183. Ryan Hamilton Returns: You Better Have Some Jokes

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out
Episode: 183 – Ryan Hamilton Returns: “You Better Have Some Jokes”
Guests: Mike Birbiglia (Host), Ryan Hamilton (Guest)
Date: September 8, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this engaging return episode, comedian Ryan Hamilton joins Mike Birbiglia to “work out” brand-new stand-up material and dig into both the mechanics and emotional elements of comedy. The conversation explores how life events shape a comedian’s act, the behind-the-scenes routines of touring comics (including opening for Jerry Seinfeld), and the process of transforming personal tragedy into comedy—most notably, Ryan’s harrowing, yet hilarious, experience of being hit by a shuttle bus. The two also discuss the evolution of stand-up, the popularity (and function) of crowd work, and the emotional toll of the creative process.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jerry Seinfeld Touring Routine

[03:26 – 06:36]

• Hamilton shares what it's like opening for Jerry Seinfeld:
  • Seinfeld maintains a meticulous, simple, and enjoyable touring routine:
    • 9:00am breakfast at Jerry’s hotel room, regardless of arrival time.
    • Private movie screenings pre-selected by Jerry, who often forgets what he picked.
    • Lunch at a local spot, then a half-hour walk (or treadmill if rainy) while discussing bits for that night’s show.
    • Several hours for writing or meditation before the show.
• On the importance of routines for comedians:
  • Hamilton admires how Seinfeld tweaks not just jokes, but life routines, for maximal quality of life and creativity.
• On the challenge for comics without Seinfeld's resources:
  • Birbiglia jokes: “It’s very simple. You just start with a billion dollars.” (05:03)
  • Hamilton notes that even a simplified version of the routine helps create balance and predictability.

2. Balancing Life and Comedy

[06:36 – 08:13]

• Birbiglia feels highly productive but lacks balance in personal life; Hamilton feels the reverse.
• Hamilton’s writing style is stage-focused:
  • He admits, “I’m constantly creating just because I get on stage constantly... but I’m not at home forcing myself to write as much as I should.” (07:38)
  • His last special was seven years ago, highlighting the slow, meticulous process of crafting a new hour.

3. The Agony of Opening Jokes

[08:14 – 10:52]

• Opening jokes are notoriously hard to write.
  • Hamilton: “The opener is still not... I’m not happy with it.” (08:49)
  • Birbiglia shares John Mulaney’s view: “It’s impossible to write an opening joke.” (09:11)
  • Gaffigan is mentioned as someone especially skilled at this.
  • Good openers must quickly establish persona, context, and be immediately funny—no easy task.
• Hamilton recalls opening his last special with “Should we start with my face?”—an evergreen, distinctive introduction.

4. Evergreen Specials and Clean Comedy

[10:59 – 12:32]

• Hamilton’s special “Happy Face” (Netflix) is praised for being clean and timeless.
• He designs material with longevity in mind:
  • “I always am thinking that way. I like designing stand up to make it last as long as possible.” (11:09)
• His upcoming special is directed and produced by fellow comic Nate Bargatze, a long-time friend and collaborator.

5. The “Crowd Work” Phenomenon

[12:32 – 18:28]

• Responding to a question about icy rooms:
  • Hamilton admits he’ll pivot to crowd interaction if jokes aren’t landing, even though he isn’t naturally drawn to “crowd work.”
  • Birbiglia observes, “When a comedian says, ‘you guys are a good crowd,’ you know they’re panicking.” (14:51)
• Crowd work as a crutch, but audiences love it:
  • Despite being a fallback for many comics, crowd work clips are viral online.
  • Hamilton jokes about the “four pillars” of crowd work:
    • Where are you from?
    • Are you dating?
    • What do you do for a living?
    • (If all else fails) Nice shirt.

6. Small Town Upbringing and Getting Started in Comedy

[18:28 – 22:02]

• Hamilton grew up in rural Idaho, started as a humor columnist at age 12.
  • Newspapers were open to anyone: “I called the county newspaper in Idaho and said, can I have a column?... They would just go, yes, because, you know, why not?” (19:14)
• The rural upbringing forced him to try everything—writing, sports, broadcasting.
• Contrast with Birbiglia’s city upbringing: Getting noticed is far harder in a big market.

7. Transforming Tragedy Into Comedy: Getting Hit By a Bus

[22:31 – 47:47]

• Hamilton describes both the trauma and recovery from being hit by a (large) airport shuttle bus—a centerpiece for his new material:

  • “If someone says, I got hit by a car, people go, I’m so sorry. But if someone says, I got hit by a bus, people go, I’m so sorry. How did you not see it?” (23:03)
  • The comedic half-life is shorter, the bigger (and more absurd) the vehicle.
  • Hamilton’s recovery involved intense physical therapy and relearning basic physical routines. There were doubts about ever performing at full strength again.
  • Brought more personal storytelling into his act—a new and uncomfortable but creatively rich direction.

• Memorable scene: Hamilton and his mother buy marijuana together for post-accident anxiety, resulting in a surprisingly compassionate dispensary experience.

  • “My mom says... My son was hit by a bus, and we were wondering if you might have anything that could take the edge off of that.” (42:07)

• On the complexities of describing trauma on stage:

  • Hamilton tests new material about the specifics of the accident, including a disorienting moment where, after impact, he can’t see his hand (it’s behind his back, but he doesn’t realize).
  • Birbiglia encourages Hamilton to include more vivid, moment-by-moment accounts—even at the cost of laughs per minute—because audiences connect with the realness.

Notable Quotes on Comedy and Tragedy

• Hamilton: “Comedy is not tragedy plus time. When you get hit by a bus, it’s a comedy immediately.” (23:03)
• Birbiglia: “Audiences, in a certain way, want to connect on that ... they crave the truth in those extreme moments.” (46:49)

8. The Emotional Landscape of Ticket Sales and Career Anxiety

[31:20 – 32:26]

• Hamilton expresses envy of comics who easily sell tickets, revealing a universal insecurity among performers:
  • “I’m just jealous of people who are selling tickets... I just want that experience where you just, like, post your dates and then people show up.” (31:34)
  • Birbiglia confirms that this anxiety over attendance never fully disappears, regardless of career level.

9. Rethinking Beliefs (Recycling Discussion)

[33:04 – 35:03]

• Hamilton admits cynicism about the efficacy of recycling versus his beliefs a decade ago, but both find hope in new research showing paper, glass, and cardboard recycling is still effective.

10. Oversharing and Personal Habits

[35:33 – 36:19]

• Hamilton prefers oversharing to lying: “I generally tell too much of the truth more than I lie. I can’t handle the burden of it.”
• Birbiglia points out how this instinct shapes the comedic impulse to be the “narrator” of one’s own marriage or life.

11. Workshopping New Jokes and Material

[37:27 – 45:55]

• In a signature “working it out” segment, both run through ideas in their notebooks, critique, and riff:
  • Birbiglia’s story about a driver mouthing “What’s wrong with you?” and how life’s strangers can become unexpected hecklers.
  • Hamilton’s story about buying weed with his mom and relatable anxieties about digital devices and parenting.
  • Hamilton considers an opener on the modern struggle to focus, likening stand-up to an artifact from a more social past.
    • “Maybe one day you’ll be walking through a museum... There’ll be a little plaque... ‘Society was very anxious. So much so they would plan their laughter together at specific times.’” (53:27)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Chris Rock advice:
  • “You better have some jokes.” (Hamilton describing sage career advice from Chris Rock, [30:27])
• On crowd work panic signals:
  • Birbiglia: “When a comedian says, you guys are a good crowd, you know they’re panicking.” (14:51)
• On tragedy and comedy timing:
  • Hamilton: “Comedy is not tragedy plus time. ... If someone says, I got hit by a bus, people go, I’m so sorry. How did you not see it?” (23:03)
• On ticket sale insecurity:
  • Hamilton: “I’m just jealous of people who are selling tickets.” (31:34)
• On focus and stand-up as an endangered ritual:
  • Hamilton: “Maybe one day you’ll be walking through a museum... There’ll be a little plaque... Society was very anxious. So much so that they would actually plan their laughter together.” (53:27)
• On oversharing:
  • Hamilton: “I can't handle the burden of it [lying], so I'll unload a lot of information that I don't need to unload ... I overshare.” (35:44)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:26 – 06:36: Life lessons and tour routines from Jerry Seinfeld
• 08:14 – 10:52: The challenge of writing perfect opening jokes
• 12:32 – 18:28: The function and perception of crowd work in modern comedy
• 18:28 – 22:02: Hamilton’s Idaho upbringing and path into comedy
• 22:31 – 47:47: In-depth exploration of Hamilton’s recovery from his bus accident and integrating personal material into stand-up
• 31:20 – 32:26: Anxiety over ticket sales and universal performer insecurity
• 37:27 – 45:55: “Work it out” segment: trading and workshopping joke ideas
• 53:27: Hamilton’s meta-opener about live comedy and fleeting human focus

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Working Out for a Cause

[54:59]

• Hamilton spotlights “Scott Hamilton Cares”—a nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative cancer research.
• More info: scottcares.org

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Tone & Language

• The episode is conversational, playful, and honest, with both comedians candidly discussing vulnerability, insecurity, and the grind behind stand-up’s punchlines. Their language is warm, self-deprecating, and inviting, providing a uniquely honest window into comedy’s triumphs and challenges—on and off stage.

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Recommended for:
Listeners interested in comedy as both craft and survival mechanism, fans of both Birbiglia and Hamilton, stand-up insiders, and anyone curious about how everyday struggles and extraordinary events become universal stories.

Transcript

[A]

Yeah. I have this weird mindset where I think, and I do talk about this sometimes, where I go, I'm supposed to be young or have children, and I'm neither of those things. And that's how you relate to people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And one time I was talking with Chris Rock. This really stuck with me because it came from Chris Rock. We were just sitting there talking, and we're talking about dating and marriage. And he goes, you're not married? And I go, no. And he goes, you better have some jokes.

[B]

Oh, my God. That is the voice of the great Ryan Hamilton. We are back working it out. A new episode. One of my favorite comics, Ryan Hamilton, he is back on the podcast. He is a brilliant, brilliant comedian. He's opened over the years for Seinfeld, and he has a special on Netflix called Happy Face. He is filming his next special in Seattle at The Neptune Theater, October 4th. Two shows if you're anywhere near Seattle. He's honestly, like, one of the funniest live comedians I have ever seen. We have a great episode today with Ryan. You are listening to it right now. I know, but you can also watch it. We created a YouTube channel two years ago, almost exactly two years ago. And the episodes over there, if you've never. I mean, you're listening to those right now. I know. If you've never watched them, they really make a great viewing experience. One of my favorite cinematographers, Graham Willoughby, did the lighting in the room and here in the studio. And a lot of times you can see the expressiveness of things with. In the case of JaneWickline and Leva Pierce, you can really see the music and the instruments. And it's just. I don't know, it's just definitely. It's worth checking out the YouTube. If you like it, subscribe to it. And so anyway, this is a great talk with Ryan Hamilton today. He is on tour. He has a wild, wild story, and we talk about a lot today where he was hit by a shuttle bus at an airport. And he's okay. You'll see on the video, he's okay. But it was serious. It was a very serious thing he talks about on stage. It was an arduous recovery journey. And when he was on the podcast last time, he was really just trying to figure out how he would talk about the incident in his act and find the humor in it. Now, man, has he found it. It is so funny. And we kick around jokes and lines and things like that, but, man, just a really funny, inspiring story. It's actually, if you didn't Listen to that episode. I might recommend listening to both back to back. Ryan Hamilton Part one, Ryan Hamilton Part two. And we cover a lot of other topics. We talk about what it's like to open for Jerry Seinfeld and how to make your way in the world when you come from a small town. He comes from a small town in Idaho. Just a really insightful, funny person. Enjoy my chat with the great Ryan Hamilton. So you open for Jerry Seinfeld sometimes. Like I'm so jealous of your quality of life when you travel with him because you'll go to the local movie theater.

[A]

Oh yeah, it's really fun. Well, he has. One of the things I've learned from him is that he's how to live as a comedian, which is like he's really spent his life like honing this, you know, his craft, but also the.

[B]

At this point, probably close to 50 years. Right? As a comedian.

[A]

Yeah, since the late 70s. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's unbelievable.

[A]

Yeah. And he has like, he's constantly tweaking just like we do with material, the routines around how to live. I feel like. So it's great. Yeah, we go to the gig. I mean, we do the gig, you know. And all the travel's also really fun because it's like you have your seat and it's like, okay, this is where you sit in the car and now we don't ever have to worry about it again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Every time it's just like everybody goes to their seat. Yeah, yeah. And then we do the show, walk off the stage, go to the next city and then the next day is, is really fun because it's 9 o'. Clock. Breakfast. Doesn't matter where we got in, what time we meet at Jerry's.

[B]

Regardless.

[A]

Yeah, regardless. If you get in at 3:00am or 10:00pm Yeah, 9:00'. Clock. So at Jerry's door then we have breakfast, then, then we go to a movie and the movie's all pre planned.

[B]

What's in the theater these days?

[A]

He chooses every week and it's like a private screening of like. So every week he has chosen. He doesn't really remember until we get there. I mean, this is fantastic. It's great.

[B]

This is the way to live.

[A]

Yeah, if. But it's very simple.

[B]

It's very simple. You just start with a billion dollars. We take a billion dollars, we can.

[A]

Do this version of our for ourselves. I mean, mostly what's the carve out.

[B]

For us when it's not Jerry and it's just you and me on the road? Could we do a variation on this?

[A]

The hard part is getting to the next city early enough, like the night before.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

You have to get there the night before to have this day. Kind of.

[B]

That's really the viable.

[A]

Yeah. You get there the night before, then we do breakfast, then we can go to a movie. I mean, it's not going to be scheduled, but we. We could find.

[B]

We won't rent out the whole theater like they did in the movie Annie.

[A]

Yeah, no, but, yeah, it's fun. It is fun having the private screening because you kind of. You talk and like that's part of the thing. Yeah. It just becomes part of the thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Jared, be like, what do you think, Ryan? Is this guy going to die? Or what is. What's going on? You know, it's fun. It's fun that way. So, and then. And then we go to lunch and lunch is like, we just find a place. Like we just find any place, random place, and then we go for a half hour walk generally.

[B]

Oh, that's nice.

[A]

Yeah. And if it's rainy out, we'll walk on the treadmill. We talk about our bits, what we're going to work on that night.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we have a few hours to write, meditate, whatever, and then we do the show. And then it's great. But you know, it's very simple. But it's like, it's a routine. You kind of know what to expect every. Every time you do it.

[B]

How many days does he go out in a ro. Or is it like weekends?

[A]

I've only done like a Thursday, Friday, Saturday with him once. I think generally it's like he does.

[B]

A Friday, Saturday, Friday, Saturday.

[A]

Yeah, he. Yeah. I love learning about how to balance comedy and life with. From him.

[B]

I love that because I feel like I have no balance.

[A]

Really?

[B]

No.

[A]

I seem like you're so productive. How do you not have balance if you're so productive?

[B]

I think I'm very productive.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I think I have no balance of the life stuff.

[A]

Really?

[B]

The stuff that you're describing, I think.

[A]

I don't have that. You have a whole family. You do.

[B]

Well, I have a family. Yes.

[A]

So what's missing?

[B]

I don't want to make this about.

[A]

Me, but this is fascinating.

[B]

No, but it's the reason I'm enthralled in this.

[A]

I'm the opposite problem because I feel like I just am focusing all the time on balance, but I don't get anything done.

[B]

Oh, interesting.

[A]

Oh, what?

[B]

Come on.

[A]

Yeah, you have so much.

[B]

I mean, I Saw you at the Cellar. You have so much material.

[A]

I, I, I'm constantly creating just because I get on stage constantly, and I force myself to try something new, but I'm not at home forcing myself to write as much as I should.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just like, I just schedule the spots, and then eventually I have some new material. I hate to admit that, but that's a lot of the truth of it. And I, I'm. Because I know when I'm writing and forcing myself to do the combination of the two, I'm much more productive, much faster. I mean, my last special was seven years ago.

[B]

Oh, that's interesting.

[A]

It's a long time.

[B]

Yeah. You're filming in October in Seattle. Two shows.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And are you. What will you do to prepare between now and then?

[A]

Between now and then, I am really just tweaking, you know, like, I'm really working on the order of things, fine tuning. It's the meticulous part. It's the least fun part. I feel. I hate it. It's the least fun of all of the stuff. It's all fun.

[B]

What goes first, what goes second? What goes third? What do you close with?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Do you know at this point what is 1, 2, 3, and what closes?

[A]

I'm still. Basically. I think I do. I know what I've been doing, and that's kind of what. Otherwise I'd have to make a dramatic shift, and I'm a little scared to make a big dramatic shift this close to it. So I think I know, but I'm still. I still. The opener is still not. I'm not happy with it. I don't feel like it. It works with the.

[B]

I think it's always nearly impossible to write a great opening joke.

[A]

It's so hard.

[B]

Mulaney said it the other day. He goes, I, I. Me and Fred Armisen and Nick Kroll opened for Mulaney collectively. We were like special guests. Super fun.

[A]

Yeah. That's amazing.

[B]

Amphitheaters. It was unbelievable audiences, but it was. It was funny because he even John, one of the. One of the greats, if not the greatest, working right now is like, it's impossible to write an opening joke.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He's like. It's just. Some people have it. Gaffigan's really good at.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Nailing an opening joke. There's certain people who are just really good at it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's so hard.

[A]

It's so hard.

[B]

There's something about it that is. The math of it confounds.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

You need to Introduce people to who you are, what they're doing there.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And also, this is funny.

[A]

Yes. And fast. And it's got to fast. Be fast, all in one joke. Yeah. And strong. Yeah, I know. It's so hard. I mean, that's why I kind of always am resorting to, like, you just acknowledge something about your physicality, you know, especially when you're new, when you're, like, your first time out with something big.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I felt like I was so much more relaxed with my first one because I had a joke that just. I go, do you want to just start with my face? And that was so easy.

[B]

Should we start with my face?

[A]

Yeah. Should we start with my face? And I go, I look like this all the time. I feel like this. I look like this, but I don't feel like this. You know, I look happy all the time. And that was, like, so perfect to just get into it, like, right into it. And that just. Man, that makes all the difference.

[B]

You have one of the. I always recommend your special because the one that's on Netflix, which is called Happy Face.

[A]

Yes. Yeah, that's because.

[B]

Two reasons. One, it's clean, and two, it's evergreen. It's a case for making an evergreen special.

[A]

I appreciate that. That's by design. I mean, I always am thinking that way. I like designing stand up to make it last as long as possible. Yeah.

[B]

I'm sure people are still finding you from your special from seven years ago. That's just so funny. You're like, it's seven years ago. Like, gee, I feel like I, you know, just came out.

[A]

Oh, yeah. People. It's still. Yeah, people still find it. I mean, that's the beauty of the streaming world, Right? It's just, like, always kind of there. Yeah. Just. And for whatever reason, someone gets introduced to standup comedy, and then they go, oh, I'm out of. I've watched all of Malenia. I watched all of Gaffigan. I've seen Seinfeld. Nate's this new guy. I'm really loving Nate. And then someone will go, there's this other guy. If you're really, like, looking for more.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then they'll watch me and Nate.

[B]

Nate Bargazi is directing this special, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Producing and directing the special. That's great.

[A]

Yes. It's really exciting. It's really fun. I'm so excited. I mean, we've known each other for so long. I've. I've always. Adm. When I first moved to the city, I was like, this guy. I just have been a fan of his for. From day one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, yeah, I'm really excited.

[B]

He's a riot. That's great.

[A]

Yeah. It's just, you know, he's great. He's great to work with. It's been really fun. Yeah. It's cool. It's a cool thing.

[B]

Last week on the podcast, Fred Armisen and I discussed how.

[A]

What.

[B]

What to do when you have an icy audience.

[A]

Oh, and Fred. Fred.

[B]

This is surprising. Fred said he chooses to not break the ice, which I. I thought was an interesting take. What do you do when a crowd doesn't warm to you at the outset?

[A]

Oh, man, I. I have a compulsion to start talking to them. I'm not really, like, drawn to doing tons of crowd work, like, intentionally.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But when that is the case, and I guess it depends on the venue a lot, but if I'm in a smaller room, even if I'm in a bigger room, actually, if it's that way, if it's just apparent that I have not connected for whatever reason. Right, Right. Like, we are not moving forward. I. I tend to try to find a way in. Like, if something that I would have ignored, typically. A little distraction. Yeah. I'll go to it instead.

[B]

It's funny. Like, it is. I like the way you're describing it of, like, it's. It's not starting. Like, it's not moving.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, it is a weird thing when you hit a crowd where you're doing jokes that have worked before.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you go, oh, they're not. You know, it's like a band where the drummer isn't playing. Is he gonna play? Because the drums are here.

[A]

Ye. Nobody did that. 1, 2, 3, 4. It's just like.

[B]

But I think that's what happens sometimes is when you see a comedian going nuts on stage because they're not doing well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, you don't realize that's what they're experiencing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Because sometimes you see a comic and they're like, hey, how come no one's giving it up for blah, blah, blah? You're like, well, I don't know. It's up to you to do that to the crowd.

[A]

My favorite is, oh, you guys are a good crowd. You guys are a good crowd. You know that? They're like, panic.

[B]

You guys are a good crowd.

[A]

You guys are good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just like, how do I kiss? How do I make them a good crowd? Oh, my God.

[B]

That is the funniest observation. When a comedian says, you guys are a good crowd, you know, they're panicking.

[A]

Because.

[B]

Because why else would they be talking?

[A]

Yeah. Yes. And you can't. If. And if you. You've learned this lesson a few times, if you say they're a bad crowd, sometimes they believe you. It doesn't help, you know.

[B]

Oh, it's the worst.

[A]

It's the kiss of death. Yeah.

[B]

So how come this crowd isn't.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Laughing.

[A]

It's like, if you say they're a good crowd, it'll just make it true somehow, you know?

[B]

Oh, man. The. But it's funny like, that is, you know, obviously, this massive phenomenon of. Of crowd work clips catching on.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

But people don't realize, I think, often is that, like, the thing you're saying, which is that it's a device that comedians use usually when the show isn't going great.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And the reason. The reason you get is because you don't have much material that is connecting with the people. So you're like, well, I could talk to them. I see what they're up to. And then maybe I might have some jokes about it.

[A]

But the crowd seems to love. I mean, it does work. Wake them up. For some reason, they're just, like, interested.

[B]

Well, it's about them.

[A]

Yeah. I guess it becomes about them.

[B]

It's like, oh, it's about us. Great.

[A]

Yeah, that seems good.

[B]

But it's crazy how it's. It is from a comedian's perspective. I think it's crazy that these crowd work clips have taken off.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because from our perspective, we're like, oh, it's a crutch. It's what you do when it isn't working. The Internet's like, we love this. We love it when you do the thing after it's not working. That's our favorite part. We don't need the jokes that you've written. For years.

[A]

I've been talking. I was doing this thing where I was talking about crowd work on stage, and I would ask the audience, what do you think is more difficult, doing crowd work or coming up with a joke? And they would always go, crowd work. And I would go, you're wrong.

[B]

Oh, my God. That's so funny.

[A]

Because when you explain it to them, it's like, so hard to craft and write and do this thing, but crowd work. And then I would go, these. I shouldn't even. I can't. I. It's not that I don't respect great crowd work, but it's just interesting to analyze it, you know, from a compute, too.

[B]

I mean, Todd Berry's great at it. I mean, there's A lot of people. Great. John Laster's great at it.

[A]

Yes, there's a lot of people and. But I was, I was, I was talking about. And then I would go, I can teach you the four pillars of modern stand up. First, where are you from? Yes, if you can answer, if you can respond to these questions. Are you on a date? Relationship is always great. If you're any kind of relationship thing, what do you do for a living? And if everything else fails, then, like, you just. Nice shirt. You comment like whatever kind of awful attire they have on. And if you can master these four, then you can become a great modern stand up guy.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

And what's crazy is I have. I was going to post. I decided not to post those intentionally, but now here it is on the podcast. Anyway.

[B]

Did you see you grew up in Idaho?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You see someone in Idaho doing stand up? Was that the first place you saw live?

[A]

I did stand up comedy before I saw anyone do it.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yes, there was nobody. I mean, I was watching it on television and I got really interested in it. But yeah, I started. I wanted to be a newspaper columnist. Did we talk about this before? A humor columnist like Dave Barry.

[B]

Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense.

[A]

There's Dave. I don't know if you know, Dave Barry is Dave Barry. Yeah, he was fantastic. And I would read his thing every Sunday in the paper when I was like 12, 13, 14. And then I called the county newspaper in Idaho and said, can I have a column?

[B]

Because he has one.

[A]

He has one.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And at this time in rural Idaho, they would just go, yes, because, you know, why not? And so I started writing this column every week, and that was kind of my foray into comedy.

[B]

And they publish it.

[A]

They published it. They paid me $10 a week. Yeah, I did that all through my school.

[B]

I mean, that's fantastic.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What a gig.

[A]

Yeah, it was, you know, I just. They're terrible. But I tried to make it about what was going on in high school and it was a little news news driven. But it was. I tried to be funny and they let me try to be funny and. And then I. The television station called me and they were like, do you want to learn how to shoot sports? We hear you're interested in journalism. Yeah, I go, sure. So I would drive around and shoot sports and then the sportscaster guy, he liked to be funny on. So I would run back to the station and we would edit and write copy. Yeah. And we would try to make it funny. And every once in A while. I would get a joke on the air and he would credit me. He would go, that's Ryan Hamilton. Yeah. And it was just this weird foray. And then I had a radio show in college and we were interested in stand up, a couple of us, so we started producing stand up shows for our radio station. And that was the first time I did it. And I'd never been to a stand up comedy show. Wow. Yeah.

[B]

I had a similar thing when I was in high school, but I didn't get published. I was a big Boston sports fan. And there was this Boston sports writer named Dan Shaughnessy, wrote for Boston Globe.

[A]

And you.

[B]

I wrote him a letter.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And I said, this is a column I wrote. Really? Every columnist really wants a child to send them the column they wrote. It was the column I wrote about the baseball strike. This is 95. I wrote a column about the baseball strike.

[A]

Wow. About the strike. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

And then Shaughnessy called my house.

[A]

Really?

[B]

They called me.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I wasn't there.

[A]

That's so cool.

[B]

But he called my parents and was like, oh, your son's a good writer. And wow. Could maybe have a future in this.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

It was really sweet.

[A]

That is really sweet. That's very cool. Well, see, if you grew up, that's the equivalent if you grew up in Idaho, you would have had a column. You can't get it.

[B]

You can't get a column.

[A]

You can't get a column in the Boston Globe.

[B]

It's too big a market.

[A]

Yeah, no, I know.

[B]

They give it to. Yes. Honestly.

[A]

Honestly. Yes. In my first special, I had these jokes about how you really can become a well rounded person living in a rural place because you have to do everything. It's not like you get to do everything. It's.

[B]

You have to do everything that's funny.

[A]

Like if you're not in the.

[B]

You have to make the food.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You have to grow the food.

[A]

Yes. And you have to be star in the musical because if you don't, it doesn't exist.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

So it's like you do everything. You have to be an athlete, you have to be an artist. You like. It doesn't exist otherwise.

[B]

First of all, last time we talked about this, you had been hit by the bus and you were going to talk about it on stage.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And you're gonna on this special.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Right, right. I don't want to give away what. What you're going to talk about.

[A]

It's fine.

[B]

But like, what. How are you feeling and how's the Journey of, like, figuring out how to put that on stage. Because a lot of times people ask us when we do the Q A episodes, like, how, like, comedy is tragedy plus time. Like, how long?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, it's like getting hit by a bus. Like, how long after getting hit by a bus can you make that material?

[A]

It's interesting because I have a line where I say, I realized that it's not a tragedy with time. It's a comedy. And I realized this because if someone says, I got hit by a car, people go, I'm so sorry. But if someone says, I got hit by a bus, people go, I'm so sorry. How did you not see it?

[B]

Right. They immediately get the humor of it.

[A]

Yes. So I think. Think maybe the time frame is compacted when you get hit by a bus.

[B]

The bigger the vehicle.

[A]

Yes. The bigger.

[B]

The bigger the vehicle, the shorter for the jokes, the funnier the vehicle, the.

[A]

Less time it takes. Yeah.

[B]

If you get hit by a Caterpillar truck, if you get hit by a forklift, you can tell that joke five minutes later.

[A]

Immediately you go from trauma to comedy.

[B]

That is crazy. Yeah. You were hit by. Because we've talked about this so much. I know. It's like you were hit by one of those rental car buses, like, one of those shuttle buses. Is that right?

[A]

Yeah, it was a very big shuttle bus.

[B]

Jesus. Oh, my God.

[A]

It's like the biggest shuttle bus I've ever seen.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

And I don't reveal that until later. I say, okay, no, no, no, it's fine. I say, I have to disclose something to you that it wasn't. It was a shuttle bus. And I go, are you disappointed? Because the audience is truly disappointed. Because I've talked about it for, like, 20 minutes, and then they're like. And I go, but it was a big shuttle bus. I don't know if that. Are you wondering if you'd be happier if I was hit by a bigger vehicle right now? But it is a shuttle bus. Yeah.

[B]

How is it? What's recovery been like? What's been the hardest part of recovery?

[A]

Man, in the beginning was definitely the hardest part. It was just, like, I couldn't understand if I was gonna get my life back.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Just like, am I gonna be able to do the things I used to do? Like, I didn't know if I'd be able to really perform. There was a long time where I couldn't breathe properly. So I'm like, am I going to be able to. Like, is it gonna. Am I. First of all, I'm gonna be able to travel, to go to these shows, and am I going to be on stage? Kind of, like, always get wondering if my. I'm gonna have enough air. You know, I could talk, but it was like, can I perform? Can I project? Like, stuff like that. And.

[B]

Because when you were lying in bed, could. Could you not speak and breathe in a way that you formerly could?

[A]

Yeah, for sure. Not. Yeah, I mean, that's. I. I was going to keep all my shows for a while, like, for a month. I didn't cancel anything and didn't tell anybody. And then I was like, 10 days out from these big shows, and I was like. I was. You know, I would try to practice and I'd go. And then I. And it was just like, I can't do it. I can't be on stage. And, like, they're gonna know. I.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I. And if they know, then I have to talk about it. And I was going to just use one arm because my other arm would have to be. So. Yeah, that was the hardest part, I think, just thinking about and wondering, like, what am I going to lose? Or am I going to lose anything? And I had this, like, depression in my back where the bones were like, you know, like, my rib cage was kind of collapsed, and I was like, is it gonna be like that all the time? I would look in the mirror and it would be like, I don't look right. Oh, my gosh. You know, and so it. That was the hardest part. It's like, just, I mean, wondering and, like. But it was really motivating to do the work that I had to do to get healthy.

[B]

You just went hard physical therapy?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And that. And it's. It's a habit that. It's interesting because it's like, you know, my therapist would. I always remember talking about this going, you don't know what good is going to come out of these bad things. And it's really hard to hear it sometimes. You're just like, I know that, but, like, come on, right? Like, you know, I have a line where I say. People say you're. You're so lucky. You're walking. You're talking. This could have been a lot worse. And I just. I don't want to be ungrateful, but I didn't feel lucky. It wasn't. I wasn't laying in front of the bus going, wow, I'm on a hot streak, you know, so. But now I do, like, I. This physical therapy, this intense physical therapy where I just like shut my life off and went, okay for four or five months. This is my full time job. Yeah. That created this kind of mindset and habit where I realized when you treat your body in a certain way, it will respond. Right. And it's amazing. It will heal and do things that you didn't think it could do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like it's. I'm not perfect. I have weird things occasionally, but I'm pretty much good. You know, even.

[B]

Even you describing this didn't work and this arm didn't. I'm like, oh, you look 100.

[A]

Yeah. I still, still, like when I'm training with my trainer, it's like this arm is way behind, but it's slowly catching up. You know, he's always like, there's something wrong with you. And I'm like, I know, let's just keep going.

[B]

But.

[A]

But it, it kind of created this mindset and habit. And it's just, I do think in a weird way that I might be stronger than I was before the accident.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Physically, you know. And so do you feel like you're.

[B]

Better as a comedian? Do you think anything that you had that in the recovery applied to your stand up?

[A]

It made me talk about, you know, I really had never talked about anything personal before, so that was. It kind of forced me to talk about something that was personal. Yeah. So that was interesting.

[B]

Do you like it? You like talking about personal stuff on stage?

[A]

Not really, no. I mean, I guess I'm getting better at it. I don't know. I don't really, because I don't know. I always feel like if I was in, if I was married or something, that I would open up a lot more.

[B]

Do you think so?

[A]

Yeah. I have this weird mindset where I think, and I do talk about this sometimes, where I go, I'm supposed to be young or have children, and I'm neither of those things. And that's how you relate to people. And I go, there are people in my demographic, but it's not enough to make a career out of, like, I have to relate to people.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

So every day that I get older or I am, my job gets a little harder. That's kind of the mindset that I have.

[B]

Because most people are in your age group, have kids or are married.

[A]

Yeah. And the people coming to see me, I get a little different from them every day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And one time I was talking with Chris Rock. This really stuck with me because it came from Chris Rock. We were just sitting there talking and we were talking about dating. And marriage. And he goes, you're not married. And I go, no. And he goes, you better have some jokes.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And I can't stop thinking about that because it was one of those statements where it just happened. Hits you in a way where you go, that's true. You know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Let me go to the slow round.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Here's what someone said in the comments last week that I thought was so funny on YouTube. They go, you don't have to say it's the slow round anymore. We know. They go, just keep talking. Just keep asking questions. All right.

[A]

It's.

[B]

Apparently it's not adorable to you.

[A]

Yeah. Was that good or bad? Yeah.

[B]

Sometimes the comments are too familiar.

[A]

Yeah. Right.

[B]

Get off my back, Mom.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All right. What are. Who are you jealous of?

[A]

Oh, who am I jealous of?

[B]

And second question is, who are you jealous of that you thought of but didn't say?

[A]

My first thought was, anybody selling tickets. I'm just jealous.

[B]

Anyone popular.

[A]

I'm just jealous of people who are selling tickets. Yeah. I just want that experience where you just, like, post your dates and then people show up.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Sell out.

[A]

And you don't have to, like, get the call. Like, tickets are low. Can you do a shout out? You know, of course.

[B]

I mean, I've talked to people at the highest levels and lowest levels of comedy and music. Rock and roll.

[A]

Who.

[B]

Who still, when they put a tour on sale.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

They go, is anyone going to show.

[A]

Up to this thing?

[B]

I really find out you put your tickets on sale, you go, oh, yeah. People still care about my comedy. Or I guess. I guess I'm done.

[A]

It's kind of like, I guess I'm cooked. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

But it really. It's everybody.

[A]

Yeah, I guess it is everybody. I think it is. Yeah.

[B]

I don't think I've spoken to a single comedian or musician who doesn't experience what we're talking about.

[A]

Right. Because whatever it is, you're just at a different level of it, you know? And so it's like, can I do it at this level?

[B]

Yeah. And also, like, you don't know if year over year over year if people remember what you did last.

[A]

Right. Yeah.

[B]

It's so out of your control.

[A]

Yeah. Right. Yes. The whole thing.

[B]

How you can. How people consume stuff. What is something that you believe 10 years ago that you don't believe now.

[A]

10 years ago, maybe recycling. I still recycle, but I don't believe in it that it works that much anymore. I'm like, I'd still do it And I put it all in. But I'm kind of like, I don't think that this is going where it's going.

[B]

I think the jig is up on single use plastics. There's always the wishful recycling where you see a lot of single use plastics.

[A]

Oh, come on, come on, come on.

[B]

Have you read any articles?

[A]

This is going in the ocean. I mean, sometimes I think it's good, but it's not as good as. Maybe what they can do is they.

[B]

Could coat the inside of garbage cans with pictures of. Of ducks with the soda ringlets over there. And then you think about a little bit, you go, like, maybe we'll cut up the ringlets.

[A]

Yeah, maybe we'll.

[B]

Yeah, maybe we'll be more cautious about what we put in there.

[A]

I haven't seen those soda ringlets in forever, so.

[B]

Ringlet. It's been a while. For a period of time. Those are almost exclusively murdering birds.

[A]

Yes. They were real fun. They were like toy handcuffs and then they would murder birds. Yeah.

[B]

The wishful recycling drives me nuts. But I did. I dug into it again recently. Did you? Turned out I was wrong. It's. The plastics are tricky.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the paper. The paper and the cardboard and the hard glass is getting recycled, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

In New York, at least.

[A]

Right, Right.

[B]

I dug into that recently because I. I was. I became a real cynic on recycling after reading a bunch of articles. Like, you're describing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You're like, oh, Jesus, what are we. Yeah, now we're wasting water cleaning the thing.

[A]

Right? Yeah.

[B]

That actually is going anywhere. All right, I'm gonna drive these guys nuts because I always talk about recycling being.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Being a hoax for the last time.

[A]

I didn't know that.

[B]

And, like, it drives them nuts. I'm overstating nuts. Whatever.

[A]

I guess I brought it enough. Yeah.

[B]

Enough that they always just cut it out of the episode.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Keep it in.

[A]

That's interesting.

[B]

Keep it in, y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Are you not gonna keep it in? You can cut it again. I'll leave it to Peter.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Controversial.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Controversial take.

[A]

I thought this was your podcast.

[B]

That's what I thought. Was there ever a time where you were caught in a lie?

[A]

Oh, I'm sure. Let's. I don't know. I'm honestly like, generally tell too much of the truth more than I lie.

[B]

Oh, that's interesting. Why?

[A]

I think it's because of me. I just want. I can't handle the burden of it. So I'll unload a lot of information that I don't need to unload on somebody. You know what I mean? I overshare. Rather than. I'll go, like, if I'm in a relationship or something, I'll. I'll talk about the tiniest little details of things. Yeah. I go, but just so you know. And then, and then, and then, and then, and then. And they're like, I get it. That's too much.

[B]

Just to be clear.

[A]

Fine. Like, before knowing this. Yeah. And you didn't need to say this. Yeah. So do you ever do bit about that?

[B]

That feels ripe for a bit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Overstatement.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Of things that are obvious.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I have a bit in the Good Life special where I go, I'm. I'm the narrator of our marriage who no one asked for. Jenny describes me as the narrator or marriage no one asked for.

[A]

That's really.

[B]

It drives. Yeah.

[A]

It drives you nuts.

[B]

It's like, It's a lot. I'm a lot.

[A]

That's kind of being a comedian, though. You have to be the narrator of your life.

[B]

I know. You're doing crowd work. Crowd work with your wife all the time.

[A]

Where you from?

[B]

You know, where I'm from. What do you do for a living? You know what I do for a living. I have a couple jokes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

That I'm at that stage where I'm at the beginning of my next special because I just filmed. And so I'm going, like, kind of going. I'm kind of going through things that were in my notebook that, like, didn't.

[A]

Quite fit with other things.

[B]

And, like, I have this thing where I, I, I wrote this down. The other day, I was making a left turn and I. In my car and I went too soon. And this lady drove past me, and I waved to apologize, but we were pretty. We were like a few feet from each other, and I waved to apologize.

[A]

And then she.

[B]

I could see her lips mouthing the words, what's wrong with you?

[A]

And it.

[B]

And it kind of like. It kind of blew me wide open because I was like, what is wrong with me? Like, it's weird when, like, a life heckler is right. Like, you're not like, like, screw you. It's like, yeah, what is wrong with me? Maybe I should ask her to pull over and have a cup of coffee and, like, we could brainstorm what precisely is wrong with me. There's a lot.

[A]

Yeah. That is a very funny thing to say to another driver.

[B]

It's wrong with you.

[A]

It's like most people would say, like, that you missed the turn. Whatever. Look where you're Go like, where are your eyes? What's wrong with like. She really went to the.

[B]

It was like a sweet old lady. You know what I mean? It's like a sweet old lady going, oh, that. That lady.

[A]

I'm so sorry.

[B]

What's wrong with you?

[A]

Where do I.

[B]

Where do I begin? Where do I begin?

[A]

Where do I begin mouthing these things?

[B]

You should talk to my family. They have a lot to say about this. So I think there's something there.

[A]

Definitely something there. That's really.

[B]

What's wrong with you. It's also maybe a good title for a special what's wrong with you?

[A]

I love Touching with Me. Yeah, that's fun.

[B]

And then I also jotted this down. I don't want my daughter to be on an iPad, not because it's not a great invention, but because it's. It's too much stuff. It's like, I'm a phone and I play music and I'm. Nuclear weapons. You know what I mean? All right, maybe. Maybe we should get something simpler.

[A]

But then.

[B]

Then I went shopping for, like, what's the simpler version? And it's like, not enough. It's like the Amazon Fire, which is like the PC.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Version of the iPad. And it's like. It's like I'm a record player and a fax machine. It's so simple. You're like, no, no, we need more than this. How do we split the difference?

[A]

Yeah, that's interesting. Why don't you want her to have everything thing?

[B]

It's a good question. I mean, like, these days, it's like every. If you have kids, it's like every article is like the, The. The Apple products are melting your child's.

[A]

Brain in real time.

[B]

You know what I mean?

[A]

Of course, yes.

[B]

You're like, maybe we shouldn't do that.

[A]

So it's more about the digital, like, distraction of things than, like, I don't want her to have a toy that does multiple things.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. It's like, yeah. If you read.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Three articles these days in. In, you know, on raising kids, they're all about.

[A]

Right.

[B]

How they're crazy. Kids are. You know, it's like the iPad is like the. You know, it's like a oven. Letting your kids stick their head in an oven.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's just, like, insane. So you're just like, well, okay, then what else. How do we.

[A]

Maybe. Maybe you should get some weapons for your child. They're very simple.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

They're very simple. Safer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Some kind of a club or just does one. Baseball.

[A]

Very utilitarian. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Tennis racket. So those are a couple things I dried out. Do you have anything in your notebook right now that's.

[A]

That's new or. It's funny.

[B]

I saw you at the seller recently. I was like, is that in the special? You're like, no, no, no.

[A]

I've been doing.

[B]

You have a lot of. Lot of new stuff.

[A]

I've been doing all this stuff that's not in the special at the seller because it's so hard to work on these long bits, you know, in 15 minutes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I have a couple of pieces from the long bit that I'm trying to fix. And I'm adding. I have this thing about buying marijuana with my mom.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, you did that?

[A]

I did that because I was very anxious, and after. And I couldn't get over it. And we were in California, and I'm with my mom, and she's, like, taking care of me. And we're leaving California to go to Idaho. And I'd never done any drugs or drank in my life. My mother's the same way. And she had this idea, maybe we should try marijuana for your anxiety. But there's this pressure on it because we're leaving California and you can't get marijuana in Idaho. In Idaho, yeah. So I say, we found a dispensary, like a couple of vigilantes on the run out of town. And we walked into this place, and I go, mom, you do the talking. And we walk. I'm all banged up, you know, I can't breathe. And this woman behind the counter, my mom says, well, this is a very nice establishment. We've never been anywhere like this. My son was hit by a bus. And we were wondering if you might have anything that could take the edge off of that. Yeah. And the feeling behind the counter was like, elation. Like, this woman, I think, felt her life's calling was being fulfilled in that moment. And the vibe was kind of like, the oracle will see you now. And I went home with enough marijuana to supply all of Idaho, but it didn't really take. I would just bolt up in the middle of the night and go call the lady from California. But that's a little story that I'm working on. I have a couple of those in the special that, like, will make it. Hopefully there's another one about actually getting hit and, like, the moment that it happened, because nobody ever knows. Like, I talk all around it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And one of the big holes is that nobody. They want to know what happened. Yeah. So I have this little bit where I was saying, I'm standing in the street, and I'm trying to look at my hand, and I can't see my hand, but I'm looking at my hand, and I know my hand's right there, but I can't see my hand.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

And the bus driver's out on the street, and I say. Because he decided to eventually stop, and he's on the phone, and I think, are you calling 911? And I realized he's talking to his boss to find out what the company policy is when you hit somebody.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And I go, could you wrap that up? Because I can't see my hand. Oh, my God. And then. And then I realized that my hand was behind my back.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And I go. And that's the punchline of that joke.

[B]

That's wild.

[A]

It's a hard thing to talk about because it's so gruesome, but I'm trying to, but I have to, because it just. There's this huge hole in the thing people like. After the biggest question, I get what actually happened. So this is.

[B]

I think that's a great story.

[A]

And then I go. And then I think, well, I'm gonna call 911 myself. So I pull my phone out with my other hand, and I can't figure it out. I can't. And then I think, I'm gonna pass out. Let's try not to pass out. So there's some grass across the street. And I go, that looks like a good place to not pass out. Oh, my gosh. And I sit down on this patch of grass, and then 911 starts calling me, and I go, this is a pretty great service.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

But it turns out that if you call 911 and all they hear is, hey, I can't see my hand. Can you call 91 1? Click. They call that person back over and over and over again.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And someone eventually came over and said, are you okay? And I go, that's 91 1. Can you just tell them where we are? They know everything else.

[B]

That's actually a great example of, like, I've seen you do a lot of this material before, like, talking about getting hit by the bus and the recovery and all this stuff. It's a great example of, like, what happened moment to moment in the actual story. I think sometimes in storytelling, we avoid the really peak moments of it because almost like, we don't even want to deal with it.

[A]

Yeah, you don't even want to think.

[B]

About that part of it.

[A]

Yeah. Interesting.

[B]

It's like. Think it's like. It's like breaking down and sometimes doing a free write on, like, well, what actually happened at that moment and the moment after that. The moment after that. And how did I feel.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In those moments. But I think that's great. I would keep that in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because even if you think about it, like, the filming in Seattle, it's like the people who are there are there to see you and to see you tell that story.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And to see the human being, Ryan Hamilton, say, how you feel about this really extreme thing that happened. They don't want it to be a laugh every 30 seconds at that moment.

[A]

I think they can handle that.

[B]

You tell the truth.

[A]

Right. Yeah.

[B]

And actually, I would argue, like, crave it.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[B]

People crave that. Obviously, they don't crave it if you're not. You don't have laughs the rest of your show. If you are the kind of joke octane that you have in your shows and then you have a section that's a minute or two long where it's, like, pretty intense in this thing that is totally earned and justified that you're talking about. I think the audience craves that.

[A]

Okay, that's good.

[B]

I tell myself over and over again every time I perform all of my shows. No, no, I do.

[A]

I do.

[B]

I do really have to. Yeah, yeah. I have to spend time thinking about that and talking about that with my director. Because a lot of times it's like, you know, last special, it's like talking about my relationship with my dad when he had a stroke and all this stuff. And it's like, I don't want to think about when I was in the hospital with my dad when he had a stroke. It's awful.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the audience in a certain way, wants to connect on that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If that's what you're talking about.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

But I think, like, the whole thing of looking at your hand, realizing with your hands behind you that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Yeah. That's really what it was. But it's just. Yeah. So that's me attempting to fill the whole. The little gaps in this kind of thing. Yeah.

[B]

There's. I feel like there's more in the thing of, like, holding up your hand, thinking. Or thinking you're holding up your hand and thinking that, oh, it must be a mental thing. You're like, no, it's a hand thing. It's a hand thing.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

The hand isn't present.

[A]

Yeah. The hand isn't present. That's a funny thing.

[B]

The hand is absent.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

It's a hand thing. And also, it might be related to other bones, too. It is a funny thing, too. Like, if you think about, like, to the people who are around, like, you're you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In this situation, you get hit by a bus, you're still you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To the people around you, you are a cartoon character. You got bone coming out of your body. You know what I mean? You're trying to hold up your hand. There isn't a hand. You are literally, you are the high and lowest of their lives. You are the Calvin and Hobbes of their existence in their day.

[A]

I have this line about how I was standing up and that really made people upset. People did not like that I was standing. Yes. Yeah.

[B]

No, but it really is, like, it is worth sitting in the moment.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The thing that you're doing right now, I would almost say, like, do more of it. Like, do more of the. Like, going on stage, telling the story, and honestly, like, seeing what comes out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like. Like living in the moment. Be like. Be like, I'm going to tell this story, but I'm really going to, like, try to relive it.

[A]

Yeah. Maybe I should do that part, because there's the whole part leading up to it that I used to have jokes about, but I kind of dropped. But it was like I was in a hotel with COVID for 10 days. The. And the first day out was January 1st when this happened to me. Yeah. So I had these jokes about. About that whole experience, but I kind of cut it out. But it is interesting to kind of get into, like, the M.O. because I have that moment. Yeah. But maybe there's more proceeding. And after.

[B]

I'll tell you. I'll tell you something from my kind of traumatic jumping through this window, sleepwalking story. I went back to Walla Walla last year, and I talked to the doctor in the ER who took the glass.

[A]

Out of my legs.

[B]

And I asked him, what was that? Like, do you remember that?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he goes, yeah, I remember because I was like, it took hours to take the glass out of your legs. And it drove me nuts because we had all these other people coming in and it was busy. I had to keep coming back to you, taking the glass out, going back, dealing with people. And I was like, oh, that's so funny, because if I had interviewed him years ago, I would have put that in the original. Right. So you might want to consider like, can you get in touch with any of the doctors and just be like, what's your experience?

[A]

Really interesting.

[B]

If you're willing to talk to me. What's your experience of this? Because I'm writing a whole piece.

[A]

Yeah. The surgeon is a friend of mine now, like, I should ask, maybe ask.

[B]

The surgeon, like how they felt about it because it's like, probably so different from how you see it.

[A]

That's a really good idea. I should do that because who knows what he think. Maybe it was like a routine and.

[B]

Also like, hey, do you think I was going to be okay?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can tell me now, right? I'm good.

[A]

Yes. Right. What did you think in that moment? Now you can tell me.

[B]

Yeah, I have it even like in Walla Walla where it's like I went back and it's like I talked to cops and stuff and they're like, oh, yeah, it was on the radio that night. A guy jumped through the window at the motel.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. It was all like about. It was like about town.

[A]

Yeah, of course. That's a crazy thing to have happen. Yeah. Wow, that's. That's a great idea.

[B]

Even people tangentially involved with that actually are aware of when it happened.

[A]

Why wouldn't I think to do that? That's so good. Why wouldn't. Yeah, that's a great. We don't. We're so specifically wrapped up in ourselves as stand up comedians in my experience.

[B]

Perspective.

[A]

But in this kind of event, it's like, that makes so much sense. I should do that.

[B]

Yeah. Because it's wild. Like if your instance of you, you know, you looking at your hand and your hand's not there.

[A]

It's like, yeah.

[B]

That from someone else's perspective.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is also wild.

[A]

Yes. Right.

[B]

Because they're looking at this version.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know, your things.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Bone is coming out, all that.

[A]

Right, Right. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

I'm glad you're okay.

[A]

Thanks. I mean, yeah, I'm doing great. It's. Those were kind of like, I have other stuff. I don't know how much.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

What else you got?

[B]

It's all great.

[A]

What do you think about this as an opening? It's hard to get there, but I talk about people focusing. We don't focus. It's too hard to focus. This is what it takes. You got to go to another location, turn the lights off, get a spotlight, get a guy with a microphone, put your phone away. Like, you got to put your phone in another place. And then they go, now we're ready. And I Go. You want it. You want your phone. I know you want it. You're proud of yourself that you put it away. But now you're going like, I knew I could do it.

[B]

I knew I could do it.

[A]

Yeah. And when you leave here, you're gonna go, if I'm called upon to put my phone away again, I know I have that in me. There's little things like gnawing at you, like, how tall is this guy? And you'll never know.

[B]

You'll never know.

[A]

You won't remember to Google that later.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And even if you do, you go, I don't know that guy's name. I don't know. What am I supposed to Google? Poor man Seinfeld. Is that what I supposed to. But it leads into this thing where this is kind of like the core. Maybe I'll open with this where I go. But I'm glad we're together because this is rare. We don't gather. We're not socializing as groups. And I love this. But I don't know if it will last. Things are fickle. Maybe one day you'll be walking through a museum. You'll see a guy in a glass case with a microphone. There'll be a little plaque down at the bottom. They'll go. Society was very anxious. So much so that they would actually plan their laughter together at specific times. And they would gather themselves in laugh rooms throughout the country. And there were laugh leaders who would try to encourage them. But it was ironic because they were often angry or sad.

[B]

Oh, that's so funny. They were often angry or sad.

[A]

Yeah. But it's like very self referential kind of thing, which I normally don't do.

[B]

You could also point out that at rooms called Laugh House.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And Laugh Hut. Yeah. And improv, which was odd because they never improvised there.

[A]

Yeah, they.

[B]

Okay, so last thing we do is working out for a cause. Is there a non profit that you like to contribute to? And we will contribute to them and link to them in the show notes.

[A]

Yes. That is so nice. I do a lot of events for this group, Scott Hamilton Cares and it's a cancer research which had affected some people in my life. And Scott Hamilton's a great guy and great organization. So that's a good one.

[B]

Great. Well, it's called the URL is scottcares.org funding advanced innovative research that will turn cancer upside down. We'll contribute to them.

[A]

Great.

[B]

We'll link to them in the show notes. Ryan Hamilton, so excited for your special.

[A]

This was really fun.

[B]

It was great. The best. Working it out because it's not done. We're working it out. That's gonna do it. For another episode of Working it out, you can follow Ryan Hamilton on Instagram at Ryan Hamiltone. That's with an e at the end. You can watch the full video of the episode on our YouTube channel @Mike Birbiglia. Subscribe because we're posting more and more of these videos. Check out burbigs.com to sign up for the mailing list. Be the first to know about my upcoming shows. Our producers of Working it out are myself, along with Peter Salamone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis and Gary Simon. Sound mix by Ben Cruz supervising engineer Kate Belinsky. Special thanks to Jack Antonoff and Bleachers for their music. Special thanks as always to my wife, the poet J. Hope Stein, and our daughter Una, who built the original radio fort made of pillows. Thanks most of all to you who are listening. If you enjoy our podcast, rate us and review us on Apple Podcasts. I always say this and it seems like a silly thing, but it actually is. How people find our podcast is you go in, you put some stars there and you say which is the first episode that you listen to or your favorite episode? You can say, I really like the Ryan Hamilton episode because of this. And people know where to begin. Because at this point there's over 180 episodes and people wouldn't even, I mean, if I found a podcast, if I found Radio Labrador, this American Life, I really wouldn't even know where to start. I'd go, okay, I don't know. Is it. What is this show even about? You know, it's about so many different things, so many different guests. So thank you, thank you, thank you for writing a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks most of all to you who are listening to the show and have been with the show for so long. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the clerk at the dispensary where you're buying weed with your mom, which is of course very common and awkward. Ease the tension of that moment with a solid gold podcast recommendation. While your mom is picking out weed for you, tell the person who works there, hey, I know the whole, this whole thing might be seem a little strange, but I heard this comedian Ryan Hamilton doing the same thing on a podcast called Working It Out. Actually, you might like that podcast. It's Mike Birbigli works out jokes and ideas about the creative process with other comedians and creatives. Maybe you should check it out at as soon as my mom pays for her weed. Thanks, everybody. We're working it out. We'll see you next time.