Just a few days after I recorded this conversation with podcaster and comedian Pete Dominick, I hopped on a plane to Las Vegas for a long weekend with his Stand Up Community for Podjam 2. The first Podjam, held in March of 2024 was a smash success and brought a very tight virtual community into the real world as online friendships and connections blossomed with face to face meetings. As Pete and I sat down for this chat, I was already prepping for the trip. What I didn’t share with Pete during this interview was that I was incredibly anxious about attending this year’s Podjam.
The 2024 edition had been held at a time of relative calm. This year’s event would be held in the wake of the onslaught of awfulness that has come from the first few weeks of the second Trump administration. In the new world of daily executive orders upturning the very wheels of our systems of government, I have struggled to keep pace with the news. Many days, I have simply avoided it altogether. I feared that in Vegas, during Pete’s live tapings and with my friends in the community I would be forced to reckon with the ongoing destruction to our American way of life. As much as I longed to see the people in this community, I worried it might set me reeling.
My first two days in Vegas were littered with much higher anxiety levels than usual. I felt foggy headed, weighed down, and even a tad nauseous. For the first day on the ground, I had almost no appetite at all. I managed to fake my way through the first few waves of anxiety and sadness that were descending, the people around me from the community helping to keep me afloat. By Friday morning, I began to feel a little more normal as the official events began.
While I got off to a rough star, by midday on Friday I was beginning to feel myself again. Pete breezed through a series of pod tapings and also allowed Ophira Eisenberg an opportunity to tape an excellent episode of her Parenting Is A Joke podcast. Throughout the weekend there were pod tapings, stand up comedy, dancing, great food, and at the center of it the unbelievable community that Pete has built and nurtured.
During our conversation Pete and I talk about how the news is stealing our joy and the ways that he works to try and keep a balanced perspective. His recipe includes meditation, exercise, and community. We hit on facing a mid-life crisis and how cliche that seems for two middle aged white dudes to be discussing. There is talk of avoiding the spiral, and learning when to punch in and out. We learn how Pete finds hope in history as well as the people around him.
It’s a rousing talk with a curious and hilarious dude. Hope ya dig it.
Cheers,
Matty C
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