For the Love of Funny: Finding The Funny In Our Wins and Losses with R. Eric Thomas
For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast
Jen Hatmaker
4.6 • 6.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 September 2023
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re back with more of our For the Love of Funny series, and this week we’re asking the question; is it possible to find humor not only in our lighter moments, but also in our vulnerable and difficult times? Our guest this week specializes in wit through the written word–and he has found that it is possible to find joy, while being heartfelt and hilarious at the same time. We’re welcoming R. Eric Thomas, back to the show! Whether he’s writing about politics, pop culture, or celebrity craziness–Eric has a refreshing and hilarious perspective–which really helps when regular reporting on politics and news might send us spiraling into the darkness. Eric is also a television writer (Dickinson on AppleTV+, Better Things on FX), a playwright, and a bestselling author of several books, including Here For It: Or How To Save Your Soul in America and his newest work, a collection of hilarious essays called Congratulations The Best Is Over. Eric brings that laugh we need when the world seems bonkers, and helps remind us that we can find something to laugh at in almost every situation–we just have to be open to it.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes:
“Be grateful that you got to this place because this is where you wanted to be. Don't spend so much time thinking, ‘What if it all goes away?’” - R. Eric Thomas
“I think to myself, ‘If you were better, then you'd be busier and that would make you happier.’ I don't know that busier equals happier. I don't know if that's true.” - R. Eric Thomas
“I remember the first time somebody came up to me in the street and said, ‘Hey, this is weird, but I follow your Facebook, a friend of mine told me to, and you're funny.’ And I'm like, ‘Who are you? What's happening? Where are the cameras?’” - R. Eric Thomas
“I know from my own experience as a reader and as a writer, you can have a good time with something that is both funny and heartfelt.” - R. Eric Thomas
“I posted an Instagram story that was essentially like, ‘I got rejected from this thing, but my Beyonce´ hat came. So there are pluses and minuses.’ People really responded. They were like, ‘Thank you for sharing not only your wins but your losses. It seems like you're always winning.’ I'm like, ‘baby, I am always losing, but I'm not going to share that.’” - R. Eric Thomas
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
For the Love of Finding Truth ft. Eric Thomas
Congratulations, The Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas
Reclaiming Her Time: The Power of Maxine Waters by R. Eric Thomas and Helena Andrews-Dyer
Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas
The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life by Ann Patchett
Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson
My Point…And I Do Have One by Ellen Degeneres
There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say by Paula Poundstone
For the Love Podcast episode with Anne Bogel
Guest’s Links:
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s website
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everybody, Jen Hatmaker here, your delighted post of the For the Love podcast. |
| 0:10.6 | Welcome to the show. |
| 0:11.6 | You're going to be so glad you're here today. |
| 0:15.4 | We are in this series called For the Love of Funny. |
| 0:19.3 | I have said at one point or other at this series, but if I could, I would run a humor |
| 0:25.8 | series six times a year. |
| 0:27.6 | I am so drawn to not just comedy, but funny people. |
| 0:33.0 | And this is making my day, all the folks that we have in this series. |
| 0:38.8 | This is my space in what I reach for, what I'm drawn to, not just because I like a laugh, |
| 0:45.7 | but I'm also fascinated with the structure and the skill of comedy. |
| 0:52.5 | And it's not easy. |
| 0:55.1 | And it requires so much work and I'm fascinated with the timing of comedy and the rhythms |
| 1:01.4 | of it and how you build a joke or a story. |
| 1:05.3 | I'm just, I'm drawn to this genre and the people who are good at it because the best can |
| 1:12.4 | help us find something funny in the darkest thing and really serve us with their storytelling |
| 1:20.3 | and their observations just kind of right when we need it. |
| 1:24.2 | And I'm grateful all the time for people who are good at this. |
| 1:28.4 | And so our guest today is one of those people for sure. |
| 1:33.0 | And if you've been around me at all, this will be the 10th time you've heard me talk about |
| 1:37.9 | him or urge you to sign up for his newsletter or by his book or follow him on socials |
| 1:43.6 | like this is one of my favorite funny people. |
| 1:46.8 | His background and his original real job was a journalist, which is kind of serious, |
... |
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