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On VulturesGood Onepodcast, Lebowitz talks aboutPretend Its a City,comedy, and aliens.
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Has anyone shown you since?
Do you care to see it?I dont like it.
I didnt know it was going to be on.
If Id known it was going to be on, I wouldnt have watched it.
I never watch myself on TV.
I cant stand watching myself, and I never could.
Even when I was young and looked different, I still couldnt.
I dont like cartoons of myself or caricatures of me.
I dont care what they tell you; no one likes it.
You know, people say, Oh, I love it.
It was so flattering.
It was so funny.
I dont like it.
Theres nothing you’re able to do about it.
This is what people do.
And some people I know say they like it, but I believe theyre lying.
Like how in stand-up, the comedian might walk around the stage.
And I thought,What is wrong with you?Apparently, its just something Ive always done.
No one ever said to me, You realize that you talk with your hands?
I believe that I do it more in public because you cant smoke anywhere.
Thats just a guess on my part.
But youre never going to see me on TV or anywhere smoking, because youre not allowed to.
He just does it.
You cant do it.
You cant do it in New York.
You cant do it if youre in a play.
And this is incredibly stupid.
In a play in New York, if a character smokes a cigarette, it cant be a cigarette.
Keith Richards once told me, Oh, you could smoke.
I was going to do the Jimmy Fallon show.
And then youre in Rockefeller Center.
This happened to be around Christmastime, and its a nightmare.
You could smoke there.
I said, No, you cant.
He said, you might smoke right in there.
I said, Well, whos going to tell you to put it out, Keith?
What do you think of Dave Chappelle?I think hes just fantastic.
I love him as a comedian.
Hes really funny, and hes really talented.
And, you know, sometimes someone will say, Did you know Dave Chappelle said this?
Do you agree with this?
I dont have to agree with a comedian.
He says things I dont agree with thats absolutely true.
Ive never met anyone I dont disagree with.
Theres no such thing as a person that I dont disagree with.
I think hes a wonderful comedian.
I think he is one of the best comedians there is.
Have you paid attention to how the status of comedians has changed over the last few decades?
What do you make of it?Its definitely changing.
That is exactly true.
Certainly, everyone has noticed it.
Now, the truth is that most comedians are not artists; theyre entertainers.
There is a difference.
I know youre not allowed to say this.
The truth is that most comedians are entertainers.
This, to me, shows a complete misunderstanding of an audience.
They do not love you.
If you think thats love, you have bigger problems than whether or not youre a successful comedian.
The whole idea of what a comedian is has changed.
That would be so unlikely, since almost no one has this wisdom to impart.
It shouldnt certainly be a requirement for comedians.
Because truthfully, no matter what people think, humor is making fun of things.
You know, were going to have fun criticizing something.
So it must be very difficult, very fraught for comedians.
But isnt making it more difficult better for comedy?
You like to say there are too many people who call themselves writers.
Arguably, there are too many comedians, because we dont place any expectations on them.
But you cant demand that theyre better people is my point.
Its not going to turn out that this stand-up comic is the Dalai Lama.
Theres going to be a lot of things wrong with this person.
Do you care about legacy?Not at all.
I do not at all.
I do not care what happens after I die in any way, in other words.
Why do people care about this?
I dont care about this.
Its like caring about what youre going to have for dinner the day after youre dead.
Do you believe in aliens?Aliens?
Why do peoplebelieve in this stuff?
Isnt life on Earth bad enough?
Are things not bad enough for you?
Do you have to imagine some other problem coming from outer space?
Is that what you mean by aliens?
You meant beings from outer space or whatever?
No, I do not.
I do not believe in anything you have to believe in.
