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Episode 40: Dirty South Is Off the Menu

Back to Work

5by5

Business, Society & Culture, Barriers, Dan Benjamin, Careers, Communication, Merlin Mann, Creativity, Work, Productivity, Constraints, Technology

4.72.3K Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2011

⏱️ 100 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dan and Merlin talk about what it means for Google to change the meaning of "plus," and how it might bolster the production of "stuff and needy."

They also consider options for "getting unstuck" with a creative project—how, sometimes, the constraints can help a lot more than the options.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, hi, Merlin, man, hi. How are you? Hi. Hi. Can I ask you a question? Please do.

0:14.4

Why does it sound like you're speaking into a colander? Hi. Hi. Let's see, then, if

0:20.2

we do it too much, it's funny. If we do it too much, it just gets funnier. Hi. Hi. My

0:28.2

name is Merlin, man. Hi. My name is Merlin, man. Can I ask you a question? Have you

0:36.2

had too much paper in your hand before you answer? Let me ask you another question. Have

0:41.4

you ever had too much paper in your hand that you weren't really enjoying? Hi. Can I

0:47.3

ask you a question? If you had to put something down right now, do you know where it

0:51.4

will go? Hi. Can I ask you a question? It's good. No, no, it is. No, see, this is what

1:01.8

happens, and this is why Lauren Michaels is literally ruining everything. Do you know

1:07.2

about this? No. Or I don't know what he's done recently. Well, he demands, I guess.

1:15.9

I guess he's constantly looking for like what's going to be the next repeating, annoying

1:20.9

character that makes everybody dread when it comes on Silent Live. And then he can turn

1:25.3

it into some movie that nobody goes to. I think this guy's goofy. I think he's got

1:29.5

Lucas problems. That was his old stick. I thought I didn't know that he was still doing

1:34.0

that. I think so. I don't watch the Silent Live like I used to, but I mean, like what's

1:42.1

in Kristin Wigg or whatever, like I love her so much. Like she's so great, but apparently

1:46.9

she's responsible for like five different characters that make people want to like kill

1:50.3

her cat. Hmm. And so they've retired some of those, but she's deeply telling it, deeply

1:54.4

telling. And I don't know about that. Lauren Michaels guy. You know, a lot of these guys,

1:57.5

the thing is running a revolution is not the same thing as having a cogent government.

2:01.6

And I think that's the problem. I think you get big and then you get goofy. You know,

2:05.5

look at Noriega. I'm not too long. He's not a great looking guy. Did he not have a heat pass?

...

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