#1333 - Tom Papa

Joe Rogan (0:03)

You definitely shouldn't make those noises to start off a podcast, Tom Papa.

SPEAKER_2 (0:06)

What are you doing?

Joe Rogan (0:07)

You're freaking people out. Do you know what, what is it called?

Do you know what that is?

Tom Papa (0:11)

Yeah, like when you...

Joe Rogan (0:12)

People like certain sounds.

Tom Papa (0:13)

Yeah.

Joe Rogan (0:14)

They find them soothing. I don't think that's one of them.

Tom Papa (0:17)

This is what I use to drive my kids crazy. I say it's a spoon in mac and cheese.

Joe Rogan (0:24)

Yeah, they're like, oh my God, I thought my dad was funny professionally. This is ridiculous. They probably think you're gonna starve to death.

Tom Papa (0:30)

This is crazy. My younger one who's like comedian funny, this is her thing. So she doesn't care about parents or what we're doing. She's just out for herself.

Whenever I make a joke around the house that I think is funny, she just goes, ha, jokes.

Joe Rogan (0:51)

How old is she?

Tom Papa (0:53)

14

Joe Rogan (0:53)

That's hilarious. Do you think she'll be a comic?

Tom Papa (0:56)

Yeah, she could be. She definitely could be.

Joe Rogan (0:59)

But you have a healthy household.

Tom Papa (1:01)

It is healthy.

Joe Rogan (1:02)

That doesn't seem like a good recipe for comedy. Right?

Tom Papa (1:06)

Yeah, well, you know, it takes all kinds.

Joe Rogan (1:08)

It does take all kinds. But have you met anybody that came from a good childhood that's really funny?

Tom Papa (1:14)

Me.

Joe Rogan (1:15)

You?

Tom Papa (1:16)

Yeah.

Joe Rogan (1:16)

Really?

Tom Papa (1:17)

I'm pretty funny.

Joe Rogan (1:18)

You're very funny. But you came from no problems at all?

Tom Papa (1:21)

I think every kid...

Joe Rogan (1:22)

Did you move around a lot?

Tom Papa (1:24)

I moved once, one town over, and it traumatized me in third grade.

Joe Rogan (1:28)

Third grade?

Tom Papa (1:28)

Yeah. I still can't... I'm still not over it.

But I think that everybody has... I think as a child, even if it's not real heavy stuff, it feels heavy to you. You know what I mean? My father was super strict and spanked us and stuff, and I was like this nervous... You know what I mean?

So, I think you can grow up pretty normal and be pretty funny, you know?

Joe Rogan (1:53)

It's like a line with kids. It's like you don't want to be mad at them, but you can't let them get away with too much.

So you have to go, hey, hey, seriously, stop screaming at me. Stop this.

Tom Papa (2:05)

Yeah.

Joe Rogan (2:05)

Like you can't do this.

Because every now and then, they'll test because they fight amongst each other. Like I have daughters that are two years apart. They'll fight amongst each other.

Tom Papa (2:14)

That's what I have.

Joe Rogan (2:15)

Now and then, they'll turn it on you, and you're like, hey, hey, hey.

Tom Papa (2:17)

Yeah, hey.

Joe Rogan (2:18)

I didn't touch your toys, I'm not wearing your pants.

Tom Papa (2:21)

Yeah, I'm a good guy. No, it is a weird thing, especially when you know how you were as a kid.

SPEAKER_2 (2:28)

Oh, yeah.

Tom Papa (2:29)

And we've got daughters, and they're probably similar, where they're not as nutso as we were when we were little. But you still have to bring the hammer down, even though you think it's kind of funny, or you think it's not that big a deal.

SPEAKER_2 (2:42)

You have to, you have to lay.

Tom Papa (2:45)

And you have to break down the law, even if you don't feel it.

Joe Rogan (2:49)

You have to enforce some guidelines, and then you have to communicate about why those guidelines exist. What I didn't get enough of, I think, when I was a kid is communication about why those guidelines exist.

Because in the moment, the kid's not going to internalize it. They're going to be mad. I wanted to do this, and I wanted to do that, and they just have it in their head. I want to play one more game. Why can't I just play one more game? They'll just get freaked out.

Tom Papa (3:09)

Because what we heard was, because I said so.

Joe Rogan (3:12)

Yes, exactly.

Tom Papa (3:13)

There was no reason, there was nothing behind it. Just go to bed. Why it's seven o'clock?

Jamie (3:18)

Because I should so.

Tom Papa (3:19)

All right.

Joe Rogan (3:20)

Yeah, well, we don't put parameters on play though, like as much. We put parameters on, you can only have a certain amount of television time, certain amount of video game time.