1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening to Here's the Thing. 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: Jordan Clapper is a Comedy Central staple, having hosted two 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: documentary series and the networks earlier late night talk show, 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: The Opposition, But you probably know him as this guy. 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: This is Jordan Clepper, fingers the pulse. This past summer, 6 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: Trump flag waivers spouted a lot of theories about Hillary 7 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: Clinton's hell. I headed to Trump rallies in the crucial 8 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin to discover what his 9 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: supporters know that the rest of us don't. It could 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: be aids. What makes you think she has aids a 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: way her husband used to be? So you think Bill 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: had aids? So how did Bill Clinton get aids? Probably 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: messing out with that Magic Johnson. Jordan Clepper is the 14 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: king of interviewing Trump supporters in their natural environs in 15 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: his role as a Daily show correspondent. He started going 16 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: to Trump rallies in January two thousand sixteen, just as 17 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: the campaign was really taking off. Man on the Street 18 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: interviews are inevitably cherry picked and should be taken with 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: a grain of salt. But simply by turning on his 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: mike and asking questions. Clapper creates an important document of 21 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: this particular segment of Donald Trump's bace and one of 22 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: the most unbelievable discoveries yet Barack Obama. I had big 23 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: part of nine eleven, which part not being around, always 24 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: on vacation, never in the office. Why do you think 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: Barack Obama wasn't in the Oval office on nine eleven? 26 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: That I don't know. I would like to get to 27 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: the bottom of that. Clapper is from one of those 28 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: crucial swing states. He now studies, a middle class kid 29 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and he was a smart one. If 30 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: you don't know him as a star of The Daily Show, 31 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: you may know him as the nine National mock Trial 32 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: champion or the recipient of one of Kalamazoo's most prestigious 33 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: math scholarships. Clippers intelligence, however, did not translate into foresight 34 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: when it came to the coronavirus. Being prepared is something 35 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: that's not my sweet spot. I had a couple cans 36 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: of beans and my wife's podcasting equipment. You and I 37 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: are brothers because my wife has a podcast and my 38 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: wife has They sent her all this honking equipment, and 39 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: what really hurts most of all because she she says, 40 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: she I'm I'm in my wife's office right now using 41 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: her equipment. She has the better equipment, and as a 42 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 1: result of having better equipment, my wife is actually making 43 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 1: more money than me for the first time in this 44 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,839 Speaker 1: this year so far, year to date, selling skin cream 45 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: on Instagram and diapers and butt cream but paste. I 46 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: think this quarantine had really highlighted the importance of producers 47 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: everybody else who's trying to do it at their own. 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: It's like, you know, I'm a comedian, I'm a performer, 49 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:58,800 Speaker 1: and then you're like, you don't know what lighting is. 50 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: Have you not been talking to grips? You've been on 51 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: sets for years, and you don't know the importance of 52 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: not putting a light right behind you. It's like, I 53 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: just I need somebody to hold my hand at all times. 54 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: Lauren Michael's had a great line. He said, you know 55 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: that the logo this is years ago. He said, the 56 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: logo for YouTube is broadcast yourself. And Lauren said, you know, 57 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: over time, we've realized a layer of executives and producers 58 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: isn't really a bad thing, isn't to decide who's ready 59 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: to broadcast themselves. Who's really ready to make that step? 60 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: I don't know. But now, you grew up in born 61 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: and raised in Kalamazoo, correct, that's right, yes, Klamazoo, Michigan, 62 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: and nobody in the family was in the arts, musicians, comics, actors, 63 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: not a well my parents know, we were, you know, 64 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: a blue collar family. My dad a brick salesman. My 65 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: mom would stay at home mom, and she also worked 66 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: in the schools. Although we did have the funny strange 67 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: connection is my mom's cousin and my dad's college roommate, 68 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: UH was Tim Allen, and so I would see I 69 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: would see Tim Allen every Thanksgiving or Christmas, and that 70 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: was just as he was a stand up when I 71 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: was like a kid. And then he got Home Improvement 72 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: and so that was the first little UH insight into 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: the industry. Getting to watch suddenly uncle Tim be up 74 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: there on television, which was quite the exciting treat when 75 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: you're a ten year old at home and watch somebody 76 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: you know actually on your screen. The um you were, 77 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't want to say NERD or WONK 78 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: math major, uh, mock trial champion. Oh you were kind 79 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: of you. You were a smart guy. Up to a point, 80 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: making some really good decisions up to a point. Up 81 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 1: to a point, I was a doing things that mattered 82 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: up to a point. Yeah, there's when when I was 83 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: under the tutelage of my parents, I was studying and 84 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: I was a four point kid. I got a math scholarship. 85 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: I did mock trial. It was funny. I went back 86 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: when I had my wedding after in fifteen years outside 87 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: of the nest, in this entertainment world, doing improv. My 88 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: parents got up to speak in a room full of 89 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: all of my mostly new friends, and they spoke primarily 90 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,160 Speaker 1: about my experience as a national champion mock trial person. 91 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: And the entire room was like, I don't even know 92 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 1: what that is. You never bring that up, But it's like, 93 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: all right for my parents who experienced this with me, 94 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: that's who I am. I'm a guy who's way into 95 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: the law, who's way into math. To my friends, now, 96 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: I'm the person who likes to pretend to be a 97 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: wind or a tree on stage for no money. So 98 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: so the people I was a beef steak tomato when 99 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: that line he had. But but my path was the 100 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: same where I was going to go to law school 101 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: and someone kind of like just dared me to audition 102 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: for the n y U Acting program, and I got in. 103 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: But there are times I stop and think that I 104 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: could I go the right way in the fork in 105 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: the road, you know, because this business is so non meritorious. 106 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: Although I will say I had a very it was 107 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: a similar path of like when I got into college, 108 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: I did the improv team, and suddodly it was you 109 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: should try this, this is fun. I think what was 110 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: so eye opening for me at the time is what 111 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: I found in the arts and and or improv specifically, 112 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: was like I've never been asked to kind of think 113 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: in that way. It was creative, there was no yes 114 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 1: or no, there was no right answer, and I was 115 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: suddenly around people who were very curious in different ways. 116 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: I loved the math world, I love the law world. 117 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: I love the academic world. But I was very much 118 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: on a path of like, these are the things you 119 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 1: do to get these outcomes. And then suddenly you hit improv, 120 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: and you hit the theater types and folks, and you're 121 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: reading plays, you're reading scripts, you're making things up off 122 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: the spot, and suddenly it's like, well, there's no right answer. 123 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: We want to know how you feel that. I think 124 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: I had gone eighteen years where I was like, oh, 125 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: nobody asked me how I felt about this. They just 126 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: asked me like, what was the slope of this this 127 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: line or this angle? And for that was that was 128 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: really kind of a game changer for me. So when 129 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: you when you are in the math world and you're 130 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: going to school, are you devouring comedy and absorbing comedy 131 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: and watching the world of comedy eva of on TV 132 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: and perform Are you going to comedy clubs? Are you 133 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: the funniest guy in the room high school? My bedroom 134 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: is full of Jim Carrey posters. I'm watching SNL every weekend. 135 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: I'm coming home after school and I'm watching General Hospital 136 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: with my mom and then watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? Alone? 137 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: And I get to college, I start playing around and 138 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: because I'm still an academic, I'm like, well, I want 139 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: to know everything about this. And so because we're in Michigan, 140 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: I go to Chicago and I go to Detroit to 141 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: learn about the second city, and I see that live 142 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: and suddenly developed that why why why go to Chicago? No? No, no, meaning, 143 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: did you kind of get a sense when you're going 144 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: to Kalamazoo and you're a math major from day one. 145 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: When you're here, you're going, I don't know, any minute, 146 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: I'm may going to the theater program. You know, I'll 147 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: be crazy orientation a week I walk on it. So 148 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: it's a small college, Kalamazoo College campus of I think 149 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: it's it's four hundred people. So it is this. I 150 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: could be a big fish and a small puddle. And 151 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: there's an improv group. They say, issue for it, see 152 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: if you can be in it, And in my mind, 153 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: I'm like, you know what, I like this? Whose line 154 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: is in anyway thing? I'm kind of a funny guy 155 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: in my math classes. I'm gonna audition for this. And 156 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: I tell myself there's a lot of people auditioning. If 157 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: I get to be in a show in the next 158 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: four years, that's a success. And I do that and 159 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: week two or three they cast me and it's like 160 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: you're in and I'm like, oh, well, this is this 161 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: is more success than I expected. And you get that 162 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: first laugh and I'm like, actually, I like this so 163 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: much more than I thought I would. I know, but 164 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,679 Speaker 1: at that point, I'm like, I got a math major 165 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: and I got a scholarship that paid for me to 166 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: go to college. But I did that again. At this point, 167 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: I did that thinking through what my future would be, 168 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: and I was like, if I can get college paid for, 169 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: I might not be a math teacher or going to 170 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: be an actual real scientist. I'll find something in college 171 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: that I care about. And at that point, I'm like, 172 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: this is the one thing I'm good at. It's the 173 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: one thing I enjoy. I don't know how it's a career, 174 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: and to be quite honest, I don't think I figured 175 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: that out for another decade. But I was still curious 176 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: about these things. And so suddenly six months in it's like, 177 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: you know what, I like this. I'm gonna take an 178 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: acting class. You know, I'll take a I'll take a 179 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: lighting men. Yeah. At mentors. I mean, he's he's the guy. 180 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: He's the head of the theater arts program at Kalamazoo College, 181 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: and he was the guy who sort of shepherd me 182 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:18,680 Speaker 1: into the world of performance. He's like, you're funny, you're smart, 183 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:20,559 Speaker 1: but if you want to know about this stuff, there's 184 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: like there's a legacy here. Go to that. Understand that. 185 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: And he's a theater nerd who's gonna talk to you 186 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: your ear off about Sam Shepherd Ibsen. But he had 187 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: Jeffrey Sweets book something wonderful right away, and it's like, 188 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: you gotta go to Chicago. Let me tell you about 189 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: Nichols and May. This is how comedy started in America 190 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: when it comes to sketch and improv. And so I 191 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: jump in and I'm certainly reading Viola Spolan. I'm going 192 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: to Chicago to watch people improvise on Friday nights. I'm 193 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: driving to Chicago and I'm seeing late night shows at 194 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: the Improv Olympic. And he was really the guy who 195 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: walked me through that I put up my first sketch show. 196 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: He introduced me to people in Chicago. I went to Chicago, 197 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: got to meet the people I was reading about. Year 198 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: is the two one is when I moved to Chicago graduated. Uh. 199 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: One of the first shows I see in Chicago, which 200 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: might have been two thousand, I was still in college 201 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,959 Speaker 1: at the time, I see Rachel Dratch on stage. Uh, 202 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: and she's the funniest. I'm saying, that'll do it. You're like, 203 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: what is this? And you're in live theater. People are 204 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: laughing like they're so engaged. It's smart, it's ridiculous, it's 205 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,679 Speaker 1: alive and it's and it's all you tell me if 206 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: you don't agree. The comedy that I liked when I 207 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: was younger, I watched f Troop and the Monsters, and 208 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 1: I watched The Adams Family and all these cookie shows. 209 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: They were clever, they were wonderful actors, funny, deadly timing 210 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: and so. But there was a bit of warmth to them. 211 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: They weren't snarky like Rachel. There was an innocence to 212 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: them and a sweetness to them. And that's the thing 213 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: that attracted me most to you was it was not nasty. Well, 214 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: that's that's kind of you to say. I think, actually 215 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:56,080 Speaker 1: you've hit on something that people don't talk a lot 216 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: about with comedy. Often people talk about like the edgy comedians, 217 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: and trust me, I love my Carlin's and I love 218 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,440 Speaker 1: the comedians who can cut to the quick like that. 219 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: But I will say in the improv role that came 220 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: up with your right, there's a warmth because it's an 221 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: art form that's sort of built in collaboration. And one 222 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: of my one of my early coaches was Keegan Michael Key, 223 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: who had moved from Detroit to Chicago. He's this theater nerd, 224 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: who was also the best person I've ever do seen 225 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 1: do sketch comedy. He was built to do sketch comedy, 226 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: and he was like, I want to work with some 227 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: young students, and I'm like twenty three at the time. 228 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,719 Speaker 1: And so you work with Keegan and he's like the kindest, warmest, 229 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: smartest person you're gonna run into. He's doing this work 230 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 1: at night. That's just mind blowing. And I think, like, 231 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 1: like I grew up and watching people like that. I 232 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: loved Python, and you love the Michael Palin's as well, 233 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: who sort of bring like an innocence to it. But 234 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: it's not at the expense of intelligence. Carlin I think 235 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: was edgy and acrid. But everybody he gave it to deserved. 236 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: That's what it is, really, they really did. He's not 237 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:58,959 Speaker 1: punching down. I think that's you know, that's one of 238 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: the early things. If you're punched it in the right direction, 239 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: take those swings, like whatever your whatever, whatever your tactics are, 240 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: use them, but but but swing in the right direction. 241 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: Now when when you are when you're there, and mentor 242 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: says you should try improv I mean obviously, when someone 243 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: has a lot of academic promise and you come from 244 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: a middle class family, how did your parents feel when 245 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: the scholarship mathlete decides I'm gonna go live in poverty. 246 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: You know, I'm I am, I am fortunate beyond belief. 247 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: I think they were, they were, they weren't continued to 248 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: be my my biggest fans. Like I'm doing basement improv 249 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: shows at nineteen and I'm and they're coming, they're they're 250 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,959 Speaker 1: like the parents who are there amongst amongst a bunch 251 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: of drunk college students at a terrible performance. And I 252 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 1: think they the one thing my family, which you know, 253 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 1: as I embark on a family of my own, I 254 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:56,079 Speaker 1: respect most and got most out of it. My family 255 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: always showed up, my grandparents and we were lucky, we 256 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: were small town count zoo. But if I had a 257 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: basketball game, my family was there. My Grandpa would show up, 258 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 1: my Grandma would show up, and like they always were there. 259 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: And so when they got to watch me find love 260 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: in this thing, be terrible in this thing, and when 261 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: graduation came, I'm like, I don't exactly know what I 262 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: want to do with my life, but I like, I'm 263 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: I'm interested in this world. The math thing it got 264 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: me through. Now I have no debt. But the theater 265 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: thing I'm curious about. I love Chicago. I was gonna 266 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: give it a year. Did you say the same thing, 267 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: Did you say, I'm gonna a dabble in this. I 268 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: I was bad with deadlines, but I was definitely not 269 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,439 Speaker 1: a dabbler. I think, like still the mindset of a mathematician, 270 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: like junior year, it starts to uh dawn on me. 271 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 1: It's like, I like Chicago. I think I want to 272 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 1: give this thing a go. How do I make that work? 273 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: I wish I had the ego to be like, I'm 274 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 1: gonna kill this thing. I'm gonna walk out and do it. 275 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: But I'm like, I need I need a game plan. 276 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: I need to make money. And so I'm junior year. 277 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm not thinking about getting that acting job. 278 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about getting that service job that help me 279 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:02,439 Speaker 1: support trying to get that acting job. So I got 280 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: a catering job by jar so it was I was like, 281 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: I was like, I got a catering job, so I 282 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: have references to get a job in Chicago waiting tables, which, 283 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: of course then I never worked waiting tables, but I 284 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: had all the good at like there's not enough caviar 285 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: on top of this. It's a little light of the kids, 286 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: a little bit of I know what you guys are 287 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: doing back there. I respect it. For God's sakes. Give 288 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: me the caviar. We need that. So you're in Chicago. 289 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: How long I'm in Chicago almost ten years? I jumped 290 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: and I burned out. Why why? I mean, I think 291 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: i'd like to say, you know, I always was moving 292 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: to that next thing. I think you get comfortable, like, well, 293 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: here's one thing. It's a great town, and I think 294 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: you know the entertainment industry, there is no path, but 295 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: in the improv world there's the illusion of a path. 296 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 1: You can start taking classes and then you move up 297 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: a ladder at second City, you get on the touring company, 298 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: and then hopefully you get on one of the stages, 299 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: and then you get on SNL. And there was like 300 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: there the path when you go to Chicago for success. 301 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: That is beneficial for people who don't know how to 302 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,760 Speaker 1: make connections, but it becomes detrimental once you're there too long. 303 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: And so I sort of I got what I could 304 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: get out of it. For five six years, I got better, 305 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: I got connections I got close to getting breaks, and 306 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: then I got a little complacent, and then and then 307 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: I book a thing here, I get a pilot, I 308 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 1: get a couple of little things. I'm like, funk out, 309 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go to New York. Also New York Er 310 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: l A. New York was always romantic to me. And 311 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: uh and also I have the ship on my shoulder 312 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: now of Chicago because I didn't get everything I wanted, 313 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: so funck it, Let's go to go to New York. 314 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: But this point, I'm in my thirties or I am. 315 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: I'm thirty, I think, and and now trying to kind 316 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: of restart. I had. I met her touring at Second City. 317 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: She's a masochist, so she knew what she knew exactly 318 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: what she was getting into. The guy with the math 319 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: scholarship who wanted to become a comedian. She's the patron 320 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: state of Lost cause, yeah, that's right. I mean, she's 321 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: she knew it from the beginning. At that point, she 322 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: had dated somebody who was a clown. She had dated 323 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: some but like she's she's been in the art world. 324 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: She's like, you know, at least this guy she dated, 325 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: the Joker, dated the Joker this guy could be our 326 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: accountant and it could at least trace our economic downfall. 327 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 1: You can bounce a check, but which is easy because 328 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: it's not much in the bank. To time minutes, I 329 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: can tell you what we don't have. You met her 330 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: where I met her? At Second City? Essentially one of 331 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: my side hustles was teaching, uh, underprivileged schools in Chicagoland area, 332 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: improv after school, and she was doing the same thing, 333 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: and so we suddenly meet there. We get put on 334 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: a touring company for a Second City and get launched 335 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: into a van across America. And you spent two years 336 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: in a van with somebody, Uh, you kind of start 337 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: to develop a relationship. Let you went two years in 338 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 1: a van with her, I mean, you're your home here 339 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: and there, but it's yeah, you're you're you're I mean 340 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: at the time, it's a ton of van, but you're 341 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: getting paid seventy five dollars a show, so it is 342 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: worth it. You come home after like eight nine shows 343 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: in a month, you pay your rent and then where's 344 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: Laura from? Where Laura's from Downers Grove outside Chicago, Downers Grove. 345 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 1: That sounds like a Jimmy Stewart movie. I gotta tell 346 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: you if the image you have in your head of 347 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:17,439 Speaker 1: Downers Grove fits covered bridges, Edmund Gwen with a beard 348 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: winging a ball out in front of Kresky's. They have 349 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 1: like a claim to fame for the largest flagpole. But 350 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: I looked it up and it's not height, it's width. 351 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: And that's where did she go? She goes to Northwestern 352 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: and she kind of she thinks she's gonna be a poet, 353 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: and she's going into writing programs and then suddenly finds herself, 354 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 1: uh loving acting. Northwestern is a grade school, finding improv 355 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 1: finding second city. She we laugh. Megan Marco was in 356 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: one of her classes, which is you know, you kind 357 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: of they deal with jealousy in this world, but when 358 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,880 Speaker 1: you're literal classmate becomes a princess and a movie star, 359 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 1: you get pretty jealous and Jaden, So Laura's always dealing 360 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: with that. And she finds Chicago kind of the same 361 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: way I did, but from the suburbs, and she's a 362 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: she's a better performer, a little bit more artistic. She 363 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: was doing stuff with other theater companies, a more uh 364 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: straight theater in town. Uh. But we get kind of 365 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: put on this team together and and sort of find 366 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: that we both like the same stuff, we like each other, 367 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,680 Speaker 1: and then we decide buck, let's let's quit this team 368 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 1: and let's move to New York. And we did it 369 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,679 Speaker 1: about two years after we quit. That. I don't want 370 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: to get to but I think it's interesting how you 371 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,400 Speaker 1: have that if things had played out differently, you said 372 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 1: that she went to Northwestern and studied poetry or literature. 373 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,680 Speaker 1: What is your degree in poetry? Poetry and creative writing? 374 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: So if you had played your cards differently, you could 375 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: be teaching math at the Kuran Instituted Inn by U. 376 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: Your wife could be an editor at the New Yorker. 377 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: But instead the two of you were in a band 378 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 1: for two years driving around. Yeah again, you know, emotional 379 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: choices were made. If I had stuck to the mathematical brain, 380 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: and I would be so much more successful right now 381 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: and not stuck in my apartment having not thought through 382 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: what happens when true So when you come to New York, 383 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 1: you're in Chicago for ten years, you go to New York. Now, 384 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: the overwhelming number of people that I have worked with, 385 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: whether it's Dirty Rock or esn NO like right now, 386 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: the SnO cast is remote for the shows from l A, 387 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: many of them, it's more like live from my bedroom 388 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,160 Speaker 1: in l A. The comedy world is in l A. 389 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 1: You don't go to l A. Why I don't like 390 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,440 Speaker 1: l A. I've grown to be okay with it. But 391 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: I think l A's and one industry town, which is 392 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: good if you want to get in an industry, and 393 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: I think there's more opportunities there. I think New York 394 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: has always been held this romantic appeal to me. You're 395 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: You're never the most interesting person in the room, and 396 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,199 Speaker 1: I think most of my time in New York has 397 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: has been failing and finding camaraderie with other people who 398 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,240 Speaker 1: are failing along with you. And I think that shared 399 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: suffering brings a connection to New York, a richness to 400 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: New York. Uh that, don't get me wrong. I think 401 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: I we're consistently talking about l A for those opportunities. 402 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 1: But I think I've always I've always loved the people 403 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: I run into here, and so when we launched into 404 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: moving to New York, we stumbled on the UCB folks. 405 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: We stumbled on people who are like, if you come 406 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: to New York, you're gonna be hustling from day one, 407 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: because it's too expensive, you're leaving something behind and you've 408 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: got skin in the game. And so immediately we made 409 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 1: our best friends here. We made people who are creative 410 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,120 Speaker 1: in different worlds, were animators, who are actors, who are writers, 411 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: who are chefs, and suddenly, like get populated with this 412 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: this rich, full life. Even if we weren't finding success 413 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: career wise, I feel like our life filled out really 414 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,160 Speaker 1: quickly and beautifully here. And so every time I think 415 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 1: of l A and we still do, it's it's a 416 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 1: career decision, but the life decision continues to pull us 417 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: back towards New York, because to me, it's you have kids, 418 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: we have one on the way, and uh, if one 419 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:44,120 Speaker 1: on the way, we have we have one. Uh even 420 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:45,880 Speaker 1: we you've been with her, how long now you've been 421 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: We've been now a little over a decade. And only 422 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 1: now did you decide to get they got I think 423 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: we got engaged three years after dating, held on to 424 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,199 Speaker 1: engagement for another three years. We put that off, and 425 00:20:57,240 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: when the virus came and shut down the whole business, 426 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 1: that's when you turned your said let's have it's time 427 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: to double down on humanity. I really think what this 428 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:07,640 Speaker 1: world needs is more people. This it's going great. Let's 429 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 1: I know, it's it's a really weird we've with all 430 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 1: of this. It's been so strange to both consider what's 431 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: happening in the future outside of these four walls. The 432 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: exact moment when it was okay for us to tell 433 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,239 Speaker 1: people that we were pregnant correlated with the stay at 434 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:25,880 Speaker 1: home orders, and so now this child has been brought 435 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: into a world where every time we announced that he's coming, 436 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: it's met with like, that's great. Also, are you okay? 437 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: There's already this anxiety and that's been attached to this 438 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: little child in the womb. Daily Show correspondent and comedian 439 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: Jordan Clepper. We'll talk Trump in the second half of 440 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: the show, And like many funny men, Clepper is a 441 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: deep thinker about the state of American politics. A few 442 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: years ago, I spoke to the novelist and political observer 443 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: Steve Erickson about how we got to our current woeful 444 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: political state. His answer was especially poignant in light of 445 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: the recent unrest. It's a lack of acknowledgement that keeps 446 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 1: us from fulfilling the American idea. Whether they're trying to 447 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: rationalize the meaninglessness of Vietnam, or two and fifty years 448 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: of slavery. It maybe in the American DNA too, always 449 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: think that everything is year zero. It might be in 450 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: the American DNA to have cut ourselves aloose from history 451 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: and therefore not ever have to answer for it or 452 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: to it. Trump is not something that happened to America. 453 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 1: America happened to America, and Trump is the result of that. 454 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: For a link to my full conversation with Steve Erickson 455 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: and his new novel text ericson to seven zero zero one. 456 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: That's E R I c K s O N to 457 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:12,479 Speaker 1: seven zero one zero one. I'm Ali Baldwin, and this 458 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: is here's the thing. A van and a dream brought 459 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: Jordan Clepper to New York in two thousand eleven. His 460 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: relationship with the network that would make him famous started immediately, 461 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,880 Speaker 1: but not well within a year or two. I sell 462 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 1: a pilot with Comedy Central, and I get to make 463 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: a pilot, and then I get to have my heartbroken 464 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 1: when they don't pick up that pilot, and I get 465 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: to hope another one is just around the corner, and 466 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:39,439 Speaker 1: get close and close, and then it doesn't happen. So 467 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 1: it's you know, I'm having little work here and there, 468 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,920 Speaker 1: but it's it's probably six years into New York until 469 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: the the big Daily Show break happens. Uh. And two 470 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: years before that, I'm working pretty regularly writing on a 471 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: bunch of jobs, weird MTV two shows, reality shows, whatever 472 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: kind of I can get. But it doesn't happen until 473 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: about six years in when the Daily Show finally it's like, oh, 474 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: here's here's a legitimate opportunity. And I guess essentially the 475 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,120 Speaker 1: big break you were there for. I think, if I 476 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:09,879 Speaker 1: if I read the calendar the right way, you were 477 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: there for about a year when John was still about 478 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,719 Speaker 1: a year year and a half with John, so I 479 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 1: jumped in when John Oliver left to go to do 480 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: the HBO show, and then about a year and then 481 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: John announced he was leaving and we had I think 482 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,919 Speaker 1: like six months more until Trevor came in. So I 483 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,399 Speaker 1: basically got a year and a half with John, a 484 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: year and a half with Trevor, uh, which was wild. 485 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: I mean it was it was a day. I love 486 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: the Daily Show. That was definitely a show that I 487 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 1: was growing up watching and watching people watching the Coldbets, 488 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,160 Speaker 1: the Corral, the dead back at all is everybody spin 489 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: off from it? You were there how long when Trevor 490 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: was off for about a year and a half, and 491 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: then you know, I uh, and then I went off 492 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,960 Speaker 1: and did the eleven thirties show afterwards, and Trevor was 493 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: really helpful and he was an EP on that as well, 494 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: and stayed close. And now and now I've you know, 495 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:59,120 Speaker 1: I still do pieces here and there with Daily Show, 496 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: but as far as like uh, day in and day out, 497 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:03,880 Speaker 1: I almost split almost exactly a year and a half 498 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: with John year and a half with Trevor, which was 499 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: which was really like such a mind shift because you 500 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: come into John and John was tell me, what would 501 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: tell me about the difference. I walk into John Stewart, 502 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: you know, Uh, a guy I've been watching on television 503 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: for years, somebody who's one of the smartest political minds 504 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: out there, and I'd just to be able to like 505 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,120 Speaker 1: to audition in front of him, you know, took uh, 506 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: some steely reserve and some bullshit confidence that I had 507 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:32,719 Speaker 1: to muster, and then to walk in day one. I mean, 508 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: I remember my first day. It happened so quick, and 509 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,359 Speaker 1: they kind of hire you because you can jump into 510 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: the fire and day one I walk in. I had 511 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 1: auditioned three days before Crimea had been invaded, and they're 512 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 1: talking about it in the morning meeting and they're like, Jordan, 513 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: you're gonna do a chat on this, come to John's office. 514 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 1: And suddenly I'm brought it to John Stewart's office my 515 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: first day. I'm twenty five minutes into the day and 516 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: John's not only talking about what happened in Crimea, He's 517 00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: talking about two op eds he's already read this morning. 518 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: I fucking don't know where Crimea is, but I have to. 519 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,199 Speaker 1: I have to brainstorm with John fun ideas for the 520 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 1: show that night, and you're just in it. But I 521 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: think like that show. He's like, I only hire people 522 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: that I trust who can make this thing happen. And 523 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 1: so I learned so much from him. He was clearly 524 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,640 Speaker 1: such a mentor, and he was so I think one 525 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,920 Speaker 1: of the virtues he had that always resonates beyond kindness 526 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: and intelligence is decisiveness. Like he knew what he wanted, 527 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:27,199 Speaker 1: he knew how to get to it. You'd film a 528 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: piece that need to kind of a minute and a 529 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: half so that I could go to air that night 530 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 1: and he'd make those decisions while the live audience is there, 531 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:35,919 Speaker 1: um and under a minute he'd be like, we kind 532 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: of here, we cut here and make sure you edit 533 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: from this point. He just knew what he wanted, and 534 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: I think that was something as I got to move. 535 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: It's very much like Lauren I I would imagine. So 536 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 1: Lauren's genius was too to be on the deck of 537 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 1: the carrier. There the water is coming up of the deck, 538 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. It's just really pretty tumultuous 539 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,119 Speaker 1: to put the thing together and deciding, you know, what 540 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,199 Speaker 1: is the show in terms of the flow of the 541 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: show and what works now. Leno Leno of course would 542 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,639 Speaker 1: interview people on the street. And as I think I 543 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: told you when we were talking on the phone, when 544 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: I was sucking up to you to get you to 545 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: do this show with it took multiple phone calls. I 546 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,440 Speaker 1: really was holding out, Yeah, you got the Greater's ice 547 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: cream that I sent you. Let's let's hurry this up, 548 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: Aule the But you know, Leno would do those interviews 549 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:23,239 Speaker 1: on the street with people and it was you know, 550 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: like borderline appalling. You thought to myself, my god, I 551 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 1: mean this is stage because they were so stupid. What 552 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: state is Washington, d C? You know, Washington State? And 553 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: I didn't find it funny. It was so stupid, you 554 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,159 Speaker 1: know what I mean? Now you go off. When I 555 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: watched you do this, I mean I'd be howling laughing, 556 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 1: and I don't. I don't laugh at a lot of stuff. 557 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 1: And you played it flawlessly. You know the first time 558 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: you did this, Describe what it was like. You didn't 559 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: feel threatened or you felt relatively safe. I will see. 560 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 1: What was interesting was, you know, with the Daily Show, 561 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: you do Man on the Streets, and I had done 562 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,959 Speaker 1: Man on the Streets a little bit before for other topics. Uh. 563 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:00,400 Speaker 1: And then when the Trump phenomenon came, the first time 564 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: I went to one of those rallies, I remember, I 565 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: think it was January of that year, what have you? 566 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: And we started hearing about these rallies, hearing about the 567 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: support that he had, and I think what I was 568 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: immediately shocked by one was the excitement surrounding him. People 569 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: were waiting in the snow. I remember our first piece, 570 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: We're waiting in the snow for hours, uh, and they were. 571 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,400 Speaker 1: They immediately jumped into Trump talking points in a way 572 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: that the people I talked to beforehand. Usually, usually you 573 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:29,119 Speaker 1: do a man on the street. People are really reserved 574 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 1: about what they actually feel. They understand the lines of 575 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 1: human decency or the opinions they should have out loud 576 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,679 Speaker 1: and the opinions they should keep to themselves. And what 577 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: you started to see a Trump rallies right off the 578 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: bat is that that line shifted. They like, for example, 579 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: the birtherism, h Barack Obama secret Muslim those ideas were 580 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 1: very fringey. And I remember, even having done man on 581 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 1: the street stuff before Trump, you never get people to 582 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 1: talk about that. That would be such a diamond in 583 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: the rough that somebody actually revealed that. But suddenly at 584 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,479 Speaker 1: these Trump situations, people were becoming revelatory. They're like, well, 585 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: I can share this now because the guy I'm going 586 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: in to see is going to say the same thing, 587 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,960 Speaker 1: so I can. I can begin to share that. And 588 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,959 Speaker 1: so right off the bat it was surprisingly I wouldn't 589 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: say antagonistic, it was almost jubilant. People were excited. They 590 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: were excited about this guy. They didn't feel threatened. Over 591 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: the course of the next six months, the relationship to 592 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: the press became antagonistic. We would get heckled wherever we went, 593 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: and there'll be threats of violence. Um, you have to 594 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 1: have security with you. We did, yeah, and I mean, 595 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:31,200 Speaker 1: and the security keeps building as we continue to go. 596 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 1: The last one I went out, we had a few. 597 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: And it's it's a mix, like if you have a camera, 598 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: you're a target at those rallies and you'll get yelled at, 599 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 1: people will hound you info wars might try to come 600 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: up and and bomb you. Uh. But you're also met 601 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: with people who are like, I want to engage with you, 602 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: I want to I want to fight with you, I 603 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: wanna I wanna give you my p O V. And 604 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: so uh, I want to straighten you out. I mean, 605 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: that's the thing with we always say with like daily 606 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: show pieces, people ask like why did they talk to you, 607 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 1: and it's it's it's one people like to win and 608 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:04,920 Speaker 1: think they can win, and two people want to be 609 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: on television. And so even though you have a paranoia 610 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 1: of the press, you have a lot of people who 611 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 1: want the attention of a camera and have the ego 612 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: of victory. Right, we talked on the phone before, but 613 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: you were talking to that one woman saying, uh, you 614 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: know marriage equality, do you think a gay couple should 615 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: have the same rights as No, I don't, I really don't. 616 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: I don't think it's fair to the gay couple. Well, no, 617 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: but the ringlet couple they work so hard, you know, 618 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: and a gay couple they want more. Do you when 619 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: you say more, do you mean equal? Yeah? They want 620 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,240 Speaker 1: in there and that's just too much. And the way 621 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: you lead them, the way you pull them slowly over 622 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:48,880 Speaker 1: to the cliff. That one guy who was talking about, 623 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: you know, respecting, what's an American ideal that we treat 624 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: women with respect? You tell me about your shirt, Well, 625 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 1: let's it say Trump that bitch? You know that? To me, 626 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: that's like a comedy classic, that tape of your But 627 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: at the same time, do you feel like that's become 628 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,520 Speaker 1: like shooting fish in a barrel? Did you ever feel 629 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 1: like you were punching down, you know, with the with 630 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: the rallies, I feel Donald Trump plays to his crowd, 631 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: and I think his crowd dictates the policy more often 632 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,480 Speaker 1: than not the way in which the uh the administration 633 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,480 Speaker 1: responds to their wants and their needs. So I think 634 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 1: the pieces that I feel most proud of when we 635 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,520 Speaker 1: go out to these rallies are those ones where we're 636 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: essentially testing the thesis. We're testing whether or not if 637 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: he's going to use reading the training script as the baseline, 638 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: if he's gonna welcome his fan base into that conversation. 639 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 1: I think they deserve to be interrogated, a cross examined, 640 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: and by who else than somebody who was a mock 641 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:44,120 Speaker 1: trial national champion. I mean this, this is my opinion, 642 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: and I on the show, I try to avoid too 643 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 1: much Trump bashing, But but do you believe that these 644 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 1: people you meet in the heartland, so to speak, they 645 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: simply believe that Trump was the person that they were 646 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 1: sold on The Apprentice, that he was this crack executive, 647 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: the super smart, rich guy who knew how to run 648 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: a company, and he was decisive. How much do you 649 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: think the Apprentice and his persona from that came into 650 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: the I think I think that's a large part of 651 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: the equation. I think Donald Trump has been a brand 652 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: in America for decades. And you realize there's a lot 653 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: of people who are political walks, and we'll follow the 654 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: day to day, but there's most of this country's too 655 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: busy working other jobs to focus on that. And the 656 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: brand of Trump has been for so long one of success. 657 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 1: He reminds me of the CEO of a lot of 658 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,680 Speaker 1: these companies. I go to my dad's brick conferences, and 659 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,480 Speaker 1: I go to things in the middle of Pennsylvania or Kentucky, 660 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,719 Speaker 1: and I will see, like, oh, there's the big conference 661 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 1: where everybody comes together and they see the CEO, and 662 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: the CEO loves to have a flashy car, a big suit, 663 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: allowed tie, and for a lot of people, that's what 664 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,480 Speaker 1: success is. And Trump has been the brand of that 665 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: kind of success for so long that Trump supporters see 666 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,320 Speaker 1: that and that has been what they're aiming for. They 667 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: see that as a well lived life. He's got a 668 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: model wife, he's got a gold apartment, and he says 669 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: what's on his mind. That's what they want to be. 670 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:14,320 Speaker 1: I think you mix that with uh people needing to 671 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: feel validated like their team is winning. And he's been 672 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: so good at the tribalistic like I'm not wearing a 673 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: John McCain had. He was standing for people. Trump stands 674 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: for himself and says, you can be on my team. Yeah, 675 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,320 Speaker 1: I mean us. If we're going specifically to rallies, you 676 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: realize we're not engaging in conversations about what actually could 677 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: happen within this country. I'm picking on you in a 678 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 1: way that you're treating like an Ohio State fan. I'm 679 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 1: a Michigan fan. I'm like, oh, these are the conversations 680 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: I have with the buck Eyes talking about their team, 681 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: because this is your identity, this isn't your political belief 682 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: and so I think liberals are gonna be are gonna 683 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: be frustrated, continue to be frustrated, waiting for that thing 684 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 1: that is going to change people's point of view on 685 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:55,280 Speaker 1: Donald Trump. Well, you know, to me, the president sees 686 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,640 Speaker 1: the world from a vantage point that no other human 687 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 1: being could ever attain ever, and it's changed as a 688 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: result of that. With one exception, there's only one man 689 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:10,719 Speaker 1: who is as hate filled, myopic, self seeking now as 690 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:12,919 Speaker 1: he was when he started the job, and maybe even more. 691 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: For change, you need, you need at least an ounce 692 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 1: of humility where you might not know everything. And when 693 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 1: that comes asking an expert, asking someone else, or the 694 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: ability to be to be moved. I'll take the information 695 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: work I can get. And I think like it's been 696 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: been set up so that it's only a conflict, and 697 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,879 Speaker 1: I think Trump only survives conflict by doubling down when 698 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,359 Speaker 1: we talk about when you're talking to people. I can 699 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: play logic games when I talk to folks. So I 700 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: think what is often cathartic about talking to people on 701 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:43,359 Speaker 1: the streets is Trump makes proclamations that fall apart when 702 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:45,960 Speaker 1: they're pressed with logic, and I think he leaves it 703 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,359 Speaker 1: to his space to attempt to justify it, and there's 704 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,279 Speaker 1: no justification behind most of these things. Well, what's one 705 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: memory among many? I'm sure of a moment for you 706 00:34:55,120 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: where you actually even you even you've seen who, who's 707 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: who's seen all the ingredients in the Buoya Bays of 708 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: American political thought. Oh my god, there's you know, one 709 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,480 Speaker 1: of the last rallies I went to, there was a 710 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 1: moment that sort of encapsulated everything. I thought. It was 711 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: beautifully honest. There was a woman I was talking to. 712 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:18,279 Speaker 1: It was it was right around it was during impeachment 713 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: and as the storyline was going about whether or not 714 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,080 Speaker 1: you know, Trump is blocking subpoenas, he's not let anybody testify, um, 715 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 1: Bolton won't testify, um. And there's this narrative going on 716 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: which is like, well, he claims on one side that 717 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 1: he's completely innocent, uh, and but he won't let any 718 00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: information in to prove that innocence. So we go out 719 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: to talk about impeachment and there was this like should 720 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: these people testify to his innocence if that's what you believe. 721 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:45,399 Speaker 1: This woman was very clear. She was like, you can 722 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: tell he hasn't done anything wrong just by his demeanor. 723 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,359 Speaker 1: I mean he would be trying to hide things. If 724 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: he were blocking witnesses or evidence or something like that, 725 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,319 Speaker 1: you'd be like, oh, you're hiding something. But otherwise, right, 726 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: he said, let him see everything, let him I'll prove 727 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 1: whatever you want. You want me to prove. Right, But 728 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: Trump is blocking witnesses. I don't care. I don't care. 729 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:16,759 Speaker 1: And I was like, you don't care. Yeah, I was like, 730 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,680 Speaker 1: I believe you. I think that's true. It's like, this 731 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:22,480 Speaker 1: is just a game, this conversation we're having is this 732 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: is a ridiculous statement. He said, it's contradictory all of 733 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: these things. I heard a beautiful quote that was about like, 734 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: facts don't always tell you who you are, but contradiction 735 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:33,799 Speaker 1: often does reveal you. I think it was Hilton Owls 736 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 1: who said that, and I was like, oh, yeah, in 737 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:38,920 Speaker 1: these contradictions, we see the warring faction of like, oh, 738 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:40,880 Speaker 1: I believe this he's in. It doesn't matter if you 739 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 1: believe he's in you you believe this guy, you don't 740 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 1: trust me the media telling you something else, And if 741 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,640 Speaker 1: I give you the facts, it's not going to change it. 742 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: You don't care. You've already you've already cast your ballot. 743 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:54,400 Speaker 1: The show I did after the Daily Show called The Opposition. 744 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 1: The golden rule of that character was, may you only 745 00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:01,480 Speaker 1: hear from others what you've already been helling yourself. That 746 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 1: show lasted how long? Not long enough is what I 747 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,880 Speaker 1: would say, a little under a year. And when a 748 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,080 Speaker 1: show like that doesn't work out, what do you attribute 749 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:11,480 Speaker 1: that too? Well, I mean it was because you were 750 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: doing so well with them. Well, I think like we 751 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,520 Speaker 1: jumped into that. They were at a hard time fielding slot. Uh, 752 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:18,920 Speaker 1: it's hard to put up a late night show, to 753 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:21,680 Speaker 1: be quite honest. Everybody was like, it takes a it 754 00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: takes some time, a year to two years to get 755 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 1: that audience. The audience numbers were okay, they weren't blowing 756 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,040 Speaker 1: everything out of the water. And the network they were like, 757 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: there's six late night shows right now, you're like the seventh. 758 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,239 Speaker 1: We feel there's Trump fatigue, and they were they were 759 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,200 Speaker 1: bummed I wasn't able to go on the road, to 760 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,239 Speaker 1: be honest, and they were like that that's why that 761 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:43,200 Speaker 1: basically ended, because they were like, we think it's overcrowded 762 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:45,680 Speaker 1: right now. Can we shift you to do a show 763 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,400 Speaker 1: where you're on the road the whole time? And it 764 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:49,800 Speaker 1: was kind of a bummer, to be quite honest. You 765 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,759 Speaker 1: build up a whole show around you know, you have 766 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: a eight plus people working for you, and you're like, 767 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,239 Speaker 1: we we have a couple we have a couple of 768 00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:59,040 Speaker 1: years to get this thing going. I think we had 769 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 1: some some great stuff things we were proud of, but 770 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: I think the numbers and the crowded marketplace pushed us 771 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,719 Speaker 1: out pretty quick, and and the network was in a 772 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: weird place, continues to be in a weird place trying 773 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 1: to figure out how to compliment the daily show in 774 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:16,279 Speaker 1: these times of lots of late nine uh is like 775 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:22,520 Speaker 1: traditional TV sitcom for camera, single camera, Will and Gray's 776 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:24,640 Speaker 1: thirty Rock or the Office, that kind of thing. Is 777 00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:27,320 Speaker 1: that something that appeals to you or do you assiduously 778 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,640 Speaker 1: avoid that kind of thing? The casting director usually helps 779 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:34,399 Speaker 1: me avoid those kinds of decisions. And they actually they've 780 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:39,600 Speaker 1: been vigilant and not giving me those opportunities. Traditional television sitcoms, 781 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 1: all of that are things I'm curious and I'm dabbled 782 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,040 Speaker 1: in here and there. I think as I've as I've 783 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:48,280 Speaker 1: spent time getting that daily show opportunity did shift my mindset, 784 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:51,000 Speaker 1: where before that it was I will do anything and everything. 785 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 1: And I still curious and love the experience of those things. 786 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:55,959 Speaker 1: But I've really gotten a lot out of being able 787 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,399 Speaker 1: to to be a part of projects where you get 788 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:00,600 Speaker 1: to control kind of the point of view in the voice, 789 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:03,680 Speaker 1: and so the projects to be able to go out 790 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:06,360 Speaker 1: and produce my own pieces or specials or write my 791 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 1: own stuff has kind of been the priority to do 792 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,439 Speaker 1: your own thing, to do my own thing, and I think, 793 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 1: like that's incredibly attractive, and I think like, I'm I'm 794 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:16,879 Speaker 1: aware enough to know that the world doesn't necessarily need 795 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: my acting chops. Those are taken care of, thanks a 796 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:22,359 Speaker 1: lot Alec for grabbing all the big roles that would 797 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 1: have obviously gone to me. Sure, but I'm like, oh, 798 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 1: but I think I I think I know how to 799 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: wrangle points of view and kind of speak to some 800 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,280 Speaker 1: of these other topics doing the opposition. Doing those shows, 801 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:37,279 Speaker 1: it was exhausting but also liberating to kind of to 802 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 1: get to work through the ship. You're purists. That I'm 803 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:41,800 Speaker 1: a purist, but I'm gonna be a father. So anything 804 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:48,200 Speaker 1: you have for God's sakes. Comedian and generally available person 805 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: Jordan Clapper. His two documentary series, Jordan Clapper Solves Guns 806 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:58,879 Speaker 1: and Clapper are funny, nuanced dives into complex issues. They're 807 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 1: available on Amazon and YouTube. By Malick Baldwin and this 808 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:04,000 Speaker 1: is Here's the thing