Dam Yankee

Mojo Morgan on Losing Peetah, Morgan Heritage 2.0 and Why They Almost Never Came Back

The sudden passing of Morgan Heritage lead singer Peetah Morgan left the reggae world reeling, but for his brother Mojo Morgan, it sparked a spiritual awakening. On this episode of Dam Yankee with host Zack Newmark, Mojo reveals the family band almost retired until Gramps Morgan received a supernatural message while grieving in the Philippines.
His resilience drives Mojo's sharp critique of mainstream music, which he argues is failing audiences by prioritizing luxury over substance. Pointing directly to Beyoncé, Mojo delivers an unfiltered rebuke of modern chart-toppers. "She's not delivering a message that is uplifting in terms of trying to make people make better decisions," he remarks. "And some of the biggest names in music today, their music has no purpose. It's just about enjoying the finer things in life."
Morgan Heritage almost did not come back after losing their brother Peter "Peetah" Morgan in 2024, Mojo confessed. One of the most beloved members of the group, acknowledged by John Legend among others as one of the greatest singers across all genres, Peetah passed away in his mid-40s while the band was still at the height of their powers. Within a month Mojo knew they had to push through the pain or risk losing everything they had built together.
To keep everyone on track and focused on the importance of having a message and purpose, Mojo now passionately mentors the next generation to help them avoid the pitfalls of early fame. Reflecting on his own high-profile career and the collateral damage of navigating the industry without a guide, he shares a stunningly candid personal regret. "If people told me what I know now, I would probably still be with my first wife," Mojo admits. "I wouldn't have made the mistakes that I made."
Fresh off six sold-out shows at Paradiso, a venue the band has called their Madison Square Garden since they first played to empty rooms here in the late 90s. Today, Mojo is channeling that raw emotion into his solo EP, Jamaica Love, and launching "Morgan Heritage 2.0" ahead of upcoming UK tour dates in London, Manchester, Leicester, and Milton Keynes. Don't miss this powerful, soul-baring conversation.
This full episode of Dam Yankee can be seen on YouTube, or listen to the Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms. Mojo talks about rebuilding the band around nephew Jimmy Morgan, recording his solo EP Jamaica Love through tears in the back of a car on a farm in Jamaica, why he still asks for Peetah's vocals in his monitor on stage every single night, and what it means to carry on a legacy when the person who helped build it is no longer there.
He also talks about growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts with 29 siblings, getting teased for his dreads as a kid, learning music from Thelonious Monk III and why the mission was never to change the world, just to reach one person at a time.
Mojo Morgan updates his Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify channels regularly, with more information on his other channels. on YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, and his website.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction & Six Sold Out Shows at Paradiso01:40 - How the Netherlands Became Morgan Heritage's Home Base03:21 - Recording the Paradiso Show & Morgan Heritage 2.004:14 - Getting Back on Stage After Losing Peetah05:19 - Rise and Fall: The Lyrics That Took on a New Meaning07:22 - Peetah Was One of the Greatest Singers Across All Genres08:30 - It Is Not What You Attain But the Works You Do That Will Be Remembered09:39 - Jamaica Love: The Solo EP Born From Grief and Healing11:16 - Crying in the Back of the Car & Putting Seeds in the Ground12:19 - Hearing Peetah's Voice in the Studio Before the Song Was Even Finished14:00 - Teaching Jimmy to Deliver Peetah's Lines & Keeping His Presence on Stage15:33 - Jimmy Morgan: Peetah Told Mojo It Was His Time on His Deathbed17:02 - Gramps Had a Dream in the Philippines & Got Back on the Road18:14 - Luke's Playing With the Band at the Tribute & Why It Mattered19:18 - Balancing Morgan Heritage, Solo Work, the Farm, the Rum & Everything Else21:16 - Finding Peace in a Partner Who Understands the Journey23:29 - Nine Kids, Twins on the Way & Being a Grandfather Too Early29:44 - 30 Siblings: Mojo Names All of Them on the Spot32:48 - Growing Up Between Brooklyn, Springfield & Jamaica35:03 - Why Their Parents Did Not Want Them Speaking Patois in America37:12 - Musical Education: Dolly Parton, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding & Reggae38:22 - Moving to New York & Learning From Thelonious Monk III39:06 - How Kool Herc Brought Jamaican Sound System Culture to the Bronx and Created Hip Hop40:26 - Rasta Rock & Why Jamaica Love Is So Genre Fluid44:10 - The Mission Is Not to Change the World But to Impact One Life at a Time45:47 - Why There Will Never Be Another Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield or Jimi Hendrix48:22 - Music With Purpose vs Music That Glorifies What They Grew Up Trying to Escape50:13 - What Is Coming Next: Third Generation Morgan Heritage Is Rising52:08 - Victory Morgan Commits to University Baseball & Why That Matters53:36 - Mentorship in Music & Why Legacy Artists Need to Guide the Next Generation54:42 - Where to Find Mojo Morgan & Morgan Heritage
Follow Mojo Morgan:https://www.instagram.com/gotmojomorgan
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast    
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark/

Ray Ellin on the NYC Subway Story, Aruba & Why He Won't Post His Best Clips

Ray Ellin is a New York comedian, Comedy Cellar regular and the owner of Aruba Ray's Comedy Club, the number one nightlife activity on TripAdvisor in the entire country of Aruba. He started going to Aruba by accident in 2012, fell in love with the island and opened the club a year later. His colleagues thought he was nuts. They were wrong.
Known for his crowd work and his entrepreneurial streak, Ray has also self-financed a documentary that he sold to 20th Century Fox, hosted a hybrid live and online talk show 17 years ago before the technology existed to do it properly, produced three seasons of a weekly topical standup show for Comedy Central, and raised millions of dollars for charity. 
He has also been profiled on Dateline NBC, where they discovered his heart rate drops when he walks on stage.
In this episode he talks about building a comedy career across New York, Aruba and now Europe, losing his sister during the early days of the pandemic and how Zoom comedy kept him going and why he still has not posted any of his crowd work clips despite having hundreds of hours of footage and everyone telling him he should.
Timestamps:00:00 - Why He Is Called Aruba Ray00:49 - Opening Aruba Ray's Comedy Club in 201305:51 - Why English Comedy Exploded Across Europe09:22 - Touring Europe Three Years Ago & Coming Back for More11:34 - Opening for Chris DiStefano at Madison Square Garden14:40 - Bombing at 19 in Boston & Why It Still Irks Him15:45 - Why Stand-Up Is a Coping Mechanism & What He Was Coping With17:06 - His Sister's Battle With Anorexia & Her Incredible Career at Stanford19:25 - Losing Her at the Start of the Pandemic on March 1st 202022:03 - Going Into Lockdown Alone Without Being Able to Grieve Properly23:39 - Doing 100 Zoom Shows26:01 - Being on the First Plane Back to Aruba When It Opened in July 202027:19 - Is the Entrepreneurial Side Getting in the Way of His Stand-Up Career29:06 - The One Man Show He Has Been Thinking About for a Year30:03 - European Audiences vs New York Audiences32:48 - Adapting Material for Europe 34:57 - Hundreds of Hours of Crowd Work Footage He Has Never Posted37:02 - The Clip That Did Go Up40:44 - The Film He Is Developing With His Sister43:52 - Charity Work and the One Love Foundation for Dogs48:37 - The Aruba Dog He Adopted 50:09 - Raising Millions for Charity 53:33 - His Dad Designing the Most Iconic Polaroid Camera Ever Made57:19 - Dateline NBC Discovery01:00:12 - How he became a Better Performer01:03:20 - What Kind of Comics He Will Not Book for the Aruba Club01:10:51 - Sleeping in His Car on 76th Street 01:13:15 - Where to Find Ray & What Is Coming Next
Follow Ray Ellin:https://www.instagram.com/raycomedy/https://www.instagram.com/comedycellarusa/https://www.instagram.com/arubarayscomedyclub/
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast  
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark

The Dark Reality of Traditional Norms with Rael Lomoti

Rael Lomoti grew up in the Turkana region of northwest Kenya, where girls as young as 12 are given away in marriage, football is only for boys and education is considered a luxury that communities cannot afford. 
Her father moved the family to Nairobi so his children could go to school. Her mother died working in a flower plantation, exposed to pesticides with no worker safety protections. A German nun spotted Rael playing football in the street and took her whole family in.
She grew up, studied social work and community development, played in Kenya's Women's Premier League, and was offered a professional contract to play abroad. She turned it down. She went home to Turkana instead and started the first ever all girls football club.
That was six years ago. Today she runs 18 clubs across Turkana and has reached over 4000 girls through the Desert Roses project, using football as the entry point for conversations about education, early marriage, climate change and the kind of life that is possible beyond the world these girls were born into.
Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction & Who Is Rael Lomoti00:41 - Using Football to Change Tradition in Turkana01:24 - Girls Married at 12 and Why She Decided to Fight It02:35 - Moving From Turkana to Nairobi at Age 404:48 - Her Father's Decision to Stay in the City & the Importance of Education07:17 - Climate Change in Turkana & the Need to Stop Moving07:49 - How a German Nun Changed Everything10:08 - Losing Her Mother to Pesticide Exposure in a Flower Plantation12:03 - Her Father's Promise to Keep the Family Together13:13 - Playing Football With the Boys & Being Spotted15:22 - What Sister Louise Told Her to Do With Her Education17:35 - Playing in Kenya's Women's Premier League as a Defensive Midfielder18:30 - Being Offered a Professional Contract 21:21 - Choosing Her Community Over Her Career22:36 - Was It an Easy Decision23:08 - Going Back to Turkana and Starting From Scratch25:26 - Walking Door to Door With a Ball and Nobody Showing Up27:23 - Three Years of Civic Engagement to Convince Parents29:14 - Did She Ever Think About Quitting30:30 - 18 Clubs and 4000 Girls Reached Through Desert Roses32:46 - Football Coach, Social Worker, Mentor and Sex Education Teacher34:09 - Her Daughter Who Plays Football37:01 - First Time in the Netherlands and Telling Her Daughter About Snow and Trains39:14 - Watching Football at Feyenoord and What Women's Football Looks Like Here40:24 - What the Netherlands Has That Turkana Does Not & Why People Should Be Grateful41:34 - How to Follow Desert Roses and Support the Work
This episode was sponsored by bunq, the European neobank offering a special promotional 2.51% fixed annual interest rate on a six-month term deposit through June 14, 2026. Full terms and conditions apply, and the offer is valid for deposit amounts between 1,000 and 10,000 euros.Follow Rael Lomoti:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008336344164
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast  
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark  
This podcast is produced and recorded by 301 Studios in Amsterdam.The interview was organized with the assistance of Isabelle Vermeij  at the KIT Live theater at KIT in Amsterdam.

Tom Cotter on America’s Got Talent, Cancel Culture and Why Comedy Is a Dream Job

Tom Cotter has been doing stand-up for 40 years. He is the rapid fire comedian who made it to the AGT finals, lost to a pack of dogs, performed with Joan Rivers in what turned out to be one of her last national television appearances, did eight years on cruise ships, and once had to run out through a kitchen because a heckler wanted to kill him.
He is now on his first tour of the Netherlands with his touring partner Ray Allen, and he has a lot of thoughts about Dutch audiences, cancel culture, corporate gigs, and what it actually costs a comedian to appear on the highest rated show on American television.
He also talks about being married to fellow comedian Mary-Louise Cotter for 25 years, why two comedians in the same house is both the best and worst idea, and why his father, a World War Two era neurosurgeon who paid for six kids to go to private school, did not fully understand what his son did for a living until he saw him on The Tonight Show.
Timestamps:00:00 - The Restraining Order Joke00:39 - Rapid Fire Comedy in the Netherlands and Slowing It Down for Foreign Crowds02:02 - Why Tom’s Style Was Perfect for America’s Got Talent’s 90 Second Format04:07 - Being Married to a Comedian and Who Is Actually Funnier05:35 - Women in Comedy and the Double Standard Tom Witnessed Firsthand08:14 - Joan Rivers, Cancel Culture and the Comics Who Said Screw It10:00 - Growing Up Sneaking George Carlin and Richard Pryor Records10:19 - Joan Rivers on AGT and Her Last National Television Appearance12:06 - Comics Never Retire and Why Tom Hopes to Keep Going Until the End13:08 - Cancel Culture, Free Speech and Why He Gets Branded as Conservative15:11 - Baby It’s Cold Outside vs WAP and the Video That Made Him Go Viral17:30 - Seinfeld and Bill Burr Have the Luxury of Pushing Back. Tom Doesn’t.18:33 - How Divided America Has Become and Thanksgiving With His Siblings20:01 - Corporate Gigs, What You Can’t Say and Why Self-Deprecation Is the Entry Point21:14 - Michael Richards, Smartphones and You Are Never Not on Camera23:32 - Low Give a Shit Factor and the Comics Who Fill Arenas Anyway27:26 - Eight Years on Cruise Ships and Why He Did Not Love It29:36 - Performing While People Vomit Around You Is Not the Worst Gig He Has Had30:46 - The Cancer Benefit Show That Was Impossible to Dig Out Of32:19 - The Heckler Who Tried to Kill Him and Running Out Through the Kitchen33:11 - The Prom Cruise From Hell With a Dead Mic and No Way Off the Boat35:35 - Writing Material at Sea and Why Cruise Ship Jokes Don’t Work on Land38:08 - Money, Growing Up With a Neurosurgeon Father and Six Kids39:18 - Telling His Dad He Needed to Get Comedy Out of His System40:16 - His Dad Finally Got It When He Saw The Tonight Show42:31 - His Mother Died When He Was in Eighth Grade43:46 - How He Met Mary-Louise and Getting Permission From His Roommate First45:38 - 25 Years Married to a Comedian and Every Celebrity Couple They Looked Up to Fell Apart48:30 - Writing Together and Why Their Comedy Styles Make It Complicated50:08 - George Carlin Did 14 HBO Specials and Tom Still Has Stuff in His Phone53:22 - Dutch Audiences and Why Smiling and Not Throwing Things Is a Good Sign55:06 - Silence on Stage and Why He Has Never Experienced It56:16 - Punching Up Each Other’s Work and Why He Refuses to Sell Merchandise57:52 - The Comics That Make Him Want to Throw Away His Material59:16 - Mentoring Young Comics and AGT Questions Every Year01:00:43 - The AGT Contract and Turning Down Big Money to Do a Vegas Residency01:02:35 - Where to Find Tom and His Two Specials on YouTube and Amazon Prime
Follow Tom Cotter:Instagram:  @tomcottercomic  Website: tomcotter.comSpecials: Rapid Fire (YouTube) and Nantucket Nights (Amazon Prime)
Follow Dam Yankee: Instagram: @damyankeepodcast    
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  LinkedIn:  zacharynewmark    
This podcast is produced and recorded by 301 Studios in Amsterdam.

Kevin Fraser Went Viral, Toured the World & Still Can't Figure Out Amsterdam

South African comedian Kevin Fraser is celebrating ten years in comedy with his Decadence tour  and he is doing it the hard way, with sold-out shows across South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and now Europe.
Known for his viral observational comedy and character work, Kevin brings something most comedians do not, twelve years as a professional DJ before he ever picked up a mic for a punchline. That background shaped everything about how he performs, from the pre-show DJ sets he runs before every gig to the way he weaves music, dance and physical storytelling into his stand-up.
In this episode Kevin talks about what ten years of touring actually costs you, why Amsterdam is one of the strangest cities in the world if you have never been here before, and what happens when you go from being Spin Doctor the DJ to just being Kevin Fraser starting over from scratch.
He also opens up about losing his father in 2014, the DJ year that nearly broke him with 49 gigs in two weeks, and why he is launching an entirely new wellness and entertainment platform called Jim and Tonic on September 1st.
Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction & Ten Years as a Comedian00:32 - The European Tour Dates & Why Amsterdam Is Always Weird01:59 - How Being South African Shaped His Observational Comedy03:38 - Replacing Middle East Tour Dates With Europe in Three Months05:16 - Almost Getting Killed by Amsterdam Bicycles & Tiny Cars06:27 - How Do People Get Furniture Into Amsterdam Apartments07:33 - The Decadence Tour: Celebrating Ten Years in Comedy08:28 - From Character Based Content to Finding Himself on Stage09:17 - 12 Years as a DJ Before Comedy & Starting Over From Scratch11:41 - The Emotional Difference Between a Dance Floor & a Silent Room13:02 - What the DJ World Brought Into His Comedy Show14:20 - Robin Williams, Jim Carrey & Eddie Murphy as His Comedic Influences16:15 - Kevin Hart, Michael McIntyre & Learning What Polished Really Means19:09 - What It Feels Like to Play 2500 People & Dreaming of Arenas21:11 - The Pre-Show DJ Set He Runs Before Every Performance23:49 - Using Music & Nostalgia to Support a Live Comedy Show25:29 - Building an International Audience Beyond South Africa27:11 - The Melbourne Train Ride: His First Viral Video29:00 - How a Comment on a Stolen Video Changed His Career31:29 - The Transition From Long Form Videos to Instagram Reels33:14 - Comedy During the Pandemic & the Rise of Keyboard Warriors35:22 - How His Gogo Shaped His Characters & Voice Work37:03 - The Honorable Teletubbies & South African Parliament at Its Finest39:00 - K December: The South African Month That Lasts All Year40:12 - What the Decadence Tour Actually Covers: Old Hits & New Stories43:14 - 22 Years of Gigs & Whether He Is Ever Going to Slow Down46:52 - Jim and Tonic: His New Wellness & Entertainment Platform50:24 - Low Rocks, Two Left Feet & Making Fitness Fun53:38 - 49 Gigs in Two Weeks, Drinking Too Much & Getting Seriously Sick55:28 - Avicii, DJ Culture & Why Comedy Requires a Clear Head58:58 - Was He Always the Funny Guy in the DJ World01:01:19 - His Sister in Amsterdam & How She Made Him Funnier01:04:45 - His Father Naming Him Spin Doctor Off a Microsoft 98 Printout01:07:01 - His Father Passing Away in 2014 & What He Would Think Today01:09:40 - His Father's Comrades Marathon Gold Medals & Being a Machine01:10:37 - Personal Life, Touring & Why Cape Town Will Always Win01:12:52 - The King of Clubs Tattoo & Creating Your Own Luck
Follow Kevin Fraser:https://www.instagram.com/kevinfraserofficial/
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast  
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark  
This podcast is produced and recorded by 301 Studios in Amsterdam.

Gregory Porter on a Mother's Love, a Brother's Death & the Music in Between

Two-time Grammy winner Gregory Porter is known for Liquid Spirit, Take Me to the Alley and No Love Dying. Behind those songs is a story that most people have never heard in full.
In this episode Gregory goes back to the beginning, growing up in Bakersfield, California, with a minister mother who dragged her church to the streets, a brother who believed in him before he believed in himself, and a community shaped by both extraordinary hardship and extraordinary love.
He talks about how those early experiences became the emotional foundation for everything he has ever recorded, why Liquid Spirit is really a sermon his mother used to preach, and what it feels like to sing a song live when the person it was written for is no longer there to hear it.
He also opens up about losing his brother Lloyd, the depression that followed, and how he has learned to keep Lloyd alive not by writing an anthem for him but by letting him show up quietly in the music, the way he always did.
Timestamps:00:00 - Gregory Porter01:17 - Why Amsterdam & London Are His Two Biggest Spotify Cities03:57 - What Gregory Porter Is Actually Selling: Units of Love06:21 - From the Beer & Hot Dog Stage at North Sea Jazz Festival10:22 - The Moment He Knew He Could Fill a Room That Size13:45 - Growing Up in Bakersfield17:44 - His First Audience, People Nobody Else Would Sing For19:02 - School Cat, Frenchie & the Street Characters Who Shaped His Music20:09 - What Don't Kill Me Has Made Me Hard Really Means23:13 - Growing Up as One of Two Black Families in a White Neighborhood25:23 - Being Stopped by Police at Eight Years Old28:36 - The story of his brother29:17 - How His Mother Ruth Kept Him Standing Through All of It30:13 - Her Last Act of Kindness31:26 - How She Compared Him to Nat King Cole at Age Five32:50 - Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole Shaped His Sound36:33 - Why Liquid Spirit Is Really About His Mother's Sermons About Water38:15 - Being Present at Births, Deaths & Weddings Through His Music40:17 - How Jools Holland Changed Everything in the UK Overnight45:21 - His Brother Lloyd: The Man Who Pushed Him on Every Stage50:27 - Lloyd Saved Him From Disappearing Into Heartbreak 53:11 - Losing Lloyd & the Depression That Followed55:17 - The Last Texts From the Hospital57:15 - How Lloyd Lives on in the Music01:01:32 - Building a Legacy on Vinyl01:03:34 - The New Album & Working on It Between Shows in Amsterdam01:04:18 - Why He Will Only Ever Perform With Live Musicians01:06:09 - See You at the Olympic Stadium on June 29th
Follow Gregory Porter:https://www.instagram.com/gregoryportermusichttps://www.gregoryporter.com/tour
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast  
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
Connect with me:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark  
This podcast is produced and recorded by 301 Studios in Amsterdam.

Jiaoying Summers - Stop Being a Victim, Start Being Funny

Jiaoying Summers is one of the most fearless comedians working today. She owns two comedy clubs, runs a production studio, hosts the Tiger Mommy podcast, and is currently on her first European tour. She is also 35 weeks pregnant and has not slept properly in weeks.
Success has come far faster than happiness for comedian Jiaoying Summers. In just a few short years, the Chinese immigrant went from hosting open mics on Zoom to starring in a Hulu special, buying comedy clubs, and selling out international tours. But years of harsh parenting and cultural clashes still fuel a relentless search for self-worth.
Fresh off sold-out shows in Dublin, London and Amsterdam, Jiaoying sat down with Dam Yankee host Zack Newmark to talk about growing up in China with a drunk father and a tiger mom who still cannot say she loves her, moving to Lexington Kentucky at 18 without speaking a word of English, and building a comedy career from scratch after a director told her to get out of his office but also maybe try stand-up.
"She doesn't think happiness is a factor for human beings," Summers says of her mother. "She think happiness come with success, but it doesn't. So I spent my whole life trying to value myself."
She also opens up about the painful side of her ambition, the feeling that her self-worth is entirely tied to what she produces, the difficulty of feeling happiness even when everything she ever dreamed of has come true and why she bought her own comedy clubs rather than wait for someone to book her.Recorded in Amsterdam during her Lucky Pony 26 European tour, Summers opens up about the deep emotional wounds that shaped her dark, unfiltered humor. She recounts traumatic memories of her alcoholic father, including a chilling incident where she was left "floating in the pool until they closed the pool" while he drank, only to face her mother's wrath alone.
Summers also confronts the jarring realities of Eastern beauty standards as she prepares to welcome a child with her American fiancé: "And it's gonna be a white boy," she notes of her mother's reaction. "The darker your skin means you are poor, you work at a farm. The lighter your skin means you are royalty, so."
From setting up a satirical "rehab fund" for her son's stand-up ambitions to combating generational trauma, this is a raw, hilarious, and unforgettable interview. Watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen to the Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms.
 
Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction & A Power Outage in Amsterdam00:57 - Touring Europe at 35 Weeks Pregnant & Why She Did It Anyway02:27 - Her Mom's Reaction to the New Baby & Chinese Beauty Standards04:28 - Tiger Mom vs Loving Mom: Breaking the Cycle With Her Own Kids05:31 - Self-Worth, Achievement & Why Success Never Feels Like Enough06:54 - Two Comedy Clubs, a Production Studio & a New Special08:09 - Writing Her Second Hour, a TV Show & a Book While Making a Baby11:26 - What Species Are You: Her First Special 12:05 - How a Hollywood Director Told Her to Get Out & Try Stand-Up13:38 - Growing Up in China & Never Knowing Stand-Up Was a Career15:19 - Landing in Lexington Kentucky & Being the Only Chinese Person16:51 - Working in Restaurants, Getting Bullied & Going Back to Headline18:41 - Using Success as Power & What She Does With It20:13 - Her Kids, Her Ex & the Private Jet Dream22:20 - The Back Injury in Vegas That Almost Cancelled the Whole Tour26:00 - Performing in a Wheelchair in Madison Wisconsin & Killing Anyway29:12 - The Influencer Attack, TikTok Censorship & Her Grandmother's Curse35:22 - Why She Bought Her Own Comedy Clubs Instead of Complaining38:00 - Woman of Color in Comedy & Why Victim Mentality 43:29 - Nikki Glaser, Margaret Cho & the Comedians Who Have Her Back46:18 - The Comedians She Wants to Elevate: Charlene Kaye49:12 - Asian Beauty Standards, K-Pop & Why It Is All Toxic54:20 - Her Father's Sobriety & What Made Him Stop Drinking57:35 - Most Awkward Christmas Dinner Ever59:06 - Where to Find Her, Tiger Mommy Podcast & the Fall World Tour
Follow Jiaoying Summers:Instagram/TikTok/Facebook/YouTube: @jiaoyingsummersTour & Tickets: jellyandcomedy.comPodcast: Tiger Mommy Podcast
Connect with me:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynewmark  
Follow Dam Yankee: https://www.instagram.com/damyankeepodcast  
Website: https://damyankeepodcast.nltimes.nl/
This podcast is produced and recorded by 301 Studios in Amsterdam.

Comedian Greg Shapiro on Trump Tribunals, his viral "Netherlands Second" video

... and how Seth Meyers outed Shapiro on stage as someone who likely has ADHD.
In this episode of the Dam Yankee podcast, host Zack Newmark sits down with comedian, voice actor, and American Netherlander Greg Shapiro. Best known across the globe as the voice of Donald Trump in the viral "America First, Netherlands Second" video, Shapiro gets real about the high stakes of modern politics.
He doesn't mince words about the future of the U.S., warning, "We assume that this, crazy Trump, you know, project 2025, now in 2026, you know, this won't last forever. And, I think someone said, we'll see you at Nuremberg 2.0, yeah".
Beyond the political satire of his upcoming ninth solo show, King Me: 250 Years of Donald Trump, Shapiro opens up about the personal costs of his 30-year comedy career. He shares the painful reality of moving to Amsterdam in 1994, which fractured his relationship with his family back in Chicago.
 
It took 20 years for his father to finally say, "...when you moved away, and I understood at some point, oh, you're not coming back. And I guess I thought, good for you. And, proud. You know, I'm proud of you".
Shapiro also gives a fascinating look inside his neurodivergent brain, explaining the "back pocket" technique he uses to manage his ADHD on stage. Tune in to hear the unbelievable story of how the "Netherlands Second" catchphrase was a last-minute afterthought, and why Shapiro thinks America might be due for a new revolution.
 
Watch the episode now on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more services.

Mosimann on Dream Tracks, Viral Fails & Selling Out a 19,000 Seat Arena

Swiss-French DJ, record producer and #dreamtrack inventor Quentin Mosimann sat down with Dam Yankee host Zack Newmark fresh off a sleepless night after announcing a sold-out show at the Accor Arena in Paris for 19,000 people. 
After 15 years as a DJ, something shifted in the last two years. The social numbers went up, the gig requests went up, and suddenly Quentin was playing 150 shows a year while trying to figure out how to handle worldwide agency requests with a team that was never built for that kind of scale.
He talks about the viral Dream Tracks series he created with Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson and Edgar Wright, why his worst dream track got millions of views, and why he once walked away from a million euro deal and a Universal contract to start completely from scratch.
Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction & The Paris Arena Announcement01:58 - 5,000 People in Line & Why He Can't Believe It's Happening03:17 - 15 Years as a DJ & What Suddenly Changed in the Last Two Years05:14 - Paradiso Amsterdam vs a 19,000 Seat Arena07:19 - Why One Hour as a DJ Is a Disaster & Why He Needs to Tell a Story09:20 - Producing His Own Shows for the First Time & the Risk That Paid Off09:58 - Dream Tracks: The Concept, Hugh Jackman & the Wolverine Scream12:35 - When Dream Tracks Become Real Releases13:03 - Edgar Wright, The Running Man & the Dream Track That Shouldn't Have Existed16:18 - How Dream Tracks Became the Concept for His Entire Live Show18:38 - Building a Track Live on Stage by Sampling the Crowd21:14 - How He Opens & Closes Every Show & the Eric Prydz Outro23:08 - What It Means to Be Aligned as an Artist24:20 - Star Academy France: Why He Did It & What He Had to Lose26:12 - Winning a Million Euros, a Universal Deal & Walking Away From All of It30:36 - Quitting Universal, Signing to Sony RCA & Trusting His Team32:28 - Paying Off His Mother's 145,000 Euro Debt34:21 - Swiss-French Identity and Dutch Directness38:07 - Working 24 Hours a Day & Watching Other People Drink Beers40:15 - 150 Shows a Year, No Alcohol on the Road & One Cigarette a Day42:04 - Hotel Rooms, Netflix, a Dog & Waiting for the One44:00 - Why Being Aligned Is the Only Thing That Matters46:10 - Why He Started Bringing Live Instruments on Stage48:00 - Playing Underground Techno at Fuse Belgium: A Childhood Dream49:07 - Checking Off Bucket List Milestones & Amsterdam Dance Event50:52 - Four Seasons as a Judge on The Voice Belgium & Why He Stopped51:13 - What Opened the Door to Big Name Dream Tracks52:03 - The Dream Track He Still Wants: Jimmy Fallon & a Dutch Artist53:35 - The Full Dream Tracks Process: From Pre-Interview to Final Edit57:04 - The Two Hour Remix That's Now Everywhere on French Radio
Connect with Mosimann:  https://www.instagram.com/mosimann/https://quentinmosimann.com/
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Iconic musician Femi Kuti hides bitter truths in his biggest upbeat hits

Join host Zack Newmark on this unforgettable episode of Dam Yankee for a profound and deeply personal conversation with six-time Grammy-nominated Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti. Currently traversing Europe on a massive tour to support his introspective new album, Journey Through Life, Femi stops by to reveal the complex man behind the roaring saxophone and pulsating rhythms.
In a raw, highly vulnerable interview, Femi explains the ingenious, culturally rooted way he tricks listeners into digesting difficult political realities. "The way I see my music is they should be in malaria tablets," he explains. "It was the worst tablet you could take. It was so bitter... So you can still dance. You can still party. So consciously or subconsciously, the lyrics hit you."
Despite decades as a global music icon, Femi pulls back the curtain on the intense, unseen pressure of touring, confessing to Zack, "I'm always scared of about the next day. I'm always scared." He also addresses the darkest psychological moments of his youth, detailing the agonizing, deeply misunderstood choice to leave his father Fela Kuti's band."I didn't want my father to die. I loved him too much," he reveals, reflecting on the heavy, terrifying burden of musical inheritance.
From sold-out crowds in the Netherlands to the legendary stages of the New Afrika Shrine, discover the joy, the fear, and the unyielding passion of a musical titan. Don't miss this incredible episode—tune in now to hear the rest of the story.
This episode of the Dam Yankee podcast is now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more services.