Intro
In this episode of “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast,” Jordan Peterson sits down with comedian Matt Rife. They discuss Rife’s rise to fame, his experience with cancel culture, the role of comedy in society, and more.
Main Takeaways
Rise to Fame and Cancel Culture
- Matt Rife, a 28-year-old comedian, has risen to fame after years of hard work in small clubs, starting his career at 15.
- Recently, he has faced a dedicated campaign to cancel him, which led to a discussion about his response and the role of comedy in the world.
The Structure of Rife’s New Tour and Future Plans
- The conversation also delves into the structure of his new tour, his future plans, and the motivations behind his work in comedy.
Humorous Exchange and Controversial Jokes
- The podcast host and Rife engage in a humorous exchange about his controversial joke and his decision to appear on the podcast.
- Comedians often face backlash for their jokes and are pressured to apologize by online mobs.
- Comedian defends his jokes and refuses to apologize, emphasizing that comedy is about making people happy and sharing thoughts that bring joy.
The Importance of Timing and Spontaneity in Comedy
- The comedian engages in spontaneous wit during his performances, taking risks and relying on quick, uncensored thoughts for humor.
- Quick timing and intuition play a crucial role in delivering successful jokes, similar to trusting immediate responses in a multiple-choice test.
- The comedian emphasizes the importance of timing and delivering the most pointed remarks at the right moment for maximum impact.
Critics, Cancel Culture, and the Power of Comedy
- The rebellion against the speaker is estimated to be a few dozen thousand people, which is a small majority compared to the world’s population.
- The speaker believes that 90% of those upset with him wouldn’t attend his comedy shows or associate with him anyway.
- The speaker describes his critics as people he’d rather not be around and jokes about wanting them to spend eternity in a hell composed of people like them.
- He emphasizes that those who dislike his comedy can simply remove themselves from the situation and live their lives without thinking about him.
- The speaker doesn’t understand the expectations of his critics and suggests that they may lack a sense of humor or benefit from complaining, possibly through virtue signaling.
- He dismisses a TikTok video where someone claimed to be disrespected by his comedy, questioning what more the person wants.
The Role of Comedy in Addressing Taboo Topics and Healing
- The guest expresses admiration for the host’s moral stance and realist perspective on society, appreciating his kindness and authenticity.
- Comedians spend years building material for their shows.
- Making specials out of crowd work allows for permanent content without interfering with prepared shows.
- The comedian made a special about “red flag” crowd work because of popular demand.
- Comedians often toy with forbidden topics, and audiences participate to deal with the forbidden.
- Comedians often use shock value to bring attention to things that people already know or suspect but don’t openly talk about.
- Comedians use humor to share and transcend difficult experiences.
- Making light of dark situations can lead to healing and positive experiences.
Rife’s Journey in Comedy
- He started doing comedy at 15 after being inspired by Dane Cook and Dave Chappelle.
- He comes from a small town and had a pressure-free environment to pursue comedy.
- Growing up in a small town had its charm and the memories are cherished.
- The speaker visited North Lewisburg, Ohio, a small town where time seemed to stand still, highlighting the contrast with the fast-paced lifestyle in LA.
- Noticed children playing outside and people engaging in conversation without being glued to their phones, highlighting the detachment from the rest of the world in certain environments.
- Moved to LA at 17 and started doing open mics at the Columbus Funnybone in Columbus, Ohio.
- Emailed the owner of the comedy club to ask for permission to perform at the open mic, despite being underage, and was granted the opportunity.
- Started comedy at 15 and eventually got a manager at a comedy club in Atlanta through Twitter.
- Twitter was instrumental in connecting with comedians and accessing anyone, especially during its early days when it was relatively new and not as saturated with users.
- At 00:00:00, the speaker shares how they reached out to favorite comics on Twitter for a guest spot on their show, with some saying yes and others declining.
- DL Hugley gave the speaker their first-ever guest spot at 15 years old, despite the speaker initially only knowing him from a small acting role.
- Finesse Mitchell and Ralphie May also gave the speaker early opportunities in comedy.
- A comedy club owner in Atlanta, who knew DL Hugley for a long time, saw the speaker and DL joking on Twitter and reached out to offer the speaker a chance to perform at his club.
- The speaker and their mom drove nine hours from Ohio to Atlanta for the opportunity, which led to a successful collaboration and mentorship.
- The speaker lived on a comic’s couch for three months during their summer break, doing 9 to 11 shows a week, promoting shows, and practicing their set at the comedy club.
- The speaker’s mentor threw tennis balls and honked horns to distract them, which helped the speaker keep composure in the pocket and deal with hecklers during performances.
- The Uptown Comedy Corner in Atlanta, where the speaker trained, was known as one of the harshest comedy clubs in the country, making it a tough but valuable environment for the speaker to develop their skills.
- The speaker met more comics and continued to grow in the comedy community through these experiences.
- At 17, Matt Rife flew to Los Angeles to pursue comedy, bypassing college by taking the California proficiency exam.
- After moving to LA, he lived on a friend’s couch and later with his manager’s son while frequenting comedy clubs.
- Despite not being 21, Matt performed at comedy clubs by running in, doing his set, and leaving immediately after.
- He transitioned from smaller comedy gigs to larger TV appearances, including Disney and MTV shows.
- Matt’s MTV experience on “Wild Nights” with seasoned comics helped him gain confidence and develop his stage presence.
Summary
Rise to Fame and Cancel Culture
Matt Rife, a 28-year-old comedian, has achieved success in the comedy industry after years of hard work. However, he has recently faced a dedicated campaign to cancel him. The conversation explores Rife’s response to cancel culture and the role of comedy in society.
The Structure of Rife’s New Tour and Future Plans
Rife discusses the structure of his new tour and his future plans in the comedy world. He shares insights into his motivations and the creative process behind his work.
Humorous Exchange and Controversial Jokes
The podcast host and Rife engage in a humorous exchange about his controversial joke and his decision to appear on the podcast. They delve into the challenges comedians face when their jokes receive backlash and the pressure to apologize.
The Importance of Timing and Spontaneity in Comedy
Rife highlights the significance of timing and spontaneity in delivering successful jokes. He shares insights into the quick thinking and uncensored thoughts that contribute to his humor.
Critics, Cancel Culture, and the Power of Comedy
Rife addresses the criticism he has faced and dismisses the expectations of his critics. He emphasizes that comedy is about making people laugh and suggests that those who dislike his comedy can simply remove themselves from the situation.
The Role of Comedy in Addressing Taboo Topics and Healing
The conversation explores the role of comedy in addressing taboo topics and facilitating healing. Rife and the host discuss the psychological function of comedy and its ability to shed light on dark situations.
Rife’s Journey in Comedy
Rife shares his journey in comedy, starting from a young age and working his way up through open mics and mentorship opportunities. He discusses the challenges and experiences that have shaped his career.
Conclusion
Through the discussion with Matt Rife, listeners gain insights into the world of comedy, the challenges faced by comedians, and the power of humor in addressing taboo topics and facilitating healing. Rife’s journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring comedians, highlighting the importance of persistence and staying true to one’s comedic style.
