WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 In the last 7 to 8 years, I began to 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:08.000 develop a different comic voice and a 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:09.919 and a different perspective. Um, you 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:11.640 know, comedy stand-up comedy is a low 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.080 art. It's it's a vulgar art. It's an art 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:15.600 of the people. It's not fine. But it is 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.359 an art. It's it it has to do with 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:19.359 interpreting the world as you see it and 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:21.160 then writing something and then 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:23.960 delivering it verbally. 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:26.679 Uh and I found a very liberating 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:29.560 position for myself as an artist. And 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:32.079 that was I sort of gave up on the human 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:34.600 race and gave up on the American dream 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:36.799 and culture and nation and decided that 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:38.320 I didn't care about the outcome. And 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:40.919 that gave me a lot of freedom from a 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:43.759 kind of distant platform to be sort of 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:45.120 amused a kind of to watch the whole 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:47.320 thing with a combination of wonder and 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:48.839 pity. I try to put that into words. 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:50.039 Not caring about the outcome, what do 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.360 you mean by that? Not having an 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.519 emotional stake in whether this 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:55.119 experiment with human beings works. I 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:56.800 really don't care. 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:58.839 Uh I love people as I meet them one by 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:00.519 one. People of the are just wonderful as 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:02.400 individuals. You see the whole universe 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.920 in their eyes if you look carefully. But 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:05.640 as soon as they begin to group, as soon 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.359 as they begin to clot, when there are 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:09.280 five of them or 10 or even groups as 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:11.400 small as two, they begin to change. They 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:13.680 sacrifice the beauty of the individual 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:16.400 for the sake of the group. I decided it 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:18.240 was all under the control of groups now, 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:20.120 whether it's business, religion, 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:22.640 political people or what, and I would 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:25.280 distance myself from wishing for a good 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:27.319 outcome. Let it do what it's going to do 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:28.640 and I'll enjoy it as an entertainer. 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.000 on what it is on its own. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.280 And I'll enjoy it for the entertainment. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:34.040 There's a little bit of a sick part in 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:36.439 this, too. I root for the big comet. I 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:37.880 root for the big asteroid to come and 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:40.079 make things right. That's the way I put 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:41.599 it. Stir things up. Yes, to get us back 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:43.159 where we were before the first one came 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:44.000 and knocked out these dinosaurs and let 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.479 the ferrets go. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.599 about comets on this show tonight. 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:48.040 I know it. 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.239 Uh and I'm I'm rooting for that big one 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:50.640 to come right through that hole in the 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:51.719 ozone layer because I want to see it on 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.719 CNN. See, I'm here for the 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:54.799 entertainment, Charlie. I am. People 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:56.319 These philosophers say, "Why are we 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:56.879 here?" I know I am here. For the 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:57.919 entertainment. 00:01:56.879 --> 00:01:59.319 The show. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.480 Bring it on. I want to see the circus. 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:00.679 So 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:02.520 But how does this affect your 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:03.480 performance and what you bring to 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:05.599 stand-up? 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.960 I've seen a lot of comedian We've all 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.439 seen a lot of comedians who seem to have 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:11.759 a political bent in their work. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:13.639 And always implicit in the work is is 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:14.879 some positive outcome. That this is all 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.399 going to work. If only we do this. If 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:19.120 only we pass that bill. If only elect 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:21.159 him. If only we do that. It's not true. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.560 It's it's circling the drain time for 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:24.039 the for humans. I believe this. I 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:25.719 honestly believe this. Not just as a 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.639 comedian he thinks that. He likes to say 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:31.120 that. I believe it. And when you say to 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:33.359 yourself, "I don't care what happens." 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:35.800 It just gives you a broader perspective 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.800 for the art for the words to to emerge. 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:39.320 To not care. That's what happened in 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:42.240 that '92 show. That's why I could say 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:44.319 the planet is fine. The people are 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.120 Cuz the planet will outlast us. It will 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:48.519 be here and it will be fine. 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:50.080 Has the subject matter changed? Well, I 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:52.360 I you know, you're still stuck with 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:54.800 what's going on. But I I don't like 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:56.480 topical. I don't like political humor. I 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.080 I don't mention politicians. In fact, I 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.679 defend them in this particular show. 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:01.560 Everyone is on their case. Everyone is 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.000 always making things 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.240 Politicians are bad. I I defend them and 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.000 blame it on the people. This is where it 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:06.719 belongs. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.759 You get what you deserve? Yes, you get 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.319 what you deserve and you deserve what 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:11.560 you get. And I have a slogan, "The 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:13.479 public sucks." And it works nicely and 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:16.000 people accept it. Not not not very 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:17.759 enthusiastically, but they understand 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.560 that it says, "We the people" in that 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:21.439 preamble. Doesn't say them that this is 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:22.159 and those that that's us. It says, "Hey, 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:23.800 We got on this boat. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.960 And people who hate government are 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:27.719 involved in a in a form of suicide 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.000 because government is self-government. 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:29.960 And if you hate the government, you hate 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.520 yourself. 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:33.200 It's the same with the war against 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.320 nature that that mankind goes through. 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:37.239 So, I just said to myself, "It's not 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:39.199 going to get better, not in my lifetime. 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:41.480 Let me enjoy this and get a little 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.439 perverse about my my commentary on it." 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:44.759 I I I open 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:46.520 perverse mean, though? Well, to to look 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:48.519 for where the people think the line is. 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:50.040 The people have values that these things 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:52.439 these these amorphous things they call 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:54.639 values that they bring to to the to the 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:57.000 seat in the theater when they sit down. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.959 And I like to find out where their line 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:01.240 may be and deliberately cross it. 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:03.200 Disturb them a little, make them 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:04.879 uncomfortable and then 00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:06.519 make them and then bring them with me 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:08.560 across the line and make them glad they 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:10.400 came. That's what I do. I'm an 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.280 entertainer. I'm not a doomsayer. I'm 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:14.599 not here to preach. I don't do political 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:16.199 tracts. But I do entertain. I do a lot 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:20.600 of jokes, but I want you to feel a 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:20.599 little in danger along the way.