1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Let's give it up for 4 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: the man, the myth legend, the one and only super producer, 5 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: Mr Max Williams. Max Williams, Now, who's that? Who's that 6 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: with that beautiful dulcet laugh over there? Why that's my 7 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: writer die. Mr Noel Brown h called me ben no. 8 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: We gave we gave Max a little uh, a little 9 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 1: extra TLC in the opening here. To be fair, he 10 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: gave himself most of that TLC. We just kind of 11 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: supplied the the impetus for the sound design and then 12 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: who knows where he went with it. And it was 13 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: probably a whole chorus of of laughs and jeers and 14 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: booze and applause. And it's very confused how the virtual 15 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: audience feels about Max Frogs Okay, crickets, I feel you, 16 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: But we were we're gonna but we're gonna be buttoned 17 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: up on our sound design at the front and you'll 18 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: see why because we're getting very weird as this goes on. 19 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: You may Ridiculous Historians be familiar with the concept of 20 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: a laugh track, right, a laugh track? No, what is 21 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: the laugh track? What would you just if no one 22 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: had ever heard of? How would you describe it? Well, 23 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: it is a track, a recording of laughter that is 24 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: triggered for effect, psychological um or otherwise. It essentially is 25 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: a prerecorded sound effect that is intended to imply to 26 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: an audience that something was funny, even if maybe it 27 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: wasn't that funny. Yes, oh, you nailed it. And that's 28 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: my actual laugh. I don't think that Max uh put 29 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: that in or punched that up. I am. That's one 30 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: of the kind of little laughs you'd hear for for 31 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: realism in between like like like the good laugh tracks 32 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: are designed to feel like there is some actual interaction 33 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: with the content, and so occasionally they'll be like someone 34 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: kisses maybe in like an episode of Full House, or 35 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: like a little in between kind of like yeah, or 36 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,119 Speaker 1: like maybe right, or maybe a little in between kind 37 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: of snicker like you just did or what would you 38 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: call that sort of a not a guffa? Uh? What 39 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: do you call that kind of a muffled low laugh? 40 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: I call it an internet laugh. I don't know, Yeah, 41 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: there it is. It's it's the golf clap of excelation. 42 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: So here's our story, folks. Thanks to our research associate 43 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: Jeff Bartlett, we dove deep into the world of laugh tracks. 44 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: And as you so, uh, we were arguing about this 45 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: off air, I was saying, I was looking for the 46 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: right word, Noli said astute lee. And I don't think 47 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: astute lee covers it. No, it's amazing, it's amazer focused lee. 48 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: How about that? There we go, there we go and uh. 49 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: And so what we're talking about here is a way 50 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: to guide audience urience. That's what situational comedies known as 51 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: sitcoms aimed to do. But where do laugh tracks come from? 52 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: The story dates back, uh, if you're talking about the 53 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: modern laugh track, the story dates back to the nineteen 54 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: fifties and a brilliant television engineer named Charles Douglas with 55 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:30,160 Speaker 1: the invention of the laugh box. But as we'll see, 56 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: it goes even further slash farther back. Just made a 57 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of sticklers angry in the English. Yeah, 58 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: and leave it to an engineer to solve a problem 59 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: that no one even knew was a problem. Where it's like, 60 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: how you know it was? It was? I imagine it 61 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: was this eureka moment where it's like, how do we 62 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: hold the audience by the hand, because back in the 63 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: day things were much more stock you know, early situation 64 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: comedies where situational comedies every character kind of was a 65 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: type almost like old school Greek Comedia del arte and 66 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: things like that, where there was like the fool and 67 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: the you know, the romantic and all of these differently 68 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: kind of like stock characters. So it was already the 69 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: writing kind of leading the audience by the nose, But 70 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:19,679 Speaker 1: what if we took it a step further and literally 71 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: kind of told them how to react and told them 72 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: what was supposed to be funny or touching or sad. 73 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: So for anyone who has watched something by yourself, you 74 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: understand it's uh, maybe somewhat rare for you on your 75 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:42,679 Speaker 1: lonesome to go all or to go I mean, something 76 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,799 Speaker 1: real really has to nail it and be incredibly funny 77 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: for you to laugh out loud when you're by yourself, 78 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: because you know, that's why it's fun to go see 79 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: movies with an audience or like see theater and things 80 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: like that, because laughter and emotion is kind of infectious 81 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: and what the last contagious? Yeah, And what I guess 82 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: Charles Douglas kind of figured out was that he could 83 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: enhance the view quote unquote enhance the viewing experience by 84 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: kind of letting people know how to feel. So if 85 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: they did happen to be by themselves and there was 86 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: no one around them for them to laugh with, they 87 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: had this kind of virtual friend group to like laugh with. 88 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: M Yes, yeah, because humans like to feel connected, right, 89 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: And this is where the laugh box comes in. By 90 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: the way, folks, for those of us playing along at home, 91 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: it is the laugh box l a F F styled 92 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: box spelled the regular trademarks trademark. It's like more fun 93 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 1: because a laugh is spelled incorrectly with a double F 94 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: is somehow sillier. I don't know. Yeah, there you go. 95 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:57,679 Speaker 1: You get it. So if you have ever seen sitcoms 96 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: from the nineteen fifties on you the nineties, I would 97 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: say until about early two thousand's in the US, then 98 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: you are familiar with Charles Douglas indirectly. Nowadays, pretty much 99 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: no one likes laugh tracks, right, It's like a weird 100 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: meta commentary because everyone is aware of it. But back 101 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: in the day when this was happening, it communicated directly 102 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: with people. Now, if we have writers in the audience, 103 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: if we have TV writers in the audience, Noel, Max 104 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: and I love comedy and we legitimately research it and 105 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: send the stuff we'd like to each other. Uh, if 106 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: we have writers in the audience here, fellow ridiculous historians, 107 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: you will know that often, uh, these days, a laugh 108 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: track is immediately idea unified as a band aid over 109 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: a bad joke. And maybe we do a sitcom here 110 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: where it's like, you know, uh, we're doing like, oh gosh, 111 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: Perfect Strangers and Dreams or something, and one of us 112 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 1: walks in and says, still, hey, got all these grapes, 113 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,679 Speaker 1: And someone looks up from the couch and they go, well, 114 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: that's grape for you. How do you do? Right there? 115 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: It's true, And you know it's especially shows like that, 116 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: like Perfect Strangers for example, And again like this was 117 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: created in the fifties, but the imprint of it, you know, 118 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: really carried over into the eighties and it really becomes 119 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: sort of a historical marker of like early sitcoms again 120 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: through about the mid nineties, when it was much more 121 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: standard and when things were filmed like on sets, you know, 122 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: there there was also obviously a period where there were 123 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: live studio audiences and if there wasn't a laugh track, 124 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: there might be like a like a sign that would 125 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: come on that it would say applause, and then people 126 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: would you know, and and and sometimes before the actual shoot, 127 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: you have like a warm up comedian that would come 128 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: out there and kind of teach people the ropes and 129 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: like get people kind of like oiled up and ready, 130 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: you know, to to laugh, and then that sometimes would 131 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: be mixed in with maybe other sound effects. Totally, you're 132 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: absolutely right, now, this is a this is a thing 133 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: I see when I go to watch like live tapings 134 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: of you know, late night shows or whatever. What you 135 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: don't see when the program starts is easily the first 136 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: thirty minutes of the warm up comedian. And also, don't 137 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: think I didn't clock that oil up language there. Again, 138 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: did we teach people how to how to react? And 139 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: that's also what this laugh track is doing. It's kind 140 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: of getting people, oh yeah, I hear you. It's getting 141 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: people um in the mindset to kind of engage with 142 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: the content, but also sort of be not really given 143 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: the agency to engage of their own kind of accord. 144 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,559 Speaker 1: And again it's sometimes is like you said, a band 145 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: aid and becomes sort of a hallmark and when you 146 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: hear it now, it's usually used in like you know, 147 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 1: adults swim, like too many cooks or something like that. 148 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: It's meant to like satirize these types of shows where 149 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: the laugh track is almost like you know, dated, almost 150 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: like a filter you'd put on the video to make 151 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: it look more like you know, VHSE or something. Oh good, 152 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: call yeah. And there's a guy who agrees with us. 153 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: He is a journalist named Rob Walker. Way back in 154 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, he wrote a piece for The 155 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: New York Times called The Lives They Lived Making Us 156 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: Laugh and Uh. One thing that really stands out in 157 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: this article is a conversation with a professor of psychology 158 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Robert Provine or 159 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: Provine But I suspect Provine, who says, Oh, he's an 160 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:18,199 Speaker 1: actually guy, And I say that with deep affection. He says, actually, 161 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: laugh tracks do increase the likelihood that you'll think a 162 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 1: joke is funny and laugh at it. So what Charlie 163 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: Douglas and company we're doing was based in fact. This 164 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: is the funny thing about laugh tracks. For a long 165 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: time they worked. You would be passing by casually, casually 166 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: encountering a show perhaps, and you would see, you know, 167 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: a prap fall or something, and then all of a 168 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: sudden you hear this cacophonists laughter. Everybody in the perceived 169 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: audience is using their mind. Europe person, you like cool stuff, 170 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: so you are more tempted to laugh. Yeah. Pravine refers 171 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: to in that same New York Times article something called 172 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: a laugh detector. That is, you know, similar to like 173 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: when when we hear see somebody yawn, we're compelled to yawn. 174 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: And this laugh detector is sort of hardwired, as he 175 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: describes in that article, into our brains, and it's sort 176 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: of like infectious. When we hear somebody start to laugh, 177 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: it triggers that response in ourselves. Also, did you guys 178 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: know it is possible for Austin's humans to pass a 179 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: yawn to our casts, and the casts to pass thought 180 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: I should just drop that note in here. Also blinks 181 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,959 Speaker 1: backs h did not know that one? You can blink 182 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: at your cat. Blinking it a cat is like hugging 183 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: the cat. I only do staring contest with mine and 184 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: I was winn by the way, all right, we'll put 185 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: a laugh track in or in awe up to you. So, 186 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: so which is it gonna be? Which is it gonna be? 187 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: We don't know, We don't know. So there's this interesting 188 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: research that goes into the history of the laugh track. 189 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: Uh if you look back at some of the earlier experiments. 190 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: The guy made a list of twenty five pre laugh comments, 191 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: by which he means comments that elicit the laughter response 192 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: and there very basic. You're not gonna hear any surprises. 193 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: We're not going to read all but there are things 194 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: like well it was nice meeting you too, and can't 195 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: see you guys later, that kind of stuff almost catch phrases. 196 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: You know, if you've ever seen the Fisher king, um, 197 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: what's his name? Jeff Bridges plays this like shock chock 198 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: DJ who does like a TV pilot and I believe 199 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: his catch phrase laugh, well it forgive me and like 200 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: you know, a line like that always gets the laugh 201 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: or like you know, Steve Rkel saying did I do 202 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: or whatever it might be, Like those are the moments 203 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: that are like they're they're sign posting, you know, what 204 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: they want their brands to kind of be built around 205 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways to Yeah, and this, uh, 206 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 1: this has proven laughter is contagious, just like Max you 207 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: pointed out that yawning can be contagious across species. So 208 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: here's the thing the research is in, right, Uh, we 209 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: know laughter is contagious, not just between human groups. It's 210 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: not just the universal human thing. You can communicate amusement, 211 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: right and share that experience, just like yawning. And that 212 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: necessarily means that something like a laugh track, some sort 213 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: of leverage or exploit of that realization came to pass 214 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: way before television. Think about the last time you were 215 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: at a concert maybe or a religious event. There are 216 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: certain things you do as a group, right, and these 217 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: are social cues. So the idea of having some sort 218 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: of social cue ha ha, laugh, clap, clap, clap, boo 219 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: hoo hoo, all that stuff is very old and experts 220 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: say it dates back to the Roman Empire, if not before. Uh. 221 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: Nero a guy who like is his own episode honestly, 222 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: uh not not a great guy, not the best in 223 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: the fiddled while Rome burned well psy that might be propaganda, 224 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: but it's like between Nero and Woodrow Wilson. For terror leaders, 225 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: I don't know a little tiny aside. I don't know 226 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: if you'll remember this, but back in the day, there 227 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: was a piece of CD burning software. I don't know 228 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: if you'll remember when you would like burn CDs and 229 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: it was called Nero. I always thought that was a 230 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: little bit like inappropriate, right, So so this this is 231 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: the thing. Rome I had a lot of you know, 232 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: bread and circuses. Not to be too on the nose, 233 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: they had many amphitheaters. It was there was a drive 234 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: towards entertainment, right like to either amuse or distract the 235 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: civilian population. And Nero was a real ham. He loved 236 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 1: chewing the scenery, he loved performing. He was called by 237 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: the people that he didn't kill an actor and a 238 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: poet and also of course the emperor. But he did 239 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:07,159 Speaker 1: something that might surprise folks. It's very big dictator energy 240 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 1: he would have. Yeah, oh I didn't think about that. Now, 241 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: let's keep it in the laugh track, will save us. 242 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: Uh So he uh. He had members of the military. 243 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,120 Speaker 1: He forced them to go to his shows. Like if 244 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: you've ever felt socially obligated to go to a show 245 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: like NOL one time, a couple of times, actually you 246 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: felt socially obligated to go to one of my like 247 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: weird improv things or or stage performance, and I'm glad 248 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,400 Speaker 1: you were there, but also you were not a member 249 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: of the military, and you did not have the Emperor 250 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: telling you, upon pain of death to clap. Well, that's 251 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: the first law sign. It reminds me of like if 252 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: you watch The Sopranos, they're always referring to themselves, the 253 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 1: Gangsters and the Sopranos as being like Roman soldiers, because 254 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:12,159 Speaker 1: obviously Italians are descendants of Romans, and there is this 255 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 1: hierarchy of like the capos and like the sort of 256 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: like you know, pecking order, and a joke that always 257 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: kind of comes around in The Sopranos is everyone laughing 258 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: at Tony Soprano's bad jokes, and there comes a moment 259 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: in the series where he kind of gets wise to 260 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: that where he realizes that, like everyone is just sort 261 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 1: of kissing his butt. And obviously what we're talking about 262 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 1: here with Nero was very intentional, but it happens sort 263 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: of like you know, organically too in leadership structures, where 264 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: you have the kind of head han show and everyone 265 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: sort of falls in line and acts as though what 266 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: everything that person says is is hilarious or genius, sort 267 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: of a yes man kind of mentality. But we're seeing 268 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 1: here with Nero is a sort of organized, codified version 269 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: of that, where these literally conscripting soul Jersey to sort 270 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: of pad the audience. Yeah, yeah, weird time. And in 271 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: the fifteen hundreds we see this trend return. I mean, 272 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: this trend has always existed. There's a French poet named 273 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: gen Dur who buys a bunch of tickets to his 274 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: own show and gives them out for free. With one caveat, 275 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:31,199 Speaker 1: he says, I'm giving you this free ticket. You have 276 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 1: to go to it. When you go to my show, 277 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: you have to applaud my poetry, whether or not you 278 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: like it. Well, isn't it interesting how there's theater on 279 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 1: both sides of the precedium. You know, there's obviously, you know, 280 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,439 Speaker 1: scripted kind of stuff happening on stage in terms of 281 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 1: a play or you know, stand up or whatever it 282 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: might be. But oftentimes, like with Awards shows for example, 283 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: you know, there are seat fillers and there are individuals 284 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,040 Speaker 1: that are hired to come in and pat out the 285 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: audience to make it look better attendive than maybe it 286 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,439 Speaker 1: actually is or you know, to kind of take the 287 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 1: place of people that are getting up and going to 288 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: the stage. It's all theater on that side as well 289 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: to a degree. Yeah, agreed. And we we head forward 290 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: to the mid seventeen hundreds, we see this becomes a 291 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: popular thing in French opera houses. This didn't just start 292 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: with Hollywood award shows. It's it's a very old, very 293 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 1: old concept, as you pointed out, and at this time 294 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: in the seventeen hundreds, the theater would consider it a 295 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: cost of production. You would pay organized groups or crews 296 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: to come through and clap their hearts out, you know, 297 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: laugh is loud, maybe weep openly. Uh, and may probably 298 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 1: have specialized folks, you know those. This guy's a good class. 299 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: He's got a really you know, big hand ends right 300 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: exactly and you know, I love clapping. We gotta get 301 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: to this, no, uh, what a great set up. Clack 302 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: hours can tell us a little bit about them. Yeah, 303 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 1: it's essentially something that the Shorter Oxford Dictionary defines a 304 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: clack rather from the French verb clacker, as a band 305 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: of hired applauds in a theater. So at this point 306 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,119 Speaker 1: was already so kind of entrenched in culture that it 307 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: got its own word. So this is just an escalation 308 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: or a kind of evolution of what we've been describing, 309 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,640 Speaker 1: you know, from the start, from back to Roman times. Um. 310 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: And it really is part of the cost of doing 311 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,360 Speaker 1: business because you want, especially for like an opening night, 312 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: you want to make a big splash and a lot 313 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: a lot of times. It's the same with like critics. 314 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 1: If you have a good critical response to something, people 315 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:49,720 Speaker 1: are more likely to shell out the money to go 316 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,719 Speaker 1: see it. And back before the days of maybe like 317 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: instant rotten tomatoes reviews, it would be more a real 318 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: time experience where maybe like, oh, well these people see 319 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: very well to do and they seem to be enjoying it. 320 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:06,440 Speaker 1: It's it must be good. Yeah, yeah, because people pick 321 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: up social cues, right, that's the hack, that's the exploit. 322 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,680 Speaker 1: And uh, I love this. I love this idea because 323 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: m Max you may not know this, but no, you 324 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: know this very well. I love clapping. I love clapping 325 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: for people. One of the number one fears in the 326 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:33,920 Speaker 1: modern West is the fear of public speaking. So anything 327 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 1: I can do to support I'm on board. Uh, And 328 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,640 Speaker 1: I think and I again, I know it comes from 329 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,159 Speaker 1: a place of honesty because you would want to be 330 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,719 Speaker 1: treated that way as well. And you have been in 331 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: that situation where maybe walking on the stage, your worst 332 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: possible fear would be crickets. Nobody wants crickets. Crickets are great. 333 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: They like, you know, eat certain insects that are maybe bad, 334 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: but like nobody wants to hear them when you just 335 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: you know, made a singer or told the personal story. 336 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: Also they are, so maybe we should just eat them 337 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: so they don't like, you know, an upisode about that 338 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 1: or something that we're about when we're all talking about crickets. Yeah, delicious, 339 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,120 Speaker 1: only nose, guys, God only nose. God only knows. So 340 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: this is this is a part where you know, there's 341 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: some applause or nol does a really good like a 342 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: whole lot of you know, okay, yeah, and it's only 343 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,720 Speaker 1: Darth Vader. If you breathe in first, I got you. Yeah, 344 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: they'd be like, can I say really quickly? Um. Early 345 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 1: in my career, when I was still in college, I 346 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: used to record a symphony orchestra pretty regularly, and a big, 347 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:54,199 Speaker 1: the biggest pain in the butt about those edits. It 348 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 1: was literally just two microphones in a beautiful sounding concert 349 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 1: Hall was editing the applause. But the funny thing about 350 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: applause is when it's being recorded on like two microphones, 351 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: like a stereo microphone in a room, it is easy 352 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: to just cut out a giant chunk because once the 353 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,919 Speaker 1: whole audience is kind of going wild like that, it 354 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: just kind of becomes white noise and there are very 355 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: unless there's like a really you know, obvious prominent clapper 356 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: that's closer to the mic, or someone saying a bravo 357 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: or whatever it might be, the din of a crowd 358 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: is pretty interchangeable, and it really does become this kind 359 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 1: of It's very interesting the the just the sonic phenomenon 360 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:38,359 Speaker 1: of applause. Maybe Darth Vader was applauding the entire time. 361 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:43,120 Speaker 1: That changes the story. Yeah, like what was plotting? Your 362 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: guess is as good as mine, right, yes, just so. Uh, 363 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: there's also this idea of organization, right, so these class hours, Uh, 364 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,639 Speaker 1: they would they would roll deep and they would be 365 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: coached in advance. You clap here or you or you 366 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: weep here, right, Uh, And they were orchestrated. I like 367 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 1: that comparison. They were orchestrated just the same way a 368 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: conductor says, to the cello or to the oboe, you 369 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: go in here, you stop here. This is an old, 370 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: old thing, and you know, we don't have to get 371 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,360 Speaker 1: too lost in the history. Well, and to your point, 372 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: then the orchestration of applause. If you've ever seen a 373 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: really good performer, you know, do crowd work where they go, okay, 374 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: the left side of the audience, yeah, now you're competing 375 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:46,199 Speaker 1: with the right side. It really is this kind of 376 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: like collective unconscience that becomes this sort of like unified 377 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:55,240 Speaker 1: thing that you can game, not only psychologically but physically 378 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,160 Speaker 1: by saying, you know, you applaud and then for this, 379 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,360 Speaker 1: and then you applaud for that, And you can kind 380 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: of get a sense of like how much people like 381 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: something by how loud they get or how you know, 382 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: raucous they get. Just the ladies, just the dudes, just 383 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 1: the people. You know what, if you're a person, clap, 384 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:20,360 Speaker 1: what's that old Mitch Hedberg joke? Who here feels like 385 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: a person? Who here feels like a animal or a monster. Well, 386 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna write Mitch Hedberg's jokes for him. He 387 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: did it, God bless Uh. There's also a of course 388 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: there's an equal opposite reaction. Right, Nothing exists in a 389 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: vacuum unless you have cleaned my vacuum, which I did earlier, 390 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,159 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of stuff in there. What we 391 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 1: mean to say is IM glad you got to bring 392 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: that out into the actual podcast. You made that joke. 393 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: We were hanging out the other day and I thought 394 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: it was spot on. Definitely exists in a vacuum. He 395 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: was really proud of that joke because I don't remember 396 00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: where he made it to me, but he made maybe 397 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: look at the text or base campaign or something, but 398 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: he really went out of his way to make that 399 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: joke to me. Also, I want you guys to like 400 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: me and laugh at that. I don't. I want to. 401 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: I want to be clack houred, not bird because there 402 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: were boers. That's a real thing. That's the equal opposite reaction. 403 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: You might have forced applause makes your show look good. 404 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 1: But of course there were a lot of artists to say, 405 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: that's bs. You know what I mean, that's a frame up. 406 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 1: My work exists on its own merit, Yes, but then 407 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,159 Speaker 1: they becomes this this yeah, yeah, it almost is like 408 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,120 Speaker 1: this like racket right where you know they knew about 409 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 1: the system, and this certain kind of like opposite contingent 410 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: um of like almost sabboteurs kind of knew the game. 411 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:58,120 Speaker 1: They're like, well, we're gonna buy a bunch of tickets 412 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: and pay these people to come and jeer and boo 413 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,120 Speaker 1: and you know, cat call and like do all kinds 414 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: of things to disrupt the performance unless you pay a 415 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,920 Speaker 1: big you know, it really is kind of like a 416 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: almost like a protection or or like what's the word 417 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 1: collection kind of situation where it's like, be a shame 418 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: if something happened to your nice play. Yes, yes, uh, 419 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: this is the thing it is. It is a bit 420 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: of a racket because you know, if you have this 421 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:34,399 Speaker 1: established hierarchy of people who bring cruise to clap for 422 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: your shows and you don't make nice with them, you know, 423 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 1: you don't you don't pay your due deference. Uh, then 424 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 1: the the clack hours or what were they called the 425 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: chefs dick lakhur Uh chefs think that's the full the 426 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 1: full extended title. Yes, yeah, okay, So if you if 427 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: you didn't tow the line with these folks, then they 428 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: would buy the tickets themselves and they would tell ticket 429 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: holders don't clap or they would say wait for this 430 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 1: one guy and then booing. So this is like, this 431 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: is mob style heckling. It's crazy that the mob is 432 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 1: not more into this currently. I guess they have other 433 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: stuff to do. Yeah, and um, and and then and 434 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: then the promoters or whomever you know was hiring the 435 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: clack hours, the ones that were meant to kind of 436 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: big up the performance, got wise to this sort of 437 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: like terrorist contingent that was coming in and started to 438 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: hire like like spies or moles to sort of like 439 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: infiltrate the you know, the saboteurs and figure out who 440 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: was coming in there to kind of disrupt things and 441 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 1: then issuing you know, kind of equal and opposite threats 442 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 1: in their direct and making sure they didn't make it 443 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: into the performance. It's nuts. There is so much more 444 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: to the laugh track. The laugh track existed before sitcoms, 445 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: before television, before radio. It's an ancient idea and Douglas 446 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: leveraged it very very well. I would say, I mean, okay, 447 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: let's go back to the present, NOL. When's the last 448 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: time you saw a show with the laugh track? I 449 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,040 Speaker 1: think it was that Louis c. K Um kind of 450 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: like Revival sitcom sort of parody Life with Louis or 451 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: Lucky Louis right, and it had a laugh track, and 452 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: or again like things like some of these adults Swim 453 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: Little sketches are kind of late night shows where it's 454 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 1: meant to make something seem dated or kind of create 455 00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: like a certain atmosphere. Sometimes you'll see it in you know, 456 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: like um movies for example, like if you've seen the 457 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 1: movie Nope, there's this whole subplot surrounding a sitcom called 458 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: like Gordy's Home or something like that about a rangatang 459 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:12,959 Speaker 1: and you hear that, you know, when you see it 460 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: played back, you know, on a screen, and it usually 461 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: looks kind of like you know, has like sort of 462 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: like scan lines and like very dated kind of visuals 463 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 1: as well, and that creates this sense of a time 464 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: and place. Um. But usually it's either used for that 465 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, you know. Another good example is in 466 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: the movie Natural Born Killers. There's a whole sequence where 467 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: it's like this fantasy world, this sort of like really 468 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:40,520 Speaker 1: maccabre sitcom involving Mallory, the character played by Juliette Lewis 469 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,959 Speaker 1: and her father is this like abusive slubby you know, 470 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: awful man played by Rodney Dangerfield. And in those uh sequences, 471 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: there is a laugh track because it's meant to be 472 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: this surrealist kind of experience where you're you feel like 473 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: you're sort of placed in this sitcom. Yeah, absolutely, Uh, 474 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 1: you know, laugh tracks subsists in a lot of British 475 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: comedy way after we fell out of in in the 476 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: US now there's certain form formulaic prit coms that definitely 477 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: I believe it only more recently was shows like The 478 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: Office you know has that have they tried to lean 479 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: more into more of like a cinema verite or like 480 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: kind of like documentary style. But you're right, like shows 481 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: like absolutely Fabulous long after maybe not long after, but 482 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: long you know after a lot of American sitcoms abandoned 483 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: that you did still see it in In in British 484 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: and maybe other European Uh Sig Mitchell and Webb look 485 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: one of the coolest sketch shows to come out of 486 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 1: the United Kingdom in recent years. They use the laugh track. Also, Max, 487 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 1: you've got some opinions you've been sabotageing us this whole time. Bro. 488 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:57,480 Speaker 1: I hope you are clacking and not booing here, we'll 489 00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: never know, well, we will know, well, we will know eventually. 490 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,200 Speaker 1: Is I don't know, But I do find that funny 491 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:04,440 Speaker 1: because you go back and like watch like Seinfeld, and 492 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: I don't know if it's a laugh track or live 493 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 1: audience or it's a combination. Yea, they would sweeten They 494 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: would sweeten quote unquote the audience reaction that usually was 495 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 1: triggered by some sort of sign or some again to 496 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: your point, ben orchestration, and then they would sweeten it 497 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: with things that made it feel more organic or like 498 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 1: you know, adding those little kind of moments of sound 499 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: design or fully work that they would do after the fact. 500 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 1: You know, I just found it funny because it's like 501 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: I think of, like, you know, I had that like, 502 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: you know, I believe that when the show has a 503 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: laugh track or something that I kind of just like 504 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: the great a little bit. But then you think with 505 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: like Seinfeld's like one of the greatest in American history, 506 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: probably it's like, oh, yeah, it has that there. Yeah, 507 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:43,800 Speaker 1: it was still in that era though, you know it's 508 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 1: still was, And honestly, it was studio executives that were 509 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 1: sort of like you know, hooked on the stuff. They 510 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:52,080 Speaker 1: were like, no, no, no, no, we need this, you know, 511 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: like Mash. For example, a lot of the creators of Mash, 512 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: which which was it on location type show. It was 513 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 1: a comedy that was about, you know, the Vietnam War, 514 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 1: and while it was it's very funny, it also has 515 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: some heavy stuff and some more drama. It really is 516 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 1: kind of more of a drama, I guess, than like 517 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 1: a full sitcom. The creators of that show fought pretty 518 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: hard with network executives to ditch the laugh track, and 519 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:17,320 Speaker 1: they finally got to a compromise where they would only 520 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 1: allow them, rather, the studios would only allow them to 521 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 1: not use it during heavy moments or like, you know, 522 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:24,919 Speaker 1: things in an operating theater because Mash is about these 523 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:29,919 Speaker 1: uh you know, wartime field surgeons. So no, what you're 524 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,960 Speaker 1: saying is studio executives were hooked on two things, and 525 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:45,799 Speaker 1: one of them was laugh tracks. It's very funny, Max. 526 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 1: They also like money. You know, I'm laughing, But it's true. 527 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:55,359 Speaker 1: Studio executives like things that they know work. They're not 528 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: about taking risks. So it takes a lot to have 529 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 1: a ce change in like the whole culture of television 530 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,960 Speaker 1: when it's been happening since the fifties. You know, they're like, no, 531 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: no, no no, no, why would we change the formula? We 532 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: know it works, right, Yeah, you want predictable, predictable results, right, 533 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 1: you want measurable projections of income. And if the soul 534 00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:23,480 Speaker 1: of the creative act is lost in that pursuit, a 535 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,200 Speaker 1: lot of people make a devil's bargain and say, so 536 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:30,439 Speaker 1: be it. So this is the thing right now, as 537 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: you're listening to this episode, you're probably not hearing shows 538 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:39,839 Speaker 1: with un ironic laugh tracks. The laugh track now has 539 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,879 Speaker 1: become meta commentary. Uh. There's a great episode of It's 540 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 1: Always Sunny in Philadelphia wherein they create a sitcom and 541 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 1: show the dangers of laugh tracks. It's a very clever 542 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,799 Speaker 1: show and I recommend people check it out. Well, it's 543 00:35:56,840 --> 00:36:00,040 Speaker 1: funny mentioning the dangers of laugh tracks. Um. There is 544 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,280 Speaker 1: an article on Looper the real reason TV sitcom stopped 545 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 1: using laugh tracks the references of nineteen seventy four study 546 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: that found that laugh tracks um created a sense of 547 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:15,239 Speaker 1: what's called conformity pressure in test subjects. Um. You know 548 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:18,319 Speaker 1: in The New York Times reported on these findings that 549 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 1: compared Seinfeld with this like you know, baked in laugh 550 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,759 Speaker 1: track with The Simpsons, which never had a laugh track. 551 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: It was it was an animated show. It was an 552 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,239 Speaker 1: animated sitcom. But unless I'm mistaken, the Simpsons never had 553 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:33,800 Speaker 1: a laugh track, even though it's certainly debuted during that era. 554 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,359 Speaker 1: The executives must have been like, oh, no, cartoons don't 555 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: get laugh tracks, but UM didn't. Didn't like the flint 556 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:42,400 Speaker 1: Stones have laugh tracks, like I swear, some like old 557 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: cigarette commercials. I just I don't know if that's a 558 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,400 Speaker 1: good basis for us. Fair enough, But my point is 559 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: the study found um in Science News that when they 560 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:56,200 Speaker 1: compared reactions to Seinfeld with the laugh track to reactions 561 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,760 Speaker 1: to The Simpsons, there wasn't really that much of a difference, 562 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,359 Speaker 1: and how viewers respond bonded Um. And that's because those 563 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: are also two shows that are very smartly written. So 564 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 1: it was a band aid and a lazy tactic for 565 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,960 Speaker 1: shows that were more like Broad and not nearly as 566 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: clever as The Simpsons are Seinfeld. So maybe the case 567 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: study here is a little bit inflated or or a 568 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 1: little bit loaded, because those are two of the most 569 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,200 Speaker 1: brilliant comedy shows of all time. But maybe a show 570 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:26,000 Speaker 1: like Green Acres needed the laugh track, I don't know, 571 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 1: but then you have something called cringe comedy like the office, 572 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: shows like Dirty Rock or you know, Arrested Development, Malcolm 573 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,920 Speaker 1: in the Middle, where a big part of the joke 574 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 1: is not knowing whether it's okay to laugh or not 575 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,960 Speaker 1: not knowing whether something is actually funny or not. In 576 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: fact something maybe being actively not funny and uncomfortable, and 577 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 1: then getting diffused in some clever way. Yeah, exactly. And 578 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:56,439 Speaker 1: this is where this is where we land. If you 579 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,800 Speaker 1: are hearing a laugh track on a show now in 580 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 1: two or so, then you will be hearing it ironically 581 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:13,720 Speaker 1: or you'll be looking at an earlier program. The laugh track, 582 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:19,120 Speaker 1: as it is recognized as a social cue, it met 583 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: a diminishing return, you know what I mean, They're like, 584 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,400 Speaker 1: it's the idea in order reminds me of folks. It 585 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:31,040 Speaker 1: reminds me of the old thought experiment where you say, 586 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 1: if I had entrance music whenever I walked into a room, 587 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,879 Speaker 1: what what would the music that make me received better? Yea? 588 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 1: Or would that like? What would what would be the 589 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 1: result there? I think a big part of this too 590 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 1: is shows have just gotten better. Like I mean, if 591 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 1: you if you go back and watch like an episode 592 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,840 Speaker 1: of Full House or Family Matters. They're just inherently dated 593 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: and just a little bit corny. And then shows like 594 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,560 Speaker 1: The Office and Arrested Development they're just better shows. They're like, 595 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: I think Sinfeld is one of the lone examples of 596 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: sitcoms from the nineties that really still holds up and 597 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:07,719 Speaker 1: doesn't need the laugh track at all. In fact, you 598 00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:11,000 Speaker 1: could argue Seinfeld was sort of the precursor to this 599 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:15,359 Speaker 1: cringe comedy. But in general, audiences just won't stand for 600 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: things that are just like super broad and corny, and 601 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: therefore maybe you could argue you have gotten smarter. I 602 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:27,480 Speaker 1: believe you, man, I am tempted to agree. I really 603 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:31,480 Speaker 1: like that. Also, you know, I think it was was 604 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:36,640 Speaker 1: it Larry David who pointed out the primary issue with Seinfeld. 605 00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:42,840 Speaker 1: If cell phones existed when Seinfeld was being written, then 606 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: none of those episodes would happen. And thank god, thank 607 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: god they were slow with the cell phones coming out, because, man, 608 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:54,439 Speaker 1: Seinfeld is a legitimately amazing show. It's really good. I've 609 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 1: heard that said, and I don't think I quite under 610 00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: Maybe I just don't know Seinfeld. You know, after in 611 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,560 Speaker 1: verse enough to understand is it mainly just like a 612 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,720 Speaker 1: lot of jokes are based around communication and like waiting 613 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:09,839 Speaker 1: for a pay phone or like somebody getting like stood up, 614 00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: or just you know, miscommunication, where were just like a 615 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,400 Speaker 1: simple text message would have solved this entire all the 616 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,000 Speaker 1: problems of this episode. Well you say that, but also 617 00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 1: like then you wouldn't have a show exactly knowing Larry. 618 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:31,800 Speaker 1: It would just be a recursive feedback loop of weird 619 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:35,279 Speaker 1: text messages, you know what I mean. And there there 620 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:38,279 Speaker 1: would be an episode where he learns emoji and then 621 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:40,919 Speaker 1: one where he learns gifts. It would be like hanging 622 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,320 Speaker 1: out with my dad. I don't know if that's the best, 623 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,319 Speaker 1: but I think it would apted. I think Larry David 624 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 1: still probably uses a flip phone if I'm not if 625 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,680 Speaker 1: I'm not being too bold there. But what's funny when 626 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,000 Speaker 1: you mentioned Larry David and sort of how Curb your 627 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:59,399 Speaker 1: Enthusiasm is like a progression of Seinfeld while also still 628 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: kind of king to a lot of the things that 629 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:04,640 Speaker 1: made sein felt funny Because obviously Larry was a massive, 630 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: if not the biggest driver in Seinfeld. He still has 631 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:13,480 Speaker 1: this lexicon of sound cues that he uses all that's 632 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:15,839 Speaker 1: on a little do do do Do Do Do do do, 633 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:21,480 Speaker 1: which is also guiding you somehow. It's it's more clever 634 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:25,879 Speaker 1: than the literally leading you by the ear laugh track. Yeah, 635 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:31,520 Speaker 1: it's less imposing, right, it takes you. Uh, it's somewhat comfortable. 636 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:35,640 Speaker 1: It cuts your elbow instead of like grabbing the back 637 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,640 Speaker 1: of your neck, right, which is what a laugh track does. 638 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:43,400 Speaker 1: So the oh that's a little n lp perhaps, But 639 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,640 Speaker 1: at this juncture is our research associate Jeff points out, 640 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:52,400 Speaker 1: the laugh track doesn't really have a practical use other 641 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:58,640 Speaker 1: than to be commentary upon itself. It's it's strange because 642 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:01,880 Speaker 1: that pressure you were talking about earlier, man, Uh, that 643 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:07,200 Speaker 1: social conformity pressure, people clocked it. And audiences are amazingly 644 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:11,279 Speaker 1: intelligent and in no small part contrarian, you know what 645 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:13,480 Speaker 1: I mean. So if if some you don't like to 646 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:17,719 Speaker 1: feel like they're being manipulated, so the so the manipulation 647 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,760 Speaker 1: has to become much more um subconscious, So you can't 648 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:24,200 Speaker 1: like let people know they're being manipulated. But then you 649 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,640 Speaker 1: certainly have broader shows that you could argue are like 650 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:31,120 Speaker 1: less clever than I curb your enthusiasm or arrested development, 651 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:34,000 Speaker 1: and they just work in broader strokes, you know what 652 00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:37,040 Speaker 1: I mean. Like, the themes are just much bigger, the 653 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,000 Speaker 1: acting is much bigger, the dialogue is a little more 654 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:43,319 Speaker 1: on the nose. But still even those shows you don't 655 00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:46,279 Speaker 1: get to have a laugh track anymore. Those days are gone. God, 656 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:49,200 Speaker 1: I love this stuff so much. Can we end today's 657 00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:53,640 Speaker 1: show with doing like a really brief sitcom bit? Can 658 00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:56,279 Speaker 1: we do a sitcom bit? Only if I can? Can 659 00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:58,680 Speaker 1: I do the punch line? Yeah? Do the punch line? Yeah, 660 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: I don't know what it is you leave you okay, okay, okay, 661 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:06,359 Speaker 1: I got your back, alright. So um picture with us. 662 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 1: There is a ranch style house, right, that's our wide shot. 663 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:14,440 Speaker 1: I love I love it as a ranch style that 664 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:16,960 Speaker 1: we have to have a little bit the little jingle here, 665 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:30,319 Speaker 1: like did it it did? Studio back from the commercial? 666 00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:34,560 Speaker 1: Pray perfect? Okay, that's the name of our show. Back 667 00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:38,359 Speaker 1: from the commercial. We'll make it shorter, um back from 668 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,680 Speaker 1: We'll call it back from all right, welcome to back 669 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:43,840 Speaker 1: back from and then and then in like parentheses of 670 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:48,480 Speaker 1: the commercial commercial, Yes, perfect, all right. So our scene 671 00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:56,560 Speaker 1: opens on uh, Max Williams playing Max Williams. Uh. He 672 00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:00,160 Speaker 1: is walking down the stairs, because there's always as out 673 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:03,120 Speaker 1: of stairs in the background behind the couch, Max, you 674 00:44:03,239 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: walked in, Max Williams, attorney at law. Max Williams, attorney 675 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:11,400 Speaker 1: at law. Yes, and uh so. Max Williams, attorney at 676 00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:15,600 Speaker 1: law walks down from the stairs weirdly, has a suit 677 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:18,440 Speaker 1: like he's going to court. And he sits on the 678 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:21,600 Speaker 1: couch and he says, Benjamin, where did you put the 679 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:33,280 Speaker 1: orange juice today? Where didn't I put it? Uh says 680 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:36,920 Speaker 1: ben walking from the kitchen. And then I come in 681 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:45,560 Speaker 1: and I go, where's my orange juice? And then everyone 682 00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:49,279 Speaker 1: can say they freak out, they lose their mind. I 683 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 1: think that's the you know, because I'm a fool. I 684 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:53,680 Speaker 1: can I just say that I enter a room and 685 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 1: I say, where's my orange juice? And it just so 686 00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:00,160 Speaker 1: happens that at dovetail with y'all's conversation about orange, you 687 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:03,200 Speaker 1: have a couple of orange juice in your hand because 688 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:05,840 Speaker 1: I've I've misplaced it. But I'm just such a buffoon 689 00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:09,440 Speaker 1: that I don't know that I'm not holding my hand. Okay, Wayne, 690 00:45:09,719 --> 00:45:13,640 Speaker 1: In scenario soft at it, we all are holding glasses 691 00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:18,320 Speaker 1: of orange juice while we are talking about this boom 692 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:38,840 Speaker 1: done end credits. This is all Big Orange. That's right, folks, 693 00:45:39,239 --> 00:45:42,839 Speaker 1: we've brought to you yeah, Big Orange. But also, like 694 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 1: another fun trope and sitcoms and certain echelon of television 695 00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,200 Speaker 1: and movies is when people have cups of stuff, they're 696 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:54,640 Speaker 1: usually empty, and they the physics of people handling those 697 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,560 Speaker 1: cups just doesn't line up with the reality of carrying 698 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:01,480 Speaker 1: a cup of either hot or cold liquid a hundred percent. 699 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:06,120 Speaker 1: So we hope you enjoyed this exploration of the history 700 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:10,080 Speaker 1: of laugh tracks. Please let us know your favorite examples 701 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:13,239 Speaker 1: of it. Uh, please let us know times that you 702 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:17,879 Speaker 1: thought a laugh track could have been used or time 703 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:20,880 Speaker 1: a laugh track should not have been used. As always, 704 00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:25,240 Speaker 1: thanks to our number one sponsored Big Orange Juice. Thanks 705 00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:30,480 Speaker 1: to also to Mr Max Williams super producer Alex Williams, 706 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:33,080 Speaker 1: who could pose the track. Oh my gosh, no, we're 707 00:46:33,080 --> 00:46:37,960 Speaker 1: doing the ending credits right. This is like introducing the characters. 708 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:40,400 Speaker 1: They're losing their mind. It's sort of like at the 709 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: end of certain sitcoms you'd almost or maybe there were 710 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 1: special episodes of sitcoms where they show the studio audience 711 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:49,480 Speaker 1: and then the cast would kind of come out and 712 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:52,760 Speaker 1: take a bow. That's what's happening right now. Um, Christopher 713 00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:56,960 Speaker 1: haciotes here in spirit. His ghostly form wafts across the 714 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:00,920 Speaker 1: sound stage. There is uh and and we have a 715 00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:05,560 Speaker 1: we we have a candid look up at the camera 716 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 1: and pause moment for Eve's Jeff coat. Uh. You know, 717 00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:13,040 Speaker 1: you know you just caught me hanging out. Jonathan Strickling. 718 00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:15,480 Speaker 1: The Quister's bald head pops up from behind the couch, 719 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:19,000 Speaker 1: making a sinister glare, and he has the orange he's 720 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:21,640 Speaker 1: had of the whole time. Yeah, the whole time. We're done. 721 00:47:21,719 --> 00:47:32,480 Speaker 1: We're done, See you next time, folks. For more podcasts 722 00:47:32,480 --> 00:47:34,480 Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 723 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:37,640 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.