Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk decide to have a few drinks and see where the episode goes. They start by discussing the questionable historical shirts they are wearing, North Korea, and Yuna’s habit of finding unusual potential sponsors. From there, the conversation moves into what kind of drunks they are, Yuna’s long drive between Long Beach and the LA comedy scene, developing stage presence, and another round of arguments about their recent Roast Battle. Brian also shares his past as a ballroom dance and cotillion instructor before the conversation turns to drinking habits and their preferred beers.Things take a turn when Asher is brought in to host a series of increasingly uncomfortable Would You Rather questions. Brian and Yuna work through impossible scenarios involving careers, reputations, social taboos, and what they would actually be willing to live with. The questions eventually lead to conversations about internet outrage, comedy, sex robots, and whether some choices are worse because of the act itself or because everyone would know about it.The episode wraps up with a new version of The Price Is Right, where Brian and Yuna try to guess the cost of things they probably should not be researching, including organs, bail, hitmen, and eventually horse semen. Asher provides the answers while everyone realizes they know considerably less about the black market and horse breeding than they thought.Chapters00:00 Cold Open00:56 Welcome to Church & State01:25 The Most Questionable Sponsor Yet05:51 North Korea, K-Pop & Yuna’s Childhood10:27 What Kind of Drunk Are You?13:32 Comedy, Stage Presence & Roast Battle16:36 Brian’s Ballroom Dancing Past19:16 Drinking, Beer & Asian Drinking Culture22:35 Unhinged Would You Rather Begins35:18 Sex Robots & the Future of Dating38:30 Would You Rather Gets Worse52:03 The Worst Price Is Right59:06 How Much Does Horse Semen Cost?1:03:57 OutroFollow Brian BogartInstagram: @brian.bogart[www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/]( / brian.bogart )YouTube: @brianbogartcomedy[ / @brianbogartcomedy ]( / @brianbogartcomedy )Follow Yuna PahkInstagram: @yunapahk[www.instagram.com/yunapahk]( / yunapahk )YouTube: @yunapahk[ / @yunapahk ]( / @yunapahk )Produced by Church & State Podcast

Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk are joined by comedian Austen Silver, Brian’s longtime friend and comedy mentor, to talk about their years coming up together in stand-up. Austen looks back on first meeting Brian through his old Banter open mic, why he initially hated the concept, and how Brian eventually won him over. From there, the group gets into how comedians develop over time, testing new material, finding a comedic voice, and Austen’s self-described “playfully negative” approach to stand-up. Yuna also shares a recent interaction with another comedian that brought out her competitive side, leading into a conversation about ambition and using other comics as motivation. Brian and Austen revisit years of touring together, including Brian taking sales calls from the road, disappointing shows, difficult crowds, and the times one of them had to follow the other after a particularly strong or particularly bad set. Along the way, they discuss the differences between the Austin and Los Angeles comedy scenes, what bombing feels like after years of doing stand-up, and why Austen still prefers comedy with a clear point of view. Another week of stand-up, old stories, competition, and friends being slightly too comfortable criticizing each other.

Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk recap their recent Roast Battle at the Comedy Store, where Yuna is still questioning the final result. They break down their approach to the battle, why they chose to make their jokes more personal, and the overtime round that decided the winner. Asher also joins the conversation to explain how he may have accidentally played a small part in Yuna’s loss. From there, Brian and Yuna discuss what would happen to the podcast if their friendship ever fell apart before moving into conversations about maritime law, getting in trouble with the law, community service, and stories from their past. Later, they turn to the current state of comedy and podcasting, the growing influence of comedians online, and what happens when comedy and larger cultural conversations begin to overlap. The episode wraps up with a discussion about bringer shows, the business of stand-up, and the difference between having strong opinions and actually being funny. Another week of comedy, disagreements, and conversations that go in directions neither of them planned.