Make Mistakes - listen at [8:08]
I told Jim I was afraid to bomb. To tell a joke and have nobody laugh. “Bombing is what we learn from the most,” Jim said. “It’s not about how to avoid bombing. You will fall flat all the time. It’s about getting up after that.” “I left myself no safety net,” he said. “I started when I was 21. I didn’t have a diploma. I got a GED three years after I got sober. I have no high school diploma... So I knew it was going to be this or nothing.” Sometimes to survive the biggest pains on the way up, you have to fly without a safety net. You have to fall. The way to hit the top tier in any area of life is to figure out where the line is, and go beyond that line. If you aren’t failing, then you aren’t trying to be unique. You aren’t going to be the top tier.
Find Time to Laugh at Yourself - listen at [14:45]
Comedy is about connection. You tell something about your life, something honest and true and usually uncomfortable. The comedians job is to transform your pain. Like an alchemist. “I make fun of myself,” Jim said. “I give my own personal examples, but I think if I’m doing that at least I’m being truthful and I’m not coming from a place of thinking I’m better than that guy… like who am I?” They laugh because it’s a safe way for people to experience their own demons. You can get close enough to the shadows of your life without the fear of being overrun by guilt or shame. It’s a chance for us all to be a little more human, a little more honest and a little more free.
The Umbrella Theory - listen at [28:50]
Jim just started writing another book. He’s on TV. He’s touring. He’s got a radio show (Jim Norton and Sam Roberts on Sirius), he has a podcast. He works with incredible talent. And is always looking for new material from his own life. “You can’t just be lazy,” he said. “I talked to Chris Rock recently and I know it sounds like I’m name dropping, but I’m not. “That’s a total name drop,” I said. “But I didn’t mean it like that…” We talked about Chris Rock’s career. He stopped touring. He hadn’t been on the road for seven years. But yet you still hear his name all the time. He’s hosting the Oscars, testing out material at clubs, etc. To succeed in any area, right now list all the things that are skills in that area. Make sure you spend some time trying to master all the granular parts of the field you want to be unique in. The ones who master the “umbrella” of their field are the winners.
Is Your Heart In It? - listen at [1:06:40]
I’m going on stage once or twice a week now. I’d love if you come. Most of the time, the audience doesn’t know me. It’s hard to set that foundation. I want us to all be in it together. I asked Jim what three things should I do?
1. Write material everyday
2. Tape your set you do and make yourself watch it
3. Get on stage every night (or as much as humanly possible where you know your hearts really in it) / be willing to show up
Number three is true for any dream…
Catch the Cycles of Comparison - listen at [46:15]
I don’t have a solution to every problem in my life. I think that’s why I’m still writing… seven years after starting this blog, I’m still confessing. Jim and I talked about comparing ourselves. I make this mistake daily. I look around and see who’s on the front-pag...