With a career spanning classic films (Ratatouille, Zoolander, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) and iconic tv shows (The King of Queens, Kim Possible, and Family Guy), Patton Oswalt has become a fixture on our screens. But Patton's true passion is stand-up comedy. And with his Audible-produced 10th comedy album, Black Coffee and Ice Water, he may be doing his best work yet. Oswalt sat down with Say More host Mark Stetson to talk about his brand new comedy album, the state of Hollywood, and the evolution of his career.
What began as a casual interview about his career turned into a mediation on Hollywood, artificial intelligence, and what makes good art. Oswalt explained how, even though every generation worries that they are experiencing the death of good art, great comedy and fantastic films always persevere. He also went into how, during his career, he has experienced multiple booms and crashes in film and stand-up, and that it's easy to spot the familiar artist archetypes within each new generation.
When it comes to artificial intelligence in art, Oswalt didn't mince words. "AI is not going anywhere, we cannot wish this stuff away. Because we invented it. So how do we find ways to work around it or find a way to make it human?" Oswalt and Stetson discussed how AI is not currently optimized for artists who enjoy the process of creating, but instead for those whose joy comes from the reward of the product of it.
"Look, I like the rewards, too. But the rewards are only fun if you got it. It's almost like the getting away with it. I got all this success from making up things from thin air. There's something beautiful about that... Getting to sit down and come up with a joke out of nothing, it's never not been thrilling for me. It'll never get old for me."
Oswalt also looked back at his illustrious career spanning over three decades, starting off as a character actor on shows like Seinfeld and News Radio, and how it evolved to him being cast as himself in shows like What We Do in the Shadows and Hacks. "I've always said I'm in showbiz for the money and the anecdotes. I want really amazing stories. I want every part of the canvas covered. I want to be able to explore every corner of it. It changes you when you experience all of this stuff."
Black Coffee and Ice Water is now available on Audible.
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