You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Episode: Gareth Reynolds Returns
Date: February 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This energetic and laughter-filled episode welcomes back comedian and podcaster Gareth Reynolds, a favorite guest of host Pete Holmes. The tone is loose, silly, and relentlessly riff-filled—just two friends improvising, reflecting on weirdness, comedy, pop culture, bits about British and American life, psychedelic experiences, and the nature of love and ego. Throughout, the boundaries between deep insights and absurd bits blur in classic "You Made It Weird" style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Riffing and Relationship Bits

• Long-Distance Love & Fashion Policing (02:17–04:32

  • Gareth discusses his long-distance relationship, his girlfriend’s remote input on his wardrobe, and the comedic anxieties of “representing” a partner from afar.
  • Notable Quote:
    "She'll go flip it around and let me see the mirror...She wants to okay your outfit just because you're out there representing her." — Pete Holmes (02:45)

• Absurd Animal Anatomy & Spider Sex Jokes (04:01–05:07)

  • Pete improvises about spiders having multiple vaginas, Gareth keeps up volleying more animal weirdness, and soon they're competing for the best "spider bits."

2. Comedy, Wordplay & Impressions

• Bob Dylan & Impression Anxiety (05:41–06:40)
  • They mock the perils of doing Dylan impressions post-Timothée Chalamet and riff on forbidden voices:
    "You can't even do a Dylan anymore...I'm sorry. Like someone will be like, did you hear Pete Holmes back in the day?" — Gareth Reynolds (05:41)
• British vs. American Accents Game (07:29–12:00)
  • Ongoing joke: trying to find a sentence that sounds the same in British and American accents ("I saw a panda"; "A man and a banana"; etc.), consulting ChatGPT mid-riff.

3. Pop Culture, Nostalgia & Gadgets

• Projectors, Swinger Stereotypes & Hot Tubs (14:01–21:00)
  • Pete insists projectors are life-changing, but are culturally suspect (“as if you’re a swinger”); bit escalates into a satirical infomercial about projectors, hot tubs, massage chairs, and long matches.
  • They expand this into absurd territory about swinger accessories and home gadgets, with multiple callbacks.
• Danger Mouse, Childhood Cartoons & Gateway Violence (12:07–13:16)
  • A nostalgia thread: growing up on British cartoons, the transition from gentle to edgier TV, and how Ninja Turtles and their ilk were “the weed” for later action-hero fandom.

4. Weed, Anxiety, and Midlife

• Reflections on Quitting Weed & Anxiety (09:24–10:13)
  • Both recount stepping away from habitual weed use, the growing anxiety, and how their relationship to it has changed with age.
  • Notable Quote:
    "I was a huge weed smoker for most of my adult life. And then I stopped...I can't believe I just used to do this before everything." — Gareth Reynolds (09:44)
• Colonoscopy Talk & Getting Older (29:32–31:06)
  • Funny, honest discussion of midlife realities, comparing their ages, insecurities about appearing older, and medical checkpoints.

5. Comedians and Social Media

• Cameo & Online Persona Dilemmas (33:25–34:32; 72:01–73:16)

  • Candid discussion about the awkwardness of Cameo, when/if to monetize messages for fans, and where the line between generosity and personal boundaries is.
  • Notable Moment: Pete describes wanting to help fans but feeling weird about money and authenticity, while Gareth considers short charity runs as the ideal model.

• Sharing Personal Life Online (35:02–37:16)

  • Gareth is staunchly private, struggles to “post a lunch,” and jokes about never sharing his dating info online, contrasting with partners who might want more visibility.

6. Bits, Stand-Up Craft, and Early Comedy Memories

• Premise Bits: The White House Mattress (54:55–58:02)
  • Pete shares a high-conceived bit about presidential mattresses—do they change with each president and what of, say, “the Clinton mattress”? The bit escalates, with both contributing increasingly absurd images.
  • Notable Quote:
    "You can't get the Clinton mattress. That thing soaked through like a tres leches cake." — Pete Holmes (55:29)
• Comedy Origin Stories & First Bombs (101:53–113:10)
  • Pete recounts his first headlining set—renting out a restaurant, inviting friends and professors, and bombing with prop comedy (lobster bibs); Gareth discusses his first bit about voicemails from his dad in different time zones and how bits evolve over years.
  • Notable Quote:
    "You have to live with the prop and you would have a lot on the ground, like the burger on the ground." — Pete Holmes (107:58)
• What It’s Like Building New Material (78:54–87:33)
  • They go deep on stand-up craft: writing new jokes, retiring old benchwarmers, the different pressures of clubs vs. big theaters, and how laughs feel in different settings.

7. Psychedelics & Altered States

• Ayahuasca, Ketamine, and Ego Dissolution (113:46–132:30)

  • Gareth describes his first and subsequent ayahuasca journeys: revelation of a “sixth sense,” interconnectedness, lessening attachment to career, and a major emotional purge related to a stalker.

  • Pete shares a profound ketamine experience—entering the “void,” feeling the stillest stillness, and understanding the oneness and trustworthiness of consciousness.

  • Notable Quotes:
    "Everything that seemed so important the day I went in there, the next day felt half as important at most." — Gareth Reynolds (132:31)
    "It overflowed and split into billions and billions of things, then goes around engaging with itself and believing it. Because I was laughing...it's all an octopus with puppets." — Pete Holmes (123:03)

• Compassion, Love, and Interpersonal Connection (139:14–144:28)

  • They connect psychedelic insights with therapy and forgiveness, especially regarding anger/resentment and how everyone wants love and acknowledgment. Gareth recounts moving from hatred to compassion for his stalker after a breakthrough ayahuasca session.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The projector is the hot tub of the indoors.” — Pete Holmes (14:40)
• "If you have a wall, that's how big your TV is." — Pete Holmes (23:03)
• “There's always a part of you as a stand-up where you're like, can I just call Jonah and...see if that joke still works?” — Pete Holmes (32:30)
• “I felt a third eye connection to a place I didn't know existed.” — Gareth Reynolds on ayahuasca (137:27)
• “Off of that—so I do parts work therapy…every time, it’s a shock…all it wants, just like every person, is someone to say thank you.” — Pete Holmes (139:24)

Timestamps for Major Topics

• Riffing on Relationships, Spider Bits, & Impressions: 02:00–08:00
• Wordplay, Accent Games, ChatGPT bits: 07:29–13:20
• Projectors, Swingers, & Home Gadgets: 14:01–23:52
• Reflecting on Weed and Anxiety: 09:24–10:13
• Nostalgia—Danger Mouse Discussion: 12:21–13:16
• Comedy Craft, Early Shows, Prop Bombs: 101:53–113:10
• Ayahuasca, Ketamine, and Oneness: 113:46–132:30
• Therapy Insights, Forgiveness, and Love: 139:14–144:28

Tone & Highlights

In classic “You Made it Weird” fashion, the episode effortlessly swings between rapid-fire absurdist bits and sudden bursts of vulnerability, compassion, and insight. Pete’s openness and Gareth’s easy-playful style keep the laughter going, while both dig into midlife anxieties, ego checks, and the earnest hope that love—however weird—will always win.

Conclusion

The episode closes on a warm, sincere note, reflecting lessons from therapy, psychedelics, and comedy: the importance of appreciating each other, the futility of ego battles, and trying to stay “crispy” (alive to the moment, playful, and compassionate)—with the now-customary sign-off, “Keep it crispy.”

“Keep it Crispy”

(144:38)

Pete: “We made it weird.”
Gareth: “Keep it crispy.”
Pete: “Oh, you got to keep it crispy. KFC on Air Force One…”
Gareth (laughing): “Like you’re shattering a Clinton mattress. Keep it crispy.”
Pete: “Tap it with a rock hammer and it shatters...”