Today’s guest is Jason Zinoman, a critic and author of Shock Value and Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night. He’s currently critic at large for the Culture section of the New York Times and writes a column about comedy. Jason became a blinking red light on my radar courtesy of his recent piece “For Comics, Honing Jokes Has Taken a Back Seat to Marketing. That’s Not Good.” Jason’s perceptive take confirmed a phenomenon I’ve both read a great deal about and experienced personally: that is, any artist, in today’s environment, is obliged to focus an increasing amount of time on promotion and PR. We explore the ways this might help the artist but hinder the art, and both how and why some creatives are better at this than others. Does it make sense to get professional help? Was it easier in the 20th Century? Are there silver linings to putting oneself more aggressively into the public sphere? These are some of the questions we tackle, all leading up to the current state of “cancel culture” and its implications, especially in stand-up comedy. Jason is super informed and full of valuable insights, and as you’ll see it was my extreme pleasure to speak with him.

Read New York Times articles by Jason:

https://www.nytimes.com/by/jason-zinoman

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

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