Ep5: How Important is the Risk of Failure in Improv?

James offers the contention that in order to risk anything in improv, you must be ready to walk away from a show dissatisfied. Will Linda argue that the nature of an artist is to always be dissatisfied or that our own expectations are the problem? Why not both?

PLUS a short improv game segment!

Have a question or Improv related topic you'd like to hear us discuss? Send a short email to LindaTellsJames@gmail.com

A new episode every Tuesday! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Um beyond the ones. Here we go from. Well, I guess suffice to say, I am wrong. I have been wronged. I have been wronged in the comedy.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Oh, hi everyone. Hi, James.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Hi, Linda.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Welcome to another episode of Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv. Hey everyone. Um how are you? Uh I'm good. I'm I'm I'm good. How are you? I'm good.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

Oh, that's very good.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

That's enough of that. Well, thanks for coming, everybody. We'll see you next week for another episode. Um Do you have a question?

unknown 0:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

I I have a question because this podcast is a kind of podcast where one of us um asks a question, makes a statement, and then um Relating to improvisor improv. And then um Linda tells me I'm wrong about it. Not really, I just we just discuss it. We just discuss it.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

But you're wrong about that, is what I'm saying. You're wrong about that statement where I tell you you're wrong.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

So the statement I'm offering you today, or us today, rather, is that is that you should have to walk away from most improv shows dissatisfied if you are risking anything. Right. So if improv theater is about, you know, uh being in the moment, uh, and it means you kind of it means you have to risk. Therefore, you should probably be walking away from shows some most shows dissatisfied. Otherwise, you're not risking anything.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

As a player, as a player as an audience member, that can be really annoying.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Well, as an audience member, yeah, that can be anything.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Although it's probably happening more often than not.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Um, okay, very oh, nice. Yeah, like that one.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Yeah. Um, I mean, because I mean, as a player, I don't want to walk away from a show feeling dissatisfied. You don't? No, but okay. I've kind of reflected on it and gone, oh, most of the time when I finish an improv show and I talk to my other players, we often just always say, Well, oh, well done, that was great. You know, they felt really good, right? But then I'm just thinking about it, then maybe are we just falling into the trap if we're just doing the same thing or we're just playing to our strengths this whole time?

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Uh perhaps. So so here's a thing to think about. Okay. In order to be dissatisfied with a show, I'm assuming not not or or even your own personal Yeah, a show or your your performance.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Whatever.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So in order to be dissatisfied, it means you already had uh uh an idea of what it was that you were wanting to achieve. Yeah, sure. You already had an expectation, yeah, yeah. Um and I would say that perhaps that's the error.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Oh, this is good because I think I think expectation is the most important part. Do you? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Um so was we're talking about expectation apart from the the structure of the show. So obviously there are expectations that you need to meet within a show if you've if you've it's like, okay, we do this, this is this, and then the journey is this, and then we do this.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah, we yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

But I mean like and then it ends with everyone coming together in the town.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Okay, maybe, maybe like expectations like I expect for myself to uh come in and um be open to other people's offers and not railroad them, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Is that I guess that's what more I mean. Uh is that what I yeah, I think that's what I mean in terms of expectations.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Okay. Because then there are also because that's also just a fundamental rule.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Uh you know, principle mindset of being a good improviser.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

So when you say expectations, I guess w what do you mean specifically?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Um I I'm I'm gonna I'm asking you, what do you mean? Do you expect to oh I expect to, you know, play a really strong character or make people laugh or have every the audience love me, or is it an ego-based expectation? Is it a an expectation of how you're gonna play or what you're gonna play? Are you setting yourself up for something and and coming on stage with that baggage, right? I mean rather than letting it okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

So so I guess in terms of my expectations for myself, is I would I I'm expecting uh particularly because I guess I'm more into I'm more doing improv comedy, right? So I'm I'm expecting laughter. Uh that's what I'm aiming for. And that and if I don't get it, then I would be dissatisfied. Um I am I think that's the main thing, I guess, in terms of expectations that if they weren't met and I walked away, I would be dissatisfied about. Like it because it I feel or I hope that I'm I actually, you know what, the one thing I guess it is kind of a rule or a guide, yeah, uh a rule or a um yeah, guideline is if I have walked away going, oh, I felt like I didn't take on board other people's offers, or I wasn't I wasn't in the moment enough that I wasn't that I wasn't aware or open to like other people's things, and I was panicking and like shutting stuff down or railroading. I think yeah, that's those are the two I think things when I would walk away going, Oh, I haven't met those expectations of mine and I am dissatisfied.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Okay. I think that's fine.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

The second the second one. You're welcome. But the but like the first one expecting people to laugh.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Yeah, I um I think that's that can be dangerous, right? Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

I think I think that was a nugget in Linda's dog, if you hear heard the air flapping.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

Um that was my dog, yes. Um okay, so it's tricky for the first one. The expectation of I want to make people laugh. I know the feeling of when you come off stage and you've done, you've made people laugh and I and I've had a I feel like I've had a good show. Yeah. Because my character is really funny. But but it it excites me more when I come on stage not expecting to play a funny character. And and in the course of the moments of starting walking onto a scene, I I've stumbled onto some sort of character, or somehow something's just come out of my brain, or someone's given me something. Um, and and in the course of doing the scene, I've discovered that this character is funny. Not because I'm trying to be funny, but this character is funny, that satisfies me immensely because I walk off the stage at the end of the show and go, oh, there's a thing I've discovered. There's this person, and for me, characters are genuine people, and I always feel sad that I'm never gonna play those people again if I've had a really good night. Um that's satisfying. But if I've walked on and um aimed to be funny, it's unsat it is unsatisfying because it also sets you up for failure.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Because you're going to to have that in the back of your mind. I want to be funny, I'm aiming for the laugh, I'm aiming for the laugh. And what that does is take you out of the moment so you're not present to your partner, and you're striving for something that serves the ego, serves immediate satisfaction. Um, and and that's that's hard.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

But but so when you like and yeah, I I actually totally uh resonate with what you're saying about coming in, not uh aiming for laughs and discovering a relationship or character that is that people find funny. But doesn't that only not only work? Doesn't that work because in the back of your head you have an inbuilt trust you personally, Linda, have an inbuilt trust with yourself, knowing that when I remain open and when I get to play like this, inevitably something fun will happen.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

So I guess, yeah, great. So then then, yeah, I think that's I would also say that's my expectation though, I guess, in terms of explaining what I mean, is I don't uh come on thinking, oh, I'm gonna be funny, and that's my expectation. But it's the same as yours, is is I know that if I come on uh in an open way and accept what's going on uh and support uh my other players, I know it's gonna be humorous eventually at some point. But that's still an expectation I have. You know. Okay. Like I'm not coming in playing for laughs.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Yeah, but this is an expectation um based on fact, it's based on experience. But it's not fact though, right? Well, it kind of is. I've done enough improv shows to know that if I come up, if I walk on stage, and by I I mean the universal I, yeah. Uh I work on stage open to accepting people's offers and um uh advance them and uh you know um dig deeper into things, that it's it's highly the chances of it being a fun, good show that I feel satisfied with are gonna be um much higher than if I don't do any of that stuff. You know that from experience.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Yes, yeah, much higher, but it's not a guarantee.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

So it there's a there's a there's not a guarantee, but I I just kind of um think there are some expectations that are um uh uh uh what's the word? Yeah, half of the course, for example, if I wake up in the morning and I open my eyes, I expect to see something.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Um I have vision.

SPEAKER_02 10:33

Yeah, yeah. Or if you're in a yeah, if you're in a play, it's a minimum expectation that people will have memorized their lines. Yeah, it is physically possible that people do it and don't, and then but there's a huge spanner in the work. So Yeah. So it's a yeah, but then but you but yeah, okay. So that's your baseline.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

So anything that you add on top of that is you adding stuff.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Ah, right. So in terms of expectations that that yeah, that I've added on top of the baseline, or people have added on top of the baseline in order to walk away dissatisfied.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Yeah. For example, um if you're doing a long form narrative show and you expect the final scene to be something that ties everything together, um ties all the characters and the plot lines together, um not an uncommon expectation, but one that uh often is unsatisfying. Um now, if you're if I'm doing that show and I expect everything to be tied up neatly because I want this show to be like a well-written play, I I walk obviously I'll walk away dissatisfied because it's hard to do that in an improv show. You you have to then say to yourself, okay, it's hard to do that in an improv show, so I've got to be okay with whatever happens. And um, and yes, if it happens that we we tie all the plot points beautifully, and I'll walk away, you know, exhilarated and alt and incredibly satisfied, then fantastic. Woohoo! You know, chalk that one up to being a moment of great success. But I also understand enough about improv to know that that is a special show, a special occasion, special moment in our, you know, playing us playing the story as a trip. Um so I guess I'm then prepared to walk away dissatisfied because I know that that's a rarity.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Right. It's it's the it's the extra.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

It's the extra.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

And it's and it won't make or break your satisfaction with the performance or show if it is.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

I'll be more satisfied if everything is suddenly coming the improv gods tie everything together. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Because you know that that's a that's a beautiful miracle in a way. Um, but I also know that I can't expect it to, because what expecting it to tie up beautifully ends up being in a show that everyone's trying to ram a square peg into a round hole. Yeah. And it and it feels which we will probably end up doing because we all want to go trying to strive for this beautiful ending. Um, but you walk away feeling dissatisfied because it feels like you've been ramming a square peg into a round hole. And um there wasn't this thing of things organically kind of fitting together beautifully.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

Then then I guess this kind of the second half of my question is then are we risking anything? If we're not if if we're not courting dissatisfaction. Because if our expectation is, uh, I mean, this is me being, I suppose, just twisting your words, but like if our expectation is if our expectation is, uh, we're never gonna make it, you know, work perfectly, so we don't have to worry about that and we'll just do whatever. Like, are have we just lowered our expectations to the point where they're being met?

SPEAKER_00 14:03

No.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

I mean, are we risking anything then? I mean, does improv need because I feel improv needs risk. I can't. Yeah, absolutely. But I can't quite put it into words why though, but like Well, you're by its nature, it is risk.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

It's it's risk. The way you make the theater and you do the show, you know, it's risk stepping onto a stage with no script. It's risk not knowing what the other person is going to give you, say to you, set the scene up as being. That's all a risk. It's risk, you know, turning up to a theater and wondering whether the this is the biggest risk, is whether anyone's going to come and see your show. Yeah. It's it's riddled with risk.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Then then so then sh but then if it's if it's so risky, why do we walk away from most of our shows satisfied?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

I don't know if we do.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

Really?

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Oh, okay. No. I um it's interesting. I've had this discussion with a with a director friend of mine who um because I once posted a little thing on Facebook just saying um I every time I do a project, I walk away, I'm always dissatisfied with it. Um, I've loved it. If I've done a directed a show, whatever, I've loved the process, loved working with the people, loved the shows, but I always walk away dissatisfied. And and he was saying that that he thinks that's by nature, that is what artists are like. We aren't always satisfied with the work. When we do something, work on a project, by the end of the project, I'm already thinking about the next project. Because working on this project has made me see what I would do differently or how I can do something a little bit better. Um, do you know what I mean? So you need that so you need that just that kind of dissatisfaction is, I think, part of an intrinsic part to being an artist, is that you're constantly wanting to be creative and you want to see what you can do differently and how would that would turn out. If you're satisfied with something, if I'm satisfied, if I've been playing playing guitar for 20 years and I'm suddenly reached a stage where I think, you know what, I'm really satisfied with my guitar playing, that's it. What can I do? Well, I don't know, put the good like you'll put the guitar away because it's like, well, what more can I do?

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Because I've I've I'm satisfied.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

I'm satisfied. Then so but then then but but there is still more music out there, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

But like, but when we when we're doing improv shows, I don't walk away. I mean we walk like the player when I when I when I when you know working with players and uh we we feel good after a show.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

That's alright.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

But are we dissatisfied and happy?

SPEAKER_00 16:48

Is yeah, probably. I would like to think so. That you're dissatisfied and happy. I think the thing is that you no longer read it as dissatisfaction, you you accept what happened. Maybe it's acceptance.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

It was an improv show, that happened. We had fun. Yes, I listened to you. You had great ideas, you played great characters. Oh, I loved it when you you know threw that thing at me. Ah, yeah. Yeah, so these people, I trust them.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

That yeah, yeah, because right, because that's what I fear. Was it a great show?

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Who knows what great is?

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Ah, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Did the audience love it? Yeah, they did. Did the plot did it was everything tied together and were scenes beautiful? No. Did the audience still love it?

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Yes, they did. Yeah, so then yeah, so you can totally come off because I felt a bit guilty about like after the end of every improv show being like, I feel good and I like that. And but and then and I'm telling my other players, like, yeah, that was like it's like we it's like we come out of it and we're all like um comforting each other, going, that was that was good. It's like, yeah, it was. It's like it was we're not lying or anything. Yeah, it's like an element of surprise. It's like that's been good for a for every show, it's been good. Yeah, yeah, every show has been good and fun, and it's just and it just feels a bit unbelievable. And and and and in the back of my head, I'm like, we must be doing something wrong if if it's this like you know, consistent. It's not that it's consistent, but like we're having consistent fun, you know, like and the audience seem to be liking it too. So it's just like what's going right, what's going wrong with ride the wave, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

But yeah, ride the wave because it's not going, you know, you don't know when that wave's gonna crash onto the beach or swallow a small town, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

But I think but I mean, I guess for me, uh for me, it's not so much I guess riding the wave, but kind of what you said of it's you can still be dissatisfied in the sense that I can I'm still risking stuff and I'm trying stuff and it may or may not work, and there will be uh room for improvement, but I can still have I can still be happy with the show. I can still walk away feeling good, and I can still walk away with the audience feeling good as well. Like I don't, I don't need a um, I don't have to feel like a colossal failure and the audience hate us and you know we hate each other to walk away going, oh good, we risk stuff there, right? And going, oh good, we did the improv. Terrible thing to give to yourself. Well, I mean, like to a certain extent, I mean, like, I don't know, I kind of like that idea of I'm that's my process as an artist, though, is very much I love to push uh personally, you know, I love to uh push the boundaries in terms of figuring out where the boundaries are, you know. In and I don't mean like in an offensive, confronting way, but almost like in a very straightforward way in terms of if you threw light onto a stage, it's like me going, walking and walking, going, Can you see me? Can you see me? Can you see me? No, we can't see you. Oh, okay, right there. You know, it's it's more like that. And then and then when but I need to I need to go into that darkness in order to know then, oh, this is where the light goes, right? So uh yeah, to a certain extent, I'm just like, oh, okay, what if, you know, I um I did the scene and played a character who doesn't say anything, you know, and just I mean, not necessarily going into it with that intention fully, but kind of being excited by ooh, you know, yeah, yeah. You know, what what about this kind of potential for failure and then seeing what happens? Like um, yeah, like an experiment or like um a petri dish, you know, with bacteria or whatever. So yeah, me. Yeah, often that's what people call my improv. Um bacteria in a petri dish. Um, yeah, so I kind of I was gonna say the thing about failure.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Don't hate I love the word failure. I know I know you do. I think people should use it more. No, no, I I I know you do. Okay. And you're absolutely right. You you have to use it in improv because that's it's gonna it's there, it's gonna happen. Um, and um it's fun. Failing is fun, and and you know, Keith Johnstone said if you fail with happiness, you know, the it's the audience is always gonna be there for you. So they want to see someone fail um uh delightfully rather than try not to fail and control everything, and um um yeah, really just no one likes the smell of someone trying too hard. Yeah, do you know what I mean? Particularly an audience, they do not like the smell of someone trying too hard, particularly someone trying too hard to be funny, yeah. It's just oh no. I I think we spray the room with some poo poori somebody. This room's stinky.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

I I think we like people who try, but I think it's it's for me. I wonder if it's more the denial of the reality of like the shared. Everybody in the room goes everybody in the room is like, okay, doing another fart joke isn't is not gonna be funny. If you continue to push against that, you're you're kind of denying the room, you know, what we're feeling and what we're experiencing. You kind of close that off. But I think someone who's trying, I mean, I think that's what audiences really love about improvisers, is because we can't rob is specifically so elaborate elaborate on that. Oh, when we I mean, just talking about like um uh trying, you know. Um, and and I think uh yeah, the that people don't resonate with forcing and pushing something to happen. But I think what uh because the audience the audience is on your side, right? Um the audience wants you to succeed.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

So you're not talking about trying to be funny.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Um I would say uh I would say trying to be funny is actually forcing to be funny. Yeah, right. I think I think trying, uh yeah, yeah. I think I guess the word trying, I'm thinking more about like I I I one of my fundamental kind of uh thoughts on narrative and story is that one of the universal uh elements of story is that we have across humanity is struggle. And I think we don't we very rarely have stories that are just somebody just succeeds and then that's the end, you know? Is that and I think this has to do with the human condition. It's about the journey. It's about the journey, yeah. It's about the journey, right? And the overcoming of um trials. And I think that's that because that's the human condition, is that we aren't we don't have lives that are just oh, everything's easy and perfect, and then we're done, you know. I and so I think that's why we love to see people I mean, it's it sounds bad, love to see people struggle, but love to see people try. Yeah right? Overcome adversity, overcome adversity, thank you, right? So it's in narrative, sports, you know, like we we we love those things. So and I think improv is so great at that because the audience know this, they can clearly see the struggle of oh my gosh, this person has no script and they're just given stuff at random, and then they're so behind you and cheering for you to succeed. So for me, I guess when I think of trying to be funny, it's not really in that category, right? That's where I feel like it's it's it's forcing or it's shoving or it's um it's trying to make something happen where it's not there, right? So yeah, I get that that would be my difference of the word, I guess trying to be funny, the word trying. So I think that's why improv is so compelling, because the the opportunity for failure is real, right? Um, and if we don't risk anything, uh, you know, if there's no opportunity for failure, then yeah, the audience don't get to see a human being uh overcome adversity, right? And that's that's such a I think that's such a fun, beautiful thing. Oh, and that's the other thing I wanted to say is that I think also we are also in a very fortunate position in terms of being able to fail um happily is because we um are surrounded by such wonderful players as well. I think that's what I've been so blessed by is that I have the freedom to I I really feel like I have the freedom to fail on stage because I know I have these other wonderful people who are gonna um make fun of me or you know, or make it funny or you know, or or do something with it. And I want to also kind of see what they do with it as well. And that's that's such a joyous thing as well. I can I can see that people starting out going, oh my gosh, no, failure is impossible. Like, why would you fail if you know kind of aim for failure, you know, on a on a stage with with such a small, like a Sydney improv scene, right? It's like what if I make a name for myself as like a terrible improviser, nobody will work for me ever again, you know? So yeah, I just think we're in a lovely position and we've got wonderful people that we get to improvise with.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

The thing about failure is also that you have to at least look not look like, but you have to be trying not to fail, as it were. You have to be trying to, you know what I mean? You're still trying to swim. Um, yeah, you know that's the beauty of it, is that you you are the audience can see that, oh, this is this person is trying to swim rather than I'm gonna get on stage and I'm just gonna fail. Yeah. And I'm you know, without actually I'm gonna be a jellyfish with no bones. Yeah, which is then you are you just look like a bad improviser. And then because you are being a bad improviser, well you're you're probably or you could just be inexperienced, but um do you know what I mean? You you doesn't mean you're not trying. You yeah, people want to see you trying.

SPEAKER_02 26:55

Yeah, absolutely. There's a difference between sitting down in front of adversity and then trying to overcome it.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

I guess that comes back to um what you were saying about um if you're you if you're n you're you know you're not trying if you're this is just me shitting off the top of my head. You know you're not trying if you're playing characters you've always played and you know that they will always hit the mark. And you're not and then you're and then you're basically not challenging yourself and you're not taking risk. And then you can walk off stage dissatisfied or satisfied, satisfied because you've got a laugh, whatever, because you know this character always works. Or maybe personally dissatisfied because you haven't done any creative stretching. Yeah, I don't know where I'm going with that, but that's just an idea. Because I've seen a l we see we all see those, um we've probably done it, um, being that player who isn't taking much risk and has just played these characters, they know they're really good at doing accents, so they're going to do a South character with a South African accent, and the and the audience loves it, laughs because they've never seen this person do that, and then they see them in another show and they do the same thing, and then they see them in another show and they're doing the same thing, and ultimately there's always an audio, a new bunch of people who laugh at it, but there's uh you know, four or five people and they always go, Yeah, this guy always plays the same character.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

I um uh I often then wonder what that improviser thinks. Like, how do they feel about what they maybe it doesn't matter? Maybe they just know look, I'm just in here to to you know get the laughs and then walk off, and I feel I feel satisfied about my show. Yeah. I mean, you know, is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? Is that a nothing, nothing, no judgment on it?

SPEAKER_02 29:00

I mean, that's kind of almost like a whole other question. Yeah, okay. Yeah, because I do I do kind of have other questions kind of related to that, you know. But yeah, I think for us, um, who uh you know, who aren't necessarily always just aiming for the gag and the joke. And I I I think for us we're we are interested, we would be dissatisfied with that.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

I think.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

Is it is it if we I think we would both be itching for the ability to and the you know space and time to experiment and to try something different. But I because because I think that's what that's what we like.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Yeah, but I can also see that there are for some improvisers it's about well, I'm just here to I'm gonna I'm here to deliver a show. I'm gonna have fun. Yeah, but uh but this is I'm here to deliver a show, and this is what the you know I know this is what works have signed me up for and audience speech tickets, etc. So I can understand that. I I I just think person, yeah, personally we wouldn't find that satisfying.

SPEAKER_02 30:02

Yeah, yeah. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

I I I think who cares what we think. Yeah, actually why are you even listening to us people? Well, they push their headphones away and turn this podcast off and go and listen to something better. Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Yeah, yeah. Literally anything else. Or instead of instead of just listening, you can um email us.

SPEAKER_00 30:27

Yes, you can, everyone. Um uh if you have a question, I think we're ending the discussion because this is this is a good thing. Well, I mean, it kind of evolved into a new like thing. It's me. I steered into another direction. But if you have a a question or topic you'd like us to discuss, you can send us an email. Or even if you just want to say hello and say, Oh, I love this part of the show. Or or you know, this is great, but but Linda should do less talking and James should do more, then that's okay. You can email us.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

Um you can tell Linda she's wrong. You can tell me I'm wrong. Because I can't do it.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

No, that's right. You can, he can. Uh um my opinions are changeable, by the way. Um, this is what I'm thinking today. But you can send us an email at lynda tellsjames at gmail.com. Linda, that's linda with an I tells James. That's James with a j. gmail again, jo.com. A different Jo to James. Linda tells James with a J, a gmail with a G dot com. I think they know how to spell Gmail. Okay, I'm just making it clear. I'm not gonna make any assumptions.

SPEAKER_02 31:34

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

All right, good. There you go. I mean, I'm assuming they have a pen, they can write that down.

SPEAKER_02 31:41

Well, hopefully they have a computer and an email account. I think that's more important. Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_01 31:45

That's a thing.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Hey everyone, we're gonna play a little game called uh word word at a time story. So yeah, so I wanted to play this with Linda. We're gonna tell a story together, and we're only gonna say one word at a time back and forth. Yeah, it could be good, could be bad. Yeah, maybe. It might be like the previous one that we cut that was terrible. I'm assuming that's why we're cutting it. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Great. No, no, turn, no, face the page closer to me so I can read the script properly. All right. It was the best of no, no, no, I say the second one. Was one day there was a troop of clowns who uh uh went to the circus. They really loved the circus, but it was there for their anniversary. They wanted to invite another clown who was particularly upset because he had a bad day. Jeremiah, the clown, was lonely.

SPEAKER_02 33:10

The others wanted him to snap out of his loneliness. So they opened their tent and invited him in.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Jeremiah was so amazed by their generosity that he honked his nose and sprayed why not sprayed their the clowns with seltzer. Um now the clowns were drenched in seltzer, so they became hysterical and delighted and rejoiced with their friend. Yeah, the end. Okay, that's I think we've we've yeah, I think we smashed that one.

SPEAKER_02 34:22

Yeah, I think that was great. Well, thank you everyone. Thank you very much for listening. Thanks everyone. Um episode every week. Every week, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

We'll see you next week, folks.

SPEAKER_02 34:30

See ya. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

Bye chance and love you.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Love you too.