May 26, 2025

Mike Birbiglia's New Netflix Special & Conan O'Brien's Legacy

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac covers the latest in comedy news, discussing Mike Birbiglia's new Netflix special 'The Good Life,' which delves into personal themes including parenting and his father's stroke. Conan O'Brien reflects on his Tonight Show departure and his career, while Ryan Reynolds' appearance on Conan's podcast reignites Jay Leno conspiracy theories. Jay Leno advises comedians to expand beyond local acts, and Howie Mandel talks about how 'Deal or No Deal' impacted game shows for comedians. Additionally, Hasan Minhaj praises Russell Peters' influence, and Matteo Lane shares amusing anecdotes from his special. Other segments include Al Scorch's public toilet reviews and Sebastian Fowler's cross-country BMX journey.

00:00 Introduction and Previous Episode Recap

00:11 Mike Birbiglia's New Netflix Special
01:32 Conan O'Brien's Career Reflections
02:54 Ryan Reynolds and Jay Leno Conspiracy Theories
03:48 Jay Leno's Advice to Comedians
04:26 Howie Mandel on 'Deal or No Deal'
05:12 Asian American Comedians and Their Influences
05:55 Matteo Lane's Comedy Journey
07:41 Al Scorch's Public Toilet Reviews
08:19 Sebastian Fowler's BMX Adventure

Get the show without ads. Five bucks.For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visitcaloroga.com/plus.

Contact John at john@thesharkdeck dot com
John’s free substack about the media:Media Thoughtsis mcdpod.substack.com

DCN on Threads:https://www.threads.net/@dailycomedynews
https://linktr.ee/dailycomedynews

You can also support the show atwww.buymeacoffee.com/dailycomedynews

Become a supporter of this podcast:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news--4522158/support.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:10.599
Callaroga Shark Media. Hey there, I'm Johnny Mack with your

2
00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:13.439
daily comedy news. If you miss Sunday's episode, I did

3
00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.280
the Mount Rushmore of Late Night. I'm very happy with

4
00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:18.440
that episode. I'd appreciate it if you put some mirrors

5
00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.679
on that if you haven't already. Mike Brobiglia's specials out

6
00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:25.399
on Netflix today. Normally they come out on Tuesdays, but

7
00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:27.359
I guess they wanted to take advantage of us all

8
00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:30.640
being home in a rainy weekend in the Northeast. You know,

9
00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.200
normally Memorial Day you'll find me on the beach all weekend,

10
00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:35.799
But sixty degrees in rainy then ain't a good combination.

11
00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:40.439
The special is called The Good Life. Verbiglia talks about

12
00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:44.240
parents and pancakes played the trailer the other day. In it,

13
00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:46.159
Forbiglia says, when I was a kid, I always viewed

14
00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.119
my dad as larger than life. He was a doctor

15
00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:49.840
and in his free time he got a law degree.

16
00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:51.560
That's how much he didn't want to be a dad.

17
00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:54.880
It's another one of those Berbiglio one man shows. I

18
00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:57.759
liked his earlier career better, when he was just more

19
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.159
pure stand up. I'm not it's funny. I really like

20
00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:04.599
the British one man shows. For some reason, the Birbigley

21
00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:07.239
ones don't connect with me. I understand other people like them.

22
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:09.680
That's part of what comedy is. It's all subjective, but

23
00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.599
I never like love these. This One Man Show sees

24
00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.200
Burbigg's open up about his dad's recent stroke and how

25
00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:19.439
it made Mike reevaluate his own parenting approach. Verbiglia began

26
00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.799
touring the Good Life in October and performed at six

27
00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:25.760
times in New York City at the Beacon Theater. Verbigley

28
00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.480
says The Good Life is his most personal because it's

29
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:30.599
not in my past, it's my life right now. At

30
00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:32.879
certain points during the tour, I literally thought on stage,

31
00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:34.959
whoe am I really going to tell this story? But

32
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:36.840
that's sort of the idea behind these shows. I try

33
00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.439
to probe into what's most painful in order to figure

34
00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:43.799
out what's most funny. Mike Birbigli on Netflix Today Conan O'Brien,

35
00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:46.879
who might be on the mount rushmore of Late Night.

36
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.599
Did you listen to Sunday's episode? Please do If you haven't,

37
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.319
I don't want to spoil it. If you heard it,

38
00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:56.120
you know the answer when Conan signed off The Tonight

39
00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:59.799
Show on January twenty second, twenty ten point fifteen years

40
00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:02.959
already well well, he said, Please do not be cynical.

41
00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.200
I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality.

42
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.800
It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what

43
00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:10.479
they thought they were going to get. But if you

44
00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:12.840
work really hard in your kind, amazing things will happen.

45
00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:16.759
Conan told The Today Show about ten days ago, I

46
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.360
believe that's still yeah. I think man, who was that guy?

47
00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:23.439
That guy was smart? Has Conan actually watched the clip? Nope,

48
00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:26.800
never have. Can't do it. I'm proud of it, but

49
00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:28.719
I can't. It was just a lot. It was a

50
00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:30.800
lot in that moment, and that was a moment where

51
00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:32.479
I really did think, I don't know, maybe it's over

52
00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:35.000
for me. I really did, you know. Conan talked about

53
00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.000
the Mark twenty Awards and said, I'm so grateful all

54
00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.319
those amazingly talented people came, and it meant a lot

55
00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:40.919
to me that David Letterman was there. It meant the

56
00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.560
world to me. As for his career, I wouldn't change

57
00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:46.240
a thing, honestly. I know people say that, but I

58
00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:48.719
wouldn't change a thing. I've been insanely blessed. I've had

59
00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:51.080
all my dreams come true seventy five thousand times over,

60
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:52.960
and even in the dark moments, I've had gifts in them.

61
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.039
I like to make people laugh. I get a lot

62
00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:57.639
of joy out of making people laugh. And if when

63
00:02:57.639 --> 00:02:59.599
we wrap this up and go get coffee next door,

64
00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.919
I can make the person at the counter laugh, I'm happy. Recently,

65
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.120
Ryan Reynolds was on Conan's podcast and they reignited some

66
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.919
j Leno conspiracy theories. Is Jay Leno on Late Night

67
00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.479
Mount Rushmore? Well, if you listen to Yesteroys episode, you

68
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.319
know the answer. If not, I encourage you to download it.

69
00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:17.599
I'd like this episode a lot, Please listen to it.

70
00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:20.039
So they were running along and Conan told Ryan Reynolds,

71
00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:21.520
we have to wrap this up because we've kept you

72
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.280
for far too long and you're a man in demand.

73
00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:26.639
Sometimes I'm talking to absolute criminals in jail and I say,

74
00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.680
you're one of my favorite people, and I believe you're

75
00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:30.800
in a sad of those nineteen murders which you've confessed to.

76
00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.400
Ryan said, j leto fell. I didn't push him. We're

77
00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.840
all looking for the Hampton in. Who doesn't look for

78
00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:40.000
a Hampton in when they're a millionaire. Conan was curious

79
00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:43.120
you pushed him down that hill. They moved off that topic.

80
00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.639
Reynolds said of Conan, you're kind, you have integrity, and

81
00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:48.759
that doesn't mean it costs you subversive comedy or any

82
00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:50.439
of those things. And that edge just there, and it's

83
00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:52.960
that high bar you set. And that's why I did

84
00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.759
the Jay Leno thing. I just you know, I effing snapped.

85
00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:00.599
As for Jay Leno, he recently spoke to WCVB. Jay

86
00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:03.360
was explaining that you can truly call yourself a stand

87
00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:05.400
up comedian when you're able to support yourself and your

88
00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:09.039
family doing it, But he also cautions Boston comedians should

89
00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:11.599
not remain content headlining in Boston. There are a few

90
00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.280
guys that never got out of that city. Jay explained,

91
00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:15.960
I always tell comedians when you start to make it

92
00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.079
in Boston, get out of there, because you wind up

93
00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:20.600
having a Boston based act. You know, you got jokes

94
00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:22.399
about Ken Moore Square and the Sit Go sign, and

95
00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:24.720
you leave New England, nobody knows what you're talking about. Comics,

96
00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:27.959
including myself, are inherently lazy. You got something that works,

97
00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.600
you just stay there. Well, no, you gotta leave because

98
00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:32.600
you gotta have something that works everywhere. And that's really

99
00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:34.240
the trick to get as broad based as you can.

100
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:38.639
Howie Mandel spoke to Baltimore positive about getting Deal or

101
00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.639
No Deal. He said, I didn't want to do it

102
00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:42.160
because I didn't want to be a game show host,

103
00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:43.879
and I didn't see the game in it. I mean,

104
00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.519
there's no trivia, there's no skill, it's just opening up cases.

105
00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.480
My wife made me take the deal. I did the game,

106
00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:51.639
and it's probably the most successful thing I've done to date.

107
00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:54.000
So I think Steve Harvey it was me a thank

108
00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:55.959
you because until I did Deal or No Deal, no

109
00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.160
comedians were doing what we're doing game shows, and I

110
00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:01.720
think every games show show now is hosted by a comedian.

111
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:03.639
I think the game has got to be good too.

112
00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:05.120
I think there has to be a good game and

113
00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.000
then somebody, you know, who understands what the game is.

114
00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:08.639
You know, I didn't even understand what the game is.

115
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.360
I just wanted what worked for me on Dealer No Deal.

116
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:13.959
It's my empathy. I wanted anybody that was playing the

117
00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:15.759
game or leave in a better place than they had entered.

118
00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:17.759
I wanted them all to do well. A couple of

119
00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:19.959
weeks ago. It's been nice and busy, so I've bounced

120
00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:23.319
this a few times. New York Times had some Asian

121
00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:28.199
American comedians talk about who influenced them. Hassan Minhaj says

122
00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:31.360
Russell Peters two thousand and four. Comedy Now Special is

123
00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:33.480
one of the most seminal pieces of work for Asian

124
00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:37.279
American comedy and the modern stand up comedy landscape. I'm aware,

125
00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:39.399
Russell Peters from Canada. Let's not bucked down on that,

126
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.240
Aassan says. The thing gets uploaded online during the birth

127
00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.439
of YouTube, and for the first time, the true brown

128
00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:47.040
perspective was broadcast to the world beyond the walled gardens

129
00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:50.560
of CBC, Comedy Central or HBO. I'm a freshman in college.

130
00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:52.399
I'm back home over the holidays and I'm watching this

131
00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:54.519
YouTube clip my entire families in the living room, watching

132
00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:56.519
this bit with my parents and their all and crying, laughing.

133
00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.920
Every voice he's doing is so spot on, so specific.

134
00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:02.399
People know you grew up around these people. You know

135
00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:05.839
exactly what you're talking about. Did you watch matel Lane Special?

136
00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.600
I liked it a lot. It's on Hulu Matteo tell

137
00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:12.000
a story about meeting Katy Perry in Las Vegas. She's

138
00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:14.399
very nice, she was very pretty, and she looked at

139
00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:16.240
me and her manager said, oh, this is Mittel Lane

140
00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:17.879
and he's a comic and he's performing at the Wind

141
00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:20.680
and she goes, oh a comedian and I go hey,

142
00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:23.759
and she goes gay comedian. I was like, work, I

143
00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:25.959
have videos of us meeting each other. It's pretty funny.

144
00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.639
Variety has Mattel Lane about Katy Perry going to space.

145
00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:32.879
He says, she seems pretty out of TUSHA think at

146
00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:34.560
this point. I saw some interview where she was like,

147
00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:36.800
my mom calls me Tortoise and the ship is called Tortoise,

148
00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:38.560
and things are meant to be. I'm like, you could

149
00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:40.519
also take all that away and just be like, hey, guys,

150
00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:42.519
I had a cool opportunity to go to space. I'm rich,

151
00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:44.199
I paid a lot of money and it's gonna be great.

152
00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:46.480
Just be kind of honest with what it is. I

153
00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:48.439
think it's over zealous and talk about how it's like

154
00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:50.279
we are women and we and all this stuff, and

155
00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:52.519
Gail King walking around being like have you been to space?

156
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:56.240
It all just felt not relatable. His next paragraph is

157
00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.279
very funny. Variety Rights Matteo didn't mind that Gail King

158
00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.839
used a gay slow while interviewing him for CBS Morning.

159
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:04.519
She made headlines when she quoted the F word from

160
00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:06.759
one of his jokes in the special. Lane says, I

161
00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:09.560
couldn't give a hoot. Gail King can say it, Oprah can't.

162
00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:12.879
Every article was openly gay queer comedian. I'm like, well,

163
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:15.600
first off, who's saying closeted gay comic? What is this?

164
00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.839
We're so obsessed with the idea of being like this

165
00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:20.120
is an openly gay comic. People are trying to find drama.

166
00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.600
Who gives a hoot? Gail King said the F word,

167
00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.360
O Tree, She's wearing a wig for God's sake. Who

168
00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:28.680
cares she could say it? Buttsale's working on his next hour.

169
00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:31.240
He'll debut it in Australia after the summer, and says

170
00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:32.839
I'll probably tour for another year and a half than

171
00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:34.560
film a X special. It's fun to be wearing on

172
00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.319
new jokes. Feels like a get out of jail free card.

173
00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:39.040
I'm so excited to try things out and test things

174
00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:40.920
out and see what other comics think. I'll be at

175
00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:43.000
the comedy Celler every night and just working. It feels

176
00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.319
so nice. I'm free and I can write whatever the

177
00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:49.160
f I want. From book Club Chicago, your home for

178
00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:54.839
comedy news, Al Scorch has been reviewing public toilets. He

179
00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:57.639
shot a video inside a bathroom in Sherman Park and

180
00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:00.560
wrote Palaces of the People just civic Jim for everybody

181
00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:04.120
in the city to enjoy. He critiques the functionality of

182
00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:08.000
the bathrooms and the unique aesthetic details, fun tiles, intricate

183
00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.920
window design, locally made hand dryers. Apparently the Sherman Park

184
00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:15.040
Fieldhouse bathroom is Scorch's favorite, but he's enjoyed all his

185
00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:18.399
bathroom visits. He has no plans to stop the bathroom

186
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:20.480
review series anytime soon, and he says I just like

187
00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:22.839
doing it, but it's also like how far can you

188
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:26.199
take the bit And From Cycling Weekly dot Com, Your

189
00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:30.360
alternate source for comedy news, Comedian Sebastian Fowler covered three

190
00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.320
three hundred and thirty three miles across eleven States in

191
00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.320
eighty days, pedaling a twenty inch BMX bike loaded with

192
00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:39.919
twenty seven kilograms of gear. Fowler says he might laugh

193
00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.480
at this when I thought about riding across America. I

194
00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.559
figured it was about three thousand miles. I rode my

195
00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:46.840
bike downtown from my house in Ocean Beach to downtown

196
00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:48.759
San Diego. That was about ten miles, and I thought,

197
00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:50.919
if I do that three hundred times, that's the whole trip.

198
00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:53.399
That's the mentality I went with. He had it out

199
00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:57.399
in February on a Sunday Odyssey BMX bike wearing vans

200
00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:01.360
slip on Damn Daniel sk h pro and began pedaling

201
00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.639
east along Interstate eight. Oh yeah, you gotta find roads

202
00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:07.039
that are safe to do this on. Spinning with a

203
00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:09.480
twenty five x nine gearing on a twenty inch BMX

204
00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:12.519
bike loaded with twenty seven kilograms of gear slow going.

205
00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:14.960
Fowler says, no one's ever done the strip on a

206
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.080
BMX bike. No one's ever gone on coast to coast

207
00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:19.480
on a BMX, and it's good reason for that, because

208
00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:23.519
it's a terrible idea and it's really hard. And that

209
00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:26.320
is your comedy news for today. I hope you had

210
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:29.559
a nice long weekend. Back in the morning with another episode.

211
00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:30.120
See you then,