The Bart Baggett Show: The World’s Most Interesting People Podcast

Lily Tang Williams: Freedom is my Congressional Platform

“Liberty is my North Star. Without it…you are just a slave.”  Lily Tang Williams understands and appreciates freedom in a way that only someone who grew up without it truly can. Lily is running for Congress and she intends to win. 
 
A U.S. citizen for many years now, she’s watched the country grow to resemble more and more the Communist China from which she originally fled. To help turn things around before it’s too late, she is running for U.S. Congress. She joins The Bart Show to discuss the warning signs of Communism and Marxism. Why is free market Capitalism under attack? There is a danger of trading security for freedom.
 
As propaganda and revisionist history continue to blur the line between fact and fiction, Lily and Bart explain the importance of broadening and diversifying where we get our news. They discuss what governments do to people who speak up and Lily’s plans for Congress. Bart even announces her in good mental health when Lily’s handwriting reveals she’s a perfect fit for politics. 
 
In a playful yet informative conversation, they discuss important questions like… Is healthcare a human right? What distinguishes fairness from justice, equity from equality? Join today’s discussion to learn from a woman who has been on either side of freedom and knows exactly where she wants to be.
 
Quotes 
“I'm an American. I want freedom. You know, 90% of people in New Hampshire are white people. I feel very welcome there. Most people have the traditional value of the New Hampshire motto ‘Live free or die’. They say that if she gets it, she will be a fierce fighter for freedom and challenge the socialists in Congress. I'm kind of new, they don't know me that well. But once they find out what I stand for, they respond very positively.” (3:37 | Lily Tang Williams) 
“This goes so deep, because I've spoken in Beijing.  I have many, many fans across Europe. I've spoken in Poland, which was Communist just 20 years ago. And when I'm interacting with these amazing people, and they really, really want the idea of being an entrepreneur is very foreign. The idea of “No, I gotta make my business, I gotta make my paycheck. I have to hire employees.” And they're like, Well, what about you know, we just want to work for the government. We just, we expect security…trading your liberty for security for things like communism is such a disastrous road.” (4:44 | Bart Baggett)
“It’s a form of limited free market Capitalism.. China took off economically. What do you know about today's China? People want to be entrepreneurs and want to become rich…When you have a bad system like Socialism or Communism, these individuals have no incentive because you don't get rewarded when you work hard. Remember, Obama said, ‘You did not build that. I took that as such an insulting attack on my free entrepreneurship.’” (10:38 | Lily Tang Williams)
“To me, political freedom and economic freedom go together. In China today, it may be like in the 80s or 90s you could start a business pretty easily. But without the rule of law as private property owners, private corporation owners, you don't have the guarantee of the protection of your private property. Look at what happened to Jack Ma, the billionaire who disappeared for a few months in China. Well because he criticized Chinese regulators.” (14:50 Lily Tang Williams) 
 
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Links
Connect with Lily Tang Williams:
https://www.lilytangwilliams.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lilytangwilliams
https://www.youtube.com/lilytangwilliams
https://www.facebook.com/lily4congress
 
Connect with Bart Baggett
https://instagram.com/bartbaggett
https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast
https://bartbaggett.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@bartbaggett
 
Sponsored by Freedomfest.  https://freedomfest.com  coupon code “bart50”
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Aron Flam: Dark Swedish Comedy

For anyone to write and publish a book is a remarkable achievement. Swedish comedian, writer and political satirist Aron Flam not only wrote a bestseller, but with his book he helped change Swedish law. 
 
Before the release of “Det här är en svensk tiger” (“This is a Swedish Tiger”), Sweden had one of the weakest protections of parody, satire and comedy in the Western world. As a result of Aron’s more than two years of prosecution at the hands of the Swedish government for supposed copyright infringement, those protections are now some of the strongest, behind only the U.S. and the U.K. 
 
An outspoken proponent of free speech and critic of woke-ism, or what’s known in Sweden as “consensus culture,” Aron explains the meaning of the book’s cover art, its dual commentary on Sweden’s collusion with the Nazis in World War II and its culture of silence and conformity, and the ironic manner in which the state reacted to his book. 
 
Join this fascinating conversation as Aron and host Bart Baggett talk about the importance of ego, being the most intelligent person in the room and whether Swedes actually have a sense of humor.
 
Quotes
“So, we had one of the weakest protections of parody, satire and comedy in the world, in the Western world, at least. In America, it's been tried. And it's been through the courts, and now SNL can do whatever they want. Not so much. Well, you have the strongest protection, right? You have fair use and all that, because we've already had the lawsuits and everyone's already tried and failed. And now we know we can do this. Okay, so basically a trailblazer in comedy satire now. Yes, I've set a new precedent of, ‘Hey, it's okay to mock the government.” (10:06 | Aron Flam and Bart Baggett)
“That was called “the so-called parody exception.” It was called not “the parody exception,” but the “so-called parody” exception, which means that anytime it went up and against real laws, like copyright, for instance, then you would lose, right? So, that promotes self censorship, right? Because you don't know exactly what you can do and what you can't do, until you've actually done it. So after I won the court case, now we have the iOS parody protection, together with the so-called parody exception, which gives us one of the strongest protections for comedy parody and satire in the western world apart except for you guys. And the Brits.” (10:42 | Aron Flam)
“Judicially, I’m vindicated, but, culturally, I don’t think so.” (11:28 | Aron Flam)
“I think everyone has something and it doesn't have to be intelligence. I mean, you can be a nice person, even though you're, maybe you're not the smartest person in the room, you still might be a good human being. And that's enough for me, basically. And you still might be interesting, even though you're maybe you know, have a lower IQs.” (17:06 | Aron Flam)
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Connect with Aron Flam:https://www.aronflam.com
https://www.instagram.com/aronflam
https://www.tiktok.com/aronflam
https://www.youtube.com/aronflam
Connect with Bart Baggett
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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Afroman: Rags to Riches

“Even when I tried to get serious, I’d mess up and the song would go goofy. I’d start off as Ice Cube and end up as Will Smith. I wanted to be a good rapping funny dude.” 
 
For a guy who grew up questioning what he read in the Bible, Afroman’s trajectory to stardom, beginning with his worldwide breakout hit “Because I Got High” draws some pretty strong parallels–even parables. 
 
Rapping since he was in elementary school, Afroman had worked for years trying to make it in the music business with little success. One night at a rave in New Orleans, he decided to test the idea that it is better to give than to receive. He gave away a box of his CDs to 500 of his fellow ravegoers and went back to his house in Mississippi. Within 72 hours, thanks to early streaming services like Napster, the song went viral around the world, even gaining attention from superstar radio DJ Howard Stern. Afroman would come to the conclusion, citing Jesus’ own story as an example, “the lowest low makes the highest high.” 
 
These days he still smokes weed occasionally, but gets a real high from making himself and his audience laugh. Every time someone hears one of his songs for the first time, and it makes them laugh, Afroman laughs like it’s the first time, too. And when the jokes stop being funny, the sound keeps everybody dancing. As a lifelong fan of rap, he’s got the skills of more serious rappers, but ultimately wants to bring happiness, giving everyone a good time, and receiving a good time in return. 
 
He also does unto others what he wishes others had done unto him. Having had his confidences betrayed and off-the-record remarks recorded without his consent, he now shares others secrets only with God. Join this hilarious discussion with Afroman to hear his thoughts on strong women, the difference between being an ethical non-monogamist and a player, and the internet thieves who stole his domain name–because he got high. 
 
Quotes
“I’ve made studios in motel rooms. I had a dude set up his computer, take the mattress and make a soundbooth. My best record was done in my back room—we had a house in Mississippi set on bricks, so the water could go underneath when the frequent floods come—and I had a preacher mic with a dirty sock on it. I didn’t have a P popper, there was a sock laying over it in the corner. And I could tell when I was getting too close to the mic because I could smell the sock.” (0:43 | Afroman)
“The lowest low makes the highest high. The thing about a movie, a movie always takes you low and then they give you that good ending. Jesus, they crucified him on the cross but he ascended to heaven, now there’s a building on every corner worshiping him because he had the lowest low and the highest high. Yeah, I scraped the bottom, but that only made the story sweeter. So, if you have bad luck in life, and you keep going, the victory’s going to be that much sweeter.” (3:17 | Afroman)
“I am a rap fan. There are some good rappers. There’s a rapper who’s really good but he’s always serious…He’s always bad. Even though he’s a better rapper, I had more fun with the 2 Live Crew. They couldn’t rap worth a damn but, damn, I had a good time. So, what I wanted to be was a rapper who could rap but chose to have fun.” (8:12 | Afroman) 
“I don’t want to write another sad song. Every time I sing ‘Because I Got High,’ it reminds me of all those good occasions and I start laughing all over again. So, if I wrote a really sad song that really depressed me, every time I sing it it’s going to take me to that other place. ‘Afroman committed suicide in his hotel room today. An overdose of Fentanyl and heroin and everything else.’ If I keep singing and depressing myself then I get depressed. But when I sing ‘Because I Got High,’ not only do I make other people laugh, I make myself laugh and I’d rather be uplifted than depressed.” (10:55 | Afroman)
“If you talk to me and you want that to be confidential, then that’s what it’ll be. I don’t like when I talk to people and if it’s not an interview I know about, they’ve got a microphone going, videotaping me and I don’t know it. Or I tell them something and I start hearing it everywhere, and I think, ‘That’s what I get for opening my heart to that guy, right there.’ So, of course because if I’ve had it done to me, I don’t want to be that guy. If you tell me something, if I feel some kind of way I’ll pray about it, but your business is between you and God. If you share it with me, it’s not going nowhere.” (20:18 | Afroman)
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Connect with Afroman
https://www.ogafroman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ogafroman
https://www.tiktok.com/ogafroman
https://www.facebook.com/ogafroman
https://www.youtube.com/ogafroman
Connect with Bart Baggett
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Tom Corley: The Psychology of Money: Rich Habits

“Gratitude is the gateway to positivity,” says Tom Corley, CPA, financial planner and author of seven books about wealth building, including the original “Rich Habits.” And positivity, as it turns out, is the gateway to wealth. If there’s one trait self-made millionaires share, Tom has found, it’s a positive mindset. 
 
When you take stock of what you have, rather than what you don’t have, you program your subconscious to deliver more abundance, including wealth. If it sounds “woo woo,” it’s actually a matter of neuroplasticity and part of the function of the brain’s reticular activating system. 
 
Rich people engage in growth habits, Tom explains. Every day, consistently, they commit to an activity that moves them closer to their goals. Growth isn’t about breaking bad habits but rather forging one of the 10 “keystone habits.” Each keystone habit creates complementary habits which, in turn, vacuum up those bad habits, he says, like Pacman. You should also consider creating an idealized future self (Tom calls his JC Jobs, a character who appears in three of his books), and act as if you already are that person. 
 
As Tom has figured in his years of research and interviewing people at both ends of the economic spectrum, there seem to be four paths leading up to wealth’s gateway: the saver/investor path, the big company/climber path, virtuoso path, and dreamer/entrepreneur path. He discusses which personalities are best suited to which path, and which tend to accumulate the most wealth and how quickly. He shares the minimum amount of money one would have to save to be able to retire based on standard of living and location. 
 
The law of attraction is nothing without action. In this episode, you’ll learn how to create your own wealth mindset and atomic habits. Tom and Bart discuss what it was like growing up poor and in abject poverty (and the difference between the two), the common misconceptions that those outside of America have about its wealth, and who you should start hanging out with if you want to get rich.
 
Quotes
“Rich people engage in something called “growth habits.” I started out reading to learn from my research, about 20 minutes a day. I have to do a lot of reading as a CPA, a financial planner. But I used to bundle it and I would spend half a Saturday reading through everything. What I found out is that the wealthy people did this every day, for 30 minutes or more.” (3:57 | Tom Corley) 
“You don't need to break bad habits. You just need to forge Keystone Habits. And the Keystone Habits create complementary habits.” (6:33 | Tom Corley) 
“You can't break a habit. The only way to break a habit neurologically is if you don't engage in the habit for, they think, around 20 years. The glial cells in the brain start to tear apart or dismantle the habit synapse, the pathway, the neural pathway that’s sort of created.” (7:18 | Tom Corley)
I've talked about how you program optimism and everything from music to emotional states, to getting rid of toxic people in your life, to the belief systems, to journaling every day, opening your day with appreciation. There are dozens of ways to do it. You created these 10 Keystones. Are any of those designed specifically to create more optimism and more hope? (12:20 | Bart Baggett)
“Your reticular activating system. It's part of the thalamus system. The thalamus is the gatekeeper, gatekeeper to invite environmental, external stimuli. So when you set goals, or you have a dream that you're pursuing, it gets programmed into the subconscious, but more importantly, the subconscious and the thalamus and the reticular activating system, work in unison, behind the scenes, to try and seek out environmental stimuli that will help you reach your dreams and your goals.” (17:47 | Bart Baggett) 
Links:
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Connect with Tom Corley:
https://richhabits.net
https://www.youtube.com/tomcorleyrichhabits
https://www.facebook.com/tomcorleyrichhabits
https://www.instagram.com/tomcorleyrichhabits/
 
Connect with Bart Baggett
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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Doc Dixon: Funny, Funny Funny.... Mind Seizure

“Magic without humor is inhumane,” says Doc Dixon, a comedian magician, who luckily for his audience, delivers both in equal measure. He keeps the audience laughing so that they never see the magic trick coming, resulting in what he calls “mind seizures.” For Doc, it’s just as important to be fun as it is to be funny. 
 
This cat-and-mouse dynamic of delivering the unexpected may be an extension of his thrill-seeking personality and his desire for the unexpected, according to his handwriting. Bart reveals that Doc has a very particular trait in common with the late broadcaster Larry King. Bart would know—he shares a wild story about appearing on Larry King’s show and how he made Larry laugh at the most inappropriate time.
 
There is such a diversity of venues for magicians to perform in that they will probably be the only survivors of the apocalypse—along with cockroaches. Doc explains the difference between performing at a corporate event versus a comedy club (besides the money) and the dreaded request that corporate hosts always make. 
 
Before Doc was happily married, he made a request of his own to a former girlfriend, and her reaction was something of a mind seizure in itself. Join the fun (and funny) on this episode of The Bart Show to hear that story, as well as to learn the similarities and differences between magic setups, comic writing and comic structure, and why applause is like applesauce. 
 
Quotes
“It's a good feeling. But you don't get addicted to applause. My job is to create a show that makes people want to clap and laugh a lot. So there's that kind of pride and craftsmanship. But do I have this kind of needy ego thing? Not really. I have that needy wife and kids who need to eat. (1:58 | Doc Dixon)
“I think a lot of what I do in terms of not just being funny, but being fun. I want to have fun with people. Because I think, I don't want to say it's a level above funny, but it's a different thing that the interactive nature of magic can do that a strict monologist can't or doesn't do, because it's not a fun interactive thing. But knowledge is knowledge. It's the basis of a good stand-up comedian.” (4:40 | Doc Dixon) 
“A lot of magicians are great comedians, because that's what they go for. David Copperfield is the goat as far as magicians. Incredible. There's parts of his show that are funny. But I would not call him a great comedian. The parts of the show that are intended to be funny are indeed funny. Yeah. But the parts of the show where the wind is blowing through his hair. That's dramatic. It's dramatic. I don't do drama. But he's awesome.” (5:48 | Doc Dixon) 
“Building dramatic tension is key. One classic joke is, ‘I remember before I was married being on the road, the women constantly, constantly banging on my hotel room door. I finally had to let them out.” (20:33 | Doc Dixon)
 
Links
Connect with Doc Dixon:
https://www.docdixon.com
https://www.instagram.com/doc.dixon/
 
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Links
Connect with Bart Baggett
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Maj Toure: Business Lessons From the Street Hustle

Maj wants to make sure that no one is left out of the capitalist system. He shares business and marketing secrets he learned both from his time selling shoes at Foot Locker and from selling DVDs and weed on the train in his native Philadelphia. Anything you do, he says, turn it into a free market enterprise. 
 
Maj cites 50 Cent and actor Ryan Reynolds as shrewd businessmen who knew how to negotiate the best deals, even when it meant taking financial hits up front. The music industry is full of “culture vultures,” who profit off of other peoples’ products. Hip hop, Maj says, is the most powerful form of expression in the world, which is why it was co-opted and used to make millions which bypassed the culture that created it.
 
Our own internal voices send us powerful messages as well, and Maj and Bart discuss healthy versus unhealthy self-talk. Learn why he compares America to the tower of Babel, the origins of “reality rap,” and why you have the power to earn millions of dollars right in the palm of your hand.
“I don’t want my friends to continue to get lost in a system,” explains Maj Toure, rapper, social activist and founder of Black Guns Matter, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating Black Americans about gun culture and gun control in the U.S., as well as defending 2nd Amendment rights. 
 
As Bart notes, humans are motivated to move toward pleasure and away from pain. Maj was motivated to found Black Guns Matter after losing friends to gun violence or seeing so many young Black men getting arrested for possessing a firearm. By educating Black citizens on gun ownership, he is not only putting a weapon in their hands that will help them protect their own communities, but putting the American dream–a dream many thought did not belong to them–back into their hands as well. 
Quotes
“Society is targeted to a young person who says, ‘I should just buy weed and sell it.’ And I'm not mad that it's wrong. It's commerce; it's an exchange. But they won't say, ‘I want cannabis, and it should not be criminalized, and I should not have to pay licensing fees to the state to have a cannabis dispensary. I should be able to grow cannabis; that's a horticultural plant. I should be able to grow this, I should be able to cure it, I should be able to package it, and I should be able to sell it.’” (1:37 | Maj Toure) 
“My job is to make sure that my demographic recognizes it is wrong to sell products that give people myocarditis. I  want them to recognize that there are other ways of bringing that type of commerce and free market enterprise to your demographic that can be highly profitable, without the same risk potentially, ‘I can go to jail,’ or ‘I can get robbed,’ you know?” (3:18 | Maj Toure)
“You do what Barry Gordy did, a 60s/70s record label out of Detroit. Fast forward, you do what Master P did. You do what Phil Knight did with Nike. He worked for ASICs first, and then came up with this thing. And yes, Phil Knight sold Nikes out of the trunk of his car initially.” (9:34 | Maj Toure)
“Ryan Reynolds is a great example of the ups and downs of any career.  These are lessons that come with pain. The pain of being an actor. Not knowing when I'm going to get the next gig,’ then hitting the lotto with Deadpool, right? But no one talks about when he was also Green Lantern.” (15:49 | Maj Toure)
“I’m a tyrant to myself. My inner voice is disgusting. My thoughts aren’t negative, they’re aggressive. That’s why I don’t smoke weed as much anymore. That inner voice will tell me things like, ‘Bro, you don’t have $10 million in cash or Bitcoin, yet? You’re a loser. You’re a loser.’ It can be motivating when I come down and have that moment of clarity, but I’m still calling myself a loser at that moment. It’s not a really healthy thing.” (17:53 | Maj Toure)
“We’re taking these communities that do not feel like they are part of the American dream, and they’re saying, ‘Nah, this is for me, now. The American dream is mine as well.’” (21:46 | Maj Toure) 
 
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
Connect with Maj Toure:
https://www.instagram.com/bigdaddytoure
https://www.tiktok.com/mrmajtoure
https://www.facebook.com/majtoure
https://www.youtube.com/majtoure
Connect with Bart Baggett
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Salomé Sibonex: Are Artists Really Free to Express the Truth?

“If you have blood, you’re allowed to have an opinion.” As a young multi-disciplinary artist who spent her early years on Tumblr, Salomé Sibonex witnessed firsthand the beginnings of the current wave of cancel culture where ideas that are deemed offensive are shut down and people are denied the right to speak based on their immutable characteristics. Now that this trend is firmly in the mainstream, Salomé uses her voice to push back against censorship and wokeness, question the status quo, and promote freedom of speech. 
 
Freedom, after all, is integral to making great art and you can’t be free when you’re afraid. By fearlessly expressing herself and sharing ideas through her writing, she connects with readers who feel similarly but are afraid to speak for themselves for fear of being attacked or maligned. 
 
Her search for the truth began at a young age. Growing up in Miami as a Cuban American, her family practiced a hybrid of Catholicism and Santeria, a folkloric religion similar to Voodoo, both of which inspired a good deal of skepticism and a lot of questions about what was real and what wasn’t. Initially, she took for granted the freedoms afforded to her as an American, freedoms that her Cuban grandmother escaped poverty to afford her. She eventually learned to appreciate her privilege without allowing anyone to use it as an excuse to dismiss her opinion. 
 
This passionate young lady is boldly speaking for a generation whose worlds exist more online than they do in the real world and must learn how to navigate its pitfalls. On today’s episode, she and Bart discuss the consequences of free speech, the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome, and whether women are truly interested in a seat at the table. 
 
Quotes
“It guided my life at this point. I had to overcome a lot of self censorship when I was younger. And I think that it's something that young people have to navigate a lot. Now, this culture, that's really hypersensitive, hypercritical, a lot of bad faith attacks against people, we're not really trying to get to the truth of something, or understand the other person's perspective. We're trying to dunk on them. We're trying to dismiss them without ever giving any chance that they might have a reason for their perspective.” (2:23 | Salomé Sibonex) 
Because in my opinion, there is no percentage of blood that allows you to have an opinion on something. If you have blood, you're allowed to have an opinion.” (5:39 | Salomé Sibonex)
Yeah, I mean, my family comes from Cuba. So it's like, my family came from nothing. My grandma didn't have running water. She wasn't allowed to learn how to read. Then, she came to this country. And so in comparison...yeah, I'm actually privileged.” (15:40 | Salomé Sibonex)
“Play is freedom to me, because you can't be playful, if you're afraid.” (13:16 | Salomé Sibonex)
“And I've had pushback for that. I've had push back for my criticism of  the idea that we should rank people based on their immutable characteristics, rather than actually listening to the individual and then ranking them based on whether their ideas are actually good or not.” (16:54 | Salomé Sibonex)
 
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Connect with Salomé Sibonex
https://www.salomesibonex.com
https://www.instagram.com/salomesibonex
https://twitter.com/SalomeSibonex
Connect with Bart Baggett
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https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/
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Siam Pasarly: Escape from The Taliban

Siam Pasarly is lucky to be alive.  Siam saw firsthand people hanging off of the wings Military plane desperate to escape Afghanistan when the Taliban retook the country.  For those on the wrong list, escape was the only way to avoid imminent torture and execution.
 
Siam eventually did escape through a series of desperate measures evacuated just after the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021. He. Before then, Siam took a major risk of his own publishing ideas that went directly against the Taliban’s policies of keeping the masses uneducated and isolated.
 
Before the evacuation, Siam published a simple book called “How to Use the Internet,” which sparked a nationwide debate in a country where the use of the internet, technology, and all forms of media were banned as sinful and heresy. Siam became a local hero, but also got his name on the Taliban’s most wanted list of enemies against the state.
 
While deeply disturbed by the current political state of Afghanistan, Siam argues that fanatics are the problem… not Islam itself. Many aspects of Islam are misunderstood. Divorce is okay, he says, while cruelty, aggression and fighting are not. Strict codes of dress and other confining rules placed are a cultural deviation which upon women are a matter of culture rather not the core beliefs of religion. 
 
In this episode, Bart digs into Siam’s handwriting to better understand this man with a remarkable story.  Siam has an unusual signature and is quite unique for either culture.
Join us to hear his fascinating story, as told in his latest book “Escape from the Taliban,”  is one of courage in the face of unfathomable circumstances and an indomitable quest for freedom and truth. Rage in the face of unfathomable circumstances and an indomitable quest for freedom and truth. 
Quotes
“I’m sure you might remember the scenario of the airplanes–when the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. There were people that were hanging off the back of the airplane and couldn’t get on. You saw the people there on the side of the airplane. You saw that for some of the people, there was no space on the airplane, and they hung on the airplane tires here and there. When the airplane took off, people fell. That really happened. I was there.” (1:33 | Siam Pasarly) 
“At that time, I was between two and eleven years old. We had been told that using technology was ‘haram’ in Islam–it’s illegal. You should not watch TV, you should not take pictures, you should not use the internet. It was banned.” (4:46 | Siam Pasarly) 
“Quran, Islam–is very different to the perception that people have. Quran and Islam are solid, very normal, in favor of development, science, it’s all about beauty, beauty of life, unity, using our natural resources, everything that you have.” (6:26 | Siam Pasarly)
“Well, who needs an ID to vote and stuff? If you have IDs, you can vote. If you can vote, you can have a democracy. If you have democracy, then people would have an opinion, and then the old men in charge who want to have 17 wives who can’t read don’t get what they want.” (9:14 | Bart Baggett)
“I love my religion and I believe in choice. You love someone, someone loves you, and you say ‘I want to marry you,’ and she says, ‘I want to marry you,’ go. If you don’t like that lady after ten years, after two years, after three years, ‘We cannot live together, baby, let’s leave, let’s divorce, you go find someone that you love, I will go find someone that I love,’ this is your right.” (12:57 | Siam Pasarly)
“Don’t destroy your present for an unclear future, for tomorrow and for your dark past. Enjoy your present.” (18:47 | Siam Pasarly) 
Links
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Links
Connect with Siam Pasarly:
https://www.youtube.com/c/SiamPasarlyMotivationalSpeaker
https://www.linkedin.com/in/siampasarly
https://www.instagram.com/siam_pasarly/
https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Taliban-August-Violence-Unclear/dp/B0BQC146FB
Connect with Bart Baggett
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https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast
https://bartbaggett.com
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Yoshi Obayashi: Serial Killer Comedy

“Violence is just very interesting, ya know?” says Yoshi Obayashi whose fascinating life story serves as the basis for his truly unique brand of dark comedy.
 
Yoshi’s interest in violence started early, when his father took him to visit the home of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. Today, Yoshi continues to take “murder tours,” visiting sites related to terrorists and high profile murderers, and sitting in on the trials of infamous criminals such as Jeffrey Epstein and Elizabeth Holmes. Everyone is fascinated by violence, he says, though men for markedly different reasons than women. 
 
Yoshi found himself on the receiving end of violence beginning at an early age. As an ethnically Korean kid living in Japan, he was physically and psychologically harassed by other children in an attempt to “normalize” him. A tip from a neighbor in the Japanese mafia ensured those kids never bothered Yoshi again. Later, after his mother kidnapped him and his brother and took them overseas, he found himself living in a navy town in Washington State where veterans took their lingering resentments against the Japanese out on him. 
 
Even more than by our shared love of violence, people are united by shared love of sex and porn, and warring political groups may be surprised to learn how closely their secret fetishes overlap. Yoshi gained invaluable insight into human nature during his 25 years spent working in the sex industry for 25 years, including for the infamous production company Evil Angel. Some people turn to BDSM to find respect and dignity, while others who grew up in the segregated southern U.S. seek interracial porn to lament lost love. Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s lack of experience with women led him to seek out pleasure in the form of mass explosions. 
 
You’re in for some real (serial) killer comedy on today’s episode. Join us as Yoshi reveals the common kink shared by the ultra wealthy, why standup is like Indian food, and what specific personality trait he shares with Ted Bundy.
 
Quotes
“I think you could almost talk about anything, if people know your intention.” (6:11 | Yoshi)
“I just read the audience, I don't know if you know–you made the German porn reference–I've worked in sex business for 25 years." (19:59 | Yoshi)
“I ended up working for a company called Evil Angel, one of the biggest porn production companies and I worked there for nine years. And then last 14 years, what I call “Perverts Without Borders” I've been whenever I'm working on a second documentary now but anytime–for television, in the movies–they need porn stars to contact me and I know them all.” (21:03 | Yoshi)
“It's funny, sad and poignant, you know? And I think some of the unhappiness…because I think when I went to MAGA rallies, the predominant fetish for those men were large breasts. When I went to BLM, it was butts. When you talk to either one of these groups, they actually have more in common. It’s very sad.” (28:08 | Yoshi) 
“I'm not an expert on pornography, I just spend my money and time visiting those places and talking to people and I just want to know, because I think I met a lot of good people, most of the men who rent and bought pornography. They're really suffering from loneliness. Right. And I think when you work a porn shop, you meet a lot of sex workers. They told me about 20% of their clients do not have interest in sex. Just companionship.” (31:17 | Yoshi) 
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Links
Connect with Yoshi Obayashi:
https://www.instagram.com/yoshiobayashi
https://www.facebook.com/yoshiobayashi
 
Connect with Bart Baggett
https://instagram.com/bartbaggett
https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast
https://bartbaggett.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@bartbaggett
 
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Chris Trew: Hell Yes! What I Learned from Improv About Living a Happier Life

Chris Trew is on a mission: to spread the word about the life-changing power of improv comedy. “Why learn improv?” if you’re not a comedian, actor, or have any intention of ever setting foot on stage? As the self-described “comedy person” and founder of Hell Yes Creative explains, “This stuff has real-life implications. No matter what you're doing, if you have a job or a passion that involves communication, you can benefit from an improv class.” 
 
Improv’s guiding “yes, and” principle requires that you enter entirely into another person’s reality – no matter how absurd – and then add to it, thereby co-creating a progressive conversation and forging a connection. This requires active listening, as well as a sense of curiosity and playfulness that many people lose as they get older. These are all skills which make us better friends, employees and partners. 
 
Unfortunately, many people still have outdated misconceptions about improv. Audiences dismiss it after seeing one bad performance, while many comedians would rather keep the focus of a performance solely on themselves. 
 
According to his handwriting, Chris has the honesty, determination and lack of ego to make people change their minds. In today’s episode, Chris and Bart share some strange experiences they’ve had with organized religion. They reveal their thoughts on asexuality, people who call themselves foodies, and the worst thing you can say to a comedian.
Quotes
"Yeah, it's tough making a living with improv, but it's not impossible. But the first thing that has to happen is more people have to respect it as an art form and as a business. Because there is a structure for a stand up comedian to go on the road and host, feature, create your own show, et cetera, et cetera. But that doesn't really exist for improv." (3:35 | Chris Trew)
"So the lesson for people that aren't in comedy: just use your words to keep rapport. You're agreeing with them, even if they're making a crazy statement – ”Donald Trump's the best president!” And here’s what I also think about this thing: So you're not breaking rapport with improv skills, and you're moving the conversation forward. Avoid the awkward silences that stop the energy." (8:38 | Bart Baggett)
"You start trying to solve more problems, that becomes a bigger part of your life than being curious. So that's why you stop being playful. You stop being interesting. A lot of people stop being interesting in their 30s, 40s sometimes even earlier. And because these adults stop investing in their playful side. We get locked into relationships, the family, that job." (10:23 | Chris Trew) 
"So what if every adult in the world got into the habit of taking an improv class once a month? If you can get over the fear of public speaking, which I know is a big deal for a lot of people, if you can get over the part that thinks, ‘This is only what comedians do,’ if you can just give it a shot, you will learn pretty quickly that there is so much more to learning improv than just making jokes." (11:33 Chris Trew) 
“Isn't that true for everything in life? Again, a first date, a networking event, a job interview, a sales call, if you're trying too hard, that energy is exhausting. And it's unfun. So I don't think you're going to get a second date, get the sale, get the job. Improv teaches you how to detach from outcomes, and how to be more relaxed in any high pressure situation.” (16:56 | Chris Trew) 
 
Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Show Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 
 
Links
Connect with Chris Trew
https://hellyescreative.com 
https://www.instagram.com/christrew 
https://www.facebook.com/christrew
 
Connect with Bart Baggett
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https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast
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https://www.tiktok.com/@bartbaggett
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm