Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo

Neeraj: Your next comic up--Adam Pasi!

Jesus Trejo: What's it like when you're trying to make it... Adam: Comedy is the best drug I've ever had basically.

Jesus, voice-over: but you're not quite there yet?

Jesus: As comics, we are our own worst critics.

Jesus, voice-over: And part of that creative journey is also a personal one.

Adam: To protect myself and my ego, I rejected my culture.

Jesus, voice-over: And on top of it all, you're hoping your family approves.

Mom: Be nice to your mom.

Adam: There's gonna be a couple white people jokes, Mom.

Mom: Oh, you had to go there.

[Laughter] Man: I'm Jesus Trejo, and I do standup comedy, and for me, the stories behind the laughs are way better than the jokes themselves, so I'm hitting the road to understand the roots that bind all comedians together.

[Cheering and applause] [Cheering and applause] Neeraj: Before we bring up our final comic, we have another special treat.

Coming to us all the way from Los Angeles, the one and only Jesus.

[Cheering and applause] Jesus: Hello, everybody!

Crowd: Hello!

Do you realize that your decisions can affect other people's lives?

You ever think about that?

Yeah, my neighbor just put a password on the Wi-Fi.

Really messed up my life.

Jesus, voice-over: Standup comedy is hard in a lot of different ways... What's up, everybody?

How we doing?

Jesus, voice-over: but the hardest thing has to be turning your silly little jokes into an actual career, and for most comics, that takes a lot of time.

Jesus: I go to Starbucks, they have Internet there, and, um, you know, I go there.

Here's the problem.

I don't have a laptop... so I showed up with a tower, monitor, keyboard setup.

Jesus, voice-over: Choosing this life is a massive risk.

It's a grind until you hit your version of making it... [Applause] and someone still on the grind is Adam Pasi.

[Adam exhales noisily] [Laughter] First joke down.

[Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: Adam is an up-and-coming comic out of Portland, Oregon, who left his regular 9 to 5 to focus on his dream.

Adam: We're very clear on me being Samoan, yeah?

None of you thinks you're looking at an all-carbohydrates Filipino right now, do you?

[Laughter] Jesus: His observations on current events and candid personal stories have won him local comedy contests.

Man: Portland's Funniest Person, only two-time consecutive winner--Adam Pasi.

Adam: Two times.

2019, 2020.

The FDR of PFP, more terms than anyone else, and I don't walk much.

Let's go.

Jesus, voice-over: But he's yet to gain a national presence or record his first special, which are essential milestones to turning standup into a viable career.

Until then, he's out there almost every night.

Are you ready for your headliner this evening?

Jesus, voice-over: I think it's only a matter of time before Adam blows up, so I'm here in Portland because, hey, when he does, maybe he'll let me open for him one day.

Man: OK, mark.

Jesus, voice-over: Bringing in a camera crew to hang while we do something we're both terrible at has to count for something.

Adam: Ha ha ha!

Jesus: Ahh.

I hate that I'm missing all these shots on camera.

This is great.

Adam: I suck at pool.

I learned when I was, like, a kid on rec centers on bases, and I was a pretty impressive, like, 7-year-old pool player.

Problem is my game is exactly as good as it was when I was 7 years old.

Nope.

Jesus: You were on the road last night?

Adam: Yeah.

Thursday and Friday, I had shows in Seattle.

Oh, great.

How'd the shows go in Seattle?

Adam: One for two.

The first night was decent, but I got greedy and went way longer than I should have, and they were with me until they weren't, and they very much were not.

Jesus: How important is the grind for you?

I like the all-in every day of it.

I actually start to freak out if I don't get onstage for more than two days, start to, like, itch a little bit.

My girlfriend is an atheist who believes in ghosts... [Laughter] which is not how you do either of those things.

You got to pick a team, Susan.

You can't just run around... telling people you're a vegan that only eats chicken nuggets.

That doesn't make any sense.

As far as the hour itself, I'm trying to figure out how much and what I want to put out.

Like, I've got a 30.

How many in are you?

Jesus: I did my first hour with Showtime.

I taped it November 2, 2019, at the El Portal Theatre.

I just wish I was tougher, man.

About a year ago, I do a show in L.A.

I do a show at the Comedy Store, and I'm walking home.

It's about 1:00 a.m., right?

I'm about to cross the corner, and I see a guy on the corner I'm about to cross into, right?

And I see him--big pants, tight wife beater, tattoos, muscles.

Nice guy, you know?

So I see him.

I keep my head down.

I want no smoke, you know?

So I keep walking, I'm walking.

As soon as I get in front of him, the first thing he tells me, he goes, "Hey, homey, you a ..." And I didn't know if it was an old friend or a psychic, but this guy knew me.

I obsessed over, like, putting the hour together, so I was working it out at the Store.

I need to run it.

Adam: You got all the pieces, but you need to see how they fit.

Jesus: Exactly.

So basically, what I was doing, I worked out the hour in 15-minute chunks.

I would rotate these 4 sets over and over, get to sharpen them, take words out, you know, and that way it feels like you have a closer every 15.

How are you breaking it down?

Adam: I was thinking of that.

I feel like I should know that already.

Jesus, voice-over: I sympathize with Adam.

I remember those early days, trying to piece everything together from my material to simply how this industry works, and a big turning point for me was when I performed in front of my parents for the first time.

They weren't super thrilled with my pursuit as it suddenly became very real, and Adam is about to go through that himself.

-So this is the first time... -Seeing me live.

that they will see you live.

What comes up for you knowing that they're gonna be in the audience?

Adam: Um, I already walked a couple jokes by my mom about my dad, saying just, like, "Can his ego handle this in front of people?"

And she's like, "No, no, no.

Maybe," and so I'm hyped.

-That's really cool.

-I might cry.

I don't know.

We'll see how it goes.

Jesus: Were your parents, like, always supportive of your decision to be a comedian?

Adam: It's the first thing they've really ever seen me throw myself into.

Like, I was a CNA for a while, and I was good at that, but I had no ambitions to do anything else in the medical field, so comedy is kind of the first thing with a true goal that I've really stuck with.

It's like the best drug I've ever had, basically, -but in a good way.

-Right.

It pushes me to better myself.

Jesus: When we make the run for the shows, today's a 3 mic in 1 night grind.

Adam: Yeah.

Jesus, voice-over: And now a day in the life of an up-and-coming comic.

3 sets, 3 very different rooms all across town with not that much time in between.

Adam Pasi, everybody.

Jesus, voice-over: The grind can sound like an impossible challenge, especially when you look back on it at the end of the night.

Jesus: So we started off today at a show in broad daylight.

Woman: Hey, everybody.

Are you ready for some standup?

[Cheering and applause] Jesus: Outdoor show in the back of a brewery.

Leikam Brewery, "Sorry Not Sorry," my homegirl's show.

Woman: Our first comic, he is amazing.

He's won all the accolades.

I love him so much.

Make some noise for Adam Pasi.

Adam: That was actually way better than I thought it would be because it's outdoor comedy, which is always an uphill climb.

Those laughs will dissipate in the air real quick.

Julia and I are very close.

We have a trauma bond.

We went through a hard time together.

One time, she and I were standing side by side, and a friend of ours said we looked like "Monsters, Inc." [Laughter] My name is Adam, and I get nervous around drag queens because I've always been intimidated by hot ladies, and to me, a drag queen is just a hot lady who can probably beat me up... [Laughter] which makes them even hotter ladies in my book.

Jesus: The next one after that was... Adam: Yeah, the Helium.

Jesus: Nailed it.

Adam: A roast is easy pickings.

Like, everything's pretty primed, and also, I had Shain backing me up, which helps.

Shain: So I brought my dear friend Adam Pasi out here.

What Adam and I are gonna do right now--mostly Adam-- is we've had this fun tradition where we get up here, and we roast all the contestants... Adam: That's not what we do.

Shain: That you've seen so far.

So the first person Adam Pasi has notes on is Danelle Porter, everybody.

Give it up here for Danelle Porter.

Adam: You'll notice Danelle was dressed in the H&M Sidepiece collection, which is lovely.

[Laughter] Danley made me want to call him Sally Hefty Raphael.

[Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: You coming in, you didn't have much time to write those jokes.

You had the span of however long the show was.

Shain: I like that old-... reference.

Adam: I really do have old references tonight.

Shai: You're old as ... Adam: I wrote these jokes on separate drinking fountains.

All right.

[Laughter] Jesus: And the last one was here at... Adam: Al's Den.

Jesus: Al's Den.

Man: What's going on, Al's Den?

How you guys feeling tonight?

Adam: That's a pretty prime comedy environment down there-- low ceiling, tighter room.

Man: Adam Pasi!

Adam, voice-over: So I thought the night would go the opposite the way it went because Leikam I was happy after, and the last one I hated.

Good friend of mine is an esthetician or an anesthesiologist.

[Light laughter] I get those mixed up.

Coming out here and now as just gay is like coming out to your family as a PlayStation 3.

You're not supposed to say anything!

And I'm not.

I'm breaking rules.

Sir.

[Laughter] Jesus: Every comic is not immune to, like, a bomb or something, not that this was a bomb.

This is so far away from a bomb, but does a rough set affect you in the same way that it did early on when you started?

Adam: No.

Right now, I'm just angry with myself, but I will get over this anger way faster.

I don't know if y'all know this about yourselves, but you people, Caucasian, smell bad when you get wet.

[Laughter] It's real.

Jesus: I honestly am not just saying this because the cameras are rolling.

That was not a bad set.

Sometimes as comics, we are our own worst critics.

-Yeah, for sure.

-So it's, like, when you get off, you're looking for something, you're chasing the dragon, so if you don't come back with the dragon's head...

I love chasing the dragon.

you're not gonna be happy.

Y'all, my name's Adam Pasi.

Thank you so much for coming out.

Enjoy the rest of the show.

Adam, voice-over: I have learned over the years, like, that's not all I'm gonna feel about tonight, and also, one of the dope things about it is, like, we're Sisyphus.

I'm gonna get up tomorrow and do it again.

Hi, guys.

Hi, all of you.

Woman: Hi, cousin.

Jesus, voice-over: After an up-and-down night on the grind, the support of your family can go a long way.

Adam: Hi, Mom.

You get hugged, too, because I love you.

Jesus, voice-over: And while his parents have never seen him perform, it certainly seems like Adam is surrounded by a lot of love.

Woman: Hey!

Jesus, voice-over: There's nothing like a good hug fest to start off a family barbecue.

Man: How you doing, Adam?

Adam: Really good, man.

So these are basically my dad's siblings.

-Nice.

-Every above-60 person here who's not white is one of my dad's siblings.

Jesus: I have a big family, as well.

Like, from my mom's side-- I don't really know, like, my dad's side as much, but, like, getting together and the kids running around, and, you know, it was great.

My grandmother had 21 kids.

[Laughter] I asked my grandma--I said, "What made you stop at 21?

You could have kept going."

She's like, "Well, nobody hits on 21.

That's blackjack."

[Laughter] I've always liked having a family because we moved every, like, 3 or 4 years.

My dad was in the Army, so I grew up mostly the East Coast and Germany, and so, like, every time, I had to go and make friends and make friends again.

I grew up an outsider, too.

Like, not only am I half white, but I didn't grow up around Samoan family.

These guys all grew up in Samoa, and then my mom's family was always here, so I got to see a lot more of them.

My mom's white, my dad's Samoan.

That second part's quite obvious.

[Laughter] There's not a lot of ways I can go with this look.

[Laughter] I'm either Samoan or I'm the Little Rascals stacked up trying to sneak into a buffet.

[Laughter] As a younger man, I think to protect myself and my ego, I rejected my culture.

It was like, "I don't know this thing because I don't need to know this thing."

Man: Put your hands together.

Adam, voice-over: It's something I never corrected until now.

Leo coming into my life has been huge for that.

He's given me access to my culture that I probably wouldn't get elsewhere.

Leo: Yeah.

Adam: Leo messaged me a couple months ago basically saying, "Yo, I heard you're "a Samoan comic in Portland.

"I want to get in the game.

Do you have any advice?"

And I kind of messaged him back, and I got to know him.

Me and Leo just met a couple months ago, and I really like hanging out with him because when he stands behind me, it looks like I'm astral projecting.

[Laughter] It's pretty cool.

People think I have powers now around town.

I've met, like, 3 other Samoan comics.

That includes trips to Hawaii, that includes trips to L.A., where we are out there, but I'm just not seeing us onstage.

My friend says, "Adam, I bet if you go to Samoa "and you go to a nightclub in Samoa, at the nightclub, "at the door, you will see a bouncer letting in a long line of even more bouncers."

[Laughter] How long have you been in comedy now?

-Since March.

-That's great.

Yeah.

I'm a big dude.

I'm Samoan and Tongan.

Man: Yay!

Yeah.

It's nice to have the whole population of Polynesia in Portland in this room right now.

Adam: Not to say that, like, I have everything, but anything I can use in my experience that'll benefit him, I want to do that, and at the same time, I didn't grow up around other Samoans.

I don't speak the language barely.

And, Leo, do you speak the language?

-Fluently.

Yeah.

-You speak it fluently?

-Yeah.

I used to live in Samoa.

-OK.

Thank you very much.

Leo, voice-over: When I was there, I took a deep dive into our culture, learned the language, learned our history.

You know, we get called Hawaiian so many times, and it's like there's so many uneducated people out there who don't understand that we're different, and then when I met him, you know, it was one of those "You teach me how to be a comic, "and I'll shoot you this little knowledge about our culture."

-That's great.

-Yeah.

So it's a symbiotic relationship really, you know?

Jesus: Yeah, no, it sounds like, you know, a rising tide mentality of, like, "Hey, let's go up together," especially somebody that you see yourself reflected in, you know, so... And also, the fun part is we've been introducing each other as cousin, but he just found out at the table-- I just found out we're actually cousins.

-You're actually cousins?

-Yes.

-You just found out right now?

-I just found out.

-Get out of here.

-No.

With us, -it's always a possibility.

-Yeah.

-It's a small island, bro.

-Very small.

Yeah.

Jesus: Oh, man, that's amazing.

Can't wait to see you out on the comedy circuit, man.

Thanks, actual cousin.

[Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: Cookouts are great for catching up with family--even the people you didn't even know you were related to-- but the main reason you're there is to get your grub on.

Jesus: Oh, that's fire.

Adam: Mm-hmm.

Jesus, voice-over: But a cookout isn't complete without chopping it up with the heads of the family.

Adam: Ha ha ha!

Jesus: What was Adam like as a kid?

Dad: Adam was actually a practice kid.

I got in trouble a lot because some of my methods -she didn't approve off.

-Yeah.

Adam: Oh, yeah.

This dude used to drop me for pushups anywhere.

All the cousins still remember one time at a gas station in Sacramento-- I messed up.

I had to do a hundred pushups in the parking lot.

Dad: He went through a lot.

It was hard for me, I think, from the beginning, but he was always a people person.

I mean, Adam would just walk into a crowd and become friends with everybody.

Like, when we used to fly, he'd be circling the whole plane as soon as you could walk, and he would talk to people that-- Kind of scary.

We didn't know what he was telling.

Jesus: Yeah!

Dad: No, because he'll talk about stuff about the family he's not supposed to.

No filter.

Adam: Glad I don't do that anymore.

I'm an uncle.

You don't have to clap for that.

I had nothing to do with it.

[Laughter] It'd be weird if I did.

Yeah.

Even if it's just me holding a bedroom door closed, yelling out, "No condoms!"

Don't do that by the way.

You will be asked to leave Thanksgiving dinner.

They don't like that.

Dad: When he told me that he left his regular job to be a comedian, I said, "Oh, my goodness."

You know, he was working, he had a really good job, and I thought he's got a good career, but that was my main concern with the kids is make sure you get a job that could take care of you.

Can you really make a living out of it?

And I wanted you to have a good life, I wanted you to enjoy life, and you got to have a good job to get all that stuff.

Jesus: Yeah, it's so funny, like, hearing this conversation.

It's, like, a conversation that is all too familiar to me and having it with my mom and dad.

You know, initially, I may not have had the support I wanted or was seeking out of my parents because they were worried.

Like, I remember telling my dad-- I know nothing about fatherhood-- I don't have kids of my own-- but I said, you know, "I picture fatherhood "as a lot like building a boat, right?

"You spent years working on this boat, 18 years per se, right?

"You're working on this boat, you're sanding it, "you're painting it, you're putting whatever it needs to catch sail and float."

I said, "You've done the work.

"Like, I hope that you can trust that you did everything "you could with what you had for this boat to set sail, "and it's, like, that's for me to figure out how to use the sail."

Mom: Well, my philosophy as a parent has been showing them, not telling them, and knowing that we all have to make our own mistakes because that's the way we learn best.

Jesus: You got to be proud.

I mean, he's doing so great.

He's so well-respected, he's so funny.

Like, what comes up for you?

He's just the young man I love, so, yeah.

Gotcha, didn't I?

Ha ha ha!

I've always wanted all of my children to be good citizens, just good, kind people, accepting people, and if they were happy and good, kind people, then that's all that matters to me... Jesus: Yeah.

Mom: and he is that, so... Jesus: Tonight, the show is gonna be a clean show.

Tonight will be the first time seeing him onstage.

Anything in particular you're looking forward to?

Just finally getting to go see him.

Jesus: You being at his show for the first time, I think, that's a big, big deal in a comic's journey.

Mom: Yeah, it is.

Mom: Be nice to your mom.

Jesus: Ha ha ha!

Adam: There's gonna be a couple white people jokes, Mom.

-Just a heads up.

-Oh, gosh.

You had to go there.

[Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: It's crazy how similar Adam's and my story are when it comes to our careers and our parents, and I'm glad these stories are being told because it's relatable to so many comedians out there, but I'm also glad the first performance in front of my folks is behind me... Jesus: Welcome, welcome.

Come on in.

Have a seat.

Jesus, voice-over: unlike Adam, who still has to walk out onto that stage and see his parents staring back at him.

I don't envy him at all.

Neeraj: Folks... [Applause] the highlight of the evening is one of my favorite people in town.

He's one of my mentors in comedy.

I've always looked up to this guy.

He's one of the best on the West Coast.

Please put it together for the unforgettable Adam Pasi.

[Cheering and applause] Keep it going for Neeraj, Leo, and Jesus Trejo, everybody.

I'm Samoan.

I'm also half white, though, but onstage, I tend to talk more about the Samoan stuff because that's what...took.

Like, none of you saw me take the mic out of the stand and braced yourself for some hardcore Irish comedy, did you?

I used to card people for alcohol, which makes sense, but I also carded people for CBD.

Are y'all familiar with the hardcore street drug... [Laughter] CBD?

Jesus: Adam, how'd you feel seeing Mom and Dad up there?

It was fun.

It was fun, though I was keenly aware of which jokes they were and were not laughing at.

-Oh, man.

-Apparently, my dad doesn't know a lot about CBD.

I thought opioids were the problem.

Turns out diet weed is where we got to lock it down... [Laughter] because my old boss was scared some kid's gonna go behind the gym and get a teensy bit more ready for bed than he was a half-hour ago.

Mom: I didn't know you had that many clean jokes.

Jesus: That's great.

Adam: I cut it short, Ma.

I had so much more stuff about the kids.

[Laughter] My brother closest to me in age, he has 8 children because that's what you get when you mess with Samoans.

Also, he married a Mormon lady.

That might be part of it, too.

He married a Mormon lady.

Wonderful Mormon lady with semiautomatic reproductive organs.

Pow!

Every year firing another one.

My youngest brother only has one baby, but to make up for it, his kid weighed 10 1/2 pounds when he was born because that's what you get when you mess around with Samoans.

Y'all, my name is Adam Pasi.

Thank you so much for coming out and supporting this.

[Cheering and applause] Mom and Dad, I love you.

Thank you, guys.

Have a great rest of your night.

Neeraj: One more time for the one and only Adam Pasi.

Jesus: How cool is this?

Adam: Man, we're Portlanding real hard today.

Jesus: Yeah!

Adam: Swimming dogs on a overcast day in the park.

Jesus: So last night, once the cameras were off and everything was being taken down, like, it was a special moment.

-Your dad... -Mm-hmm.

as I was saying good-bye, goes, "This was really cool.

This was really special."

He's like, "I'm gonna support my son more and come out to more shows."

Adam: It became tangible last night.

I definitely got a feel like that from him, like, "OK. You are doing something.

-You're not just out."

-Right.

Adam: Yeah.

I'm really happy with how last night went.

Jesus: Yeah, I'm happy for you.

That was really exciting to be a fly on the wall and witness that.

What has been the process for you reconnecting with your culture?

Adam: Actually, my dad, we're planning a trip to Samoa in 3 years, and my goal is to speak fluent enough Samoan.

I'm moving at a faster rate towards my culture than I have at any other point in my life, I believe.

Agnostic is when your skepticism towards God matches with how much you don't like to read.

Adam, voice-over: Kind of like how this is getting my name in places where my name wouldn't be.

I'd like to do for people what you're doing -for me right now.

-Hmm.

People have helped me and been able to elevate me.

I'd like to be able to elevate others.

-Rising tide... -Floats all ships.

We're doing it.

Jesus, voice-over: The life of a comic is not for everyone.

For those who throw caution to the wind to chase their dreams onstage, the hurdles in front of you can take many forms, especially if you're just learning about who you are while finding your voice, and while it may take time to make a living, being kind and open to learning from others costs you nothing.

Most of all, it's important to remember that while the grind can get you down, there's always a next show.

[Bicycle bell rings] [Jesus quacking] Adam: Dude, your animal call game is pretty legit.

Thank you, man.

Thank you.

Adam: That's taro.

Jesus: It's like a yucca.

Adam: Mm-hmm.

And this is a turkey tail.

Jesus: This is a traditional Samoan dish?

I don't know if it's from the island, but it might be just from us here.

Jesus: All right.

That's good.

Poultry oxtail.

Like, super fatty.

-Ooh!

That's good.

-Mm-hmm.

Oh, that's where it's at.

This turkey tail is amazing.

I would do it a disservice if I described it.

It's really good.

What'd you say this was?

Adam: It's from the part of the island known as Panda Express.

Jesus: Ha ha ha!