I’m definitely a comedian yeah I
couldn’t say that one thing with
confidence 15,000 people laughing at
your jokes that’s a it’s kind of an
amazing feeling I want to do a better
show every time I’m on stage do a set
tonight and I ain’t wasting any time I
got a list of stuff I want to try I want
to make sure that this set makes me
better there’s a huge challenge in not
having your old act but I think you rise
to the occasion
this movie is unreleasable you have
wasted my money well geez it’s only this
I’m like well that’s more money than my
dad made in his life
anytime you see me doing a bit where
some stranger says something to me it’s
me I say out loud I’ll never do the same
hour in a year and then inside I’m going
oh okay but I said say that you get to
be on earth first of all oh my god what
a location he’s an American comedian
actor writer director and producer
he’s a creator star and executive
producer of FX’s series Louie he’s
considered one of the greatest stand-up
comedians of all time he’s louis c.k and
hear his top ten rules for success I
never keep trying what like stand-up is
always this the standby for me like
that’s what I do the meal ticket that’s
yeah that’s that’s what I am I’m a comic
I’m a comedian so anything else I do
it’s like if I if I make a movie I would
never say I’m a filmmaker I would never
call myself that I’m a comedian who made
a movie you know I’m definitely a
comedian yeah I couldn’t say that one
thing with confidence but so I’ve tried
TV and I try it it doesn’t work and then
I go back to comedy and then if
something I’m doing is the stand-up
leads me back to like hey this might be
a show then I’ll try I’ll try anything
that I think might be good I don’t care
about like well I failed at it before
you know what I mean who cares try it
again I mean I love that plastic well
also you were this time I did a pilot
the very first time I got a deal to do a
pilot for a sitcom yeah I wrote it and
they really liked it and it got close
and then they said we’re not gonna make
the pie was Saint Louie no I was before
that other thing and then I made I wrote
st. Louis with this other guy and they
made the pilot we got to shoot a pilot
was so excited
and I shot a pilot and then they said
we’re not going to make the show all
right it’s the third time around made a
pilot and got one season of lucky Louie
on the air and then that’s all they
wanted there’s a limit to everything
that you can’t think everything’s just
going to be everything forever yeah that
was the limit of that one I did one
season okay and now I’ve done Louie and
it’s gone three seasons so I’m got a
little further each time I push the ball
a little further ahead each time I mean
not doing something because didn’t work
would be like if you’re a quarterback
and you go to the line of scrimmage at
the 25 or wherever the guy ran it to and
you hand the ball off in the guy pushes
it eight yards and you’re like wow and
scored touchdown let’s all go home right
I mean there’s no point but at the same
time 15,000 people laughing at your
jokes that’s a it’s kind of an amazing
feeling but also having them sit there
looking at you listening is really great
too but I always see I’ve done it three
times now and it was the same every time
that they’re all laughing the show’s
going great but what I see are there’s
at least in 15,000 people is like a
thousand disappointed people there’s
like a thousand people know and they’re
dotted I see them all you see I see him
still today but during the show I see
them just guys going like yeah those are
the ones that you really see everyone
yeah and I’m just I’m sorry buddy I
you’re reading their disappointment
accurately absolutely 100% sure well I’m
not sure that’s true but I I share the
feeling I know that a helot note here
tonight
well the more the more people you reach
and the more people that see you the
more people are gonna think that you
suck that’s just a blog mathematics yes
but let me please everybody explain it
to you this way if in fact that’s true
why would those people go to the trouble
of ordering the tickets online and
showing up this is just miserable I
don’t know that’s not their fault no no
ok their fault I know they heard I was
good case closed they heard I was good
well it’s not about not killing it’s
about doing the best show that you can
do and it’s about staying at a at the
edge of your ability doing it better I
want to do a better show every time I’m
on stage I I mean part of it is that I
want to keep I want what I do to keep
getting better unless you think you’re
the best comedian that ever could
possibly you’re perfect crystalline
diamond of a comedian that couldn’t
possibly be improved upon every molecule
has been compressed together to the
point there’s no air in it right your
vat you’re a black hole of a comic that
can’t there’s just no room for
improvement I you know you folded the
samurai sword a thousand times and just
can’t fold anymore no so you got to keep
trying I mean I I think a lot of people
in show business in comedy even
especially are very lazy and they just
sort of think that you just get up there
and then you wait for your manager to
get you a better one a little better
shot but it’s it’s something you got a
really to me I mean for me I just want
to keep working at it and it would yeah
I wouldn’t like it if I stopped trying
really hard it isn’t a neurosis like oh
geez I hope they like me it’s this is
what I do I got to do it really really
well so when did you get to the point
where you you know struggling to get
better make a living figure out the
hecklers like million things – all right
I’m good at this now I’m going to be try
to be great at this well that I mean
that was when I saw him do that that was
a big deal I was writing for TV then so
I was little more spread us on that yeah
but I started going back out to clubs
again and then my life changed in its
own way I had kids and I grew up also so
I just thought you know everybody grows
up at a different time and I grew up
when I had kids and started
really thinking about Stan when I had
kids it made a big difference for me
because when I went out to do a set it
wasn’t also it wasn’t a social event it
was until that point you just go to the
Comedy Cellar have a falafel at the
comedy table get run down and do your
set bullshit with some comics it was a
lot of wasting time yeah and it didn’t
really matter how the set ones that was
just the job I’m just gonna go on and do
my time tell the same jokes maybe do one
new joke but now it’s like I’ve got kids
and getting out of the house is a big
deal yeah do a set tonight I ain’t
wasting any time I got a list of stuff I
want to try I want to make sure that
this set makes me better every I started
to think every set I do has to make me
better comic there’s a huge challenge in
not having your old act but I think you
rise to the occasion
you don’t rise to the occasion if you
don’t put a put the void there but if
you take away your old material from
yourself like one thing I started doing
when I was developing ours is I take my
closing bit and I’d open with it right
just a myself but it’s not it I have to
follow my strongest bit that’s how he
got good you see this attitude my cosy
bit with God been watching them yeah
well cuz then the end of your act
cauterizes it gets longer just cuz you
have because you don’t have a choice you
don’t know me okay
good is why I started doing that you get
take get rid of all your best weapons
and you have to you know else your your
dad don’t you think so I’ve learned
something out we discussed I wrote and
directed Pootie Tang but then didn’t the
studio lose faith in you during it
that’s they sure did yeah I mean he
wants to film you they took me off well
I already shot it and it was during the
editing process they hated my cut they
let me do they fired my editor got
another guy let me do one more cut Chris
Rock was the star he was well one of the
stars yet he read the script he liked it
the I assume the studio read the script
in like yeah it wasn’t that a character
that was sort of on the Chris Rock Show
yeah Pootie Tang character we did on the
Chris Rock right Chan you worked on that
show and yeah hey to the character there
yeah I’m gonna make a movie about Pootie
Tang well eat Chris asked me do you
think there’s a movie in that guy and I
said that so that’s not even
I would have told you no well of course
you couldn’t say yes yeah I wanted to
make movies yeah very badly and so the
network that show was very popular the
network’s I’m in the studio was probably
excited about it or you go out you shoot
the thing you write the thing you do all
of it and at what point is this studio
said you listen you’ve done here I
remember that point right it was a great
moment in my life because to see you I
went to had to be I brought they could
they summon you I got flown out to LA
are you thinking Wow beauty flown down
first class
I don’t even tell his class I have no
idea well I can I’d smelled something
but yeah they took me to Paramount you
all those gates it’s like you feel like
that you’re going to the White House and
I went to John Goldman’s office he was
Samuel Goldwyn grandson he’s a good guy
yeah yeah and so I’m in his office I’m
in the most important office at
Paramount he was running the studio at
the time and he’s he just he I remember
I walked in and he’s shaking a little he
was so mad Manny just unloads everybody
was there that was involved in the movie
unloaded on me and said this movie is
unreleasable you have wasted my money
this is irresponsible I have a problem
with everyone here and then this guy who
is the president of MTV Films who I said
well John I don’t think you really got
the film how dare you say that it’s
screaming accompany presidents cuz of my
movie
there was nothing redeemable by the way
no not to him but here’s the thing it’s
the new one in show business as well
that I’ll never forget that moment cuz I
feel my whole all I wanted to do is make
movies at the time and that was being
destroyed by Samuel Goldwyn screams done
you know something yeah a little bit and
I’m sitting there but a part of me was
outside of my body going you are in the
Paramount big office being yelled at by
self the cool isn’t really you were able
to yes I was able to enjoy and it into a
logical absolutely because who gets to
have that’s very rare beautiful
experience to get to have you know I
read how to make friends and influence
people but for you to have such a
positive attitude as your career well to
me to me that the key is like surviving
failure is a great it just turns you
it’s a very great experience
tell me about I know because you
yeah well I went through all of that
Howard and they killed the you know the
Prescott I grew up watching Siskel and
Ebert on PBS you know when I was that
show and and so I always dream when I
was a kid someday Roger Ebert and that
other dude is dead are gonna look at me
through the camera and say some about my
movie and here was Roger Ebert saying
Pootie Tang is so bad I don’t even
understand what it is this isn’t even a
movie it’s not even complete he’s an A
yeah right he’s like look why don’t they
shoot the director yeah he was like so
hateful and I’m having the experience of
becoming famous for making a movie
everyone unanimously thinks is awful
there are some people who like to just
show up and do a show and get a check
yeah and they don’t think about like I’m
interested in everything like when I
tour and they tell me hey we you’re
doing the Chicago theater and here’s how
much you’re making they can tell me this
big exciting number then I go I asked
them well how much do the tickets and
they go well you know in order to pay
that they’re charging 50 bucks a ticket
I don’t want people to pay 50 bucks a
ticket to see me how much do I get paid
if they pay 30 bucks ticket well jeez
it’s only this I’m like well that’s more
money than my dad made in his life I
mean I’ll take it and also I once I
started looking at that way I learned
stuff like I learned that if you ask for
a high guarantee for a live show you
drive up the ticket price because the
risk is higher but if you tell the
theater look don’t guarantee me anything
only pay me if we if we make money then
the price of the tickets come down and
they don’t have to advertise as much
because they’re not as afraid that
they’re going to lose you understand
what I’m saying totally so and if you
work at a theatre without a guarantee
you actually get paid more because the
show cost less it cost less for the the
advertising all that stuff if you sell
it out you will make more money so I
started learning about that stuff is
really interesting to me like the story
I tell on Conan about the guy on next to
me on the airplane when the internet
shuts down suddenly there wasn’t anybody
next man that plane that was me there
was nobody next to me people don’t talk
to me on airplanes any any time you see
me doing a bit where some stranger says
something to me
it’s me the fact is I was really upset
that the internet shut down I was livid
and then I caught myself and said wait a
minute what are you what are you upset
about this was this was incredible that
this was possible even and I sort of
started it was kind of like an epiphany
for me I started seeing things
differently like realizing that when we
get to a gate and they go we need ten
minutes because the guy at the gate the
plane that our gate hasn’t backed out
yet and I go okay come on like that was
me let’s go why it’s actually not going
to get me there quicker it’s not going
to get you know I mean like I’m not I’m
losing nothing I just feel bad but if
you can just like take a breath and calm
down and go yeah this is as good as they
make these right now this is as good as
it is and it’s pretty goddamn great but
somehow we don’t know does make us happy
and that’s too bad I don’t think that
means people are bad people it means
that they’re unhappy good jetpacks that
they have all this great if you had a
jet pack you’d be like I have this jet
pack I can’t believe I got this jet pack
who is yours your service provider on
your jet pack is who did they make the
new one hate this thing
it sucks and then we’d all sit there and
talk about that part of me feels like if
people have to go back to basics a
little bit they’ll start to see that
because there’s no you have a job and
then you don’t even you don’t make it up
for this you even own you have a house
full and a car and a house of all you
can’t have you can’t afford it and you
don’t even get the pride of saying like
I have this job and because of it I have
that car that I have this job and
because of it I have custody of this car
that the bank is paying somebody else
for and if they ever come calling I’m
gonna go to jail it’s really a it’s a
life I think that we’re living right now
and I feel bad for people because I see
it in their faces all the time so that’s
really more what it was about I didn’t
mean to say worse generation I meant to
say that word generation so you never
get worried about tapping out yeah of
course I’m terrified it’s happening yeah
but that’s a motivating fear that’s
yeah I I like pressure I learned that
from Billie Jean King is filling to my
hero’s yes really yes I remember as a
kid watching a press conference with
Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs when
there yes battle of the sexes I was so
fascinated by that because I was raised
by a single mom and I have three older
sisters so I’ve always identified with
women taking care and I’ve never saw
women his weak I only never knew my
strong working rat single mother so
watching Billie Jean King filled this
horrible you know just massage it was
fascinating cuz the way she carried it
they asked what made it work because he
would sit there going you know why don’t
you all get back in the kitchen and
that’s right I forgot it was amazing
yeah the whim and he’d have two girls in
bikinis with big tits a I mean there’s a
Iger insult that to a working you know
woman then chicks with tits and he’d sit
there and go yeah this is what a woman
is what’s your problem whatever and the
way she carried it was when it was
amazing she didn’t sit there and turn
red and be like Wilma and get angry she
just sat there like this and then they
asked her uh how do you feel when he
says all this and she smiled and she
said all it does is put a lot of
pressure on me and I love pressure and
she had this big smile on her face she
said I love pressure and I thought him I
never forgot it I thought oh my god how
do you love what does that mean like I
thought really carefully about that she
really did she was like come on keep it
coming I love it I love it I want this
pressure cuz she knows how to turn
pressure into hard work she knows how to
it motivates her yeah she knows that the
heat from pressure is gonna make her
work harder so she’s like go ahead the
more he said the more she had to win
there’s no way she had so much to lose
that she knew she’d she’d play better so
that’s the way I do it I think like I
say out loud I’ll never do the same hour
in a year and then inside I’m going oh
okay glad I said what say that and then
it pushes me don’t take take
you know your life is short life is very
short I’d like life I like it I feel
like even if it ends up being short I
got lucky to get in to have it cuz life
is an amazing gift when you think about
what you get with a basic life not even
a particularly lucky life or a healthy
life if you have a life it’s anime
here’s your boiler plate deal with life
this is basic cable what you get when
you get life you get to be on earth
first of all oh my god what a location
this is earth and for trillions of miles
in every direction it sucks so bad it’s
so that your eyes bolt out of your head
because it sucks so bad you get to be on
earth and look at as long as you’re not
blind or whatever it is you get to be
here you get to eat food you get to put
bacon in your mouth I mean when you have
bacon in your mouth it doesn’t matter
who’s presidents or anything you just
every time I’m eating bacon I think I
could die right now and I mean it that’s
how good life is
thank you so much for watching I made
this video because Arlington guitarist
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur that you want me to profile
next leave in the comments below and
I’ll see what I can do I’d also love to
know which of the 10 rules had the
biggest impact on you leave it in the
comments and I’ll join the discussion
thank you so much for watching
continue to believe and I’ll see you
soon
I got I started doing write it out of
high school started doing stand-up
didn’t go to college didn’t pursue
anything else professionally really
started doing stand-up first time I went
on stage I did a minute and a half and I
bombed it was terrible
but I wanted it so badly that I kept
trying and I learned how to write jokes
and I just had jokes kind of funny
thoughts and I about I don’t know 15
years later I I had been going in a
circle that didn’t take me anywhere
nobody gave you I was an I didn’t either
I honestly didn’t I used to hear my
accent go this is and I hate it
but I’ve been doing this for 15 years
and stopping now is like getting out of
prison like what do you do after 15
years of stand-up comedy how do you
enter the workforce so I was in a really
bad place I hated my act I’ve been doing
the same hour of comedy for 15 years and
it was I promise you and I was working
places like Chinese restaurants and this
is this I was I do as shown a Chinese
restaurant where they don’t even know
there’s a show going to happen they’re
there to eat and all of a sudden you go
hey everybody and people like I’m eating
I don’t want to be forced to sit in the
so I was doing a Chinese restaurant
called the Kowloon in Boston it’s all
good Saugus Massachusetts and I was
sitting in my car after the show just
feeling like I did this is this was all
a big mistake I’m not good enough and I
hate I would I felt like my jokes were
trapped and I listened to a CD of George
talking about comedy in the workshopping
it and talking about it seriously and
the thing that blew me away about this
fellow was that he just kept putting out
specials every year there be a new
George Carlin special a new George
Carlin album they just kept coming and
each one was deeper than the next and I
just thought how can he do that it made
me literally cry that I could never do
that I was telling the same jokes for 15
years so I’m listening and they ask him
how’d you how do you do all this
material and I’m like yeah and I and I
hear him and he says
well I just decided every year I’d be
working on that year’s special and I do
the special and then I just chuck out
the material and I’d start again with
nothing and I thought that’s crazy how
do you throw away it took me 15 years to
build this tower if I throw it away I
got nothing but I he gave me this the
courage to try and also I was desperate
what the fuck else was I gonna do
this idea that you throw everything away
and you start over again and I thought
well okay when you’re done telling jokes
about airplanes and dogs you throw those
away what do you got it left you can
only dig deeper start talking about your
you know your feelings and who you are
and then you do those jokes and they’re
gone you got to dig deeper so then you
start thinking about your fears and your
nightmares and doing jokes about that
and then they’re gone and then you start
going into just weird yeah eventually
get to your balls but there’s a whole
it’s a process that I watched him do my
whole life and I started to try to do it
and I started to think what do I cuz he
says whatever he wants what do I really
want to say that I’m afraid to say and
at the time I was a father I am still a
father there too but at the time I had
started I didn’t take off yet the jury’s
out my oldest is eight I could still
split so far I’m still there um I was
having a lot of hard time being a father
and I wanted to say it on stage one
night I just I thought camp forget all
the old jokes I’m gonna start again and
I thought of the first thing I said I
can’t have sex with my daughter with my
daughter with my wife because we have a
baby and our babies of it’s just what I
was feeling and I said it and the
audience went whoa and I thought oh I’m
somewhere new now and I said and I said
something like I never used to get
babies in the garbage but now I
understand it and they did that and I
thought I’d rather have that than the
tepid laughter for my 15 year old jokes
couldn’t say that one thing with
confidence 15,000 people laughing at
your jokes that’s a it’s kind of an
amazing feeling I want to do a better
show every time I’m on stage do a set
tonight and I ain’t wasting any time I
got a list of stuff I want to try I want
to make sure that this set makes me
better there’s a huge challenge in not
having your old act but I think you rise
to the occasion
this movie is unreleasable you have
wasted my money well geez it’s only this
I’m like well that’s more money than my
dad made in his life
anytime you see me doing a bit where
some stranger says something to me it’s
me I say out loud I’ll never do the same
hour in a year and then inside I’m going
oh okay but I said say that you get to
be on earth first of all oh my god what
a location he’s an American comedian
actor writer director and producer
he’s a creator star and executive
producer of FX’s series Louie he’s
considered one of the greatest stand-up
comedians of all time he’s louis c.k and
hear his top ten rules for success I
never keep trying what like stand-up is
always this the standby for me like
that’s what I do the meal ticket that’s
yeah that’s that’s what I am I’m a comic
I’m a comedian so anything else I do
it’s like if I if I make a movie I would
never say I’m a filmmaker I would never
call myself that I’m a comedian who made
a movie you know I’m definitely a
comedian yeah I couldn’t say that one
thing with confidence but so I’ve tried
TV and I try it it doesn’t work and then
I go back to comedy and then if
something I’m doing is the stand-up
leads me back to like hey this might be
a show then I’ll try I’ll try anything
that I think might be good I don’t care
about like well I failed at it before
you know what I mean who cares try it
again I mean I love that plastic well
also you were this time I did a pilot
the very first time I got a deal to do a
pilot for a sitcom yeah I wrote it and
they really liked it and it got close
and then they said we’re not gonna make
the pie was Saint Louie no I was before
that other thing and then I made I wrote
st. Louis with this other guy and they
made the pilot we got to shoot a pilot
was so excited
and I shot a pilot and then they said
we’re not going to make the show all
right it’s the third time around made a
pilot and got one season of lucky Louie
on the air and then that’s all they
wanted there’s a limit to everything
that you can’t think everything’s just
going to be everything forever yeah that
was the limit of that one I did one
season okay and now I’ve done Louie and
it’s gone three seasons so I’m got a
little further each time I push the ball
a little further ahead each time I mean
not doing something because didn’t work
would be like if you’re a quarterback
and you go to the line of scrimmage at
the 25 or wherever the guy ran it to and
you hand the ball off in the guy pushes
it eight yards and you’re like wow and
scored touchdown let’s all go home right
I mean there’s no point but at the same
time 15,000 people laughing at your
jokes that’s a it’s kind of an amazing
feeling but also having them sit there
looking at you listening is really great
too but I always see I’ve done it three
times now and it was the same every time
that they’re all laughing the show’s
going great but what I see are there’s
at least in 15,000 people is like a
thousand disappointed people there’s
like a thousand people know and they’re
dotted I see them all you see I see him
still today but during the show I see
them just guys going like yeah those are
the ones that you really see everyone
yeah and I’m just I’m sorry buddy I
you’re reading their disappointment
accurately absolutely 100% sure well I’m
not sure that’s true but I I share the
feeling I know that a helot note here
tonight
well the more the more people you reach
and the more people that see you the
more people are gonna think that you
suck that’s just a blog mathematics yes
but let me please everybody explain it
to you this way if in fact that’s true
why would those people go to the trouble
of ordering the tickets online and
showing up this is just miserable I
don’t know that’s not their fault no no
ok their fault I know they heard I was
good case closed they heard I was good
well it’s not about not killing it’s
about doing the best show that you can
do and it’s about staying at a at the
edge of your ability doing it better I
want to do a better show every time I’m
on stage I I mean part of it is that I
want to keep I want what I do to keep
getting better unless you think you’re
the best comedian that ever could
possibly you’re perfect crystalline
diamond of a comedian that couldn’t
possibly be improved upon every molecule
has been compressed together to the
point there’s no air in it right your
vat you’re a black hole of a comic that
can’t there’s just no room for
improvement I you know you folded the
samurai sword a thousand times and just
can’t fold anymore no so you got to keep
trying I mean I I think a lot of people
in show business in comedy even
especially are very lazy and they just
sort of think that you just get up there
and then you wait for your manager to
get you a better one a little better
shot but it’s it’s something you got a
really to me I mean for me I just want
to keep working at it and it would yeah
I wouldn’t like it if I stopped trying
really hard it isn’t a neurosis like oh
geez I hope they like me it’s this is
what I do I got to do it really really
well so when did you get to the point
where you you know struggling to get
better make a living figure out the
hecklers like million things – all right
I’m good at this now I’m going to be try
to be great at this well that I mean
that was when I saw him do that that was
a big deal I was writing for TV then so
I was little more spread us on that yeah
but I started going back out to clubs
again and then my life changed in its
own way I had kids and I grew up also so
I just thought you know everybody grows
up at a different time and I grew up
when I had kids and started
really thinking about Stan when I had
kids it made a big difference for me
because when I went out to do a set it
wasn’t also it wasn’t a social event it
was until that point you just go to the
Comedy Cellar have a falafel at the
comedy table get run down and do your
set bullshit with some comics it was a
lot of wasting time yeah and it didn’t
really matter how the set ones that was
just the job I’m just gonna go on and do
my time tell the same jokes maybe do one
new joke but now it’s like I’ve got kids
and getting out of the house is a big
deal yeah do a set tonight I ain’t
wasting any time I got a list of stuff I
want to try I want to make sure that
this set makes me better every I started
to think every set I do has to make me
better comic there’s a huge challenge in
not having your old act but I think you
rise to the occasion
you don’t rise to the occasion if you
don’t put a put the void there but if
you take away your old material from
yourself like one thing I started doing
when I was developing ours is I take my
closing bit and I’d open with it right
just a myself but it’s not it I have to
follow my strongest bit that’s how he
got good you see this attitude my cosy
bit with God been watching them yeah
well cuz then the end of your act
cauterizes it gets longer just cuz you
have because you don’t have a choice you
don’t know me okay
good is why I started doing that you get
take get rid of all your best weapons
and you have to you know else your your
dad don’t you think so I’ve learned
something out we discussed I wrote and
directed Pootie Tang but then didn’t the
studio lose faith in you during it
that’s they sure did yeah I mean he
wants to film you they took me off well
I already shot it and it was during the
editing process they hated my cut they
let me do they fired my editor got
another guy let me do one more cut Chris
Rock was the star he was well one of the
stars yet he read the script he liked it
the I assume the studio read the script
in like yeah it wasn’t that a character
that was sort of on the Chris Rock Show
yeah Pootie Tang character we did on the
Chris Rock right Chan you worked on that
show and yeah hey to the character there
yeah I’m gonna make a movie about Pootie
Tang well eat Chris asked me do you
think there’s a movie in that guy and I
said that so that’s not even
I would have told you no well of course
you couldn’t say yes yeah I wanted to
make movies yeah very badly and so the
network that show was very popular the
network’s I’m in the studio was probably
excited about it or you go out you shoot
the thing you write the thing you do all
of it and at what point is this studio
said you listen you’ve done here I
remember that point right it was a great
moment in my life because to see you I
went to had to be I brought they could
they summon you I got flown out to LA
are you thinking Wow beauty flown down
first class
I don’t even tell his class I have no
idea well I can I’d smelled something
but yeah they took me to Paramount you
all those gates it’s like you feel like
that you’re going to the White House and
I went to John Goldman’s office he was
Samuel Goldwyn grandson he’s a good guy
yeah yeah and so I’m in his office I’m
in the most important office at
Paramount he was running the studio at
the time and he’s he just he I remember
I walked in and he’s shaking a little he
was so mad Manny just unloads everybody
was there that was involved in the movie
unloaded on me and said this movie is
unreleasable you have wasted my money
this is irresponsible I have a problem
with everyone here and then this guy who
is the president of MTV Films who I said
well John I don’t think you really got
the film how dare you say that it’s
screaming accompany presidents cuz of my
movie
there was nothing redeemable by the way
no not to him but here’s the thing it’s
the new one in show business as well
that I’ll never forget that moment cuz I
feel my whole all I wanted to do is make
movies at the time and that was being
destroyed by Samuel Goldwyn screams done
you know something yeah a little bit and
I’m sitting there but a part of me was
outside of my body going you are in the
Paramount big office being yelled at by
self the cool isn’t really you were able
to yes I was able to enjoy and it into a
logical absolutely because who gets to
have that’s very rare beautiful
experience to get to have you know I
read how to make friends and influence
people but for you to have such a
positive attitude as your career well to
me to me that the key is like surviving
failure is a great it just turns you
it’s a very great experience
tell me about I know because you
yeah well I went through all of that
Howard and they killed the you know the
Prescott I grew up watching Siskel and
Ebert on PBS you know when I was that
show and and so I always dream when I
was a kid someday Roger Ebert and that
other dude is dead are gonna look at me
through the camera and say some about my
movie and here was Roger Ebert saying
Pootie Tang is so bad I don’t even
understand what it is this isn’t even a
movie it’s not even complete he’s an A
yeah right he’s like look why don’t they
shoot the director yeah he was like so
hateful and I’m having the experience of
becoming famous for making a movie
everyone unanimously thinks is awful
there are some people who like to just
show up and do a show and get a check
yeah and they don’t think about like I’m
interested in everything like when I
tour and they tell me hey we you’re
doing the Chicago theater and here’s how
much you’re making they can tell me this
big exciting number then I go I asked
them well how much do the tickets and
they go well you know in order to pay
that they’re charging 50 bucks a ticket
I don’t want people to pay 50 bucks a
ticket to see me how much do I get paid
if they pay 30 bucks ticket well jeez
it’s only this I’m like well that’s more
money than my dad made in his life I
mean I’ll take it and also I once I
started looking at that way I learned
stuff like I learned that if you ask for
a high guarantee for a live show you
drive up the ticket price because the
risk is higher but if you tell the
theater look don’t guarantee me anything
only pay me if we if we make money then
the price of the tickets come down and
they don’t have to advertise as much
because they’re not as afraid that
they’re going to lose you understand
what I’m saying totally so and if you
work at a theatre without a guarantee
you actually get paid more because the
show cost less it cost less for the the
advertising all that stuff if you sell
it out you will make more money so I
started learning about that stuff is
really interesting to me like the story
I tell on Conan about the guy on next to
me on the airplane when the internet
shuts down suddenly there wasn’t anybody
next man that plane that was me there
was nobody next to me people don’t talk
to me on airplanes any any time you see
me doing a bit where some stranger says
something to me
it’s me the fact is I was really upset
that the internet shut down I was livid
and then I caught myself and said wait a
minute what are you what are you upset
about this was this was incredible that
this was possible even and I sort of
started it was kind of like an epiphany
for me I started seeing things
differently like realizing that when we
get to a gate and they go we need ten
minutes because the guy at the gate the
plane that our gate hasn’t backed out
yet and I go okay come on like that was
me let’s go why it’s actually not going
to get me there quicker it’s not going
to get you know I mean like I’m not I’m
losing nothing I just feel bad but if
you can just like take a breath and calm
down and go yeah this is as good as they
make these right now this is as good as
it is and it’s pretty goddamn great but
somehow we don’t know does make us happy
and that’s too bad I don’t think that
means people are bad people it means
that they’re unhappy good jetpacks that
they have all this great if you had a
jet pack you’d be like I have this jet
pack I can’t believe I got this jet pack
who is yours your service provider on
your jet pack is who did they make the
new one hate this thing
it sucks and then we’d all sit there and
talk about that part of me feels like if
people have to go back to basics a
little bit they’ll start to see that
because there’s no you have a job and
then you don’t even you don’t make it up
for this you even own you have a house
full and a car and a house of all you
can’t have you can’t afford it and you
don’t even get the pride of saying like
I have this job and because of it I have
that car that I have this job and
because of it I have custody of this car
that the bank is paying somebody else
for and if they ever come calling I’m
gonna go to jail it’s really a it’s a
life I think that we’re living right now
and I feel bad for people because I see
it in their faces all the time so that’s
really more what it was about I didn’t
mean to say worse generation I meant to
say that word generation so you never
get worried about tapping out yeah of
course I’m terrified it’s happening yeah
but that’s a motivating fear that’s
yeah I I like pressure I learned that
from Billie Jean King is filling to my
hero’s yes really yes I remember as a
kid watching a press conference with
Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs when
there yes battle of the sexes I was so
fascinated by that because I was raised
by a single mom and I have three older
sisters so I’ve always identified with
women taking care and I’ve never saw
women his weak I only never knew my
strong working rat single mother so
watching Billie Jean King filled this
horrible you know just massage it was
fascinating cuz the way she carried it
they asked what made it work because he
would sit there going you know why don’t
you all get back in the kitchen and
that’s right I forgot it was amazing
yeah the whim and he’d have two girls in
bikinis with big tits a I mean there’s a
Iger insult that to a working you know
woman then chicks with tits and he’d sit
there and go yeah this is what a woman
is what’s your problem whatever and the
way she carried it was when it was
amazing she didn’t sit there and turn
red and be like Wilma and get angry she
just sat there like this and then they
asked her uh how do you feel when he
says all this and she smiled and she
said all it does is put a lot of
pressure on me and I love pressure and
she had this big smile on her face she
said I love pressure and I thought him I
never forgot it I thought oh my god how
do you love what does that mean like I
thought really carefully about that she
really did she was like come on keep it
coming I love it I love it I want this
pressure cuz she knows how to turn
pressure into hard work she knows how to
it motivates her yeah she knows that the
heat from pressure is gonna make her
work harder so she’s like go ahead the
more he said the more she had to win
there’s no way she had so much to lose
that she knew she’d she’d play better so
that’s the way I do it I think like I
say out loud I’ll never do the same hour
in a year and then inside I’m going oh
okay glad I said what say that and then
it pushes me don’t take take
you know your life is short life is very
short I’d like life I like it I feel
like even if it ends up being short I
got lucky to get in to have it cuz life
is an amazing gift when you think about
what you get with a basic life not even
a particularly lucky life or a healthy
life if you have a life it’s anime
here’s your boiler plate deal with life
this is basic cable what you get when
you get life you get to be on earth
first of all oh my god what a location
this is earth and for trillions of miles
in every direction it sucks so bad it’s
so that your eyes bolt out of your head
because it sucks so bad you get to be on
earth and look at as long as you’re not
blind or whatever it is you get to be
here you get to eat food you get to put
bacon in your mouth I mean when you have
bacon in your mouth it doesn’t matter
who’s presidents or anything you just
every time I’m eating bacon I think I
could die right now and I mean it that’s
how good life is
thank you so much for watching I made
this video because Arlington guitarist
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur that you want me to profile
next leave in the comments below and
I’ll see what I can do I’d also love to
know which of the 10 rules had the
biggest impact on you leave it in the
comments and I’ll join the discussion
thank you so much for watching
continue to believe and I’ll see you
soon
I got I started doing write it out of
high school started doing stand-up
didn’t go to college didn’t pursue
anything else professionally really
started doing stand-up first time I went
on stage I did a minute and a half and I
bombed it was terrible
but I wanted it so badly that I kept
trying and I learned how to write jokes
and I just had jokes kind of funny
thoughts and I about I don’t know 15
years later I I had been going in a
circle that didn’t take me anywhere
nobody gave you I was an I didn’t either
I honestly didn’t I used to hear my
accent go this is and I hate it
but I’ve been doing this for 15 years
and stopping now is like getting out of
prison like what do you do after 15
years of stand-up comedy how do you
enter the workforce so I was in a really
bad place I hated my act I’ve been doing
the same hour of comedy for 15 years and
it was I promise you and I was working
places like Chinese restaurants and this
is this I was I do as shown a Chinese
restaurant where they don’t even know
there’s a show going to happen they’re
there to eat and all of a sudden you go
hey everybody and people like I’m eating
I don’t want to be forced to sit in the
so I was doing a Chinese restaurant
called the Kowloon in Boston it’s all
good Saugus Massachusetts and I was
sitting in my car after the show just
feeling like I did this is this was all
a big mistake I’m not good enough and I
hate I would I felt like my jokes were
trapped and I listened to a CD of George
talking about comedy in the workshopping
it and talking about it seriously and
the thing that blew me away about this
fellow was that he just kept putting out
specials every year there be a new
George Carlin special a new George
Carlin album they just kept coming and
each one was deeper than the next and I
just thought how can he do that it made
me literally cry that I could never do
that I was telling the same jokes for 15
years so I’m listening and they ask him
how’d you how do you do all this
material and I’m like yeah and I and I
hear him and he says
well I just decided every year I’d be
working on that year’s special and I do
the special and then I just chuck out
the material and I’d start again with
nothing and I thought that’s crazy how
do you throw away it took me 15 years to
build this tower if I throw it away I
got nothing but I he gave me this the
courage to try and also I was desperate
what the fuck else was I gonna do
this idea that you throw everything away
and you start over again and I thought
well okay when you’re done telling jokes
about airplanes and dogs you throw those
away what do you got it left you can
only dig deeper start talking about your
you know your feelings and who you are
and then you do those jokes and they’re
gone you got to dig deeper so then you
start thinking about your fears and your
nightmares and doing jokes about that
and then they’re gone and then you start
going into just weird yeah eventually
get to your balls but there’s a whole
it’s a process that I watched him do my
whole life and I started to try to do it
and I started to think what do I cuz he
says whatever he wants what do I really
want to say that I’m afraid to say and
at the time I was a father I am still a
father there too but at the time I had
started I didn’t take off yet the jury’s
out my oldest is eight I could still
split so far I’m still there um I was
having a lot of hard time being a father
and I wanted to say it on stage one
night I just I thought camp forget all
the old jokes I’m gonna start again and
I thought of the first thing I said I
can’t have sex with my daughter with my
daughter with my wife because we have a
baby and our babies of it’s just what I
was feeling and I said it and the
audience went whoa and I thought oh I’m
somewhere new now and I said and I said
something like I never used to get
babies in the garbage but now I
understand it and they did that and I
thought I’d rather have that than the
tepid laughter for my 15 year old jokes
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