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#344 Dusty Slay - Moon Landing Conspiracies, Flat Earth, Aliens and the Nephilim

The Shawn Ryan Show2h 51m

Dusty Slay, a stand-up comedian from Alabama, discusses his journey from trailer parks and substance abuse to sobriety and success in comedy, while exploring his Christian faith, Old Testament dietary laws, and various conspiracy theories including moon landing skepticism and flat earth questions.

Summary

Dusty Slay grew up in a trailer park in Opelika, Alabama, with divorced parents, spending formative years between his mother's house and his father's farm. He developed early interests in drawing, insects, and nature, experiencing childhood self-consciousness about poverty that emerged in middle school. His parents' divorce deeply affected him, shaping his determination to maintain a strong marriage and avoid putting similar burdens on his own children.

Slay's teenage years involved drug experimentation (acid, ecstasy, various substances) from ages 17-21, which he characterizes as recreational rather than addictive. At 18, he was arrested for underage alcohol consumption and marijuana possession the night before his Army deployment was supposed to begin, preventing his military service. He attributes this to divine intervention. He sold his childhood trailer for $3,500 and used the proceeds to move to Charleston, South Carolina in 2003.

In Charleston, Slay took improv classes, began doing stand-up comedy, and spent several years drinking heavily while working as a pesticide salesman and waiter. In 2012, after winning a local comedy competition, he quit drinking, smoking, and dipping in a single day, replacing these habits with a total lifestyle transformation. He describes this as simultaneous spiritual and personal awakening. By 2012-2013, he moved to Nashville and began building a full-time comedy career, eventually meeting his Canadian wife Hannah at an open mic in New York.

Slay's comedy journey progressed through theater tours, appearances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central, and Netflix specials (Working Man, Wet Heat). He's become a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry and recently published a book with Simon & Schuster. He emphasizes doing comedy his way—observational, southern, working-class humor focused on making audiences feel good rather than offensive material.

Religiously, Slay identifies as Christian but explores Old Testament law interpretation. Around 2013, influenced by blogs he read, he stopped eating pork and shellfish based on Levitical dietary laws, believing the New Testament doesn't abolish Old Testament commandments but rather fulfills them. He interprets Acts 10 (Peter's vision) as referring to Gentiles, not food. He follows these practices despite disagreement from mainstream Christianity and acknowledges losing sponsors due to his faith-based podcast content.

Slay is deeply interested in conspiracies, including skepticism about the moon landing (questioning who filmed descent footage, why we haven't returned, lost technology explanations), flat earth cosmology (questioning gravity's selective application, water adherence on a sphere), and alien/paranormal phenomena. He believes aliens are likely spiritual beings from other realms rather than space travelers, and that fallen angels (Nephilim) from Genesis 6 may explain some paranormal encounters. He's experienced sleep paralysis dreams and a shadowy figure encounter in an old Nashville house.

Currently married since 2017, Slay has two older children and a five-month-old, and lives on three acres near Nashville where he grows fruit trees, raises tadpoles into tree frogs, and maintains a food forest concept. He practices homesteading principles and prepares for emergencies. He limits travel to two-night theater gigs to maximize family time, refusing to overwork despite industry pressures. He's working on the Neighborhood Guy Tour and values authentic, unhurried living over financial maximization.

About this episode

Dusty Slay is a stand-up comedian known for his Southern, working-class observational humor and is currently touring nationwide on his Neighborhood Guy Tour. Raised in a trailer park in Opelika, Alabama, he went from working regular jobs to appearances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central, and Netflix. He is also a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry and the author of We’re Having a Good Time: And Other Stories. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Privacy Isn't Paranoia. Its Protection. - https://theglacierapp.com For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://Mengotomars.com Don’t sleep on [@ultrapouches]. New customers get 15% Off with code SRS at https://takeultra.com! #UltraPouches #ad Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get 20% off with promo code SRS at https://shopmando.com! #mandopod Upgrade your eyewear at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide at checkout. Dusty Slay Links: Purchase We're Having a Good Time: (And Other Stories...) Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1668087669?tag=simonsayscom Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/were-having-a-good-time-dusty-slay/1149525866?ean=9781668087664 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dustyslaycomedy Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dustyslay X - https://x.com/dustyslay TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@dustyslay Website - www.dustyslay.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Key Insights

  • Slay quit drinking, cigarettes, and dipping simultaneously in 2012 after realizing his body couldn't support the physical stress, describing it as a single transformative moment rather than gradual reduction.
  • He interprets Acts 10's sheet vision as referring to the acceptance of Gentiles (people) rather than food becoming clean, based on Peter's own explanation in the text.
  • Slay stopped eating pork and shellfish in 2013 based on Levitical laws, arguing these aren't abolished by the New Testament but rather the law shows how to live on earth while Jesus provides salvation.
  • He experienced losing comedy sponsors immediately after starting Bible-focused podcast content, but consciously chose to continue anyway.
  • Slay questions the moon landing based on filming logistics (who filmed the descent), inability to return despite technology advancement, and astronauts appearing somber rather than excited at press conferences.
  • He views flat earth cosmology through Genesis 1's description of a firmament separating waters above from below, and questions how gravity selectively holds water to a sphere while allowing free movement of other objects.
  • Slay believes aliens are likely spiritual entities from another realm rather than space travelers, and that some paranormal encounters may be fallen angels (Nephilim) whose souls have nowhere to go after death.
  • He deliberately minimizes work to two-night theater gigs to maintain continuous family presence, rejecting the traditional model of eight-hour daily absence even if nights are home.
  • Slay paid back his brother-in-law's loan from selling his childhood trailer and attributes his friend's comment about God's judgment (not church members' judgment) as pivotal to shifting his comedy toward cleaner material.
  • His friend's observation that he cared more about church members' opinions than God's opinion hit him deeply and changed his approach to comedy permanently.
  • He experienced a shadowy figure encounter at the foot of his bed in a 1800s Nashville house, later confirmed by a roommate's girlfriend who had similar experiences in the same house.
  • Slay believes that discussing conspiracy theories openly—even if controversial—is important because people should question everything collectively rather than accept single narratives.
  • He intentionally avoided family-focused comedy early in his career to prevent his children from discovering years later that he'd monetized private moments they thought were secrets.
  • His drug experimentation from ages 17-21 was recreational and compartmentalized; he never viewed drugs as lifestyle like he did alcohol, which he felt he couldn't control.
  • Slay's prepping philosophy stems from Biblical preparation narratives like Joseph's seven-year famine planning, viewing preparation as obedience rather than paranoia.

Topics

Stand-up comedy career trajectorySobriety and lifestyle transformationChristian faith and Old Testament lawChildhood trauma and family dynamicsMoon landing conspiracy theoriesFlat earth cosmologyParanormal and spiritual encountersMarriage and family valuesHomesteading and land stewardshipSubstance abuse historyWork-life balance philosophyPublishing and book writing experience

Transcript

How do you want to split it? Actually, dinner's on me. Okay, big money. Well, I got a Venmo balance that I can spend with my Venmo Debit MasterCard, so. Well, I Venmo'd you three times last week, so it's kinda on me, actually. Yeah, you send it, I spend it. Did my money get, like, reincarnated? Yeah, it's chicken shawarma. Want it back? I can't believe you, like, ate my Venmo. Spend your balance instantly with the Venmo Debit Card. No monthly fee or minimum balance. Venmo balance account required to get a card and use a balance. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. Mr. President, my company formed the explosion on our rig on…

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