00:25:57.740When did you feel like things start to change with, you know, what was acceptable to say or the correct way to...
00:26:07.560Oh, like the death of the sexual assault jokes and rape jokes and all of that sort of stuff.
00:26:13.940Because I remember when I started in 2009, it was like, if you didn't have one, if you didn't have a rape joke, it was like, what's wrong with you?
00:28:24.540You've got to shine some light on them and put some clown shoes and clown nose on that nightmare of a thing to show that it's the absurdity.
00:28:34.060So in actual fact, by not talking about it and showing the absurdity behind it, you know, you actually probably influence more people to do it.
00:29:36.540And so I want to protect you a little bit because I think what you were talking about is it's important not to have rules in comedy so people can be free to be creative.
00:29:46.600But that often gets misinterpreted deliberately by people who want to disagree with us.
00:29:52.300As we don't want to have rules in comedy because you want to do an hour set about rape.
00:30:00.120I know, but that, but that is the way that people mischaracterize these things sometimes.
00:30:05.440So, but the freedom that you're talking about, you know, before the social media comes in, it's fascinating because it's, I think it's really interesting that comedians are self-censoring.
00:30:53.700But for now, for where I'm at, that's how I feel until somebody comes along and explains it a different way to me and can go, oh, I totally can see that.
00:31:05.900I'm not inflexible on any of these things.
00:31:09.260But yes, I do agree because you're, and most of the comedians live in this world called cancel culture, which is such a new, it's a new thing too.
00:31:36.680That is, that's a whole different thing.
00:31:38.540But what I'm talking about is, oh, so you made an attempt at doing something a little bit more risque, a little bit more dangerous.
00:31:47.460And that's why you're seeing comedians now asking people not to bring their cameras in on a working night where you're trying to work out stuff.
00:31:59.080And I mean, that's where we're at now.
00:32:02.580That, again, that just shows the fear of everything.
00:32:05.340And it's like, it's like people just do, how can I say it, paycheck comedy, I guess.
00:32:13.180Paycheck comedy would be the best way to do it where you're really writing things that are there not to offend anyone.
00:57:41.300And I'm glad Jerry's out there because, personally, I, again, I don't think he would match that, that, I don't think Jerry's a racist in any way from the man that I know and all of that sort of stuff.
00:58:02.000But because he's so offensive, he, I think you want to go there.
00:58:49.700And after he got banned, his actual tour sold out, man, because you're right.
00:58:57.580If you're going to Jerry Sadowitz and thinking that over all the years, this man has cultivated trying to offend you from day fucking, we got punched out in Montreal, I believe, for saying moose fucker.
00:59:23.520And I'm like, that's not the half of it, man.
00:59:25.720And for him to get banned at the Pleasance and listen to, we don't condone this kind of art form from whoever the, I can't remember what the owner said.
01:00:54.620So, yeah, to me that was, a lot of people said that was the death of the festival because if it can happen to him, imagine what they can do to comedians that wouldn't survive it.
01:01:17.460Because now, there's this, again, another underlying fear you have to worry about out there is the, oh my God, if I say one wrong thing, if I offend the bartender or whatever, and I get whatever coming back, I could lose my run now.
01:01:42.460So, and, and, and I'm, and, and, and if I'm not as, as big as Jerry is and that, you're actually, you could have your, there was, what was that?
01:01:54.440But there was a kid, a lad kid a little while back that they got really mad at that it actually did happen to, and I don't know if you remember, he was, he was doing lad.
01:02:24.640He's something that could happen because they were, they were, what you said, they were putting his opinions, this is a character he's doing, but people decided that those were his opinions and boom, gone.
01:02:42.020So, he didn't have the same strength as Jerry to rise up to it, you know, because Jerry had the people to go, like you're saying, that are, you know, of course Jerry's offensive.
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01:03:31.360Yeah, and Dapper was the opposite of that, man.
01:03:35.320He got, he got hammered and, and we've never seen him since, man, we've never seen him since.
01:03:40.500And he was just doing a character on what, whether you like it or not, his character was pretty spot on on what goes on out there, you know?
01:05:48.680Because you still got to remember there's enough of us, there's enough of my generation to fight off this generation, right?
01:06:00.400You know, like, you know, there's enough of 50-year-olds and that that love, that think it's shit, that fucking hate it, fucking hate it.
01:06:11.940And they want, you know, that's, they want the Dave Chappelle, talk about transgender, you know, whereas, you know, and you could see the push.
01:06:22.040And if I could use that as a nice example, you can see the pushback, you know, like, again, but it takes a strong comedian like that to lead the charge in something.
01:06:34.920And so you've got the younger ones that are fighting them this way, but you also got his fans that are going, shut the fuck up.
01:06:41.800And, and, but again, just, that's the change we're moving through for me.
01:06:49.160Like, I can't not deny it isn't happening.
01:06:55.080And, and I, and I can also just see them, even though I may not like it, I can also see them as tools.
01:07:01.140And how can I use these tools to inject my kind of comedy in there, like throw a little, you know, wood shoe in the clog and, and maybe, maybe influence one of these younger comedians to be, you know, to, I don't want to say be like these, but it's like so bad, but, but to show them another way, you know, maybe, maybe.
01:07:28.620Well, it's a nice positive note on which to wrap up, Tom.
01:07:35.200I think they've got a flavor of the stuff that you do and you're a very good comic, of course.
01:07:40.500The last question we always ask is always the same, which is, what do you think is the one thing we're not talking about as a society that we really should be?
01:07:47.520One thing we're not talking about as a society.
01:07:51.100I think we're not talking about the death of the lead singer of the tragically hip.
01:07:58.620Gord Downey, the Canadian icon that didn't make it globally, but was probably one of the best singers and one of the best bands in the world that got shoved under the carpet for some reason and only really remained in Canada.
01:08:17.700And I think we should be talking about them and, and letting the rest of the world, introducing them to the tragically hip.
01:08:27.960And, and let the, if we talked about it a little more, then, then the world would have one great, another of the great bands that they're missing.