tough . I wrestled for years Like I know what , like I wasn't that good , but I know what a tough workout is And this workout was very , very hard . It was us .
ModiIt was me , mike Keith Robinson , keith Robinson who organized Marina Franklin and then a few variables that came in and out .
PerielWhere was this ?
ModiI was on a on Broadway and I've got believe it or not , it's called What The F ? Jim ? No , right , yeah , work , fight , train . Word Shout out to them Work , fight train . It's not the name of this podcast studio .
PerielIt's not hysterical , it's not work fight train podcast but it is what ?
ModiW ? Yeah , and it was , it was great . And then we used to go to the cellar and have lunch Yes , and then it was just a vibe .
MikeThis was before like pot , Everybody's like busy during the days now doing their clips and doing podcast and all stuff , And it was like I mean , it wasn't that long ago really . It was like what was it ? 2015 , 2014 ?
PerielYeah , oh , wow .
MikeBut , it was like , but it was like around that time , so none of this existed . It was just like we would , you , would , you would , you would work out during the day . we'd go to the lunch afterwards and then we go to spots .
ModiWhat a life , huh , and now we're sitting podcast clipping videos editing .
MikeIt's no way to possibly do that again , believe it or not . There's no way to possibly , because coordinating everybody's schedule for that , everybody's working on their own brand during the day now .
PerielWhere can people ?
ModiSorry , sorry about the call You . Okay , i'm fine , i'm covering . No , i'm not , i do not . I did the test . I do not have COVID .
MikeHave a variant at least . No , anything you could share , nothing nothing Come on .
ModiOnce in a while it gets a cold .
PerielSpeaking of brand , where can people see your special Jesus ?
MikeAll right sorry , it's on YouTube . And what's it called The Attractives ?
ModiLeo and I sat and watched your special and we died . It was so good , not because we know you , but because the delivery I know his delivery is amazing . The way he can wait for the joke , the way he can take a pause .
MikeI'm like I could never do that . I couldn't . It signifies what I'm doing in my career .
ModiNo no , no Something to happen .
MikeCome on , you want one of the . I'm appealing to your fans right now , waiting for something that happened .
ModiThey love you . Please , mike Vicky , on , make sure you see him . The Attractives , the Attractives , and it's soft and you talk about your relationship .
MikeYes , my girl . Yeah , we went to Her parents live on a farm in Indiana . So I do a show in Chicago and then fly and meet her and her parents in Indiana And I'd never been on the farm before . It is a no joke farm , it is a functional farm . Anyway , they were having a I'm doing a joke about . Farm problems are different than our city problems . There's a tree on the neighbor's property and branches keep falling on their property , so it's kind of like a farm on farm beef , and so they're having a problem and they're like they have to call in a tree surgeon , which I find is weird that the tree has better healthcare than I have .
ModiAnd it's hysterical .
MikeAnd it's like I was trying to suggest a show business solutions . They're like should we cut the tree down and split the cost ? I'm like how about Osempic ? Maybe the tree's fat , it needs to slim down a little bit . Hilarious .
ModiLiterally , and the timing , and it's so good , i know You have posted that . And the fact that you did some of your act on the show is so amazing . Usually comics won't do that , but you know , i've been watching old Johnny Carson clips and the best ones are when the comics just do their act . Even at the couch Drown rivers , rather than danger field , don Rickles , they sit there and just do their act .
ModiAnd they're not like I was in a vacationing in Hawaii . No one cares Do your act And you do your act . Who's the crowd And do her ?
Perielparents come to your shows . Have they been to your show ?
MikeThey like the specials . Specials are like it's like whatever , anybody could watch it , So they watch . It's quite a pitch .
PerielThe specials , whatever anyone can watch it .
MikeIt's great , but anybody you know all age groups , whatever could watch it . So but I don't , i don't , i don't say I don't pitch it as clean , because because clean comedy has a stigma of being corny .
ModiBut you don't curse , you don't drop F bombs and S bombs .
Speaker 2It's clean . It's clean . That's what it's like .
MikeBut if I say it as clean , then people automatically think it's corny and they're like I'm not watching , It's corny . It's like it's not corny . You can't survive in the New York clubs being corny . Right , Right .
ModiI'm not sure I'm agreeing on this whole path . I am clean and known to be clean and I don't curse . Yeah , i'm at the seller , at the comedy cell . I'll drop sometimes and do you know when I curse ? when I try new material ?
MikeI have a new curse , yes , but , but maybe that's you're just working it out in the city . Yeah .
ModiYou take it out on the road . It's not corny to not curse . There's amazing comedians that don't curse . Well no , and they're not corny , right , but so you can't , really it's not corny .
MikeAnd corny , yeah , i'm just talking about like the perception of it . Okay , When fans see that if you pitch it as clean comedy , they'll go , that's you know , i like stuff that's a little edgy or right , and then they immediately won't even watch it . So I say it's , you know , it's just , it just is comedy . And then , once you know , they don't even realize that it's not dirty .
PerielRight , so , although I find that some people really don't like cursing , I don't know , but first of all , I like I'm dirty , i curse .
ModiShe curses and filthy and in the whole thing I'm not filthy .
PerielI'm dirty . I don't think I'm filthy .
ModiOh really , There's a difference between filthy and dirty .
MikeYes , there's a big difference between filthy and dirty , just like there's like Christian clean , which I know is offensive to you guys Christian clean and TV clean . Remember TV clean . Like for Comedy Central we used to do Comedy Central . It's like do TV be TV clean ? It's like , oh , you just can't be . You can curse , but like you can't , they can't be graphic , sexual , Exactly .
PerielI really do think there's a big difference between being like filthy and being dirty , and actually I just did a show at a synagogue , no offense , um to you . And they said But at the last minute they're like , oh and , by the way , periel , we're gonna keep this like PG-13 , just that of respect for the fact that we're in a synagogue . And I was like not doing the show . No , i'm just kidding . I was like , okay , no problem .
MikeBut don't you love it when they tell you that last minute . I know They don't know any better , I guess , but it's like , Well , they should right , Yeah they can't , you can't tell somebody that last minute . That has to be a stipulation before you , way before 100% In this .
PerielI completely agree . In this situation it wasn't a big deal , but I was like , oh wow , i thought of you And I thought you'd be proud of me , because I really kept it like pretty clean for me , not like squeaky clean . But Okay , But in the in those situations , so it can be done .
ModiIn those situations , usually you get a phone call . I call it to keep a clean speech . You get a phone call You know my manager , everybody handles whatever it is And then right before the whoever the head of the organization is the rabbi or the president or whatever the wants to speak with me To tell me that it has to be clean . So I call it the keep a clean speech . But what always comes with the keep a clean speech , there's a disclaimer . They go you got to keep a clean , but not for me .
MikeYeah .
PerielNot for me .
ModiI want to hear your regular stuff , as if my regular stuff has a pole and two dancers , it's always clean . But he has to be like keep it clean , Yeah .
MikeYou know , cause he doesn't want to get , he'll get letters . He'll get the heat Right , he'll get the blame Yeah he'll get what to complain about .
MikeBut I always find that the person , like your manager , whoever books the thing , like they have to have the awareness enough to set the tone , to be like it's going to be this , this , this and this . Because if you don't , then they kind of they don't book comedy shows , they're an organization that does something else , so they don't know what they want . They're like we want it a little bit clean , but not really filthy and edgy and dirt , but a little bit edgy , but not like all right , dude , we'll handle it . Like if you want to completely clean , make that known , but like you can't , you're just like and then that people have a thing where they're like we'll have you , we'll have a musical act , we'll have you , we'll have a musical act . It's like yeah , it's not the way people will be up getting cocktails while you're on . It's like that's not the way it works . And no disrespect , they don't know how it actually works , but we are in this business So we know . Like it's not music , you need somebody sitting .
ModiWe've discussed this so many times , have you ?
Perielreally Yeah , I and I .
Navigating High-Energy Acts
ModiIt's in my contract and it's called performing , doing comedy in a place . Comedy is not meant to be done . So we're not in a comedy club , we're not in a theater . You're in an event , whatever it is . For you it's like the union , some union , Knights of Columbus , knights of Columbus , whatever it is , where it's a . You know they're having a dinner , they're having whatever it is . Well , it's a synagogue , but it's not meant to be done . And the person hiring you saw you at a theater or a comedy club so he thinks we're gonna recreate this here .
ModiBut you're not , it's not a comedy club and they have food and things in front of them .
Speaker 2They're busy , they have things .
ModiSo in my contract it literally I mean the food has to either be cleared or there could be no wait staff on the floor . That's great , because if a juicer's a waiter , in the middle of the show .
ModiSir , anybody need anything here ? Water . You need some more water In the middle of the show , so you have to , yeah . And then the music and the sound and the lighting . There's a whole way to do it . I make a change in the lights . I make a change , just so they know there's a different thing happening in the room . It's great . I'm working ballrooms with a thousand people . Yeah , it's great .
MikeIt's you gotta , you gotta , but yeah , you're already dealing with high ceilings . That's a thing , that's a disaster . Yeah , you know what I mean . It's like important to have low ceilings go to acoustics , the sound being like loud You project anyway , like you have more of like boom . Like you know , you take it over , which is something You did really have to focus .
ModiYeah , i will scream at them to put them together , you just like . Here's the jokes Are you in or are you out ? Yeah , and they're amazing .
MikeYou know the thing . We did a gig together and it's like everybody . You know we all did okay before Monty's closing , so we all did okay . But then he went up and just like took the room over .
ModiThey didn't know the room . oh my God , Yeah , it was a country club . When is this It ?
Mikewas like a country club , it was like a ballroom , whatever . It's like me , ryan Hamilton . I remember we were like two guys who went before you and like we did good . You know we did , okay , you know We did good . But then Monty went up and like took the room over .
ModiIt was Alpine Country Club or one of those expensive country club right there , where is it ? It's in New Jersey , right over the bridge , but like big , rich neighborhoods , chris Rock lives there And it was a country club and it's just rich Jews . It's all it is , and they get a dinner and they get a show .
ModiAnd they got him and Hamilton , and then you And they booked all of this And they , like Ryan Hamilton , just looked at him and go where did they find this guy ? Where did they ? they couldn't find somebody more guayish than this .
PerielOkay , but Ryan's used to performing in front of thousands of Jews . He opens for Seinfeld all the time .
MikeNo , this was before that .
Speaker 2I love it this was the last time you were here , i knew that I knew the routine .
ModiThis was my audience . I went up there and you know we had killed it . Listen .
PerielI have learned so much from being able to hang around with all of you guys who have like 25 years more experience than I do , but one of the most like profound lessons I think I got was when Bobby Kelly was saying that somebody like me , the best thing that could happen for somebody like me is to go up after he does his show right . He's like there should be no more check spots .
ModiOh yeah .
PerielYou should not be dropping checks during when you guys are up . Afterwards you put somebody else up and let them eat shit for 15 minutes .
MikeYou have not have to fight the checks . Yeah , but that's no , but it's . But that's really good if that's a fair play . It's a fair play if , like , you're following somebody like Bobby and there is no checks , and then you go up and then it's like you don't have to worry about the distraction ?
ModiNo , there are checks . Oh , there are . She's talking about in a comedy club , or not ?
Perieleven in a comedy club in like a theater not in a theater , but okay .
ModiIn a comedy club . the conversation was that sometimes it's better you make more money at a comedy club than in a theater . and you go to a town But there's a check . The reason you're making more money there is because the club's making more money selling drinks and food . So there's a check spot at the end . So he does his 45 and then brings on for the last 10 minutes somebody to just die While they're doing the checks .
PerielAnd so I thought of it , because I had to do it last night . I hosted two shows for Frankie French who was taping her special . So we said no checks And then she did an hour . I don't know if you guys have ever seen Frankie . you must have . She's unbelievable . And then I went up there for like 15 minutes .
ModiI just ate it .
PerielIt was great though . It was such , it was amazing .
ModiIt's called eating your balls .
PerielIt was really good .
ModiBecause , you look like you have a pair of balls in your mouth going . I want that , I want that .
MikeBut , that does build a muscle , As far as creatively yeah , what it does . Creatively , it doesn't help . Stage presence why ?
PerielBeing able to take over a room . That does help . That It did help because what I did was is I just did crowd work the whole time .
ModiOK , so in those situations , when I was in those situations , i was focused on the only people focusing on me . There's always one table that's still with you . Yes , focus on them . The whole other room could be a mess , doing long division on their checks , but you have one table listening . Focus on them and do it . The other exercise that you're exercising there is knowing your act and knowing where . Imagine doing your show in the living room , where you know where the jokes come , but you just do the act and just do your timing , even though you're not getting the laugh on the spot . That sounds so beautiful .
MikeAnd then , as more people stop paying . you're pulling the more people in .
PerielYeah , That's the hope of it , even though that's a tough thing .
MikeI like the idea of somebody going up and murdering . The crowd is tired , they're shuffling around But there is no checks , and then you have to go up afterwards and try to get them into your energy , that's unsyndistic .
MikeBring them into your energy and then kind of like they're not with you at first And then I don't like it , but it's a good exercise . Yeah , Turn them , start bringing them in , bringing them in , and by the end of it you have them And it's like wow , you walk off stage And , even if nobody else knows it , you know it .
ModiYou know what you did , right Right , first of all , i would say OK , so now we're talking like so it's a muscle to build , but you don't want to follow someone with crazy energy , do you ? No , i just thought You wouldn't want to follow Jessica Kiersten .
MikeBut , jessica , i followed her on stuff like for like Letterman auditions or Tonight Show auditions when they were doing it . But it just depends on the room , like Gotham's a room that opens up a little later in the show , and she went up and murdered like the way she usually murders , and then I went up afterwards and they were primed , so it actually worked to my advantage , Oh it worked in your favor .
ModiOk , ok , but sometimes you're right .
MikeI mean she just destroys , so completely Right . But it's a good practice to go up there And it's like all right , she murdered . And let me go up there and just establish . It's a thing in establishing your energy .
PerielYeah .
MikeAnd then bringing them into your own energy , And then they're like you know , they're like after she , after somebody like her gets off , she goes .
Speaker 2They're like all right , wrap it up .
MikeBut , and then you have to come up , and that's the challenge . Yes , Right . Right .
ModiRight , i always tell I was told you . You know , when you walk on stage , you have to immediately exude confidence . Right , you have to walk on stage like a doctor walks into a doctor's office . Like you're sitting there but naked in a gown , whatever it is , yeah , and the doctor walks in . He you have to feel , you have to feel confident . This is going to know what he's doing . But to check your neck and all that .
ModiYeah , you need to have some confidence . Yes , They , when you walk on . You walk on , make eye contact , take the mic pole , put it back . Let them show that you're about to get to work . It's the whole thing . Last night I was at the Gankwin room in .
PerielOematics at Yourside .
ModiAnd New Jersey's I don't know the name of the town my mass of quarks , it's . It's this town . It's this town , this beautiful little beach town in the middle of all these Jewish towns . It's this one like not Jewish town , but it's next to deal , it's next to Tom's River , next to Lakewood , and they have a gorgeous theater . Mm-hmm and um . My opening act now is Elon Altman and I always tell my opening act love them , just bring a suit and And they never , they never .
ModiEric Newman always came in schmatas and garbage and jeans and t-shirts . You know I came with a suit . The audience sees that it's the they you present yourself . You know I'm saying , yeah , you're not a suit guy , you're materials not going out , but he's performing for my audience . You got to know your audience and so , but yeah , you build your comedy muscles that way , so good for you .
MikeI Don't know if that Happens as much anymore . It happens and I'm not saying it's bad , but
Developing Comedy Through Clubs vs. Social Media
Mikeit had . That was the way we developed coming up through the clubs . I think with social media , its people are Getting audiences a different way , yeah , but the way we developed through the clubs is that there , that was an element of it , like the crowd's not on your side And you figure out how to get them and you know you , we would go back and there was no podcasting .
MikeSo you work on your jokes . That was your only recourse .
PerielWork on your I think that's the best way to do it , though , because I think that what winds up happening , or what I've seen , is that you have people who have amassed very large social media followings , and they're very funny on Social media but , they can't hold a room . It's a very different thing .
MikeThey can't hold a room . But I don't know if that matters , because the people are there to see them and they're just thrilled , yep , that the they're there . You know what I mean ? I used to think the same thing , but now it's like with this evolution , it's like I think that because and they have to admit also , even if it wasn't the funniest laugh per second , that's not what they're expecting anyway . They just want to see their person in person and they walk away going . You know , that was worth it , that was worth it for me . So it doesn't have to be like our standard is . It has to be a laugh every seven seconds . They don't even look at it like that because they're not if the person's not really doing comedy . The people who are coming to see them are not really comedy fans .
PerielThey're just there to see their So don't they going to comedy clubs like aren't these shows that they're ?
Modiyeah , that's just a venue . Yeah , that's a minute .
PerielThere's a comedian up there .
ModiIt's someone who jumps off of a couch onto her table or something , whatever their act is , and then she's also has two jokes That she put together . Now she has a , she can sell out a room and they might be disappointed .
MikeBut if you , i think if you would pull people afterwards , they be hasn't that to tell you they were disappointed . Because if they're disappointed , that means that they made a bad decision About spending money on this ticket and they don't want to admit that to themselves , so they would rather just go . No , it was good , it was what I expect . You know . I just came to see my person was good , was it the best , most last percent ? No , wasn't . But you know , it's what I want to see . They are like They have to admit that . They would have to admit that they made a mistake .
MikeRight and that the person they thought was good was not really that good and that I never thought about that before . What I was doing Comedy it's like I was always like so focused on jokes and the act . It's like how's the crowd feel ? How are you making them feel like , are that when they're watching you ? So sometimes , like I'll watch other comics , like I'll stop watching their act And I'll watch when they're performing in front of their own audience . I'll watch how their audience is responding to them . Right .
MikeYeah even when the jokes are like oh , that wasn't the strongest joke , or whatever , they don't care , they're there to see the person .
ModiSo true , i I , from day one , from day one , always what is happening ? that audience's head .
MikeYeah .
ModiI today , i pull up to a theater , i go where's the parking for everybody ? Where are ? where are a thousand people gonna park ? You know , yesterday there was a line outside , it was a there's . When people and like Leo came to this , a huge line They're trying to get , i'm like my heart drops that they're going through that . Then they finally see them seated and then and then you see them with their interactions . Yeah , it's . I always think what's going in their head . Whenever I watch a comedian , i have one eye on him and one eye or her and one eye on the audience , just to see what they're , what they're getting and what they're right .
ModiSo yeah , i was from . Day one is always I'm in the audience's head . Always That's great , always That's great . Yeah , you are from that school of like . It's you against the audience .
MikeYeah , i tell yeah , it's a very different like , so much in your act . It's like you know , and I like realized not , i pretty recently actually realized like I'm making a mistake . I'm making a mistake , it's like because the goal is like what you have . It's like you want to have our own audiences , you want to go and you want to sell tickets , you want people coming out for you , but it's like You're and it's like , yeah , but I'm hurt , like my thing was always a kid , but I'm killing , like I'm murdering . Isn't that the thing ? they're laughing .
MikeIt's like You could be murdering and laughing and they could walk out and they'd be like that guy was funny . What was his name exactly ? It's like no , no , no , no , you got to have him remember your name . Yeah , and in order to do that , it's like Where are they in this ? are you telling jokes about your wife ? Are you telling jokes about marriage ? and people were walking out going . A marriage guy like that . Who is that guy ? a marriage guy ? because that he was saying exactly what I feel in my marriage .
MikeYou know , it's like there's got to be that connection there . if you're just doing jokes , i mean maybe , but but like you , you really on your special .
ModiYou built this is . This is , this is I'm For you , yeah , i'm for the people in these marriages . Right , it's , you're building your audience . Masjabraani , i'm Persian , i'm your comedian . Yeah , i'm Jewish . You are my audience . Right , and be true to your audience , and then the rest will follow . Yeah , be true to you . So you found your audience . It's the guy married to a woman . There's nothing in common and it's come together .
MikeYeah , yeah , and they have to remember your name the way that , by the way .
ModiIf you want to know the number one way to for people to remember your name , borrow money . Just borrow money . They will always remember . People will remember your name . Just borrow money . Okay , should we get into this thing ? that happened with the other podcast what Wait ?
Periela second ?
ModiOh , my god , my god , what no ?
PerielWhat we didn't say . Our sponsors .
ModiOh my god , i love our sponsors . Hi sponsors and a and h . A and h provisions .
Controversial Discussion on a Podcast
ModiBest hot dogs in the world , mike kosher kosher . Just sent . I posted it's already it's . It's . I posted yesterday . He sent his care package for July 4th weekend . Set the owner the nicest guy in the world . If you want a tour of his over's factory , he'll be happy to give you one and merchandise and all that stuff . A&H provisions They are the best hot dogs and gla kosher meats . The website is wwwkosherdogsnet .
ModiOkay , and Use the code Modi for 30% off of your first order .
PerielYes , and Send us pictures of your barbecues . Okay , yes , enjoy Only if it's kosher and only to cute .
ModiAnd then we have we have whites and Luxembourg , of course a law firm , arthur Luxemburg , a friend of the podcast , and they are a law firm that does Well but also does good . They're very fill in philanthropical , yeah , anthropical , they do amazing for the community . They are the law from you want to have behind you if you have any sort of problems . Whites and Luxemburg . Thank you guys very much for being our collaborators , our partners and Whites and Lux comm whites and Lux comm Yes okay , what ?
Perielthank you .
ModiThank you , sorry , we didn't do you in the beginning , we did you in the middle , it's sometimes it's good to get done in the middle . I Told you about this podcast . Okay , if I can explain this to Mike Vecchione , then anybody in my audience will understand this , okay , okay , there's a podcast that's Out of Muncie . From what I understand , muncie is this north of New York City . It's a Jewish area very religious ultra , ultra , this acidic people there and there's you shevish people .
ModiHasidic is the ones you know with the curls and the whole black outfits and you shevish is the ones that sometimes usually clean , shaven , white shirt , black pants and religious , but they're called you shevish . And there's a podcast that's called halakhic headlines . Okay , halakh is the laws of Judaism . Like you can't mix milk and meat , that's a halakh , okay . And There's a guy that runs this podcast and I'm not gonna mention his name , okay , because he didn't mention mine And he spoke about me and I'm gonna play it just so you hear their voices and how they sound and how ridiculous They are . But I'm gonna play this and I And then we're gonna discuss it and I'm gonna be very Okay . So this is the podcast . It's called halakhic headlines and the segment of This is called ballet of vera , which means masters of the sins . Ballet of vera in our midst , midst , midst . Ballet of vera in our midst . Masters of the sins that live in our midst , whatever the hell that means kind of sex I'm , i'm so happy Lee is not here for this , hold on .
ModiSo he says there's a person . Now , when they speak , they speak like little sissies . When they speak , they speak , they say the sentence and Whatever the verb is they say in Hebrew , but like a little weak little . He got Shayna . There's somebody that was highly , he was walking , but he wasn't . He wasn't Yairad , he wasn't going down . That's how they speak , it's like this . So now they're discussing me .
PerielThis is .
ModiI'm just beginning , i'm literally just beginning .
PerielThis is like I'm anti-Semitic and homophobic all at once not at all .
ModiThis is this , is This , is this , is this is this guy ? So he's saying here he doesn't want to mention my name , she , any right to the Darvish . My , i don't want to say like the Chmai , instead of just saying I don't want to say his name , or to say it in Hebrew like a normal person , i don't want to get it to Chmo , any right to like the Chmai . This is how ? so that ? so he doesn't want to mention my name , but he then describes me . So hold on here .
Speaker 2Entertainer who says very openly that he's married to a member of the same gender . But last week there was a big a .
ModiLee Ops . So entertainer that's married to somebody , jewish entertainer that's married to somebody in the same gender , i don't know how many other Jewish entertainers known as Jewish entertainers . And then it goes to hold on .
Speaker 2Carestier to the , to the yard side of a child , a carestero , and they wrote a type of a type of tire over there . And he wrote a nice and a type of tire And I saw the picture They somebody sent me the picture . No , the wasn't the site for holding his hands , he wrote it by himself . The site is not holding his hand very clearly . Somebody asked me is the type of tire a carstero puzzle ?
ModiSo he doesn't mention who I am , but he says entertainer . that's just , and I was also at this grave site . It's a big pilgrimage in the Jewish world that you go to this grave site of this Reptile it one of the holiest people that lived And you pray there and miracles come to you , ok .
Perielbut it's obvious he's talking about you .
ModiObviously what Jewish entertainer , entertainer married to somebody in the same gender went to this pilgrimage and it was all over social media , ok , and we dedicated a safer Torah , a Torah scroll that's handwritten , takes about a year and every letter has to be exact And was dedicated to the great grandchild of the Rebbe up there , reptile , his great grandson , who was taken from this town to the concentration camps , and and Bar mitzvah He is . His Bar mitzvah is in a concentration camp . You understand , that's where we were And now . So I'm not going to mention his name , i'm going to call him Yuzal . I'm going to name this guy Yuzal . Yuzal He's , he's a real estate , he's the real estate market that lives in in Monsi . He has . He has a podcast called Halachic headlines and calling him Yuzal from Lushen Zilzel , because he was Mazzal Zilanmi Was Zilzel Zilzel .
PerielI was . I understand , you understand , i understand he's .
ModiMazzal Zilanmi , so I'm going to call him Yuzal from Monsi , with a podcast called Halachic headlines with a whole thing for Balai Avera . OK , i'm so sorry you're sitting through this , but .
MikeI guess like what is going on ?
Modiright now . OK , so we're going to continue .
PerielHold on , so now can I just say something ? enough with the air time , like he's getting like . No , no , no , no , no time here .
ModiPeople are going to go to his face and call him Yuzal . Now His new name is Yuzal You'll see this name will be Yuzal now .
ModiNow . so he says because I I am , i wrote , i wrote a letter . One of the honors you can have with a safe for Torah is to be given a letter . You can fill in a letter before it's finished . But he's saying is it because it's me that I felt the letter is now the entire Torah , not kosher ? Oh , so let's just continue to listen to this . For it to be possible right .
Speaker 2The mission to be our luck says you have to be a mumur , either at the lab by the Zara or a full shop . That would be the simple reading of the mission of the word . So would you say that somebody who is a mumur , the Zabarecha , and who will hire a full on said or to the strong language , is very public about it and has gone through a legal marriage ceremony , which is a way of sort of you know , commemorating and making it open because you have a dinner for mumur . I think just a little bit of a little bit of a , therefore , would not make a difference . Well , it seems like this . Besides , for mumur , they deserve the house . I'm just asking you , which would , which would give ?
Modithem a dinner And , in short , now he has another rabbi on .
PerielIs he a rabbi ?
ModiI don't think so . He's a Yauzel . He's a Yauzel and he has , and he lives in Monsi and he brings on these other rabbis which I'm sure he probably makes donations to their , to their yeshivas or their schools . So they come on , they have to listen to him trying to show how much Torah he knows Now . So he's , he's saying a few things . He's saying I'm not going to bring it back on , but he's saying that it's not kosher because I'm mumur . This is it's too complicated to explain to you , but like there's all these sins , all these , all these things you have to do , and there's one thing I don't do . It's one of those things . And then that I'm also is it's not kosher because of I flaunt being married . So now he's discussing my marriage , right , he's discussing my career entertainer . And is this Torah not kosher ? It is so insane .
PerielAll right , let me , i'm going to , i'm going to just keep going And let me just ask you , yeah . I think , who gives a shit what this guy thinks ?
ModiSo you're right . Usually , usually when we post something right , that is anything you know . in ninety nine point , nine nine percent it's positive . And then there's one percent that's like oh , someone wrote something nasty , we just deleted or ignore it . But this guy is on a podcast on halacha questioning whether I make a safer Torah kosher or not .
MikeThe hood .
PerielWhat do you ?
Modithink it's . I now care . He's talking about me and my family and my worthiness in the Jewish world . And what's insane is is this Who is he ? This guy that has a show called Balaih Veyra Masters of the Sin ? When you Google me , all you see is Jews laughing and having a good time raising money for amazing organizations . When you Google this Yorizal real estate guy from Munsee , all you see is indictments and lawsuits and bankruptcies .
ModiAnd you have the chutzpah . You have the chutzpah to say that my safer Torah , that I signed with the consciousness of bringing laughter to whoever reads from this Torah , i was invited by Rabbi Yorkel . Yusroel Grossschlieta invited me for the letter . He was sitting right next to me and the soifer , and he invited me for the letter . And you're asking whether this safer Torah is puzzle or not puzzle . Let me explain something to you , yorizal . That safer Torah is beyond , beyond kosher . Your Torah , your Torah is the puzzle Torah , and you are the Baleh of Vaira , and I'm gonna tell you what a Vaira you are the master of . You are the master of preventing Mashiach from coming . Mashiach is here , it's just a matter of revealing it , and having a podcast called Baleh of Vaira is literally what is preventing Mashiach from revealing himself .
ModiMessianic era We're in it , michael . We're in it . Come on , you're killing it . You're doing well , you're happy married , you're with friends , you're enjoying life . Things are good . You can look for the good . You can look for the bad . Right , you used to always look at the bad . Things were happening . Now you look at the good . It's a Mashiach energy . It's literally . It's just changing the way you see things and Mashiach is here . And this guy , this yoyzo from Muncie Real Estate Crook , he is what's preventing Mashiach from coming . You're the Baleh of Vaira and if you ever talk about me and you know what What are you bringing in all these rabbis to say how great you are and how smart you are ? Invite me , i will spin your Talmud in your face so fast you wouldn't know what hit you . Okay , so don't discuss . Jewish entertainer in the same gender marriage . Okay , keep to your busyness of your .
PerielBy the way , keep Modi's name out of your fucking mouth .
ModiHe didn't say my name . He didn't say my name , so I didn't say his name . I could easily , and everybody knows who it's gonna . They all know who he is in Google . It's like they all know who I am . It's a real estate guy in Muncie .
PerielHere's the thing . The thing is is that we should invite him to come on this show . I don't want to invite him .
ModiHe would never dare , he would never . So okay , and he needs to be in his environment controls and he can bring in rabbis that are in his payroll and and will agree with him on everything And I'm so happy I got that Good . I am too I mean I'm sorry you had to .
MikeI'm happy . No , my whole reaction . Let's get my reaction , because podcasting is about reactions . now I mean I'm glad you got it off your chest , but good luck buying a home in Muncie . The real estate market is not going to be friendly to you , my friend .
ModiOh my god , it's so true They will . They're more on my side than him . Okay , he's a bug guy .
MikeHe's a real . I think you should do a rap diss track . What are we ? A rap diss track like Tupac .
PerielLike how you like rap and like a roast , but like in like hip hop , you rap and you diss .
ModiYeah , come back at him Yeah .
PerielDid I just do that ? Yes , you did . I'm very glad that you got that off your chest . I've never seen you quite so worked out .
ModiNothing ever upsets me . You don't understand nothing upsets me . We get these , we DM social media , but to question we were in a town . Okay , we were in a town in Hungary Two hour drive north of of of of Budapest .
PerielYeah .
ModiThis town , this Jewish town , like from Fiddler on the Roof , and I was with . He was born there . This rabbi that was born in this town , the great grandson of the big rabbi that was . It's buried up there And we're with him and we bring a Sefer Torah and we dedicate it and this guy is questioning the Sefer Torah . It's so absurd , right . So that's just a little context , right to what we're saying .
PerielI think this is a good time to No , not yet To have Mike tell us about his trip to Israel .
ModiOh , that's , right , yes .
Mike's Experience in Israel
MikeIt was .
PerielMike is Italian .
MikeYeah , italian , american . Okay , because let me tell you something about the comments online and criticism and stuff . I have a There's stuff now where you're posting . I'm posting , people are posting , and it's like you don't think that you're just posting , we're posting jokes . So I have a joke about my mother and father . I'm third generation But Italian blood on both sides , so I'll post jokes about it . They're like people will just be outraged and be like you're not Italian , you're not Italian , you're American . What are you talking about ? You're like oh , you're a disgrace . It's like cursing at me in Italy , like cursing at me , and it's like what are we doing ? Like I don't , i'm obviously American . I'm like But I'm saying like my mother and father like .
PerielWhere did you grow up ? Where did they grow up ?
MikeYeah , they're second generation . They grew up in Ohio .
PerielOkay .
MikeBut my grandparents came over . You know what I mean .
PerielFrom the motherland .
MikeSo it's just like that kind of . I thought it was clear that we're like obviously That's weird , no , that's weird , but it's like But little things like that and stuff like also like You know stuff , like I had one where it was like you shouldn't wear pajamas to the airport . People are just out , like people are just coming at you like do you understand , i don't care , what are you doing ?
ModiWhat are you doing ? We had , so we had . This week , modi the Prime Minister of India was in , was in with Biden in Washington DC , right . So every headline said Modi did this , modi and Biden . New York Times , modi at the White House , da , da , da da . And this one woman posted this tweet like completely bashing Modi . He's , he's , he , he takes away freedom of speech from journalists , he's he represses people . And we posted , as if it was me , people were writing this woman's the worst . She doesn't know , she's never seen your act .
MikeI love it . It's insane . That's great . What are you ? I think you should do a segment on this podcast What's the other Modi up to ? And it's like let's what's the other Modi up .
PerielWe should try to .
MikeThere's a Michael Vecchione , there's another Michael Vecchione , there's a couple other ones . One of them is a hockey player and he played for the Philadelphia Flyers , but he , i think he's in the farm team now the Flyers , which is the Hershey I don't know what they're called , but they just won some kind of a big cup and he scored the winning goal at everybody , sending it to me .
Speaker 2Oh , that's amazing .
MikeYeah , we're all champions . He's a winner , i'm a winner , like I'm sure . Every time I have a tonight show , they send it to him , probably . So we're in this weird fraternity of Michael Vecchione . There's another one who's a district attorney in Brooklyn former district attorney in Brooklyn and he would go after mob guys . He would prosecute mob guys and like I thought to myself , that's all . I need One of these mob guys to get out of prison and try to kill the prosecutor . He killed the wrong one . Oh , my .
MikeGod And and I post all my dates .
PerielI'm easy to find And it's just like you have to do a show with all the other . Michael Vecchione .
MikeThere's one who's a I think I might be the dumbest Michael Vecchione . There's a famous hockey player , michael Vecchione , district attorney Michael Vecchione , and the other guys are marine biologists . Michael Vecchione , i might be the least successful Michael Vecchione , i'm doing good .
ModiYou have to hope the hockey players are ding dong .
PerielOh , that is so funny . I don't think I ever run the risk of finding another perio Ashenbrand .
ModiOh no , definitely not spelt or said the way you say it . You're one of a kind You're one of a kind Right .
PerielThank you , mike . Okay , so you went to Israel .
MikeWent to Israel And I think we talked about this the last time . Yeah , we did , yeah , we did Because I just I loved , i , i loved every part of the trip . It was just the best , the best thing . Religious , very deep meaning , you know , because I grew up Catholic , with all those symbols and the faith and everything And I didn't go to Catholic school , i get why people turn on if they're abused by the religion that they're just like they're very they don't want anything to do .
MikeI get that . I really do get it . That's not the way I was brought up , So everything there was just like very meaningful to me and it was just like really something . And and it was Avi Lieberman's tour Shout out to Avi who's great . But but the the theaters that we performed and the people were just so like great And so many Americans .
ModiYeah , they loved you because you have your sense of humor is very smart Yeah it's a smart sense of humor , yeah , and it's that that tour is for an organization called the Kobe Mandel Foundation . Kobe Mandel and I'm doing this tour alone , without anybody else , on in Sukkot , in which is the in October , and it's just me , there's no five comedians . Avi opens for me and I do the show , and now there's a problem because so this , this show was is sold or advertised to what's called Anglos , people who live in Israel , who come from America , england , australia , people who like their Yeah , yeah , yeah yeah , yeah And so .
Modiso now , since I've developed this fan base in Israel that's not just Anglos , right ? The shows are being sold and people who are are Israelis are buying tickets , and they think I'm doing the show in Hebrew .
PerielWhy do you think that ?
Modithey think that Because they're writing to me in Hebrew . Oh , but I'm hoping this show will be . I said , I hope you learn English .
Speaker 2You have two months to pick up English , Yeah also in France .
ModiYeah , they think I'm doing a show in French . Where do they even think I know I'm doing that ?
Perielhilarious .
ModiBut yeah , you , you and Israel . I love that man It was , it was I .
MikeWe stayed in Tel Aviv and then we went all over .
PerielBut Tel .
MikeAviv is very secular and I loved it , but we did the dinner . What's the dinner ?
Modion about dinner .
MikeThat was unreal . and the bread , the the bread is . I mean it's really . I'm trying to do low carb , you know whatever , but I put it on the off the table there because the bread is so delicious . But it's ironic that what I wanted to do with the bread and this is people can mute this if this is offensive But I wanted to cut the bread out and I want to put prosciutto and mozzarella in the bread . I mean it would be the greatest sandwich in the history .
MikeThat's why you're flying too close to the sun . That's why it's illegal in your culture to have that . It's so delicious .
ModiOh my God , That is so funny .
PerielI think it's . I wanted to hear that because I've been seeing a lot of stuff on line about how , like the Israeli government is getting like well known and famous comedians and celebrities to like go to Israel and then they're like making them say nice things about Israel and they don't feel comfortable doing that . So it's nice to hear an unsponsored . I'm serious , i'm being very serious right now .
ModiSo I'm the most pro that . The most important point that the Jews visit Israel is that non-Jews visit Israel and see what it really is And that's , and when they hear from you , when they hear from me , israel is amazing . Okay , yeah , it's Modi . Yeah , mike Vecchione was in Israel .
MikeI said it was amazing , it was never been there had no like I'm just grip Catholic , you know , roman Catholic , so but like going there was really like I didn't think it would affect me the way that it affected me . It was really . First of all , i love the shows were great . I love the shows , but I also loved to be like going around and seeing like the whaling wall and where Christ was crucified . Yeah , you know , like that kind of stuff is very like meaningful .
ModiYeah , I went to all those places too . We I took Leo and we went to the all those other places .
MikeYeah , the whaling wall , like everybody touching the wall and writing the notes , writing the whatever prayer and putting them in , and then everybody . You have people from all different , like you have Asian people , people from Africa . There It's like every like everybody's doing it kind of the same time .
ModiIt's like very like a unity thing , Yeah , like we're all the wild We're all . One kind of that wall is a wall around where the world was created , where we believe the world was created Right . That's the spot where and now there's a mosque on top of it . Used to be a temple right , but that's the spot where the world was created from and everybody came from that Right , and so that's why there's an energy there . Yeah , there really is Whether you feel it , you when you're there yeah it religious as you are . Yeah , there is a vibe in that spot .
PerielWe go every year to Israel and every year we go to the wall You have to go Yeah . Yeah .
ModiIt's it's .
PerielI'm fully supportive of you shoving as much mozzarella and prosciutto into a piece of that bread ?
MikeThe bread is just it's not real , it's delicious . Food was unbelievable . I went with Godfrey and we were walking and we had this . We went and we were just like went to this . I mean , avi knows everything over there , so he brought us to this place and we got like a lamb .
PerielYeah , a lamb show .
MikeIt was so good . Yeah , we went the next day . Yeah we just like . it's like , i'm like as many days as we can go , we should come and have this , and we was like a long walk . We just didn't care .
PerielThe food's unbelievable .
MikeIt's unbelievable .
PerielAll right , what else ?
MikeThe attractives on YouTube The attractives on YouTube and I have dates Mike Becky on dot com . I spell it out for them . They don't have to be key on my . You could follow me . Follow me at comic Mike V . At comic Mike V that you can spell .
PerielYeah , you can spell it . You're like at like over , well over a million .
MikeYeah , a million a million four on my , my friend Wow Bargatsy directions directed and produced it . So it's where , over where , at a million four on his page and then we're at eight hundred pound . Gorilla was the production company . That's who did my they put it on their site and it's a hundred and twenty thousand on their site . So , it's doing well , but for live dates , mike Becky on dot com , you can . You could find me at comic Mike V and and then link to my dates , but I'm traveling and trying to sell tickets .
ModiSo he's the best , I he's . If you do yourself a favor , I always say be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show . Yeah , if I'm not , if I'm not in town , you see the Mike Becky owns in town by tickets . Get tickets by five , six , seven . But why odd numbers for ? six and bring friends , and people now come to me after my show and say I'm the friend that brought the friend .
Speaker 2Oh , that's great .
ModiYes , that's a friend who brings the friends to the comedy show .
PerielThat's Mashiach energy and send a lot of hate mail to that pig in Muncie Leave him alone .
ModiUm , uh , he's got whatever coming to him . She knows what he's doing . Okay , Um a reverse mortgage .
Speaker 2I'm so quick .
ModiI would never . Oh my God , what are you up to ? What shows you got going on ?
PerielI am . I'm doing a show in Scarsdale July 22nd at Jackie B's with Richard Ranovic .
ModiI love him , i love rich , i love Richard . I'm at Periel Ashenbrand , You can get and you , are you coming with me to Baltimore ?
PerielNo , i'm going to be in Israel , that's right , okay , i isn't there . any place else I can come with you .
ModiUm , we can find , yes , um , we can find Modi livecom . Uh well , first of all , again , thank you very much to A and H provisions . Uh , hot dog site kosherdogsnet .
PerielBring it to the fourth of July And if this comes out after the fourth of July , bring it to something else . Your friends will Thank you .
ModiYes , uh , he's amazing . The food is really great . Thank you for the package and the merch too . Um , and whites and Luxembourg . Thank you guys very much for partnering with us . Uh , that's the law from you want to know if you have any problems . Um , the law firm that does that does good and does well , they do , they do good and they also do well , they don't wear out well and good .
PerielAnyway , I love you .
ModiArthur and thanks for for partnering up with us and um Modi livecom for dates and shows . Um at uh the town hall on December 21st . uh , we're going to be adding some other shows before them , but that's going to be an insane show . Make sure you get tickets for that show . Um Modi livecom . We've also got shows . Uh , we're adding shows in Europe for the sold out markets , like Amsterdam , uh Brussels and uh not Paris , but uh Frankfurt and Berlin . So uh Modi livecom for all of those shows . Be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show . Thank you , mike . thank you for being on the .
ModiBye .