#602: Legendary Comedian Bill Burr — Fear{less} with Tim Ferriss

06/23/22 • 59 min

4 Listeners

Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.

You’ll get plenty of that in this special episode, which features my interview with Bill Burr from my 2017 TV Show Fear{less}. The “less” is in parentheses because the objective is to teach you to fear less, not to be fearless.

Fear{less} features in-depth, long-form conversations with top performers, focusing on how they’ve overcome fears and made hard decisions, embracing discomfort and thinking big.

It was produced by Wild West Productions, and I worked with them to make both the video and audio available to you for free, my dear listeners. You can find the video of this episode on YouTube.com/TimFerriss, and eventually you’ll be able to see all episodes for free at YouTube.com/TimFerriss.

Spearheaded by actor/producer and past podcast guest Vince Vaughn, Wild West Productions has produced a string of hit movies including The Internship, Couples Retreat, Four Christmases, and The Break-Up.

In 2020, Wild West produced the comedy The Opening Act, starring Jimmy O. Yang and Cedric The Entertainer. In addition to Fear{less}, their television credits include Undeniable with Joe Buck, ESPN’s 30 for 30 episode about the ’85 Bears, and the Netflix animated show F is for Family.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by “5-Bullet Friday,” my very own email newsletter that every Friday features five bullet points highlighting cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and—of course—all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.

It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.

[05:39] 12 magic minutes in Philadelphia

[11:39] Bill grew up in Massachusetts, but he lived a Wild West lifestyle.

[13:04] How comedy entered the picture and who Bill admired most

[15:24] As a kid, what did Bill think he’d be when he grew up?

[21:43] Bill’s first time getting on stage

[24:49] As a comedian, you never forget the first time you bomb

[28:23] Clean Bill Burr vs. Post-Clean Bill Burr

[33:39] The comedian’s comedian

[35:44] Are Bill’s podcast ads reads — or roasts?

[40:10] How Netflix’s F Is for Family came about

[47:03] Bill’s idea generation process

[50:14] Spotting when young comic talent has “it”

[51:37] Dealing with the humorless or otherwise unbearable

[54:14] Madison Square Garden

[57:33] Bill’s board and parting thoughts

For show notes an...

Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.

Fear{less} features in-depth, long-form conversations with top performers, focusing on how they’ve overcome fears and made hard decisions, embracing discomfort and thinking big.

Please enjoy!

It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.

[05:39] 12 magic minutes in Philadelphia

[11:39] Bill grew up in Massachusetts, but he lived a Wild West lifestyle.

[13:04] How comedy entered the picture and who Bill admired most

[15:24] As a kid, what did Bill think he’d be when he grew up?

[21:43] Bill’s first time getting on stage

[24:49] As a comedian, you never forget the first time you bomb

[28:23] Clean Bill Burr vs. Post-Clean Bill Burr

[33:39] The comedian’s comedian

[35:44] Are Bill’s podcast ads reads — or roasts?

[40:10] How Netflix’s F Is for Family came about

[47:03] Bill’s idea generation process

[50:14] Spotting when young comic talent has “it”

[51:37] Dealing with the humorless or otherwise unbearable

[54:14] Madison Square Garden

[57:33] Bill’s board and parting thoughts

For show notes an...

Previous Episode

#601: Jack Kornfield — How to Overcome Apathy and Find Beautiful Purpose

Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 770M+ users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating.

Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. Over the years, Jack has taught worldwide, led international Buddhist teacher meetings, and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a grandfather, husband, and activist. Some of his current projects include MMTCP, a worldwide mindfulness teacher training; Cloud Sangha, a site offering access to expert mindfulness teachers online; and a positive impact Wisdom Ventures fund.

His books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. They include The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; Teachings of the Buddha; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are; and his most recent book, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.

Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 770 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.

This episod...

Next Episode

#603: In Case You Missed It: May 2022 Recap of "The Tim Ferriss Show"

Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.

This is a special inbetweenisode, which serves as a recap of the episodes from last month. It features a short clip from each conversation in one place so you can easily jump around to get a feel for the episode and guest.

Based on your feedback, this format has been tweaked and improved since the first recap episode. For instance, @hypersundays on Twitter suggested that the bios for each guest can slow the momentum, so we moved all the bios to the end.

See it as a teaser. Something to whet your appetite. If you like what you hear, you can of course find the full episodes at tim.blog/podcast.

Please enjoy!

***

Timestamps:

EDWARD O. THORP: 00:01:42

MORGAN FALLON: 00:10:14

RICHARD WISEMAN: 00:19:11

DENNIS MCKENNA: 00:31:16

CAL NEWPORT: 00:39:28

***

Full episode titles:

Edward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets — Beating Blackjack and Roulette, Beating the Stock Market, Spotting Bernie Madoff Early, and Knowing When Enough Is Enough (#596)