Blocks: I Wish I Knew w/ Neal Brennan

Mark Normand returns to Blocks with Neal Brennan to talk about what he wishes he knew sooner: how much time a phone can steal, why trying so hard to be the funny guy can backfire, and why getting older doesn’t automatically make you feel like an adult.Mark and Neal also get into fatherhood, anxiety, drinking, the old New York comedy scene, taking more photos, and trying to raise a kid without passing down all your own baggage.

00:00 Mark Normand returns / I Wish I Knew

03:46 Always needing to be productive

05:49 How fatherhood changes you

10:21 Netflix, YouTube & building a comedy career

12:12 “I thought the world would be more fun”

21:40 Sponsor: Huel

23:57 Sponsor: Tushy

26:03 Sponsor: ZocDoc

28:20 Phone addiction & the pressure to post

35:40 Trying too hard to be the funny guy

40:07 Coming up in New York comedy

44:48 The old Comedy Cellar atmosphere

47:42 Friends who tell you the truth

50:14 Sponsor: Quince

52:04 Sponsor: Ultra

54:12 Remembering your life & taking photos

58:42 The pressure to be a good parent

1:04:01 Getting older doesn’t mean feeling grown up

1:11:40 Podcasts & staying connected

1:15:14 Wrap-up

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Dan Soder returns to kick off the new I Wish I Knew premise on Blocks: the things people wish they'd figured out sooner.Dan gets into why being funny matters more for men than having abs, how cutting out industry middlemen is the best path to creative freedom, and why stealing from corporations is okay. In an update from his classic episode of Blocks, he shares how finding a letter from his sister changed the way he understood his dad leaving.Plus: exercise, eating, long butt cracks, hero worship, and how to not take everything personally.

01:58 Cutting out the comedy middlemen

05:37 Stealing from Bed Bath & Beyond

09:43 Doing bits with customer service

14:47 Sponsor: BetterHelp

16:20 Sponsor: Superpower

19:10 Body image: just get in the pool

20:17 Friendship, Instagram & anxiety

25:03 Personality, abs & attraction

35:25 Sponsor: CookUnity

37:46 Sponsor: Mars Men

40:18 Exercise & getting older

42:42 Still being a comedy fan

46:58 Your heroes are just people

49:13 Dan’s dad & wanting approval

54:17 Finding his sister’s letter

57:26 Understanding your parents

59:51 Sponsor: ZBiotics

1:01:21 Taking things less personally

1:04:45 Why read the comments?

1:06:32 Healthy relationships & handling rejection

1:11:10 Being wrong & saying “my bad”

1:12:43 Weed & moderation

1:14:52 Wrap-up

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In this episode of Blocks, Neal Brennan sits down with comedian Gianmarco Soresi to discuss the unconventional path that led him to standup. They dive into his childhood experiences with divorce, his short-lived dreams of becoming a professional singer and actor, and the deep-seated desire for "glory" that keeps him on stage. Gianmarco also opens up about his relationship with his parents, his thoughts on depression and Adderall, and how he’s learning to find balance between his workaholic nature and his personal life.

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In this episode of Blocks, Neal Brennan sits down with Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss to dismantle the "blocks" that have shaped his life and career. From the massive social impact of his Netflix special Jigsaw—which Daniel claims has led to over 350,000 breakups and hundreds of signed divorce papers—to the heavy toll of relentless global touring, Daniel opens up with brutal honesty.

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Comedian and former late-night host Craig Ferguson joins Neal Brennan on the Blocks Podcast to explore the "blocks" that have defined his life and career. From his upbringing in Scotland and the impact of sectarian violence to his iconic run on the Late Late Show and over 30 years of sobriety, Craig opens up with deep introspection and his trademark wit. They delve into the realities of fame, the importance of vulnerability, and the turning points that changed everything.Check out Craig's new series 'American on Purpose' on CNN.

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Rory Scovel joins Neal Brennan to talk about being born into grief—his mother died on his first birthday—and how losing his dad in 2020 reshaped his standup, his parenting, and the way he thinks about aging and death. Plus: learning to read at 44, improvising his entire show every night, asking AI about death, Leonardo DiCaprio playing a father, ADHD, marriage, and more.

00:00 Bombing without a fight

06:43 ADHD

22:36 Overthinking Depression & Catholic Guilt

27:16 Sponsor: Tushy

29:45 Sponsor: Quince

31:32 Grief

51:26 Death

58:26 Sponsor: ZocDoc

1:01:41 Sponsor: HexClad

1:03:30 Parenting & Breaking the Cycle

1:14:15 Aging

1:21:33 Being an available husband

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Happiness expert, Harvard Professor & author Arthur Brooks joins Neal Brennan to discuss why happiness is ~50% genetic, why men and women fundamentally need different things from love (adoration vs. admiration), the dark triad/tetrad in dating apps, why “success addiction” ruins marriages, the psychology of comedy, the power of the “Reverse Bucket List,” why you need to be bored, how SSRIs affect creativity, Mass vs. Doomscrolling, why your personality keeps improving with age, and why suffering isn’t the same thing as pain.

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00:00 Intro

3:21 Is Happiness Genetic?

5:05 Male vs. Female Emotion

10:20 Adoration vs. Admiration: What Men and Women Really need

15:20 The Dark Tetrad: Society’s Most Dangerous People

19:38 Addiction to Being Adored

27:12 Sponsor: Superpower

30:21 Sponsor: BetterHelp

32:36 Sponsor: CookUnity

35:16 Addiction to Adoration

39:58 Building Protocols to Protect Marriage

44:19 The Happiness Scale

56:45 Going to Mass instead of scrolling

59:34 Why You Need to Be Bored

1:00:56 The Pill, SSRIs & Creativity

1:08:22 Happiness & Aging

1:17:13 Sponsor: Ultra Pouches

1:18:57 Sponsor: The Perfect Jean

1:21:15 The Psychology of Comedy

1:23:45 The Reverse Bucket List

1:31:25 Psychedelics & Prayer

1:36:18 Suffering

1:43:50 Love & Marriage

Thanks to our sponsors! 

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Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557

Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234

Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased).

Edited by Will Hagle ([email protected])

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Neal Brennan interviews Jordan Jensen ('Take Me With You' on Netflix, RIP w/ Jordan Jensen) about cancelling her last scheduled appearance at the last second, codependency, sex and love addiction, shapeshifting in relationships, chaos vs. calm, addiction, quitting coke, the biology of rage, status anxiety, living in reality vs. living in delusion, her standup comedy, telling the truth, self-sabotage and obsessing over fairness.

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Neal Brennan interviews Josh Johnson (New HBO special: Symphony) about being too nice, working together at The Daily Show, how his fashion sense has changed thanks to a good deed Neal doesn't remember, his prolific posting of standup on his Youtube channel, growing up lower-income, billionaires building bunkers, being present emotionally, becoming an effective communicator, whether or not comedy can change the world or people's lives, why Americans are too comfortable for a revolution, MAGA vs. Liberals, what it's like to be him, and much more.

00:00 Intro

2:00 Too Nice

6:00 The Forgotten Clothes Story

10:00 Working with Neal at the Daily Show

12:40 Prolific Standup Posting

19:09 Sponsor: BetterHelp

21:23 Sponsor: Superpower

24:35 Growing up lower-income

48:18 Sponsor: CookUnity

50:57 Sponsor: Bonobos

53:15 Sponsor: Ultra

55:24 Being Present Emotionally

1:00:00 Effective Communication

1:06:00 MAGA vs. Liberals

1:19:00 What It’s Like To Be Him

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Neal Brennan interviews Brad Williams (New special: Live on Short Street) about his experience living with dwarfism, the guilt he felt after his daughter was born with the same disability, how he learned to reframe his thinking and approach parenting in a positive manner, the arc of his standup career, why Ari Shaffir said no one wants to follow him on stage, the fears no one else sees (why Brad won't drink around drunk people), his marriage, and much more.

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