The Tension Between Trying to Fit In and Having a Defiant Attitude

Speaker 1
You
Speaker 2
mean, like, I, I, I know a lot of people. And I put myself in this group, which is I'm defensively arrogant. If you insult me, I have a list I can read. If you, if we're normal, I'm walking around like fairly, I would argue like, like a regular, maybe lower self-esteem. But like if you, if like bumped, I was like, huh, huh, I would, I would, I wouldn't be surprised you did or didn't.
Speaker 1
I want to be a nice guy in life. You know, it's like I usually try to go the nice guy route. So I, I don't get combative with somebody like that. Even that guy, even in your head though, if you just, oh, in my head, of course, that's what we're talking about. Anger fantasies. Of course I've got those. I've got violent fantasies left
Speaker 2
and right. Maybe I shouldn't like claim that. No, no, no,
Speaker 1
you can. To haunt me like in a court
Speaker 2
of trials. Now, you said you had these violent fantasies. It wasn't an accident. You knew the microphones in front of you and you said it. You said
Speaker 1
it right to the camera that you knew was your camera. You were told ahead of time which camera it was. So yeah, there's like two things going on in my head, you know, I was saying the other day that sometimes I feel like, you know, you see those big fire trucks where there's a guy in the front driving, but there's a guy in the back also with a steering wheel. Sometimes I feel like my brain is like that. There's two things going on and they're always combating each other. And you know, you got the one guy in the front going, well, we got to be reasonable and fit in. And then you got the guy in the bag and I'm like, hell with everybody.
Speaker 2
Does this work at all? Yeah, that's actually what I would argue is like your gift is the life of the mind of like trying to be normal and trying to be like, yeah, I'm going to go about this in a regular thing. And then the conflict with like, yeah, but also what? Like, again, another incredible bit, which you're about to do. I know I'm kidding. But the UPS bit I called UPS. That's more, I guess it would be overwhelmed, but but an amazing bit about the conflict of like, you're acting like I should know this. How would I know this? How could I possibly, I want to be nice. And I guess everyone learned this at some point. I don't remember. That is what you're really good at. So I'm happy to hear that like even saying I've never heard someone say, did you say anger fantasy or revenge fantasy? It is such a great, I
Speaker 1
realized that she said it like, yeah, you did start doing bits like that. It was when I felt I was starting to do too many. I feel like when I say you
Speaker 2
too at the wrong time and stuff like that, taking the cab to the airport coming out and I'm getting out and the driver goes, hey, have a good flight. You do. You do. You have a nice flight. Do case you ever fly someday. I mean,
Speaker 1
I like those bits, but those were always me feeling like an idiot in society. And I'm acting out the fantasy of it being even more ridiculous than it actually is. And then I'm like, well, there's more to me than that. You know, and it's like, I want to do where I'm observing the other people being dumb. And then I want to do my fantasy of me, you know, one, upping them. What you were saying is,
Speaker 2
look, I'm not the only dumb person. Right.
Speaker 1
I'm looking at a lot of other dummies. Right. And guess who's about to be in the spotlight? Right. I don't want to be, I don't want to be the guy behind a microphone. Like I'm, I'm the moron. I want to be like an observer of myself. I want to be a guy who feels that about himself at times, but who also knows that he's an okay person and that other people are also doing dumb things. And the world is also not the way it should be. I want to, I want the observer to be intelligent. Right. Even though the fantasies are stupid or angry, but the, I want the observer to be a guy who's on his game.
Speaker 2
It's so funny because you are even the conflict is that. And like you write bits and you're like, yeah, but I'm not me. I do say me too at the wrong time, but also, and you, yeah, UPS was overwhelming. But, but also, I'm not the, I'm not an idiot. Right. But I'm not an idiot. Like I get this is not set up correctly. And let's talk about these setups a little bit. Like the guy that again, another incredible bit. That's why I'm popping in my head. The guy at the party says that ain't nothing. Who's the, he's the, he's the idiot, right? Correct. And that one, I want him to be the moron. He's the one
Speaker 1
who's, you know, that needs to
Speaker 2
be
Speaker 1
taken down. He's taken down, you know, and it's like, I don't. So it's fun to be able to do those kinds of jokes as well. And then when you get an audience laughing with you, it feels good because it's like, they feel, they feel the same way. Everybody, I think everybody's a bit uncomfortable. You know, maybe some people are completely secure in themselves. But I think everybody has that two thing going on in their head, you know, and you're at a party or a social situation, you're at work or whatever it is, you know, there's always that, am I doing the right thing here? Am I doing the right thing or is that guy doing the right thing, you know, and both of those can be funny. Yes.
Speaker 2
The bit, if I may blow it and then I'll, I'll, it's a sting operation where I do it poorly and then I make you do it. Brian's at a party tells a story and a guy says that ain't nothing. Right.
Speaker 1
It just completely negates everything that led up to that. And I
Speaker 2
don't even remember the bit. These bits come and go for me sometimes. You know, I believe it. And then you, and then you talk about Neil Armstrong.
Speaker 1
Oh, oh, oh, got it. That's the, okay, that's right. That's where that comes from. Yeah. And then I say the ultimate fantasy would be one of the 12 astronauts who have walked on the moon because they can beat anybody's story whenever they want. And then you let some guy do his whole thing about his traveling and, you know, I travel all over the world. I got planes. I got a fleet of sports cards and I travel. I was against Zurich. The Mount Kilimanjaro expedition went off to cancel that.
Speaker 2
I walked on the moon.
Speaker 1
And then he's flattened. Yep.
Speaker 2
A lot. There's a lot of assholes in that store. So the funny off stage thing, have you, do you try to neutralize it or you just try to stay away from any place where you're expected to be funny that you don't think is hospitable to you being funny?
Speaker 1
I put myself out there. You know, it's like you got to go to family gatherings. You got to go to get togethers and things like that. But I'm never 100% comfortable. I'm always, especially if I'm around people who don't know me or, you know, so it's a constant quest to try to find comfort. And I don't
Speaker 2
know if I've ever hit it. I don't know that you're going to. I think you're right. I feel the same way about me or like a lot of people. It's like, it's just kind of, that's what it's going to be. That's kind of the preset. You can maybe make it a little more manageable. It's like, that's kind of what you're here for is to be uncomfortable and talk
Speaker 1
about it. That's one reason why I really like hanging out with comedians because it's, you can be unfunny around comedians and they understand that. Yes.
Speaker 2
And we
Speaker 1
all know that we're sometimes funny and sometimes not. And so you get the whole gamut of a personality. When you're around somebody who doesn't know what a comedian is and then they somehow think that you're just going to be a clown for them, you know, that's where it gets weird for
Speaker 2
me.

Brian Regan

Blocks w/ Neal Brennan

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