Bill Burr: "If you're going to fail, fail doing what you want."
This is the Rubesletter from Matt Ruby. I’m a comedian, writer, and the creator of Vooza. Every Tuesday, I send essays, jokes, and videos to your inbox. You’re on the free plan, for the full experience, sign up for a paid subscription. Bill Burr: "If you're going to fail, fail doing what you want."15 life, business, and creativity lessons from legendary comedian Bill Burr.Bill Burr is one of best comedians out there so I love devouring interviews with him. Below, some comedy (and life) wisdom from Burr taken from various podcasts and interviews. 1. Get good at bombing.
2. If you’re going to fail, go down doing what you want.
3. Working clean can keep you from being real.
4. The you onstage should be the you in the green room.
5. If you don’t get too far into “the business,” you gain freedom.
6. Write onstage like you’re talking to friends at a bar.
7. Combat writer’s block by reading something you’d never read.
8. When creating new material, don’t worry about being hack.
9. You shouldn’t have to write it down.
10. When someone in the crowd hates your act, have fun with it.
11. Entertain a small crowd with big crowd energy.
All the above excerpts are from Tim Ferriss’ excellent podcast interview with Burr. 12. Don’t provoke just for the sake of provoking, say what you think. (source)
13. Handle hecklers by describing your reality. (source)
14. Don’t get trapped in your act. (source)
15. The biggest risk is playing it safe. (source)
Comedy😈 My new special "Substance," where I perform high/drunk/on shrooms/sober, is getting raves:
Watch it here: 😈 Lately at Funny How: Letters to a Young Comedian: 1) How to avoid writer’s block and 2) the best way to come up with joke ideas. 😈 Got some great comics on the lineup for the 1/26 Substance release show in NYC... (NYC) THU JAN 26 - 10:15pm Nice writeup for that Wootenany show in Worcester here.
😈 I frequently post clips of my standup at Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Get some. Quickies🎯 Manifesting is capitalism's version of praying. 🎯 Can’t wait for some tech bro to use ChatGPT to write his wedding vows. 🎯 "Are you scared of GPTchat?" Nah, it just means more boring robot crap will fill everyone's inboxes/feeds and things that are clearly written by an actual human will become that much more desirable. 🎯 Even the M&M spokescandies? Man, EVERYBODY getting laid off. 🎯 Oddly, life was way more satisfying when I never had to “rate my experience.” 🎯 Prediction: Chris Rock's live Netflix special will feature an appearance from Will Smith. 🎯 Antidepressants are lube for your happy thoughts. And the phone is just Prozac for social situations. It makes it so nothing is that fun, but nothing is that bad; you merely exist in a constant state of compression. 🎯 Going on safari is just being an animal peeping tom. 🎯 Social media is destroying empathy. Proof: We now refer to empathy as bothsidesism and slam anyone who practices it. 🎯 My whole mission in life now is to gain validation from the algorithm. It's my new parents. 🎯 Alt weeklies like The Village Voice and Chicago Reader had an outsize impact on how I thought about art, music, and culture when I was young. Now, they're gone and we've left the minds of our youth in the hands of the algorithm. 🎯 "Truth Social" is an odd name because the truth is inherently anti-social. Try going around being a truth teller; you'll quickly realize it is NOT the path to popularity. 🎯 There should be a corporate mission statement that admits, "Honestly, what we do isn't all that important. We're just tryna make a buck. Y'know, capitalism, etc." PodcastEp2 of my new podcast KIND OF A LOT WITH MATT RUBY is out: RIP "Always leave ‘em wanting more." You get an essay, a convo about it, and some quick jokes. Each episode is kind of *not* a lot. You'll be in/out in under 15mins. How refreshing. 5-Spotted🗯 Richard Feynman, physicist and Nobel prize winner, on how he solves problems:
🗯 Nick Cave on choosing to be an optimist: Nick Cave is a gift and a guide
"I choose to be an optimist"
"Joy sings small, bright songs in the dark" 🗯 Is IQ really that important?
🗯 How to write an About page: Remember that an About page isn’t *really* about you.
🗯 Why time is your muse and masterpiece thinking is dangerous. [via JS]
Thanks for reading. -Matt You’re on the free list for The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby. For the full experience, become a paying subscriber. Watch “Substance,” Matt’s 2023 comedy special where he performs sets high, drunk, sober, and on shrooms. Check out Matt’s other newsletter: Funny How: Letters to a Young Comedian. Follow Matt elsewhere: Instagram • Twitter • YouTube • TikTok • Facebook |
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