Fat.
August 3, 2012 2:41 PM Subscribe
Comedian/podcaster Ari Shaffir interviews comedian Ralphie May on the realities of being morbidly obese, including very frank, often touching, sometimes hilarious discussions of health issues (including his near-death experience), social acceptance, fashion, personal demons, sex, comedy, and cannabis use.
"Fat" pt 1 (direct mp3) "Fat" pt 2 (direct mp3) (NSFW audio)
"Fat" pt 1 (direct mp3) "Fat" pt 2 (direct mp3) (NSFW audio)
The "Smoke Stories" video is funny.
"It's good weed. We call it 'The Shit That Killed Kennedy', because when you smoke it, your head rolls back and to the left."
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:54 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
"It's good weed. We call it 'The Shit That Killed Kennedy', because when you smoke it, your head rolls back and to the left."
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:54 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
Does this guy ever get to the point? I'm 10 minutes in, and all he's doing is clumsily repeating himself over and over again - random, scattered, circular... in a super annoying voice. No respect for people's time. Life is too fucking short.
posted by VikingSword at 2:58 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by VikingSword at 2:58 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
ralphie may is awesome.
no respect for people's time
that's hilarious.
posted by nadawi at 3:05 PM on August 3, 2012
no respect for people's time
that's hilarious.
posted by nadawi at 3:05 PM on August 3, 2012
Yeah, I stopped listening when the one guy made a crack that the ship doctor was incompetent because she was a woman.
posted by bluefly at 3:13 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bluefly at 3:13 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
I stopped listening when the one guy made a crack that the ship doctor was incompetent because she was a woman.
The way that what's acceptable and verboten in comedy changes over time is fascinating.
posted by Leon at 3:41 PM on August 3, 2012
The way that what's acceptable and verboten in comedy changes over time is fascinating.
posted by Leon at 3:41 PM on August 3, 2012
Speaking of how comedy has changed, whatever happened to comedians like Albert Brooks?
posted by KokuRyu at 3:51 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by KokuRyu at 3:51 PM on August 3, 2012
<comedygenerator>
Women. Amirite? LOLOLOLOLOL.
</comedygenerator>
posted by anarch at 4:35 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Women. Amirite? LOLOLOLOLOL.
</comedygenerator>
posted by anarch at 4:35 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Listening to Ari (and I didn't make it past the intro either) reminds me of Steve Martin's line to John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles:
"Here's an idea, next time you tell a story, try having a point."
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 4:55 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
"Here's an idea, next time you tell a story, try having a point."
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 4:55 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
I listen to Ari's podcast regularly, and no, he doesn't really get to the point. Often interviews will ramble on and on and then he goes, "Oh yeah, I guess we should talk about (topic X)."
His podcast, The Skeptic Tank is based on a premise of learning something about someone with a completely unknown way of life (to him). Guests range from female escorts to graffiti artists to holocaust survivors. Many are fellow comedians and so the conversation often devolves, as in the Mays interview.
A typical show would be his interview with fellow comedian Kurt Metzger, who was an ordained Jehovah's Witness minister at 17. He abandoned the church a few years later, and Ari talks about that experience. Along the way they get into straight up comedy talk and whatever else happens to cross his mind. So yeah, although it may take some time to get to the "interesting stuff", YMMV.
posted by brappi at 5:17 PM on August 3, 2012
His podcast, The Skeptic Tank is based on a premise of learning something about someone with a completely unknown way of life (to him). Guests range from female escorts to graffiti artists to holocaust survivors. Many are fellow comedians and so the conversation often devolves, as in the Mays interview.
A typical show would be his interview with fellow comedian Kurt Metzger, who was an ordained Jehovah's Witness minister at 17. He abandoned the church a few years later, and Ari talks about that experience. Along the way they get into straight up comedy talk and whatever else happens to cross his mind. So yeah, although it may take some time to get to the "interesting stuff", YMMV.
posted by brappi at 5:17 PM on August 3, 2012
The female escort episode was really interesting when Ari managed to get out of his own way. Much like Marc Maron, some people are good podcasters despite themselves.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:24 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Bookhouse at 5:24 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
The way that what's acceptable and verboten in comedy changes over time is fascinating.
It wasn't really that long ago that Andrew Dice Clay sold out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
posted by Egg Shen at 5:54 PM on August 3, 2012
It wasn't really that long ago that Andrew Dice Clay sold out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
posted by Egg Shen at 5:54 PM on August 3, 2012
A potentially good story ruined in the telling. The rise of introspective comics like Louis CK and Marc Maron has been great, but it's led to clown comics who are more Jerry Lewis than Steve Martin overreaching their abilities and trying to tell moving stories without really being all that psychologically insightful or articulate.
posted by painquale at 6:35 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by painquale at 6:35 PM on August 3, 2012
Is Ari Shaffir the "Amazing Racist" guy?
posted by mediated self at 6:39 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by mediated self at 6:39 PM on August 3, 2012
Also, I like Ralphie May. I liked Patrice O'neal, too, and remember getting a kick when Patrice called Ralphie a "human bean bag chair" on an episode of Tough Crowd.
posted by mediated self at 6:42 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by mediated self at 6:42 PM on August 3, 2012
The great Greg Giraldo had a great line about Ralphie May at one of the roasts: "You're the only guy who watches porn and cums when the guy delivers the pizza." (Ralphie laughed.)
posted by anothermug at 7:37 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by anothermug at 7:37 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
And now O'Neal and Giraldo are both dead. Coincidence?
posted by aaronetc at 8:03 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by aaronetc at 8:03 PM on August 3, 2012
Yeah, I stopped listening when the one guy made a crack that the ship doctor was incompetent because she was a woman.
Not that this necessarily excuses the comment, but in the intro to part 2, he promotes an event that he puts on where the proceeds will go to Planned Parenthood because he thinks it's important that there be wide access to abortions.
posted by shen1138 at 8:33 PM on August 3, 2012
Not that this necessarily excuses the comment, but in the intro to part 2, he promotes an event that he puts on where the proceeds will go to Planned Parenthood because he thinks it's important that there be wide access to abortions.
posted by shen1138 at 8:33 PM on August 3, 2012
... he promotes an event that he puts on where the proceeds will go to Planned Parenthood because he thinks it's important that there be wide access to abortions.
Umm. That isn't the point of Planned Parenthood. That sounds more like a Lindbaugh talking point than an endorsement.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:39 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Umm. That isn't the point of Planned Parenthood. That sounds more like a Lindbaugh talking point than an endorsement.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:39 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Upon closer inspection, yes, Ari whatever is the Amazing Racist guy.
posted by mediated self at 10:12 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by mediated self at 10:12 PM on August 3, 2012
I thought this was gonna be "two seats on the airplane, ha ha", but actually it is a catalog of the types of medical problems very fat people face.
posted by telstar at 5:46 PM on August 4, 2012
posted by telstar at 5:46 PM on August 4, 2012
Color me disappointed. I listened to 3 hours of Ari and Ralphie reminiscing about how much marijuana they've smoked (spoiler, it's a lot). To get, maybe, 10 minutes of Ralphie May explaining his experience of being a fat man (morbidly obese). Worse, it's broken up into fragments and scattered throughout the entire incoherent mess.
posted by zinon at 6:49 PM on August 4, 2012
posted by zinon at 6:49 PM on August 4, 2012
Yeah, Ari does like to ramble...
On the other hand, it's likely that nobody else but him could have done this interview, given his friendship with Ralphie and the pointed nature of the questions.
posted by LordSludge at 12:41 PM on August 6, 2012
On the other hand, it's likely that nobody else but him could have done this interview, given his friendship with Ralphie and the pointed nature of the questions.
posted by LordSludge at 12:41 PM on August 6, 2012
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posted by Nomyte at 2:49 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]