The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Neuroscientists Steven Chase & Aaron Batista chat with Trey Elling about research they conducted on monkeys to learn why we struggle to learn under pressure. Topics include: The genesis of this research (1:34) How the monkeys were tested (2:23) The monkeys’ ‘jackpot’ (3:35) What the research found (4:41) The activity in the monkeys’ brains (5:51) The role of the motor cortex (7:41) Examining rhesus macaques over bonobo chimps (9:46) What led Steven and Aaron to studying the brain (11:37) Defining ‘the mind’ (15:14) Examples where Steven and Aaron failed AND succeeded under pressure (18:54)

Former Green Beret and Fieldcraft Survival CEO Mike Glover chats with Trey Elling about PREPARED: A MANUAL FOR SURVIVING WORST-CASE SCENARIOS. Topics include: The book's goal (0:33) Growing up with preparedness (1:11) How preparation saved his life while serving in Iraq (1:52) Defining ‘mindset’ (4:10) The resilience crisis(5:26) The importance of failure (7:50) Fight or flight or...playing possum? (9:34) Combating self-doubt in stressful situations (12:36) How to start contingency planning (14:07) Arrogance as a foil to planning (15:49) The dichotomy of situational awareness (18:34) Hands & demeanor as potential threat signals (20:13) Tom Flanagan and making good decisions (23:13) Making the choice to use deadly force (27:04) Everyday carry EDC & physical preparation (30:02) Mobility & physical preparation (31:31) The death of common sense (33:41) The versatility of Mylar blankets (35:50) Why people get their homestead wrong with preparation (37:12) Are MREs valuable as a backup food plan (40:06) The importance of community (41:58)

Legendary comedian Tony Woods chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his headlining shows at Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership July 7th-9th. Topics include: Falling asleep in the theater watching Star Wars in 1977 (0:27) Comedy clubs should be uncomfortable (4:39) Posting old ravel photos (6:22) Different ways of touring through Europe (7:33) The evolution of Tony’s jokes (13:11) Fighting a kid with a ‘turkey leg’ arm (14:55) Being ‘off the grid’ (19:40) Seeing a merman in Africa (25:09) Getting maimed by pygmy goats (29:01) National Lampoon’s Comedy Playoffs with Leslie Nielsen  (34:50) Stealing candy from- and doing comedy with Dave Chappelle (37:17) Washington DC as a hotbed for comedians (40:30) Martin Lawrence (43:34)

Grammy-winning musician, actor, & community activist Tip "T.I." Harris chats with Trey Elling about his 18 months of trying to make it as a standup comedian. Austinites can catch Tip at Cap City Comedy Club on June 29th & 30th. Topics include: What made him want to try standup comedy (0:36) Something that has surprised him about performing standup (3:21) The topics that make up his bits (5:37) Getting booed at the Barclays Center two months in (7:17) Good advice from established comedians (8:03) The HaHa Mafia (9:28) Other rappers with standup potential (10:07) Something that has surprised him about performing standup (12:14) The importance of doing open mics (13:26) A failure in his career and the lesson learned (14:36) Helping a suicidal Scott Stapp (17:30) Tip’s favorite Creed song (18:24) If Kill the King will still be T.I.’s final album (18:36)

Standup comedian Rich Vos chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his headlining shows at Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership. Topics include: Moving houses (0:40) Remain comedically relevant over decades (4:11) Bert Kreischer's Fully Loaded Comedy Festival (8:40) Woodstock '99 (10:28) Fathering daughters (16:52) A love for standup comedy (21:43) Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership (24:27) Shooting a new special (29:35) What Rich would tell his younger self (31:37)

Actor Ethan Suplee chats with Trey Elling about his new film, GOD IS A BULLET, which premieres in theaters on June 23rd. Topics include: Too many European weddings this summer (1:34) How he ended up in God Is A Bullet (2:41) Playing a violent, psychopathic character (4:43) Getting extremely tatted up for the role (7:14) Sharing scenes with Jonathan Tucker (8:42) Whether he read the book that spawned this film (9:44) The ideal European vacation (11:56)

Award-winning, University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociologist Kelsy Burke, Ph.D., chats with Trey Elling about THE PORNOGRAPHY WARS: THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF AMERICA'S OBSCENE OBSESSION. Topics include: How she ended up writing this book (0:50) A definition of ‘pornography’ (2:02) The subjectivity of ‘offensive’ (3:33) The genesis of the US porn wars around Civil War times (4:17) George Francis Train as one of the first porn defenders (6:24) J. Edgar Hoover’s “Obscene File” (8:22) Both sides of the porn wars feeling empowerment in 1957 (10:00) Common ground on porn for hardcore feminists & Christian women in ‘60s & ‘70s  (12:37) Nixon’s war on porn backfiring (14:03) What sparked a golden era for porn in the 1970s (17:14) Rev. Jerry Falwell’s impact on the porn wars (18:39) The VHS saving porn (21:33) The relationship between the internet and porn (22:45) An explanation of sex trafficking (24:50) How often sex trafficking is a part of porn (26:27) Similarities between diametrically opposed sex trade expos (28:43) The complications of a California bill to require male porn actors to wear condoms for intercourse (31:28) A horrifying example regarding the complications of consent (33:31) Where women go to work when they try to leave the sex industry (36:28) Feminist porn (38:04) How watching porn is potentially harmful (41:08) Is porn addictive? (42:49) Youth sex education & porn (46:06) Is ‘porn’ sex 'real’ sex (50:47)

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton and director Steve James chat with Trey Elling at the red carpet premiere of THE LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD. This four-episode documentary is the newest addition to ESPN's 30 for 30 franchise and takes a look at Walton's whimsical life on and away from the court. Steve James (0:45) Bill Walton (3:51)

Comedian Tom Papa chats with Trey Elling about WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER...SO MAKE SOME ROOM. Topics include: Performing at the Comedy Mothership (0:37) Whether Tom enjoys writing books (4:38) The idea of being ‘normal’ (6:32) Parenting (9:41) The unwritten rules of #2ing yourself (10:47) Regret (13:37) Dying of jazz and laughter (17:55) Feelings (20:56) The disappearance of basic manners (27:24) Airplane pet peeves (30:04) Coaching the Special Olympics, hypothetically (31:19) True love usually takes time (33:10) What Tom hope’s they’ll say when he’s gone (36:35)

Brothers Joey, Matthew, and Andy Lawrence chat with Trey Elling, ahead of their appearance at the ATX TV Festival, to discuss their Brotherly Love podcast and more. Topics include: Coming to Austin (0:50) Being close as kids, despite a sizable age gap (2:12) How they survived childhood fame (6:07) Their Brotherly Love podcast (9:06) Combatting the hyper-politicized nature of modern times (12:11) Having open-minded conversations (17:00) The brothers' Philly sports fandom (20:30)