An interview with Daniel (Danny) Lobell and Mark Schiff goes something like this:
Interviewer: “So, where did you two meet?”
Lobell: “I met Mark at a Turkish bathhouse.”
Schiff: “No, it was an Armenian one.”
Lobell: “That’s right. The Armenian one, which is the rival bathhouse.”
It’s difficult to keep a straight face when interviewing these two stand-up comedians. They banter and they joke and at times, it’s hard to tell if they are being truthful or just engaging in their usual shenanigans.
The two met 10 years ago when Schiff was a guest on Lobell’s previous podcast, “Modern Day Philosophers,” where comedians discussed philosophy.
“Mark was a guest, and we hit it off,” Lobell said. “We found out we have a lot in common. We are both very handsome and married, and our wives always feel threatened because women are throwing themselves at us. We have to fight them off.”
Schiff is a well-known comedian who has been an opener on the road for one of his best friends, Jerry Seinfeld, for over 20 years. He traveled with Seinfeld to Israel twice, where they performed in front of 17,000 people. He also appeared in films such as “Funny People” with Adam Sandler and “Blankman” with Damon Wayans.
Lobell has established himself as a comedian who performs all over the world. He publishes comic books about his life and recently released a documentary, “Reconquistador!”, where he explored his Sephardic roots and performed stand-up in Spain. Stand Up! Records, which put out two of Lobell’s albums, produced the film.
Four months ago, Schiff and Lobell decided to join forces and start a weekly podcast called, “We Think It’s Funny.” In it, they talk about what’s going on in the news with an impressive guest list, including Jay Leno, Mike Binder, Jon Lovitz and Margaret Cho. Future guests they hope to book are Michael Rapaport, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Jerry Seinfeld and maybe even Larry David.
“David will be our first ‘no,’” Schiff joked when asked if they were ever declined by a prospective guest.
Leno, one of the first guests on the show, had some fascinating and funny stories to tell about his family and behind-the-scenes stories from his time at “The Tonight Show.”
“You know how Michael Richards got his part on ‘Seinfeld?’” Leno said on the podcast. “He came on ‘The Tonight Show’ as an exercise guru, Dick Williams, and I told him, ‘Just ad-lib something.’ He’s wearing a workout leotard and he’s smoking and just tripping all over the equipment. People were falling off their seats laughing. Seinfeld saw it and was like, ‘Oh, that guy is Kramer.’”
On a recent episode of “We Think It’s Funny,” comedian Caroline Rhea told a story about some scary characters she met at a casino in between gigs – and how she hilariously handled the situation.
“I’m at this table, and what everyone except for me had in common was that they’d all been to prison. For murder. Except for one guy. Mail fraud,” she said. “And one guy, his entire family, five brothers and sisters, all had been in prison for murder. So, at this point, I’m like, I have to go. In my head, I’m like alright, I’ve been here for a long time. Even though there’s some good mojo, I gotta go. I got up and I was leaving. I said, ‘Well, it’s very nice to have met all of you. And they said, ‘You too.’ And then one said, ‘Can we take a picture with you?’ And I’m like, ‘Of course. You can do anything you want. Between the group, you’ve murdered legions of people. Yeah, whatever you want.’ So, we take a picture. And then he goes, ‘Hey, how can I find you? Can I find you on social media?’ And I go, ‘Yes. I’m Amy Schumer.’ It finally worked in my favor, for once in my life!”
Lobell and Schiff record the show, which is sponsored by local personal injury firm Pheffer Law, Stand Up! Records and The Kosher Cookie Company, inside of Lobell’s business, The Podcast Bus. It’s a school bus he transformed into a recording studio that is available for rentals as well.
“The guests are always really excited and sometimes taken aback when they arrive to find they’ll be recording inside a bus,” Lobell said. “But then they end up loving it because it’s so different.”
In fact, the show itself is different from anything else on the air: It’s not only funny, but it’s also proudly pro-Israel and pro-Jewish. One of their listeners, Guy David Knoll, a Jewish student from NYU and a stand-up comedian himself, reached out and told Schiff and Lobell how their podcast had helped him since Oct. 7.
“He told us what he is going through on campus,” said Schiff. “He was looking for a sense of community and belonging, and he contacted us because he said it’s been so awful for him. He was happy to find our podcast. He said it gave him strength in these times.”
Knoll became an intern, and the two hosts are excited to have him on board.
“We bring lightness to dark times and help people through it with a sense of humor.” – Daniel Lobell
“That’s why comedy is so important,” said Lobell. “We bring lightness to dark times and help people through it with a sense of humor.”
Lobell recalled the first time he did stand-up; he was 15 years old and went to an open mic at his local Starbucks. “At that age, you don’t think about doing anything for a living, but I went there, told a funny story and got a lot of laughs,” he said. “When I finished, they said, ‘Oh, you’re a comedian! Come back next week.’ I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Schiff’s first time doing comedy didn’t go as smoothly: “I was 18, and it was so bad I didn’t go back on stage for five years,” he said. “It threw me; it was like riding a horse, getting thrown and hitting my head on a rock. I didn’t go back until I was 23, but I haven’t stopped.”
Lobell said he had beginner’s luck. When he was 16, he participated in a stand-up comedy contest and came in third place. “And after that, I went through a lot of humbling shows, and I had to work really hard to get good at it.”
Doing a podcast together is less scary than performing live and not knowing how the audience is going to react. The two comedians still get butterflies often when going on stage but enjoy it no less, especially when the audience is roaring with laughter.
“Stand-up comedy is a very live art form,” Schiff said. “When people see a play, they are very quiet, but if they are quiet during your stand-up comedy, then it’s a really bad thing.”
Lobell, who often performs for Jewish organizations, added, “I love performing at Chabad. They are a big part of how I became religious. I love the opportunity to use my humor to inspire other people.”
When asked how they got Jay Leno to appear on the podcast, Lobell jokingly said, “Leno begged us to do it. He was practically on his hands and knees, and we felt bad for him. We wanted to give him his big break.”
Joking aside, Schiff said they appreciated Leno’s willingness to do the show. “He was so gracious and nice. Danny’s mom, wife and kids were there the day we did the podcast, and when we came out, Jay stopped to take photos and chat with them. He legitimized Danny to his own family. Right, Danny?”
Lobell agreed. “Yes, my mom thinks I’m a hit now,” he said. “She told everybody. She thinks it’s like that every day and asked me when David Letterman is coming over. Who knows? Maybe he will.”
“We Think It’s Funny” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every major podcast platform. You can follow the show on Instagram @wethinkitsfunnypodcast, find it on wethinkitsfunny.com, and sponsor an episode by emailing wethinkitsfunnypodcast@gmail.com.
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