EP. 174 — The Squirrel and the Giraffe

[00:00:00] CHRIS: Hi, everybody, so excited to tell you about a podcast episode that I sincerely want you to check out, the Earwolf presents thread, you guys might have been checking this out lately cause I’m doing the Chris Gethard presents podcast there, but they switched that up every week. It’s something new. This past week, my friend Connor Ratliff put out something called Dead Eyes. It is amazing. He was once fired from a job by Tom Hanks personally because Tom Hanks, America’s sweetheart, said Connor has dead

eyes. He’s now doing this thing. It’s sort of a parody of Serial or This American Life missing Richard Simmons, where he is very seriously trying to discover why Tom Hanks personally fired him from Band of Brothers 20 years ago. It’s hilarious. Connor is a gem. One of the best improvisers of all time and a true friend of mine. And I hope you go check out Dead Eyes on Earwolf presents.

THEME MUSIC:guitar

[00:00:52]CHRIS: Hello to all my Walter Mitty types. It’s Beautiful anonymous one hour, one phone call, no names, no holds barred.

THEME MUSIC: I’d rather go one on one, I think it’ll be more fun and I’ll get to know you and you’ll get to know me.

[00:01:15] CHRIS: Hi, everybody, it’s Chris Gethard. Welcome to another episode of Beautiful Anonymous.  First things first. I haven’t mentioned it for a long time now and I am really genuinely embarrassed about how long it took, one of the all time great episodes we actually had a deaf caller to the show and after that episode I said, you know what? I’m going to commit to getting some transcripts made of some episodes. So, you know, there’s 10 episodes that live outside the paywall permanently. And I have officially gotten those transcripts made. I’m gonna drop the link to those in the Beautiful Anonymous, the community on Facebook. Those exist. And then there’s a lot of people in there have said they want to help out and transcribe other episodes and we’re gonna have ways for you to sign up to do that so I’m dropping that link in the coming days. Go check them out. And I hope they do some good for some people out there. Also, what to let you know, I’m getting back out on the road. I gonna have a bunch of stand up dates coming up and a few live Beautiful Anonymous tapings. I got stand up dates coming up and a few live Beautiful/Anonymous tapings, I’ve got stand up in Buffalo September 20th, got a live beautiful/Anonymous at the Motor City Comedy Festival in Michigan. I also have a live Beautiful Anonymous in Woodstock, New York. Stand up in Woodstock, New York stand up in Brooklyn, and upcoming stand up dates that aren’t on sale yet in Asbury Park, New Jersey and Philadelphia and Richmond. And those are all in the works. So keep your eyes at ChrisGeth.com and I would love to meet you guys on the road. I’m actually filming this whole tour because it marks half my life in comedy. And I want to do a whole special documentary that’s defined by meeting you guys and talking to you guys and kind of showing the really, really amazing interactions I get to have with people who come out and the Beautiful Anonymous fans. It is something that I hope we can capture. And this little documentary.  Last weeks episode, we of course had our caller who talked about what it was like to hear about herself on the show and then also told us what it was like to live with an STI I think a lot of people out there struggling to deal with that or have people in their life that are dealing with that. And I think it gave them a lot of pressure release. That is something that we truly do not talk about enough. And I’m glad we did. The episode you’re about to hear really really interesting one. I’ve never really had this, there’s some people who do not like my work and some people really like my work. It

tends to live on the extremes. This guy said he saw me in a movie and wanted to check

me out because he liked me in the movie and he has given an honest shot. He respects it.

It’s just not quite for him. He is not a fan of Beautiful Anonymous. He has barely listened and checked it out, and yet he got through on the line. And then, lo and behold, it turns out that he is in many ways 1000 percent cut from the cloth of the exact people who like this show, especially the early days. It actually reminds me in many ways of our first ever episode. He is a guy who is living kind of in his own world, in his own head and needs

some help getting out. And I was happy to help step up and try to help out with that. So I

think it’s a very fascinating call because it’s a guy he’s tried. It’s not his thing. But then it

turns out that in many ways, even if entertainment wise, it’s not his thing, culturally, very

much his thing. Enjoy.

[00:04:15] PHONE ROBOT: Thank you for calling Beautiful Anonymous a beeping noise will indicate when you are on the show with the host.

04:23 CHRIS: Hello.

04:26 CALLER: Hello.

[00:04:28]CHRIS: Hi.

04:32 CALLER: Can you hear me?

04:34 CHRIS: Yeah, I can hear you, can you hear me?

[00:04:34] CALLER: Oh, I didn’t think this, all I can think is oh, no.

[00:04:39] CHRIS: Why?

[00:04:42] CALLER: I just, I am not an articulate person and don’t have good stories and I just have a telephone and I have Instagram. And so some of the like, it’s there’s an excitement to like getting that call busy signal, you know, there’s like a little bit like, I’m going to just give it a go. And here I am. What a terrible mistake.

[00:05:13] CHRIS: So you wanted to float on the fantasy of being on the show but now

that you’re on you realize this is not something you want.

[00:05:22]CALLER: It’s a terrible idea. I think that I, sort of am excited about the idea of interacting with you and excited about, you know, the sort of process, but then, you know, in my head the fantasy is, you know, I listen to the songs and I got to speak to the guy and then eventually there would just be a dial tone and then I could go about my day and the world would keep moving.

[00:05:57] CHRIS: Right. And you wouldn’t have to be on the hook for revealing stuff about your personal life potentially, or worrying about if it was boring or not.

[00:06:05] CALLER: Yeah, or dealing with the sort of panic and like how am I going to form

sentences? There’s lots of exciting things that, you know.

[00:06:17] CHRIS: Well you’re allowed to hang up. You’re allowed to be the second hang up ever in the history of the show. And then we’ll just put this on and you can say you got on the show and this will just be the extent of it.

[00:06:28] CALLER: Well. So here’s a question that I have for you. And I was thinking about. Because I’ve also heard that you had a caller that had never heard the show before. 

06:44 CHRIS: Mmhmm. 

06:45 CALLER: And I might also be like that. 

06:50 CHRIS: So you’ve never heard of. 

06:52 CALLER: It’s not that I’ve never heard it, it’s sort of, I have heard some parts of it. 

06:58 CHRIS: So you don’t like.

[00:07:00] CALLER: Not that I don’t like it. It just makes me feel squirrely.

[00:07:03] CHRIS: So you don’t like it. You’re uncomfortable with the show.

[00:07:10] CALLER: It’s not that I don’t like the show. It’s I like you. And I’m connected to you, I just don’t know that I enjoy hearing about other people, but. uh I’m interested enough…

[00:07:25] CHRIS: So you don’t Beautiful/Anonymous. It’s fine. It’s fine.

You don’t have to feel bad. No one knows who you are. I don’t know who you are. It’s not

07:39CALLER:  It’s not that it’s not. Well, I bet it could be my thing. And. But I, you know. I did. I do enjoy the work you do.

[00:07:51] CHRIS: So it sounds like you’re maybe more of, it’s I’m connecting the dots, you have found me more through the outright comedy angle where I have now developed sort of two separate fan bases, one comedy focused, one Beautiful Anonymous focused. And there is some crossover in the Venn diagram, but they, the bulk of them I think are separate The comedy fans like the comedy The Beautiful…

[00:08:13] CALLER: I think it comes from the same. I think it comes from the same heart space. I think that…

08:18 CHRIS: I think so. 

08:21 CALLER: I think that, so what I did was I saw you in the film, Don’t Think Twice and then, I was like to I’ve seen this face before. And I think, you know, there was a show on Comedy Central or something and then which probably isn’t that complimentary. But um, I said that I don’t know your like catalog.

[00:08:41] CHRIS: Oh, I thought you were insulting the show Big Lake specifically, which is warranted.

[00:08:45]CALLER: Big Lake. Yes. The guy from Ferris Bueller can’t lose, I think was on that show also.

[00:08:52] CHRIS: Is that the TV version and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?

[00:08:56] CALLER: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Maybe I’m thinking of…Oh, gosh, see this is what I’m talking about it’s terrible.

[00:09:02]CHRIS: It might be terrible, but I’m sticking with you buddy.

[00:09:05] CALLER: OK, this isn’t… So I explored that. I went like on a deep dive on

YouTube and I got to experience a lot of the, you know, the sort of TV like the access

cable access stuff. And then I get explore your TV shows on, you know, cues and then

Court TV and through TV..

[00:09:30]CHRIS: Yeah. Fusion and TruTV. The wrong two networks but that’s ok yeah. Fusion and Trutv Sure Sure.

[00:09:34] CALLER: So I really enjoyed that. And I was like I mean, here’s the thing though, in every case in my life, I’m like, this is so brave. But there is a part of me that goes like this. it like lives in this place. I admire, and I appreciate, but it makes me feel very squirrely.

[00:09:59]CHRIS: So my work in general, across the board?

10:04 CALLER: Yes.

[00:10:03] CHRIS: You’re saying, it sounds like you’re saying you have a little bit of a

passing fascination with it conceptually and you appreciate,that maybe I put myself out

there on a limb, but that it largely makes you feel uncomfortable and it’s hard for you to

totally lock in with it.

[00:10:20] CALLER: I have to look at it through my fingers and so I can’t fully, exactly I can’t fully lock in because he makes me, it’s sort of like, you know, maybe if I were a better person, I would be able to like figure it out.

[00:10:38]CHRIS: No, you’re not a bad person for not liking my work. It’s fine. So you find mywork a little impenetrable and hard to like and you can’t really figure it out.

[00:10:48] CALLER: No, no. Well, only I mean, I don’t find it impenetrable unless, unless I don’t unless there are parts of it that I don’t, that I’m not getting. I just find the like commitment. And this, you know, the sort of like wide openness

from like like an emotional like this is this is all we’re gonna throw this up in the air and it’s

going to come down. Never mind. Let’s just be in that and that sort

of trying and the sort of end result doesn’t matter as much as the trying.

[00:11:27]CHRIS:  Right. 

11:30 CALLER: Like it’s not, it’s not on rails. And it doesn’t have like this…

[00:11:34] CHRIS: Yes. Well, I was going to say it. No, I appreciate you’re saying it sounds like youapplaud the spirit of my work. But find it makes you..

[00:11:42] CALLER: Yes, it makes me crazy. 

11:45 CHRIS: I feel like this is an effect I maybe had on people. It’s probably part

of why I haven’t been able to bust through in a mainstream way, which is that you

genuinely appreciate the impulses I have and the risks I take, but that the end product

is something that makes that you have said, I believe it was the quote, it makes me cringe. And it’s confusing for people. It’s confusing for people. It is. And I get it

[00:12:08] CALLER: You know, at the end of Scrooge, you know, when, when Bill Murray is like and this and then you get the car and you get a car, or whatever it was, I don’t remember what he said. But, you know, if at the end of that nobody cared, and there wasn’t Christmas music it was just this like beautiful person who had this emotional change and he wanted to share with everyone. But they weren’t interested. I feel like that would make me feel squirrely.

[00:12:38] CHRIS: Yeah. Squirrely, you keep using the word squirrely to describe the effect they have on you. I like this. And you know, it’s a funny thing. And you’re pushing a lot of my buttons here because sometimes I sit and stress and go I’ve never broken through in the mainstream. But then, none of the entertainment I’ve ever enjoyed has been mainstream and a lot of the work that I set out to do specifically aims to challenge the audience in a way that I think is meant to scare away the mainstream in the same..my heroes are Andy Kaufman and David Letterman, and my favorite music is punk rock things, Howard Stern was a big influence. I mean, one of the things I’ve always liked

are the things that scare away the mainstream and hearing about your appreciation for the integrity of my work maybe or the approach in my work, while also admitting that it makes you feel squirrely, which you’ve said no less than six times, I’m quite intrigued and proud to have this conversation. Can I ask what’s the stuff you do like? So that I have a frame of reference of the borders beyond which I stand?

[00:13:52] CALLER: OK. Well. So I like a lot of, I mean, I don’t I guess I don’t really have a good sense of what I like. I like a lot of things that listen, I work from home so I listen to a

lot of podcasts. And so I like, you know, like some of the comedy podcasts that happens. I

like the stuff that… I’m almost embarrassed to admit because it’s kind of become blue, but it’s that sort of frat housey… I don’t know. Bert Kreischer. 

[00:14:35] CHRIS:I love the Bert

[00:14:36]CALLER: Tom Segura like that sort of..Oh, my God. I mean, you know,

because I think that in some, here’s what’s interesting, right? So it’s the inverse in a way.

I think where what I’m looking for is this sort of closed off persona, but you get hints that inside there is, you know, a heart or a soft center. You know, I sort of enjoy the idea of, you know, there either being, you know, there’s a smart thinker or there’s a, you know, like a soft center. And I get that feeling when I hear them talk.

15:17 CHRIS: You like your, you like your comedy aggressively funny. It feels like comedy looks like a comedy so that you know what you’re getting into and there’s a safety net to that. But you want to feel like underneath the aggressive comedy, it’s it’s not it’s not just easy, cheap jokes, do you think? I will say you mentioned Bert Kreischer, I have to say, Bert has a bit called the machine and, it’s one of the best stories any comedian has ever told. And like you said, a lot of people might be surprised to hear like Bert and I have

sent messages to each other, mutual respect. And he’s like a big, bombastic, aggressive

energy. He doesn’t wear a shirt onstage, but we appreciate each other. And I know what

you’re saying. Bert is like an aggressively funny dude who clearly has intelligence and

heart behind the fact that he’s like the shirtless guy. Whereas I will start my comedy by talking deeply about a suicide attempt. And then you have to kind of claw through that and go, oh, this guy actually has some. Some punch lines in here, too.

[00:16:21] CALLER: Oh, yeah. Well, and, you know, like your I mean, you’re talented. There’s no doubt. I think that, [chris laughing] don’t feel like you’re not. But I think that, you know, for me, the safety is that I know that it’s there’s sort of the veneer of meanness, or the veneer of sort of like inappropriateness. I know it’s they’re not, you know, in the continuum you are you know, it’s more raw and real. And with them, I know where they’re,

I feel like I know where they’re going. So I don’t get too far out on a limb with them.

[00:17:05]CHRIS: I got it, when with my work you don’t know how you don’t really know what you’re about to get. And it might make you feel bad and 

17:18 CALLER: not tidy.

[00:17:19]CHRIS: What’s that?

[00:17:20] CALLER: It’s not tidy. 

[00:17:22] CHRIS: It isn’t and I have no interest. I like you. You’re giving me a chance to talk about this. I love the idea that we’re having a call with someone who is; here’s what it is. Let’s sum it up. You have a lot of respect for me, but you are ultimately lukewarm on the comedy that I produce. It makes you feel uncomfortable. And I have to say, you’re giving me a chance to say this. And I want to go out and say I have no interest in making things that are easy. I don’t like art that is easy. And I’m not saying the people you named are that but you say they feel tidy and a little more safe.  I like making stuff that challenges the audience. I like that. This show in particular scares you a little bit. Now you’re on it. I think that’s a cool thing to explore. You know what? You know what I like? Here’s one

thing I’ve thought so much about with the show. This show is challenging to a lot of people, but this is a show about listening to each other. I think why people like this show, even though it’s a terrifically unsafe show, as you say, is that it’s based in the fact of let’s actually buckle down and give a shit about each other for an hour. And that is something that a lot of people don’t always feel during the busy stretches of life where life just wher you just kind of have to work until you go to bed and people don’t always show the appreciation for you that you deserve.  People don’t always slowdown. Maybe you’re in a family that’s gotta pay the mortgage and you don’t have time to slow down and listen to each other. You don’t get to sit down and eat dinner and ask, how was your day? And actually say it, shows about being listened to and that’s why it’s a little unsafe, too. Anyway.

[00:18:54] CALLER: You asked me to connect. You asked me to connect and I don’t want

19:01 CHRIS: Your guard is up, why is your guard up so high? What’s your deal, man? Why is your guard up so high?

[00:19:05] CALLER: Oh, I you know, I think that I was so I’m you know, I work from home, which I feel like of the calls that I’ve heard there’s some, you get some remote employees. And so I tend to and this is interesting. So I tend to, I don’t know that it is. I tend to have a very isolated experience. So I, you know, I work, I go pick up my kids from daycare, come home and then repeat. You know, there’s very limited interaction in the world for me. I talk too long to the cashier at the grocery store just to oh how really and then or the mailman. And so, you know, the idea of like those limited interactions as 15 minute or five minute chunks are sort of my sweet spot, 

20:01 CHRIS: Uh huh, uh huh

[00:20:03] CALLER: So I think that like anything beyond that, I get a little oh I don’t know if i should say it again.

20:08 CHRIS: Squirrely. I’ll say it for you. Squirrely. You were gonna say squirrely, weren’t you? 

20:17 CALLER:I was really thinking squirrely. 

[00:20:18]CHRIS:  Yeah, I get it. You, you are the squirrel. You are the squirrel, fans of this podcast sometimes call me the giraffe. I won’t explain why I know you haven’t heard the episode, but I am the giraffe and you are the squirrel. And today we are in the forest together.

[00:20:30]CALLER: Let’s do it.

[00:20:32] CHRIS: What is it about human interaction that freaks you out? Do you think this is, here’s a good question, do you think this is something that’s kind of just built into your personality, are you an introvert by nature? Do you feel that the modern world is not

built in a way that makes you feel comfortable with human interaction? Which one

would you lean towards? Discuss.

20:50 AD BREAK

[00:20:52] CHRIS:The great chicken and egg question of modern times. Do we not know how to talk with each other because it’s inside us, or is it because we’re so disconnected via technology? A question that needed to be asked. The answer will be coming soon. In the meantime, though, we’ve got ads, so check them out. Use the promo codes. We’ll be right back.

[00:23:45] CHRIS: Now let’s get back to this phone call. You think this is something that’s kind of just built into your personality, are you an introvert by nature? Do you feel that the modern world is not built in a way that makes you feel comfortable with human interaction? Which one would you lean towards? Discuss.

[00:24:02] CALLER: I think that I. I think that I was and do sometimes return to feeling good in a group and you know, but somehow I’ve been herded into just sort of isolated experience over just time and I went from being someone who felt more like an extrovert to someone who became, you know, less able to do that. And so, you know, I feel like I, sometimes I feel very articulate and charismatic and able to sort of hold a conversation and then others, it’s just a disaster really. There are times when I can’t order at a drive thru without just locking up and, you know, if they don’t start with what can I get for you? At some point it became fashionable to say, how’s your day going? At the drive thru and I never like I’m like I don’t know, should I? What should they do? Should I order now? So somewhere along the way, I just sort of lost the ability to transfer it to field, to field things.

[00:25:14] CHRIS: And I’m, in the way you’re phrasing it. I’m getting the sense. It’s not, this is a circumstance that but even you said like I lock up. That’s the

language of someone. It’s not you’re not telling me that you’re just more comfortable being

introverted. It sounds like this is something that has degraded in a way that you’re not

totally thrilled about.

[00:25:37] CALLER: Oh, yeah, that’s 100 percent. You know, I think that, you know, I work in an office environment, in a business environment. And, you know, I’ve been, even just

introducing myself to a room. I’ve not been able to. I mean, like, if you’re at a conference

and they’re just going through the room and say your name, what city are you from as they get closer to me, I feel my heart just racing and like, OK, what’s your name, what’s your name, whats your name? And then I say it. And. And then, you know, I get to survive for the rest of the thing. But I, you know, and I don’t know when that happened. I feel like that is less than optimal?

[00:26:24] CHRIS: I’ll tell you something. People who feel a little isolated, a little lonely and a little bit like the world is just a machine with gears that might grind them up and doesn’t really pay attention to appreciate them. Those are usually my target demographic. I’m surprised to hear you haven’t been able to totally lock in with my work.

[00:26:43] CALLER: I keep trying. I hear your siren call is, is certainly heard.

[00:26:48] CHRIS: You can sense that it’s for you and then you try and it’s just not for you. But you can sense that it’s that you’re the type of person it wants to land with. Because I’m being serious. I mean, I’m joking around right now, but I’m being serious. I hear you. I feel the same way. I’m in an industry where I have to go into crowded rooms and try to connect with. I go up on stage as a stand up. I say things. And in my mind, the reason standup is so addictive is because when I say a thing that comes from my head and the room laughs, I think to myself, Holy shit, thank God I had a moment today where someone gets it. I felt a thing inside and someone actually heard it. And the room laughing is evidence that one of these fucking weird thoughts in my head actually makes sense to the outside world.

[00:27:35] CALLER: Right.

[00:27:35] CHRIS: That’s why I like making creative stuff when I put out these phone, and so. Yes, you go, talk to me here.

[00:27:42] CALLER: Well, I just said, well, it’s just interesting, right? So the difference between a producer and a consumer, you know, so part of the reason why I enjoy, you know, all of the podcasts and whatever that I am, you know, these are just things that

people create and they put themselves out there. And and I consume them, right? And I’m

I don’t ever get the gratification or satisfaction of creating and putting myself out there

instead I’m just sort of sitting quietly staring at the screen. And I think that, I vicariously enjoy the creative process by consuming and so you know I don’t know. I

definitely understand the attraction of saying a thing and having people nod and agree or. making them feel a little better 

28:59 CHRIS: Now, you know, what’s very fascinating is that we’re in this weird loop. Where the show that you don’t quite get that you have magically wound up on is actually something where I can promise you that is happening. Because when you say that you feel this frustration, that you’d love to be able to put something out there and just have some people nod in agreement. There are many, many listeners right now who, when this comes out, just nodded their head in agreement. I feel like. A lot of the people, the broad umbrella, so many different specific discussions I’ve had with this show, but the broad umbrella that unites us all is a lot of people who sit here going and it starts with me who sits here going. I don’t feel like the world wants to listen to people like me. So you’re actually probably are right now accomplishing the exact thing that you are craving via a show that has failed to connect with you prior. What a weird set of circumstances.

[00:30:03]CALLER: I think it’s maybe being open to the idea of connecting with someone who is not exactly like me and hearing a story from a perspective that has sort of tied myself to this, you know, viewpoint. And so whether they’re younger than me and maybe I  or would have a different experience, different that’s different from mine. I think

I just resist. I resist that.

[00:30:42]CHRIS: I’m hearing ya. And identify with it, even as someone who lives very publicly, I still feel those feelings pretty much every day. What were you going to say?

[00:30:56] CALLER:Oh, I was going to, I really I called to to see how you’re doing with your new baby.

[00:31:04] CHRIS: Good. I will tell you and this is we’re doing full disclosure. This is a day where we’re doing two calls. So there’s another call where I mentioned this, but there’s 

updates. My wife sent me a picture this kids three months old and there’s a thing with

three month olds. We initially were freaked out by this as we are freaked out by many

things. They don’t poop for days at a time, especially when your baby is breastfed,

because apparently breastfeeding, they’re just getting all these nutrients they need. So it’s

not like there’s much waste leftover. Now, my baby went 10 days without pooping. We

called the doctor. I think I called him. I called the doctor two days ago and she told us, you

know, 10 days is getting to the extreme end. We might have to take care of it. But let’s just

see. Now, yesterday, he had a poop that was remarkable and it smelled so bad. And I

stepped up and I cleaned it up. And my wife sent me a picture about an hour and a half

ago. He did a follow up that was even worse. And I was not home for it and I was laughing

about it, but I feel so bad because she has since followed up and said initially it was very

funny. This picture, I mean, this kid. It looked like he shit out an entire bog. He shit

out like a swamp. She showed me was all it was like up his back to his shoulders, like

there was shit on the base of his neck.  She said she had to throw out most of the clothes he was wearing and I was laughing. And then she wrote back and said initially it was funny, but I am so freaked out and overwhelmed right now. She said he started crying, he shit so much that he scared himself and started crying and wouldn’t stop. That’s how I’m doing right now. Yeah.

[00:32:58]CALLER: Yeah. Well, you know, there are moments. I have a couple. There are three, I think.

33:04 CHRIS: Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.

[00:33:06] CALLER: Well, you. It’s almost like you have to decide whether you want to change them at the changing table or just put them in the bathtub. Let’s  just give up. Let’s just call it and just we’ll hose them off and we’ll try again. It sounds like this might be a hose off situation.

[00:33:24] CHRIS: The doctor said we might have to give him, if he hadn’t had these two

explosions. We were gonna have to give him a glycerin suppository. And I have a friend

who had to give his kid one of those where you put glycerin up their adorable little asshole. Apparently, my friend gave one to his kid and said his kid did a poop that shot four feet across the room and bounced off the walls. So we were gonna do it in the tub but now we don’t have to because he just wrecked a onesie.  Just wrecked a onesie. My wife referred to it as the blast zone. She said everything in the blast zone

has to be cleaned. So I don’t know what I’m about to go home to.

[00:34:06] CALLER: Now, we should all get hepatitis shots because there’s just no

there’s nowhere that poop doesn’t collect. I’m sure if we had like a black light in my

house, you would just find poop everywhere.

[00:34:19] CHRIS: God damn crime scene. Now, can I ask you something? Maybe a little

sensitive on this topic?

[00:34:27] CALLER: All right.

[00:34:30] CHRIS: We spent a lot of time talking about how you feel isolated. Spent a lot of time, about how you maybe feel a little disconnected from the world at large. I say this with great respect. I’m not trying to put you on the spot. This show goes personal. I know you don’t listen at all really. But let me just ask you, normally, I would think that when this topic comes up, usually those people are single because a lot of people might think that having three kids. I don’t know if you’re still with your partner, I’m not going to make any assumptions, but you would think that having that family would inherently make life less isolating. But it sounds like for you, it is still a predominant feeling, maybe beyond what you would think with someone who does have a family that large.

[00:35:18] CALLER: Well, so that’s true. And what I try to do is I try not to allow whatever feelings I have of anxiety about, you know, being out in the world. I try not to let that impact the kind of activities that my kids do. I try not to limit, you know, their experience. My my son did soccer for the first time. He’s six. And it was the worst, it was the worst cause for an hour or like an hour and a half. You know, I have to sit quietly on a soccer field next to another dad or mom, and then they might have thoughts that they wanted to share. And then I might have to share thoughts back. And every once in a while, a soccer ball might come my way and then I might have to field it back to the coach, or they want me to, like, run a drill. And that’s…But I want every time I want to while inside, I feel sort of pain for I hate this. I don’t ever want to do this. I don’t want that to come across. For more than is obvious to my kids and so I muscle through. But I don’t. So, yeah, that’s just the thing that I feel like I can’t, can’t not do.

[00:36:47] CHRIS: Yeah, it’s, I wanted to bring it up because I almost want your advice on it because there are things I have struggled with for the bulk of my life. And already in

three months, I look at my son and he’s so, he’s a happy little guy. He’s a happy little guy,

and I have not always, I don’t think that I have had major stretch in my life where people would not describe me as a happy little guy. And I feel this massive sense of dread and

responsibility that I might, it might really affect him, his happiness.

[00:37:27] CALLER:It’s a well in nature nurture, right? So. Are you just by like the nature of your vibes in the room, going to have an impact? Or does he come preloaded and I’m sorry if it’s a little boy, right? 

37:45 CHRIS: Yeah. 

37:46 CALLER:: OK. So. So, you know, I was thinking about the fact that I am

not good with boundaries. And so I also am not good with no and my wife has to step in

and create those boundaries. And then we have a little partner conferences where she’s

like, you didn’t do a very good job in that moment. But, you know, let’s keep trying and stay unified. But I never felt like very connected at home growing up. And so every day I’m like come here and I’m really physically affectionate. And I like voice my love for them. So the pendulum has swung in this complete opposite direction too far. You know. And, you know, my you know, I have twin girls there, two, and I just can’t put them down. I carry them around. One on each arm. And just, and so that is itself is my reaction to the way that I grew up is itself going to have an impact. So, yeah, I don’t think you can do anything about it really, except be aware of it and just, you know, operate out of love.

[00:39:08] CHRIS: Sounds like, would you say this is true? From what you just describe, it sounds like out of all the people in the world for someone who feels like you have an issue that progressively built with connecting to people, it does sound like you have prioritized

making your family, the people you do connect with the most.

[00:39:26] CALLER: Yeah. Yeah. I don’t want to, I don’t choose to put myself in public spaces and be kind of someone who, you know, is a leader in those spaces, but I also recognize that that’s to my own sort of detriment and I don’t want to share that with my family and I want to make sure that they feel like, you know, they can be whatever in the world. And so that’s what I try to do.

[00:40:02] CHRIS: I’m gonna go head and tell you something, and I hope that this affects your thought process with the stuff he told you about and maybe even your confidence, which is that at this point would say that I am a professional conversationalist. I would say this podcast has made me fall under an umbrella where my job is to have conversations. And this has been one of the easiest and smoothest ones I’ve had. And I hope that gives you a little confidence because the first chunk of this call was so funny and enjoyable for me, for you to just you let me know your opinions on my work and that it didn’t totally land with you in a way that, you know, a lot of people might say that and it might hurt my feelings. But you said it in a way that was charming and had me laughing and that made me feel totally comfortable with you. So I’ll tell you on my end, I found it so easy to connect with you and actually an extremely pleasant experience. And I bet that there’s the potential, if you would like, to start making that happen out in the real world, too. Because I, this has been a joy. This has been fun and fascinating. And you’ve been so open and real. And I really appreciate it.

[00:41:09]CALLER:  Yeah, I am. I will try to take that in as best I can.

[00:41:15] CHRIS: It’s not always easy. Not always easy.

[00:41:20]CALLER: Can I ask you a question?

41:23 CHRIS: Of course. 

41:25 CALLER: I don’t know where at. I don’t want to over stay.

[00:41:26] CHRIS: No, I have 25 minutes left.

[00:41:29] CALLER: Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. So how is Tami Sagher in real life? Is she a kind person because one of the things that I, the two sort of most surprising things about watching that movie Don’t Think Twice. Were your performances, you and Tami and I say Tami in a familiar way, I don’t know why, but and so I went down another rabbit hole. And I just think that, like, it’s interesting when you hear or you see people who have had a creative input into so many things, but they’re relatively unknown. And I suppose that there are people like that all over. But, you know, in the research that I’ve done, which sounds terrible, I was really surprised to hear that. Oh god, this was…in my headI thought when, I thought it would be funny to talk about another person that’s not related to your sphere in any way. And I feel like I stumbled.. 

42:49 CHRIS: What? With this Tami Sagher thing? You’re doing great. Dude you’re thinking way too hard about this? I just watched what hap… That’s what it’s like for you at Starbucks every time, huh?

[00:42:58] CALLER: Yeah, every time.

43:01 CHRIS: You walk away, you’re like, I want a venti caramel macchiato…

43:08CALLER: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it’s like, I have to say medium because then like if I say grande I’m like am I supposed to say grande or medium. And so I like created something specific.

[00:43:22] CHRIS: And then. It’s one of those things because I do the same thing too dude. Intellectually, you know that that person does not give a shit if you say medium or venti, but you’ve now turned it into this. You’ve turned it emotionally into such a pitfall that you feel like, man, this could ruin my whole day. Meanwhile, that person is like, what’s your name? I just want to write it on a cup and go home. Like that’s what their concern is.

And I know that!

43:48 CALLER: I’ve had more people say to me, wow, you’re in your head a lot.

43:54 CHRIS: Yeah, oh yeah, 

43:54 CALLER: yeah. I think about what their response is gonna be to me and what may be my response to the response I haven’t had yet and next thing you know, I’m like  eh maybe I just won’t go.

[00:44:03] CHRIS: You’re like a modern Walter Mitty. You’ve got the Walter. You’re in the Walter Mitty classification. You familiar with Walter Mitty?

[00:44:11] CALLER: The fantasy life that he has? The sort of rich internal legacy 

44:20 CHRIS: Living in his own head.

[00:44:21] CALLER: Yeah. And well, and so, you know, I keep I keep saying that I’m going to, you know, go to Toastmasters or get out there and do kind of do something, you know, have some kind of world experience that isn’t, you know, in my day to day activities, but I’ve yet to do it.

[00:44:51] CHRIS: Well, I want to address that. First, I want to answer your question, though, because you brought up something near and dear to my heart, which is Tami Sagher, this is a person who is very special to me. One of my very good friends in this world. First of all, the fact that you watch Don’t Think Twice, which has six stars, you completely identified with the two least known of those six commodities and decided to research them tells me a lot. You root for the underdogs. You identify as an underdog. Clearly, there was a certain sadness to the work of Tami and I that you sensed and that’s rooted, I think, I don’t want to speak for Tami, but rooted in some reality, at least on my end. And you said I got to know more about these people. Let me tell you it. For anybody listening. Tami Sagher, whose name was brought up. I’m so psyched to get a chance to say this is one of, one of the the great voices in modern comedy that, as you said, has flown under the radar. If you look up, Tami Sagher, a lot of the shows that the world has regarded as brilliant in recent years, in the past decade or so, Tammy has worked on. I’m talking from Bored to Death to Inside Amy Schumer to Broad City. Russian doll is the most recent one and so many, I mean, so many writing credits on shows that are kind of regarded always as the smartest or 30 Rock, whatever the smartest comedy is that’s on your TV, on your streaming service quite often it’s also on Tami Sagher’s resumé. And when you go to IMDB and look, you just start to realize, oh, all these shows that are regarded as these kind of very smart, very hip, culturally aware shows that are almost constantly sort of like predictors of cultural trends, Tami’s got her fingerprints all over them. And it’s not coincidence. She’s incredible. She is one of the true pure voices in comedy in my experience in 20 years doing comedy. I’ll also tell you, she is one of the nicest, sweetest people you’ll ever meet. I think you would enjoy a sit down with her and she’d enjoy sit down with you. She and I just got lunch about a month ago. She’s the best. I’ll also say this if I can nerd out for a second. I have said that as someone with an improv background, I think she might be the best improviser I’ve ever been onstage with and I’ve been onstage with everybody. And the reason why is because you can throw, there are probably people who are better at certain styles of improv but there’s nobody who can handle them all except Tami Sagher. Like you can get into some aggressive character stuff and there’s some people who might be the best character people or you might

get into some stuff that’s like very, very cerebral or you might get into some stuff that’s

very sort of like, how would I say it? Like experimental and artistic and sort of

intentionally not making sense at all times, these are all these different wings of improv

and you can meet people who are masterful, slow, thoughtful, grounded, long scenes,

punchy scenes that are aggressive, going for jokes like that. Nobody can do them all as

well as Tami Sagher can do them all. She’s the most well rounded person on stage, there’s nothing you can throw at her that will shake her up on stage. You want to do an hour long scene about something dark? She’ll crush that. You want to get out there and get in a pissing contest about who can come up with the funniest one liner on their feet? She’ll crush that, too. And there’s not many people who can do all those. You want to do some artsy fartsy thing where you’re doing all these acting techniques and stage pictures and there’s long silent stretches or absurdist stretches or abstract stretches? She’ll crush that, too. And there’s people who are probably better than her in those individual realms, but nobody who can do them all the way she can. That’s Tami Sagher.

[00:48:55] CALLER: I was so surprised by both of your performances in that movie that I just had to kind of keep digging and so you’re connected.

[00:49:04]CHRIS:  And so you dug through Tami, she is one of them. She’s a person, I will say, in my creative life is one of my handful of inner circle confidence. So you dug into my work, you dug into Tami’s work, and you’re like, oh, all these shows she works on are amazing. You dug into my work and you were like, good try, dude.

49:24 CALLER: No.

[00:49:24] CHRIS: A little bit, a little bit? You’re just being nice now. That’s true!

[00:49:31] CHRIS: Let’s pause there, because I just wanna say good try dude might actually be the ultimate label to attach to my work. I think it’;s actually fair. Good try, dude. I broke up the momentum. We got ads. Check em out. These advertisers have promo codes and it sincerely helps the show when use them. Back after this, with more phone call.

[00:49:48] AD BREAK

[00:51:37] CHRIS: A little bit, a little bit? You’re just being nice now. That’s true!

[00:51:41] CALLER: But in this… So the things that I so admire about you are that,

you know, you don’t seem to put a foot. You don’t seem to put a foot wrong. You know, like

you you’re just like the way you reset that sort of weird, vaguely creepy like attempt I

made at talking about Tami Sagher, like you found a way to bring it around and sort of

like make it like make it OK and I so appreciate that. But, you know, like, it’s almost

like so one of the things that I feel like in life is that I I am literally just surviving this

moment and it’s not as dire as that. But I don’t think about the next thing or, you know.

And so but it seems like on some level, you’re like, when you speak, you have an

eye towards some kind of a next thing you know in that, like you’re not exactly shooting from the hip. You know, I feel like you’;re. And so it feels like you have you are like you

hustle in a way that is inspiring. You’re, I don’t know. I don’t know if you took like a media training class or something, but 

53:01 CHRIS: I did not, I did not take a media training class just to get that on the record, I did not.

[00:53:07] CALLER: What do you think it comes from? How do you like this ability to organize your thoughts and like, you know, to try and you know what I hear it’s interesting. I hear some people who will, who will say bad things about other performers and then other people who don’t. And they make a point not to. And it’s an intentional kind of, you know, I don’t know if it’s at home training or what, but and I think of those people as being more savvy. So what do you attribute your savvyness to?

[00:53:40] CHRIS: Well, first of all, like you said, as far as not talking shit. Here’s a couple of things I’ve learned in life. Never burn a bridge. Why do it? What’s it get you to burn a bridge? Now, if there’s something that you need to take a moral stand on, by all means. But that’s different than just saying another artist’s work is bullshit if you think it

is, because here’s, at the end of the day as an artist, any artist who’s paying their rent

through their work, more power to him because it’s a hard thing to do and I respect it even

if what they’re doing isn’t my thing, so long as it doesn’t sort of cross lines that I think are,

you know, culturally offensive or beating up on people, like then it’s time to step up and say something. But there’s people whose work I don’t love, but hey, they’re paying their rent. Go do it. I’m paying my rent, too. They’re not taking food out of my families dinner. You know, out of my family’s fridge. So there’s that. And then as far as you said about organizing and thinking forward, here’s what I have found. Here’s what I’ve found over and over again, because I’m like you. I’m surviving moment to moment, man. I was walking to  just yesterday, man, my wife is carrying my son in the baby Bjorn down the subway steps at thirty fourth street, F platform. And I’m carrying the stroller and he’s young so

we still got the big bassinet and it’s got this bag underneath it full of diapers and toys and

playing it’s, this thing must weigh 50 pounds between the stroller in this bag and I’m walking down the steps and this lady starts to walk up the steps and I’m about 80 percent down the steps. And she starts to walk up and she winds up standing on a second step and just staring at me. And we’re in this impasse. And I look at her and I had this moment where I just go. Can you, is there any way you could just step down two steps and she went, come on! And physically pushed me while I was holding a thing. And I just thought to myself…

55:30 CALLER: Oh, gosh, 

55:30 CHRIS: I just thought to myself, why do I get out of bed in the morning? So here’s the secret, man. I’m just like you! I’m surviving moment to moment, that’s all I’m doing. That’s all I’m doing. And the only way I have ever figured out to cope with that, that makes me feel good because I spent so much time, I spent so much time in my life, especially when I was young, starting in high school through my mid 20s so much time sitting in my room or sitting at a computer or sitting behind the wheel in my car feeling like, man, why bother? Why bother? The world’s hard and unforgiving and no one cares. So the only thing I’ve ever found that helps me combat that is to make things that serve as the signal flare that helps the other people who feel that way find me, because here’s the thing that I’ve always said and maybe I haven’t been as clear on what this show is, people come up to me and say, you know, I’ll do a show. I’ll go, I’ll go to Atlanta or go to Salt Lake City. And then after the show, somebody comes up to me. I do stand up and they say, you know I listen to Beautiful Anonymous, man and it really helps me. And it means the world to me to be able to look them in the eye and go, you know what? I promise you, it helps me more. Helps me more. That’s why I make things, because I know when I was a kid and I met other people who liked Conan O’Brien or who liked David Letterman, when I was obsessed with David Letterman’s book of Top 10 lists and I went into school and I had it and some other kids read it and laughed and they were the other one or two kids who always sort of sat silently and scared because they got judged and then I realized, nice, I’m not the only outlier, I’m not the only weirdo. I might be a weirdo. But there’s other weirdos out there, there’s other people who feel lonely and judged. And maybe, maybe the biggest demographic in the world is the people who do feel lonely and judged but we’re all just conditioned to shut the fuck up because no one wants to hear it, because we’re babies and we’re snowflakes and just be tougher. But I don’t know, fuck being tougher. I’m tired. I got so tired at some point of feeling like I needed to tough it out. I don’t need to tough it out. What I need to do is find the other people who aren’t tough and be not tough together. That’s what I need. 

58:03 CALLER: What’s it like living in New York for you and being polite and

sensitive?

[00:58:08] CHRIS: Great question. Great question. It has officially. I love New York artistically. I love it. I love being a comedian who can get on stage multiple times a night. I love being around communities of artistic people. I love, most of all, seeing other people do their thing and feeling like it’s a challenge to me or feeling like it’s inspiration to me. As far as living in New York, I’m done. I’m cooked. I’ve lived in this town for 15 years and I just gotta go someplace that moves a little slower where people are a little nicer. I just have to. And those are cliche things to say about New York. But I think one of the things about being a New Yorker is you’ve got to know when it’s time to get to getting when the getting is good. Somewhere in the next year or so, I have every intention of moving someplace that’s close enough to New York that I can come in here and get to this city within an hour or so to do my comedy and to do my podcast. But I don’t need anybody pushing me on the subway steps while I’m just trying to carry a stroller. I don’t need that. I don’t need that anymore. So I’m going to move to someplace nicer, quieter. Well, never gonna say the

name of the town. I’m never gonna say the name of the town out loud at my work so that

people know so that my very kind but often very intense fans don’t make pilgrimages to try to find me in a deli. I’m going to just keep a little more privacy than maybe I used to. Maybe I’ll even say a fake town, Harry. Maybe I’ll say a town that I haven’t moved to., who knows? Anyway, your turn. What did you want to say?

[00:59:35] CALLER: Well, you hear about Wayne, Maine. I was surprised to hear that that’s a town and I think if you were a comedian living in Wayne, Maine, might be…well. So I was in a shopping center. 

59:47 CHRIS: You hated, you bailed on that joke because you felt like it wasn’t good half way through. But it was good. Stick to the guns on the Wayne, Maine joke, my man! Because it was good. And you bailed on it because you went, oh, he’s not going to like this. Well, I did like it. And I’m not letting you off on the hook. I’m allowed to like the shit you say, and you got to let me like the shit you say. You’re not letting people even have a chance to like the shit you say. And it was a good thing to say, it was funny.

[01:00:14]CALLER: So my son has been. Thank you. Thank you. My son.

[01:00:18]CHRIS: Dodged the emotional moment. Your son. Go ahead. Your son did what?

[01:00:22] CALLER: He just had, he was having nightmare behavior. We were in the store and I don’t know. He left his water bottle in the car or something. And he just was like. But he was like, where? Let’s go. Let’s go the car. But we still had to go back and finish shopping with the rest of my family. And so we got out to the car and it’s windy day and he’s just being a nightmare and so he climbs into our minivan and I open the passenger door to get the water bottle and the wind blows the door open and it hits the car next to us. And just as the owner of the car has arrived and so we’re having this intense moment where we have to talk about what has happened. But meanwhile, my son, who is very interested in what’s going on and why I’m having this tense moment. And so I am trying to, you know, like negotiate with this gentleman. And we finally came to an agreement that perhaps I would exchange some kind of monetary value for the damage to his door. And then my son, who I had to like, get to just be quiet, please. Just, just sit quietly while I do this, because this is kind of stretchy for me. And we got it done. And but even when you move to it’s not the stairs on the subway, although I read an article about that, which is just horrifying. But 

1:01:50 CHRIS: It would be your nightmare to live in New York City. I assume you do not. It would be your nightmare.

[01:01:54] CALLER: I think you’re right.

[01:01:57] CHRIS: You’re just around people all the time, often physically touching them when you don’t want to be.

[01:02:03] CALLER: I didn’t know that, I didn’t. I think I visited once and I thought I was going to be like ah it’s the greatest city in the world, but I did not have that.

[01:02:12] CHRIS: That’s fair. Anyway, so what happens with your son after?

[01:02:16] CALLER: Oh, my job was just to get him back to his mother, who could you know, we could all just, but I just, you know, tamped whatever I was feeling down inside and gave myself a tiny pat on the back for surviving that experience and kept it moving.

[01:02:37] CHRIS: Yeah. You and I are very similar people. Makes sense to me that you sought out my work, although again, just to be on the record. You did not quite enjoy it, but it makes sense to me.

[01:02:49] CALLER:I think, you know, I’m coming around. Can tell you that there? Maybe you can tell me who this is because I, in my deep dive, I tried my best to figure this out and I couldn’t. There was this moment on the show when, fish human fish.

1:03:09 CHRIS: Okay a moment on the Chris Gethard where the human

fish, legendary comedy character, the human fish, yes.

[01:03:14] CALLER: And there’s like I mean, like a, I’m sure that the depths of your

fan base is so deep that this is so painful for people but I’m just going to try. So the human

fish had a job maybe at the airport, but maybe at the mall, maybe working at a pretzel place?

1:03:32 CHRIS: At the Auntie Anne’s Pretzel stand at the LaGuardia Airport. Yes.

[01:03:36] CALLER: Oh, my gosh. And so his manager came to the show and demanded that the human fish returned to his work. Yes. And so there was this like conflict. And he was like, you know, I can’t believe and then at the end, after being kind of a grump, he turns to the bass player in the band and it did kind of like an air base like duh duh duh duh do. And like, connected in it. And to me, like, that was so funny. So funny. But I tried to find out who that that performer was. And I couldn’t figure it out.

1:04:10 CHRIS: His name is John Reynolds. He’s very brilliant. He plays

one of the cops who’s not Hopper on Stranger Things right now. And he’s real. I will tell you, he has a very large role where he’s super brilliant on search party, which is a show based on your love of Tami Sagher and the shows that I think you can hang with you’ll love Search Party if you haven’t watched it. It’s a great show. And John’s on

there and he’s awesome. And he’s a really, really brilliant improviser. And you’ll be happy

to hear that that bass moment was not in the outline. It was just something he busted out

in the moment. But that’s, I’m glad you liked that, because that’s one of my favorite

bits that we did.

[01:04:51] CALLER: Oh, my gosh, it tickled me. And so is this what you thought? Like this? I don’t know. Like from other episodes. I feel like the show just goes where goes but is there. Wanna talk about Puerto Rico or something?

[01:05:07] CHRIS: You want to hear my honest answer? Well, come on, cause you started to ask me to evaluate it and then you got scared that you bailed and mentioned Puerto Rico for seemingly no reason. So let me answer your question. You wanted to know how this compares to the other ones. You started to go there and then you got nervous about the answer and then you backed out, right? Some I’m going to give you the answer. Doesn’t matter. This is yours. This is not theirs. This is not theirs. And that’s a real answer. And you’re treating that as a cop out. It was great and it was fine. And I think a lot of people are going to love it. Because it’s good conversation. But here’s at the end of the day. There’s been what, 160 of these other conversations. It doesn’t matter. This one’s yours and those are in the past. And this is right now. And there’ll be other ones in the future. And they’re not happening. Doesn’t matter what happened in the past doesn’t matter what’s happening in the future. What’s happening right now is very good and very valid in its own right. You shouldn’t worry about that. You got good things to say, and I think you should be much more comfortable letting people hear them.

[01:06:23]CALLER: Any questions about, can I tell you that the baby situation is about to get, like, incredible.

[01:06:29]CHRIS : In a good way or a bad way?

[01:06:33] CALLER: Oh, in a great way, in the most amazing way. You know, one of the things that I didn’t know is that they they don’t come out with, like eye contact and smiling.

[01:06:44] CHRIS: Oh, my God. This kid laughs now. He smiles now. And he just started trying to have a little mini conversations, which I had no idea happens this young. And it’s so good.

[01:06:59] CALLER: Oh, yeah. I mean, like, there are just like it’s going to get better and better and better until finally they’re teenagers or he’s a teenager. But I think that like even the worst stuff is so good because you just like, here’s this person and they’re kind of yours. And it’s just the most wonderful thing. And I’ve never felt so full of joy before so I think say once the light comes on and they connect with you it’s amazing.

1:07:30 CHRIS: Same, now can I say something? It’s part of the show and I just need to put it out there and beg something of you. There’s a little bit of a thing that happens sometimes on beautiful anonymous, especially with people who aren’t so familiar with the show. Where we record an episode and it gets a little emotional and maybe they put themselves out there and then they send a message and they go, hey, don’t put that out.  And I just want to tell you, we got to put this one out because you’re gonna sit there and overthink it but it’s a beautiful call. And they’re gonna be so many people who

feel exactly the way that you do. Please don’t send me a message and bail because we

need this one now, this one. 

1:08:19 CALLER: Deal.

[01:08:20] CHRIS: Nice. Gonna hold you to that when you try to bail because you’re going to. And I know you well enough at this point to know you’re going to. Listen, we’re out of time and I just want you to know I had a real good time talking to ya, and I would talk to you anytime, and you don’t have to worry about it. I think I want to say I would never judge it and I would never roll my eyes at it and I would never be reductive about because I feel the way that you do very often. That being said, we’re out here. All the other people like you are out here and they listen to this show. And right now they’re sitting there while they do their laundry or they do their dishes or they’re driving home from work and they’re going, yes, we are. We are out here. And you’re like the Ramones said Gabba Gabba, one of us. You’re one of us and just know that all these people are out here and they feel the way you feel and they’re rooting for you. And maybe that’ll mean a lot. Maybe it’ll mean nothing. But at the very least, it’s true.

[01:09:21] CALLER: Thank you. And I will let that in. Let it in.

[01:09:25] CHRIS: All right. Glad to hear it. Thanks for, thanks for not, I mean, I would say thanks for listening but you don’t really.

[01:09:36] CALLER: I’m going to try to try to try,

1:09:40 CHRIS: Try to try. I think that’s a great, great place to end. And always not just with listening to this show, but in general, it’s time to try to try. [ring]

1:09:53 THEME MUSIC

[01:09:56] CHRIS: Caller, sincerely, thank you for calling what a fascinating one to talk to

someone who hasn’t totally locked in with me and then to have a conversation as genuine and as truthful as any other we had on this show. It’s incredible. And as far as how your episode stacks up against the others, it exists as they all do. And that is what matters. You are on record. You have been heard. Promise you. I was listening hard and I was enjoying the conversation. Thank you for having it with me. I mean it. Thank you to Jared O’Connell and Harry Nelson in the booth. Thank you to Justin Lindo. Thank you to Shell Shag for all the music. Chrisgeth.com, I got touring dates, stand up and live Beautiful Anonymous, more and more like filling up as we head toward the end of the year, go check those out. If you like this show one thing can do to help you go on apple podcast you rate, review, subscribe generally does help when you do. See you next time.

[NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW]

[01:11:04]CHRIS: Next time on Beautiful Anonymous we talk to a fighter in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

[01:11:12]CHRIS: So if you’re ever in a situation where someone, and God forbid that this even happens, I pray that you’re never in another situation where you feel threatened. But if you are, you’ve got some contingingency, you’ve got some contingency plans in place now.

[01:11:26] CALLER: Yeah, definitely. And I definitely feel more confident about it. Like prior to all like what happened to me, I have been in some situations I’ve bartended for a little while so I’ve had to, like get up in some guys’ faces and be more aggressive with them than I would like to have to be. And it’s in a good conscious to be like, yo, I will choke you and you won’;t even see that coming when I’m done.

[01:11:51] CHRIS: Wow. That’s next time on Beautiful Anonymous.