My wife and I are big fans of Jimmy Carr.
Which is a bit unusual, because I didn’t think his brand of comedy fell neatly into the venn diagram intercept of what we both like.
However, its not his jokes that keep us coming back for more, but his more serious conversations.
I took today off to look after Octavia, and while driving into town to pick up some Christmas supplies, I listened to his latest chat with the Triggernometry guys. And as usual, he was superb.
Why do I like listening to Jimmy Carr. A lot of reasons, but I’ll reflect on these top five:
- He’s impossibly well read. Throughout the hour long conversation he dropped 4-5 book recommendations, although he did it
- Without arrogance or pretense. He’s clearly very, very bright, but at no point does he need to make a show of it. A lesson to be learned here.
- He’s funny. Unsurprising, as a man who makes his crust telling jokes on stage, but everyone, and I do mean everyone, likes to have a chuckle
- He’s creative. Across an hour long conversation, he brought up many, many different ideas on how we could build a better society. Cancel taxation on those under 30. Cancel it also for those over 60, but remove the pension. He had this incredible line: “Most people think that the two atomic bombs dropped in Japan were the final shots of WW2, and that nuclear weapons haven’t been used since. My take is that they were the first two shots of the Cold War, and nuclear weapons have been used every single day since”. Immaculate.
- And finally, he’s an optimist. He believes the best in people, and the world, and the future. There is a lot to like about someone like that.
I’m glad I made this list, as saying “I want to be more like Jimmy Carr” is something a 12 year old might say. But if instead it is framed as, “How can I modulate my behaviors and actions to be better read, humbler, funnier, more creative and more optimistic” it is far more approachable.
I’ll keep you posted on this.
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