We Might Be Drunk – Ep 252: Matt McCusker (October 6, 2025)

Guests: Matt McCusker
Hosts: Sam Morril and Mark Normand
Producer: Gotham Production Studios, LLC

Episode Overview

This episode of We Might Be Drunk features comedian Matt McCusker as he sits down with Sam Morril and Mark Normand (the hosts), sharing drinks and stories from the road. The conversation revolves around taping comedy specials, the highs and lows of touring, the evolving landscape of comedy production and distribution, and, as always, meandering tangents about pop culture, parenting, and their signature brand of irreverence.

Main Themes

• Behind-the-scenes of taping a comedy special
• Comedy in college towns and the Boulder experience
• Current comedy distribution: self-producing, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube
• The grind of writing new material and bombing
• The state of live performance (arena gigs, city club sets)
• Parenting, domestic anecdotes, and dog stories
• Irreverent pop culture commentaries, peeves, and recommendations (recurring segments)

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Taping a Standup Special & The Boulder Comedy Scene

[00:12–03:01]

• Matt shares the process and emotional rollercoaster of taping his special in Boulder, Colorado.
  • The relief of “being in the magical in-between: taped but not released.”
  • Boulder exceeded his expectations as a crowd and city:
    • “I thought it was gonna be armpit hair and crunchy with dirty feet. It is hot moms with L.L. Bean on and little quarter zip ups.” (Matt, 02:23)
  • Anticipation and nerves, especially about non-sold-out shows and the Late Show crowd: “I had a couple riff things... but they were a little tepid.” (Matt, 03:11)
  • “As long as I'm over 50 [minutes], I'm happy.” – Matt on special length (03:46)
  • Mentions the business side: self-producing and planning to shop the special, referencing changes at streaming platforms ("Hulu blew their wad... numbers were below Netflix" – 08:37).

2. Comedy Industry State & The Streaming Landscape

[03:53–09:12]

• All discuss how specials are shopped and sold in the current climate.
  • Three tapings is the new norm, though “two is fine at this point” (Freddy, 04:17).
  • Platforms like Hulu and Netflix, with Hulu seen as “the hot, fat chick” compared to Netflix’s “hot girl at the bar.” (08:34)
  • “You always got YouTube as an option, too... it could blow up.” (Freddy, 08:49)

3. Comedy Process, Bombing, and Generating Material

[04:47–05:35, 23:45–26:49]

• "After taping, you go right back to bomb city writing new stuff... How did I write an hour?" (Matt, 05:03)
• The constant process of bombing with new ideas, even as established comics, rings true for all.
• Samuel Elliott (guest) shares his method for building new hours by running special new-material shows: “You start to cobble together, like, at least something.” (Samuel, 23:47)

4. Touring, Competition, and Comedy Routing

[06:32–07:21, 27:45–30:27]

• “Moving a gig can help you—get a little more time to sell," but it’s logistically annoying (Matt, 07:25).
• The impact of competing events/comics: “Theo Vaughn, Tony Hinchcliffe, Soder, and Burt all taping/performing the same night” (Freddy, 07:43).
• Life on the road: “It would be nice to have a scaled back version. If you could just do like 12 cities, that’d be nice.” (Samuel, 22:48)
• Arena gigs are discussed as exhilarating but surreal experiences: “In the round, for some reason, I don’t know why, feels easier.” (Samuel, 28:10)

5. Pop Culture, Movie Recommendations, and 4D Cinema

[09:29–14:00]

• All highly recommend the movie One Battle After Another (“See it in theaters…a real movie, not just Avengers 12.” – Matt, 10:21).
• Discuss the drop in box office for non-Marvel movies and the need for “word of mouth” for such films.
• Funny tangents about Sean Penn’s activism and random trivia:
  • “He also went to New Orleans on a canoe with a shotgun during Katrina.” (Matt, 11:45)
  • “He did an interview with El Chapo that ended up getting El Chapo found and arrested.” (Guest, 12:29)
  • “Garcia Shandling and Joan Rivers shooting the shit… intros are cool.” (Samuel, 18:10)

6. Animation, Writing, and Expanding Creative Outlets

[18:55–22:41]

• Samuel shares his foray into animation: “Animation takes forever… By the end, you’re just kind of like, dude, I don’t even like this anymore.”
• The origin of Rick and Morty is discussed (the crude original short that nonetheless sold the show).

7. Parenting, Domestic Battles, and Dog Tales

[36:46–55:21]

• Long back-and-forths about being married to a “stickler,” bombed trips to get a license, and dealing with bureaucracy.
• Parenting anecdotes: “The amount of batteries you buy with a kid, it’s crazy.” (Matt, 46:53)
• Dog stories:
  • Getting denied petting a dog in a grocery store was a top “peeve” (Samuel, 51:13).
  • The tale of Matt’s family putting down a dangerous junkyard dog (Samuel, 54:48)
  • The surprising link between O.J. Simpson and Akita guard dog behavior (52:28)

8. Irreverent Tangents & Notable Quotes

Infamous Web Oddities

• The group reminisces about “Lemon Party” (an infamous internet shock meme): “So you would…open it up and it’d be a bunch of old men blowing each other.” (Samuel, 44:41)

Comedy Special Intros

• “I like an intro...Did a drone shot of me running. I like an intro too.” (Matt, 19:20)

Micro-dosing & Sleep Hacks (Recommendations)

• Samuel highly recommends the ChiliPad for sleeping: “My side of the bed is just like, a frigid, freezing area the whole time I’m sleeping.” (Samuel, 56:07)
• He also shouts out low-THC weed drinks for barbecue hangs and the obscure British folk singer John Martyn: “If you want something new to listen to…he keeps surprising me with new songs.” (Samuel, 59:59)
• Sam recommends the audiobook Educated by Tara Westover for a compelling memoir (“it’s just really well written, very compelling” – Freddy, 61:12).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Boulder as an audience:
  “I thought it was gonna be armpit hair and crunchy with dirty feet. It is hot moms with L.L. Bean on and little quarter zip ups.”
  – Matt McCusker (02:23)

• On writing post-special:
  “After you’ve done it, you don’t even feel like a real comic. Like, I’m a fucking hack. I know this works, you know?”
  – Freddy (04:30)

• On spouses and sticklers:
  “My wife’s a stickler…she’ll be like, do you have your driver’s license? No, but I don’t need it.”
  – Samuel Elliott (37:44)

• On being denied petting a dog:
  “If I ask somebody to pet the dog and they’re like, no, that’s crazy, dude.”
  – Samuel Elliott (51:13)

• On Netflix and streaming wars: “Hulu blew their wad booking all those guys…now Netflix feels even better.”
  – Matt McCusker (08:37)

• On bombing in arenas:
  “In a club, you’re pretty, like, you can literally feel laughs. Not in an arena. You’re just, like, drowning.”
  – Samuel Elliott (29:51)

Timestamps for Segments

• Boulder Special Recap & Taping: 00:12–03:40
• Comedy Market/Streaming Talk: 03:53–09:12
• Movie Recommendations & 4D Cinema: 09:29–14:00
• Comedy Process, Bombing, Writing Hours: 23:45–26:49
• Parenting and Domestic Life: 36:46–46:53
• Peeves & Recommendations: 47:00–61:17

Recommendations (Wrecks)

• Movie: One Battle After Another (All, 09:29)
• Sleep Tech: Chili Pad (Samuel, 56:02)
• Weed Drinks: Low-THC seltzers (Samuel, 57:13)
• Music: John Martyn, especially “Solid Air” (Samuel, 59:59)
• Book/Audiobook: Educated by Tara Westover (Freddy, 60:36)

Peeves

• Sticklers and rule-enforcers (Samuel, 37:34)
• Indoor lighting and blue light (Samuel, 48:39)
• Scented wall plugins (“Febreze”) and artificial smells (Samuel, 50:16)
• People refusing to let you pet their dogs (Samuel, 51:10)
• Overacting in shower sex scenes (Guest, 66:17)
• People who double down on questions/negate your experience (“You don’t have any cash?”) (Matt, 62:05)
• The guy at the tennis court who won’t answer where the sign-up sheet is (Matt, 62:40)

Stand-Out Moments

• Hilarious riffing about Lemon Party and old-school internet pranks (44:13)
• The lengths comedians go to in crafting a special, including editing out head wounds with CGI (Samuel, 16:39)
• Sincere appreciation for the “intro” format in specials—nostalgia, storytelling (18:10)
• Dan Harmon and Rick and Morty’s crude origins as evidence that major creative hits can start weird and rough (20:35)
• Comedy industry inside baseball: negotiating taping dates, fighting for market share, dealing with streaming algorithm anxiety (06:32–07:43; 08:25)

Closing Thoughts

As always, We Might Be Drunk delivers a blend of insider comedy chatter, pop culture tangents, and equal parts self-deprecation and swagger. Matt McCusker’s tales of taping, road hackery, and parenting provide a relatable and often hilarious look at life in and off the spotlight. The episode is rich with the hosts’ signature bits—peeves, wrecks, back-and-forths about the grind—and is punctuated by moments of real camaraderie and industry wisdom.

For upcoming tours and Matt’s special, check out MattMcCusker.com and catch Samuel Elliott’s Netflix special, "Humble Offering," dropping October 7th.

Selected by and for comedy fans, industry nerds, and anyone who’s ever debated the merits of blue-light blockers or self-serve salsa bars. Cheers until next week!