He is very calm in his mind (at least so it appears), that is something a lot of interviewers/hosts lack. More often then not the host will make it too much "his" show.
He really is a fantastic interviewer. A good interviewer has to know when to talk and what to ask, but much more importantly, when not to talk and just let the guest guide the conversation. He does both of these very well; that’s why I and many love his podcast.
First time watcher. If this is how business is conducted then I'm gonna keep watching. Letting a person just speak and not interrupting. Most folks are just waiting to speak. This is uncut without reaction or interference. 1 love bruv.
Dudes deep ops and everything he said was bullshit lol. He went over got some chick preggo claimed he loved her and the child and claimed he hates his ex wife and his country stole his retirement sounds like a cover story to me. That guy who didn’t let him into the CIA hq was smart motherfucker was trying to pull off a triple agent maneuver and plant listening devices or something.
Him talking about his daughter is so incredibly relatable. I have two sons and I love them dearly but when my daughter was born, it’s almost indescribable. That little girl managed to get the lid shut on the jar that had the one last bit of light left in me before it could vanish. She’s currently 4 and I owe her my soul, my very humanity. I wouldn’t have left either.
My son came first and a few years later my daughter came. Now my saying is "My son made me a man and my daughter made me a gentleman" from Henry Magana
I've read a lot of spy novels and autobiographies and what he casually talks about, dead drops, one-time pads, SW radio, all rings so true. It'd be a great movie.
I really enjoyed this insight and conversation when it 1st went live. I drive for a living and good podcasts help the miles roll unnoticed. I enjoyed it so much I listened to it again today. 🇬🇧
100% understand what he's saying about being a father. Everything changed when my daughter was born. One day I was one person living one life the next day I left it all behind moved a week later with my girlfriend and baby and never looked back.
I LOVE that he def knows his stuff AND has examples of his expertise/awareness, yet is a rare one who doesn't come across as a braggy know-it-all, like in so many YT interviews. How interesting, enjoying this!
What conversation? Did you even watch this? He seemed to be half asleep during this clip, occasionally tossing in a lame comment. Definitely not his best.
Working for the KGB early life, then makes FBI Agent godfather of his child later life. Everyone respects this guy, true hard worker and overal nice guy
@@tacotom3492 stop going too deep, I'm a "conspiracy" guy myself but you can't think EVERYTHING is fake and a lie, thats not true and quite the pessimistic existence
The fact the he was hiding documents in central park is mind blowing to me for some reason. And the beam he had to pass by every day looking for a message. Wild.
My father speaks seven languages has a masters a bachelors and a doctrine in three different majors and growing up we would always fly over sees weekly to the states. He always has his hair parted to the side and wears a lot of suites. As a kid I always thought he was a spy. It just made sense. Turns out he worked as a free lancer for time magazine. What ever that means.. looking back now it’s kinda silly. With that said I have three passports growing up completely filled up with travel I don’t remember. I guess it’s a logical suspicion.
I watched this 2 yrs ago and just watched again. Lex is a superb interviewer because he doesn't interrupt and distract when content is is uploading. Good job!
If you're a Russian you are probably thinking traitor, but he saw the American way and fell in love and sacrificed his home country for his new wife and kids. As a guy/man that's pretty respectable to me 💯
Spies aren't traitors unless they go over to the other side in order to damage their own country. He did nothing to damage his former country, as far as we can tell from this clip.
@@Buskyb Yeah but he worked for the Russian government, if a Canadian who worked for the US government betrayed them a lot of Americans would call him s traitor.
What makes a good spy is both surviving his career and still present himself as an agreeable person despite all the crimes he committed. The usual retirement facility for a spy is the bottom of a lake.
Imagine the characters of the people making the dead drop for him to pick, or the guys who find you to whisper in your ears or the guy taking half the loot 😂 geez 🙄 I love spy movies
If you leave the service when you’re 40+ … chances of you doing real damage to your employed country is low as the information, tactics and even agents have changed. Leaving the service in your 20s/30s… those are the assassinations you hear of.. all their info in new/still relevant
What a fascinating interview. This gentleman is a singular example of the capacity of the human spirit to deceive, lie, murder, thieve, destroy, steal, murder and whatever else for supposedly worthy causes. And yet to repent, cast oneself upon God and to live worthily for love and family is possible.
I mean. He lived for love and quit the KGB before “casting upon god”. Not sure I agree with your viewpoint here as it slants heavily towards your bias.
I remember how paranoid I was and the measures my family and myself took when I was an undercover narcotics agent . I can't imagine living how he did for all those years.
@@twashingtonjr91 not really. We targeted high level dealers. Not street level. The experience is invaluable. Not just for law enforcement but for life skills. When I started I was wanting to change the world. I did eventually realize that the war on drugs was an endless cycle. We will never arrest our way out of addiction. Once I left narcotics I was the detective for the DA's office. After arresting 2 deputies for killing an inmate and seeing how quickly everyone turned against me it opened my eyes. I left law enforcement as a detective sgt . I lost faith in what I was doing. I'm now much more at peace and make better money tbh.
we can make peace in Ukraine easily, just stop selling weapons to Ukraine and stop starting color revolutions. create a DMZ and recognize Donbas independence
well, at least it was for the good of his family. in America we(the CIA/Neo-Cons) fake discovering WMD and start illegal wars that cause 500,000 women and children to get yeeted in Iraq. then drone strike Afghan children into red paste because of our own political chaos.
They gotta take advantage everytime they can get information like this. Its invaluable to understanding soviet operations even if it's old and sometimes repetitive of another account.
The Americans must be inspired by him. I loved how they made that series and always thought they must know someone who was a former spy to get to that level of detail
Ex 2.0 was an employee of Pinkerton Computer Consultants and had as her customer Jack Barsky at Prudential. She loved telling Jack Barsky stories and once said he commented about one of my novels. Years later, long after we were divorced, she told me that Barksy was a KGB spy and she was super freaked out.
My thing would be , my issue, apprehensions, whatever, would be constantly wondering if I could trust my Russian handlers. What if they were just getting me up there to Canada to exterminate me? I'd almost rather be in an American prison forever than a Russian gulag, or just a ditch in Canada lol
I feel like if they wanted to kill you they wouldn't tell you to go to Canada, they would poison you or kill you in a way where it looks like a accident
They would only do that if they felt you betrayed them and if thats the case there’s nowhere you can run, FSB is pretty scary with those poisonings of these ex spies. But they woudnt kill you for no reason.
USA, land of second chances. Paradigmaticlee very interesting to spend so much of your mind in constant anxiety. The determination in humans is sometimes insipid and therefore unworthy of praise, but not in this case. Great health to all.
He has good guests but he is below average at what he does. He has no ide what he is talking about. For example, he likes to talk about a few quotes he read on goodreads from Nietzsche and he has no clue what they mean, just goes with the most superficial nonsense. I say it because Nietzsche was basically the subject of my postgraduate program and it hurts my brain.
I love seeing two spies talk
Stellar comment
lmao....I was thinking the other day what if this trip for Lex to Ukraine/Russia was just his move to exit the US cause its getting hot lol
hahaha yea best one yet
Watching two spies talk on a Spy network propaganda machine
Lol
Lex is great at letting his guest tell a story without interrupting them. Awesome.
He is very calm in his mind (at least so it appears), that is something a lot of interviewers/hosts lack. More often then not the host will make it too much "his" show.
Honestly hes gotta be one of the best hosts ever.
@@Chipsandsalsa183 ???
Dude in fucking great storyteller how you gon give all the credit to lex 😂
He really is a fantastic interviewer. A good interviewer has to know when to talk and what to ask, but much more importantly, when not to talk and just let the guest guide the conversation. He does both of these very well; that’s why I and many love his podcast.
First time watcher. If this is how business is conducted then I'm gonna keep watching. Letting a person just speak and not interrupting. Most folks are just waiting to speak. This is uncut without reaction or interference. 1 love bruv.
Finally a real interview with a former spy. Love Joe, but there's only so much Mike Baker I can take
Mike baker friggin sucks
This guy takes wayyyy too long to say absolutely nothing. boring as fuck, its like an interview with biden . hes lost it
Last word should be "fake"
Any Mike Baker is too much. Low level car salesmen BS artist.
Yea he’s become to mainstream at this point. There’s always a few
that laugh after he hinted at the agent taking half of his life savings lmao he would of done the same shit if it was him.
He was laughing at the corruption that permeated the society he had left behind, like, "Ha, so typical!"
Dudes deep ops and everything he said was bullshit lol. He went over got some chick preggo claimed he loved her and the child and claimed he hates his ex wife and his country stole his retirement sounds like a cover story to me. That guy who didn’t let him into the CIA hq was smart motherfucker was trying to pull off a triple agent maneuver and plant listening devices or something.
Consistently some of the best interviewees.
fuck cnn lol
How does Lex know/find these people? Just such a wide , great variety.
look listen i do not know
The ape expert wasn’t great when he tried to translate his observations to humans.
Him talking about his daughter is so incredibly relatable. I have two sons and I love them dearly but when my daughter was born, it’s almost indescribable. That little girl managed to get the lid shut on the jar that had the one last bit of light left in me before it could vanish. She’s currently 4 and I owe her my soul, my very humanity. I wouldn’t have left either.
cuz u can be all soft and soppy cuz its ur kid and its good for daughters to do that
When my son was born
My son came first and a few years later my daughter came. Now my saying is
"My son made me a man and my daughter made me a gentleman" from Henry Magana
Calm down, don't brag. Kiddo's are awesome though. Just be a good dad dude.
Have fun getting your nails done! It's important to them :)
I know what you mean because I have a dog that is female. Incredible feeling of love
You think as soon as the camera is turned off he turned to Lex and asked So, How is your operation going comrade?
I've read a lot of spy novels and autobiographies and what he casually talks about, dead drops, one-time pads, SW radio, all rings so true. It'd be a great movie.
Alan Alda should play him!
Any suggestions? I find this stuff extremely interesting.
the red dot
that's some movie material right there
I really enjoyed this insight and conversation when it 1st went live. I drive for a living and good podcasts help the miles roll unnoticed.
I enjoyed it so much I listened to it again today. 🇬🇧
As soon as he mentioned his daughter I nearly cried. I know that pain. And mines 18months as well. And such pain happened to me at 6months .
Hope your days get better
Don’t be a spy in reality we should have a no tolerance death penalty for spies
100% understand what he's saying about being a father. Everything changed when my daughter was born. One day I was one person living one life the next day I left it all behind moved a week later with my girlfriend and baby and never looked back.
Crotch goblins save lives.
@andrewdenton7901 🤣🤣🤣 100% federal inmate to PTA meetings and dressing up as a fairy for birthdays 😆 🤣
It’s so cool to see Lex find his own footing in this space . Now he is leading it . American dream realized
American dream realized: Report back to mother Russian.
⁰
Called the "American dream", because you have to be asleep in order to believe it.
I LOVE that he def knows his stuff AND has examples of his expertise/awareness, yet is a rare one who doesn't come across as a braggy know-it-all, like in so many YT interviews. How interesting, enjoying this!
Lex, this is one of the best interviews you've done. I have thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Thank you.
What conversation? Did you even watch this? He seemed to be half asleep during this clip, occasionally tossing in a lame comment. Definitely not his best.
Agreed. Great interview!
@@delavan9141 I think that you're confused about what am interview is.
“One day my wife and I got into a terrible fight and I chose to deploy the nuclear option.”
Been there comrade. A lot of us have.
"you have to take it (a death threat from the KGB) seriously .. to some degree" hahahahahahaha
That's slightly missing the point though... what they said had 2 meanings
Working for the KGB early life, then makes FBI Agent godfather of his child later life. Everyone respects this guy, true hard worker and overal nice guy
Lex is really stepping up both the guests and quality of podcasts
@@tacotom3492 stop going too deep, I'm a "conspiracy" guy myself but you can't think EVERYTHING is fake and a lie, thats not true and quite the pessimistic existence
The fact the he was hiding documents in central park is mind blowing to me for some reason. And the beam he had to pass by every day looking for a message. Wild.
I’m beginning to think this guys job was to be a decoy spy. Hiding notes in trees like a child? Lol wtf
@@planobest8120 And that is exactly why it works.
I just want to start painting red circles everywhere now and see who gets spooked
😂
Never try to out-spook the spook.
He is right about daughters
Something only a MAN with a baby daughter could possibly fathom
@ yellow cake he also mentions his “German family” received his money once they thought he passed.
As a first time viewer, the stories you guys both have draw me in to continue watching. Great videos bro.
His story reminds me of the spy show The Americans. What an incredible life he’s lived and an equally incredible memory. Excellent story teller.
Hall of fame show. Highly recommend
@@barigiassi Oh yes, it was riveting stuff. The only flaw was when Kerry Russell tried to speak Russian. Thankfully it was very brief!
To be a spy, telling a story is skill #1.
He literally inspired it
reminds me of the show "The Blacklist" he might actually be the real Raymond Reddington 🤔 lol
My father speaks seven languages has a masters a bachelors and a doctrine in three different majors and growing up we would always fly over sees weekly to the states. He always has his hair parted to the side and wears a lot of suites. As a kid I always thought he was a spy. It just made sense. Turns out he worked as a free lancer for time magazine. What ever that means.. looking back now it’s kinda silly.
With that said I have three passports growing up completely filled up with travel I don’t remember. I guess it’s a logical suspicion.
Sounds like Cia especially after you mentioned him working for a magazine as that has actually been used as a front in the past
It's your story bro. Might as well make it interesting
Imagine you were correct. Lol
Hes a spy
@@oiitzME1266 Time magazine CNN all CIA ops
This is the most fascinating thing I've seen on youtube. I cannot stop.
I watched this 2 yrs ago and just watched again. Lex is a superb interviewer because he doesn't interrupt and distract when content is is uploading. Good job!
If you're a Russian you are probably thinking traitor, but he saw the American way and fell in love and sacrificed his home country for his new wife and kids. As a guy/man that's pretty respectable to me 💯
He is german tho...
@@Buskyb but he was working for the Russians.
Spies aren't traitors unless they go over to the other side in order to damage their own country. He did nothing to damage his former country, as far as we can tell from this clip.
@@Buskyb Yeah but he worked for the Russian government, if a Canadian who worked for the US government betrayed them a lot of Americans would call him s traitor.
@@Buskyb East Germany. That was basically Russia back then.
What makes a good spy is both surviving his career and still present himself as an agreeable person despite all the crimes he committed. The usual retirement facility for a spy is the bottom of a lake.
Bottom of a lake or a deep hole in a massive forest. The worst fate though is the Black Site if they want info out of you!
I bet it's often times burned or melted with acid.
He's 100% on the daughter thing; it changes you.
My grandfather was German. The similarities between him and this guy are amazing. Really makes me miss him
He was a dirty spy?
@@ronjeremy1232 youre dirty
How does him being german play any role at all?
this guy was recruited in east-germany so that would make sense
@@dimadobrik4516 This agent is East German.
Imagine the characters of the people making the dead drop for him to pick, or the guys who find you to whisper in your ears or the guy taking half the loot 😂 geez 🙄 I love spy movies
Lex's interviews are next Level!🤙👍
Is this dude not a cautionary tale of why these agencies get rid of their own agents once their time is up.
If you leave the service when you’re 40+ … chances of you doing real damage to your employed country is low as the information, tactics and even agents have changed.
Leaving the service in your 20s/30s… those are the assassinations you hear of.. all their info in new/still relevant
"I can't come back I have aids" haha genuis.
really recommend barsky book to anyone who hasn’t read it, great to see him get some love. he deserves it!
Great story from Mr. Barsky, and another great episode. TY Lex!
Yeah but with joe the guests can see themselves in his shiny polished tanned head. That’s gotta count for something.
Such a great interview
His life would make a kick Ass movie
This interview is truly a master piece
Crazy. Back when i was in middle school i wanted to be a spy myself so this interview is gold to me
Now “spies” are as easy as you making yourself the Cattle … tracking yourself 25/8
@@DrRisto__TWITCH nicely put
That’s like a movie.. dude finds a red dot message on a railing he was designated to look at on way to work every day
Everything is like a movie to the low IQ.
Binged watched the whole interview with this guy, very interesting story
then why are you watching clips??
How do you binge watch 1 interview
@@ganjahiwalker2641 dont get up before its done. Use your two braincels lol
Thanks again, great watching.
What a fascinating interview. This gentleman is a singular example of the capacity of the human spirit to deceive, lie, murder, thieve, destroy, steal, murder and whatever else for supposedly worthy causes. And yet to repent, cast oneself upon God and to live worthily for love and family is possible.
I mean. He lived for love and quit the KGB before “casting upon god”. Not sure I agree with your viewpoint here as it slants heavily towards your bias.
2 Agents, one modern, one old, such class😎
I remember how paranoid I was and the measures my family and myself took when I was an undercover narcotics agent . I can't imagine living how he did for all those years.
Narc
@@twashingtonjr91 that's exactly what I was ...
Thank you for your service putting scum in prison lots of drug dealers responsible for many deaths due to overdoses caused by them.
@@twashingtonjr91 not really. We targeted high level dealers. Not street level. The experience is invaluable. Not just for law enforcement but for life skills. When I started I was wanting to change the world. I did eventually realize that the war on drugs was an endless cycle. We will never arrest our way out of addiction. Once I left narcotics I was the detective for the DA's office. After arresting 2 deputies for killing an inmate and seeing how quickly everyone turned against me it opened my eyes. I left law enforcement as a detective sgt . I lost faith in what I was doing. I'm now much more at peace and make better money tbh.
@@DB-yk2pt let us congratulate Drugs, on winning the war on Drugs.
He is going to get the Putin interview and his career is going to explode.
Hopefully in a good way
In my opinion his career already exploded. But interviewing putin would be Nobel prize winning stuff if he did it and made peace in ukraine 🤘
@Yarp Yarp congrats, you can read.
we can make peace in Ukraine easily, just stop selling weapons to Ukraine and stop starting color revolutions. create a DMZ and recognize Donbas independence
Great video , Lex. Good for you , Barsky.
Ex spy being honest about being a spy.... Lol
That was an incredible story
thnx so much ... lived there then, it's nostalgic to listen to ... such an interview!
He actually found the stash of money and passport.
that was his “one time pass”
Really enjoyed Mr. Barsky’s memoir, “Deep Undercover.”
Real-life spy stuff, and a touching story of redemption.
Surprised this guy is still alive
I have a feeling that he knew that the FBI had moved next door, and made that confession in the kitchen purposefully.
I had the exact same thought.
well, at least it was for the good of his family. in America we(the CIA/Neo-Cons) fake discovering WMD and start illegal wars that cause 500,000 women and children to get yeeted in Iraq. then drone strike Afghan children into red paste because of our own political chaos.
I have a feeling this guy LIES A lot because no way FBI would react like that to a literal ENEMY.
I never knew that McDonalds was even making houses and properties like his MC-MANSION he mentioned !
Yes, Lex is awesome about letting his guests express themselves ...
You can learn alot from his mannerisms and body language, the way he talks, the way he tells stories. Fascinating
They gotta take advantage everytime they can get information like this. Its invaluable to understanding soviet operations even if it's old and sometimes repetitive of another account.
Loved this one Lex
The connections of this German train conductor are the best in comparison to what he does
The Americans must be inspired by him. I loved how they made that series and always thought they must know someone who was a former spy to get to that level of detail
What?
@@ReanuKeevesAus ROFL sorry “The Americans” it’s a TV series about Russian Spies living in USA
@@deathstarresident Never heard of it and love him, thnx!
Watched all the clips. Class 💯
Another excellent clip from Lex.
Really good interview
Fun fact, the spy who shagged me was based on this story
Great interview!
this guy changed my perception of the soviet union/KGB
We're all just people, most often being used by a system that finds us shockingly replaceable. Technology is only hastening our end.
Would love to see Oleg Gordievsky interviewed....but you would have to find him first! He's still number 1 on Russia's hit list
Captivating . . . . simply captivating.
This is an amazing interview!!
Always wondered what the guy who did the voice for Elma Fudd looked like
goddamn. now I can't unhear it..
Elma? Is that Elmer’s wife?
KGB Cyber: "Pretty good episode tbf"
Genuine spy vs spy! Great 👍 story 👏
Ex 2.0 was an employee of Pinkerton Computer Consultants and had as her customer Jack Barsky at Prudential. She loved telling Jack Barsky stories and once said he commented about one of my novels. Years later, long after we were divorced, she told me that Barksy was a KGB spy and she was super freaked out.
huh?
My thing would be , my issue, apprehensions, whatever, would be constantly wondering if I could trust my Russian handlers. What if they were just getting me up there to Canada to exterminate me? I'd almost rather be in an American prison forever than a Russian gulag, or just a ditch in Canada lol
I feel like if they wanted to kill you they wouldn't tell you to go to Canada, they would poison you or kill you in a way where it looks like a accident
They would only do that if they felt you betrayed them and if thats the case there’s nowhere you can run, FSB is pretty scary with those poisonings of these ex spies. But they woudnt kill you for no reason.
“My reentry into the human race” talking about his daughter and deciding to leave his former life. What a great quote
Love that he found God and is living in truth now
Wow factor for me. Amazing interview Lex.
USA, land of second chances. Paradigmaticlee very interesting to spend so much of your mind in constant anxiety. The determination in humans is sometimes insipid and therefore unworthy of praise, but not in this case. Great health to all.
Great listen
kgb looks like pretty decent and humane employer!
Love how lex let's him run free with chatting instead of Joe where he constantly interrupting
Beautiful hearing him talking about his love for his daughter.
An interesting and well spoken guest. Would enjoy sitting down and having a few beers with him, I'm sure he's got some crazy stories!
Lex is a flipping boss. My dream is to either interview or be interviewed by Lex! Just a spectacular asset to humanity!💖
Cringe.
@@OoO-rf2gt cringe to your cringe.🤙
@@pokey8667 OK "pick me" 😆
Yeah I don’t get it - he’s a pretty basic interviewer.. has good guests though
He has good guests but he is below average at what he does. He has no ide what he is talking about. For example, he likes to talk about a few quotes he read on goodreads from Nietzsche and he has no clue what they mean, just goes with the most superficial nonsense. I say it because Nietzsche was basically the subject of my postgraduate program and it hurts my brain.
Lex turned my elbow to the far left. I tapped... He's a special young man.
He told his family and the kgb he had aids?... That's messed up dude.
Thats what saved his life, otherwise he would have been assasinated
@@OldSch00l71 he walked away and left his family in Russia to start a new life in the United States (His family). That's messed up.
Desperate situations call for Desperate Measures 🤣
This is so much better than any history book!
Lex getting ready for Russia 👀🔥
Damn this was interesting. Lex and Jack; Thank you,
Imagine being married too a KGB spy 🕵🏽♂️ and not know it 😮
I really appreciate this mans work!! HEs true hero
This guy's a Fed...
Me too!
Speaking of Spies, You should really research and interview members of Congress
What an amazing story of the human experience.
Great story guys. God Bless
I don't believe a word he's saying.
Me neither
The KGB wouldn't just take his word on having HIV
@@jakemackey4059 Bcoz KGB was a damn mess in 1988-89...It had far bigger internal problems to deal with than worry about a sleeper agent in New York.
I only realized now that I read his memoir almost two years ago…that book still lives in somewhere in my mind.