It's Jury Duty’s David Brown! The LA-Based comedian and actor chops it up about his experiences making such an innovative show, his journey to Hollywood, and his experiences organizing with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Follow David!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidschedule/
Twitter: https://x.com/davidschedule
Thanks for listening and supporting left media. If you’re interested in conversations about the intersections of creativity and social change hosted by a socialist organizer, please follow along for this 8 episode “Season One”. I am also so grateful for comments or shares that help us reach more people!
Here’s some links to your favorite websites. I’d love to hear from you.
- Jordan
And Roses Website
Youtube
Instagram
Twitter
It's Jury Duty’s David Brown! The LA-Based comedian and actor chops it up about his experiences making such an innovative show, his journey to Hollywood, and his experiences organizing with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Follow David!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidschedule/
Twitter: https://x.com/davidschedule
Thanks for listening and supporting left media. If you’re interested in conversations about the intersections of creativity and social change hosted by a socialist organizer, please follow along for this 8 episode “Season One”. I am also so grateful for comments or shares that help us reach more people!
Here’s some links to your favorite websites. I’d love to hear from you.
- Jordan
And Roses Website
Youtube
Instagram
Twitter
Hello, everybody, and welcome to AndRoses, a show about the intersections of creativity and social change. I'm Jordan, and today I'm thrilled to be joined by David Brown, an LA based comedian and actor. He's a member of the Shrimp Boys comedy group, hosts a few ongoing comedy shows, including Haters Club and the Hilarious Test. You might recognize David from his breakout role as Todd, the transhumanist in the show Jury Duty. David is also like me, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, where we spent a lot of time working together a few years ago. So today we're going to be talking about David's journey to finding a foothold in the industry. The difficulty of being involved in activism while also having a career and hobbies and a whole lot more. David, how are you doing today?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Jordan. Hello. I'm good. How are you?
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:I'm wonderful. Thank you. Actually, before we get into this, if you would permit me a minute I just wanted to say thank you to everybody who is like watching and listening and who has been for the last few weeks, this show has been like, I don't know, it's an experiment to try to kind of like weave some threads between the world of like entertainment, creativity and also the world of like, you know, political organizing, trying to bring about social change. It's been really fun. And I have a few more episodes planned that I think y'all are going to really like, and then I'm going to take a break. I would like to keep this show going. It is a lot of work and I still have a full time job. So that's been interesting to try to navigate that. Maybe one day I'll have a Patreon, bring even more bonus content and somehow make a living off of this. That day is not today. What I will say is that if you've been enjoying this, if you would like to see more, hear more please, you know, subscribe, follow, like, and tell people about it. Share about the show on social media. Thank you Okay, that's the end of the plug. David, do you cosign?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I'll have to, I'll have to really think about it. But I've just done so. And I've come to the decision that yes, I, I co signed the statement. I'm so glad you're doing this podcast. I think it's great. It's lovely to have an excuse to look at your face, Jordan. And to have seen like, some of my favorite faces of, of people from our shared past gracing the screen yeah, I think it's a great idea and I'm glad you're doing it.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Thank you. Thank you. Well, so David actually has gotten to see my face more than anybody else. This is, this is the second time that we're recording together. David is, is truly the greatest. Was one of the first people I talked to about this show, kind of shared the, the vision. He was excited about it. And I was like, are you down to like record? And he was like, yes. And then I was like, are you down to If I feel like we could do it better, then re record. And he said yes. And yeah, we recorded it. It was pretty good. But I you know, felt like there's room for improvement. Some more stuff that we didn't quite get into. And on this episode, that you're listening to right now, or watching on YouTube, we're gonna, we're gonna get into the stuff.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:No
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:where we should
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:it's going to be perfect.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:David you were when I was telling my sister about the show and people who I thought I might be able to get on the, the, the name that sparked Joy in her eyes was when I told her that David, who is Todd from jury duty. Was maybe gonna be on the show. I love the show. Many people love the show. Tell, tell us a little bit about jury duty.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, sure. So yeah if you haven't seen it jury duty is a TV show that is actually weirdly complicated to explain. The simplest way to say it is basically that we did the Truman show to someone, but in real life in the setting of a fake trial where this guy Ronald took part in what he thought was a documentary about a real. Sort of banal trial like a, you know, like a lawsuit that was just going to be like a documentary on PBS or something like that. But that unbeknownst to him everybody involved in the show was an actor except for him. And so then we subjected him to. Our various japes as we acted weird around him. And he was very nice to us. And then we told him about it at the end. And
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, and
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:He, how he takes it.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, no spoilers. Honestly, if you haven't watched it, you should go watch it if you had so glad you're here david a pretty cool opportunity for you when it came up It was kind of like one of the biggest things that you'd been able to do. How did that like opportunity come about? Yeah
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, definitely. It was like by far the biggest thing I had done in the past, I've been mostly like a live sketch and improv comedian kind of in like the alt world, I started doing stuff in Chicago before moving to LA and then yeah, I have been, have been like auditioning for TV stuff over the years. You know, feeling like it was, it was getting some traction here or there, but ultimately never like booking anything. And then jury duty was the first TV show that I like booked a part on. And it was just like another audition that came into my inbox. They're mostly all like things you tape at home, like a self tape audition. Jury duty was different because instead of reading lines, I got to do like improv based off of prompts that they sent. And then yeah, it all went from there and it was immediately from the jump of, of getting to audition and getting to improvise even those like, like rough first, like minute long, you know, iterations of like what the show would eventually become. It was so much fun. So yeah, really, really glad to have had the chance to do it.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:For, for, for you, you know, this being kind of like a big break type moment, I think you were, you were working, you had a job before then, and this was, you know, not something that you would be able to like, just do part time. How was that for you, like, personally? Because you, I mean, you were like working mega overtime to actually pull this off for a few weeks, right?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was like I said, first time that I've ever like gotten gotten a job on like a, a TV show. I'd done like some small parts in like Indies, like movies in Chicago, but it would be like, you know, one day show up for a little chunk of time, say a few things and go home. So this one was the first time that I got in like a, a job where it would be full time and yeah, on jury duty specifically because of the nature of the show. Basically, it never stopped. Like, you know, we would wake up in the morning and I lived next to this guy that I had to pretend that I was someone else too, all day long. And then we spent all day together and then like went to sleep in adjoining rooms yet again. So, yeah, it was very,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:And how, how long did it last?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:full time. It lasted I want to say like a week and a half, two weeks, maybe, of doing that, I think.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, did
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I should know, but yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:oh, I feel like it must have just been a blur. Did it did it take a mental toll on you, having to be just so in did you did you lose yourself in the character of Todd?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, we're I'm still, I'm still there. No, I think it the, the hard thing about doing like film stuff a lot of the time is the kind of like start and stop nature of it. That you like, you know, you, you do a take, they yell cut and then they make an adjustment or get a different angle and then you go again. And it's kind of hard to like, yeah. Keep keep a thing going especially when you're used to doing like more kind of like loose improv comedy so the really nice thing about this show was that It it just never stopped. It's like you could really get into a groove. And that feeling was yeah, like Uh the best that i've ever had doing like any sort of performance thing. It just like You could plant like the seed of an idea and then return to it, like days later, give it a little bit of water and then like, you know, see it grow into this thing where it's like, Oh, you could really feel like, I don't know. I felt very, like, proud of a lot of these, like, little moments that were, like, sort of organically, like, woven into the show. It was a lot of fun.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, well, and, and since, since filming or I remember when it first came out, there was, you know, a lot of press and a lot of people were, it's a lot of, you know, controversy. I don't know how much it was like controversy. There was a lot of discourse about, you know, the sort of the ethics of like doing this to a guy. And I think a lot of attempts were made to just kind of get ahead of that and, and even put him out there. Cause he was ultimately a good sport. And, you know, he talked about like, Oh yeah, James has been so James Marsden who is. Who is a member of the cast. James has been so great. He's been, you know, keeping in touch with me. I'm curious, have you like been in touch with Ronald, like since this ended?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:definitely. It's like, everyone in the cast is on pretty, like, casual, like, speaking terms, I would say. Ronald lives in L. A. now. I, like, see him sometimes. He came to my show that I did last night. And yeah, I'd say like everyone in the, in the cast is like pretty we all see each other with like, yeah, like a pretty good deal of regularity. I would say, yeah,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:That's great. Yeah, just gotta work on getting James Marsden to hook you guys up with more cash directly, I'm sure he can afford it, or,
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:sure. Or some of the, some of those sonic rings
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:hook you up, or maybe some of those Sonic rings, yeah, I know that's what, just before we started recording, you were saying that you really wished that you could have some more Sonic rings from the movie Sonic the Hedgehog
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:They look so nice. They're sort of floating in the air up there.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, James is too stingy though.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, so it's regrettable.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:I it's a weird thing, right, where you, you make a show and then it's like, by the time it comes out and anybody actually sees it, it's like, you know, months and months later, a year later, even, and here we are having this conversation, even like a year after that, and it's like, Not to be rude at all, but it's like, Hey, this is this really great thing that you did. And for you, it's like so long ago. Tell me a little bit, like how, how, how does that feel? Like how, how, how has your life like sort of changed since doing the show? Has it been in ways that you sort of expected or where have been, I don't know, some like disconnects between expectation and reality?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:that's it. It's an interesting question. It's been like I would say a roller coaster a bit as far as expectations and reactions to the show. I was thrilled to get the job in the first place, but then I think it was such a sort of absurd thing, like doing it. I think we all felt like it was a really fun thing to film while we were doing it. We all felt really like proud of, of the process and of having taken pretty good care of this guy, all things considered. But still it was like, what, what is this? How will anyone ever like, be like directed to this show in any way? That's like, so difficult to like, understand what it is. And then I think like from the end of filming, I think a lot of us were like, maybe it will just like, never see the light of day. And if it does, like. It will be a thing that like a few people see as sort of like a weird curiosity on this, like subset of the Amazon website that like, you know, we'll have to sort of like, look over someone's shoulder to like direct them to or whatever.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:V who like, who knew what freebie was?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:it didn't, it didn't exist at the time that we were filming the show. It was still IMDb TV at that time. And then,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Mm. Which doesn't necessarily like sound promising.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:yeah, already didn't sound promising. And then we're like heard the name freebie and we're like, yeah, probably no one is ever going to see this. And then when they like showed us the show before it came out, I think we were all like excited. Like, it, it seemed like kind of the best version of what we could have hoped for it being. Then it came out to kind of like mixed reviews, I would say, like in the like, press reviews for the show. And then I think when, when, when, when we had the premiere, I think those had come out and we were all sort of, there's, there's a muted kind of like nature to like, seeing the premiere all together. And then via like the show getting shared on social media, like TikTok in particular, it kind of like found an audience and then that I think in turn caused there to be this like critical reappraisal of it. Kind of like as it was coming out and then. It kind of like crested in popularity, I would say, like, right as the strikes started. So, it was a weird moment of, like, not saying anything about the show and, and also, like, a huge dearth of work in the time that we were all, like, on the picket lines. But but yeah, I'd say like, all things considered as it was with filming the show, I think the reaction to the show has also been like. About as good as anyone could have ever hoped for. And I'm like really grateful that people watch the show.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah. You mentioned TikTok was especially big, are there like Todd fan cams out there?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Hmm. Yeah, it seems like statistically there's maybe like one, probably. I don't, I, I couldn't tell you, but
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:You never had anybody send you like, You gotta, you gotta see this, look what they've done. And it's just you with like some like K pop song playing.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Not as of yet. If you wanted to get on that, I know you have some video editing skills, maybe, but no people like my cousins would send me like people like dressed as a Todd for Halloween. It was sort of like a surreal thing for me. Yeah, that was a weird one.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Cool. But yeah, the timing is so weird because it's, you know, It comes out, it is actually really well received. People are talking about it. And then, There's a strike and the maybe like opportunities that you'd been hoping that this could lead to, where are they? How, how, how did that go? How did you, how, how, how have you been processing things since then?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, it's been it's been strange once again, it's like, I think we all got very lucky to get this thing out and be able to kind of like do some degree of like promoting the show, like it's all here for you to watch. Kind of like right as the bell rang, you know, so to speak. And then I think that organically without like, a press or anything people were watching the show still which was very nice. But yeah, I think pivoting maybe to like talking about like a bigger thing in Hollywood. I think The drawdown of like work and production that has been like much commented on since then was already starting by the time that jury duty was, was coming out like the negotiations between the WGA and the and PTP were already Happening and we're sort of like, you know, there were sort of already leaks of people being like, it's not going so well, like as the show is coming out. Some people that had like been working like more than I had were like, it seems like there's going to be a strike again. So there's already this sort of like cloud hanging over it, along with this kind of like contraction already beginning that depending on the narrative that you choose to buy into, I definitely think that there was sort of a management lean into the skid of saying like, trying to shift some, some blame to like, To labor for an overextension and a poorly thought out business model. But yeah,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, well, and I we're kind of talking a little bit about history at this point, but that wasn't necessarily the truth What what was really going on from from from your point of view as somebody who's working in the industry knows a lot of people In the industry. Why did Why did it come to a strike last year? Why were things already deteriorating?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I think it is like, it's, it is kind of like multi prong and there's like interesting facets, especially around the like, AI aspects of the negotiations. But I think, uh, kind of like complication was, was leaned into as a way of sort of like obfuscating the core story, which was that, um, there was kind of like a there was cheap money available for a long time that Allowed companies to make a lot of money with like wall street investment on the expectation that they would run all sorts of different companies like Silicon Valley startups. I think like Netflix being like the key example in Hollywood. But that that would not be sustainable ultimately for like most platforms to keep like churning out all of this. Content or try to get people to turn on these subscription services all the time. And I think they just like reached the point of like overextension of trying to opt into that model. At what, what seemed like a, like a golden period for like workers and entertainment, but which has now like led to this contraction in a lot of production, like moving away from like, labor protected, like work.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, and there's David, you probably, or maybe you read this, but really fantastic article by Danny Besner in Harper's, their May issue that it was called the life and death of Hollywood I, maybe if I remember, we'll drop a link in the description for this because it's a really fantastic look at just sort of like the history of how, yeah, once upon a time, just like being a writer in Hollywood used to be like a I mean, not like a guaranteed route. There's still, still, you know, competitive, but a way for people to be able to, to make a comfortable middle class living. And that reality is just like, not with us anymore. And here really unpack some of the like, you know, economic like material reasons why that's unfolded in the way it has for you, David, though, personally, like, how have you. Kind of mentally coped with, you know, going through, yeah, a, a moment in, in history like this. You're still here. You're still, you're still working. You're still trying to, to get more work. Yeah. How, how do you deal with it? Yeah.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:it's, I, I got really lucky. I would say like, as it came to like. A show that I think has, like, led me to be able to get more work as an actor than like I said, I had never, like, worked before, really, you know, I'd like, comedy and acting had always been like even to call it like a side job is like a stretch, you know, is like basically making like no money doing it for, I don't know, like, close to a decade before, like, getting this job. And then that that jury duty has been like a springboard to other work. Puts me in like, like a tiny subset of, of actors, most of whom like don't get things like that ever, but for actors and definitely more so for writers being able to string together even just like smaller like parts and things like that to, to make it like a part time job as a baseline to be able to get like health insurance or other sort of like basic guarantees. For life has been like the key to Los Angeles, like existing as what it has been for like a century. So yeah, it is, it's weird to be living through a period where maybe that's like fundamentally changing. I'm not sure yet. But but also to be like on the, the lucky side of it so far where like, still been able to get like some. Work like I've never had like a particular dream to be like famous or anything, but just to be able to say like, acting is like my only thing that I have to do for work. I don't have to do anything else is like been my dream since I was like a kid and I But like, right now I'm like living that. And it's like, a dream come true, even as I'm seeing this like a contraction and a lot of my friends are hurting a lot. So yeah, so it's a weird moment.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Well, let's get a little bit biographical. Let's, let's see. Cause yeah, you've been. Dreaming about doing the sort of thing that you've begun to be able to do for a really long time. Where are you from david? Where did where did that dream come from?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah. So where did, where do we all go back to? I was I was born in Boise, Idaho, the the potato place. My, yeah, my no, no one else in my family really did like. Entertainment y stuff at all like my extended family. My mom's a teacher and my dad Worked at Hewlett Packard, the like printer company. He just retired
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:still work there? Oh, okay.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:no, he he retired. Yeah. Yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:They're on the bds boycott list
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:yeah. He I, I don't think that's why he retired, but maybe we could, we could craft that narrative
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Many other actors come out of Boise.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:many Aaron Paul I think Christina Hendricks, I want to say. And then David Lynch grew up for a while in mountain home, I think, which is like an air force base just outside of Boise. There's others, but those are the ones that always like pop into my head right away.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:yeah, there's some examples of, of people to, to inspire you in your journey.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Sure. But, but not really an entertainment capital. Yeah. Yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:No, not so much. So growing up there, you had this dream of, you know, kind of pursuing acting as a career. Are there any sort of like opportunities for you to begin flexing that muscle? Did you start in school plays,
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:in elementary school, I like, a guy named stitch marker that worked at my elementary school was like, I think he, I'm not sure what his job was, but I feel like maybe like, he helped with like, like special ed kids he, it was his like part time job. And in the summer he was like an actor at the Idaho Shakespeare festival that was in Boise. And he kind of like, helped my class put on like a Shakespeare play when I was in fifth grade. And that I played Nick bottom in a midsummer night's dream. And that was really like, I like got the bug, you know, it was like, this is like the thing that like makes so much sense to me. I'm having so much fun. It feels like, I'm like more like deeply myself than I am like in any other context. And yeah, it was like, I want to like figure out how to do this the rest of the time had the expectation that that wouldn't be possible. But sort of like kept kind of like hoping against hope that there would be a way for it to work. So. Yeah, kind of like so far so good. We'll see. We'll see if I have to go back to to voice you at some point But yeah,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:kind of owe it all to Stitch Marker. Great name.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:great name. He's a amazing guy He he told me that he used to work on a farm and he got struck by lightning twice Well, he was working on the farm.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Oh, wow. Most people have never even been struck once.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I know dude. Can you imagine being so lucky?
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:No, I can't. Never in my days. You never necessarily conceived that it could be possible. But I mean, you did eventually, right? You left, you left Boise. You went to school in Chicago. And was that kind of conceived as like a step in pursuing that dream? Or was it just kind of, I got to go to, I got to go to college.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:yeah, I think it was I, I had the idea of like, went to Northwestern in Chicago just sort of like applied like on a whim because two actors at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival had gone there. So I had a context for like these like actors that I just like knew personally had gone there and I was like, that seems cool. Didn't really like know anything more about it than that. And then going there sort of learned that it's sort of like a school that like a lot of like people do go to for like the film and theater program, not as like well known as like other famous ones like NYU or whatever. But Yeah, it was like thrilled to be there and be like yeah, like meet other people that were, I thought like really talented and great. And the school is right now in the middle of a lawsuit where it's alleged that they conspired with other private schools to suppress student aid. So we'll see, we'll see how that goes.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Okay, great. Do you stand to is it like a class action lawsuit? Is there maybe a
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:It is, there's, I got an email about it. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Fingers crossed. It was, it was at that school, because I think that's also where you met a few of the folks that you started working with and ended up kind of moving out to LA with the Health Trap Nightmare crew. Who, who, who's Health Trap Nightmare, and how did you come to start working with those guys?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, who is Helltrap Nightmare? Primarily, I would say it's Sarah Squirm, aka Sarah Sherman, who is now on Saturday Night Live, but yeah, who I met at Northwestern along with my friends, Scott Eggleston and Wyatt Fair, who were also in the group. Everyone else in the group is a year older than me, so they had all, like, graduated and moved into Chicago and started doing the show together. I did some stand up on it. I guess I should say first that the way that it came together was that Sarah texted a few people and said, what if there was something called hall trap nightmare, and that was the only context that we got. We didn't really know if that was just like like a, a place or a drawing or whatever it would be but yeah, it ended up yeah still could be any of these things, I guess, but in its first iteration, at least it was like a show I did stand up on it there Luke Taylor who had like, gone to school at Oberlin and then moved to Chicago. Like, got on board in that time and then I graduated and sort of like, rudderlessly and afraid for my life and the future sort of like, clung to these people until they like, let me do stuff with them. And then, yeah, it became like a show that we did in Chicago. It's like a variety show. Sarah would host it. We would do like sketch comedy on it. And then there'd be like usually like a noise or a metal musical act at the end.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Cool. What, what eventually brought you all out to LA?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:We, we, we would tour sometimes and we would do shows mostly like driving around in like a van in like the Midwest and the East coast, but we would sometimes like fly out to do shows in LA. I, I'm trying to remember how the connection actually happened, but like, some people like connected Sarah with absolutely the like Tim and Eric, like production company. And then they Worked with Sarah to make an infomercial, which like an adult swim infomercial which I don't even know if they still do those, or if adult swim is doing much of any sort of like live action stuff these days, but yeah that was very like exciting for all of us at the time that like we all did like bit parts in it and Sarah got to sort of do her signature screaming and pouring goo on things and flaying flesh off of bodies. And I think that that. Sort of signaled to her that there was maybe like a possibility that we could like move and try to like turn hell truck into like a TV show or something. So we all moved. And then instead of that happening, we moved at the end of 2019 and then COVID happened instead.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Great timing. A good time to be like, pulling up your life, your roots, and going somewhere brand new. How, how, how did that, how did that work out for you all? How, did you land with your feet under you at all despite the global pandemic? Or were you just in crisis mode?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Definitely landed. It would have been hard to land with like my feet less under me. I think I had very little money at the time that we moved. And it was sort of like worried about that. Felt depressed all the time being here and not knowing like what to do or where to go. It was really hot and my car was weird. And, and then it was like, I felt like things were sort of like just starting to like, get like together, like cobble together what felt like a workable kind of like work life balance, right. As everything was shutting down. So then I, like, yeah, I had this like temp job that I had been doing started, like, continued to do that. During the pandemic, I was working at a glass factory, but doing like data entry. I was still like going to that job during the pandemic with like a, they gave me like a piece of paper to keep in my car.'cause there was this like moment when they were afraid that the police were going to like, stop people and be like, are you an essential worker or not? So I had like a branded piece of paper in my car that said, I'm an essential worker. I have to go to the factory. So yeah, that was,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:That's so funny. I love that it's like a, it's a factory. You're just this poor little factory worker. Actually, that was real. I mean, obviously the essential workers like yourself kept, kept kept things running. So maybe I shouldn't laugh too much,
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I think definitely you know, pots and pans clanging for the essential workers. I think to have put myself in that category definitely was a bit of a stretch. I don't think that the data entry that I was doing for, like, different kinds of, like, glass banisters to be, like, on this website qualified as, like, work that was, like, essential to the economy. But the company disagreed, I guess.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, well, maybe just in the interest of time just to sort of jump, jump things back to the present era, because yeah, obviously, I mean, that's just like very difficult circumstances to live through, but you kind of just kept your head down. You've continued to, to work on building relationships and just showing up, being a part of the industry. And it's eventually, you know, led you to this place where you're feeling more comfort than you. certainly were then. I think, yeah, maybe there's a lot of people who are listening to this, who have some interest in whether it's comedy or like any other industry. Not that you're, you know, an expert by now, but are there any like lessons that even if they were just personal lessons for you, that you feel like you've learned along the way that have kind of helped pave the way for you to be able to get into the positions that you're in right now?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, I think it's like for a lot of like acting and, and comedy stuff, it's the key I think is just to like stick with it. It's like, you don't really like know what the path will look like that will like, Will land you somewhere. And just by sort of like sticking around is like the best way to get it to like work I felt like really discouraged, like right before booking jury duty, like Sarah had just And I was like, didn't like, know what sort of like the, I felt very like baseless as far as like what how to like find a like path forward. And it was like you know, coincidence that it like came at that moment to be able to you Do this. But yeah, if I like had hadn't submitted the audition, obviously like, wouldn't be it wouldn't have happened. So I think just sort of like being, being around is a big part of it. And while being around definitely, um, it was like palatable because I was like doing something really fun with my friends the whole time. Oftentimes driving a weird van around weird places in the Midwest and like sleeping in a weird smelling and looking places. But it was, it was so much fun to get to do those shows like making each other like laugh and, and having fun and figuring out new ways to make videos weird. So I think Some combo of like, love of the game and, and just sticking it out is the best advice I can give, I guess. Yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Are you, are you a, are you a nepo baby, David? Some, some people would say that, you know, it's like the opportunities are, it seems, it seems like, not just some people would say, it seems like the opportunities are like only there for like nepo babies.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:In that, in that my mom was a school teacher and I started doing plays in, in elementary school, I think there's like, there's that dimension of, of nepotism. I think that I, I already had this bias to buy into the public education system that then allowed me to do plays for the first time beyond that. It's not really Not really scoring to any of these Neppo points, but I'm hoping to if any sort of like long lost relatives of mine you know, own entertainment companies, let me know or whatever.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:And me, let me know too. I, I don't know, do you feel like you see that, that dynamic? The, the Nepo baby dynamic, like impacting, you know, your industry too much? Do you feel like there's jobs that you feel like you wish you could have gotten, but you know, they're, they're going to a Nepo baby?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:It's a tough, it's a, it's another tough one because it's like, I think it's definitely real that obviously like, in it's, it's most visible in entertainment probably because like fame as a commodity is such a big part of it. But I think it's true in everything. It's just like, people that have like existing inert connections and like grow up within something have like an easier time than getting entree into that thing as they're trying to get started. But I feel like. So like looking at the results, it's also like you kind of don't, I don't know, I don't mind like when the person is good, like, I never mind seeing like a scars guard and anything or whatever, you know, like some like other, they they have the same last name, but they're all quite good at what they do, I think. But yeah, I think I think to some extent, it's also like a bit of a trick in that. It's like, the whole thing is, you know, held out as this thing of like, you have to be so special to get this, like one opportunity that's being like dangled in front of you which I think is a dynamic that exists to make us like want to eat each other when actually you can just sort of like, make cool stuff with your friends and not have to like, worry about you know, whether someone is going to like put a smiley face or a frowny face next to your name. And I think like, if if the work is good, I think like, it's it's worth doing, you know, and hopefully the, the business doesn't weed out all the people that can see the good stuff and give it a chance to like thrive and get money, you know,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah. Is there anything else that like bums you out about the industry in its present moment? I mean, obviously it's just kind of like hard all around but all right, I guess maybe Speaking specifically to like comedy. Is there anything about the like, I don't know the scene that like gets under your skin or Habits or cultural things that you wish could change?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:bums me out about comedy. It's, in comedy and in like entertainment in general, it's such a strange moment where I think like, there's so much stuff being generated. There's so few barriers to entry as it comes to like making a finished product. It's like as easy as it's ever been to make something and to get it seen by like at least some other people that you can like just send like a link to I think it's, it's strange to be at this point that there, there is so much stuff out there but seemingly so little money available to make it into things that allow people to like eat on the basis of making that stuff. I don't really begrudge Anyone their particular thing that they're trying to do Hmm not even necessarily true. There's plenty of people who I begrudge the thing that they're trying to do. I think there's just like a lot of things that are made for like entertainment purposes that I think profit, like taking advantage of other people which I don't love cause it's just like a reproduction of other systems that like take advantage of people all, all day long
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:mean like like monetarily or just sort of like humor punching down type stuff
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:yeah, I think all sorts of things like the, the same, the same impulse. I think that like, will, will make you like, sort of like, prank someone in in like, a mall or something and sort of like, make fun of their reaction. Is it's the same, it's the same dynamic that also like, makes people like you know, who owned means of production like, then pay people like such a small portion of the value that they generate which may, you know, like maybe ironic for me to say is having been on like a, a prank show but I think you know, I don't know, I think I think there, there's a lot of, like, mean spirited stuff out there that feels edgy, but is really just, like, reproducing, kind of, like, existing bad power structures, and I don't love that.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, well, okay. Let's, let's talk about power structures and the things people, people are doing to try to, to upend them. Cause yeah, you and I met in, oh, is it like the very end of 2020? When, yeah, I was, I was involved with, with DSA. You were involved with DSA and the thing that you were doing at the time that kind of put you on my radar was you were helping to produce a lot of these like comedy fundraiser shows. Tell me a little bit about like that era, how, how those things came about. Had you been doing like IRL fundraiser shows before, you know, before COVID started, or did this kind of just like spur something for you guys? Mm
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I'm trying to remember the chronology of things. I mean, we started doing the Helltrap Nightmare shows In 2016, I think like kind of, the, the moment that the show started corresponded to like, for me, uh, definitely, I don't know, like if you, if you had to like put a timestamp on some sort of like political awakening I think that that definitely was like, as for a lot of people, it was like a wake up call to kind of like the, the facts as they stood in the world politically and like, drove a lot of people to think that there was like an imperative to try to change things
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Mm.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:An attendant realization that that didn't start in 2016, et cetera, et cetera. But so like when HellTrap started, I feel like we would oftentimes have people like Table for things at shows. I feel like DSA and maybe like DSA endorsed candidates in Chicago. Sometimes I feel like we would do some live fundraiser stuff too. I think maybe we did a fundraiser for. For Nithya, I think a live one, maybe before the lockdown started. So, but yeah, here and there we were doing those pre pandemic and then during the pandemic,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Sorry, if I, if I may, in, in 2016, so that was sort of a moment of like political awakening for you, but I think it certainly was for, for a lot of people. I feel like it was one of those moments that just like drove a lot of people to action and or drove a lot of people crazy in a lot of different ways. And I mean, obviously for, for many people and probably a lot of people listening to this, like that was a moment where it was like, okay, the status quo is not good enough. We need something new. You know, democratic socialism seems appealing. That's what Bernie was talking about. But there, there were also like a lot of, you know, younger people who were like really upset about Trump, but kind of only went as far as just the like, you know, resist Russia gate. Really just like, Becoming like MSNBC Hawks What what was it about it was 2016 or 2017? Like that was that when you like joined DSA and yeah for you like what was? Why? that direction
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I think that I think like the bullet points, I guess, would be that like growing up Idaho is a very like red state and I think I got a lot of joy out of being kind of like, contrary to that. I feel like I have a kind of like contrarian bent. And then it's sort of like you, you start with that vibe and then people offer you facts conveniently as that as they see that you're sort of like amenable to them. And So I think a lot of stuff about the post 9 11 world I kind of like grew up in like having opted into an environment that was very like critical of like American empire. And like, upending and suspension of rights that like we thought, like, wouldn't be taken away or whatever. And then I feel like the sort of like, coup de grace was the 2008 recession. And but I think at the time I put a lot of hope and faith that like a Democrat would like a Democratic president who sort of like promised a lot of like change would Bring that I was so excited for Obama to get elected. And then I kind of like, just didn't think about politics that much. I remember when the sort of like, revelation about the like drone warfare that, uh, the Obama administration had ordered like an airstrike on like a U S citizen being these like moments where I was like, Oh, I don't know, something seems off. And you know, But then I think it was, yeah, like 2016, so I, that just to say that, like, I had this sort of like buildup maybe of like, breadcrumbs already so that when there was this kind of come to Jesus moment in the form of Trump's election that Yeah, I just like, had fortunately like had this experience already to say it, it is just so obviously like a lot deeper than just like one or two elections. But hadn't really like wanted to like commit to anything and I think I joined DSA. After Charlottesville, I think that just felt like, it felt like such an extreme and like violent, literally like life or death, like articulation of like the what was at stake that that was like the moment when I was like, I should I should do something.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Isn't it, isn't it just like absolutely absurd that just thinking back to Charlottesville and just these like shocking images of these, you know, like literally like neo Nazi dudes marching with the tiki torches, chanting, Jews will not replace us. And that's like the movement that, that Trump brought into office with him. It is just shocking to like compare, you know, like what actually happened not that long ago in this country versus what is being portrayed as a threat in the form of people saying slogans like from the river to the sea as that being like the true, you know, terrifying thing.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I love this podcast. Know your enemy. And they just did an episode where they interviewed this guy David Austin Walsh about this book that he wrote about kind of like, more of kind of like the, like, conservative, like cultural kind of like movement operating kind of like just outside of the mainstream. And kind of, you know, I haven't read the book yet, but in the interview he talks about like, it's like really like Herculean task basically undertaken by people like William F. Buckley to like, to launder these views to like, to, to launder be like the, the, the work of like making conservatism like seem like a viable and reasonable option is, is never ending. And it's really just sort of like. It's constantly kind of like laundering and tailoring things. To, to make them appear like coherent and, and relying on kind of like, a short memory to do so. And that the actual, like consistent like, like philosophically internally consistent work of the right is very it just is like, evil exclusionary racist, anti semitic, but that it will, you know, it will like wander itself in whatever way it needs to to make it not seem like that and yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:I mean, it's a, yeah, that's like the entire, you know, last half a century or probably much longer, but of the Republican party is just trying to find sort of these like wedge issues to build themselves like a base. And if nothing else, like they're very good at. Playing to that lowest common denominator and finding these, like, you, I guess, using communications and using like propaganda to motivate people to then enact stuff like, you know, voter suppression and, you know, packing courts with their people which is terrible. I feel like the left could always continue to do a better job at cohering communications, being more effective with communication strategies. And actually, like, that era when, you know, I, first met you and you were doing these, you know, COVID era fundraisers was I mean, there's like, it was very chaotic in so many ways, but I had so much respect for the way that you all were actually bringing on like, you know, semi famous people into these spaces, leftist, socialist kind of fundraiser shows to, you know, just like, Perform to be funny, but then to also like talk about issues that's something that's kind of has I think in a lot of Dsa spaces has sort of like faded in the last few years. And i'd love to see more of that. But Yeah, how how How do you feel like it it went when you were doing that especially in those like pandemic days? Do you feel like you were sort of like successfully able to? I don't know raise the money spread the messages that you were hoping to just To spread.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, I feel, I feel happy about the, the work that we were doing then. I think certainly like. Kind of like, obviously understand the sort of like the issues with this sort of like, you know, we get, we get everyone together to save the, the swimming pool, like the, the public pool or whatever, kind of like mentality being like, well, yeah, obviously that's not going to be like a solution to every problem and and et cetera. But I do think that I feel happy about what we did also because I think that it. It mirrored a thing that I think is successful in like, other sort of, organizing work and that it's like like power mapping to figure out like where money and attention and effort And and getting like eyeballs on something can be effective at these like specific choke points not just sort of like nebulously like raise money or raise awareness for like, sort of like broadly defined, like a banner thing, but to like, try to get like a person elected to local council, try to say like, well, you know, Do this show where we're sort of like, kind of like highlighting the people that like, you know, did the most like phone calls for this, like phone banking effort or whatever. More kind of like, you know, like a mundane, like less highlighted like areas of, of work. That wind up being like more useful, particularly in LA, where there is this, like, we have so few, like, you know, elected officials representing so many people that to be able to like work on a few kind of like lower visibility campaigns, you can get like a lot more done, you know?
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, no, that's so true. I actually, I I think a little bit before, before this episode with you is coming out either like a week or two before I'll have this episode coming out with Lupe Blancas, who is a student organizer at Cal State Northridge. People will have heard that by now. And I, I. Really enjoyed the conversation that we had and you know We just kind of talked about her work and just the sort of like frustration of people being like, oh, you know Thank you for your work, you know saying that's like activists and organizers when it's really like no But we you know, we're just kind of talking about the challenges of like getting people to do things We talked about that a lot. But one of the things And this is this is on me I was sort of kicking myself a little bit after that interview because I felt like we didn't really Dig in that much into like what are the like tactics that are effective like it's it's Yeah, one thing to say like every you need to do something but it's like a whole nother level and this is where you know, the the wisdom and experience of like organizing comes in is just as you were talking about is like Well, so do something, but do what? Like, cause just doing something is not guaranteed to, to mean anything. There was like, I remember in 2020, there was this organization here in LA, or I say organization, I think it was, it was like a Twitter account here in LA that just posted a like Black Lives Matter bail fund. They just like started to go fund me black lives matter bail fund and they raised in like days or a couple weeks like Two and a half million dollars or something absurd like that. They were not attached to any organization any organizations that were like putting people up in in harm's way Like were already connected with people that had a bail fund So they were sitting on like these like two and a half million dollars You They found like good things to do with the money, but just this idea of like, Oh yeah, this issue is going on, find some way to give. It's like you, like find some way to give, find some way to give your time, but you need to find some way to do that effectively. One, one final thing I wanted to say kind of about the, these comedy shows. I mean, cause I think it's just a really fantastic example of like using creative skills and talents to sort of meet meet the moment. You know, there are lots of things that people need to do that are just like boring behind the scenes, like administration, organizing spreadsheets, setting up a event page for a meeting, setting up chairs or, you know, welcome tables at the meeting. People need to do all that sort of stuff, but there is still room. And I, for like. Using creative gifts and talents to, to actually like, productively support a movement. And, and then the final, final thing that I wanted to say is that like, when I first, you know, started working with you, I, you were probably making some appearances on the shows, but you were also like the person who was like, Producing those shows you were just like the one behind the camera in the studio Telling people when their time was coming up making sure that the titles looked right the graphics were good That the connection to youtube was set and yeah, I just have like so much respect for You know, you're somebody who obviously had these kind of creative ambitions, but being willing to put you know Let somebody else be on camera and do the work off camera. Yeah, I admired that a lot
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Oh, thanks. Well, you know, likewise to you, I feel like, yeah, we did a lot of that work together in DSA context to yeah, I think it's yeah it's, it's, this maybe also ties into just like, kind of like working in entertainment right now is like increasingly. There is, there is a pressure to be a lot more your own producer. Which comes, it stems from an unfortunate place, which is that there's just sort of like a cost cutting thing from, from a lot of like, companies and sort of like anything that anyone can get you to do yourself, put work in yourself. That they don't have to do, they will do, but the, like, downstream benefit from that can be that like, by necessity people trying to work in entertainment increasingly like, just have to know how to do every aspect of it, just sort of like, how I kind of like got to, you know, I didn't really like know anything about like video editing or, or camera work. Like when I started like working in, you know, like odd jobs in those fields and just like, tried to figure it out to do like dumb sketch comedy videos, like with friends. And then it turns out that it is a useful skill to apply to a lot of things as people are trying to. Support and organizing effort with like, during a pandemic, like with a, a web stream show or whatever. So, yeah, I think it's just like, yeah everyone has stuff that they can contribute, it turns out. And the more stuff, you know, becomes stuff that you can use to try to make the world more as you would like it to be
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah we've been, we've been going for a while. There was one final topic that I was kind of looking forward to having the chance to talk about, but let me know, honestly, if you need to go.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:nothing, but time.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Okay, cool. So I I've really been wanting to have this conversation since I've been. working on this show, I feel like you are the person that I'm talking to in this first season that I can get into this a little bit. Because I want to talk about like, yeah, intersections of creativity and social change. Lots of people doing cool creative stuff. Lots of people you know, have been involved in some kind of like movement or organizing spaces and even have other guests that are like DSA members. You were somebody who like, yeah, really used we're doing these. of supporting DSA in L. A. And then I kind of like heard about you doing this and I was like, this guy is somebody that I really need to, I, we need help. Cause we were switching to zoom and I sort of like pulled you more into the world of like DSA internal organizing for a good, like a year or so. And we did some like cool stuff. We, you know, you were like absolutely crucial in helping us. You know, we were just doing our like chapter meetings, but they're on zoom. The other thing is, is that despite, you know, some like good work, some genuinely good work and some cool projects that were being done during that time, like I remember there was the project, the, the stimulus solidarity where we're asking people to like donate their, you know, stimulus checks to be redistributed to like undocumented immigrants. I mean, that was, that was fantastic. But it also coincided with this era where a ton of people were getting involved with DSA. A lot of people are really passionate about the injustice of the world. And a lot of people had a lot of different ideas about like what we should be doing. And so we're not even meeting in person. Nobody's really like getting to know each other. We're just like going on these zoom meetings or we have like a Slack or a discussion board. And it slowly just like blossomed over this time. I mean, there's always been kind of conflicts. But it just felt like it was this period of like people at each other's throats constantly. And for me, a lot of the people who are kind of like players in this on like different sides or having different points of view were folks that I'd had the benefit of like, you know, getting to meet and get to know, you know, before, you know, We shifted to totally online in that year But you were just sort of like coming in hoping to help and and I fear kind of just seeing like a total mess I want i've been wanting to ask you for like years how how you like were processing that during that time and if that was something that kind of like was You know challenging for you to deal with and challenging sort of your your faith in this, you know Like democratic socialist movement that you've signed up for
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Huh. Yeah, maybe my faith was challenged, I guess. I think I think it's, it's so understandable though. And I think it was obviously very difficult to you know, intellectually, I don't think that anybody actually thought this, but there's just a thing that happens when you're like interacting with people online in any context and don't interact with them in real life, which is that they just don't seem as real. And I think that the, the, the tenor and the tone of that it just changes when you're interacting with people where the interactions don't seem as. Real and and coupled with this, like, urgency around, like, you know, this, like, very real, uh, like, like urge to, to make the world different, um, right now, which is an urge, I think that we all feel, I think it's like why we we're all doing the work. But I think then, that, that urgency coupled with like people, I think probably like getting involved in stuff for the first time, like being inundated with all sorts of like, information on Twitter, the internet, et cetera, et cetera, all day seeing sort of like a world ending, like images all the time, all contributed to an environment that made it very hard to do work together. I, I think I like about DSA is that it's like, explicitly multi tendency. So you can have people with you know, very like passionate disagreements, working together on things and trying to organize to get you know, their specific thing done the way that they want it to, because they believe it's the best way to go. And and yet like, you know, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, the group decides to like put resources towards one thing or another. And I think I I suppose like, the, the flicker of, of faith that I had that, that sort of survived in that was that we Like you and I both had jobs that were very like you know, kind of like boring, procedurally, you know, like, just trying to like, sort of make meetings function like, allow people to like talk via the, like, like sort of dusty Roberts rules of order or whatever. But then, like, in another context, the reward part of it is that you, like, get to go out, like, with someone that you don't know that well and knock on doors and canvas for a candidate or something, and then you can, like, hang out after. And because it was just These moments where it's like, say why you don't like what this person is talking about. And that's like, that's your human interaction for this like day. Maybe it's like, that's, that's pretty tough, you know?
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah It's all like I feel like yeah, it's sort of in hindsight it is like Okay, yo, we're still here. That organization, DSA, still there. It's I think actually just tonight as we're recording this, some pretty cool news. In Atlanta, DSA, they just got a member elected to like the state legislature for the first time ever. Defeating like a seven year incumbent that had been endorsed by like all of the powers that be. So it's like, yeah, things, you know, it's like we're It's like, okay, the org didn't completely fall apart, but like I will say like a lot of people who Got involved like several years ago are like kind of nowhere to be seen and I don't think that that's necessarily like the healthiest Thing and I don't think that that's just because like, you know, they weren't strong enough. They couldn't cut it I think that's something that you know always needs to there needs to be like a reckoning with but you know It's like you're you're here who's someone like yeah You actually got like really busy and started like booking this stuff after we were like working together and I think also maybe wanted to take a step back But yeah, how how did you sort of like process? Did you have a moment where you were like i'm just gonna I for now I just need to be totally done with this
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I think there was like I, I basically stopped doing that kind of like, admin work right as the organization was like going back to like hybrid in person meetings. So it's sort of like, I feel like I, I kind of missed out on getting to do a lot of stuff with people more. But Yeah, I I, I've, I've still like done stuff like DSA stuff or like, you know, a lot of like Starbucks organizing and stuff like gone to the line with some like, people still and some like phone call stuff, some like electoral stuff, but yeah, I think my story probably like mirrors a lot of people's in that. There was this period of time where I really had a lot of free time and like, not a lot else that I could do. And I felt really good to like devote that time to organizing and I just don't have that time anymore. But I think, I think the elastic for me, like did like snap a lot in the other direction and I'm hoping to find ways to do more work again in like a little way, I think I think it's just like that, that snap is like a thing that happens. You hear about it like happening and like organizing a lot. But I think it was probably like as acute as it could be for people that were like, suddenly it was like all, you know, politics, all DSA, like 24, 7 to then like, you know, Being like, Oh, that was weird. You know, I'm just don't have to do the like slack thing anymore. And now I'm I have my regular life back or whatever.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, I feel like that's just one of the great challenges of like, anybody who's trying to figure out how to like, how to make the world a better place. I feel like Yeah, there are so, so many of us who have just lost faith that, you know, like, the, the wonks and the power brokers are gonna just work things out amongst themselves to our benefit. And, like, the only way that things are actually ever going to change for the better is through some kind of, like, Mass movement. I mean certainly it's like to, to change things for the better will require at least like the consent of hundreds of millions of Americans. You know some like tiny little fraction of people is not gonna just like force their will on everybody else, unless those people are the people that are oligarchs and billionaires the ruling class. But yeah, a small group of the working class certainly isn't going to do it. So it's like we need to get a ton of people involved, but yeah, how do we actually do that? How do we create like movement spaces and opportunities for people to participate In ways that is, is like doable for people who like also have personal creative dreams or, you know, even just responsibilities, families. I don't have that answer to that question yet, but it's something that I'm, I'm working on.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:What if I did, that'd be, that'd be wild, huh? I obviously have no idea either, but yeah, I I draw a lot of like, I draw like comfort and inspiration from like, like I said, like Idaho, very red state, very like anti labor anti kind of anything that you'd basically want. But Nonetheless the state part of the Obamacare law was that like states could like, opt into an expansion of Medicare that was, I think, like sponsored by the federal government, like there was like not really any reason for states not to do it. I'm oversimplifying it, but still a lot of like conservative states in the sort of like, legacy of like wanting to restrict access to more healthcare. Like, Opted out and or had like a, a lever that it would be like it would have to be like brought electorally. And there was this like grassroots movement in Idaho state that, you know, you'd, you'd look at and think that there'd be no way that it would go for like an expansion of public access to healthcare. And like people like drove around and got signatures and got it on the ballot and it passed. And I, I draw a lot of inspiration from just like, knowing that that is an option. I actually don't it's maybe worth checking if I know it was like challenged in court a lot in the state. But I think it, as far as I know, it is still the law of the land. I'm
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, and I think about the examples of like, I don't know, Florida passing like an increase in the minimum wage at the same time they elected some like, you know, deeply regressive conservative senator or something like that or
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I say, I said Medicare exchange. I meant Medicaid. Yeah. But yeah.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:mm. Yeah, people, if we can, if we can break through the noise of, you know, conservatism or, you know, neoliberalism, just pacifism and individism people can still be reasonable and like a, the better future that we're dreaming of is like a reasonable future. It's not just like an idealistic pie in the sky one. It's just one
Speaker:that where the things. are.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:The
Speaker:the laws actually make
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:for for people and yes sure
Speaker:that means that like
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:folks who have enjoyed living
Speaker:You
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:high on the hog are maybe going to have to come down a
Speaker:a little bit or a lot a bit
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:lot, but
Speaker:But for for the vast majority of
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, we're trying to build a better a
Speaker:a
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:beautiful world and well David I think we're a little bit over time, but I really enjoyed this conversation
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:Me too. Yeah. Thanks for having me, Jordan. It's going to be hard to, if you wanted to, you know, Chop it up. It's like dark now. So yeah, you'll kind of have to, I guess,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:It was kind of nice
Speaker:actually
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:the sort of gradual,
Speaker:the fade, for those on audio only, there's been a gradual fade of the sun in David's, rear window.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Window. David, you got any, any plugs? How can people find
Speaker:you? How can people follow you?
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:When can they come see you at a comedy show in LA?
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I'm directing my friend, Kyle Mizono's show. It's called adaptation adaptation. It's an adaptation of the movie adaptation. And you can see that at the Lyric Hyperion on May 30th. And then if you are in a Palm Springs sort of mood I'm in a short film that's going to be at the Palm Springs film festival called Holiday House written and directed by my friend, Alex Heller I acted in it and also edited it Anna Sophia Robb is also in it. And it's a weird movie about miniatures. Other than that, I'm like, I'm around, you know,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Yeah, you're, you're around. Follow, follow David for
Speaker:the latest. David schedule on, Instagram and,
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:Twitter.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:and X. Yes.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:X. Yeah, my bad.
Speaker:Yeah. Follow David, everybody. And follow and roses.
jordan_1_05-21-2024_191600:subscribe to this show. Please like, comment. David, thanks so much for coming on
Speaker:and roses. Love having you.
david_1_05-21-2024_191600:I love being here. Thanks Jordan.