WEBVTT - Ophira Eisenberg on the Healing Power of Comedy: Laughter as Therapy and Personal Growth 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:05.520 Comedy Saved Me. Welcome to Comedy Save Me. 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:08.719 I am Lynn Hoffman, And before we get started swelling, 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:12.200 you know, I host another show called Music Save Me, 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:14.600 which is very similar to Comedy Save Me, sort of 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:17.040 like a franchise, which is a lot of fun. 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:18.840 I talk to musicians about the healing. 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:21.840 Power of music, much like I talked to great comedians 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:26.079 about the healing power of comedy. Now today's guest has 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:28.760 made a career out of finding the funny in life's 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:32.800 most uncomfortable truths, and she does it brilliantly. She is 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.920 a stand up comedian, a writer, an actor, a podcast 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:42.600 host whose credits include NPR, HBO, Comedy Central, The Moth, CBS, 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:46.199 and iHeart. And when she's not that busy, she headlines 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.480 theaters and comedy venues around the world and tours regularly 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:52.920 with The Moth mainstage. She's one of the sharpest, most 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:57.040 compelling voices in comedy today, and now she has a 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.440 brand new comedy special because she just wants to canti 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:04.840 iuld do herself. I used to be nicer, which I 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:06.680 think I need on my T shirt right now. We 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:09.560 gotta make T shirts. And the best part is produced 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:11.840 by the legendary Lewis Black, who I've had on this 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:12.920 podcast before. 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:15.040 I can't even wait to get into this with you. 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.120 Oh yeah, thank you, Oh my goodness, thank you so much. 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:23.039 It's my pleasure. Oh, Fira Eisenberg, I should say her name. 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:25.959 She is here and we're gonna find out when we 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.320 come back why she used to be nicer. Coming up 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:30.760 next on Comedy Save Me, You're gonna want to miss 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:32.160 not gonna want to miss it? Did I just say 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:33.080 you're gonna want to miss this? 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:36.640 Do to me? 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:46.039 I can believe on making you laugh? Comedy Saved Me. 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:48.240 Oh Fira, welcome to Comedy Safe. 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.800 Oh thanks. I think when someone goes like like you 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:54.120 just made that hell, I mean it's hilarious. We should 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:56.960 always be saying this, you're gonna want to miss this? Uh, 0:01:57.040 --> 0:02:00.600 there is no limited time on this love it when 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:03.880 hurry up, hurry up. There's a there's a very standard 0:02:03.880 --> 0:02:06.160 thing that a lot of comics you'll hear say at 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.959 the Animal show, where they go, you know, you've been great, 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.480 I have to go, Thank you so much. And I 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:14.200 know a comic that always says I've been great, you 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:17.000 have to go. I just any reversal of that stuff 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:17.640 I love. 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:22.400 Or it's like, enough about me, let's talk about me exactly, 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:26.720 exactly exactly. Oh, my God ofire the title of your 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.200 new special. I absolutely love I Used to be Nicer. 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:34.480 It feels like it carries a whole life philosophy in 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.160 four little words. When did you stop being nicer? And 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:39.720 was comedy a part of what gave you permission to 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:41.639 do that? I said, definitely, I mean definitely. 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:43.200 I think it's a better place to do it than 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.440 in the real world, because in the real world there 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:49.960 might be repercussions. But I just feel, you know, it's 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.600 a little bit of everything. It's a little bit of 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:57.519 you know, just expertise. As life, life, sex, life situations 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:00.560 pile up on you. You know, you're a little good way. 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.359 You put more boundaries on things. You're a little bit 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:08.440 a little bit more into, you know, limitations, and you 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.640 let people know if you are not up. I'm not 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:15.240 a pushover as much anymore. But and then as a woman, 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:17.800 I'm a people pleaser. So it's slowly working out of that. 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:22.160 But also, you know, I grew up in Canada, so 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.280 for years and years and years and years, even to 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:26.840 this day, I'll talk to someone I barely know, and 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:29.040 then maybe somehow it comes up. I go, I, you know, 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:31.880 grew up in Canada, and they go, oh, you're Canadian, 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:34.080 that's why you're so nice. 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:36.760 Oh interesting, uh huh. 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:38.920 And I always like to say, well, you know what, 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:40.920 I've lived in New York for twenty years, I'm a 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.040 parent to a small child, and I am a woman 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:46.840 working in comedy. Let me tell you something. You should 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.520 have met me ten years ago because I used to 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.320 be nicer. That's the person you want to talk to 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:56.920 now now. Yeah, I mean, but everyone still goes, oh, 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.280 my goodness, affair, you're still really nice. So I guess 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:00.560 you can't shaken. 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.600 Yeah, yeah, you are underneath it all. 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:06.600 And definitely that was a great way to describe it, 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:10.640 because yeah, it's it's it gets harder and harder, but 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:13.920 being a people pleaser is definitely something got it started 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.000 in I think women in general. 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:19.760 Yes, and you know what, and I the wellness community, 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:23.039 which part of it I love, of course, who's in 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:25.240 love doing things that are nice to yourself, But part 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.680 of it I really hate, and it's all at women, 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:32.400 like people who put positive affirmations. I mean, I get it. 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:34.680 We should all be positive but I just feel like 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:39.080 it's everyone's telling us like, hey, ladies, you know, basically 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:43.040 like manifest your success. Come on, no one, no one's 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:45.360 gonna give you anything. Don't worry if you didn't get 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.599 that promotion, it's not it's not our fault, it's your fault. 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:51.120 So I also am just like, oh, I'm not nice 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.560 about that stuff. I'm not nice of positivity. I'm not 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:55.600 nice about any of it. 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:59.720 But no, and this definitely describes a little bit of 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:02.440 wh you worked so beautifully with Lewis Black. 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:06.240 We'll get into that. Oh yeah, because I can hear 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:07.960 the similarities already. 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:08.839 We have. 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.120 We asked every guest who comes on comedy save me 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:15.880 how comedy saved them, and I'll post the question. 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:17.680 Was there a specific moment in. 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:21.279 Your life Ofirah when you realize that humor wasn't just entertainment, 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:22.720 it was literally survival? 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:27.440 Oh? Absolutely, I mean so, this is a little anecdote 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.280 that I love. I was part of a women's networking 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:33.200 event where I was actually performing. I was performing at it, 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:35.359 but the way it was set up, they wanted all 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:37.320 of us to have dinner together, so I was having 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:39.200 I was at a table with a bunch of women 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:43.359 from different professions. I did not know, but it was 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:45.160 weird because I was the one person that was part 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.520 of the show. But We're all going around saying what 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:50.040 we do, and I'm like, oh, I'm a stand up 0:05:50.040 --> 0:05:53.480 I'm actually performing later, And of course a very standard 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:58.320 question is immediately posed to me, where someone says, oh, 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:02.480 why did you get into stand up comedy? And I've 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:06.400 always wished lynn that I had a fun, snappy, little 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:10.120 SoundBite answer like, oh, my uncle was hilarious and I 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.240 idolized him, or you know, I used to I was 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.320 the class clown, and so it just carried over. But 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:19.560 none of those things ring true to me. So I 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:21.240 just sat there and I don't know if it was 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:23.760 the day or I was tired or whatever, but I 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:25.680 just took a deep breath and I said, why did 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.279 I start comedy? Childhood trauma? 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:30.440 Wow? 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.479 And everyone had a quick laugh. And then the woman 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.800 beside me said, it's kind of why I became a lawyer, 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:40.560 and the next woman said, I feel like that's why 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:42.960 I became a doula, and the next woman said, I 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.839 think that's why I got into medicine. And everyone was 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:49.719 linked to the fact that they pursued with passion where 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:53.240 they are, you know, just because of something. You know 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:56.000 in a good way that they took a traumatic situation 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:58.280 that they had to deal with and they have turned 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:02.080 it into their pas So I mean, I feel like 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:05.480 we're all saving our lives with whatever our passion is. 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:08.400 But comedy is such a clear line because that is 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:13.000 about reframing it and owning it. And you know, I 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:15.880 was in a terrible car accident when I was a kid. 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:21.120 I suffered. I suffered, and you know, it's twelve years now, 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.240 so I am on the other side of it, hopefully 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:27.520 forever breast cancer. But I have talked about this stuff 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.000 as the years have gone by. I have worked it 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:34.600 into storytelling, solo show, a lot of funny stuff, a 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:36.680 lot of poignant stuff, but a lot of funny stuff 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:41.120 because that is my way of owning it. And also, 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:44.960 you just find that once you tell your audience I 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:46.120 was vulnerable. 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:47.240 Things have happened. 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.640 I got through it. I figured this out. I figured 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:53.200 it gives them permission to not feel so bad about 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:57.720 themselves from whatever they've gone through. And that's that's when 0:07:57.760 --> 0:07:59.960 I feel like we all join. Like when I can 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.440 and I'm telling you this because I'm okay. It almost 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:07.320 gives other people permission to go, oh maybe I'm okay. 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:14.000 Yeah, permission to laugh not only check your issues and 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.960 trauma from your you know, but permission to laugh at 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:18.960 themselves absolutely their situation. 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.800 Wow. Yeah, it's just that step back, you know, it's 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:25.560 just that step back because of course, when you tell 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:28.200 a story about yourself, or you do any art with 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.800 something that is personal from your memoir, you're not telling 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.040 the whole story. You're telling a portion of it. And 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:37.360 to do that means that you're creating a lens, a 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:40.760 lens a specific and that is starting to craft it. 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:43.160 So that takes you a step back. And then all 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:46.000 of a sudden, you know, you're crafting your story. And 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:48.000 I think we kind of throw that around in a 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:51.360 therapy way, like the be the owner of your story, 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:53.880 be the one that you are writing your story. But 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:57.040 have you ever done it? Have you ever actually written 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:01.000 your story? It's different than the actual story. Is now 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:04.440 your story, just in the same way that if a 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:06.440 friend of were to write a story about you, it 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:08.640 would be like their story of you. So it's it's 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:11.600 it's that's when I think it's artistry it's not therapy, 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:16.880 it's not live, it's not live processing it is actually art. 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:19.600 Sure is you've built a career out of some really 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:24.600 raw personal material, And you mentioned scars, relationships, like the 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:27.640 messiness of real life kind of what you were just discussing. 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:33.920 Where's the line for you between processing something very private 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:36.440 and personal and then deciding that it belongs on stage 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:38.240 because I'm sure there are certain things that you will 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.560 not bring forward or maybe you'll. 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.000 Bring yeah, you know, I mean, you're right. So one 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:47.120 just a major touch point is I just like the 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:50.120 only person that I should be taking down on stage 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:54.400 is myself, Like I don't want to make fun or 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:57.200 punch down on anyone else. I think there's probably a 0:09:57.280 --> 0:09:59.960 few exceptions where someone might deserve it, but that's not 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:04.480 really what I'm doing. And then sometimes the rawness if 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.800 I'm if things are still very painful, that means more 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:12.040 time has to happen, because hindsight is real and you 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:14.000 have to get to the point where you own it. 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.440 And I have been on stages where you are watched 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:20.200 or at shows where you're watching someone kind of process 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:22.800 stuff in real time, and like that thing that I 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:24.839 said where I feel like you have to stand there 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.360 and be tell people I'm okay. The fact that I'm 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.320 here it means I'm I'm somewhere on the other side 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:34.840 of this is so important. So because you want your 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:37.000 audience to relax, you don't want them the whole time 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:41.360 to be anxious, like is this person okay, that's not 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:43.400 the hack I'm doing. That is not the end. She 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:49.800 can dive off, she can freak out. So but sometimes 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:53.880 I just it's once you know, if you're on stage, 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:57.319 you've decided where the ending is. So in some ways, 0:10:57.600 --> 0:10:59.520 let's say a story about a bad breakup or a 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:03.080 divorce like that could be something you're dealing with for 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.560 a long time, depending on who you are. That's because 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.839 something that maybe some people are twenty years past this 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:13.640 and they're still working through it. But again, to put 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:15.440 it on in the act is like you have to 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.760 decide where the end is. So you put a finish 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.280 line and you go, this is where this ends. And 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.040 that's when I think it's fit for stage. 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:26.800 Yeah, and you just said the hindsight, and it's so 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:30.480 weird that that keeps coming up. Yeah, in my life, like, 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:33.559 hindsight is twenty twenty. Hindsight is twenty twenty all of 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:37.199 a sudden, Oh my god, hindsight is twenty twenty. Hello, 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:40.840 It's like that's where you grow and learn from and 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:43.480 you can actually turn that into comedy and then help 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:47.120 other people figure out their hindsight and what the patterns 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:50.720 are because I'm convinced everything's a pattern. Now everything's a pattern. Yeah, 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:54.040 and you have to control the bat. But that's just 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.439 the magical part of comedy is that that you're able 0:11:58.480 --> 0:11:59.080 to do that. 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:01.640 Yeah, you just people come up to you afterwards and 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.000 say interesting things to you, like, oh, maybe I have 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:08.160 a story, you know, where I talk about some you know, 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.800 medical stuff I've been through, like as I mentioned, like 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.319 a lot of illness and stuff. And at one point, 0:12:14.360 --> 0:12:16.559 I think I just had a very quick line about 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.560 how everyone was telling me how strong I was, and 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:21.240 I made jokes about that, but there was just a 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:23.920 little line of and I felt like I was doing nothing, 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.240 Like I didn't understand what I was doing to be 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.160 so strong. I felt like I was doing nothing. And 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.520 you would not believe the amount of people of all 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:34.800 the things I said in that entire act came up 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.600 to me afterwards and said, I've always you know, I 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:41.040 have thought about that too. How people keep telling me 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.320 how strong I am and I'm like, I'm not doing 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.800 anything like I you know, and you just find different 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.880 things resonate with people. And if you can allow yourself 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:53.440 to maybe say the stuff in a craftful way that 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.559 is not where you're the hero, where you were at 0:12:56.600 --> 0:13:00.640 your best, where you triumphed, but the truth of what 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:04.040 happened and how you figured it out. That's when I 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:07.040 feel like people, that's what I love when I see 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:08.960 other people do that, and I feel like that's when 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.439 you just feel everyone lean in and they're excited because 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.280 they are like, yes, this is what I think about. 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.480 Do you see the look in their face when you're 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:20.360 performing to an audience when that moment happens, Can you see? 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:23.679 Or maybe maybe one sometimes? Yeah, sometimes one on one 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:26.040 is definitely easier. But sometimes when I'm in the middle 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:29.120 of it, like I can't take in all that stimulus. 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:31.800 Okay, I didn't even think of that. 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:36.320 Yeah, because it's a it's a lot, yes it is. 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:38.720 But when they all laugh, like I said, it's you know, 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:40.280 immediately I had you chuckling. 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:42.000 I wasn't even trying to be funny. 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:44.360 I'm just you know, just just hack. 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:50.280 But yeah, but you know, to make people laugh, especially comedians, 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.719 but in general, I mean it has to be one 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:57.200 of the most fulfilling feelings in the world or just 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:01.320 healing for you too. Yeah, on the one giving the 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:04.320 healing stuff is receiving, you know, And there's some things, 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.200 especially with my new special, I have a bonus to it, 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:11.200 which is a story that I do tell about, you know, 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:15.480 the kind of post year of after my breast cancer. 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:20.440 And it has a pretty edgy punchline to it, and 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:24.320 I was I didn't do the story for a long 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.560 time because I was pretty concerned that when I I 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:30.680 wanted to tell this story so bad Lynn, you have 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:33.800 no idea, but I was so worried that when I 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:37.800 got to that punchline that the audience would not be 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:43.200 happy with me. Ooh, and so I was pretty hesitant 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.680 to get it out there. And I finally I did 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:50.280 some one on ones with people, some comedians and some 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:53.040 people that I know from the moth world to basically 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.200 temperature test it. Yeah, test it, and they were like, no, 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:58.680 it's okay, because you set this up and you set 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:01.000 this up, and you set this up, and then I 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:03.000 you know, then I had to do it on stage, 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:10.760 and when that got a big, huge pop, it felt fantastic. 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:13.520 It really felt very gratifying. 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:15.240 And what special is this? 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.360 Just so when people this is, yeah, so this is 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:19.680 I used to be nicer. If you know, you can 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.720 watch the special actually right now, you can actually also 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:24.520 get it as an audio album. I think a lot 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:26.720 of people like having audio albums. They like throwing stuff 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:29.160 in their ears and doing their chores or going on 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.400 jogs or listening to in your car so driving. Yeah, 0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:35.080 so that's available on all you know, Apple Music and 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.920 YouTube Music and Amazon, all those places, and there's a 0:15:37.960 --> 0:15:42.200 bonus story. There's a bonus story. Uh. And that that 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:42.640 one that. 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.920 We were just kind of touching. 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.680 That I don't want to give it away because it's 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:47.280 a good team. 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:48.840 I like that. 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.160 No, No, I love that I do. And the reason 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:54.040 why I asked which special because you get so many? 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.640 Oh yeah, no, I do have a few. But even 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.040 even when talking about parenting, I think when you know, 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:01.760 of course they're is more comedy to be had when 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:05.040 you criticize it, right, Because if I said I just 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:08.920 love everything, Oh it's so easy and I'm wonderful at it, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:13.600 nobody cares nobody cares. But if I go, I don't 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:15.160 like this, and this is why I don't like it, 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.960 And you know what, this is not reaching my expectations. 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.440 And this is how my kid was kind of crappy. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:26.920 You know. That's where people are feel relaxed and happy 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:29.040 to laugh because they're just like, oh, it's not just me. 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.320 Oh my goodness, I'm going through stuff too. Oh the 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.480 guilt is gone, you know. Yeah, And that's not easy. 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:36.920 That's not easy at all. 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:40.120 And speaking of that Lewis Black produced, I used to 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.360 be nicer. Yeah, I need to know what that collaboration 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:45.800 was like, Like what does a legend like Lewis Black 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:48.760 bring to the creative process of putting together a. 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:50.920 Special and how did you get anything done with him? 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.560 Oh? I mean, like, let's let's se his I mean 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:59.960 he kind of most of his collaboration was really just 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:05.040 support because he he knows what this is like. And 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:09.280 so he and I met years ago as actually on 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:11.960 that NPR show I used to host. I interviewed him 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:15.600 for that live on stage, and he at the time 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:19.080 had mentioned that he would be interested in maybe producing 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.280 my comedy album because he was like, you're smart, you know. 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:22.840 There was just some things that we live in the 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.680 same world as and at the time I just really 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:29.080 didn't know how to move forward with that. But then 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:33.400 years later it came back around and I was talking 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:37.240 to him about a totally different project and he said, 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:39.840 you want to still do that comedy special and I 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:43.240 was like yeah, So then it became a lot. I mean, 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.280 we just spent a lot of time with his team 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:48.840 talking about the technical aspects and he was just very 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:53.119 supportive about how to get the best performance and just 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:56.560 and the reality mabe. We all just I love talking 0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.040 to fellow performers because we all know what we're dealing 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.720 with and we all know what it's like to you know, 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:04.359 things don't always go as planned, and the kind of 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:09.960 verbiage we like hearing each other say, because these things 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:13.240 doing these specials super fun, but it's live on stage, 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:21.600 so anything can happen. Happen, and it does ruin it 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:25.040 potentially or change it or it's not you know, you're 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:28.040 not doing this very finite product. Of course you're going 0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:31.040 to edit it. So yeah, yeah, yeah, Wow. 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:35.280 He's one of my time favorites years ago as well, 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:39.760 and just always like no matter what, just the sweetest, most. 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.520 So nice, and so I think it's so funny that 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.600 I don't think anyone thinks he's prickly, but of course 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:50.520 he's so angry exactly exactly, but as a person, just 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:55.760 one of the sweetest and talk about someone who I think, well, anyways, 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.840 he is. He is an artist. He has he's written plays. 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:01.840 He you know, has such a huge playwriting background, and 0:19:01.880 --> 0:19:07.760 so he comes at it from this very like holistically 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:12.480 artistic creative place, which I you know, to me, that 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:13.439 was the best. 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:15.600 Sounds so dreamy. 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:20.200 You've done stand up, let's see solo theatrical shows. Did 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.440 I say that vmoir podcasting, which you're still doing. 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:27.040 These are all very different muscles. 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:28.919 Yes, yeah, that's how I look at it. 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:31.800 That's so funny you say that because people go, oh, like, 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:33.960 what's the difference between this this, and I go, it's like, 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.960 it's still your arm, but today it's BICEP, and tomorrow 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:40.760 it's triceep and the other day for arm, you know, 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.640 but you it's still your arm. 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:46.040 Yeah, And that's a really cool way we're putting it in. 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:49.119 Also, you do have to rest muscles after you work them, 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.119 so you need to have a few different ones to 0:19:51.160 --> 0:19:53.480 call on when when one needs to rest. 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.280 Yes, and I've never been good with sticking to one thing, 0:19:56.359 --> 0:19:57.160 I'll tell you that much. 0:19:57.600 --> 0:19:58.840 Never me. Neither did. 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:00.560 People used to tell you when you we're a kid, 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:03.479 you know, pick one thing and be really good at it. 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:05.240 Always drive me nuts me. 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:09.440 Too, because I didn't. I thought it was too much pressure. 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:13.960 And I was also like, I don't like one thing. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:17.119 I like all these other things. I mean, I wished 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:19.879 for years and years and years I wish. I was like, 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:22.160 why can't I just do one thing? My life would 0:20:22.200 --> 0:20:24.160 be so much easier if I did one thing. Maybe 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:26.800 I'm wrongdoing all these things, because maybe if I focused 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.280 all the energy on one thing. You know, all this 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:32.280 you know, this is this is how we torture ourselves. 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:35.560 Yes, it is, it is. And then that's hindsight again, 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:38.919 like why did I torture myself? It's just fine doing 0:20:39.000 --> 0:20:42.000 twenty million things? You know, if you if there's we 0:20:42.040 --> 0:20:44.520