Duncan Trussell Family Hour - 583: Lance Bangs

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Lance Bangs, awesome documentarian and director of Duncan's upcoming comedy special, re-joins the DTFH! Lance's latest documentary, The Elephant 6 Recording Co., is available now on Amazon and Apple TV! You can learn more about Lance on his website, LanceBangs.com, and you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter. Original music by Aaron Michael Goldberg. This episode is brought to you by: Factor - Visit FactorMeals.com/Duncan50 for 50% Off your first order!  AG1 - Visit DrinkAG1.com/Duncan for a FREE 1-year supply of vitamin D and 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase! FÜM - Visit TryFUM.com and use code DUNCAN at checkout to get 10% Off your first order!

Greetings friends, it's me, D.Trucel, and this is the Ducor Trussell Family Our Podcast. I send you love, enjoy, wherever you may be, whether you're flying in a black helicopter using some super advanced technology to look through the roofs of homes, watching strangers hump while you gather data on the pheromones. There's a greeting to determine whether or not they're going to give birth to someone who could potentially destroy the United States of America as we know it or if you're in a deep underground military bunker up to your elbows and alien guts. I'm just happy that you're listening to this podcast and you're going to be glad that you're listening because with us here today is Lance Banks. Lance just released an awesome documentary called The Elephant 6 Recording Company. It's in theaters now. I hope you'll go see it. If you can't make it out of the theaters, I hope you'll stream it.

It is amazing. If you love music, you're going to love this because it's an exploration of a rock collective, known as the Ele six recording company that launched neutral milk hotel, the Olivia trimmer control, and the apples and stereo. Lance is just cool. And I'm not saying that because he just directed my comedy special. I'm saying it because I've known him for a long time. And not only is he a great filmmaker, he is a true champion of comedians and artists, and I learned so much from talking with him today. We had a wonderful conversation about self-imposed obscurity and whether or not it's the right move to keep your art hidden from the world. We're going to jump right into this episode. But first, I want

to invite you to come see me at Cobb's in San Francisco. That is coming right up. It's going to be next Friday and Saturday. If you're listening to this on September 30, so come see me at Cobb's in San Francisco. Also, I'm going to be at Helium and Philadelphia on the 12th of October, the 13th of October, the 14th of October, the Spokane Comedy Club in November. Lots of dates coming up. I hope you will come see me live. Also subscribe to the Patreon and Patreon.com for such DTFH, you get commercial free episodes of this podcast.

And we hang out usually about once a week. Join your true family. Come home, come home. Are we going to send you initially into the learning shed to purify you of all your darkness? Yes. Once you come out, you're going to be born again and ready to hug because we have really long hugging sessions and platonic make-out sessions that I'm sure you will love. That's patreon.com forward slash D-T-F-H. Okay everybody please welcome back the wonderful Lance Banks. It's the Duncan Trassel. Lance Banks, welcome back to the DTFH. It's been too long, man.

How are you doing? It's been so many years, Duncan. Insane. Like ridiculous. I don't know why we aren't doing this regularly. We've had so many good conversations with each other, but we just haven't recorded anything. Well, I know. Yeah.

I mean, well, that's one of the coolest things. It's like, I just have gotten lucky and been like in your proximity, like over the last year, which has been really wonderful. Like, you want to do this me to Ruby? You shot my comedy special. It's so cool. You're like my angel. Do people know that you have a comedy special. It's so cool. You're like my angel.

Do people know that you have a comedy special in the works? Oh, yeah. They've heard me talking about it. They do know. I mean, yeah, they do know. And like comedians, man, when you were like around the mothership, they're like, you know, that land's bangs. What's he doing here?

What's he doing? He's shooting my special. Maybe he feels so important. It was such a great experience. Maybe feel so important. It was such a great experience. I'm so glad that we, uh, manifested it. Well, you tricked me. I mean, you did this incredible trick. I mean, I'm so lucky. You did that because I just, I, uh, for folks

listen, shot this special and I thought we were just going to do like one camera because I was thinking, maybe I'll just do an an album and then at the end of the weekend I went in the back and there's like a billion cameras. He didn't like a whole full comedy special. Somehow you headed a whole production for me. Which was a- Did you started meeting all of the camera crew and audio crew?

I'm like, what the fuck? This is incredible. Cause I was already, I felt like there were good shows. And I was already kind of bummed. I was like, oh, shit had done it, done with more cameras. And she'd like, done what you need, verse, back. And then it was like a drinking, like there it was. So thank you. Yeah, because you had sort of told me different dates

of when the shows were going to be. Yeah. because you would you'd sort of Told me different dates of when the shows were gonna be yeah, and then organized There was like you seem like you might be comfortable doing like an audio only thing like an album or that maybe we would animate or create You know reshoots or virtual imagery to correspond to each section of the show, which was fun. It was exciting and would have been great. But I wanted to have the reference imagery to begin with of you on stage in that room with the audience from multiple angles to actually have the ability to make a special if we wanted to do it more.

Yeah, visually. Yeah. So cool, man. So cool. How many, what have you done like seven comedy specials now? Like seven you did. I think it's, or more. I think it's a lot more. How many have you done? I've done dozens I think. Hold on. Let me look. Let me tell you what you've done. Okay. Let me find it. It's a really impressive list, man. Really great. Who's impressed by lists? No one's impressed by lists.

Well, you know, they say, I heard Jack Cornfield say that in Buddhism, God is lists. Marin, Chelsea Peretti, Todd Barry, Brent Moore, and Hannibal Burst, these are like serious, Combe, David Cross. God, I saw him do stand up.

I love his stand up. He's great. Michelle Wolfe was a great one that I loved. Michelle Wolfe And so I guess Wikipedia doesn't list all of them. John Hodgman and Ragnarok. That's so cool. How did you When 20 you said 2013 you just got into comedy specials. Why? I know it was before that because I'd mostly been making personal films or documentaries or directing a lot of Music videos for bands or serious heavy like HBO Documentaries about AIDS treatment in central Africa kind of a range of different films But then David Cross and Bob Wooden Kirk for Mr. Show

were fans of you know independent music underground music in the 90s when theyred from Mr. Show were fans of, you know, independent music, underground music in the 90s when they're doing Mr. Show. And so it's kind of hanging out with them while they tape Mr. Show and then they asked about, like David Cross didn't want to do the typical specials as they existed at that time, where like showtime or HBO would have you in a theater and it'd be super lit.

And artificial for the audience experience and not the right way that comedy really feels. So he wanted me to make something that was more like the documentary that I would do with pavement or Nirvana or REM, where it was sort of like a handheld travel type of a thing. So we made a film called Let America Laugh that was, you know, kind of in the aftermath of September 11,

2001 him going out on the road and doing uncomfortable political material in rock venues, a standing audience is rather than sit down comedy clubs as it existed at that time. Jesus Christ, he's so ballsy, that's fucking nuts. It was nuts. That is nuts. And so we got sued, we got, you know, there were like hassles along the way. What did you get sued for?

Well, it was kind of, there was a venue in national Tennessee that is like a long running great music venue called the Exit Inn. And they had, you know, booked the show. When you booked that tour, you were agreeing that like we were going to be filming. Yeah. By booking the show, you knew that there would be cameras there and that, you know, you might appear on camera in the audience. We would post signs about it, but that they might appear on camera that a documentary is being filmed.

The person running the show at that time, had put on the marquee like Mr. Show. And Dave was like, no, no, it's not Mr. Show, like the other guy's not here. It's me, I'm David Cross, I'm doing a team. That's so annoying. Yeah, but you know, you can imagine in National Tennessee, it would have helped that local promoter if it said yeah With the HBO series, but like that wasn't what was happening that night, and so David's trying to clarify that and the guy was a little bit like I'm not getting all the way back up on that ladder to go change it

What what people calm whatever I'm gonna just fucking lie Yeah, I'm gonna just deceive the whole audience because I don't want to go on a ladder. Yeah, and so the rest of that day, there's a lot of things where he, he wanted to be able to like sell hot dogs during the show. Why? Who is this? What a fucking man. All these kind of like, no, he thinks.

He's selling my dogs. Yeah, all these like noisy things that would be in the way of like, where the people would be standing to watch a comedy show. So, then he wanted to like put in tables so people could sit and eat and David's like, no, it's better if it's a rock show and they're standing. So at the end of the night, David also had a band opening, they'd loaded out. And David didn't really have any equipment.

Everyone else is performing there that week has got base amplifiers and drumkits and keyboard cases and boxes of merchandise, whatever. So it's an amount of time that normally happens to kind of load out to your van at the end of the show. He only had like a backpack with like maybe some PD light to mix with vodka and a poster, but he was pretending that it was taking like 40 minutes to figure out like how do I get this poster into,

ah, we start over. You know, just like excruciating the long process of loading out so we could hang out and keep talking and fully. So the person got more and more aggravated. You know, just like excruciating the long process of loading out so we could hang out and keep talking and So the person got more and more aggravated and And then he sued because he you know the footage appears in the documentary that some pop put out called let America laugh When a comedian or an entertainer starts their own Production company to kind of like legally protect themselves like you pick a name like I don't know if you have one dunk in, but like, there might be like a name, and what is the name of yours?

Raytheon. Yes, exactly. And so, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, funny. And so when you get to pick a legal entity or name, he chose liberal G run media. And so that's very funny when you're putting that at the end of your writing project. You know, but when you get sued in Cox County, Tennessee, the lost the lost suit, the the lawsuit. The lawsuit is local local guy versus liberal G run media. All of a sudden, it's not as funny and your chance is, oh my god, your chances of, you did I not tell you, as we were up against honey, they just wanted to sell my dogs. Hell yeah, that's lower up against honey. I just wanted to sell my dogs.

So yeah, that was like a setback during that one. But after that other comedian saw, like then I could make things that were not in the kind of mold of like an overlit showtime special circa 1998. They started having me to make more eastern credit or interesting comedy specials. And they've had great experiences with people

collaborating and kind of figuring out the structure they're set or what's working or not working like I'll tend to go visit people in a few cities as they kind of work the material up and structure things and try out different

endings or closings or find themes or callbacks or ways of kind of a yeah, pacing a set or working through nervousness or restless energy or things like that to kind of get them in a good situation. You're so good at that.

You're a process of working with me up to the special. It's like you know me. And you know that the special for some reason has been the apocalypse for me. It's so scary. And like you, the way you helped me get the set together and your recommendations is so gentle too. It's like you're like a comic whisperer. We're such freaks. You know, you know, you can freak us out just so easily. So the way you did

it was really cool, man. Confidence building. It's such an incredible skill set cool man, confidence building, like it was, it's such a skill, it's such an incredible skill set man, because like we're weirdos and we love what we do, but you know, like most of us, especially with the special, you know, any, you know, now that I've done one, like meeting comedians when they've got one coming up, like I have all this compassion for them now, because I know how they're feeling and it's like,

it's birth, you don't And it's like, it's birth. You don't, it's like minus like the, I guess the scan would be the show, but you just don't know what kind of baby you're gonna have. So like, you're like a midwife. That's what you are. You're a special midwife. And it can go wrong.

Like there are people who have great material that they've put in our, you know, year and a half of their life assembling, traveling, trying out, restructuring. And then if it's not recorded or shot with the right tone or a matching energy to what they're going for, it sort of sabotages that year of work. That's it. Yeah, that and not all that stuff too, because you don't know, we don't know anything about that. Like we know how to, we're telling jokes. Like we don't know about the technical reality of a special, which if you didn't understand all the components that you need for the thing to be okay, miking the audience, you know,

all that stuff, you would just think it should be easy. Just set up a camera, right? Like they're just talking in a microphone. What's the big deal? Like you don't realize it's like, no, it's like a movie, it's a production. Like there's so much involved. I remember when you started telling me how that was involved. And I had this dumb idea about it. I'm not a set up of camera. You know, that's good. We got lights in microphone. It'll be fine. I'm gonna just sell my dogs, Lance.

my dogs, Lance. Do you ever, like, do you have any like movies? Like, since we've been working on this, you're shooting like, seems like you're every week you're going somewhere to shoot a music video. Do you have any like movies coming up or anything like that? Yeah, I've got a movie that's out right now. It's in theaters and it's on Apple plus and Amazon Prime Video and places like that. It's called the Elf and Six Recording Company, and it's a documentary. I travel a lot, but I was living in Athens, Georgia throughout the 1990s and through the early 2000s.

My roommates included Jeff Mangum from Neutrimal Kotel, Julian, who's also a Neutrimal Kotel, and has another project called The Music Tapes, and orbiting circus and members of like elf power and other bands. And so before you answer the question, I'm sorry. And then maybe you are about to answer what I'm about to ask you. How did that happen?

Like is you ended up in a bubble of like genre defining like future legendary stars. How did that happen? I kind of feel like I... Sometimes I put myself in those places, sometimes I travel to things that are interesting to me or that are on my antenna or sensitivity to to things that are interesting to me or that are on my antenna or sensitivity to the things that are emerging. Other times I kind of find people and like mentor or support them as they grow through things and kind of bring attention to them or help other people

know about the work that they're doing. But I left home as a teenager, I went down to Athens, Georgia in 1990 and was living there. While it was a great music scene doing a lot of stuff with the band REM. Yeah, other bands that would come through like Nirvana and Pavement and Sonic Youth and my bloody Valentine that were kind of fellow travelers or a shared sensibility would collaborate with them or work with them or make things with them

and then travel with those bands to other places and go out to the Pacific Northwest and then or California or New York and sort of keep making things in different settings or environments. So in that time of the early 90s and Athens it was a really magical great place and these people from Rustin, Louisiana, high school friends, Jeff Mangum, a guy named Bill Dawes, Will Cullen Hart, Robert Schneider, they all were like kind of freakyzoid high school friends that were using four track recorders to make songs together, like your friend Emile was doing.

And making great music, just kind of for five friends to listen to or get excited about and making bands with each other. So like, you know, if you're drumming and I'm playing bass and you're singing, then it's got this name. And if it's you singing and me drumming, it's got this name and a different, you know, just the configuration changes the name of the band. That's so totally. So there was like synthetic flying machine and cranberry life cycle and new terminal hotel and the apples and stereo and Olivia tremor control. And they were all kind of this cluster of great people. And most of them came to Athens, Georgia, like in 92, 93, drawn by what was already going on there.

Bands like Pylon and the BPD2s and REM and 5.8 and Vick Chestnut. And so they kind of settled there. And it's a great inexpensive place to live. Very supportive music scene. You can drive from there to Atlanta and Florida and Chapel Hill and Asheville. But you can also just sort of hide out and not have the attention of like magazines knowing every mistake that you make and every bad song that you

put out before it was ready. It was a quality of that. That was one of the like the ethics of whatever that is. like the ethics of whatever that is was like it was a kind of it was antithetical to the notion that the goal was fame or the goal was like standard pop star success. And so that that kind of music always has with it, you feel like almost like a warrior. You know, you you're listening to it and you feel like, man, I don't even know how should be listening to this. Like this person is like, so, it's so open and real

and they don't seem okay. And but they're not, you know, they know that. And so then it captures, I always try to think of the way to define that man. And it's like, it's haunted. That music is haunted and incredible. And once you love that kind of music, it's really hard to pull your way.

Absolutely. To pull out of it. To hear other music and love it the same way you love that. When you've heard someone just ripping their heart open. And the technology they're using to record it, somehow, is a fractal because the technology, and their ability to use the technology, is maybe not that great.

And so there's these flaws in it that are so beautiful that match the flaws in them. And so it creates this resonance between the equipment and the music that is, that's where it breaks into some archetypical like world soul or something. You know the eternal outsider, god damn, that's so crazy wearing you out with him, man. I want to thank the Factor for supporting DTFH. Friends, it is time for you to stop pretending

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You know the the eternal outsider. God damn, that's so crazy. We're hanging out with him man. Yeah, so so started filming and recording The people and like you said they were willfully obscure. They were not a teaking you know seeking any kind of recognition or attention for Themselves as personas, but rather the music that they're creating with these kind of fictional identities and shared identities and collective identities and sense of community and building things in versions of themself that were combinations of their life force but not their ego. And so it really was magical and I filmed and contributed and made things in that world

and then would kind of pass out, you know, VHS or cassette copies of some of that to people when I would travel to other places. When Jeff Manga made the NutriMoco Telerecord on every island in 96 and then in the airplane over the sea in 98, the larger parts of the world started hearing that and being like, oh my god, this is something really transcendent and genuine and mystical and he's tapped into something and started emotionally connecting to it. And then he kind of went into a seclusion. So we were living together and he sort of started turning down all the things

that were being asked or offered of him to kind of go on larger tours or open for other bands or make new batches of recordings. And when you're living with someone and that happens, you don't know, you don't understand that that's it right away. or open for other bands or make new batches of recordings. When you're living with someone and that happens, you don't understand that that's it right away. You think, oh, they're just sort of, they've got mono or they're resting or they're chilling out for a minute or recuperating or recharging. And then as time passes and you realize, oh, it's been a year and they're still turning

everything down and needing time to be quiet and read, you know, refocus or whatever. So, Satan contact with him is he went different places throughout the years after that and people became more sort of fixated or would knock on the door or turn up looking for him and people who'd emotionally connected with the music were very much wanting to come express what they had gotten out of it or what it meant to them or what I thought he was transmitting to them. And I think that also was probably overwhelming. So it became very protective of his privacy and his work. And people started trying to take copies of footage that I shot and like disseminate them or charge money for them or You know put them out and take credit for it and had to be kind of very careful of how that

Material was seen or or distributed or or shared for quite a while but finally found the right version of Making this film this elephant six recording It's great. So it's it's out. I'll send you a copy to watch and it's in theaters and it's also available for people on like Apple TV Plus or Apple Plus, whatever it's called or Amazon Prime Video or places like that. But also go see it projected if it is in your theater or your town because it's a great experience to see large. And so I kind of wanted to steer it into being like a portrait of creativity and communal

work and encourage these kind of bubbles to exist in places like Asheville where you had been for a bit. Yeah. As a city where things like that are going on. And, and you know, different times and different scenes, musically, culturally poets, writers, painters, these kind of collectives that emerge are fascinating to me. And I love when they develop and hope that more people

do things like that. Well, one of my favorite Daniel Johnston lyrics is from Devil Town and it's, there are strange, secret cults in every town. And you know, that sums it up because I mean, I don't want to call these bubbles cults, but they kind of are. They do, there is a pattern to them. One, like, you know, I think the general assumption, and it's a very sad assumption, many of us make, is that, you know, talent will inevitably become mainstream.

Inevitably, talent will rise up out of the secret bubble that it has appeared in. And it's, what has it got it? Oh my God, Brian Eno. He's got that, the word is seniors, the genius of a scene, and how like any of these people that have become famous. That's just the spokesperson, like Ramdas, for example. Yeah. When you go to these Ramdas retreats, there's 15, 20 Ramdas is there who didn't become the popular Ramdas, but went to India with him and are just like as like awake as he was. Which is a wonderful thing to see. And like any time you have any of these people surrounding them is also people who know and will ever hear about, but then where it gets really fascinating is, and I love thinking about this, is like right now God only knows how many musicians, artists, performers are

out there that are a hundred times better than the most popular anybody right now and don't want the shit because they're too smart and they recognize the price you have to pay. And the price you have to pay is a complete destruction of your anonymity, which seems to be the fertilizer for what they create, lack of privacy. And the worst thing is the co-opting of what you're doing and the warping of it by default reality so that inevitably what you're doing just gets so twisted and watered down and somehow even the masses loving it dilutes it to some degree.

And they recognize that. And so they, they, rabidly guard their, they don't, they try to keep the thing from growing outside the garden. They, they're, they're passionate about doing that. And so to me, that is so wild to think about, you know, and you're one of those people who somehow finds them.

You know, I don't even know how you do that. Like, how do you do that? What is the, like, Ruby? Like, you bring Ruby to my show and like, I knew she was going to be funny because you brought her to the show and she does a spa. And it's like, who the fuck is this? Like, she's so unique and so funny and like kills. Well, how did you find Ruby? I was traveling a lot during the pandemic.

And I think we spoke a little bit during this time. I was driving back and forth from Portland, Oregon, where I live down to Southern California or down to the Bay Area, down to kind of like Arcada, Eureka, areas. And in some of the trips to Sacramento, there's a folk singer named Traybert that I was making a film with. John Pryon had sort of come across his work and signed him to John Pryon's label for John Pastaway.

And so we were making a short film that I wrote in Sacramento where Tray lived at the time. And I went to go see comedy. It may be like a bookstore, you know, just like a local, uh, strange stand up thing. And saw Ruby, who was a young performer and he was very singular and has their own voice and distinct and felt like, what is this person doing in Sacramento, you know, and, uh, and remembered them and their work. And then I got asked to help put together a show for a new comedy festival in Portland, Oregon. And wanted to bring them up and assumed I would just be like, you know, getting like a bus ticket or an inexpensive 45 minute flight from Sacramento to Portland.

Yeah, didn't realize that Ruby had just relocated to New York City, which means like traveling several days earlier to get out. You can't just like fly the same day from New York and land in Portland and be on stage reliably at like seven o'clock at night or whatever. So brought Ruby out and had to explain like that this wasn't some scam or vampire trap or whatever. Like no, like, you know, like we have to, you don't remember me, but I'm going to

get you onto an airplane and bring you out for this festival that you've never had before that doesn't necessarily previously exist and a venue that you haven't heard of. And it's going to be great. But it was like a really magical time. Like that May of 2023, you were coming to Portland to come perform. I'd seen you like a year earlier and talked you about like, when are we going to make this special? Please stop avoiding it. It's been decades since I've been trying to like shoot all the cameras to end the special being recorded. Uh, those were the old days. That's an idea from the old days. That's an idea from 2013 or four times.

That's the before times. Yeah. So, uh, like I was excited that you were about to perform and then this thing was going on. So Ruby and some other great people that I met in that couple of days were, I brought them to come see your show and come to the dressing room and have a conversation. And you picked up on like how funny in the room, Ruby is and how, you know, they're like, unassuming, dry and sardonic and clever and not like desperate for

attention or feedback. Like they're not as needy as some young performers can be. That's right. But they've got like their own sensibility and you know, they most likely were nervous But like they were funny and you and you and I'm like, yeah, that's they kill That's you know, that's the thing because it's like you know Wonderful like to like be fun to hang out with and like but you know obviously like you got to be funny and like whoa be fun to hang out with and like, but, you know, obviously, like, you gotta be funny and like, whoa, like, wow,

like, there's been a few times on the road, man, where like, following her has been a little, like, is bit of a challenge, where you're like, shit, man, I gotta like, you know, like, she's blown up the room and it was just, I love that. You know, okay, when was the last time you watched King Kong? Oh, it's been years.

Tell me about it. Okay, King Kong, it's a love story. They capture King Kong. He's on the silent, he's fighting, terror, actiles. He's, you know what I mean? He's like, he's got his own thing going. They capture him, he's falling in love.

They bring him to New York City. And he isn't supposed to be in New York City. King Kong is supposed to be on the secret island in the middle of nowhere. And he's in love now. You've not only have you just fucked his life by introducing him to this. I don't know who she was.

Somehow some beautiful human woman. But then also you capture him, take him away from, like, I don't know who she was, somehow some beautiful human, you know, woman. But then also you capture him, take him away from his home, bring him to New York City. And he like climbs the building, you know, to try to find his love. And it's a tragic, sorry, spoiler. He gets shot down off the Empire State Building. Gets to the top, gets shot down by the culture, he was never supposed to be in. So, do you think that,

I go back and forth on this, I know you probably know people who right now are neutral melcotel, who are making art and music at that level, who don't want anyone to know who they are. And I flip-flop on it, man. Sometimes I'm like, man, that's selfish, like, of the artist. That's so lame of me to say, but it's like, people deserve to hear your art.

It's going to help people. It's going to inspire people. It's going to heal people. It's going to make people better in the world. And yeah, you're going to lose your freedom and your anonymity and you're going to lose all these things that you cherish. But it's a worthy sacrifice for people hearing your music. And then sometimes I think they're right. Like don't do it. Don't fucking do it.

Don't let them take you off the island. Don't let them take you to New York City. And you know what I mean, and give you the girl and give you everything you want because they're just gonna shoot you the fuck down once you get to the top. They're just gonna fucking kill your ass. And you still have the rest of your life to live,

but they're gonna destroy you. So I go back and forth, what are your thoughts on this? And I don't, maybe the ethic of anonymity is less today than it was in those days. Maybe that's everything's changed because of social media. And people don't have that. Like, I don't know what you would call it.

It sounds like a weird punk rock, Gen X, ethic. But what do you think, man? Do you think it's, sometimes it's better for people to just keep using the for-track and give them absolutely better for many people who are sensitive or delicate of spirit or mind or vulnerable to like being destroyed by commerce, to preserve the sanctity of what they have inside them

and what they can make by keeping it for a discerning audience of not over saturation but like under. Yeah. It's better to be scarce than to be like an onslaught of a sludge river. Yes. And so like I adore those people, I have those traits myself, I don't like to be perceived sometimes, I kind of keep low key and duck around and don't. You do. And I like that ability to kind of like move like a stainless steel rat unobserved. You have to do that, man, and it's cool. I noticed that.

It's so cool. You're not supposed to notice that. Well, you know why I noticed that? Because I've read books on witchcraft. And in witchcraft, the witch can turn invisible. And I'm not calling you a witch, but that's not an insult anyway. Hi.

But the, you know, I read some analysis of that as being like, it's not literally invisible. You know, there's that famous like Marilyn Monroe's story where she's eating at a diner with her friend and nobody sees her. And then she says to her friend, you want to see what happens? You want to see Marilyn. And then like does whatever her like magical power is

and everyone like immediately just turns and notices her, like she uninvisible herself. So I notice it like that. It's like, whoa, you go invisible. Like, people don't see you. Like, I didn't think stainless steel rat. I don't think if you was a rat, but yeah, I noticed that. I want to thank AG1, not just for supporting this podcast, but for creating the most incredible, foundational nutrition supplement out there.

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But, you know, it is, it is also generous to give oneself to, if you're the Vesselor channel for songs that will enrich other people's lives and give them memories or connections I know it is, it is also generous to give oneself to, if you're the Vessel or Channel for songs that will enrich other people's lives and give them memories or connections to others or things like that, it is a generous thing to become that conduit, even knowing that it's going to like damage your fuck up some of your own development or growth or long-term relationships. or growth or long-term relationships. Yeah, well, some people really just, I don't think there's any way you can prepare for what it's like, but some people,

they just absolutely don't need that. It will kill them and it will ruin them. And it's like poison, you know? And that's really sad when that happens to people because they don't know how to, especially if it happens like too fast to people because they don't know how to, especially if it happens too fast to people. I think one of the cool things about comedy is it can be a nice slow boil,

like maybe too slow sometimes, but so that by the time you have some recognition from people you've been around it long enough to not be completely melted down by it. It's like, when I was working at the comedy store, every once in a while, a comedian would pop too fast and they would like lose their shit. And Mitzie would say, everyone goes crazy, honey.

And she meant like that. Like she watched so many comics, just like it sucked into that stuff and just go and like ego gets inflated, they get hyper defensive. They start treating people in a rotten way because they're so defensive and like, and then like they just burn out and now they're just devastated. Their lives are wrecked because they, it was too fast.

But do you, you don't have to name anybody, but do you know any people like that right now? Like people that if they were exposed to the world, they would probably become like famous musicians. Absolutely, yeah. They're people I love and I like working with them in a small low-key way and sort of helping to broaden what they can do or what they're thinking of in their work or channels that they can kind of pour energy into that kind of like raise things up. But I'm also protective of them

and don't want to see them end up on the wrong places getting their work blown out in a way that's not healthy or conductive. Right. Yeah, that's the, you know, it's just like, when you realize, it's like the dark web. You know, the dark web is not the dark web. It's just like websites that have told Google, that Google WebCrawler not to identify them. You know, that's what it is, right? It's, it's not, it's like, there's more, the thing we call the internet is like the tip of the iceberg of what the actual internet is. And people get confused and they think like when they're Googling this or that, they're getting. Like everything when they're not, they're getting just whatever the web crawlers have identified and what. there's so much more going on.

And it's so like, I don't know, it just gives me the best feeling. Like knowing like, my God, all these bubbles, all these little cults filled with talented freaks that no one will ever know about, that are actively avoiding being known about. It's not secret societies. It's better than secret societies. It's like these art collectives out there that are just and what's so funny is when you meet them and if you're like a Hollywood pig like me and you

realize they don't want any of that shit legitimately. Like they don't care about money, they don't care about fame, they wanna be able to pay their rent and eat and stuff like that, but they don't want it. And when you meet them, it's like it wants you overcome, get past your own personal shame.

And you're like, what the fuck? I'm a monster compared to you. I'm a monster, I'm the king Kong that learned to live on the, the first day building. You know what I mean? There's just something so beautiful about that because you realize, oh, there's still wild things in the world.

It hasn't all been domesticated. It doesn't all have to exist around it. And I love that. Yeah, there's absolutely pockets of that and fascinating people, or even like other beings that may not even be people, just like entities that are choosing not to be seen or be scrutinized or picked apart

or devoured by the people that would be interested. Yeah, well, and there's something, when you're, I mean, I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about there. I mean, I have some ideas for my own experience, but my encounter with that is that that's compassion because the recognition there is like most people aren't, they don't like,

seeing that level of reality, it's not, they're not right, they don't need that right now. Like they still have to work on the earth realm stuff. You know, and so like, even though those beings, I think sometimes might really want to help or want to like be there for you, or then there are there for you

in like really subtle ways, you just think you had some epiphany or some shit. You know, like you're like, well that was a great idea in the shower. You don't know if something was whispering in your ear. But yeah, I think they know. And also, you know, a lot of these spiritual people that I've met, like, I think they have some capacities

that they don't really lead with at all if they ever lead with them at all, because they don't want to deal with, they don't want you to like get fixated on, oh, yeah, you can read minds or oh, yeah, like this is possible because then you're going to get all like you're going to go foust-y in or something, you know, you're going to want that power. You're going to want that. Yes, you're going to want to, yeah, you know, and that's not. You want that power. Yeah, yeah. And God, help you. God, help you.

That's cool. Yeah, I have a, I won't mention their name. Yeah, Emo and I both know somebody who, my God, that's the best music ever in my life. And to this day it is, I'll revisit it sometimes and expecting, like, yeah, it's going to be, I don't like sometimes and expecting, I guess it's gonna be, I don't like it now and I'm wise and older and it's just like, God, it's beautiful.

A long time ago I played it on an episode of a podcast, I didn't heard from this person in years, totally impacted my life, this person. That's the other thing, it's like when you meet those people, it's not like they teach you. It's not like, sit down and let me andrew take you or let me be your mentor. But they're so actualized that just being in the presence of them helps you become more actualized. You're around a wild human. I can remember, I shouldn't have done it. I have great regret about doing this.

I shouldn't have done it. Played one of his fucking songs on the podcast. Episode, it's gone. You can't find anyone listening. You won't go to find it. Next day, phone call. And like, I deserved what he said to me. He's like, you know, if you don't take that down,

you're just like them. I felt so, he said to me. He's like, you know, if you don't take that down, you're just like them. I felt so, he was so right. And I felt so bad, like a Judas, a betrayer. I took it down, but yeah, that person, man, one of the coolest people I ever met in my life. Yeah. Wow. So you taught me something, which is we like to imagine

those people show up only in the east. Those people only show up in like remote locate. They're not gonna grow out of America. There's no American saint, no American guru, no, no America. That is not the case, man. They're here, they're everywhere. They just don't want, they don't want to deal with it. So that's cool. So yeah, you just, you're kind of just like, I don't mean to reduce what you're doing here, because I think it's incredible.

But you know, like I have friends who are into records, you seem to be, you have a bunch behind you there, and they pick through crates, and they find these rare records. It seems like you're doing that but out in the world or something. Is that an intentional? Yeah, that's fair.

That is intentional. I ran away from home a bunch and traveled and really was drawn to kind of go to places that seemed interesting to me or that things were maybe happening or that someone that caught my eye or that I felt compelled to go spend time around and sort of covered a lot of ground in the world, like going to different places when I would be excited about things or see a photograph where the lighting looked interesting in Portland, Oregon or heard music in Minneapolis that seemed compelling to me and would kind of drift to places and spend time there.

And then kind of built a life where I can do that where I'll go, you know, like I also work in very broad commercial times. Like there's like, you know, prank panel also work in very broad commercial than sometimes, like there's like, you know, prank panel on ABC with Eric Andre and Johnny Knoxville is like, like I'm not only doing like obscure micro-new ones, investigations of things. But then taking the proceeds or funding from those things to support a lifestyle where I'm traveling

and making fun things happen or bringing friends along to work and collaborate with or putting together teams of like, like my did fellow travelers to like have great experiences or make things or collaborate with and going to places that I'm compelled by or interested in. Yeah, that, yeah, that is, you have this nomadic life.

Also, you've been, you know, as a dad now. Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, you're a dad. And you're a dad. We're dads. And your kid is so cool, man. You know what I mean? Like, what do they say?

You shall know the father by the son. And your son is fucking awesome, man. Like, you did such a good job. Like, it's not like like whatever this nomadic lifestyle is somehow you've also been tending to the hearth as well clearly. So how do you do both? How do you do both? How do you balance out? Like you know for me I go on the road and I my road life is so non rock starry.

Like I just like to come back to the hotel and watch forensic files and go to bed, play video games, but still coming back home. I have to react to it. It's a completely different rhythm, you know? So how do you balance these two, I guess you could call them polarities, you know, like hanging out with comics, hanging out with know, like hanging out with comics, hanging out with rock stars, hanging out with stars, stars. How do you like, when you get home,

how do you like retune into that, or is there no difference for you? I guess just knowing who you are and what your values are and making that, the center of core of your life, so that it, you know, the connection with my, I've got two kids, I've got a son who you know who's 22 and a daughter who's 15 that you've met briefly but not really gotten to know or hang out with it extensively.

And I would love to bring her to, you know, future adventures. She's kind of like very diligently deep in the academic world of high school at the moment. Yeah. Um, but they both like traveling. They both like going on adventures with me. They both are very compatible to, you know, going and exploring strange places and being out in the world and meeting people and not being, I don't know,

like they both are compatible with me and making things and traveling and exploring. So I don't know. I was so glad that you and Marshall get along. That was great to see him. How did you not get along with Marshall? No, he's amazing. Yeah, such a good guy. And he was very effective and things he's picked up or observed or shortcomings or faults that I have about some things. He's suited to pick up on or fill in those gaps or make the whole production better by the things that he's observed and has had to augment or cover. So he was invaluable in making your special stronger and better covered than it might have been if he hadn't been there.

Also he picked up your, what did you call it? Steel Rat? No, yeah. He picked up that ability to like just like, like vanish, be there. Very powerful ability. It's a dad. That is a, you know, like you fall in love with these kids. And there's this thing hanging over your head

that every parent has that you have to exercise out of your life because you want your kids to be their own people. I mean, my kids only four, but already I'm like, oh, I'm gonna lose them. You know what I mean? Like the, you have to. Like they have to go, but live their own lives. Yeah, they gotta go be their own life. Yeah, but you know, you, and so you have this thing, living their lives. Yeah, they've got to go be their own life. Yeah, but you know you and so you have this thing and it's it's

far away, but it's still hanging there in the future. You know, it's coming. So like to see you working with your kid out on the road, I'm like, whoa, you know, that is the, you know, that's so old school too, man, that's so old school you're the family business. You're that's just so cool. Yeah, I should clarify that he's willing to do that in short doses of exciting things to come work with you

in Austin, Texas. But in life in general, he's got his own like, all right, thank you for flowing up my fantasy. He's got the truth is he's got his own path and trajectory that he's on in life that will involve adventures it. We're you know it's not the two of us together doing things that's him in his own frampage. Okay, I get it.

Okay, damn. All right. That makes a lot more sense. Actually, but it's great that he can also like come be a great, you know, contributor and part of the magic of making something. Do you? Um, how many things do you have to say no to? At this point in your career?

I enjoy it. I enjoy being discerning, like I make a million things, but I also, like other friends have kind of taught me that there's a strength in like saying no or defining things by the things that you reject or that you don't allow to like over swamp your life or intend for you in places that you don't want to get caught up. Right. Yeah, that's so hard to do. I mean, was it that you were you always like that? I mean, it seems like, you know, when your work started getting out in the world and you started experiencing the acceleration that we're talking about.

You were able to adapt to it and you wanted that, but was there a point where you are just doing everything, anything? No, I think I was always kind of selective about not wanting to kind of cheapen or degrade what I respect about my own work by making it available to things that were like my own work by making it available to things that were like people that I didn't respect or feel like it would be a good fit for what I can make. But you don't want to just like degrade it all by making things that are disposable or for gross people. Okay, then I won't share your email with all the musicians you want to send to their music right now. Lance, I'm in a micro-golt listen. We only play balloons with our dicks.

It's incredible. No, I'm an active listener. I will love to hear anything, but I don't want to commit them and go make a documentary about someone who's like a creep within the El Paso scene or something. Creep within the outfit. I want to see that. So do you ever think like do you have any plans for making fiction? Do you know what I mean? Like a nice like I think you could make the best fucking horror movie ever. I don't know why. I just keep thinking like man, if Lance decided to make, like what's that great production company, A24?

Seven days? Oh my God, they make such great, like crazy art. Do you ever like play around with that idea? Yeah, it's been times that I've directed, like scripted non-documentary things. I did a TV series called Better Things with Pamela Ablon, who created it. It really was her thing that she wrote and created based on her life and made amazing stuff,

but they brought me into direct a bunch of episodes in the first season and had a great experience doing that. History of the world, the Mel Brooks comedy, I directed some sections of the version of that that came out last year. Like I like working in fiction pieces as well, but have an aptitude for making things conjured out of real life or documentary or. Yeah. But I'm telling you, you are perfectly set up to make the best found footage movie out. Oh my God.

Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like you know how to do that. You know what? Like what it looks like. You already have the gear. You already have the crew. And just what we just talked about, there is a shadow side to it.

You know what I mean? It's like, I can remember when I was in my own little micro-col in Asheville, and it was a true micro cult, like a true fucking cult. Without, like, I don't think I'm giving it. And I was on the outskirts of this cult, thank you, Jesus. But I think there was like all these people in it called themselves John, and with a number on the other side of it, like John IV, John IX.

And it sounds insane, but I mean, in a small town, these things can develop. Like these weird cultures develop, and they, it sounds absolutely silly, but like they're sinister. Like there was a kidnapping, like some kid got kidnapped and duct taped to a chair. They were all into like magic and the occult and drugs and

raves and these little, you know, like I just the the small town club. You do all time you go to a small town and you go to the like little tiny club, but it's playing like insane music, like Apex twin like shit that you've never heard before, back then that was new or like, God, what was the name of that? You remember psychic TV, Genesis P.O.R.A.G.? Yeah. That was a little cult, and they were all into that,

and they would religiously watch that stuff. And I just remember, there's this weird resonance that was happening between the micro-called and the occult and the still underground rave scene and the e you know, and those two things were like mixing in this like haunted little industrial town. I don't know, man.

It was creepy. Nothing ever happened to me. Oh, yeah, you're saying that now. What do you mean you think something happened? Things play out over longer timelines than what you've lived so far. Oh, Jesus Christ almighty. You gotta make a horror movie.

That's what I'm talking about man. That's what I'm fucking talking. I can remember being in one of these clubs and like all of us were young young. And like, you know, I don't know that dude's name or remember, but just like watching him give like drugs to like kids, like me being one of them. Oh, we weren't complaining, but the way he would say like,

candy for my babies, you know what I mean? Like fuck. Whoa, dude, what are you doing? You're giving fucking ecstasy an acid to like 17 year olds. Because you want to fuck some of them. What are you doing? And we liked it. And what you know,, whoa, man,

you could make the best fake documentary about discovering one of these scenes, finding the thing. Oh, please do it. I'm saying this out of selfishness, Lance. Like, I would just like to watch that. I love found footage. This is a movie that you want to see.

Yeah, it's, you know, Twin Peaks kind of grabbed it. You know what I mean? Like David Lynch, like tuned into this thing we're talking about, the, the weird shit that happens in small towns that no one ever hears about, that is absolutely scary and dark. Like he captured it for sure. But, you know, but like connecting it to music and connecting it to a general or a rejection of default reality and all the jewels and bobbles that tries to offer you, you know, people, people who listen to this show have, are aware that there's more than default reality? No, I know, but it's, you have to remind yourself.

If you don't, it's a constant reminder to yourself, right? Like, when I forget to remind myself that the news isn't necessarily a depiction of reality or whatever's on my Twitter feed is not reality, Instagram's not necessarily reality, I get depressed. Like, I start feeling like the world is collapsing and everything's horrific. You know, so I have to constantly remind myself like, no, man, you're just, you're in your own little filter bubble. There's all kinds of things going on out there that are wonderful or wonderfully dark. Cool turkey may be great on sandwiches, but there's a better way to break your bad habits. You don't have to resort to listening to your weirdest friends advice about how to quit

this thing or that thing when they tell you, oh yeah, you just need to put like a half dead octopus on your nipples and let it suckle there for a few minutes and it'll help you get past whatever your bad habit happens to be. I tried it, felt horrible. These are sentient creatures and it didn't do anything and the thing didn't even suckle on the nips like my friend said

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to save 10% off when you get the journey pack. That's trifume. Try F-U-M. dot com and use code Duncan to save an additional 10% off your order today. Thank you, Fume. Yeah, many worlds are collapsing to be fair. You think so? Oh, yeah. What do you mean biomes and stuff? Yeah, but like, I think, yeah, like there are definitely a lot of things that are falling

apart and a lot of existences that are collapsing and a lot of existences that are not denying that. And yeah, for sure. I mean, absolutely. Like, a lot of transformations happening on the planet for better, for worse, and a lot of it's for worse. But then I don't know that that is, I think it's unique to the time, the things that we're contending with right now are unique to the times and the same way all the other

things in the past were unique to the times and equally potentially An existential threat to humanity. You know my god like the Spanish fucking flu. Yeah, it just burn itself out We got lucky with that one that could have wiped everybody out Yeah, and they think it has happened to civilization. It's just, you know, a disease mutates just the right way. Boom. Gone. Like, all you needed is for COVID to be like 10% more deadly. You know, and that would be the end of the world. What do you think happened everyone in Rone Oak? Oh, I love you're bringing that up. So, um, Kroa Toa, what was it carved into the tree? Yeah.

Well, I mean, it was Kroa Toa, like, so like, nobody knows what the fuck they were trying to say. It's like, it was a settlement, right? It just disappeared, like a settlement just vanishes. And nobody knows what happened. And it's a great mystery to this day. There's all these theories that maybe they were assimilated. That's one of the theories by indigenous Americans

are assimilated. Another is they were murdered. But yeah, this entire community just disappeared. What are your theories on that? Like just a notion of things could have played out differently with an a large scale the Spanish flu and that there are civilizations that may have been wiped out at different times. Like on a smaller scale in a more condensed more geographically specific area

when a small culture just vanishes and goes away if you had any thoughts about what might have happened in that particular one. Well that one one is like, I think it stands out more than all the other ones, maybe because it's a little more recent. I, when news pops up that they've used some new scanning technology, and they've discovered massive cities buried by the Amazon.

They've discovered massive cities that, you know, no one knew, or they, you know, they'll stumble upon cultures, and they'll have no idea what they are. They're of language is different. They're writing is different. They have no idea. And, you know, it's, we, like, or I think a lot of people, we think those people aren't like us. I think a lot of people, we think those people aren't like us. Like we think there's got to be, there's probably some anthropological name for the way that present cultures always look, it's like, I don't know, this kind of temporal form of like being a bigot. Like you, you know what I mean?

Like because we are in what we consider be the current, assuming there's like just this moment and all things are happening simultaneously, we think, oh, we've got it all figured out. Like we are different from them. Like yeah, their city disappeared because they were fucking whatever. They're building with rocks, fuck them.

They weren't like us. They didn't feel like us. They don't have kids like us. They didn't want to go people. 10 years ago people were so unsubisticated. Yeah, exactly. No, and you see them, you do see the microversion of that. In any cool thing, burning man, the classic example,

you know, people, burners are, you know, they're just like, ah, when we were doing it, it was right, new burners are like, fuck those old geese. What the fuck? This is fun. And like, so this weird time judgment pops up. And when you realize, like, no, like those people were exactly like us, probably, they thought they were the most advanced. They probably were judging other ancient cultures in some weird way. Like cultures we'll never even know about. And they just, they're gone. Like, we think New York City,

I don't know, I keep bringing up New York. We're gonna remember New York City forever. It'll always be there. You can fly into LaGuardia. Like no one wants to think about, like no, actually the odds are just based on earth history that at some point people are gonna be like, what the fuck was that?

Like what is this? Or even if it's still there in some form, like what's the big deal about Constantinople or whatever, like you know, it's no longer the massively valorized. Right, Rome. Space, yeah. Rome, like yeah, that, and to me, like the way I mitigate some of my

Eschatological phobia or whatever you want to call it regarding the Collapse of the Environment or the collapse of Western civilization or whatever is at least it's not whatever is at least it's not, it's the norm, it's not anomalous, it's like this is what happens on the planet is just extinction, destruction, you know? And a lot of the times it's directly resulted to connect to the ignorance. Yeah. You know, like Pompeii, you telling me

they didn't fucking know there was volcano there? You tell, like there was for sure someone in Pompeii is like, I don't know. Yeah, we're at the bottom of a volcano right now. Should we be here? Like is this smart? And they're like, yeah, what are you shut up? Why do you talk about the fucking mountain of fire? It's going to be fine.

It was the rumble mountain. Rumble mountain is fine. As long as we please the gods we will and then like yeah you go look at the god that's haunting to look at the the Pompeii mummies or whatever you call them my god just like in the midst of their lives with their kids and their dogs, humping, sleeping, gone. Good night everybody. Good night. I hope you enjoyed this part.

We're just kidding. No, no, no, no. I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. We are about to hit one hour exactly. I'm not ready to stop talking. Me either. Yeah, I just, I don't want to, Lance,

I think that, you know, the news has to sell ads. That's the first thing you have to remember about the news. You forget that, then you will all pray to the idea that whatever your particular flavor of fear of choices is an accurate depiction of reality. But you have to remember, they're supported by the corporations and the corporations need reality to seem a certain way. And so you're going to get a warped

idea of whatever's happening in the world from the news. We all know that. That's not news. But then, also realize like, our amygdala's don't want to hear all the good shit that's happening in the world. I'm I am amygdala, doesn't want to hear all the good shit that's happening in the world. Am I amygdala, doesn't? When I'm doomed scrolling through whatever the fuck I'm doomed, I'm not going to stop on the woman saves the sheep from a bug. Like, I'm going right to the Ukrainian war footage because my amygdala's addicted to that shit.

So, the news knows this. So, there's signal boosting, there's signal boosting the darkest shit they could find to sell at. I mean, that's what's happening. And that's what I mean. Like, if you are fixated on that, that's the world you're going to be living it versus all the other wonderful things that are happening in the midst of the horror and the midst of the nightmare.

You know, and that stuff is like the people that we've been talking about. It's not trying to get famous. It's just trying to help. It's not, you know, it's, it's not the people who are out there helping. They're not like, God, I hope I get a record deal from this. You know, they don't care. Monsters. Monsters. What did it feel like for you and have you been aware of like? The work you've done in stand-up comedy which is separate from the outlet you have in these conversations that you do Yeah, in other forms of writing that you do To kind of like have preserved like an hour and 15 minutes or so of that and like a form

Did that feel like any kind of a, I've like, I've completed that step or I've, yes. No, it was like this, it's like I've been carrying like just a, a bag of like moldy wet clothes on a backpack and all the shame of not doing it. And the fear and knowing all my excuses of not doing it and the fear and knowing all my excuses for not doing it were generally related to fear. And then if you're making fear-based decisions in your life, then you're fucking up no matter what and like all that stuff. And like,

and you know, a lot some of my comedian friends, you know, the way you were like sort of champion me doing a special and this really sweet compassion way. They're maybe, they're a little more, and Buddhism we call it wrathfulness, like a little more just like, hey, what are you, you're late. What's going on here? Where is it?

What are you doing, a body of work? You know, this, you gotta do it. Like, what are you doing? Jump, you gotta jump. And so all of that building up and building up and the moment I did it, I can't even expect that night after it was like a literal, like you hear, a weight was lifted off of me, it was a weight.

Like if I was just felt free and relieved and good about it, like to the point where like now, one really dark moment, like maybe I just won't even release the special, who cares, I recorded it. That to the point where like now it won't really dark moment like maybe I just won't even release the special who cares I recorded it. That's the important part. This is a now I'm back to like the trick move fear based trickery but yeah it felt good man. Oh good. It's an initiation kind of in comedy right? Like it's an initiate you're initiated when you do that like somehow. Yeah the idea of a body of work within someone who performs in the vernacular of stand-up comedy. Are there things that you've done in the past where you feel like there's audio of that,

and I like that set, or that five minute bit from 2010 is recorded somewhere? Are there things that feel good about those things, like being know 50 years from now when people are talking about like the Mines of this era. Yeah, that's something of the voice that you had is at least Someone can you know hear that again. Well, I you know, I'm I'm really proud of You know, I guess it's not stand up related like there is something out there that I love that I didn't love when I did it, and now I love it, which is like I went on RE show, this is happening and talked about a bad ass trip I had in front of people. It wasn't really stand up.

It was just storytelling. And honestly, I wish that I'd spent more time punching up the story. I didn't put enough work into punching it up when he asked me to do it. I just got the beats of the story down until the story. But I am proud of that. And people will come up to me and mention parts of it to me, which makes me feel really good because it seems like it resonated with every single person who's taken too much acid at a concert and gone through that fucking hell.

So yeah, that, but as far as like stand up goes, no, like, no, I've actively, you know, because I've seen the thing where comics put their material online before they're ready. And I've always thought that's a terrible mistake. Like, don't do that. Like, you've only been doing stand up a few years. Like, even though that might be funny, what you put up, it's not going to be as funny as in like four years or something like that. I think that's kind of a dated, antiquated, pre-tick-talk, pre-instagram way of thinking. That's an old-school way of thinking that I think I absorbed through

the comedy store. This is going to be the, this is going to be the, you know, I think this will be an actual special because it's like, it's special. I haven't done it especially yet. Yeah. And I'm so glad that you tried that closing bit. I know, man, I'm so glad that we got that. I can't believe. I can't believe, I hope we can use it. I've got plans for that. We can't really talk about that one, but I got plans for that one. I think I might be able to get permission, man.

We'll see, I don't know. But yeah, man, yeah, I'm thrilled with it. I'm gonna feel weird editing it and going through like that. And also now, it's because I'm working on new material, but I'm still doing some old jokes jokes from those that are going to be on that special. And of course, like the more you do jokes, the more you find pieces of them, words that make them funnier. And so, you know, some of those jokes are like,

fuck, that word is so much better than that word, but I can't, it's not going to, like, but, you know, you just have to, I can remember when we're making the midnight gospel Pendleton explaining to me, like, look, at some point, you're just, you're done. Like it doesn't matter if you feel like it's not done. You have to send it to them because there's a deadline and that's just the way it is. So, you know, I learned a lot from that because it's true. At some point, you just have to like,

you gotta upload the podcast. You gotta put out the episode. Right on. And then you were the interesting moment of your life. Like it was, you know, any day, you were gonna become a father for the third time. Oh yeah, dude. That was wild. That was so wild. Because you know yeah dude. That was wild.

That was so wild. Because you know, yeah, that was wild. And my wife is so wonderful because like even, like she was encouraging me to do it. Like, as I was like, no, let's just push it. You're about to have a baby. I don't want to like, what if you go into labor while I'm shooting the special?

Like, and she was like, I wouldn't tell you. It was so sweet. It's like, Aaron, you gotta tell, you can't do that, but so yeah, that, Carmically, that seems to happen to me a lot, like all these things stack at the same time. Like, all these weird, intense things tingle together, and it's been that way for a while, you know?

It's been that way. Like, I got testicular cancer right around when my mom died. I, my, the, the, like so many like just extra weird such a hacky extra balls to struggle. Papa, I'm sorry. Are we guys waiting here? The special every joke is just that good. But, but yeah, like stuff like that. So the pandemic, you know, we had a baby during the pandemic, which was really intense. We like, you know, we, we a lot stacks on top of each other. So I think Erin, I've become really good at dealing with stress because of all of the training from the universe in that regard where I can roll with stuff much better than

I used to be able to. But that was a lot. It was a lot to do that. To give birth to a special, you know, my wife is about to give birth to my daughter. How did you tell her about the feeling of having taped the special and was she in a mindset where she could in any way like share that with you or was it, you know, it's such an intense thing that she's in the last 48 hours before giving birth and you've just gone through this kind of thing that you want to share with her, but that she wasn't there. Oh, no, she's in crap. No, she is like

Such a supporter of my standup and such a like it's she's incredible like she really like she won't like She like cuz I'm I have a sadly a little bit of lazy street She won't let me cancel a show. Like, if there's a show, I mean, I was in bed with her once in my underwear and like, Rogan texted me, like, it was a confusing text. I thought it was responding to a previous text, I sent him. I didn't make any sense at all. It was like, let's go. It's like the, you know, arm with a muscle. And I texted him something that didn't really connect to that. And I was like, yeah, man, I didn't understand.

We're just watching TV. And then he's called. He's like, dude, where are you? You just told me you were coming tonight. I completely forgotten. And you know, my instinct in those moments, like, dude, I'm sorry, I'm in bed. And I was about to do that.

And she's like, no, I'm sorry, I'm in bed. And I was about to do that. And she's like, no, no pointing to the closet. Like you're getting out of bed, you're getting dressed, you're going to do that show. You're not canceling anymore. So that, she's perfect for me in that way. Because like, it's sad that I would need that. But I, so we're a good team in that regard, because she really pushes me.

I, you know, this is really sad. Like over the course of the pandemic, this podcast didn't get in real comfortable, man. And really kicking around the idea of like, what is, why do I need to go on the road again? Why even do you stand up? I'll just podcast and that'll be my job. Why don't I just have one job? Why do I need to go on the road again? Why even do you stand up? I'll just Podcast and that'll be my job. Why not just have one job? Why do I need to have a bunch of jobs? And I remember is yeah, this intense conversation with you like you're a comic

You're not giving that up. Why would you you are not that's who you are and or I would be I would say I'm a Podcast or to people and she'd be like, why do you say that you're a comic? Say you're a comic You know, that's what you are. Like that is, that's like, I just feel so lucky to have met her for that. You know, it's so not like it's hard. Like I can't even imagine what it's like to be married to me. Much less to be married to it.

Like a comic going on the road and rolling neurotic and weird and like I have to deal with that. Like a comic going on the road and we're all neurotic and weird and like I have to deal with that. Like I have to deal with like the kids at home while your husband is like laying in some hotel room bed eating Doritos and watching TV. It's, you know, it's not fair in a lot of ways. Yeah. Thanks for asking me that, I appreciate it. Yeah. But I also imagine it's probably better than having to say that you're married to a podcaster. Ah, yeah, nobody wants to say there you go. It really wants to say that. It would be better to be like, I'm married.

Yeah, I'm married. I'm married to like, he's a corner or a funeral home director or anything than a pod. He's a podcaster. Oh boy. Great. How's that going? That's so fucking funny. You never thought of that. You're right. It's embarrassing. You can't marry to a podcaster. He has gone for stages. He has a beard. Oh, you're right, Lance. That's hilarious. You're the best man.

When are you coming to Austin again? I think I'm gonna bring Marshall back on some adventures coming up in a month or two. Oh, you are? You gotta let me know so we can hang out. And like when we're not working. I wanted to go to that water park with you. Calary?

Yeah. Dude, we can go. You wanna go? We? Yeah. Dude, we can go. You want to go? We can go. Yeah, I want to go. Oh my god, because the kids would, they would absolutely love it. They, they like, they, you know,

what, the oldest when he's on the playground. It's so funny watching, like, four year olds meet, because they don't know how to meet, like, they're, you know, they mean they're just learning how to, and like, but they're instant friends, generally, you know, and so like watching him meet a kid and right away just be like, I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari.

And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. And I went down some slides at Calahari. great marker for development that like they know that that was an achievement that they rose to the occasion, they summoned their courage, they did the thing.

Yeah, yeah, it's like, you know, like a friend of mine was talking about like, you know, riding in some like super fast race car, you know what I mean? It's like the same thing, I know, kind of went on some slides that maybe my dad made me stand on my tiptoes so I could even go on at Calibre. I got in trouble for that. Yeah, man, please, let's do that.

I mean, just so you know, it's like, look, I'm not gonna try to like shit on it. Like it's just, you know, it's an indoor water park, you know what that means, right? Like with that, the steam, the heat, the piss and the water, the humidity, the disease, the disease everywhere, just like, you know, you know, Wuhan. That's where we got COVID.

The next one it's gonna come from Calahari, like fight a bat. That's just a perfect place for a new disease to emerge. Maybe we'll be the ones that emerges from Lance. We're the variants. But will I find it's, and it's really fun. I mean, it's like, you know, it's fascinating. I would, Lance, it will be so fun

if you would come with us to Galar. And the kids will love you. Great. And thank you for doing this last second. And thank you for everything. I'm lucky to have you as a friend, man, as so many of us are. Like, you know, like people like you are rare out there. And like so many comics and so many artists, like we really like owe a lot to you. So thank you. Thanks for coming on the show. All right. Love you, Duncan.

Love you. Toyo tires provide traction, safety and comfort from Toyos observe winter tires to the Celsius and open country lines of all weather tires. Toyo has a cold weather solution for you. Toyo tires, making tires for your road. Find your nearest Toyo dealer by visiting tirediscountergroup.ca slash locations. Tirediscountergroup. Tirediscountergroup.ca. That was Lance Bangs everybody. Definitely check out his new documentary, The Elephant Six Recording Company.

A big thank you to our sponsors. And a tremendous thank you to our sponsors, and a tremendous thank you to Darian Ice Cream for giving all of us over here at the DTFH Studios Ice Cream Baths. I'll see you next week. Until then, Hare Krishna. you