Lawson Leong's Podcast

Lawson & Benel welcome our midcard champion, Ronald Matellus, to the program to discuss Wrestlemania. Recorded 45 minutes after Wrestlemania ended. Taker's streak, Bryan's title win, Cesaro's moment...we get into it all!

Eliza Hurwitz is a new comedienne in the New York scene. She is a triplet and also the younger sister of collegehumor's Jake Hurwitz. But more importantly, she's a comic with a unique voice and style. NY comic Naomi Karavani called her "the voice of a generation" in a conversation with me once. That's heavy. But really, I just like people that do things differently. So we talk about starting in comedy, dating, the word "awkward" and a plethora of other things. Enjoy.

Comedian/Improviser/Writer Morgan Miller sits down with me and we discuss the ongoing war between stand up and improv, the mindsets of extroverts and introverts, New Years delusions and the movie "Frozen" of which Morgan wrote a parody song. Morgan discusses the struggles of being pulled in two different directions by sketch/improv and stand up. I'm an introvert and Morgan is a definite extrovert. Also I tell a story about me and my sister's childhood and why Frozen almost made me cry. You can find Morgan's parody song, "I Make Snow" here: https://vimeo.com/84010273

Benel and I commentate on RVD's RAW return match!

Benel and I commentate on NXT's match of the year. Watch the match while listening to us!

Indulge my philosophical side for 5 minutes.

The 2014 Royal Rumble was a well wrestled, and TERRIBLY BOOKED PPV. Josh Alba and Ben Conrad join us for the first several minutes of the podcast. Benel Germosen and I discuss what direction WWE could even be going in, and the role the internet is playing into these shows. No one's happy with this booking. This PPV will live in infamy.

New Jersey comedian Dina Hashem sits down with me and we discuss a plethora of things. We even comment on how weird it feels to be recorded. Dina's one of my favorite people to talk to about things, probably because she majored in philosophy and is just generally cool.

Benel comes up with a great fantasy booking for the Divas division, utilizing Page, Emma and Sara Del Rey. We talk the Road to Wrestlemania, The Shield, Reigns' push and the Daniel Bryan/Wyatt Family situation.

Comedienne Irene Hartmann and I hang out and talk. Irene is a non-threatening white girl, so we discuss how your vessel plays into your life experience. We talk comedy theory, Irene's first year and comedy inspiration.

Benel is ecstatic that Daniel Bryan joined the Wyatts. I'm less so. Lesnar's back! Is Roman Reigns #1 in the Shield? Yes, but only CM Punk had the balls to say it. This Wrestlemania card is difficult to figure out. So many big names, and only a few matches can be made. We do our best to Fantasy book it.

Seth Rollins is the wrestler of the week. And John Cena gives another great performance. Cena is a great tool to put new talent over. The Shield is dope. Benel makes a bunch of comic book references that I don't get. The Animal Batista is coming back! Slammy voting was upsetting. Benel rants on internet wrestling fans. Fantasy booking the road to Wrestlemania.

Comedian Ben Conrad joins Benel Germosen and I as we go through the outcomes of TLC 2013. We also do a lot of bits about specialized PPV's we have, i.e. a Brass Knuckles PPV and a Spanish Announce Table PPV. Congratulations to Randy Orton for surviving Chair Hands. And then we discuss...the road to WRESTLEMANIA!

Benel Germosen and I discuss the Wyatt Family. Bray Wyatt is the best character in wrestling. We discuss the inevitable Shield breakup. Benel actually has a good booking idea for Rybaxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel). The American Wolves coming to WWE? Davey Richards is out of ROH. We also go through the terrible Slammy nominations. Triple H nominated for match of the year? Yuck.

Me and my brother Drew Dowdey talk about art, media propaganda, marketing, being water, drugs, movies that enlightened us, and of course...men and women. Turn your volume up for this one, we're in my room late at night so we tried not to be loud.

One of my favorite comics/humans Jaqi Furback hangs out with me and we discuss a plethora of things, from the dynamics between men and women, to Komodo Dragons, to FEELINGS. If you've never heard Jaqi before, oh boy are you in for a treat.

I don't believe in willpower, I just believe in who you are.

What if John Cena's Attitude Adjustment actually turned wrestlers face? We discuss fantasy angles like that and more fun stuff on this episode of Smart Talk, co hosted by comedian Benel Germosen.

There is no default state for the mind to exist in. There are limitless mind altering things in the universe, and "drugs" are just ones that we focus on. You can't escape from altering your mind, because you do just by being alive.

Comedian Benel Germosen and I sit down and talk wrestling. We cover the upcoming Survivor Series, how we would write Cena's heel turn, and our favorite spots for our dream match of Great Khali vs Mark Henry in a 60 minute Ironman match at Wrestlemania XXX. We're such goddamned wrestling nerds. I love it, we'll make more of these.

We had a last minute stand up show booked at Tea Lounge recently. Nobody came for the show. So we had a room of 50 people, none of which were listening to us. So I called Bryson up to the stage for my set, and we recorded a podcast. I bring up a story of how I almost became a psychopath, weed, and feeling like you have strange desires that you have to hide. David Shine also makes a guest appearance as the host of the show who introduces me.

Bryson Turner got mugged once. The story he recounts also covers issues of race, class and gentrification. Bryson, in retrospect not so surprisingly, empathizes with potential Bed Stuy muggers. Oh did we mention that? He lives in Bed Stuy.

"Everything in this world, dies. So at some point, we gotta decide which deaths make us sad." Bryce, Bryson and I get into a substantive discussion about euthanasia and death.

As long as there are people who feel negatively about other people, there will be offensive words. It's not about what the words specifically are. It's about the negative mindsets that using those words reflect. I wanted to stay focused on offensive words on this one, but I also make a different point about being bound to history and human nature. "I feel like in some ways my actions are bound by the restrictions of my own history."

"Why do black people need credits for us to care about them?" A twilight zone episode that tries to be racially poignant comes up short, and I point out why. Bryson Turner is in studio.

A more poignant version of the, "Black people are different from white people" discussion. Bryson lives in Bed Stuy and acknowledges how his whiteness is inherently ruining it.

Possibly my favorite Bryson bit from my old Meaning of Life show. We recorded this show live in the time the Penn State scandal. Specifically during the time they were discussing whether to keep the Paterno statue.

Bryson and my sister joined me in a discussion about pets that we've owned, and also the thin line between knowing if a pet has run away or died. Bryson shares a story about a delusional friend.

30 Macon, The Upper Room, Brainstore, Church For Crazy People...all synonymous with the space that Bryson owns in bed stuy. It's a digital community center. And it's where I'm putting my energy in the near future.

I'm in studio, Bryson's on the phone. Bryson makes a really good point about misogyny that I totally agree with, but then I interject some twisted humor into it.

"The remake of Caligula, Caligula'd my childhood." Jarrid Reed's in studio and Bryson Turner's on the phone. A best of clip from my old live radio show: "The Meaning of Life". We crushed on all levels.

BEST OF FROM OLD LIVE RADIO SHOW! Jarrid Reed's first appearance on the show. 2 minutes into the show, he starts crushing it. Bryson was on the phone during this segment, but he doesn't get many words in. So you could say Bryson was in rare form. I'm teasing, of course. This is Jarrid Reed, everybody.

Bryson Turner & Will Carey join me in a discussion about the invention of fire. Bryson develops an interesting theory about it.

I took mushrooms for the first time and ate a red velvet cupcake. Then I recorded this podcast.

Possibly my favorite segment from the old "Meaning of Life" radio show ever. Comedians Bryson Turner and Will Carey are in studio. Bryson makes a bold prediction, which is that someday Will is going to kill a whole bunch of people, maybe including his own family that has yet to be formed.

Before there was Unconditional Love, there was the Meaning of Life live radio show. Comedians Will Carey & Bryson Turner join me as we discuss & compare the words "Midget" and "Nigger".

"No story is ever the full story. A person decided where to start it and where to end it."

"All hierarchies are imagined." "The things you imagine become real."

I'm an affectionate, cuddly dude. I'm built for it, body and mind. I worry that I can't show as much affection with women because thy'll be afraid that I just want to have sex with them. And I do. But I also just love being affectionate, a la carte. I thrive on human connection.

My mind is most active when I've been awake the longest. So at 3:30am I record a podcast about rape and murder. It's difficult to talk about, so that's why I do it.

Quick update about how I fucked up my body playing handball, and why that always happens.

"The only way to get rid of racism, is if you get rid of race." This is a recording of a live stand up set I did at Freddy's open mic. I wrote this bit in my head while the mic was going on. So this is the first time I ever did it onstage. I wholeheartedly believe in it.

"No one's ever really alone. Nor is anyone really crazy." Don't get caught up in the uniformity of masks, roles and social cues of whatever society you live in. You have authentic overlap with other people. Just none of us know it because we've been trained to be boring and fit in. I got high and tried to explain this.

I got high and listened to an old Opie & Anthony episode with Patrice O'neal. This podcast is me trying to go back in time and join that discussion, about race. "I love people for their flaws, that's where unconditional love comes from. I love people for their flaws, not in spite of them."

I'm not afraid of guns anymore. I was raised in NY and taught that guns are for crazy rednecks that are scared of black people. I no longer believe that. "The power of love inspires action, the power of fear inspires inaction." I'm done living under the control of fear.

I recorded this while high. I talk about how certain aesthetics can change over time based on new memories you develop, and new values that you gain. I use weed as an example. Enjoy.

I have a food addiction. It's a lifelong struggle. There are a lot of factors to it, I discuss a few in this ep.

I don't ask women out enough. I forget that I can just do that. I'm learning.

Branching off from Unifying Force, this is the first episode of my new, 3 minute podcast entitled "Unconditional Love". It's about 9/11 and my dad. Enjoy.

Bryson continually obsesses about the "Female voice" option on Garageband. We also talk about technology, science and the universe. We're willing to be honest about our ignorance in order to learn. Then we delve into religion and potential underutilized names for children. You can use the "Chapters" feature to skip to the parts that interest you most. The main message of the podcast remains: love.

Lawson welcomes Bryson back, and they continue their discussion about their mothers' love, and how it's given them courage through life. The topic of abortion comes up, and - because they have their mothers' love, so who cares about anyone else - they have an honest discussion about it. We understand anyone being offended by a topic as intense as "abortion." But it's more important to make sure women - and men - feel loved. Without ANY conditions. Unconditional. With Lawson Leong.