This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #474 “Matthew McConaughey — The Power of ‘No, Thank You,’ Key Life Lessons, 30+ Years of Diary Notes, and The Art of Catching Greenlights” and #327 “Aisha Tyler — How to Use Pain, Comedy, and Practice for Creativity.”
Bios of guests may be found at tim.blog/combo.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.
This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and LMNT electrolyte supplement.
Transcript for the full Matthew McConaughey episode | Transcript for the full Aisha Tyler episode | Transcripts for all episodes
#757: Matthew McConaughey and Aisha Tyler
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SHOW NOTES
- [04:58] Notes about this supercombo format.
- [05:51] Enter Matthew McConaughey.
- [06:19] The words forbidden in Matthew’s house growing up.
- [08:58] The book that changed the course of Matthew’s life.
- [17:27] Matthew’s 10 goals in life (circa 1992).
- [22:20] Why take more risks?
- [26:04] The evolving purpose of keeping a diary.
- [29:48] The art of running downhill.
- [33:56] Learning to say “No” to rom-com typecasting.
- [47:50] Enter Aisha Tyler.
- [48:19] Aisha’s role in The Tim Ferriss Show‘s existence.
- [49:43] Aisha’s trademark podcast question.
- [51:06] Aisha’s unorthodox childhood and family relationships.
- [52:06] How did Aisha answer the questions “Whose day is it?” and “What are you going to do?” every morning?
- [55:34] From where does Aisha get her general sense of optimism?
- [57:25] Following father’s advice and views on regret.
- [59:22] Free-range parenting vs. modern overprotection.
- [1:03:33] Having a bad day? You’re not special!
- [1:05:27] Young Aisha’s career aspirations.
- [1:06:52] Why was Aisha miserable at what she thought was her dream job?
- [1:08:51] Why did Aisha pick standup comedy to break into show business?
- [1:10:08] What it was like to keep a day job and do standup comedy as a hobby.
- [1:11:50] Commuting for comedy in San Francisco.
- [1:14:03] What made the comedy club bubble of the ’80s burst?
- [1:18:11] How did Aisha practice to get better at standup?
- [1:19:01] A memorable set Aisha bombed and the gift it gave her.
- [1:22:22] Dealing with hecklers Bill Burr and Kenny Moore style.
- [1:28:20] Aisha shares some of her own heckler stories.
- [1:32:31] Aisha’s academic approach to the math of comedy.
- [1:34:43] What’s the Rule of Threes?
- [1:35:36] Gauging comic evolution.
- [1:36:46] Comedians compared to other artists.
- [1:38:04] Changing success metrics and creative traps.
- [1:40:41] How fear-based people-pleasing affects creativity.
- [1:43:52] If one likes big butts, one cannot lie — even if it might tick someone off.
- [1:46:03] Sometimes constructive feedback does make me change my mind.
- [1:46:33] Pursuing authentic, meaningful work.
- [1:48:32] Comedy’s core beyond humor.
- [1:49:04] Expecting failures in creative beginnings.
- [1:49:52] Why it doesn’t pay to emulate a master of a craft in their own field.
- [1:51:51] Aisha’s transition to filmmaking.
- [1:54:47] Aisha believes in personal aggression.
- [1:55:28] How Aisha piggybacked resources for her first music video.
- [1:56:30] Learning filmmaking through short projects.
- [1:58:03] What lessons did Aisha learn from these projects?
- [1:59:06] How visiting the sets of Penny Dreadful and Vikings in Ireland led to making AXIS.
- [2:00:52] Financing the Ireland trip.
- [2:02:35] The email Aisha sent to visit the set of Vikings.
- [2:03:18] The impact of fan appreciation.
- [2:04:50] Budweiser’s “Whassup” campaign origin.
- [2:05:38] Why Aisha made AXIS.
- [2:07:06] Resources for aspiring screenwriters and tech investors.
- [2:08:06] What is AXIS, and did anyone try to talk Aisha out of making it?
- [2:09:53] AXIS production experience and methods.
- [2:12:00] The magic, intensity, and clarity of operating on an aggressive deadline.
- [2:15:00] Aisha’s current fears and goals.
- [2:16:33] One of Aisha’s current struggles.
- [2:17:24] “If art imitates life, in order to create art, you have to have a life.”
- [2:18:33] As a workaholic, how does Aisha manage to live a life that influences her art?
- [2:20:58] How would Aisha’s life be different if she didn’t have exercise as an element?
- [2:22:47] What equipment does Aisha use to work out?
- [2:23:36] What does a prototypical workout look like for Aisha?
- [2:23:53] How does Aisha take her glutathione, and what does it help with?
- [2:26:40] Morning routine and exercise timing.
- [2:27:40] Aisha works out at home to save transit time. What does she watch when she rows?
- [2:29:39] Does Aisha make New Year’s resolutions?
- [2:32:17] Aisha likens her first (unwatchable and destroyed) short film to the standup set she bombed.
- [2:34:58] When has Aisha been extremely proud of herself?
- [2:37:46] How confidence transfers across projects.
- [2:39:46] To grow from failure, you have to be aggressive.
- [2:40:24] Parting thoughts.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Matthew McConaughey:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Connect with Aisha Tyler:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Vimeo
- Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation by Aisha Tyler | Amazon
- Organic Cocktails by Aisha Tyler + James Kim | Losophē
- AXIS | Prime Video
- Criminal Minds | Prime Video
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? | CW
- Archer | Prime Video
- The Talk | CBS
- Friends | Prime Video
- The Best Film, Food, and Drink since 1997 | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
- Halo Reach | Amazon
- Gears of War 3 | Amazon
- Watch Dogs | Amazon
- Tim Ferriss: Professional Masochist | Girl On Guy
- Hanna | Prime Video
- Inflatable Sumo Costume | Amazon
- J. Eugene McAteer School of the Arts | California School Directory
- Be Extraordinary | Dartmouth College
- Glee | Prime Video
- Ha!: TV Comedy Network | Wikipedia
- Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip | Prime Video
- Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SFUSD)
- Aisha Tyler at Tempe Improv: Couples / F**k Valentine’s Day | YouTube
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon
- Fubar’s Comedy Club (Closed) | Yelp
- The Neighborhood Comedy Club for the Entire Bay Area | Rooster T. Feathers
- BrainWash, 28-Year-Old Laundromat, Cafe, and Comedy Hub, Has Closed | Eater SF
- Bill Burr — The Comedian’s Comedian | The Tim Ferriss Show #265
- Voyage to the Blue Planet | Weezer
- Get Updates on New Shows, New Music, and More | Nickelback
- Bill Burr: The Philadelphia Incident | YouTube
- Kenny Moore Smacks A Heckler In The Head With His Guitar | YouTube
- Welcome! | Punch Line SF
- Rudy | Prime Video
- Out of Sight | Prime Video
- The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling | Prime Video
- The Stepford Wives (1975) | Amazon
- I Have a Disease Called Nalgofilia | Tim Ferriss, Instagram
- 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly | The Technium
- Def Comedy Jam | Prime Video
- Die Hard | Prime Video
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior | Prime Video
- The Terminator | Prime Video
- Talk Soup: Hal Sparks, John Henson, Aisha Tyler on The Soup Legacy | Entertainment Weekly
- The Wire | Prime Video
- No Ass At All by Aisha Tyler | RLJE Films
- New Album Out Now | Silversun Pickups
- Be In the Know | Clutch
- Star Wars: A New Hope | Prime Video
- Penny Dreadful | Prime Video
- Vikings | Prime Video
- Things to Do, Places to See, and Events | Galway Tourism
- True: The Origin of “Whassup” | YouTube
- Where Filmmakers and Writers Meet | The Black List
- Avenging Angel | Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
- AXIS by Aisha Tyler | Kickstarter
- Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
- What About Bob? | Prime Video
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman | Amazon
- Turning Slackers Into Workaholics | Wired
- Rowing Machine Model D | Concept2
- Suspension Weight Training | TRX
- The Pistol | CrossFit
- Lypo-Spheric Glutathione | Amazon
- Gut Health for the Good Life | Better Booch Organic Kombucha
- Lifeaid Vitality Blend | Amazon
- The Walking Dead | Prime Video
- Fear the Walking Dead | Prime Video
- The Magicians | Prime Video
- The X-Files | Prime Video
- The Handmaid’s Tale | Prime Video
- Deutschland83 | Prime Video
- Jaws | Prime Video
- The Leading B2B Ecommerce Platform for Global Trade | Alibaba
- Jodorowsky’s Dune | Prime Video
- Complete Dune Series by Frank Herbert | Amazon
- Aliens | Prime Video
PEOPLE MENTIONED
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The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it’s been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.