meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Club Random with Bill Maher

Barry Levinson | Club Random with Bill Maher

Club Random with Bill Maher

Club Random

Film Interviews, Comedy, Tv & Film

4.23.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 103 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Bill Maher sits down with Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson for a fast and funny masterclass in storytelling. Levinson revisits the Diner years and the “controlled chaos” of getting real performances – why loose, actor-driven rhythm can beat perfect dialogue, and how ensemble films changed the game. From there, it’s a hop through Hollywood history: Robert De Niro’s work ethic and the behind-the-scenes realities of building Rain Man during a writers strike. Maher and Levinson also go big-picture – why comedy ages faster than music, what’s been lost in today’s committee-driven studios, and a darkly hilarious debate about AI, jobs, and why machines still can’t do human funny. Subscribe to the Club Random YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/clubrandompodcast?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch episodes ad-free – subscribe to Bill Maher’s Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://billmaher.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you listen: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/ClubRandom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our Advertisers: Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://www.trueclassic.com/RANDOM! #trueclassicpod #ad Go to https://www.zbiotics.com/random and use code RANDOM for 15% off your first order Buy Club Random Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clubrandom.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices ABOUT CLUB RANDOM Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There’s a whole big world out there that isn’t about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it.  For advertising opportunities please email: [email protected] ABOUT BILL MAHER Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.” Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.” FOLLOW CLUB RANDOM https://www.clubrandom.com https://www.facebook.com/Club-Random-101776489118185 https://twitter.com/clubrandom_ https://www.instagram.com/clubrandompodcast https://www.tiktok.com/@clubrandompodcast FOLLOW BILL MAHER https://www.billmaher.com https://twitter.com/billmaher https://www.instagram.com/billmaher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You know, the holidays, twinkly lights, ugly sweaters, more festive drinks than any adult actually needs.

0:07.5

And somewhere between the office party and the family toast, you think, I still have things to do tomorrow.

0:13.1

Just remember to make pre-alcohol your first drink of the night, drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow.

0:19.7

Make the most of every toast this holiday season.

0:22.7

Go to zbiotics.com slash random to get 15% off your first order with code random.

0:30.0

It's backed with 100% money back guarantee.

0:33.4

Seriously, try it.

0:34.6

All right, y'all, gather around because Monet exchange from sibling rivalries here with an announcement.

0:39.5

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Google Gemini.

0:42.7

Now listen, the girls over at Google said,

0:44.9

Monet, tell the children, so I'm telling you.

0:47.4

U.S. college students get Google Gemini's pro plan free for one year.

0:51.3

Use the best model in the world for multimodal understanding. So whether

0:55.4

you're uploading a video to get feedback on your presentation, uploading a photo of your homework to

1:00.4

ask for help, or transcribing notes from a lecture you missed, Gemini 3 Pro can help. And baby,

1:06.4

if I had this in college, oh, she would have been unstoppable.

1:11.4

Picture it.

1:16.1

Monet exchange in the library, uploading a picture of my music theory homework like,

1:18.5

Gemini, please, help a diva out.

1:23.3

Or recording my rehearsal videos for feedback instead of crying at the practice room for three hours.

1:25.3

This would have been life-changing.

1:26.8

Now, back to the goods.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 6 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Club Random, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Club Random and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.