Episode 047 Bryan Callen

Summary

• Tim Ferriss deconstructs languages by memorizing phrases and picking out patterns
• Bryan Callen is an actor and comedian who has acted in many popular shows and performs standup comedy for sold out audiences
• Tim and Bryan first met when Bryan heard a Ted Talk about Tim and was inspired by his concepts
• They discuss the craft of comedy, how to boost creativity, ideas for improving education, and book recommendations
• Bryan is known as the best body in comedy and they discuss his performance in the movie Warrior
• Standup comedy is the great equalizer and people from all cultures can appreciate the same jokes
• Bryan Callen was offered a tour in India and was surprised to find out that people there knew who he was.
• He was asked if he was on the show How I Met Your Mother and he confirmed that he was.
• He believes that comedy is one of the last places where people can talk about touchy subjects without having their career destroyed.
• He believes that the best way to write standup is to start by asking yourself personal questions.
• He believes that the stage is the last bastion of free speech and that it is a place to be honest.
• He believes that the more you do standup, the more the person you are on stage and off stage will mesh.
• He believes that authenticity is the best longterm approach for any company or performer.
• He believes that dialogue is needed to beat bad ideas with good ideas.
• QuestBridge is a nonprofit organization that helps lowincome, highperforming students get into top universities by solving the recruiting problem.
• They do this by offering students the chance to get a free iPad in exchange for filling out an application form that is also an application to 35 of the top universities in the country.
• This means that with a relatively small amount of money, 50 kids can potentially get a full ride to the best schools in the country.
• Mark Deresiewicz wrote a book called Excellent Sheep which looks at the issues with higher education at elite institutions.
• He found that there is a feeder system of about 100 high schools in the US that provide students to these universities, making organizations like QuestBridge desperately needed to create an equality of opportunity.
• Bryan Callen's creative process for standup comedy involves walking his dog or hiking in the Santa Monica mountains and looking at his own life for inspiration.
• He also boxes for four days a week, which he finds ridiculous, and looks at his father's giant stature and his mother's Sicilian side for inspiration.
• Bryan Callen discusses the importance of introspection and selfreflection in order to understand who you are and how you behave.
• He believes that writing comedy is a mindset and that it is important to take away any sacred space around work time.
• He believes that writing comedy is similar to writing music, with rhythm, tempo, and emphasis being important.
• He does not schedule time for writing, but instead takes advantage of moments in his day to write.
• He admires George Carlin and Richard Prior for their ability to make people think and feel uncomfortable.
• Bryan Callen is a comedian who has performed with many other comedians, including Sebastian Maniscalco, Dov Davidoff, Bret Ernst, Tom Segura, and Joe Rogan.
• He remembers the first bit he wrote that got an exceptional response from an audience. It was about penguins and what they must have done in their past life to be reborn as such a "shitty bird".
• He believes that sincerity is important in comedy and advises young people to write only what they think is funny and to perform as much as they can.
• He also developed a curiosity for reading and exploring new ideas due to his exposure to different cultures and his parents' influence.
• His teacher taught him the importance of concentration and how to apply it to his studies.
• Bryan Callen began his journey of learning in a passive way by applying the mental model he used for Tai Kwon Do to his academics.
• He was a nomad, moving to different continents, and used comedy to make friends.
• His first paid comedy gig was in London in a tent, and it was a horrifying experience.
• His first successful gig was at the Westside Theater in New York City, where he realized he could make money doing standup comedy.
• He has to keep inventing new material, as people don't want to hear rehashed old material.
• The books that had the biggest impact on his life were You by Austin Kleon and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
• Bryan Callen went through phases of reading bold and stark books such as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals, and Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth and The Hero of a Thousand Faces.
• Campbell opened his eyes to the compassionate side of life and made him glad to be alive.
• He also enjoyed Josh Waitzkin's The Art of Learning, Tim Ferriss' The FourHour Body and The FourHour Work Week, Somerset Maugham, Plato's Dialogues, and Seneca.
• His drink of choice at a bar is a cold Pilsner, preferably Peroni or Moretti, and he enjoys red wine with age on it, primarily French wines.
• His favorite documentary is Fed Up, which exposes the food industry's targeting of children with unhealthy foods.
• When asked who he would like to punch, he said anyone responsible for getting Congress to say French fries and pizza count as a vegetable in school lunch programs.
• Bryan Callen discussed the Iraq War and the architects of it, expressing his desire to punch them in the face.
• He believes in the free market and is a libertarian.
• He recommends The Art of Learning, The FourHour Body, and The FourHour Work Week as books to give as gifts.
• He believes the root of the problem of apathy in the US is due to the insidious nature of the issues and lack of relevance to people's lives.
• He is a dog person and has owned pit bulls in the past.
• Bryan Callen is not a big hunter, but is going hunting with Joe Rogan and Steve Rinella in Alaska from October 1st to the 8th.
• Bryan's morning and evening rituals include drinking green tea and doing yoga.
• When Bryan thinks of the word successful, he thinks of people who are original and innovative, such as Steve Jobs.
• Bryan believes balance is important and that putting other people and things first gives him balance.
• Bryan has known David Blaine since he was 17 and has been recommended Primo Levi's book, If This is a Man, and The Truce, by him.
• Bryan Callen advised his younger self to focus and work harder, and to buy property in Venice.
• He suggested that college graduates should not search for status and do things for an audience, but instead should listen to themselves and follow their bliss.
• He encouraged them to make the world a better place, to do things that are considered impossible, and to be dreamers.
• People can find out more about Bryan Callen on his website, Twitter, and Instagram, and he will be performing in Atlanta in October.