Jose Arroyo: Conan, Comedy, and Breeding Aquaman

Nov 18, 2021

01:43:59

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Jose Arroyo has almost certainly made you laugh even if you don’t know it -- and he’s bringing decades of experience as one of Conan O’Brien’s writers into The Create Unknown to put on an absolute masterclass in creativity. The first lesson? Outwait your impatience.

Kevin’s got a unique perspective on all this, since he interned for Conan a lifetime ago (which is how he met Jose). Jokes are little, fleeting moments, and Jose describes what it’s like to juggle so many potential projects, especially now that it’s independent.

Oh, and when Jose met Kevin, he thought, “I am in the company of a fevered mind.” It was probably the potato comics.

Matt points out that we’re almost always wrong when it comes to what other people think. We don’t know their motivations or what drives their decisions and reactions -- so why put much effort into worrying? It’s necessary to some degree, though, like when you’re in a writers room figuring out what’s going to be funny that night for, say, 10 million people.

What’s the difference between comedy and just being funny? A lot, actually. It’s like the difference between playing basketball in the NBA and at the YMCA.

Jose’s epic journey is one of the best stories we’ve had on TCU, from faxing jokes into Jay Leno and crossing his fingers, to figure out which of a dozen options he’s got right now. If you make anything -- or you WANT to make anything -- you need to listen to this one.

Thanks to everyone who went live with us, and thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/thecreateunknown

Jose Arroyo IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0037434/

Website: https://www.josearroyowriter.com/

This Guy Has Never Seen Any "Star Wars" EVER: https://youtu.be/YGF-0ZB_cm8

Eggplant Farmers Want You To Stop Sexualizing Their Crop: https://youtu.be/Mkiq_lu-ehU

Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw

Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple

Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts

CREDITS:

Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor