Real Time with Bill Maher Ep. #642: David Mamet, Dave Rubin, James Carville
Dec 2, 2023
David Mamet, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, is joined by political commentator Dave Rubin and strategist James Carville. They engage in a lively debate on the absurdities of current politics, including the contrasting styles of Newsom and DeSantis. Mamet shares insights on storytelling’s role in film, tackling the challenges of creative freedom versus commercial pressure. The trio humorously critiques the intersection of morality, religion, and law, while discussing the evolving nature of political discourse and the impact of generational divides.
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Writing for the Audience
- Write for the audience, not for studio suits or executives.
- Focus on capturing and maintaining their attention, just like comedy writers.
Learning from the Audience
- David Mamet learned to write by observing audience reactions in his theater company.
- He realized that losing their attention, even for a moment, is difficult to recover.
Studio vs. Audience
- David Mamet's work was often disliked by studio heads but appreciated by actors and audiences.
- He even recounts telling a film student to "cut [his] dick off and eat it" when asked about working in television.