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
Isaac Mizrahi
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Episode 94: The AH"M crew covers everything from faith to fashion with the legendary Isaac Mizrahi.
Visit Isaac's website for info on upcoming show dates.
Follow Isaac on Instagram @imisaacmizrahi.
For information about upcoming shows visit www.modilive.com.
Follow Modi on Instagram at @modi_live.
Welcome to Andy's Modi. Hi everybody, welcome to Andy's Modi. We are in the studio with Isaac Mizrahi, which is just iconic. Mizrahi, mizrahi, mizrahi. There you go. Mizrahi, he wants. Well, I like.
Isaac MizrahiMizrahi. If you're going to say it like it's spelled, it's Mizrahi. Yeah, mizrahi, mizrahi. If you're quoting Beyonce, by the way, okay, no kidding.
LeoYeah, that's an amazing song.
Isaac MizrahiYeah, sorry, I do want some gay love over that.
ModiBravo, we went to Beyonce, we saw Beyonce. It was amazing.
Isaac MizrahiMy husband went and he said I guess we're just old. Because he said, you know, I had to stand through the whole. That was the first thing he said. I had to stand through the whole. That was like, yeah, I can't go to shows, you have to stand up.
PerielIs he Jewish?
Isaac MizrahiNo, he's not.
PerielOh, I'm surprised that no, I.
Isaac MizrahiOh, that was judgy. I'm just kidding. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm just kidding.
PerielJewish people would complain about standing more. Well, he's.
Isaac MizrahiPuerto Rican, so he's practically Same.
PerielThing.
Isaac MizrahiSame thing yeah.
LeoAre you Jewish? Am I Jewish?
PerielYes, no, no thank you, but he is a good boy. No, show him your tattoo.
Isaac MizrahiCome on, yell at.
LeoTov.
ModiThat's it, voila.
LeoDepends on who's asking.
ModiWe're in the studio. I'm so happy. We have to just first of all thank our sponsors and age provisions. Best kosher hot dogs in the world. Best kosher meets website is kosherdogsnet.
ModiAnd Seth will always give you a tour. We love Seth and we 30% off when use code MODI on your first purchase. Next, whites and Luxembourg. The law from you on your side, the law from the not only does Well, well, they do good. They're amazing law from doing amazing work and doing well, but they also do good. They're very philanthropic. And I'm actually having tomorrow I'm in kosher chiprani with Arthur, so I'm so excited for that and thank you. And now we are with Isaac Mizrahi. I have to tell my first story about my as my first Isaac Mizrahi story. Someone got me tickets to see a one man show. When you begin, you start doing comedy, right? Yes, people start to think maybe you should do a one man show. So someone which is not my, my, my, my path Someone gave me tickets to go see your one man show, which is on 7th Avenue yeah, and like it was called the Greenwich House Theater and now it's called the something street, barrow Street Theater.
Isaac MizrahiI love that little, cute little house.
ModiYou were right, I was I was so good Built a dress, that's right While talking. That was crazy.
Isaac MizrahiI was like you know, when you go to like the, you see like acrobats and they spin plates and they do like unicycle and there's like somebody balancing or whatever. That's what I did on that show.
ModiIt was the best thing in the world. I was hysterical, funny, sweet. The audience was cute and and he's just talking and it's natural and you think you're in his living room and while he's talking he's sewing and putting in and it's a dress that someone wore to the Oscars or something I don't remember what it was.
Isaac MizrahiIt was an amazing story. It was a big coat and I told the story and I did sketches of like different people.
ModiAnd began to put it together. Got a cloth, cut this in that while he's talking and boom a dress it was.
Isaac Mizrahiit was sort of like. It was sort of like trained monkey, and you know how many of these dresses I had by the end of the run, I'm sure, like over a year. And you gave out a gift to I gave out marshmallow, those delicious rice crispy treats, because people get you know you don't want their sugar to right lack.
ModiSo I gave them a show.
Isaac MizrahiThat's not a bad idea. Hey, hey, white's and Luxembourg. Get them on the phone, because that's already in that you have to pay me a name on it.
ModiWe listen. I'm learning now that we're doing theater tours. Things are important. Yes, sugar level air conditioning, which does not exist in Europe.
Isaac MizrahiWell, no, no, they say it exists. So that's horrible, we'll change your room. And then they put you in another room and that room doesn't have air conditioning. And they say oh no, this one has air conditioning.
ModiThe theater we performed in Paris, they, they, they said that they buy air conditioning, like electricity and heat, from the city. So it's, it's not enough.
Isaac MizrahiNo. And how can you buy air conditioning from the city? It's called HVAC. You have to have your own system. They don't.
ModiAnd they say never gets that hot. It got hot. The Berlin shows were on fire. We were literally flashbacks. It was so hot, oh God, no. And and comfortable seats. The seat can't be too comfortable. No, Otherwise you're so, otherwise they just if they have someplace to rest their head, you're out.
Isaac MizrahiNo, it's so true, it's so true. So sugar, we should just write it.
ModiIt's some sugar Well of course, listen, like you know.
Isaac MizrahiIf there are a few in too, it doesn't hurt. Yeah, If they have a couple of glasses of wine first, they're very happy and they laugh at anything in any language.
ModiYes, and the best is when you see somebody start to lose it and you know that they're like. They took it. Took a gummy, oh right, and they just like they can't. They can't catch their breath.
Isaac MizrahiWell, now I have a question I always pointed out In Paris, did you do the set in French? Do you speak French? No, did you? What? Did you have like an interpreter or something? No, we like Mrs Maisel, like the marvelous Mrs Maisel, we sold out the show months ago.
ModiRight, okay, four shows sold, one of them in 15 minutes. We added one one day boom, boom, boom. And then we a third show, and this was right before the war broke out, right? So we land in Paris and like, are we doing a show? The theater said, yes, yep, it was, it's all fans and they came from Copenhagen, they came from, they came from Berlin, they came from London. The reach of Moti, okay, the reach of Moti, moti, moti, I deserve.
Isaac MizrahiI think of him as Rahi.
ModiI deserve a Moti, but Moti, moti, of course. And Moti, they didn't speak English. No, they spoke when we are talking to a comedian.
Isaac MizrahiYeah right.
ModiWe, that's their English, and did you get laughs? So, being a veteran comic, you do your set with the cadence and the timing and they understood where the laugh was when they had to laugh, oh God. And it was amazing, it was real Messiah energy and it was right. And, isaac, I can't explain to you. I'm in the back of the theater watching everybody on their phone, looking at the war. Of course, baby's decapitated, oh my. God. And then the lights go off. And here's Moti.
Isaac MizrahiOh, pretty Literally, what do you do? What do you do, because I have shows next week and I can't. I'm so scared.
ModiQuickly address it and move on Right. And the new line now is, like you know, it's people. I always talk about how we do fund raisers, and this is a fundraiser, so we're raising money.
Isaac MizrahiI was going to say I was going to threaten the audience with Hatikva. I did it. Oh, did you? No, I know. That's why I was going to say if you don't laugh at me, I'm going to make you fucking sing Hatikva at the end of the movie. But they love it, sing it anyway. No, no, no.
ModiI'm not singing Hatikva. People were crying, of course.
Isaac MizrahiMaybe I will sing Hatikva. See, I would have. And I also said I'll just do anything to get people to cry. I'm such a whore.
ModiOkay, I love you, we love you.
LeoSo that's the first time.
ModiI felt in love with you and and Les Misrahi.
Isaac MizrahiIt was called Les Misrahi. Is that what that was?
ModiThat was the best show ever.
Isaac MizrahiThank you, it was a good show it was so good.
ModiShe likes when people say they're good. I'll even tell you the funniest story after that. This was all happening during the time where there was that scandal or something with the, with the, the, the, the, the Boy Scouts and I. From that dinner I remember I was on a high I like, oh my God, he's so talented, I got to do something.
Isaac MizrahiWhere did you grow? Who are you Like? I thought how would we? Were you not like? You weren't in Israel at this time, or when did you come to America? I?
Modiwas seven. Okay, so we. So I was the scouts in Israel to theme, but in America I'm like a Boy Scouts and well, I don't think it's just a funny side story, your show. I went to meet my friends and there was the guy that was in charge of leading the fight for gays being allowed to be in the right.
PerielJames Dale.
ModiBidu, I know exactly. So I get to a dinner, I'm on a high, I'm saying I just saw the best show in the world, and then they go, and they go to me, modi, what do you think of the Boy Scouts? So I'd love one. It was, it did not land, it didn't. They were like all upset I'm like their problem, they suck their problem and you went and then the other thing that I'm obsessed with you the, the, the, the 5000 black t-shirts that you did.
Isaac MizrahiDid I. Yes 5000 black t-shirts.
ModiYou had some crazy story with black t-shirts.
PerielYou told me that story too, that you were obsessed with black t-shirts, but you could never find one.
Isaac Mizrahithat oh yeah, well, this is so true.
PerielAnd so you had like, I think it was like 50 or 500, whatever it was. You had them made and oh, oh, I still do.
Isaac MizrahiThis is made. I know it doesn't look it, but it's made. It looks fabulous. I love it. Thank you. And you can't and people like the people who know on my Instagram go where can I get that long sleeve? Because you can't get a long sleeve polo. That is like chic.
PerielI can't get them, you can't get them.
ModiWe recently found one on. It's not at the store, but Lulu Lemon has one online.
Isaac MizrahiThat was not as good as this. I'm telling you I would have found it, but why don't you tell them that I don't know? Darling because I couldn't.
ModiSo, by the way, one thing I told Leo is I buy shirts, I buy whatever I want, and then it's the prints on the fabric with Sicity and I bring it to a tailor. Is it a tailor?
Isaac Mizrahion a ridiculous.
ModiWhy you have to do that. And then he cuts the length, right. This hand brings that up, and well, I'm telling you, well, dollars, yes, I have a T-shirt the way I want it Right, right, right.
Isaac MizrahiBut you realize that most people like buy a T-shirt for $12. Bless them and that's and they should be good. I believe the $12 T-shirt should be cute.
ModiIt should be ready to wear. Black T-shirt is one of the most important things.
PerielThey're not easy to find, they're not easy to find.
ModiNo, they really are, and look at us.
PerielMine are all vintage, though All of my shirts are vintage.
Isaac MizrahiAnd you like hand wash them because you're ridiculous and you want to keep them forever right. Well, you wash them, delicate cycle, in a little bag or something I'm giving you. I'm giving this to you. This is, I'm giving this to you.
ModiIs this a called?
Isaac Mizrahileg up.
ModiJust take them and dump them. You're not hitting it.
Isaac MizrahiYes, I have to talk to you. I was very excited to do this podcast because I have to see, like, what kind of insanity leads you to like you're a religious Jew, are you not? I am.
ModiI'll come back to myself. Orthodoxy right keeps the Sabbath. In our own way.
Isaac MizrahiSo how do you, darling? Is this what your podcast is about? All the time, because?
Navigating Religion and Acceptance Within Judaism
Modino, my podcast goes from wherever to everything.
Isaac MizrahiI was raised like that. I was raised. I went to Yeshiva Flatbush and my people were not exactly orthodox but they, you know it was sort of this anomalous version of you know what's it called Sephardic Jewery. Yes, and it was like you know, they were all very religious and very and, like you, learn every day of your life that if there's a stone on the ground, you see a homosexual, throw the stone at his head and kill him. I mean, that's in the Bible, darling, it's there. So how do you rationalize being gay.
ModiOther things in the Bible that are more interesting. No, of course but it's like, but listen, Christians too.
Isaac MizrahiNo, I mean like all, every all religions are supposed to hate homosexuals, so I don't understand how they coexist, except in like fun. You know rugalach recipes, which is why I love Jake Cohen. Yes, because he's like you know. He's wearing a speedo, I don't know. I love you, but you and I grew up in a time.
ModiWell, we're definitely I'm definitely older than you, okay, but not crazy older than me. We both grew up in a time when we came I didn't know I was gay till I knew I liked guys, but I was a kid but I didn't know that was gay. Right, we thought gay was the flaming hairdresser that my mother went to. Yes, jimmy, yes, in the five towns at Capilini's who wore the shirt, all like with the how do you?
Modicall it you have a phone number. See, I gave him that's called the layup and he slammed it Darling. Now here's the thing. So no, I'm just saying we didn't know, I didn't know, we thought that was gay, so I didn't know that, that I, so it was a different time.
PerielNo, but wait a second, does it?
Isaac Mizrahimatter. Does it matter? It's like, you know, because if they tell you you're supposed to hate homosexuals or artists because they told us, like no graven images, this is what we learned in Yashiva Flatbush yes, no graven images. No, you know homosexuals. And this way to the Holocaust photographs that we're going to show you every fucking day of your life, which is great, and I think people should see it. Even in you know, we were, I think, a little too young when they showed us Maybe now it's third grade. We were like in first grade when we like had the Yama show, you know assembly where they showed us the films darling.
ModiIt was terrifying, but first of all, Yashiva Flatbush. Yashiva Flatbush has changed. They have evolved of the Yashivas, they have evolved one of the more Well, because they were great when I was.
Isaac MizrahiI mean, it was a great school.
PerielThe stoning of the homosexual.
Isaac MizrahiWell, no, darling, you know, if you had, depending on the teacher, it was like you know, yes, and who knew I wasn't gay? I was an out until I was in high school, when I went to performing arts, high school on 46th Street, you know, but yeah, but I wish I could figure out a way to kind of rationalize, to kind of bring the worlds together, because if you're my sisters, you kind of go like, oh yeah, my brother, and they love me. They quote, unquote, love me. You know, it's like air quotes, like I love you right, which isn't hilarious, that's a joke already Whereas the, whereas the, I love you more, I love you right, but you know my sisters and and I love them back, but you know, they don't really kind of they don't understand. And do you have?
ModiI have two sisters and do they adore you live for Leo. They come hear me when I'm a hazen, when I do the services they come to our house services darling.
LeoWhat sweetheart.
ModiI don't know. It's not a problem for me. I found a synagogue Orthodox that accepts gay people.
Isaac MizrahiDo you need to be accepted with the fuck?
ModiNo, I'm sorry, I'm just saying I'm not going to go to one that's looking at me bad. I'm going to one that I did. That's fun, it's near it's. I've been going there before this rabbi came there and he's so accepting. And we have, we've to Orthodox rule Orthodox service. I used until, like COVID, I used to be the house and call nitri services. I do Shabbat services If I'm in town. Right, they love Leo.
Isaac MizrahiIf I sponsor a kid, she well you know my sisters love Arnold, but they don't know Arnold and you know it's like they want. If he's invited, when it's like at a kosher restaurant or like at even there was like a temple and he was involved, he was invited to that, but it's like at their house, like they've. He's never been invited to their house, which is like a weird thing, oh they never invited your husband to your house.
ModiWhy no? I don't think they want to understand or to know.
Isaac MizrahiI'm sorry about that. No, I mean, it's like, honestly, I get it, I understand, but it puts me in a position to go OK. Well, if that's the case, then how do I do this? How do I do this? I love it and culturally I'm the biggest Jew in the world, you know especially your husband, especially now, darling and for and for my husband, I want to go anywhere. He won't go to like Madonna's house, for, like I'm not kidding, he won't go to, like he doesn't like to go anywhere. But then the nets.
Modiyou, then you said then you set the relationship with your sister, calling my husband she's too busy to me that you didn't grow up Orthodox. We grew up Israeli traditional.
PerielSo you, you've told me that you actually adopted Orthodox right, which is a very wrong I used to at the age of 12, 11, 13.
Modiused to go to synagogue because I loved the Chasen. I was obsessed. Listen to this, because it's camp, but it's 100 percent.
Perielcamp, it's camp. Let me finish this.
ModiSo I used to go there and this I had the whole episode. I did a whole episode on Chasen. It's on Cantorial singing. I saw the thing with the high love listening to him. It was an opera. You went to the opera, it was, and I came home gotten better. My mother and we watched Elsa clinch on CNN.
PerielRight.
Isaac MizrahiSo, you understand what's going on. It was a house and then Elsa clinch.
ModiIt was. That was. That was it. My mom was in bed. Still. My mom always got out of bed late. It was. I got home like a 12 o'clock. She had Elsa clinch on. I got in there. But you know we watched. But like.
Isaac MizrahiI dated this guy for a minute who was, you know, thought he was like this, you know, really religious, true, and I'd say to him I don't get it and honestly, he didn't live in New York, so it wasn't that difficult to not date him anymore. It was like, and he was kind of a bore, right, so it didn't, no love lost there, but I couldn't get. I was the only thing that one compelling thing about him was that he was this really religious Jewish guy and I got was compelling to you. And I remember no, of course, you know, I actually I had an Israeli boyfriend, like for I don't know six months or something.
Isaac MizrahiThis guy, elon, who I would. I love this guy. He was such a great guy. He was Israeli, I think, he served in the army and there was something so sexy about having a boyfriend with an Israeli accent. Are you kidding, growing up around these people and then and they hate you and they're stoning you, throwing stones at your head, and then they want to fuck you. It's the most sexy thing in the world, for Christ's sake. I'm sorry that's maybe a little off color, but it's true.
PerielIs that? Is that okay to say no, no, no, it's great to say Let it go.
ModiI think so no.
Isaac MizrahiI anyway never really clicked. Meet me in the bathroom in a few minutes. Yeah, I never know. But look, you're getting really really nervous, but I them alone.
PerielBut wait, I don't think that you need to be accepted by any of them. It's like they. You can do whatever you want. You can be as religious as you want or as Jewish as you want. That's their problem.
Isaac MizrahiI usually Jewish and I'm not, and I say I say always we are not.
Modiwe're not the chosen people, we are the choosing people. If you want to choose to make your bra bracha on the wine and Carla and then go watch TV, good for you. She. One woman wants to cover her hair. One wants to cover her elbows, one one. I had a dinner with this woman to regarding something she covers her head with. She wears pants. That's her choices.
PerielBut say what Jake Cohen does in Fire Island, what you and what you guys started in Fire Island with the Shabbat thing.
ModiYeah, we, we. You know what happened in Fire Island, right?
Isaac MizrahiI don't, I mean, I know a lot of things that happened.
Isaac MizrahiI call it F Island Because when I was a kid, the one homosexual in the world, my aunt, my uncle, who lived in the city it was not like he left. He went to the city and he married this really cool lady who I think her daughters hate. They hated her but anyway, and she used to have this friend, michael Sherman, who was this gay person. He was just the most amazing and they would call it F Island. Like, how was F Island this weekend? You must really consider that.
ModiSo, as you know, jj Cohen makes the call as every, every Shabbat, and he brings it to some celebrity or like the speedo. It's just, it's a thing, yeah, so we, all the Jews that were on Fire Island, we, we hit them. Hey, we're going to make extra callers. Come, we'll make the bracha, we'll make the kid is right, and then go to your dinners, then go. So people came from like the beach, their pools, in shorts and speedos and tank tops. They came, you know, at like six, 30. It's a beach, it's a beach. And then someone videotaped it. I made kid is, jake was wearing this outfit you can't imagine. And I see a crop top. It was what's funny, was it?
Modiwas a green crop top that said pickle princess, pickle princess.
Isaac MizrahiOh, that's hilarious green satin shorts.
ModiAnd somehow, when I grabbed a bunch of yarmulkes before leaving, there was one green silk yarmulke and he, so he was killing it.
ModiHe slayed the challenge, I believe and I made the kid ish and and now the camera's panning across and all you see is just hot men in speedo shorts, this, that, and everybody was like, instead of it, just like, wow, these people heard kid ish and they got to eat some Hala, celebrity Hala, and it was a nice event, otherwise they never would have known it was Friday and Shabbat, but everybody was like, oh, how can you make kid ish and speedos?
Jewish Identity and Fashion in Conversation
Isaac MizrahiExcept, can we get back to the word camp? Because to me this is what this is all about. This is all just a lot of fun for you or something you can't. I mean like you can't go to sleep at night thinking like, oh, I'm such a good boy, I'm such a good boy because I did kid ish tonight. I can't believe I have that mitzvah. Can you really 100% congratulations, don't worry.
LeoWhat are we filling on every morning?
ModiI put on fill in every morning.
Isaac MizrahiI don't even know where my Tafilin are.
ModiI put on every morning because it reminds me, first of all, tells you, moments of restrict to restrict. Shema Israel, you know which is hero? Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one oneness. Everything is. Are you wearing a harness and a ball?
Isaac Mizrahigag at the same time Like what? No, that's not. That's when you're watching my college.
ModiMy husband bought me and I put my two on every morning and then we make it. I felt so good. We gave 50 or more Jewish people that were on an island a flavor of Shabbat. How great that's incredible I suppose it was great, I guess.
LeoAt the. The central tenant of many religions is camp as a high degree of camp? I will, and I think that's a little bit of what draws some people back to it.
ModiI will tell you a story that is insane. So I'm also a husband and back in the day I used to, because I was on Howard Stern show once and we used to sing and someone reached out and can you do a wedding for us? And I got my clergy license. I'm able to. I'm able to marry, and so listen to this.
ModiAnd I have the robe and the hat and the tallest full drag. And we one time this woman called up and said Hi, my daughter's getting married and there there's some kind of Greek Orthodox something and we want to have some something Jewish in the hope of two. We'd like to have you do a part of the ceremony. I go, look not interested. They gave me a price. I said so she's Jewish. I said and I went and I wore my whole thing, and then they're priests. I said I'll do the blessings, but I'm not signing anything. I'm just just to give a flavor and some some Jewish energy to this couple. The priest came. I don't usually curse, but from Rupal's drag race fuck my drag.
Isaac MizrahiThis priest came with both things.
ModiAnd the cross with this hot Jesus on it and the hat with the whole thing, you will never be able to compete. With all that you can, I could not I said to him, I said to him and it was really funny and it was a very funny ceremony and you know what it brought Mashiach energy. You saw two different things.
Isaac MizrahiThe whole Mashiach energy thing is so it's like fetch, Like could you stop trying to make like Mashiach energy happen?
PerielWell, he doesn't know that. I don't know, I can't help it.
Isaac MizrahiThat was mean. Now you know, in mean girls fetch. No, he does not know.
LeoDo you know mean girls? I know mean girls, of course. No, I can't help it, it's just a joke.
Isaac MizrahiThat was a joke. I do love Mashiach energy. Yeah, okay, go ahead, you'll explain it to him later.
ModiI don't know.
Isaac MizrahiI, I, I. You saw two. You never saw mean girls. I didn't mean. Excuse me, go home tonight. Do yourself a favor, you will like this Really.
ModiYes, Are you crazy? But to get back, I'm telling you, you felt it. There was such a tension in the room between this Jewish family and this non-Jewish family and we brought it together. I made jokes in the Choppah with the priest. It was so much fun and it was, it was amazing.
PerielOkay. So how do you, how do you bridge the gap? Because you're saying this, but you're walking around with an Etual-Juif Shmatah.
Isaac MizrahiThat's right. That's one way, tichel, not Shmatah. Tichel, it's a tichel.
PerielWhat's a tichel?
ModiTichel is what you call when they cover their head with a shmatah.
Isaac MizrahiI don't know, it's a good question, cause I don't honestly, I don't consciously need to bridge a gap. You know, I don't, I don't, I don't believe in God, I don't believe in that, and I and I, and, and, weirdly, I love some of the things about being Jewish. I love the whole attitude towards, like education, and and the and the and the cause. You know a lot of the I'm not kidding, a lot of the people that I grew up around were so like pious and then in business they were so, you know, none of them paid their taxes or something you know.
Isaac Mizrahiit was just gross, right, or they do the most horrible things and then they hide behind this kind of piety. And I don't. But that's not what Judaism is about to me. To me it's about being a good person and and I did I did learn all of those lessons and their beautiful, beautiful lessons from the Chumash and the Torah and from the all of it, like we learned to speak, we learned to read Aramaic, not just Hebrew, but like it was a real kind of mind fuck that, that, that that education.
ModiNo, but listen to you being when you're young and you're developing. You're learning Hebrew, aramaic, the Gomorrah. You're learning. It really develops your mind.
Isaac MizrahiAs a matter of fact, like my husband, right, you know, the other day. I think this is what it is Like. I keep jumping down his throat like anything he says about this thing going on now, and it's like no no, I'm sorry.
Isaac MizrahiI'm sorry, you know it's like let me stop you right there. You know, and he's like darling, I'm just talking, you know, I'm like okay, but it's bordering on anti-Semitism, you know, it's like, right, I'm just right now, I'm extremely, extremely, you know, tense. My back is up, you know so yeah, yeah, it's.
Modiwhat's happening in Israel is insane. I kind of this podcast people. Whenever they see me that we say I love your podcast, it just makes my mind turn off for an hour Right, and so I never really. We did one episode discussing the war and all that. And? But I mean I have Isaac Mizrahi on. I want to talk about Isaac Mizrahi First of all, the name of your book. I Am, yeah, which is so amazing.
Isaac MizrahiWell, lead it, because I'm not kidding. It's not a bad book. I will. I want to be a writer so badly. That's not a bad book. It's not a bad book.
ModiI Am, I Am is the strongest thing in the world. You can say. That's from God, no darling. When Moses went to the bush and he said who are you? He says I am that I am. And if you want to create anything that you are, you say I am happy, I am and also.
Isaac MizrahiLa Cajafal. Can we go straight to La Cajafal? Moses to La Cajafal.
ModiI am what I am, man.
Isaac Mizrahiwhat I am means no excuses it was more a reference of La Cajafal than it was to Moses, but now I'm going to use the Moses. Moses is there.
ModiMoses was originally Moses Moses. The best comedy, original comedy, came from the Torah. Those are very funny things that are written in the Torah.
Isaac MizrahiThat I don't remember.
ModiWell, I'll give you the funniest things. When the Jews crossed the Red Sea the Red Sea, the parted, right, the Dead Sea parted. They just saw their enemies swooped in by this thing. And then now, now they're on the other side and they all turn to Moses and goes there's no food. You brought us here to die. We could have died in Egypt, right, literally, that's how it's written. So there is, you have to just look for it. You still, you still, you still design, or not? Everybody, you know, we, I was lucky. I have a friend who was a designer and he worked on his own label and then he went to work for Bill Blass and then he worked for J Crew and everything. This is glamorous, amazing world of fashion. Do you feel it, graham? It's obviously you're creative. You see a dress, you know how to do it.
Isaac MizrahiI have a collection, I have a few different licenses now and I work on those with a very large group of designers. You know I work on a big design staff but it's not like doing fashion shows or couture, it just isn't. But I did that for a good 12 years of my life and then before I did, you know, I worked for Perielus and I worked for Calvin Klein. I worked for all these different designers and made fashion shows and you know, kind of have an understanding of it through them. But but now I don't know it. Just it isn't that type of thing, that kind of fashion. Yeah, it's not important to me personally. I don't care about that stuff anymore, you know, and it's embarrassing because it's like people call and they want to talk to me about it and it's like I don't care. You know, it's like I can do the interviewer or like I can listen to them. It's like, ok, are you finished? Are you finished? Are you finished about that ball? It's like, are you finished? You know, I don't really, I don't think about it.
ModiIt's not what it was.
Isaac MizrahiIt's not no. And you know what, can I tell you? When you're in it, you have to be like in it. You have to go out every damn night and stay out and look and see what they're wearing and it's fun. When it's fun, it's fun. And then it stops being fun Yep, it really does.
ModiAnd then it's like you know by the way, we live in New York City, which is an amazing place to live, and you just see the kids pulling looks.
Isaac MizrahiI know that are.
ModiI know, can I just tell you something.
Fashion, Music, and Gifts
Isaac MizrahiWait a minute, darling. And the thing is like when I did it, when I did it those years that I did it, I did it I didn't have a million stylists and young assistants coming in with prints and things. I was the one and they worked for me and I made them make clothes. You know what I mean? It was not the same, and I don't. If someone else is coming and giving me their ideas, you know, I don't care. This is what I do. Now I have a design staff and we go oh, you think the crew neck should be a little lower, really, and that's it. Oh, we love this print or something, but it's not the same thing, okay.
ModiI don't want to drag you into a design in conversation because I know it's not your jam right now, but I love you for that.
Isaac MizrahiI love it. Did someone call you in advance?
ModiNo, I get interviewed and I can tell if they've read other stuff and they so. You went to Cantorial school? Tell us. I know, I know I want to talk to you.
Isaac MizrahiYou're performing in a place that I love, I wear love.
Modithe North Shore Performance Center in Chicago.
Isaac MizrahiOh my God, I'm so scared of that place.
ModiWhy.
Isaac MizrahiI don't know. Are they nice people? The nicest. Okay, do you do a meet and greet? Maybe Do a meet and greet.
ModiSometimes I do meet and greet. They bring you cookies. They bring you cookies.
Isaac MizrahiAre they kosher? Are they glad, kosher who?
Modicares who's gonna eat them, but, but, but. I'm gonna eat the cookie, but they're so sweet. It's a Chicago Skokie era. I love Chicago. What are you gonna do on the show? Tell me what's the show.
Isaac MizrahiYou know, I have a band and we do music because we saw the name is Rahi right, it's the same band, it's just bigger. It's a bigger band. My band got bigger over there. And what do you say? And I sing ridiculous things, good. Like what, I don't know, I sing. What do I sing? I sing this Billie Eilish tune that I love. Which one? Not the Barbie one, but I'm gonna work on that one because I adore that one. What would I?
Leomake. I love that song.
Isaac MizrahiNo, I sing. This thing called Everything I Wanted. It's a spilly eyelash. I sing, I sing, I sing borderline. You know the Madonna song, borderline.
ModiYeah, exactly.
Isaac MizrahiIt's a good number. Well, you just did a Bar Mitzvah version of it. Darling, I do a really cool jazz version of it. Drag it.
LeoBorderline. Drag me, it's not that.
ModiI do a whole other thing with it. Yeah, it's really good Under the poor and it involves a heavy glockenspiel. You talk in the middle and tell a story while you're doing the song. Actually you know yes, very song to burn hearty.
Isaac MizrahiYes, yes, yes yes, ok. But not exactly, not exactly. Well, why don't you just come and see?
Modius.
Isaac MizrahiI would, if I would in a heartbeat, if we we are traveling doing our own shows, but we are doing some shows in like white planes or something, or in like you know, I don't remember, when it's like a million, there's a few shows and then there's the Carlisle for two weeks, which is the greatest gig in the world.
ModiOh, that's what we're going to see at Carlisle.
Isaac MizrahiOk, you know, for a million dollars. I'm just telling you oh, it's an expensive ticket, it is, but it's worth it because it's one of the great New York things. I'm not kidding.
PerielWhat's in that? What's the ticket? What's the ticket?
Isaac MizrahiI don't know, I don't know, but you know what you should go because it's worth it.
PerielOK, it's the greatest. We buy tickets we don't call. It's like going to.
Isaac MizrahiI'm telling you darling, it's like going to. That's the first room that I love. It's like my favorite.
ModiThe Carlisle.
Isaac MizrahiThe Carlisle and it's like, and it's like a, like a vortex of energy. Yeah, really there's a, there's a sense of cabaret in that room that you really can't find a lot anymore. I saw Michael. Michael Vines.
ModiAnd I also saw I don't remember his name, but it was Mark Bietor took me a short black man, you mean Bobby Short, bobby Short.
Isaac MizrahiBobby Short I saw him.
ModiI was blown away.
Isaac MizrahiHe was the greatest, the greatest ever at the Carlisle.
ModiThat was years ago, I'm telling you, I'm not that far from you. It was in the early 90s, yeah and so. But so you're the Carlisle. Ok, we'll, we'll, we'll. That's a night.
Isaac MizrahiIt's incredible that room it's my favorite. What made you come?
Modibecome a singer. When did you, did you train your voice, Darling? I did it.
Isaac MizrahiYou know I went to performing arts high school.
ModiOh OK, I go, I go, I go, I go 46th.
PerielStreet.
Isaac MizrahiAnd I'm in that movie called Fame. I have like a tiny little cameo in Fame what I never want to. You mean in the movie, yeah, what's the what's the cameo? It's like in the beginning I'm auditioning to get into the school and I'm wearing this kind of jester hat and a little. I'm carrying a jester staff that I made and I'm doing a monologue from, as you like it. Oh my God, because that's what I did for Spring Drama Festival.
Isaac MizrahiWhen I graduated, I was touched down and, as you like it, you know oh my God, we have to see Fame, you have to see Fame.
ModiYeah, it's long, it's long and great.
Isaac MizrahiIt's long as hell.
ModiIt's really long, it's great, it's really good.
Isaac MizrahiIt's an amazing and talk about camp and talk about like the gayest thing in the world.
ModiI'm going to live forever, totally. What's that song? It's such an amazing song, it's a good song. It's such a spine.
LeoIrene.
Isaac MizrahiCara. We miss, we RIP. I loved her. I mean, I didn't know her, but I didn't love Irene Cara.
ModiYeah, irene Cara, oh my God, oh my God, the carlbis, so many things to her. And so, besides the singing, oh, so I tell stories.
Isaac MizrahiYeah, obviously I tell stories and I tell stories, and that's it. Sometimes I give shit away, I regift. I do like a whole thing where I regift stuff because I get all this stuff. Do you get stuff? And then it's just, it just grows.
PerielLet me tell you what we get. Let me tell you what we get. They get stuff and then they give it to me.
ModiLet me tell you what we get. Ok, so during the summer when Leo's on the beach posting, they send us from Charlie or from whatever the brands, hoping that he posts a picture with it, and that's so. He gets boxers and underwear and the small bathing suits. And me. They send pickles. I get pickles, I get pickles. That's hilarious, so I'm not bringing them.
Isaac MizrahiNo, I get a lot of t-shirts and a lot of. But also I get magic bullets that I just I'm never going to use them. Magic yeah.
Magic Bullet and Marriage Memories
ModiI gave away a magic bullet in my channel. We go through them, we burn their engines out. That's how much, how much how we go through our magic bullets.
PerielWe love a magic bullet.
Isaac MizrahiWe make shakes. I love a magic bullet. My husband likes a magic bullet.
ModiWe love it. I love a magic bullet and I don't understand protein shakes in my life.
Isaac MizrahiWhat if just about just eating some cheese?
LeoNow here's something I can get into. No, you know exactly.
ModiNo, we love it. Almond milk Leo can kill it back in the kitchen.
PerielHe gives it in the kitchen.
ModiLeo can make a smoothie that you really, just you feel it's giving juice back.
Isaac MizrahiYou know what you feel like.
ModiLet me tell you what I feel like when he makes our smoothie.
Isaac MizrahiIf you say my shiok energy, I'm going to fucking like ring your neck.
ModiIt's not, not my shiok energy, but we have our smoothie, like, do you know, when there's a baby and they give it a bath and they wrap it around, they bring it out and it smells so good. Oh say, goodnight to Michael, Everybody gives it to you. So we I thought you were going to say like Rivka, I know. So we, I said, I said I'm like a Daniel, at least Daniel.
ModiAt least and then we get like into our sofa, which we call the nest, and now we're all clean and yummy and you know, and we watch. Right now we're deep into Sex in the City. Season four we started from season one, episode one.
Isaac MizrahiHave you come across my little cameo in Sex in the City, because I'm in one little episode.
LeoYes, I think we did see that we did.
ModiYeah, what season? Well, what season was it? Maybe it's later, I don't know.
LeoCould be later, maybe later.
ModiWait, darling but then we make our smoothie and we're sitting there with a smoothie like a little baby, all yummy in our blankets. Is this late at night? Late at night, yeah.
Isaac MizrahiI thought a smoothie was like a morning thing. No, we also like to be, like you know, like one of the real Housewives of LA.
ModiNo, no, no, no, they're like. He makes it with love. I take the scoop, put it in with the water, show it and done Exactly. I just put the for the.
Isaac MizrahiArnold has been making this incredible thing.
ModiI love. His name is Arnold. His name is Arnold I know, and he's the biggest.
Isaac MizrahiHe's like he's not Jewish.
PerielHow long have you been married?
Isaac MizrahiWe've been married since 2011. That's something since they made it national law. We got.
Perielthat's what we got, and how did you meet?
Isaac MizrahiWe met on the street. We met like it was a pick, total pickup. It was before walk us through it. No, darling, it was before phones. And it was like and we met, I, we made eye contact, I was walking my dog, we made eye contact across Fifth Avenue.
PerielYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Isaac MizrahiAcross like 12th Street because Fifth Avenue, and he ran over me talking and it's like and you know, you just feel somebody is good, you just feel a good energy and we walked. It was kind of my shiach energy.
PerielYeah.
Isaac MizrahiAnd we walked around the block and we got to my apartment. We got to my apartment, to my building, and I was like, oh, I don't have a pencil. I love your phone number. Why don't you go upstairs? You know, it was like one of those Smooth A pencil, because we didn't have phones when. That was in 2000.
ModiThey don't know, by the way, I was, but I met you also once at a bar called Splash. Of course, I came over and told you how great your show was, and you and Did I proposition you on the spot?
Isaac MizrahiBecause you did not.
ModiYou did not. But back then at the back then at the bars, next to the next to the napkins, there was a little pen and a small pencil. And now you have a phone number of somebody like Jim.
Isaac MizrahiDid I give you my phone number shamelessly?
ModiAnd then and then, good luck getting that home in one piece, remembering where it is and it's not being like wet and the mother was a smudged, it's so true. Who remembers that?
Isaac MizrahiBut, but, but. It was a great thing when you didn't have a phone.
ModiIt was great when you have to come upstairs and the message and you did this and he did quality Ah the message is the client. We met on the subway. We met on the sub Nice.
LeoYou know, nice, nice, you cruise each other across.
Isaac MizrahiYes, we figured it out from across an avenue, ok.
ModiThat means, the energy was there.
LeoThat was there Exactly.
ModiWe cruise each other on the subway and the six train I was like boom, boom. And then at first I wasn't sure he was gay because he was dressed for an internship in very. I was a good patch, georgia.
LeoYou know care? Ok, you were one. One pair of khakis and I never fucking live it down.
Isaac MizrahiMy husband was wearing khakis when we met to actually Like yes, and we had three dates and we moved in.
PerielQuestion.
ModiYes.
PerielAre you not at all worried about walking around covered in Jewish stars right now?
Isaac MizrahiGood question. You know what Refesh?
Modiand by walking around, I mean, and by walking around, he arrived at the studio. Oh, come on.
PerielIn a.
ModiMercedes Benz that was literally half the size of the block he came out of there like Adolf. Eichmann looking Walking around.
PerielSeriously.
ModiDo you?
Isaac Mizrahiwalk around. I saw you and I was like oh, there she is. I was like oh, there's Modi. Because I was like oh, where's? And then I was like why isn't she upstairs already, like expecting?
ModiNo, we were like I'm telling you the truth. I was so excited for this guest and and for you, and I said to Peril let's just go sit outside before and let's regroup on what we want to talk with him about, because I don't want to, I didn't want to be some stale. And when did you get your inspiration for the dress?
Isaac Mizrahifor the Oscars.
ModiOh, I never. I wanted to like, I wanted to hit it and and I wanted, I wanted to wait a second.
Isaac MizrahiWhere were we? Oh, about the Jewish stars and the whole thing? No, yeah, I mean sadly. I think it is a consideration now, you know.
PerielI do. It's 100% a consideration.
Isaac MizrahiYeah, I think it's a real consideration right now, more and more.
ModiI see guys on the street with yarmulkes and sirtis and I see other people looking at them differently. Yeah, yeah, I've been seeing that. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
PerielBut you're wearing it, I am wearing it, I want it for you, I love this, the Midsford Tank, astifa Also I designed this beautiful.
LeoWhat, what happened yesterday.
PerielSorry.
LeoYou were talking about people looking at people on the street differently with the titzis and the yarmulkes and one of the guys in the Midsmobile yesterday.
ModiOh, the Midsmobile. Ask me about the Jewish. That's the Chabad guys that asked you to put the tfilon on.
LeoAnd I lied and said yes, because I just wanted him. I didn't want him to think I was like an anti-Semite.
ModiSo do you know what I would say to them Whenever they ask you Jewish? I say to them in Yiddish namad up main hoizen and kuk to go up my pants and look oh right, exactly. But then they go oh, my God, it's Modi. And then they come.
LeoWait so you met Arnold in 2000, and then you got married in 2011?
Isaac MizrahiYeah, Well, we were together for about six months and then we broke up and then he went away. He moved to Santa Fe for like seven years or something like that. We didn't see each other and I kept thinking and thinking and then I was like and then, of course, your friends go, oh, whatever happened to that adorable. And I was like, really, you're telling me this now, he's adorable. And then I started to sort of think about him and think about him. Then he moved back and that was the end of that. We came after. So we were apart for about seven years, wow, so between 2000 and, I would say, 2007,. And then he moved back in 2007.
PerielWe were apart for about seven minutes Can we let Isaac answer the very interesting question that I asked.
LeoWhich was.
PerielWhich was about your Etouale Jouie walking around covered in Jewish stars.
ModiSo it's a consideration. You just love saying Etouale Jouie and get over it.
PerielI do, but I know that's like serious, like that's not a joke.
ModiBy the way, I didn't even notice that it was Jewish stars.
Isaac MizrahiIt's like a retan thing, but they form Jewish stars. Well, you know, I mean, I have to say this is the sad thing, is that? Okay, just tell me how old you are. How old are you?
ModiI'm 53. I have no problem with it. I'm 62. Can I in a?
Isaac Mizrahihurry, we're doing good. Exactly, listen anyway. And the thing is like in my early adulthood anyway, in my childhood, I grew up watching, also, sesame Street and it was like this incredibly kind of beautifully integrated world. You know, in those days and in school, I didn't think, you know, my parents would say, you know, they don't like Jews, you better watch it, watch out. And I was like you people are crazy. Like are we living in the same world? I'm going to performing arts high school and it's like everybody is either Jewish or fucked up in some way. You know, everybody loves each other, you know, and it was.
Isaac MizrahiIt felt like everybody was included, everybody was righteous, everybody was, you know, on the same level, and you did not feel anti-Semitism or racism. Really, you didn't feel it. You know, it was only in like 2016, when Trump was elected, that you started to actually understand that the underbelly of things, the very lowest of the low of this country, is a racist kind of a thing. You know, I don't believe that it exists in the middle or the top of the country. I think it's the horrible, horrible underbelly of the country. That is how I was raised, that's what I believe, that's what I will go to my grave believing and I hope I don't have to constrict my beliefs any further than I have already in the past. You know sort of what is it since 2016? Over many years and the past few days. You know what I mean. It's like constricting and constricting.
Isaac MizrahiAnd I'm getting very, I'm getting like wait a minute, because, you know, in the face of all of that horror that went on, you know. And, by the way, that lady, what's her name? The crazy lawyer she's just admitted to like sort of falsifying votes in Georgia and she's going to have to make an apology to the people of Georgia and pay $9,000 and have six years of probation. Really, what's her name? What is that lady's name? Phyllis.
PerielNo, whatever.
Isaac MizrahiBut I'm saying it's like you know, from that moment in 2016, it was a sharp decline in relations and human relations in this country, a sharp, sharp decline, and some people felt they were getting this country back and it was. It's a sickening thing for a person like me who was raised in a very nice kind of environment and and this whole Sesame Street thing. We were taught that it was like you know this kind of beautiful kind of cityscape with birds and trees and you know grouches and yeah, exactly, you know, that's what we thought.
Isaac MizrahiWe thought we were all neighbors. Everybody's a good neighbor. You love everybody, not so much, you know not so much and in the past few days, and in the past few days it's even more so. And you know, one thought in 2016, like, oh my God, like, listen, this is not that different from what was going on in Weimar Republic and, you know, in those gay bars and in those, you know those, whatever it was right. And now it's like even scarier because of what's going on in the world.
PerielYeah, it is.
Isaac MizrahiI mean, I've had people take off.
PerielJewish stars to be like. Don't let the kids walk around with Jewish stars.
LeoDon't let the kids walk around with Yarmulka.
ModiYeah, it's sick, it's really scary. I believe the only real solution is I'm a shiha. Really, I really believe it. I really believe it.
Isaac MizrahiWait so you're looking at. That's a crazy thing. That scares me. It's not crazy, it's not crazy.
ModiIt's what the entire religion is built on.
Isaac MizrahiI know Well, I'm telling you. Every prayer is, bring nihilists or something I don't know what to call myself. I don't. I don't believe in anything after death. You die and you die and you go to dust, darling dust to dust.
ModiYour body goes to dust. Your soul goes to whatever it's got to go to.
Isaac MizrahiWell, when we know, then we'll celebrate it or something. We don't know that.
PerielYour soul goes to Fire Island.
ModiMy soul goes right into the car lot.
Isaac MizrahiI go right into the car lot. I want my picture in that mural. Bobby Short has a picture. Yes, he does. He got someone to pretend they were Vertes and do a little fake Bobby Short painting. I need someone to do that?
ModiDid you see that? The episode in Frasier when they put his picture in the, in the, in the, in the restaurant they always eat and he was upset about it? I need to watch more Frasier, frasier is the best show ever.
Isaac MizrahiIt is. I know, it's back, it's back. They're rebooting it.
ModiNo darling, the best show ever, what All in the family best show in the world, I mean yeah all in the family and Frasier in the same sentence, darling both serious the best shows ever. All in the family is on one level. And then and then Frasier. The writing on Frasier is genius.
LeoWhat would you say is like some of your favorites.
Isaac MizrahiWhat's your favorite show, then, besides Golden Girls?
ModiOkay, but then it's like the dum, dum, dum, dum. Here comes a set up punchline.
Isaac MizrahiBut I could watch for hours. I could watch for hours and you laugh your balls off. It's the 100%. What am I? Oh, the Gilmore Girls.
LeoReally Live for the Gilmore Girls.
Isaac MizrahiReally, I live for the Gilmore Girls. I don't know why.
LeoIs it the Ivy League? I don't know. It's the whole stars hollow.
Isaac MizrahiI just want to live in that little village and have, like you know, festivals and it's very, very, very cozy. It's a very cozy, very white that show. It's extremely white, and that's fine. We watched it. What's the Irish one? I don't want to come for them. They don't want to come for me. I love them. I love the Palladino Shermans.
ModiWhat's the Irish Shermans.
Isaac MizrahiPalladino's Dairy Girls Dairy. Girls I can't understand what they say, that's the most fun of it.
ModiThey just kept saying the F word over and everything was just F word, f word. And so you don't say the F word like you say F word. I don't like to say it, you don't, okay.
ModiI don't say it, but not like I don't sit on stage, I'm like on the podcast. She blows it up all the time with the F word, but I don't like to. It's not a one of my, one of my rabies, one of my rabbi, uh Yorkel Yisrael Gross, told me no, nivelpe, don't, don't, keep it clean, it's good, one of my best friends is.
Isaac MizrahiIsraeli, this one called Myra Kalman. She's one of my best friends.
PerielI know Myra, she was right upstairs for me.
Isaac MizrahiI love her so much. How do you know her? She's from Israel, right, she is from Israel, israel.
ModiIsrael.
Isaac MizrahiIsrael and um, and you know, and I've never been to Israel, I have never been, what Af pa um lo hayi, tishama af pa ah Ken, no, no, Ken. I've been four times, I've never been.
PerielThat is insane.
Isaac MizrahiWhen you get when you get over. I'm just going to go have a break.
ModiI mean, you get over, I'm going to okay, I know, I know, I know I've re, I've reconnected.
PerielBring your show there when the war's over yeah. They would love you, they would.
ModiMyra and her children.
Isaac MizrahiThey go there constantly. They go there four times. They have an apartment in Tel Aviv. They have family there. I love their family. They're so hilarious. Myra and his wife and you know, and the way they just, they're like honey. It is so much more kind of.
PerielDo you want to go?
Isaac MizrahiGage or whatever it is in New York, that she's like honey. They are so fatalistic, they, you know, they'll have sex with you in two, like you know. It's like they just think they're going to die tomorrow. Yeah, they're eating everything, they're drinking everything, they're smoking, taking every drug. I said to you it's true, and so where is this? Where is it what? That's what I was expecting from you, what I was expecting this like really hard living guy, what are you talking about? I was expecting you to be as fatalistic as those.
ModiNo, mashiach's coming. He's here. Are you insane? First of all, I have a prediction right now. This is my prediction when Isaac Mizrahi goes to Erich Yisrael, he's never coming back. Yeah he's never Wait. I have something. Let me finish my. This is my. I'm keeping the prediction going. This will be on tape. He will call whoever he has to sell his apartment here, find some places in Israel.
Isaac MizrahiNo, it's illicit to me. Myra's daughter, lulu right, who's a really close friend of mine. She's also and I haven't seen she goes to me darling. If you go to Israel, try to get like airlifted in for like a few hours and then like airlifted out and like taken right back to Rome or wherever you're coming. Like that's what she said to me. She was like you're not gonna do well in Israel.
ModiYou're gonna kill it. Why, if you set it up right, you'll kill it.
Isaac MizrahiNo, no, no, no she means me, because I'm so like if I go to Pennsylvania. I freak out, like if I leave New York City to go to, like if I land on Tel Aviv.
ModiTel Aviv, which Leo says is basically Miami and New York City had a baby. I can't bear.
Isaac MizrahiI can't bear my. I'm sorry, I can't. No, I'm not going to say that. You can say that what can I fucking say you?
Perielcan say anything you want. You can say what I do. I don't like hot.
Isaac MizrahiI don't like hot temperature places. I don't like like New York in the summer. I like have to lie down most I'm not kidding you have to literally go away and lie down. That's what I have to do.
LeoI'm serious, you're such a hardcore New Yorker. You're such a hardcore New Yorker I was also until Leo came into my life.
ModiLeo, Leo, on our way. Where are you from? I grew up in Florida. I grew up in Florida, so listen on our fifth year together.
Isaac MizrahiOh, it's so humid, it's so much.
ModiOn our fifth year together, we're in New York. It's freezing, it's a winter that was freezing and Leo says this doesn't have to be it.
PerielIt doesn't have to be the situation I love it, I love it, and then we started Airbnb in Florida and like for months at a time.
Isaac MizrahiOh, I love the cold weather. It's so just.
LeoYou like being cozy and buttoned up.
Isaac MizrahiI don't know I like being civilized. Ok, I don't like being uncivilized.
LeoOh, I'm uncivilized.
Isaac MizrahiI don't like being sweaty and I don't look.
ModiThe first one. We went down to Florida. The Florida in him came out. Well, you go to Publix and Flip Flops.
Isaac MizrahiI never say I do like Publix, I have to say Publix is amazing.
ModiPublix is amazing Shopping is a pleasure.
LeoSponsor. I do like, I love Publix and, but you're such a hardcore New Yorker Like how have you seen the city change in the last A lot, like what are some of the things that you kind of are Because the city is not the same?
Isaac Mizrahinow from what I hear.
LeoWell, for one thing, I've lived here for eight years now.
Isaac MizrahiCan I tell you, one really really sad thing is. You know it used to be like a 24 hour situation, right.
PerielYou cannot get.
Isaac MizrahiNo, no, no, no, it's. It started dying. It started dying. You can't get. You can't get like even the simplest little cheese souffle past midnight. Just you know, serious Like you can't get, she's waiting for I'm going to go, well, really.
LeoSo well, ok, I need you, I know what my barometer for that was, when Veselka stopped being. Oh, that is my condo for the goyim darling.
Isaac MizrahiCan I give you my barometer for the goyim what?
Modibefore I bought that one, I was like oh, I lived on 11th between first and second half, a block from from Second Avenue Delhi, which I used to go to the comedy cell.
Isaac MizrahiIt killed me two in the morning.
ModiIt two in the morning it killed me. When they close somewhere else, it's like in the third and it's still amazing and it's the best food in the world, but they close at nine.
Isaac MizrahiI go jack, I go jack, or eight, it's wrong. The owners, the owners. What about the Carnegie Delhi? What about, like you know, every one, I've never been a Carnegie guy. I was in.
ModiSecond Avenue Delhi was my thing. They're still open, they still deliver they. But the vibe of just going 11 at night to the Second Avenue Delhi pickles and pla and poo and cha.
Isaac MizrahiThe other thing that's missing is lunch as a, as a, as a subject, you know. Now it's like chopped or something, or a lot.
PerielOh yeah, that's Used to be.
Isaac MizrahiIt's darling. It used to be like lunch at La Grande.
PerielSomething that you want to call it the search, but like, yeah, just lunch, it was forget power.
Isaac MizrahiIt was just lunch, darling, it was lunch.
LeoAnd now it's like your trough of salad.
Isaac MizrahiExactly, you're cubicle of the farm animal or like at the four seasons or Michaels. I mean it was a huge or done on a 54th 53rd.
LeoOh yeah, I love Michaels oh my God. So, yeah, it's no longer the 24 hour city that ever sleeps. It's the.
ModiBut let me tell you something it's not not you, leo, can hit the phone and food shows up all hours of the night.
Isaac MizrahiYou know, arnold, I don't know how to order food. I can't order food. I can't do it. I'm. My husband will order my dinner tonight because I can't, he's, I'm alone. He will order dinner from the. Champton, we'll order because I don't know how to. I swear to.
PerielGod.
Isaac MizrahiYes. But he was getting loaded, there's no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He will, because I can't. I don't know how to use the.
LeoYou do know, you don't want to have to deal with it.
Isaac MizrahiThat's maybe not, maybe not, that's maybe not.
LeoThat's the thing I've never called my own Uber.
Isaac MizrahiI've been in an Uber once with you and we did and we did. We did. No, we did like a funny Instagram post about me being in an Uber, because I've never been in an Uber.
ModiI'm, I can Uber, I don't like the idea of Ubers.
Isaac MizrahiI don't like the thought of obsessed with the way I need a taxi, that's the other thing you go like this. I was the queen of taxis, darling, I held. I had like parties and tax. I was a taxi, I had parties. Animal, I was a taxi, animal, darling. That's what I was. I used to be sick in taxis. I was happy in taxis. Yeah, I had sex and I was the greatest thing in the world. It's so sad the taxis aren't. I love Uber.
LeoWell, when you step into a taxi now, it's like you feel like you're visiting someone in a corrections department, like they have the plastic cage around you and you're like, am I like Hannibal?
Isaac MizrahiLecter, or am I just trying to get? They're just, they're just taking. They're just. It's not the Garden of Eden, darling New York City is a dangerous, I still take yellow taxis.
LeoI do too If it's going by and I see it.
ModiAnd I didn't order my Uber, yet I put up my mask.
Isaac MizrahiLike there was always one guy I remember.
PerielImagine this I remember.
Isaac MizrahiAnd they were huge. What about that? The checker taxis with the seats that I remember you could fit a ball gown in the back seat like two ball gowns OK.
PerielA ball gown and a cheese soup. Oh, it's so fabulous.
ModiNo, they used to be. There used to be these massive and the black cars, the, the, the big, the Continental's, those massive, the cars that well, they don't have car services anymore.
PerielThese have like ready to roll or seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, like Liza.
Isaac MizrahiManelli would call a ready to. It was so great.
ModiYeah, it's, that's not. It's not horrible, it's the the, the, the rats and just the rats. New York City is still New York City, rats, new York City always had rats.
Isaac MizrahiIt's still New York City, though they had more rats when I was a kid. When I was a kid, it was squalid in New York City, really yes, and then it had this big kind of gentrification and now it's kind of, like you know, teetering on the edge and I don't mind, I don't mind. I do mind it needs to find itself.
PerielYeah, it needs to get it together a little bit.
ModiWe don't want to keep you. Are you busy?
Isaac MizrahiI have to go, I have to go, so let's have this up having an ice cream thing upstown, it's called Ample Hills Creamery.
ModiOK, so let's wrap this up All right. Tell them where they can see you and buy expensive tickets to. Where can they?
Isaac Mizrahisee me next. Well, in Skokie, illinois, and in Grace Lake, also Illinois, which are near Chicago, and somehow I got like a lot of shit online for saying that was near Chicago. But it is near Chicago and they're great places, like you said. They are amazing and you can go to my website December 1st, somewhere at Stony Brook, New York. Ok, but go to Chicago.
Modifirst, what's your website?
Isaac MizrahiMy website is HelloIsaaccom.
ModiOK, that's a good one. How do you spell Isaac? There's a billion words ISAAC.
LeoISAAC.
Isaac MizrahiOK.
LeoThe only way I've ever seen Isaac's. I've seen both of them.
Isaac MizrahiOh, in my podcast, which you should come on, I'll be happy to podcast because I do prepare for podcasts and I do ask you really boring questions about going to campus school.
PerielOK.
ModiI will answer on the.
PerielIt's called.
ModiHello Isaac.
Isaac MizrahiIt's all branded darling. It's like my shiach energy only. Hello, isaac Men. By the way, maybe I'm the shiach. Did you ever consider them? Maybe Rihanna is the?
Modimost Maybe, like I'm serious, starts with me, me, you are me, you are yourself, me, my shiach energy I love it which is actually available on my Merch. Go to my Mody livecom. You can get my shiach energy hats and Yamaha which I brought you one. And more important, I am, this is airing, I don't know. Ok, brussels is a few tickets up in Brussels and Charlotte, north Carolina, atlanta and Milwaukee.
LeoMilwaukee, Milwaukee and all the other big cities that you've been asking for. Those are all coming soon, maybe by the time this airs. Yeah, a slew of cities.
ModiThere's a slew of cities, a big tour is coming out we're just waiting to announce it when it's a little a little lull in insane news and Mody livecom and and just be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show. Now more than ever, people are addicted to their phones. They can't stop looking at it. Make sure you get a bunch of tickets to shows, even if it's not mine to Isaac's show. Be the friend that brings the friends to a comedy show. And they need the break. They need just a few moments to just laugh and then they can go back to their phones.
Isaac MizrahiI am, if you're me, cable television, you know, just like broadcast, like David Muir, by the way. Like David Muir, david, if you're listening, call me Sorry thank you so much for coming.
ModiI really appreciate it.
LeoI adore you very much, hello Isaac. Retail Out they're out.