Ep 36: New York comedy isn’t just punchlines — it’s logistics, ego, nerves, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes problem-solving.In this on-site Cultured Boy episode, I spend the night with my friend Zoe — a stand-up comedian and weekly show producer in Manhattan — as she’s juggling a fresh breakup, the politics of building a lineup, getting ready, barking for the show, and then actually getting on stage. What starts as a simple question (“what’s it really like trying to make it as a female comic in NYC?”) turns into something deeper: a late-night conversation about philosophy, “othering,” and the surprising moral mission that’s quietly driving everything she’s doing.It’s chaotic, funny, intimate, and real — a basement show, a full day in motion, and a reminder that you can’t judge someone’s life (or their act) by the cover.0:00 😵‍💫 Episode begins3:00 🏙️ Welcome to Zoe’s Manhattan producer lair6:10 🎭 The science (and politics) of a comedy lineup9:45 💄 “Putting on my face” — makeup as a job requirement12:50 📵 Post-breakup relapse fears + “lock it in publicly”15:40 🚩 The control/freedom clash that ended it18:50 🗣️ Barking the show + needing a co-producer22:05 🧠 Frankfurt School + “what makes a Nazi?” (casual)24:55 👖 Outfit spiral: leggings vs jeans vs being “heard”31:40 🍱 Microwave survival meal + pre-show jitters34:55 🚗 Car ride chaos + barking in the wild37:45 🎤 Zoe’s set: breakup jokes & “spermicide” opener41:00 💍 “Elope for Google benefits” + exclusivity fight44:40 🤔 Post-show: “so much effort… for what?”47:20 🐄 Philosophy → animal rights: the real engine50:05 ❤️ “I care so much” + the long game strategy52:45 😂 Comedy as a shield-dropper: why it’s effective55:35 🌊 Closing reflection: there’s always more to the storyFollow Zoe: Instagram - @zoecomedy

Ep 35: Cultured Boy is evolving.This episode is a late-night honesty drop about leaving a cult, rebuilding my life, and now reshaping this show into something more real, more cinematic, and way closer to the action.No more forcing episodes.Just the most honest, human, story-driven work I can make.If you’re into curiosity, culture, and people becoming themselves — you’re in the right place.Stay curious.Timestamps0:00 Cultured Boy is changing forever 🎭0:29 Leaving a cult & waking up like a fish in water 🐟1:11 Is the show ending? 🔄3:12 Cultured Boy becomes an organism, not a podcast 🧬3:35 Making it harder on purpose (artist mode) 🎥5:56 Anthony Bourdain energy enters the chat 🌍7:43 New confidence after leaving a worldview 🔥11:50 Only one person believed in me: me ✋12:17 Realizing: my gut was right ✔️16:24 Career plan: make a living being Calvin 🤯20:28 Acting like the AI apocalypse already happened 🤖23:00 I love going first on scary things 🥇26:11 Ending the weekly episode schedule ❌31:04 Society treats people like herd animals 🐄34:01 Choosing to be Calvin, not a copy 🦋36:59 Only creating what truly matters ✨39:11 Aversion to coercion (post-cult clarity) 🛑44:20 Goal: The realest content on the internet ⚡48:44 Deep gratitude for the whole journey 🙏54:47 Surprise twist: I love parkour 🐈‍⬛58:45 Rollerblading fear → breakthrough moment 🛼1:02:03 Next episodes: story-driven, up close 🎬1:06:33 Final invite: stay curious 🐾

Ep 34: In this Sleep Drunk episode I talk about quitting my day job, escaping a fundamentalist Mormon cult, making a documentary in Israel–Palestine, writing kids’ books for my daughter, and why I’m done chasing the “right way” to do YouTube—and only making art that actually matters to me. 🎥🪞💥TIME STAMPS:0:00 – Breaking all the rules 🎬0:25 – Who I am & the cult backstory 🥸2:02 – What this episode is really about 🧭3:09 – Confession: I hate following rules 🙅‍♂️4:12 – Realizing all rules are made up 💥6:18 – Quitting my day job to make films ✂️💼7:15 – Going to Israel & Palestine from pure curiosity 🌍✈️8:21 – Hearts Unknown: making a doc no one asked for ❤️‍🔥9:20 – Writing a children’s book for my daughter 📚11:12 – Art that matters to me first 🎨12:00 – Rebelling against thumbnails, titles & algorithms 📉📸13:24 – Real vs scripted in the age of AI 🤖✨16:19 – Redefining Cultured Boy as a show 🎭22:35 – Wanting to capture real NYC life 🌆24:35 – Making episodes 10x harder on purpose 🏋️‍♂️27:49 – Remembering little-kid Calvin the artist 👦🖍️32:14 – New children’s book with Belle: The Last Mirror 🪞37:18 – Betting on the long, uncertain road of creating 🎲38:06 – I can’t do anything that isn’t my thing 🔗✂️40:00 – Authority vs elders (and why it matters) 👑🧓41:50 – Appreciating Robert Greene 📖43:44 – Rethinking Jordan Peterson 🧠47:20 – Discovering Jung & Nietzsche and the shadow 🕳️52:00 – Mormonism, repression & extreme shadow eruptions 🧨55:43 – Shifting from “being good” to being whole 🧩❤️56:12 – Role models of realness: Rogan, Peterson, etc. 🎙️57:59 – I don’t want to care what you think (kind of) 😅59:59 – Why realness is the only long game ♾️1:00:54 – Sleepy outro & what’s next 🌙