The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Neal Brennan Talks New Comedy Special, Plant Based Therapy, Black Comedy Beefs + More

Episode Date: April 12, 2024

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show, Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle.
Starting point is 00:00:20 We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Wake that ass up. In the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious.
Starting point is 00:00:37 Y'all are making a guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes indeed. Neil Brennan. Welcome back. Yeah. Good to be here. Neil is back with another special called Crazy Good. Neil is one of the last of the comedians who actually make special special. Thank you, Sean. Thank you for noticing and
Starting point is 00:00:53 thank you for dissing most of my peers. They're both at the same time. Yeah. Why not get your man who can do both? Hit it. Do you feel less pressure putting this one out versus the others? Like the blocks, three mics? This one is not.
Starting point is 00:01:09 If you thought the other ones were on some emo bullshit, I hear you. This one has no emo-ness to it at all. It's just like 53 minutes of like, this is me like sprinting. I like the emo-ness. I know. I do too too but there are people that are like nah yeah my man was a little too a little too introspective i don't have a problem with that somebody else you know somebody said that to me about uh bill burr recently they
Starting point is 00:01:35 was like bill might be doing a little too much there well i watched him on here it was fun to see him be like that because it's so not what he's been like. But Bill was sort of weirdly the inspiration for Three Mics in a weird way because he had done a thing called The Moth, and he talked about emotional stuff. But I just did two of them, and the other thing is I feel better. I don't feel depressed anymore, so I wasn't I wasn't gonna force it a dude I did the show I did crazy good in DC and a dude DM me afterward and was like I kept waiting for you to show up he was basically saying like why weren't you sad so I have an announcement at the beginning of the show like hey i'm not sad so just enjoy yourself let me
Starting point is 00:02:26 let me ask you a question what what got what got you out of that sad spot because you've been up here several times yeah and you had a total different like different space and i was like neil brennan's not sad today he's not down he's not neil brennan sir i said neil brennan oh they said nick no i said neil brennan so what got you into that stay out of this so what got you into this new space well I call it plant medicine the cops call them drugs okay
Starting point is 00:02:53 honestly the thing I talked about before ayahuasca this thing called DMT which I don't recommend, but it kind of broke my brain and then it re-congealed into something better. And then this past year, MDMA has been really good for, if you do MDma in a non-party space it can be uh it can it can in my experience it was a god connection mdma that's not ecstasy ecstasy okay yeah molly so what made you think you needed
Starting point is 00:03:36 that like what got you to the point where let me try ayahuasca let me try because i because i tried zoloft i tried i tried everything and uh and it was kind of working and this was it was just it was kind of a hail mary like let's see and uh and the funny thing is people can tell like when you're like neil's not that yeah like i'm just kind of different. I'm wearing orange. I mean, come on. Um, but I am like energetically I'm different and it's due to that. And then I've just gotten a lot of, uh, like it's the corniest shit in the world, but like gratitude you've been doing, you've been on gratitude a long time. Absolutely. Um, I was talking to a buddy of mine about how, how i was like i was doing like a gratitude checklist i would do it once a day and i would
Starting point is 00:04:32 just go over the facts of my life because our brains kind of write sci-fi about like so and so's out to get you and she hates you and this and that and but none almost none of it's true and so i would do a gratitude checklist of like the facts of my life like you are a successful comedian you have three netflix specials you're you're you know you have a commitment to growth you're curious you're intelligent you know all like positive attributes and then a buddy of mine was and we were talking about islam and i go islam's got it right where they're like they pray five times a day like you kind of need to and he goes well why don't you gratitude five times a day and i was like okay so i've been doing that and i i don't always get to five but but i've been doing that
Starting point is 00:05:14 for the last four or five months and it's been it's been great so you find something to be thankful for five times a day yeah yeah i i just do kind of the same list five times a day of like the facts of my life. Like I'm a health. I mean, anyone that can hear this, things are going pretty well, even though if you're having a bad day or you're in debt or like there are things that are negative. But like if you live in a world where you can watch this or hear this, things are better for you than they are for a lot of the world. Who don't things check off on their own?
Starting point is 00:05:49 Waking up and making it home safely at night. That is a very underappreciated blessing to make it home at night. Yeah, everybody doesn't make it home. That's right. A lot of people die at work. but i'm saying like you be be aware uh no but like people die just stuff that's real basic that's right you forget and if you can i've and it's it's like i said it's so corny but like it's effective uh just doing just remembering how fortunate you are. I was going to ask, you know, were you ever fearful of losing that quote unquote touch, right?
Starting point is 00:06:29 When you ever speak to sometimes rappers, they'd be like, I don't want to give up the lean because I think that helps me write better. Did you ever feel like if I go through, when I'm going through the ayahuasca, whatever you're trying to get over that bump, that hump, that you would lose your touch as a comedian, that you're a genius as a comedian. I don't really...
Starting point is 00:06:48 I'm of two minds about it, which is one of them is I don't... It's a reflex at this point. I've been doing this like 30 years, so if a news story happens, I can kind of like, meh. You know? And if I lose it,
Starting point is 00:07:03 I had a good run. Like I started... Half-Pay came out 27 years ago. Wow. So, no, I know. So, like, I wrote for all that on Nickelodeon. Like, I've been out here. You wrote for all that? Yes, I was fighting the molesters.
Starting point is 00:07:20 And, like, I've been doing this a long ass time. So if it, if it, if I, if I lose the touch, I lose the touch. But what, what I found is the touch is, um, a reflex at this point. Like I can just, I just, my brain does it out of the touch. Did you see any of that? A Nickelodeon? Thank you for, for bringing that up. I didn't see any of it, Charlemagne, but I am against it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:52 So now we're on the record, and hopefully this will hold up in court. Jesus Christ, man. No, I didn't see that. Yeah. Now, all your specials have great names but it's not just names if you've seen three mics you know why it's called three mics yeah if you've seen blocks you know why it's called blocks i'm assuming crazy good is just crazy good uh crazy good is actually okay so one of the parts of the special is making fun of the commodification of mental health like making fun of tiktok uh psychology
Starting point is 00:08:30 and all that shit and so i'm not against it but i just feel like the amount of people making videos about trauma and and uh and all the diagnoses of like you're being gaslit just all that stuff is so aggravating it's so aggravating and it's also dishonest because none of these people have any idea what they're talking about they just heard it on another tiktok um so i'm basically toward the end i'm saying you know you're you do go to therapy take medication medication, do all the stuff you got to do, but just know that most of the great things in life are from psychopaths and drug addicts. Damn. Jesus.
Starting point is 00:09:12 I mean, if I'm wrong, let me know. Expound on that. All right. All the inventors. Sigmund Freud. Okay. Open coke head. Yep.
Starting point is 00:09:22 Most of Freud's books should be called this. Maybe the cocaine talking. Like, he was a coke head. Like, yeah, women are jealous of our dicks. Yeah. Like, it's real cokey shit. Edison did coke. The Wright brothers, I don't know if they were on coke, but like, I mean, or on meth, but they had the methiest idea, which is like, hey, do you fucking feel like you can fly?
Starting point is 00:09:47 The modern inventors, Elon Musk. Ketamine. He does ketamine. Yeah, ketamine, or he's just out of his mind. And then I get into like, well, what about musicians? Okay. The Rolling Stones had, in order to tour Americaica had to get a doctor to test them for drugs every day and uh the doctor lasted six weeks before he got hooked on cocaine damn yeah
Starting point is 00:10:15 like yeah um hip-hop lean weed weed yeah so so you know there's just like there's and then I do comedians well are you guys all psychopaths and drug addicts I'm like so far Richard Pryor drug addict George Carlin drug addict Bill Cosby choose your own adventure the modern ones like you know Lenny Bruce a drug drug addict uh john belushi's a drug addict john mulaney told me to remind people he's a drug addict in the bit like people were all
Starting point is 00:10:56 something so i'm not saying don't treat it i'm not saying you know ride it but i'm just saying the audience needs to accept that we're uh we're not the other thing that's been happening is like comedians are like moral leaders you know uh like dave or or being a good it's like why it's they are these serious issues and, you know, like transgender rights and stuff. And then how bankrupt are other segments of society that they finally were like, well, what are the clowns think? Why are you asking us what we think about these? This should have never gotten to our desk. It's for politicians and clergy and other leaders but like don't turn to joe rogan for vaccine advice yeah i think there's one though i would say when i
Starting point is 00:11:55 watched george carlin now he was very prophetic yeah yes But he also, I can name a bunch of real dark shit. Like he had a bit about bulimia. Rich bitch won't eat. Fucker. Not exactly the most ethical take he had. You know, he went both ways. So again, they were, they, we can be that, but no one moves out to L.A. to be righteous. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:12:30 Everyone moves out there to be funny and famous, you know? And it's the same thing with, like, is Ellen nice? Is Ellen, and I'm like, first of all, Ellen's hilarious, A. And B, she's a gay rights icon. Like, I don't need her to be. She came out on television and got kicked off television for being gay and then came back and dominated. But that's not enough for people.
Starting point is 00:12:56 They're like, yeah, but is she nice? It's so childish. It's like being like, is my car also a boat? Just appreciate that you have a car. Also, is Ellen nice? How many nice lesbians have you ever met in your entire life? You know what I mean, guys? I'd say we don't talk about toxic studs enough.
Starting point is 00:13:12 I say it often. I know. Step up, toxic studs. I wonder what comedians, right, because they always talk about the trauma that comedians have experienced. I wonder if it is the expectation of always having to make people laugh you know how psychotic that is to get on stage in front of hundreds thousands of people and say i'm going to make them laugh yeah it's a very hard job yes it's a very hard job and it's a very weird job uh well how do you do it on the daily show how do you do meaning the difference between this and that well because number one i don't approach it from a comedian's perspective
Starting point is 00:13:53 because i'm not a comedian and thank you thank you for saying that yes i hate when they say that but the daily show allows me to go in depth on things i might just touch here on the surface but are you do you worry about getting laughs no i rather really i'm i'm more so i'm more so concerned with just saying something that because after that's when i look at the daily show that's the type of institution that it is i'm more so concerned about saying something that i know people are going to actually be informed by and take something away from and be like oh yeah but you don't want to do that thing where you do what might have been a
Starting point is 00:14:27 punchline and you hear that air conditioning unit in the background you're like uh oh okay but I feel like I do that anyway naturally though I feel like you know you have to use humor to push things along right but there it's sort of like
Starting point is 00:14:43 yeah yeah yeah like metered for laughs. So I'm just wondering if you get, not scared, but like a little bit scared. The answer is yes. And do you change your approach? You just read what's on the, you write it,
Starting point is 00:14:59 read what's on the proper. Yeah, because I might be a psychopath or some type of sociopath. Yeah. You know you're going to either get the laugh or you're going to feel the pain of not making a laugh. Right, that's the other thing is like, I don't, you know, a lot of people, I have a huge hunk about athletes too because we want, you know, good mental health in sports.
Starting point is 00:15:21 And I'm like, you know, I want good mental health for everybody, but not athletes like we need our athletes to be psychos what we i let me repeat myself envy we need our athletes to be so did you see the last dance did michael jordan seem mentally healthy to you in the slightest giant mansion one chair come on guys uh he's out of his mind so what i'm saying punching steve kerr and then i don't and then people are like well he's you know he's an angry guy he's not a great husband or dad i'm like well i'm not married to him i don't give a shit be as long as you don't break the law i you can be as rotten to the people around you as well lebron said on his podcast the other day
Starting point is 00:16:04 in order to be great you have to hurt your loved ones. Yeah, he said you've got to be selfish. Yeah. And that's what the gambit is. All these people, any great athlete is Tom Brady is out of his mind. It's like he couldn't even be retired. Made it like 10 days. And it was like, I don't know these fucking kids.
Starting point is 00:16:22 Like you don't know. Any great is out of their mind. And I'm not even getting to, like, OJ. I'm talking about just, like, MJ, LeBron's a little something, right? If he's saying in public you have to hurt your family. Like, Lance Armstrong. The joke I did on the show was, like, I don't even consider Lance Armstrong an athlete. I consider Lance Armstrong a criminal who found a bike like that guy is a criminal damn he think about the
Starting point is 00:16:51 worst lie you ever told and then imagine selling bracelets about it this guy's gone uh tiger tiger I mean that dude he he's like he's he's he's tokyo drifting at 6 30 in the morning uh he these guys are wired to and by the way the women are too like like the gymnastics girls we don't give those girls enough credit man like that's a crazy thing they're doing a lot of marketing paid a lot of them were getting sexually abused which is insane yeah uh and and you gotta get it right the first time and you gotta stick the landing or you're not you ain't getting no Wheaties you ain't getting the cover Wheaties with the wobbly landing you gotta nail it the the figure skating girls they look like they're in trouble like they first of all it looks like they've never
Starting point is 00:17:45 even seen makeup the part that when they it's like when they do the thing the routine and they gotta like they've never it's like their first day with makeup like doll doll doll doll doll doll shock horror like they're and then they gotta they got it. They do like the hologram thing. And then I got to finish and sit in the booth with their kidnappers at the end. I wonder if it's people being mentally unwell are people are really using their brains. And what I mean by that is if you decide that, you know, you want to wake up every day and just do the same routine over and over it doesn't really take much brain function but people that are really having to open up their brains and use their minds is just using the brain to that fullest extent does that just make you feel drive you crazy or make you seem crazy
Starting point is 00:18:42 i don't i think that you know, the joke I do on the show is it's like when you're making a video game character you have like 100 points for like dexterity and speed and all that stuff. It's like that's kind of what God does and sometimes he just gets
Starting point is 00:19:00 the calibration wrong. You know what I mean? When God was making Woody Allen, they were like, how many points should we give him for comedy and filmmaking? He's like, fuck it, give him 100. And then they were like, but that's not going to leave me points for not fucking his family.
Starting point is 00:19:17 And... I think that would be low emotional IQ. Yeah, that's a nice way to put it. That's what the charges were. Low emotional IQ. Well, yeah, that's a nice way to put it. Um, uh, that's what, that's what the charges were. He low emotionally. I can't,
Starting point is 00:19:28 um, yeah. Like, so I just think if you're, you're good at one thing, it's a weird, if you can rhyme good, it's like rap.
Starting point is 00:19:38 That's your brain. Most people's brains don't come up with couplets like that. Most people don't see the world analytically. Most people don't see, let alone analytically and, you know, funnily. So it's just you're going to be deficient in other areas as long as you're not breaking the law. Do you think it's the gifts that make you shitty or the world that comes with the gifts?
Starting point is 00:20:08 Oh, being a shitty person? Yeah, I think. I mean, that make you shitty or the world that comes with the gifts oh being a shitty person yeah i think oh when you i mean i think you can have the gift but i think it's the world the access the power the money yeah i think i think it it it's hard i can't think of many people that have been made you have to make a real effort to uh stay centered with all the that's right because it just becomes like, if everywhere you go, people say you're in great shape, you're never going to go to the gym. You know what I mean? So if everyone's like,
Starting point is 00:20:31 Oh, and anything for you, sir, miss or whatever, it's like, you're just not, it's people only be as good as they have to be. Hmm.
Starting point is 00:20:39 That's been my experience. Like if, or if you demand it of them, then they'll do it. But people will naturally do as little as they it's like homework like what do i gotta do to get an eye they if you're famous and talented you don't have to do much you just have to do the trick you just got to be funny when the when it's time to be funny you know with your resume and your talent and all the things
Starting point is 00:21:01 that you've done and how funny you are do you feel like you look you get overlooked a lot by the public like you should be a bigger comedian because like you said the years that you put in this industry from writing from being on stage from telling jokes all that uh you know i don't i could say yes or no because i kind of feel like there's no one who I feel like I deserve there. I should be in their place. You know what I mean? Like when, so, and I also feel like certain people,
Starting point is 00:21:34 the, the people that are like people that do arenas or whatever, it's like they have real, like real natural performance attributes that I don't necessarily have. They walk on stage and you're like, well, this is going to be. I always tell Kevin Hart, he is sunshine. He's sunshine. I direct some of those Chase commercials.
Starting point is 00:21:59 You cut to that motherfucker in a close-up, the sun is shining. That's right. It can be in a house. He's just like shining that's right it can be an ins it can be in a in a house he's just like let me tell you something charlemagne just he's dave is bugs bunny he just is bugs bunny there's nothing you can do about it chris rock talks like a chainsaw it's like ellen sounds like a flute and a and a baby jerry seinfeld sounds like a flute and a baby. Jerry Seinfeld sounds like a clarinet. So all these people, I mean, I'm clearly a...
Starting point is 00:22:34 Hey, guys. I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High.
Starting point is 00:23:18 It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast.
Starting point is 00:23:45 Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand-new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records.
Starting point is 00:24:09 Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know?
Starting point is 00:24:41 I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Goldman. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I thought about it, but it's, I'm, again, the gratitude thing. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I could focus on like, what, why not? I'm what else? What else? What would happen? What am I looking for?
Starting point is 00:25:28 Like, I need to be on private jets instead of business class. Like, I don't, I'm, I'm good. Like, I don't, I don't, and I'm not saying it like I wouldn't accept it or I wouldn't accept a promotion in some ways, but like I do theaters. I've come on here, people watch it. Um, and I,
Starting point is 00:25:50 yeah, it's, I, I appreciate the question, but, but I, and, and I was kind of hung up on that for a long time,
Starting point is 00:25:56 but the last six months to a year, I've just been like, this is amazing. Like I'm either in the ring or I have ringside seats gotcha for for for life it seems not like forever but like so far you know i don't know if you would know but neil used to be called you call him the black comic whisperer because you were in all like the legendary black comics ears from the chappelle's to the rocks right so when you see everything that's been going on with black comedians this year all started by the club Club JJ, Cat Williams conversation, what are your thoughts?
Starting point is 00:26:31 I would say Cat Williams is the most – Cat Williams on a podcast or a show is like Mike Tyson in the late 80s where it's the most exciting 90 seconds in sports. We're like, God damn, like you cut, he is going to make some shit happen. He is like, in basketball, what they call instant offense. Like put him in, he's getting his shot off. So, I don't, I mean
Starting point is 00:27:00 that's hilarious and some of the people, Cedric the Entertainer is one of the funniest people I've ever been around. Like some of the people he dissed, I'm like, I mean, Cat's hilarious. And some of the people, Cedric the Entertainer is one of the funniest people I've ever been around. Like, some of the people he dissed, I'm like, I just disagree with his appraisal of them. And almost, like, everyone he talked about was really funny. And Cat's great. And all the people he went after were great and i'm sorry
Starting point is 00:27:26 that's he felt that that's how i needed to do it but i'm gonna as i'm gonna uh take my white ass out of it where do white comedians go to start beefs like that was it rogan uh a little bit i yeah it's i think it's a little less it's a it's it's catty but i think it's a little less. It's catty, but I think it's more. I don't want to say, like, we keep it private, Charlamagne. But I can't remember a time where there was, like, shots fired like that. Like, I don't know. It just didn't seem.
Starting point is 00:28:01 But if you're asking me, did I watch it twice? I did. Cat on Club Che Che. What are your thoughts on comedians critiquing other comedians? It didn't seem, but I, but it was, if you're asking me, did I watch it twice? I did cat on club. What are your thoughts on comedians critiquing other comedians about two things in particular? One, whether or not another comedian is funny into this. I think to me, it's kind of a new phenomenon. Comedians saying other comedians are making offensive jokes. The offensive thing is, again, why are you asking the clowns for it's like it's like uh why are you going to clowns for morality you know it's like eating a snickers and being like this
Starting point is 00:28:35 isn't very nutritious no shit it's a snickers bar uh i don't think com i think if a comic criticized another comedian's morality the critic probably isn't very funny. That would be my first guess. I just think it's bad. If you've got a problem with somebody, I would just say address it directly or leave it. There's plenty of people i think are shitty at comedy i just don't i just avoid them or i'd say like you know you did your thing something vague uh but i don't but i i would never criticize somebody in public that i can i'm sure i have
Starting point is 00:29:18 but i i try to avoid it if i can yeah because we was talking about that this week with uh gerard carmichael yeah and daveappelle because he said, first he was saying Dave's whole legacy is transgender jokes. And then he said Dave's an egomaniac. But then literally and I said, you should not criticize a comedian about anything offensive because it can happen to you in a second. And literally,
Starting point is 00:29:37 less than 12 hours later, they're on Gerard about what he said on his HBO show. You know, being a role-playing slave and master it's like me too and somebody you can get popped we can all get popped
Starting point is 00:29:53 for tons of anything if you've been doing it long enough we all do so many podcasts you don't ever remember and then someone goes remember that and you're like no I guess I said that so that's the thing of like casting the first stone like you it's a dangerous game because everyone it's like mutually assured destruction basically once you start uh pointing fingers yeah
Starting point is 00:30:18 pointing fingers it's it's it's gonna be spider-man yeah in any any minute you know billr spoke about being on Chappelle's show back in the day. Did you know that all of those guys, the Burrs, the Rogans, the Donnell Rollins, Charlie Murphy, did you know all of these people would end up being, except for Donnell, icons in their own right? Did you see I picked up Donnell up there? No, I'm focusing on with the bent over. Oho oh the ashy that's hilarious was he wearing timberlands yeah all right great um he looks he doesn't look like that but i like how fat he is it really captures his doughiness um the uh the yeah i mean i remember when Bill auditioned and Dave was like, thank God he can act. Because that dude's really funny.
Starting point is 00:31:10 And Charlie and... Dude, if I... All I remember about doing the show was just it was very hard. But it was very gratifying to be able to have, like, small ideas with me and Dave. And then being able to expand them. Cause the Charlie, I don't know if I've ever told you that, but like we, me and Dave wrote half baked.
Starting point is 00:31:32 We turned it in right in 1997. We have a celebratory mushroom night. And, uh, and this is when I wasn't using medicine medicine for healing it was back when i was just using it to party baby and we have we do mushrooms go to club and i see dave talking to this guy and i'm like is it like eddie murphy's brother like fat brother and then i go over and it's charlie i didn't know him and charlie's like i'm on mushrooms and charlie's like holding court like
Starting point is 00:32:04 me and my brother came out here, did it. It was the only real motherfuckers here. And did it. Jerry Curls and all that shit. And then he kept talking about Hollywood. And Charlie was going, there's poison in ice cream. There's this motherfucker. There's poison in ice cream.
Starting point is 00:32:20 So then me and Dave would say, there's poison in ice cream for like years. Then we were writing that real world sketch and we were like you know we should get for this we should get uh charlie marfrey see if he can do it and then based on doing shrooms with him five years earlier and being like it's something about that guy wow so i guess there and then and then snowballed into and then he tells the Rick James story. He tells the Prince story. He, and, and, uh, and then it just became, it changed all of our lives. So it's, I, you know, it's like taking, taking credit for it seems wrong because it's, we all got, we, we all got so much from it, from having him on the show.
Starting point is 00:33:05 He tells a story. My life, it's like before and after that sketch, Eric. I could almost tell you the date. It was 20 years ago, like recently. Wow. Could a show like that exist ever again? I think you could probably figure out a way to do the sketches, but in terms of impact everything so uh it was one
Starting point is 00:33:29 it was like one funnel like culture was one funnel the and so you would get it like go to the funnel and get what came out and now there's so there's you know a million funnels on all of our phones. So you just go like, I subscribed to 40 funnels. And then you, but it used to be like, do you, there was only one place to go or three places to go. So we can't,
Starting point is 00:33:55 we were, we were, we were, I guess comedy center wasn't like as big before Chappelle show, but, but it was always big. And then, yeah,
Starting point is 00:34:03 so I don't, you could probably do the sketches, but I don't think it would have the thing where everyone's watching it. Gotcha. You know, I don't think. Do you guys think? It depends who the talent is. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:34:16 Who's doing it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's possible, but it's unlikely. Like, yeah. Okay. No, Dave always says, says like people are probably not going to be famous again the same way i was duh no way that's been over i know but it is an
Starting point is 00:34:32 interesting thing of like why not and you go because it's you can't it's the funnel problem yeah you know what i mean um like i was you know mike myers like i was talking to mike myers the committee and we were talking about showbiz, and he was talking about showbiz, and as he was talking, I was like, in one decade, Mike Myers was Wayne from Wayne's World, Shrek, Dr. Evil,
Starting point is 00:34:58 and Austin Powers. He could run for president. One guy. Wow. One guy. He's Canadian. Oh. One guy in 10 years into like damn so that and he goes yeah it was a monoculture and now it's like sort of more of a
Starting point is 00:35:15 free-for-all 80s 90s celebrity is so powerful literally you can get elected president of the united states of america yeah it's a different level of celebrity yeah black or white you know it's just a different level of celebrity yeah it is like the last of the like tom cruise yes madonna yes i saw you two at the sphere like they're real and they sold 750 000 tickets in two months it's like that's a lot of tickets that's when it was real fandom real talent and the barrier of entry was way more difficult to get in any of these spaces yeah yes yeah yeah you had to you well you had to be talented or you had to be like because i don't think madonna or tom cruise are the most but they're really good at like they don't madonna's doesn't have the best singing
Starting point is 00:36:03 voice tom cruise probably doesn't have the best acting instrument but like they fig they were good they took the job seriously that's right like tom cruise is like like jumping rope before you know like doing shit to make himself his last movie did his own studs yeah he's crazy yep you was talking about comedians with morals, right? And we shouldn't go to the clowns for morality. But what about Kevin Hart and Ella DeGeneres? What about them? Because you said that they, and especially you said that they have to be great humanitarians and role models.
Starting point is 00:36:45 What I'm saying is they're expected to be, but it's not a realistic expectation that's what i have a joke in the special about kev where like i had a handyman at my house who was like do you know kevin hart i was like yeah he goes is he humble and i was like you're a handyman you're not humble like why does kevin have to be humble what he was asking me is hey neil is that five foot three billionaire humble what do you think? How humble do you think Kevin Hart is on a scale from Napoleon to Tom Cruise? If you had to guess, why are you looking to Kevin Hart for humility? What he tries to be, to your point, when you say it. Well, it depends what you're talking about.
Starting point is 00:37:19 No, Kevin's a nice. We all know Kevin. Kevin's a good dude. But he's not humble. Nor should he. Why does he have to be humble? What's the definition of humble? Well, he's not. Kevin's a good dude, but he's not humble. Nor should he. Why does he have to be humble? What's the definition of humble? Well, he's not.
Starting point is 00:37:28 It's different, right? Because around your peers, you all talk your shit. You know what I mean? But to people, he is. He's humble to people. Yeah, he's a nice guy. Well, because they can all throw him in the trash. He's tiny.
Starting point is 00:37:41 He has to be humble. He has to be just for security. Because even with Kev, Kev does things that I think other people in this situation wouldn't do. Kev will still come back and touch places that other comedians... Kevin's a great... I really mean that.
Starting point is 00:37:53 Kev's a great dude. But this expectation that celebrities have to be moral, it's just like a fake... It's just moving the goalpost. I'm not saying... I'm not saying they should be able to break laws or just moving the goalpost. I'm not saying they should be able to break laws or any of that stuff, but I'm just saying I think it's a fake expectation
Starting point is 00:38:10 based on somebody because you're doing well, then people go, well, then are you nice? I get what you're saying. Sometimes, are you nice? I'm nice sometimes. It's a human being. We're humans.
Starting point is 00:38:25 Yeah. It's like why there's churches on every corner. Because we're not nice. You know what I mean? Like you just, because we need constant reminders of like, don't murder. Ten commandments. Look at this. Don't murder.
Starting point is 00:38:38 And you're like, okay. Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't murder. But we need constant reminders. And the expectation that they'll come from clowns is a bit like, come on. Come on. There's other. It's not.
Starting point is 00:38:52 It should not be our responsibility. It's a failure of priests, imams, clergy, you know, like, and politicians because they couldn't keep their dicks in their pants. So now it's like, well, alright, shit. Who else we got? That Ellen seems pretty... Who else? You know? Yo, you're next, man.
Starting point is 00:39:17 They're going to start looking for you for morality. No, they've been, please. You think so? No, I'm not funny enough. No, you're right. I think I put it out there enough. I don't want that. I want to be the bad guy.
Starting point is 00:39:33 You do want to be the bad guy. Not perfectly. No, I know what you mean. But to your point, I want you just to look at me as a human being. Yeah. So if you look at me as a human being, I'm going to make mistakes. I'm not going to always get things right. I'm not not gonna always say the right thing i might piss you off because you know especially with us right and neil is a huge mental health advocate as well anytime you're a person
Starting point is 00:39:53 that is always on a healing journey and you talk about your mental health they want us to do everything perfect that's right i can't say anything yeah. Aren't you supposed to be the mental health guy? Yeah, but I still like fucking or whatever. But you're right. It does become. I'm worried that people are going to be like, well, how could you say that athletes don't want a good mental health? Because I don't. Because I'm a person.
Starting point is 00:40:21 I'm selfish. I want a good game. And you're going gonna have good games when everyone's fucking out of their minds that's true it's like I don't you know what sports was invented to train the military between wars so that's yes that's how just all in like in in ancient Greece like two two three thousand years ago it was between wars they were like we need to get the army to be able to do like to train between and they didn't have the the ropes and all that shit so they would like do battles or whatever so so that's what
Starting point is 00:40:59 that's what the whole thing is like a analog analogous. It's like a proxy for war. So it's like Cleveland versus or the Clippers versus or whoever versus whoever or Kansas City and you're really, you know. At the least, these people are lovers
Starting point is 00:41:19 of violence, right? Yeah. At least they're masochists. If you're a football player, boxer, UFC, MMA, at the least you're a masochist. Well, I bet they're more sadist
Starting point is 00:41:32 than masochist. They like whooping ass more than they like getting their ass whooped. Masochists like getting their ass whooped. But even if you're a running back, you still know you're going to get hit,
Starting point is 00:41:40 so you still have to kind of like the pain, right? You know what I mean? Well, you've got to... Right, but you know, people, they like the pain right yeah i mean well you gotta tackle right but you know people they like hurting yeah they like it's like hurt or be hurt there it's a lot of aggression and what i would say is like people's need for aggression and people's kind of unhealthy need for status is the greatest economic driver in world history damn i really you know what i mean yeah every great everyone on this wall didn't do it for
Starting point is 00:42:14 the right reasons they did it because they wanted a come up they wanted i'm sick of being treated like garbage damn and i'm sick and i'm i'm, I know I'm more special than this. So, so that they went out of, they, they moved from wherever they were to do a thing that would get them status. And they could like, you know what?
Starting point is 00:42:37 I am great. I am. I do deserve exaltation. That's inventors. That's, I mean, inventors are all there because they got it because they're trying to get some pussy. It's a long-term pussy plant.
Starting point is 00:42:49 That's kind of true. It is. Of course it is. Not a lot of women down at the patent office. They don't need to do it. They don't need to invent stuff. They'll just wait around. Guys will invent stuff.
Starting point is 00:43:03 Guys that are like 3 out of 10. You invent Elon Musk. You see that old picture of him when he had bad hair? He's fat. The guy did it to get women. Not exactly, but that's the whole
Starting point is 00:43:19 primal urge. When you watch the Facebook movie, that's the whole premise of the movie. That's why I created Facebook. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So I'm not even mad at it.
Starting point is 00:43:30 It's just don't break laws. Gotcha. But you can be rotten or whatever. Just don't break laws. That's all. Crazy Good is streaming now. That's what we're saying all that to say. Yes.
Starting point is 00:43:39 Watch Neil Brennan Crazy Good. It's out right now. Make sure you go check it out on Netflix. And check out Neil's podcast too, man. The Blocks. Thanks, everybody. Anything else, Neil?. It's out right now. Make sure you go check it out on Netflix. And check out Neil's podcast, too, man, The Blocks. Thanks, everybody. Anything else, Neil? Nah, thanks for having me.
Starting point is 00:43:48 Absolutely. It's Neil Brennan. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Wake that ass up. Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Hey, what's up?
Starting point is 00:44:01 This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show, Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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