How Hasan Minhaj is reinventing political comedy

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2018

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj’s new Netflix show, he does three things political comedians often don’t do. First, he makes political comedy personal. Second, he makes it visual. And third, he makes it last. Minhaj was the last correspondent hired by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Since then, he’s hosted the 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner, debuted the critically-acclaimed special Homecoming King, and now, with the new show, he’s creating a unique space in the post-Stewart world. In this conversation, we talk about what Minhaj learned from Stewart, what political comedians owe their audiences, and whether creativity requires safe spaces. We also nerd out on process: how he writes his jokes, the difficulty of knowing what you actually think amidst so much noise and so many takes, and how it changes the editorial process when you know people will be watching what you produce a year from now. And most importantly, I force Minhaj to answer for his many, many slurs against my beloved UC Santa Cruz. This is definitely a conversation: Minhaj turns the tables on me more than once. And don’t miss the end, when Minhaj explains his three favorite stand-up specials. Learn more about show sponsors, HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	First, sweet tarts dare to combine sweet and tart, but they didn't stop there.
0:06.0	Now they've combined soft and bouncy to bring you new sweet tarts, gummy fruity splits.
0:12.0	A uniquely delicious dual-sided gummy with one side that's sweet, and the other side that's tart.
0:19.0	But entirely smooth and squishy.
0:22.0	A powerfully perfect combo.
0:24.0	Sweet tarts dare to combine.
0:28.0	It's late.
0:30.0	You're almost home after catching that concert you and your friend's snack tickets to you with MX months ago.
0:34.0	You're all speechless from the last hour spent singing your hearts out, and the only thing playing in the car is the last song of the night, on a full blast, in your head.
0:44.0	Admit it. You want it stuck there.
0:47.0	The live version, you can't get anywhere else.
0:49.0	Looks like you're getting goosebumps all over again.
0:52.0	When the night's a hit, that's when you're with MX.
0:55.0	American Express, don't live life without it.
0:58.0	We're really in the take business.
1:00.0	Jokes themselves are actually pretty easy.
1:03.0	Take like synthesizing a ton of information, and succinctly saying it in a sentence in a funny way.
1:10.0	That's the name of the game.
1:23.0	Hello, welcome to the Clancho on the box Media Podcast Network.
1:27.0	I sometimes say this one's a fun show, and often what I mean is that it's an interesting show that I had fun doing it.
1:33.0	But I'm usually not talking to very fun people.
1:36.0	Like I'm not a fun person.
	...

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