Fahim Anwar (comedian, actor, writer)

Episode #46- Comedian and Actor Fahim Anwar calls in to talk about his long history doing stand up comedy, video shorts, movies, TV and more.  

0:00:00 - Intro 
0:02:12 - Doing Podcasts 
0:04:44 - Parents From Afghanistan 
0:07:00 - Comedy Influences 
0:08:43 - Comedy Beginnings in School 
0:13:18 - Stand Up In Seattle Clubs 
0:19:59 - Offer to Open For Michael Buble 
0:21:38 - Engineering Degree & Job 
0:23:55 - Comedian’s Comedian 
0:27:43 - Auditioning in L.A. 
0:32:15 - Turning Down Stereotypical Roles 
0:36:03 - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot 
0:37:20 - Lorne Michaels & SNL 
0:39:49 - Goatface Sketch Comedy 
0:41:00 - Doing Conan O’Brien 
0:42:00 - Bill Burr & other Fahim Fans 
0:46:00 - Serious Dramatic Role 
0:47:40 - Lance Canstopolis 
0:49:22 - Cancel Culture & Tweets 
0:53:20 - Bad & Good Comedians 
0:56:36 - Being on the Joe Rogan Podcast
0:57:56 - Brittany Furlan & Tommy Lee 
1:00:30 - Mushrooms & Weed 
1:01:47 - Deciding to be a Comedian  
1:04:36 - Having Grit & Not Giving Up 
1:06:56 - Next Stand Up Special 
1:11:30 - Chuck’s Joke Ideas for Fahim 
1:14:35 - Rocky Balboa Doing Stand Up 
1:15:35 - Afghan Relief Fund
1:16:27 - Podcast, Specials, Social Media 
1:19:12 - Stages of Coronavirus Video 
1:20:26 - TikTok 
1:22:15 - Wrap Up 

Fahim Anwar Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/fahimanwar/

Afghan Relief Fund: 

https://afghanrelief.org/

Chuck Shute Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/

Transcript

Chuck Shute : 0:14

Welcome to the Chuck Shute Podcast. So excited for my guests that I know I say that every week but this really is a guy that I've been a fan of for over 18 years. I used to follow him. When he performed in this tiny little comedy club in Seattle, it was in the back of a Ramada hotel is a bar and lounge that on the weekends, they turned into Laughs Comedy Club. And I remember seeing him there, practically weekly. And he would do like a 15 minute set that would feature for the headlining comedian. But he would have new material like every week, and that was before YouTube and all that stuff. So if I wanted to, like see his comedy, I had to go see him live there was he didn't have TV specials or anything like that out so we'd go and follow him a lot and I just watched him get I mean, he was already hilarious. But he just kept getting better and better. It seemed like and making me laugh so hard and I watched a lot of comedy. And so you know, the more comedy you watch, the harder it is for comedians to make you laugh the pickier you get and he still to this day makes me laugh super hard. at so many of the things he does not just to stand up but his YouTube and Instagram videos and such. But yeah, he ended up moving to LA and his career's just been on the skyrocket ever since he's done TV shows Chuck disaster date, Californication, did a the whiskey Tango Foxtrot movie with Tina Fey how to Comedy Central special called goat face with a sama nosh from the Daily Show. And he also has his own stand up special that you can watch for free online. It's called there's no Business Like Show Business. He's done like every famous podcast including the Joe Rogan podcast, which is the most famous podcast I think there is so very cool that he's taking the time to come on my little show. I really appreciate it. I think you guys will really enjoy his story but also just his He's funny. On this podcast cannot be funny. He's one of the best guests I've ever had not just because of his credits, because he's just actually really funny guy. So I hope you enjoy this episode and definitely check out all his social media. Yeah, let's go. Welcome to the show. Sam. Thanks so much for doing this. Thanks, man.

Fahim Anwar : 2:16

Yes, it's an honor.

Chuck Shute : 2:18

It's an honor for you. Right? Okay. Sure. Yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 2:21

I'll take that. Yeah, thank you, you know, people will hit me up to do their podcast, quite a bit like just random people from across the country, which is, which is it? Yeah, it's really nice to get those requests, but I'm usually busy and I don't like I would just be busy doing podcasts my entire life if I did every single request from across the nation. But I've known you forever. And you've known me since I was 18. Yeah, so I think that's such a special case. Where I'm like,

Chuck Shute : 2:50

Yeah, of course. So you get that many requests? Yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 2:53

like I got one today. I got one yesterday and because everyone has a podcast now and and comedy Yeah. sort of very popular. So you'll get like, one year two year comics starting a podcast, which is great. But then some some of my peers will do those. I just find that. I don't know, there's there's power and saying no, there's only like 24 hours in a day. So I just don't want to get caught doing a million podcasts and I'm not doing anything myself, you know.

Chuck Shute : 3:21

So how do you politely decline because I'm assuming some of these people that are just starting out, I mean, you know, you want to help them out. But like you said, you can't do podcasts all the time. Yes,

Fahim Anwar : 3:30

to a degree, you know, like I do a cost benefit analysis in my mind. I'm like, how many listeners are here? It's like 200 followers. It's, you know, I don't need to do that. You know what I mean? But if they have like a huge following be like, okay, yeah, then then it makes sense. Yeah, not not that you're an asshole. It's just sort of like, things have to be mutually beneficial for both parties.

Chuck Shute : 3:55

Right right now, thanks. Well, thanks for doing mics. I don't I don't have a huge following but I'm Hoping that to get there.

Fahim Anwar : 4:01

Yeah, it's sort so I have I have a rule to go by. It's either. It's like, will it help me do what I want to do? Or do I know this person? And is it like a friend or a favor? Cool if either of those

Chuck Shute : 4:14

would you say once I heard you your quote was, uh, asking someone to do your podcast is the new like asking your friend to help you move?

Fahim Anwar : 4:21

Pretty much. There. There was like different elements of it back in the day like it was, or can you take me to the airport was the app. You helped me move? And then like, Can you help me read lines was the LA ask. And then instead of can you help me read lines? Now? It's Can you do my podcast?

Chuck Shute : 4:40

Gotcha. Gotcha. Well, thanks again. Thanks for doing this but um, yeah, so let's start at the beginning with your your story is kind of interesting. I mean, I think everybody's story is interesting, but yours especially. So I just learned this the other day. I didn't know this. Your dad moved to Seattle. From it was it from Afghanistan directly or was he in the United States for something else, but he moved there sight unseen. Right. He just saw it in a brochure and he moved there to work at Boeing.

Fahim Anwar : 5:02

Yeah. So I mean, he came here for school. So he had been in the states for a while. Okay. First he came to North Dakota and then Minnesota or I'm flip flopping him, it's either, so North Dakota and Minnesota where whereas two schools he went to one for mathematics and one for engineering. And when it came to the North Dakota, North Dakota State University,

Unknown Speaker : 5:23

and what year was this, like?

Fahim Anwar : 5:25

70s? I don't know the exact year but Oh, yeah. So and then when he graduated there, you know, the recruiters come around, and Boeing was one of them. And they they had a brochure of Seattle, and they were hiring quite a bit. And he he didn't, he's never been there. But the space it was on the front, the front of the brochure, like Sure why not?

Chuck Shute : 5:46

A space dental is cool. So growing up with immigrant parents, like because the old cliche is always like when I was your age, I had to walk five miles in the snow to get to school. Like did your parents have any of those kinds of stories about growing up in Afghanistan about how lucky you

Fahim Anwar : 5:59

haven't? No The thing is like I was watching this documentary on Afghanistan just yesterday or the day before, like I was at my uncle's house in San Diego, my brother, it's called the Great game. And it's like you actually actually see it on YouTube. There's a part one and part two. And it's really interesting just how various countries have tried to like move into Afghanistan and they all fail. So Afghanistan is very familiar with with wartime they're, they're always fighting some somebody but they had 50 years of peace. And my parents just happened to fall in that window before they left for America. You know, like towards the end it got a little a little dicey. But they grew up very westernized, it was kind of on par with America, like the stuff that you got here in the States. They got there and Afghanistan. So it was kind of an idyllic life the way they they grew up.

Chuck Shute : 6:51

So he just came over for school then basically,

Fahim Anwar : 6:53

yeah, so he came over to study and stuff like that.

Chuck Shute : 6:57

Nice. And so then in terms of comedy, you You started to kind of fall in love with comedy with like the Simpsons, Conan O'Brien like, oh, that SNL 90s us know, like Adam Sandler.

Fahim Anwar : 7:07

Yeah, or like any other kid in America growing up on just consuming what any kid would you know, I'm just a kid growing up in the, like lynnwood Washington McNulty. I'm like any other kid, so I'm consuming the Simpsons. I'm consuming SNL and and yeah, just it really informed my sensibilities.

Chuck Shute : 7:28

And that's that was a specific moment where you're like, this is what I want to do, like be on SNL and stuff or was or what about, like, actual stand up comics? Was there somebody that

Fahim Anwar : 7:37

Yeah, that was so I mean, SNL and Simpsons were introduced to me very young. Yeah, I think like cuz my dad didn't listen to stand up albums or anything. Stand up. It might have been around or I wonder if I would see it and just not even register with me it had to have but stand up didn't really come on my radar until I was 17. And for my birthday, we were at a very Store um, I mean to date myself, and I think what guy recommended Eddie Murphy's delirious

Chuck Shute : 8:07

Ah, love that. So

Fahim Anwar : 8:08

it was my birthday party me my brother my friends were watching Eddie Murphy's delirious and it just, it was life changing for like then in their stand up became a thing for me whereas before it didn't exist but now I knew it took up space in my brain after seeing that and that coupled with how do people get on SNL seeing that it was they were either came through improv schools or they did stand up Yeah, so that was me just seeing delirious that's why lean so heavy for standup

Chuck Shute : 8:41

right so then you wanted to perform stand up at your high school talent show but the school actually banned comedy you said it was kinda like some Footloose type of shit like you think that were you the first person to try that and are you the reason for that rule? Or has there been other people that had had the tried stand up and with bad results?

Fahim Anwar : 9:00

I don't know I don't think a lot of kids try to do stand up for the talent show because most people like hate public speaking and all that but i was i was 17 and but the reason they banned it is because even before stand up I always had a performer element to me I would do sketches I was in video productions I would also do assembly so i would i would like dance during the assemblies and, and throughout the school year I was doing these like little sketches, and like skits during Pep assemblies and stuff. Oh, and when I would do I did I remember I did this one. I was for Christmas time this Christmas time Pep assembly. And Conan used to do this thing where he would do a slideshow about some event that happened and they were just like funny photoshopped. Oh, yeah, sorry. Yeah, yeah. So I love that. And I did one of those for like this crazy. I just ripped it off from a kid you know? So I just ripped it off and made it my own and about some Christmas party with For the faculty and the principals and stuff and but it was approved you know, so we had some funny Photoshop stuff like we had my drama teacher we said it was getting pretty crazy we just Photoshop Ricky Martin getting wax pouring chest we put my drama teachers face on it, just saying how crazy the night gotten. And everyone loved that it was just it was so fun and funny. And it had been approved because you can't just like do shit row. That's when you get in trouble but it got approved. But still some I heard some parents had a problem with it and they complained to the principal. And the thing is, whenever you do comedy, comedy is so subjective, that what may be approved could still ruffle the feathers of a more conservative parent. So that's why they didn't even want to deal with comedy at all. They just for the talent show. They said no, no comedy, which I took great offense to. You know what I mean? Yeah, they don't want to. They don't like to rule out an entire art form just because you don't want one phone call from a dumb parent.

Chuck Shute : 11:08

Oh, yeah. I could tell you a million stories about schools nowadays, right? I mean, yeah, there's a lot of stuff that goes on, but especially I would. Yes. But then you you organized your own comedy show, and you did like 30 minutes, which seems like a lot to me. For someone who's 30 now

Fahim Anwar : 11:26

it's insane. Even even like 18 years in looking back I'm like Jesus.

Unknown Speaker : 11:33

Yeah, but so one of

Fahim Anwar : 11:36

it of being naive is Yeah, no, you did it right. And

Chuck Shute : 11:39

one of the saw you Yeah, and she suggested you go on at comedy underground. So did you go to the open mic night at comedy underground? Is that your first time trying it?

Fahim Anwar : 11:49

Yeah, so I did her name was Pam man. I don't know where she yesterday I haven't like she's kind of like a comedy guardian angel because I I really wonder what my life would be like if if she didn't teach this improv unit in drama class for two weeks. So yeah, I was in high school drama and then for two weeks they brought Pam man and from unexpected productions which is an improv. It's like Seattle's Groundlings or it's just it are in Pike Place Market. So she came in and taught us for for two weeks. And at the end of it I don't know No, actually at the end of it, there was nothing but I did the the 30 minute standup thing where I organized my comedy night because they wouldn't allow us to do it for the talent show. So me and my buddy we we put on our own comedy night we had to hire police because they tried to do everything to make us not do it but we just jumped over every hurdle they put in front of us so that they couldn't we just did everything because

Chuck Shute : 12:45

it was at the school or something.

Fahim Anwar : 12:47

Yeah, it was at the school they're like oh well if it's after hours like if you do it then SV after hours and if it's after hours you'll have to have a police officer on site in case it gets unruly and like this is such a white suburbia. Nothing's gonna happen. They do. Yeah, they just didn't want this to happen. So, so you found a policeman to do it. We found out Yeah, we hired a Security Police guy to do it and, and it went, it went great. We invited Pam to come watch the comedy night. So she saw us do improv. And then I did stand up at the end. And that's when she was like, hey, my friend does stand up at the comedy underground in Seattle. You should come you should check it out. And she basically held my hand the first time to go to the comedy underground. So she was there with me. I watched the open mic. I signed up, I went up. I did like five minutes. And then I just continued to go without her. But it was just such a foreign world to me, especially when you're a kid, you're 17 or 18. And this is like yeah, adult world. So her kind of shepherding me into it, at least for the introduction. And I don't know, then it's kept going.

Chuck Shute : 13:59

That's awesome. Yeah. So there is a rules like that with kids and being I mean, it's kind of a bar, isn't it?

Fahim Anwar : 14:04

It is. So I wasn't able to for a while, until I was 18. I, I could only hang out by the front desk when it was my turn, then I could go on stage, but I couldn't hang out in the club. And I wrote my first MC gig. I was, I was emceeing for this show with the Howard Johnson. I forget, maybe it was in Everett. So the Howard Johnson hotel, it's like this dingy bar lounge area. And I'm I'm 18 but I look like 12 i go i they would have to sit on the stool by the door. And then and then go on stage between the X. Oh, wow. Yeah, I totally forgot about that phase of my comedy career where I had to hang out in the lobby before I could perform.

Chuck Shute : 14:49

Well, yeah, I remember the first time I saw it was a giggles and then I can't we came back next week. And we asked about you and the guy was like, oh usually performs that laughs And I was like, What the hell is that? I apparently there's a comedy club. in a hotel in Bellevue, and someone bought in yeah and so you were there like every week but yeah, and then you you ended up winning the the giggles laugh off at age 19 which made you the youngest person to ever do so do you remember like how you beat out?

Fahim Anwar : 15:18

You you know these are these are true facts. And you say it like I'm in the hall of fame or something. Credits mean nothing to anyone anywhere you go. And don't get me wrong. You are You are 19 when you won the giggles laugh off.

Unknown Speaker : 15:34

You Remember the Titans you're up against? What was

Fahim Anwar : 15:39

a semifinals?

Unknown Speaker : 15:40

The youngest person to ever do that? That's an accomplishment. You don't think that's an accomplishment?

Fahim Anwar : 15:45

Sure. Yeah. Yeah. That Yeah, that was cool. I remember when it happened. Terry was kind of weird though. Man like military Taylor.

Chuck Shute : 15:53

Yeah, well, I I had there was a brief time where I was doing stand up and I remember I used to go to comedy underground. The guy that was really cool, but one time I I'm gonna try giggles and I went in there and I go, Hey, I want to sign up for the open mic. He's like, No, you can't do that. I was like, why? Like, he's like, you have to bring like 10 people. I was like, oh, okay, I guess I won't

Fahim Anwar : 16:09

Yeah, he was, um, he was a businessman but and there's nothing wrong with being a businessman but I think sometimes he was too much of a businessman were unraveled relationships or made relationships icy or you don't need to nickel and dime that much and especially when it comes to talent, you know? Yeah, like unpaid talent or even if we are getting paid, it's like, not much. Right? I got cuz I remember. I don't think he wanted me to win because I was. I wasn't going to giggles as much anymore because I lived in Woodinville. My parents were in the east side and it's quite a drive. And during the middle of the week, I'm going to school so I could only perform on the weekends anyway. And laughs was on the east side. It was 15 minutes away 15 or 20 minutes away from my parents house. They would put me up every Friday and Saturday. And a lot of time though, they would put me up for like 20 minutes. Yeah, right. So I would just get in where I fit in. They gave me a lot of stage time it was closer to home. It was on the weekends. And I don't know, I think Terry sometimes would play like allegiances and favors or you know, like loyalty or you if you perform my club a lot than I take care of you, but just I'm going to school. I can't play these games, you know, right. So I think he didn't want me to win because I wasn't a giggles guy.

Chuck Shute : 17:35

So how is the crowd pick it though Then how did you beat

Fahim Anwar : 17:38

it? Right? Yeah, the crowd the crowd picks it. That's all Yeah, the crowd picked and I won. But at least I remember this. These are like little things you don't forget about it sounds petty. But when you're coming up, these things stick out in your mind and you never really lose it. I remember they used to have these plaques or this frame thing that would say it would show the winner. I think it goes laughs off and it would be on the walls and they would have all the years prior. And they stopped doing it when I was real. So I didn't have that up there. Yeah, that always bothered me.

Chuck Shute : 18:12

Was it because I feel it

Fahim Anwar : 18:14

wasn't. He wouldn't get. Oh, maybe probably. I remember. Like, whoever won the semi finals were supposed to get to Sonics tickets. Oh, I think I forgot who they're playing. So I was supposed to get those. And maybe I didn't pick them up that night or something. And I was me my brother. We're gonna go but then Terry gave them to somebody else. It was like some other shady shit. What? Like Terry, like, I love Terry overall, you know, I wouldn't be who I am without the stage that he had there for me. I I built my chops there with the other clubs in Seattle. So I'm very grateful for that period of my life. But there are just little things little outliers that I look back on and go That's funny.

Chuck Shute : 18:59

Yeah, well yeah, cuz you Have a much different perspective now that you've been in the business longer. Do you so

Fahim Anwar : 19:05

the thing that matters most is stage time and those formative years And to that I owe a lot to Terry and Dave and Ron and Carl you know, Dave and Angela over at laughs Carl and and Ron over at comedy underground and Terry Taylor over at giggles. So yeah, yeah, they're all important to me.

Chuck Shute : 19:27

And you still keep in touch with all the Seattle comics, like, I mean, I had Andrew rivers on my show. I've interviewed Justin rupal. And those guys,

Fahim Anwar : 19:34

yeah, I mean, especially the ones that are here in LA. In the scene, you bounce it, you bounce into them. I'll go see Jeff dye or Brian mood every now and then or Andrew Slater, or Lucas occasionally. So that Seattle bond doesn't leave you.

Chuck Shute : 19:50

That's cool.

Fahim Anwar : 19:51

You mean I do them as much as you did back in the day, but it's definitely a shorthand because yeah, you were in that scene together.

Chuck Shute : 19:58

Yeah, I didn't know this. I thought I knew a lot about you. But I didn't know that you open for you had a chance you didn't actually do it. But you had a chance to open for Michael boo blaye on some of his local dates. Tell me about

Fahim Anwar : 20:09

this story. Yeah, man. I sometimes I wonder what would happen if I actually did those dates? You know what I mean?

Chuck Shute : 20:15

It would be a big audience, right? Like, yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 20:18

life is when boo blaze huge. Mm hmm. So you never know, the twists and turns whether you I mean, you'll kill yourself if you do. What if? I'm not saying my biggest regret is not opening from microblaze. But, but I am just curious as to what is what that would have been?

Chuck Shute : 20:35

Like, who whose idea was that?

Fahim Anwar : 20:38

You know, I think the genesis of that might have been Ron Reed over at the comedy, the comedy underground. They probably wanted a comedian to open up for him. They probably called the comedy club and tried to pick their brain or get a recommendation for them. And I think Ron must have suggested me Yeah, and like I wanted to do it. But I was I was in college, you know, I'm studying engineering. And they want me to open for him, I think in Seattle, and then in Portland, and I it's just too far away. It's too much schoolwork I could just, and logistics, and my parents wouldn't be very understanding of that. It was hard enough doing stand up locally. Mm hmm. Yeah. So take days off of college to open Michael Buble play.

Chuck Shute : 21:31

So yeah, explain that. I mean, I know the story, obviously. But for the listeners, like, why you you went to u dub and your degree was an engineering like why you picked engineering we?

Fahim Anwar : 21:41

Yeah, so I did mechanical engineering, just because it was there's only certain degrees my dad would pay for. And engineering was kind of like the bottom that I could do and still have them because I want to do art stuff. And he said no to all of them. I knew I had to do engineering. engineering or hire, but I just wanted to be out in four years. Yeah.

Chuck Shute : 22:05

And did you ever think about just saying screw you dad and just moving to LA and starting?

Fahim Anwar : 22:10

Because what's what's like then it's like I have no fam. Like, I love my parents, you know, like I love, like we may not see eye to eye and stuff, but I think immigrant families, it's very hard to burn it all down No matter how hard they are on you. The family unit is very strong. There isn't this individualism to that degree, it's like, you respect your parents, you love your parents, even if they don't like what you're doing at all. So and it would be such a hard life just I just moved to LA and then I'm disowned or something. And I'm just still trying to make money. It's It's It's not an easier path or anything.

Chuck Shute : 22:47

Right. So I mean, it was actually smart because then you were able to actually give you the opportunity to move to LA and do comedy on the side while you worked your engineering job at Boeing.

Fahim Anwar : 22:56

Yeah, I'm always a big proponent of giving yourself leverage. The romantic version is just packing up your car moving to LA and not thinking about things, just going with your gut. But then you're doing a lot of shit just by necessity or you need to make a rent and not because it's the right move for you, personally and in professionally. Even when I was coming up through the Seattle scene, I would get offers to do some triple Ron or some gig in the tri state areas or Montana. And I live in my parents, I didn't need money, and I was able to just do smart comedy in the city. And that's the type of comedy I wanted to do to begin with. If I were driving to Montana, nothing gets Montana but like to do well on those shows. I would have to do a certain brand of comedy. That is not good in the long run. You know, you learn how to survive for the night. Not Not Not your career.

Chuck Shute : 23:56

Yeah, because you're caught You're like a comedians comedian. I would Like because I at the time when I discovered you, I had been watching a lot of stuff, I still watch a lot of stand up. And the thing was, if you watch a lot of stand up or other comedians that watch stand up, it kind of takes, you know more to get you to laugh. Right. So and I think that's why I think a lot of comedians, because they've seen, they've seen everything, like you're not like the beginner comedian, right, like if people are just getting,

Fahim Anwar : 24:19

like, I think, for sure, it's like, I don't go for the low hanging fruit. And if I do, it's in a different way. It's not, I don't go for the easy and it's not because I like try not to go for the easy I just kind of don't think that way even to begin with the I just learned to accept that maybe I have a novel mind or I'm wired a certain way. And what I believe is funny is that's kind of refreshing to just as an artist, because when you first start, you wonder, like am I funny? Will I continue to write jokes and is this fleeting? You know, like, was it luck, these jokes that I came up with With but you do it so long. It's really I guess kind of refreshing or an epiphany as an artist where you go you can kind of rest easy and be like oh no, I'm just wired a weird way and that's that's good to know. Mm hmm like this Well this well isn't gonna go dry though it'll ebb and flow but just the wires in my brain are arranged a certain way where I don't have to worry about my debut album was great and I've got nothing in the tank

Chuck Shute : 25:31

so yeah, cuz that's that's the other thing is like you You don't like to do a lot of the set like we used to see a weekly in Seattle and you almost always have you had new jokes every week almost whether some of them might have been some older ones, but you're always bringing up new stuff every week. So you don't have any problem getting material.

Fahim Anwar : 25:48

I think I was lucky in that. That's what drives me. That's what I love about standup I just, I love something working for the first time and I receive a lot of new Ideas throughout the week. And my favorite part about stand up is, is getting to express those new ideas. I always, I'm most invested in my newest ideas than I am old ones that crush like those are those have a place. Like when I headline somewhere and I need to do well, people paid money to come see me, like sure. And it's still fun to do. But I derive the most pleasure from a newer bit trying to get it to work or like a newer bit in my arsenal or something. So I'm always chasing that.

Chuck Shute : 26:33

Right? Yeah, and

Fahim Anwar : 26:34

it's good because I think early on I would I would try to I was always chasing that. So I was I was doing so much new stuff and probably not doing well. By I don't know comedian standards, I guess like, but since I was chasing that new thing for so long. It taught me how to write faster or just got me in the mode of, of how to write fast

Chuck Shute : 27:00

Yeah, cuz you're coming up with not only stand up stuff, but like your Instagram stuff is killing it too right now.

Fahim Anwar : 27:06

Thanks. Well, that's just trying to adapt to quarantine because I can't stand up isn't really there's not a ton of it going on right now. So you're just,

Chuck Shute : 27:16

you're not a fan of

Fahim Anwar : 27:18

stand up want to see what it feels like because at first I was like, Oh, that's not real stand up and I don't want to do that. But then part of us was like, wow, let me just see what it's like I don't have to do it every week or whatever. But let me just see what it feels like out of curiosity, and I did it and it was fun. But it's not like oh, that's that's the new thing for me. Huh?

Chuck Shute : 27:41

Yeah, so But going back to LA or when you first moved there, and then you started doing these auditions? Like how many auditions would you do? Or do you do or before the covid? How many did you do typically in a week for TV and movies and stuff?

Fahim Anwar : 27:55

You mean like as of a couple months ago?

Chuck Shute : 27:57

Yeah, like before the lockdown, sir.

Fahim Anwar : 28:02

It was pared down a bit. I mean, back in the day, I would go on a lot more I would go on commercial auditions. I would go on TV and movie auditions. I would go on a lot of auditions. Like, especially in my, like, mid mid mid to late 20s. I would do that a lot. I was just audition a lot. Uh huh. But I had this shift in my career, where I was like, I don't want to go out for everything. And what's the point? Going out for some NCIS series regular or something? Like, that's great as an actor, but how does that help me as a comedian? I care more about being a comedian than an actor. If you know what I mean. So just sort of priorities shift. I yeah. If you look at my IMDb I've done a lot of I've been on a lot of shows. And yeah, it's cool. It's novel, but it hasn't really helped me stand up wise or it's not like I'm become a huge stand up brand because of those little acting things. They were fun to do. But it was it seemed Like a nice time to pull focus and just drive the ship forward in terms of being a comedic brand, like, like a Hannibal or you know what I mean? Andre where, where people know them as a comedian, and you see them act and things as well, but they definitely have built their brand as a comedian. Whereas if you're auditioning for everything and acting and everything you can be you're just like a vessel for everybody else. And, and no one sees you as that thing anymore.

Chuck Shute : 29:29

Mm hmm. Yeah, you had you actually came close to getting the role of a bad on community. Was there any other big roles that you audition for came close to?

Fahim Anwar : 29:40

I mean, I think I forget the actual projects, but there's this process in Hollywood where you audition and then you, you go to a producer session, and that's what the producer and the director and the writer and stuff. And then after that, there's the there's the studio test. And then that's like the studio people and then there's the network test after that. This is for like sitcoms and stuff. And I've since process I know it's it's like icing the kicker like every fucking time you're like, again, you've got to smash it like six times in a row. It's just like the ice of environments. Do you know what they do? The trades are like,

Chuck Shute : 30:21

Hey, how you doing? How's traffic you get here? Cool. Cool. Yeah. Where do you live? Oh, that's great. And this is Doug. He's the writer. This

Fahim Anwar : 30:27

is a there's a coffee table and there's some herbs and shit for them to eat. And you you pretend that it's not the fucking weirdest circumstance in the world. Both parties are pretending This is a you know what I mean?

Chuck Shute : 30:41

Yeah, you're both like

Fahim Anwar : 30:42

that game. Seven of the NBA finals are like,

Chuck Shute : 30:45

yeah, How are the kids? Oh, it's so hard to get them out of bed. Oh,

Fahim Anwar : 30:50

yeah. And then you're like, Alright, so just first scene and it's just so high stakes is you know,

Chuck Shute : 30:56

yeah. And then do you think that the the casting directors You've said like that you think maybe sometimes they're scared to take a risk on you because you're Afghan, so like, there's no you know, I guess, recipe for that

Fahim Anwar : 31:10

less about the casting directors, the casting directors are just trying to they're just trying to cast the role you know, and if you're right for your right for and if you're being seen casting wise, they already there's there's a chance that you are right for it. If you're not, then they're not even going to see you. You know, I'm just talking. Overall, I'm talking more in the stand up sense when I when I've said that in the past, just Yeah. What box do you put an Afghan American stand up comedian who doesn't really talk about being Afghan like I do sometimes. It's like, Who's my audience? You know what I mean? Like he has a weird name. What do I do with it is this there's not really a blueprint for maybe someone like me where there is a blueprint for a good looking white guy or like a black guy or Or like a brown guy who talks about being brown a lot. There. There are blueprints for certain types of comedians. And then when it's not super obvious, and then it's it's harder to kind of plug you in.

Chuck Shute : 32:14

Yeah, but that's interesting because you said that you were offered a you're actually offered a part on mad TV from your friend Bobby Lee, where it was like some sort of kind of stereotypical Middle Eastern thing where you're going to be an apartment and they opened up a closet and you're in there like, it was kind of a stereotypical role. So you actually turned it down. Have you turned down other roles?

Fahim Anwar : 32:32

But yeah, yeah, I mean, I guess I have that rap of like, I say no to a lot of stuff. But do

Chuck Shute : 32:39

you really,

Fahim Anwar : 32:41

I've heard from like other comics, or they're not in a negative way or maybe in a negative way for some people but I'm just sort of, I know what I want to do. And and there's like a way I want to do it as well like the bobby thing. I love Bobby and I know from the Comedy Store and it was amazing. I think it was the first time I met him, he offered me that role. So I met him at the Comedy Store and then and then he's asked about my background and all that stuff. And he goes, do you want to do this, this part on mad TV where I open up my drawer and then you're like in a turban and your underwear sharpening a sword? And, and like, that's it, you know? Yeah, I'm like, Yeah, I don't want to do that's not what I'm trying to do.

Chuck Shute : 33:25

Yeah, that's pretty, you know, and I think also, you know, to turn down mad TV and turn down Bobby Lee, like, I can do better than this. Like, that's pretty awesome.

Fahim Anwar : 33:34

But I really don't want when he when you describe what it is, it's Yeah, it's not tempt. Like, I'm not just dying to be on TV at whatever cost. And that's more of like, chomping at the bit. If you're an actor, you just want to be on TV and you don't care what the role is like. That's not what I'm trying to say. That's not my ethos, even my comedy. I would get scared sometimes offers would come through and in the role of Middle Eastern and there's an accent and stuff. And then I would just think about doing because it's it's so not what I do stand up but that

Chuck Shute : 34:09

but you did do some of that wonder I go right i think it was a little your doughnuts are a couple of those shows. I was like oh he's like doing the accent some

Fahim Anwar : 34:19

superior not No, I was normal in that.

Chuck Shute : 34:21

Was it the other

Fahim Anwar : 34:22

I perceive? Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah. And that's tough though because you cross that bridge you especially I was younger than to like you can't be as adamant then you can a little bit because you have to weigh all right. This in a perfect world. I don't do any accent ever. But then sometimes opportunities come through and you go does this help me career wise, even though I don't want to do the accent the bobby thing? Like I'm just that that's nothing. You know, I'm an extra. Yeah, I'm in a turban. And that's so stereotypical. I don't want to do it. Right. I think it's hard for me when it's when it's stereotypical like that. If it's not Coming from me. It feels like I'm being put on or something. I like having control over it. Mm hmm.

Chuck Shute : 35:07

No. Yeah. Cuz like,

Fahim Anwar : 35:08

you know what I did go face? Yeah, when I did go face I, I'm the head writer on it right? So I wrote it and if I'm gonna put a turban on, it's because I have an angle or I'm doing it in a smart way. I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of or setting my people back when, when I have control over it.

Chuck Shute : 35:27

You're not being exploited when

Fahim Anwar : 35:29

I'm not being exploited because I know what I'm doing. And I know where my heart is as an Afghan American person writing this thing. Whereas sometimes auditions come through and you don't know the ethnicity of the writer, not that, you know, other ethnicities can't write other stories of ethnic people in in moving ways or whatever, but there can be a disconnect, you know, oh, yeah, for sure. And I just like, I just don't want to take that chance when I'm a comedian. Uh huh.

Chuck Shute : 36:02

You do and then you did do the whiskey. Yeah. Tango, Tango Foxtrot. That

Fahim Anwar : 36:06

was really that was another one. That was another one because that was cool. And yes, things of like, Okay, I got to dress like Middle Eastern person and I have to do an accent but it wasn't overtly. Like, watered down or dumb or something like that. And the people the caliber of people I was working with like Margot Robbie, Tina Fey and offered Molina and just the directors to I was like, Yeah, I got it. I got it. Do it.

Chuck Shute : 36:36

Yeah, that was great opportunity. Were you little stars.

Fahim Anwar : 36:39

It was a great experience. Yeah. Great experience to do so. Yeah. Again, so I would always weigh the how Middle Eastern it is with the career opportunity. Where you start, Bobby thing is very different than whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

Chuck Shute : 36:53

What's that were you starstruck being on the wisco tent with all those big stars as your mom got to Go to the premiere and got pictures of Tina Fey and stuff. So cool.

Fahim Anwar : 37:03

Yeah, it was kind of a trip. I guess I was a bit subdued. I didn't freak out or anything. But I remember we did this kickoff dinner before we started shooting in New Mexico. So I met this dinner with Martin Freeman. Tina Fey Margot Robbie Lorne Michaels. You know, I met him talking a little bit. He would never remember it or anything, but. But that was just so surreal. Yeah. Well, and I remember having this thought when I was talking to Lorne because I forgot what we were talking. I think hockey came up and he was talking about growing up in hockey and stuff. And I was having this conversation with him and and I just thought, like, that's cool that I'm talking to Lorne. But I wish it was in the capacity of talking about SNL. I didn't think it would be like this small talk at it's still very cool. But it's not in the capacity that launched me down this path.

Chuck Shute : 37:59

Yeah. Did you ever Think of

Fahim Anwar : 38:02

Lauren for the first time. No, that's just like that's that's how you know you don't belong at the party. I mean, I met this kid up dinner with the thing of I'm like, Oh Lord, I'm also a comedian and I'm really funny guy and I grew up on an island. Here's my demo. VHS cassette. Here's my here's my Betamax. You can still use Betamax.

Chuck Shute : 38:25

It's like a band give me their demo tape. Yeah, ah,

Fahim Anwar : 38:28

like maybe that works for for like the Motown story, but I don't know about SNL where you corner Lorne Michaels and do some characters for him in the bathroom.

Chuck Shute : 38:37

I swear you should be honest, I know you've talked about this before and you said no, you can't get on you have to know somebody or bubble but it's like no you should your your stuff on Instagram is as funny if not funnier than a lot of the stuff on SNL.

Fahim Anwar : 38:50

Maybe sure yeah, it's all subjective. And But yeah, I don't know how their hiring goes. You need to have their ear they can't they can't look Everything you know, so I think part of it is catching the eye of, of, they just have to stumble upon it on their own. You can't force it down someone's throat. There's a magic to someone discovering something on their own and not feeling put up to it. Mm hmm. Because I guarantee you a million agents and managers are trying to pitch their person. And when, if someone's like, yo, look at this, look at this, look at this mobile ball, you gotta look at my guy, and you finally pull it up. You're already gonna have your defenses up. Yeah, true. Whereas if you discover this person in a cool way, like someone they really respect is like, hey, check this out, or because agents and managers pitching is not like, the most honest way to see something.

Chuck Shute : 39:45

Hmm. Well, that's cool because you did your own sketch comedy with goat face and you guys have a special in 2018 on Comedy Central. I think my favorite bit in the special was the this this has your story. You must have wrote this because it's totally your style where it's like the fourth Have you guys watching the news? And there's a mass shooting? And you're all seriously watching it and then you all jump up for joy when you find out it's like a white guy.

Unknown Speaker : 40:08

Was that your idea?

Unknown Speaker : 40:10

Yeah, that's

Fahim Anwar : 40:13

a bit. Like that was that was a stand up bit of mine that I turned into a sketch. Hmm. Yeah, genius. Like the bid is basically like when you find out the ethnicity of the person, whenever there's like, a tragedy, like whenever you find out that it isn't your ethnicity. You go like, Oh, I gotta remember like, when the Vegas thing happened, you know? Oh, God, not that it was it was bad. Uh, it was a white guy. Like every brown person was like,

Unknown Speaker : 40:48

every round version was like there.

Fahim Anwar : 40:54

So just turning that into a sketch.

Chuck Shute : 40:57

Yeah, genius. No, I love that. And then You got to be on Conan. That had to been surreal as well. Right? Because you were you grew up a fan of his.

Fahim Anwar : 41:06

Yeah, that was really cool. I've done it twice now. The first time was definitely more of a monumental thing in my mind because I grew up with this guy. Yeah. And I've said on other podcast before, not only did I grow up watching his show, after the tonight show, but he was a part of everything that influenced me as a child when it came to comedy. He wrote for SNL, he wrote for the Simpsons, late night show, I thought about that. So there is there is a strand of Conan in my in my comedy DNA.

Chuck Shute : 41:37

Did he remember you the second time or?

Fahim Anwar : 41:40

I don't know. Because I see so many comedians. They see so many. I mean, he's very gracious. The times that I've met him on the show and

Chuck Shute : 41:49

it's Yeah, cuz your comedy is his like, I feel like he would be a fan of yours like because it seems like you guys have similar

Fahim Anwar : 41:55

style. Maybe I mean, well, kindred spirits, I guess.

Chuck Shute : 41:58

I know one comedian. That A fan of yours is Bill Burr. That was pretty cool. He gave you a shout out and said that, that you're like one of the best comedians out there right now.

Fahim Anwar : 42:09

Yeah, that was random and super nice. That's the beauty of the Comedy Store is it's there's three showrooms. And you never know everyone's kind of bouncing between them as comedians. And you do so many sets a night sometimes you're surprised at who happens to be in the audience because he wanted to pop up in the in the belly room and do a set on this show. And so he happened to go Yeah, I think it was going up after me. So I didn't know till till after I got off. And I didn't even even acknowledge anything. I I didn't even really, it made an impact or anything. And then I see this interview that someone had done with him and they asked him like, you know, what comics do you like? Who do you like and then he mentioned that show in the belly room and subtleties. Remember my name just sometimes you think there's such a huge disconnect between You and these people you really admire are upperclassmen in comedy. And when they mentioned your name and say these nice things, it's, it's really flattering and surprising because you don't you don't think you exist to them. But it's great validation. Yeah, one of my that's as a comedian, that's one of the best credits you can get. Even though it doesn't really make a splash with any of the average person. For comedians that that was like a big stamp for me just personally.

Chuck Shute : 43:32

Now that's super cool. And also it's not you have some other famous fans. You said that the guy from o town Trevor is a fan and like some music people classics, Portugal demand. And I don't know if you knew this one. This is because you're EDM I'm a rock guy. But Todd Kerns he's like the guitarist that works with slash he's a fan of yours. Todd Kerns. He's like a go Yeah, you know, hammer. He, he follows you on

Fahim Anwar : 43:58

Instagram. Yeah, we're Instagram friends. Yeah. Yeah, that's kind of cool. That is cool. I think that's the also the beauty of just being out here in LA and being a comedy store these, these. Everyone's in the industry and the comic stores have a beacon of stand up comedy. So you you do some new shows throughout the night, you don't know who's in the audience and who becomes a fan and these people you meet. Like, I would never think that these people would gravitate towards my stuff, but it's very cool.

Chuck Shute : 44:26

Now that's what you said, Michael Shannon was in the audience once. He's a really good Yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 44:30

yeah. And I love I love him too. Like he's seen me twice. And then I talked to him. Me and Kirk Fox, he saw our sets and then he came up to us and was chatting with us at the Comedy Store. patio, the front patio is great. Just have a conversation with the guy and that's one of those things to where he's so good at his craft and, and he enjoys stand up comedy and respects it in the same way he respects acting just there's this cool mutual admiration for artists and other fields. I noticed that with music because I love musicians as well and I wish I could do what they do and and they reciprocate as well. So sometimes cool to see Michael Shannon just pop into the Comedy Store. They let him in he just sits in the bucket seats by himself in the back. He has like a glass of scotch he's by himself just in enjoys himself. Interesting

Chuck Shute : 45:23

by himself. Yeah, I thought he'd have a

Fahim Anwar : 45:24

huge entourage does that others other celebrity? He's a chill dude. Man like he's not like that. Wow.

Chuck Shute : 45:32

Have you would you ever i

Fahim Anwar : 45:33

think that i think that's the coolest thing. The only one I've heard who have done that where they just come to enjoy themselves. They just slink in the back and like they're not even there. They don't make a big to do about it. They're just there to enjoy comedy and slip out

Chuck Shute : 45:49

undetected.

Fahim Anwar : 45:52

Have would you ever urge Ricky Gervais has done that? I think Tarantino is no no Johnny dad. Oh my god. Yeah.

Chuck Shute : 45:58

Wow. Would you ever argue For like a serious dramatic role, or have you would

Fahim Anwar : 46:06

I have Yeah. And I would you know, a long time ago, you know that the night of on HBO know what's up. It was with Riz Ahmed he's in prison, you know?

Unknown Speaker : 46:21

It's a movie or show.

Fahim Anwar : 46:23

It was like a miniseries. Okay, off to check it out Mr. Deeds. JOHN Turturro is in. He's the lawyer. He's got the saran wrap on his feet. What

Chuck Shute : 46:31

sounds great. I just got HBO. So I'm watching all I'm catching up on all the old shows. Well,

Fahim Anwar : 46:36

it was a big miniseries and then I think years before that, so it took a while for it to get off the ground like Gandolfini was officially going he was initially going to be the john Turturro character, but then he passed away and then tuturro took over when it finally got off the ground, but I auditioned for that. But that was just submitting. Um, but yeah, it would be fun to to act in a journal thing but what not a series regular. And I'm not an established comedian yet, you know? Like I wouldn't mind if it was just a movie or like a guest star in a show but I still want to I still want to move the boat forward comedy wise. Yeah so or I attached myself to something dramatic dramatic for a long time. Sure. So would love to do drama but just a short a short burst so it's a movie where the end is in sight pretty I don't know pretty soon Mm hmm. Whatever hack I don't want to do for I don't want to do four seasons of a drama. Comedian.

Chuck Shute : 47:39

No, yeah, that would be annoying for sure. Whatever happened to Lance as he's still kicking her I know the podcast right up dried up but um, yeah, you haven't done the character for a couple years but then you You brought him back right before the lockdown. But wasn't there craziest timing? Yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 47:55

was Lance hadn't performed for two years. And then Lance performed He came back after two years performed at the Comedy Store and then COVID happened but that performance was pretty amazing and it was fucking great to be back

Chuck Shute : 48:09

yeah Wasn't there a TV show that was maybe like a Was it the producer from was it scrubs you told me that was maybe interested

Fahim Anwar : 48:16

in Lawrence So Bill Lawrence was a fan of Lance and and he wanted to develop a show so we did that we tried develop as Lance show and we took it around. And it just didn't really go anywhere. Just you know, we pitched it around No, we're really kind of wanted it or whatever the angle we had for it. So that was that sucked because I thought it's a great character and I still do think it's a great character. I just think the puzzle isn't there yet. I don't want to abandon it completely but I think there still is hope for Lance is just whatever the the right fit is for the next one. Oh, yeah. next iteration.

Chuck Shute : 48:52

I love Lance. You do any other characters.

Fahim Anwar : 48:56

A thought that that's like the main one. Yeah. And that's the one that does stand up, you know, if I do do characters, it's just a service, whatever the idea I have, yeah, I'll just have these sketch ideas. And then I will do whatever I have to do to get the point across. And if I happen to do some character in it, so be it. But I, it's not like I have these smashing characters, you know?

Chuck Shute : 49:21

Mm hmm. Do you? Do you ever worry about the canceled culture with a character like Lance or just any of your material in general, because I've seen you do like some kind of darker stuff, which I think is hilarious, and I love it, but I know that you man, people that don't. So I do.

Fahim Anwar : 49:36

And I dance that line, and I worry about it. And I'm deaf. I definitely kind of comb through things with more of a fine tooth comb these days. And the thing is, seeing society evolve as well. Um, and the way Twitter has changed when I was Twitter's been around for a long time, and when I first signed up for it, and I think every comic just treated it as an open mic. They just thought Have it as these fleeting thoughts, you know, if you go to an open mic, comments are just constantly throwing ideas out there. They're just, it's like feeding a duck. They're just ripping off some breadcrumbs and seeing if anything sticks. If you go to an open mic and a joke is off color doesn't do well. It's gone. It's gone forever, you know? Yeah, words were said. They're dissipated, the vibrations are gone. The comic knows to never do it again. Maybe they even learn the lesson by how it falls like a lead balloon. They go, that's too far. But with Twitter, there's a history

Chuck Shute : 50:33

recorrect

Fahim Anwar : 50:35

scary. People think that you've you've chiseled it in stone that you believe this wholeheartedly, just because it happens to have a timestamp and it's still up there, you know? Uh huh. I think just because there's receipts for this thing that was said. People think that it's a platform that this person is running for in political office, whereas it was merely a blank a brain dropping Especially in the early days of Twitter, yeah. And no one knew no one knew what it was. And society evolves every year. It's just crazy to have receipts of society evolving. You know, imagine the tweets from 1920.

Chuck Shute : 51:18

Never thought about it. Yeah.

Fahim Anwar : 51:19

Even even podcasts like the podcasts I do. I just think about in the podcast everyone does. We just have so much catalog of ideas and ways of speaking, that are like depositions throughout time. You know, when you listen to this podcast, or I'm sure any podcast that I've done, if you listen to it, 150 years from now, I don't think anything bad is on them. But by those standards, yeah. They must be bias and change. Yeah, so I think it's so new and everyone's trying to figure it out. And already, you're starting to see Have some atrophy, atrophy from it just the pendulum has shifted a bit where the sky can't be falling every day and and let's kind of apply context to every case now instead of just a blanket your everyday on Twitter, it's like so and so's over party, so and so's over. Someone's over. It's become sport.

Chuck Shute : 52:22

I know it's frustrating too. And like you said, I mean, it's it's brain droppings, it's there comedians are trying to make jokes. Again, you have to try different stuff before you know what's funny and what's not.

Fahim Anwar : 52:33

Yeah, it's just, Twitter is a con. It's a context less medium. So even even if you try to explain like, Oh, this is what I meant. It's not fashionable to be like, Oh, I understand. Like, I see what you're trying to say. Yeah, it's just fun to retweet within your echo chamber, and Get those karma points, you know? Yeah. And I've been guilty of it too just it's so much easier just to retweet something and and take someone's quote from the retweet as the the hot take without reading or assessing the actual situation.

Chuck Shute : 53:16

Mm hmm. Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, I think we all do that. We were just in Vegas recently, we saw some we saw some kind of bad Not when when we saw you, but we saw some other bad comedians in Vegas. And I don't want to name names. But have you seen some comedian You must have seen a lot of like bad comedians and not just open mic, but people that actually tour and even headline clubs, like how do you handle that? When you see them after you just kind of fake it like, Oh, yeah, good, sad or?

Unknown Speaker : 53:43

Yeah.

Fahim Anwar : 53:46

Well, you don't go out of your way to be like, Great set, but it's sort of like saying hi to someone, you know, they come offstage. And people know you know what I mean? Like if it's a kind of tepid response from the audience. Usually like like good job where you fist bump them or if they're walking by you or something it's it's really not as weird as you think it is.

Chuck Shute : 54:08

Yeah. What about a good comedians are there Have you seen any like who are some young up and coming guys that might not necessarily be in the national spotlight but are big at the Comedy Store locally in LA?

Fahim Anwar : 54:22

Ah, there's a there's quite a few young comedians that are good Um, there's this guy Mickey leper, I like them. Oh, yeah, I know if I'm saying it Yeah, Mickey leopards great. I think I asked him he's like Moroccan Yes. I think he's Moroccan and something else or maybe just full rockin. He's funny. Allie makowski is funny. She's like a younger girl. Yeah, think Who else? Yeah, I don't know. I gotta think about it.

Chuck Shute : 54:53

Well, that's right. Yeah, I always just like to hear let's get let's get a couple names people to check out because you guys know more than we do. There's so many good comedians, I find them every day. I found this guy yesterday. Right? Is it Ryan Logan? He did. He did the sketch about racism and wokeness. And if

Fahim Anwar : 55:11

you see that it's discovered that too.

Chuck Shute : 55:13

Yeah, that was hilarious. Ray. Yeah, you liked it, too. Yeah.

Fahim Anwar : 55:17

I discovered him that way to him. Yeah, he has some other funny videos as well. But it's funny. We probably discovered them at the same time. Yeah. Seems to be a New York guy. Okay. Yeah. It's hard to keep tabs on on New York guys, because you know, I'm out here in LA.

Chuck Shute : 55:30

Is there kind of like a East Coast West Coast gang rival kind of thing with comedy or?

Fahim Anwar : 55:36

I don't think so. I don't think there's a game but there's definitely different scenes to different scene and kind of way of operating.

Chuck Shute : 55:47

Do you ever get to go perform over there sometimes?

Fahim Anwar : 55:51

Not as much as I'd like to I have a little bit when we were filming go face out there. I did some stand up and trying to think I've done some spots in New York, but I'm never there. long enough to to be a part of the scene, which I would like to COVID happened. I was actually planning on maybe spending some time or splitting some time in New York, but COVID happened and that's on the back burner. But I would definitely like to be more a part of the New York comedy scene just because it's never it's like a whole it's like a whole new level and Grand Theft Auto that you've never been to. Only Part A whole new world map.

Chuck Shute : 56:24

Yeah, there's a lot of great comedians I've

Fahim Anwar : 56:26

done. I've done LA and LA is great. But there's something very cool about being seen with fresh eyes, and especially in a place like New York.

Chuck Shute : 56:36

Mm hmm. A lot of comedy clubs there. And then you so you've done a lot of podcasts. Like I think you've done the biggest podcast you did the Joe Rogan podcast Did you? Did you get the pick with a flame thrower and the sword or I didn't see you post that

Fahim Anwar : 56:50

seems like they were Yeah, no. Yeah, we didn't do that one. He was running late. And I don't know. I forgot after the fact. I'm like, Oh, yeah, fuck, I should have done the disorder. flame thrower?

Chuck Shute : 57:01

Yeah. Did you see a big bump in followers after you did that interview?

Fahim Anwar : 57:06

Yeah, of course. Really.

Chuck Shute : 57:08

I was trying to like watch because I was just curious myself. I was like, I wonder if he's gonna get I saw like, I kept checking. It was like a couple hundred, a couple hundred. I was like, Wow, it's working.

Fahim Anwar : 57:16

Yeah, it's bigger. It's bigger than when I've done I've done three late nights, and that was bigger than all of them. Really? Wow. Hmm. That shows you a sign of the times and how things have shifted back in the day. Late Night was the way to make a splash as a comedian. Yeah, nowadays, it's a Rogen.

Chuck Shute : 57:34

It was the only way.

Fahim Anwar : 57:37

Yeah, I was the only way and now it's just sort of a feather in your cap for people who are born in a certain year and give it that kind of credence, you know, Mm hmm. Well, not an artist that fills this hole. But as a businessman, it doesn't

Chuck Shute : 57:53

right. Another podcast you did was the you just did Brittany Ferland podcast worse first. And I know you're kind of More into EDM than rock. But her husband is Tommy Lee, the drummer of Motley Crue, did you get to meet him? Or do you see any Avenue right?

Fahim Anwar : 58:09

Yeah, but not that day. So I know Brittany from from quite a bit I think she was she was dating a comic I knew from back in the day. And then and she was doing stand up a little bit as well in the early years. And then she got big on Vine and Instagram and stuff and, and we've been kind of like friendly from afar. And she'd been wanting me to kind of do the podcast for a while I just never lined up and I finally I did it. And we just kept in touch and stuff. And then I had this idea during quarantine of like this r&b video of what you know, because you see these Usher videos where he's always dancing next to the girl and shit, right? And then my take on it was that you got to be so far away from them. So it would be funny, r&b music video where the r&b singer is wearing a mask and she's wearing a mask and he's just so far away dancing because he loves her.

Chuck Shute : 58:58

Yeah, I think I saw Oh,

Fahim Anwar : 58:59

yeah. So My God Brittany would be good to be the love interest in this little music video thing for Instagram. So she's like yeah I'm down Can you come to me and when we do it I know for sure and she lives pretty close to me I think out there in Calabasas so we went there me my buddy Andrews and shot the thing and we go to their house, you know, Tommy Lee's there. But first we shoot the video and then we come inside. And then she introduces us go Hey, what's up? Ah, so I meet him. And he's a cool dude. Really nice guy. But it's such a mind trip. Like it's fucking weird. Especially even driving to the the shoot, you know, I'm driving up there. Yeah, there's this gate. And I they're, they're like looking at me. And I'm like, Yeah, you're dizzy, Tommy. Like, I never thought I would ever be saying that. And under these circumstances, it's just such a weird world. Yeah, gates open like so funny. Meet a pop my head out of my Mazda 3007. Tom, here's the Tommy Lee just like a question not even confident about it. drive up there. Oh, that's awesome, Brittany's cool she's shown me she's like sent me a video of her showing my special to him. And I just see him watching my special on a laptop.

Chuck Shute : 1:00:24

And laughing Really? That's cool. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So I this is interesting I found this out you because I always thought when I think when I first met you You didn't drink or like do anything. And then I heard a story you were telling about how you did mushrooms? Yeah. And then you smoke weed for the first time and all this stuff like what happened? You fall off the wagon

Fahim Anwar : 1:00:49

pretty much. That's pretty much it. You nailed everything that I've done. And it was pretty much those one times.

Chuck Shute : 1:00:55

Oh, really? Just the one time

Fahim Anwar : 1:00:56

I got Yeah, I don't really I think I've done we've been to two or three times and then not anymore because the third time was just like I really didn't like it

Chuck Shute : 1:01:06

was do you get paranoid or? Yeah I'm a paranoid guy

Fahim Anwar : 1:01:09

I even turned to a stand up it where I'm just like I just talked about the experience I got like it's not for me I go like I just get terrified is getting like paranoid and stuff. And I go on it's hard because I don't want to ruin everybody else's good time, right? So I have to pretend. So thing where I smoke it and I'm like, sticky. My eyes just look super paranoid. I'm like looking

Unknown Speaker : 1:01:36

good.

Unknown Speaker : 1:01:39

Like, help me.

Unknown Speaker : 1:01:41

No, that's it's like that. And then

Unknown Speaker : 1:01:45

you know that?

Chuck Shute : 1:01:47

I was just gonna say it's interesting about you because a lot of comedians, they seem to have like some sort of insecurity and, you know, sadly unfortunately, a lot of them die young because they have substance issues or suicide or like, You don't seem to Have you seem to have your shit together? Like there's obviously not real big drug issues? Yeah, you seem real secure. Like, right. So what, what drove you into comedy as opposed to just being a fan of comedy? Like, you know, to me, it always seems like there's some sort of like something people have to prove or like a pain that they're dealing with. Or

Fahim Anwar : 1:02:18

I think I was just, I just loved it so much as a kid and I had an aptitude for it. Like, I'm not, I would, I would I would go through life and I would make people laugh pretty hard, like my friends and even adults and I always recognized that early on that I wasn't just making kids laugh. It wasn't like funny in the way that a kid is funny. Mm hmm. Not to be like, you know, this sounds like super pretentious and shit.

Chuck Shute : 1:02:45

No, it's

Fahim Anwar : 1:02:47

totally true. I think I'm I yeah, I think I'm pretty good at observing things without adding some filter to a seeing things for what they are. And I think that's what what makes a good comedian as well is just sort of like seeing things for what they are not adding the grown I don't know some people have like a warped warped perception of what's really going on and that that makes for a bad comedian as well. You know, some comedians, they they hear laughs even though there are none. So they think they're killing and we call those laugh ears in the biz. So because that's, that means you don't grow as a comedian where, what's happening during your shows, and you're up there if you can't assess the actual assess, assess the actual situation of what's going on, you're not gonna be able to grow. Right?

Chuck Shute : 1:03:32

You have to learn our failure. But if you don't think you failed,

Fahim Anwar : 1:03:35

yes, yes, exactly. If you think you're crushing every time when you're bombing, you're not gonna fix anything to get better. But if you can see a bomb for a bomb or a mediocre set for mediocre set, that's, that's that's really powerful, too. I think that in editing, being a good editor, but yeah, when I was a kid, I would notice that like, I would make the parents laugh or my friend's parents or the teacher laugh. I just noticed was like a different type of humor that was a little more sophisticated than just childish humor. Mm hmm.

Chuck Shute : 1:04:09

No, that's impressive. So So yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 1:04:10

so I think those things that I loved with the coupled with the aptitude that I'd make my lunch table laugh, and I was good at the videos, too. That's awesome. Like sketches. So so I just ran with it. I just, yeah, it was like, knowing you have an aptitude for something. And just being super driven and having grit. Yeah, so that the setbacks don't take all the wind out of your sails.

Chuck Shute : 1:04:36

Well, yeah, cuz Did you ever think at a time? No, like you did Chuck in 2010. That was your first big TV thing that you did. And then you had the MTV disaster day, you had a couple other things. But then there was like, things kind of dried out for a little bit. Did you ever have that thought of? Maybe I should just go back to engineering or?

Fahim Anwar : 1:04:55

Yeah, I mean, early on, I think it was scariest. Maybe the first or second year when I left engineering because it's uncharted waters You know? So it is something not very firm and engineering has a firm foundation you know you're going to get your your runway is pretty clear. And then entertainment it was I had enough going on for me that I can make the jump. But then it gets a little dicey maybe after a year one or year two. But I always had this deal that I would do it myself where I go every year assess and be honest, am I further along than the year before? Am I progressing? And if I am on the right track, if I'm doing the same or regressing, then it's time to assess an escape hatch. Or go back to engineering. Yeah, it's not some people set on a path. And even though the world tells them it's not Not it's not for them. They they continue swimming upstream.

Chuck Shute : 1:06:06

Yeah. But it was part of that, as I said, and they should have the grit is like, I mean, I've interviewed so many people that I mean, it's taken them 510 15 years to get to be successful, whatever they do. It's crazy. But I mean, you were, like, kind of lucky early on not lucky. But you got some success early on. That must have encouraged you.

Fahim Anwar : 1:06:26

Yeah, I got some success. And every year, I would have a few things within that year that led me to believe that I'm on the right path. And like, Okay, this is a new credit. This is a new credit. This is I'm doing better I'm, I'm like on the road more, or I got this acting thing or I got this writing thing. And so there was enough action and enough movement where, where I knew I was on the right path.

Chuck Shute : 1:06:50

Mm hmm. No, definitely. You definitely are. What is what do you think the next step for you is going to be?

Fahim Anwar : 1:06:57

Next step

Chuck Shute : 1:06:57

you want to do another special Right.

Fahim Anwar : 1:07:01

Yeah, that's the weird thing is, is I was pretty much ready to do another special at least material wise. I was trying to figure out where I was going to shoot it and where I would where I would end up. Like, I would try to sell it somewhere or do it on my own or, but now COVID has really thrown a wrench into everyone's next plan. Right. So yeah, I guess before COVID it would the plan was to for my next special to do that. And now I don't know I have the material now. I'm trying to reconcile. I do have audio of it. Like decent audio of it from what I did. How's the comedy out there and in Phoenix?

Unknown Speaker : 1:07:42

Uh huh. So I'm debating. That was great. You did great stuff there.

Fahim Anwar : 1:07:46

Thanks, man. Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what to do because when his regular standup going to come back the way we knew it, who knows? Right?

Chuck Shute : 1:07:55

Is it or is it open some places I know Andrew rivers like ran and ran out. He did a quick Sutton recorded in like Oklahoma or something.

Fahim Anwar : 1:08:04

Oh, yeah, yeah, some places are but not on the large scale. And

Chuck Shute : 1:08:09

you need like a theater. Maybe you need like a theater to do special. Yeah.

Fahim Anwar : 1:08:13

I don't know. I don't know not a theater but you kind of need a capacity at capacity comedy club. Like if you're doing a socially distance show and there's 50 people in a room that seats 300 it's gonna sound weird, you know? Wow, I don't know if I don't know if I want to do a pandemic special.

Chuck Shute : 1:08:33

Yeah, and then how long do you think this will be like this? That's the question. Yeah.

Fahim Anwar : 1:08:36

So there's there's three routes you can take there's try to figure out what to do with your unfinished or just sort of audio version of pre COVID material. So I have that set from when we were in a simpler time with no pandemic, right? Do I figure out a way to put that out or do I do COVID special where it's like side and it's weird and shit. Or Yeah, I wait until who knows when? Right when comedy is back to normal? That could be a year, it could be a few months, it could be a couple years.

Chuck Shute : 1:09:12

Do you make these decisions on your own? Or do you have a manager or someone that helps you?

Fahim Anwar : 1:09:15

I have a manager But then I also think he's a good soundboard as well, like, yeah, trying to decide because before when this thing first happened, I think my thought was alright, this thing will be over. And then we can get back to doing my regular special when clubs are open, and you know, like they they were at capacity the way they used to be. And after the second shutdown, it seems like that's not the case. And that's further away. So that's what made me question. Alright, maybe I need to make do with what I currently have. What whatever version of it I have on my hard drive, is there a way to repurpose that or make that novel enough for release? Do I try to these are Internal questions I have between my team and stuff. So I right now at this juncture I'm trying to determine, do I hold on to this thing for when when it opens up again? Or do I release it? Under the context of, Hey, this is this is what I did before shit hit the fan this is this is like finished as it got.

Chuck Shute : 1:10:19

Yeah, because if you wait too long then the material could even get dated. Yes, yes,

Fahim Anwar : 1:10:23

there's that too, then it's sort of like it's twofold. Do I wanna? Do I even care about this shit anymore? Now that I've, like two years removed from the pandemic, right? Yeah. And then is it relevant? So yeah, there's all these new questions that have arisen because of this. Now,

Chuck Shute : 1:10:40

one thing I know is people are hungry for content because there's not a lot to do. So. A lot of people releasing stuff.

Fahim Anwar : 1:10:50

Yeah, they're the other is that to everyone's kind of quarantine, there's not a lot of stuff being done. Currently productions are shut down.

Chuck Shute : 1:10:59

Can you right Can you write like a screenplay or a TV pilot idea? Yeah, I

Fahim Anwar : 1:11:04

could do that. So I guess during the quarantine, I've just, I've been focusing more on the things that I can do rather than can't do. Because I could just sit at home all day and be like, when are clubs going to open and just get nowhere? Or get creative? Like the little skits on Igy or write write some, some sketches or a sitcom or a screenplay.

Chuck Shute : 1:11:29

I'm loving the sketches that you're doing due to people over trying to give you jokes or joke ideas. Like some people aren't Canadians.

Fahim Anwar : 1:11:37

It used to happen more so back in the day, I mean, even for my family, sometimes like my brother or my cousin, they would, they would want they would have an idea and they'd be Hey, you should do this, because I think there's this element of everyone thinks they have good ideas and or funny, and the big hurdle is getting on stage. Most people most people don't want to actually try This idea out because the investment is too much you know people don't sure public speak so they'd be like hey this is the next best thing if I just tell this comedian I know to try it out

Chuck Shute : 1:12:11

I had an idea for you're probably gonna hate that I have two ideas actually one one these are these are not stand up the ideas though but like to do like a video that sounds like something you could I don't know. You'd have to make it funny but like you You do jokes about the mass shooting?

Fahim Anwar : 1:12:24

Yeah, that's my favorite pitch. Yeah. Make this money. Figure out how to make it funny.

Chuck Shute : 1:12:30

No, hear me out. What

Fahim Anwar : 1:12:31

do I need you for?

Chuck Shute : 1:12:33

No, hear me out cuz you do the mass shooting jokes. Witness be fun. This is a funny premise. Listen, there's like a zoom meeting, right? Like either for school or work. And like there's a mass shooter and he's on a zoom call and he doesn't realize that he can't hurt people and he tries to do like a mass shooting on the zoom call because he can't do it remotely. That's Come on. That's not a funny premise.

Fahim Anwar : 1:12:54

Yeah, yeah. And then he just he shoots the webcam and he goes dark. Everyone's like, Oh, that's weird and they just go back to their lesson.

Chuck Shute : 1:13:03

I don't know sometimes you can have that idea if I'd love to see that. The other my other idea for you and this is just is to for you to team up with Ryan Flanagan because you're the one that turned me on to him. He is hilarious. He makes hilarious videos. I think YouTube need to make a video together. Have you ever you ever talked about that?

Fahim Anwar : 1:13:21

Yeah, I love his stuff. We haven't talked about that. But you know, sometimes. I don't know if it's that easy, where it's just sort of like, yo, we got a team up and make comedies not like musicians were like, yo, come over let's comedy jam. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's funny.

Chuck Shute : 1:13:41

No, you don't have an idea that like you think like a part he could play or something in one of your sketches or? I don't know.

Fahim Anwar : 1:13:48

Yeah, maybe, maybe. For sure. I love Ryan Flanagan and I, I love other comics as well. I think the way I work is, I'll think of a sketch. I'll write it out and then I plug in whoever I think is right for it. Like who do I know that I that I envision as this? Mm hmm. That's the beauty of doing stand up and being surrounded by so many other comedians. I just know who's right for it. It's not like I have to go to Central Casting and be like, hey, right as person I already know I already know who's funny and I know who could do it.

Chuck Shute : 1:14:18

Yeah, you have tons of comedian friends right? I mean,

Fahim Anwar : 1:14:21

you have tons of comedian friends and and it's very much its own scene and we have camaraderie already. It's like acting adjacent.

Chuck Shute : 1:14:31

That's very cool. Can you do I have one more request? Well, you can you do your Rocky Balboa stand up comedy for us? That is one of my favorites. Rocky doing? Yes. Or just what like what he would say if he's on this podcast right now. Just any rock give me some give me some rocky Sure. Sure dribble that puck is

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:01

Oh god so not enough. I don't know if it's the best rocky but it's an approximation.

Chuck Shute : 1:15:07

No, I think people need to see the whole the whole stand up bit. It's,

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:12

I put her on I put it on YouTube if you go to, you know, youtube.com slash for him and more. I think it's up there. Yeah. I've actually seen the bit.

Unknown Speaker : 1:15:21

Oh, really?

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:22

Yeah. Yeah. I think someone sent it to him. sent it to them.

Chuck Shute : 1:15:26

Hopefully they liked it.

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:28

Yeah, probably. It's done with love, you know?

Chuck Shute : 1:15:32

Yeah, definitely. Well, I always end with a charity. So I think that was the homework I gave you, hopefully. I mean, so do you have a charity or? besides doing my podcast? Is there like a nonprofit you'd like to support? Or don't?

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:44

I forgot? I forgot I forgot that part. Can I get back to you on the charity? I didn't do work.

Chuck Shute : 1:15:49

Yeah, that's that's fine. I can I can add it to the notes. You know,

Fahim Anwar : 1:15:52

it's gonna be though it's probably gonna be it's gonna be an Afghan charity though. Yeah, for sure. And help the people dude,

Chuck Shute : 1:15:57

definitely. Dude, you definitely should. Absolutely. That'd be amazing. Yeah cuz I've never had my first Afghan person on the show very cool one of many. Yeah. One of their like Afghan famous or comedians or musicians or people that would want to do pot that I'd want to have on a podcast. I'm trying to

Fahim Anwar : 1:16:14

think that's a very interesting Venn diagram.

Chuck Shute : 1:16:21

I know that's what makes you so cool. It's so unique well, like what else can we promote for you? You got the theme and more dance our podcasts? You're special there's no Business Like Show Business.

Fahim Anwar : 1:16:32

It's for free Comedy Central put it out. Yeah. So if you go on Comedy Central standups YouTube,

Chuck Shute : 1:16:39

if you just search for it on YouTube on your your YouTube, I think Yeah. Well, yeah,

Fahim Anwar : 1:16:43

but Comedy Central's is ad free mine ads come up. Okay. And also no Business Like Show Business.

Chuck Shute : 1:16:50

And it's also on amazon prime, I think, right?

Fahim Anwar : 1:16:52

It's on prime if you have that. You could Yeah, you could turn it turn that

Chuck Shute : 1:16:55

and then the goat face special. If people pay like three bucks. They can get that on it. You can

Fahim Anwar : 1:17:01

rent it on iTunes or Amazon Prime so that's called goat face and yeah my podcast my Instagram at the heme Anwar Mike Yeah, he man who are

Chuck Shute : 1:17:11

your Instagram is I mean, I don't usually say this but because a lot of comedians, Instagram you need to give, like help some comedians with this because some comedians will have an Instagram and I feel like they don't know how to use the Instagram as like, well, if I follow a comedian on Instagram, I don't need to see like pictures of their food, right? I need to see like funny content. And you're really good about posting really funny content. Like I look when I see you have a post. I'm like, Yes, it's like a Christmas present. You know?

Fahim Anwar : 1:17:37

Ah, nice. Yeah. And that was kind of a shift for me as well, because Instagram initially was a picture platform. Yeah. So even up until a few months ago, or like a year or two ago, I always thought like, Oh, I have to have some photos sprinkled in there. I can't just have all videos. And I just never I'm not like a big picture guy. I don't like putting up a ton of pictures or feeling forced to put a picture And then I just had this change of thought where I go now it's just like my channel or if I just put all videos, I don't give a fuck. And I just have been treating it like that now where if I get a funny idea is put up videos and I don't care if it's all videos.

Chuck Shute : 1:18:14

Yeah, and how do you decide what goes because some of the stuff that you have is really funny is in your stories and then I'm like, Oh crap, it's gonna be gone in 24 hours. So how do you decide what goes on a story versus a regular post?

Fahim Anwar : 1:18:28

I guess. Sometimes I'll do a story. And I think the idea is dumb, or it's so fleeting, that I don't think it's good enough for an actual feed post. But if the response is, is really, I don't know good on the story. Then sometimes I'll be like, maybe I'll put it on the feed as well. Like if people really liked the story. I'll put it on the feed. But usually the story is very low stakes. Yeah, why if I do something funny, it's it's dumb and fleeting. And gone in 24 hours so it's not precious. And if it happens to strike a chord, then I'll put it on the feed. So but when I put something on the feed I really I believe in this thing.

Chuck Shute : 1:19:10

Oh yeah, no the stuff on your feed is so great. Like one of the best ones you did was the corona one where the stages of Coronavirus

Fahim Anwar : 1:19:19

Yeah, that one kind of took off to that was genius. It was interesting, the different plant platforms. Thanks, man. I had the idea. It's just the different those listening who haven't seen it, it's just sort of like the different stages of it. Like at the beginning, you're like, Oh, yeah, weird, or Oh, I can't wait. I just got it. I just gotta stay home. Sure. Yeah, then and everyone. Yeah, it's like a vacation and then what do we do about money? And then and then what did I do today?

Chuck Shute : 1:19:45

No, that's my favorite was like oh, I guess there's no they say mass do work.

Fahim Anwar : 1:19:49

Yeah, cuz they were saying masks don't work initially. And then you know, I'm wearing a mask and I'm like, so now they say masks do work and then scrubbing down the grocery. It's like me financing. I think it was developed in a lab and I've said too much paranoid. The very last one is me. My hair's crazy. And I'm like shouting I'm like the guy in Vietnam where I'm like

Unknown Speaker : 1:20:15

you're on a piece of me and I'm just like licking the remote.

Unknown Speaker : 1:20:17

I don't give a fuck

Fahim Anwar : 1:20:19

anymore.

Unknown Speaker : 1:20:20

Oh, describing it is so hilarious.

Fahim Anwar : 1:20:24

Yeah, so that did well on Tick tock, actually. Which is weird.

Chuck Shute : 1:20:30

I forgot I always forget about Tick Tock. I'm so bad about that. But I was gonna ask you to talk good to you.

Fahim Anwar : 1:20:36

Ah, yeah, it's the last it's the only place that will go viral anymore. Instagram has really put a they've put it they've put a cap on it. None of my Instagram reaches a far audience anymore. Really? Yeah, no, everything will, everything will cap out at like 20,000 views. If you're lucky on Instagram, for me, at least, you know, back in the day, I would I would get like 100,000 or like 80,000 and my standup clips It would be like 200,000 or 300. But they stopped that. Oh,

Chuck Shute : 1:21:05

like like they put a cap on it they actually did that or because they want you to promote it or something,

Fahim Anwar : 1:21:09

I think so I think they advertise they want you to pay to reach your own audience. So Instagram is not good for organic growth anymore. Really interesting talk, you still can strike lightning and I have a few videos on there that have hit a mill or are doing really well. And that Corona one took off. And then someone tweeted the TIC Tock video took off on Twitter. So it's weird. You don't know what platform it's gonna do well on you just carry you create a thing. And then you blast it on all of them and then see it just gives you the best chance of it sticking somewhere because it'll take it if you're lucky. It'll take off at one of them.

Chuck Shute : 1:21:51

Yeah, you get so you get paid for like YouTube's if you get a certain number of views right you can you get paid on the tick tock center.

Fahim Anwar : 1:21:58

No, not really. Yeah. You can't monetize Tick Tock or it seems like YouTube is the place to do that. Amazon is trying to figure it out.

Chuck Shute : 1:22:09

That's awesome. Well, yeah, keep up the good. Thanks so much for doing my podcast. Thanks for all the laughs like, everybody needs to follow you right now your stuff is hilarious. So

Fahim Anwar : 1:22:17

thanks, man. And thanks for for being a fan for so long, dude. Yeah,

Chuck Shute : 1:22:22

I know. I know. I was like, we used to joke. I'm like, I'm a super fan, because I literally would watch you every week. It was hilarious. You'd get like 1520 minutes at that last place. And we'd stick around to the you know, for the headliner to be nice, but we're really coming to see you so a lot

Fahim Anwar : 1:22:36

of money. That'd be funny to us, like left after my set every time I read the comedian.

Chuck Shute : 1:22:43

No, no, no, there's good comedians too, but yeah, there was something like I think cuz we grew up with the same like comedy influences like so I get your jokes very well.

Fahim Anwar : 1:22:52

Yeah, they're same with music. You know, there's some people have a certain vibe or a brand that you gravitate towards and reminds you of you and like you and your brother and stuff and I definitely other artists as well. And that's that's just the way it works. It's not that for some other people and that's fine. That's there's there's so much room for everybody.

Chuck Shute : 1:23:15

Yeah, definitely. Well, I hope that you can come and do another show in Arizona get her I can go to LA once this knee to quarantine goes away. So

Fahim Anwar : 1:23:23

here's to the next live performance.

Chuck Shute : 1:23:25

Yeah, otherwise we'll just keep watching your stuff on Instagram.

Fahim Anwar : 1:23:29

Sounds good, dude.

Chuck Shute : 1:23:30

All right. Well, thanks so much for him.

Fahim Anwar : 1:23:32

Yeah, no problem. All right. All right. He said, dude.

Chuck Shute : 1:23:34

Okay, bye. He's so funny. I want to thank for him yet again. I'm just very grateful that he took the time to do my podcast, good karma for him. Check out his YouTube videos. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. He provides a lot of really funny content. And then you can check out his standup special on YouTube and his charity should be in the notes of the podcast. If you enjoyed this interview, let me know With a review, and make sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss any future episodes. I got some great episodes out already and a lot more to come. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you have a great day or night if you're listening at night. And remember, just go for it Shute for the moon.