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
Sarasota, Soup, and Synagogue Security
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Episode 176: Modi and Leo regroup after shows in Columbus, Orlando, and spending time with Modi's family in Sarasota.
Modi's special "Know Your Audience" is available on YouTube now!
For all upcoming shows visit www.modilive.com.
Follow Modi on Instagram at @modi_live.
Follow the AHM podcast on Instagram at @AHM_Podcast.
Leave us a voicemail!
Getting Back On Stage
SPEAKER_01And welcome to And Here's Modi. I am in the studio with Leo Vega. What's up? My manager, producer, and full-time husband. Yes. Who has been getting back on stage?
SPEAKER_02I've I went back on stage twice. Yes, he did. I've taken I've returned to the stage for everyone on pins and needles. I'm trying to get ready for Radio City because that's freaking me out. Yeah. So I had to I had to rip the band-aid off again.
SPEAKER_01But you did it so well. You had such new jokes. Even though you're not going up there to tell jokes, you're going up there to thank the audience for coming to a show that you produced. But if you can also make them laugh, oh Karl Verheimer, even more so too. Therefore, it is a little bit better.
SPEAKER_02I I wrote a new joke. I wrote a tell them. I got a new joke in there, a new line, and it did well the first time.
SPEAKER_01It did really well the first time, and then you slowed down a lot. Yeah. And the Orlando Theater. Yeah. And it was even better. The Orlando Theater, we were in, what was it called? The Plaza Live. The Plaza Live. Ladies and gentlemen, I will tell you something. We were not expecting it, but it was amazing. It's an amazing comedy theater. It's meant for music. The sound is great. And it has that lip. When a stage has a lip, you can walk out kind of into the audience in front of like where the speakers are. You're in the sound, you're in the audience. You're it was so good. I did an hour and a half.
SPEAKER_02I know you did a lot.
SPEAKER_01It was so much fun. They were so good. It was lit so well. The sound guy was the gave it to us. It was uh it was a uh it was Orlando came through. Orlando came through.
Orlando Show Highs And Setup
SPEAKER_02Yep. Yeah. And then after Orlando, we we got off the stage and drove directly to Sarasota to do family time with your sisters. Yeah, it was a family time.
SPEAKER_01My mom, my mom, my sisters. We really crammed it in. It's amazing. They were had they had such a great time. My parents were just couldn't be happy to see all their kids together happy, and they all get along. Do you know what an accomplishment that is in your life? That your kids get along. Yeah. That none of your kids are braguers with each other, none of your kids hate each other, none of you kids have issues with each other. It's such a gift, it's such a blessing, it's such an accomplishment as a parent for sure to have that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. My sisters just emailed me asking if they can email our travel agent to book tickets for April. 100%.
SPEAKER_01Call Ilanit. I said, yeah, get do whatever. Comfort, the comfort, not first class, but the comfort ones up front with the extra leg room. They're fine. They can get good tickets. They're young and spry. It's an amazing thing to be that you get along with your siblings. It's such a it's I don't want to say it's rare, but it's a blessing when it happens. Yeah. That all your kids get along and their kids get along, and everybody's it's it's a very special energy. And we saw that in Sarasota. Yeah. In my sister's house. She lives on a golf course. She lives in golf. It's the most insane thing I've ever seen in my life. But it's she's couldn't be happy.
SPEAKER_02You know, I love Florida. Like, you can't I know. There's nothing. I know when you go down there, you're like, how do people live here? But I'm just like, I have that in me. I have that swamp in me, you know.
SPEAKER_01She lives in Sarasota on this. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02There's literally an alligator in her backyard. There's an alligator. Literally, an alligator was just like, Sup, I'm here.
SPEAKER_01Literally an alligator in her backyard with one eye on her dog. Yeah. And one eye. When that dog barks, the alligator's like, mmm, yum. It comes right out. Yum. And um, she got like it's
Sarasota Family Time And Florida Life
SPEAKER_01super like it's so crazy that it's like you really what whatever you intend will happen. She wanted to have a husband that goes out and has has what to do and they're busy, and every night they have plans and friends and this and that. She got all of that, but on a golf course. So they they live, and that that Sarasota town was just, it gives it to you. There's a mall there the size of any city in the world. What's the name of that mall? UTC or something. In the mall, there's an aquarium.
SPEAKER_02We went to the aquarium. You know I love an aquarium. It was great for me. I was having a blast. Motes. Motes, it's called. Mot, yeah, Mott or something. Motes, like a moat that goes around the castle. Yeah. Marine observation, something. Oh, what it's an acronym. Yeah, it's of course it's an acronym.
SPEAKER_01And Leo, you know, Leo always reminds me that it was a miracle that you definitely could have been someone that worked at uh a SeaWorld.
SPEAKER_02For sure. I thought I was gonna work at SeaWorld like for a long time. Like genuinely. Like, what are you gonna be when you grow up and like I'm working at SeaWorld? Duh. Like I had I just first of all, I loved that drag, those sweatsuits. I was like, I want that, I want the whistle. But then unfortunately, I realized the ethical dilemma that was SeaWorld and that you know we shouldn't be doing that to the animals. But I thought for sure,
Aquariums And Leo’s Animal Brain
SPEAKER_02then I then I wanted to become a zookeeper because I thought that was like marginally better. But um, yeah. So whenever we go to those aquariums, which we try to pick ethical ones, we don't go to like you know ones that have dolphins and whales and stuff.
SPEAKER_01But this one had sharks, yeah. It's and again, people don't understand that that Leo knows every type of animal in the world. Yeah, it's like kind of like a weird party trick. Yeah. Or a little bit of autism. Or a little bit of no, it's like it's it's you know what I'm saying? It's like a little listen, we're all on the spectrum.
SPEAKER_02Uh we're all on the spectrum at some point.
SPEAKER_01Yours is that you know every type of animal, where they come from, how they live, what they eat, where they go, every single type of animal. What do you want?
SPEAKER_02I watched a lot of Animal Planet, and like I read a lot of animal books. Like that was just like my thing.
SPEAKER_01No, but you you and I will walk somewhere and there'll be some kind of an unusual dog, and you'd be like, it's a burner gee, blah, blah, blah, blah blah. Poodle blue poodle bdoodle. And they only live in here and there, and they live in that, and they need to be hunting lions, and they shouldn't be in an apartment in Manhattan. And that's like, and you but there's never there's never a species you don't know. And then like to show that you know, you google it right away. What was that fish we saw? Gar out of nowhere. A gar. G-A-R. For me, there's there's a goldfish, a gefilterfish, and a shark. That's all I have for fish. That's I have three fingers, I had to name three.
SPEAKER_02But you, which by the way, we landed at home and you just like opened gefilterfish out of the fridge, and I was like, what are you doing? Like, where when did I even get here, first of all? And like, what are you eating? Oh my god. Wait, I thought this was for special occasions. You were just like casually eating gefilterfish.
SPEAKER_01We could I just tell you, people, we we flew in three days, we flew from New York to Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, where we had an unbelievable show.
SPEAKER_02For Jewish Columbus.
SPEAKER_01For Jewish Columbus in the theater. It was beautiful. The Mushir Energy in Columbus, Ohio. Thank you for making me a part of that. They were just amazing. From there, we flew to Atlanta to get to Orlando, did the show in Orlando, and we got to uh we got to Sarasota.
Gefilte Fish Cravings And Travel Days
SPEAKER_01But the flying is incredible. But but right before we left, the supermarket began holding the stuff for Passover. So somehow my eyes caught uh Manashevitz gefilterfish in the full slop and gook.
SPEAKER_02Which by the way, Manashevitz, where are you? Like, why haven't you reached out to me? What's going on? Uh did we do something wrong? Like, send me a box of stuff. You know we're gonna post it. The fact that Manashevitz is not our sponsor is literally It's a missed opportunity. Someone will send this to someone who works. Borderline anti-Semitism. Yeah, it is Borderline Antisemites.
SPEAKER_01If I would to the point where I walked by the Passover shelf, and there's that thing of of gefilterfish, and next to it was the crane. Was it good gefilter fish? It was very good. It was very good. I'm very protect- I do like gefilterfish. You only like my mom's. It's not sweet though. But it's very sweet, and um, and we I I bought it to the house, and then I didn't know what when I'm gonna eat it. But when we landed from the airport, you're like, mmm, I want a little snack. And it was it was just it was uh oh my god, it was so delicious. I had two of them and it hit the spot. We went to the gym and had a great workout.
SPEAKER_02Amazing, love that for you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, like, and I when I mean photos, I had it, they were covered in grain.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm only in it for the grain. The crane is just I'm only in it really for the and it has to be good crane.
SPEAKER_01Who is this other people that we have we are we we're posting, we're pre-empting Passover that we are um who's this this company that we're
Hosting Passover And Picking Catering
SPEAKER_01using for so w we're having we are having Passover in my in our house. As we always do. As we always do, we host, and thank God my mom is into it, and she comes, she she's okay with it not being in her house and it being in our house. And for all these years, she's been the one cooking, and then we she just brings it over to the house. And then one year we tried to get a caterer to do a caterer, and the woman was sephardic, and the food was sephartic, and it didn't was not a hit in our home. I enjoyed the food. I know you did. Uh, my mom and sisters, and the general consensus of the people, and we had 20 people that year. Yeah, and it was not a hit amongst most. It was all that food with with khummus and and well, it wasn't khumus, it was it was with with kharif and khawaiz and khomeini and everything they put the khomeini, they put khomeini in everything and they mix it, then it's so it burnt our mouths, and we didn't know what to do. And soft Ashkenazi palettes scratch we found, and we we don't know if they're gonna be yet. You're gonna find out if they're good or not. They're called Yeah, maybe we should wait, no? No, no, let's well, because if they're not good, we're gonna let them know too. Just what the kosher ordered. Did I say that right?
SPEAKER_02Just what the kosher ordered.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's their Instagram. Someone referred me to them. They couldn't been they couldn't have been happier when I was like, oh my god, Modi, oh my god, Modi. Is Leo gonna be there? I go, yes, Leo. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna not be cooking. That's what's gonna be happening. Exactly. And uh and they're so happy, and we they got the vibe right away. We said, We are Ashkenazi. I want to see broth and I want to see the I want to be able to see the chicken in the soup. I don't want anything thick. If you can't see the chicken in the soup, it's not soup. It becomes a stew. It's a bisque. It's a I don't know what stew. If if you if your soup isn't clear and you can't see what's happening in it, you're very particular about it. It's not soup. Now you're dealing with a stew, and that's a not and it's a stew is not a soup. So then let's bring it back to soup. And that's it with with kosher for pesar uh luxin and the matzo balls that are gonna be insane. And I know they're gonna do good, it's gonna be amazing. I can already feel it's gonna be Mashirch Energy Food, and she has a gefiltered fish with the carrots.
SPEAKER_02Can you believe it's already passover basically? I mean, we're recording this on March 15th, but it's like tomorrow. It's tomorrow. It's tomorrow. I've got to start clustering the house. No, I gotta clean the kitchen, girl. I gotta get that flamethrower out. I got a lot to do.
SPEAKER_01The to-do list is long. Because we're staying. Yeah. We are not leaving for PISA. Thank God. There's no pay. I'm ladies and gentlemen. This is the first year since I've known you that you're not doing a Pesoch for the first year in 20 or 30 years. I am not performing at any past.
SPEAKER_02And not because they didn't offer. Yeah. Because I'm a f we're just taking a year off.
SPEAKER_01I'm just I'll tell you what what it really is. I don't want to get on a plane. I don't want to be in Kabamulu or Kaskayoska in uh in Mexico. Cazumel. Cazumel. Cazmel. Or whatever the other Port of Vallada. Where's the one that had the cartel fight? Puerto Vallarta. I'm not going to Portovallar for your Pesach. I'm not going to Arizona and I'm not going to Florida. I'm staying home. If a Passover program that's in New Jersey or Rye or a local one calls, we'll have to get that approved. Don't forget the show
Why Passover Programs Feel Intense
SPEAKER_01itself is next level. When a Passover show hits, it's next.
SPEAKER_02You know, I've had very traumatic moments at Passover programs, and it's really hard for me. I know. The whole thing. It's like buffets, bad, the food, bad. The people are scary. I the the it's very hard. It's very hard for me.
SPEAKER_01People who don't people who don't realize it, people who did not grow up with Passover programs, which I didn't either. We didn't Passover first was the first day in what's it eat Mazda for eight days. We're done. Uh it's not travel to someone with your entire family on your in your video.
SPEAKER_02It's really bizarre o' not so because I've pieced together that even people who are Jewish, like very Jewish, don't know about the Passover program world and circuit. Like they don't, it's like a very select crew of people who like do those things. And I guess because it is expensive usually, but like even then, it's like a specific type of person who like takes their whole family to Cozumel for a Passover program.
SPEAKER_01And it's like I kind of get you know what you don't here's funny. When we were all with my family in Sarasota, we we had a whole day together, which was amazing. We had a full day, my sisters, their husbands, we were all together with my parents. We had an amazing day. It was a it was a wonderful day. And now I see how like eight days of that is a lot. Eight a little like a I don't two and a half. No, it would be like we could have done another day. We're gonna have another day when that when they come here for the shows in Radio City, but you know, eight days three meals micro dose the family time, microdose the family time, yeah, yeah. Hit the spurts, get good time, make sure everybody has an exit route if if things don't work out, and and breathe, and just be nice. And whatever someone what what what is working for somebody, be happy for them, and that's it. And that's and but just eight days, three meals a day, and and uh and a tea room and non-stop activity with this with your family.
SPEAKER_02It's I don't think that's what God ext you know, Jews at a buffet is very triggering for me. The buffet thing, the buffet etiquette is out of control.
SPEAKER_01So, those of you who don't know, whenever we did go to a Passover program, Leo wouldn't leave the room. He would order DoorDash to the room. There's be be there would be miles of buffet, miles of buffet, salad, and fish, and meats, and turkey carving stations, and Leo would stay in the room and order DoorDash and be like, I don't want to ever see all that miles of food and people just fighting at it and then and tasting it and leaving it there. I've seen yeah, like little kids putting their fingers in the thing and like but I will tell you the worse the program is, the better the show. You've you've been with me when we've been to like something in New Jersey where like there's nothing going on.
SPEAKER_02It's like literally you in a ballroom of like a Hilton, yeah, with like those little tiny risers that they bring in for like preschool graduations, and they're like, here's your stage, and everyone and like a karaoke mic, and they're like, have fun, and they couldn't be happier, and they like that they have no expectation, they didn't pay billions of dollars.
SPEAKER_01Like, if they got they got Modi, we couldn't be happier, and then the show is on fire and they're great, and you I just go long and they're and the sound is loud and they're all in it, and they're all sitting with their families, and you're watching grandparents. Oh, to watch a grandparent happy because they're watching their kids laugh is Mashiach energy. That's full on Mashiach energy, and so but but it's also Mashiach energy that we're not doing we're not flying anywhere for Passover. No, we're gonna be at home, it's gonna be a little surprise that we're not telling the audience yet about in the mid in the inter in the intermediate days of of Passover. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we're not talking about that yet. No, there's an embargo on that. There's embargo? There's it's like under wraps. That's called embargo? Yeah, there's like a press embargo. It's like we're not telling people about this yet.
SPEAKER_01I thought embargo has something to do with a ship.
SPEAKER_02Embargo, you can also embargo ships by not allowing them to come in. It's a a multi-use word.
SPEAKER_01Speaking of ships, Iran.
SPEAKER_02I'm just kidding. No, but speaking of Iran. Speaking of Iran, and speaking of ships and terror attacks and people needing to calm down.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So should we tell the story? You tell. And if she doesn't like it, we can just cut it out. Well, maybe. Or not. Okay. So here's what happened.
Detroit Feedback Call Turns Into Crisis
SPEAKER_01Here's the T. Here's the T. We did a show March 8th in Detroit, a theater show. We sold tickets. We took a theater, we sold tickets, we advertised, it was sold out, it was beautiful, it was mach energy. The community of Detroit and that area is next level. Amazing, amazing community, and a lot of non-Jews came to that show. When we were Jewish, a thunderous roar of applause, and it was wonderful to see that. And a lot of gays were there at that show, too. It was a mixed crowd in Detroit. What was the name of the theater?
SPEAKER_02Royal Oak Music Hall.
SPEAKER_01The Royal Oak Music Hall. Thank you very much for hosting, for letting us to rent your place and do the show. We did the show. A few days later, an email comes to our touring agent, Michael Grinspan, from a lady who has hired us in a synagogue to do a show. And she happened to have been in the Detroit show. And she said that at their event that they've hired me for months before, uh, they are honoring a Holocaust survivor. And she said two of the jokes that I did she didn't think would work well with her audience and the fact that they are honoring a Holocaust survivor. I said, Yeah, I said, I said, Michael, let me just speak to her. Let me let me talk to her. And we got her number, and then I we were so busy traveling that we didn't call her the next day. We waited a whole day.
SPEAKER_02And then No, but I said, Modi, you need to call that woman.
SPEAKER_01Right. You said you call that woman. And I and I was gonna call her and just for the record, I wasn't gonna call her and be like, How dare you? You're telling me what to say. I've been doing this 30 years, I've been in every type of synagogue in the world, and you're telling me I have a special called Know Your. It wasn't gonna be that. It was gonna be like, let's let's discuss what problem you have with these jokes. Like, but just like I have thoughts about what she she said, but okay. We call her up, we call her up, and she says, Modi. I said, Yes. You're calling about what happened, right? I go, yes. And you're watching the news. As she said that, Leo, Leo's phone just goes right into CNN. Yeah, I was like, oh god. And we called an hour after the terrorist drove into Temple Israel, which is where Body was supposed to be performing. Not supposed to. I am performing May 20th at that place, and we're on the phone with her an hour after this. We click the TV on in the hotel room, and it's like Temple Israel in Twitter. Every policeman in the in the North America was there. All the police trucks, all the fire trucks, all the ambulances, everything was there. And we're on the phone with her an hour. We called her an hour after this.
SPEAKER_02We had no idea. No we had no idea that it was like plaster all of a scene, and Bruch Hashem, no one was hurt.
SPEAKER_01None of the kids were hurt. God, on our end, we are looking forward to the show more than any show I have coming up except for Radio City Music Hall.
SPEAKER_02But we like this is I think they have to find a new venue, maybe. I don't know. It's an active crime scene. I got a whole email about it. Oh, did you? It's already a situation. There's like a lot of damage, I think.
SPEAKER_01Oh wow.
SPEAKER_02It's like so they're gonna figure it out.
SPEAKER_01The first thought I was the first thought that I I had I was scared about was like, like, oh my god, they're gonna go they're gonna show footage of inside the synagogue, and then they're gonna show your face a big picture of and on May, comedian Modi is coming, and they're gonna have used like a picture that Leo didn't approve. Yeah, and then Leo will drive a truck to the place. Like that's not the image we approved. But but Temple Israel So the conversation took a different tone. Yes, we it went from it. Telling me about to like our hearts are with you. We couldn't be more in connection with the community. We we but we actually did speak about the material and we understood, I understood where she was coming from, and she understands, and I understand what to do, and it's gonna be an amazing event. And I and you know, I'll tell you something. I just think it's what God sends the cure before he sends the the disease. So the cure for what happened was already scheduled. The cure comedy is what's gonna cure this the situation that happened there, and that's happening on May 10th. May 20th, I think. May May 20th, I'm gonna be 10 years.
SPEAKER_02Someday in May. I have no idea what it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_01May 20th, we're gonna be there, and it's I I I um it's gonna be the best show in the world. It's gonna be the best show ever. Uh a show of healing, a show of love, a show of gratitude that no one died and and we were able to to to handle this, and wow. Wow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and shout out to the security people there who took care of the situation.
SPEAKER_01By the way, let's shout out to all the security people all the security over
Security Realities And Paris Police
SPEAKER_01the world. Yeah. Since October seventh, when Paris they parked a tank in front of the theater. Remember that? We were in Paris on October ninth and the Paris police just parked a tank. Yeah. Not not a f not not a police car. With some guys like inside playing solitaire on the on their little computer, a tank, and these hot, gorgeous.
SPEAKER_02Well, Paris PD is the hottest police in the we've been all over the world. Paris police officers are next level. I don't know what they are. Are they casting them? Like I don't understand.
SPEAKER_01Well, what they're definitely tailoring their uniforms. Their biceps are like Couture, honey. Couture. Couture. And that little hat, those little hats. High drag. And the and the machine gun is snapped onto their chest.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it like almost put is like a push-up bra. It's like a their pecs are like, and here's my gun.
SPEAKER_01And here's my gun. Here's my arms, and here's the hat. And I'm ready to shoot at anybody, but I'll also take a picture with you if you want. Like selfies. They're like they're they're so hot, the Paris police.
SPEAKER_02No, but we've had to deal with crazy security stuff. And the bomb dogs.
SPEAKER_01Let's ask the audience, please pull up the the the the the clothing list for for the Paris event that we're going to. Let's get some feedback. Let's get some feedback from the from the from our audience. So we don't have our things picked up. I'm I'm I'm always open to change. I'm always open to change. So Le Leo and I have been to Paris twice since we've been together. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Once was right after October 7th. We flew from Israel on October 7th to Paris and had four shows, and the vibe was a little harsh, so we didn't really get to Paris out. Then I had the show recently at Le Trianon in Paris. Good show. Amazing show, amazing theater. We had the worst weather Paris has ever had in our lives. We left early. Yep. So just we just hated. We couldn't walk around, and that was it. So now we're going back for our friend's 50th birthday party. It's a gag.
SPEAKER_02We say per birthday party, this is like an event. This is like we're invited to like the Meghan Markle Harry wedding. Right.
SPEAKER_01So of the gay world. So within the gay world, different clicks, and we what we call puddle hopping. Bubble hopping. No, bubble. Bubble? Yeah. Bubble hopping. So one of the bubbles that we're in is the Martha Stewart gays. And one of them, we're not mentioning names, but he's throwing a party for his husband's 50th.
SPEAKER_02But this is like what he does. This is like his Olympics.
SPEAKER_01He throws parties for billionaires. This is what he does. Now he's throwing one for his husband. And it's in Paris, Friday, Saturday. And he sent the looks that should be pulled for the events. Read it out and let's just see. Give me a moment. Yeah. Um would you like to thank our sponsors? We're gonna thank our sponsors at this point. Um A and H provisions, thank you very much for uh being a part of our family. Koshadogs.net is the website. Um 30% off of your first purchase with promo code Modi. 30% off of get a big order for Passover, get some stuff going, and this is gonna be great. And people always send us pictures when they see it in Costco or wherever they see it, and they're like, oh my god, Modi, it's AH from the podcast. Um, Seth, our big partner, and um would love to show you his warehouse. Uh he's so proud of it and how beautiful and clean it is, and AH provisions is and their hot dogs isn't the next level of hot dogs. And then Whites and Luxembourg, the law firm that not only does well, they do good, super philanthropic. And Arthur Luxembourg, a friend of the podcast, a friend of mine, like an older brother, and Randy, his wife, who listens to the podcast to tell him what we talk about. Thank you guys very much for being partners with us here. And did you get that list? Oh, finally, okay.
Paris Birthday Weekend Dress Code
SPEAKER_01Okay, so this is the looks for Friday night and Saturday night of the birthday party for our friend's 50th birthday.
SPEAKER_02So it says Friday night, come ready and rowdy for a late night, dinner and drinks at Lafayette's followed by clubbing at Le Aventure. So um, attire, smart, elevated, party ready, no jeans, sneakers, or athleisure. Okay. Then Saturday. Wait, hold on. Well, you let's let's unpack that. Well, let me get it out through it and then we'll digest. Okay. Saturday night is cocktails and seated dinner at Maxim's, followed by late night dancing. Polished looks encouraged, not explicitly formal. No jeans, white sneakers, or athleisure. I love the no white sneakers because I love that little detail because you know there's like people who are like, well, I'll just put on like some brand new Sam Smiths, and then now it's like a cute look. Right. And he's like, don't do not show up here in Stancine.
SPEAKER_01Um or even where it was like Kenneth. Well, no, no one is gonna pull up Kenneth Cole with a white soul looking thing.
SPEAKER_02No, this is not a Sephardic bar mitzvah. So yeah, so so that's what we have been instructed, and we went shopping. Shout out to Officine General. Yes, for you. Um, I do well there. I didn't. You know, there are Officine General is a clothing brand, and they have a store in Soho. Um, they have men's and women's stuff, and there's few brick and mortar retail experiences left that are actually pleasurable, nice, where they're nice to you, where the product is good. It's and I think Officing General is one of those remaining places where it's like, okay, I'm gonna go shopping, I'm gonna go buy something, and every they're helpful and the clothes look good on me, and it's a little expensive, but I got a suit there for Saturday night, but I'm gonna do it like with like a t-shirt kind of thing underneath. No, you're gonna do like a suit. You can also do a reveal. It says not explicitly formal. The part that I'm struggling with is that I know that we're gonna be up to like the wee hours of the morning dancing, and it says no sneakers, and like my feet are gonna hurt. So I'm gonna have to wear my Gucci loafers.
SPEAKER_01I think so. I think I might those black boots. I might take the ones I wore the other day. Yeah, I might go get them shine. I don't know if those I that was those are very comfortable boots. We have a pair of boots that I bought before Leo was born. Was that before I was thought of? It was it's a one-piece leather boot. They're stunning. I wear them all the time. There's like next level of of of shoe.
SPEAKER_02They're like worn in, worn in.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I might do that with uh I've a anyway. I of course had two suits made and um when he just has suits made. Just like oh, because two weeks have gone by.
SPEAKER_02When they're saying not explicitly formal means formal. It means not it means have like a look, but then be ready to shed layers as the night goes on.
SPEAKER_0145, you need to have some kind of yeah, you you're not killing the look with a t-shirt and your guns out, and you need to show up with like but you know this is gonna be a good party because for us to get on a plane and and travel for a birthday party, it's and stay in that hotel where everybody's staying in cops and then all that, and it's gonna be next level, and we're looking for and we needed to do a vacation in Paris without any shows. Yeah, people don't understand, like, even though like when we do a show somewhere and and like also stay four or five days.
SPEAKER_02Have you guys exploring? Do you guys want restaurant recommendations? I'm like, no, I'm gonna go home and watch Shark Tank from the hotel bed, yeah. And and just try to sleep until the next flight.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what's no? With when we're when when there's a show involved, it's so even though the Paris we had the show and then the days after.
SPEAKER_02Well, we programmed in the sh with the days after I said, you know what, let's end the because that we were coming from all that European shows. We ended in Paris. I baked in like three or four extra days at the tail end to just enjoy Paris, and it was so cold that I was like, I can't do this.
SPEAKER_01Arthur Luxembourg is always in shock when he he hears that we're only there for one day. Because you go to Los Angeles for just one day?
unknownWhat Modi.
SPEAKER_01Can I tell you something though? And this place you should go and go make a thing of it. I'm like, no, I'm gonna go home.
SPEAKER_02It's kind of liberating the churn, it's a little frenetic and stressful and chaotic sometimes, but I also there's like it's kind of liberating to like travel this way because you kind of release expectations. Yeah, and so whatever happens, happens. And I feel like for us, things happen organically, like certain people will reach out, and we will go to a restaurant, like we'll we'll figure something in, and it always will be like not something that I'm gonna Google and be like top things to do, and whatever. It's gonna be like a unique, usually like a local is taking us somewhere, yeah. But and I also have this kind of like reassurance that wherever I go, and this is a a privilege, but that I know it's not it's probably not gonna be the last time I'm there. Like I'm probably gonna come back at some point, you know what I mean? Yeah, like especially I don't know, uh LA. There was a time where we were like flying back and forth from LA like so much that I didn't feel the need to like you know cram things in.
SPEAKER_01Would you go to Aspen again?
SPEAKER_02Are you done with that?
SPEAKER_01Because we we we we're also accumulating a list of places that have
Travel Burnout And Overhyped Places
SPEAKER_01let us down.
SPEAKER_02It's not let us down, it's not let us down, but let's talk about it. It's it's a type of place that has been assigned this like sort of je ne sais quoi, like that, oh it's like oh you're going to this place and it's like nice and fancy and you're gonna and it's like not, it's just and and and here's my list so far of those places.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Monaco, bingo, Aspen, eh it's a sleeping pill on a mountain. Okay, it's a sleeping pill on a mountain.
SPEAKER_02I would put like Sag Harbor like in there.
SPEAKER_01Sag harbor like in the Hampton.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, like Sag Harbor, Montauk kind of places.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I wasn't even thinking. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02You weren't even thinking about that, but like it's on the list. I wrote them off.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. No, I wrote them off because you can't get there. And so wait, what's what's what would you add to the list? So my top one was Monte Carlo and uh what's it called? Monica. Monte Carlo. Monica. Which is like beautiful, stunning, clean. We get it. It's like a Legoland. It looks like a movie set. It's about the streets are clean, there's no crime, it's just shops, it's like a mall of Vendi and But it's the size of it's this big.
SPEAKER_02You you do one lap, you saw the whole thing.
SPEAKER_01All the boats, and it's not cute, and everybody's just kind of someone wants to take us on a boat there, yeah, we're available. But and we've been flown there, and you know, with the the flight that goes directly there, and we did a show there, and we like, but it didn't like it didn't blow us away.
SPEAKER_02No, because it's the same thing. It's like here's the Prada and the Balenciaga and the Louis Vuitton store.
SPEAKER_01And the hotel we were staying at was gorgeous. So we stayed in that gorgeous hotel, and then we performed in the in the hotel, the one from all the, but still, it was like eh. I enjoyed being in the synagogue more than I enjoyed anything else in Monaco. So, wait, what would you add to the list though? I'm so trying to think, it's not I say I didn't think of Sag Harbor or Montauk or I was just trying because I won't even like they're not even in that's somebody else's journey.
SPEAKER_02Aspen just was like it's visually beautiful, but it's again, it's like the same style. Like when you go to all these places, it's like the same 10 stores and restaurants repeated in different formats and variations, and European cities that like it's like oh I'm gonna go to St. Ambrose and Aspen.
SPEAKER_01You're like right, really. Um, and then we just uh even when you're traveling in the cities in Europe, they begin to all look the same. Oh, for sure. They begin to all look the same. They all have that one cathedral you have to go to in Plaza de Plaza, and then there's like you go one way. We're so jaded. You go one way, and it's it's Mango and United and Zara and and and gu and oh and Zara and and all of that, like uh the other way is Hermes, Bendy, Ermez, and Gucci, and all that, and that's that's the whole city, and every city's the same.
SPEAKER_02And if you're really looking to do something for in the city Well, this is why you have to know a local, you have to have a local, and that you have to like you know, we had that in Venice that one time where we're Venice and and um in Vienna.
SPEAKER_01We have a local in Vienna that takes us and makes sure we're good and he's he's a friend and he's shows us like like we live there. And it's it's we're jaded, we're definitely jaded.
SPEAKER_02No, well this is what happens when you're a flight on a flight everywhere.
SPEAKER_01But but Hamptons doesn't even like I don't even know.
SPEAKER_02I was just trying to add to the list because so far it was just m um what was this unless Monte Carlo Unless we Aspen gig. Uh we are not gonna get it. You haven't answered the question. Are you adding to the list? Right now, there's only two things on the list then. Palm Beach. Palm Beach. It's like these places that are like, oh, they're fancy and nice, and like the people are chic, but then you get there and you're like, it's the same people that I could see Palm Beach.
SPEAKER_01We were there with friends who live there, and it's just like that's a c that's a restaurant you have to be a member of to eat, and that's a restaurant you have to be a member to eat, and that one is they used to live there, and that one lives there, and he sold that for a million, and I don't care. I don't care, I don't care that he sold it for 50 million and he bought it for 70 million, and you have to be a member of this toilet to get a coffee. I don't care, it's not interesting. Yeah, leave me alone. Um Palm Beach. Yeah. But the shows are great, but the shows are great. I will if if there's a show, I'll go there. But Hamptons, that drive, you better make sure there's a microphone and a check waiting for me.
SPEAKER_02There is in um August, I believe. You are doing a private event in East Hampton, I think in August. So but there's to spend a day of your summer. There's a check there for you.
SPEAKER_01To spend a day of your summer melted into your car seat driving endlessly to get to the end of Do you know what I did today?
Equinox Shower Products And Hair Drama
SPEAKER_02Which I haven't done in in over a a year is not an exaggeration. I showered at Equinox.
SPEAKER_01Get out on your hair.
SPEAKER_02I know. Because I went I worked out before we filmed this, and I was looking in the mirror and I was like, oh, I got a little bit of like scruff going on, which is not a good look on me. Right. So I needed to shave, but I was like, oh god, if I have to shave, I have to steam first, or else I'm gonna break out because I can't use their cheap razors. Right. So then I had to steam. That grown alchemy product that they have in there at Equinox is so bad.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna say something.
SPEAKER_02I'm so frazzled, I'm like itching until I can go home and reshower with my own products.
SPEAKER_01This will be a clip you can definitely post on social media. The most horrible thing that has happened to the millennial gay generation of our time is that Equinox stopped carrying keels. That is the worst thing that ever happened to your generation. We had we had other things. We had AIDS. You guys had Equinox cut-off keels and put in this grown alchemist. I don't know what that is.
SPEAKER_02It feels like Suntan lotion. Do you know where it is? They it's in the Delta Lounge. It's like the hand soap that's in the Delta Lounge. It's the same brand. We're not fans. I washed my body with it. It like wouldn't come off. Yeah. Um it's like it's like sunscreen. Like, is this patrol? Like, is it just it felt like lube? I don't know. It was weird.
SPEAKER_01It's not good. I we really miss Keels.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, they're changing it to La Leboe. Which is gonna be Which we'll see how that goes.
SPEAKER_01No, we know, I know the Labour. Yeah, we know it very well. Many hotels we stay in.
SPEAKER_02It's a little chew free.
SPEAKER_01La Leboe is in um, it's in the peninsula hotels. Peninsula ho peninsula hotels.
SPEAKER_02So I have sensitive skin. I know Le Beau is very fragrant. Yeah. They look they put a lot of eau de parfum in there.
SPEAKER_01But it's nice eau de parfum, and their and their shampoo makes your hair thicker. It gives you a p a fluff. Yeah. Which you've been growing out your hair, and I thank you for doing that, because you know I enjoy it. I know, thank you. It's performing well with the focus.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they were about to go to war over the oil on my head. That's what was happening. Trump was gonna invade your hair for the oil. He's gonna invade my hairline. The strait of Hormouth was happening on my head. 20% of the world's oil supply in Leo's hair. And guess what? It looked amazing. It looked so good. It looked amazing, but it was gr it was gross.
SPEAKER_01We had three days of him not washing his hair, and we got into the elevator to go to our building, and that elevator light we have is just a hate crime, and his hair just shined.
SPEAKER_02It was like Should we talk about what's happening in our building with the lobby?
Our Lobby Renovation Civil War
SPEAKER_01I'm in shock. We should.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But we should we can't say what building it.
SPEAKER_02No. Okay. So we live in a co-op building that was built in like the 60s. Yep. And it's a big building, and the lobbies. We love our apartment. The apartment's been redone and renovated and nice, and it's big, and it's we combine two apartments. The building itself is a little rough. When you walk into the lobby, it's not a pretty lobby. It Modi says it looks like you are going to an emergency room in Kiev. Like it's fluorescent lights, it's like this harsh tile.
SPEAKER_01Um they have these ridiculous murals from the 1960s that are historical, so they can't be touched. Okay. So the building out of no, and they never and they usually do whatever hole in the building or little little touches they do. They stopped doing touch-ups. They stopped doing touch-ups.
SPEAKER_02So we knew something was going on.
SPEAKER_01And then they announced we are renovating everything.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, because we sold the air rights to something.
SPEAKER_01I'm not sure how they got to to there. Well, we got I also don't care. We also don't care. I don't care how they got to the fact that they are about to renovate and it's gonna look amazing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so they sent renderings. Hey, they're like, hey, we're redoing all the lobbies and we're doing all this different stuff, and it's like a huge like the renderings are incredible.
SPEAKER_01Beautifully, yeah. And they're smart how they did it, how they moved the entrance to the other part, and we still have the mail room with Veronica who takes care of us. We love her. Our mailroom person is we love her, and and it's they're gonna re-make it beautiful. And they're gonna keep the murals and they're gonna save the murals and they're gonna make a thing.
SPEAKER_02They said, think Rockefeller Center. I said, Oh, okay, fine. You got it.
SPEAKER_01I've been waiting 22 years for this. 22. 22 years ago, I bought my first apartment there, and they told me they're gonna renovate the lobbies, and 22 years they haven't, they finally are renovating the lobbies, and of course, people are in a tizzy. Every Karen and every Jessica and every Yente who has nothing else to do, nothing else to do, decides she's gonna fight them.
SPEAKER_02It's the building community is at war with each other. There's a civil war happening in our building between the pro-renovation and the anti-renovation. People printed out a newspaper, like a legit newspaper called like with the build headlines like renovation disaster or whatever. Like a real newspaper. They went and had it made and printed, and it was like multiple. It was about the finances, it was about the design, it was about how the artic architect sucked. I was like, you put a lot of time into this.
SPEAKER_01So I'm walking into the lobby. They put it under our doors on the doors. Uh comes up to me, and uh she had white hair and she looked elderly and small and her puff jacket. And she has this thing goes, hi, I would like you to sign the petition to I go for what? Because to stop the constru. I go, and I'm not gonna be mean to her. She's an elderly. I go, Do you see where you are? You want to stop construction? You want this to continue even a few more months? Are you insane?
SPEAKER_02Shut your mouth and get out of the way. So I got approached yesterday with someone with a clipboard, and um, and they were like, Hi, do you are you do you live here? I said, Yes. I are you aware of the changes that they're planning for the lobby? I said, Yes. And they go, What do you think of them? And I said, I think it's great because I knew where she was going. Yeah. And she goes, Okay, then I won't bother you. I was like, Yeah, please don't, because why are you fighting this?
SPEAKER_01But it's it's really incredible. It shows you that people always have there, always has to be some pushback on whatever, whatever the protest is. People need something to just sit in your apartment, you dumb broad, and just shut your mouth and let them do the work. Let them clean up this lobby. 22 years I've been looking at this lobby. It's so harsh. It's very hard because we live in one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York City. We Bloomberg took care of the new of the area that was around us. There were these five empty parking lots, and he made sure built something nice, not like a tar, not like a Walmart. And so he took beautiful buildings, Essex Crossing, and then now this new neighborhood called Dimes Square. And the lobby looks like it looks like shit. It looks like garbage. You walk into our lobby.
SPEAKER_02It's embarrassing when we have people over because our apartment is nice, but they have to get through the lobby, and I'm like, I don't know what's going through their head. The lobby looks scary.
SPEAKER_01Oh, is Modi okay? Is Leo being held here? Like, and then you open the door into our apartment in Bor Hashem.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Bor Hashem.
SPEAKER_01Bor Hashem.
SPEAKER_02I do like the apartment, and it's like, what are you gonna do?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But I was on the call with the architects, and they were like, Do you guys realize how much green space you're sitting on? Like, we have so many parks built into how the law buildings are laid out. They're like, You guys are not utilizing any of this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this these buildings were built for people that were in a union before they went co-op. So they were built for families, they weren't built for like two gay men in an apartment or or or a single woman out of college. It was built for families. So even the one bedrooms are like massive. Yeah. Anyway, I will say at this point that thank thank you, Hashem, that these are our problems. Thank you, God, that this is all the problems we have, and we should be happy about that. Uh, we also Very happy to announce a whole slew of shows that we have not done yet.
Tour Dates Radio City And Passover Intentions
SPEAKER_01Um, this probably we will probably will be airing the show in Kansas, Missouri on March 18th. In Dallas, we're gonna be there, Dallas, Texas, March 19th. And I have a feeling we're gonna have one of those experiences with someone from the neighborhood takes us out. They've reached out friends of ours. Um, March 22nd, Philadelphia, and March 25th and 26th, Boston. And I also will be adding that I will be doing my Harvard lecture tour in Boston. The law school has asked me to speak. And so yes, the law school has asked me to speak. Don't say what you want to say.
SPEAKER_02It's the Jewish Association of Law Students has asked you to speak.
SPEAKER_01The law school of Harvard has asked me to lecture.
SPEAKER_02It's a lunchtime QA.
SPEAKER_01I will be lecturing at the Harvard Law Students. Nobody thinks he's a tenured professor now. I am a I'm in with some celebrity professor. What's his name? No, he's not coming. He's not coming, just me. Book Hashem, that's it. There's no pulling focus. I will be lecturing at Harvard. And then the Lampoon. Harvard Lampoon. They invited you. They invited me. And that was I'm honored. Yeah. Honored. So I'll be I'll be doing my stint at Harvard. And then Chabad thing. And then but Meshiach Energy on another level is the 24th, the day before the two shows at the Wilbur. I will be Febrangen with Rabbi Posner. Schlita. Rabbi Posner Schlita of uh in his Chabad house, the Chabad house that made me what I am, that connected me to the Rebbe Zichert Sadaklev Racha. And I will we will be Febranging with the students there the same way I was a student there for bringing, which is just having an amazing inspiration night of Mashirch energy. I'll be able to thank Robert Posen for all he's done for me. And it's being organized by his son, Israel, which is which I which I remember him as a baby. It's it's Mashirch Energy across the board. Um, and then we have the shows in Milwaukee and Cincinnati, April 15th, Milwaukee, April 16th, Cincinnati. Radio City Music Hall is almost sold out. So if you have not pulled it together, pull it together with your family, figure out listening to coming.
SPEAKER_02If you send me a message the day after the last Radio City show and you ask me when Modi is performing in New York, I'm gonna hunt you down. I'm gonna mail you a glitter bomb that's gonna explode glitter all over your house. You'll never be able to clean it up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So get your tickets for the there's some seats left on the 20th, a few seats left on the 23rd, but there's a few seats, good seats left on the 30th. Uh, they're gonna sell out.
SPEAKER_02Only buy them on Ticketmaster. Don't go to StubHub, don't go to vivid seats. That's not a thing. I can't guarantee your safety if you're going to third party websites. Yeah. Ticketmaster only, please.
SPEAKER_01Ticketmaster only, please. And um, and if you are at the age of 80 or near 80, when you are coming there, just do what everybody else doesn't say. I'm Modi's mom.
SPEAKER_02Don't do that. Please don't do that. Please don't do that. I'm already like thinking how I'm gonna get all of your family like into the building without we have hired somebody just to handle my family during the show.
SPEAKER_01And um, and uh again, thank you, God, that these are our problems. Thank you all for listening. ModiLive.com to reach us, to buy tickets, to be a part of this, to be a part of our lives. We are so fortunate to have you with us. We love you. Um, and whenever Leo says, who he listens to the podcast, and just we hear a roar in the audience, uh it makes me so happy. It makes the whole thing worth it. That's it. Uh, if we don't speak to you before, then khaksameh. No, but we'll definitely be on before. No, we'll be on before. Prepare yourself for a pesah that's meaningful and spiritual, but meaningful. Make sure you're going to create mashiach energy and create, start thinking about what you want sedr in. What order. Pesach is all about creating order for the upcoming year. So just start thinking about where you need order in your life, and and that it'll come to you. And of course, shows. Meshik energy, modilife.com. See you all soon.