Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert Experts on Expert. I'm Dan Shepard, I'm joined by Minnesotan Mouse. Hi! We have an expert today. In keeping with Thursdays being experts, we've scrounged one up. We haven't changed it. He's a very famous expert. Very. He's the face of- - Raps or physics? - Physics. - Race of raps or physics. - Neil deGrasse. - Neil deGrasse Tyson. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Biggie. - Take it in. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist. Best-selling author and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. He has a podcast that's out currently called StarTalk Radio, science pop culture and comedy. In StarTalk Radio. He also has a new book out now called Starry Messenger Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization. He's a wordsmith.

- He does a little poetry. - He does. - As he does. - Yes. - As he's known to do. It was a real hoot getting to meet this-- - Legend. - Legendary astronaut. Please enjoy Neil deGrasse Tyson. Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free right now. Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. A little T-Rex spell here, very nice. - Yeah. - Miniaturized. - If you only knew the whole story. - We're hoping for a real one at some point. So that's kind of a wish fulfillment. - Dax, if you're getting beefed up, then you can't play the geeky roles.

- Acting, so no problem. - Really? - Yes, yes, all done. - No! - Well, I would never say never, God knows. Quinn Tarantino calls me in 10 years, I'll be there, but I do this, I love it more than anything, and I don't have to put makeup on ever again. - Yeah, cool. - Yeah. - Also, he was never playing-- - Peaky rolls. Like some stupid rolls. - Imagine him beefed up in Eegocracy, that wouldn't have worked. We already had Terry Crews. - Oh, you're right. - As the muscle president. Another example, you can't be a comedian and be especially ham. - Unless you're black. - You talked about this. - No, it's true. This is the great debate in comedy. - That's an interesting fact. - Yeah, because Eddie Murphy was sexy as fuck in the leather suit. - Right, in tight pants. - Biggest stand up routine ever. Will Smith, very funny, very hilarious. - In shape, black dudes can do it. - Yeah, oh you know why? If you're really beautiful and privileged, how could you make a joke about anything? - Yeah. - That's right.

Everyone knows you're still oppressed. - Yes. - It's true. - Even if you're-- - Exactly. - And so there's still room between you and the comedic landscape to make things happen. - 'Cause you're still able to have objective. - Observations about the world. - Rather than completely deluded because you're handsome or beautiful. Recipient of all benefits. Exactly. Okay, you don't even know what a thick and deep conversation you just stepped into. Like this is a pervasive comedian conversation. There's been some examples. Well, I know you're a pop culture phenom. So I've even been told I got - Got in shape for a movie like 15 years ago, ran into Adam Sandler, and he said, buddy, you can't do this, you can't get in shape. Joe Pesci, we've got a canary in the coal mine. Joe Pesci got jacked. He has carrot top inordinately ripped. Do you know Joe Pesci's story though? It's a really sad one. - Did he had cancer or something and he wanted to get back in shape? - He got beat up on the street as an adult man.

And was really humiliated by the experience. Joe Piscopo, it's not Joe Pesci. Joe Pesci is-- - Yeah, yeah. - You were saying it wrong, but yeah. - Pesci would have gotten his mafia friends if he would have taken care of that. - Joe Piscopo. Commercials, you remember that? - Yes, yes. - Yes. So that really kind of took him out of the comedy world. - That's the evidence. - I said to Adam, I still have this point of view. You can only be yourself. I'm someone who liked lifting weights always. My point of view is me. I can't pretend I don't like being in shape because it fits the archetype of a weight comedian. I feel like that's a little crazy. You would have thought this is the most sidelined conversation, but it actually pertains to you in a way that is among the most interesting things I think about you. Is that an astrophysicist, a scientist, is not supposed to be the captain of a wrestling team. - Yeah. - These two things don't go together. - Right, I was captain at undefeated. - So if anyone should understand my feelings. - Oh, completely. - Yes, I'm gonna be whatever I'm interested in at all times. - I'm authentically what I am. - Yes. - And I can't be anything else.