The Church of What’s Happening Now: A Podcast Obituary
“As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it”
Lao Tzu
This week the final episode of The Church of What’s Happening Now podcast featuring Cuban-American stand-up comedian Joey Diaz and his co-host/producer Lee Syatt was released. The pair have decided to go their separate ways, with both deciding to move out of Los Angeles due to rising crime, unemployment and social unrest caused by the Coronavirus and four years of a Trump presidency.
For anybody with even a passing interest in standup comedy and its status as an underrated art form this podcast was essential listening. Joey decided to pursue a career as a comedian whilst in his late twenties after a tumultuous early life that included a stint of imprisonment, a failed marriage and a serious drug addiction that he wouldn’t kick until some years later. When he was sixteen he found his mother dead after suffering a heart attack; he would be left orphaned and homeless as a result. Joey credits comedy with literally saving his life over a decade later when he first started to perform on stage.
By the time Lee, then a young editor from Boston, approached Joey and suggested that they begin working together his career had progressed to the extent that he was a regular performer at the famous LA Comedy Store, as well as a touring comic and a frequent guest on the podcast of friend, fellow comedian and contemporary at the Comedy Store, Joe Rogan. Initially Joey and Lee produced a short film about the former’s childhood as a Cuban immigrant growing up in New Jersey but the pair would move into podcasting soon after, just as the format was becoming an increasingly popular method for comedians to reach new audiences.
The first few episodes were recorded from Joey’s spare bedroom before they moved into a proper studio and often started at six in the morning, a reflection of the comedian’s work ethic and his belief in the importance of starting the day constructively. Initially the podcasts would consist of Joey and Lee conversing about various topics and what was going on in each other’s lives. Laughs and banter were always aplenty.
Despite their personalities being radically different, with Lee often coming across as shy and introverted compared with his brash and streetwise cohost, their chemistry was unique. When Joey would give Lee advice or encourage him to be more confident and believe in himself, they seemed to share a bond more akin to the relationship between father and son.
Tales would be told of Joey’s previous life as a petty thief and drug addict, how he overcame these obstacles to eventually become a loving husband, father and a better person. His stories of growing up in New Jersey contain equal amounts of comedy, drama and tragedy; told with a genuine affection for his home city, those he grew up with and the life he lived before his mother died. This was the event that understandably led to his descent into criminality and drug abuse before managing to turn his life around several years later by throwing himself into the world of standup comedy.
As the podcast developed and found its feet, people from Joey’s life would appear as guests and would confirm the often outrageous stories he told about his earlier life on the podcast and as part of his comedy routine took place more or less as described. A guest on one episode was a man that Joey had robbed – something that he would later be arrested and imprisoned for.
Speaking to his former victim live on the podcast, Joey apologises for his previous actions which he admits were as a result of his cocaine addiction. When asking the man for forgiveness we see that for Joey this is an important part of moving on from his past and righting the wrongs from his previous life. He is departing to his listeners, and to Lee, the important message that it is never too late to change by making amends for past mistakes and taking positive steps to improve yourself.
The podcast became increasingly geared towards exploring the intricacies of standup comedy and Joey’s love and obsession for the art form. The school of American comics that centered around the LA Comedy Store often appeared as guests to promote themselves and talk about their experiences in the industry.
Topics of discussion included the necessity of performing at open mic nights to get exposure early on in a comedian’s career, the euphoria felt by comics when their jokes succeed in making an audience howl with seemingly uncontrollable laughter and the other extreme, the dreaded “bombing” - the term for when a comedian is faced with a crowd that sits in stony silence whilst they struggle painfully through their set, wondering if maybe they have chosen the wrong career path.
All of these experiences Joey can relate to, having gone through them on many occasions throughout his career as a standup. To him, it is these moments that make the journey worthwhile. Even the “bombings” are an essential part of what is needed to improve and become more experienced in the craft. He is an old hand passing this wisdom on to a younger generation of comedians just starting out whilst explaining to his listeners how these rules can apply to many walks of life not just the world of comedy: you only get better at something or overcome adversity by challenging yourself and facing your fears head on.
Other subjects discussed included mental health and ways of dealing with stress, anxiety and depression. For Joey, who admits to having anxiety issues despite appearing to be a confident and carefree person, one of the most effective ways to deal with negative thinking and poor mental health is to write regularly in a journal. Getting your thoughts out and confining them to paper can help put things into perspective, address negative thoughts and release tension. Also central to message was even those with a difficult past or have challenges to face have the power to turn things around for the better.
The current Covid crisis is set to have an impact on standup comedy that is nothing short of devastating. Many clubs and venues that once nurtured the art form are suffering from months of reduced income and will be forced to close. When things gradually start to return to normal audience numbers will be drastically reduced which will greatly affect ticket sales and revenues. For smaller venues that offer aspiring comedians the chance to hone their skills and increase their confidence at open mic nights the future looks even more bleak.
In the last few episodes Joey and Lee discuss this dire situation with concern but in many respects it feels as if the entire podcast has been preparing its regular listeners for such a crisis. For a comedian with nearly thirty years experience it must be especially sad for Joey to see the art form that saved him from oblivion fall on such hard times along with the jobs and livelihoods that rely on it. But since the podcast’s first beginnings he has tried to depart the message that in life bad things happen which you are completely powerless to prevent. What matters is using these situations to your advantage by keeping yourself focused and trying to overcome these obstacles to better yourself and come back stronger.
Joey’s jokes are often coarse, as are his often outrageous stories from his time on the road and his previous life as a criminal. This has kept him just outside of the mainstream but with enough exposure to generate something of a cult following. The easily offended may find him difficult to take to but it’s impossible not to listen to The Church... and not be inspired by the positivity and wisdom certain episodes contain. The message can be summarised thusly: set goals for self-improvement and work as hard as possible to achieve them; be confident in your abilities; stand up for yourself and try your best to find humour and positivity in everything. Try to follow these rules and no matter what you might be going through life will never seem quite so hopeless.
The podcast world is much depleted without The Church of What’s Happening Now to depart these important messages along with the laughter and outrageous stories to accompany them.