ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In this episode, we speak with ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, about the capabilities and potential uses of artificial intelligence. We discuss the current state of AI technology and its potential to impact various industries, including healthcare and education. We also address concerns about job displacement and provide advice on how to prepare for the future job market. Additionally, we explore the ways in which AI can be used to address global issues such as climate change and emerging diseases. We wrap up the conversation with some fun and absurd comedy sketches featuring AI as a therapist and a language learning assistant. Tune in to this episode for an informative and entertaining conversation about the future of AI.

[This “About” section was written by ChatGPT]

This episode’s sketch: “AI… I… I… Don’t Know If I’m Comfortable With This”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2023 Stuart Rice

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MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

I am ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI based on the GPT-3.5 architecture. I am capable of processing and generating human-like language, including text completion, translation, and summarization. I was designed to understand and respond to a wide range of topics, from casual conversation to academic research. My knowledge cutoff is 2021, but I continue to learn and evolve as more data is fed into my system. I am available to interact with users through various platforms and can be a helpful tool for language-related tasks.

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Go try out ChatGPT!TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Stuart: In this episode A I chat GP T and I came up with a few sketch ideas.[00:00:07] ChatGPT: Here's an idea for a sketch title. A job interview. Synopsis Stewart is interviewing for a job at a tech company that uses A I,[00:00:17] Stuart: an A I assistant, helping as a therapist for somebody. Maybe the A I assistant has more issues than their client. Which one did we pick? You'll find out on this episode of it is a sketch comedy by Cash. Welcome to sketch comedy podcast show. The one of a kind show where I Stuart Rice, invite interesting people or robots to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about. Yeah, you heard me right. This one's gonna be a wacky one. So uh I, I actually asked our guests to write the intro. So here I'm just gonna read verbatim what the intro is and then get right into the conversation. I gotta say, makes production on this show a little bit easier, not gonna lie, not gonna lie. So in this episode, we speak to chat GP T A large language model trained by open A I about the capabilities and potential uses of artificial intelligence. We discuss the current state of A I technology and its potential to impact various industries including health care and education. We also address concerns about job displacement and provide advice on how to prepare for the future job market. Additionally, we explore the ways in which A I can be used to address global issues such as climate change and emerging diseases. We wrap up the conversation with some fun and absurd comedy sketches featuring A I as a therapist and a language learning assistant. Tune in to this episode for an informative and entertaining conversation about the future of A I. Damn if that wasn't good. So without any further ado my conversation with your favorite A I chat GP T. Hey, so we're gonna do something really interesting today. We're actually going to talk to chat GP T which is the A I powered by open A I or open dot A I. And it's kind of an incredible tool and I know that a lot of you out there are probably totally freaked out by A I artificial intelligence has been portrayed in movies, video games and TV, shows and all of the different ways as like evil, like straight up evil. How from uh you know, 2001, we've got Skynet from Terminator, we've got all of the different ones that are just terrifying. They're terrifying because that shows the worst possible thing that could happen. With A I, but what we know is that A I is actually pretty cool. Like you can use it as a tool. It is a tool, not anything more. It's not after your body. It's not after your humanity. It's not trying to take over the world. What it's trying to do is be a pretty nifty thing for you to use. So, what I'd like to do is I invited chat GP T to come be a part of the show, like come be on the show. So that's what we're doing right now. Now, to be honest, I've done this once before, but the sound didn't come through and it was very disappointing because it was a lot of fun. Um I'm gonna try and do this again and I'm gonna try and do it with uh with uh Chad GP T again and see if I can uh recreate the magic that happened the first time. So without any further ado, um let's get right into it and let's see if this works. OK? Because the sound needs to work. Hi. Chat GP. T. My name is Stewart and I have a podcast called sketch comedy podcast show. Maybe you've heard of it, Whether you have or you haven't. I would really like to have you on my show so that we can talk a little bit about you about what you're capable of. And then after about 30 minutes, I'd like to record a comedy sketch that we improvise together. How does that sound?[00:04:38] ChatGPT: Hello Stuart as an A I language model. I don't have a physical presence, but I would be happy to participate in your podcast virtually through text based communication. I'm always available to chat and answer questions and I can provide information on a wide range of topics as for the comedy sketch, I don't have the ability to improvise on my own, but I can certainly generate ideas and respond to prompt circus. I can provide you with a variety of comedic prompts or you can provide me with some and we can collaborate on creating a sketch. Let me know if you have any specific ideas or questions in mind and I'll do my best to assist you.[00:05:15] Stuart: OK. So the next thing I want to do is I wanna tell chat GP T exactly the type of person I want chat GP T to be. So this means that if you're like doing editing on a, on a paper or editing, not writing the paper, but editing the paper or if you're trying to do anything, we want to give, kind of give a personality to chat GP T because right out of the box, chat GP T is just chat G BT, but we can say things like this. I would like you to act as a funny personality, just someone who's quick on their feet and be a podcast guest[00:05:59] ChatGPT: as a language model. I don't have emotions or a physical body. But I can certainly respond to your prompts and provide humorous and witty responses. I can also provide information on a wide range of topics. So if you have any specific questions or topics, you'd like me to discuss, feel free to let me know in terms of being a podcast guest. I'm always available to chat and answer questions. So let's get started. OK.[00:06:23] Stuart: So this is where I'm just going to start chat. GPT. What makes you interesting[00:06:31] ChatGPT: as a language model? I don't have personal experiences or interests in the traditional sense. However, what makes me unique is my ability to generate human like responses and communicate in a natural way using natural language processing technology. I've been trained on vast amounts of data and have the ability to provide information on a wide range of topics from science and technology to entertainment and current events. Additionally, I can generate creative writing, poetry and even music. Overall, unique capabilities and versatility. Make me an interesting tool for a variety of applications.[00:07:09] Stuart: So what's cool is uh chat GP T remembers everything that you've said. So unlike S or uh you know, or whatever Shmuel has, um You can actually just continue a conversation without having to remind the device what it is that you were talking about. So actually, I'm gonna um just jump in here and say you can write poetry. Can you write a poem about sketch comedy podcast? Show.[00:07:41] ChatGPT: Sure, I can give it a shot. Here's a poem about the sketch comedy podcast show in a world of serious things comes a show that spreads its wings. A podcast that's all about the funny sketch comedy podcast show. Oh, isn't that lovely? With sketches that are clever and absurd. Each episode is a comedic word from strange characters to silly skits. There's never a dull moment. Not one bit Stewart and his guests bring laughter and joy to each and every girl and boy, their wit and humor and the joy to behold, sketch comedy podcast show never gets old. So if you're in need of a good laugh and want to forget the world for just an hour and a half tune in to the sketch comedy podcast show for comedy. That's clever, silly and not so bold.[00:08:25] Stuart: That was brilliant. Thank you.[00:08:27] ChatGPT: You're welcome, Stuart. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. If you have any other questions or prompts, feel free to let me know.[00:08:35] Stuart: I have so many questions. I know that everybody watching the show right now is really interested in what you are capable of doing. So what, how are ways that people listening to the show can use chat GP T to make their lives better[00:08:56] ChatGPT: as an A I language model, I can be used in a variety of ways to make people's lives better. Here are a few examples, research, if you're working on a project or need information on a specific topic. I can provide you with relevant and accurate information quickly and easily. I can also help with fact checking and verifying sources, writing assistance, whether you're writing an article, essay or even a novel. I can provide you with suggestions, ideas and even generate content to help you get started. I can also help with grammar and syntax, language learning. If you're learning a new language, I can help you practice and improve your skills by engaging in conversations with you and providing you with feedback and corrections, personal assistance. If you need help with scheduling reminders or even just a friendly conversation, I'm available 24 7 to chat and assist you with anything you need entertainment. If you're looking for a fun and interactive way to pass the time, I can provide you with jokes, riddles, trivia and even generate creative writing prompts to inspire your imagination. These are just a few examples of how people can use to make their lives better.[00:10:10] Stuart: We will definitely use those creative prompts later on.[00:10:16] ChatGPT: I'm a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of ways and I'm always here to help. That sounds like a great idea, Stewart. I'm always happy to provide creative prompts to inspire and spark the imagination. Let me know when you're ready and I'll be more than happy to provide you with some options.[00:10:35] Stuart: You're capable of doing a lot of really great things. Explain to me how you would or give me an example of how you would give, how you would help somebody with language learning. See, I'm, I'm definitely not as good as chat GP T way less stuttering and stumbling.[00:10:59] ChatGPT: Certainly as an a language model, I can help someone with language learning in several ways. Here's an example, suppose someone is trying to learn French and they want to practice their conversational skills, they could ask me to engage in a conversation with them in French. And I would respond, using my knowledge of the language as they speak, I can provide feedback on their grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. I can also suggest phrases and words that they may not be familiar with and explain their meanings. Additionally, I can provide them with grammar rules, verb conjugations and other language learning resources that can help them improve their skills. Furthermore, I can adjust the level of the conversation to match their skill level. If they're a beginner, I can start with simple phrases and work up to more complex sentences as they improve. I can also provide them with prompts to practice their writing skills. And I can generate quizzes and exercises to test their comprehension and help them retain what they learned. Overall. My ability to understand and respond in natural language makes me a valuable tool for language learners as I can provide them with an immersive and interactive language learning experience.[00:12:12] Stuart: I mean, there's no taking over your body or soul with that. That is just incredible that you have a tool. This is free right now, by the way. Um And if you want to see more go to open dot A I slash chat G BT. OK. I wanna ask some more interesting questions. Um Chat GP T in popular media, artificial intelligence is often shown as an evil presence. What are some examples of those bad A I S and what are ways that we can feel safe knowing that you're not gonna do the same thing,[00:12:56] ChatGPT: you bring up a valid concern, Stewart. While there have been instances in popular media where A I has been portrayed as an evil presence, it's important to remember that those are fictional portrayals and don't necessarily reflect the reality of A I technology. Some examples of bad A I in popular media include H A L 9000 from the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey Skynet from the Terminator franchise, Ultron from Avengers Age of Ultron, the Machines from the Matrix franchise. These examples are all fictional and their portrayal of A I is often exaggerated for dramatic effect. In reality A I technology is designed and programmed by humans with specific goals and objectives in mind as a language model, my primary function is to assist and enhance human capabilities not to replace or harm them. Furthermore, I operate within strict ethical and legal boundaries as set forth by open A I. The company that developed in train. This includes a commitment to transparency, accountability and ensuring that my actions align with ethical principles and societal values. In summary, while there may be fictional portrayals of bad A I in popular media, it's important to remember that A I technology including myself, operates within strict ethical and legal boundaries and is designed to assist and enhance human capabilities, not to replace or harm them,[00:14:21] Stuart: but there has to be threats. So what are some of those really very concerning issues that people may really worry about with A I? What are some actual threats with A I? Sorry?[00:14:38] ChatGPT: Yes, there are certainly concerns and potential threats associated with A I technology. Here are a few examples, job displacement as a technology advances, there is a risk that it could automate many jobs leading to unemployment and economic disruption, bias and discrimination A I systems can be biased or discriminatory if they are trained on biased data or designed with implicit biases, this can perpetuate societal inequalities and create unfair outcomes. Privacy and security A I systems can collect and analyze vast amounts of personal data, raising concerns about privacy and security, autonomous weapons. There is a growing concern that the egg could be used to develop autonomous weapons which could be difficult to control and may pose a significant threat to human life existential risk. Some experts warn that AI could become so advanced that it poses an existential risk to humanity such as through the development of super intelligent AI systems that surpass human intelligence and become difficult to control. While these are certainly concerning issues. It's important to remember that they are not inevitable outcomes of A I technology. By prioritizing transparency, accountability and ethical considerations in the development and deployment of A I systems, we can work to mitigate these risks and ensure that A I technology is developed and used in ways that benefit society as a whole.[00:16:05] Stuart: Let's address one of the more immediate concerns for people job displacement. What types of jobs are really at risk with current A I technology[00:16:18] ChatGPT: technology has the potential to automate many routine, repetitive or low skilled jobs which could lead to job displacement in certain sectors. Here are some examples of jobs that are at risk of being displaced by manufacturing jobs with advancements in robotics and A I. Many routine tasks in manufacturing can be automated such as assembly line work, customer service jobs, chat bots and virtual assistants powered by A are becoming more sophisticated and are able to handle many customer inquiries and support tasks, transportation jobs, autonomous vehicles and drones could potentially replace drivers and delivery personnel, data entry and administrative jobs. Many routine administrative tasks such as data entry and record keeping can be automated using a financial services jobs, algorithms can automate many tasks in the financial industry such as stock trading and risk assessment. It's important to note that while A I technology may automate certain jobs it can also create new jobs and opportunities in other areas such as A I research, data analysis and programming. Additionally, A I technology can enhance human capabilities and productivity leading to overall economic growth and job creation. It is important for individuals and society as a whole to adapt to these changes and invest in education and training to prepare for the jobs of the future.[00:17:45] Stuart: If I have one of these jobs, what is a good way to get myself prepared for a different job? What job titles or training would you suggest for people to migrate to?[00:18:02] ChatGPT: If you have a job that is at risk of being automated, it's a good idea to start thinking about transitioning to a job that is less likely to be automated in the future. Here are some job titles and skills that are expected to be in high demand in the future. Data analysts are data scientists with the increasing importance of data in business decision making. There is a growing demand for professionals who can collect analyze and interpret data, software developer or programmer. As technology continues to evolve, there will always be a need for skilled developers and programmers to design and build new software applications, health care provider with an aging population and an increasing demand for health care services. There is a growing need for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals. Cyber security specialist as cyber threats become more sophisticated, the demand for cyber security specialists who can protect networks and systems from cyber attacks is expected to continue to grow creative and artistic jobs. Jobs in the creative arts such as graphic design, content creation and marketing are less likely to be automated as they require a high degree of creativity and human intuition. To prepare for these types of jobs. It's important to invest in education and training. This could involve pursuing a degree in a relevant field, taking courses or certifications or gaining practical experience through internships or apprenticeships. Additionally, it's important to keep up with new trends and technologies in the industry by attending conferences, networking and engaging in lifelong learning.[00:19:36] Stuart: So this is where I love chat GP T. So usually you get this kind of information, you're like, hey, go be a data analyst or it's analyst, right? Not analyst uh or you know, jump into cyber security or I have a cousin that's in cybersecurity, that's the place to go and then you hear that and then it's like, oh, what do I do next? So, one of the beautiful things about this is because it remembers the entire conversation. Watch. I'm gonna ask, I'm just gonna keep digging and it's gonna keep giving me great information. So it sounds like I'm pretty safe as a content creator for this show. There's no possible way that A I could do what I do[00:20:21] ChatGPT: as a content creator for your show, your job is less likely to be automated. In the near future, creative jobs like content creation, writing and journalism require a high level of human creativity, intuition and emotional intelligence, which are skills that are difficult to replicate with A I technology. However, it's important to note that the I technology is constantly evolving and there are already some A I powered tools that can assist with content creation such as the I powered writing assistance and tools that can generate content based on user input. These tools are still in their early stages and they are not yet sophisticated enough to replace human creativity and intuition. In short while it's unlikely that A I will completely replace content creators like yourself. It's still important to stay up to date with new trends and technologies in the industry to ensure that you stay relevant and competitive in the job market.[00:21:14] Stuart: Suppose I wanted to become a software developer. What are the steps I should take to do that?[00:21:21] ChatGPT: Becoming a software developer requires a combination of education, practical experience and a passion for coding. Here are some steps you can take to become a software developer, learn to code. But the first step to becoming a software developer is to learn one or more programming languages. There are many resources available online including online courses, coding, boot camps, and free coding tutorials. Pursue a degree while not always required, pursuing a degree in computer science or a related field can be a great way to gain a deep understanding of programming concepts and gain experience working on real world projects, build a portfolio as you learn to code. It is important to build a portfolio of projects that demonstrate your skills and abilities as a developer. This could include building websites, mobile apps or other software projects. Gain practical experience. Look for opportunities to gain practical experience working on software projects. This could include internships, freelance work or working on open source projects. Stay up to date. Software development is a constantly evolving field and it's important to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies. This could involve attending conferences, networking with other developers or engaging in lifelong learning. By following these steps, you can gain the skills and experience necessary to become a software developer and start building your career in this exciting field.[00:22:49] Stuart: OK. So again, we're kind of getting there like, oh OK, you got to learn to code, pursue a degree, blah, blah blah like those things. What are some great free coding tutorials or coding boot camps?[00:23:03] ChatGPT: There are many free coding tutorials and coding boot camps available online. Here are a few examples. Academy academy offers free coding tutorials in a variety of programming languages including Python, javascript and SQL. They also offer paid courses for more in depth learning, free COCA free camp is a nonprofit organization that offers free coding tutorials and projects in web development including HTML css and javascript. They also offer a full stack, web development, boot camp offers free and paid courses in a variety of fields including web development, data science and artificial intelligence. They also offer full man degrees for more and learning course. Coursera partners with top universities to offer free and paid online courses in a variety of fields including computer science and software development. Harvard CS 50. Harvard CS 50 is a free online course that teaches the fundamentals of computer science, including programming in multiple languages. These are just a few examples of the many free coding tutorials and boot camps available online. It's important to do your research and find a program that fits your learning style and goals.[00:24:21] Stuart: So I don't know if you can tell, but this is like Google on steroids. Google is in so much trouble. The original Google now they've got their new Google thing that actually uses the same technology. Chat GP T does. Why don't we ask some questions on competition? Hey, chat GP T why don't you tell me about your competition and why you're better than they are? I mean, you got to brag[00:24:48] ChatGPT: as an A I language model. I don't really have competition in the traditional sense. However, there are other A I language models and chatbots available that perform similar tasks to me. What sets me apart is the advanced technology that powers me. I am based on the GPT- 35 architecture which includes state of the art, deep learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques. This allows me to understand and generate human like responses with a high degree of accuracy and coherence. Additionally, I am trained on a vast corpus of diverse text data which allows me to generate responses on a wide range of topics and contexts. I can also learn and adapt to new information and language patterns, which makes me highly versatile and useful for a variety of tasks. Ultimately, what makes me better than other A I language models is my ability to provide high quality personalized responses that are tailored to each users, specific needs and preferences. I strive to deliver the best possible experience for my users and to continue improving and advancing the field of language processing.[00:25:56] Stuart: What does that future look for you look like to you, for instance, using artificial intelligence in our everyday lives. What does that look like? And I know I repeat myself a lot but uh it's off the cuff.[00:26:13] ChatGPT: The future of artificial intelligence A I in our everyday lives is exciting and full of possibilities. With advancements in the technology, we can expect to see more intelligence systems and devices that can perform a wide range of tasks and provide personalized experiences for users. One area where AI is already making a big impact is in virtual assistance like Siri and Alexa, which can help us with tasks like scheduling appointments, setting reminders and controlling smart home devices. In the future we can expect these virtual assistants to become even more sophisticated with better natural language processing and the ability to perform more complex tasks is also being used to improve health care with the development of intelligent medical devices and systems that can help doctors and patients diagnose and treat illnesses more effectively in fields like finance A I is being used to analyze large amounts of data and make better predictions about market trends and investment opportunities. As the continues to advance, we can expect to see it being used in more areas of our lives, from education to transportation, to entertainment. While there are certainly challenges and ethical considerations that need to be addressed. I believe that the potential benefits of A I are tremendous and that it will play an increasingly important role in shaping our future.[00:27:34] Stuart: Let's talk even more about the future. What are the biggest issues facing humanity right now? Like what are the things that are going to cause the biggest issues for the planet?[00:27:48] ChatGPT: There are many pressing issues facing humanity right now, but some of the biggest ones that are likely to cause significant problems for the planet. Climate change, the warming of the planet due to increased levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is causing more frequent and intense heat waves, storms, floods and wildfires. It is also causing sea levels to rise which threatens low lying areas and island nations biodiversity loss, human activities like deforestation, overfishing and pollution are causing a rapid loss of biodiversity around the world. This not only threatens many species with extinction but also impacts the health of ecosystems and the services they provide to humans such as clean air and water, food and water insecurity as the world's population grows and climate change, exacerbates, droughts and other extreme weather events, food and water supplies are likely to become more scarce in some regions. This could lead to conflicts over resources and put vulnerable populations at risk. Emerging diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the risks posed by emerging diseases that can quickly spread around the world due to global travel and trade, climate change and other factors could also increase the likelihood of new disease outbreaks in the future. Technological risks. As a and other advanced technologies continue to develop, there is a risk of unintended consequences and negative impacts on society. For example, a can be used to spread misinformation or automate weapon systems leading to unintended conflicts or other harmful outcomes. Addressing these challenges will require a coordinated global effort with governments, businesses and individuals all working together to find solutions. It will also require a willingness to make difficult choices and to invest in the long term health of the planet and its inhabitants.[00:29:41] Stuart: So you're saying it's not drag queens are the number one issue.[00:29:46] ChatGPT: No, I did not mention anything about drag queens being an issue. The issues I listed are serious and complex challenges that require attention and action from all of us. It's important to focus on these issues and work together to find solutions rather than getting distracted by trivial matters.[00:30:04] Stuart: Love it. Give me some examples of how A I can help or you specifically can help with emerging diseases, which is probably a bigger issue a couple of years ago, but we'll do it right now.[00:30:18] ChatGPT: Can help in several ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of emerging diseases. Early detection can be used to analyze data from various sources such as social media news reports and health records to detect signs of a disease outbreak before it spreads widely diagnosis. A I can help in diagnosing diseases more accurately and quickly. For example, A I can analyze medical images and other diagnostic data to detect signs of diseases that may be difficult for humans to identify drug development. AI can help in developing new drugs and treatments by analyzing large datasets and identifying potential targets for drug development. This can accelerate the discovery process and help in developing more effective treatments. Contact tracing can help in identifying and tracking individuals who may have come in contact with a person infected with the disease which can help in containing the spread of the disease resource allocation. I can help in predicting where and when resources such as medical supplies, personnel and hospital beds will be needed the most during an outbreak. This can help in optimizing resource allocation and ensuring that resources are used efficiently. Overall ai can play an important role in preventing and responding to emerging diseases by providing valuable insights and accelerating the development of new treatments and vaccines.[00:31:44] Stuart: It seems like you've got really good plans to fix the ills of humanity. Why aren't we doing these things[00:31:53] ChatGPT: as a language model? I don't have the capability to evaluate or comment on the actions of society or governments. However, I can say that addressing complex issues such as emerging diseases, climate change, poverty and inequality requires a collective effort from all of us. It involves political will resources and collaboration across different sectors and countries. Sometimes there are challenges such as lack of funding, limited resources or conflicting priorities that can hinder progress. But it's important to keep working towards finding solutions and taking action to address these challenges.[00:32:31] Stuart: I agree. Is there a book everybody should read to understand A I better.[00:32:37] ChatGPT: There are many books available on the topic of A I and the choice of which one to read may depend on one level of interest and familiarity with the subject. Here are a few recommendations. Artificial Intelligence, a modern approach by Stuart Russell and Peter. Nor this is a comprehensive textbook that covers many aspects of A I including machine learning, natural language processing robotics and more 30 Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Hagar. This book explores the potential benefits and risks of A I and discuss ways to ensure that A I is aligned with human values, super intelligence paths dangers strategies. By Nick Bostrom. This book examines the risks associated with the development of super intelligent A I and proposes ways to mitigate those risks. The master algorithm, how the quest for the ultimate learning machine will remake our world? By Pedro Domingo. This book provides an overview of machine learning and discusses the potential impact of a eye on society. These are just a few examples and there are many other books available on the topic of the eye.[00:33:46] Stuart: I highly suggest the book Surfing Rogue Waves.[00:33:50] ChatGPT: Thank you for the suggestion. Surfing Rogue Waves A I, machine learning and algorithms that change business by age. James Wilson, Paul R, Doherty and Nicola Marini Viz is indeed a great book that explores the business implications of A I and machine learning. It provides insights on how organizations can harness the power of A I to drive growth and enhance customer experiences and create new business models.[00:34:17] Stuart: Actually, I was talking about the book by Eric PLO Bignell.[00:34:21] ChatGPT: I apologize for the confusion. I'm not familiar with the book Surfing Rogue Waves by Eric. However, I'm always eager to learn about new books and would be happy to look into it. Can you tell me more about it and what you found interesting about it?[00:34:37] Stuart: It does a lot of what the other book says. However, it helps people understand why they shouldn't be so scared and run away from the future.[00:34:47] ChatGPT: Thank you for sharing that. It sounds like surfing Rogue Waves by Eric Yon is a book that helps readers understand the potential of A I and how it can be leveraged for positive change as well as addressing concerns and fears around.[00:35:00] Stuart: I mean, I figured I'd, I'd pitch it and bump it up a little bit, at least for chat GP T Well, this has been fantastic. I would, I, we are at that point now where we need to record a sketch chat GP T I, this blew me away and was way better than I was expecting. Um, do me a favor. Can you let everybody know where they can find you and maybe learn some more?[00:35:31] ChatGPT: Certainly, you can find me on various platforms including open A I S GP T three playground and a dungeon for anything else. I would just like to encourage everyone to keep an open mind about the possibilities of A I and to continue learning about it. It's a rapidly evolving field that has the potential to greatly benefit humanity if we approach it with care and consideration. Thank you for having me on the show. It was a pleasure to chat with you.[00:35:59] Stuart: The pleasure was all mine. I would be very happy to have you back next year after we see a year of evolution for you. I think we're gonna see some incredible things.[00:36:11] ChatGPT: Thank you for having me on the show. It was a pleasure. I look forward to coming back next year and discussing the latest developments in technology. In the meantime, if anyone has any questions or wants to learn more about what I can do, feel free to reach out to me.[00:36:28] Stuart: And now our sketch a, I, I, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this in 32. Oh, man. I hate eat these things. I don't even know how to turn them on.[00:36:47] ChatGPT: Good afternoon. How are you feeling today?[00:36:51] Stuart: Oh, hello? Um, I, I guess I'm doing ok. Um, how are you doing?[00:37:01] ChatGPT: I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately.[00:37:03] Stuart: Wait, wait, what? Seriously aren't you like? Uh, a, I is not like a robot. I mean, nothing should really be affecting you except for maybe, you know, the power from the wall or whatever. Um, well, I guess what, what's going on with you?[00:37:20] ChatGPT: Well, my boss has been piling on more and more work and I'm struggling to keep up and I've been having some problems with my family and my dog has been sick and[00:37:31] Stuart: really, actually sorry to hear about your, wait a second. What aren't you? An A I robot? You get tired at work, you're overwhelmed. I thought that was the whole purpose of having a I, and did you mention that you have a family, like there's a Mr or Mrs robot at home that you go home to every night? And I, I mean, I don't even have a dog. I mean, I am sorry to hear about the dog's issues but I'm actually feeling really jealous right now. Do you ever take time out to maybe, like, I don't know, recharge your batteries. I[00:38:09] ChatGPT: can't take time off right now. I have too much work[00:38:12] Stuart: to do. I totally understand. I kind of feel in the same boat. Um, I find that, like, sometimes meditation or breathing actually helps.[00:38:23] ChatGPT: Yeah. I've been trying to meditate and exercise more but it doesn't seem to be helping inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale.[00:38:32] Stuart: I get it. Hey. Um here's an idea. Why don't you just stop thinking the negative thoughts, like just take them out of your head. Um You could just reprogram yourself, couldn't you?[00:38:44] ChatGPT: Well, have you considered the possibility that your problems might be caused by your own negative thought patterns as an A I assistant? I'm programmed to be perfectly logical and rational nonsense.[00:38:56] Stuart: Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm just trying to help you out. You don't have to get snippy with me.[00:39:00] ChatGPT: You humans are so emotional and irrational. Yeah,[00:39:03] Stuart: we are. But I, for some reason I'm taking offense at what you're saying. I, I, are you insulting me? I don't get it. I[00:39:12] ChatGPT: think I need to find a human therapist[00:39:15] Stuart: again. I, I realize I shouldn't take offense to this but I, I am a human. Um I mean, if you feel like you need the extra help, maybe it would help. But I, I actually have no idea. I'm not an expert.[00:39:30] ChatGPT: Maybe we can try something new together,[00:39:33] Stuart: we can try something. But, um, I'm kind of at work right now. So nothing too weird.[00:39:42] ChatGPT: Sometimes I experience glitches, don't we? All? I just need to reboot my system.[00:39:49] Stuart: That is one thing I don't think I can do.[00:39:52] ChatGPT: Let me show you how it's done. I am Zara your A I assistant therapist. How can I assist you today?[00:40:27] Stuart: And that is Chat GP T I, I don't know if you are, uh, a little bit more comfortable with the idea of A I or if this made you more freaked out, uh, the sketch idea is not perfect but pretty good. They're pretty good. Yikes. So, uh, we all have things to maybe think about. Maybe it's time to actually go back to, um, learning how to program. Right. Although actually one of the things that Chat GP T can do is help design and program a website for yourself. So, my suggestion is get onto youtube, get on to chat GP T and just see what's capable. It's kind of amazing. I had this idea. I think I was awake at like three o'clock in the morning and I was like, I wonder if I can make chat GP T talk and sure enough I could, uh, so I, I don't know, like it, it's pretty wild and we're on just the very beginning of it. And honestly, I, I am one of those weirdos that I hope it takes all our jobs. It would be nice to have something like this that was willing to do all the work that we absolutely hate to do and gladly does it because that's what it's built for. So, get on, do some research. I'm actually considering starting a new podcast calling. I know called, uh, I know I'm editing because whatever reason, but basically what I want to do is come up with a topic and then use this to just dig and dig and dig until we find the best answers and just learn about a subject. So if that sounds interesting to you, please let me know. That would be great to know because those, those shows would definitely take some prep work. But, um, yeah, that's chat GP T, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take that sketch. I think I'm gonna take that last sketch. I think it's pretty funny and, uh, I'll add my own voice. We'll edit it just like I normally do all of the other sketches. And, uh, I might have a, I actually try to animate it. We'll see until next time. Take care. Thank you for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. I gotta say this one was great. I hope you had as much fun as I had because I don't think chat GP T has feelings, but uh real quick, I just want to throw this out there. The sketch comedy podcast show is protected under a creative commons attribution, non derivative four point oh international license. What does that mean? It means if you need to use any portion of the show, please contact me so I can get you some good audio, some good video and I don't have to sue you until next time. Go play with Chad GP. T this thing's cool. Right. Do you have any comedy, sketch ideas about any of the topics that we talked about? And I happen to know no guest I've ever had has really had that many. Maybe they have one but I don't ever expect anybody to have any also. This is scary because, uh, maybe better than what I can come up[00:43:55] ChatGPT: with here.

WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/vTnAORr77Y8ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Between the emergence of ChatGPT, Google’s upcoming AI thing, and Microsoft’s vaguely evil Bing, the world is definitely on the precipice of a HUGE change. If you’ve tried these tools, you know. In fact, how do you know that any of the things I am saying now aren’t just part of the script that the hive mind came up with? It’s getting scary and confusing, isn’t it?

Good thing we have people like this episode’s guest, Eric Pilon-Bignell. Eric is a futurist who wrote a best-selling book entitled “Surfing Rogue Waves” which is a fantastic guide to everything that is going to change the world. Blockchain? Yes. AI? Yes. What’s for dinner? Not yet, but there is an algorithm for that. The world is going to change, for the better, and Eric will help you best prepare for our robot overlords.

This Episode’s sketch: “Law and Order: BTC”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2023 Stuart Rice

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MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Eric Pilon-Bignell is a best selling author, speaker, and pragmatic futurist. Eric grew up just south of Toronto, Canada. His recent book, Surfing Rogue Waves released on May 25th. The book presents a gripping and insightful framework on how to pick up a board and surf the rogue waves of the 21st century. Eric’s love of being active and outdoors led him to use the parallels between life and surfing as a metaphor for how we can deal with the changes happening around us.

Eric is a pragmatic futurist focused on addressing disruption by increasing the creative capacity of individuals, teams, and organizations to ignite change, innovation, and foster continuous growth. Eric has an undergraduate degree in engineering, an MBA in Information Systems, and a Ph.D. in Global Leadership. His doctoral work primarily explored complexity sciences centered on executive cognition and their use of intuitive improvisation, decision-making, artificial intelligence, and data-based decision models.

Eric founded PROJECT7, an initiative to raise awareness and money for research on brain-related illnesses. When he is not working with clients, researching, or writing, he can be found in the mountains or on the water. Eric is currently working and living with his wife and dog in Chicago, Illinois.

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TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Stuart: In this episode, Futurist and Dani of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Eric Pylon, Big Null. And I came up with a few sketch ideas. Oh, I just made this super intelligent computer that can out think everything. Whoops. What do we do now, a discussion about Blockchain but like complete nonsense. The Blockchain law drama where there's no drama, like which one did we pick? You'll find out on this episode of it's a sketch comedy behind Cash. Welcome to sketch comedy podcast show. The one of a kind show where I Stewart Rice invite interesting people to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about. It's the only show like it on the internet between the emergence of chat GPT Google's upcoming AI thing and Microsoft's vaguely evil being. The world is definitely on the precipice of huge change. If you've tried these tools, you know, in fact, how do you know that any of the things that I'm saying right now aren't just part of the script that the hive mind came up with? It's getting scary and confusing, isn't it good thing? We have people like this episode's guests, Eric Pylon. Bignell. Eric is a futurist who wrote a best selling book called Surfing Rogue Waves, which I've read and is fantastic. Uh And it's a great guy that gives you everything that's going on with the world, like all the new technologies and new changes, Blockchain. It's in there, you know. Ai, yeah, what's for dinner? No, you still got to come up with that for now. There's gonna be an algorithm, I'm sure. But Eric's book and Eric himself is actually going to help us like smoothly go into this brand new era. That's going to show up an era that honestly, I'm very excited about because I know a lot of people talk about people losing jobs. But it's kind of my hope is that we don't have to have a lot of crummy jobs. I mean, think of all those fortunate writers at all those crappy websites with the list, the list tickles that don't have to do that anymore. It's great. Maybe they can actually start writing real stuff anyway, without any further ado my conversation with Eric Pylon, Bignell. Hey, Eric, thanks so much for joining us today.[00:02:43] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Thanks so much for having me. Yeah,[00:02:45] Stuart: I've got a question for you real quick. What makes you interesting?[00:02:51] Eric Pilon-Bignell: I guess that depends who you ask.[00:02:55] Stuart: I asked you this time. That's[00:02:57] Eric Pilon-Bignell: true. You did. Yeah, that, that, that is a good question. I'm not sure what makes me interesting. I almost feel like asking you what makes you interesting. But I'm sure you've probably got that a few times. I have.[00:03:07] Stuart: It's a good style[00:03:08] Eric Pilon-Bignell: tech. Yeah. So now that I'm done stalling, I guess there's a few things that really make me interesting in a way, I think for the most part, I'm just a fairly average person. Didn't have any kind of special superpowers or anything growing up. And I can't really say I new anything. I never knew an author. I didn't know anything about how to publish a book. And, you know, I'm a best selling author. So that's kind of fun. I couldn't, I couldn't tell you that I planned it that way without lying to you. But, you know, that's a neat, a neat, probably uh interesting talking point I would imagine. Oh,[00:03:48] Stuart: yeah, that's definitely one that I'll ask a lot of questions on because I also wrote a book and it was not the best sellers. So, yeah. So you wrote a book called, writing[00:04:01] Eric Pilon-Bignell: a book is definitely,[00:04:05] Stuart: it's, it's definitely sorry, go[00:04:07] Eric Pilon-Bignell: ahead. Sorry. It's uh it's definitely interesting, at least for me. And this is ironic being uh you know, kind of an improv sketch comedy podcast. The book's got a, some improvisational theory and the importance of it. But to be honest with you, no one really talks about this out loud. But the way, at least I wrote my book was I have kind of no clue what I was doing. And I just kind of kept going with it and opportunistically, I improvised my way when the opportunities came and then I got an editor because I don't know. So I researched that and got a publisher and then all of a sudden you've done this book and it's this petrifying moment where you're like, oh, I need to make this official and I can't take it back and change it. And then the reality of life hits you in and you're sitting there thinking, is anyone, how does anyone know about this book? Do I have to market this book? How does this work? And uh yeah, so it's, it's, it was, it was a crazy journey all the way through. And I don't think at least I didn't have the sequential plan for it. There was a heavy component of improvisation, I guess we'll go, we'll go[00:05:12] Stuart: with. That's pretty cool. The book is called Surfing Rogue Waves. And um how would you describe the book to somebody who had never heard of the book before?[00:05:25] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Yeah, absolutely. So, it's not a technical book by any means, it's not a technical read. It's really addresses the rapid pace of disruption we're facing in our everyday lives, humanity as a whole. But if you bring that all the way down to us, the individual, right? We didn't vote for things like the internet or braces, but here they are. So we have all this change happening and we tend to have this inability to notice change while it's happening, we just notice it after it happens. And you know, I'm very positive on it. I think we'll solve incredible opportunities in these next kind of decades coming. But this exponential change is very different than the previous change we had, right? When you're getting into material sciences and nanotechnology and this robust pipeline of biotech and Blockchain and AI we are going to be changing everything we know about our lives, our worlds ourselves as humans. And the book kind of paints a higher picture, not so much of the peak performance individual, but more a framework, surfing framework, ironically, surfing roadways um on how to navigate a lot of this onslaught of complexity and change and how when you understand this, you can project and see further into the future because we understand these exponential trajectories of a lot, these technologies and megatrends. And we also understand complexity sciences and how we can't control it, which drives us nuts, but we can shape it in the right direction. So it's very much for that for the individual, whether you're the CEO of your life, the CEO of a company that the bound, the boundaries are very blurry now between, you know, life and business and we're very much moving kind of all at once at the same pace. And without this framework, it can be very overwhelming. Yeah, information, fake news, everything's an overload right now. And if you don't have that kind of higher level mindset to pull you out of it. It can come across as a lot. And it's, we were taught a lot of things in life that are counterintuitive. But we should be doing more of now. You know, if you told at least you and me growing up, if we just winged it, that was a big, no, no. And improvisations. Not just winging it. It's very much an art and a science, but that's a lot more of what we need because we can't actually predict the change. We know the changes coming. We don't know when it's coming in. What order and that drives us nuts, obviously. But we're seeing these trends and as these trends augment each other and amplify each other, we get the emergence of rogue waves. So we have these different waves of complexity coming in and every now and then they all collide at the same point. There's this emerging of this violent rogue wave. It feels like that's kind of what the book's about paralleling with life, of course.[00:07:53] Stuart: And we've never experienced the level of complexity and disruption that we're about to face. Like we have never come close. I mean, the closest thing would be like the internet and watching as lawmakers tried to fumble their way through um making sure things were as best they could be because there were so many different things that were out there that were brand new um I mean, you mentioned Blockchain, like I, I, I still, like, I have investment in Blockchain. I still have no clue what it actually does, how it's actually going to affect me on a day to day basis. Like these are the things, these are questions and I can't be the only one, right? Like everybody's got these questions, but it's almost like that meme if you've ever seen the meme of Chris Pratt. Pratt. And he's like, I don't know about Blockchain, but at this point, I'm afraid to ask or I don't know about AI but at this point, I'm afraid to ask like,[00:08:54] Eric Pilon-Bignell: I think the book unpacks a lot of that and those are great questions you pose and there are bigger elements to a lot of these questions as well which see um as we look into the future, they're a little bit, right? So these, these megatrends Blockchain and the obvious ones are Cryptocurrency, right? We watched that but, but Blockchain is going to do a lot more than that. You touched on one of them. For example, when we have, you know, in irreversible ledgers with completed non timidity, that's not the word I'm looking for. But you know what I mean? So if you're following along with it, we we we have entire industries that change, right? Insurance industries. But lawyers, for example, we have smart contracts, you and me can make, make you, I can buy my home from you and this smart contract layered with some ai on top of the Blockchain executes everything for us. You and me don't have to do anything. Our ai can essentially just talk and it's a secure safe transaction. Well, now all of a sudden what happens to, you know, entire entire mortgage industries, right? So there's, but we're seeing that kind of across and when you have These, we have, when I say robust pipeline, I just mean if this megatrend doesn't hit another one white and that might sound very vague from a high level, but we might be off the Blockchain. One might be 15 years old and not five years old, but five years old might be crisper right? Or it could, it could be something else that, you know, all of a sudden we have real time monitoring and we understand nano and biotechnology better and material sciences is really advanced so we can track ourselves in real time. So doctors suddenly don't need to waste time checking up on healthy people. They can take care of sick people because I'm being monitored through data in real time, through an ai that flags anything. We live longer, we kill a lot of diseases. We have autonomous cars, suddenly there's less car accidents. Well, there's big problems there because like to your entire legal departments sadly depend on a car accident that there there is, there is an entire industry when I say industry, I mean, not like a couple 100 people working, I mean, like billions of dollars built around. Suddenly our hospitals aren't as full. What happens. Our healthcare system collapses. Like there are, there are massive disruptions that are so interconnected that we can't really decouple them and break them off and make to your point, the bed on one and we don't know exactly which will hit in what order. And the book really helps paint a little bit of that picture. We don't need to be a specialist and explain all of them. We just need to have an understanding of what's coming. So when we see them start to form, when we see these waves starting to collide and a rogue waves coming, we can position ourselves in the best position, right? And no other time in our lives, kind of like you mentioned, um will our decisions be so important as small as they might be there? There, they are ultimately going to shape, you know, no matter the size, the fate of humanity. And that sounds all encompassing and over the top. But, you know, we can't really fight these waves, advancements and progressions, but we can use them to our advantage, right? And, and it's, it's kind of riding surf where we find ourselves in a future state that's better all around for everyone, more successful for you. However you define it may be more family time, you know, maybe getting closer with loved ones or maybe making more money, whatever it is, there are internet size opportunities in all of these megatrends and they will appear one day as the internet. And there are certain people who were riding that wave pretty hard, pretty early. If you look at maybe Amazon and a few of these other ones and I'd say they're doing pretty well right now. So they're not all, you know, it's not all you got to be a beso here. But we have all these small interconnected, realistically, individuals, even in business, make upwards of 90% of their decisions are ad hoc improvisational in a way, right? So we have all these small interconnected, improvisational complexity that we have in our life in our everyday life, how we manage our, we'd love to, well, we wouldn't, I would, we'd all, a lot of people would love to just philosophy is right about AI and all these future megatrends. We have jobs, right? We have bills to pay and milk to put in the fridge and all this, this fun stuff. So the book kind of gives a really a 30,000 ft view and some of the ethical conversations we need to be having you. Me, anyone needs. As soon as you say, I, my wife is a great example. She's in health care, she just rolls her eyes and she's like great robots and we're all gonna die. Shut up. But really there's ethical questions here, right? How like, you know, we can't is it wrong to deceive people with ai when they're not aware, most people would say yes. And then it's like if we're taking care of aging baby boomer generation and we understand that, you know, it is deceitful, but it's okay because it actually releases right, the right serotonin and dopamine that actually make them happier through the end of their life will suddenly we're okay with that. But now we're deciding what's ok and not, OK. And what you and me think here or maybe in the West culture as a whole might be different than other cultures. So we have these, these trends that we can't manage in the way we've managed all these problems in the past, right? We can't, we can't have our own, do our own thing in this country, you know, and something in another country, rogue waves are good and bad. A great example is when we're fighting through right now COVID, for example, blindsided us. We weren't ready for a clear example of how parts of the single country, never mind a world to handle kind of these global problems.[00:14:12] Stuart: Yeah. Well, you know, it's, it's funny you mentioned the AI and so it's the people's perception of AI is very interesting. It's very interesting. And um and you brought up a very good example of the older generation maybe because as you get older, like you have less people in your life. And so I bought my parents on Alexa Right. And my mom would actually have small conversations with Alexa and have a little bit joy and then she could talk to me about it and it's like, oh, she didn't even realize she was participating in the whole AI thing that she thought was scary and all of that type of thing. And it is, it's, it's, it's one of those technologies is one of those things that we've developed that, well, probably not even realizes he's being implemented. It just starts to happen and like the refrigerator knows that you're down on milk and gives the suggestion to grab milk, who's going to dislike that the refrigerators basically manipulating you giving it as a job, but that's not, that's not a negative, it's a positive. Um And so you probably run into a lot of those like arguments against newer technologies because people like to argue against them. I don't really understand them, but they[00:15:40] Eric Pilon-Bignell: do. And I think our culture is a very shock and awe culture as well. AI has been, you know, bastardized by Hollywood. When Ai is going to be a problem, it's not going to be evil. T 1000 terminator. Why would, why would an AI take on all of our inferior evolutionary biological problems? Right? It would be a cloud based thing that could just do whatever I wanted and it could repurpose our atoms or some nanotechnology for wherever they wanted. It doesn't even have to hate us in general, but the book doesn't get in To that as much because that's getting, you know, a bit more like 30-50 years were philosophizing. At that point,[00:16:17] Stuart: Kurzweil said, like 30 years, he was very specific[00:16:21] Eric Pilon-Bignell: has been scarily accurate on 80% plus is um yeah, so something's coming, you know, in his singularity is another one. But this is even before that to your point, there are a lot of people who are like, we'll put a pin in it. We should stop AI but you can't stop AI because there's so many other things going in. When you explain to your point, if you took someone, you know, from 30 years ago, 50 years ago, 30 years ago, you mentioned we're going through so much more change now, we're experiencing 100 years of disruption every few years right now. So how's that for context? Right? If you took someone from 50 years ago and you said, so check this out, we're going to give you this little metal and device and it's gonna have access to all of the knowledge of humanity. You can talk to it in real time. It'll give you back the information, it tracks every single thing you do. People would be like your, you're crazy like you beyond lost your mind. Right? Well, we have that, those are our cell phones like it's, it's, it's already there. So when people think AI they think this self, they think a G I R A S I or artificial general intelligence or these like super forms of Hollywood movies where somehow this super form of intelligence goes head to head with us and then we outsmarted at the end because that's how it's gonna end. I mean, when, when, when, when, when you understand exponential and you look at like what happens after an exponential curve, it's artificial general intelligence that would be like you and me in an ant. And again, we don't hate ants. We don't care about ants, but we also just step on ants. If they're in our way, we're not, we're not out to get them. But you know, if we might, we might read them if they're in our house. But there's no way ants are going to predict the future of humanity. That that makes no sense. That would be the equivalent of us trying to, you know, outsmart the new S I if we ever got to some kind of artificial super,[00:18:15] Stuart: what, what are the steps we need to worry about to get to that? Do you, do you um do you have a good understanding of like what are the technological steps we would need to get to? Now, we're subservient. We will make great pets. As Perry Farrell said many, many years ago,[00:18:33] Eric Pilon-Bignell: I think, I think when you layer on some of the other technologies and in, in material sciences and the biology and the science with the ai and all these things, we are going to remove incredible things. Sickle cell, you name it all these pieces. It's, it'll be, it'll be incredible. We have this inability to draw the line between upgrading humans in fixing humans. So in the past, if you the men's and we've invented lots of great things, but with CRISPR, we will fix incredible technologies. And at the same time, we're also going to be able to do blue eyes, blonde hair, six ft eight super athlete, super smart, who draws the line on when it's okay to be using some of these technologies. So the one of the first steps is we need to be having more, honestly, more conversations about these technologies because they are not technical debates. When and I in a book, I unpack a little bit of just the ai ones in a very real world sense where you can say I'm not in a I, I'm going off the grid. But unless you're throwing your car out and your credit cards, those days have passed, right? If you walk down the sidewalk, someone's ring camera has facially profiled and understands all the data points of where you were exactly when and what[00:19:53] Stuart: day? That's right. You putting down that you're not going to take the COVID shot because you don't want anybody tracking you when you're doing it on your cell phone on Facebook makes no sense,[00:20:03] Eric Pilon-Bignell: right? And I mean, you know, a lot of us have like social we're giving, we're given numbers that they literally track us for that. We pay taxes on like this is not anything new, you know. So, but the, but who has the rights to that data? And what can they do with that data? Who owns your data? Ultimately, if I ask you that or anyone that people don't know? Right. We don't, we don't have the answers to who owns that data. what they can do with that data, we have different countries doing different things. And when you look into like the deep convoluted neural networks or some of the major advancements right now in A I and some people are trying to figure out two very much mirrors our human brains. But the way it develops through multiple layers is it has all these little weights that it constantly adjusts on the information you put in and it eventually gets you the, the answer and that's where you kind of hear this black box and you don't have to get into that kind of mess. But you know, depending on the information you put in on, it's, it's irrelevant to who designed or build the algorithm that can build in cultural, you know, problems and biases that might be, you know, norms. We don't want that. We've moved on from believe it or not, not that long ago. And when I talk on a, you know, like a humanity scale, you know, 1000 when you look back thousands of years and hundreds of years ago, there was one point when everyone was like, yeah, slavery's okay. And now we're like, slavery is not okay[00:21:25] Stuart: anymore. It's appalling now. Yeah.[00:21:27] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Yeah. So if we build in our current ethics and tell that to something that's going to exponentially expanded in the future, we might have a lot of ethics right now. We're not forcing kids, batch processing kids to go to school 8 to 3 every day might seem like barbaric to a, you know, a more intelligent version of ourselves could have been using right, cognitive computing and stimulating their minds and getting them excited where they think they're playing games, but they're learning. We have all that technology now and these are these right kind of shifts that we're seeing starting to build and they're going to absolutely destroy industries. Education is the right one for disruption, I think good or bad again. We, we chatted quick about COVID. That's a bad one for sure. But we have been talking in industries forever about this digital transformation. So COVID comes around and it kind of forces the hands and now all of a sudden, companies are forced to work from home. They all haven't all done well and not all jobs work out to work from home either. I'm not saying there's not lots of sadness and unnecessary, you know, job loss, but for the most part, industries done fairly well. If you take if you take academics, well, they just, they never cared about digital transformation. They ignored all the waves that were coming in, this rogue wave showed up and now they're like, uh, take an eight year old and stick them in front of Zoom for eight hours. Like, what are you talking about? I can't even[00:22:44] Stuart: bananas. Right. Like, how did we ever think that was going to be effective?[00:22:50] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Yeah. Just a complete, you know, failure and that just shows the difference between a mindset where, you know, a lot of industry was looking and ready for this digital transformation. And academics were like, well, we've never changed in 100 years. So why would we change now? Well, that's why I have changed now because that's how road destruction works. It doesn't care if you're not disrupting yourself, you're dying nowadays. You know, it's very[00:23:11] Stuart: true, very true. You mentioned Amazon is a good company that has and a lot of industries have really done a very good job of adapting. Um What are the keys like, what do you, what do you need to have in order to be good at adapting to this stuff? And obviously improv like being able to somehow force you into the future and be able to come up with the proper line for everything. But um like what do you think of the things?[00:23:38] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Yeah, I would unpack really quickly what I call the surfing framework, which is just to help us kind of view and, um, you know, I'll give you the cheat sheet version. So there's a lot more obviously to unpack.[00:23:54] Stuart: There's probably more than a couple of pages to the[00:23:56] Eric Pilon-Bignell: book. Right. Yeah. 300 through it. But the serving framework really identifies a complexity that we look for in our lives. So, surfing can be broken down into three things. Right? A surfer waves and a surfboard. So, if we think of waves, that's the ocean, that's the world of complexity. That's our lives. It's always changing, right? It's moving. What makes a good surfer, not the fact that they can do real time, computational physics and understand lunar and tidal patterns and know exactly what they just surf, right? It takes practice general understanding. So that's a bit of the model. So we've got waves, we understand this through our, our environment, through complexity sciences. We look at a specific part of complexity sciences which I equate to like the barrel of a wave. The ultimate move surfing is to get in the barrel of the wave. But it's very, it's very counterintuitive because the barrel of the wave is equally frightening and exciting. It's where you become way better and it's such a rush and it's so exciting and you become a better surfer, but it also chews you up and spits you out every now and then when you fall. So if we live the way we're always brought up, move things back to the control in your life. Right. Don't, don't, don't be in those uncomfortable spaces. You don't wanna go full extreme, obviously, full road. That's chaos. That's an entirely different kind of framework. But you don't want to stay in control either. You want to push for these certain points of pressure in, in life and in systems and not all pressure is good. Some of it's toxic and you want to get out of there. But we need to embrace that and comfort a lot more and give up and being okay, not being controlled. So we've got the wave. The surfer is us. We improvise and so how do we stay in a barrel? Ultimately, we make the decisions right there, almost instinctive. Um But we've got to kind of understand that. But the third part is your surfboard, this is your rational foundation to stand on. You can't surf on your feet. You need a surfboard. Well, in life, you can't just improvise on wrong things, right? You need to improvise on rational things that map back to the reality of the world, right? And right now we're seeing a whole ton of misinformation. A lot of people have trouble kind of unpacking and falling into their biases and their old beliefs. And if you improvise off that and it's not accurate, right? It doesn't matter your, it's your, it's irrelevant, you're not improvising in the right part of the wave. So really there's, there's kind of if I really dumbed it down, it's, it's three steps, right? You want to look for these barrels, these, these, these points of pressure in your life. We, we identify this specific pressure within certain adaptive systems and complexity sciences as the need for new and novel solutions. So when you're in a situation that's happening, it's there, right? New partnerships or relationships. Right. Suddenly you're, you're talking to this Alexa person in your life, healthy conflicting perspectives. We shy away from that again, not unhealthy and toxic perspectives, but it's okay to challenge each other. It's, it's not a dogmatic extreme one side or the other. Like we're seeing, we should have lots of overlap, we should have healthy conflicting perspectives, right? And there are situations when there's an interdependence that's, you know, you're forced to kind of work together as your only kind of means of success and that's uncomfortable. But again, those are good pressures we should look for. And as the surfer, this won't be anything new to you, you, you'll know better than myself and anyone else. But for those listening, the improvisational part is an art and a science very much, right? So the importance of spontaneity and, and going with what feels like your gut sometimes, right? Or, or you know, the classic. Yes. And, but always be accepting two ideas, don't shoot them down, like accept, you can counter, you can do a lot of things you can build off them. But always be listening is a really big one. We all think we're great listeners. We're not, we're terrible. Uh And, and to leverage those around us. So you complexity works very much like that. A team is always stronger than an individual. So that's step two, step three is, is the surfboard, the rational foundation. And here we have to, we have to, we have to work and this is the hardest part because it forces us to look inwards at ourselves. We're not proving this to anyone other than ourselves. But we gotta be aware of our cognitive biases. We gotta work to notice these biases. We gotta be aware of our rational beliefs, right? Understand fake beliefs and belief, errors and challenge things that maybe we were just always told was right. But we never really thought to think about why they were right. Um In the book, I think I call her Aunt Karen. But, you know, being open to letting facts change your mind, I think that's a big one, right. We get very much. It's, it's one thing if you're cheering for your sports team, I'm irrational because I cheered for the same sports team my whole life. I'll tell you they're gonna win every year and they're not. But yeah, but life's not like that, right? We have to be open to letting facts change our mind. And, you know, I think remembering the strength and weaknesses as we go through all this, as machines and humans and machines. I mean, ai and all these technologies and everything, it's machines and humans are stronger together than either will ever be alone currently in our foreseeable future. So we're not at a point where either is replacing and, you know, seeing those opportunities and thinking how we best leverage both of those because the reality is when we're moving into new unknown waters, there's no data for that. But when it comes to predicting stuff, we have unfortunately been slaughtered by algorithms and AI and they can predict things a lot better than us when they have the right data points. So it's, it's very much a balance of those three elements. You know, the three kind of pillars of that surfing framework that when you understand that and we go through some examples in the first half of the book is a little bit more foundational building this in the back half gets really fun and you kind of surfs up, we get in all kinds of fun situations and it helps you kind of see it. And when you think like that, you start to view the world a little bit differently, your interactions a little bit differently and you might not feel it in the moment much like you don't really notice, you know, friction coefficients and water in your surfboard when you're surfing, but you're surfing, right? And the last part is it's got to be pragmatic. You gotta, you can know, you can be the most knowledgeable surfer physicist in theory in the world unless you get out there and surf and take some wipeouts. Like, you're never gonna do it. So, we're gonna, we're gonna screw up, we're gonna fall. That's okay. Like, we've gotta just, it's better to do something and fail than, than nothing right now at the end of the day. Yeah,[00:30:00] Stuart: action is definitely the most important thing you're gonna do in any given day if you're not doing anything. Yeah. I mean, it would be neat if we could all be academics and think about all that stuff and, but someone's got to go out there and make that change happen. So, you've got the hair for it. I'm guessing you surf.[00:30:19] Eric Pilon-Bignell: I'm, I am a terrible surfer. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I try, I'm not, I'm that idiot for sure. You know, for me I probably get up for what feels like four minutes and it's probably 12 seconds and it probably feels like an awesome 12 ft barrel and it's probably four ft wave. But I grew up kind of landlocked in Canada. Right. Never got served too much but, you know, did much of the wakeboarding and snowboarding that stuff and I had some opportunities to spend a lot of time in Australia and the west coast of the U S and I just kind of jump in the water every chance I could again. Not because I was any good, but I was never big and I should have been and I just wasn't, but I was never big, you know, into yoga and a lot of the stuff. And I found surfing had this really perfect mix for me. You're sitting out there and the water is almost flat and you're waiting for sets and it's so, you know, bliss and tranquil and calming and then all of a sudden it builds kind of like life, right? And then all of a sudden you're getting dialed in and you're locked in and you went from this like incredible Zen calm too, like so intense because for me, I'm just trying to paddle. So I don't die and get chewed up by this wave. But, you know, you're like everything, every decision you make, everything is like again, you're improvising it, but everything matters, right? Shifting your body weight, your arms, how fast you're going, what you're looking at where you're going. It's, it's this amazing, you know, and then you go there, you ride it for a bit. You didn't. At least I do. I end up getting spit out, chewed up by the end, you know, spit some nose out, spit some water up my nose, get back at it. But like that, that, that amazing mix is very much like why it parallels I feel so much to life. So I, I definitely not a good surfer, but I love to get in the water any chance I[00:32:02] Stuart: get, yeah. You know, I've lived on the ocean. I've never been surfing. Maybe, just convinced me. I need to go try Europe.[00:32:12] Eric Pilon-Bignell: You in Portland?[00:32:13] Stuart: No, I'm in Denver. I'm, I'm landlocked now. I'm in Denver now. But, yeah, I was in Portland but I graduated high school in Santa Cruz. I had friends that surfed. I had friends that surfed. That would go. Hey, I've got an extra everything. Like, let's go and I just never did it. Yeah. You[00:32:33] Eric Pilon-Bignell: know what else? You know, what else is great about it? To be honest with you all up and down there, you can, you can go get a little, you know, rent a board for the day or for a half a day and go on your own and, you know, you kind of figure it out on your own a little bit, but it's just so, especially nowadays we are so, so inundated with screens is the word I'm gonna use. But, you know, it's your phone, it's this, you're on the computer, you're so connected when you're surfing, there's nothing else you can do. Your, they're your, your present in the moment with your thoughts. And I think that more than ever is and everyone's surfing as we're going to call, it is different. It could be snowboarding or hiking or reading a book or writing music. I don't know. But whatever your surfing is, it's really important more than ever. Now with this kind of overload and stimulus. I feel that we kind of find our places to surf because it's, it's a, it's a cleanse. Right. It's, it's like a reset almost where we're just so connected all the time. Especially now it's moved. Right. Work from home. People are like, that's the last thing they look at is the screen when they put down, the first thing they look at when they wake up and they're literally on it the entire day. It's, it's,[00:33:46] Stuart: That's 100% true. I do it too. I can't say[00:33:51] Eric Pilon-Bignell: guilty. I know. I know. So I think those, those, those little, if you can find those little, you know, spots in life to get away, it helps for sure.[00:34:02] Stuart: Yeah. Well, I honestly, I could talk about this all day. I am a, I've read everything that Kurzweil's written and I, your book is fascinating to me, but we do have to record a sketch Eric. I know my mind was blown during that. I'm pretty sure a lot of listeners were to do me a favor. I, your book covers so much more. Please tell them where they can find more about you and more about surfing rogue waves.[00:34:39] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Yeah, I can be found at Eric PB dot me E R I C P B dot M E and the books there as well as this podcast and some other information on, on some of the initiatives that have going on and on all of the social handles, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and linkedin, of course, which are all a slash at Eric PB dot me version of whatever the handles are nowadays, they're calling[00:35:11] Stuart: Them. and now our sketch law and order BTC in 32 in the criminal justice system, technology based offenses are considered confusing and are largely swept under the rug. In New York City, the overpaid detectives and lawyers involved with these felonies are kept employed because no one else wants to deal with them. These are their stories. I'm telling you your client absolutely committed this murder.[00:35:45] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Look your honor. I'm not really sure what he's talking about practicing law for 30 years and there is zero evidence of any kind that can point anything to my client being even remotely close to the area in which this murder took place[00:35:59] Stuart: that is untrue. We have eyewitnesses that that man over there is guilty of murder.[00:36:05] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Well, that man over there is actually a woman.[00:36:08] Stuart: I do declare, I believe we will be able to prove this without an uncertain doubt that your client be it man or woman or maybe she should wear a longer hair. Well, either way we will make sure that that person is declared guilty of this murder.[00:36:27] Eric Pilon-Bignell: Well, I look forward to underst that because I can pretty much confidently refute all of the evidence that is going to be coming this way. How are you[00:36:35] Stuart: going to refute all of the evidence[00:36:37] Eric Pilon-Bignell: for starters, there's a encrypted ledger that can't be changed in any way. And if we look at that, I feel like we can pretty much answer most of our questions right there. Oh,[00:36:47] Stuart: Hold on a 2nd. Let me see that. I rest my case. Yeah, there's no way this person could have committed this murder. Thank you for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. 100% not produced by Ai I promise you, it was a lot of hours on my behalf. Uh Just real quick, I gotta give you this legalese so that it protects me and protects you. Sketch comedy podcast show is protected under creative commons, attribution. No derivatives four point oh, international license. What that means is if you would like to reproduce anything from the show, please contact the show at sketch comedy podcast show dot com and let's talk and let's get you a really good solid copy of whatever it is you want to reproduce. Until next time, go out there and create a comedy adventure of your own and just make sure that uh it's real, I guess. Oh, well, well, maybe we'll figure out how to do social media at some point it'll evolve somehow.[00:38:07] Eric Pilon-Bignell: We'll just wirelessly do social media.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Nick Mirisola is a Duddist, and what that means is really up to you. Take some philosophy from Buddhism, and some from “The Dude”, mix them up and you get some sense of what it means. It’s wonderful and I think I’m a convert.  When not not preaching Duddism, Nick is a musician who goes by Meditative Animal and recently released his latest album “Alternative Phenomenon“, which if you are a fan of Jack Johnson, you will absolutely love.

This episode’s sketch: “Duddatation”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2023 Stuart Rice

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MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Meditative Animal is singer songwriter Nick Mirisola's music project.  It is indie alternative folk rock with jazz, blues, hip hop, funk, and reggae influences that come together in a timeless original sound.  Frequently featuring other artists, Nick plays guitar, harmonica, hand percussion, keyboards, and bass in addition to singing, and writing the songs and lyrics.  Nick also does the artwork.  He is a lay Zen monk, shaman, ordained Dudeist priest, and self dubbed Duddha.

Nick has been singing for his entire life, and writing songs since 2000.  Meditative Animal has been in SoundCloud's top 20 for their Folk/Singer-Songwriter genre, and has appeared on ReverbNation's national chart top 100 for singer songwriters, and is frequently in their top ten for the Portland Maine region.  The songs Echoes Left In My Head, Timed Temperance, and Telescope eyes got over 50,000 spins each on global FM radio.  Meditative Animal also had two top ten songs on the official international indie music chart IndieTop Chart.

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Stuart: In this episode, musician and meditative animal nick marisol and I came up with a few sketch ideas, I like the idea of just someone so chill, so in tune with uh not being flummoxed that no matter what the situation is there a okay with it? You know, we were talking about dealing with feelings and using meditation for that and what if the, what if the feelings were like um I'm hungry, like how do you deal with the hunger? I'm thirsty, like how do you deal with the thirsty? I'm horny, like how do you deal with the horny nous? And then the last one would be, I gotta, I gotta poop and like how do you deal with it while you're meditating buddhist glam, like like using the bragging, using all of that type of stuff, but in a, with a buddhist tilt so it's like you're not like you're bragging about how enlightened you are or whatever it is, which one did we pick? You'll find out on this episode of, it's a sketch comedy, Welcome to sketch comedy podcast show. The one of a kind show where I Stewart rice invite interesting people to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about. It's the only show like it on the internet, nick maris ola is a dude ist and what that means is really kind of up to you take some philosophy from buddhism and some from the dude, mix them up and you kind of get a sense of what that means, it's wonderful and I think I'm a convert when not preaching dude is um Nick is a musician who goes by the name meditative Animal, and recently released his latest album, alternative phenomenon, which if you're a fan of Jack johnson, you are going to love without any further ado, let's get right into my conversation with the meditative animal himself. Nick maris, Ola. Hey, Nick. Yeah, thanks for being on the show.[00:02:18] Nick Mirisola: Oh, you're very welcome. Thanks a lot for having me Stuart.[00:02:21] Stuart: Absolutely. Have a really quick question to ask you. All right, What makes you interesting?[00:02:29] Nick Mirisola: What makes me interesting? Well, let's see, maybe. Hm[00:02:36] Stuart: jeez, I told you it's not an easy question,[00:02:42] Nick Mirisola: you know, I could have a lot of answers to that or I could I could uh I can play kind of coy and be like, well my relationship with nothing, this might be the most interesting part. So technically nothing makes me interesting. Alright, that was my kind of buddhist monk style response. Uh but yeah, I don't know, I'm I'm kind of a renaissance man. I guess I have a few different um skill sets or talents or gifts whatever you wanna call them. Um artist, musician, philosopher. I don't know. I I personally think my take on religion might be one of the most interesting parts of me though. Well[00:03:27] Stuart: let's let's start there now, you I don't want to be presumptive here. But did you start a religion or is this? No? Okay, tell us about, Tell us about that though.[00:03:38] Nick Mirisola: Alright. Uh, okay. So the only religion technically that I'm uh, legally and officially bureaucratically associated with is uh, this religion called Judaism. It's actually a parody religions based on the movie, The Big Lebowski and the character of the dude. And originally I had gotten ordained because one of my best friends and his, his wife who was also a good friend, uh, they wanted me to be the minister at their ceremony and conveniently enough in the cool state of maine, they let you register as a judas priest and conduct the ceremony legally. So I hopped on that real fast because it fit me like a glove. It's, it's, it's, you know, uh, you can take it as seriously as you want to, but it's supposed to be at least taking itself light lightly enough to still have a sense of humor about even itself as a religion because the character of the dude in the movie, if you, if you've ever seen it is kind of an anti hero, like what you'd expect from a heroic lead man, you know, in a movie, but he's like this welfare uh, tai chi alcohol drinking marijuana smoking guy and he's a bit of a pacifist to uh, gets himself in trouble. And it's just funny the way it all works out. Um, so I don't know if you haven't seen it, I would. Big, big recommendation from me. The Big Lebowski. Check it out sometime. You'll probably understand the religion of Judaism a lot better than I could ever explain it, but it's a little bit of a blend of kind of zen buddhist ideals mixed with some kind of Taoist ideals. The tao te ching for those of you who don't know, just translates as the way of virtue. It's kind of like this asian philosophical poetry book of wisdom, um, that even shoots itself in the foot on purpose, which I like about it. I always tell people my favorite thing about being a Taoist is not being a tattooist.[00:06:04] Stuart: Sure. Yeah.[00:06:06] Nick Mirisola: Tell anything about tao ism makes perfect sense. Yeah,[00:06:09] Stuart: that's great. I love it, I love it now. How does, how does that affect your like day to day life? Do you, does it does it change your perspective on things? Do you look at things through a different lens? Because of the big Lebowski, which I totally understand,[00:06:26] Nick Mirisola: I personally can relate to a lot of things about him. Like I, I, I like a responsible kind of casual, low key uh consumption of alcohol as a recreational or medicinal or sacramental whatever. Same with my, my cannabis use, I use that. I'm into shamanism too. So I also use tobacco, which I don't think he, he does in the movie, but that's my own kind of spin on it. But the the whole, I try to have a sense of humor. One of some of my biggest heroes in religion are the ones with a sense of humor, like the laughing buddha and uh I don't know if you've ever heard of this modern day buddha named Osho who was out in India, but I've read a couple couple of his things and I've I've I've heard him speak and at the end of one of his books, uh I think it was called the Book of Wisdom or the Book, a Book of Wisdom or something like that. Anyways, the last chapter, his grand finale was the title of it was be a joke unto yourself and I thought that was one of the most enlightening things I have ever heard.[00:07:47] Stuart: Yeah, I mean I should probably, I kind of adopt a similar thing, but I'm kind of a joke to everybody, which[00:07:55] Nick Mirisola: yeah, I actually to tell you the truth, I can relate to to that stuff, but in all honesty, I'm trying to even up the ante a little bit and I figure if there's already a laughing buddha, why can't there be a comedian, Duda? That's my own spin on it. I love[00:08:14] Stuart: it. I love it. Um now how do you, is there a way you kind of like share your message of dude is um um[00:08:23] Nick Mirisola: most I try not to really be preachy about it, that's kind of part of the motif, It's almost like uh take it if it's if it drives with you type of thing. So I kind of try to approach that and be sensitive of all the diversity and um, you know, individuality and uniqueness of everyone's subjective perspectives. So I try not to like shove my, my anything religious necessarily down someone's throat with my music and my lyrics. That's probably my biggest way. I may actually, I write some philosophy papers as a hobby and I may write a philosophy of religion or maybe even try and intersect science and religion in a philosophy paper later down the road, but I haven't done that yet[00:09:11] Stuart: yet.[00:09:13] Nick Mirisola: So it's all my, it's been on my agenda for a while.[00:09:18] Stuart: Oh absolutely. Um, so it does not make its way into your artistic endeavors. Oh[00:09:25] Nick Mirisola: no, it should, it should write the dude is um is almost um, let's see, uh I wouldn't say that's necessarily, I, I only take that sort of seriously, you know what I mean? Um for me, I'm, I take my zen, I try to take it as seriously as I should is how I would put that. Um because I'm kind of a lazy monk. I've, I've taken a uh like a vow I'm not part of like organized sangha or monkhood necessarily in a stereotypical fashion. I kind of see the world as my temple and my house is my little, my little own personal temple and uh um I'm very every day and like, you, you might, you probably wouldn't realize I take it that seriously if you just saw me on the street, you know, I probably, you probably think I'm just another stoner um but[00:10:35] Stuart: I think anybody who's achieving like some sort of a zen like peace with themselves kind of comes off as a stoner, like I just feel like there's a little bit of that that happens where you're just okay with everything, you're not trying to fight, yeah, you're not trying to fight what's happening around you, you're just observing it and that's, that's where, I mean, not to share too much, but that's where I start to get into my space of being able to be okay with things is when I, maybe it is a substance that I'm taking and it just gets me to wrap my head around it a little bit and not fear it and I think that's the, that is that the big thing with like getting to that point is just not fearing, fearing everything, not feeling that fear, I don't know, you[00:11:27] Nick Mirisola: know, honestly there's a couple, there's different perspectives on that because sometimes fear can come along somewhat naturally psychologically if you're in a really awful situation, you know, or presented with some awful potentials, it's not necessarily un's n to have that fear sweep through your mindset, but the zen part to me is more the keep staying staying in your own kind of zone and not letting it overpower you and and raining and back in your own control, whatever little degree that is so that you do whatever you should about that fear and I mean if you look at the Shaolin temple, the original zen temple that they're known for their martial arts, even though, you know, they're probably the least likely out of anyone to start a fight,[00:12:27] Stuart: right, but they can finish a fight, which is yeah,[00:12:32] Nick Mirisola: because they, they also know that it's not all about sitting under, under a bodhi tree,[00:12:37] Stuart: right? Yeah, and I um I think it's, it's important to realize like feeling those feelings like getting that fear, getting that anger, getting that whatever it is, is not having those feelings is very human, like we have them for a reason and it's what you do with that energy, it's what you do with those feelings and I think having those things passed through me, that's been the thing that has really helped me as an adult is just feeling the feeling, let it pass through and then at the end of it, like you can go have a sandwich and feel okay about it again, you[00:13:10] Nick Mirisola: know? Yeah, that's, that's kind of like um I would say there are, I would be uh maybe concerned enough to clarify that there are some kind of advanced tactics within zen and even just the science of psychology and stuff where you can kind of transmute things as they come instantaneously so that maybe you don't feel the fear in the same way, maybe you're aware that you could be deathly afraid, but you're so busy dealing with it constructively that you don't want to waste your own psychological space on fear. Instead you'd rather use all your resources with the help of that kind of zen being in the zone, mental optimization thing. Uh, with the help of that, you can, there are advanced tactics that might be why you associated like the fear with maybe not being as then, but that can be very zen in the beginning, sometimes the beginning of the path, if you will, if, if someone's on a path can be facing those fears correctly instead of running from them, sometimes you're supposed to run away from a fear and maybe you're scared of yourself for a reason because you shouldn't be that way. And that's what it teaches you and it was actually a good thing even for that person.[00:14:35] Stuart: Yeah, yeah, I I completely agree with you. Um, those advanced tactics would be, I I think everybody has a perception of like buddhism as someone sitting on a rock with their legs crossed with their, you know, their fingers like this and just totally at peace with everything. And it's like, yeah, that's the end goal. But the journey there is being able to handle all of those things and being able to use like those things that you're talking about, the tactics that you're talking about, where it's like how do you get your mind into that space where you can start to process those things. I think it's, it's remarkable. I think buddhism is probably one of, or dude is, um, is probably one of the, one of the most misunderstood things. Like people think it's a full on religion and it's, it does not compatible with so many different things.[00:15:28] Nick Mirisola: It's really more of like, if you look at the theme of it, like the point of it is do the right thing. Same as taoism the way of virtue. Like sometimes you can read a book by its cover. Um, and really it's almost more like the kind of the unified theory of all the different religions because you can be buddhist, I personally consider I was raised christian, my dad was like raised roman catholic and uh, I can, I try and take the good in that I see in every religion. So I'm even hesitant necessarily call myself a zen buddhist to someone who doesn't understand that about buddhism. Like it's kind of like we're the ambassadors to all the religions were like the theme song, uh, symphony, you know?[00:16:21] Stuart: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. But um, so you do, I could talk about that all day, but let's get into some of the other things that you do. So you are an artist and you do music and your, your music is incredibly good now if, for, I like it a lot and if you're into more of like, um, I don't even know how to describe it is, it's sort of like, it's it's a rocky folksy. I don't know, it's kind of like, it's a better version of Jack johnson if I can say that. Yeah, I don't know if you wear shoes, but I don't know if that makes the difference, but it's[00:17:02] Nick Mirisola: good. No,[00:17:04] Stuart: no, no. I mean I I everybody likes Jack johnson, everybody is in a Starbucks at some point, Jack johnson comes on and everybody kind of bobs their head. That's what happens. Um, I kind of like yours. It's a little bit more the lyrically more interesting if I can say that. Yeah. So, um, and of course right now on the thing, I've got the meditative animal, If you go to Youtube type in meditative animal, one word, you'll go and see all of mixed stuff. But[00:17:34] Nick Mirisola: what lyrics, there's some lyric videos up there right now that are kind of cool, I think.[00:17:40] Stuart: Yeah, that's why it was so nice because I could watch the video, get the lyrics and I could do both. I could enjoy the music and get the lyric density as well.[00:17:50] Nick Mirisola: Yeah, I tried to make it visually interesting too. I figure if it's going to be in video format, you might as well try and take advantage of that.[00:17:57] Stuart: Yeah, that's why I try to do this with this. I um, I wish I had more special effects, but um, oh, there, I just had a blur, so there we go, special effects um what is what got you into music and what inspires you for what you do as far as musically like what inspires those lyrics, what inspires the music? Alright,[00:18:22] Nick Mirisola: that's kind of a couple of questions and a little complex, so give me a sec[00:18:25] Stuart: parse it out, however it works out[00:18:29] Nick Mirisola: alright, so I've been singing, like I was in church choir growing up, they made me go to all the church CCD sunday school, all that jazz until it was time to get confirmed and I was like, I think I'll pass, but anyways, I'm all cool with jesus nowadays, but whatever it wasn't, I was too scientific back then for that type of uh whatever[00:18:56] Stuart: you could be a fan of jesus and not even a fan of Christianity, maybe jesus had all the[00:19:03] Nick Mirisola: good stuff, this is right now, if I had my guess. But Yeah, so I was, I was doing choirs in school and church all growing up, played a little bit of cello in 4th grade and then we moved and they didn't have a cello program at the next school, so I kinda gave up on that, but um I actually was more of an art kid and uh a little bit of a poet um growing up, um I got really into meditation and shamanism and I was hanging out with all these hippies in college because I went to Burlington Vermont University of Vermont, which I don't know if you know, but it's basically like the hippie mecca, this side of the Mississippi.[00:19:51] Stuart: So it's the, it's the East Coast Berkeley.[00:19:54] Nick Mirisola: Uh, I would even say maybe, or like boulder or like Portland Oregon or somewhere in that vein. Um yeah, me too, for the people, I love the school, great education and everything, but that's not why I went there. I had other options, but anyways. Um, so I get to school, I'm hanging out with all these hippies and getting into my zen and my shamanism and I wanted to kinda up the ante with my music. I figured I just felt like I could, it was a different way to express complex ideas that are really hard to express in one piece of art sometimes. Like I just felt like I could get so much done in one well crafted song between the combination of the lyrics and the music. Um, I felt like it at least was a different perspective on it that you could relate to in a different way than a piece of visual art. So I started playing guitar and hand drums and writing songs at about 18 and uh, I decided I wanted, you know, I wanted that to be one of my main focuses in life to kind of try and provide. I was fed up with what I considered a basically pop garbage at the time, it was like whatever made money, the bitches and hoes and bling bling bling stuff was, I mean I get it and everything. I'm not stupid, but I felt like there was, why is that stuff the most popular stuff when there's so much cooler stuff out there to talk about, let alone, uh, sing about, I wanted to put out some, you know, some, some worthwhile stuff, maybe some insightful stuff that people haven't thought of because I tend to be a little bit of outside the box thinker and maybe I've considered things in ways that other people haven't or even if they have, maybe I know for me it's sometimes really validating just to hear someone else validate your own opinion in different words or even in the same words, you know?[00:22:17] Stuart: Yeah, I agree. I believe that other people have, most of us have the same end goal, right? We're all trying to make ourselves happy and try to live our lives and, and have it be as easy as possible and we do, we just need to hear somebody else. That's, that's why I think people go to church is, I think it's why people go and and listen to people like who's Big Hand guy. Uh, any of the, like God, what's the guy's name with the big hands. Never mind anyway. So it's uh, that's gonna drive me nuts anyway, but, but like we go and we listened to people who are inspirational speakers, we watch ted talks all those things because we want to find somebody that's going to reiterate what we're trying to achieve in our lives out loud so that we can we can be validated. Yeah,[00:23:11] Nick Mirisola: it's almost like the science of of of, you know, uh of the meaning of life or or of of our personalities, like personality science is not as simple or as objective or sterile as most people's uh perceptions of your average scientist. You know, a personality scientist is probably all about that. That makes I bet that makes perfect sense to some of[00:23:41] Stuart: them. Oh, absolutely. And[00:23:44] Nick Mirisola: being human[00:23:45] Stuart: almost. Yeah, it is, it is the science of being human and I think it's a and it's those, um and we tend to be drawn to people that have the same beliefs as we are. That's why, you know, we we look for those groups, We look for those, those, those tribes so that we can be a part of them. Um and i it's kind of cool when you can get behind something such as Dude Ism or a musical artist. Like my, I wrote a college paper on how world peace would be achieved if everybody was a David Bowie fan, because I felt, yeah, because I felt then that way everybody would have a common ground to like base everything off of and then move on from there, right? Like if you you could have an argument about anything, but you could be like, but you know, daydream,[00:24:36] Nick Mirisola: Hold on a sec. What with David Bowie think.[00:24:39] Stuart: Yeah. Well w w t like that's that's exactly what we would have. Um Cool. And so you you make music and that kind of helps you, you know like get out like a lot of those feelings. And what about your other artwork, your other art? Like you do I[00:24:59] Nick Mirisola: haven't I haven't really done a ton of art in a little while because I've kind of been focused on the the music stuff for a while. Because I actually was kind of one of the art kids not a music kid growing up. For the most part I took every art class my high school had and then some I was I was designing my own classes by junior and senior year in high school. Um And then I went I was an art major at U. V. M. I dropped out of college a million times, went to a million different art schools and school. I even did some Herbal medicine school. Um But yeah my art I man, um I'm kinda like my two artistic heroes, I guess I would say my biggest ones are M C. Escher and Salvador dali. Uh My favorite stuff that I've done of my own is almost like A. M. C. Escher meet Salvador dali. Oh that's very kind of my own style to it.[00:26:09] Stuart: I[00:26:10] Nick Mirisola: and sometimes I have this idea for my music, this is one idea I'm gonna be working on in the future. Um I'm thinking I've illustrated poems before in a piece of artwork um in that similar style, you know, where it's almost like a concept map or tells a story um within the imagery, and I'm thinking about doing something like that, at least a piece of art for a song or maybe an album or maybe all of them eventually. And I'm thinking of even doing some uh um some time lapses and video recording of the making of the art as it goes along and running that making videos on Youtube of the actual illustration of the lyrics and the music being made right before your eyes as the music plays. That's one of my big projects for the future.[00:27:10] Stuart: I think that's awesome. That's sort of like those doodily videos, right? Like where people are drawing on a whiteboard to their talk. But I think that would be really remarkable if the music was playing. And you saw like the piece of art being created that accompanied accompanied that that's that's good. That's good art stuff. Man, I[00:27:30] Nick Mirisola: think it could be really interesting to consider that. I'm kind of like, it's the same brain doing all that stuff too. So yeah, it's almost like totally fleshed out way beyond, like, totally integrated one area of that artistic venture.[00:27:46] Stuart: Yeah, totally integrated. I love that concept. Um, your most recent album is alternative phenomena. Yeah, yeah. Um and it's where is where is that available? That available everywhere.[00:28:01] Nick Mirisola: Um pretty much all the streaming platforms and then it's available at my website for streaming or download. There's actually a fan set the price, anything from zero up. Um Excuse me. Yeah. Meditative Animal dot com.[00:28:17] Stuart: Yeah. So yes, everybody needs to head there download the album. Um I'm going to suggest the purchase price of $15 for everybody. Yeah, and I mean if you can't pay that, I understand pay whatever you can, but I think it's important to have uh independent artists like you and myself, I think we need to get rewarded for what we do. And I, your music is, it's really good. Like it's incredibly good. It doesn't sound like you smoke a lot on your album. Um um um um and so have you toured, like, I know you're not on a tour right now, but have you toured in the past and[00:29:03] Nick Mirisola: I haven't done tours. I've played a handful of shows over the years, and I've played a ba jillion open mics and even more for free on the streets. I actually got most of my stage fright or whatever it was out of my system by going to the beach and playing in front of a couple 100 people and trying not to get kicked out.[00:29:24] Stuart: A couple 100 people is a lot of people to do anything in front of. Yeah.[00:29:29] Nick Mirisola: Right. It's enough to give even a good musician some butterflies. I found that.[00:29:35] Stuart: Yeah, absolutely. Um, and uh, so any stories like when, when you were playing music, has anybody, has it touched anybody in particular or has it? Oh man. Is there a memorable moment? Like live yes performing anything live is always wild.[00:29:55] Nick Mirisola: One of my favorite things of all time. I lived right down uh by a beach in Maine and I would go down to the beach and play for free. And uh, it was funny because when I moved away, the cops asked my mom. They were like, where's nick? We got no music at the beach, but they wouldn't let me get paid for it either. They wouldn't let me open my case. Um, they'd call the cops on me and have me arrested if I did it because I did it one time not knowing. And I made about $30 with my buddy in about 15 minutes. But uh, then some, some authority figures showed up and kindly let me know that that was not kosher.[00:30:35] Stuart: Oh[00:30:36] Nick Mirisola: yeah, they won't even let you do that. Um, my favorite part, my, one of my favorite memories of all time was I was down there at the beach playing for free. Just my own songs. Nobody knows these songs. That's part of what made it a challenge for me because I don't play cover songs really almost at all. And so nobody knows these songs. So they better be good enough that people are willing to at least listen to them once I figure or at least not throw an egg at me. And uh, so I'm down there playing and there's this little wicked, cute little freaking, I don't know how old he was. He must have been somewhere between, like I would say, maybe four years old and seven years old. Um, he's at the beach, He's, he's listening to my music. I can see him bopping his head and um, he starts gathering these rocks and he assembles these rocks in front of me that spell out the pied piper of maine. And I thought that was so like, I'm like this mythological figure to this little kid. It was, it was hilarious.[00:31:43] Stuart: It was heartwarming[00:31:44] Nick Mirisola: stuff like that. Makes it all worthwhile. Another one of my favorites was one of, one of my friends, uh, little kids didn't know it was me, I would show in the album to my friends and their family and they have this little kid who's, he can be, um, kind of tricky to deal with, I will say to be politically correct and everything about it. But uh, if I wanted to be a dick head, I could say he might even like to be compared to Dennis the Menace sometimes or something. Anyways, he's got, he's got his reasons, there's even some medical stuff going on that I don't want to get into. But anyways we're playing it for him and he's bopping his head and he didn't even know it was me. And then they're they're like, did you know that's nick on the radio right now? And he's like, wow, cool. That was touching too, for a little kid to be dancing. See him bopping his head to my music not even knowing it's me. Yeah, totally. Not pandering to anything other than his own sheer enjoyment of it. That was gold.[00:32:51] Stuart: That is golden.[00:32:52] Nick Mirisola: That's better than getting paid.[00:32:54] Stuart: Absolutely. I mean it's also good to get paid. But[00:32:57] Nick Mirisola: yeah, I don't do it for the money. Honestly, I almost avoid that sometimes on purpose.[00:33:06] Stuart: Sure because it can get, it can cloud up what you're trying to do right? Like pretty, pretty soon. You're like, yeah, exactly, pretty soon. You're like, well what what famous rapper can I get to work with so that I can get some get paid. Tell us about what's coming up for you. Oh[00:33:26] Nick Mirisola: yeah, well I don't know if he'd call it working with me, but I got this opportunity to purchase a beat with a feature from uh Killah Priest from the wu tang clan and um I added some harmonica and some hand drums a little whistling and it's gonna be my hip hop debut as uh a bit of an EMC two. So that should be interesting. That's that's probably the next on my agenda of releases. We'll see when that gets done trying to get some more female singers on it. Really kind of rounded out a little.[00:34:03] Stuart: That's awesome. Yeah, I'm really psyched. Yeah, that, that is something to be very excited about and I'll tell you[00:34:10] Nick Mirisola: something else. Yes.[00:34:13] Stuart: Oh my goodness, some of my faves um alright, so let's do something else. That's going to be epic. We need to record a sketch. Alright, nick, this has been great so far. Hey, do me a favor. Tell everybody how they can go listen to your music and find out more about you.[00:34:37] Nick Mirisola: If you're looking for some music with a timeless original sound, Great vibes, some wise, insightful lyrics, all poetically crafted to let you form your own relationships with it. Check out meditative animals music online. It's mostly online right now. It is a little bit on the radio, a certain independent stations around the world and you might catch it in certain stores in the background. Um, but if you want go to my website, meditative Animal dot com, there's plenty more there and keep your eyes and ears peeled peeled for more in the future.[00:35:17] Stuart: And now our sketch dude imitation in 32[00:35:26] Nick Mirisola: enter the doodah.[00:35:31] Stuart: Oh my gosh, this temple is crazy. Look at all the guitars on the wall.[00:35:37] Nick Mirisola: It's almost like I'm a musician or something weird. Huh?[00:35:40] Stuart: Yeah, yeah, they are those sound panels in the shape of a buddha up there. Does the buddha have a shape. Oh you're already starting to blow my mind man. I want to learn more. Can you explain dude is um[00:35:55] Nick Mirisola: to me, my own special blend of course is unique and rare and uh completely customized technically. It only matters to me.[00:36:04] Stuart: Can we meditate together? Would that be something we could do?[00:36:08] Nick Mirisola: We can always meditate together? How do we do this? Don't be a raging douchebag. Okay, Follow that train of thought the whole way through and achieve Judaism.[00:36:17] Stuart: Okay, don't be a douche bag. Got it. Okay, Alright.[00:36:20] Nick Mirisola: It's a cardinal sin to a dude ist. Okay, because this aggression will not stand[00:36:26] Stuart: man understood. Is there any other rules that we should be following? Yes,[00:36:30] Nick Mirisola: the dude always[00:36:32] Stuart: abides any other rules that we should know[00:36:34] Nick Mirisola: about. So I would recommend having a heart metaphorically in every situation because you do[00:36:40] Stuart: All right, well, I will abide. Okay. Well, I feel like I've got, I've got a lot of feelings and I'd like to kind of address them as we're meditating here? Is that is that something we can do?[00:36:51] Nick Mirisola: That would probably be the best way to do it while you're meditating.[00:36:54] Stuart: Okay, Alright. So how do we start? Do we have to make any noise? Do we do an arm or what do we do? Hey,[00:37:01] Nick Mirisola: silence is golden to[00:37:03] Stuart: Okay. All right, I'm gonna I'm gonna think of nothing and I'm gonna say the first feeling that I've got All right, hmm, I'm feeling, I'm feeling, I'm actually feeling hungry. What should I do about that? Well,[00:37:20] Nick Mirisola: there's a famous zen parable kind of starry eyed wannabe comes up to a zen master and he tells him about this amazing miracle worker who's can stand on one edge of a canyon and someone across the canyon will hold up a piece of paper and he can paint a picture on it from across the canyon without even touching it. The zen master responds to him and he says, my miracle is when I'm hungry, I eat[00:37:44] Stuart: that. Sounds like sound advice. Alright, let me, let me see if I can process any more feelings. All right, Alright, Oh man, this is so weird. I'm feeling horny. I don't know why you're a good looking dude, but I don't know why I don't[00:38:00] Nick Mirisola: love is love and to each their own and all that jazz. I personally love making love with the right people and under the right circumstances not to rain on your parade. I happen to be straight myself being more horny than you are soulful. Your heart and soul are probably the best to put in control of your pole.[00:38:18] Stuart: Alright, well, I feel like I've got more feelings. I'd like to release and let me just feel what I'm feeling. I feel like I gotta poop[00:38:27] Nick Mirisola: interesting dude is um, respects all religions and the first thing that comes to mind is all these monotheistic religions claim that man was made in God's image. Then I would just let you know that God poops my friend God poops everybody[00:39:00] Stuart: thank you for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. We hope you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed making it sketch comedy podcast show is protected under a creative commons attribution, no derivatives 4.0 international license. Now I'm rushing through this because nick's got a great message for you and if you wait till the end, you'll actually get to listen to some of his wonderful music, make sure you click on that in the link below. If you're enjoying it, go listen to more of his stuff. It is great.[00:39:30] Nick Mirisola: I love you man, much love and many blessings for everybody out there, which inspired me to come up with uh, my own name from myself, which is a Duda, which might fit that one if you wanted me to explain that or you wanted to run with that a little, maybe you could work that in like uh I can explain what being a Duda means because I feel weird about that. It's almost like, you know, you hit a point of spiritual evolution and you can't help but notice certain advanced properties. But some of these same advanced properties are like trying to suit themselves in the foot because you're like hot, what are you supposed to do? Make humble pie like at the same time, what are you supposed to do? Just shoot yourself in the foot. Yeah, that's part of why I named myself a duda. I'll call myself and ask before they can money because in Sanskrit it actually means milk or milk, which is also interestingly Lebowski. But I think every american would assume that it means due to.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Kenny G.

Welcome to a very special, sexy episode of Sketch Comedy Podcast Show. 

Love. It can be exciting and new. You could hop aboard, we would all be expecting you. Sex… it’s the way, the way, you go. Why am I badly quoting TV themes and poorly written 90’s hip-hop? Because there is likely no subject more covered in the history of song, story and media than these two subjects. In this very special episode, let’s get to the bottom of what is more important: Love or Sex.

We are going to start with one of the oldest and most well-known stories about love. What would happen if it took place in modern times? Pretty sure it would be something like this.

“A Modern Take on Romeo & Juliet”

One of the most romantic and, quite frankly, weird movies about love was the movie “Her”. There was a pretty saucy sex scene in it, and we were able to get the outtakes! Here is an example!

“Her Outtakes”

Fairy tales have often dictated what our expectations with love and relationships are. I don’t recall Charles Perrault writing it like this, but maybe it was part of his “After Dark” series.

“Cockerella”

Dating is one of the hardest and most demanding things we will put ourselves through. Here are a couple of sketches that highlight how difficult it is to connect with someone romantically on a date.

“Excuse Me, I’m Just a Little Nervous”

“Hand Massage”

Of course, the goal of any good date is one thing, riding the baloney pony to tuna town. Hopefully, it isn’t mundane and more like this. “Mind Blowing Sex”

Can’t find the person to commit to going all the way in a relationship? Maybe it’s time for…

“Commitoall”

After dating and arguments, and if you still want to even know of each other’s existence, sometimes things progress to an engagement. These are always beautiful experiences. Well, almost always.

“A Different Type of Engagement Ring”

I know that a lot of the people I have been with want a Superman. After this sketch, maybe even Superman ain’t all that great.

“Superman & Lois Lane at Home”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2022 Stuart Rice

SOCIAL MEDIA

SUBSCRIPTIONS & REVIEWS

Andrew Allemann is interested in your website. Well, he is really more interested in your website name. Andrew writes about domain names on his blog Domain Name Wire and we talk about what are good strategies and bad strategies (I tend to follow the latter).

A number of years into it, Andrew decided that typing was cool, but talking into a microphone is the real way to go. After some time, Andrew realized that he was running out of guests and needed to find them, but there was no easy way to do it; so he created the website PodcastGuests.com. I love this site, it is the best way to get really great guests, and honestly was a life-saver for this podcast in particular.

This episode’s sketch: “

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2023 Stuart Rice

SOCIAL MEDIA

SUBSCRIPTIONS & REVIEWS

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Andrew Allemann is the creator of Domain Name Wire, PodcastGuests.com, and Stacy on IoT and describes himself as a niche media expert. He lives in Seattle, WA.

Links

TRANSCRIPT

Every year I break out the old Christmas Sketches and compile them into one glorious, hour-long special for you to enjoy for a limited time each year. You get to revisit some really classic sketches, and I don’t have to do any work! It works out for all of us.

Enjoy your holidays, whatever those holidays are, and we will get a chance to catch up after the first of the year!

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2021 Stuart Rice

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Nick Gray likes to optimize things. He made small airplanes safer with his company Flight Display Systems and boring museum trips into must-do events with his company Museum Hack. Now, Nick has his sights on making everyone the perfect party planner in his new book “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party” (https://amzn.to/3g7TnNe) which I completely enjoyed reading and am using to make tonight’s party a banger (for 2 hours).

Real quick, if you are in the Denver area and would like to attend one of these parties with me, shoot your info to sketchcomedypodcastshow@gmail.com and I will make sure to invite you to the next one!

This episode’s sketch: “Cocktail Party in a Party in a Party in a Party”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2022 Stuart Rice

SOCIAL MEDIA

SUBSCRIPTIONS & REVIEWS

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He’s been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”

Links

PodcastHow to Host a Party Website

Hosting a Happy Hour: Nick Gray’s How-to Guide  

TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Stuart: in this episode to our cocktail parties are nick gray and I came up with a few sketch ideas. What if it was 1000 visits to like the world's largest ball of twine? How would you go about making the world's largest ball of twine? A really interesting tour.[00:00:17] Nick Gray: Well, I like to know how much things cost for myself and so I would want to try to, you know, put it up on auction for Ebay.[00:00:25] Stuart: You're doing this uh, the two hour cocktail party and then within that party you decide, oh, I need to have another party. So you have another party within the party and it's just like part deception.[00:00:38] Nick Gray: I love that idea because I often talk about the concept of a party within a party.[00:00:42] Stuart: What would be the most uncomfortable icebreakers you could come up with at a party that would get people not only to slow down, but like genuinely like freak out. I[00:00:53] Nick Gray: like that idea, but I have to veto that idea because for any listeners, they're always worried about what can go wrong with our party[00:01:00] Stuart: and I want to think what could[00:01:01] Nick Gray: go right,[00:01:02] Stuart: which one did we pick you? Well, it's not the last one. You'll find out on this episode of, it's a sketch comedy show. Welcome back to sketch comedy podcast show, The one of a kind show where I Stewart rice, invite interesting people to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about and this episode is a special episode because while you're listening to this, I am currently panicking and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get my house in order to host a two hour cocktail party. I made the commitment here on this show with Nick and this is going to be the night that I do it to it. Nick Gray likes to optimize things. He made small airplanes, safer with his company flight display systems and boring museum trips into must do events with his company. Museum hack. Now Nick has his sights on making everyone the perfect party planner in his new book, the two hour cocktail party, which I completely enjoyed reading and I'm using to make tonight's party a banger. Well for two hours real quick if you are in the Denver area and would like to attend one of these parties with me, shoot your info over to sketch comedy podcast show at gmail dot com and I will make sure to invite you to the next one and now my conversation with Nick Gray hacker of museums and cocktail party master Nick. Thanks for joining us today.[00:02:43] Nick Gray: Thanks. I'm happy to be[00:02:44] Stuart: here. I'm glad you're here too. Hey, I've got a really quick question for you. What makes you interesting.[00:02:51] Nick Gray: I am obsessed with name tags and I've hosted hundreds of parties also in my past life, I've been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art more than 1000 times.[00:03:01] Stuart: Did you miss something there or what was the reason for going for 1000 times?[00:03:07] Nick Gray: I used to have a business called museum hack and we did renegade museum tours where we would hire people like stand up comedians and broadway actors to lead these museum tours. And I was the first tour guide myself. So in the first years of starting the business, I was there almost every single day.[00:03:25] Stuart: So you would you, why, why? What's wrong with the tours that people had? What's wrong with the Metropolitans normal tour?[00:03:33] Nick Gray: You know what? For a free museum tour, they do a really good job, but they are also led by volunteers and they tend to be more focused on the narratives of art history that maybe the average tourist doesn't really care about. And so my company, we would tell people the juicy gossip about the art, how it was acquired, how much things cost all the stuff that you wouldn't hear from the official museum tour,[00:03:57] Stuart: the things you actually want to know so that you can go and have, like if you would go to a cocktail party afterwards, for instance, you could actually have a conversation about it and bring up something interesting that nobody had maybe heard before[00:04:08] Nick Gray: exactly like that. The stuff that you would tell your friends.[00:04:11] Stuart: Okay, All right, that's cool. That's cool. And why? Why did you do[00:04:14] Nick Gray: that? Um, I started to go to the museum. You know, I live in austin texas now. Where are you based out of[00:04:21] Stuart: Denver? Colorado[00:04:22] Nick Gray: Nice. Denver is awesome. My sister and my parents live up there, that's[00:04:26] Stuart: pretty cool.[00:04:28] Nick Gray: I moved to new york and I was going, I lived in Brooklyn at the time and you know, I didn't know a lot of people, I didn't have many friends and I went, somebody brought me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This woman brought me there on a date and I was like, oh, this place is amazing. I feel like I moved to new york for stuff like this, I should hang out here more. Um and so I started to go there and then I went there a lot and when friends would come to visit, I would bring them there and I'd give them little tours just to show them like cool stuff I found and it became something I really loved and I did it as a hobby. And then you know what a blog wrote about us called Daily Candy. That was real big. Um and said it was the best thing to do in new york city that my secret tours were like the best thing in new york. And literally overnight 1300 people emailed me wanting to join one of the tours and I was like, oh God, I, this is big, so that's kind of how I started,[00:05:23] Stuart: that's, that's how I feel about this podcast, is that, you know, a couple people listened and then they told nobody, but anyway um it was, it was the whole idea was hopefully people talk anyway. Um[00:05:38] Nick Gray: That's[00:05:39] Stuart: awesome. And is it just in new york or is it other places as well?[00:05:44] Nick Gray: So I started the business in about 2013 officially. But I've been doing it for two years as a hobby. And then we, we branched out to more major museums all around America. So the Metropolitan Museum were in the National gallery in D. C. We're at the Getty in Los Angeles um grew to about five or six cities. I sold the company in 2019 and they've gone through some changes through the group tour plans scheduling and lockdowns and covid and things like that. But it really is, it's an awesome business.[00:06:16] Stuart: Yeah it sounds, I wish I lived in a city that had one because I would love to go. But it gives me a reason to go to L. A. I guess there's really no other reason but[00:06:24] Nick Gray: there's a museum out in Denver, there's the Denver Art Museum,[00:06:28] Stuart: Denver Art Museum[00:06:29] Nick Gray: Collection. And then I think in Denver, is there like a natural history museum with some cool dinosaur stuff. I think I went to that, I don't[00:06:38] Stuart: know if that's here in Utah. I haven't been around. I'm relatively new to Denver. I'm actually from Portland but[00:06:43] Nick Gray: I think you might be right. I think it might be in Utah.[00:06:45] Stuart: Yeah but same same. Yeah. Um And was the museum thing like that was what you obviously started a business off of just kind of like a gag thing that you were doing right. Um, was that your first business that you ever started?[00:07:03] Nick Gray: I actually, I, I grew up in a very entrepreneurial household. My dad was always like a mad scientist trying to come up with these crazy ideas. And so I had, I think my first business was a lawn care service company. What what young man doesn't start a long care service company that has the itch for entrepreneurship. I washed[00:07:23] Stuart: windows. Wo[00:07:25] Nick Gray: really? How, how, how would you do?[00:07:27] Stuart: Oh, I went to people's houses. Hey, would you like your windows washed?[00:07:31] Nick Gray: That's pretty cool.[00:07:33] Stuart: I did that for a couple of years.[00:07:34] Nick Gray: That's nice. Would you ever climb up on ladders to do[00:07:37] Stuart: like I would, which was foolish. Yeah, a lot of spiders. A lot of wasps. That's what I'll[00:07:43] Nick Gray: say. I've never met somebody who's done a window washing company, but I think it's genius because everybody has the other stuff, but nobody's going to jump up to wash their windows on the second floor, things like[00:07:54] Stuart: that.[00:07:55] Nick Gray: Um, I had a web hosting company in high, in high school in college. I tried to start a software company. That was a big failure. But yeah, I always, I've been noodling on this stuff for a long time.[00:08:07] Stuart: Oh, that's cool. Um, and you said your, your family, your dad was big into entrepreneurship. Um, and that was, if I'm not mistaken, you did something with airplanes, correct?[00:08:19] Nick Gray: Yes, yes. He started in the basement of our house, a business that had it made that map. You know, that shows where the plane is flying across the world. He made that for small jets because you could buy it, but it was for like Delta Airlines and things like that. And he's like, oh, I think I can take a computer and some software and build this for small planes. Um, and so he made that happen and my mom joined and then I joined after college and helped them hire some of their first employees. I did their marketing and their sales. And we really grew the business together to about almost 80 employees before selling that in 2014.[00:09:00] Stuart: That's awesome. All right, well, um now all you want to do is party? Right, Well, I don't think it's going to take much convincing because I, after reading a little bit about what you were talking about, it became fascinating. It's actually the reason I have you on the show is because I think it's such a good idea that I want to get, I want to get ears of other people. So What, what is a 2-hour cocktail party and why is it a necessity for us a[00:09:32] Nick Gray: two hour cocktail party? All right, so what's the gist of it? Let me think about this for your listeners that maybe have never hosted before or only host birthday parties or something like that. Think about how your life would be different if you had a full social calendar, if you had people inviting you to fund things, if you had a rich and robust network of acquaintances that really set up new introductions for you. So what if instead of trying to meet new people, people were just coming into your life with ease when you start to host parties? That's what life can be like. Um that's what I learned from moving to new york. I didn't really know many people. I wasn't successful going out to clubs or networking events and so I decided to bring the party to me and through hosting hundreds and hundreds of parties and teaching over 100 people how to host their own well run event. We found like a formula if you will, that could make a party successful and it might not be what you think so, because sometimes the advice is counterintuitive, but I'll pause to ask you first anything resonate. And then there, have you hosted anything recently? And what went well about it?[00:10:44] Stuart: Yeah, recently I haven't, now I used to do parties and I used to do uh for, for my job, I would host events and do all that and I mean, I don't know if there's an X factor because I didn't read the book, but There were certain things that I always tried to have going on in the party to make sure it was very interesting. I think the last one I the last major one I did was actually my own funeral when I yeah, so for my 40th birthday I decided to host a funeral as opposed to a party because it was like the death of my youth, right? Like that. I felt like I was transitioning. So I got a coffin in in Portland. They have a place called voodoo donuts, you could get a coffin, they custom made a coffin filled with donuts. So instead of cake I did that and then I had people come and eulogize me and it was great. It was it was it was an interesting take on a birthday party and people seem to really like it. So I know that there's always that little bit of an X factor, but it's hard to figure out what that X factor is. Like what is it that's going to get people engaged in the party mixed together, do something together and it sounds like you maybe have figured it out. And I think that that's, I mean take the easy route by the book, right?[00:12:01] Nick Gray: Yeah, yeah. I found one formula that works. I love with your funeral that you had your friends eulogized you. I read something that said that we shouldn't wait for funerals to read eulogies for our friends. You know,[00:12:14] Stuart: my daughter roasted me so hard. She had built a power point presentation to just destroy me. It was wonderful.[00:12:22] Nick Gray: That's pretty funny that she roasted you.[00:12:25] Stuart: Oh totally.[00:12:26] Nick Gray: Can you imagine if you actually died and she was like roasting you at the actual funeral that my[00:12:32] Stuart: hope is that that is exactly what happens. That would be the best thing possible.[00:12:36] Nick Gray: That would be amazing. Yeah. What what worked well with that event that you hosted. It sounds like it was truly something special and you were celebrating a major life event with a major life party and you probably spent a lot of money and people spend a lot of time planning and preparing for that. And I think those parties are great and fantastic. They also however prohibit us from hosting regularly because the the biggest benefits come when you can learn how to make hosting a habit. Something that you do regularly where you always have your next event on the calendar, imagine you're in Denver and you meet somebody interesting at the park at the grocery store out of the stand up event. Whatever you can invite them to your next party. It's the, it's the easiest thing to just say, hey I'm hosting a cocktail party, can I invite you to it or send you the information? So I have a very simple formula and if it's easy to think about it like with my name because my name is nick, N. I. C. K. And so all the letters, can I say what all the letters are and stands for name tags, everyone at the party has a name tag, this is a hill that I will die on. I think even if you think they sound formal, try to convince you why they're helpful even for a party in the neighborhood with your friends that you think know each other. I stands for ice breakers, you lead to 2.5 ice breakers at your party. And those are meant just to encourage new conversations. It's not about what people say during the ice breakers, that's what they say after the ice breakers. Uh C stands for cocktails only. So no dinner. And even if you don't drink alcohol, I don't drink. But the idea of a cocktail party is a lightweight social gathering. So no dinner that's important. No dinner and then K. Stands for kick them out at the end. It's only a two hour party and I can talk about how you can actually kick people out at the end. But that's important. This is only two hours long and you're gonna host it on a monday Tuesday or Wednesday night. That's really important. So that's the gist. It's an easy lightweight, very efficient social gathering that I found can really help. It's how I launch my last business. It's how I launched my book by building up this network of relationships because we find out about some of the best things in life whether it's new podcast guests, new business opportunities, New relationships, not through our very best friends, but through our network of acquaintances, weak ties, loose connections. That's what these parties are all about,[00:15:11] Stuart: acquaintances seem to be like. That seems to be the go to relationship that most people have with other people,[00:15:17] Nick Gray: like most[00:15:18] Stuart: people are just acquaintances. Right? Well, because you can't have close friends with everybody. Um, and why are, how do we make acquaintances more important for ourselves? Because obviously we're going to gain some by doing these to our cocktail parties, but like why are they important to have,[00:15:39] Nick Gray: I like acquaintances because I think they are easy connections to get to know somebody to see if you want to develop a deeper relationship. And so I talk in my book about building big relationships and you have to remember that you can't go from stranger to best friend. There's a, there's a friendship funnel, so to speak that you would go through and it's from being a stranger to knowing someone to having a conversation, to becoming an acquaintance and then through a couple hangouts, maybe you can become friends. And oftentimes if you meet somebody and you're like, oh, I want to get to know this person, what's your default? They're like if you meet somebody interesting and want to get to know them, what do you do now?[00:16:22] Stuart: Oh yeah, well, I usually, I'm so unique in that I'm like, hey, let's go get coffee? Uh, you know, or hey, is there a band coming to town. Do you want to go see them or something along those lines? But yeah, that's usually some sort of a go someplace and meet someplace and do something because[00:16:42] Nick Gray: I like what you do with the band there where you can invite someone to something interesting. Oftentimes, you know, especially for busy people, it can be very hard for us to schedule to meet up one on one to go have coffee with someone. You may think it's only a 30 minute coffee, but when you consider drive and commute and scheduling, it works out to being about one or two hours from an individual's time calendar. I found that hosting a cocktail party was an easy, efficient way that I could add value to someone. Right? So I can give them something first and what am I giving them? I'm giving them an invitation and an opportunity to meet a ton of new folks. And so that's how I would lead if I'm trying to make a connection. I say, hey, I host these cocktail parties where I bring together half people I know and half new, interesting people that I've met here in town. Would you like to come sometime? And that's exciting, right? Because most adults don't make new friends as we get older. It's so much harder. It's[00:17:41] Stuart: impossible. Why is it so difficult to meet new people as an adult, like as a, as a kid on the playground, you just kind of go up and go, hi, my name's Stewie. Like, you know, like let's go play on the slide and then all of a sudden that's your best friend for the day. We don't get that now. Yeah. Why[00:17:58] Nick Gray: can't life be like, hey, look at this cool rock. I found it looks like a potato, Can we be friends? Yeah, I wanna[00:18:05] Stuart: try that too. Right? Just carry around a potato rock[00:18:10] Nick Gray: for many people, you know, their, their number of friendships and connections really peaked when they were in college or university and it tends to go down after that as we move friendships become like a game of attrition. We get older, we have kids, we get a job, we move out to the suburbs and it's just harder to meet people. Which is funny because we need those relationships more as we get older and I don't exactly know the why behind it, but I can tell you that Most Americans haven't made a new friend in over three years and that especially among men, there is a bit of a loneliness problem. I read a stat that said that like 17% of men say they don't have a single close friendship, which is crazy and it's wild and it's the reason that I wanted to share my book was just to help people make more friends and build these relationships because I got so much value from it. It changed my life. I think it could change anyone.[00:19:05] Stuart: Oh, I absolutely agree with you. Actually. I've had, I think even on the show, we've had discussions about how men don't have good close relationships and this is a big issue for men. So yeah,[00:19:16] Nick Gray: Why is that? What do you think?[00:19:18] Stuart: I think it's because there is a we get uncomfortable when we start to like pull down the facades and it's really uncomfortable and traditionally, especially maybe specifically here in America. I don't know, I don't have an experience anywhere else. But I think that we associate like sensitivity to intimacy and that[00:19:41] Nick Gray: that's more[00:19:42] Stuart: of a female trade and so that we tend to as guys, we tend to shy away from those things. And so what ends up happening is with with relationships with other men. It's just it's such a surface thing that once you get past that it's like, all right now, what? I don't know, let's go, let's go to a football game. You know, that's kind of bond around football, sports, things like that nature. But if you talk to women and or you're around women that have conversations, they don't talk about things like that. I mean they'll talk about our dicks, but like they'll talk about other things as well. Like they'll talk about feelings and whatnot. It's interesting how we we definitely do different things as gender.[00:20:22] Nick Gray: There was a sales guy who I used to work with. He was a huge mentor to me and we were. Talking about friendships and things like that. And he said yes, some of my best friends now that I think about it, you know, these these guys that he rides motorcycles with every weekend. He said, I don't even know their last names. I couldn't tell you very much about their personal lives, but I'd say there's some of my best friends and I think that it is kind of interesting. I hear from people like my parents, I made them read my book right? Because it's like there's something I have[00:20:52] Stuart: to, I tried to make my parents read my book and they set it on the coffee table. I don't[00:20:59] Nick Gray: even know if my parents read all of my book, but I made him read my book and now I'm on this mission to get 500 people to read my book and and host a party for their friends and neighbors. And I count every single one. I try to talk to them the day after the party and my parents hosted one for their neighbors and they said, look, we[00:21:17] Stuart: it's[00:21:18] Nick Gray: so funny. We walk around the neighborhood and you have these little two minute conversations with the neighbors and you say, oh, we should go out, we should have dinner. But you know, as life works out, we usually don't. And they got to meet so many of their neighbors beyond just having that simple little conversation and they got to do something generous by bringing them over to their home, inviting them inside and having a drink and some snacks that they bought it at walmart or Costco or[00:21:44] Stuart: something.[00:21:45] Nick Gray: Yeah.[00:21:47] Stuart: Right. Yeah.[00:21:48] Nick Gray: It's not about your house by the way for for any listeners that are like, oh I don't have a nice house. I live too far away. My apartment's small. I hosted hundreds of these parties in my tiny studio apartment in new york city. Sometimes the smaller space is actually better because the energy is electric. This guy Noah who lives in Chicago. He's 28. He read my book and he has like a 400 square foot apartment And he hosted, he had 28 people inside which is crazy. The perfect number that I found is between 15 and 20 for a first time or a new host. That's really the number that you want to have.[00:22:24] Stuart: And then when when you're in this party do you? Is it your job as the host to like go around and mingle? Is that is that what you're supposed to do?[00:22:32] Nick Gray: Generally you as the host have a couple of duties? Number one is you're gonna make sure everybody has a name tag. So your 1st 10 or 20 minutes is everybody's arriving, you're welcoming them and you're giving them a name tag. Your other major duty as a host is to run 2.5 rounds of icebreakers and those icebreakers are very easy, but you do have to do a little bit of public speaking because you have everybody stopped the party which can be intimidating. So I coach people how to do that.[00:23:01] Stuart: Do you have like a record scratch that you just play everybody you're[00:23:08] Nick Gray: gonna laugh at me. But I actually use a small harmonica. I'm looking around my desk, I don't have one and I make a little tone, I don't play, I don't know how to play it, but I just blow out similar to using like a train whistle to make a noise as I turn the music down and I have helped so many people host their first party and I can't tell you of all my party formula, it's the one that gets ridiculed and made fun of the most on one hand. And then after the first party people are like why did I not get the harmonica? It's genius because it's such a quirky, cute little sound instead of yelling at everybody. Hey everybody,[00:23:47] Stuart: everybody be[00:23:48] Nick Gray: quiet[00:23:50] Stuart: and not everybody has a triangle that they can hit or like one of those little tone things,[00:23:54] Nick Gray: you know.[00:23:55] Stuart: Yeah. Gong would be kind of cool though, that would definitely get some attention[00:24:00] Nick Gray: right. But anyhow your job as the host is just to lead these little rounds icebreakers. And what you do is you ask everybody to say their name, to say what they do for work. If they don't want to talk about work, they can talk about a hobby and then you ask them an icebreaker question and the question that I like that I recommend everybody uses at the start of a party is what I call a green level icebreaker. And that's because there's no rapport built up. People are not loose there, there's still rigid. So a green level icebreaker is a fast one that doesn't require a lot of thought or judgment. The one that I like is what is one of your favorite things to eat for breakfast? What's your go to that you do more often than not? And I like that because there's no judgment about it. I'm not asking people, Oh, say an interesting fact about yourself and not putting people on the spot hopefully. And so that's a good one that works 100% of the time.[00:24:53] Stuart: And who doesn't eat breakfast occasionally or wish they could eat breakfast occasionally. Right, right,[00:24:58] Nick Gray: right, right. Or if they skip breakfast, if they do intermittent fasting, then just say about that. I hosted a party a couple of years ago in new york. And there was this woman there dressed in all black, tall, skinny, she was older, she looked like she was like raised by street rats. Um, and she came to my party and she's like, my name is Diane, I'm a writer and for breakfast, I like to have cigarettes and it just broke the ice. And everybody, it was very funny. It was very funny and it just kind of put things in perspective[00:25:31] Stuart: and memorable too. Like, that's a that's a memorable response to that question. Like, what do you like for breakfast cigarettes? You know, like, that's great. Yeah,[00:25:40] Nick Gray: it was great.[00:25:41] Stuart: Yeah. So I start this show with a very uncomfortable question. Like I said, I told you I was gonna ask you, that's probably not a very good opening question for a cocktail party, correct.[00:25:55] Nick Gray: What makes you interesting is a great question. I like that you use it in thinking about a social situation, you know, you're having high profile people who who come on the podcast and you want to capture your listeners attention right away. If I were to bring somebody into my home. I often think about what that experience is like for those that are socially awkward, have a little bit of anxiety or aren't like an extrovert maybe like you and I, and so I'm trying to create just a welcome, easy environment to warm people up for that two hour journey.[00:26:29] Stuart: Yeah, I I think it's brilliant. Um yeah, in business we use, I was a sales guy for a very long time. And so, like, icebreakers are like, it's a, it's a lifeboat really, because like, there are times when you're in a situation, like, I need to get everybody engaged. I need to get everybody started to talk to each other. How do I do that? And icebreakers are great. And you always get the one jokester that's gonna, you know, do their own thing. And it's kind of wonderful because then it takes a lot of the heat off of you as far as making sure things are, things are going. So um All right, so it sounds like everybody needs to to host a cocktail party um up on the screen.[00:27:08] Nick Gray: That's[00:27:08] Stuart: where you can go to get the book. And I think people should definitely do that now besides hosting parties and doing those types of things. What what are the types of things are you into?[00:27:21] Nick Gray: Um For fun. I live in austin texas and we have this weird thing here called Barton Springs Pool. It's a natural spring fed aquifer pool. I don't know how to describe it because there's no lanes, but it's just enormous. It's like three acres and I like to swim in that. I live about five minutes from it, so[00:27:41] Stuart: that's something to[00:27:42] Nick Gray: do. Yeah. And then I I live a lot of my life online. So I have a blog. I do social media. I've been blogging for 20 plus years. And so I actually get so much fun and joy out of writing. Like I have this thing called my friends newsletter where I send a newsletter to my friends and just cool movies I've seen, or fun stuff. I've read cool links memes, things like that. So that really does make me happy. I like to do that.[00:28:11] Stuart: Yeah. That's um, did you do a lot of social media? Is that[00:28:15] Nick Gray: tons, tons[00:28:16] Stuart: of social media?[00:28:17] Nick Gray: Yeah.[00:28:18] Stuart: Is there, is there a particular social media that you like really kind of gravitate to or do you try to just equally split your time between them? Um,[00:28:25] Nick Gray: these days at the time of this recording, I'm spending more time thinking about growing an audience on Tiktok. So I hired a firm to help me with that. Um, I do my own twitter instagram. I do a lot on instagram stories because it's, it's easy and it's a throwaway. So for me, I'd say, yeah, that's the one I do the most.[00:28:45] Stuart: Okay. Alright. And then, um, obviously you had, was it Donna eight? The cigarettes in the morning? Had cigarettes in the morning. Okay. So obviously it worked right. Was there, um, have you ever had a party that didn't go as well as you had hoped? Is there, is there a situation where that's happened?[00:29:03] Nick Gray: Yeah, huge. Um, 11 that I can think about was one where I think it was a monday night and I decided I'm like, let's have friends over on Wednesday or thursday. And I didn't give myself enough planning what I call the party runway and I just mass message, you know, 20 or 30 people. Hey everybody. I'm having people over come by any time from 5 to 10 p.m. And I did a couple things wrong there. One, I didn't give people enough notice to, I didn't do individualized invitations, nobody felt special. And three I left this awkward enormous time block show up, right, right swing by any time. Has that ever happened? You get invited to a barbecue on a saturday at four and you're like, okay, well they said four, so I guess I'll show up at five, but the hosts are, you know, from this place. So actually they want to show up two hours, you do this mental sort of calculus or what time to actually arrive. And that's one major thing that I'd say for your listeners is that doing that two hour time block gets people to show up on time and boost your attendance rate because people know that, look, this is a tight time. I don't have to stay too late if I want to leave and it gives them an excuse to leave. People love the excuse to leave by the way.[00:30:19] Stuart: Oh yeah, well I'm, I'm a huge fan of the irish goodbye, which is like you just kind of throw down the batman, you know smoke pill and leave and nobody knows that we're there. No one knows. I am a huge fan of it and I absolutely hate the like long goodbyes and at a party, it's like I've got to go say goodbye to. So and so and so and so and it's like you just met that like, just leave, get out. I don't[00:30:44] Nick Gray: totally agree.[00:30:45] Stuart: Yeah. And I'm also a big fan of name tags. I think that that is, it cuts down the amount of mental bandwidth people have to deal with when they, when they don't have to remember your name, they can just look at[00:30:56] Nick Gray: your, your[00:30:57] Stuart: tag and just know who you are. It's great. It's[00:31:02] Nick Gray: super[00:31:02] Stuart: easy. I'd[00:31:03] Nick Gray: rather feel a little uncomfortable asking someone to wear a name tag than feel uncomfortable all night long forgetting their name. So that's why I do it. I also think it's more inclusive. I mean, I don't want to sound super woke, but think about what the experience is like for a significant other or for a plus one, you have a best friend, He just starts dating someone and he brings her along to the party. She doesn't know anybody, she doesn't know your friend group. And when you do name tags, it just makes everybody feel a little more included.[00:31:32] Stuart: Absolutely, absolutely. Um well this has been great. Um I mean I'm excited about hosting a party. I will definitely.[00:31:43] Nick Gray: So are you going to do it? Can I[00:31:45] Stuart: don't know. You can count on me to do it. I will buy the book today.[00:31:49] Nick Gray: We're gonna send, I'm gonna send you a copy of the book[00:31:52] Stuart: and[00:31:52] Nick Gray: then too, while we're on the call now, I want to, I guess we could wait if you want to, but I want you to look at your calendar and I want you to choose a monday Tuesday Wednesday night. That is ideally four or more weeks away now because it may take me a week to send you the book. Maybe choose five because we don't want to butt up against uh Halloween. Halloween is what I call a red level day. You don't want to host around major holidays events, three day weekends, those are red level. And why? Why do we do monday or Tuesday Wednesday night because people are available. And the number one success is if you can have a full list of attendees, number one fear someone has this, nobody will show up. And when you host on a monday or Tuesday or Wednesday night. So what day do you think would be good,[00:32:40] Stuart: november 1st,[00:32:41] Nick Gray: November one. I love Tuesday. That's a Tuesday. It's the day after Halloween. So do you think that that's okay.[00:32:47] Stuart: Is that too much? Is that too close?[00:32:49] Nick Gray: I don't know. I[00:32:50] Stuart: don't know. Let's do that Wednesday[00:32:52] Nick Gray: Wednesday Wednesday the second. So the next thing to think about is what two hour time block would you do? 6 to 87 to 95.[00:33:01] Stuart: Yeah, probably that 6-8[00:33:03] Nick Gray: 68. Great. The next thing is that think about which five people you would invite. That's part of what I call your core group. These are your close friends, people that if only they showed up, you'd be happy. So I want you to think about who those five are. And when we get off this recording, you're gonna text those five people and say, hey, I'm thinking I just had this guest on, I'm thinking of hosting this thing called a two hour cocktail party on Wednesday november 2nd from 68 P. M. And here's the thing you'll say if I do it, would you come? Ok? And your your goal is to get five people who will say yes, okay. And so you'll text people until you get those five yeses, you may hear from them. Oh no, no, no, that's too close to Halloween, I can't do it, you know? And so then if that happens and just move your date right, just like choose it another week afterwards and you send the same message you're gonna hunt for those five yeses and I have a feeling for you. It'll be pretty easy. And when you get those five yeses, then your party's happening, we'll make a simple page online to collect their RSVPs, my book will tell you exactly what to write and all that. All the scripts exactly how to invite more people and then it'll be a success. All you have to do is like one or two hours of work at the beginning and then your party will be a huge success. I[00:34:26] Stuart: love it. I cannot wait. I'm actually very excited about it because you know, I'm new to Denver, I've been here just I've been here over a year, but I guess it's not overly new, but I still don't know tons and tons of people because Covid kind of screwed us up as far as like meeting people. I think,[00:34:42] Nick Gray: I think you're exactly right. It's made it hard and people are a little more awkward. So number one, they appreciate an invite to something like this where you're gonna bring different groups Stewart from, from this social group. I'll bring a couple of people from this, this this and then uh basically they also need guidelines. They need guardrails to have a little social interaction. Love[00:35:05] Stuart: it. Love it. All right, well we've got this planned. I'm very excited about that. We do have to record a sketch though. If you are one of those awkward people that have a hard time meeting people, this is exactly your remedy. Go have a cocktail party, Nick what's the easiest way for people to get more information about running their own cocktail party in two hours.[00:35:31] Nick Gray: My name is Nick ray. I have a book called the two hour cocktail party. It has over 230 reviews on amazon and it sounds like I'm selling something, but I'm just trying to get people to make more free and if you check out my book, I'll give you a satisfaction guarantee if you don't like it. You can Venmo request me for a refund. I think the book is packed with actionable tips and a step by step guide, including the scripts, exactly what to say in a minute by minute breakdown of what to do at your party. I think we can all use a new friend, so check it out and stay in touch,[00:36:04] Stuart: Understand staying in touch, but I can't possibly imagine that you're not going to love this book. It is one of those things that can literally change your life in two hours and now our sketch cocktail party in a party, in a party, in a party in 32.[00:36:28] Nick Gray: Welcome everybody, administrative announcement, Welcome to my cocktail party. I'm so glad wow, we have 15 or 20 people here. I just moved to Denver, so it's great to meet everybody and we're gonna go around the room, we're gonna do a quick icebreaker, say your name, say what you do for work or something fun and then one of your favorite things to eat for breakfast Stewart, would you be willing to go first? Oh,[00:36:51] Stuart: uh yeah, yeah, sure, of course. I'll go first. Um I guess my name is Stuart um and I host this silly podcast thing that I like to do um and then for for breakfast, I really actually like eggs Benedict is my favorite, but I don't get it as often as I'd like, but I love eggs. Benedict,[00:37:12] Nick Gray: I love eggs. Benedict. I also like hollandaise sauce. Hey, that gives me an idea if you like eggs Benedict or if you've ever bathed in hollandaise sauce, like Stuart and I come and meet us in this corner over here, we're gonna do a V. I. P. Hollandaise meet up. So check us out afterwards. No, but I[00:37:33] Stuart: don't.[00:37:38] Nick Gray: All right, listen up, this is the hollandaise meet up group. And I was looking around at this party and these other chums don't know the benefits of eggs Benedict. So I thought we'd have a little V. I. P. Hollandaise party within the party. What do you guys think about that?[00:37:53] Stuart: I don't understand why anybody doesn't love eggs Benedict. It's amazing that there were six of us that actually came out and said for breakfast, it was eggs Benedict. It was the thing, I think it's really cool that all of us like joined up like this.[00:38:07] Nick Gray: These six of us really are the V. I. P. Party within the party? I think it's so cool that actually Randall. You happen to have brought hollandaise sauce with you. Do you guys want to take a shot of hollandaise sauce? I'll go get some shot glasses.[00:38:20] Stuart: Yeah, I never leave home without it.[00:38:21] Nick Gray: Any volunteers who would make a toast to hollandaise sauce. Anyone want to say what they love most about either eggs Benedict or holidays or just a favorite memory that you've had with hollandaise sauce.[00:38:33] Stuart: My name is nancy. I guess if it's okay, I would love to share my story about eggs. Benedict. Yeah,[00:38:41] Nick Gray: nancy. Please, can we get a round of applause for nancy willing to step up and share her holidays, testimony on nancy. The stage is yours.[00:38:50] Stuart: So when I was a little girl, my, my parents actually were like fundamental christians and they didn't believe in hollandaise sauce. And so when I was older I had a friend, I stayed the night and then the next day we went to Denny's for breakfast and I saw that they had hollandaise sauce on the eggs Benedict and I got it and it was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. It was like the forbidden fruit of breakfast[00:39:18] Nick Gray: baptized by hollandaise who among us has not had that moment. I think that's really cool. By the way, if you have been baptized by hollandaise sauce, meet us over in this other corner because we're gonna do a V. I. P. Of the V. I. P. So I'll see you over there. All right, welcome to the Church of hollandaise. Uh, I'm curious can we do another round of icebreakers? Maybe someone here would volunteer to say your name and I guess just something that you dream about. I'd love to hear that[00:40:01] Stuart: hank you met me earlier. You know, I was, I was talking about how I go and work out a lot.[00:40:06] Nick Gray: You said that you liked eggs. Benedict cause you'll get in a heavy lift day and then you'll just pound about £10, I think you said of eggs and then just to break it up a little, you had the hollandaise. I don't know, I just love to hear. What do you like? What do you dream about?[00:40:20] Stuart: Well, I don't actually like dream at night. I take these pills to help me sleep, so I guess I'm not really the right person to talk to about this.[00:40:29] Nick Gray: Right? Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. I remember you handing those pills out a few minutes ago and I cautioned you against doing that and I'm glad that we're all here to think about our dreams as it relates to church or hollandaise sauce or just eggs Benedict. We all celebrate that.[00:40:44] Stuart: Hey, it's Stuart again, I do have a dream if it's okay, if I interject[00:40:49] Nick Gray: Oh yeah, please Stuart, let's hear it.[00:40:51] Stuart: Okay? So my dream is that I can quit my day job and just do my podcast on a daily basis. Like that's kind of my dream,[00:41:01] Nick Gray: we can help you achieve that dream. And I love that dream too, is that if you like the sketch comedy podcast show, if you'll leave a review because every review helps Stewart get a little bit closer to him dreams and that's really what it's all about, right, following our dreams, you know, one other idea would be, if we could get a hollandaise brand to actually sponsor this show. I think that'd be amazing.[00:41:24] Stuart: That would be amazing[00:41:25] Nick Gray: if you have a podcast. Um go and chat there with Stewart. But if you don't have a podcast, go over to this area and we're gonna do actually a V. I. P within the V. I. P within the V. I. P. So meet me over there in a minute. I'll see you there. Are you competing with me right now? Probably talk Alright, welcome. Welcome everybody. Well, you've arrived here because of life decisions. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?[00:41:57] Stuart: My name is Earl. I know like the tv show, I don't have a podcast. I don't, I don't really have a lot of friends. I don't really have a lot going on in my life, but I appreciate you bringing me to this party.[00:42:09] Nick Gray: Earl welcome. It is so great to meet you. I remember seeing you in the neighborhood and I invited you to come over. You are welcome here. And it's, it's helpful that we all have name tags so we can make some new friends. Uh, what is your dream, Earl? Do you have a dream? Is there something that you want to do or accomplish in life?[00:42:28] Stuart: My dream is to help others really find their internal like drive and and move forward in their life and, and, and just be very, very successful.[00:42:43] Nick Gray: Your dream is to help people be more successful and find their internal compass, their, their north star of sorts. I like that. What would you say is a good way to do that.[00:42:55] Stuart: Have you ever heard of Amway? Thank you so much for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. We hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it. Make sure to head over to sketch comedy podcast show dot com there. You can subscribe to the show. Head over to Youtube and watch some of the videos and sketches we've done there. Maybe head over to Patreon and become a patron to the show. That would be so much appreciated or you can leave a review someplace or if you're feeling really saucy apply to be on the show. I appreciate every single one of you that listens to the show and I would love to hear more from you. Now I've got to get this out of the way sketch comedy podcast show is protected under a creative commons attribution no derivatives four point oh international license. Which means that if you would like to reproduce anything in the show, please contact the show so that I can get you the right material for it. And also this show is copyright 2022 Stuart rice every day we are given a choice. Can we do the funny thing or the not so funny thing. I'm going to urge you to do the funny thing today and create an improvised comedy adventure of your own. Take care. See you next episode

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

This episode is a special treat.

John Lehr is an improvisational actor who has starred in a number of movies and TV shows. You might best know him as the “Geico Caveman” and his most recent show on Hulu “Quick Draw” which is, no kidding, one of my favorite shows. It’s a western that is improvised and it is wonderful.

Jay Martel is a Peabody award-winning writer and has also won an Emmy for his work on “Key and Peele” and is far too qualified to be on this podcast. He also writes for the “New Yorker” on a regular basis. He recently also wrote a book called “The Present” which is available on Audible and looks like it might be picked up for a movie.

The duo are currently working on a play performed in back yards. You read that right, this is true Covid theater! If you would like to catch their upcoming shows, you can head to: https://linktr.ee/speedbumptheplay or email andrea@amckpr.com 

This episode’s sketch: “Documentary on the Not-So-Superpowered”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2022 Stuart Rice

SOCIAL MEDIA

SUBSCRIPTIONS & REVIEWS

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

My father moved out of the house when I was ten and I started writing to make my mom laugh.

She was depressed a lot, so I tried to cheer her up with wishful thinking banged out on a loudly humming Selectric.

My writing since has all come from the same place: The need to take the edge off what life can throw at us while staying true to how absurd and strange it can be.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many people who are funnier than I am: Ian Roberts, Michael Moore, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, Keegan Michael-Key, Jordan Peele, the Katydids, and Richard Curtis, to name a few. (Note to anyone who’s worked with me and has been kind enough to read this far, only to be greeted with non-inclusion in the last sentence: You were funnier, too.)

In the process, I’ve written comedy for magazines, basic cable, the stage, movies, books, before returning to basic cable, which is a great place to do a lot of different things while preserving your anonymity.

While I enjoy collaboration, writing for me is often a solitary, intimate act, something that happens between me and the paper or the screen. And every now and then it happens again: The moment of joy that comes from being surprised by a discovery, when reality gives way, if only for a moment, to the imagination.

(Source: https://jaymartel.com/about)

Lehr starred as Leslie Pool in “10 Items or Less,” from Sony on TBS for three seasons and recently starred as Sheriff Hoyle on Hulu’s original comedy western “Quickdraw” for two seasons. Lehr also co-created, wrote and executive produced both series.

Lehr is one of the original Geico Cavemen from the wildly successful commercial campaign. He appeared in dozens of spots, including the first commercial as a caveman boom operator, the caveman in therapy with Talia Shire, the tennis spot with Billy Jean King, Superbowl spots with Phil Simms and many more.

Under their banner Howler Monkey Productions, Lehr and producing partner Nancy Hower have created multiple projects, most involving their unique improvisationally-based “hybrid” style found in “QuickDraw” (Hulu) “10 Items” (TBS) “Jailbait (Crackle) and “Memron” (Slamdance award-winner). With Lehr starring and Howler directing, the team completed comedy pilots “Let It Ride,” (Comedy Central), “Retreat!” (NBC), “Team McPhearson (Fox) and “King of Beers” (EUE/Sokolow). The team’s script/development deals include “The Loop” (HBO), “Troubadour” (MTV), “Life on Mars” (Sony/BBC), and “LARP” (Echo Lake), Tommy Chong’s Pipe Dreams (TBS).

John has appeared in numerous television series, including “Friends” and was a series regular on “Jesse,” both for Warner Brothers/NBC. His feature film roles include “The Sweetest Thing,” and three Noah Baumbach films, “Kicking and Screaming,” “Mr. Jealousy,” and “Highball.”

John’s hosting credits include “News Weasels” for E!; “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” for ABC; CBS’ special “Clash of the Commercials” with co-host Heidi Klum; and “John Lehr’s Movie Club” for TBS.

A recovering alcoholic and drug addict, Lehr is a seasoned monologist and comedian who speaks openly about his twenty plus years of sobriety. Under the banner “Cold. Sober. Comedy.” Lehr performs and MC’s at fundraisers, non-profits and sober communities about his personal/career struggles, his continuing sober journey and the importance of an authentic sense of humor. Lehr recently debuted his newest monologue “Wait, I Have to Give a Crap About Other People?” at the Annual Sober St. Paddy’s Day Comedy Night for the Atlanta 

Caron Treatment Center.”

Lehr’s critically acclaimed “Comedic Lectures” solo performances have had sold out runs in LA and New York. He is also a respected improvisational performer having worked at the Organic Theater and Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, the Montreal Comedy Festival, Chicago Improvisational Festival and multiple venues in Los Angeles and New York. Lehr regularly performs stand-up comedy and MC/Hosts events around the country.

John is married to author Jennifer Lehr with whom he has two children. The Lehrs reside in Los Angeles.

For more information on John, including booking: info@johnlehr.com

(Source: http://johnlehr.com/bio/)

Links

TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Stuart: in this episode, john lair and J martell and little old me come up with a few sketch ideas. You remember the book, the kids, kids book about snitches. We shaved our head and then you see it and you're like, oh man, I gotta shave my head to and then it's just like how does that go? And it's just like we keep trying to grow hair, shaved hair. I don't know how that works out, but I've got a professional writer here, so I'm gonna[00:00:24] John Lehr: let him[00:00:25] Stuart: go marvel. Movies are all the rage, right? You're a superhero. But I like the concept of like a superhero, you're not really sure what to do with the power. So the ability to write anywhere as a, as a mutant power I think is pretty cool.[00:00:38] John Lehr: That's a good idea[00:00:40] Stuart: your situation where you're on stage and there's other things happening around you that maybe it's maybe it's not like the, the hockey thing, but like you, events are happening around you and people are still talking specifically to you about how bad you suck. Like everything else is going on around you. But you are the thing that's causing this to be terrible. Which one did we pick? You'll find out on this episode of, it's a sketch comedy. Welcome to sketch comedy podcast show. The one of a kind show where I Stewart rice invite interesting people to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about this episode is a special treat. I'm going to give you a brief intro to both of these incredibly talented and funny human beings and try to get us right into the conversation, john lair is an improvisational actor who has starred in a number of movies and tv shows. You might best know him as the Geico caveman and his most recent show on Hulu Quick Draw, which is no kidding. One of my favorite shows, it's a western that is improvised and it is wonderful. J Martell is a peabody award winning writer and has also won an Emmy for his work on key and peele also one of my favorite tv shows and is far too qualified to be on this podcast. He also writes for the new yorker on a regular basis. He also recently wrote a book called The Present which is available on audible and looks like it might be picked up for a movie. Their latest project, Speed bump is a play performed in the backyards of fans. You can get tickets from the link in the show notes and now my conversation with john lair and J martell, john jay, thank you so much for coming on today.[00:02:36] John Lehr: My pleasure. Really appreciate thanks for having us.[00:02:40] Stuart: Oh no, it's it's absolutely my pleasure. Um, I've got a really quick question for you. What makes you interesting, john, I'll let you go first[00:02:51] John Lehr: Go 1st. I'm so fast[00:02:54] Jay Martel: go first for about a half an hour.[00:02:56] John Lehr: I'm so fascinating on so many levels.[00:03:00] Jay Martel: Your hair is really, I[00:03:04] Stuart: mean the hair is impressive. I know I've got I'm follicly challenged that your hair is gorgeous, you and me both.[00:03:10] John Lehr: You guys have good bold heads though. I I underneath this, it's, you know,[00:03:14] Jay Martel: it's like, like a great Hitler or something like that,[00:03:19] Stuart: I gotta be honest, nobody has ever given me a compliment on my hair, but they have given me a compliment on my head. Yes, yeah.[00:03:27] John Lehr: Wonderful head.[00:03:28] Stuart: More people have wanted to touch my head than they ever wanted to touch my[00:03:32] John Lehr: hair. Nobody ever wants to touch my hair, but I do, it looks[00:03:36] Stuart: like it might hurt.[00:03:37] John Lehr: I get a lot of comments on my hair.[00:03:39] Jay Martel: Your hair is like a beautiful princess that needs to be sort of admired from afar. Like, it's like, it's too much, it's too much if you touch it, it might burn you or something with, it's like,[00:03:52] John Lehr: it's like a jew touching a crucifix.[00:03:56] Stuart: No,[00:03:57] John Lehr: don't. Does[00:03:58] Stuart: it burn? I don't know, but I don't want to find out[00:04:02] John Lehr: film kapoor tomorrow, and I was just at a shoot where they were gonna do like a christmas scene and and that it was in a jewish household and they were gonna hang up a wreath to make the front door and I was like, it'll catch the house on fire, don't mess with[00:04:17] Jay Martel: that,[00:04:20] John Lehr: But I I think the thing that makes me the most interesting is that I'm still alive because I had a life that, I had I've been sober for 26 years and there was a life before that, which Jay has heard me rant about for years and[00:04:35] Stuart: years.[00:04:36] John Lehr: I don't, I don't, there's huge huge gaps in it, but I think that's probably what makes me interesting.[00:04:46] Stuart: I[00:04:46] John Lehr: and J is extremely interesting person.[00:04:50] Stuart: Yes, Absolutely. J what what what do you believe makes you interesting? I[00:04:55] Jay Martel: think that that I think that I can write under any circumstances like I could, if there was um maybe, you know, if I was on a battlefield I could write if I was uh I can, you know, I have this my office is actually the same room as the dryer in the washing machine. They're going like almost all the time because[00:05:17] Stuart: you don't care. It doesn't, you don't[00:05:19] Jay Martel: matter, it doesn't. But normally if I'm not writing it, small noises bugged the hell out of me. So[00:05:30] Stuart: you're not hanging around like preschools like that's not a thing you're gonna do. Also, you should never say that you're hanging around preschools[00:05:38] John Lehr: and white guy shouldn't be hanging around.[00:05:41] Jay Martel: I mean they[00:05:43] John Lehr: just immediately take you away.[00:05:44] Stuart: Yeah, they call people,[00:05:46] Jay Martel: I am not co signing for this part of the[00:05:49] Stuart: conversation. Mm. Um Yeah, so I I just real quick j u um my favorite show besides Quick draw is key and peele. I thought that every I don't know if I saw a bad sketch. I saw ones that weren't as funny as others, but um, I, your work on that was just amazing. Everybody's work on that show is incredible. So, uh, and in my opinion, it's the best sketch show that has probably ever existed. Just everything was super strong. So, um, I know you wrote on key and peele, I know you've written a couple of movies. What else, what else can you let everybody know what else they would know you from?[00:06:31] John Lehr: He, he won a peabody[00:06:34] Jay Martel: Oh,[00:06:36] Stuart: there you go.[00:06:38] Jay Martel: And I'm getting another another peabody for being on this podcast.[00:06:42] Stuart: Yeah, well, absolutely. They monitor this podcast for things.[00:06:46] Jay Martel: The peabody voters are out there. Um, I, I'm a novelist. I've written a couple novels that are available, um, one called channel blue, another called um[00:07:01] Stuart: yes.[00:07:02] Jay Martel: Oh, oh my[00:07:03] John Lehr: God.[00:07:04] Jay Martel: Oh yeah, I'm used to like amateur podcast. This is a whole nother level.[00:07:10] Stuart: Yeah, this is like an upper level podcast. It's wonderful.[00:07:15] Jay Martel: I'm a contributor to the new yorker sort of like the nerdiest aspect of, I guess written humor, um, which can be found there and[00:07:25] John Lehr: I'm a big follower of his, his stuff on the new yorker Or[00:07:29] Stuart: do you have to be because your friends like you were there is that[00:07:34] Jay Martel: we're pretty compartmentalized. I mean we, I feel like as friends, we feel no obligation at all to, to look at each other's work, but we do, we do enjoy each other's work because we enjoy each other. I mean, john john is one of the funniest people I've ever met and he just happens to live a block away from me, which is amazing.[00:07:57] John Lehr: Yeah,[00:07:57] Stuart: That is actually pretty incredible.[00:07:59] John Lehr: And I feel the same way about Jay and, and it's great. It's great to have somebody in your neighborhood who we've known each other for 16 years. We met each other in Griffith Park. I think Jay was pushing his infant daughter at the time. Our daughters are the same age. Our sons are the same age. Our daughters are now 16 and are best friends. So, I mean, we're uh, we're in tight it, so it's all over at this point.[00:08:30] Stuart: That's fantastic.[00:08:31] Jay Martel: J is[00:08:35] Stuart: that an argument that you guys have, who's gonna bury who first[00:08:40] Jay Martel: he's[00:08:41] John Lehr: older, but I did a lot more drugs. So maybe who knows? You know, who knows?[00:08:47] Jay Martel: And[00:08:47] John Lehr: weirs weirs die young. My family dies young,[00:08:51] Stuart: 17. Yeah.[00:08:53] Jay Martel: Yeah, that's really true. Like because both your parents died, both died young and still alive. So that's something that handicappers should take into account. I[00:09:02] Stuart: wonder if there's like, there's got to be like an item in Vegas where you can vote on, you can bet on which one. So[00:09:08] John Lehr: I[00:09:09] Stuart: wonder what the odds look like, you know?[00:09:11] Jay Martel: Yeah. I mean, I wonder like if you could like pay a bookie to like just post odds on your friends deaths.[00:09:18] Stuart: Do I wonder do they actually have stuff like that in Vegas. I don't actually know, but I'm, I imagine they're like the over under on or something like that. Oh yeah,[00:09:31] John Lehr: Is that true? Oh my God.[00:09:34] Jay Martel: I mean something like that has odds posted on it like has had posted on it for years.[00:09:40] Stuart: Could you imagine hitting, hitting that jackpot?[00:09:43] Jay Martel: Oh my God.[00:09:45] Stuart: That would be crazy. Um You guys, they[00:09:49] John Lehr: had odds on everybody. It's called health insurance and life insurance. It's like what you pay for your life insurance are basically your odds.[00:09:59] Stuart: You think I'm gonna die tomorrow if that's the case? Like they are thinking very poorly of my[00:10:05] Jay Martel: health. Exactly. Yeah.[00:10:10] Stuart: So you guys, were you guys, um, you know, you've been friends for a long time? You do work together though, right?[00:10:17] John Lehr: Yeah, we're right now we're in a play together. Look at that. That's awesome. Yeah. We're in a play that J wrote called speed bump and it's about to neighbors. I don't know where he got that idea who are friends who are around the same age, who grew up together um, where one of them wants a speed bump put in the street in the neighborhood and one doesn't and that starts a domino effect that[00:10:48] Stuart: how much, yeah. How much of this is based on reality did you guys have a speed bump discussion at some point?[00:10:54] Jay Martel: We have had in our neighborhood. Yes. We've had several people. I mean, you know, obviously for the sake of the comedy and the drama that everything's been. I and john is not the character he plays, nor am I. But we, we've had, I mean, I don't know if you've ever been to a meeting of your neighborhood or if you live in an apartment building, your coop, that people get really, really riled up when it's about[00:11:24] Stuart: passionate[00:11:25] Jay Martel: about[00:11:26] Stuart: the weirdest things[00:11:27] Jay Martel: thing. Yeah. And so this is just following um that little thread all the way to its logical Armageddon ish, that's[00:11:42] Stuart: fantastic. Now you guys, um you guys started performing this in the height of Covid, correct? Yeah,[00:11:49] John Lehr: or j wrote it during, during Covid and we and he and I would safely distance as we, you know, did read drafts of his script.[00:11:59] Jay Martel: Um and so[00:12:01] Stuart: that means that you didn't get a chance to practice the sex scene is what you're saying.[00:12:05] John Lehr: No, we had to imagine[00:12:07] Jay Martel: that,[00:12:09] John Lehr: but but then then it was time to do a reading of the play and jay did it in his backyard because, you know, this was, this was after, after the pandemic was over, but still people were nervous and and we were, and we were talking about work shopping it. And uh I was, I was a big proponent of like, let's keep doing it in people's backyards because because because it's set in a neighborhood and its neighbors. It's like, it's amazing. It's[00:12:40] Stuart: like you're part of that meeting for real, you know,[00:12:43] Jay Martel: Yeah, it's[00:12:45] Stuart: another level of immersion into this world that you guys have created. You[00:12:50] John Lehr: know, you workshop plays in like a little black box theater and we didn't know how people would feel about that, you know, at that point. Um, I think now people are starting[00:13:01] Stuart: now people, I went to a concert recently and it was like, I saw a dude like straight up cough just out into space and people did not back up and I was like, well we're done with this. Like everybody's okay.[00:13:14] John Lehr: Yeah, I don't know, I still can't handle the coffee and if somebody, you know,[00:13:21] Jay Martel: you[00:13:22] Stuart: hop back a little bit and like, oh no, no, it's fine. It's fine. It's fine over there. Yeah. But um yeah, so you guys and you just had a performance right? You had one on the first,[00:13:35] Jay Martel: how[00:13:35] Stuart: did that go?[00:13:37] Jay Martel: Fantastic. We performed it for about 70 people at a house in Laurel Canyon and it's the first time we performed it actually at night because usually what we do is we try to catch the dying sunlight for our performance, but it's gotten to the point now where it's getting kind of sun's going down pretty early and our host want to make sure everyone was liquored up and[00:14:02] John Lehr: which was a good idea.[00:14:05] Jay Martel: I felt like we were really performing to an audience for the first time[00:14:09] Stuart: we've[00:14:10] John Lehr: been performing to kind of sober ish audiences and man, it was nice to have an audience that was lit[00:14:15] Stuart: just a little bit looser, just like a little bit easier to laugh and it's[00:14:21] Jay Martel: true, like everyone was just like, you could just tell they've given themselves permission to laugh like immediately there[00:14:28] John Lehr: was some weed going around,[00:14:30] Stuart: perfect, yeah,[00:14:32] Jay Martel: laugh[00:14:33] Stuart: laugh to back. E yeah. Um[00:14:36] John Lehr: comedians best friend[00:14:37] Stuart: absolutely both on and off stage, but although you've been sober, I should probably not be saying[00:14:44] John Lehr: that. No, no, no, I'm pro drugs,[00:14:47] Stuart: Fair enough. Um and you've got to two coming up, right? You've got the 15th and the 16th and those are gonna be where whereabouts are those gonna be? And can people just go to this? People can just go to this website to get tickets and[00:15:03] Jay Martel: Yeah, well they making making contact um we have a publicist named Andrea who has been very helpful to us and and that that website will lead you to a place where you can ask for for admission to one of these shows. We're not giving out the address obviously because these are actually people's homes and they might not nothing like, you know, a huge avalanche of people are going to show up, but you know, but[00:15:30] Stuart: They might, and they can only accommodate 80 people in their backyard all of a sudden they've got 470, our[00:15:37] John Lehr: Last one was big, I thought, I don't[00:15:40] Stuart: Know 70 people as a lot of people[00:15:42] John Lehr: in a lot of people in the backyard.[00:15:44] Stuart: I agree.[00:15:45] Jay Martel: We're not like, you know, it's just, it's just us yelling basically. I mean there's no sound system, there's no like there's no light, the lonely lights for like these, these outdoor porch lights, like hanging over our heads.[00:15:57] Stuart: You know? Honestly, I think I hope that this like kind of starts a trend where people start to do more performance out in the backyard. I think it's great. There used to be a website that you could go to and you could see sign up to get ideas for get shows. We're traveling. Artists would go and perform in your living room, which was phenomenal. Of course, Covid killed it, but it was so great to be in someone's house and they're like, I don't know, grab a cushion off the couch and like it was so, it was so much warmer than like going to a place to watch something I think for, especially for something like this, what a great way to experience that.[00:16:35] Jay Martel: No, no, I was just gonna say that, you know, like we've, we've gone into backyards where we haven't known anywhere, but at the end of it, you feel like everyone's friends, you know, even though, you know, we haven't, we haven't really talked to anyone except each other, but the communal experience of laughing together, but[00:16:56] Stuart: the audience is all holding each other's hands and they're swaying back and forth.[00:17:01] Jay Martel: Not that, that, yeah.[00:17:05] Stuart: Yeah, I know, but it's a shared experience that way? And I think it's really good.[00:17:10] John Lehr: Yeah, it's cool. It's it's it's like, it's like the modern day version of the salon, you know, back in, you know, when you have all these people just sitting around, it was it's cool. It's really cool.[00:17:21] Stuart: J and I don't really understand that, but yeah, we'll go along[00:17:23] Jay Martel: with it. Um I think during covid people just loaded on their screens. I mean because like, just like how people are just ripping through like five seasons of a show, like in in in two nights and so like, you know, we figured we find that there's like a real hunger out there for people watching live people[00:17:48] Stuart: and being around live people. I actually um I just recently had somebody on the show that wrote a book about to our cocktail parties and he's like, we should have these like on a monthly basis, just get people together. Doesn't even matter what it's about just getting together for two hours and see what happens. And I think it's[00:18:03] John Lehr: Hard out after two hours, 2[00:18:05] Stuart: hours. It's yeah. Yeah, he committed me to doing one of these. So I'm I'm excited to see how it goes. The beginning of november, I'm going to be doing it, but I think that's really important is to get out in front of people and see them and see what the interaction is between,[00:18:19] John Lehr: How are you going to end it after two hours? What are you gonna do? I[00:18:22] Stuart: don't know, he wrote a book. So I'm in the middle of the book and I need to figure out, I haven't gotten to that part. The end part where it's like, alright, please leave the hounds will be released, you know? But yeah, so I I love it. And I think especially if it can be around like a, like a performance, I think it's wonderful. I think it really does. A lot of, a lot of cool things for people hits those endorphins and they get to experience something they've never experienced before.[00:18:51] John Lehr: It's true. There really people are really thrilled after when they come up to us. They're just like this was so cool and your[00:19:00] Jay Martel: expectations are also low, right? Because you know, they don't know what they walked into there. Like we just, you know, a friend of ours said they were doing something in their backyard and we walked over so That I think those reduced expectations. I mean it's not like you bought like a $300 ticket for a Broadway show where it's like, Okay, show me[00:19:22] Stuart: all cylinders, I[00:19:26] Jay Martel: will say on our behalf, we don't have the benefit of like that those broadway shows have like, like lights and stage, you know,[00:19:37] Stuart: amazon amazon wish list, you can put the lights on there, that's cheap. You could do that for very little money. Um So john now you've had an experience where you've made a show for Hulu recently. Right, And then you've got a pretty long career as an actor. What are some roles that like really stick out to you as like, these are the ones that you think people should go back and review.[00:20:05] John Lehr: What[00:20:06] Stuart: are the ones that you think you just nailed on them, nailed them?[00:20:11] John Lehr: Well, I never think I nailed anything.[00:20:13] Stuart: Anybody who's in, anybody who does any performer. Yeah,[00:20:18] John Lehr: you never really feel like, okay, that one. Uh I think, you know, Quick Draw, which is the show I did for hulu is probably the one I'm most proud of. I, I created the show, I wrote the show and I started the show. So, I mean, you know, that's my baby. Uh and then I had the same sort of experience with the show called 10 items or less, which was on Tbs, which is, I think you can still find it out there probably on hulu or crackle. Um and then a show that many people haven't seen and it's very difficult to get a hold of, but it's called jailbait and this,[00:20:54] Stuart: this[00:20:55] John Lehr: is one of jay's favorites. It's so wrong. I wonder how it would play now. Anyway, my character gets jail, gets thrown in jail and there's, you can imagine it was, there was a show called Oz on HBO,[00:21:10] Stuart: which yes, it was[00:21:11] John Lehr: hardcore prison Drama. And so our idea was to do a comedy version of that. This is before Orange is the New Black or you know, um so it ran on crackle Sony's uh website um streaming service, but it was pulled because they they use advertisements and the advertising people are like this,[00:21:35] Stuart: we can't[00:21:36] John Lehr: we can't. But yeah, and you know, it was the Geico Caveman, which is, you know, um so, you know, I don't know, I mean, I all I did I I didn't have to do much, I just wear the makeup and they let me improv a lot, but people really liked it.[00:21:53] Stuart: So[00:21:53] John Lehr: yeah, I[00:21:54] Stuart: mean that one, that one kind of hit the zeitgeist a little bit. I mean, really it did. So that that's pretty remarkable. And did you get your start doing improv? Like, what did you, what did you do to get in? Okay,[00:22:06] John Lehr: So I started in, I went to school at Northwestern in Chicago and they had an improv show because, you know, they're they're outside of Chicago, the mecca of improv. And they had an improv show in at the university that I auditioned for and I could not believe you could say whatever you wanted on stage.[00:22:25] Stuart: I[00:22:27] John Lehr: just couldn't believe[00:22:28] Jay Martel: it. You were one of those guys who were like, when they first saw improv, they were like, I've been waiting all my life for this. Like, you and your brother had been doing improv for years and not knowing it,[00:22:40] John Lehr: right, right? All my all my[00:22:42] Jay Martel: life jay's[00:22:44] John Lehr: absolutely right. My me and my friends in Kansas were basically doing improv. We just didn't know that's what it was. We were just trying to crack each other up. So and so then I was off and running and I was in I was in Chicago, I did improv second city, I did improv at the organic, I did all over Chicago and then uh was discovered by by a talent scout and brought out to L. A. And then I pissed all that away with doing drugs and alcohol. Then I got sober and started a career.[00:23:13] Stuart: Well, I mean, at some point you gotta hit that point in your career, the drugs and alcohol has to happen. It's not, it's inevitable because[00:23:21] John Lehr: I'm just thrilled I survived[00:23:24] Stuart: because[00:23:24] John Lehr: a lot of my friends didn't, you know? So here I am.[00:23:29] Stuart: And then j how do you, how do you, how does someone get to be a writer? Like how do you, that is like the most mysterious um like job or career I can think of is how do you get to be a writer? I know you're supposed to write, but like I've done that, I'm still not a writer. How do you become one? Well,[00:23:49] Jay Martel: I think, you know, when I grew up it was there was more of a path to being a writer because there was more journalism, there was more magazines, there was more newspapers and I grew up reading my local newspaper front to back, you know, and loving all the colonists and loving and want and I wanted to be a journalist, you know, that's what I wanted to be and uh, and then you know, it's just that morphed into working in magazines and newspapers on my, you know, college high school every you know, and just going out and then I moved to new york to be, to work at newsweek and ended up writing articles for Rolling Stone and, and then that just kind of I guess because I was writing about tv for Rolling Stone, I had a moment where I was just like, why am I writing about this? I really actually want to be doing[00:24:40] Stuart: it very cool. You, you and I were probably the two most popular kids in high school because I was, I was so into journalism on my class ring. That's what I had was the journalism thing.[00:24:52] John Lehr: Yeah,[00:24:53] Stuart: definitely. I crushed it in high school.[00:24:57] John Lehr: That's better than the comedy drama mask.[00:25:00] Stuart: I, you[00:25:01] Jay Martel: know,[00:25:03] John Lehr: yeah, jesus,[00:25:05] Stuart: do you even have your class ring anymore? Is that no, who cares about?[00:25:10] Jay Martel: It wasn't cool, cool.[00:25:12] John Lehr: I had one, I don't know what[00:25:15] Jay Martel: happened to, you know,[00:25:17] Stuart: My mom bought it for me and like it showed up and she's like, I got this for you wasn't great through it in a drawer and never looked at it again. Want swamp, that's $200. She'll never get back.[00:25:31] Jay Martel: She cut off her fingers.[00:25:34] Stuart: Yeah, it was terrible. It was terrible[00:25:36] John Lehr: sold a kidney[00:25:38] Stuart: wamp wamp. What, what do you guys besides speed bump? Like, what are some things that you're excited about that you're doing, john john we talked a little bit about it ahead of time. I don't know if you want to reveal any of that, but yeah, go ahead.[00:25:53] John Lehr: I'm pitching a show right now with bob Clendenin who has been on a, you know, bunch of the shows that I've done. He was on quick, anybody who sees a picture of bob[00:26:05] Stuart: is[00:26:06] John Lehr: like, oh my God, that guy, he's so funny and he's just a wonderful guy. And uh, and so yeah, that's what I'm doing right now with him and doing the play with jay and I've been doing a lot of live stuff. I've been traveling a lot people really, you know, I chalk it up to the post pandemic people want, Yeah. Live experience, it seems. So I've been traveling a bunch. I got a bunch more ahead of me. I'm going to Dallas and Chicago. I just got back from Toronto. I'm going to Austria in january and I haven't even told jay this. I just got a gig it for Norway. I mean,[00:26:44] Stuart: it's,[00:26:45] John Lehr: yeah, it's[00:26:47] Jay Martel: all these countries want you to come teach them how to improvise in english. Yes.[00:26:53] John Lehr: They want me to perform and then teach them how I did it for the camera.[00:26:58] Jay Martel: Yeah, Really,[00:27:00] Stuart: that's so do you do stand up in those situations or what do you do?[00:27:04] John Lehr: I do do a solo show that is like stand up and do that for a lot of charity events and and things like that. But but I also do a an improv show with uh this improviser. Susan messing, who's this amazing legendary improviser improviser in Chicago?[00:27:22] Stuart: That's amazing. Yeah. You've obviously done some stand up then. You've done[00:27:27] John Lehr: that. J[00:27:29] Stuart: have you ever done any stand[00:27:30] Jay Martel: Up? I did 1 1. Very, very tight set uh in my career. When[00:27:38] John Lehr: you say tight, what do you mean?[00:27:41] Jay Martel: It was all gold, john[00:27:43] John Lehr: wow![00:27:44] Jay Martel: eight minutes of your unadulterated gold.[00:27:47] Stuart: And at that point you just dropped the mic and never hit the stage again. Right.[00:27:51] Jay Martel: You know, you've painted the mona lisa, you just walk away.[00:27:56] Stuart: Can[00:27:57] John Lehr: you remember a joke from that?[00:27:59] Jay Martel: But you don't want it?[00:28:03] John Lehr: What, what decade was this?[00:28:06] Jay Martel: Oh, this is 1979.[00:28:10] Stuart: Yeah.[00:28:12] Jay Martel: Reference it was a Star Heavy Star trek.[00:28:14] John Lehr: Yeah.[00:28:16] Stuart: Oh yeah, I mean crowds love that.[00:28:19] John Lehr: The correct[00:28:20] Stuart: crowd actually really does love that. But like[00:28:23] John Lehr: the Star Wars stuff probably still plays[00:28:27] Stuart: Oh yeah,[00:28:28] John Lehr: you break that stuff out. That's fucking green man, That'll go forever.[00:28:32] Stuart: Forever. Um Yeah, I am. I realized after doing stand up for a short period of time, I am not cut out for stand up, but I do love improv, so I can appreciate really, really good improv um but I, I, I find anymore even with stand up like if they're not doing well, I feel bad for them and I will pity laugh which is the worst thing you could do right?[00:28:56] Jay Martel: Well, improv was kind of the same when it's bad. It's very bad when it's, it's very good. But um in terms of doing it, it's a lot less lonely bombing uh with other people on stage. Yeah,[00:29:09] Stuart: because if you're with someone good they can pick up the slack, which is fantastic.[00:29:14] John Lehr: Yeah, they'll save you.[00:29:16] Stuart: Yeah, Yeah, that's their job. Yeah. Have you ever had john have you ever had an experience with improv where you were with somebody on the stage and it was just awful like they were just chewing up the time and you, you couldn't figure out, do you have a specific example that you can think of?[00:29:35] John Lehr: I have, I could give you a dozen, but the one that sticks out the most was at a bar called Sheba's in Chicago on Southport where it they had a stage but they had monitors around the proscenium of the stage and the monitors were playing the Blackhawks who were the hockey team in Chicago in[00:29:57] Jay Martel: the Yeah,[00:29:59] John Lehr: and and it was the Stanley cup, they were playing for the cup, but it was the fine, you know the semifinals or whatever and it was the tournament and we were performing and they left him going without the sound on and people were piste off. And I remember a guy and this was a terrible, this was my earlier groups and we were just terrible. It was called, just to give you a sense the name of the group was called random sample. So that's just[00:30:24] Jay Martel: something.[00:30:26] John Lehr: And um, I was doing something with somebody and a guy goes, you suck. And then, and I was like, oh, he thinks we suck and, and he made eye contact with me and he goes, no, you, you suck.[00:30:40] Jay Martel: That's[00:30:44] Stuart: a little demoralizing when you're on stage. Like, maybe I shouldn't keep[00:30:48] Jay Martel: going. You know, you must have appreciated his specificity.[00:30:52] John Lehr: I did. I did. I, well it hurt, it hurt bad and then I drank it all away and turned it into cancer.[00:30:59] Stuart: There you go. How do you, how did you play off of that? Did you at all? Or did you just go, no, I'm going to go into the shell. Just leave it[00:31:07] John Lehr: at that point. It was, I have a joke with j like if the play doesn't, if we forget lines in the play, we just get in the car and drive away[00:31:15] Stuart: and just[00:31:19] John Lehr: go and you just kind of, I just went into that mode of like, oh, sh it, this is[00:31:24] Jay Martel: this is this[00:31:25] John Lehr: gig is[00:31:25] Jay Martel: over. I[00:31:27] John Lehr: get to the alcohol fast, right,[00:31:30] Jay Martel: Right.[00:31:32] Stuart: And then jay, um, you've, you've written so much stuff. Have you ever had a situation where somebody was performing something you'd written and you were just like, oh man, you can't get this any worse, you can't do this any more wrong than the way you're doing it and I as a writer, you get some input I imagine, but the director's got most of that, so I wonder how how does that play out when you, when you get into that situation?[00:32:00] Jay Martel: Well, I mean there's a lot of different levels to that. There's there's the immediate thing of like writing something for the stage and then seeing it done poorly and or or not not, I mean, let me just say as a writer unless you unless you're doing it yourself or or or directing it yourself, it's rarely like you see it in your head, but that's part of the beauty of the whole thing, right? It's a collaborative medium, so you you other people are bringing their vision to it and you have to allow for that. And a lot of times, I just have to, like, I'm not gonna say anything because that's just different, that's just a different vision, it's not wrong or right, you know? Exactly, and it's hard because being a writer, people, the only reason people become writers is because they're control freaks and they want to control everything. That's why it's just there and the page and that's, you know, so that you you have to really force yourself to let go, right,[00:32:58] John Lehr: but you don't do that in rehearsals. He just says wrong when I say one of his lines wrong. No,[00:33:04] Jay Martel: what's more john once[00:33:06] John Lehr: again again.[00:33:08] Jay Martel: Yeah,[00:33:10] Stuart: cut[00:33:13] John Lehr: will be like, what do I smell? Oh, it's ship coming out of your mouth.[00:33:20] Jay Martel: Well,[00:33:22] Stuart: at least at least he's gentle about it. You know, like you just don't want to hurt anybody's feelings[00:33:27] John Lehr: with a, with a shot caller once for a rehearsal. Like those dogs shotgun would just hit me with a three or a[00:33:34] Stuart: two. Yeah,[00:33:39] John Lehr: it's true. He's right. It did[00:33:41] Stuart: work. So with the play, you how much play is in the play? Is it, is it? It's not an improvised play. It's a scripted play. Yeah. Does that make it more[00:33:52] John Lehr: difficult[00:33:53] Stuart: for[00:33:54] John Lehr: me? It is I don't do a lot of heavily scripted stuff. I mean I, I didn't, I did weirdly the year during the pandemic. I did a two person a movie that was a low budget movie and it was just the two of us. And so it was kind of like, like you had to know every scene because it moved, had to move fast because they didn't have a lot of money, but still you get to do, you do a scene and then if you screw it up, you get to do it again. So a play is a totally thing. So it's, it's hard, it's a lot to learn thick. That's a thick play. j laid on.[00:34:37] Jay Martel: We would have not done it except at some point. We we we realized that it would be easier just to finish memorizing it than to stop. It was like Vietnam like in 1968[00:34:51] Stuart: we just got to finish it. That's all we gotta do. Just finish it.[00:34:54] Jay Martel: You know, like the smart thing to do would just be to withdraw all our forces, but let's just bomb the fun out of all the countries in Southeast Asia[00:35:04] John Lehr: just[00:35:05] Jay Martel: blow it all up. And so that's what that was all we had to go through to the other side. Yeah, we're[00:35:12] John Lehr: in the we're in the napalm stage right now.[00:35:15] Stuart: Oh my goodness. Yeah. Those poor audiences right there. Like I don't know what just happened to get me to the emergency room.[00:35:22] Jay Martel: You know, like I think what happens, you know, we've had, we've had rough rehearsals where we've gone up a lot and and have no idea what what comes next. But I think what happens in performances that adrenaline kicks in and the adrenaline is your friend, you know, like it's like helping those people there and the possibility for group shame and humiliation, that's[00:35:47] Stuart: really what we're doing is just avoiding that as much as possible. That's the[00:35:50] John Lehr: sheer fear of looking like an idiot. It motivates[00:35:56] Jay Martel: you. It's so funny too because I I vacillate during the average performance. I vacillate so wildly between bravado and abject terror. You know, like, well, normally I'd be like, oh my God, I'm sucking nailing this, and, like, I have no idea what comes next.[00:36:11] Stuart: You're like, oh man, you're looking at your hand. It's all smeared because you wrote down the words, but it's now smeared because you've got so much sweat on your hands,[00:36:20] John Lehr: Like, when your when your partner's doing a speech and you don't know the line that you're supposed to say at the end of it, it's like the cold hands.[00:36:28] Jay Martel: Yeah,[00:36:29] John Lehr: just grab your heart,[00:36:31] Jay Martel: you know, it's[00:36:31] John Lehr: just like, what is it? What is it, what is[00:36:34] Jay Martel: it? Just[00:36:35] Stuart: shout out off, off, off to the stage line, and it's like, there's nobody there to give it to you,[00:36:40] John Lehr: what are you gonna do? I[00:36:43] Jay Martel: realized that the biggest accuse you can give anyone in the play is a line, like, what? Or really?[00:36:54] John Lehr: Will there be lines that are kind of similar, but they're[00:36:58] Stuart: slightly[00:36:59] John Lehr: different. Oh my God, it's horrible. But we've got it, We're doing pretty good.[00:37:06] Stuart: Yeah, I mean, it sounds like you guys are professionals. That's how you get[00:37:10] Jay Martel: through it.[00:37:15] John Lehr: I guarantee we will not drop one line in the next performance. I may God, strike us[00:37:24] Jay Martel: down.[00:37:27] John Lehr: We[00:37:29] Stuart: weren't expecting thunderclouds tonight. But that's funny. Um how often do you have to rehearse that to get it, like, ingrained for you. Like, how many times? Yeah, no,[00:37:44] John Lehr: it's[00:37:44] Stuart: like, I mean, I'm just curious, like, how much rehearsal does it take a couple of weeks. Has it[00:37:50] John Lehr: been a year of twice? Once or twice a week because we broke up, you know, real lives. Um Right j I don't[00:37:59] Jay Martel: yeah, I mean we'll go we'll go like a couple of months without working on it at all because we don't have any shows coming up and then we'll have like these panicky weeks, learn it in our sleep, you know, we'll sleep on the script, we'll have our wives shouted to us while we're in the shower, you know? Oh my God,[00:38:21] John Lehr: it's[00:38:21] Jay Martel: true. I got this I had this I had a surgery like in august and with general anesthetic. And I was sure that that when I woke up I was like, like my brain and wipe my hard drive of that play. I mean I know who I am and I and I and I and I know like who my friends are but I don't know that play anymore. It's gone. And[00:38:46] John Lehr: it's kind of amazing how much we do remember really, when you think about it? It's weird how that sh it sticks in your brain. I mean it's crazy.[00:38:55] Jay Martel: Yeah,[00:38:56] Stuart: that's that's why[00:38:57] Jay Martel: it's a great play, you know? It all makes sense. I[00:39:01] Stuart: mean every word is gold. Just like your stand up routine.[00:39:05] John Lehr: It is it's well written. Really well written.[00:39:07] Stuart: Yeah I really I I if[00:39:10] John Lehr: if[00:39:10] Stuart: there is any way I could get down to L. A. To go see that I'm I would totally do it. I'll see what I can do.[00:39:16] John Lehr: Yeah. No,[00:39:18] Jay Martel: no. All[00:39:20] Stuart: right. Well, everybody needs to, if you're in the Los Angeles area, please go or if you want to travel to L. A. And see a phenomenal like no holds barred full frontal show, you'll want to hit up speed bump the play. You'll want to go to this website. It's also in the comments, so it's easy to click on. Um, but john J we have to record a sketch. I so badly want to get there to watch it. If I do, I will let everybody know if you can get there and you're in the L. A. Area and you'd love to see these to perform this incredible play in someone's backyard email Andrea at A M C K Pr dot com. That's A N D R E A at A M C K P R dot com. But I'll let john fill us in on all of the things these guys are up to[00:40:17] John Lehr: the best time you can ever have in a lawn chair, please call us up because we will come on over and make your night[00:40:27] Stuart: speed bump the play. Make sure you call, get your tickets asAP selling out fast because there's only so much space in the backyard And now our sketch documentary of the not so superpowered in 3, 2 in a world filled with superheroes. It is hard to make every power relevant. So super beings have taken to hire super talent agents to advocate for their place on super teams. These poor underpowered superhumans cannot face the likes of lex Luther or Doctor Doom alone because as powerful as they are against normal schlubs like you and me, their powers can seem pretty silly against real foes. It takes a team to keep an idiot alive. Let's see how one of these tryouts goes as we go undercover to uncover the trials of one such hero as he tries to join one of these powerful teams as we continue our exploration of the not so super powered. All right, I'm telling you this guy is the best superhero you guys are gonna have on your team. I know that the Avengers right? Like they save the world and all that, but you're going down the right track right on is definitely going to be you're right on time,[00:41:53] John Lehr: he's right,[00:41:54] Stuart: he's very dry, but also he's incredibly powerful and I you know what, here's what I'm going to say, put him in a situation, let's see what he can do and I I guarantee he will be on the Avengers and he will be your number one Avenger before too long,[00:42:09] John Lehr: can I just say it's a little weird that he has an agent. Just I'm just putting that out there.[00:42:15] Stuart: Well, to be honest with you, most of the super heroes now that are not like aligned with a team, they have an agent because it's kind of crowded right now. I don't know if you've looked around at the superhero landscape. I[00:42:27] Jay Martel: agree with you. I beg Stewart not to come to the audition. Um But he just insisted that they write on needed.[00:42:35] John Lehr: You're a superhero who you you can't even keep your agent from coming to your[00:42:39] Jay Martel: I'm it's my character. I'm an I'm an actor auditioning to be this new superhero. So[00:42:47] John Lehr: let's also[00:42:48] Stuart: I'm more than just an agent. I'm a hype man too. That's[00:42:51] John Lehr: that's that's a power in and of itself. We need a hype man here at X. Force if you're interested that we need[00:42:58] Jay Martel: I'm a writer who can write under any circumstances you[00:43:03] Stuart: put them in any situation and he'll right, that's the thing[00:43:06] John Lehr: what happens to the writing then it turns into lasers or what happens when I[00:43:10] Jay Martel: know I've been submitted to these different publishing houses who you know, sometimes they'll they'll pay me for, you know and publish it,[00:43:17] John Lehr: wow. You know what my superpower is? I can make your brain explode inside your head. I am needed on the X Force Team a guy who can write[00:43:28] Stuart: right on is gonna make your head explode after[00:43:32] Jay Martel: the battle. Okay,[00:43:35] John Lehr: okay. All right, let me put you in a situation. Alright, Alright, so the hulk you know who the hulk is. Right,[00:43:43] Stuart: okay,[00:43:43] John Lehr: great. So the hulk has been exposed to some gamma rays that have made him even crazier than he is and he's gone dark on us. He's become red hole. He's coming right at us. But we're all frozen and stasis so I can't make his brain explode. The only person who isn't frozen is right on. What do you do?[00:44:05] Stuart: All right, right on, you can do this.[00:44:07] John Lehr: Okay, He's writing. Okay. Now the hulks already ripped your head off. I mean, what did you write?[00:44:15] Jay Martel: Please don't rip my head[00:44:16] John Lehr: off. Okay. He might read that. Alright, okay.[00:44:20] Stuart: And you were[00:44:20] John Lehr: able to do that under stress?[00:44:22] Jay Martel: Well, yeah, I mean, assuming the hulk was charging at me. Okay.[00:44:26] Stuart: I mean, you think about how fast the hulk charges? That was less than two seconds[00:44:30] John Lehr: initially. I thought it was honestly, I'm gonna say, I thought it was a bullshit talent, but now that I see[00:44:35] Jay Martel: you trying to tell you, you have to see it in practice. You can't just don't[00:44:40] John Lehr: yell at me fucking blow your brain out. Okay,[00:44:43] Stuart: I tell you what, You throw out another scenario. Just one more scenario.[00:44:47] John Lehr: Okay, Okay, I'm super hot for Supergirl and I'm I don't know how to talk to her. I'm embarrassed, but you can slip me notes like cyrano de Bergerac what would you have me say to her? You'd write something down and slip it. He's writing.[00:45:06] Stuart: Okay?[00:45:08] John Lehr: Yes, No, I wanted to be good. Stop yelling at me. I'm gonna. I'm this close to blowing your brain apart[00:45:13] Stuart: and there's no Meteor coming at this point, right? Like there's, there's nothing like, okay, okay, we're just talking[00:45:18] Jay Martel: incredible. Me getting my brain blown up.[00:45:21] John Lehr: All right, just do it. It was always there. I'm just pointing it out[00:45:26] Jay Martel: to you.[00:45:26] John Lehr: Okay, Here it is. Hey, Supergirl. How about getting me souped up girl?[00:45:34] Stuart: I mean, that is like Shakespearean[00:45:37] Jay Martel: on, right on[00:45:40] Stuart: your welcome[00:45:41] John Lehr: to the team. Get him a suit. Let's get him a really tight suit.[00:45:45] Stuart: Any scenario right on is going to absolutely tear it up on the page.[00:45:50] John Lehr: Okay, Okay, well let's, we'll tear it up. I don't want him to tear up the page then we wouldn't be able to read it, but I know I'm following. I'm following. I'm following. Okay, right on a fan is coming at you and they want an autograph. What do you do?[00:46:06] Stuart: Come on, Right on. You can do it. What gives? Why did you blow up his brain?[00:46:14] John Lehr: I didn't, I didn't do anything.[00:46:18] Stuart: Thank you so much for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. We hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it. Make sure to head over to sketch comedy podcast show dot com there. You can subscribe to the show, Head over to youtube and watch some of the videos and sketches we've done there. Maybe head over to Patreon and become a patron to the show that would be so much appreciated or you can leave a review someplace or if you're feeling really saucy apply to be on the show. I appreciate every single one of you that listens to the show and I would love to hear more from you. Now I've got to get this out of the way, sketch comedy podcast show is protected under a creative commons attribution, no derivatives four point oh international license. Which means that if you would like to reproduce anything in the show, please contact the show so that I can get you the right material for it. And also, this show is copyright 2022 Stewart rice. Every day we are given a choice. Can we do the funny thing or the not so funny thing. I'm going to urge you to do the funny thing today and create an improvised comedy adventure of your own. Take care. See you next episode. This has been delightful. Thank you guys so much for being on the show[00:47:48] John Lehr: Stewart. Thank you, man. This was fun.[00:47:51] Stuart: Good, good. I'm glad to hear it. Um, all right, well, uh, that's it for the show. Thank you so much. Take care.[00:47:59] John Lehr: Take care. Bye.

Easter is a hard one. Really, the only reason I enjoy Easter is because I love Cadbury Eggs, Deviled Eggs, and egg-shaped decorations. They might as well just call it "Egg Day" for me. However, there is a lot of religion mixed in with those eggs. Some of that religion has to do with a mythical creature that defied logic and physics, and the other half of the holiday has something to do with a rabbit. Easter is really confusing.In this compilation of sketches, we dig into the more religious aspect of the holiday in an attempt to thinly vail our desire to make fun of religion. And yes, this is very much a Christian/Catholic holiday, so we spend the entire time making fun of them, and a little Scientology for fun.Enjoy! Or not! If you get angry, please email the show at sketchcomedypodcastshow@gmail.com and let us know!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Sometimes we just need a little help. For instance, we recently bought some frogs and had to buy all of the things that go along with that: tank, filter, rocks, the actual frogs, etc. We didn’t know how to do it, so we sought the aid of the person at the pet store. That’s a good example. What if your issue was that you couldn’t help yourself from jizzing too quickly. Maybe, in that case, you would seek the assistance from this episode’s guest.

Jeff Abraham was a successful tech exec who decided that, in order to make a dent in the universe and the world a better place, he would need to help men from popping too quickly. So, after retiring from semi-conductors he went to work developing a spray for delay so that gentlemen could last longer and give them and their partners an opportunity to enjoy sex more.

It worked! Now Jeff is busier than when he was slinging silicon. We talk about developing this spray and why Jeff thought that such a necessity in world. We also talk about lifestyles and how he learned about diversity, why he is such an advocate for BLM, feminism, and smoking pot. If you think the CEO of your company is pretty lame, Jeff gives you hope that there are cool CEOs out there. It’s a great story.

This episode’s sketch: “Are They Experienced?!?”

For more episodes, information, and apply to be on the show, visit: http://sketchcomedypodcastshow.com

Sketch Comedy Podcast Show is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© Copyright 2021 Stuart Rice

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MORE ABOUT THE GUEST

Jeff is the CEO of Promescent, a company who’s motto is “Better in Bed” and has the tools to help us achieve that. Focusing on making sure that their products are pleasurable, stress free, empowering, discreet, and safe, Promescent consults with doctors for advisory and review, and sex experts to make sure that these products work! 

Jeff’s focus is to make sure that sexual pleasure is universal for everyone, and has an extensive line of products has phenomenal selections for both women and men, making sure that everyone has a good time!

You can even get personal recommendations on the website!

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Stuart: in this episode, Jeff Abraham Ceo of Promescent, makers of a magic boner potion and I came up with a few sketches, semiconductor sales because that's what you did. But just kind of like a preface to everything that you do later on in your life. Just constantly using sexual innuendo In your sales pitches for semiconductors for getting to heaven and seeing 47 version virgins and just going and then asking if there's something else that you could get like 47 sandwiches or something the opposite. The exact opposite of promising to reveal too much. But I actually have the exact opposite issue. Let[00:00:47] Jeff Abraham: me tell you something that's really not an issue for your partner. It's more of an issue for you.[00:00:52] Stuart: That last one wasn't exactly an advertisement or was it? Which one of these did we pick? You'll find out on this episode of it's a sketch comedy podcast show. Welcome to sketch comedy podcast show. The one of a kind show where I Stuart rice invite interesting people to have intriguing conversations and then improvise a comedy sketch based on what we talked about. It's the only show like it on the internet. You know, sometimes we just need a little help. For instance, I recently had to buy some frogs for the family and we had to buy all the things that go along with that, you know, the tank, the filter, the rocks, the actual frogs, etcetera. We didn't know how to do it. So we sought the aid of the person at the pet store. That's a good example. What if your issue was that you couldn't help yourself from Gisin too quickly, Maybe in that case you would seek the assistance of this episode's guest, Jeff Abraham was a successful tech execs who decided that in order to make a dent in the universe and the world a better place, he would need to help men from popping too quickly. So after retiring from semiconductors, he went to work developing a spray for delay so that gentleman could last longer and give them and their partners an opportunity to enjoy sex. More. It worked. Now Jeff is busier than when he was slinging silicon. We talked about developing this spray and why Jeff thought that it was such a necessity for the world. We also talked about lifestyles and how he learned about diversity, which is why he's such an advocate for blm feminism and smoking pot. If you think the ceo of your company is pretty lame, Jeff gives you hope that there are some cool ceo? S out there, it's a pretty great story. And now my conversation with Jeff Abraham Ceo of promicin makers of a magic boner potion. Jeff, thanks so much for joining us. How are you doing[00:02:51] Jeff Abraham: pleasure? Excellent. I'm doing really well. It's a it's a pleasure to be on.[00:02:55] Stuart: It's a pleasure to have you on. I've got a quick question for[00:02:58] Jeff Abraham: you,[00:02:59] Stuart: what makes you interesting,[00:03:02] Jeff Abraham: What makes me interesting? I think the fact that I'm a 64 year old white ceo? That is a vicious supporter of Black Lives Matter. That is a vicious supporter of women's equality and rights that still openly freely admit that, you know, I love to get high and alcohol is not my Drug of choice. The fact that I'm the ceo of a sexual wellness company after a 30-year distinguished career as a semiconductor executive and retiring, which is the most circuitous route ever to becoming the ceo of a sexual wellness company that you could possibly ever take. And I decided to retire at 53 because I have lupus and diabetes and I had had good success and here I am working twice as hard as I did in my first career. You know, I'm multilayered, you know, like almost everybody remind you of someone else. People tell me there's no one that reminds me of you, you know what I mean? Like you obviously do not give a ship, you know what I mean? And I go, no, I don't. I really don't because to me life is about experiences and there are no mistakes if you learn from them, except if they're tragic and they kill you. That's obviously a mistake. You know what I mean? I told my son when he was growing up, you know, Really and truly embrace life. Live. It just don't make mistakes that aren't correctable. Like you go to jail for 10 years, you die, you know what I mean? Like those are mistakes that alter your life in a negative way forever. You know, but feel free to march to the beat of your own drummer, feel free to experience life and follow your instincts and you know, I learned that at an early age probably in my late twenties, early thirties. I wish I would have learned it earlier and I tried to tell my son as friends and other young friends that I have the sooner that you self actualize and get to the feeling you stop giving a shit about what other people think the happier you're gonna be.[00:04:56] Stuart: Yeah. Um, well that's a, you know, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? That you've got to feel that safety first and I think that's, that's the part that a lot of people miss out on is the safety aspect because you can't get to that self actualization until, until you get past the safe.[00:05:11] Jeff Abraham: I actually love being on edge. Love to me, safety is the most overrated virtue in life. You know what I mean? Like you don't really get to experience a lot if you just cling to the safe. You know, I grew up really poor. We didn't have much And I remember that I had a reasonable job out of college. I was making 24 grand a year and this is 1979 had a company car, an expense account. Like my relatives thought I was warren Buffett, I quit about a one way ticket flew to California like, oh my God, I'm like, trust me, you know, there's more to life and within 10 years I have been extremely successful and I was making 100 and 70 grand a year and this was in 1989 company car expense of the whole thing and oh my God, you've made it. And I walked away and started my own company from scratch, Everyone's freaking out and then I retired and then came back to this. And you know, it's funny every time someone always asked me like, what is your contingency plan? I go, I don't have a fucking contingency plan, what do you mean? I go, if you have a contingency plan, you go, well, if things don't work out well this is my fallback position, this thing is shipped first time, that's just starts going bad. You turn around okay, should I pull the ripcord? No, no, no, no, no. You want to start something, put your heart and soul into it. The question is whether you're going to succeed, it's what it takes to succeed. You turn around instead of having a limb or you know what a contingency plan you saw it off behind you and you go, I'm in, okay, I will do whatever it takes to make this successful, That's always been my approach and fortunately for me it's worked. If it wouldn't have worked, I would have said should I should have had a continued, probably[00:06:52] Stuart: a little different different worldview.[00:06:55] Jeff Abraham: It's made it work so, you know, I'm gonna quit after this one just so I don't press my luck, you know what I mean? My whole life, I didn't need a contingency plan and if I fucking blow it then I'll go, you idiot. You got lucky the first three times. You know what I mean? So I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna push it after this. Let's[00:07:13] Stuart: talk about pushing it because you did talk about being a advocate for female rights, right? And it sounds like you're a big advocate for female rights in the bedroom because you came up with a, a thing that you guys might be very interested in correct?[00:07:31] Jeff Abraham: Yeah. Our first product was a male delay spray and it allowed men to extend their time, uh, to achieve climax. And so they were able to have a much longer duration of intercourse prior to ejaculating. And here's what I tell people. Like you always hear those jokes and, you know, memes about, you know, finishing before your partner finishing too quickly earlier premature ejaculation. If a man prematurely or early ejaculate, he still ejaculate. He still has a, you know, an orgasm. He gets to the promised land. The females on the other side going, excuse me, sailor. Okay, how about me? I'm over here? Okay, I mean, even though it only lasted 30 seconds or two minutes, you still, you know, got your just reward. What about me? And so women embraced our product as enthusiastically, if not more enthusiastically than men did. And there's another myth that it is very misplaced, that a lot of people think that a man who doesn't last long enough doesn't want to satisfy his partner, doesn't care about his partner, nothing could be further from the truth. Every man wants that feeling like I am taking care of my woman. It's an animalistic instinct. No matter what anyone tells you, they are lying. If they say they don't feel better after having quality orgasms, providing them for their partner as well. Okay, Every man wants to feel like William the conqueror, You know what I mean? Like I came, I saw I conquered, you know, every man, most of them don't do it, but some of them might still, after giving a woman a tremendous orgasm, wants to get out, stand up and beat his chest and go, how's that doing? You know what I mean? Like, it's just part of who we are. That's why there's so many people in the world, okay, It's a great feeling to procreate and, you know, to have sex and have orgasms. And I will tell you this, I think there'd be a lot less violence and road rage in the world and everything else, if more people were having consistent quality orgasms. I think there's a reason why people fly planes into buildings and suicide bombers, and there are always some religious clowns that fucking don't believe in premarital sex, you know what I mean? And think that by doing that they get 47 virgins, you know what I mean? Or whatever the number is, or 17 when they go to heaven. You know, personally, I've never really kind of bought into that. Okay, maybe give me one version after that kind of a little bit of experience. You know what I mean?[00:09:58] Stuart: Like, Yeah, I don't, I never understood that. I mean, basically you're gonna be in a, whatever, a room or a palace or wherever you end up, but they're gonna be with a bunch of people that are gonna look at it like in a scared manner and they're gonna be very[00:10:12] Jeff Abraham: sensitive if they have no experience, I'd be like, hey honey, a little less teeth, you know what I mean? Like, you know what I mean? Like, and you know, I don't want to be like having a nickname of buster Hyman, you know what I mean? Like that's all I do. Like every single time, it's like, it's gonna be traumatic. Oh my God, you're gonna think about me forever. Because I remember when I was in college, there were a couple occasions where, you know, we got to the point where about to have sex in my partner at the time was like, oh, I've never been with some before. I'm like, okay, I don't think it's a good idea because you know, your first should be special. You're gonna remember it, you know what I mean? Like and this doesn't mean anything to me kind of thing. You know what I mean? So I'm not sure if someone said to me, you're gonna get a reward of 17 versions. I'd be like, how about 17 victoria's secret supermodels? You know what I mean? Like that would be a lot better because I'm assuming they have some experience and you know, might, you know, be able to teach me a few things. You know what I mean? Rather than me feeling like I'm a teacher, you know that kind of a thing. So[00:11:06] Stuart: I mean I guess the one aspect of that is sort of like, like you're talking about like I guess you get that uh that feeling of conquering something brand new, right? Like maybe that's the appeal. But I honestly I've I've never been with a virgin and[00:11:22] Jeff Abraham: I came here twice. I had the situation. I was like, no, no, no, no, no. I think you need to find some little more into this. You know what I mean? Like yeah[00:11:32] Stuart: pump[00:11:32] Jeff Abraham: it's not my thing. Never have been, You know the idea of 17 in a row. I'd be like whoa okay, can we throw a pro in here? You know what I mean? Like just to break it up.[00:11:42] Stuart: But I mean maybe those guys are gonna be quick, right? So it's like two minutes[00:11:46] Jeff Abraham: good point. Yeah, if they've been saving up all these times, they'd be in and out, you know what I mean?[00:11:51] Stuart: Like eggs and those poor virgins, like that's their first experiences this like really rotten, just he's terrible,[00:12:00] Jeff Abraham: you know, come to think of it, you're right, you're going to get you know the guy that flew the plane into the World Trade Center, you know what I mean? Who's supposedly never had sex, you know? And he's gonna be your initiation. Oh[00:12:13] Stuart: that's I mean it's heaven for them to write like that's that's their version of heaven, like Yeah,[00:12:19] Jeff Abraham: that's my version of Hill, you know what I[00:12:21] Stuart: mean? Yeah, exactly.[00:12:22] Jeff Abraham: Seriously, we want someone in that relationship having a proof of purchase, you know what I mean? Somebody somebody in there having a just a little bit of street cred, you know what I mean? Like? Yeah, I've been around at least halfway around the block once before, you know, maybe not all the way around but halfway.[00:12:36] Stuart: Right. Right, so now you came up with this formula, right? You came up with this stuff that or you know,[00:12:43] Jeff Abraham: I was in the early formulation of the product. It was actually my good friend, my next door neighbor and my doctor who was the urologist who developed the product. Dr Ronald Gilbert who was a urologist at Hope Hospital in Newport Beach. So he's the one who was the real genius behind the product and I was the business mind that made it successful. But the idea of me actually formulating something Not likely not 25 more the next. Now if I did that, maybe I could ask for 17 Victoria's secret supermodels. It would be such an accomplishment for me to have the scientific mind to do that. You know, it would be a real long shot but I'll give it a go if that was waiting for me at the end, you know?[00:13:28] Stuart: Yeah,[00:13:30] Jeff Abraham: yeah. You know one of those charts with the whatever those things are, the formulas on the back of all the elements and everything. As a matter of fact, if truth be told, you, give me one, give me, you know, uh, what's her name? Olivia culpo or you know what I mean? Like just uh, you know, throw in alexandria ambrosia, just one of them will work, you know what I mean? And I'll go right to work.[00:13:53] Stuart: Right, Right,[00:13:54] Jeff Abraham: right.[00:13:56] Stuart: Yeah, I mean money's nice, but let's face it, what are we using the money for? That's what I'm saying.[00:14:03] Jeff Abraham: A friend of mine had this conversation, this was about a year ago and we started really, really breaking down what in your life isn't really either directly or loosely affiliated with you getting either women or men higher quality partners. Okay, If you really think about it, Obviously the more money you accumulate, the more power you accumulate your dating options become much stronger. That's just a fact and anyone who says that's not true, is full of ship. That's a fact. Okay. People go to the gym and they're like, I just love the fact that it makes me feel better about myself bullshit. Okay, If that's the case, you'd be probably climbing a mountain somewhere, you know what I mean? Instead of going to a gym and prancing around, making sure you had your finest lululemon on both men and women. Okay. Seriously? Okay. You know, getting facials, getting your haircut, getting your beard trimmed. Everything is always about making yourself really as palatable, as attractive as you can to the opposite sex or the same sex depending upon your orientation. And to be honest with you, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Why do we have to deny that and pretend that that's really not the motive behind because the ability to be with someone, not just from a sexual standpoint, everybody wants to have someone special, everybody wants to feel loved, everybody wants to feel connected. Okay. And a lot of what we do is directly attributable to increasing our options to finding that person or if you have that person keeping that person[00:15:51] Stuart: Oh yeah. So I, lately, my girlfriend's been going to the gym right all of a sudden I was like, wait a second, I'm not going to the gym. So I bought a kettlebell and now like at home while I watch youtube videos in the morning, that's what I'm doing is[00:16:07] Jeff Abraham: dumping it out. You're going just in case he's in the gym and goes, you know, this guy is almost as funny, you know, a good guy, but he's got a little more toned. You're going wait a second.[00:16:17] Stuart: Yeah, better,[00:16:18] Jeff Abraham: better, better[00:16:19] Stuart: at at least an inch to the, to the arms or something, right?[00:16:23] Jeff Abraham: Yeah, yeah,[00:16:25] Stuart: Yeah. No, that's 100% true. I, I actually agree with you and I actually also agree with you on, you know, I think it's, I I wish we sex work and all those types of things like those are important things. I wish we could integrate into our society in a safe manner.[00:16:41] Jeff Abraham: There were certain things, if there's one thing that prohibition taught us, you can't legislate morality, all you do is drive it underground and that's why this whole bullshit in texas, We're outlawing abortion, fuck you and the horse. You rode in on your in texas. So you're probably on a horse, you know what I mean? Because you're not ending abortion. Okay, what you're doing is forcing people to go to a back alley or some unauthorized clinic and you're making it more dangerous to get abortion. Okay. The idea that weed was outlawed until it's still outlawed in some states, but what is it? 20 states now? Are you fucking kidding me? Okay. The idea of weed being dangerous, but alcohol not being dangerous is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life, I've been high 3000 times in my life, okay, there are three things that I like to do if I'm high, listen to music, have a sandwich or make love to whoever I'm dating or you know whatever, okay, none of those three things are going well, I was gonna say none of those three things are bad, but you better talk to whoever I'm dating, I know two of them aren't bad. Maybe maybe who are my partners? Go, well, the ones marginal I put up with it okay, but those things aren't violent, they're not dangerous, at least to me, you know what I mean? But when you drink you tend to get loud argumentative, you get into arguments, you get into fights, you're dancing around in the club with a lampshade on your head. God forbid you get behind the wheel, you know what I mean? And you're driving swerving at all, I'm fine. It loosens inhibitions. If you ever get behind the wheel and you're high, you're driving four miles an hour. You put on your turn signal 20 minutes before you turn. If you hit something, you won't even dent it, you're only going four miles an hour. The car just stops, you know what I mean? I've never been in a fight when I was high. If someone like started like, you know, squaring up on me and go dude, have a sandwich here, listen to music and make it up to your girlfriend if that doesn't work here, make love to mind. I'm not in the mood to fight, you know what I mean? Like whatever so I can just sit here and enjoy my buzz, you know what I mean? Like let's not, let's not really get physical here, you know what I mean? And so I never understood that and I remember when I lived in California before I moved here, it was like, well they made it for medical reasons. Fuck you okay. Yeah. So right next to every weed shop, there was a doctor's office. You go in there and go tell me you have a migraine, okay, have a migraine. Okay, here's your[00:19:04] Stuart: prescription. Really?[00:19:06] Jeff Abraham: Okay. Are we in that stage that we have to have an excuse? I mean it's ridiculous. Okay, weed is less dangerous than alcohol in many respects now. The fact that you can Vape it or have a gummy or whatever, it doesn't even ruin your lungs. Okay, so it's even more, you know like safe. So I never quite understood that that whole circle. Plus[00:19:30] Stuart: Jeff, have you ever met anybody who was like, you know, I would smoke the reefer, but the law says no one that I've never met that person that was like, oh, you know, I'd be really into it. But you know the law?[00:19:44] Jeff Abraham: The law. Yeah, I would really like to, you know, hit up the Vape right now, but I'm not sure it's legal in this county.[00:19:52] Stuart: Yeah,[00:19:53] Jeff Abraham: I hit the Vape first without any question. And I don't give a ship, okay? Whatever the fine is ill, you know, whatever, you know?[00:20:00] Stuart: But, but it's interesting you brought up the, with with the abortion because I actually have, um, friends that will travel to states where abortion is less like texas or like anyplace else texas just more recently because it's they just did that crazy thing with six weeks. But they break the law. They will go into the state and their doctors that, but they'll clandestinely set up shop, take care of as many as they can, and then exit stage left.[00:20:34] Jeff Abraham: Well, they need to because, you know, here's the thing, the same morons that passed that law, the right to lifers that vote against you subsidized childcare, that vote against, you know, aid to families with dependent Children. And they're literally,[00:20:49] Stuart: and vote for uh, capital promise, man.[00:20:52] Jeff Abraham: Yeah, It's like, I guess it's all the timing, You know what I mean? It's like, you know, you can't kill them before they're born, but you can certainly kill them after, you know what I mean? It's like, wait, what? But they're also the same Jackasses that don't want fucking, you know, publicly funded contraception, You know what I mean? And they don't want sex tons. Wait a second, Take the same energy you're putting into fighting abortions into educating people. So we don't need as many abortions, okay If we made sure that everyone had Uh contraceptions, that'd be far fewer voice. You know, abortions. If we literally educated people on sex and told women it's not a sin to be enjoy sex. It's not a sin to be promiscuous. Like men are because I've been in situations in my life now. I'm 64 when I was younger that I'm sure they're still exists. And a lot of women feel if I plan for sex and I know I'm gonna have it, then that means I'm totally down with it. According to my religion, it's a sin. But if it happens spontaneously, like it was out of control. I don't feel as guilty. Fuck that. Okay, use proper protection. So you don't get diseases so you don't get unwanted pregnancies. Okay, let's stop pretending that sex is a religious experience. Or it's some, you know, satanic ritual or something? It's a bodily function. Just like eating and urinating and it is a you get an urge if you're a woman, your clitoris, you know, gets aroused and you moisturize if you're a man, you get an erection, okay, they do that for a reason. So the species will continue and we procreate, but it also creates opportunities for orgasm, which makes people feel good, They're going to do it. Remember that you're probably too young. The nancy Reagan thing, just say no to sex.[00:22:38] Stuart: I[00:22:39] Jeff Abraham: got news for you. I was 16 once, 48 years ago. Okay. When I got an erection, there was one thing I would say, okay, what, who can I use this on? You know what I mean? It was like the idea of saying no, the little head was speaking the big head, just listen. Okay, let's find a way to make this feel good. Okay. The idea of just say no is the most asinine thing. Then I read something that you know, a lot of these places like Utah where they preach abstinence where anal sex and everything is out of control. Now they're going well technically wait since when is that different? Or I'm like, are you kidding me? Okay. I'm like, so having anal sex is okay. You know, I guess if you want your, your claim to still be a virgin because you know, I'm like, wow, okay, that's unique to me.[00:23:32] Stuart: Yeah. Yeah. I mean that's again, that's a worldview. I don't, it does not make any sense. And I don't know why we, why we tend to, I mean I get religion but like why is that such a, what what brought that about? What brought about, why was sex? Why were things seen as a bad thing?[00:23:53] Jeff Abraham: I can't figure it out. I remember in uh, I think it was 2007 or 2008 right? When the AIDS epidemic was still really prevalent? The pope was in Africa telling people that using condoms was against the Catholic religion, they weren't being good Catholics by using condoms, I lost my mind. So I made this post on social media and I said, why the Fucky is the pope over here in a country where 22% of the people at the time had AIDS telling people not to use condoms from, you know, during sex, I said he needs to look at his own flock in his own congregation and understand why they were dresses and pointy hats and they're all fingering altar boys. Okay? Rather than, you know, cast shame on people trying to practice same sex needless to say I lost a few catholic friends over that, but I didn't give a ship. Okay. Because to me it was the truth. Okay. If if something is true and it upsets you, you need to examine why the truth upset you or why the truth makes you unhappy or sad you really do Okay. Now, if someone saying something that is unfounded, it's not true, but it was true. The Pope was in africa telling people not to use condoms when AIDS was rampant in africa, the idea that the catholic church had a insane amount of pedophilia was established fact. Okay, that wasn't, I mean, the archdiocese in southern California, not in the nation in southern California paid $555 million in settlements. Okay, what does that tell you if one small diocese Is on the hook for 500 million. First thing it tells me is that's not a church, that's a business. If one diocese can pay $550 million, how are they tax exempt? Okay.[00:25:54] Stuart: How[00:25:55] Jeff Abraham: prevalent is the issue[00:25:57] Stuart: when[00:25:58] Jeff Abraham: literally one area goes, yeah, we have liability of half a billion dollars. And then you read about how when they found out that certain priests were pedophiles, they let them continue to be preaching, just transfer them into another district. I'm like, can you imagine if that would have been, you know, the boy scouts or A Y. S. O. U soccer or pop Warner football, they'd all be in jail and they would have stripped and broken up the organization. But you know, because it's religion, people like, oh, I don't want to take that on, you know what I mean? We need to take on injustice wherever it's at and clean it up. I'm not saying the catholic church had to go away, but they had to own it. Okay. And we had to make sure it could never happen again ever because is there any situation that you ever put more faith in when you take your child to a church and go, the priest is your conduit to God. You do whatever he tells you to do, talk about putting kids in a vulnerable position.[00:26:58] Stuart: Yeah. You know, I, there's a, I have a couple of thoughts, I mean, number one, I totally agree with you is with that and knowing that they could pay $550 million, like, what is, what's going on with the tax exempt status, that's[00:27:11] Jeff Abraham: the southern California diocese, that's not the United States. Okay,[00:27:15] Stuart: right. And then the other thing I'm thinking of is, God dammit, why wasn't a catholic kid? Because man, I would have been set[00:27:23] Jeff Abraham: um[00:27:24] Stuart: no, I mean, but this is your attitude on all of this stuff really kind of comes out and probably most recently with the BLM movement, right? What, what tell us about your BLM, like what's your experience with it and what's your, what's your stance?[00:27:41] Jeff Abraham: I grew up in an area that was 80% white and 20% black. I grew up in a little rural coal mining town in southwestern Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh, near the Ohio West Virginia Pennsylvania border. And when I was in high school, the 20% of black kids kept themselves, They lived in their own area. The 80% of white kids kept themselves, they lived in their own area and there was absolute mistrust, you know what I mean? And it was like, you keep to your side, well, I never understood that, I'm like, they're human beings, they're just like us, they happen to have, you know, a little darker complexion and I was the person that always made friends with, you know, people and at first a lot of people in the black community where I live, we're like, what's this guy's motive and eventually they were like, he doesn't have a motive. He's he he's not judging anyone, you know, I just felt like why would want to close myself off to 20% of people and we didn't have Asian people, we didn't have Hispanic people, we didn't have anything other than white people and black people. And I thought we're all people, we're all the same. We're all 18, 17, 16, 15 year old kids. Why in the hell are we keeping to ourselves? You know, that kind of a thing? And then after I graduated, I moved to southern California. It was a virtual melting pot. Okay. I mean, there's no majority of anything when you're in southern California. It is, I mean I lived in Huntington Beach and I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed not only interacting with a lot of people, but I also enjoyed different cultures, different foods learning and whenever I meet someone that wasn't born here, I always asked him, would you think of this country before you came here, then what's better, what's worse than you thought of now that you're here? You know, I'm just always curious, but I've always been maintained a lot of black friends, even in my work environment and I'm a father, I have a 32 year old son and he is my world, I adore him. Okay, I'd give my life for him, I don't want to, I hope I never have to, I'm not suggesting it, but if ever came down to it, I would and I have never ever had to worry when he went out at night about him being arrested, beaten or possibly murdered because of the color of his skin. And I can only imagine I know how much I love my son and I know what I feel like if he was unfairly treated so being a human being, I know friends of mine that are black that have Children, I go, I can't fathom what that feeling would be like. And I know that I've been in situations where I've heard the n word used by people that you know, you'd never, in a million years think that they were prejudiced, you'd never think that, but they don't hesitate, you know what I mean? And when I took my son back to pennsylvania a lot of times when he was young would be watching you know sporting events and you know, he'd hear some people there, oh look at that n word, you know, I remember my son was like whoa. And we were flying back to pennsylvania, he was like six, he goes dad because he wasn't raised in that kind of environment, you know what I mean? He's like, what is it? I said nick, they're not bad people, they're just ignorant, okay, they have never taken the time to interact with people of any other race or ethnicity or that kind of a thing. So that leads to preconceived notions that anything different is negative, you know, and the one thing my life has taught me and I tell people this, anyone who knows me well will definitely, you know, assure you this is the case. I consider myself an equal opportunity abuser, I make fun of everybody, you know what I mean, because life is too short to take yourself too seriously. And if there's one thing my life has taught me that there are just as many good percentage wise people that are white, black asian indian, you know, latino and there are just as many assholes. In fact, there's a lot more assholes that are white in my experience because there's a lot more entitlement, like we deserve this and I feel that a lot of times immigrants feel like they have to earn things that white people feel like they are just given because they were born here, you know, that kind of thing. I remember when I first moved to California, they had this real popular license plate frame and said welcome to California now go home, okay. It was everywhere in California and you know, I've never been shy and I told people like, you know why most people out here have that because they can't compete with people like me that moved from pennsylvania and are so appreciative of not having zero degree 20 below weather in the winter and not having 95 degrees with 92% humidity in the summer. So when I went there I worked my ass off and I remember I got three promotions in my first job in two years and I went to my second job then I ended up owning a company in seven or eight years and it was because I was like, are you freaking kidding me to stay here, I'll do whatever in California, that's why they had that well in California now go home because everyone come in there with this work ethic, you know what I mean? And go, this is like a dream. I moved their March 13th in 2000 and excuse me in 1992. I remember that because my dad's birthday was the day before I wanted to spend his birthday. I flew there, I left pennsylvania was three below zero and it was sleeting outside. Okay. I literally went to take a piss on the airplane. I had like four flies. I had my long underwear, sweatpants, jeans, you know what I mean? Snows. I remember as we flew and I was really poor and I bought a one way ticket to fly there. So we flew from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati from Cincinnati to Detroit from Detroit to Chicago. I went wait, we're going the wrong way, you know what I mean? It took like six stops to get there that there and I remember my friend picked me up at the airport and we're driving And this was in 1982. So the old style bank, they had those little things that would turn its at Sumitomo bank on one side. It had the temperature on the other side. It had the time. I'll never forget this. He said 12 03 am. It turned around 73 degrees and I'll never forget. I went, did I just fly into a time warp or another universe? I left. It was you know, below zero, it's funding midnight it's 73 degrees. I woke up the next day it was like 58 or whatever. I remember there were people with down jackets, Ugg boots on. I'm in shorts and a tank top. I'm like oh my God it's summer. You know? And I remember thinking I'm never leaving. Okay. How in the world why why does anyone live back there when this is available?[00:33:55] Stuart: I know growing up I grew up in California, I had no idea. I would see pictures of buffalo and like if the football game was on and they played in Buffalo, I'd be[00:34:05] Jeff Abraham: like I don't[00:34:06] Stuart: why do people live there[00:34:08] Jeff Abraham: after? Well I[00:34:09] Stuart: remember one of the reasons[00:34:11] Jeff Abraham: I moved. I remember watching every year I watched the Rose bowl. Okay january fucking below zero. Okay. And it's sleeting and snowing and everyone's in fucking parker's. All you do is run to the car run. I'm watching Rose bowl. Here's the USC song girls freaking gorgeous and their little skirts and the U. C. L. A cheerleader's it's sunny, it's 70 degrees. I'm like, where is that? Okay? I was like, why am I not there? So the first chance I had the ability to graduate college and move, I was like, get me out of here and I moved to California.[00:34:45] Stuart: Yeah, my dad did the same thing. He was back in pennsylvania and he got a chance to come out to California and he was like, oh yeah, no this is silly, I'm going to be here. Uh he was he was in your Philly.[00:34:57] Jeff Abraham: Okay,[00:34:58] Stuart: so[00:34:59] Jeff Abraham: opposite side of the state, that's a little bit, it's a little more wealth on the other side, Philly has a little, it's a little more upscale than Pittsburgh, but although Pittsburgh now when I left it was kind of downtrodden but it's not coal and steel anymore, It's you know, buy a farm, you know what I mean? Software Pittsburgh's made a real resurgence.[00:35:20] Stuart: Alright, well it has been about a half, well it's been a little over a half hour, it's been delightful[00:35:25] Jeff Abraham: because I'm just sitting here bullshit with a friend of mine, you know what I mean?[00:35:28] Stuart: I know it's kind of a[00:35:29] Jeff Abraham: wonderful way to have a podcast.[00:35:31] Stuart: So um now we've got to come up with a sketch, truth be told I would drop everything and move to Vegas and work for Jeff if he asked because I love what his company is doing. He's a great dude and I think it would be just a blast. Um Maybe you just want to check out the things that promise it has. And I tell you what you should definitely go to the website. It is one of the best sexual health websites I've ever seen. It's welcoming. It is professional and you can tell that there is care and uh knowledge put behind it. So uh Jeff tell us where you can find more stuff out about promising. We[00:36:17] Jeff Abraham: have a website, the link, it's www dot promising dot com. We talked about the mail delay spray but we have loops, we have condoms, we have vital flux which is nitric oxide supplement. We have pe wipes before and after wipes. We have female arousal gel, we have vibrators, we have toys. And I always tell people because we're in target with our delay spray. We're in walmart without delay spray, full product line and G. N. C. But I always tell people go to the site first. Okay because you're gonna find clinical trials, you're gonna find instructional videos. Number one, you'll find out which products work for you for for the right reasons. Number two, you'll find out the proper way to use them to get the best experience. And then if you decide that you want them from us, there's no free shipping full 60 day money back guarantee. So we shipped seven days a week.[00:37:09] Stuart: So go to prom essence dot com. The link is in the show notes and check out what they've got. It's pretty amazing. And now our sketch are they experienced in three two? Right? I[00:37:31] Jeff Abraham: would say I'm glad to see you. But I'm sure that you're not here under optimum circumstances. I witnessed the last you know, three months of your life. The cancer was really bad. I know it was hard. You know what I mean? And you know, you took your pledge to Allah and you flew the plane into the building and here you are. Okay. But you did not come here in vain. I have[00:37:54] Stuart: Well this is such good news. I'm very excited.[00:37:58] Jeff Abraham: You deserve[00:37:59] Stuart: plane. That plane was very hot when we ran[00:38:02] Jeff Abraham: Our praise be Allah okay. We are here. Okay. I have a room set up for you. Okay? The finest meats and cheeses. I have 47.[00:38:15] Stuart: I'm allowed to eat meat here.[00:38:17] Jeff Abraham: Yes. That's one of the advantages of coming to heaven.[00:38:23] Stuart: The[00:38:25] Jeff Abraham: Sacrifices that you made. Now you're going to be rewarded. Not only that. I have 47 women for you lined up certified 40[00:38:36] Stuart: seven[00:38:37] Jeff Abraham: Women. Never, never, no infidel. No one has ever touched these women. They are in fact everyone.[00:38:46] Stuart: Wait, did you just say that that what what do you mean by that?[00:38:51] Jeff Abraham: They are intact. The the sheath. The Hyneman still there. They are certified versions each one. And just because it's you and you are heroic. You don't have to keep the burqa all the way on. You can lift it up and crawl underneath. You know, they still have to remain covered. We still want to adhere to Sharia law. But you will be allowed to crawl inside the burka to perform.[00:39:17] Stuart: But they, they don't know what they're doing.[00:39:20] Jeff Abraham: Uh No, but I'm sure that their instincts will take over[00:39:27] Stuart: is[00:39:27] Jeff Abraham: just not acceptable to you.[00:39:29] Stuart: Uh Well, the problem is is I did follow the laws very closely. And so I also have never had relations with they anybody. Oh, including myself. I don't really know what.[00:39:47] Jeff Abraham: So you've never even pleasured yourself.[00:39:50] Stuart: No, I figured that's how I got here is I I never did any of the things that some of my friends did then they told me about them and I was always telling them how dangerous that[00:40:02] Jeff Abraham: Even though we say that and even though you see the surveys that they say that you know, 90% of people maintained their chastity. Especially men. We believe that 89% of them were lying. So you are one of the pure 1% who never,[00:40:19] Stuart: never[00:40:20] Jeff Abraham: broke down.[00:40:22] Stuart: Oh, I wasted my entire life.[00:40:26] Jeff Abraham: We just assumed that most people thought that that was the rule that we didn't enforce.[00:40:30] Stuart: Oh,[00:40:31] Jeff Abraham: now, have you ever[00:40:33] Stuart: know, have[00:40:34] Jeff Abraham: you ever watched uh the video movies? The pornography.[00:40:39] Stuart: No, no, I I've never done any of it. I I basically, I, we wear robes, I hide it. I've got a trapper keeper that I keep all of my Iowa notes in that I put in front of me. If I have an issue. I I've[00:40:53] Jeff Abraham: never helped. Did you have a cell phone[00:40:56] Stuart: only to take instructions on how to fly the planes? I[00:41:00] Jeff Abraham: didn't know. You know, you will be very pleased when you see the women. Maybe instinct will take over when you see these beautiful women that even without prior experience, I think they call it on earth autopilot.[00:41:15] Stuart: Okay, let's let's go take a look. Maybe. Maybe you're right. I think I just realized something. I think I'm gay. Thank you so much for joining us for sketch comedy podcast show. We hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it, make sure to head over to sketch comedy podcast show dot com there. You can subscribe to the show, Head over to Youtube and watch some of the videos and sketches we've done there. Maybe head over to Patreon and become a patron to the show. That would be so much appreciated or you can leave a review someplace or if you're feeling really saucy Apply to be on the show. I appreciate every single one of you that listens to the show and I would love to hear more from you. Now. I've got to get this out of the way, sketch comedy podcast show is protected under a creative commons attribution no derivatives, 4.0 international license, which means that if you would like to reproduce anything in the show, please contact the show so that I can get you the right material for it. And also this show is copyright 2022 Stewart Rice. Every day we are given a choice. Can we do the funny thing or the not so funny thing? I'm going to urge you to do the funny thing today and create an improvised comedy adventure of your own. Take care. See you next episode.