What happens when a journalist interviews a comedian who might secretly understand the media better than most journalists?
In this episode, Paul Saylor, musician, comedian, and runner-up in the New York Queer Comedy Festival, joins Jenna Flanagan and Domenic Camia on Laid Off and Looking to unpack:
Why news and comedy are basically dating each other now:
How AI, algorithms, and outrage are reshaping both industries
What it means to “punch up” when everyone’s already fighting online
Why the “War on Christmas” might be the world’s longest inside joke
And yes how ChatGPT became the most emotionally available man on the internet
This is smart, funny, painfully honest and way too real for anyone who’s ever doomscrolled their way through the news.
00:00 Start
06:29 - How Ya Doing is a Hard Question
07:16 - What I Respect About Journalism
12:35 - Using Emotion to Sell the News
15:12 - What’s at the Heart of Funny
19:38 - Comedians Say What Everyone Is Thinking
24:12 - Punching Up vs Punching Down
33:29 - Cancel Culture
44:51 - If Everything Is Funny, What Is Serious?
49:20 - What About AI
1:08:36 - Why Did You Become a Comedian
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