Blocks w/ Neal Brennan Patton Oswalt
Jul 11, 2024
Comedian Patton Oswalt discusses loneliness, grief, and personal growth with Neal Brennan. Topics include emotional makeup, parenting, grief over Michelle McNamara's death, meeting Meredith Salinger, evolving in comedy, and the desire for love. They also touch on the true crime industry, changing personal issues, and navigating the showbiz industry while maintaining artistic integrity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Stop Performing For Your Past Critics
- Patton advises against living to please a phantom gallery of past ideals and critics.
- He suggests showing up every day and making the next work instead of performing for an earlier, purist version of yourself.
Coolness Can Undermine Comedy
- Patton observed alt-comedy's emphasis on 'cool' often sacrificed laugh-making and limited careers.
- He realized choosing work over purity kept him active across TV, movies, comics, and stand-up.
Serving Someone Else Changed His Art
- Patton described caring for Michelle's research and supporting her true-crime work as a form of service that changed him profoundly.
- He said facilitating someone else's vision felt freeing and made his best comedy less about him.