Do You Need A Ride? with Chris Fairbanks and Karen Kilgariff

Flashback: In the Car with Oscar Montoya

·1 hr·5 clips

A palm reader told Oscar he wouldn't die before 29, then a bungee cord miscalculation almost proved her wrong.

The episode begins with Oscar Montoya getting into the car and immediately explaining why he needs to get rid of his Tesla, calling Elon Musk a 'straight up Nazi'. This leads to a humorous discussion about rebranding cars with different logos to avoid associations. They talk about Oscar's neighborhood in Los Angeles, mentioning Victorian houses and locations used in shows like Charmed. The conversation shifts to Thanksgiving, where Oscar, Karen, and Chris compare their low-stress holidays, with Chris awkwardly bringing up medical issues. A debate erupts over cranberry sauce preferences, with Karen loving the canned gelatinous version and Chris disliking it, prompting a plan for a listener poll. Oscar reveals he hosts a podcast where he watched every Disney movie from scratch after moving from New York, leading to a discussion about Disney adults and subcultures. He shares his background growing up in a village in Colombia with no paved roads, then moving to Queens at age 12. Oscar describes using MTV to learn English and assimilate, feeling like an alien absorbing American culture through shows like Baywatch Nights. He talks about feeling excluded from stereotypical American experiences, like being handed a muffin, which shaped his comedic perspective. Oscar explains his transition from professional dancer to comedian, taking improv classes at UCB and the People's Improv Theater to overcome stage fright. The episode peaks with Oscar telling a story about a palm reader who addressed his recurring dream of dying before age 29, followed by a near-fatal bungee jumping incident on a commercial shoot that was shut down due to a cord length miscalculation. They briefly discuss astrology, with Oscar sharing his signs, and Oscar plugs his projects including the show Minx on Starz and the A24 musical Dicks. The episode closes with credits and ads for other podcasts.

As heard by us

Daytime lights turn culture shock into a sharp comic detail.

A move from a South American village to Queens at twelve becomes a compact, funny study of cultural adjustment. The best moment is small and exact: arriving in New York and judging the sight of lights burning while the sun was still out.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if daytime lights still feel like a personal insult and moving countries sounds like a story worth unpacking.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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