Wade Stotts is a thought leader and the host of The Wade Show with Wade on Canon+ and YouTube.
In this exclusive extended chat, we went in-depth into the development of late-night comedy, and Wade’s passion for the craft.
Topics discussed:
Stewart's Innovation & Colbert’s Boring Sincerity
When Comedy Becomes Self-Important
Wall-E The Right Wing Robot
Conservatives Haven't Conserved Conservatism
His Objectives for the Wade Show
The essence of comedy writing
The Naïveté of Modern Christians
Calculated Nastiness as Winsomeness
For more about Wade and the Wade Show, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/@WadeShowWithWade
https://twitter.com/wadestotts
And watch his viral “Dead Constitution” video here.
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MONOLOGUE:
Let’s talk about obsession. No, not with your ex. You really need to let her or him go.
I’m talking about obsession with a pursuit, something you love, something you study, something your energy flows toward no matter what you do about it.
I’m not just talking about a hobby, which is something you do in your spare time, with your spare money. Those are fine, and every man and woman should have them.
I’m talking about something else, something that occupies your waking thoughts, your falling asleep imaginations, and even your dreams.
OK, maybe obsession isn’t the best word for it. Maybe you’d prefer the term passion, vocation, or calling. Whatever it is, it’s the thing that you’d do if you didn’t have to do anything else.
Do you know what that is? Or did you know at one time?
Because it’s obsession that makes for excellence. It’s how all the great chefs, painters, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, poets, sourdough bakers, candlestick makers, and dog walkers became elite at what they do. Their curiosity became their interest became their hobby became their pursuit became their profession became their obsession, either over a period of time or sometimes right away.
And talking with people who have walked that road is one of my favorite things to do, in part because they can illustrate for me dimensions of the things that I enjoy that I wouldn’t have considered.
I think I’m not alone in that, appreciating men and women who have worked so hard to hone their craft that they can talk with infectious enthusiasm for hours about the thing they love. It inspires us to pursue that level of excellence in the things we do, however humble they may be.
And also, if you ask me, it’s just cool to see people light up as their enthusiasm illuminates whole fields of study that I’d never explored, leaving me brimming with curiosity.
Which brings me to my guest this week. His name is Wade Stotts, and he’s the host of The Wade Show with Wade on Canon+ and YouTube. You may have heard of Wade because a recent video he did about the untimely death of the Constitution went viral, being featured everywhere from Alex Jones to Tim Pool. That’s right, the upper echelons of American politics were fully Wademaxxing, a daily practice I recommend.
But like all overnight successes, there’s nothing overnight about it. As you’ll hear in this podcast, Wade has been studying political comedy for years, observing late-night television, Weekend Update, Norm MacDonald, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and many others, while the rest of us merely watched. You might call Wade obsessed, because thankfully a jury hasn’t. At least not yet.
But what that means is that the way Wade articulates the things he’s learned can also help lend us insight into the world of comedy and comedic writing, which surrounds us to such a degree that we take it for granted.
This is what I mean about enthusiasm illuminating a field of study. Because yes, we could have talked about the dead old Constitution, making a whole lot of conservatives angry as they clap their hands, hoping to revive the rule of law as if our founding document were a dying Tinkerbell.
But see, right there I’ve already told you all you need to know. So instead, I hope you enjoy this conversation with Wade where he shares things you might not know, and that I certainly didn’t, so we can all enjoy his enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion for comedy, together.
Because those kinds of conversations are MY obsession. See how that works out?
In our conversation, Wade and I discussed:
Stewart's Innovation & Colbert’s Boring Sincerity
When Comedy Becomes Self-Important
Wall-E The Right-Wing Robot
Conservatives Haven't Conserved Conservatism
His Objectives for the Wade Show
The Essence of Comedy Writing
The Naïveté of Modern Christians
Calculated Nastiness as Winsomeness
If you enjoy the Renaissance of Men Podcast, thank you. Please leave us a 5-star rating on Spotify, and a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
If this is your first time here, welcome. I release new episodes about the Christian counterculture, masculine virtue, and the family every week.
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And please welcome this week’s guest on the podcast, the host of The Wade Show with Wade on Canon+, Wade Stotts.
Wade Stotts: A Laugh You Can Believe In