Cole Lindbergh has lived a life that sounds improbable. Amusement park folk hero, This American Life subject, air guitar champion, game show contestant, musician, podcaster, and relentless starter of creative projects. In this conversation, Cole and Matt trace how curiosity, saying yes, and embracing weirdness led to opportunities that rarely arrived on schedule, but arrived nonetheless.
They talk about early brushes with attention, missed reality TV moments, and the discipline of building a long body of work without obsessing over numbers. Cole breaks down air guitar culture, what it takes to win, and how becoming Slappy Nutz unlocked a new creative chapter. The episode also explores loss, disappointment, patience, and the strange emotional aftermath of being eliminated from a major game show, before closing with Lindy Land and the belief that if something feels interesting, it is worth doing, even if you do not yet know where it leads.
• Cole Lindberg's path from amusement park ringleader to air guitar champion
• The This American Life story and how sudden attention reshaped his life
• Fame opportunity and why some doors close before the right ones open
• Air guitar culture competition and winning the US Championship as Slappy Nutz
• The reality of game shows 99 to Beat early elimination and emotional whiplash
• Building a body of work versus chasing downloads
• Creative identity starting things and letting projects end
• Lindy Land property projects barn restoration and long term vision
• Patience appreciation and trusting what comes next
• Friendship shared history and following what genuinely interests you
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