WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Welcome to the Deep Dive. This is where we take 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:04.820 a whole stack of sources, pull out the key knowledge 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.200 you need, and hopefully give you that edge of 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.199 being, well, instantly up to speed. And today 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:14.419 we're diving into someone who, yeah, really defies 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:17.100 easy labels, Brent Weinbach. Exactly. We're looking 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:19.839 at a comedian, but also a professional jazz pianist, 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.539 and an award -winning screenwriter, and a director 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:26.660 of like... Cult web stuff. It's a lot. It really 00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:28.320 is. It's not just, you know, versatility. It 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:31.359 feels more like synthesis. The sources we've 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:34.460 got lay out this incredibly varied path. Live 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:37.219 shows, music analysis, digital media. And how 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:38.899 it all connects. That's the fascinating bit. 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:41.579 How these threads weave together. Yeah. So our 00:00:41.579 --> 00:00:43.320 source material today, it's pretty comprehensive. 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.179 It covers his evolution from his early days, 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:48.939 the academic stuff, music, right up to his recognition 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.939 in comedy and surprisingly, film. Right. So the 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:53.640 mission for you listening is really to break 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:56.679 down this very experimental, very multidisciplinary 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.560 career. We want to figure out how that deep discipline, 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:02.619 like being a master pianist, somehow fuels the 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:06.599 pan -tracked kind of wild freedom in his comedy. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:08.870 It's a cool puzzle. Okay, so let's lay down the 00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:12.689 basics first. The core identity points. Source 00:01:12.689 --> 00:01:15.390 confirms. American, stand -up comedian, actor, 00:01:15.569 --> 00:01:19.569 director, pianist. Based in LA. But roots in 00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:22.290 Berkeley. You see Berkeley grad. Which, you know, 00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:24.069 that intellectual background, I think it's pretty 00:01:24.069 --> 00:01:26.730 key to understanding how he structures the absurdity 00:01:26.730 --> 00:01:29.209 later on. It's not just random. Definitely. Okay, 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:31.489 let's get into that. Part one, the foundation. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:35.219 All right, let's unpack his artistic DNA. The 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:38.280 sources keep coming back to three words, experimental, 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:41.879 abstract, and deadpan. That's the core aesthetic. 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:44.459 And that combination, it's, well, it's not typical, 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:46.939 especially not in mainstream comedy. Deadpan 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:49.260 usually goes with, like, observational stuff. 00:01:49.620 --> 00:01:51.439 Overgrounded things. Yeah, or social commentary. 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:54.159 So how does that work? How does a super deadpan 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:56.819 delivery actually help when the material itself 00:01:56.819 --> 00:01:59.319 is totally abstract and weird? Well, think about 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:01.120 the function of the deadpan there. If the idea 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:04.159 is already surreal, like that multi -level marketing 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.340 plan for dating he did on Conan. Right. Or, you 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.659 know, demonstrating some totally fake, complex 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:13.479 drumming technique. The deadpan delivery, that 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:15.960 complete seriousness, it kind of has to anchor 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:18.439 it. Otherwise, it just floats away. It's control. 00:02:18.620 --> 00:02:21.120 The ideas are way out there. Makes the audience 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.389 go, wait, what? Is this serious? But the delivery? 00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:27.789 Super controlled. No winking. Exactly. He commits 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:30.710 fully to the premise no matter how absurd. And 00:02:30.710 --> 00:02:32.849 that commitment, that's what takes it from just, 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:35.569 you know, being weird to being something more 00:02:35.569 --> 00:02:37.810 like conceptual art. And then control that discipline. 00:02:38.349 --> 00:02:40.430 It seems like it leads right back to his background, 00:02:40.530 --> 00:02:42.030 doesn't it? This style wasn't just cooked up 00:02:42.030 --> 00:02:43.870 out of nowhere. No, absolutely not. It feels 00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:45.909 like it grew out of some real structure, some 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:49.439 rigor. Totally. Connecting the dots. We mentioned 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:51.900 UC Berkeley. That points to, you know, intellectual 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:54.939 curiosity, analytical thinking. But maybe even 00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:57.520 more revealing are those jobs he had before comedy 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:59.860 took over full time. He was a professional jazz 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:03.439 pianist and this one's kind of surprising, a 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:05.919 substitute teacher. OK, let's pause on the jazz 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:07.939 pianist thing, because I feel like that's huge 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:12.379 for his comedy structure. requires insane technical 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:14.620 skill, right? Rhythm, structure, theory. Oh, 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:16.379 completely. You have to master all the rules, 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:20.979 scales, harmony, just perfectly. So you can then 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:24.280 break them convincingly. Yeah. Improvise. Exactly. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:26.919 And that discipline, you can almost map it onto 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:29.659 his comedic timing. For him, a joke isn't just 00:03:29.659 --> 00:03:32.259 set up punchline. It feels more composed, like 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:34.599 music. Think about tempo, cadence. And silence. 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:38.009 The pauses. Yes, silence. The rest in music. 00:03:38.030 --> 00:03:40.789 It builds tension, anticipation. And in deadpan 00:03:40.789 --> 00:03:44.030 comedy, that long pause before the final weird 00:03:44.030 --> 00:03:46.509 line, that's everything. It stops it from just 00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:50.270 being noise. He uses silence like negative space 00:03:50.270 --> 00:03:53.629 in art. It makes the words hit harder. And improvisation, 00:03:53.629 --> 00:03:56.509 too. Central to jazz, central to stand -up. You 00:03:56.509 --> 00:03:58.509 follow the moment, you pivot, but you keep the 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:00.550 structure intact while exploring something new. 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:03.539 That training in structured improv. Priceless. 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:06.159 Okay, then the substitute teacher part. Seems 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:07.979 like a total left turn, but maybe not. Well, 00:04:07.979 --> 00:04:09.680 think about it. It's like an observation lab 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:11.740 and crowd control boot camp rolled into one. 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:15.860 Yeah, okay. Seriously. Subs have to think fast, 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.980 engage the room immediately, and teenagers. Toughest 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:21.560 crowd. Cynical. Plus, you're just constantly 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.160 observing human behavior, little awkward moments, 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.319 bureaucratic stuff. Which he then twists into 00:04:27.319 --> 00:04:30.160 his abstract concepts, takes the mundane and 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:32.620 makes it... Bizarre. Precisely. We should also 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:35.199 mention, just for context, his identity. Sources 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:37.339 note he's half Filipino and half Jewish. And 00:04:37.339 --> 00:04:40.100 creativity seems to run in the family. His sister, 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:43.079 Laura Weinbach, she's in that band Foxtails Brigade. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.759 Oh, right. And her husband, his brother -in -law, 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:49.339 Anton Patzner. So there's this, like, lineage 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:52.839 of artistry there. Music, performance. It's in 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:54.620 the blood, maybe. Okay, so when we talk about 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:56.579 Brent Weinbach getting recognized, there's one 00:04:56.579 --> 00:04:58.800 award we absolutely have to start with. It feels 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:01.160 like it defines his whole approach. Yeah. The 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:03.319 Andy Kaufman Award. Yes, this is so important 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:05.660 because the Kaufman Award, it's not about, you 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:07.800 know, selling out arenas or being super mainstream. 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.279 No. It's about intellectual integrity, conceptual 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.040 stuff. The source says it flat out. It recognizes 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:15.759 innovation in stand -up comedy. So what does 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.329 winning that actually mean for him? For you, 00:05:18.389 --> 00:05:21.149 the listener, think about it. It means the comedy 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:23.250 world, or at least a significant part of it, 00:05:23.310 --> 00:05:27.129 values him for pushing boundaries, for the ideas. 00:05:27.449 --> 00:05:29.769 Yeah, not just for, like, the laugh per minute 00:05:29.769 --> 00:05:33.329 ratio. It puts him in that Kaufman lineage. Artists 00:05:33.329 --> 00:05:36.290 who messed with the form itself blurred the lines 00:05:36.290 --> 00:05:39.370 between performance and reality. Kaufman often 00:05:39.370 --> 00:05:43.610 made people feel uncomfortable, confused, not 00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:45.990 just amused. Right. Traditional stand -up wants 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:48.720 the laugh. Kaufman style comedy often aims for 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:50.899 something else using the stand up format. And 00:05:50.899 --> 00:05:53.459 Winebox somehow does that while still being genuinely 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:56.139 funny. It's a tricky balance. So he's seen as 00:05:56.139 --> 00:05:59.240 this like conceptual architect in comedy. building 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.259 weird structures instead of just telling jokes. 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:03.540 But if his stuff is so out there, how does he 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.519 do in normal competitive settings? That's the 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:08.560 interesting thing. He's got the conceptual chops, 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:10.839 but he also proved he could deliver in the traditional 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:14.040 arenas. He was a finalist in the 2008 San Francisco 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:16.759 Comedy Competition. Which is notoriously difficult. 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:19.300 You need consistency. You need to connect with 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:22.139 maybe resistant crowds. Exactly. The fact that 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:24.920 his abstract style worked there shows that the 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:26.800 underlying craft, the timing, the discipline 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:29.420 we talked about, it's soft. It makes the weirdness 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:31.839 land. He connects while challenging expectations. 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:35.399 Okay, so that skill lets his unique style travel. 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:37.519 He wasn't just stuck in one niche scene. No, 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:40.100 definitely toured quite a bit. The sources list 00:06:40.100 --> 00:06:42.920 appearances at major festivals, Coachella, SF 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:46.360 Sketch Fest, Bumbershoot, just for laughs. Coachella's 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:50.660 interesting. Huge, diverse crowd. Means his kind 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:53.379 of different voice was seen as like essential 00:06:53.379 --> 00:06:56.139 to that modern festival mix. People wanted something 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:58.060 unexpected. And this is where it gets really 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:00.360 fascinating, the bridge to the mainstream. Even 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.939 with this commitment to the experimental, he 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:05.459 got significant exposure. Yeah, he brought the 00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:07.980 abstract stuff to late night TV, appeared on 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:10.930 Lopez Tonight and notably Conan. And that Conan 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:12.970 set title you mentioned earlier, The Way to a 00:07:12.970 --> 00:07:14.889 Man's Heart, is through my multi -level marketing 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:18.250 plan. That's just peak Weinbach. Taking dry corporate 00:07:18.250 --> 00:07:20.350 language. We're replying it to something intimate 00:07:20.350 --> 00:07:23.069 and absurd like dating. The Deadpan just sells 00:07:23.069 --> 00:07:25.430 the ridiculousness of pitching romance like Amway. 00:07:25.740 --> 00:07:29.079 That blend, mundane commercial speak, meets high 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.740 concept surrealism. That's his zone. And even 00:07:32.740 --> 00:07:34.439 before the internet really blew up for comics, 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.680 he was part of that whole comedians of comedy 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:39.319 tour group. Right. That was huge for defining 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:42.180 alternative comedy in the 2000s. Put him right 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:44.279 alongside others who were finding humor outside 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.160 the standard club formula, cemented his place 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:49.990 as an innovator. OK, so if the stage is where 00:07:49.990 --> 00:07:52.550 he refined the timing, the Internet feels like 00:07:52.550 --> 00:07:54.850 where he built these lasting weird little worlds 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:56.810 and characters. You've got to spend some real 00:07:56.810 --> 00:07:58.930 time on him as a digital creator, starting with 00:07:58.930 --> 00:08:01.009 Poundhouse. Oh, yeah. Poundhouse ran for, what, 00:08:01.089 --> 00:08:04.050 10 years, 2013 to 2023. That's basically forever 00:08:04.050 --> 00:08:06.410 in Internet time. Totally. And he was all over 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:09.389 it. Co -creator, co -director, writer and playing 00:08:09.389 --> 00:08:12.350 Brent. With DJ Doug Penn. It perfectly captured 00:08:12.350 --> 00:08:14.790 that abstract, character -based style online. 00:08:14.889 --> 00:08:18.149 Just two housemates, mundane stuff, but pushed 00:08:18.149 --> 00:08:20.730 to extremes through this weird, looping, almost 00:08:20.730 --> 00:08:23.550 reality TV parody lens. And it got noticed, right? 00:08:23.610 --> 00:08:26.110 It wasn't just a fringe thing. No, it got critical 00:08:26.110 --> 00:08:29.829 recognition, nominated for a Streamy Award, which 00:08:29.829 --> 00:08:32.429 is pretty major for something that often just 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:35.470 went for pure, sustained absurdity over, you 00:08:35.470 --> 00:08:38.870 know, neat little stories. He seemed to get... 00:08:38.970 --> 00:08:41.889 really early on, how well that kind of abstract, 00:08:42.190 --> 00:08:45.250 concept -heavy humor plays online. Short bursts, 00:08:45.549 --> 00:08:48.590 minimal context needed. Definitely. And that 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:51.590 understanding led to those other viral video 00:08:51.590 --> 00:08:54.149 hits, the ones that are just pure, concentrated, 00:08:54.429 --> 00:08:56.629 wind -back online. Yeah, let's talk about those. 00:08:56.870 --> 00:08:59.750 The source names Gangster Party Line, Mind Jack, 00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:02.210 and Ultimate Drumming Technique. We should probably 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:04.250 unpack those a bit for the listener. Okay, Ultimate 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:06.529 Drumming Technique. Ties right back to the music 00:09:06.529 --> 00:09:08.049 background, obviously. It looks like one of those 00:09:08.049 --> 00:09:10.710 instructional videos. Right. Super serious. But 00:09:10.710 --> 00:09:13.350 instead of teaching anything useful, he demonstrates 00:09:13.350 --> 00:09:16.789 these increasingly bizarre, totally pointless 00:09:16.789 --> 00:09:20.210 physical movements with absolute dead serious 00:09:20.210 --> 00:09:22.110 commitment. It's like he's parodying the whole 00:09:22.110 --> 00:09:23.870 idea of technical mastery, which he actually 00:09:23.870 --> 00:09:26.389 has, by focusing on the most meaningless, awkward, 00:09:26.490 --> 00:09:28.710 physical parts of performance. It's physical 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:30.710 comedy, but you have to think about it. Exactly. 00:09:31.070 --> 00:09:34.360 And then... Gangster party line. What a concept. 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.600 Yeah. It mashes up that hyper -stylized language 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.340 from gangster movies or rap, you know, really 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:43.039 specific slang and tone. With the most boring, 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.740 mundane thing possible, like a phone chat line 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:49.580 or a customer service call center script. The 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:52.740 clash is the joke. Taking a dramatic trope and 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:55.220 forcing it into this rigid administrative box, 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.299 these videos weren't really about set -up punchline 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:01.000 laughs, more like creating this little intellectual, 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:04.259 huh? moment that makes you want to share it. 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:07.000 That success with short form conceptual stuff 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.620 online definitely led to writing gigs in traditional 00:10:09.620 --> 00:10:12.860 media, but ones that fit his style. Like he wrote 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:15.000 for the Eric Andre show in 2015. Which makes 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:17.960 total sense. Another show built on surreal, confrontational, 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:20.220 structured chaos. If you can write for Poundhouse 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:22.419 and Eric Andre, you've mastered a certain kind 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:24.720 of controlled absurdity. But he didn't just stay 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.940 with sketches and digital shorts. The sources 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:28.960 show him taking those writing and directing skills 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:32.600 into like actual film recognition. Yeah, this 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:36.000 is a big shift. In 2022, he won Best Screenplay 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:38.019 at the Los Angeles International Film Festival. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.139 The Spirit of Los Angeles Award shared with Bruno 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:45.440 Cofield Galeano. Wow. OK, so moving from co -directing 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.259 a cult web series to winning a screenplay award 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:51.100 that shows the concepts can hold up in a longer 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:53.240 structured narrative. It's not just quick hits. 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:55.039 Right. It takes a different kind of discipline 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.600 to manage a whole plot compared to a sketch. 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:00.669 Shows real range. And he's still involved in 00:11:00.669 --> 00:11:02.610 that world. There's an upcoming project, False 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:05.889 Awakenings, where he has a story by credit. So 00:11:05.889 --> 00:11:08.289 he's still developing these big conceptual frameworks, 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:10.710 whether it's for a one minute video or a full 00:11:10.710 --> 00:11:13.830 movie. OK, we keep circling back to the music. 00:11:14.049 --> 00:11:16.610 Brent Weinbach, professional jazz pianist. Let's 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:18.529 dig into how that actually shows up in his comedy 00:11:18.529 --> 00:11:20.490 albums, because they are just, you know, recordings 00:11:20.490 --> 00:11:22.710 of his standup sets. No, not usually. They're 00:11:22.710 --> 00:11:24.950 often more layered, conceptual. The blending 00:11:24.950 --> 00:11:27.440 started early. His first one. Tales from the 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:30.440 Brownside from 2004. The source mentions it was 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.460 specifically inspired by Joe Frank. Ah, Joe Frank. 00:11:33.659 --> 00:11:36.629 Okay, for listeners who might not know him. Legendary 00:11:36.629 --> 00:11:39.789 radio guy known for these really atmospheric, 00:11:39.909 --> 00:11:43.629 sometimes dark narrative pieces, mixed spoken 00:11:43.629 --> 00:11:47.169 word, sound effects, music. Right. So that connection 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:49.830 right away tells you Winebox thinking about atmosphere, 00:11:50.009 --> 00:11:52.549 storytelling, the whole soundscape. Yeah. The 00:11:52.549 --> 00:11:55.450 album as an experience, not just a string of 00:11:55.450 --> 00:11:57.509 jokes. Then his second album, The Night Shift 00:11:57.509 --> 00:12:01.370 2009, really seemed to formalize that mix. The 00:12:01.370 --> 00:12:03.649 source says it's a blend of live comedy, studio 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:05.649 recordings and original music. Yeah. The music 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:07.509 isn't just background filler. It's part of the 00:12:07.509 --> 00:12:10.429 composition, setting a mood, maybe playing against 00:12:10.429 --> 00:12:12.610 the spoken words. It sounds like he's using sound 00:12:12.610 --> 00:12:15.009 design and music as extra tools in his comedy 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:17.750 toolkit, like rhythm and melody, creating tension 00:12:17.750 --> 00:12:20.090 and release alongside the words. Totally. And 00:12:20.090 --> 00:12:21.950 you see that continue in later albums, too, like 00:12:21.950 --> 00:12:25.129 Mostly Live 2012. And the title of Appealing 00:12:25.129 --> 00:12:28.470 to the Mainstream 2017 feels like classic Weinbach 00:12:28.470 --> 00:12:30.529 commentary. Yeah. And then there's the curveball, 00:12:30.649 --> 00:12:33.029 the one only a skilled pianist with his specific 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:35.970 sense of humor could throw, the 2017 album Christmas 00:12:35.970 --> 00:12:38.750 Piano. It's just perfect. Such a great piece 00:12:38.750 --> 00:12:42.190 of comedic juxtaposition. Because on the surface, 00:12:42.429 --> 00:12:45.669 it's totally straight. A talented musician playing 00:12:45.669 --> 00:12:48.309 Christmas standards. But knowing his whole deal, 00:12:48.450 --> 00:12:51.169 the experimental abstract stuff, just releasing 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:54.330 a completely normal Christmas Piano album, feels 00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:56.429 like the ultimate deadpan move. Is he making 00:12:56.429 --> 00:12:58.970 fun of it? Is he genuinely just playing music 00:12:58.970 --> 00:13:01.049 he likes? You can't quite tell. And that ambiguity, 00:13:01.269 --> 00:13:04.129 that's pure Weinbach, using his actual skill 00:13:04.129 --> 00:13:07.090 to make something so unexpectedly normal that 00:13:07.090 --> 00:13:09.049 that becomes the radical funny thing. Beyond 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:11.129 the albums, though, he puts that deep musical 00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:14.049 knowledge into this other really specific long 00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:16.529 -running project, the Legacy Music Hour podcast. 00:13:17.009 --> 00:13:19.610 Right. Started way back in 2010. This isn't just 00:13:19.610 --> 00:13:21.490 a side hobby. It's a serious long -term thing. 00:13:21.629 --> 00:13:24.269 He hosts it with Rob F. Switch. And the topic 00:13:24.269 --> 00:13:27.960 is super niche. Retro video game music. Specifically 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:31.679 80s and 90s stuff. NES, SNES, Genesis. But it's 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.019 not just nostalgia, is it? He's actually analyzing 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:36.600 this music, applying real music theory, harmony, 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:39.240 structure, orchestration to chiptunes. Exactly. 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:40.799 Which is fascinating because, you know, people 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:43.000 often dismiss that stuff as just bleeps and bloops. 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:45.419 But he's talking about composers working under 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:48.679 extreme limitations, only a few sound channels 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.559 on an NES, right? Yeah. So they had to be incredibly 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.460 clever. Weinbach gives that ingenuity serious, 00:13:54.580 --> 00:13:57.350 informed analysis like you'd hear. for classical 00:13:57.350 --> 00:14:00.269 music or jazz he treats the loops the melodies 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:03.350 the counterpoint as real compositional choices 00:14:03.350 --> 00:14:06.490 it's like another extension of his identity The 00:14:06.490 --> 00:14:08.789 technical musician who thinks all music is worth 00:14:08.789 --> 00:14:11.809 deep study, no matter where it comes from. And 00:14:11.809 --> 00:14:13.809 that podcast has found its audience. It's a fixture. 00:14:13.970 --> 00:14:16.289 The source mentions crossovers with other pods 00:14:16.289 --> 00:14:18.750 like Laser Time. Yeah. Shows he can build a community 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:21.090 around this very specific passion, connecting 00:14:21.090 --> 00:14:24.830 music theory, nostalgia and gaming. OK, let's 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:26.529 switch gears slightly to Weinbach, the actor. 00:14:26.669 --> 00:14:28.289 His own stuff is very self -driven, obviously. 00:14:28.490 --> 00:14:32.009 But how do other directors use his unique, controlled 00:14:32.009 --> 00:14:34.919 vibe? Started small, looks like. A waiter in 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:37.480 Medicine for Melancholy back in 2008. Yeah, a 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:39.879 small start, but it opened the door to this really 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.840 varied mix of guest spots. And looking at the 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:44.960 specific roles, you can really see how casting 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:47.740 directors deploy that deadpan, slightly off energy 00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:52.259 he has. Like, OK, in 2013, he's Greg in an episode 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:54.919 of The Middle, which is, you know, a pretty standard 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:57.480 network family sitcom. Yeah. Very different world 00:14:57.480 --> 00:15:00.350 from abstract comedy. Right. But casting him, 00:15:00.389 --> 00:15:02.690 even in a small role like that, adds this little 00:15:02.690 --> 00:15:05.809 touch of unexpectedness. His presence, even when 00:15:05.809 --> 00:15:07.889 controlled, just feels a bit different. Makes 00:15:07.889 --> 00:15:09.809 the character memorable. You see him fitting 00:15:09.809 --> 00:15:11.870 right into those cable comedies that really lean 00:15:11.870 --> 00:15:15.149 into absurdity. Like Corporate in 2018. He played 00:15:15.149 --> 00:15:17.549 Walter in the Casual Friday episode. And Corporate's 00:15:17.549 --> 00:15:19.830 whole thing is satirizing office weirdness, right? 00:15:19.970 --> 00:15:23.250 So his kind of controlled, cynical deadpan is 00:15:23.250 --> 00:15:25.970 a perfect match for that show's tone. And he 00:15:25.970 --> 00:15:28.129 was definitely part of that whole alternative 00:15:28.129 --> 00:15:31.090 comedy TV scene that embraced the weird. Oh, 00:15:31.090 --> 00:15:34.070 yeah. Multiple spots on Comedy Bang. Bang. Between 00:15:34.070 --> 00:15:36.409 2013 and 15. Played two different characters, 00:15:36.629 --> 00:15:40.059 Mailman and Carla Smencia. Comedy Bang. Bang. 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:42.779 It's all about improv and characters pushed to 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:45.480 the max. So, yeah, natural place for him. And 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:47.960 working with Tim and Eric, he was Brett, young 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.200 intern, in that Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:53.840 episode, The Endorsement, in 2014. Being in their 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.059 world basically confirms you're the go -to person 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:58.759 when a scene needs perfectly delivered, slightly 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:01.679 uncomfortable, controlled weirdness. He also 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.159 did a few episodes of another period in 2015 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.460 as Scoops LaPoo. He seems to get cast as characters 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:11.049 with amazing names. Yeah, that helps. But it's 00:16:11.049 --> 00:16:13.090 not just live action. His voice is distinctive, 00:16:13.250 --> 00:16:15.570 too, and he's used it in animation. Right, the 00:16:15.570 --> 00:16:18.029 source list's voice work. He was bass, drum, 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:20.769 and other voices on Adventure Time in 2015. Also 00:16:20.769 --> 00:16:23.429 did voices for Clarence in 2017, and more recently, 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:26.110 Lee in an episode of Close Enough called Golden 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:29.570 Gamer in 2020. Golden Gamer. Yeah. Okay, that 00:16:29.570 --> 00:16:32.669 brings us back again to his connection to gaming 00:16:32.669 --> 00:16:34.990 culture, which we talk about with the Legacy 00:16:34.990 --> 00:16:37.309 Music Hour. It's not just the podcast. No, it 00:16:37.309 --> 00:16:40.149 seems really authentic. comedy persona into that 00:16:40.149 --> 00:16:42.169 world too. He's done guest spots on Game Grumps, 00:16:42.210 --> 00:16:44.389 the huge web series. Yeah. What did he do there? 00:16:44.490 --> 00:16:46.929 Well, back in 2016, he was on providing this 00:16:46.929 --> 00:16:50.149 very Weinbach -esque commentary over an old game 00:16:50.149 --> 00:16:52.730 called Time Lord. Just a perfect mix of gaming 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:55.429 knowledge and abstract riffing. And it wasn't 00:16:55.429 --> 00:16:57.889 a one -off thing. Apparently not. The sources 00:16:57.889 --> 00:17:01.049 show him appearing again in 2025 playing Gekibo. 00:17:01.889 --> 00:17:04.450 Kikisha boy, which, you know, coming back almost 00:17:04.450 --> 00:17:07.029 a decade later, it shows his presence in that 00:17:07.029 --> 00:17:10.170 digital gaming space is real and lasting. It's 00:17:10.170 --> 00:17:13.150 a continuous thread. Hashtag Hotech outro. Wow. 00:17:13.250 --> 00:17:15.009 OK, pulling back to try and wrap our heads around 00:17:15.009 --> 00:17:18.000 all this. What we've got is this picture of an 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:20.299 artist who just fluidly moves between totally 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:23.680 different worlds. Jazz piano, 8 -bit music, stand 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:26.859 -up stages, feature film writing. Yeah, but while 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.220 pivoting across all those media, he stays laser 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:32.200 -focused on this really specific, singular, abstract 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:34.599 kind of vision. It's impressive. The main threads 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:36.779 seem clear. That foundation of discipline, the 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:39.000 pianist, the Berkeley grad, then the commitment 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:42.079 to experimental deadpan comedy, getting the nod 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:43.859 from the Kauffman Award. And then seeing how 00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:45.930 that conceptual strength translates into... to 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:48.309 directing and writing, getting web series nominated, 00:17:48.589 --> 00:17:51.109 winning screenplay awards. While also maintaining 00:17:51.109 --> 00:17:54.130 these deep dives into niche passions like the 00:17:54.130 --> 00:17:56.329 video game music podcast and staying connected 00:17:56.329 --> 00:17:58.890 to those cult digital communities like Game Grumps 00:17:58.890 --> 00:18:01.970 and Poundhouse, it's a lot to balance. So what 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:04.470 here for you, the listener? It's really about 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:07.069 innovation through maybe controlled abstraction. 00:18:07.569 --> 00:18:09.910 He's like a model for a certain kind of modern 00:18:09.910 --> 00:18:11.789 artist. Doesn't stick to one box, one genre. 00:18:11.990 --> 00:18:14.309 He uses all the channels available, live shows, 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:17.230 web stuff, podcasts, film, whatever fits to get 00:18:17.230 --> 00:18:19.670 this unique vision out there. And he shows how 00:18:19.670 --> 00:18:22.369 mastering something really specific and technical 00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:25.789 like music theory or joke timing can actually 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:29.490 unlock the most abstract kinds of creative freedom. 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:32.359 rules lets you break them effectively. Right. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:34.859 Which leads us to that final thought to chew 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.119 on, something connecting his path to maybe your 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:39.700 own professional life. How does that intense, 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:43.460 maybe even rigid discipline you need to master 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:45.700 something like jazz piano, how does that same 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:48.259 discipline fuel the absolute abstract freedom 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:51.319 you need for award -winning experimental comedy? 00:18:51.710 --> 00:18:54.069 Yeah. What can you learn from that about blending 00:18:54.069 --> 00:18:56.150 your own skills? Maybe skills that seem contradictory, 00:18:56.450 --> 00:18:58.910 the structured stuff and the wild ideas. How 00:18:58.910 --> 00:19:01.430 do you mix those to do something genuinely new 00:19:01.430 --> 00:19:03.769 and versatile? Something to think about. We'll 00:19:03.769 --> 00:19:04.750 leave it there for this deep dive.