Radio Better Offline: Andy Richter

Summary

Better Offline: Radio Episode with Andy Richter – A Deep Dive into Tech, Comedy, and Social Media

Release Date: March 26, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of Better Offline, host Ed Zedron engages in an in-depth conversation with renowned comedian Andy Richter. The discussion traverses the intersections of technology, comedy, and the evolving landscape of social media. Together, they explore how these domains influence societal norms, creative expression, and the future of broadcasting.

Early Internet Experiences and Technological Evolution

The conversation kicks off with nostalgic reflections on the early days of the internet. Andy Richter reminisces about his first encounters with online platforms during his tenure on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He recalls the clunky dial-up connections and the initial allure of AOL, highlighting how the internet was primarily seen as a digital catalog in its infancy.

Andy Richter [04:02]: "Well, first online, like on the Internet would have been in the early '90s when I started working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. That was when sort of there was AOL."

Ed Zedron adds his own memories, emphasizing the cumbersome and deliberate nature of early online interactions, where every action required significant commitment due to slow connection speeds.

Ed Zedron [04:51]: "And there was that initial period when I remember when I got online when I was like 10. Yeah, just like looking up companies, right?"

Social Media's Impact on Comedy and Communication

As the conversation progresses, Richter delves into his experience with various social media platforms. He discusses his brief stint with Facebook and his more enduring relationship with Twitter, describing it as a "joke gym" where he could freely experiment with humor without the constraints of traditional media.

Andy Richter [12:53]: "If I see something funny on the street, I'm not gonna, like, take it to the TV show and say, here's this funny, you know, Chinatown sign I saw."

Ed and Andy critically examine the transformation of social media from platforms of genuine interaction to spaces often dominated by toxicity and uniformity. They highlight the rise of echo chambers and the diminishing space for authentic and diverse comedic voices.

Ed Zedron [14:46]: "What if Google Search answered? If Siri wasn't stupid."

Andy Richter [15:24]: "And I don't... Does it suck? Yeah."

The Evolution of Podcasting and Broadcasting

Transitioning to podcasting, Richter shares his journey from traditional broadcasting to embracing the podcast format. Initially hesitant, he was encouraged by peers to explore podcasting as a medium that aligns with his comedic strengths—conversational humor and improvisation.

Andy Richter [60:20]: "The best ones, the funniest ones, you'll see them doing crowd work, but you'll also see a little bit of their act."

Ed connects this to the broader challenges faced by modern media, such as the reliance on advertising revenue and the struggle to maintain authenticity in content creation.

Ed Zedron [67:26]: "But it's the same with podcasts. Yes, radio died. You've got podcasting and you know, podcasting is surviving on advertising dollars."

The duo emphasizes the importance of genuine connections and the enduring appeal of narrative-style shows that foster meaningful interactions between hosts and guests.

Andy Richter [66:54]: "They want a podcast that is very much listenable, funny, interesting, thought-provoking, sometimes even, and very much worth people's time."

Artificial Intelligence and Its Role in Modern Life

AI emerges as a significant topic, with both hosts expressing skepticism about its integration into daily life. They discuss practical uses, such as AI-enhanced search functionalities, while voicing concerns about over-reliance and potential ethical dilemmas.

Andy Richter [43:46]: "I don't want it to write your fucking papers."

Ed Zedron [46:03]: "It's very depressing because."

They caution against the unchecked advancement of AI, highlighting issues like increased computational costs, environmental impacts, and the erosion of human-centric experiences.

Challenges in the Current Media Landscape

Ed and Andy dissect the fragmented nature of modern media, pointing out the lack of unified voices and the prevalence of repetitive, low-effort content. They lament the decline of diverse comedic expressions and the overshadowing of talented comedians by shallow, reactionary content.

Andy Richter [25:19]: "It's why you can't win. It's why it's, you know, you just tread water until you drown."

Ed Zedron [38:22]: "Life is more absurd than it's ever been."

The discussion extends to the struggles of podcasters in monetizing their content, the decline of patron-based models, and the overarching dominance of advertising-driven revenue streams.

Ed Zedron [69:43]: "One of the bigger problems in media right now. There are things that people will pay for this."

Conclusion: The Future of Media and Comedy

In wrapping up, Richter and Zedron reflect on the resilience of traditional media formats in the digital age. They advocate for a return to the foundational elements of broadcasting—authenticity, meaningful conversations, and creative storytelling—as antidotes to the current saturation of mediocrity.

Andy Richter [72:22]: "Whenever I've been approached about a television show and they're like, we wish more young women would watch... I want to hear you shit your pants."

Ed Zedron [66:48]: "But it's something that strikes me of all of this that's really funny is despite all of the technology... what we are describing is basic broadcast fundamentals seem to actually be very fucking interesting."

Notable Quotes

• Andy Richter [05:28]: "And of course, then, you know, like at the Conan show, it was, you know, everybody was experiencing this new thing altogether."

• Ed Zedron [07:40]: "But I remember them being like, check out meat spin. And it is a man's willy going in a circle."

• Andy Richter [12:53]: "I do not have an act, you know, I mean, and there's no pressure to get it."

• Ed Zedron [19:00]: "If anything, that's a challenge."

• Andy Richter [25:19]: "Until the mail's broken and the IRS is broken or their Social Security payments stop because it's all fucked up."

Final Thoughts

This episode of Better Offline offers a thought-provoking exploration of how technology and social media are reshaping comedy and media consumption. Through candid dialogue, Richter and Zedron highlight both the nostalgic elements of past media forms and the pressing challenges of contemporary digital landscapes. Their insights serve as a valuable guide for understanding the complex dynamics at play in today's tech-driven society.

Where to Find Andy Richter

Listeners interested in Andy Richter's work can find his podcast, The Three Questions, available on all major podcast platforms. Additionally, his call-in show airs live on SiriusXM Wednesdays at 1 PM Pacific (4 PM Eastern) on the Conan channel.

Connect with Better Offline

For more episodes and to stay updated with Better Offline, visit betteroffline.com or follow them on their Discord and Reddit communities. Subscribe through the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

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This summary captures the essence of the conversation between Ed Zedron and Andy Richter, highlighting their perspectives on technology, social media, comedy, and the future of media broadcasting. Notable quotes are interwoven to provide authenticity and depth to the discussion.

Transcript

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[Andy Richter]

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[Ed Zedron]

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[Andy Richter]

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[Ed Zedron]

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[Andy Richter]

Ooh yes, that's smart.

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[Andy Richter]

Call zone Media the.

[Ed Zedron]

Future is bulletproof the aftermath is secondary. Welcome to Better Offline. I'm your host, Ed Zedron. Better off site. Today we're joined in beautiful Los Angeles, Nevada. And I'm joined by Andy Richter, the comedian. Andy, thank you so much for joining me.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you for. For being here. I. On the way to the studio, I got to see a man smoking crack.

[Ed Zedron]

You did?

[Andy Richter]

Which I haven't. I haven't seen that in a long time.

[Ed Zedron]

That's kind of. That's nostalgic. Sure it is, man.

[Andy Richter]

People are still doing crack.

[Ed Zedron]

People are still doing crack in this.

[Andy Richter]

Good to know.

[Ed Zedron]

That's what they're saying. So, Andy, you've been so 90s. So 90s. I know. We're bringing the 90s back. I was listening to A System of a Down. Sorry, I've been down this rabbit hole. This is a tech podcast. We'll talk about stuff eventually. I've been down this rabbit hole of listening to this band called O2 that does covers of bands in the style of other bands. And there was a System of a Down. In the style of System of Down cover of the Scatman song.

[Andy Richter]

Wow.

[Ed Zedron]

It was truly amazing. Like, they nailed both the Scatman rap and the System of a Downtown.

[Andy Richter]

Wow.

[Ed Zedron]

And the comments on these things are amazing because it's like 50% people like me saying, this is really great. And 50% people being like, no, it's not.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, what the fuck?

[Ed Zedron]

Anything like the fucking Scat, man. The Scatman fans are all out there. Anyway, you've been fairly online for a while. I've noticed you on social media. When did you first get online?

[Andy Richter]

Well, first online, like on the Internet would have been in the early 90s when I started working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. That was when sort of there was AOL. And in fact, yeah, we were. I was the first time online, it was aol. You know, I've got one of those discs in the mail or out of a magazine or whatever. And it was dial up. And I had these clunky old Mac Power books. And at work there was the Internet. And. Cause at first, the Internet, I was like, wait, is it just like catalogs? You know, I was like, Pepsi would have a website and it'd be like, well, I kind of know what Pepsi is.

[Ed Zedron]

And there was that initial period when I remember when I got online when I was like, 10. Yeah, just like looking up companies, right?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ed Zedron]

But everything you. You went to, because it was dial up was very much a commitment. You have to be so sure, absolutely.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah. And to go from one thing to the other took so long.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh, yeah.

[Andy Richter]

But then email was pretty fun. Facebook was fun for five seconds. And then I immediately got off of there.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

Um, and of course, then, you know, like at the Conan show, it was, you know, everybody was experiencing this new thing altogether.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

And as usual with every new technology, the one of the first primary uses is pornography, of course. So it was, you know, plenty of. And because it's a comedy show, it wasn't just like people fucking, it was like people filling up plastic pants with diarrhea.

[Ed Zedron]

Okay.

[Andy Richter]

You know, stuff like that. And then that's what be swapping around the office.

[Ed Zedron]

Wait, so you were on dial up doing this?

[Andy Richter]

Yes, well, we were at work doing that. So I don't know what our Internet connection was at work.

[Ed Zedron]

So it was like the late nights, T1 connection, something like that. Bring up the clown porno.

[Andy Richter]

It was better than home, but I don't think I had to log on with the work computer.

[Ed Zedron]

So you were just looking up various kinds of pornos and would people send.

[Andy Richter]

Everybody wasn't. I just remember there being people crowd around. I don't, and I don't remember exactly how we would find them, but I just. There'd be like files of, oh, 300, you know, weird sex photos, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

Of course it would have been JPEGs back then.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

You wouldn't have the speed to get.

[Andy Richter]

I don't know, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

Well, just. Were people crowding around one screen or was it just like an ftv?

[Andy Richter]

Oh, there was some crowding around one screen. But there was one guy in the office who would. His desk faced the door, so you'd see the back of his computer screen and he would. I fell for it like three times. Like, hey, come here, I wanna show you something. And you come around and it's just the most horrific, the most like not at all sexual sex thing. And so after a while he'd say like, hey, come here. And I fuck you. No, I'm not falling for that again.

[Ed Zedron]

So I am cursed with two brothers. And Matthew and William, are they older or both? Older. My sister Anna older as well. Matthew is a grotesque fellow and has shown me terrible things. So I've become kind of desensitized to the whole thing. And I remember one of the first days working at a PR firm, I got to all the guys like, hey, Ed, come check this. You should come check. Type this into you. And it was meat spin. Do not look this up.

[Andy Richter]

Okay.

[Ed Zedron]

But I remember them Being like, check out meat spin. And it is a man's willy going in a circle.

[Andy Richter]

Sure.

[Ed Zedron]

I sat there in complete silence for several minutes. My fingers just steepled and could see out the corner of my eye the deep discomfort.

[Andy Richter]

Right, right.

[Ed Zedron]

Because that.

[Andy Richter]

You were soaking it in.

[Ed Zedron]

Just. Just like Gendo Ikari from Evangelion, just sitting there staring at it. And after that, I never got sent anything gross again.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

They wouldn't send me anything because they knew that just also, I think they kind of knew that I might retaliate one day.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And I really. This entire episode doesn't have to be about gross stuff, but I come from a darker place of the Internet. Like, I was. I was on, like, early forums and, like, bulletin boards and Usenet. Not the worst part of news buying.

[Andy Richter]

And selling foreign babies.

[DSW Representative]

No.

[Andy Richter]

I was like 12.

[Ed Zedron]

And so the people were doing that around me. And so that was fun. But I also got to see so many horrible things.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And, like, there's pain for any listeners who remember painful. Do not look up any of the things we're talking about. It is funny, though, because that used to be a lot of the early Internet was just like, hey, I found something gross. Look at this shit.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And that's gone now because there's now entire Reddits for it.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, yes. And. And I don't. Yeah. And also it's just like the novelty sort of.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

You know, it's like too quick. Yeah, that was like. Oh, that was. Cause it's like, oh, can you get like, the worst kind of, you know, the worst kind of pornography? Oh, yeah, you can. And then, you know, it's like, okay.

[Ed Zedron]

Now you can get it immediately.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. It's not my. And because if it's not your thing, which is like, not my, you know, like, my pornography. I like it. Like I said, like, if there was a search on a porn website for people being nice to each other, like, that would be my. I'm very boring.

[Ed Zedron]

For me, it's a man and a woman, they walk into a room, they shake hands, and they sit in complete silence for an hour. Rock hard every time.

[Andy Richter]

And then they start fucking.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

But the video ends.

[Ed Zedron]

I'm not interested. The implication's enough for me.

[Andy Richter]

Right.

[Ed Zedron]

But I think, and I will say there's nothing wrong with having your particular proclivities.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

Sex positive show and all that, but nevertheless, it is funny watching the Internet move away from pornography and towards being insane now.

[Andy Richter]

Yes. Yes, exactly.

[Ed Zedron]

We just had Geeta Jackson and Nathan Grayson from Aftermath A gaming website. And he's just talking about how games used to be. Like, when I started on the Internet, it was like, oh, you could look at, like, forums, video games, and be told. Talk about which characters we thought were cool. Now it's like, oh, you don't like Cloud Strife and Final Fantasy 7? I will kill you. Yeah, I will snipe you.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Do you get involved in any Internet communities? I know you're quite active in Instagram.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, well, Twitter was my main one, you know. Which Twitter? Twitter was like a real step of being online for me. And I got on Twitter, you know, this was. Social media was a new thing, you know, a couple years old. And like, I say I got on Facebook for a minute and then I just was like, there's too many people going. You know, it just felt like having an open door in your house that just people could come and go, hey, wanna talk? And like, no, I do not want to talk to you.

[Ed Zedron]

Hey, you ate a sandwich. What are you fucking doing?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Actually, that is how Twitter is now.

[Andy Richter]

Anyway, continue. But so I actually, it was right before I went back to work for Conan on the Tonight Show, I believe, I think the time, because it was like, 2010. Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Twitter would have been. That would.

[Andy Richter]

A few years into Twitter. I can't remember.

[Ed Zedron]

That would make sense, though, because that was a few years into Twitter when it had become more than just digital perverts.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, yes. And I had friends, like my friend Steve Agee, comedian STEVE AGEE ACTOR he told me, oh, Twitter's really fun. Like, it's like. It's like jokes. And I was like, oh, okay. Cause, you know, and I had already quit Facebook. I was playing in the Major League Baseball All Star game was down in Anaheim. Cool. And I played and I did this a couple times. I played in the Celebrities and Old Time Baseball guys charity softball event.

[Ed Zedron]

Very cool.

[Andy Richter]

It's like a couple days before the actual All Star Game. So I was going down there, and the production coordinator for Conan called me and said, hey, we got an offer. They know you're playing there. If you would get on Twitter and tweet about the game, you might get a new iPhone. And I was like, oh, all right, sure, no problem. So in the car on the drive to Anaheim, I signed up for Twitter. And then it was like, I very quickly did see, like. And as I referred to it, for me in those early days, it was like the joke gym.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

It was like where we all went to be funny, you know, run material. Yeah. Just think up silly stuff. And it wasn't. And I never. And it's. I think the reason I liked it so much is that I wasn't. It was just for pure enjoyment.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

You know, I mean, I think, you know, I'm saying funny smart ass shit all the time, right? And so, you know, something funny will occur to me. I don't have an act, you know, I mean, and there's no pressure to get it. I'm not gonna, you know, and it's like, if I see something funny on the street, I'm not gonna, like, take it to the TV show and say, here's this funny, you know, Chinatown sign I saw, you know, So I just would do it for fun. And it was. And it was fun. And it was also just fun to give away happiness and funniness. And I. And I started to meet, like, comedians who are like, why are you on there? Like, why would you waste your material?

[Ed Zedron]

I'm like, so funny.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, my God. Waste? What are you talking about? It's, you know, there was very little sort of professional urge or, you know, motive behind anything I did on Twitter. I mean, I would promo things when I had things to promo, but it was mostly just fun. And I met, you know, people who are now my IRL friends, you know, like. And, you know, same here. Yeah. And it was certainly in those early days, it was what was great about it just in comedy terms, and it probably holds in poetry terms and in technical writing terms. There's no gatekeeper, which is why there were so many women, funny comedy women that came up and got their start with Twitter because there were gatekeepers that kept women from being funny in front of people.

[Ed Zedron]

And I think the. And Twitter is the other problem of woman female comedians being like, corrected for their jokes. And you see, you still see that on Blue Sky. And it was kind of a more democratic force, I think, for any kind of joke telling the thing that the only thing that really bothered me with it was this. You ever see Favstar?

[Andy Richter]

Yes, yes.

[Ed Zedron]

So there was this.

[Andy Richter]

I mean, I don't even. Does it still exist?

[Ed Zedron]

It doesn't, but the. The soul lives on to soul caliber. And it's what it was. Explain for the listeners. So there was this thing called Fab Star. And around it this growing clique of deeply unfunny people that we all repost each other's shit. And it created this kind of noxious version of what you're talking about, where what you're talking about is like, I, as a funny person, I found A thing that made me laugh. I posted it. These people, you see them on Blue sky now and you can tell they're on Blue sky because they have a list in their profile. Autoblock. If I see someone with a list of their posts and they're Blue Sky, I'm a very petty person.

[Andy Richter]

Wait, what do you. I don't understand what you mean.

[Ed Zedron]

So what it is is that you can. You can do a search on Blue sky and you could do this on Twitter, where it's just your posts with no replies and what they're doing is like all my funniest bits. It's like, if you have to do a list of your funniest posts, they're not funny.

[Andy Richter]

Right. Exactly.

[Ed Zedron]

And it is interesting and very actually heartening to hear that there is also the honest comedy side on Twitter.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Do you think it's going over to Blue sky at all or is it different?

[Andy Richter]

Yes. I mean, and that's why I mostly do Blue sky now, is because it feels the most like.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Like the joke gym, you know, whereas. And I'll look sometimes at threads, which has a. I mean, and I'm not very technical, so I don't understand. I don't understand. Like, you know, like, I likened it once. I actually was on a conference call once with just like, kind of different people that, like, from somebody that I'd done political organizing with was also doing sort of like social media. Social media. Like, how do we make social media work for us? And there was this big call about, you know, different formats and what's next now that Twitter sucks. And I just said, like, I'm. I feel like I'm with auto executives and I just want to drive the thing. Like, I don't. I don't care about how it works or the different sort of programming behind. I just wanted. I want to. I want a particular experience. I want to point it in a direction and go in that direction. And so I don't know what threads is, but I just know that, like, the way that it shows me shit is out of order and, you know, and just irritating and lots of. Let me tell you a four part story about this old man that, you know, gave me advice and he changed my life. Yeah. And it's just sort of. Okay, that's nice and all, but, you know, where's the jokes? Where's the weirdos?

[Ed Zedron]

Exactly. And where's the chaos?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

I described it as. It reminds me specifically of a mall in Dallas called the Galleria Mall in Dallas. Like a luxury mall.

[Andy Richter]

Galleria Galleria.

[Ed Zedron]

Pardon me. I'm glad you're.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, that's all right. I'm not being a wise ass. I just, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh, no, no, no. We got.

[Andy Richter]

I would want to know if I would.

[Ed Zedron]

It's also a threads asked reply, but it's very luxurious. It's really nice. There's tons of stuff there. No reason to be there. You just go there and you feel your soul wilt. Threads is just weird. I went on there earlier and there was just a post where a guy said, yeah, I had a conversation with a guy and it was just a completely made up conversation with a person about using Mac products. And There were like 11 replies of people like, yeah. And it's like, did you all just get in the same car crash?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And it's bizarre. And I think what it is is tech companies don't seem to understand how human beings interact. And the more that they wield that power to that conference call, you're on the moment, you try and systematize this stuff, the joy exits immediately.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

So have you. Have you felt like social media change how you do comedy, though? Like the feedback loop even?

[Andy Richter]

Well, I mean, I shouldn't even have paused because, yes, for sure. A big reason, a big thing, a big effect was learning what's not funny anymore, you know, and you might call it wokeness or, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

How do you mean?

[Andy Richter]

I mean, like learning things. The one that I've always. That I is just one of the most forefront ones is the M word for little people.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

And that used to be like, you know, comedy, msg.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Andy Richter]

If there was a gap, just throw in the M, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andy Richter]

You know, like. Or tossing in, you know, somebody, you know, and that, like I say, and I think when the Conan show started, I think we used that word and then. And I don't know, you know, with words that you don't, you know, you don't know what words are hurtful. Right. I mean, some of them are quite obvious.

[Ed Zedron]

You know the ones.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah. But then there are some that's like, oh, that's hurtful to somebody. Okay, Yeah, I can work around that. I don't.

[Ed Zedron]

If anything, that's a challenge.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, exactly. And there were other. And there were just other things too. There's some that. Like that. Where it gets to be a verbiage thing or there's just scolds that want to scold you for and you know, and also comedy. Sometimes comedy is really messy and dark and sort of like Wait, you know, it's sort of like you're hinting at violence, like, yeah, that's a joke. You know, I mean, it's just made up. And I have learned also, too, not just from a sense of, you know, sort of gracious goodness, wanting to not hurt people's feelings. There's also like, oh, I could say that. But then a bunch of fucking people go crazy. And I don't need that shit, you know, I don't need people wasting my time with scolding me because, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

And I think that there is this vast division. I know where you land on the. There's the division between what you're talking about, which is like. Yeah, there's things that, like, social media is kind of a good barometer for societal acceptance.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

We look at society right now, and perhaps more things are up for question than I like. But then there's. I feel like a. With blue sky especially, there is a sensitivity on certain subjects writ large. And blue sky kind of. You can get enveloped if you say the wrong thing.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

Or even something that's inspired. And to be clear, I am not. This is not some oblique way in which I'm saying I was racist the other day and people got mad. That's not what I'm talking about. But even, like, there's a guy called Mike Masnik who's on the board of Blue sky, and he does take dirt. Great guy. He posted about using AI the other day, and people went completely fucking nuts on him just reading stuff he didn't say. And I do think that that is a problem and gets into comedy where people just don't want certain subjects to be up for discussion. And I think some of the most interesting stuff in comedy can come from the more challenging stuff. Again, not talking about race, not talking about sexism. This is not an. This is not an approval of that.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And I'm just thinking of dear friend Chloe Radcliffe, Great, great comedian. She has this show called Cheat, which is about her propensity in the past to Cheat. It's a dark show, very funny. I think that comedy can go in some incredible directions, and the Internet and just digital production can actually take it in so many different directions. And my problem really is, is that social media is right now elevating some of the shittiest comedy I've ever seen. Some great comedy, but just some of the base level just slop because. And it's not even people being safe more often than not. It's people being deeply rude, center. Right. Going like oh, you can't say this anymore.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Proceeding to say a slur. And it's frustrating because there are more comedians than ever and more doing really interesting shit. And I feel like they get drowned out sometimes.

[Andy Richter]

Well, yes, they do. And I mean, a big reason for that is there was a calculated drive to. And I mean, I just, I know this from my producer on my podcast telling me that there's actual data about these sort of like, bro y stand up, kind of run of the mill, broy standup podcast that is just, you know, like, I mean, and I can't, I'm not saying, because it's like there's a revolving door in my world of like, I go on their podcast and they come on my podcast. Excuse me. And there's the bro y comedy version of that where it's like, oh, they're always just kind of in a circular thing. And the amount of political content has gone through the roof on those because they were all sent talking points and they all would have the same talking points, like, you know, Kamala Harris can't lead a wartime nation.

[Ed Zedron]

And so kind of like enormous. Like a propaganda poison.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely in the same way. And it's something somehow in the same way, I don't. Because I've always been amazed. And, you know, on Blue sky, you don't see it as much, but, like, the right wing trolls, like, they get marching orders because they all start saying the exact same thing at the exact same time. And I'm like, are they on like a facts list? Like, how where does this come from? Is it Fox News? Where are they hearing this shit? You know, it's when you believe in.

[Ed Zedron]

Nothing, you just go. You all can just agree to the same thing at the same time. You can be like, we're mad at bathrooms, I guess.

[Andy Richter]

Right, right. Well, and also, too, it's like, I, you know, I believe, you know, people say it's a cult and stuff. I'm like, yeah, all right. I mean, if that's what you want to call it. I mean, nobody's living in a compound and shaving their heads. You know, they're. They're, you know, if it's a cult, it's a, It's a very loose and free cult. It's wandering around freeform. But it is kind of a thing. Like, no, I've decided that this is where I'm at. So this is like, there's a very particular kind of person that's a right wing troll that just like, there's just different sort of character Choices that sort of boil it down to its essence. And for me, it's things like, I don't follow the rules. I make the rules.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

You know, and that's like. So then Donald Trump is like, oh, my. He's the ne plus ultra of I don't, you know, the rules aren't for me. I make the rules. And that's. So it's like if you say, well, wait, that's racist. They're like, no, it isn't, you know, or that's.

[Ed Zedron]

I'm just the one brave enough to say.

[Andy Richter]

Or tariffs are terrible. They are not. You know, and it's just, they don't. It's like the actual. And it's why you can't win. It's why it's, you know, you just tread water until you drown. Because they don't, you know, the facts and figures and things and the data don't matter. It's just I'm always going to be entrenched on my side until their grandmother stops getting her checks. And that's around the corner.

[Ed Zedron]

Yes.

[Andy Richter]

And until, you know, the government just ceases. Right. And they don't. And they don't get their tax returns, you know, because the mail's broken and the IRS is broken or their Social Security payments stop because it's all fucked up.

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[Ed Zedron]

So here's a fun story for you. So twice on the show I've talked about just another instruction for any anti trans people listening. Just another update on my instructions. You should be in the garage. The door should be closed. The car may not be started yet. Rev that engine, baby. Rev the engine now. If you're not getting sleepy, get the tube, go to the exhaust and then Put that bad boy in the window. That's the sleepy juice. You need more of that. Now, I got several emails from people saying you can't say that. You can't suggest anti trans people kill themselves. And the answer is, watch me.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And I think, I think the whole fucking who's the Joe Rogan of the left thing doesn't make sense. And I think if you break it down into what it is, it's everything you're talking about, which is there is no like insane propaganda unity across the left. And also the left. I fucking hate the term as well. Because it's like the left, depending on who you talk to, it refers to.

[Andy Richter]

Like CBS News or Marxists.

[Ed Zedron]

Or Marxists. It's complete milieu of different things. But ultimately it's because people actually have beliefs that they stick to and those can change within distinct groups versus the right wing.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And they also too don't walk in lockstep on every single issue. You know, people have like, you know, you can think that socialized medicine is a wonderful thing, but you also are, you know, because you're Catholic or for whatever reason, you know, you're, you know, anti abortion and that, you know, so there's like, there's too many varying issues within the liberal, whatever you want to call it, the not right world, that it's never. You don't get lockstep, which is. Why don't you, you know, which is inconvenient.

[Ed Zedron]

And also the right winger really on lockstep with what they hate.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

And that's the thing is you can hate them. Like I, I just feel like there is a certain degree of meekness with it. And also when POD Save America is one of the largest, that's also never a great start. Also another really simple thing is. And even Lincoln's been into this as well and others have as well, where it's like there's also not multibillionaires backing every single leftist podcast.

[Andy Richter]

Right, Right.

[Ed Zedron]

Which would be really funny.

[Andy Richter]

That would be awesome. It would be really funny if there.

[Ed Zedron]

Was just like billions of dollars going into guys just doing like 18 hour seasons of podcasts about why Medicare for all is necessary. Sadly, we don't have that kind of unity in any way. And it sucks. And it sucks as well because I think that there is this getting back to comedy as well. There's this assumption with comedy as well. It's like it has to be rude to be funny. Yeah, it could. It can be tragic. There can be. There were. And one of my favorite thing One of my favorite things that made me laugh and I'm not laughing at the event. You're gonna know where I'm going with this in a second. A guy did a wonderful stand up thing. Not funny. Describing like post 911 how he, his Muslim was horribly mistreated and he was. I'm gonna look this up and get Link. He's like talking about how people hated him, hated other people of color. Anyone who was brown with was treated horribly and how it really pushed him towards his faith and unity in his community. And he stops at the end of about a minute and a half. He goes, Did 911 work? And it's just like fucking amazing. Just like perfectly done. Because someone could scold him if he was not describing his actual experience, right. And it's just, I feel like the future of comedy is going to be so fucking weird because both the subject matter and the speed at which things work and happen is so different to how it used to be used to. Actually, here's a question. How did you prepare for the show? Just a very basic, like, for the show. How much work did you have to do?

[Andy Richter]

Oh, like day to day.

[Ed Zedron]

Day to day.

[Andy Richter]

Well, I was earlier on, you know, like back in the late night days, I was a writer on the show and was expected to do for the first few years as much as any other writer. Like, you know, we had a board that had five, you know, five columns which were the days. And then Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4, Act 5, Act 6 and you had to fill them and you know, some of them were filled with guests or a guest band and stuff, but you had to fill those spots with bits that you came up. So they'd put a card in there that would be like, you know, whatever, you know, Zoo Detective, right? And it would be up there with your initials, you know, down in the corner. So I was expected to do that. And then there were also like just different bits that kind of were handed to me that they'd come up with a new one. They'd be like, here, you write this because you're good at writing this particular kind of thing. And then there was also too. I started, I was the first one to do remotes because Robert Smigel, who was running the show, didn't want to send Conan out on remotes because that was very much a David Letterman thing. Like the host going out and being the host out in the world. Whereas I was kind of going out and being this naif, you know, this kind of, you know, boy, man, boy out in the world. And so I was doing remotes and I would have to edit those. You know, I'd come back from the Arkansas State Fair and you know, get off the, you know, go to bed and then go into the work the next day and start cutting that piece and working sometimes till, you know, three, four o'clock in the morning and getting that ran.

[Ed Zedron]

Was this physical media or was this.

[Andy Richter]

It was video.

[Ed Zedron]

Okay.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, it was, it was video. It was all on big three quarter inch tapes.

[Ed Zedron]

That was kind of. What?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, so that's.

[Ed Zedron]

Because that's.

[Andy Richter]

It was not digital back in those days in the 90s.

[Ed Zedron]

Cause that's the thing, the speed of iteration there and the speed of things happening. Like it sounds like several days, if not more.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

What's fascinated me. Have you ever seen Josh Johnson? Incredible stand up comedian.

[Andy Richter]

So the name's familiar. I may be lots of J's in comedy though.

[Ed Zedron]

He's on the Daily Show. He's fantastic African American guy. He's one of the funniest guys. Has this amazing kind of like slow draw to everything he does. But I think he might be the future of comedy for one reason. He's. I can write really. I've never seen anyone who writes that fast other than me and I write newsletters and they swear and all. He will have a new bit about something that just happened immediately. Yeah, he will have like a 10 minutes of fucking material.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And it will be about Elon Musk or something. He had this amazing thing about. There was a lawsuit with a rapper and I can't remember the name now, with just this insane long thing where like a lawyer nearly got censured or like sanctioned, I mean, by the judge because he would not reveal something that he shouldn't by law. Nevertheless, it's insane watching these comedians have to go from this thing where they. I don't know, I'm not a stand up. I know a few of them who would go up and prepare material and they'd workshop it a bit and in open mic nights and they try it and then they have a real show where they do it. Now it's just. You have to just fucking burn material all the time. You have to keep it relevant. And it almost feels like it's gonna breed in a different kind of comedian. One that can respond just way faster.

[Andy Richter]

Well, yes, absolutely. And also too there is the real thing with comedians. And it's one of the reasons that I'm not a standup comedian. And I'm glad I'm not a Stand up comedian. Is that because you can't? Well, there's kind of part of me that's like, really can't you? Like, if you tell a joke on. What I was gonna say is, if you say, if you're. There's a bit on Instagram, it can't go into your hour. Why not? Because that joke has already been heard and been seen.

[Ed Zedron]

Is this, like, industry?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, it's just sort of. What do they call it? Common wisdom or whatever you call it conventional wisdom. That's the phrase I'm looking for. And I've always kind of been like, you know, and it's the same reason that they're so protective about people filming them while they're working on stuff, you know, like in a club, somebody releasing. Because then the jokes will be out there, which it's kind of. I mean, there's a. Yes, I understand it. But on the other hand, I also think, like, I mean, I'm just probably more casual with material and, you know, and because I come from more of an improv background and never had to, like, guard, you know, like, I'm constantly grinding out, you know, guard my words, my precious, precious words. But they. So they can't do that. That's why you see so much crowd work. Cause crowd work is disposable. And that's why. And you do find, like, there's some really fantastic crowd work comedians, you know, that you do see, and they will. But also sort of. I mean, the best ones, the funniest ones. And this is the main point that I want to make about this whole thing. The best ones, the funniest ones, you'll see them doing crowd work, but you'll also see a little bit of their act. Like, they're not afraid to give you a little bit of their act.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

And the reason is because they're artists. Right. And the difference between the people that are bitching about, like, I can't say difficult things anymore, is because they don't know how to do it artfully. And the people that are good at it are artists, and they do it artfully. And you can hear the most uncomfortable shit from an artist because they will know how to tell you it in a way that resolves itself and it's.

[Ed Zedron]

Not inherently exploitative or mocking.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

Because that's the thing with all of these comedians who are like, oh, you can't say this anymore, then find something fucking else.

[Andy Richter]

Absolutely.

[Ed Zedron]

Isn't this your goddamn job?

[Andy Richter]

The notion that you can't do comedy is just demonstrably False. There's comedy fucking everywhere. What are you talking about?

[Ed Zedron]

And life is more absurd than it's ever been. I mean, doing this show, I'm not a comedian. I'm funny in the other way. But even within the tech industry, it's just like right now you're not a techie guy. You've got just like multiple multi billion dollar companies, trillion dollar companies chasing AI in this direction where they all lose money and no one really wants it. It's inherently fucking hilarious. It's also very grim to watch. But watching these kind of like damp little weirdos and freaks walk around and say stuff that no human being should believe about making calls, it is funny. And there's so much. I don't want to say, Joy, because there's a lot of misery right now, but there's so much different thing. There's so many different things you can make material from. I choose Josh Johnson because he's even moved into some tech stuff because guess what? Everything is approachable from a human position. If you don't know well. And it's just like, oh, if I can't be racist or sexist anymore, I'm out of things. What do you fucking do with your day, man?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

You just go around just like dropping slurs and insulting. I mean, now that I think about it, probably that's what.

[Andy Richter]

And it's also just like, it's, it's people that want to recycle old tropes, you know, like about fucking women, you know, or, you know, or in a. These cross dressers or whatever, you know, like they just want to, they're not coming up with anything new. They're just regurgitating this sort of zeitgeist that guys with backward baseball caps are going to go woo at, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

And it's inherently also kind of regressive because it's not really all it says about them is, man, you know what would be funny? If I said something hurtful.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And I'm not meant to do this.

[Andy Richter]

Right, right, right.

[Ed Zedron]

What makes it funny, what was weird though is you wanted, you wanted to have a really horrible experience. Try watching Family Guy. It is insane that that show aired just to any listeners. I don't really recommend watching.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

But Family Guy was insanely sexist, racist, like they say, actual slurs on there.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

It's crazy what used to be. And I have to wonder if some of these right wing comedians or even just kind of like people would, wouldn't say that that was their identity, are just like watching Family Guy and things like being like. We used to be able to just do entire episodes about Peter Griffin being Mexican.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And that is an actual episode of Family Guy, by the way. There is an entire plot where he's an illegal immigrant. It's fucking insane.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah, it is insane. What used to be considered funny and aired on tv.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

In fact, there is a show called Black White. Have you heard of this? There was a show on fox in like 2005 where a white white family got blacked up. Like full blackface. It's insane. And then a black family got whited up and it was called Black White. The world is insane. The world is actually insane when you look like we have. It may not feel like we've come far, but we have.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. On that SNL, that 50th thing, they did sort of what I found to be a very interesting little segment. And also sort of, you know, sort of. They didn't have to, like, air their dirty laundry.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

But it was just a little montage of their incredibly past racist things against Asian, Asians and, you know, Latinos and just really crazy and sexist stuff. You know, I get why they did.

[Ed Zedron]

That, but I personally wouldn't have. I would have probably not put that.

[Andy Richter]

I mean, I liked it because I thought, like. Like I said, it seemed.

[Ed Zedron]

It's like it acknowledged the past. Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

It was like somebody saying, I used to make mistakes and I. And I learned from them and I don't do them anymore. Which I always. Yeah. And also too.

[Ed Zedron]

Is that what they said, though?

[Andy Richter]

I think so.

[Ed Zedron]

I hope so.

[Andy Richter]

I think that's what they meant.

[Ed Zedron]

I haven't watched.

[Andy Richter]

I don't think they were saying, like, we can't get away with this anymore. But even because it's so. These bits are so shitty.

[Ed Zedron]

I think. I think more what I'm suggesting is what frustrates me with things like that. And I have not watched it, so I'm sure someone will email me saying, I'm wrong. It happens even when I'm right. If it's just them showing it without making any commentary, that pisses me off. Because it's just like, oh, we shouldn't do this again.

[Andy Richter]

Well, they did preface it, like, can you believe we used to do this kind of stuff?

[Ed Zedron]

That's kind of cool. Yeah, I like that. So somewhat subject change. So, AI, have you used any of this?

[Andy Richter]

I have not. I keep thinking like, oh. Cause I'll hear people, you know, there. Because there are aspects to say chatgpt that are interesting to me.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

Like, I have spaghetti, a green pepper, you know, tamarind sauce. What do I do with it? And it'll give you a recipe. And, you know, like, that's, like. That's pretty neat, you know? And then, like, I was just listening. I'm a Howard Stern listener, and he was messing around with it. And he asked ChatGPT because he's learning guitar and he had some new guitar, and it was. The strings are making his fingers black. So he asked ChatGPT, why is my new guitar making my fingers black? And ChatGPT says, There's an oil that's on there from the factory that's a protective oil to keep the strings from rusting. And so if you wipe it with a dry cloth, it should be good. And I thought, okay, that's pretty cool to ask a question like that. But I don't want it to write your fucking papers.

[Ed Zedron]

That's the thing.

[Andy Richter]

I don't want it to. Yeah. I don't want to watch a movie that just was made up out of a machine mind. And I don't. I just have to believe that it won't be like that. Like. And if it is like that, that is a long, long, long way away, you know?

[Ed Zedron]

And that's the thing. I am very anti. And as part of the show, I have dug into OpenAI a great deal. And. Yeah, yeah, bad company and all that. I think what's funny about all of these descriptions is I try and ask people who are not super technical about this all time, what do you use it for? And every single person describes Google Search. If it worked, it's like, what if Google Search answered?

[Oracle Representative]

Absolutely.

[Ed Zedron]

What if there was a website where you could ask it something?

[Andy Richter]

Right. Or if maybe if Siri wasn't stupid.

[Ed Zedron]

Yes.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And what's funny is they've added that. I have.

[Oracle Representative]

You.

[Ed Zedron]

You've got an iPhone.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

So you. You've seen Apple Intelligence, then?

[Andy Richter]

I. I mean, yeah, I have not. I have not attempted it because I've heard so much. Oh, you turned it off. I don't know if I've turned it off or not, but it. Well, I do get a thing where it makes that sort of, like, purple glow around it, like, wanting to do something, and I just ignore it.

[Ed Zedron]

You know, that's the thing, though. It's when they.

[Andy Richter]

And it's suggesting me texts, which are not good responses. No, they're not. I've. They're almost never.

[Ed Zedron]

I had a friend telling me about a really bad relationship thing, and it said, that's disappointing. It's like. I don't think that would have helped him.

[Andy Richter]

You fucked that up.

[Ed Zedron]

You more.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

But. And it's. It does feel like they're just selling us back something that works. Because the Siri does not work better, it works worse now. I used to be able to. I used.

[Andy Richter]

I think so too.

[Ed Zedron]

My big thing I use this for, with. With Siri was just reminders and I use them constantly. Like, I will think of something at 11:30pm and I'll mutter it and it'll work now. It works like 80% of the time.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, really?

[Ed Zedron]

It used to work 90 time. But everything we're describing has been here for 10 years. Other than maybe the. No, no, the string thing. If you. I'm sure if he Googled that, it would have worked too.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, it's just.

[Ed Zedron]

It's very depressing because.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. If you googled black residue on guitar strings, it would come up. Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And it's. And the things I've found it useful for. And my listeners are going to beat my ass for this. I don't even use ChatGPT because fuck that shit. But large language models, when I've used them have been like, break down this complex paragraph of financial crap, explain it in plain English. I will then have to go and verify that independently.

[Andy Richter]

Right. Of course. Because they're wrong.

[Ed Zedron]

I do not trust this shit. But it's interesting how the long and short of it is, is what if Google search was slightly better? What if Google. What if we had a website for questions and it worked? And then Google's idea is they just. They're doing AI overviews now and they just added a new kind. And now Google's idea is what if we worked kind of and it was way more expensive. Would you like that? Oh, you hate it. We don't care.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Profits up.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. And what if it used all the energy on earth?

[Ed Zedron]

Yes. What if it boiled small lakes and required us to steal from every forever? It's just. See, this is. And that's the thing, it's frustrating to watch because the whole thing with the show that's doing this show has been like hoping things would get better and watching them get worse and putting aside Doge and all that crap happening in the real world, it doesn't feel like the tech is doing stuff to help us anymore. Like, it doesn't feel fun. You're not a technical person, but you like gadgets. I assume you still dick around with computers and such a little bit.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not so Much as I used to.

[Ed Zedron]

When did that start?

[Andy Richter]

Just as I got older and I got divorced and then got remarried. And I have a 5 year old now. I have a 24 year old, a 19 year old and a 5 year old. Nice 5 year old takes up a lot of time, you know, So I mean. And also too. I'm 58 now and I, you know, it's like nobody wants to watch my shows, you know. And my shows are very dad show, like the CIA spy shit. But not Reacher. Reacher is just basically about like I've heard it described as like, what if a guy was really big?

[Ed Zedron]

What if a giant was Sherlock Holmes? But the new season, they have a bigger guy.

[Andy Richter]

I know.

[Ed Zedron]

Got a real big fella.

[Andy Richter]

I saw that. But I mean, but I. You know like the Agency and Paradise and those kind of shows. And then also too things like Traders. But Traders I'll watch with my wife, but she won't watch these other ones. They're too stressful. So once every. Everybody goes to bed, they go upstairs about like 8:30 9:00. I am good for maybe an hour of watching something. So I'm not gonna be on a. I'm not gonna be playing video games, right. Because a. I'm a little too old and this isn't exactly right. I just didn't. I never got good at them, right. And I don't know whether I just didn't have a facility for them. And I did have an experience because I was given. And I don't even remember. I think it was an early Xbox possibly. Maybe a PlayStation. And it was early in my time in New York City, a couple of years after I'd been living there. And there was a game called Road Rash.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Do you remember that?

[Ed Zedron]

I remember. I remember the original. Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

A motorcycle race where you could remake. Hit each other with stuff.

[Ed Zedron]

Nice, nice.

[Andy Richter]

And so. And this is. We're probably talking 1995.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh no. Okay. So that was the original.

[Andy Richter]

I'm talking the original.

[Ed Zedron]

No. So that would have been like a. Probably a Sega Genesis maybe.

[Andy Richter]

I don't, I don't remember. But it was something. It was swag, right? I don't think I've ever. And I don't mean to be a dick. It's just like when you're on tv, people just give you free shit. And then when it's like. And when you're not on TV and when you really need free, nobody's there to give it to you.

[Ed Zedron]

Right?

[Andy Richter]

But that's, you know. So I, I had this this game system played Road Rash and my sister in law, my ex wife's younger sister was living with us at the time and she and I would play Road Rash and I would, I would think like, well, we've been playing for about an hour and it would be five hours. Hell yeah, four or five hours.

[Ed Zedron]

The magic of gaming.

[Andy Richter]

And, and I just was like, this is not good. Oh you did? Yeah, yeah. This is just like that much loss of time for me because I already my, you know, one of my lifelong self critiques is you're not doing enough. Like why the fuck don't you do more. Same here, you lazy fucker. Get off your ass and do something. Your life would be better if you had more initiative so to introduce a, like adjust an actual time suck. Using Time Suck. Yeah, I was like, no, no, this, I cannot do this. I mean, and I, you know, and I, you know, I, I haven't, I quit now. But you know, I throughout my life have smoked weed too. And that was enough, you know, that was like enough. It's like to me it felt like, like weed, crack. That's what the, like what gaming felt to me. It's like this is because weed is such kind of like a little vacation from yourself. At least that's what it was for me.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Andy Richter]

And the game was just like, this is a vacation. I don't exist.

[Ed Zedron]

And Road Rash absolutely ruled.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, it was really fun because.

[Ed Zedron]

When you said PlayStation, Xbox, they did remake it at some point the game. See, you get given free shit. I get given emails, emails from people correcting me about when Road Rash came out. Now I love my wrestlers. I deeply love them. Foreign.

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[Ed Zedron]

Actually, that's an interesting thing. Slight different thing. So I was having a conversation with someone, Eric Silver. He's over at Multitude Productions. Used to be a client of mine. Production podcast student. He brought up a thing about podcasting. I'm actually quite curious to run by you. How do you feel about. With podcasts especially? You seem like a more positive guy. It feels like there's this weird thing within podcasts of just hating the audience, like a derision for them.

[Andy Richter]

Is there?

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah. Okay, so maybe not. No.

[Andy Richter]

I mean, I am not a very good podcast consumer. And as I already mentioned, I listen to Howard Stern, and that takes up a lot of my podcast. And that's since the early 90s.

[Ed Zedron]

Right, right.

[Andy Richter]

I've been listening to Howard Stern. So it's my ongoing soap opera comedy show. You know, Peeping Tom, voyeuristics. Look at all these weirdos. So it takes up a lot of my time. And so I don't listen to a lot of podcasts. And again, I think that's kind of like, I'm kind of older, and I just. I will listen to some, like, you know, there's some that I have that I do listen to occasionally and enjoy, but it's usually like. Like, I just recently was listening to. Jamie Loftus is doing something called the 16th minute.

[Ed Zedron]

We're on Cool Zone Media. She's a coworker.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, wow. Oh, cool. Yeah. And, you know, because it was just. Well, she's really great.

[Ed Zedron]

Yes.

[Andy Richter]

You know, and she's an incredibly talented person. And it is really interesting. Like, it's an interesting topic, and it's. And almost all of them are of interest to me, whereas there's lots of other podcasts where it's like, oh, that's, you know, sort of like the old Hollywood kind of ones. There'll be one that I'm like, that is fascinating. And then another one, like, I don't give a shit about that one, you know, so it's, you know, and it.

[Ed Zedron]

That does actually lead somewhere far more interesting than my original question, which is it feels like the format of podcasts has kind of. It's actually growing into something far more interesting. Cause 16th minute started a few months after Better Offline, I think. And what Jamie does for the listeners who haven't heard, and I assume. And I assume you have, because she's advertised on here and so on and so forth, is Jamie will find, like, an Internet celebrity of the day, like.

[Andy Richter]

Dress Or Ken Bone.

[Ed Zedron]

Yes, she got Ken Bone on the show.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And then she'll do kind of an episode, kind of like better offline listeners. When I get extremely pissed off at OpenAI. Imagine if that was about something that mattered. Oh, was fun. Neither of which. And it's. It's interesting watching this format because it's changed comedy in the sense that now Instagram is basically. You have to constantly hit them with the highlight reels. With podcasts, it's people feel trapped in these different formats that really do them a disadvantage because Jamie does great things in her show. Molly, congrats. Well, with weird little guys. Cool Zone has got this cool format of kind of just talking through a script and a story with a guest. Sometimes not with a guest, but I almost feel like podcasting could return to something like Howard Stern. I think like having you in studio is so much better. And I think I'm.

[Andy Richter]

Oh yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

As a pro remote work guy, I feel bad saying this. It almost feels like we do need to get back to perhaps not exactly what Howard Stern does. Perhaps not exactly, but getting back to what made broadcast actually good, which is narrative style shows or in studio fucking actual conversations that are well produced.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

That have guests that know and like each other. Yeah. And actually are ready to do an interesting show. It's the only reason Howard Stern, he's actually a good broadcaster, however you feel about him.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, no. Well, there's no question.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

I mean, the proof is in the fact that he's still here somehow. He is still the most. The biggest broadcaster there is, really.

[Ed Zedron]

You know, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Do you. How are you finding podcasting though? Because how is it different to what you've been used to?

[Andy Richter]

Well, for me it's. And I don't mean to be like whiny about my career, like I'm not acting enough. Like, you know, like, how do you mean? I'm not. There's just not a lot of work out there.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh, right.

[Andy Richter]

You know, and when the, when the Conan show went off the air, you know, there's things here and there, but there's just not enough stuff.

[Ed Zedron]

It's not enough work.

[Andy Richter]

And especially. And again, I'm not like, I'm not complaining about like the state of woke Hollywood. I'm a 58 year old white man in comedy. Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

There's a few of them.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. There's a few of us. You know, so it's like you just, you know, you're. I don't doubt that I am Going to be working for the rest of, you know, until I want to stop, basically. And I do believe that, like I always believe that somebody hires me. That's a good thing. Like, I mean, for them. Yeah, for them. No, I mean I will give them value for whatever they're paying.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

But I started doing podcasting sort of cuz, you know, like just cuz have material out there or well, just, you know, Conan. Well, honestly, the way that it happened, I had had people on my team, which I love saying. Cause my team, yeah, it's quite a. We haven't met in years, but they still exist, I guess. But I've had people say, you should do a podcast. You should do a podcast. And there is something to it, because I am. When I think about the fact I am in comedy, that's my main thing. And one of the ways that I am funny is in conversation. And that's hard to. You kind of saw it on Conan, but in just like sort of little pieces. But like in a longer conversation I can be funny, you know, and I, you know, know how to keep a conversation going. So they were telling me you should do a podcast. And I felt just sheepish about it because I have friends like Scott Aukerman who does comedy Bang Bang and Jimmy Pardo who does Never Not Funny. And those guys are real. Like I did their podcast and I was like, what is a podcast? When I was doing their podcast, they were, you know, very early pioneers of whatever this thing is. So I felt like I would just be like the dilettante, ish, fucking, you know, TV boy coming in with, you know, sort of fancy TV man. Yeah, like built like I can do it too kind of thing. So I just was kind of embarrassed to do it. But then, you know, it was the.

[Ed Zedron]

First white boy to be embarrassed by podcasting.

[Andy Richter]

But I just thought there was a certain point where I thought, you know what, it would be good. And also too, it was like a point in my life when I just was trying just I had a big moment where I was like, I need to say yes to things, I need to try things. And so I thought, yeah, let's do a podcast. And I came up with the concept for my the three Questions podcast and. And I started to do it and I, you know, I listened to it and made, you know, sort of corrected and studied myself and thought about the things that I didn't like, what I was, that I was doing and the things that I did like, that I was doing. And eventually over the six years, I've been doing it, I got better at it. And now I feel very confident in my ability to do an hour long interview that is very much listenable, funny, interesting, thought provoking, sometimes even, and very much worth people's time.

[Ed Zedron]

And it's not always comedy.

[Andy Richter]

It's not always comedy? Yeah, it's not always comedy. And there's part of me, and this is just because my old TV brain, there's part of me. It's like, wow, I've gotten good at this one thing. I'm not gonna be Charlie Rose. What the fuck is it like, you know, like, yeah, I know how to interview people. It's probably good.

[Ed Zedron]

You're not Charlie Rose.

[Andy Richter]

Well, no, I know, but I mean, but it's like, you know, I know how to interview people, but it's at the same time like literally thousands of other people have learned how to interview people. And I mean, I'm not. And it's just like, it's not. And I don't mean to. I enjoy it. It's a fun thing. But if I got busy acting, I would put podcasting aside and that's just the way it is, you know, I mean, and that's just my preferences, you.

[Ed Zedron]

Know, that makes sense. And it's interesting though. Cause it's like you moved into this little broadcast career because there was space and it's what the Internet is allowed me to do.

[Andy Richter]

And I'm doing a radio show now.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah, Actually I was gonna ask the rad. Do you go into studio every time?

[Andy Richter]

I do, I do. And it was originally sort of like the conception was. And also because doing something live in the serious studios is it like, technically, it's a much more complicated thing than just going in and recording something. So when we first came, well, they came to me and they were like, we want to do more. We want the Conan channel to have some actual sort of radio content. Content.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

Rather than just be old clips of the show and podcasts and radio content.

[Ed Zedron]

Being like interviews, like a call in show.

[Andy Richter]

Right. That was. They said, do you want to do a call in show? And I was like, yeah, that sounds fun. That sounds like, you know, yeah, I get to play radio. You know, sounds amazing. And. And then so they, they came to me and like, we want you to do something. I was like. They said, you know, like they were like, maybe more of the three questions. And I was like, I don't want to do more. You know, I do. Like, yeah, once a week is plenty of that podcast.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

And. But then they said, call and Show. I was like, oh, yeah, absolutely. And I was like. And I would just have it be silly topics that, like, you know, cocktail party conversations, you know, like. Yeah, we just recently did, like, you know, when's the last time you shit your pants? Kind of stuff. And. Or dating disasters or medical nightmares and just. Just, you know, meant to be sort of. And there's some, you know, there's some people like, why do you focus on all these. On all these dark things? It's like, I don't. Cause that's how I made. You know. Yeah. And it's like, what do I want to talk about? You know, like, when's the last time you were inspired by someone's good deeds? Fuck that. I don't care about that. I want to hear you shit your pants.

[Ed Zedron]

Or if it's like fun, Stu, like, happy. Fun stories can be fun.

[Andy Richter]

You can laugh about, you know, but.

[Ed Zedron]

There'S actually vanishingly few of them. Like, I've been working on article for my newsletter at the moment, which people are gonna. Really thrilling stuff about data centers. You're gonna love this, Andy. No, but one of the most magical experiences I'm gonna tell is work. So one of my dear friends, Casey Kagawa, who I'm actually seeing tonight.

[Andy Richter]

I.

[Ed Zedron]

Finally got to realize where he comes from because he will get. Go down these rabbits holes with me. Rabbits holes. Jesus Christ.

[Andy Richter]

Rabbit holes.

[Ed Zedron]

Rabbit holes. There we go. Rabbits holes. And he will go down these rabbit holes, except he's like, you should email my mother. And his mother's in some sort of finance, so I've now got both his mother and him sending me links about the same thing. See, that's a kind of lovely, fun story that can be told.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

However, the funniest stories are things like me moving the arm on my toenail and smacking myself right in the nut sack.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Just like going, ugh. See, that's funny. Or like, when you shit your pants. How'd you don't know, like 20 years ago? Anyway, less about that the better. But it's something that strikes me of all of this that's really funny is despite all of the technology, despite the fact that everyone can podcast and broadcast all the same, what we are describing is basic broadcast fundamentals seem to actually be very fucking interesting. That's what people really come to. We want connection. We want to hear the absurdity of life.

[Andy Richter]

As the radio died, all of what the radio was filled with just came over here.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

People talking about stuff, learning about, you know, you being a listener learning about stuff. You laughing, you know, you crying, you know, you hearing creepy stuff, you know, gossipy stuff. That's just, it was just the radio and now it's the radio over here and it's, you know. And the one thing I think about it, it's the same thing with streaming, you know, tv, network TV is. I mean, who fucking watches network television?

[Ed Zedron]

I watched some of it the other day.

[Andy Richter]

It's astounding. Sometimes, you know, I think Blue Bloods.

[Ed Zedron]

Is on every channel now.

[Andy Richter]

It's just, you know. Yeah, it's all.

[Ed Zedron]

Except it's really fictional. Cause the police appear to solve crimes in it.

[Andy Richter]

There's all kinds of cop shit.

[Ed Zedron]

There's so many cops shit, network TV shit.

[Andy Richter]

It's just like cop worship, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

And they solve crimes in it.

[Andy Richter]

Very unrealistic, grown up paw patrol. But TV moved to streaming and somebody pointed out because streamings aren't, you know, these companies pour a ton of money into streaming and then they go, okay, now how do we get that money back out? And they all go, I don't know.

[Ed Zedron]

I didn't think of that.

[Andy Richter]

More subscribers. It's the Internet.

[Ed Zedron]

There's a gazillion people on here.

[Andy Richter]

So they don't know how to get the money back out. So they start talking about advertising.

[Ed Zedron]

Right.

[Andy Richter]

So we're just like, okay, we're just back to television then. But like somebody. I don't even remember who, I should have remembered who. Cause it was an excellent point. We've gone back to the broadcast model, advertising, paying for it. It. Except all the worker protections have been.

[Ed Zedron]

Blown up and all of the money.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, all of the money is going to like small places, you know.

[Ed Zedron]

Yeah, it's.

[Andy Richter]

And it's the same with podcasts. Yes, radio died. You've got podcasting and you know, podcasting is surviving on advertising dollars.

[Ed Zedron]

Don't I fucking know it with the emails I get. Oh, did anyone. By the way, are you one of the listeners who emailed me about the AI ads right after the air? I know 150 of you email me every extent. Did you hear the AI ad? I know you are not the first person to tell me.

[Andy Richter]

Right, right.

[Ed Zedron]

I'm now gonna get 30 emails being like, hey, did you know?

[Andy Richter]

I like that they think that you're so like royal that you don't even know who's advertising on your show.

[Ed Zedron]

And I, even if I didn't know, I would know now because I also get a fair amount of very nice emails, so I can't complain. And I was.

[Andy Richter]

But you do yes. Yeah. It's very evident that you do, but it's.

[Ed Zedron]

I think what it is is, like, what you're saying with podcasting. It's the advertising has to drive it. I know people who started podcasting like, shit, I can't make this work because, like, where do I get the money from? Reader pledges. And it's like, what a surprise. There's not actually that many people will pay for stuff.

[Andy Richter]

Right.

[Ed Zedron]

And I think that that's the. One of the bigger problems in media right now. There are things that people will pay for this. Four or four for media in tech, there's Defector. In sports. Like, there's some really great publications out there. And Flaming Hydra as well, another great one. But it's scale. It doesn't exist. And I don't think it exists for podcasts. Like, you have like 30 podcasts that can make money on the reader thing.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And it's just. It's frustrating. And also, I don't know if it's fixable. I don't know if there's a way of making the patron model work, even though it's the one that's the most honest.

[Andy Richter]

I. I have no input on those things. I have. That is so.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh, me neither.

[Andy Richter]

Beyond me. And I don't. I'm terrible with business and stuff. I mean, I understand making things entertaining. Right. And I. And that's. That's it for me. And that's. Whenever I've been approached about a television show and they're like, we wish more young women would watch. I'd be like, well, I don't know. I mean, I guess. I mean, one. One of my shows, that was an actual note. And it just seemed to come out the other end of just like lots of scenes of the characters telling each other how much they liked each other, which I just. At a certain point. At a certain point I was like, is that. Is that it? And it just seemed like what the.

[Ed Zedron]

Woman do, just throw them inside against.

[Andy Richter]

The wall and hoping it sticks.

[Ed Zedron]

Women have emotions.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

It's. Now when we did the. Cause, a lot of what we're talking about is just kind of broadcast fundamentals at some point. And so we did a long 13 and a half hours in five days at CES. Big consumer electronic. It's called the Consumer Electronic Show.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, I know.

[Ed Zedron]

A big thing we got.

[Andy Richter]

I did a remote there.

[Ed Zedron]

If you're ever in, you'll join us for one. No, please. But the big thing I did was we talked about loving everyone. Like, the fact that we had friendship and all this thing. We got so many emails being like, it's so nice to hear people saying they like each other.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

And you have to wonder if some of these shows, the big problem is they're like, how do we get young women to listen to. Listen. Listen to this.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Have you tried fucking asking one? Have you tried asking a woman? You're like, no, no, no, no, you can't do that. Yeah, we have to focus group it and there'll be a bird in there. I think it's just, it's. And then even with podcasts that don't do well and they're like, why is this not doing well? Does it suck?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Ed Zedron]

Is it boring? Because the other side of it is there are a ton of podcasts that don't bother to try. They just, they saw that, I don't know, chap, a trap house or something like, oh, there's just a bunch of guys talking. But when you get down to the core of it, it's. It's actually people who like each other and enjoy being around this chemistry with them.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, yes. And they're good talkers. Yes.

[Ed Zedron]

They do good talking and words and such. Well, Andy, it's been such a pleasure having you.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, thank you, thank you. It's been really a fun and interesting conversation.

[Ed Zedron]

So where can people find you?

[Andy Richter]

My podcast, the Three Questions, which is available at your podcast store.

[Ed Zedron]

I will put the links in there as well.

[Andy Richter]

And in the same feedback, you will get replays of my call in show, which is on Sirius XM Wednesdays, 1pm Pacific. What would that be? 4pm Eastern. Usually live, sometimes to tape, but lately it's just been live because we've been able to. And I've been getting, I get. I have a guest host, usually somebody really funny, cool. And it's somebody that I want to be there. That's. That's the nice thing about my show too is like, there's never somebody that's just like, you got to talk to this person. So it's one of the most fun hours of my week, which I have always felt that if you have fun, your viewer or listener will have fun. If you genuinely have fun. So that's on SiriusXM channel 104, which is the Conan channel. And honestly, I am an early adopter of satellite radio and I love satellite radio. I have it in my car. I listen to it on my phone. And not just because of Howard, but it's like, it's great. There's very, very sort of niche specific music channels and that's totally up my alley.

[Ed Zedron]

Oh yeah, yeah. Well, I've had a lovely time and you're going to get this thing after this where it's a recording that I recorded at the beginning of the show and I lack my swagger and boldness. I will then promise that I'm going to re record this. Matt Osowski, my producer, will hear this and he'll say, oh, Ed's going to do it this time. I probably won't. Nevertheless, I love you all for listening. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to Better Offline. The editor and composer of the Better Offline theme song is Matt Osowski. You can check out more of his music and audio projects and matasowski.com m a t t o s o w s k-I.com you can email me at ez betteroffline.com or visit betteroffline.com to find more podcast links and of course my newsletter. I also really recommend you go to chat where's your Ed to visit the Discord and go to R betteroffline to check out our Reddit. Thank you so much for listening.

[Andy Richter]

Better Offline is a production of Cool Zone Media.

[Ed Zedron]

For more from Cool Zone Media, Visit.

[Andy Richter]

Our website coolzone media.com or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

[PayPal Representative]

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ed Zedron]

With.

[DSW Representative]

The Stock up sale at Safeway and Albertsons. Stock up and earn four times points at your local store when you purchase participating products. Save on Household Essentials from General Mills, Kellogg's, Philadelphia Quaker and Tide. Clip the offer in the app for event savings and look for participating items throughout the store. Shop in store or online. Plus you can even have your grocery groceries delivered or use. Drive up and go to have your groceries brought to your car at the store. Restrictions and exclusions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[PayPal Representative]

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[Osborne Homes Representative]

The new Year's here, it's the perfect time to refresh those household essentials and score some cash back rewards with Colgate Palmolive. From toothpaste to dish soap, chances are you've got Colgate Palmolive products on your shopping list and in your house right now. Now we're talking brands like Colgate Soft Soap, Palmolive, Irish Spring, Fabuloso, and Tom's of Maine. And right now you can get up to a $10 digital Visa prepaid card when you buy up to $30 of Colgate Palmolive products. Here's how it Spend $20 on their products get $5 spend $30 get a $10 reward. All you do is shop your favorite brands, snap a pic of your receipt and upload it to CPR. It's so easy. That's cprewards.com so grab what you need. Or maybe try something new and get rewarded just for doing your usual shopping. And start your year fresh by earning cash back rewards with Colgate Palmolive rewards available while supplies last, limit Supply US Only 1125 through 33125 for full terms and conditions, visit cprewards.com hey, Jenice Torres.

[DSW Representative]

Here and I'm Austin Henkiewicz.

[Andy Richter]

We're the hosts of Mind the Business.

[Osborne Homes Representative]

Small Business Success Stories produced by Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Catch up on seasons one and two.

[Andy Richter]

And join us for a brand new season of the podcast as we talk to small business owners about how they manage and grow their businesses with the help of platforms like Intuit QuickBooks.

[Ed Zedron]

Listen to mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.