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
Jessica Kirson
Episode 131: The AHM crew is (eventually) joined by the 'Queen of Crowd Work' Jessica Kirson. Jessica talks about her similarities with pimps, her "Never-Ending" tour, embracing her success and the time Modi met her father. Leo admits he is starstruck.
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welcome to and here's modi. Can I just see my shot?
Speaker 2:come on pose that's nice, you just want to move to the music okay, all righty, and here's mod.
Speaker 1:Hello everybody, welcome back. We are in the studio currently, me, leo and Periel Ashen Brand. Wow, yes, when you told me brand the word brand is like a brand, like a Giorgio Armani brand it helped me out, figure out how to say your name. And so we're here, periel Ashen Brand, and waiting for a guest, but we're starting off anyway. We at this time, by the time this airs, are fully on tour and we are between. By now there's probably an election. That has happened.
Speaker 2:I hope the results.
Speaker 1:This is the message in a bottle to our future selves yes, we may be seeking asylum in the uk I will be on stage when the results come in even though yeah, I'll be. I'll be at the palladium in london yeah, on november 6th our agent said I have a. I have a great gift for you?
Speaker 2:yeah, he framed. He framed it as a gift, yes, not like would you like to work in London.
Speaker 1:But we said I actually would love to be in London during election day.
Speaker 3:You're literally going to be on stage when the results get in. Well, let's be clear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those results are not coming in for any time, for a few weeks probably.
Speaker 3:Fair enough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:If at all if at all, if at all, and either way, they're going to be contested uh, we watched kamala harris last night and by watched, I went to bed, I, I watched, I watched, I watched she was throwing some balls and she could have really banged them in and uh, she, she didn't. Not to say that that doesn't make her super qualified to be the president, but she had moments where she could have nailed it. You know, she could have and I don't know, I don't know what the results are going to be.
Speaker 3:Is she super qualified to be the president?
Speaker 1:Isn't she?
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't know. I think that depends on who you ask.
Speaker 1:She was a lawyer. Oh good, I like that. You're resisting me. I'm because you, because you, as we all know, we are politically asexual, but we, um, but uh, I think I'm having a sexual awakening.
Speaker 2:Oh, you are, I'm scared.
Speaker 1:Um, um, um. I have faith in the lord god and I the Lord In the Lord right. I never said the Lord before right.
Speaker 4:You can't say that. I don't think I can say, lord I don't think you can say Lord.
Speaker 1:No, because the Lord, our God, the Lord is one. You can say the Lord, it's God.
Speaker 2:Why can't you say Lord, I thought the Christians had a hard time.
Speaker 1:Christians have a much different definition of Lord than Jews just a word for God, yeah.
Speaker 2:Whereas I think your Lord is the pop star from New Zealand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Leo, oh bam, leo's on tonight.
Speaker 2:I have to carry the weight of it. I mean, oh, your shoulder's a little heavy.
Speaker 1:Are your shoulders carrying this podcast, Leo oh?
Speaker 2:Those of you listening. This is the sound of cold brew, A venti cold brew from starbucks yeah, we are about to do four podcasts today.
Speaker 1:We're gonna be wired.
Speaker 3:I don't know how you guys drink starbucks.
Speaker 2:I really don't oh, is it not good for you? No, it's just the shitty coffee let's do a question what is your go-to starbucks order if you have to at gunpoint? If you're not a Starbucks person, even, what is your Starbucks order If you're in an airport and you're dying? You need a caffeine? Hit, there's only a Starbucks. What's your order?
Speaker 3:I'm going to get the same thing I always get. It's an espresso with cold milk and ice.
Speaker 2:And I am saying and they give it to you in that little tiny baby cup.
Speaker 3:No, I ask for it in like a bigger cup so I could put ice and milk in it.
Speaker 1:I never drink it in it, oh those of you who deviate from things that are just meant to be. I would never in my life ask them to do something out of the box Ice coffee with a little bit of almond milk, period, yeah, and that's it. If it's early and cold, regular coffee medium with a little bit of almond milk, that's it. So easy. They usually turn around, do it for me and hand it to me right away. I don't have to wait to hear Modi, modi.
Speaker 2:Modi gets mad, because he'll be like I'll have exactly what you said a medium coffee with almond milk Period. And then I'll be like can I please have a venti iced oat latte?
Speaker 1:with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla, with two pumps of sugar and one thick of scent, and kisses and hugs. And if you could hold me when it's ready, that would be nice and then four hours later we hear Leo, like literally four hours later, and it's never right, but listen to me.
Speaker 2:Iced latte with oat milk is not a complicated order. I'm just. What's throwing you is the two pumps of sugar-free vanilla, because it sounds superfluous and luxury.
Speaker 1:She pumps these two, it looks like shampoo. She puts in shampoo, vanilla shampoo in his drink, yeah, and then he can't settle down the whole day, and then he can't settle down the whole day.
Speaker 2:I wonder why I have to take too Ambien to sleep at night Wait a second.
Speaker 3:Here's the question for the viewers.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Is Starbucks coffee garbage?
Speaker 2:I think everyone's palate is blown out from all of the processed foods. I'm drinking Celsius during the day, do you know what that is. It's battery acid.
Speaker 3:Right? No, it's not. Yes, it is.
Speaker 1:No, it's not.
Speaker 3:You guys, your palates are blown out because you're drinking Celsius all day.
Speaker 2:No, all of America is also drinking that shit. Everybody is drinking Celsius and the monster energy drinks. No, god forbid.
Speaker 1:I just saw the Instagram the four things you shouldn't drink. One of them is Monster, one of them is some Prime or whatever some other crazy drink. I never heard of Red Bull they say you should never drink. And then they said the something in Starbucks is a drink you order in Starbucks. That's just all pure Carcinogens, horrible.
Speaker 3:And you know the other thing.
Speaker 1:I was praying to God please don't say Celsius. And they didn't say Celsius.
Speaker 2:We got a very sweet fan email from someone. You know how sometimes you can just glean from an email that the writer of said email is like an older person Of said email. And they like wrote out this email and they were like Modi, you mentioned Celsius on the podcast and I wasn't sure what it was, so I researched it and then they sent me a video of like why Celsius is bad for you. And she was like, please be careful and watch what you're putting in your body.
Speaker 1:And I was like… oh, that's so sweet, thanks, but no thanks, delete no, no, thank you for sending that. Thank you for caring, but it also has….
Speaker 3:It has vitamins?
Speaker 1:No, not that. No, come on, it does have vitamins. Are you guys going to? Let me discuss this? Celsius allows you to go have a workout that you would not regularly have at the gym. If you time that Celsius correctly, you will have an amazing workout. If I have my Celsius a half hour before the opening act goes on and it hits me half hour into my set, I just want to keep going and going and going, you know, back in the day people in showbiz used to just do cocaine.
Speaker 1:I don't do cocaine. I don't do cocaine.
Speaker 2:That's right Cue Jessica Kearson.
Speaker 1:Enter Jessica Kearson. Please just hop in. Oh my God, like when they do an Aaliyah in the synagogue. Yamo Jessica, what's your mother's name? What's your mother's name? Yamo Jessica Elaine, we'll just sit right on, pick up that mic. So it's right in your face.
Speaker 4:I need a lesbian here.
Speaker 1:You did it. You are the lesbian here. Hi, jessica, your face like a big. I needed lesbian here. You did it. You are the lesbian here.
Speaker 4:Oh, you are there's a lot to walk into, because I don't like attention. I'm serious, you think I'm joking, but okay, oh my god, do an intro.
Speaker 1:Do an intro. I'm gonna do an intro and I'm gonna do the intro with a full on blessing. I have been waiting for you to be a guest on this podcast for like three years.
Speaker 4:Yeah, do you have anyone who can clean my glasses? I can give them to me. I was joking, but thank you, Jessica, I'm going to start with I the help. Do you have the help here For the girl?
Speaker 1:The girl, the girl, the girl.
Speaker 4:You still do that bit. No, it's so good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it works in the South when I talk about how Jewish people have called the girl.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I love you. You look great.
Speaker 4:Thank you, I'm so miserable. How are you guys doing, jessica?
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, I love you. I feel like we've had so many comedians on this show and I get like a little starstruck that you're here, really.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you're like one of the people who makes me laugh the hardest, like you're so cute because I feel like I don't laugh at comedy shows anymore I don't laugh at anyone, especially moly no, I don't laugh at me, uh I do see this time.
Speaker 1:Leo just crawls into the sofa and he's watching stuff and you is like when he'll laugh out loud yeah, yeah, all my other like receptors are blown out from like being at the cellar I know it's really painful it's like I don't know if that's the definition of jaded maybe, but like you, I still love your stuff and you are, you're lily.
Speaker 4:You become the queen of crowd work yeah, which is crazy I mean I just I, I mean it's part of what I do, but it's like a niche thing, like I just started posting crowd work clips because I'm not going to post my material.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 4:And it just did. Everyone liked it.
Speaker 1:And can I know how many? You have 571,000 followers.
Speaker 3:Some people said they hope she burns in a fire.
Speaker 2:Of course, Well, you get a lot of crazies. What? Yeah, you get a lot of crazies.
Speaker 4:No, I have amazing fans Like my manager says I'm like the Grateful Dead for the mentally ill. They're really good people because they're miserable and they hate themselves. So they're really like they want to laugh.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, jessica Zahn, we could just sit back. I am so happy to see you. Oh my God, how long have you been doing comedy? Do you have bagels? No, no, no, no, we don't do that. Why don't you have anything? I have a yarmulke. I'll give you a yarmulke. You have so much money.
Speaker 4:You can't get catering.
Speaker 2:What would you have liked to have been here?
Speaker 4:I mean I'd have catering and I have like half of it.
Speaker 1:Decisions kosherdogsnet. 30% off of your first order with code MODY.
Speaker 4:I'm going to vomit.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God Wait. Do you actually have catering when you do your show?
Speaker 4:Well, I'm starting a podcast again, you are.
Speaker 2:What's it?
Speaker 3:called. That's exciting.
Speaker 4:Just the Jessica Kirsten Show. Yeah, because my dream is to have a talk show at some point. You'd be so good at I really want to do that, but they we'll see, because they, you know, they don't hire women so how long have you been doing comedy?
Speaker 1:how long have I known you?
Speaker 4:78 years, literally 25 years I've known you 25 years.
Speaker 1:I've known you wow what year did you start? I started 94 at the cellar 90 that's when I started walking. 30 years, jessica and I when did you have your first child? Well, I didn't have any of them because, jessica and I, when did you have your first child?
Speaker 4:well, I didn't have any of them because I don't want to ruin this temple, but I spread my seed to women and I was first. How old was I when Zoe was born?
Speaker 1:I was like 36 so how long ago was that?
Speaker 4:Why are you doing math equations?
Speaker 1:Because we did that event. I did that event with your house. Yeah, you did her baby naming. I did her baby naming.
Speaker 4:Well, she's 18. Can you believe that she's in college?
Speaker 1:18 years ago, Jessica Kirsten calls me up and says I have a baby, I got a Mazel To. We need to do a baby naming. Baby naming is usually the Saturday after the daughter is born. They do it as a part of the Aaliyahs. But she says, no, we're doing it at our house, my mother's house. My dad's house, your dad's house and I'm coming in and she goes. Could you just do a ceremony? I did a full, I wore the robe.
Speaker 2:You love getting a drag.
Speaker 3:I wore the can was great.
Speaker 4:I have pictures of that somewhere. I have to find them, you have pictures of that?
Speaker 1:I would love to see it, but this was. I walk into the house and Jessica's like Jessica's in full futz and screaming. The mother is just hollering and going nuts. And then I stand in front of the stairwell and her father comes down, toupee an inch off his head, am.
Speaker 4:I right? Yeah, he toupee an inch off his head. Am I right? Yeah, he was better looking without it, because it would look like roadkill.
Speaker 1:Literally. But the first words he says to me I'm standing in a full canter outfit, robe tallest, I hate you First. No, I'll never forget this says to me irregular, I go what Irregular. Yes, we're doing a lesbian. He goes. Irregular, I go what's irregular, he goes. These pants I bought for $17. They cost 180. They're Ralph Lauren, they're irregular. And he shows me how on the bottom the stitching was a little bit off.
Speaker 4:He did it to make you laugh. He was very funny, he was he.
Speaker 1:I said, oh, this is going to be an amazing day. I put together some ceremony. I couldn't. I began doing psalms and then I go oh, my voice is on, I just went off and it was just. You were great, Wasn't it an amazing?
Speaker 4:event and the food was delicious. Yeah the food was crazy. Right, we have great food at my family.
Speaker 1:It was really next level it at my family.
Speaker 4:It was really next level. It was like they teased you with the locks and they said guess what? We have real food too. It was so good Sandwiches and omelets. I know we go all out, wow yeah.
Speaker 1:And that was the house where you talk about where your mother used to do.
Speaker 4:No, that's my dad's house in Short Hills, New Jersey, Right.
Speaker 1:Short.
Speaker 4:Hills, but, no, my mom. We lived in South Orange and my mom saw clients in the basement when I had to be quiet every day.
Speaker 2:She was a psychiatrist. Yeah, she's a psychologist.
Speaker 4:Psychologist, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And you talked about that and it's the funniest. Yeah, I had to be quiet every day.
Speaker 4:She would be helping people in the basement and I would be like having anxiety disorder, like panic attacks upstairs. She'd be like Susan needs my help. I'm like well, I just ate six pizzas and beheaded my Barbies. Good luck to Susan.
Speaker 2:What's the phrase? The cobbler's children?
Speaker 3:have Never have shoes. No, the cobblers don't have shoes, always go barefoot, yeah.
Speaker 1:You are as busy as a beaver in whatever the hell.
Speaker 2:beavers are the never-ending tour.
Speaker 4:I know.
Speaker 2:That's what you've called it. I gotta change it.
Speaker 4:It's a little depressing Because it's no, because I'm getting tired, I'm getting tired, I have a question branding-wise, Like from Because we People see tour dates.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I can't talk and they'll send messages. Is this Different from the last Modi show that was in town?
Speaker 4:I can't stand when people say that. But I think with you it's more common Because it's the it's very Jewish, it is. Is this the same show? But it's not. But it's not that I saw. I know, but there.
Speaker 2:But that's why you changed the name, but then I see your poster is called the NeverEnding Tour and you just keep adding dates to it. People ask you the same like.
Speaker 4:Hardly ever, but I don't it's not the same, because you have happier fans.
Speaker 1:You also don't have. You don't have a set list, do you?
Speaker 4:Do you? Yeah, I do crowd work for about well. The other night I did 30 minutes of crowd work. It's crazy, but that's when I'm really on.
Speaker 1:But normally it's like 20 minutes of crowd work and then I do like 50 minutes of Just for the audience Crowd workers when the comic speaks to the audience and like where are you from, what do you do? And then a joke would come in. And most people are horrible at it. Most people are absolutely horrible at it. Jessica is a queen of it. I avoid it because I love my material too much.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I just love doing my material.
Speaker 1:It's not your thing, it's not my thing, if it happens.
Speaker 4:I'm very good at it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're good at everything, but I don't, but I don't yeah, no, no, I don't care, I will, I'll toot my own horn, I just avoid it.
Speaker 4:You're amazing at that, like you're amazing on stage.
Speaker 1:You have to understand something about crowd work. There's an element here that people don't understand something. You're on stage with a microphone, you already got them rolling and now, whatever you say, they're already in a laughing mode. So it's not now. You just have to be a little clever, or maybe even hold back or make a face. So what do you do? I'm a receptionist, and then you just go like that, you know, pull back and the audience explodes of laughter.
Speaker 4:Well, I don't already have them in a thing? I literally go out and don't even do a joke. I don't have them in a whole tizzy already, I just say-.
Speaker 1:Jessica, your presence. When you walk on stage and you turn to them and just lock eyes with them, the audience is already like.
Speaker 1:Such an important part of comedy is the confidence, the comic has on stage you walk on stage and it says this is my place, this is where I belong, this is what I do. You're here, especially in a comedy club. I'm a comedian, this is the comedy club, this is my drag period, this is my thing. When it's in a different location, a country club, when you're going to work in their environment and you show up, it's a little. You still have to have, you still walk on stage. I am, this is where I belong. Yeah, you're not here, I'm here, you're sitting, yeah, and you have that.
Speaker 4:You walk on stage and people like bam, this, this bitch is gonna nail it yeah, they know that I, when I taught for years, I would always tell female com, I mean every comic. But you have to own the room you have to like like this is mine, don't fuck with me, I'm not afraid of you. Like. That is the whole. It's more important than materials the confidence I think and and likability yes, yes, yeah, and you're.
Speaker 1:and now, back in the day, you were much bigger, you were a big girl.
Speaker 4:I was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you used to address that. No, she had these amazing jokes I was huge, she was huge, yeah, she was huge. You obviously can't do those jokes Of course I do.
Speaker 4:I deal with food addiction.
Speaker 2:So when people say you can't talk, I'm like don't tell me what I can and can't talk about. I didn't say you can't, I asked how do you do it?
Speaker 4:Fans will sometimes say that to me how do you do it? How I talk about my struggle with food my whole life and then I went to fat camp you know, jewish fat camp jack camp. And I was like 10 pounds overweight, but that's enormous in a Jewish family where you have to look good, you know Right? So yeah, because it's always going to be a struggle of mine. So even though I've lost weight, I still struggle with it every day.
Speaker 1:To make myself laugh. At times I think about your line, about I'm going to deep throat a sleeve of Oreos, a sleeve of Oreos.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I haven't said that in a long time.
Speaker 4:I say I turn around and talk to myself and I say stop eating salads in public. Everyone knows you.
Speaker 2:Go home and fuck your face with a sleeve of sleep and it's like um, when you add so much brown sugar to your oatmeal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah yeah, it comes, a miniature pie it's so good and and she says it, not like I if I say the joke that's gonna, it's gonna, I know it's gonna land, I sit there and hollish and all the laughter. She just moves bright on, just throws it at them and you see people that can't catch up to her.
Speaker 4:See you like bask and I'm very uncomfortable with the attention. I know that sounds crazy, but I have to force myself to like. When I'm doing theaters now and people are giving me standing ovations and in my mind I'm like, jessica, stay out here, take it. Let yourself feel this, you deserve it. It's torture from asking it yeah but most comics are like I just killed. I'm like, the one guy in the red shirt did not laugh once my father is back from the dead right and and looking at me.
Speaker 2:Speaking of theaters, you're doing the Beacon.
Speaker 4:Yes, mazel Tov, yeah you, I mean.
Speaker 2:You both are doing the Beacon when are you doing it?
Speaker 4:I thought you did it already.
Speaker 1:Three shows coming up 17, 18, and 19 of December oh good, those are good dates for you. Those are great, and Seinfeld is the 20.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I'm super excited and he's doing one show. He's doing one. Well, you know he does it monthly or often.
Speaker 4:Oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're doing it in February.
Speaker 4:I'm doing it in April, april yeah.
Speaker 1:He literally does the beacon like we do spots at the cellar. Yeah, it's so funny. Yeah, and he deserves 17, 18, 19, 20,. He's doing that, yeah.
Speaker 3:What are your dates in April.
Speaker 4:April 25th and the 24th. I think too. Wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow, 25th is already set.
Speaker 4:That's major.
Speaker 1:Right before.
Speaker 2:Pesach.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:And you filmed your special already.
Speaker 4:Yes, I did. I filmed my special that's coming out on Hulu.
Speaker 2:Amazing when.
Speaker 4:Around that time too.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's amazing. Where'd you film it?
Speaker 4:I filmed it at Sony Hall. It was great. I mean, it came out amazing. It took a lot of work to make it what it is and I'm very, very proud of it. And people it's so funny because people that see me online or like followers probably think it's all crowd work and there's no crowd work.
Speaker 2:That's really good. It's so fat and juicy for them to like bite into.
Speaker 4:Yeah, there's like one or two conversations, but that's it wow like small, tiny a few comedians have been doing sony hall.
Speaker 2:Did you do anything different to the stage?
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah, we set up the whole stage and change. It's a good room, even though it has a great stage, the lighting behind it.
Speaker 1:I did a few christmas shows there. The lighting behind there is amazing yeah, it's great and I don't.
Speaker 4:You know, I didn't want to do it in a big theater, because what I'm telling you is I don't like that.
Speaker 1:It's too much for me oh my god, it's so much easier in a big theater not for me, oh okay, it's I.
Speaker 4:I like to be right on top of them. You know, I like to be like on top of them, packed in, and I don't bask in the, the big theater thing, it's not not. I'm like uncomfortable.
Speaker 1:No, but the big theater thing, you get that wave of laughter and then it comes back Right. But we're all different.
Speaker 4:Some people would only do it in a big theater.
Speaker 1:I would only do it.
Speaker 4:I've done both of them in a smaller 500, 600 seat. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. That's so good. What's?
Speaker 3:it called.
Speaker 2:Are you allowed to? No it's, I can't say yet we'll save it.
Speaker 1:So we'll save it. Yeah, you can come back and plug it again. Yeah, in another three years you can come back and we'll have catering for you then.
Speaker 4:No, I'm joking I'll take an egg white omelet.
Speaker 2:Is there a croissant back?
Speaker 4:there.
Speaker 1:A croissant, a croissant and your kids.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're great.
Speaker 1:Nachas. You're getting nachas from the kids.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm in love with them. That's why I'm working so hard, so they don't have to worry. No, they're amazing, they're amazing, they're getting big.
Speaker 3:How old are the little ones now?
Speaker 4:It's five. How old are the little ones now? Five and a half, can you believe that? I know, yeah, they're getting big, and then Bella is going to be nine.
Speaker 2:Who travels on the road with you.
Speaker 4:I have an opener who comes with me everywhere and then he films me. He also edits stuff.
Speaker 2:It's great. Who is it?
Speaker 4:Dan, this guy, dan Janine. He's amazing, very funny.
Speaker 2:I was thinking about that. You know, when I watch your clips, I'm like you have a camera on the audience, you have a camera on you. You have different angles. I'm like this bitch is filming a special.
Speaker 4:Everywhere she goes like yeah, no, he's unbelievable and he also kills, and he's like one of my best friends.
Speaker 3:I mean it's a great situation.
Speaker 4:So that makes good yeah he's a brilliant editor, like yeah, he really is he made my youtube blow up and and about crowd work.
Speaker 2:I mean, you're obviously good at it. I would say a lot of comedians who are doing it are not, but they are sort of forced to adopt it to like feed the algorithm and like put stuff out there without burning material. Do you think that that's like changing the palette of people who go to comedy shows? Like, do you think people are seeing a TikTok star who like had a clip buying a ticket and then being like wait a minute, there's no.
Speaker 4:Every club tells me that. Yeah, when I go to the comedy club on the road, they're like oh, we had, you know, Lil Jon Jon here last week.
Speaker 1:And he's really big on TikTok. Yeah, he sold out four shows. It was no material and had nothing to talk about.
Speaker 4:No, he was literally just went up and had five minutes and then it's just nightmare, like people walk out the clubs.
Speaker 3:Tell me that people walk out and then they never book them again, right?
Speaker 4:Never book them again, and then these same people that came to the show might not go to another comedy.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying. That's right. That's the problem. That's the problem. People who would normally live entertainment, live music, whatever that these internet acts? Are burning kind of like audience.
Speaker 3:They go so little John, john, and then never go back.
Speaker 1:Going back to your crowd work. I will tell you. You know, when I watch you do audience work. If it doesn't go anywhere, you literally abort and go into material. Yeah, it's like if this thing is not gonna go anywhere, I'm not gonna bother with this I tell them I'm like this is the most boring conversation I've ever had. I gotta get away from you into good material yeah, and the, the, the accents, and uh, and the facials and it's, it's such a it's that's why I love what you do.
Speaker 4:We're very similar in certain ways and powerful on stage and upbeat and energy and all this other shit, yeah, like.
Speaker 1:So I love, I've always loved what you do yeah, thank you and I I do no, I remember I I once I I I dated somebody who had, who didn't really laugh much and didn't definitely didn't get any of my I remember this and I don't even remember who it was yeah, I remember, and I brought him like, like, much later on in our relationship to the comedy seller and he did not get any of my jokes and he didn't like, and Jessica came on. Jessica came on, and he was curled over and couldn't catch his breath.
Speaker 2:That must have been nice for you to see. It was nice for him to see that he had that in him. Yeah Well.
Speaker 4:I don't know, not for him, wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 1:You and I did an event for some hospital or for some it was like in a basement somewhere, Do you?
Speaker 3:remember this.
Speaker 1:It was so funny and we were.
Speaker 4:Were we in the hospital no no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:We were in. It was for it was the young, the young league of this charity, this Jewish charity, and it was me and you, and the audience was this rich like Syrian, persian, they're just hard, yeah, they just whatever. And they didn't, they didn't get it. But the funniest part of the whole night was the guy who ran the event, walks into the, into the green room and there's like a bunch of cute people, the girl who's in charge and this and that and the adorable, beautiful people.
Speaker 3:You guys will both do an hour and a half.
Speaker 1:Right, right right.
Speaker 3:But we can't pay you as much.
Speaker 1:But then the older guy who, like, is in charge of the whole organization, comes in and then Jessica walks in and she goes hi, I'm everyone's nutritionist.
Speaker 4:It was. I couldn't catch my breath. I don't remember anything.
Speaker 1:Oh, I remember I don't even know where I am right now. No, no, no. I remember that we've moments. It's just. It's just, it's just no. We're 25 years. I've known her, we've run into, we've done shows, country clubs and oh, so many shows together I know I, you know, like tons of private events. Yes.
Speaker 4:Always at the cellar, but like these private the private ones are the craziest ones. Craziest ones. Yeah, I mean they pay the most, but they're the. You know, they're the ones that I have to go.
Speaker 1:I remember you called me after you did Florida. I remember the first time you did Florida.
Speaker 4:Oh, I must have been.
Speaker 1:You called for Jessica to call me. You understand, after a gig, I remember this phone call. You remember any of this, do you?
Speaker 4:I might remember that it was your first Florida.
Speaker 1:It was one of these century villages.
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, that was the worst. I mean, people say what's the worst? I opened for the platters at Century Village.
Speaker 1:I've gone to the point where they opened for me, but I will tell you so you know the gig. It's 1,200 people. They all paid $12. They've all paid $12 to see the show. So you're really not making any money, but it's a great room.
Speaker 4:And it's where you start to do these things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah yeah, it's like the introduction to this stuff. Yeah, and she called me before. What would I do? I go, Jessica. This is an audience that they need to know who you are in their head. Are you the daughter? Are you the?
Speaker 4:granddaughter. I remember this completely. Are you the granddaughter I do? It was very good advice.
Speaker 1:Are you the daughter-in-law? They need to know who you are Set it up. Need to know who you are Set it up. Yeah, short Hills, jewish, this lesbian. They need to know where to file you and then do your act. She said I did that. I got them in the middle. Someone yelled out you need to lose weight. Oh you remember that?
Speaker 3:No. I don't remember that Someone yelled out you need to lose weight.
Speaker 1:Someone yelled that out to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, I think I mean it must have been, unless they were had complete dementia. I mean just to yell out I was probably in response to a joke or something.
Speaker 1:They are 80 years old.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, I know I've done 700 of them. I know, but yeah, they yell out a lot. I talk about that in my act. They'll just be like comedian, comedian. Yeah, get me a seltzer water, like they're just people, people come to me.
Speaker 1:I I talk about with the audience. I say people come to me and they go. You're modi, you're the gay husband that I love it.
Speaker 2:Gay husband, you don't have a name as if you're the whole oh, I'm more than that, honey, I know that honey, I me.
Speaker 4:But I knew it would get a laugh and I hate myself.
Speaker 1:So no, no I miss you so much. Oh, my God yeah.
Speaker 3:Jessica really saved my life during COVID. How? Because we I produced and hosted a Zoom show for Jess and Rachel Feinstein during COVID.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like how you guys did your thing during COVID.
Speaker 3:What I did was lock myself in a closet for four hours every week and set up where, like hundreds of people would come and it was Jess and Rachel and me like navigating.
Speaker 4:I saw some of this. It was hysterical, and then we had people came on like Amy Schumer would just pop on, or Gilbert Godfrey.
Speaker 3:Like it was. Gilbert Godfrey came on Like five times and his son is screaming you're a cunt. It was the weirdest, my God. But, people were like sitting there and you were so generous with your time to these people because they had at the end we did a vip section, so if you paid extra, you could interact and you know, these people are, like you know, vampires oh yeah, they all want to tell you, they all want to tell your story.
Speaker 4:Yeah, someone came up to meet me after a show the other day and she fingered me and I'm like that's pushing. That's a little like I'll hug you but don't finger me.
Speaker 1:Do you do meet?
Speaker 4:and greets and it was at an Orthodox show, Like out of all places.
Speaker 1:Do you do meet and greets?
Speaker 4:I used to and meet and greets I used to, and then I almost ended up in a mental institution. I swear it was a lot more than the show. Yeah, I was selling merch, but it was unbelievable. It's a lot. I love them and they're great. But my fans cry to me a lot. They talk to me about their problem.
Speaker 3:It's heavy, that's what this online show was, though they would sit for hours yeah and they'd be like and then my husband.
Speaker 2:That was pretty good that was pretty good acting dania act.
Speaker 4:Wow very good, very good I, I, we, we.
Speaker 1:Well, I have my meet and greets, but but Leo runs it, so he's, I balance them, he balances them.
Speaker 4:It's good and they pay to do it right. Yes, See, that's what I'm going to start doing.
Speaker 1:You would do a meet and greet for free.
Speaker 4:Well, I would sell my merch and I would do like a picture for a certain price and if you brought something in a picture, I mean I made a lot of money selling merch and doing that.
Speaker 1:I love it. It gets you a flavor of the people in the room and all of that.
Speaker 2:We drove in from Great Neck to see you, yeah so we know, like we know, like we did the Paris show.
Speaker 3:My son went to high school with your sister, you know my sister-in-law from Hewlett High School.
Speaker 2:My nephew is a very talented karaoke singer in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4:Can you get him signed with Columbia Records?
Speaker 3:And what about wait a second, because I know that you get these insane requests also? You got something where somebody's uncle had his legs amputated and they wanted a face mask.
Speaker 4:Oh, I get. No, I couldn't do it anymore. I was.
Speaker 2:Modi's still on cameo, but it kind of reached a fever pitch when someone was like hi, my uncle's about to have a leg amputated, Can you give him a pep talk?
Speaker 1:But I did. I don't care, that's okay.
Speaker 4:A pep talk is amazing, like hey, hey, you're gonna get your leg yeah, it's okay, you'll get another leg. Look a little a little bit of energy. Hey, that's so much.
Speaker 1:You're so positive you have to be yeah, well, no you don't you?
Speaker 4:I mean some of us can't be okay I mean I'm, I do the best I can, but I can't do all that like I can. I'm doing these shows, I I people send me messages, I try to, but like I can't do too much, I also have four kids.
Speaker 3:I know we're like barely. I can't imagine.
Speaker 4:One kid, you're done.
Speaker 2:I can't imagine. You have to be very careful with like who you open up a line of communication.
Speaker 4:Right yeah, because they'll just. Some of them will just Vampires, not a lot, but some of them. But the audiences.
Speaker 1:I love them all. I swear to God. The meet and greets they're crazy, the ones that my favorite when they just had their breasts done. So it's like two hard balls, like from a baseball game, those hard balls.
Speaker 4:You mean the men you're meeting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, the women. And then they stick my arm in between them, turn in my ear and go my father's a Holocaust, my mom has stage four cancer and turn to the camera and smile Literally. And I'm standing there like with these two breasts in my arm and I'm like smile and it's just no. But you get a good feel from the, you know where they're coming from, how far they've traveled for and I just love, I literally love my audience.
Speaker 4:I love them. I do too. I really do, but you know it's some. I've also had legitimate stalkers, so I have to be very yeah Are you finding navigating cause.
Speaker 2:I've seen you be vocal online like in a post-October 7th world, like you're a Jewish entertainer. Like, how are you navigating that now, especially like as we're like deep in this election cycle? Do you feel like your audience is very?
Speaker 4:split or do you feel like I'm not political? I'm well, I mean, I'm I'm very proud and yes, you know, but you're not. You are a comedian who is Jewish well, I do a lot of Jewish stuff, but right but I'm meaning, I do like characters and yeah, I don't talk about political stuff, but you don't consider, I'm a jewish comedian yeah, I know you are a comedian, that's jewish exactly, but you've been very vocal on your instagram and stuff.
Speaker 4:I've been a little, mostly about the hostages right, yes, and if I post about a hostage and then I get stuff, you know, messages like you're a horrible person, like that's where I'm, like I just can't deal. So I try to not do it as much and I, you know, I give in other ways.
Speaker 2:Right, that's kind of been. Modi's approach is like we try not to get too into it and like make the page be for positivity.
Speaker 4:It has to be, because otherwise you get dragged down, of course, and then like this one angle and then no matter honestly, no matter what you say or how you explain it, people have their opinions right, you're not gonna get through to anyone, damned if you don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then yeah, yeah I can't.
Speaker 4:It's so upsetting for me and like depressing to be in that with people online Like I have enough. I'm dealing with offline.
Speaker 3:That like it's just, it's so, like you know, some like Indonesian bot it's just like you go like I get a lot of hate, quote, unquote, and I go and I look at who it's from and it's like zero followers, zero posts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have that. I just delete that. Yeah, I just delete it. Or you get to it before, just to delete it.
Speaker 3:I delete all of it yeah.
Speaker 4:I just there's no point in talking about any of it, and it also just divides people more.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I just don't. It's so divided in this country and in the world Like it's insane to me.
Speaker 2:I get the impression that your fan base is like more queer than Modi's fan base.
Speaker 4:I have a huge queer fan base.
Speaker 2:And then Jewish than Modi's fan base. I have a huge queer fan base Right and so that has right now been leaning toward this like left area. No, my fans aren't like that.
Speaker 4:I mean I'd say they're like such a wide variety. Yeah Well, my fans aren't. Like it's really the truth. They don't get offended a lot. I mean they're watching my comedy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4:You know. So it's like I'll say I am very edgy, very like, I'm not like a safe comic. So they all know that and they still follow me and I think they know that I'm like, not like I'm so open and yeah because you take a shot at yourself and then take a shot at them. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's not like you're just banging them out. You know against them You're taking a shot at yourself and taking a shot at them. So there's a balance. It's a big, it's an important element in comedy when you're doing crowd work.
Speaker 3:Yeah, does Zoe come and watch your shows?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean Zoe. I've been taking Zoe on stage. The first time I took zoe on stage she was six months old. I brought her onto stage at caroline's and I said who left this baby in the bar area? And she was so you remember how gorgeous she I mean black full head of black hair and like blue, I mean she's stunning.
Speaker 4:So she was just like this, like and um, and then she used to sit. When I did gotham and caroline's list, she would sit on stage with me and just play with the chord when she was a toddler. Isn't that adorable that's so cute and now she does. She's done videos with me. She's come on stage with me and sang.
Speaker 4:She's um, she's amazing and she watches the act too right now she's at the point where she's a freshman in college and her friends are TikTok fans of mine, so it's crazy. Oh wow, this has been a different level now, but the other ones could give a shit that I'm a. They're little Right, right. They're like I'm like I have a show and they're like come on. Like they don't you know, that's so sweet.
Speaker 2:That's so sweet. I'm so happy for you with that, oh.
Speaker 1:God, thank you, thank you, good for you, good for you. I'm so happy I could. There's comics that you just want. Nothing but great for them.
Speaker 2:It's like, and Jessica is one of them.
Speaker 4:I just want to just blessings and happiness and just, oh, you're so good. This would be part of the show, I guess, where we like start to plug, like some of your tour dates.
Speaker 3:But there's so many. Well, I mean the Beacon one is it's, there's a pre-sale now.
Speaker 1:April 24th. I don't know when this is coming. It's going to air a little later.
Speaker 4:You're fine, A few weeks, so yes it's in April 25th, but my whole website has my tour dates, which is I mean my jessicacursoncom.
Speaker 1:We'll put it in the description. Spell it for them. No, Jessica.
Speaker 4:Jessica K-I-R-S. As in sandwich Salmon O. As in.
Speaker 1:Operation.
Speaker 4:Operation Orgasm An N as in nachos.
Speaker 1:Nachos.
Speaker 4:Okay, I'll plug it in K-I-R-S-O-N.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you people right now what I always tell all my fans Be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show. Bring your friends to one of Jessica's shows. You will just plot laughing, the kind of laughter where your stomach hurts, your face hurts and it's just. It's a fun night and it's better than sitting in a restaurant and ordering Caesar salad with chicken. It's just go see her. She's amazing. She's one of those comics that like, if we're at the comedy cellar and Leo will see her on TV, he'll run downstairs to go see her.
Speaker 4:You're so cute.
Speaker 1:He's so cute.
Speaker 4:I know, really, I think I'm straight.
Speaker 1:JessicaKirsoncom, and you're online on your Instagram.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm going to link everything. Jesse Kirson, j-e-s-s-y-k-i-r-s-o-n, and then TikTok. Jessica Kerson, I have a YouTube page.
Speaker 1:Yeah, enjoy it Like deep dive into Jessica. You will thank us. We have to thank A&H Provisions, number one, kosher Glot meat. They deliver. They're amazing, clean, beautiful it's. You're so proud that this is kosher. At um kosher dogsnet, they have the best hot dogs in the world, even goyim get their hot.
Speaker 1:They're so good, we'll get set to send. We'll get set to send you a package. And um and whites Luxembourg, the law firm that not only does well, they do good, super philanthropic. They're friends of ours. Arthur Luxembourg, a friend, been on the and he's been invited to come back to the podcast. We love him. And, of course, randy, his wife, who listens to the podcast to tell him what we talk about, and she's going to love you.
Speaker 3:And they are at whitesluckscom.
Speaker 1:Yes, and we thank you so much for listening. Happy New Year still. You can still say that, and it's not late, I know, but I say Happy New Year to like Passover, so that's it. I love all of you, we love all of you. See you at a show. I have shows, we have a lot of shows, we have a lot of shows.
Speaker 1:We have a lot of shows too Modilivecom. We have St Paul. Minnesota, we have Skokie, we have Montreal. Two shows November 30th, december 1st Denver, denver, denver is going to be off the charts lit December 5th. We're so looking forward to that show. And there's more at MortyLabcom, yes, and the Beacon shows. We have a few tickets left on the 17th, 18th and 19th are sold out. Jessica, thank you so much for being in my life.
Speaker 4:Thank you for having me. I love you all.
Speaker 1:You can come back on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'll come back on any time I'm around more now Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, we'll take you up on that.
Speaker 4:Thank you, bye, bye.