PodSwap | Did Liem Smith Really Get Racially Profiled?

A PodSwap with my other podcast, Did That Really Happen?, sharing jokes and comedy of comedians connected to Vietnam.

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Ever heard a joke and wondered, “Did That Really Happen?”

Long before I ever started comedy, when I heard comedians tell the craziest, funniest stories I would always wonder just that. And if I got a chance to meet them after the show I would always ask “Did That Really Happen?” … and 9 times out of 10 the answer was “Yes!”

But the difference between sharing a story with friends and telling it on stage is a comedian’s ability to take those moments and craft them into a well worked joke. In each episode of this podcast we’ll talk to comedians from around the world, play you one of their jokes, then ask them, “Did That Really Happen?

My guest today is Liem Smith an American-born Vietnamese comic out of Dallas, TX. He’s been doing comedy for over 10 yrs all over the US and has performed in Japan and South Korea.  Listen to his joke and find out... Did that really happen?

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Transcript

naill mackay: 2:19

Ever heard a joke and wondered did that really happen My name's Niall Mackay comedian and podcast host Long before I ever started doing standup comedy When I heard comedians tell the craziest funniest jokes I would always wonder to myself did that really happen And if I got the chance to meet them after the show I would always ask them and nine times out of 10 the answer was but I learned as a comedian that the difference between sharing a story with friends and telling it on stage is the ability to take those moments and craft them into a well worked joke and it takes even more skill if it is completely made up In each episode of this podcast I'll talk to comedians from around the world play you one of the jokes and then ask them Did that really happen My guest today is an American born Vietnamese comic out of Dallas in Texas He's been doing comedy for over 10 years all over the US and has performed in Japan and South Korea My guest today is Liam Smith Thanks for coming on the show

liem smith: 3:23

Nice to meet you finally

naill mackay: 3:25

Yeah it's been a long time coming right We've been trying to set this interview up for a long

liem smith: 3:30

Yeah Yeah we have Yeah I'm glad that we finally got this going now Cause

naill mackay: 3:35

we came across each other You posted in so if anyone listens regularly you know I'm based in Vietnam and I think we came across each other You posted in Vietnam comedy groups Was that right

liem smith: 3:45

That's correct Yeah I believe it was the oi The collective group

naill mackay: 3:49

That's right That's what it was called

liem smith: 3:51

Yeah I was kinda introduced to it through Tom Rhodes whenever I used to work with him He was telling me about that scene over there and then suggested I join it And I had been part of the group for some time but I just maybe a few months ago that's when it happened was whenever I was inquiring about any kind of you know what was going on over there there were any shows opportunities things like that So and then we just kinda got hooked up at that

naill mackay: 4:22

Which was great And do you have plans to come over and perform here

liem smith: 4:27

Uh I would always love to perform overseas again yeah I just have Have it really set anything up yet And hard being in my position cuz it's I don't have like the big TV credits and things like that would guarantee a draw or like even People would want to go see me Really I'm just another comic here and I have gone and performed overseas before so I have experience there but I've never been able to even go back to well and I shouldn't even say go back I've never been to Vietnam and it would great be great to go there to perform So May perhaps in the

naill mackay: 5:08

If you ever come for a visit we'll definitely get you on a show for sure We're always at It's really exciting Now since obviously we're coming out of the other end of the pandemic and tourism's opened and the borders have opened we're now getting traveling comedians coming back which we were starved of for years here I mean luckily we've got a really good comedy scene here in Vietnam In Hanoi and Saigon like some amazing amazingly funny comedians So but it was just yeah it was just all of us for the best part of three years and then to the towards the end of last year more than 50% of the comedians that were here in Saigon ultimately left cuz we went through a really strict lockdown So that was a shame cuz some of those guys were so so And now we're just building back up We've got some new guys coming on the scene and yeah really exciting to have comedians from overseas So you you are a hugely prolific performer I follow you obviously on social media and you what is it 120 nights in a row am I right Tell us a bit more about the that Uh

liem smith: 6:09

so tonight I performed And tonight was 181 days in a row You know last night was a big milestone for me That was 180 days straight and that's not just one mic I or one show or anything like that It's I did I think 329 performances during that 180 last 180 days But yeah last six months I've gone up every single night Wow

naill mackay: 6:39

I mean I'm approaching 200 shows total in four years and I'm so proud of that I'm like Yes

liem smith: 6:46

Right Be proud of it That's still a good number Yeah Yeah I mean

naill mackay: 6:50

the way I think about it like just doing one is the most difficult right Like doing one is a huge achievement For most people anyway For me it took me seven years to finally even get the courage to get up the first time So to get on the verge of 200 now and that's all been in Vietnam And we don't have a huge amount of mics Like this is the amazing thing I hear about overseas like the fact that you can go and do multiple mics in one night and you can just get so much stage time Here we have at the moment in Saigon three open mic In a week And I think that's been about the most we've ever had was three open mics in one week So even if you wanted to perform every night here you couldn't You know

liem smith: 7:28

so either the streak ends or you guys get more mics every night Yeah exactly And then yeah because I just don't plan on ever stopping really yeah I mean it's it's not really a thing that I'm doing I just I just like to go up every night and so it's just turned into what it is now So yeah I wouldn't know what I would be doing each night if not going and telling jokes you know It's that odd So

naill mackay: 7:55

yeah it's is definitely it gets an addiction For some people I don't think I ever I've really gotten addicted but I know definitely for some people it's a huge addiction Although when I come off stage I'm like I wanna do that again

liem smith: 8:08

Right right Yeah I don't know if I classify as an addiction per se cuz I feel like an addiction has some negative connotation to it That's true That true Yeah Yeah Yeah Uh but I am very Passionate about it And I just wanna go and tell jokes every night in any capacity that I can really So that's just what I'm doing at this point And like you probably like during the pandemic I had not really perform Yeah I would say I maybe went up like three or four times during the pandemic but for Probably over like just over two years while the pandemic was really going on here I didn't really get to go up very much and so I didn't really want to go up again until that was all done to where I didn't have to wear mask during the day I didn't have to wear in the evening cuz with the times that I did go up during the pandemic and I was wearing a mask all day and then trying to go up at night like I just ended up just basically bitching about wearing a mask and it just was not fun for me

naill mackay: 9:23

You can definitely tell you from Texas then

liem smith: 9:26

Yeah right Oh yeah So once that once that ended though I started to make my way back to the stage and you know I started off pretty slow and not going all during that whole time I started going up once a week and then picked up to like two and then three and then from there it just kind of snowballed into what it is yeah I was not really planning on going up every night like that was something that like I had kind of talked to with other comics in the area and seeing what it really started off as Just an idea of like just going up 30 mics and 30 nights That was kind of the whole idea But a lot of comics Just that's a pretty big commitment to go up every night for 30 days And a lot of comics they have other priorities families jobs kids things like that And so I didn't get a lot of a lot of support or a lot of people that wanted to do that And so I didn't really go out and do that to spite them Thing I just was talking about it and then it just happened to connect one week to another And then from then on I just kept going like that I think that's the hardest part Like you saying there's like three mics during the week and then maybe you have shows during on Friday or Saturday Uh here it's it's really difficult if you can't find places to go up Friday and Saturday night to Week to week and the first time that I had performed like Sunday through Thursday and then I got Friday Saturday show I was like Okay well that's seven days If I go back Sunday and then just do that again I'm just gonna keep going And then that's how it started was two weeks seven days and then seven days and then it was over after that and haven't

naill mackay: 11:28

Well that that kinda answers my question I was gonna say so you've been performing for over 10 years What inspired this Cause I remember when you were posting just at the beginning I think Yeah when you were saying about 30 days and 30 nights and then you did it Sorry 30 shows And 30 nights and then you did it and you just kept going and going and going

liem smith: 11:48

So the first 30 days was the most difficult of this whole thing That's like just getting used to being out every night I also have a regular job too so I work during the day and then going up at night like I did I had to readjust my body and my mind to go up every night come homely go to bed in the morning go to work come home get ready to go back out again and then just Every day And that those first 30 days was the most difficult I would say but once I got through that it's really just been just an everyday thing It's just what I would do every day It's kinda like working out or something like that Yeah Yeah

naill mackay: 12:39

Yeah And what's been the biggest thing you've learned then end during this run

liem smith: 12:44

Uh it takes a lot of a lot of help from others to do that many shows and go up every night I can't just go and create stage of every night I need to rely on like clubs bookers other comics to help me get these stages lined up so that I could continuously do it If I didn't have other people to provide stages for me then it would Be possible for sure especially Friday Saturday That's the most difficult for any comic to to do this is that if you don't have a consistent spot to go up in and week out Friday and Saturday it's you just can't do it It's just impossible So luckily here in Dallas I would say Dallas Fort Worth because you know the whole scene is connected the metroplex Hmm And luckily at this point post pandemic I've just noticed that there's just a lot more available stage time throughout the Just Sunday through Thursday there's mics going on multiple mics going on each night And then I was able to get into two separate clubs that would allow me to go up on the weekend And so if I'm not booked out out of town or you know on a on a regular show I can at least go there do a Or the other spot do a set and then you know I was still able to connect it And so that's how I do things right now It's if I'm not booked a regular book like uh I shows uh then I would go to these two clubs One of the two clubs or maybe both if I'm not booked that whole weekend and just do sets there just to so that I could maintain the consist

naill mackay: 14:39

One of the things I learned from a a good friend of mine Lars call or he's Canadian comedian He did so I did some on I did I started an online open mic during the pandemic cuz we our timeline in Vietnam is a little bit different to the rest of the world The first year of the pandemic we were pretty much insular closed borders not much covid So it was kind of normal and we were watching the rest of the world have just a nightmare Mm-hmm But then once the I think it was the Omicron variant got into Vietnam it just spread like wildfire And Vietnam hadn't really probably prepared with vaccinations the rest of the world had So we went into tough lockdown last year when the rest of the world was kind of coming out of it and going back well normal So at first we thought it was just gonna be a lockdown for like a month or so and then it dragged on and I really didn't wanna do online comedy shows But you know just wanting to perform and do something So I was like All I'll get it started And it was unbelievable So much fun connected with people around the world Some of them have been on this podcast some of them I'm gonna meet in person soon it actually was like a really enjoyable experience and I had so much I had so many negative perceptions of it So thankfully got that Mm-hmm got that started and that was really So my my friend Lars Callo he actually did a show for me I was able during the lockdown hearing you know it got so bad we'd been locked up for so long I was even actually able to do some paid shows for private companies They would pay me to do host of Comedy Night for the staff online which was Yeah pretty incredible And I had right yeah I had my friend laws based in Canada who's like a professional comedian I paid him but I mean it Way way under what he would usually charge for a corporate show But he did it for a favor I mean I wasn't making much money out of it but he did it as a favor and he was amazing Like he instantly came on the camera and it was so funny He even had like a microphone in his hand that wasn't plugged into anything He had a red brick wall behind him that was just like a printout and he'd made all these little efforts but just his persona he was So funny like the audience I was laughing and I was like in my head as a comedian I'm like He's not even telling a joke And he's so funny So I have to just said some You know what what Just not what's his secret Cause I know that's a cheesy question but he asked for advice You know how basically how are you so funny How did you do that You were just instantly funny and he was like Just practice Mm-hmm You've just gotta keep doing it He's like I've performed Yeah I think maybe the number he said was over 2,500 times or something like that He's been doing it For a long time it's probably more than 2,500 I can't remember the number but whatever he said I've been doing it for so long and so I'm not that prolific Like I said I'm approaching 200 shows in two in four years I took a big break and at one point but I know that even if I take a week off or a couple of weeks off I feel so rusty I need to be performing Yeah Every week to be At my peak I guess that was a couple years ago I didn't enter the comedy competition here which is a big thing because we'd just come out of lockdown and I hadn't performed in weeks or months I can't remember And I was like I'm not gonna do it cause I'm not gonna do myself just this So to go back to you that's why I take my hat off to you and kinda what I meant by how much have you learned because I can't imagine the improvement you would've seen in yourself from performing that often

liem smith: 17:57

Oh I will say that performing this much every night multiple times a night it has forced me to write more and not forced me as in like I'm sitting there like Oh I gotta write new jokes for tomorrow or whatever It's just because you're performing so much you're always in that mindset of being a comedian or a comic and you're just always thinking stuff a lot more like yeah when you take breaks your mind takes a break and you start going back into like civilian mode and it's harder to notice things for me anyways if I'm not constantly in this space where I'm just going up every night This is just my life now and I am always ready to go up and I'm Just thinking as a comic now as opposed to when I take a few days off Like my mind just takes a break and I'm not thinking in that same way And so that's the one thing that I've seen and doing this is that my mind is just always turned on to noticing little things that I can talk about and it's not always great stuff but It's always going and I'm always you know trying out new stuff Now every couple days I'll find something good or something that I wanna work on and that keeps me motivated Mm You know people keeps right now sorry Yeah No no I mean it's if there's one thing that motivates every comic is getting a new joke Having a new joke to tell Yeah for sure Yeah When you have something like Oh man this is gonna be good and it might not be good but you feel like it or This is something new I wanna talk about It makes you want to go up and do that And so going up every night it's like a it's like a circular process Like I go up every night I write more and then I wanna keep going up because I'm writing more you know And so it It just works out to where you know I'm just getting a lot more material now I'm a lot more comfortable on stage I can any given night you can ask me to do like one a minute two minutes three minutes up to an hour like it just I'm always just At this point Yeah

naill mackay: 20:37

So 100% If you could see me right now if the listeners could see me I'm just sitting here nodding my head cuz yeah I'd just like to be 100% and one of the things I actually find it quite difficult so you know I do another podcast called of Vietnam podcast and that's quite kicks up a lot of my time And then I started this one last year I find it really difficult to balance between doing comedy and doing the podcast And I I mentioned about how I took a break before that was because I was focused on the podcast and I sometimes I find it really difficult to switch my brain like you said like cuz when you're in the comedian mode you're thinking of jokes all the time You're practicing like you know just every day currencies You're you're driving about your day and then you're like Oh yeah this would be funny But then when I switch over to podcast mode I'm thinking about like what do I have to do with that audio What's coming up in that interview I'm just all in the same mindset I've gotten better at it I think recently but in the beginning I really found that difficult But I also a hundred percent agree with what you're saying cuz I remember I think it was when I felt I first started so again regular listeners will know my wife She's basically like my co-writer you know like she she comes up with I come up with a lot of premises and then she kinda helps finish them off or add little bits She's so so funny but she like she'll never get on stage She's just a funny she's got the brain for it And I remember when I first started and she was like Now I'm thinking in jokes all the time And my brain I'm like thinking of everything I see I'm like thinking And I was like Yeah that's what happens You just have your brain consumes your

liem smith: 22:01

brain yet Yeah Oh yeah Yeah I mean I just for my 100th Yeah in 80th day which was yesterday I had posted Things that we're talking about like things that had learned and why I keep going up and just how I think it just makes it would make any comic better if they could just go up All the time Mm-hmm you know and not everyone can do that un unfortunately Like it just might not be available like over there Or you have kids wives et cetera Right You just can't do it But I would say and I think every comic would agree it's like if they could just go up as much as they could then they would just be so much better Mm-hmm you know they would just really be so sharp and so yeah That's Yeah that's a big motivation Something that I appreciate doing What I'm doing is yeah I'm just in that mode all the time Yeah

naill mackay: 23:09

Yeah And that's also it's also disappointing when you do see maybe someone doing the first open mic I'm thinking of one person I saw here and just absolutely bombed You know they did poorly you know not nothing against them They had just pages and pages of paper and I remember the host had to like basically get up on stage and be like Hey thank you Nick I was like I still have two more pgs left and Thank you've already been for sure and the pro guy I've never seen him do a mic again Right He's kind of like you just you you've gotta keep going Like you're not gonna nail it on the first time you know I mean maybe he just wanted to do it once and be happy with that And Billy Yeah I did it once So I I don't know the guy I don't know personally but yeah I just I always see the new comedians as well as like just keep going like that Just you gotta keep getting up That's a big thing

liem smith: 23:55

Yes Yes Yeah that That is the first thing that I say to any comic that asked me for advice and I put advice equal chase Cause it's not real advice right It's just if you're gonna do this you have to go up as much as you can After you you show that you are committed to it then I can start giving you more nuanced advice Exactly If you don't go up enough then what I would Want to tell you wouldn't even apply because you're not

naill mackay: 24:28

I've told someone the same thing as well There's no part in telling you about all these nuances If you've like Cause you don't know what I'm talking about You've gotta get up and do it Exactly 100% yes Oh yeah let's listen to your joke I'm gonna play it right now and then we're gonna find out Did that

liem smith: 24:45

I don't think racism's gonna end in my lifetime. You know, five to 10 is just long enough, but I do hope in the future people feel a little weird asking me where the soy of sauce is at the grocery store. Well, you can ask a question. Just, uh, without so much confidence, don't be like, uh, excuse me. Uh, soy sauce, I four

naill mackay: 25:34

so Liam

liem smith: 25:37

Uh Yes That did really happen Yeah I work at a grocery store and people I don't know if it's intentional whenever they ask me where the soy sauce is and they know that I'm gonna know exactly where it is but it seems like it it really does Like I've worked at the grocery store and people just Ask me it's like asking a crossing guard where directions somewhere like you would assume that they would know And the way that people would ask just gave me that feeling that they just assume I would know because of me being Asian or Vietnamese or whatever And that really did happen But I just had to condense it into a joke form but yeah Yeah that I mean it still happens like happened the other week Well let's be

naill mackay: 26:35

honest You do where the

liem smith: 26:38

don't you Yeah I know where the soy sauce is in every grocery store I think

naill mackay: 26:44

and not even the ones you work in Yeah So tell me talk about that process then like taking these real life moments Cuz as I mentioned in the introduction that's a difference right Cuz I was explaining to someone recently you could just be like Oh hey this guy asked me for the soy sauce and I just thought he was being racist So that's a funny story but it's not a funny joke How do you then take that and then craft right into a

liem smith: 27:08

the joke really took some time to work out to where it is now it took maybe like two weeks because it or it didn't originally start in that way and with the same kind of inflection on the punchline I was playing with how the punchline was gonna go I knew where I wanted to get to but I needed to figure out well the pacing and the wording of it so that the audience could just get where I was coming from immediately And the premise of it was just not the huge idea of like racism ending it's just that little bit that it felt racist Right And that little bit just didn't seem like it will go away It's just something that people I think just assume innocently And I thought it was just weird because Yeah I just Don't really understand why people think like that And so like it stood out to my like in my mind and then I just kinda worked it out to where I was playing with it innocently like talking about how people just kind of things about you just by the way you look and the soy sauce Because I work in a grocery store And that happened kind of in that way Like I was just saying the story at first kinda And then I had to kind of chop it down edit it to where it was quick enough to where it was just a joke at that point But it started off as more Cause here's the other thing too is I am not one of these people that can just write the As is and then go perform it Just like I wrote it I have like an idea of something that bothers me or I think is maybe funny and then I'll bring it to the stage and just talk about it And I record on my sets and I listen to how the crowd reacts to how I said the joke or I'm telling the story whatever And so Did that for you know a few nights or about two weeks or so And so that's just how it happened there I was kind of talking about it on stage and there was certain things that I said and before I think the punchline was a lot longer It was you know how that goes Yeah before it would the setup would be something like excuse me do you know where this soy sauce is Or something like that Right Too long Right And then I didn't have like the quick punchline to it where I assume that they're calling me soy But then also I'll tell them where it is Like I kind of had to work that out on stage in the moment And that's what it all goes back to that comic mode I tend to write like that while I'm on stage when I have something to talk about something on my mind But I'm under the gun so to speak Because I'm on stage in front of people trying to work it out and so my mind is going into overdrive trying to get the laugh and so it just kind of automatically edits down things and I pick up certain wording and yeah it took some time not like super long but it did not start the same way I could probably go find The like I said I recorded all my sets in the last six months or so and so I could probably go back and find the first time that I tried it and listen to it but I just yeah I've kind of I should actually do that one day so like I kind of forget how I used to tell it Yeah In the beginning like just explaining it but now it's somewhat polished I think Yeah Yeah It's funny that you know the I didn't really write it like that to begin with It took some process of how they say like a sculptor They they kind of just chisel away until the art re reveals itself So

naill mackay: 31:23

Oh I like that one Yeah that's good It's very similar now to me I think I don't even really write jokes down I just come up with'em in my head like a premise or an idea and then I'll just go open mic and kind work it out from there I do I mean like I said my wife is basically my co-writer so obvious almost often bounce them off her and she'll give some great advice Yeah But it's a it's amazing Similar thing as well working them out on stage You know I've got a joke right now so I got robbed recently I got my iPhone pick pocketed from a lady boy and uh Oh wow And it's a whole massive it's a whole story Like it's so traumatic Like I'm still pretty traumatized by it It was pretty horrible But it gave me an amazing joke Like it was so funny And when I first started detailing it on stage kinda similar to what you just mentioned I would just kind of tell the story cuz it was so crazy and funny in itself that it would get people were interested it would get laughs Then over time and it was after a few weeks of doing it my wife was like Okay that happened a while ago Now you need to now turn that into a joke And I was like Yeah She's like Is she just telling the story And I was like Yeah that's right Yes So then that's when you the skill comes in when you're like Okay these are the points I'm gonna hit These are the funny bits I'm gonna get to them quicker I'm gonna miss this bit out cuz it doesn't add to the story It's not funny Right And now it's like one of my best bits It's pretty new in the last few months and it's it keeps getting better and better which I like and I take really old jokes and still make them better I've got a joke that I still tell on stage I just told it I was headlining a set on the weekend I it's still one of my kind of best jokes and that was one of that I did that joke on my first ever set and like you I've listened to it I've gone back and there's so much fat and detail it's not necessary Whereas now it's just like sharp and to the point Yeah yeah So I think I have a very similar process to you and it what I love about this podcast is talking to comedians and finding out the different processes cuz everybody's different You know I've just interviewed Vu Yes He'll sit down and write it all down and and kind of he'll record himself doing it before he gets on stage whereas I would Think of it in my head and I'm like All right I'll do it out on stage I'll figure it out And then put it together with another bit shorten it down things like that So do you write down anything or everything's

liem smith: 33:35

in your head So I write down some things Most of the things that I write down are just keyword Sometimes like I've you know I have a notes in my notes app I have like raw ideas like yeah I have to put down like kind of why it's funny Kind of summarize it but it's not the joke per se Yep Say it's It's something that I noticed why I thought it was funny at that moment and then you know a lot of that stuff is trash obviously like you know But there's certain ones that end up being something when I bring up to the stage Oh yeah that's right That's why I thought this was funny Mostly why it bothered me that most of the stuff that bothers me is the stuff that really works the best And so I'll just take those raw ideas from my notes Like I'll have to explain kind of a little bit to myself why I even thought this was funny And then I'll take that to a stage and then I'll just add like little tags and things like that If I think of them not on stage In my notes like sometimes I'm working or driving A lot of times I'm driving I'll think of a tag so I have to put in the notes But if I am doing it on stage I'm already recording the audio on stage So I and I listen to my sets you know after every set I listen to it and I'm able I don't know miraculously able to condense it in my head After I listen to it I say Okay that's good That's good I don't have to write The joke like let's say the soy sauce joke I have it written that like how I do it The only time I've written it is maybe putting it up for reels for videos and things like that and I caption it and so I edited it to and that's actually really a useful tool to as well to just see the words of the jokes of Any joke how it go when I say it because writing it down is really tedious to me And so I don't do that I just have to write the ideas I like work it out on stage and then edit it in my head a little bit And then yeah I write down some things to just help me but I don't I I can't write full jokes out It's Yeah that would be A nightmare to me Yeah I could do that

naill mackay: 36:00

I've got two quick questions for you before we wrap it up Number one right Have you ever thought of a joke like in the middle of the night like in your sleep or on a when you're driving something like that and then you just completely forget the joke Oh yes

liem smith: 36:17

Oh yeah It's

naill mackay: 36:18

the worst isn't it Oh man Like what was that joke What was that Your game

liem smith: 36:21

Yeah Right Oh man That is one of the worst feelings you know Cause you know you just wanna find something to write it down or like Oh God I get I'm gonna forget this How do I record this somehow Yeah And He's just lost in the wind forever I've done

naill mackay: 36:40

it I've thought of stuff in my sleep I've thought of stuff in my sleep and then I'll be like Just grab your phone and just like type two words in I'm like I'm too tired I'll remember it or remember it And then I wake up and I'm like Ah I forgot What was that joke I forgot that Oh no

liem smith: 36:53

Yeah I mean if I'm laying in bed and I know that my phone is right there and I'm thinking about something and I think It's worth writing down I'll get up and write it cause I just know that I will forget it later and sometimes it'll come back up again That does happen Like if it it's truly something in your head But most times I mean I think all of us we just if we don't write it down we'll just kind of forget it and yeah that's just another lost idea that I can't Work on and I'm just Yeah I'm completely livid

naill mackay: 37:25

for sure I can't remember if somebody told me this or this is my own original thought So if someone did tell me this and I'm sorry I forgot who told me it but if you don't remember it then it probably wasn't that good anyway

liem smith: 37:37

Right Yeah I've heard that before Yeah I think I've held that right Yeah that's like a very I think that's just like our general rule of thumb If you write down everything then that's probably best cause Yeah I've written down stuff that it wasn't good anyways you know so I mean yeah just write down everything and if you don't if you miss an idea here or there Yeah I try not to get too Yeah been outta shape out

naill mackay: 38:04

of You have other ideas in the end wouldn't you Right But the other question I was gonna ask is have you ever written something down like couple of keywords I do similar things Well I'll just write down a couple of keywords Or have you gone through old notes and then found maybe a note and then you're like What was that joke

liem smith: 38:22

Oh yeah yeah Like yeah I we talked about earlier like I I try to write down if I think of something I'll I won't write the whole joke down unless it's like short jokes I can write really quick The right real short Rodney Dangerfield type I love writing jokes like that And so you ha like to me I have to write down the whole thing on that cuz it's short and the wording is important but if it's like an idea that I think is funny and I just jot down a couple words that at the time I think Oh yeah I'll figure out why that was funny Later And then it's not clear enough Then I'm like Okay why was this funny Yeah What was I thinking here again And yeah I'll just sit there and like try to just like really think about like why did I write this down Funny about

Track 1: 39:10

this

naill mackay: 39:11

I'll even say to my wife I'll be like I'll be like Adrian what was that Remember I told you that thing There was that joke about something What was that again She's like I don't know And I'm like Remember we were talking and we were in the restaurant And I said like this would be really funny And what was it And she's like I have no idea what you're talking Like fuck Yeah

liem smith: 39:29

Oh yeah Yeah I mean my notes app right now I just by like year so like this year it's Completely filled with stuff you know just to add new stuff in there Like I have to scroll all the way down to the bottom right now just to get to the bottom so I can add something new And so as I'm scrolling I'm seeing all these old ideas that I Some I fleshed out and got to work but the majority is just you know fleeting thoughts Yeah And I'm like oh it's something to try that week Something to try that night and we'll see what go what happens with it But yeah I mean that's why I go up I have to go up and write so much cuz I mean I'm just not one of those people that everything I write down is gonna be just fantastic I just I really have to work it out

naill mackay: 40:20

Well Liam this has been awesome I'm so glad we finally got to connect Sorry it took so long Great to hear your story Great to chat Tell people listening where they can find you on social media You can find me all

liem smith: 40:31

over social Liam Comedy that's at l i e m Comedy You find me everywhere Like Instagram Facebook Black people meet.com Venmo Cash app Farmers only Only fans

Track 1: 40:47

wherever

naill mackay: 40:49

Look up at Liam Comedy and then you be in for a surprise then it

liem smith: 40:53

I'm I think I'm like the only Liam that does kind I don't know about the scene that well over there in Vietnam I don't know if there's any other Liams that do comedy if there

naill mackay: 41:02

was Not that I know of And if there was he would probably be Irish and it would be l i a m And before you ask I'm not Irish Scott Ok I know you probably think I'm Irish Christ Yeah Scottish yeah

liem smith: 41:15

Yeah from Glasgow

naill mackay: 41:17

I got it That's the one You got it You got it All right mate Yeah I will hopefully be in Dallas Texas within the next year so I'll definitely hit you up and I'll definitely look forward to performing with

liem smith: 41:27

Oh yeah definitely let me know and I'm hopefully on my streak still and I can hook you up with you know three mics at night Oh I

naill mackay: 41:36

dunno if my wife will like that but we'll see how it goes

liem smith: 41:39

Hey would you rather do three mics throughout the whole week that you're here or just knock it out in one night and then you can spend the rest of time with your wife and family That's right Well she'll be listening

naill mackay: 41:48

to this Sori Let me know Can I do three mics in one night or can I just do three mics every night Maybe that would just be better We'll see how it goes

liem smith: 41:57

Yeah You know to definitely run this by her and then just let know I'll let you know Looking forward to it Yeah for sure

naill mackay: 42:03

All right mate Talking Good tone You too Thank you so much Bye-bye Bye

Niall Mackay: 42:12

Thank you for listening to this episode of Did That Really Happen, a new podcast from Seven Million. Bikes, I been your host, Niall Mackay. If you enjoyed that, I want to hear from comedians around the world about their jewels, and if they are true, then make sure to follow and subscribe from wherever you are listing from right now and follow Seven Million Bikes on social media. The links are in their show notes.