Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo

Man: Eeland Stribling.

[Cheering and applause] Trejo: is rivaled by your passion for the outdoors...

I'm an environmental educator.

I have a degree in wildlife biology.

I teach kids about nature and animals and wildlife.

What we're trying to do is make the outdoors accessible.

[All shout indistinctly] Trejo: in a place not known for diversity?

Man: The crowd will tighten up just if you bring up being a person of color.

Stribling: And then they put their guns on the table.

-Ha ha!

-Yeah.

Trejo: Could all of this redefine what it means to be a fish out of water?

-There's a fish!

-We got one.

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] Man: I'm about to bring up our final comic for the evening.

I need you guys to make sure you guys press the decibels on this one, all right?

This guy, best guy.

I love him so much... Stribling: When I first started with comedy, I was trying to be like the comedians I looked up to.

Like, the comedians, I was like, "Oh, I'm going to be like this.

I'm going to be like this."

But I think as I just grow as a person, comedy is helping me find who I am and then I get to, like, take that back onstage.

It's like being onstage is, like, the truest version I get to be of myself, that I get to share.

So, it's like when I'm onstage, I get to say or think or feel however I want and, like, express that how I can.

I want to be a comic that can walk into any club, any theater, any room and just be a great comedian.

Man: Eeland Stribling.

[Cheering and applause] Stribling: I just read this animal fact about polar bears.

There is a female polar bear, right?

There's a female polar bear who only has sex-- like, she prefers to mate with only male brown bears... [Laughter] and that's my favorite polar bear.

[Laughter] Trejo, voice-over: What makes great comedy?

For me, it usually comes from something real, something from my own life.

Long Beach is beautiful.

It's a beautiful town, man.

One of my fondest memories is getting chased by a crackhead, you know.

[Laughter] It was great, man.

If you know anything about crackheads, you know that they have an infinite amount of energy.

They don't get tired, they're skinny and aerodynamic.

But sometimes the environment that best inspires a comedian is, well, the actual environment.

Deep in the heart of the Rockies, you can find one of the hottest up-and-coming comics in America-- Eeland Stribling.

One time I asked the girl, I was like, "Hey, do you like chocolate?"

She's like, "Is it gluten-free?"

I was like, "I don't know."

[Laughter] Trejo: He's also the first comic I know of who's an environmental biologist.

Standup comedy is an art form that brings people from different walks of life to it.

You know, with Eeland, it's like you learn that he's a biologist, and I'm not surprised because sometimes you find out really cool things about comedians like that and you're like, "Oh, man."

Like, "Wait, you did this?

You did that?"

He has this, like, plethora of knowledge for all things outdoors, and his approach to comedy is likely different than most, and to take those skill sets and bring them into comedy, that's pretty cool.

I work for Colorado Parks and Wildlife now and I rescue bears.

I worked on this bear case where we relocated the bear who had broken into a dispensary.

Did you guys hear about this?

And the person over dispatch calls me and goes, "Yeah, there's a black bear that's broke into a dispensary."

I was like, "You don't have to say, "Black bear.""

[Laughter] "There's only one species of bear in Colorado."

Trejo: You would think he finds all of his material in jokes about nature, but really, his comedy goes much deeper.

Do you know Compton's being gentrified right now?

Like, they have a yoga studio and a Starbucks.

Like, it's over.

[Laughter] In 5 years, there's going to be some white girl like, "Yeah, I do yoga in Compton."

I'm going to be like, "Oh, where my cousin died?

Oh, OK." I'm just--it's a joke.

It's a joke.

He died in Chicago.

Trejo: Now, many folks claim to be outdoor enthusiasts, but in a world full of eco bragging, Eeland's actions do the talking.

Woman: How do I bring it in?

Trejo: He's not just shouting his love for nature from the mountaintops, he's living it, one act of change at a time.

What's the name of this river?

Stribling: So, this is the South Platte.

The South Platte sort of originates in the mountains in Colorado, and then this runs right through the heart of Denver.

Like, it runs past the Bronco Stadium, where the Nuggets are playing, so, it runs through the city.

Trejo: Tell me a little bit about what you do in this area.

Stribling: We do cleanup days, we do fishing clinics.

It's like this thing about accessibility that I'm trying to, like, get to people is that you don't have to, like, go super far to catch, like, a big fish.

Just go and do it.

I've definitely done that.

I've done that before shows.

Trejo: Really?

OK. Stribling: I'm like, "Man, I have a show in, like, an hour."

I'm like, "I could go fish on my way to the show."

And then literally pull over, I'm like, I have clothes in to, like, do a comedy show and then I fish, wash my hands, and then go to the show.

It feels like a dirty little secret.

Trejo: Nobody knew that you were in half overalls.

Stribling: Yeah.

People were talking to me and I'm like, "You don't even know what I was just doing."

Trejo: You don't even know what I caught.

Stribling: And there's trash everywhere all the time.

Fishing is sort of a consumption activity.

Like, I'm taking from the environment sometimes, so, if I could, like, do my best to, like, help clean up, like, that's, like, the least I could-- you know, the least I could do.

I am an environmental educator.

I have a degree in wildlife biology.

I teach kids about nature and animals and wildlife and stuff.

I work in foster schools in Denver, and I love my foster kids because they're, like, gangster and they're progressive at the same time.

Like, they're--they're, like, very progressive, but they're, like, bullies about it.

Like, I was walking in the hallway and one of my students said to my other student-- she goes, "Hey, what are your pronouns?"

And this other kid goes, "He, him," and she just goes, "Nah, you a ..." [Laughter] Trejo: Hello, you guys.

Stribling: Hello.

Child: Hi.

Stribling: Good morning.

Trejo: Hello.

High-fives.

Trejo, voice-over: Today, Eeland has recruited family members and some folks from the community... Oh, OK, head butt.

I'll take it.

Trejo, voice-over: to help clean up the river.

Trejo: Who's excited to pick up trash?

Child: Me.

Trejo: Yeah!

So, Eeland, what are we going to get into?

I'm excited.

Stribling: So, we're going to clean up trash along the South Platte River here.

We have, like, a section that we've picked out.

Everyone has their trash pickers.

1, 2, 3.

All: Save the river!

Stribling: Let's go.

Let's find some trash.

All right, let's do it, kiddos.

Child: All this trash is crazy.

Eeland: That's trash.

That's a good find.

Child: When you guys do this again, make it competition-based because kids will do anything to win.

Trejo: A prize, a badge.

Child: Yeah.

Advice from a kid's perspective.

Trejo: I feel like this should be a no-brainer program.

Like, high school kids or something, before you graduate, you got to have X amount of community service hours.

Stribling: Yeah.

Trejo: What was your degree again?

Stribling: So, my degree was conservation and wildlife biology was, like, my focus.

I've always loved animals, I've always loved, you know, wildlife.

My name Eeland actually means largest African antelope.

Trejo: Wow.

Stribling: Yeah.

So, my grandfather was a biologist, and he named me.

Trejo: Is that where you got the bug?

Stribling: He sparked that bug in me of...not even bug, just, like, I think I was just born to, like, just be a part of this natural space.

My best moments are doing this sort of stuff and onstage.

Those are, like, the two moments where I, like, feel... Trejo: In the zone... Stribling: Yeah, like, the happiness.

Yeah.

They're good kids.

You know, they're trying their best.

I love teaching them about different species of stuff.

There's a plant called the Canadian Gooseberry, right?

And on the plant it's green on top and underneath it has, like, little bumps.

Japritti canadensis, that's the Latin name, right?

Later in the day, I'm asking my students, I was like, "Hey, do you remember what that plant is called?"

And one of my students just goes, "She pretty, huh?"

[Laughter] Trejo: Do you talk about this side of yourself onstage?

Do you feel like you bring it onstage enough?

Stribling: No, I wouldn't say I talk about myself like this onstage.

I tell people I work with kids, but I don't want to, like, virtue signal and be like, "I clean up."

Trejo: You're instilling a very cool thing in the youth by doing stuff like this.

Stribling: Yeah.

It doesn't have to be anything like I'm planting a forest or anything.

It can literally just be picking up trash.

Trejo: I've collected a bunch of stuff.

Cigarette butts.

Child: I got a ketchup packet.

Trejo: That's the rare one.

I was looking for that one.

Stribling: It's like Pokmon Go, but for trash.

Trejo: I know.

Just-- you got to catch them all.

Trejo, voice-over: One thing that's better than catching wild Pokmon is catching real fish in the wild, and all we have to do is follow the river we just cleaned up into the mountains.

So, what is this stuff here?

Stribling: Those are dry fly.

Those are made to look like grasshoppers.

So, this lands on the surface of the water, and then the fish is like, "Oh, this is easy."

like, "This is a good meal."

Boom.

Trejo: So, what's the process of you, like, picking out a lure?

Stribling: It's kind of like standup.

You do a joke and you're like, "Oh, OK. "They kind of like this part, but maybe if I make it shorter, if I make it smaller, they'll like it more."

Trejo: So, you're basically putting together your set list right here is that we're going to start big and then you go to this.

Stribling: Yep.

And then we'll probably add one more, you know, just to see if we can close it out.

Trejo: What if we get a heckling bug that just lands and it's a real one?

Stribling: Ha ha!

I mean, we'll take whatever we can get.

We're not picky at all.

Trejo: This is my first time, really like... Yeah, first time ever, ever fly fishing was, like, growing up in Long Beach, we used to go to Redondo Beach Pier and I love fishing so much that in middle school, my science fair project was what bait works best at Redondo Beach Pier?

Stribling: Nice.

Trejo: My parents were like, "You're fishing every day."

I'm like, "Hey, I need to get data."

Stribling: This is research.

Trejo: This is research.

Stribling: I got you waders.

Trejo: Got a maternity one?

Stribling: Yeah.

Trejo: For my belly.

Stribling: Take off your shoes.

So, you just have your socks on and then slide in.

Trejo: All right.

Stribling: And what size shoe do you wear?

Trejo: 12.

Or as my dad likes to say, clown and a half.

Stribling: Clown and a half.

Trejo: Payaso y medio.

Nice and snug.

This is, like, perfect.

I feel good.

Stribling: We're going to head down to the water.

Trejo: Let's do it.

Stribling: We're actually fishing the South Platte.

So, this is still the same river that we were cleaning up.

Trejo: The same river that we were over there?

Stribling: Yep.

The one that runs through downtown Denver.

Today we're going to be fishing for trout.

Trejo: Trout, OK. Stribling: Rainbow trout, brown trout.

Trout, they're lazy.

You can imagine you're sitting in a drive-thru.

They're sitting in a drive-thru waiting for food to come to them.

Trejo: Sounds like me in my teen years, you know what I mean?

I remember once my dad telling me that I'm lazy and if I was a Transformer, I'd be a futon.

[Laughter] It's like, who writes that on a birthday card, you know?

[Laughter] Stribling: We can probably start here.

Trejo: Let's do it.

Stribling: Ooh wee!

Oh, my goodness.

Trejo: Oh, my God, you saw that?

Was the fish already on it?

Stribling: Ha ha!

Trejo: You put the fish on there... Stribling: No.

Trejo: It was like a magnet.

Nah, bro.

You had the fish on there already.

Stribling: This is a rainbow trout.

Usually I catch and release unless I'm going camping.

Bye, buddy.

[Kiss] Trejo: And you got to kiss the fish before you throw it back?

Stribling: I kiss it just out of respect, like thank you.

Yeah.

Just like after a date.

We may not see each-- Trejo: Little smoocharoo.

Stribling: We may not see each other later, but let's enjoy this moment.

Trejo: Keep it cool.

That was incredible.

Let's keep it going.

What does this give you that the stage doesn't?

Stribling: I feel like I'm a part of something.

Right now, we're a part of the ecosystem.

So, we're walking in the water, and we're kicking up bugs and gravel and stuff, and there's fish downstream that are eating what we're picking, so, we're like-- I just become, like, one of the community.

The birds, the trees, the water, the grass, the flowers.

I'm just like, I'm a part of the system.

Trejo: Could you still achieve what you're achieving onstage without having this as part of your life?

Stribling: No, because I think this is, like, my checks and balances, sort of.

Like, you come out here, I just get to be like...[exhales] This sort of balances me and then onstage I get to, like, be whatever character I decide.

I enjoyed my favorite holiday of this year.

Black Friday.

[Laughter] It was my first time Black Friday shopping.

I decided to go to Ross.

I don't know why.

[Laughter] Here's what I bought in Ross.

There was a-- I swear to God there was a little wooden sign that said, "Colored entrance only."

It seems like more of a Home Depot thing, I know.

And-- [Laughter] I bought it, took it home, put it on my front door proudly, invited all my white friends over, and made them go through the back door.

So, that was my Black Friday.

We're going to go meet the whole family.

Trejo: This is so cool.

It reminds me of, like, growing up, man.

Stribling: Yeah, this is my-- this is the--I remember in, like, fifth grade, I made a rap video to a Lil Wayne song.

Trejo: Here?

Stribling: In this garage.

And I'm, like, super scrawny and I had, like, a big hat on.

Yeah, this was it, man.

This is, like, my childhood home.

[Indistinct chatter] Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Trejo: Hello, everybody.

Stribling: Jesus, this is my mom.

Mom: Hi, Jesus.

Welcome.

How are you?

Trejo: I'm good.

Woman: I'm Hannah.

Stribling: This is my girlfriend, my baby cousin.

Trejo: What's up, man?

Stribling: That's another comedian.

Those are my brothers over there.

Trejo: Hello.

Hello.

Stribling: Jordan, Ty.

Trejo: Look at all these photos.

So, this is you.

How old are you here?

Stribling: I think that's, like, sixth grade.

Mom: You were looking at pictures on the refrigerator of Eeland, but let me show you some really cool pictures.

Trejo: Let me see some cool pictures.

Mom: This is him when he was 3 months old.

Trejo: I love it.

Mom: This is him and my daughter.

Trejo: Oh, nice.

Mom: I know.

This is... Trejo: Look at the tie and everything.

Mom: I know.

Because he had to wear a shirt and tie to school when he was in elementary school.

Do you remember that?

Stribling: Yep.

Mom: I taught him how to tie a tie.

As a single mom, I made sure he had what he needed.

Every time I see him now he's looking like a mountain man.

Stribling: Yeah.

I'm in the woods.

I don't need ties in the woods.

Trejo: Did he have a love for the outdoors at this age?

When did you start seeing it?

Stribling: Watching TV with Gramps, him telling me about nature.

Mom: His interest in animals came from my stepdad.

He's literally on his chest at 3 months old and he's watching the Animal Planet.

But when he started going to college, he actually was going for veterinary medicine.

And then he's like, "I don't want to be in the lab all day."

Trejo: Want to be outside.

Mom: Yeah.

And that's when it changed to wildlife biology.

Stribling: Yeah.

Mom: This is his high school portrait when he graduated from high school.

Trejo: You know what I love about this photo?

That it's nice and clean.

You know what my high school portraits say?

Mom: What?

Trejo: Proof.

Proof.

Proof.

Proof Mom: Why?

Because you didn't buy them?

Trejo: My mom didn't buy them.

She's like, "I got one."

She couldn't afford it, so she's like, "Hey, we got one."

And in a frame you have my photo and it says, "Proof" over the top of it, like, "That's proof that you graduated."

Stribling: I was going to say, "Yeah, you made it, man."

You made it.

Trejo: I made it.

[Indistinct chatter] Mom: All right, Jesus, have you had soul food before?

Trejo: I have.

I'm excited to try yours.

This is amazing.

Mom: All right.

I know we're trying to welcome summer.

With the rain outside, we just kind of improvised.

So, that's why we are in the garage.

Trejo: The food is amazing.

The mac and cheese is next level.

Stribling: Can I have some of your mac and cheese?

Mom: You always can have some mac and cheese.

Trejo: I love that.

A mom is always going to say, "Yes."

Stribling: Only the mac and cheese.

Only the mac and cheese.

Trejo: That right there I feel like just teleported us to young Eeland going, "Can I have some of your mac and cheese?"

and Mom going of course you can Mom: You can have whatever you want.

Trejo: When Eeland comes to you and says, "Hey, I want to be a standup comedian," what was your first thought?

Were you supporting, were you on board?

Mom: He didn't even ask me if...that's the problem.

Trejo: So, when you found out that he was a standup comedian, what--like, came to mind?

Mom: I was at everything.

Stribling: I really want a family.

I really want babies.

I have baby fever, you know, but you're not allowed to say that as a man, you know.

Like, If a woman says, like, "I have baby fever," people are like, "Oh, my God, you should have a baby.

Like, that's so lovely."

You know, if I say, "I have baby fever," people are like, "He should ... go to jail, you know, like right now."

Mom: We went to his very first paid comedy performance up in Fort Collins.

I do have a picture.

I actually had it framed.

They paid him $20 and he gave it to me.

Stribling: Yeah, and I was like, "I've made it."

Trejo: Yeah.

[Mom laughs] I really enjoy doing the standup comedy, and I started when I was at CSU.

I graduated from CSU.

[Audience cheering] Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah.

It wasn't that hard.

I-- On my last day before graduation, I was leaving the library and this guy came up to me.

He's like, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

I'm like, "Absolutely."

He's like, "Do you believe in heaven and hell?"

And I'm like, "100%."

He's like, "God forbid, I don't want this to happen, but "God forbid if you're walking across the street and you got hit by a bus, where do you think you would go?"

I was like, "I don't know.

30 feet down the road.

"Like, how... how fast is the bus moving, you know?"

Trejo: Take it from me.

When there's free food, there's always comedians around.

Like B.K.

Sharad and Sammy Anzer.

Is there kind of, like, a style that identifies a Denver comic?

Like, if you were to run into somebody in New York or L.A., you're like, "Oh, that's got to be a Denver comic."

Man: That's a great question.

Trejo: Just by, like, the style?

Stribling: I think we all have different styles of the way we tell jokes.

He's more of, like, a poetic educator.

And then this guy, so, it's like... [Laughter] I think a lot about what happens after you die.

For me, I grew up Hindu, so, I thought reincarnation sounds cool, right?

And I was like, if I can come back as anything, I would love to come back, like, as a white lady's dog.

[Laughter] So that way I can still go to breweries.

[Laughter] Trejo: What is it like to be a person of color here in a comedy scene in Denver?

Stribling: There's not a lot of us, but that's just, like, Denver-- that's just Colorado in general.

I think being a person of color in some certain cities in Colorado is really hard because the crowd will tighten up just if you bring up being a person of color.

Stribling: They're like, "Ew," they're like, "Don't say it."

Sharad: It's not even the joke.

Even the joke, it could be very funny and positive, but they just don't want to appear-- Stribling: Then they put their guns on the table.

Sharad: Yeah, yeah.

Trejo: It's selective listening, right?

Stribling: I mean, it's a lot of fun to make fun of white people, but, I mean, I wouldn't say it's, like, the base of our comedy.

I think we look at relationships with race.

I was doing research and I heard that you guy-- I heard that white people are going extinct.

You know, they say every year there's less and less white people, and one day we're going to run out of white people.

And as someone who cares about conservation and the environment... [Laughter] I'm like, "Yo, I think we have to save the white people," you know?

Like, I don't want to go to the museum in, like, 20 years, I'm there with my beautiful son and my son's like, "Daddy, what's that?"

And I'm like, [Exhales] "That's a white person, son.

Um"... Yeah, man, they used to be everywhere."

[Laughter] Trejo: Is there any, like, desire to move to, like, a bigger market?

Like your L.A. and New Yorks.

Stribling: I need, like, trees and space and, like, oxygen.

Mom: L.A. doesn't have that.

Something that's not concrete.

Trejo: So, for you, it sounds like it's very important, the life outside of the stage, right?

It's like you need that to kind of feed your comedy.

Stribling: Yeah.

I love standup comedy.

I love the art of it.

It's, like, the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, but I need to be away from it also to enjoy it.

Trejo: This is such a big part of your life and such an amazing feeling.

Why don't you talk about it onstage?

Stribling: I haven't found a way to make good jokes to people who don't fish.

Trejo: I was almost wondering if it was something where you kind of-- it's private to you.

You know what I mean?

You don't bring people in on something that's so private and dear to you.

Stribling: I know.

What's there to make fun of to me?

Like, this is, like, my peace, this is my therapy, this is, like, my place to escape.

Trejo: Let's keep it going.

Stribling: Here's the motions.

We'll start from the beginning.

So, we'll go ahead, we'll cast.

Trejo: Oh, ... Stribling: We'll watch the fly.

Trejo: Gotcha.

[Laughter] Stribling: So, all we're doing is when we see that bobber dip, when we set the hook, all it is just, like, give them a lip piercing.

Like, they're, you know, it's their freshman year of college and they're trying something new.

They're just--they're getting a lip piercing, let you know what's up.

So, you'll take care of that.

Trejo: OK. Stribling: So, we're using the tension of the water.

Yup.

And now you flick it forward.

Yup, perfect.

Trejo: And-- Stribling: Oh, my goodness.

Oh, my goodness.

That's a fish!

That's a fish!

Trejo: Oh, we got one.

Stribling: Reel it, reel it, reel it, reel, reel, reel.

Yep, just like that.

Keep reeling.

Keep reeling.

Oh, my good-- Lookit, bro, you didn't even have the line in the water for, like, two seconds.

OK. All right.

Keep it just like that.

Just like that.

Just keep it-- yep, rod tip up, rod tip up.

Trejo: Oh!

Stribling: OK, OK, hold on.

Yeah!

Trejo: Yeah!

Stribling: You got the juice.

Trejo: I got the juice.

Stribling: I've taken a lot of people fishing, and I don't think anyone's ever caught a fish -on their first cast.

-That's my first cast ever.

Stribling: That's your first cast ever.

Trejo: Oh, man.

Look at the colors on it.

Stribling: We want to keep the fish in the water as long as possible.

Trejo: OK. And then we got to kiss it?

Stribling: Yep.

We're going to kiss it, so, we are going to take the fly out.

Trejo: OK. Stribling: Boom.

So, that's a brown trout.

Trejo: Ecch!

[Coughing] [Stribling laughs] That's sexy, isn't it?

Trejo: I didn't expect that.

Stribling: Also, you kissed the body.

You should have kissed the lips.

Trejo: You just said, "Kiss it."

You didn't tell me that part.

Stribling: I mean, you want to be intimate with it.

You just don't go up to someone, kiss their neck first.

You OK?

[Laughs] -This is great, man.

-That's pretty special.

People come from around the world to Colorado to, like, fish for these fish.

So, this is--you crushed it.

Trejo: I hope I didn't offend the fish.

I kiss it and--bleh!

It's like, "Hey, man, you come to my house--" Stribling: You kissing with the eyes open and you were about to throw up after.

Yeah, that fish's, like, self-esteem is all the way down.

Trejo: I get it now.

I get it after catching, it's like, that feeling is very different than, you know, fishing at a pier.

You know, I'm a city kid, so, it's completely different.

It's like a rush, and this community of fly-fishing.

What does a typical fly fisherman look like?

Stribling: So, it's the older, rich, white guy is the fly fisherman.

But that's changing to more women, more younger people.

-People of color?

-A lot, lot of people of color.

I used to think, like, "Oh, like, fly fishing isn't a thing for Black people," because I only knew my gramps who did it, but I was like... that's sort of changed-- like, the demographic of who is--who looks like the typical angler is changing.

Trejo: It's changing because, to your grandfather's point, is, like, sometimes just being exposed to it, that in itself is enough to get you going and you'll find a way to be a part of the community if it's something that really piques your interest.

Stribling: Right.

Trejo: So, your grandfather is a big influence on your love for fly-fishing, yeah?

Stribling: Yeah.

My gramps is a big influence on my love of nature and being out in the water, which I see as one and the same.

So, I mean, when he was a biologist, he was the first and only Black biologist that Colorado had ever seen.

Trejo: Really?

Stribling: So, he used to always say, "You can't be what you can't see."

So, I saw him as a nature nerd person, so, now I'm trying to be that version of that.

I'm trying to be what people can see, like, "Oh, you can be Black and, like, be a nature nerd and do standup and teach."

I'm just trying to, like, you know, do the fertile soil.

Trejo: Point people in the right direction.

Stribling: Open the door and say, like, "Hey, go through that door."

Like, that's-- that would be perfect.

Trejo: Oh, man, that was great.

Trejo, voice-over: Eeland has it all figured out.

He knows what he wants, and he's making it happen.

It's amazing to see Eeland thrive in the outdoors and onstage.

Stribling: You guys have been fantastic.

Trejo: No matter where he is, he is not a fish out of water.

He's created his own environment that feels natural to him and other kids that look like him that will follow in his footsteps.

And he reminds me that we can all be more than one thing.

For me, I'm adding fly fisherman to the list.

Both: Yeah!

Trejo: Can you tell your grandfather that I caught one on my first try?

Stribling: I won't because he'll be mad.

Trejo: Oh, he'll be mad?

Stribling: He'll be jealous.

Trejo: Really?

Stribling: That level of skill.

Trejo: Of that level of skill, but it was passed down from him.

-I'm part of the lineage.

-Ha ha ha!

Singer: I'm fishing Stribling: This is intro to fly fishing.

So, this is a fly rod.

Take a deep breath.

[Exhales] Now, when we go to cast, you're going to hold the bright green line and then we're just going to cast just like that.

So, you're just picking it up and you're laying it down.

Picking it up and laying it down.

That's all we're doing.

Ooh!

See that?

That's why we don't have hooks on these.

Jason, you caught something.

Jason: What?

Oh.

Trejo: You got me.