The Darren Levy podCARst – Details, episodes & analysis

I love the world of stand-up comedy and I admire those who pursue it as a career. My guest today is Zainab Johnson who released her first special on Amazon Prime recently. After watching it, I couldn’t get past how well she crafts a story and keeps you on the edge of your seat…all the meanwhile keeping you giggling. This is classy comedy! Whilst I was in LA, I had to meet her.

Follow Zainab:
https://www.instagram.com/zainabjohnson/?hl=en

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Today’s guest is our beloved Vicki. She was my Uber passenger in 2019, we became friends and now she is a Funny Uber Rides regular! Vicki is working on becoming a reality TV star and in today's conversation we take a deep dive into what that means and how it requires manipulation.

Follow Vicki:
https://www.instagram.com/vickimosheim_

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

My guest today is one of my nearest and dearest friends, Nikki Ruderman.

I want to introduce you all to Nikki because she represents ambition, discipline and fun really beautifully. I became close friends with Nikki about 8 years ago. I would see her regularly at gym. Any day that I went to gym, she would be there and on my off days she would also be there - lifting more than you and I combined - and usually doing it with a massive smile on her face.

As Nikki and I became best friends we began to have these incredibly thought provoking and deep conversations about life, careers and in particular, relationships. A lot of my positive attitudes towards relationships come from Nikki's insights and perspectives.

Today we dive deep into the world of commitment and dependency in relationships. Only 1 or 2 years ago, committing to someone and being dependent on them is something that I would have avoided at all costs, but now with fresh perspectives and attitudes...not so much! Enjoy the podCARst!

Follow Nikki on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nikkii.fit/?hl=en

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Today's guest is the inspiring comedian and TikTok star, Blake Pavey.

Blake grew up in Corowa, an Aussie country town, with a population of about 6000 people. When he was in year 11 he started to go viral regularly with his funny daily comedy sketches.

Blake has amassed an audience of over 700,000 people on TikTok. Can you imagine being in high school at 17 or 18 years old with a following like that? Let alone in a small country town?!

He was born with Cystic Fibrosis. This is a genetic disease that damages the lungs and digestive system. The average age expectancy of an individual with Cystic Fibrosis at the time of Blake's birth was about 35.

I'm a fan of Blake's work ethic and vision...most of all, though, I love that he is a man of his word!

A special Thank-Q to Blake for joining me today! To see more of Blake online check him on TikTok and Instagram:

Follow Blake on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@blakepavey

Follow Blake on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/blakepavey

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Today's guest is the beard-bearing, Isaac Butterfield.

Isaac is an Aussie comedian who has no trouble selling out shows when he tours. A large reason for this is because he isn't afraid of speaking his mind, which sometimes means being controversial.

As I interview more and more comedians, I'm noticing a trend in the way that they see the world of comedy. First and foremost, they want to make people laugh BUT they also possess an inner child curiously wherein if they have a crazy idea for a joke, regardless of whether it is politically correct or offensive, they have to make that joke on stage.

They just have to see what happens when they say what they are thinking. The thing is, if the crowd laughs, they have to make that joke again.

When comedians get 'cancelled', you have to understand that the jokes they are telling on stage at their filmed and planned comedy special is likely the 100th time (if not more) that they have told that particular joke to an audience. It only stays in the show if it gets the laugh and to a comedian such as Isaac Butterfield, it seems like nothing is off-limits. Laughter is king.

This is the sport of stand-up comedy. Pair that with the sport that is social media and Isaac Butterfield is someone who objectively plays the game very well.

I took Isaac from a stand-up gig to his dinner plans for the evening and we got into some fantastic and even deep conversation. Enjoy!

A special Thank-Q to Isaac for joining me today! To see when he's performing in your city check out his website below:

See Isaac perform:
https://www.isaacbutterfield.com/

Follow Isaac on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thebuttsmarn/?hl=en

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Today's guest is the delightful comedian Michael Shafar.

Michael is a talented guy. He finished high school ranked in the top .05% of the state. He studied and completed law and biomedicine only to ditch it and pursue his calling of becoming a stand-up comedian. He has been performing for 8 years and is also a writer for The Project on channel 10.

Michael has been diagnosed with testicular cancer twice and beaten it twice. He dedicated his entire 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show to raising awareness about testicular cancer. His entire hour on stage - at a comedy festival - was about his battles with cancer. I'm always impressed when people are able to bring light to a dark place. You've gotta have big ball to do that.

A special Thank-Q to Michael for joining me today! To see when he's performing in your city check out his website below:

See Michael perform:
https://www.michaelshafar.com/

Follow Michael on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/michael.shafar/

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

This week's guest is my dear friend Rachel Anderson - but on YouTube you may know her as Rachel-Lee.

I met Rach at a YouTube event and she has since become a close friend of mine. She has been making videos on YouTube for 10 years. 10 years! In the internet world that is a LONG time! Because of this though, Rach has experienced many different online niches and has pivoted her content many times based on what she is interested in. If you think about it, the lifestyle vlogger is the coolest job. One day you can just be like "hey, I like cleaning my apartment in a t-rex suit" and your core audience will be like...... "okie doke."

Earlier this year I took a holiday after burning myself out from 4 years of making content without a break and Rach helped me a lot along my journey. This is where our conversation began. Enjoy!

A special Thank-Q to Rachel for joining me today. I loved our relaxed chat!

Follow Rachel on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelleea/?hl=en

Watch Rachel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/rachelleea/

The Happy Watermelon Hat:
https://darrenhub.com/products/happy-little-watermelon-hat

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Today's guest is the very funny and insightful comedian; Joe White.

There is something incredibly wholesome about Joe's brand of humour. He mostly draws on stories of his family's immigration to Australia in his teenage years. They were refugees from Sudan living in extreme poverty. His dad was an abusive alcoholic who left his brave mother to fend for Joe and his five siblings.

What I love about today's podCARst is how the conversation flows so naturally from Joe's incredibly tough upbringing to present day, where we share our stories of past and current relationships and future exciting ambitions. The last 13-ish minutes of our conversation is my favourite!

I feel like today's episode has a little something for everyone. Enjoy!

A special Thank-Q to Joe for joining me. I loved our chat and, personally, got even more out of it when watching it through again during the editing process.

Follow Joe on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joewhite_official/

Visit Joe's website & see him perform:
https://joewhitecomedian.com/

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Today's guest is the delightful and hilarious Steph Toussat aka #TrendyBendy aka Stoussy aka Steven?!

I met Steph whilst Uber driving three years ago. She was my passenger. Since then she has been in more than 30 episodes of Funny Uber Rides which have helped tens of millions of people around the world laugh. Stoussy is a crowd favourite!

Steph has become a close friend and I adore her because what you see is what you get. She has a heart the size of Uranus, she'll keep you in hysterics and she genuinely cares.

Our conversation today comprises of a mixture of Stephisms and banter as well as deep & meaningful topics - even religion!

As always, a special Thank-Q to Steph for making my content that she appears in that extra bit more special.

Follow Steph on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stoussat/

Steph's fitness page:
https://www.instagram.com/all_about_sweat/

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Today’s guest is the proud prankster and stand up comedian, Lewis Spears. Lewis has featured in Funny Uber Rides a few times. I asked him to be a guest on the podCARst today because the way that he goes about promoting his online content and stand up comedy is very different to most people. I figured that it would be interesting to explore the mindset of someone online who is not afraid of being polarising to various audiences but with the primary intent to make people laugh.

I believe comedy is a misunderstood craft. It dates all the way back to medieval times where jesters would perform for royals and the wealthy and if they weren’t considered funny, there were severe repercussions - even death! Lewis and I explore this deeply and as bizarre as it may sound, he explains why it may even be in int he best interests for some stand up comedians to get cancelled online.

Our conversation today offers many insights into the world of stand up comedy in 2021.

Enjoy!

Special Thank-Q to Lewis for being a part of this :)

See Lewis perform live:
https://lewspears.com/

Follow Lewis on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lewspears/

Enjoyed the podCARst or have some feedback for me?
https://www.instagram.com/darrenlevyofficial

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify